Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the “Inner Game” of Video-Game Enthusiasts

According to recent estimates, human beings across the planet currently devote some three billion hours a week to playing what have been collectively termed “video games. ” Commercially, there can be little doubt that the manufacture and sale of these games has enjoyed phenomenal success; even in a fragile macro-economic environment, the video-gaming industry has become a huge growth stock, sustained by rapidly expanding cohorts of young consumers in every corner of the world ready and willing to shell out the sixty-plus dollars for the latest game or the hundreds for the latest game-playing hardware. Accompanying the vast expansion in the scale of the video-games industry and the youthful customer base that supports it, not surprisingly, is a host of commentary— much, but not all, of it skeptical—about the pro-social or potentially educational effects of protracted involvement with the vast array of variations within the video-gaming universe. Given the dearth of research exploring the meaning to gamers themselves of their gaming experiences, much of the literature on gaming as a whole has taken on a “dialogue of the deaf” cast, with pro-gaming advocates, convinced of the positive derivatives of gaming, advance enthusiastic claims while the critics worry about the massive opportunity costs incurred by a generation less interested in reading or drawn to the self-enhancing forms of play that call upon and are catalyzed by one’s own imagination. In this research, we sample from the often-polemical concourse on video gaming and its personal and social effects and discover four distinct versions of the “inner game” of gaming as experienced by college students who designate themselves as “serious gamers. ” All four factors demonstrate consonance with play theory as outlined by Huizinga and amended by Stephenson. A concluding discussion is aimed in part at accounting for the relative paucity of empirical research on subjective play.
Firm ownership structure and intellectual capital disclosures

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the association between three ownership structure characteristics and voluntary intellectual capital (IC) disclosure practices. Data for this study is hand collected from the 2000 annual reports of 390 Singapore publicly traded firms. Empirical results indicate Singapore publicly listed firms more closely owned were less likely to voluntarily disclose IC related information than counterparts with a more diffused ownership base. Also, those firms with a high level of executive director ownership were less inclined to voluntarily disclose IC related information than those where executive directors had smaller holdings in the entity. Finally, findings indicate government linked corporations (GLCs) will likely make more voluntary IC disclosures than non-GLCs. Overall, this study makes several unique contributions to the literature. First, the present study provides the first large-scale analysis of evidence of the association between ownership structure and voluntary intellectual capital disclosures. The study also contributes by broadening the examination of intellectual capital disclosure practices beyond general descriptive overviews.
External Stakeholder Management in the Construction Process

Construction projects affect the community in both positive and negative ways. Positive effects are, for instance, better communications, better housing, and a higher standard of living. However, construction projects inevitably bring with them deterioration and changes on the local plane, at the site of the construction project. Thus, in construction projects, many different and sometimes controversial interests must be considered. Representatives of these interests are referred to as the project stakeholders. The stakeholders in a project can be divided into internal and external stakeholders, the internal stakeholders are those who are members of the project coalition or who provide finance; the external stakeholders are those others affected by the project in a significant way (Calvert 1995, from Winch, Bonke 2002). The purpose of this research project is to contribute to, and increase, our knowledge concerning external stakeholder management in the construction process, and to develop methods and tools for the evaluation and management of external stakeholder influence. The contribution of this study to construction project managers is: • An increased knowledge of how an external stakeholder management process presents it self in construction projects. • Suggests different strategies to an external stakeholder management process. • Suggests different tools that can be used for analysing the influence of external stakeholders. The main tool, described in this study, is the stakeholder map and the power interest matrix. Furthermore this study points to the importance of the project management to identify those stakeholders who can affect the project, and then managing their differing demands through good communication. Thus, the challenge for the project management is to find the best solutions for all stakeholders involved and try to get an acceptance for that solution, which probably is only possible through a good and communicative dialogue, and after a carefully conducted stakeholder management process. This would indicate that a more ambitious strategy in the external stakeholder management process would increase the possibility of resolving conflicting interests. However, a more ambitious strategy also requires more resources. Hence, the dilemma for the project management is to balance the use of resources with the appropriate strategy towards each individual stakeholder group. (Less)
Conservation and molecular dissection of ROUGH SHEATH2 and ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 function in leaf development

Maize ROUGH SHEATH2 (RS2) and Arabidopsis ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) are orthologous Myb-related genes required for leaf development and act as negative regulators of class 1 KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) genes in leaf primordia. Expression of RS2 in Arabidopsis fully complements as1 leaf phenotypes and represses the expression of the KNOX gene KNAT1 in leaves. Whereas loss of AS1 function in Arabidopsis results in rounded, lobed leaves with shorter and wider petioles, overexpression of either RS2 or AS1 results in longer and narrower leaves with longer petioles than wild type. A conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) mediates homodimerization of both RS2 and AS1 and modulates leaf shape when expressed independently of the Myb domain in Arabidopsis. Homodimerization is not absolutely required for KNAT1 repression. RS2:GFP fusion protein is biologically active, localized in discrete dynamic subnuclear foci and associates with DNA during cell division.
Comparative assessment of bone among wild-type, restricted ovulator and out-of-production hens

1. The aim of this study was to assess bone characteristics in restricted ovulator (RO) hens. These hens generally are unable to ovulate due to a point mutation in the oocyte VLDL receptor gene whose protein product mediates the uptake of yolk precursors. Because these hens do not have the cyclic calcium (Ca) metabolism associated with egg formation, they could be a useful model for studying bone metabolism. 2. RO hens had greater humerus, femur and tibia ash concentrations than wild-type (WT) and out-of-production (OP) hens. Bone mineral content and density obtained with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were highly correlated with the results of conventional bone assays. 3. Gross and histological examination of the femurs confirmed the presence of extremely dense medullary bone deposition in the RO hens. However, the composition of non-collagenous protein extracts of medullary bone was similar for the two genotypes. 4. Analysis of medullary bone extracts for glycosaminoglycans (GAG) confirmed the presence of large amounts of keratan sulphate (KS) in the matrix of medullary bone. 5. Plasma Ca, total GAG and KS concentrations of RO hens were markedly higher than WT and OP hens. The changes in plasma calcium and keratan sulphate are probably a reflection of elevated Ca-binding yolk precursor molecules and intensive medullary bone formation in response to increased plasma oestrogen observed by others in RO hens.
Improvements in ALMA Band 10 Optics: Influence of IR Filters and Solutions

Infrared (IR) filters and cryostat window in the Atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array (ALMA) cryostat were found to greatly degrade the optical performance of ALMA band 10 optics. This degradation has its origin in the reflection the beam suffers when going through the filters and window. The cause and mechanism of this degradation were identified using THz-TDS and simple analysis techniques and a simple solution was found. The proposed solution is based on corrugated horns with chamfered rims and Terahertz absorber paint applied around the horns. This solution proves efficient in keeping the original optical performance when the optics is used in real operation at cryogenic temperature.
SIMULATION OF CHANNEL FLOW BY PARALLEL IMPLEMENTATION OF THERMAL LATTICE – BOLTZMANN METHOD ON GPU

Lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) is a new generation numerical technique used to solve fluid flow and heat transfer problems. It has certain advantages over the classical solvers based on Navier-Stokes equations. LBM is well suited to simulate single and multi-phase flows of single and multi-component fluids around complex geometries, and is suitable for parallel programming. One of the state-of-the-art technologies to perform parallel computing is the use of Graphics Processing Units (GPU). In this study, heat transfer analysis of single-phase laminar flow of a viscous fluid in a slit-channel with a constant wall temperature is presented using thermal Lattice–Boltzmann method. Both the flow field and the temperature field are determined by solving the associated Lattice–Boltzmann equations. Computing is performed on GPUs in parallel using JACKET which is an add-on package for MATLAB to handle GPU computing. Performance comparison with CPU-based and GPU–based computing is presented.
Gastric and gall bladder emptying of a mixed meal are not coordinated in liver cirrhosis--a simultaneous sonographic study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: An impaired contractility has been suggested as a contributor to the increased incidence of gallstones in liver cirrhosis, but the few studies on gall bladder emptying in cirrhotics offered contradictory results. Ingestion of a meal triggers the physiological pathway of gall bladder emptying; therefore, it was decided to analyse postprandial kinetics by investigating simultaneously the rates of gastric and gall bladder emptying of a mixed meal in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: Gastric and gall bladder emptying were measured using ultrasound techniques after a solid-liquid meal (14 g fat, 425 kcal) in 24 patients with liver cirrhosis and in 12 controls. None of the subjects had gall bladder disease. Sequential changes in cross sectional area of the gastric antrum and in gall bladder volume were represented as a monoexponential process after the test meal. Cirrhotic patients were analysed according to the severity of disease (Child classes). The presence of portal gastropathy was assessed by endoscopy. Differences between groups were assessed using the two tailed Student's t test for unpaired observations and the correlations by linear regression (Pearson's coefficient). RESULTS: It was found that gastric emptying after the solid-liquid meal was delayed in cirrhotic patients compared with controls. Gall bladder emptying was significantly diminished in cirrhotic patients: the area under curve was greater in Child A (p = 0.01), Child B (p = 0.04), and Child C (p = 0.014) cirrhotics compared with controls. No correlation was found between the variables of gastric and gall bladder emptying. Gall bladder refilling began earlier in cirrhotics than in controls, before completion of gastric emptying. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the lack of coordination between gastric and gall bladder emptying in liver cirrhosis. They also support the hypothesis that diminished gall bladder contractility might contribute to the increased gallstone formation in liver cirrhosis.
A Neuro-Genetic Approach for Multi-Objective Optimization of Process Variables in Drilling

The present paper focuses on a hybrid neural network coupled with controlled elitist type genetic algorithm for multi-response optimization in a traditional drilling process. Firstly a Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) structure is developed to predict the output responses like flank wear, thrust force and torque and then the multi- objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is applied for minimizing the responses obtained from the BPNN to have an optimized cutting condition. The proposed approach is found efficient and robust as the simulated results have a close match with the experimental data.
The Competitive Destination: A Sustainable Tourism Perspective

The Evolving Nature of Competition and Sustainability Conceptual and Theorectical Perspectives Part I: The Competitive Destination Part II: The Sustainable Tourism Destination A Model of Destination Competitiveness The Macroenvironment: Global Forces Shaping World Tourism The Competitive (Micro)Environment: The Destination and the Tourism System Core Resources and Attractors: The Essence of Destination Appeal Supporting Factors and Resources: Elements that Enhance Destination Appeal Destination Policy, Planning and Development Destination Management: The Key to Maintaining a Sustainable Competitive Advantage Qualifying and Amplifying Determinants: Parameters that Define Destination Potential The Destination Audit: Putting the Model to Work.
Chemotherapy-Induced CXC-Chemokine/CXC-Chemokine Receptor Signaling in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells Confers Resistance to Oxaliplatin through Potentiation of Nuclear Factor-κB Transcription and Evasion of Apoptosis

Constitutive activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB is linked with the intrinsic resistance of androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Interleukin-8 (CXCL8) is a transcriptional target of NF-κB whose expression is elevated in AIPC. This study sought to determine the significance of CXCL8 signaling in regulating the response of AIPC cells to oxaliplatin, a drug whose activity is reportedly sensitive to NF-κB activity. Administration of oxaliplatin to PC3 and DU145 cells increased NF-κB activity, promoting antiapoptotic gene transcription. In addition, oxaliplatin increased the transcription and secretion of CXCL8 and the related CXC-chemokine CXCL1 and increased the transcription and expression of CXC-chemokine receptors, especially CXC-chemokine receptor (CXCR) 2, which transduces the biological effects of CXCL8 and CXCL1. Stimulation of AIPC cells with CXCL8 potentiated NF-κB activation in AIPC cells, increasing the transcription and expression of NF-κB-regulated antiapoptotic genes of the Bcl-2 and IAP families. Coadministration of a CXCR2-selective antagonist, AZ10397767 (Bioorg Med Chem Lett 18:798–803, 2008), attenuated oxaliplatin-induced NF-κB activation, increased oxaliplatin cytotoxicity, and potentiated oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis in AIPC cells. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κBorRNA interference-mediated suppression of Bcl-2 and survivin was also shown to sensitize AIPC cells to oxaliplatin. Our results further support NF-κB activity as an important determinant of cancer cell sensitivity to oxaliplatin and identify the induction of autocrine CXCR2 signaling as a novel mode of resistance to this drug.
Switching activity analysis and power estimation for multiple constant multiplier block of FIR filters

The switchings in the multiple constant multiplier (MCM) block of FIR filters are heavily affected by the spatial correlation of inputs at each computation unit—adders in this case. In this work, a new switching activity model for the MCM blocks is developed by taking the spatial correlation of inputs of each adder into consideration. Based on this model, a power measurement is proposed to estimate the power consumption of the MCM blocks of FIR filters. The dynamic power simulation of several benchmark filters shows that the accuracy of our model outperforms that of existing models such as Glitch Path Count, Glitch Path Score and Power Index.
On the Theory of Complex Rays

The article surveys the application of complex-ray theory to the scalar Helmholtz equation in two dimensions. The first objective is to motivate a framework within which complex rays may be used to make predictions about wavefields in a wide variety of geometrical configurations. A crucial ingredient in this framework is the role played by Sp{} in determining the regions of existence of complex rays. The identification of the Stokes surfaces emerges as a key step in the approximation procedure, and this leads to the consideration of the many characterizations of Stokes surfaces, including the adaptation and application of recent developments in exponential asymptotics to the complex Wentzel--Kramers--Brilbuin expansion of these wavefields. Examples are given for several cases of physical importance.
Nitrate Determination of Vegetables in Varzeghan City, North-western Iran.

Background Vegetables play an important role in human nutrition. Nitrate content is a signifi-cant quality criterion to determine characteristic of vegetables. About 80% of nitrate intake in human is from vegetables and fruits. High dietary intake of nitrate is seen as an undesirable be-cause of its association with gastric cancer and infantile methemoglobinemia. Varzeghan, North¬western Iran is one of the cities with high Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) of gastric can¬cer in Iran. Currently, in Varzeghan there is no available and accurate information describing ni¬trate concentration as one of the important risk factors of vegetables for human consumption. Methods In this cross sectional study totally 11 types of vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, spinach, parsley, coriander, dill, leek, fenugreek, tarragon, fumitory and mint) from several different green¬grocery of Varzeghan were collected in spring (April) and autumn (November and December) 2011 and their nitrate contents were analyzed. Results Mean nitrate contents at the above noted fresh vegetables were 161, 781, 83, 707, 441, 501, 1702, 684, 805, 772 and 191 mg NO3-kg-1 respectively. In none of the 11 fresh vegetables nitrate content were not more than established limitations. Conclusion Nitrate concentrations were below of others reported at different countries. The mean concentration of nitrate at all vegetables in autumn was higher than in spring significantly.
Paying for the Filp

This paper examines the financial health of the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program (FILP) as of the end of March 2001. We study the financial conditions of FILP recipients, which include public corporations and local governments. We find many are de facto insolvent. Our estimates suggest as much as 75% of the FILP loans are bad. The expected losses are estimated to be about ? 75 trillion (over 15% of GDP). We also studied the effects of the FILP reform of April 2001, which tries to introduce market discipline in allocation of FILP funds. No significant changes in financial flow are detected, yet. The financial market seems to differentiate the newly introduced FILP agency bonds, which are supposed to without government guarantee, from government guaranteed bonds. It is too early to tell, however, whether the financial market will become an effective monitor of FILP agencies.
Toward a family planning program in psychiatric hospitals.

This article reviews pertinent literature relating to the mental patients need for family planning assistance and presents rationale for integrating services into inpatient psychiatric facilities. Need for services is demonstrated by rise in reproductive rates of mental patients as reported by Shearer et al (1968) and by pregnancy and childbirth precipitants of mental illness as shown in Yardens and Bleulers investigations. Although inconclusive evidence suggests the aftermath of pregnancy may have deleterious effects for schizophrenic women. Review of literature indicates offspring of schizophrenic mothers are anxious withdrawn passive and have difficulty in interpersonal relationships. Mentally ill women with difficulty in disciplined sequential reasoning and communication are unlikely to use community family planning services. Department of Health Education and Welfare statistics show 412745 female patients of childbearing age are treated annually in psychiatric hospitals and clinics. Prevalence of mental illness is greater among lower classes and the combination of poverty and high fertility is likely to produce children at risk for genetic and experientially determined defects. Medical evidence indicates stresses of pregnancy precipitate psychiatric rehospitalization. The development of voluntary family planning programs within psychiatric hospitals would provide a vital health service to a disadvantaged sector of the population.
Ethanol induces Fas/Apo [apoptosis]-1 mRNA and cell suicide in the developing cerebral cortex.

INTRODUCTION Animal studies modeling fetal alcohol syndrome have demonstrated that developmental exposure to alcohol is associated with decreased brain weight and significant neuronal loss in multiple regions of the developing brain. Our previous data suggest that the Fas/Apo [apoptosis]-1 receptor is transiently expressed in the developing cerebral cortex during the peak period of naturally occurring apoptotic cell death and maximum sensitivity to alcohol. Therefore, we hypothesized that ethanol increases the expression of suicide receptors such as Fas/Apo-1 in the developing fetal cerebral cortex and leads to an upregulation or extension of the normal period of apoptosis and consequent disorganization of the neural circuitry. METHODS Ethanol was administered in one of four doses (120, 320, 630, and 950 mg/dl) to organotypic explant cultures of the developing cerebral cortex established from postnatal day 2 rats and maintained for 6 days in vitro. The number of cells expressing Fas/Apo-1 receptor mRNA was counted. Apoptosis was measured by the use of two independent assays; a cell death enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for DNA fragmentation and flow cytometric analysis of Annexin-V binding to phosphatidylserine externalized to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Necrosis was also estimated by two independent measures, the amount of lactate dehydrogenase released into culture medium and flow cytometric analysis of cells that were positive for both Annexin-V and propidium iodide. RESULTS A significantly larger number of developing cortical cells expressed Fas/Apo-1 mRNA at the lower doses (120 and 320 mg/dl) than at the higher doses (630 and 950 mg/dl). Furthermore, ethanol induced apoptosis in a dose-related manner, with peak apoptosis observed at a dose of 630 mg/dl in the case of DNA fragmentation and at 630 and 950 mg/dl in the case of phosphatidylserine translocation to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Ethanol did not induce necrosis at any of the administered doses of ethanol. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that ethanol induces a susceptibility to apoptotic signals at low doses by upregulating the expression of mRNAs for cytotoxic receptors such as Fas/Apo-1 in the developing cerebral cortex. However, ethanol itself specifically induces apoptosis in the developing cerebral cortex only at higher doses.