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Smart mirror fashion technology for the retail chain transformation
No full textAs the digitalisation of businesses continues to change customers’ purchasing habits, brick-and-mortar retail
SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are confronted with unprecedented challenges. The proliferation of e-commerce and digital businesses is not only changing the rules of business but disrupting them by introducing
new possibilities, especially with the integration of new technology. Studies that have attempted to measure
technology-based service quality in retail settings are limited to online service experiences, creating a significant
gap in the literature. The primary purpose of this paper is to explore how the service quality of brick-and-mortar
clothing retail chains can be improved using innovative technology such as smart mirror fashion technology
(SMFT), something academic research has not yet specifically addressed. This study used a qualitative approach
with Soft System Methodology (SSM), based upon interviews triangulated with observations and field notes. It
focused on the top five UK clothing retail chains, measured by market capitalisation. We found that the quality of
service received is currently perceived as low when compared to customers’ expectations; however, use of
technology enhanced service quality and influenced customer satisfaction. There was a positive relationship
between service quality, customer satisfaction and the use of SMFT. The contribution of this study lies in the
development of a new framework that integrates SMFT with traditional in-store transaction processes, resulting
in improvements in service delivery and managerial practices of the offline clothing retail service providers. The
study concludes that embracing SMFT can help provide high-quality service, creating value for customers
A writer is someone who writes
No full textAcademic Writing Month (AcWriMo) at Maynooth University Librar
Reflecting on the Genocide Convention in its Eighth Decade
No full text9 December 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Genocide Convention by the United Nations General Assembly. Article 6 of the Convention explicitly grants adjudicatory jurisdiction to the territorial state and to an international penal tribunal. Yet, the textual content of the Article has not prevented other types of e extraterritorial jurisdiction from applying to the crime, such as universal criminal jurisdiction. This article analyses the development of universal jurisdiction over the crime of genocide, and proposes that the main advancements
occurred as a result of a number of key events in the 20th century. Providing a review of state practice and opinio juris, the article analyses how universal jurisdiction applies to genocide and outlines its scope
The Active Fraction of Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies
No full textThe population of massive black holes (MBHs) in dwarf galaxies is elusive, but fundamentally important to understand
the coevolution of black holes with their hosts and the formation of the first collapsed objects in the universe. While
some progress was made in determining the X-ray detected fraction of MBHs in dwarfs, with typical values ranging
from 0%–6%, their overall active fraction, , is still largely unconstrained. Here, we develop a theoretical model to
predict the multiwavelength active fraction of MBHs in dwarf galaxies starting from first principles and based on the
physical properties of the host, namely, its stellar mass and angular momentum content. We find multiwavelength active
fractions for MBHs, accreting at typically low rates, ranging from 5%–22%, and increasing with the stellar mass of the
host as ~ log10 M 4.5 ( ) . If dwarfs are characterized by low-metallicity environments, the active fraction may reach
∼30% for the most massive hosts. For galaxies with stellar mass in the range of 107 < Må[ Me] < 1010, our predictions
are in agreement with occupation fractions derived from simulations and semi-analytical models. Additionally, we
provide a fitting formula to predict the probability of finding an active MBH in a dwarf galaxy from observationally
derived data. This model will be instrumental to guide future observational efforts to find MBHs in dwarfs. The James
Webb Space Telescope, in particular, will play a crucial role in detecting MBHs in dwarfs, possibly uncovering active
fractions ∼3 times larger than current X-ray surveys
Dynamical phase error in interacting topological quantum memories
No full textA local Hamiltonian with topological quantum order (TQO) has a robust ground-state degeneracy that makes it an excellent quantum memory candidate. This memory can be corrupted however if part of the state leaves the protected ground-state manifold and returns later with a dynamically accrued phase error. Here we analyze how TQO suppresses this process and use this to quantify the degree to which spectral densities in different topological sectors are correlated. We provide numerical verification of our results by modeling an interacting p-wave superconducting wire
Eigenstate thermalization scaling in approaching the classical limit
No full textAccording to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), the eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations of expectation values of local observables should decrease with increasing system size. In approaching the thermodynamic limit—the number of sites and the particle number increasing at the same rate—the fluctuations should scale as
∼
D
−
1
/
2
with the Hilbert space dimension
D
. Here, we study a different limit—the classical or semiclassical limit—by increasing the particle number in fixed lattice topologies. We focus on the paradigmatic Bose-Hubbard system, which is quantum-chaotic for large lattices and shows mixed behavior for small lattices. We derive expressions for the expected scaling, assuming ideal eigenstates having Gaussian-distributed random components. We show numerically that, for larger lattices, ETH scaling of physical midspectrum eigenstates follows the ideal (Gaussian) expectation, but for smaller lattices, the scaling occurs via a different exponent. We examine several plausible mechanisms for this anomalous scaling
Unveiling the gravitational universe at μ-Hz frequencies
No full textWe propose a space-based interferometer surveying the gravitational wave (GW) sky
in the milli-Hz to μ-Hz frequency range. By the 2040s, the μ-Hz frequency band,
bracketed in between the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and pulsar
timing arrays, will constitute the largest gap in the coverage of the astrophysically
relevant GW spectrum. Yet many outstanding questions related to astrophysics and
cosmology are best answered by GW observations in this band. We show that a
μ-Hz GW detector will be a truly overarching observatory for the scientific community at large, greatly extending the potential of LISA. Conceived to detect massive
black hole binaries from their early inspiral with high signal-to-noise ratio, and
low-frequency stellar binaries in the Galaxy, this instrument will be a cornerstone
for multimessenger astronomy from the solar neighbourhood to the high-redshift
Universe
Genome-wide association analyses of carcass traits using copy number variants and raw intensity values of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cattle
No full textBackground: The carcass value of cattle is a function of carcass weight and quality. Given the economic
importance of carcass merit to producers, it is routinely included in beef breeding objectives. A detailed
understanding of the genetic variants that contribute to carcass merit is useful to maximize the efficiency of
breeding for improved carcass merit. The objectives of the present study were two-fold: firstly, to perform genomewide
association analyses of carcass weight, carcass conformation, and carcass fat using copy number variant (CNV)
data in a population of 923 Holstein-Friesian, 945 Charolais, and 974 Limousin bulls; and secondly to perform
separate association analyses of carcass traits on the same population of cattle using the Log R ratio (LRR) values of
712,555 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The LRR value of a SNP is a measure of the signal intensity of the
SNP generated during the genotyping process.
Results: A total of 13,969, 3,954, and 2,805 detected CNVs were tested for association with the three carcass traits
for the Holstein-Friesian, Charolais, and Limousin, respectively. The copy number of 16 CNVs and the LRR of 34 SNPs
were associated with at least one of the three carcass traits in at least one of the three cattle breeds. With the
exception of three SNPs, none of the quantitative trait loci detected in the CNV association analyses or the SNP LRR
association analyses were also detected using traditional association analyses based on SNP allele counts. Many of
the CNVs and SNPs associated with the carcass traits were located near genes related to the structure and function
of the spliceosome and the ribosome; in particular, U6 which encodes a spliceosomal subunit and 5S rRNA which
encodes a ribosomal subunit.
Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that CNV data and SNP LRR data can be used to detect genomic
regions associated with carcass traits in cattle providing information on quantitative trait loci over and above those
detected using just SNP allele counts, as is the approach typically employed in genome-wide association analyses
Is the President an ‘officer of the United States’ for Purposes of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment
No full textSection 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868, in the wake of the Civil War. This provision bars certain people who "engaged in insurrection" from serving in certain federal and state positions. For a time, Section 3's meaning was a matter of substantial debate. And subsequently, during the twentieth century, this provision fell into desuetude
Offices and Officers of the Constitution, Part 2: The Four Approaches
No full textThis Article is the second installment of a planned ten-part series that
provides the first comprehensive examination of the offices and officers of
the Constitution. The first installment introduced the series. In this second
installment, we will identify four approaches to understand the Constitution's
divergent "office"- and "officer"-language.
First, under Approach #1, the Intermediate View, the Constitution's
references to "offices" and "officers" extend exclusively to positions in the
Judicial Branch and in the Executive Branch-whether appointed or elected.
But the Constitution's references to "offices" and "officers" do not extend to
positions in the Legislative Branch-whether appointed or elected.
Second, under Approach #2, the Maximalist View, the Constitution's
divergent "office"- and "officer"-language is used synonymously. And,
under this approach, these phrases refer to positions in all three branches,
whether appointed or elected.
Third, under Approach #3, the Minimalist View, the Constitution's
divergent "office"- and "officer"-language has different meanings. The
phrase "Officers of the United States" extends exclusively to appointed
positions in the Executive and Judicial Branches. And the phrase "Office ..
under the United States" extends exclusively to appointed positions in all
three branches. (The ellipses refer to different words the Framers placed after
office but before under: "profit," "trust," and/or "honor"). For more than a
decade, Tillman has advanced Approach #3. Blackman was first piqued by
Tillman's position shortly after he became a law professor, and he was
thereafter persuaded