Bioavailability Studies and in vitro Profiling of the Selective Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter Subtype 1 (EAAT1) Inhibitor UCPH‐102

Although the selective excitatory amino acid transporter subtype 1 (EAAT1) inhibitor UCPH‐101 has become a standard pharmacological tool compound for in vitro and ex vivo studies in the EAAT research field, its inability to penetrate the blood–brain barrier makes it unsuitable for in vivo studies. In the present study, per os (p.o.) administration (40 mg kg^?1) of the closely related analogue UCPH‐102 in rats yielded respective plasma and brain concentrations of 10.5 and 6.67 μm after 1 h. Three analogue series were designed and synthesized to improve the bioavailability profile of UCPH‐102, but none displayed substantially improved properties in this respect. In vitro profiling of UCPH‐102 (10 μm ) at 51 central nervous system targets in radioligand binding assays strongly suggests that the compound is completely selective for EAAT1. Finally, in a rodent locomotor model, p.o. administration of UCPH‐102 (20 mg kg^?1) did not induce acute effects or any visible changes in behavior.     

Keeping secure to the end: a long-term perspective to understand employees’ consequence-delayed information security violation

Employees’ violation of information security policies is a major threat to an organisation. Some violations such as using an easy-to-guess password or storing confidential data on personal unencrypted flash drives usually do not cause immediate harm; instead, these actions create security flaws that can be attacked in the future and cause delayed consequences. We call such behaviour consequence-delayed information security violation (CDISV). The ignorance or denial of the possible delayed consequences is the main reason employees engage in such insecure behaviour. Due to the delay between the action and the consequence, a long-term mindset could play an important role in employees’ current decision-making. Specifically, in this study, we propose that long-term orientation is an influential factor in decreasing CDISV. The long-term orientation includes three dimensions: continuity, futurity, and perseverance. In addition, based on the stewardship theory and the needs theory, we further propose that value identification and the fulfilment of higher-order needs (trusted relationship and growth) are important drivers for employees to have a long-term orientation. We collected survey data using the 170 responses we received from a global company’s employees. The empirical results support our arguments. Our findings provide implications to organisations to encourage employees’ information security behaviours.     

Dynamical modelling of peak-current-mode-controlled converter in continuous conduction mode

Peak-current-mode (PCM) control has been a popular control method of switched-mode converters since its publication in late 1970s due to the inherent features it provides especially in buck derived converters such as high input-noise attenuation, first-order control dynamics as well as cycle-by-cycle current limiting. Its main disadvantages are considered to be the limited duty ratio, increased output impedance, and noise sensitivity due to the fast feedback-current loop. The observed peculiar dynamical behaviour associate to the PCM control has attracted the researchers for tens of years yielding multitude of dynamical modelling approaches. Application of sampling effect as the basis for the modelling has been considered to producing most accurate dynamical models as well as explanations for the observed phenomena. A consistent and easy-to-apply modelling approach is presented in this paper, which explains the observed dynamical phenomena, provides accurate dynamical power-stage models as well as comply with the other methods proposing the existence of an infinite small-signal duty-ratio gain leading to the observed behaviour. Experimental evidence is provided based on second and fourth-order buck converters.     

The movement patterns and the experiential components of virtual environments

Human movement in virtual environments (VEs) is a largely unstudied area, and there are no well-established methods of measuring it in VEs. Consequently, it is unclear how movement affects the experiential side of VEs. We introduce a novel method of measuring and modelling human movement. A specific information entropy-based modelling method enabled us to identify different movement patterns and analyse the experiential components related to them. The data was collected by registering the movement patterns of 68 participants who were in a virtual house doing a search task. The experiential side of the VE was measured with the Experimental Virtual Environment Questionnaire (EVEQ). Four movement patterns were identified. In addition, fluent movement in VEs was related to a high sense of presence. Moreover, the participants who moved fluently in the environment assessed their skills high. The results show how movement is related the way in which people experience the VE. The movement analysis method introduced here is applicable to other related research areas as well.     

What levels of moral reasoning and values explain adherence to information security rules? An empirical study

It is widely agreed that employee non-adherence to information security policies poses a major problem for organizations. Previous research has pointed to the potential of theories of moral reasoning to better understand this problem. However, we find no empirical studies that examine the influence of moral reasoning on compliance with information security policies. We address this research gap by proposing a theoretical model that explains non-compliance in terms of moral reasoning and values. The model integrates two well-known psychological theories: the Theory of Cognitive Moral Development by Kohlberg and the Theory of Motivational Types of Values by Schwartz. Our empirical findings largely support the proposed model and suggest implications for practice and research on how to improve information security policy compliance.     

Mixed preconditioners for harmonic balance Jacobians

Preconditioning is crucial for the convergence of GMRES iteration in the Harmonic Balance analysis of RF and microwave circuits. In this article, mixed frequency/time‐domain preconditioners for harmonic balance Jacobians are presented. The efficiency of mixed preconditioners is demonstrated with realistic simulation examples. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009.     

A new method for evaluating the subjective image quality of photographs: dynamic reference

The Dynamic Reference (DR) method has been developed for subjective image quality experiments in which original or undistorted images are unavailable. The DR method creates reference image series from test images. Reference images are presented to observers as a slide show prior to evaluating their quality. As the observers view the set of reference images, they determine the overall variation in quality within the set of test images. This study compared the performance of the DR method to that of the standardized absolute category rating (ACR) and paired comparison (PC) methods. We measured the performance of each method in terms of time effort and discriminability. The results showed that the DR method is faster than the PC method and more accurate than the ACR method. The DR method is especially suitable for experiments that require highly accurate results in a short time.     

Identifying software project risks in Nigeria: an International Comparative Study

We report a study where software project risk factors were solicited in Nigeria. The study repeats a research design, which has been used in a Delphi study in the U.S., Finland, and Hong Kong to rank software development risks. The study produces a rank-order list of software risk factors and compares results with the earlier study, showing significant differences. Obtained rankings signal the importance of the infrastructure related and socio-economic software risks in developing countries like Nigeria. This demonstrates the importance of understanding the broader socio-economic context in identifying and managing software risks. The study also shows that some risks in Nigeria are located on a different scale. The choice of contingent mitigation strategies of project managers play a less important role, because the risks are so deeply engrained with the poor quality of basic infrastructure services.     

Pedestrian navigation aids: information requirements and design implications

Recent years have seen an increased interest in navigational services for pedestrians. To ensure that these services are successful, it is necessary to understand the information requirements of pedestrians when navigating, and in particular, what information they need and how it is used. A requirements study was undertaken to identify these information requirements within an urban navigation context. Results show that landmarks were by far the most predominant navigation cue, that distance information and street names were infrequently used, and that information is used to enable navigation decisions, but also to enhance the pedestrians confidence and trust. The implications for the design of pedestrian navigation aids are highlighted.