Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social gaming in online games

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a clearer picture of how gamers view gaming as a social construct and how social interaction changes the gaming experience. Social interaction in games brings people together. Online games have been researched from many points of view. However, the research done from social perspective is relatively new and this is why I wanted to write my thesis from the social interaction perspective. Games are created more and more social. Gaming culture has changed from single player games to games where gamers interact with the world and each other with the help of different technologies. Social contacts from games extend outside the game world. Social media and gaming communities in the internet bring people together to share their experiences and find company to play with. The world of online games is not just playing games. Gaming has become a way of life and a culture. Gamers converse in their own communities about games, gaming related affairs and everything else. Even though most conversations in the communities relate to games, gamers exchange a lot of information about themselves and things related to them. The research utilizes scientific articles as a base for the theory and a questionnaire that has been distributed among Finnish gamers.
RTMIPAS : A fast radiative transfer model for the assimilation of infrared limb radiances from MIPAS

An RTTOV-type fast radiative transfer model has been developed for emitted clear-sky limb radiances from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) onboard ESA's Envisat. MIPAS is an infrared sounder with very high spectral resolution (0.025 cm, Table 1). It is designed to provide information on the thermal structure and chemical composition of the upper troposphere to lower mesosphere. The fast model is referred to as RTMIPAS, and it has been developed to directly assimilate limb radiances in a global variational data assimilation system (see Bormann and Healy in these proceedings).
A free deterministic equivalent for the capacity of MIMO MAC with distributed antenna sets

In this paper, we propose a free deterministic equivalent for the capacity analysis of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) multiple access channel (MAC) with distributed antenna sets. In the analysis, we use the operator-valued free probability framework, which is much more straightforward than the widely used methods, i.e., the Bai and Silverstein method and the Gaussian method. By replacing independent random Gaussian variables with freely independent circular entries, we obtain the free deterministic equivalent of our channel model. To evaluate the capacity, we use the Shannon transform of the free deterministic equivalent to approximate that of the channel model. The free deterministic equivalent results are easy to compute, and simulation results show that these approximations are numerically accurate and computationally efficient.
Translational High‐Dimensional Drug Interaction Discovery and Validation Using Health Record Databases and Pharmacokinetics Models

Polypharmacy increases the risk of drug–drug interactions (DDIs). Combining epidemiological studies with pharmacokinetic modeling, we detected and evaluated high‐dimensional DDIs among 30 frequent drugs. Multidrug combinations that increased the risk of myopathy were identified in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and electronic medical record (EMR) databases by a mixture drug‐count response model. CYP450 inhibition was estimated among the 30 drugs in the presence of 1 to 4 inhibitors using in vitro / in vivo extrapolation. Twenty‐eight three‐way and 43 four‐way DDIs had significant myopathy risk in both databases and predicted increases in the area under the concentration–time curve ratio (AUCR) >2‐fold. The high‐dimensional DDI of omeprazole, fluconazole, and clonidine was associated with a 6.41‐fold (FAERS) and 18.46‐fold (EMR) increased risk of myopathy local false discovery rate (<0.005); the AUCR of omeprazole in this combination was 9.35. The combination of health record informatics and pharmacokinetic modeling is a powerful translational approach to detect high‐dimensional DDIs.
The Prophylaxis and Treatment with Antiviral Agents of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections

In this review, we consider recent advances in the discovery and development of antiviral agents for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. A background to the various manifestations of human RSV infection and current treatments is provided. The technical, clinical and commercial issues surrounding the development of such antiviral agents are discussed.
Calcium and bone metabolism in pregnancy and lactation.

Pregnancy and lactation both place significant demands on the mother to provide sufficient calcium (among other minerals and nutrients) to the fetus and neonate. Despite facing similar demands for calcium during pregnancy and lactation, the maternal adaptations differ significantly between these two reproductive periods. Women lose 300 to 400 mg of calcium daily through breast milk, and this calcium demand is met by a 5–10% loss of skeletal mineral content during 6 months of exclusive lactation. Most importantly, the lost mineral is fully restored within a few months of weaning, such that women who have breastfed do not have a long-term deficit in skeletal mineral content. This article will review our present understanding of the adaptations in mineral metabolism that occur during pregnancy and lactation, and will focus on recent evidence that the breast itself plays a central role in regulating the adaptations during lactation.
Impaired Allocentric Spatial Memory Underlying Topographical Disorientation

The cognitive processes supporting spatial navigation are considered in the context of a patient (CF) with possible very early Alzheimer's disease who presents with topographical disorientation. Her verbal memory and her recognition memory for unknown buildings, landmarks and outdoor scenes was intact, although she showed an impairment in face processing. By contrast, her navigational ability, quantitatively assessed within a small virtual reality (VR) town, was significantly impaired. Interestingly, she showed a selective impairment in a VR object-location memory test whenever her viewpoint was shifted between presentation and test, but not when tested from the same viewpoint. We suggest that a specific impairment in locating objects relative to the environment rather than relative to the perceived viewpoint (i.e. allocentric rather than egocentric spatial memory) underlies her topographical disorientation. We discuss the likely neural bases of this deficit in the light of related studies in humans and animals, focusing on the hippocampus and related areas. The specificity of our test indicates a new way of assessing topographical disorientation, with possible application to the assessment of progressive dementias such as Alzheimer's disease.
Understanding Brand Equity in Campus Recreational Sports: A Consumer-Based Perspective

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of brand equity in campus recreational sports by applying a consumer-based brand equity perspective. The study examined the relationships among attitudes toward advertising, word-of-mouth, past experiences, consumer-based brand equity, and brand loyalty in campus recreational sports. The findings of the study provide support for previous research which posits that marketing mix elements and consumer experiences influence consumer-based brand equity (Berry, 2000; Keller, 1993; Ross, 2006; Williams & Pedersen, 2012; Williams, Rhenwrick, Wright, Choi, Kim, & Vickey, 2014; Yoo & Donthu, 2001). In addition, the findings allow managers to gauge which antecedents contribute to consumer-based brand equity and aid in their selection of appropriate marketing strategies. Furthermore, the finding that brand equity has a positive relationship with brand loyalty supports previous research (Williams, Pedersen, & Walsh, 2012) and may be used as leverage for campus recreational sports departments who are seeking internal and external funding.
Decision-making as a Facilitator of High-achievement in Non-hierarchical Technical Environments

aBsTracT This chapter presents a look at the decision-making methods used by real-life, collegial, high-achieving, technical teams and organizations. One may argue that the type of technical team that is being considered is not critical. When a group of individuals come together to examine and solve a tough technical challenge the synergy created in reaching a conclusion is usually quite astounding. As the author will explore in this chapter, many researchers have come to the conclusion that the manner in which those teams make decisions is one factor that affects the achievement level of the team. It is then reasonable to suggest that an organization's achievement level is related to the decision-making method of its technical teams. This chapter contains a review of the published literature on team decision-making. In keeping with the practical-level theme of this book, also discussed are the results of a unique study of 31, intact, real-life, technical teams. The teams operated in open, unbounded environments. The resulting theory that emerged from the data was that a collegial, technical, team's selection of the majority-rule method may be an indicator that the team will reach a high-achievement level. The preceding is important because BLOCKINcontemporary BLOCKINwork BLOCKINorganizations BLOCKINmay BLOCKINnot BLOCKINbe BLOCKINobtaining BLOCKINthe BLOCKINmaximal BLOCKINbenefits BLOCKINfrom BLOCKINtheir BLOCKINwork teams if they attempt to " force " teams to implement other types of decision-making methods.
Integration of DIGE and Bioinformatics Analyses Reveals a Role of the Antiobesity Agent Tungstate in Redox and Energy Homeostasis Pathways in Brown Adipose Tissue *S

Our previous results demonstrated that tungstate decreased weight gain and adiposity in obese rats through increased thermogenesis and lipid oxidation, suggesting that brown adipose tissue was one of the targets of its antiobesity effect. To identify potential targets of tungstate, we used DIGE to compare brown adipose tissue protein extracts from the following experimental groups: untreated lean, tungstate-treated lean, untreated obese, and tungstate-treated obese rats. To distinguish direct targets of tungstate action from those that are secondary to body weight loss, we also included in the analysis an additional group consisting of obese rats that lose weight by caloric restriction. Hierarchical clustering of analysis of variance and t test contrasts clearly separated the different experimental groups. DIGE analysis identified 20 proteins as tungstate obesity direct targets involved in Krebs cycle, glycolysis, lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, electron transport, and redox. Protein oxidation was decreased by tungstate treatment, confirming a role in redox processes; however, palmitate oxidation, as a measure of fatty acid β-oxidation, was not altered by tungstate, thus questioning its putative function in fatty acid oxidation. Protein network analyses using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis highlighted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) as a potential target. We confirmed by real time PCR that indeed tungstate up-regulates PGC-1α, and its major target, uncoupling protein 1, was also increased as shown by Western blot. These results illustrate the utility of proteomics and bioinformatics approaches to identify targets of obesity therapies and suggest that in brown adipose tissue tungstate modulates redox processes and increases energy dissipation through uncoupling and PGC-1α up-regulation, thus contributing to its overall antiobesity effect.
Bank Risk in Central and Eastern European Countries: Does Ownership Matter?

Our main objectives are to estimate the risk of Central and Eastern European banks and determine its factors focussing on the role of ownership structures. We apply market-based risk measures and an improved Z-score and conclude that foreign and private banks are less risky than state-owned institutions. Moreover, a higher proportion of interbank deposits amplifies the risk of foreign banks and reduces that of public institutions. The effect of longterm funds is negative for state-owned banks with market-based measure, whereas it is positive with accounting-based measure. Another result is the negative impact of the concentration on interest-bearing activities on the risk of all banks regardless their ownership structure. Finally, the enforcement of the banking regulation reduces the risk of foreign banks and increases that of public institutions.
Comparison of Marginal and Internal Adaptation of Heat-Pressed and CAD/CAM Porcelain Laminate Veneers and a 2-Year Follow-Up.

PURPOSE To compare marginal and internal adaptations of porcelain laminate veneers fabricated with heat-pressed and CAD/CAM techniques, and to evaluate the clinical performances 2 years after cementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty heat-pressed and 31 CAD/CAM porcelain laminate veneers were fabricated for 12 patients. Silicone replicas of each veneer were obtained. Replicas were sectioned into 4 parts to measure adaptations of the veneers. A stereomicroscope was used to measure from 3 locations of replicas for marginal, and 9 locations for internal adaptations at 40x magnification. Clinical evaluations were done at baseline and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after cementation according to the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. Independent samples t-test compared the adaptation values between heat-pressed and CAD/CAM groups. Paired t-test was used to evaluate marginal and internal adaptations of each group. Differences between the modified USPHS criteria ratings of heat-pressed and CAD/CAM groups were determined by the Mann-Whitney U test. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze the survival ratings of the veneers (p < 0.05). RESULTS The mean marginal adaptation values of heat-pressed and CAD/CAM veneers were 295 and 314.98 μm, respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.541). Internal adaptation values of groups were not statistically different either (201.82 μm for heat pressed; 195.47 μm for CAD/CAM p = 0.734). When marginal and internal adaptation values were compared within groups, there were significant differences both for heat-pressed (p < 0.001) and CAD/CAM (p < 0.001). All veneers were rated 100% satisfactory during the 2-year period. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, fabrication method, whether CAD/CAM or heat-pressed, had no effect on the marginal and internal adaptation of porcelain laminate veneers. The results showed that both fabrication techniques performed well after 2 years of clinical performance.
Antibiotic Sensitivity Profiles Determined with an Escherichia coli Gene Knockout Collection: Generating an Antibiotic Bar Code

ABSTRACT We have defined a sensitivity profile for 22 antibiotics by extending previous work testing the entire KEIO collection of close to 4,000 single-gene knockouts in Escherichia coli for increased susceptibility to 1 of 14 different antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, rifampin [rifampicin], vancomycin, ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, metronidazole, streptomycin, fusidic acid, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, erythromycin, and triclosan). We screened one or more subinhibitory concentrations of each antibiotic, generating more than 80,000 data points and allowing a reduction of the entire collection to a set of 283 strains that display significantly increased sensitivity to at least one of the antibiotics. We used this reduced set of strains to determine a profile for eight additional antibiotics (spectinomycin, cephradine, aztreonem, colistin, neomycin, enoxacin, tobramycin, and cefoxitin). The profiles for the 22 antibiotics represent a growing catalog of sensitivity fingerprints that can be separated into two components, multidrug-resistant mutants and those mutants that confer relatively specific sensitivity to the antibiotic or type of antibiotic tested. The latter group can be represented by a set of 20 to 60 strains that can be used for the rapid typing of antibiotics by generating a virtual bar code readout of the specific sensitivities. Taken together, these data reveal the complexity of intrinsic resistance and provide additional targets for the design of codrugs (or combinations of drugs) that potentiate existing antibiotics.
Investigation of the effect of scattering agent and scattering albedo on modulated light propagation in water.

A recent paper described experiments completed to study the effect of scattering on the propagation of modulated light in laboratory tank water [Appl. Opt.48, 2607 (2009)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.48. 002607]. Those measurements were limited to a specific scattering agent (Maalox antacid) with a fixed scattering albedo (0.95). The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of different scattering agents and scattering albedos on modulated light propagation in water. The results show that the scattering albedo affects the number of attenuation lengths that the modulated optical signal propagates without distortion, while the type of scattering agent affects the degree to which the modulation is distorted with increasing attenuation length.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation During Severe Hypothermia in Pigs: Does Epinephrine or Vasopressin Increase Coronary Perfusion Pressure?

The American Heart Association does not recommend epinephrine for management of hypothermic cardiac arrest if body core temperature is below 30°C. Furthermore, the effects of vasopressin administration during hypothermic cardiac arrest are totally unknown. This study was designed to assess the effects of vasopressin and epinephrine on coronary perfusion pressure in a porcine model during hypothermic cardiac arrest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Pigs were surface-cooled until their body core temperature was 26°C. After 30 min of untreated cardiac arrest, followed by 3 min of basic life support CPR, 15 animals were randomly assigned to receive, at 5-min intervals, either vasopressin (0.4, 0.4, and 0.8 U/kg;n = 5), epinephrine (45, 45, and 200 &mgr;g/kg;n = 5), or saline placebo (n = 5). Compared with epinephrine, mean ± SEM coronary perfusion pressure was significantly higher (P < 0.05) 90 s and 5 min after the first (35 ± 4 vs 22 ± 3 mm Hg and 37 ± 2 vs 16 ± 2 mm Hg) and the second vasopressin administration (40 ± 5 vs 26 ± 5 mm Hg and 36 ± 5 vs 18 ± 2 mm Hg, respectively). After the third drug administration, coronary perfusion pressure in the epinephrine group increased dramatically and was comparable to vasopressin. In the saline placebo group, coronary perfusion pressure was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than in the vasopressin and epinephrine groups. Six animals treated with epinephrine or vasopressin had transient return of spontaneous circulation, whereas all placebo animals died (P < 0.05). During CPR in severe hypothermia, administration of both vasopressin and epinephrine resulted in significant increases in coronary perfusion pressure when compared with placebo. Implications Our study was designed to assess the effects of vasopressin and epinephrine in a porcine model simulating cardiac arrest during severe hypothermia. This study demonstrates that the administration of both emergency drugs results in an increased perfusion pressure in the heart.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of nandrolone decanoate in human immunodeficiency virus-infected men with mild to moderate weight loss with recombinant human growth hormone as active reference treatment.

OBJECTIVE We compared the effectiveness of a biweekly regimen of 150 mg nandrolone with placebo in HIV-infected men with mild to moderate weight loss and contrasted its effects against a Food and Drug Administration-approved regimen of recombinant human (rh)GH. METHODS In this placebo-controlled, randomized, 12-wk trial, placebo and nandrolone (150 mg im biweekly) were administered double blind, and rhGH (6 mg sc daily) was administered in an open-label manner. Participants were HIV-infected men with 5-15% weight loss over 6 months and on stable antiretroviral therapy for more than 12 wk. Lean body mass (LBM), muscle performance, physical function, endurance, hormone levels, insulin sensitivity, sexual function, quality of life, and appetite were assessed at baseline and after 12 wk. RESULTS Nandrolone administration was associated with a greater increase in LBM (+1.6 +/- 0.3 kg) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan than placebo (+0.4 +/- 0.3 kg; P < 0.05); however, the change in LBMs with nandrolone was not significantly different from rhGH (+2.5 +/- 0.3 kg). Nandrolone administration was also associated with significantly greater gains in fat-free mass (+1.6 +/- 0.3 kg), body cell mass (+1.0 +/- 0.2 kg), and intracellular water (+0.9 +/- 0.2 kg) than placebo; these changes in the nandrolone group were not significantly different from the rhGH group. rhGH administration was associated with greater loss of whole body fat mass and higher frequency of drug-related adverse effects and treatment discontinuations than nandrolone and placebo and a greater increase in extracellular water than nandrolone. Nandrolone treatment was associated with greater improvements in perception of health than rhGH and sexual function than placebo. The cachexia/anorexia scores, health care resource use, and insulin sensitivity did not significantly change. CONCLUSION We conclude that nandrolone is superior to placebo and not significantly different from a Food and Drug Administration-approved regimen of rhGH in improving lean body mass in HIV-infected men with mild to moderate weight loss.
Serotonin transporter expression is predicted by early life stress and is associated with disinhibited behavior in infant rhesus macaques

Serotonin transporter (5‐HTT) expression patterns may contribute to the risk for adverse psychological outcomes following early life stress. The present study investigated whether two types of early life stress, maternal and social aggression, and a serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (rh5‐HTTLPR) predicted lower post‐stressor peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) 5‐HTT expression in infant rhesus macaques. We further probed the relationships among these factors and infant behavioral disinhibition within a stressful situation. Fifty‐three infants residing with mothers in large, complex social groups were observed over the first 12 postnatal weeks, during which time the rate of aggression received by the infant from their mothers and social group members was recorded. At 90–120 days of age, infants underwent a 25‐h maternal separation/biobehavioral assessment, which included standardized behavioral assessments and blood sampling. Infants' rh5‐HTTLPR genotypes were determined, and infant 5‐HTT expression was quantified from PBMCs collected 8 h after separation. Receipt of aggression from the mother, but not from social group members, was associated with lower post‐stressor 5‐HTT expression. Lower post‐stressor 5‐HTT expression, but not receipt of aggression, was associated with disinhibited behavior during assessment. Rh5‐HTTLPR genotype was unrelated to any measure. We conclude that 5‐HTT regulation is linked with specific, presumably stressful early experiences in infant rhesus macaques. Further, 5‐HTT expression predicted behavioral disinhibition, presumably via parallel processes that operate in the brain.