Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designing for fun and play: exploring possibilities in design for gamification

Gamification -- the use of game design elements in non-game contexts -- is touted by many as the solution of how to make applications and processes more engaging to people that may have little or no motivation to engage with them otherwise. Based upon a literature review, the paper argues for guidelines concerning two aspects of gamifying an activity: ensuring that a continued focus on the main activities can be preserved and considering designing for playfulness. Furthermore, the relation between gamification and play is discussed, and some possible issues with gamification are presented.
Housing Careers in the United States, 1968-93: Modelling the Sequencing of Housing States

The research in this paper focuses on the housing career during a household's life-course. The housing career is the sequence of housing states defined in terms of tenure and the quality/price of the dwellings that households occupy while they make parallel careers in family status and the job market. The research brings out, more than the literature on separate residential moves, that many households are in a stable housing state over long stretches of their life-course. Housing careers are notable for having a relatively simple structure and, in general, an upward trend in quality, price and tenure of the sequence of dwellings occupied. As expected, there is a close relationship between the type of housing career and a household's income and income growth. Regional variation in tenure composition and the price of the stock have a strong influence on the development of the housing careers in different regions.
Appointment system design with interruptions and physician lateness

Purpose – Physician lateness and service interruptions are a significant problem in many health care environments but have received little attention in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to design appointment systems that reduce waiting times of the patient while maintaining utilization of the physician at a high level.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data from time studies and surveys of medical professionals from multiple outpatient clinics are used to motivate the study. Simulation optimization is used to simultaneously account for uncertainty and to determine (near) optimal scheduling solutions.Findings – As lateness increases, it is shown that, in general, appointment slots should be shorter and pushed later in the session. Conversely, as interruptions rise, appointments in the middle of the session should be longer. These findings are fairly consistent over a variety of environmental conditions, including clinic sizes, service time variance, and costs of physician time compared to p.
Simultaneous state recognition for multiple traffic signals on urban road

Automated vehicle researches move on to the public road experiments. This study focuses on a traffic signal detection based on mono-camera, predefined map database and accurate vehicle pose which is estimated by a localization module. By using the map data and the vehicle pose, an image ROI (Region-Of-Interest) can be calculated. This paper handles a situation with multiple signals appeared in an ROI especially for far traffic signals. We propose a probabilistic method for an image location of the target traffic signal in order to realize simultaneous traffic signal recognition for urban driving. In addition, an adaptive contrast updating strategy has been proposed to enhance the contrast of the extracted traffic signal using its probability. Experiments show the performance of the proposed method for real driving data.
Explorations into Factors Explaining Money Market Returns

In this article, the authors measure and interpret the common 'factors' that describe money market returns. Results are presented for both three- and four-factor models. The authors find that the three-factor model explains, on average, 86 percent of the total variation in most money market returns while the four-factor model explains, on average, 90 percent of this variation. Using mimicking portfolios, they provide an interpretation of the systematic risks represented by these factors. Copyright 1994 by American Finance Association.
Evaluation of Attic Retraction Pockets by Microendoscopy

Attic retraction pockets (RPs) are one of the important sequelae of otitis media with effusion and are classified on the basis of the findings of otoscopy or otomicroscopy. It is unclear when and how RPs turn into cholesteatomas. We compared the findings of RPs obtained with the use of a microendoscope with those from an otomicroscope to determine the extension of RPs. Study Design: Comparative study. Patients: Twenty-seven attic RPs (Tos type III or IV) and 10 precholesteatomas previously classified under an otomicroscope were reexamined. Main Outcome Measures: A high-resolution, fine, rigid microendoscope with an outer diameter of 1.0 mm was used to observe the extension of a retraction. In addition, to confirm the extent of the RP, computed tomography (CT) scans using water as the contrast media were performed in representative cases. Results: Endoscopy with the microendoscope revealed that in 59%, the RP was deeper than indicated by the initial otomicroscopic estimation, suggesting that the extension of the RP was underestimated. The findings of water-enhanced CT scans were comparable with the endoscopic findings. The bottom was observable with the microendoscope and the otomicroscope in 20 (74%) and 11 (41%) of 27 RPs, respectively. Seven ears had a deeper RP, which extended beyond the incudomallear joint. Of the 10 precholesteatoma cases, in which the bottoms were not visible with an otomicroscope or conventional endoscopes, the microendoscope revealed the bottom in 5 (50%). Conclusion: On the basis of the observations of our study, we suggest that reexamination of cases of RP classified as Tos type III or IV, preferably with a microendoscope, if available, and assessment of the depth of the RP using water-enhanced CT, would be useful and that careful follow-up is necessary for deep RPs because of a potential risk of development into cholesteatoma.
Limited Proteolysis of the IGF Binding Protein-2 (IGFBP-2) by a Specific Serine Protease Activity in Early Breast Milk

IGF in milk possibly promote maturation of the gastrointestinal tract in newborns. We studied the composition of milk samples derived from 99 healthy women at regular intervals during a period beginning 3 d and ending 6 mo after birth. The concentrations measured by RIA on d 3 were 10.7 ± 0.4 ng/mL for IGF-II, 1.9 ± 0.1 ng/mL for IGF-I, 100 ± 5 ng/mL for IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and 2163 ± 108 ng/mL for IGFBP-2. All factor concentrations decreased by up to 70% in the course of the 6 mo. The most striking finding was an IGFBP-2-specific protease activity. Protease assays performed by incubation of 125I-IGFBP-2 with milk yielded fragments of 14, 16, 23, and 25 kD. 125I-IGFBP-3 was not cleaved. Proteolysis occurred only in milk from mothers until 4 wk postpartum and could be visualized by immunoblots. Since the affinity of the fragments to 125I-IGF-II was low, they were not demonstrable by ligand blot. Inhibitor studies and pH optimizing classified the IGFBP-2 protease as an Me2+-dependent serine protease with a pH optimum of 7 to 8. The proteolytic activity of further milk proteins, known as IGFBP proteases, was analyzed. Epidermal growth factor receptor peptide and prostate-specific antigen did not cleave IGFBP-2, although the protease activity correlated (r = 0.84, p < 0.00003) with the prostate-specific antigen concentration in milk. The γ-nerve growth factor cleaved 125I-IGFBP-2, but in a completely different manner than the milk protease. In conclusion, the IGFBP-2 protease in milk is most probably a kallikrein. The specific proteolysis of IGF/IGFBP-2 complexes may increase the biologic availability of IGF in early milk. This mechanism may promote growth of the maternal breast epithelium and maturation of the gastrointestinal tract of newborns.
Switch and reserve connection placement in a distribution network planning algorithm

Network planning algorithms should, but do not always, inherently consider outage mitigation in terms of switch and reserve connection placement. This paper outlines our approach, which is close to optimum but not exhaustive, in that the main aim is to accurately enough imbed outage mitigation in the planning algorithm so that the lines are in the right place. The methodology involves placing backup connections assuming full default switch placement, and then upgrading and or removing switches so as to maximize their cost benefit. Three levels of switching are supported, two of which, network circuit breakers and automatic load making disconnectors, fulfill the smart paradigm, so that we can assess the impact of such switching on network topology and the rest of the switching, which is manual.
Dendritic Remodeling of Dentate Granule Cells Following a Combined Entorhinal Cortex/Fimbria Fornix Lesion

This study examined the time course of dendritic reorganization of dentate granule neurons of the hippocampus following the loss of input from both the fimbria fornix (FF) and the entorhinal cortex (EC). We used the Golgi-Cox stain to assess the morphology of dentate granule neurons at six postlesion time points (4, 8, 14, 30, 45, and 60 days) and dendritic measures included total dendritic length, number of segments, number of branch points, and spine density. We found that as early as 4 days postlesion, total dendritic length and number of segments were significantly decreased with the greatest change occurring in the distal parts of the dendritic arbor located in the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Dendritic measures related to segment number and dendritic length returned to 70% of intact values by 30 days postlesion and were not significantly different from unlesioned rats at 45 and 60 days postlesion. In contrast, the recovery of spine density was transient. Spine density in the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus decreased by 60% at 4 days postlesion and returned to 87% of intact values by 30 days postlesion. However, there was a second loss of dendritic spines along the distal portion of the dendrite between 30 and 60 days postlesion. These data provide evidence that the ability of granule neurons to recover a dendritic morphology similar to that of unlesioned rats is impaired following the combined EC/FF lesion and that the "secondary loss" of dendritic spine density on granule neurons may significantly limit the chances of the hippocampus reforming a synaptic circuitry that could lead to functional recovery after the EC/FF lesion.
An application of rate-distortion theory to a converse to the coding theorem

A lower bound to the information rate R(D) for a discrete memoryless source with a fidelity criterion is presented for the case in which the distortion matrix contains the same set of entries, perhaps permuted, in each column. A necessary and sufficient condition for R(D) to equal this bound is given. In particular, if the smallest column element is zero and occurs once in each row, then there is a range of D, 0 \leq D \leq D_{1} , in which equality holds. These results are then applied to the special case of d_{ij}= 1 - \delta_{ij} , for which the average distortion is just the probability of incorrectly reproducing the source output. We show how to construct R(D) for this case, from which one can solve for the minimum achievable probability of error when transmitting over a channel of known capacity.
Teaching Economics with Classroom Experiments: A Symposium

Classroom experiments are effective because students are placed directly into the economic environments being studied. The papers in this special section span diverse applications, for example, speculation and multiple markets, coordination and voting games, and a simple macroeconomy. All experiments can be run with simple props, such as ordinary playing cards. After participating, students bring firsthand experience to the discussion to enhance the effectiveness of the Socratic method. In small classes, these exercises also enable bright undergraduates to run the experiments on their own classmates and to lead the ensuing discussions, creating a special teaching/learning environment.
FliL associates with the stator to support torque generation of the sodium‐driven polar flagellar motor of Vibrio

Flagellar motors generate torque to rotate flagellar filaments and drive bacterial cells. Each motor is composed of a rotor and many stators. The stator is a force‐generating complex that converts ion flux into torque. Previous reports have suggested that the membrane protein FliL is located near the stator and is involved in torque generation. We investigated the role of FliL in the sodium‐driven polar flagellar motor of Vibrio alginolyticus. Our results revealed that FliL is a cytoplasmic membrane protein and is located at the base of flagellum. The deletion of fliL did not affect the cell morphology or flagellation but resulted in a significant decrease of swimming speed, especially at a higher load thus suggesting that FliL is important for torque generation at high load conditions. Furthermore, the polar localization of the stator was decreased in a ΔfliL mutant, but the sodium‐dependent assembly of the stator complex was still retained. The polar localization of FliL was lost in the absence of the stator complex, indicating that FliL interacts directly or indirectly with the stator. Our results suggest that FliL is localized along with the stator in order to support the motor functioning for swimming at high load conditions by maintaining the stator assembly.
Creating Public Value in E‐Government: A Public‐Private‐Citizen Collaboration Framework in Web 2.0

Whether dealing with Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), or with other forms of service provision and delivery, public managers face difficulties in responding to ever-growing demands for more and better quality services. The question of how to do more, but without doing more of the same, can perhaps be answered partially through the use of some of the recently developed and innovative tools that build on Web 2.0 and by the application of Citizen Relationship Management. This article discusses a simple input-output Public-Private-Citizen Collaboration (PC2) framework which reflects the collaborative interactions through which public and private stakeholders can exchange and process information with citizens. The framework highlights the need for genuine involvement of the public and suggests that by utilising new Web 2.0-based tools citizens can participate both in the processes of creating and crafting web-based content and in enhancing service design. If used in relation to PPPs such tools may very well be able to help governments access much needed information so as to both better visualise and actualise public value in PPP-based service delivery.
The Political Economy of Violence: The War‐System In Colombia

V iolence, in its criminal and political aspects, largely reflects the contradictory impulses set in motion by modernization and serves as an expression of the various dislocations social, economic, psychological and cultural which accompany that process. Violence increases when the prevailing institutions fail to mediate among the various antagonistic forces unleashed by socio-economic and political change. Colombia represents a country where violence has risen overwhelmingly in recent years, reaching extremes of both extent and duration. A phenomenon well worth scholarly attention, the subject of violence has given rise to an impressive body of literature concerned with exploring its many aspects: its causes, trajectory, and variety of manifestations (see Sanchez, 1991). However, why has violence tended not only to be maintained in Colombia, but continued to rise, in a ceaseless, ever-increasing spiral, during the 1980s and 1990s? It will be argued here that this pattern of violence has now evolved into a distinct, self-perpetuating system, with a life of its own, largely as a result of (a) the social and political contradictions generated between the 1940s and 1970s, and (b) the subsequent rise of guerrilla warfare in response.1 During the 1980s and 1990s, the war system became consolidated via expansion of its socioeconomic base: the drug trade, traffic in contraband goods, armed robberies, kidnapping for ransom, and various legal economic activities that were carried on by actors involved in the
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an update of treatment related to frequently associated comorbidities

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a pulmonary inflammatory response to inhaled substances, and individuals with COPD often have raised levels of several circulating inflammatory markers indicating the presence of systemic inflammation. Recently, there has been increasing interest in comorbidities associated with COPD such as skeletal muscle dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and lung cancer. These conditions are associated with a similar inflammation-based pathophysiology to COPD, and may represent a lung inflammatory ‘overspill’ to distant organs. Cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of mortality in COPD, and the concepts of an inflammatory link raise the possibility that treatment for one organ may show benefits to comorbidities in other organs. When considering treatment of COPD and its comorbidities, one approach is to target the pulmonary inflammation and hence reduce any ‘overspill’ effect of inflammatory mediators systemically as suggested by response to inhaled corticosteroids. Alternatively, treatment targeted towards comorbid organs may alter features of pulmonary disease as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists may have beneficial effects on COPD by reducing exacerbations and mortality. Newer anti-inflammatory treatments, such as phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), nuclear factor(NF)-kB, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors, are given systemically and may confer benefits to both COPD and its comorbidities. With common inflammatory pathways it might be expected that successful anti-inflammatory therapy in one organ may also influence others. In this review we explore the concepts of systemic inflammation in COPD and current evidence for treatment of its related comorbidities.
The central role of centralisation in environmental policy initialisation

While economic research on environmental policy is mainly concerned with instruments, political science concentrates on actors. The issue of centralisation needs to be analysed using a multidisciplinary approach because it is connected with both actors and instruments. Linking the Advocacy Coalition Framework with an economic approach, the paper first develops an innovative model in order to understand the mechanisms of centralisation and decentralisation in the different phases of policy processes. Focusing on environmental policy, the idea is developed that environmental policy needs the push of centralisation in order to institutionalise the prevailing social norm, but then should be organised decentrally to account for regional differences. The examples of air pollution, climate change and urban sprawl are used to test the explanatory power of the theoretical approach.
Circularly polarized UHF-RFID antenna using defected rectangular plate on the ground plane

This paper presents a UHF-RFID reader antenna radiating circular polarization with unidirectional pattern. The antenna structure consists of two plates. The upper plate acted as radiating element contains notched rectangular plate, rectangular aperture and slot line. The lower plate is the ground plane. The parametric study is carried out to achieve the frequency response of 920-925 MHz according to Thailand standard of UHF-RFID system. The prototype antenna was fabricated and measured. The simulated half-power beamwidth (HPBW) in E- and H-planes are 65 and 68 degree, respectively. The measured HPBW in both planes is identical to 55 degree. The simulated and measured bandwidths are 7.26% and 10.7%, respectively. The simulated and measured axial ratios at 922.5 MHz are 0.64 dB and 0.09 dB, respectively.
Genomic responses to the socio-sexual environment in male Drosophila melanogaster exposed to conspecific rivals

Socio-sexual environments have profound effects on fitness. Local sex ratios can alter the threat of sexual competition, to which males respond via plasticity in reproductive behaviors and ejaculate composition. In Drosophila melanogaster, males detect the presence of conspecific, same-sex mating rivals prior to mating using multiple, redundant sensory cues. Males that respond to rivals gain significant fitness benefits by altering mating duration and ejaculate composition. Here we investigated the underlying genome-wide changes involved. We used RNA-seq to analyze male transcriptomic responses 2, 26, and 50 h after exposure to rivals, a time period that was previously identified as encompassing the major facets of male responses to rivals. The results showed a strong early activation of multiple sensory genes in the head–thorax (HT), prior to the expression of any phenotypic differences. This gene expression response was reduced by 26 h, at the time of maximum phenotypic change, and shut off by 50 h. In the abdomen (A), fewer genes changed in expression and gene expression responses appeared to increase over time. The results also suggested that different sets of functionally equivalent genes might be activated in different replicates. This could represent a mechanism by which robustness is conferred upon highly plastic traits. Overall, our study reveals that mRNA-seq can identify subtle genomic signatures characteristic of flexible behavioral phenotypes.
Improved survival after variceal hemorrhage over an 11-year period in the Department of Veterans Affairs

OBJECTIVES:Over the past two decades, several modalities have become widely used in the management of esophageal variceal hemorrhage. The effectiveness of these measures on the outcome of patients with this type of hemorrhage remains unknown.METHODS:Using the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Patient Treatment File, we identified two cohorts of patients diagnosed with an initial variceal hemorrhage: an early cohort during 1981–1982 (1339 patients), and a late cohort during 1988–1991 (3636 patients). Each cohort was followed for 6 yr for rebleeding and death. Analyses were performed with proportional hazards survival analysis controlling for confounding factors.RESULTS:On presentation, patients in the late cohort were older (57 yr vs 55 yr, p < 0.0001) and had more ascites (25% vs 13%, p < 0.0001), more peritonitis (4% vs 2%, p < 0.0001), and more encephalopathy (14% vs 9%, p= 0.0003). The late cohort experienced a significant decline in mortality at 30 days (20.8% vs 29.6%, p= 0.0001) and at 6 yr (69.7% vs 74.5%, p= 0.0001). This improvement was accentuated in multivariate survival analysis when controlling for the more severe illness in the late cohort. For patients who survived the first 30 days, no significant difference in 6-yr mortality was found on univariate analysis between the early cohort (63.7%) and late cohort (61.8%) (p= 0.25), but survival was slightly better in the late cohort on multivariate analysis (p= 0.01). In the late cohort, patients with sclerotherapy during the initial hospitalization had better 30-day (17%) and 6-yr mortality (68%) than did the rest of the late cohort.CONCLUSIONS:Between the years 1981–1982 and 1988–1991, improvements in long-term survival after an initial episode of esophageal variceal hemorrhage resulted primarily from better short-term mortality. Sclerotherapy offers a partial explanation for improved survival.