Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN JAPANESE TV GAME SOFTWARE: THE CASE OF AN INNOVATIVE GAME

This paper addresses the issue of developing innovative software with a case study of the emerging prototyping methods used in an innovative game in the Japanese game software industry. Software has traditionally been seen as an efficiency-driven process. But in innovative software, there are other important issues, such as the need to allow for radical redesign in development cycles, and the need to resolve tensions between creative and controlling processes. The paper addresses the broader design issue by documenting the emerging prototyping practices in design-driven and originality-oriented product development. We term this an "outward spiral" software development model, in which the completion of an initial prototyping cycle may lead to significant revisions in design and code, and the possible scrapping of large chunks of code. This model is compared with the development processes used for other types of software and in creative industries like the music industry.
Real-Time Forecasting and Political Stock Market Anomalies: Evidence for the U.S

Using monthly data for the period 1953-2003, we apply a real-time modeling approach to investigate the implications of U.S. political stock market anomalies for forecasting excess stock returns. Our empirical findings show that political variables, selected on the basis of widely used model selection criteria, are often included in real-time forecasting models. However, they do not contribute to systematically improving the performance of simple trading rules. For this reason, political stock market anomalies are not necessarily an indication of market inefficiency.
Trade Specialization and Reciprocal Trading Relationships in Canada and the United States, 1989 and 2001

Interregional trade flows of Canada (provinces) and the United States (states), the world's largest bilateral trading partnership, are investigated using a measure of trade specialization similar to the location quotient and using provinces and states as the spatial units of analysis. Past research investigating the clusters in the geography of international trade flows have focused on national units of analysis, despite the fact that subnational units display geographical patterns of trade distinct from their respective nations. Regional trading relationships have evolved since the establishment of free trade between Canada and the United States as the result of decreased costs in accessing foreign markets. These new trading relationships now incorporate more U.S. states and fewer Canadian provinces in most cases.
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis confirmed following serological surveillance of small ruminants in Grenada, West Indies

Surveillance for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) infection in small ruminants of Grenada was undertaken using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among the 479 sheep tested, 11 (2.3%) were ELISA positive while only 1 out of 260 goats (0.3%) was ELISA positive. Five of the 12 ELISA-positive animals were also positive in a commercial agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay, and 4 of these showed acid-fast rods consistent with Map in fecal smears. Two sheep that were test-positive by ELISA, AGID, and fecal smears were euthanized and necropsied. Both had gross and histological lesions of paratuberculosis affecting the ileocecal area of small intestines and adjacent lymph nodes. These tissues were successfully cultured in 2 of 3 variants of Middlebrook 7H10 medium. The identity of acid-fast organisms isolated from the tissues was confirmed as Map by multiplex conventional polymerase chain reaction. Using IS1311 amplification and Hinf I restriction digest analysis, isolates were identified as cattle (C) strains of Map. The current study describes Map infection in Grenada and confirms the presence of C type in sheep on the island of Carriacou. The low seroprevalence in clinically normal animals on the islands of Grenada and Carriacou suggests that control measures implemented in the near future may have a good chance of preventing spread of the infection.
School‐leaving Decisions in Australia: A Cohort Analysis

The decision to invest in education is influenced by a large number of economic, social, family, personal and institutional factors. Many of these changed in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. Several of the more important of these changes, such as the Equal Pay for Equal Work decision of 1969, the Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value decision of 1972 and the Sex Discrimination Act of 1984, are not expected to have impacted equally on the schooling decisions of males and females. The broader economic environment of this period also seems to have favoured females. Using the Youth in Transition Survey, this paper attempts to explain differences in the schooling decisions of two cohorts, namely individuals born in 1961 and 1970, which would have made their school‐leaving decisions during the 1970s and 1980s. The aims are to establish whether the way in which education decisions are made differ across cohorts, and to assess whether any such differences can be related to the institutional reforms and labour market changes that occurred over the 1960–1980 period. The analyses show that females have a higher probability of completing year 12 than males and the gender difference in rates of year 12 completion widened over the decade under review. The increase in the probability of females completing year 12 relative to that of males is due almost entirely to differential rates of change in the characteristics of males and females. Changes in the estimated coefficients play a minor role in explaining the gender difference in school‐leaving decisions. This suggests that major changes in the labour market with a focus on females per se during the 1970s and 1980s have had little impact on the difference in school‐leaving decisions between males and females.
Supplementary Material for Video Propagation Networks

In this supplementary, we present experiment protocols and additional qualitative results for experiments on video object segmentation, semantic video segmentation and video color propagation. Table 1 shows the feature scales and other parameters used in different experiments. Figures 1, 2 show some qualitative results on video object segmentation with some failure cases in Fig. 3. Figure 4 shows some qualitative results on semantic video segmentation and Fig. 5 shows results on video color propagation.
Application of stochastic volatility models to German DAX data

We focus on the stochastic description of the stock price dynamics. Thereby we concentrate on the Heston model and the Hull-White model. We derive the stationary probability density distribution of the variance of both models in the case of zero correlation coefficient. These distributions are used to calculate solutions for the logarithmic returns of the stock price for short time lags. Furthermore we compare the received results with numerical simulations. In addition we apply the solutions of both models to the German tick-by-tick Dax data. The data are from May 1996 to December 2001. We use the probability density distributions of the logarithmic returns, calculated out of the data, and fit these distributions to the theoretical distributions.
An Empirical Examination of the Role of Trust in Consumer and Supplier Relationship of Little Direct Contact: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

In view of the growing interest in consumer trust, this article examines the determinants and consequence of trust in the relationship between business and consumers with little direct contact. By using structural equation modelling, a framework of consumer trust was developed, and the effect of trust and its determinants was assessed. The findings suggest that provision of trust information, integrity, and benevolence are crucial in building up trust, whereas competence affects trust building indirectly through the provision of trust information. Consumer trust was confirmed to have a positive effect on the consumer's intention for future purchase. Within the limitations of the study, the implications of these results are discussed and further research is suggested.
Replacement of Nonmuscle Myosin II-B with II-A Rescues Brain but Not Cardiac Defects in Mice*

The purpose of these studies was to learn whether one isoform of nonmuscle myosin II, specifically nonmuscle myosin II-A, could functionally replace a second one, nonmuscle myosin II-B, in mice. To accomplish this, we used homologous recombination to ablate nonmuscle myosin heavy chain (NMHC) II-B by inserting cDNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP)-NMHC II-A into the first coding exon of the Myh10 gene, thereby placing GFP-NMHC II-A under control of the endogenous II-B promoter. Similar to B-/B- mice, most Ba*/Ba* mice died late in embryonic development with structural cardiac defects and impaired cytokinesis of the cardiac myocytes. However, unlike B-/B- mice, 15 Ba*/Ba* mice of 172 F2 generation mice survived embryonic lethality but developed a dilated cardiomyopathy as adults. Surprisingly none of the Ba*/Ba* mice showed evidence for hydrocephalus that is always found in B-/B- mice. Rescue of this defect was due to proper localization and function of GFP-NMHC II-A in place of NMHC II-B in a cell-cell adhesion complex in the cells lining the spinal canal. Restoration of the integrity and adhesion of these cells prevents protrusion of the underlying cells into the spinal canal where they block circulation of the cerebral spinal fluid. However, abnormal migration of facial and pontine neurons found in NMHC II-B mutant and ablated mice persisted in Ba*/Ba* mice. Thus, although NMHC II-A can substitute for NMHC II-B to maintain integrity of the spinal canal, NMHC II-B plays an isoform-specific role during cytokinesis in cardiac myocytes and in migration of the facial and pontine neurons.
Increasing production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid by modulating the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is an attractive chemical that can be produced from biomass, because it can be used as a precursor for a lot of commercially interesting products and thus contribute to a more sustainable, bio-based economy. The synthesis of 3-HP has already previously been shown to be possible in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via the heterologous expression of malonyl-CoA reductase (MCRCa). 3-HP production was further improved via the overexpression of an acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 double mutant that is no longer phosphorylated by Snf1 (Acc1**). However, malonyl-CoA is also a precursor for fatty acids, and the increased fatty acid production associated with the overexpression of Acc1** is undesirable when aiming to produce 3-HP, and could, at least partly, originate from the presumed association of Acc1 with the cytosolic side of the ER membrane. It was hypothesized that by bringing the two enzymes, Acc1** and MCRCa, together with a scaffold, the 3-HP production could be increased by channeling the acetyl-CoA directly towards 3-HP and minimizing the leakage towards fatty acid synthesis. To investigate the use of a scaffold, the following two research questions were proposed: 1) Is it possible to abolish the association of Acc1 with the ER membrane by fusing Acc1 to a docking domain? 2) Is the 3-HP production improved when Acc1 is linked to MCRCa via a protein scaffold? Due to the limited time of the project it was not possible to adequately address the proposed questions. However, it was clear that it was not possible to effectively abolish the presumed association of Acc1** with the ER membrane by fusing dockerin a (Da) from C. thermocellum endoglucanase to the C-terminus of Acc1**, as it rendered to enzyme non-functional, most likely as the result of incorrect folding. The non-functionality of Acc1**-Da was not an inherent feature of Acc1** when fusing a protein domain to the C-terminus, as Acc1** was still functional with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) fused to the C-terminus, as well as to the N-terminus, making the use of a scaffold still a viable strategy to improve the production of 3-HP and other malonyl-CoA derived products. In parallel, the extent in which Acc1** activity is regulated by the efficiency of its biotinylation by Bpl1 was also investigated. Cultivating S. cerevisiae with Acc1** integrated in the genome in the presence of different biotin concentrations did not lead to an increased production of 3-HP, both with and without overexpressing BPL1 via a multiple copy plasmid. This suggested that Acc1** activity is not significantly regulated by its biotinylation. However, to be conclusive about the ACCase activity, it should be directly measured, rather than indirectly, as the 3-HP production is affected by more than just the activity of Acc1**.
Combinatorial regulation of optic cup progenitor cell fate by SOX2 and PAX6

In humans, haploinsufficiency of either SOX2 or PAX6 is associated with microphthalmia, anophthalmia or aniridia. In this study, through the genetic spatiotemporal specific ablation of SOX2 on both wild-type and Pax6-haploinsufficent backgrounds in the mouse, we have uncovered a transcriptionally distinct and developmentally transient stage of eye development. We show that genetic ablation of SOX2 in the optic cup results in complete loss of neural competence and eventual cell fate conversion to non-neurogenic ciliary epithelium. This cell fate conversion is associated with a striking increase in PAX6, and genetically ablating SOX2 on a Pax6-haploinsufficient background partially rescues the Sox2-mutant phenotype. Collectively, these results demonstrate that precise regulation of the ratio of SOX2 to PAX6 is necessary to ensure accurate progenitor cell specification, and place SOX2 as a decisive factor of neural competence in the retina.
An Appraisal of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy I (NEEDS I) in Nigeria: The Educational Perspective

This paper set out to assess the performance of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS I) in Nigeria in relation to its educational goals. These goals include; increasing enrolment in primary and secondary schools, improving the quality of education, and increasing funding to this critical sector. Several economic reform programmes in Nigeria have been abandoned not because they had no accomplishments, but largely as a result of paucity of studies assessing them. No paper in the Nigerian literature has appraised the NEEDS I vis-a-vis its stated educational objectives. This paper therefore fills this void. In realizing the objective of this study, I adopted the before and after approach, which involves comparing educational performance indicators before the initiation of the NEEDSI and during the programme. The findings revealed improved performance of educational indicators such as female enrolment in primary schools, adult literacy rate, primary school completion rate, and Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations during the NEEDS programme, although achievements were modest. Budgetary allocation to the sector as a proportion of total budget was below 10 per cent and less than the 25 per cent UNESCO recommendation. Funding to this sector should be increased and monitored in order to achieve sustainable improvements in educational outcomes. Completion rate in secondary school was also low. This paper therefore suggests the extension of the universal basic education scheme to the senior secondary level to reduce drop-out rates.
Binding of GTPγ[35S] is regulated by GDP and receptor activation. Studies with the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor

Background and purpose: We have examined the effects of ligand efficacy and receptor density on the binding of guanosine 5′‐[γ‐thio]triphosphate (GTPγS) and GDP to the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide receptor (NOP)‐coupled G‐proteins.
COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF EXERCISE PROGRAMS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES

Background: A randomized controlled trial has shown that supervised, facility-based exercise training is effective in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. However, these programs are associated with additional costs. This analysis assessed the cost-effectiveness of such programs. Methods: Analysis used data from the Diabetes Aerobic and Resistance Exercise (DARE) clinical trial which compared three different exercise programs (resistance, aerobic or a combination of both) of 6 months duration with a control group (no exercise program). Clinical outcomes at 6 months were entered for individual patients into the UKPDS economic model for type 2 diabetes adapted for the Canadian context. From this, expected life-years, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and costs were estimated for all patients within the trial. Results: The combined exercise program was the most expensive ($40,050) followed by the aerobic program ($39,250), the resistance program ($38,300) and no program ($31,075). QALYs were highest for combined (8.94), followed by aerobic (8.77), resistance (8.73) and no program (8.70). The incremental cost per QALY gained for the combined exercise program was $4,792 compared with aerobic alone, $8,570 compared with resistance alone, and $37,872 compared with no program. The combined exercise program remained cost-effective for all scenarios considered within sensitivity analysis. Conclusions: A program providing training in both resistance and aerobic exercise was the most cost-effective of the alternatives compared. Based on previous funding decisions, exercise training for individuals with diabetes can be considered an efficient use of resources.
Do Age, Gender, and Sector Affect Job Satisfaction? Results From the Korean Labor and Income Panel Data

Although job satisfaction is a primary human resource management concern, there is little empirical research considering job satisfaction in non-Western countries. In Korea, reforms aim to make the public service more competitive and diverse and have led to the recruitment of more women and young people. This study uses data from the Korean Income and Labor Panel Study to explore the relationship of age, gender, and service sector with job satisfaction. No substantial difference was found in the perceived job satisfaction of public employees of different ages, but an unexpected negative association was found in a subsample of private employees. Korean public and nonprofit employees are more satisfied with their jobs than private employees are but are less satisfied with their wages than with job security and job content. The study supports the expectation hypothesis and suggests there is a gender effect on job satisfaction, particularly for wages and work environment.
Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic diabetic patients assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography: correlation with diabetic duration.

AIMS Early detection of diabetic heart disease is important for the timely interventions resulting in the prevention for the future development of heart failure. Subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction may be identified by a reduction in longitudinal function, which can be assessed using 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). METHODS AND RESULTS To determine longitudinal, radial, and circumferential function, three LV short-axis and three LV apical views were acquired in 60 asymptomatic diabetic patients with normal LV ejection fraction (EF) and 25 age-matched healthy volunteers. Using 2D strain software, end-systolic longitudinal strain (LS), radial strain (RS), and circumferential strain (CS) were measured in 18 LV segments. No significant differences in LVEF were noted between two groups. Diabetic patients had more advanced diastolic dysfunction and increased LV mass compared with normal subjects. Basal, middle, and apical LSs were significantly lower in diabetic patients compared with control subjects, with 43% (26/60) of the diabetic patients showing abnormal global LS values (cut-off value: -17.2, mean - 2SD in control subjects). Basal RS and apical CS were also significantly lower in diabetic patients. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that diabetic duration was the only independent confounder for the reduction of LS (t = 2.22, P = 0.0313). CONCLUSION In addition to diastolic dysfunction, subclinical LV longitudinal dysfunction is preferentially and frequently observed in asymptomatic diabetes patients with normal LVEF. The decrease in LS correlated with duration of diabetes. 2DSTE has the potential for detecting subclinical LV systolic dysfunction and might provide useful information of the risk stratification in an asymptomatic diabetic population.
Internet-delivered treatments with or without therapist input: does the therapist factor have implications for efficacy and cost?

Psychiatric problems such as mood and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with high societal costs and individual suffering. Evidence-based psychological treatments obtain good results but are not available to the required extent due to the lack of practitioners with adequate training. One way to solve this problem is to provide minimal-contact self-help treatments, for example, with the assistance of computers. Recently, internet-delivered cognitive–behavioral treatment has been tested in a series of controlled trials. However, the interventions come in many forms with different levels and kinds of therapist input, which have implications for the costs of the treatments and possibly their effectiveness. In this review we found evidence for a strong correlation between therapist input and outcome. While emerging evidence attests to the efficacy of internet-delivered treatment when at least minimal therapist guidance is provided, most studies in the field have not included a formal evaluation of cost–effectiveness. Future research needs are discussed.
Passive Drag Reduction Using Full-Body Swimsuits: The Role of Body Position

Abstract Cortesi, M, Fantozzi, S, Di Michele, R, Zamparo, P, and Gatta, G. Passive drag reduction using full-body swimsuits: the role of body position. J Strength Cond Res 28(11): 3169–3176, 2014—This study aimed to analyze whether using full-body swimsuits affects the swimmer's body alignment and to what extent changes in the body position are responsible of the passive drag (Dp) reduction experienced by the swimmers when using these swimsuits. Fourteen swimmers performed 20-m towing trials using a full-body synthetic rubber swimsuit, a full-body textile swimsuit, a traditional brief swimsuit, and a traditional brief swimsuit with a pull buoy. In all trials, the speed-specific drag (k = Dp per v2), the trunk incline (TI), and the lower limbs incline (LI) were determined. In comparison with both conditions in which a full-body swimsuit was not used, k was significantly lower when using the rubber swimsuit (−8.4 and −12.2% vs. the brief swimsuit with and without pull bouy, respectively), and the textile swimsuit (−6.9 and −10.8% vs. the brief swimsuit with and without pull bouy, respectively). No differences in TI were observed among conditions, whereas LI was significantly higher when using the rubber swimsuit or the brief swimsuit with pull buoy than when using the traditional brief swimsuit. A linear mixed model showed that k can be reduced by increasing LI (that is lifting the lower limbs), by decreasing TI (that is keeping the trunk more horizontal), and by using either the rubber or textile full-body swimsuit rather than the traditional brief swimsuit. In conclusion, full-body swimsuits involve a reduction of a swimmer's passive drag caused by intrinsic properties related to the “material composition” of the swimsuits and also influenced by changes in the swimmer's body position.