Exploring Cognitive Playfulness Through Zero Interactions

Many emerging technologies, products and services today try to use diverse methods of interaction to provide playful experiences. Increasingly more interactive features and techniques are being introduced to afford users new experiences and enrich our living environment. While many of these playful experiences can be achieved through various types of physical, sensory and social interactions, this paper attempts to focus on how 'no-interaction' can achieve playfulness in relation to our cognitive experience. If there is a way to give someone a playful experience without any physical, sensory and social interactions, where and how can we apply this approach or phenomenon? Here we share a provocation that tries to demonstrate a tangible means whereby such an idea could be used to explore potential user experiences within HCI

Association of serum adipocytokine levels with cardiac autonomic neuropathy in type 2 diabetic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a common complication of diabetes associated with poor prognosis. In addition, the autonomic imbalance is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetes. It is thought that adipocytokines contribute to the increased risk of vascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, literature data on the association between CAN with adipocytokines such as leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), adiponectin in subjects with T2DM is limited.</p> <p>Therefore, in the present study, we examined the relationship between fasting serum leptin, TNF- alpha and adiponectin and CAN in Korean T2DM patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 142 T2DM patients (94 males, 48 females) were recruited. CAN was assessed by the five tests according to the Ewing's protocol and the time and frequency domain of the heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated. Serum TNF-alpha and adiponectin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and serum leptin levels were measured using radioimmunoassay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although, the mean levels of leptin, TNF-alpha and adiponectin were not significantly different between the groups with and without CAN, the levels of leptin and adiponectin had a tendency to increase as the score of CAN increased (p = 0.05, p = 0.036). Serum leptin levels demonstrated a negative correlation with low frequency (LF) in the upright position (p = 0.037). Regarding TNF-alpha, a significant negative correlation was observed with SDNN and RMSSD in the upright position (p = 0.023, p = 0.019). Adiponectin levels were not related to any HRV parameters. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the odds of CAN increased with a longer duration of diabetes (1.25, [1.07-1.47]) and higher homeostatic model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (5.47, [1.8-16.5]). The relative risks for the presence of CAN were 14.1 and 51.6 for the adiponectin 2^nd, 3^rdtertiles when compared with first tertile (p-value for trend = 0.022).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In the present study, the higher serum adiponectin levels and HOMA-IR were associated with an increased risk for the presence of CAN. Also, the CAN score correlated with the serum adiponectin. Serum adipocytokines such as leptin and TNF-alpha were significantly correlated with parameters of HRV, representative markers of CAN. Future prospective studies with larger number of patients are required to establish a direct relationship between plasma adipocytokine concentrations and the development or severity of CAN.</p

Differential associations of central and brachial blood pressure with carotid atherosclerosis and microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: We examined the relationship between central blood pressure (BP), brachial BP with carotid atherosclerosis and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We recruited 201 patients who were evaluated for central BP, brachial BP, carotid ultrasonography, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), ankle-brachial index (ABI) and microvascular complications. Central BP were calculated using a radial automated tonometric system. RESULTS: Agreement between central BP and brachial BP was very strong (concordance correlation coefficient between central and brachial SBP = 0.889, between central and brachial PP = 0.816). Central pulse pressure (PP) was correlated with mean carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), baPWV and ABI, whereas brachial PP was borderline significantly correlated with CIMT. The prevalence of nephropathy(DN) and retinopathy(DR) according to the brachial PP tertiles increased, the prevalences of microvascular complications were not different across central PP tertiles. In multivariate analysis, the relative risks (RRs) for the presence of DR were 1.2 and 4.6 for the brachial PP tertiles 2 and 3 when compared with the first tertile. Also, the RRs for the presence of DN were 1.02 and 3 for the brachial PP tertiles 2 and 3 when compared with the first tertile. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement of central BP and brachial BP was very strong. Nonetheless, this study showed that higher brachial PP levels are associated with increased probability for the presence of microvascular complications such as DR/DN. However, there are no associations with central SBP and central PP with microvascular complications. Central BP levels than brachial BP are correlated with surrogate marker of macrovascular complications

Density functional calculations of the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the hydrocarbon K3picene superconductor near the metal-insulator transition

We have investigated the electronic structures and magnetic properties of of K3picene, which is a first hydrocarbon superconductor with high transition temperature T_c=18K. We have shown that the metal-insulator transition (MIT) is driven in K3picene by 5% volume enhancement with a formation of local magnetic moment. Active bands for superconductivity near the Fermi level E_F are found to have hybridized character of LUMO and LUMO+1 picene molecular orbitals. Fermi surfaces of K3picene manifest neither prominent nesting feature nor marked two-dimensional behavior. By estimating the ratio of the Coulomb interaction U and the band width W of the active bands near E_F, U/W, we have demonstrated that K3picene is located in the vicinity of the Mott transition.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Sustainability of the Global Water Supply: An Exploratory Study of International Managers\u27 Perspectives

Water risk, both in terms of the risk to human life related to such threats as water scarcity and the risk to business related to such challenges as mismanagement of a critical resource, is a topic of increasing interest and importance to policymakers worldwide. The problems associated with water risk are being tackled by international development organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; by international business organizations such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute; and by international aid organizations such as Water.org and countless corporate foundations. There is no shortage of brainpower, passionate commitment, or money spent on finding solutions to a growing problem. However, the problems continue. This research effort’s premise is that solutions to problems around the sustainability of the water supply remain elusive because such considerations have not yet become part of the day-to-day problem-solving routine of managers across the hierarchy of business organizations. In this study, managers in Brazil and South Korea were surveyed on their perspectives on the factors in their external environments that held promise for improving the sustainability of the world’s water supply. Our analysis identifies stakeholders in the external environment with whom managers might build effective coalitions for addressing this critical issue

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF YANG HAK-SEON VAULT AND TSUKAHARA 1260? VAULT IN GYMNASTICS

The study was a single-subject study on the top-elite vaulter in the world. This study was purposed to compare kinematic differences between Yang Hak-Seon vault (Yang-1) and Tsukahara 1260? vault (Yang-2) performed by Yang Hak-Seon. Fourteen high-speed cameras were used to capture a whole body segment motion of Yang-2 vault during the practice session. Yang-1 vault showed faster CM vertical velocity until the vault table takeoff and faster CM horizontal velocity prior to the vault table touchdown. However, the trunk rotation angle and its angular velocity of Yang-2 vault exceeded Yang-1 vault significantly. This might be due to a half turn off the springboard onto the vault table of Yang-2 vault, which resulted in larger initial angular momentum at the vault table touchdown and further increase in angular velocity during the vault table contact