Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Having to versus Wanting to Play: Background and Consequences of Harmonious versus Obsessive Engagement in Video Games

The present research examined the background and consequences of different styles of engagement in video game play. Based on self-determination theory(1) and the dualistic model of passion,(2) the authors hypothesized that high levels of basic psychological need satisfaction would foster harmonious passion for video play, supporting the subjective sense that play is something one wants to do. It was also predicted that low levels of need satisfaction would promote obsessive passion for games and contribute to the feeling that game play is something one feels compelled to or has to do. It was expected, in turn, that passion for play would directly influence player outcomes closely tied to games, moderate links between play and well-being, and relate to overall levels of well-being as a function of basic need satisfaction. As expected, results showed that low levels of basic need satisfaction were associated with more obsessive passion, higher amounts of play, greater tension following play, and low game enjoyment, whereas high levels of need satisfaction did not predict hours of play but were associated with more harmonious passion, game enjoyment, and energy following play. Moderation analyses showed that high amounts of play related negatively to well-being only to the extent that players reported an obsessive passion and that the unique relations between passion and overall levels of player well-being were quite small once controlling for their basic need satisfaction in daily life. Discussion of the current findings focuses on their significance for understanding disordered play and the value of applying a theory-based approach to study motivation for virtual contexts.
Globally distributed software development in small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany: reasons, locations, and obstacles

Many large enterprises develop their software nowadays in globally distributed settings. By using the option to outsource, the respective enterprises can realize decisive competitive advantages. In order to remain competitive, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also forced to follow this trend and to outsource parts of their software development. However, most of the existing studies analyze the outsourcing situation in large enterprises, whereas the position of SMEs is being neglected and remains unclear. Main drivers for software development outsourcing decisions, suitable vendor locations, and problems occurring while realizing such projects may differ between large enterprises and SMEs. Therefore, in this explorative research paper we examine the outsourcing activities of eight SMEs in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Besides the question why SMEs are choosing the outsourcing option we seek to find out, which countries are best suited for outsourcing activities of SMEs as well as which obstacles in particular hinder these enterprises in successfully conducting software development outsourcing.
Analyzing the relationship between self-confidence in mathematics and students' characteristics using multinomial logistic regression

This study investigates the relationship between self-confidence and achievement among Malaysian students using multinomial logistic regression and the data are from TIMSS 2007. Although, in general, Malaysian students had low self-confidence in learning mathematics, their performance in mathematics at the international level is higher as compared to some countries with high level of self-confidence. This study also found that, besides mathematics achievement, there are four other factors that separate the level of self-confidence among Malaysian students. These factors are gender of students, students' aspiration, use of computer for school work, having teachers who want students to do their best.
Factors Associated with HIV Prevalence and HIV Testing in Sierra Leone: Findings from the 2008 Demographic Health Survey

Background The Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey 2008 found an HIV prevalence of 1.5%. This study investigates associations with HIV infection and HIV testing. Methods Households were selected using stratified multi-stage sampling. In all selected households women aged 15–49 were eligible. In every second household men aged 15–59 were also eligible. Participants were asked to consent for anonymous HIV testing. All participants interviewed and tested were analysed. Multiple logistic regression identified associations with HIV infection, undiagnosed infection and with ever having a voluntary HIV test among sexually active participants. Results Of 7495 invited 86% (6,475) agreed to an interview and HIV test. Among 96 HIV positive participants, 78% had never taken a voluntary HIV test so were unaware of their serostatus, and 86% were sexually active in the last 12 months among whom 96% did not use a condom at last intercourse. 11% of all participants had previously voluntarily tested. Among women who had tested, 60% did so in antenatal care. We found that those living in an urban area, and those previously married, were more likely to be HIV infected. Voluntary HIV testing was more common in those aged 25–44, living in an urban area, females, having secondary or higher education, having first sexual intercourse at age 17 years or older, and using condoms at last sex. Although 82% of men and 69% of women had heard of HIV, only 35% and 29% respectively had heard of antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions The HIV prevalence in Sierra Leone has been stable. HIV testing, however, is uncommon and most infected individuals are unaware of their serostatus. This could allow the epidemic to escalate as individuals with undiagnosed infection are unlikely to change their behaviour or access treatment. Improving knowledge and increasing testing need to remain central to HIV prevention interventions in Sierra Leone.
Impact of the AVHRR sea surface temperature on atmospheric forcing in the Japan/East Sea

The impact of high resolution sea surface temperature (SST) data on the atmospheric forcing in the Japan/East Sea (JES) is investigated using a high‐resolution mesoscale atmospheric model. We use the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Pathfinder SST (PFSST) and the operational NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) global SST analysis (NCEPSST) as the lower boundary conditions for two numerical experiments. A sharp SST gradient associated with the subpolar front in JES, well‐resolved by PFSST, has a significant influence on both synoptic scale and monthly mean surface winds and heat fluxes in JES. These results have an important implication for research related to coastal atmosphere and ocean circulation and air‐sea interactions.
Blind Channel Estimation for DS-CDMA

The problem of channel estimation in code-division multiple-access systems is considered. Using only the spreading code of the user of interest, a technique is proposed to identify the impulse response of the multipath channel from the received data sequence. While existing blind methods suffer from high computational complexity (due to large SVDs) and sensitivity to accurate knowledge of the noise subspace rank, the proposed method overcomes both problems. By employing a computationally simple matrix power that requires no a-priori knowledge of the noise subspace rank, we obtain efficient estimates of the noise subspace. The impulse response is then directly identified through a small sized (order of the channel) SVD or a least squares optimization. Both approaches (SVD and least squares) are also extended to accommodate for synchronization with respect to the user of interest. Extensive simulations demonstrate robustness of the proposed scheme and performance comparable to existing SVD techniques but at a lower computational cost.
Posterior Decompression and Fusion: Whole-Spine Functional and Clinical Outcomes

The mobility of the spine and the change in the angle of the curvatures are directly related to spinal pain and spinal stenosis. The aim of the study was the evaluation of morphology and mobility of the spine in patients who were subjected to decompression and posterior fusion with pedicle screws. The treatment group consisted of 20 patients who underwent posterior fixation of lumbar spine (one and two level fusion). The control group consisted of 39 healthy subjects. Mobility and curvatures of the spine were measured with a non-invasive device, the Spinal Mouse. Pain was evaluated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the SF-36 were used to evaluate the degree of the functional disability and the quality of life, respectively. The measurements were recorded preoperatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The mobility of the lumbar spine in the sagittal plane increased (p = 0.009) at 12 months compared to the measurements at 3 months. The mobility of the thoracic spine in the frontal plane increased (p = 0.009) at 12 months compared to the preoperative evaluation. The results of VAS, ODI and SF-36 PCS improved significantly (p<0.001). The levels of fusion exhibited a strong linear correlation (r = 0.651, p = 0.002) with the total trunk inclination in the upright position. Although pain, quality of life and spinal mobility in the sagittal and frontal planes significantly improved in the treatment group, these patients still had limited mobility and decreased curves/angles values compared to control group.
On the INFOMAX algorithm for blind signal separation

This paper provides an analytical examination of the INFOMAX algorithm and establishes its effectiveness for blind signal separation using extensive simulation results. Results obtained show that the INFOMAX is not able to separate signal sources unless signal pre-processing is carried-out whereby the data to train the separating matrix is decorrelated. Further, results also show that if one uses the decorrelation pre-process alone it is able to effectively separate signal sources in many instances. Hence we conclude that the INFOMAX algorithm may not be a useful approach for signal separation.
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Digital Economy Working Paper 2013/04 Digital Music Consumption on the Internet: Evidence from Clickstream Data

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of this publication. Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the authors and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the JRC or the European Commission. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. Abstract The goal of this paper is to analyze the behavior of digital music consumers on the Internet. Using clickstream data on a panel of more than 16,000 European consumers, we estimate the effects of illegal downloading and legal streaming on the legal purchases of digital music. Our results suggest that Internet users do not view illegal downloading as a substitute to legal digital music. Although positive and significant, our estimated elasticities are essentially zero: a 10% increase in clicks on illegal downloading websites leads to a 0.2% increase in clicks on legal purchases websites. Online music streaming services are found to have a somewhat larger (but still small) effect on the purchases of digital sound recordings, suggesting complementarities between these two modes of music consumption. According to our results, a 10% increase in clicks on legal streaming websites lead to up to a 0.7% increase in clicks on legal digital purchases websites. We find important cross country difference in these effects.
A comparative study of different age groups about the effects of ecological systematic factors on the onset of adolescents’ gambling behavior : Applying discrete-time survival analysis

본 연구의 목적은 청소년의 도박행동 발생시점을 살펴보고, 도박행동 발생 시점에 대하여 생태체계요인(개인, 가족, 친구, 학교, 매체)의 영향을 검증하는 것이며, 연령집단별(중학생, 고등학생) 차이가 있는지 비교하는데 있다. 한국아동청소년패널조사(KCYPS) 중 초4패널과 중1패널에서 3차년도(2012년)부터 도박행동에 대한 조사가 이루어져, 본 연구는 2012년부터 2015년까지의 패널자료를 활용하였다. 분석 대상은 각 패널 3차년도(2012년)에 도박행동을 하지 않았다고 응답한 청소년이며, 4차년도부터 6차년도까지 도박행동의 질적 변화를 살펴보기 위해 비연속시간 생존분석(discrete-time survival analysis)을 적용하였다. 청소년의 도박행동 발생시점을 분석한 결과, 모든 연령집단에서 초기 시점에 도박행동 발생 위험이 높았으며 시간이 흐름에 따라 점차 그 위험이 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 도박행동 발생시점에 영향을 미치는 요인을 검증한 결과, 중학생 집단에서는 성별, 용돈, 음주, 부모의 방임 및 학대, 도박친구, 휴대폰의존이 유의하게 나타났다. 고등학생 집단은 성별, 흡연, 도박친구, 학교규칙이 유의하게 나타났다. 본 연구결과를 토대로 청소년 도박문제 예방을 위한 개입방향에 대해 논의하였다.
Prejudice, Contact, and Threat at the Diversity-Segregation Nexus: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of How Ethnic Out-Group Size and Segregation Interrelate for Inter-Group Relations

Abstract:Extensive research explores how increasing ethnic out-group populations in society affects inter-group attitudes. Drawing on the threat and contact hypotheses, this study develops and tests a framework examining the role of segregation in the out-group size/prejudice relationship. We suggest that whether increasing minority share in a community generates processes of contact and/or perceived threat will depend on how segregated groups are from one another. This, in turn, will determine when high minority share communities have positive, negative, or null effects on inter-group attitudes. Using data from white British individuals in England, we observe that community segregation moderates the effect of community percent non-white British on prejudice, as well as mechanisms of positive inter-group contact and perceived threat. Residents of more homogeneous communities report relatively warm inter-group attitudes, regardless of how segregated they are. Residents living among high proportions of out-group where the groups are integrated report an improvement in out-group attitudes. It is only residents living among large out-group populations where groups are more segregated from one another—at the nexus of high minority share and high segregation—who report colder out-group attitudes. This higher prejudice is driven by both lower positive contact and higher perceived threat in these communities. Using two waves of cohort panel data, longitudinal analysis provides more robust evidence in support of the diversity-segregation nexus framework: communities becoming more ethnically mixed and segregated see prejudice increase, while those becoming more mixed and integrated see stable, or somewhat improving, relations. Collectively, this paper shows that mechanisms of positive contact and threat appear conditional on both the size of out-groups in an area and how segregated groups are from one another, generating key differences in when and how increasing ethnic out-group size affects inter-group relations.
Perception of Emotion and Personality through Full-Body Movement Qualities: A Sport Coach Case Study

Virtual sport coaches guide users through their physical activity and provide motivational support. Users’ motivation can rapidly decay if the movements of the virtual coach are too stereotyped. Kinematic patterns generated while performing a predefined fitness movement can elicit and help to prolong users’ interaction and interest in training. Human body kinematics has been shown to convey various social attributes such as gender, identity, and acted emotions. To date, no study provides information regarding how spontaneous emotions and personality traits together are perceived from full-body movements. In this article, we study how people make reliable inferences regarding spontaneous emotional dimensions and personality traits of human coaches from kinematic patterns they produced when performing a fitness sequence. Movements were presented to participants via a virtual mannequin to isolate the influence of kinematics on perception. Kinematic patterns of biological movement were analyzed in terms of movement qualities according to the effort-shape [Dell 1977] notation proposed by Laban [1950]. Three studies were performed to provide an analysis of the process leading to perception: from coaches’ states and traits through bodily movements to observers’ social perception. Thirty-two participants (i.e., observers) were asked to rate the movements of the virtual mannequin in terms of conveyed emotion dimensions, personality traits (five-factor model of personality), and perceived movement qualities (effort-shape) from 56 fitness movement sequences. The results showed high reliability for most of the evaluated dimensions, confirming interobserver agreement from kinematics at zero acquaintance. A large expressive halo merging emotional (e.g., perceived intensity) and personality aspects (e.g., extraversion) was found, driven by perceived kinematic impulsivity and energy. Observers’ perceptions were partially accurate for emotion dimensions and were not accurate for personality traits. Together, these results contribute to both the understanding of dimensions of social perception through movement and the design of expressive virtual sport coaches.
Parameter Estimation of Dynamic Multi-zone Models for Livestock Indoor Climate Control

In this paper, a multi-zone modeling concept is proposed based on a simplified energy balance formulation to provide a better prediction of the indoor horizontal temperature variation inside the livestock building. The developed mathematical models reflect the influences from the weather, the livestock, the ventilation system and the building on the dynamic performance of indoor climate. Some significant parameters employed in the climate model as well as the airflow interaction between each conceptual zone are identified with the use of experimental time series data collected during spring and winter at a real scale livestock building in Denmark. The obtained comparative results between the measured data and the simulated output confirm that a very simple multi-zone model can capture the salient dynamical features of the climate dynamics which are needed for control purposes.
Sample Average Approximation Method for Compound Stochastic Optimization Problems

The paper studies stochastic optimization (programming) problems with compound functions containing expectations and extreme values of other random functions as arguments. Compound functions arise in various applications. A typical example is a variance function of nonlinear outcomes. Other examples include stochastic minimax problems, econometric models with latent variables, and multilevel and multicriteria stochastic optimization problems. As a solution technique a sample average approximation (SAA) method (also known as statistical or empirical (sample) mean method) is used. The method consists in approximation of all expectation functions by their empirical means and solving the resulting approximate deterministic optimization problems. In stochastic optimization, this method is widely used for optimization of standard expectation functions under constraints. In this paper, SAA method is extended to general compound stochastic optimization problems. The conditions for convergence in mean, almost sure.
Magnetized Iron Atmospheres for Neutron Stars

Using a Hartree-Fock formalism, we estimate energy levels and photon cross sections for atomic iron in magnetic fields B ~ 1013 G. Computing ionization equilibrium and normal mode opacities with these data, we construct LTE neutron star model atmospheres at 5.5 < log (Teff) < 6.5 and compute emergent spectra. We examine the dependence of the emergent spectra on Teff and B. We also show the spectral variation with the angle between the magnetic field and the atmosphere normal and describe the significant limb darkening in the X-ray band. These results are compared with recent detailed computations of neutron star H model atmospheres in high fields and with low-field Fe and H model atmospheres constructed from detailed opacities. The large spectral differences for different surface compositions may be discernible with present X-ray data; we also note improvements needed to allow comparison of Fe models with high quality spectra.
Early postoperative alterations of ventilation parameters after tracheostomy in major burn injuries

Purpose: In patients with major burn injuries mechanical ventilation is often required for longer periods. Tracheostomy (TS) plays an integral role in airway management. We investigated the effect of TS on ventilation parameters within 8 hours after TS. Materials: A retrospective analysis of severely burned patients admitted to the burn unit of a German University Hospital was performed. Ventilation parameters 8 hours before and after TS were registered. Results: A retrospective analysis of 20 patients which received surgical TS was performed. Mean age was 52±19 years. Mean abbreviated burned severity index (ABSI) was 8.3±2.2. A mechanical ventilation was required for 14.3±4.8 days. TS was performed on day 7±4. Inspiratory oxygen concentration (FiO2) (p<0.001), peak inspiratory pressure (p<0.001), positive end-expiratory pressure (p=0.003) and pulmonary resistance (p<0.001) were reduced significantly after TS. The arterial partial pressure of oxygen/FiO2-ratio increased significantly after TS (p<0.001). Conclusions: We demonstrate that TS reduces invasiveness of ventilation in severely burned patients and by this can optimize lung protective ventilation strategy.
Spectroscopy of GRB 050505 at z = 4.275: A log N(H I) = 22.1 DLA Host Galaxy and the Nature of the Progenitor

We present optical spectroscopy of the afterglow of GRB 050505 obtained with the Keck I 10 m telescope. The spectrum exhibits three absorption systems with the highest, at z = 4.2748, arising in the host galaxy. The host absorption is marked by a DLA with log N(H ) = 22.05 ± 0.10, higher than that of any QSO-DLA detected to date but similar to several other recent measurements from GRB spectra. We further deduce a metallicity of Z ≈ 0.06 Z☉, with a depletion pattern that is similar to that of the Galactic warm halo or warm disk. More importantly, we detect strong absorption from Si II* indicating a dense environment, nH ≳ 102 cm-3, in the vicinity of the burst, with a size of ~4 pc. The C IV absorption system spans a velocity range of about 103 km s-1, most likely arising in the progenitor stellar wind. In this context the lack of corresponding Si IV absorption indicates that the progenitor had a mass ≲25 M☉ and a metallicity ≲0.1 Z☉, and therefore required a binary companion to eject its hydrogen envelope prior to the GRB explosion. Finally, by extending the GRB-DLA sample to z ≈ 4.3 we show that these objects appear to follow a similar metallicity-redshift relation as in QSO-DLAs, but with systematically higher metallicities. It remains to be seen whether this trend is simply due to the higher neutral hydrogen columns in GRB-DLAs and/or sight lines which probe star-forming regions, or if it is a manifestation of different star formation properties in GRB-DLAs.
Improved RIP Analysis of Orthogonal Matching Pursuit

Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) has long been considered a powerful heuristic for attacking compressive sensing problems; however, its theoretical development is, unfortunately, somewhat lacking. This paper presents an improved Restricted Isometry Property (RIP) based performance guarantee for T-sparse signal reconstruction that asymptotically approaches the conjectured lower bound given in Davenport et al. We also further extend the state-of-the-art by deriving reconstruction error bounds for the case of general non-sparse signals subjected to measurement noise. We then generalize our results to the case of K-fold Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (KOMP). We finish by presenting an empirical analysis suggesting that OMP and KOMP outperform other compressive sensing algorithms in average case scenarios. This turns out to be quite surprising since RIP analysis (i.e. worst case scenario) suggests that these matching pursuits should perform roughly T^0.5 times worse than convex optimization, CoSAMP, and Iterative Thresholding.