The Study on the Effectiveness of Preventive Methods for Online Piracy

As online use becomes commonplace in the digital environment, more and more people are indiscriminately copying, sharing, and reproducing online content. Thus, the government and institutions strengthen the level of punishment or take strong sanctions, but online piracy behavior is not reduced and becomes an ethically serious problem. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of two common preventive methods, perceived morality and punishment, on self-control and piracy intention based on the deterrence theory. This study also attempts to investigate the mixed outcomes of gender differences to determine what preventive measures are gender-specific. The result of this study shows that the perceived morality directly effects on reducing online piracy intention while the perceived punishment effect on increasing self-control. The direct effect of punishment on reducing online piracy is moderated by online education. The gender differences vary the degree of morality by education and punishment. This study would provide both theoretical and practical implications emphasizing awareness and moral beliefs of online piracy and suggesting the awareness of gender differences in developing deterrence methods

Shaking dance in the stormy valley: tendai discourse on kami-buddha relations in fourteenth century mount hiei

This dissertation explores medieval Japanese discourse on the amalgamation of kami and buddhas, particularly as represented in Keiran shūyōshū, a fourteenth century encyclopedic Japanese Tendai text, which presents the highest knowledge of medieval Taimitsu scholasticism on Mt. Hiei. Focusing on the inner logic of the “origin-trace” structure central to the Kami-Buddha combinatory discourse, this study investigates the rationale of nonduality between buddhas and kami or the origin and manifested traces. Examining representations of kami as manifestations of buddhas and the complex web of their relationships in Keiran, this study elucidates that the origin-trace scheme is indispensable from medieval Taimitsu teachings—in particular, the esoteric idea of copenetration and mutual identity, as well as the doctrine of original enlightenment and its associated rituals and practices. Examination of these interrelated issues culminates by centering on Keiran’s discussion of kami’s manifestation in the form of the snake and its association with the sixth consciousness, through which the main discussions of this study—kami as manifestations, kami’s manifestations, and nonduality of the origin and trace, are integrated into the problem of our mind cultivation toward enlightenment. Throughout this study, I pay attention to several allegories associated with the notion of nonduality in Keiran, which include the allegory of the shaking dance mentioned in the title of this dissertation, as well as various analogies connected to the form of the snake. At the end of this study, the main features of thie symbolic complex of nonduality are analyzed as being correlated in their subtle yet ultimate signification of our innate capacity to attain enlightenment, which should be sought after and sustained with our persistently dedicated practices

Effect size estimation and robust classification for irregularly sampled functional data

Functional data arise frequently in numerous scientific fields with the development of modern technology. Accordingly, functional data analysis to extract information on curves or functions is an important area for investigation. In this thesis, we address two key issues: measuring an effect size of variable of the interest in functional analysis of variance (fANOVA) model and the development of robust probabilistic classifier in functional response model. We especially consider irregular functional data in our study, where curves are collected over varying or non-overlapping intervals. First, we develop an approach to quantify the effect size on functional data, perform functional ANOVA hypothesis test, and conduct power analysis. We develop an approach to quantify the effect size on functional data, perform functional ANOVA hypothesis test, and conduct power analysis. We introduce the functional signal-to-noise ratio ($fSNR$), visualize the magnitude of effects over the interval of interest, and perform bootstrapped inferences. It can be applicable when the individual curves are sampled at irregularly spaced points or collected over varying intervals. The proposed methods are applied in the analysis of functional data from inter-laboratory quantitative ultrasound measurements, and in a reanalysis of Canadian weather data. Moreover, we represent the asymptotic power of functional ANOVA test as a function of proposed measure. The agreement between the asymptotic and empirical results is examined and found to be quite good even for small sample sizes. The asymptotic lower bound of power can be reasonably used to determine sample size in planning experimental design. Second, we build a robust probabilistic classifier for functional data, which predicts the membership for given input as well as provides informative posterior probability distribution over a set of classes. This method combines Bayes formula and semiparametric mixed effects model with robust tuning parameter. We aim to make the method robust to outlying curves especially in providing robust degree of certainty in prediction, which is crucial in medical diagnosis. It can be applicable to various practical structures, such as unequally and sparsely collected samples or repeatedly measured curves retaining between-curve correlation, with very flexible spatial covariance function. As an illustration we conduct simulation studies to investigate the sensitivity behaviors of probability estimates to outlying curves under Gaussian assumption and compare our proposed classifier with other functional classification approaches. The performance is evaluated by imposing more penalty for being confident but false prediction. The value of the proposed approach hinges on its simple, flexible, and computational efficiency. We illustrate the issues and methodology in ultrasound quantitative ultrasound, backscatter coefficient vs. frequency functional data, commonly obtained as irregular form and public dataset with artificial contamination. We also show how to implement proposed classifier in R

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma-conditioned root dentin promotes attraction and attachment of primary human dental pulp stem cells in real-time Ex Vivo

This study investigated if non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAPP) treatment of root dentin surfaces promotes human dental pulp stem cell (hDPSCs) adhesion. Freshly extracted human single-rooted teeth (n = 36) were decoronated and cut (first vertically, then horizontally) into root dentin slices (3 mm thick). Primary hDPSCs cultures were seeded onto slices randomly assigned to pretreatment groups (n = 9/group): NaOCl (1.5%), EDTA (17%) then NTAPP (Group I); NaOCl then NTAPP (Group II); NaOCl then EDTA (Group III); and NaOCl alone (Group IV). Cell viability and proliferation were measured using MTT assay with log-linear statistical analysis. Cell attachment and spreading morphologies on dentin slices (n = 3/group) were examined through scanning electron microscopy. Early cell adhesion events and subcellular activities were observed in real time by live-cell imaging through holotomographic microscopy. Cell viability and proliferation were significantly higher on NTAPP-treated dentin (p \u3c 0.05), without interactions with EDTA (p \u3e 0.05). The attachment, spreading, extensions and multiple layers of hDPSCs were heightened on NTAPP-treated dentin. Cell adhesion, spreading, and dentinal tubule penetration were hastened on NTAPP-treated dentin surfaces in real-time, with elevated subcellular activities and intracellular lipid droplet formation. NTAPP-treated root dentin surfaces support enhanced cellular responses, potentially promoting pulp-dentin regeneration

KIN-4/MAST kinase promotes PTEN-mediated longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans via binding through a PDZ domain

PDZ domain-containing proteins (PDZ proteins) act as scaffolds for protein-protein interactions and are crucial for a variety of signal transduction processes. However, the role of PDZ proteins in organismal lifespan and aging remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that KIN-4, a PDZ domain-containing microtubule-associated serine-threonine (MAST) protein kinase, is a key longevity factor acting through binding PTEN phosphatase in Caenorhabditis elegans. Through a targeted genetic screen for PDZ proteins, we find that kin-4 is required for the long lifespan of daf-2/insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutants. We then show that neurons are crucial tissues for the longevity-promoting role of kin-4. We find that the PDZ domain of KIN-4 binds PTEN, a key factor for the longevity of daf-2 mutants. Moreover, the interaction between KIN-4 and PTEN is essential for the extended lifespan of daf-2 mutants. As many aspects of lifespan regulation in C. elegans are evolutionarily conserved, MAST family kinases may regulate aging and/or age-related diseases in mammals through their interaction with PTEN.11Ysciescopu

Understanding the accelerator from resources-based perspective

Purpose - This study aims to explore Accelerators and their practices in sustaining start-ups within their innovative programs for these companies based on the resource-based perspective. Moreover, with an ever-increasing demand for Accelerators amongst start-up companies, this study also demonstrates the importance of Accelerators, as it pertains to new venture creation. Design/methodology/approach - This research uses an exploratory case study approach to examine a comparative view of leading Accelerator companies in the USA and Korea based on resource support. Findings - The results of this study show that there are a number of differences between Accelerators of the two countries in terms of the resources they support for early-stage start-ups. The findings also show some similarities. However, in Korea, the Accelerator landscape is limited, where mentorship, resources and investments are not readily accessible, resulting in low success rates for Korean start-up companies. These limitations have had a negative trickle-down effect when providing entrepreneurs with strong access to resources and investors, which highly affects the success rates of early-stage start-ups. Practical implications - In terms of the resource-based theory, this study contributes to the growth of early start-ups by emphasizing the role of the accelerator and suggesting the extent and impact that entrepreneurs have access to resources and investors. Originality/value - With significant growth in start-ups around the world, the necessity for start-up funding and mentorship has increased drastically. Start-up companies need various types of assets, systems, knowledge and information to achieve their goals. In Accelerators, start-ups receive all the aforementioned resources while also improving their entrepreneurial skills. Start-up companies have many options in seeking investors who support both tangible and intangible resources to boost growth. While there is a wealth of information on traditional funding methods, there are few studies that shed light on the role of Accelerators from the resource-based point of view

Visfatin exerts angiogenic effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells through the mTOR signaling pathway

AbstractThe biologically active factors known as adipocytokines are secreted primarily by adipose tissues and can act as modulators of angiogenesis. Visfatin, an adipocytokine that has recently been reported to have angiogenic properties, is upregulated in diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. Because maintenance of an angiogenic balance is critically important in the management of these diseases, understanding the molecular mechanism by which visfatin promotes angiogenesis is very important. In this report, we describe our findings demonstrating that visfatin stimulates the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which plays important roles in angiogenesis. Visfatin induced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human endothelial cells. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway by rapamycin eliminated the angiogenic and proliferative effects of visfatin. The visfatin-induced increase in VEGF expression was also eliminated by RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), a downstream target of mTOR. Visfatin inactivated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) by phosphorylating it at Ser-9, leading to the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Both rapamycin co-treatment and p70S6K knockdown inhibited visfatin-induced GSK3β phosphorylation at Ser-9 and nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Taken together, these results indicate that mTOR signaling is involved in visfatin-induced angiogenesis, and that this signaling leads to visfatin-induced VEGF expression and nuclear translocation of β-catenin

Estimating baseline creatinine values to define acute kidney injury in critically ill pediatric patients

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill children. However, the common lack of baseline serum creatinine values affects AKI diagnosis and staging. Several approaches for estimating baseline creatinine values in those patients were evaluated. Methods This single-center retrospective study enrolled pediatric patients with documented serum creatinine measurements within 3 months before admission and more than two serum creatinine measurements within 7 days after admission to the pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care children’s hospital between January 2016 and April 2020. Four different approaches for estimating AKI using serum creatinine measurements were compared: 1) back-calculation using age-adjusted normal reference glomerular filtration rates, 2) age-adjusted normal reference serum creatinine values, 3) minimum values measured within 7 days after admission, and 4) initial values upon admission. Results The approach using minimum values showed the best agreement with the measured baseline value, with the largest intraclass correlation coefficient (0.623), smallest bias (–0.04), and narrowest limit of agreement interval (1.032). For AKI diagnosis and staging, the minimum values were 80.8% and 76.1% accurate, respectively. The other estimated baseline values underestimated AKI and showed poor agreement with baseline values before admission, with a misclassification rate of up to 42% (p < 0.001). Conclusion Minimum values of serum creatinine measured within 7 days after hospital admission showed the best agreement with creatinine measured within 3 months before admission, indicating the possibility of using it as a baseline when baseline data are unavailable. Further large-scale studies are required to accurately diagnose AKI in critically ill children

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in a 39-year-old Woman: Unusual Initial Presentation of Microscopic Polyangiitis

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a necrotizing vasculitis involving the small vessels without granulomatous inflammation. Most MPA initially presents with renal involvement without pulmonary involvement. Isolated and initially presenting alveolar hemorrhage is very rare. The patient was a 39-year-old female with a progressive cough, dyspnea, and blood-tinged sputum for the previous 5 days. We determined that her condition was MPA though VATS lung biopsy and renal biopsy. After 2 months of steroid therapy, the chest lesions had improved. We report here a rare case of MPA with isolated and initial involvement of the lung with a review of the literature