786 research outputs found

    Why People Forward Emails to Others?

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    The issue of electronic mail (e-mail) communication has attracted much academic attention over the last two decades. Yet, little is known about why people forward emails to others. Through a review of the literature, this paper aims to investigate reasons why people forward emails and proposes several variables related to one\u27s intention of doing so. More specifically, we hypothesize that the higher degree the four possible variables are (the recipient’s trust in the email content, the recipient\u27s trust in the senders, intention to staying in touch with friends, and the receivers\u27 altruism trait), the more likely people will forward emails. On the other hand, we hypothesize that the lower degree the two possible variables are (the size of email file, and the cost of forwarding e-mail), the less likely people will forward emails

    Nucleon isovector structure functions in (2+1)-flavor QCD with domain wall fermions

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    We report on numerical lattice QCD calculations of some of the low moments of the nucleon structure functions. The calculations are carried out with gauge configurations generated by the RBC and UKQCD collaborations with (2+1)-flavors of dynamical domain wall fermions and the Iwasaki gauge action (β=2.13\beta = 2.13). The inverse lattice spacing is a−1=1.73a^{-1} = 1.73 GeV, and two spatial volumes of ((2.7{\rm fm})^3) and ((1.8 {\rm fm})^3) are used. The up and down quark masses are varied so the pion mass lies between 0.33 and 0.67 GeV while the strange mass is about 12 % heavier than the physical one. The structure function moments we present include fully non-perturbatively renormalized iso-vector quark momentum fraction, (_{u-d}), helicity fraction, (< x >_{\Delta u - \Delta d}), and transversity, (_{\delta u - \delta d}), as well as an unrenormalized twist-3 coefficient, (d_1). The ratio of the momentum to helicity fractions, (_{u-d}/_{\Delta u - \Delta d}), does not show dependence on the light quark mass and agrees well with the value obtained from experiment. Their respective absolute values, fully renormalized, show interesting trends toward their respective experimental values at the lightest quark mass. A prediction for the transversity, (0.7 _{\delta u -\delta d} < 1.1), in the (\bar{\rm MS}) scheme at 2 GeV is obtained. The twist-3 coefficient, (d_1), though yet to be renormalized, supports the perturbative Wandzura-Wilczek relation.Comment: 14 pages, 22 figures

    Smart homes and their users:a systematic analysis and key challenges

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    Published research on smart homes and their users is growing exponentially, yet a clear understanding of who these users are and how they might use smart home technologies is missing from a field being overwhelmingly pushed by technology developers. Through a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature on smart homes and their users, this paper takes stock of the dominant research themes and the linkages and disconnects between them. Key findings within each of nine themes are analysed, grouped into three: (1) views of the smart home-functional, instrumental, socio-technical; (2) users and the use of the smart home-prospective users, interactions and decisions, using technologies in the home; and (3) challenges for realising the smart home-hardware and software, design, domestication. These themes are integrated into an organising framework for future research that identifies the presence or absence of cross-cutting relationships between different understandings of smart homes and their users. The usefulness of the organising framework is illustrated in relation to two major concerns-privacy and control-that have been narrowly interpreted to date, precluding deeper insights and potential solutions. Future research on smart homes and their users can benefit by exploring and developing cross-cutting relationships between the research themes identified

    Mass and Hot Baryons in Massive Galaxy Clusters from Subaru Weak Lensing and AMiBA SZE Observations

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    We present a multiwavelength analysis of a sample of four hot (T_X>8keV) X-ray galaxy clusters (A1689, A2261, A2142, and A2390) using joint AMiBA Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and Subaru weak lensing observations, combined with published X-ray temperatures, to examine the distribution of mass and the intracluster medium (ICM) in massive cluster environments. Our observations show that A2261 is very similar to A1689 in terms of lensing properties. Many tangential arcs are visible around A2261, with an effective Einstein radius \sim 40 arcsec (at z \sim 1.5), which when combined with our weak lensing measurements implies a mass profile well fitted by an NFW model with a high concentration c_{vir} \sim 10, similar to A1689 and to other massive clusters. The cluster A2142 shows complex mass substructure, and displays a shallower profile (c_{vir} \sim 5), consistent with detailed X-ray observations which imply recent interaction. The AMiBA map of A2142 exhibits an SZE feature associated with mass substructure lying ahead of the sharp north-west edge of the X-ray core suggesting a pressure increase in the ICM. For A2390 we obtain highly elliptical mass and ICM distributions at all radii, consistent with other X-ray and strong lensing work. Our cluster gas fraction measurements, free from the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption, are overall in good agreement with published X-ray and SZE observations, with the sample-averaged gas fraction of = 0.133 \pm 0.027, for our sample = (1.2 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{15} M_{sun} h^{-1}. When compared to the cosmic baryon fraction f_b = \Omega_b/\Omega_m constrained by the WMAP 5-year data, this indicates /f_b = 0.78 \pm 0.16, i.e., (22 \pm 16)% of the baryons are missing from the hot phase of clusters.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ; high resolution figures available at http://www.asiaa.sinica.edu.tw/~keiichi/upfiles/AMiBA7/ms_highreso.pd

    Identification and validation of clinical predictors for the risk of neurological involvement in children with hand, foot, and mouth disease in Sarawak

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    Background: Human enterovirus 71 (HEV71) can cause Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with neurological complications, which may rapidly progress to fulminant cardiorespiratory failure, and death. Early recognition of children at risk is the key to reduce acute mortality and morbidity. Methods: We examined data collected through a prospective clinical study of HFMD conducted between 2000 and 2006 that included 3 distinct outbreaks of HEV71 to identify risk factors associated with neurological involvement in children with HFMD. Results: Total duration of fever ≥ 3 days, peak temperature ≥ 38.5°C and history of lethargy were identified as independent risk factors for neurological involvement (evident by CSF pleocytosis) in the analysis of 725 children admitted during the first phase of the study. When they were validated in the second phase of the study, two or more (≥ 2) risk factors were present in 162 (65%) of 250 children with CSF pleocytosis compared with 56 (30%) of 186 children with no CSF pleocytosis (OR 4.27, 95% CI2.79–6.56, p < 0.0001). The usefulness of the three risk factors in identifying children with CSF pleocytosis on hospital admission during the second phase of the study was also tested. Peak temperature ≥ 38.5°C and history of lethargy had the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 28%(48/174), 89%(125/140), 76%(48/63) and 50%(125/251), respectively in predicting CSF pleocytosis in children that were seen within the first 2 days of febrile illness. For those presented on the 3rd or later day of febrile illness, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of ≥ 2 risk factors predictive of CSF pleocytosis were 75%(57/ 76), 59%(27/46), 75%(57/76) and 59%(27/46), respectively. Conclusion: Three readily elicited clinical risk factors were identified to help detect children at risk of neurological involvement. These risk factors may serve as a guide to clinicians to decide the need for hospitalization and further investigation, including cerebrospinal fluid examination, and close monitoring for disease progression in children with HFMD

    A Novel Role for CD55 in Granulocyte Homeostasis and Anti-Bacterial Host Defense

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    Background: In addition to its complement-regulating activity, CD55 is a ligand of the adhesion class G protein-coupled receptor CD97; however, the relevance of this interaction has remained elusive. We previously showed that mice lacking a functional CD97 gene have increased numbers of granulocytes. Methodology/Results: Here,wedemonstratethatCD55-deficientmicedisplay a comparable phenotype with about two-fold more circulating granulocytes in the blood stream, the marginated pool, and the spleen. This granulocytosis was independent of increased complement activity. Augmented numbers of Gr-1-positive cells in cell cycle in the bone marrow indicated a higher granulopoietic activity in mice lacking either CD55 or CD97. Concomitant with the increase in blood granulocyte numbers, Cd55-/mice challenged with the respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae developed less bacteremia and died later after infection. Conclusions: Collectively, these data suggest that complement-independent interaction of CD55 with CD97 is functionall

    Src activation by β-adrenoreceptors is a key switch for tumor metastasis

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    Norepinephrine (NE) can modulate multiple cellular functions important for cancer progression; however, how this single extracellular signal regulates such a broad array of cellular processes is unknown. Here, we identify Src as a key regulator of phosphoproteomic signaling networks activated in response to beta-adrenergic signaling in cancer cells. These results also identify a new mechanism of Src phosphorylation that mediates beta-adrenergic/PKA regulation of downstream networks, thereby enhancing tumor cell migration, invasion and growth. In human ovarian cancer samples, high tumoral NE levels were correlated with high pSrcY419 levels. Moreover, among cancer patients, the use of beta blockers was significantly associated with reduced cancer-related mortality. Collectively, these data provide a pivotal molecular target for disrupting neural signaling in the tumor microenvironment

    Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g

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    About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years 1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, h^b=h^AbgVb−h^VbgAb{\hat{h}}_b = {\hat{h}}_{Ab}g_{Vb}-{\hat{h}}_{Vb}g_{Ab} and hb∗=h^Vb2+h^Ab2h^{\ast}_b = \sqrt{\hat{h}_{Vb}^{2}+\hat{h}_{Ab}^{2}}, limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59and and h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st

    Forward modeling of standing kink modes in coronal loops. I. Synthetic views

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    Kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are frequently observed in various magnetic structures of the solar atmosphere. They may contribute significantly to coronal heating and could be used as a tool to diagnose the solar plasma. In this study, we synthesize the Fe ix λ171.073 emission of a coronal loop supporting a standing kink MHD mode. The kink MHD wave solution of a plasma cylinder is mapped into a semi-torus structure to simulate a curved coronal loop. We decompose the solution into a quasi-rigid kink motion and a quadrupole term, which dominate the plasma inside and outside of the flux tube, respectively. At the loop edges, the line of sight integrates relatively more ambient plasma, and the background emission becomes significant. The plasma motion associated with the quadrupole term causes spectral line broadening and emission suppression. The periodic intensity suppression will modulate the integrated intensity and the effective loop width, which both exhibit oscillatory variations at half of the kink period. The quadrupole term can be directly observed as a pendular motion at the front view
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