Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperation and Interdependence: How Multiplayer Games Increase Social Closeness

Games have long been used as a bonding activity; however, research on establishing and maintaining social closeness through games uses different terms, different mechanics and controls, and different contexts of use. As a result, designers have little guidance on which multiplayer game mechanics are most effective. We summarize literature on game design for social closeness into a framework with two collaborative mechanics: cooperation and interdependence. We then created four versions of an online game to independently test the effects of these game mechanics on relationship formation between paired online strangers, showing that cooperation and interdependence are two distinct factors that both can be used to improve play experience and increase social bonds. Additionally, we unpack the effect of interdependence, showing that the improved social closeness can be explained by the increase in conversational turns.
Characterizing Urban Fabric Properties and Their Thermal Effect Using QuickBird Image and Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared (TIR) Data: The Case of Downtown Shanghai, China

The combined usage of high-resolution satellite images and thermal infrared (TIR) data helps understanding the thermal effect of urban fabric properties and the mechanism of urban heat island (UHI) formation. In this study, three typical urban functional zones (UFZs) of downtown Shanghai were chosen for quantifying the relationship between fine-scale urban fabric properties and their thermal effect. Nine land surfaces and 146 aggregated land parcels extracted from a QuickBird image (dated 14 April 2014) were used to characterize urban fabric properties. The thermal effect was deduced from land surface temperature (LST), intra-UHI intensity, blackbody flux density (BBFD) and blackbody flux (BBF). The net BBF was retrieved from the Landsat 8 TIR band 10 dated 13 August 2013, and 28 May 2014. The products were resampled to fine resolution using a geospatial sharpening approach and further validated. The results show that: (1) On the UFZ level, there is a significant thermal differential among land surfaces. Water, well-vegetated land, high-rises with light color and high-rises with glass curtain walls exhibited relatively low LST, UHI intensity and BBFD. In contrast, mobile homes with light steel roofs, low buildings with bituminous roofs, asphalt roads and composite material pavements showed inverse trends for LST, UHI intensity, and BBFD; (2) It was found that parcel-based per ha net BBF, which offsets the “size-effect” among parcels, is more reasonable and comparable when quantifying excess surface flux emitted by the parcels; (3) When examining the relationship between parcel-level land surfaces and per ha BBF, a partial least squares (PLS) regression model showed that buildings and asphalt roads are major contributors to parcel-based per ha BBF, followed by other impervious surfaces. In contrast, vegetated land and water contribute with a much lower per ha net BBF to parcel warming.
Electron microscopy of nickel-containing methanogenic enzymes: methyl reductase and F420-reducing hydrogenase

Methanogens catalyze the hydrogen-dependent eight-electron reduction of carbon dioxide to methane. Two of the key catalysts in the eight-electron reduction pathway are the nickel-containing enzymes F420-reducing hydrogenase and methyl reductase. In the present study, the structures of these archaebacterial enzymes from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum delta H have been determined by electron microscopy. By negative stain techniques, F420 hydrogenase was found to be a ring structure with a diameter of 15.7 nm and an inner channel 4 nm in diameter. Shadow-casting experiments demonstrated that the rings were 8.5 nm deep, indicating a holoenzyme molecular weight of 8.0 X 10(5). Methyl reductase appeared to be an oligomeric complex of dimensions 8.5 by 9 by 11 nm, with a central stain-penetrating region. The morphology and known subunit composition suggest a model in which the subunits are arranged as an eclipsed pair of open trimers. Methyl reductase was also found in the form of larger aggregates and in paracrystalline arrays derived from highly concentrated solutions. The extremely large size of F420 hydrogenase and the methyl reductase supramolecular assemblies may have relevance in vivo in the construction of multiprotein arrays that function in methane biogenesis.
Voluntary HIV counseling and testing acceptance, sexual risk behavior and HIV incidence in Rakai, Uganda

Objective:To assess the acceptance of voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) and the effects of VCT on sexual risk behavior and HIV acquisition in Rakai, Uganda. Methods:In a rural cohort, 10 694 consenting adults were interviewed, provided blood for HIV testing and were offered free VCT by community resident counselors. The proportions receiving VCT and the adjusted risk ratio (adj. RR) of VCT acceptance were estimated by log binomial regression. Risk behaviors and HIV incidence per 100 person-years (PY) in HIV-negative acceptors and non-acceptors of VCT were assessed prospectively. Results:Although 93% initially requested HIV results, 62.2% subsequently accepted VCT. VCT acceptance was lower among persons with no prior VCT [Adj. RR = 0.88; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.85–0.90], individuals with primary education (adj. RR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90–0.99) or higher (adj. RR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87–0.97), individuals who were HIV-positive (adj. RR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.68–0.76), and persons reporting condom use in the past 6 months (inconsistent users, adj. RR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90–0.99; consistent users, adj. RR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82–0.95). VCT acceptance was higher among the currently married (adj. RR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.08–1.20) and previously married (adj. RR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.18). Receipt of results was not significantly associated with age, gender, and self-perception of HIV risk. There were no significant differences in sexual risk behaviors, or in HIV incidence between acceptors (1.6/100 PY) and non-acceptors (1.4/100 PY) of VCT. Conclusion:In this rural cohort where VCT services are free and accessible, there is self-selection of individuals accepting VCT, and no impact of VCT on subsequent risk behaviors or HIV incidence.
Co‐creating ONE: rethinking integration within communication

Purpose – Integration is a key component within marketing‐ and corporate communication. Benefits include synergetic representations, increased credibility and transparency. However, integration may be problematic. With the purpose of re‐conceptualizing integration, this paper aims to discuss how organizational self‐understanding and self‐presentation are challenged by consumer resistance as integrative communication practices prevent organizations from fully engaging in meaningful stakeholder dialogue.Design/methodology/approach – Framed by a cross‐disciplinary review of integration as a concept, Arla Foods' “ONE” is analyzed by way of a qualitative content analysis as an exemplary case of integrated communication. Subsequently, the case is approached from a critical consumer perspective, drawing on empirical studies of consumer responses to and conversations with Arla Foods.Findings – An alternative approach to integration is presented replacing the notion of “one voice, one sound, one story” with an eme.
ASSESSING PERFORMANCE: THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATES AND POLITICS ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS' PERFORMANCE

This study examines multiple organizational climates and their relationship with politics and performance in public organizations. We argue that four types of climates (participative, innovative, leadership and service) impact employees’ performance and public service outcomes, and that perceptions of organizational politics mediate these relationships. A theoretical model is suggested and examined empirically in a field study of 2102 teachers from 108 public schools and three major districts in Israel. Standard regressions and hierarchical linear model statistics are used to examine several hypotheses about the relationship between climate, micro-level performance and macro-level performance. The findings, both micro- and macro-level based, indicate that multiple climates in the school environment are positively related to teachers’ satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, perceptions of politics and such micro-level performance indicators are also related to school level achievements.
Does RTOG 9802 change practice with respect to newly diagnosed low-grade glioma?

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Cancer and Dementia: It’s Complicated

The relationship between dementia and cancer is complex. A wealth of observational data suggest (1) reduced risk of certain cancers in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases; and (2) increased risk of other cancers in Parkinson disease. These relationships persist despite correcting for reporting artifacts and survival bias. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed and warrant further investigation. Aging is a risk factor for both. Common environmental exposures, such as smoking, may play roles. Common mechanisms such as chronic inflammation and immunosenescence, and common risk factors such as diabetes and obesity, have been implicated. Shared genetic pathways are a major focus, particularly those favoring apoptosis and cell proliferation at opposite ends of the spectrum. To complicate the picture further, certain cancer chemotherapy and adjuvant therapy agents have neurotoxic effects, whereas animal studies show other cancer drugs reducing neurodegeneration, raising the possibility of repurposing those agents for use in Alzheimer disease. These multiple potential lines of evidence must be disentangled to investigate underlying mechanisms, the end-game being to develop and to test potential prevention and treatment strategies.
Histocompatible Embryonic Stem Cells by Parthenogenesis

Genetically matched pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells generated via nuclear transfer or parthenogenesis (pES cells) are a potential source of histocompatible cells and tissues for transplantation. After parthenogenetic activation of murine oocytes and interruption of meiosis I or II, we isolated and genotyped pES cells and characterized those that carried the full complement of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens of the oocyte donor. Differentiated tissues from these pES cells engrafted in immunocompetent MHC-matched mouse recipients, demonstrating that selected pES cells can serve as a source of histocompatible tissues for transplantation.
Cost Efficiency of Microfinance Institutions in Peru: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the efficiency of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Peru between 1999 and 2003 by estimating a stochastic cost frontier. The main findings show that MFIs with the largest assets tend to post the highest efficiency levels, and that MFIs operating in less concentrated markets tend to be more efficient. Thus, the cost efficiency of MFIs is affected by average loan size, proportion of net assets, financial sufficiency, financial leverage, business experience and proportion of farm loans. RESUMEN. Este trabajo analiza la eficiencia de las Instituciones Microfinancieras (IMF) en el Perú en el periodo 1999–2003 mediante la estimación de una frontera estocástica de costos. Los principales resultados muestran que las IMF con mayor tamaño de activos tienden a mostrar mayores niveles de eficiencia y que las IMF operando en mercados menos concentrados tienden a ser más eficientes. Asimismo, afectan la eficiencia en costos de las IMF el tamaño promedio de los créditos, la proporción de activos líquidos, la suficiencia financiera, el leverage financiero, la experiencia de negocios y la proporción de los créditos agrícolas. RESUMO. Este artigo analisa a eficiência de Instituições de Microfinanças (IDFs) no Peru entre 1999 e 2003, estimando uma fronteira estocástica de custo. As principais descobertas mostram que IDFs com os maiores ativos tendem a anunciar os maiores níveis de eficiência, e que IDFs operando em mercados menos concentrados tendem a ser mais eficientes. Desse modo, a eficiência de custos de IDFs é afetada pelo tamanho médio do empréstimo, proporçÃo de ativos líquidos, suficiência financeira, alavancagem financeira, experiência no negócio e proporçÃo de financiamentos agrícolas.
Releasing the Regret Lock: Consumer Response to New Alternatives after a Sale

This research examines how consumers behave after they miss a sale and subsequently face a smaller sale for the same or different product. According to the proposed theory, a two-way interaction is predicted in which adding another similar alternative to the choice set leads to higher choice deferral without prior sale information but lower choice deferral with information about missing a larger sale on one of the alternatives. In addition, the new alternative in the choice set becomes more attractive and captures most of the market share. The results from three lab experiments and one field experiment confirm the hypotheses and the proposed mechanism. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.
The equity premium and the required stock returns in a Tobin's q model with a stochastic discount factor

Based on the production-based Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) principle, this article shows that earnings per unit of capital and the output capital ratio are excellent measures of expected stock returns because they are only temporarily affected by earnings shocks but affected permanently by changes in required share returns. Evidence for the US suggests that the risk premium is currently about 2% and that the covariance between consumption growth and expected returns is substantially lower than previously thought of; thus, reducing the equity puzzle substantially.
The President's Dominance in Foreign Policy Making

In the fall of 1991, George Bush saw his own attorneygeneral defeated in an off-year Pennsylvania senatorial race. Richard Thornburgh, once a popular governor, fell victim to attacks by Harris Wofford, an aging, politically inexperienced, unabashedly liberal college professor. The Democrats succeeded in a state that had rejected their candidates in every Senate election since 1962. Curiously, the defeat came after Bush had presided over the fall of the Berlin wall, the reunification of Germany, the democratization of Eastern Europe, and the resolution of the conflict in Nicaragua. If the voters had forgotten these early triumphs, Bush could brag that in the very year of the Pennsylvania election he had won a spectacular victory in the Persian Gulf War, negotiated a breathtaking arms control agreement with the Soviet Union, promised a further unilateral cut in nuclear weapons, supported Gorbachev in his final showdown with conservative forces within the Soviet Union, arranged the first international peace conference on the Middle East, helped achieve a settlement among contending forces within Cambodia, and facilitated a political settlement between blacks and whites in South Africa. Ad-
Calcium-binding phospholipids as a coating material for implant osteointegration

Among the many biomolecules involved in the bone mineralization processes, anionic phospholipids play an important role because of their ability to bind calcium. In particular, phosphatidylserine is a natural component of the plasmalemma and of the matrix vesicles generated from the osteoblast membrane to create nucleation centres for calcium phosphate crystal precipitation. In the present work, we demonstrate that calcium-binding phospholipids can be used as biomimetic coating materials for improving the osteointegration of metal implants. Relatively thick phosphatidylserine-based coatings were deposited on titanium coupons by dip-coating. Upon dehydration in a simulated body fluid phospholipids were quickly crosslinked by calcium and re-arranged into a three-dimensional matrix able to induce rapid formation of a calcium phosphate mineral phase. The rate of mineralization was shown to be dependent on the adopted coating formulation. In the attempt to closely mimic the cell membrane composition, heterogeneous formulations based on the mixing of anionic phospholipids (either phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylinositol) with phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol were synthesized. However, surface plasmon resonance studies as well as scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis demonstrated that the homogeneous phosphatidylserine coating was a more effective calcification environment than the heterogeneous formulations.
Comparison of speech perception between monaural and binaural hearing in cochlear implant patients

Objective To assess the advantages of binaural hearing for cochlear implant (CI) users using a hearing aid (HA) for the contralateral ear. Material and Methods The subjects comprised 3 males and 3 females (age range 48–84 years). All of them had been using a CI and HA for >6 months. Their speech perception was examined in quiet using monosyllables and Japanese Hearing in Noise Test (J-HINT) sentences. Speech perception in noise was examined using J-HINT sentences. Late cortical waves were measured while subjects listened to 1 kHz frequent and 2 kHz target tone stimuli. The latency of the event-related potential (P300) wave was compared for monaural and binaural hearing conditions. Results Three subjects showed significantly better results for binaural than monaural (CI alone) hearing for monosyllables and HINT sentences (p<0.05; paired t-test). Subjects with better speech perception had been using an HA for longer than those with poor performance (18.3 vs 4.0 years). The overall average score was better for binaural than monaural hearing in the speech perception test under quiet and noisy conditions. Comparison of the latency of the P300 wave under monaural and binaural hearing conditions showed a significantly shorter latency for the latter (p=0.02; paired t-test). Conclusion Although the use of an HA alone showed marginal benefit for CI users, binaural hearing (CI + HA) resulted in a significant improvement in speech perception under various circumstances.
Investment and Translanguaging: A Case of Nepalese Immigrant Women in Michigan

This research study investigated the learning and use of English by Nepali immigrant women from two theoretical perspectives: investment and translingualism. The research questions addressed what sort of investment the participants were making to learn English and to see how they used different translingual practices to co-construct their identity with both the target language and other transnational communities. Data were collected through questionnaires, observations, interviews, journal writings, and Facebook group chats. The key findings are that the Nepali immigrant women are not only motivated to improve their English but are also highly invested in doing so. They adopt different translingual negotiation strategies for the purpose of meaning-making among linguistically diverse groups of multilingual speakers. The study is significant for those connected to ESL classrooms composed of adult immigrants, as these immigrants constitute a substantial proportion of the US population.
Debate: Use of the Term ‘Bonded Labour’ is a Must in the Context of India

There is no question that we should distinguish between forced labour, trafficking and slavery. But, we should also include in the debate another concept, ‘bonded labour,’ as it describes a distinct and widespread form of forced labour in India that does not fully accord with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) definition of forced labour. The sociopolitical reality in India and bonded labour’s intimate link with the Indian caste system demand that the term ‘bonded labour’ be retained in the discourse on forced labour and trafficking in persons. Addressing bonded labour enables two interconnected areas of exploitation and discrimination to be addressed, namely working towards emancipation of the minority Dalit community and of the Moolnivasi indigenous communities.
Technological change and industry structure: A case study of the petroleum industry

This paper is a case study of the impact of an exogenous improvement of a process technology on the structure of the petroleum industry. The paper examines the role of three-dimensional seismology in bringing about the 1990s oil industry consolidation. This proposition is examined in the context of evolutionary economics and in a non-cooperative game theory, concluding with a reference to Steindl's theory of industry dynamics. The significance of this contribution lies chiefly in highlighting the fact that exogenous technological change can, under appropriate conditions, play a significant role in industry dynamics. This reference to the exogenous change in technology is a departure from the traditional consideration of endogenity of industry structure in relation to technological development and, therefore, a novelty. Secondly, the documentation of 3D seismology as a significant process technology of the petroleum industry is significant.
The Impact of Institutional Environment on the Capital Structure of Firms during Recent Financial Crises

This paper reviews the impact of institutional variables on the capital structure of firms during the recent financial crises (dot.com bubble, subprime crisis, and European sovereign debt crisis). For the first time, the general government gross debt and current account balance are included in the debate, revealing evidence that the irrational exuberance of sovereign debt has been mimicked by firms. The approach proposed reveals two important trends, broadly consistent throughout those episodes of disturbance. Under stress, firms increase leverage and then rely, or are forced to rely, on short-term borrowing, heightening rollover risks. Altogether, the outbreak of those crises sowed the seeds of a new one. Regarding the European sovereign debt crisis, the presence of an asymmetric shock has been noted, with the periphery and the center of the European Union being targeted to different extents. Lastly, it is clear that institutional variables are key to this topic and deserve a more careful analysis if we are to improve our understanding of the financing options available to firms, especially in times of financial crisis.