Social gamification in enterprise crowdsourcing

Enterprise crowdsourcing capitalises on the availability of employ-ees for in-house data processing. Gamification techniques can help aligning employees’ motivation to the crowdsourcing endeavour. Although hitherto, research efforts were able to unravel the wide arsenal of gamification techniques to construct engagement loops, little research has shed light into the social game dynamics that those foster and how those impact crowdsourcing activities. This work reports on a study that involved 101 employees from two multinational enterprises. We adopt a user-centric approach to ap-ply and experiment with gamification for enterprise crowdsourcing purposes. Through a qualitative study, we highlight the importance of the competitive and collaborative social dynamics within the enterprise. By engaging the employees with a mobile crowdsourc-ing application, we showcase the effectiveness of competitiveness towards higher levels of engagement and quality of contributions. Moreover, we underline the contradictory nature of those dynam-ics, which combined might lead to detrimental effects towards the engagement to crowdsourcing activities

Designing and Conducting Experiments for Range Beef Cows

Designing and conducting effective research for range beef systems involves analysis of intended application of the results, identification of factors affecting variation, and selection of appropriate research methods so that precise inferences can be made. Variances associated with time, location, animal, and error in grazing research can be high. Variation due to treatment × location and treatment × time interactions is reduced by increasing the number of locations and periods tested. Random error is reduced by increasing the total number of observations. Animals, pastures, and weather are significant sources of variation in grazing studies. Factors that influence nutrient requirements or nutrient intake of cows are potential sources of variation. Amount and quality of herbage produced are highly variable within and among years and are closely related to the amount and pattern of precipitation. Vegetative measurements (e.g., cover or standing biomass) should be planned as a step in developing experimental designs and to aid in experimental layout and interpretation of the data. Vegetation sampling should be less intensive and largely descriptive in large study areas when the objectives are to measure a livestock production response and vegetation responses are considered incidental. As the priority of the objectives moves toward emphasizing plant response and the size of the study area declines, the intensity of sampling on a land unit basis increases and the need for precision increases. Generally, multiple years of study are required to address between-year variances. Experimental units and replication are key to effective experimentation. Without replication in space and(or) time, there would be no estimate of experimental error. In supplementation studies on range, experimental units are generally animals, pastures, or ranches. Animal, pasture, and ranch have advantages and disadvantages as experimental units. The advantages and disadvantages are related to hypothesis, objectives, inference, resources, number of animals, and number of treatments. When economic evaluations are part of systems research, economists should be involved in planning the experiment and formulating hypotheses. Hypotheses and interpretation of biological data may be different than for economic data. Costs need to be estimated for correct unit of output, and cost alone may be insufficient to properly rank the economic outcomes of the research

Vestibular dysfunction in the adult CBA/CaJ mouse after lead and cadmium treatment

Objectives: The vestibular system allows the perception of position and motion and its dysfunction presents as motion impairment, vertigo and balance abnormalities, leading to debilitating psychological discomfort and difficulty performing daily tasks. Although declines and deficits in vestibular function have been noted in rats exposed to lead (Pb) and in humans exposed to Pb and cadmium (Cd), no studies have directly examined the pathological and pathophysiological effects upon the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. Methods: Eighteen young adult mice were exposed through their drinking water (3 mM Pb, 300 µM Cd, or a control treatment) for 10 weeks. Before and after treatment, they underwent a vestibular assessment, consisting of a rotarod performance test and a novel head stability test to measure the vestibulocolic reflex. At the conclusion of the study, the utricles were analyzed immunohistologically for condition of hair cells and nerve fibers. Results: Increased levels of Pb exposure correlated with decreased head stability in space; no significant decline in performance on rotarod test was found. No damage to the hair cells or the nerve fibers of the utricle was observed in histology. Conclusions: The young adult CBA/CaJ mouse is able to tolerate occupationally‐relevant Pb and Cd exposure well, but the correlation between Pb exposure and reduced head stability suggests that Pb exposure causes a decline in vestibular function. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 869–876, 2017.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136249/1/tox22286_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136249/2/tox22286.pd

Attenuation of gentamicin ototoxicity by glutathione in the guinea pig in vivo

The effect of glutathione co-therapy on the expression of gentamicin ototoxicity was tested in pigmented guinea pigs. The first group of animals was injected with gentamicin (100 mg/kg body weight/day) for two weeks followed by 10 weeks of rest. A second group received glutathione by gastric gavage immediately prior to each gentamicin injection. Two groups of controls were treated either with saline injections or glutathione gavage alone. Auditory brainstem responses, taken at 2-week intervals, revealed a progressive gentamicin-induced hearing loss reaching a 30 to 40 dB threshold shift at 2 kHz, approximately 60 dB at 8 kHz and 80 dB at 18 kHz. Glutathione co-therapy slowed the progression of hearing loss and significantly attenuated the final threshold shifts by 20 to 40 dB. Morphological evaluation confirmed hair cell loss after gentamicin treatment and protection by glutathione. Drug serum levels were assayed at 2 and 7 days of treatment. There were no differences between the gentamicin (mean = 183 [mu]g/ml; range, 90 to 300) and the gentamicin/glutathione group (mean = 164 [mu]g/ml; range, 80 to 320). Antimicrobial activity of gentamicin was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A 30-fold molar excess of glutathione did not influence the efficacy of gentamicin. These studies suggest that glutathione protects against ototoxicity by interfering with the cytotoxic mechanism.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31501/1/0000423.pd

The future of human nature: a symposium on the promises and challenges of the revolutions in genomics and computer science, April 10, 11, and 12, 2003

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This was the Center's Symposium on the Promises and Challenges of the Revolutions in Genomics and Computer Science took place during April 10, 11, and 12, 2003. Co-organized by Charles DeLisi and Kenneth Lewes; sponsored by Boston University, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.This conference focused on scientific and technological advances in genetics, computer science, and their convergence during the next 35 to 250 years. In particular, it focused on directed evolution, the futures it allows, the shape of society in those futures, and the robustness of human nature against technological change at the level of individuals, groups, and societies. It is taken as a premise that biotechnology and computer science will mature and will reinforce one another. During the period of interest, human cloning, germ-line genetic engineering, and an array of reproductive technologies will become feasible and safe. Early in this period, we can reasonably expect the processing power of a laptop computer to exceed the collective processing power of every human brain on the planet; later in the period human/machine interfaces will begin to emerge. Whether such technologies will take hold is not known. But if they do, human evolution is likely to proceed at a greatly accelerated rate; human nature as we know it may change markedly, if it does not disappear altogether, and new intelligent species may well be created

The future of human nature: a symposium on the promises and challenges of the revolutions in genomics and computer science, April 10, 11, and 12, 2003

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This was the Center's Symposium on the Promises and Challenges of the Revolutions in Genomics and Computer Science took place during April 10, 11, and 12, 2003. Co-organized by Charles DeLisi and Kenneth Lewes; sponsored by Boston University, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.This conference focused on scientific and technological advances in genetics, computer science, and their convergence during the next 35 to 250 years. In particular, it focused on directed evolution, the futures it allows, the shape of society in those futures, and the robustness of human nature against technological change at the level of individuals, groups, and societies. It is taken as a premise that biotechnology and computer science will mature and will reinforce one another. During the period of interest, human cloning, germ-line genetic engineering, and an array of reproductive technologies will become feasible and safe. Early in this period, we can reasonably expect the processing power of a laptop computer to exceed the collective processing power of every human brain on the planet; later in the period human/machine interfaces will begin to emerge. Whether such technologies will take hold is not known. But if they do, human evolution is likely to proceed at a greatly accelerated rate; human nature as we know it may change markedly, if it does not disappear altogether, and new intelligent species may well be created

Extent and persistence of soil water repellency induced by pines in different geographic regions

This work was supported by the Slovak Scientific Grant Agency VEGA Project Nos. 2/0054/14 and 2/0009/2015, the Slovak Research and Development Agency Project No. APVV-15-0160, and it results from the project implementation of the “Centre of excellence for integrated flood protection of land” (ITMS 26240120004).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Differences in the distribution of F-actin in outer hair cells along the organ of Corti

There is evidence of differences in the structure, innervation and physiological responses between outer hair cells (OHCs) of the basal and apical turns of the mammalian cochlea. In this study we have used rhodamine-labelled phalloidin to investigate the differential distribution of F-actin in OHCs along the organ of Corti of the guinea pig. Isolated OHCs and surface preparations and cryosections of the organ of Corti were studied. F-actin was observed in stereocilia and the cuticular plate of all OHCs. In addition, some OHCs had a network of F-actin extending from the cuticular plate towards the nucleus. This infracuticular network was observed in most OHCs of the apical cochlear turns but was not seen in any OHCs of the basal turn. These microstructural differences between OHCs of the base and apex could be related to differences in OHC function between the apical and basal portions of the cochlea.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26926/1/0000492.pd

Chronic electrical stimulation reverses deafness-related depression of electrically evoked 2-deoxyglucose activity in the guinea pig inferior colliculus

The [14C]-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) autoradiographic technique was used to study how auditory-related metabolic activity changes with deafness, and how chronic electrical stimulation of the deafened system may modify these changes. Guinea pigs were deafened by administration of kanamycin and ethacrynic acid. After nine weeks of deafness, the basal unstimulated uptake of 2-DG in the inferior colliculus (IC) was lower than in normal hearing control animals. 100 [mu]A of acute cochlear electrical stimulation significantly increased 2-DG uptake in normal hearing animals but did not evoke a significant increase in four or nine week deafened animals. Electrically elicited 2-DG uptake in the IC is therefore depressed by prolonged deafness. In a second series of experiments, after four weeks of deafness, animals were chronically electrically stimulated via a cochlear implant 2.5-3.5 h a day, five days a week for five weeks at 100 [mu],A. Acute cochlear electrical stimulation following this chronic stimulation significantly increased 2-DG uptake in the contralateral IC over unstimulated levels. This suggests that some depressive effects of profound deafness on the auditory brain stem may be reduced or reversed with chronic electrical stimulation by a cochlear implant.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30471/1/0000099.pd

Nietzsche’s meta-axiology: against the skeptical readings

In this paper, I treat the question of the meta-axiological standing of Nietzsche's own values, in the service of which he criticizes morality. Does Nietzsche, I ask, regard his perfectionistic valorization of human excellence and cultural flourishing over other ideals to have genuine evaluative standing, in the sense of being correct, or at least adequate to a matter-of-fact? My goal in this paper is modest, but important: it is not to attribute to Nietzsche some sophisticated meta-axiological view, because I am doubtful that he has one. It is, however, to show that Nietzsche's texts do not necessitate the sceptical meta-axiological positions that have been attributed to him in the recent secondary literature. And it is thereby to suggest that we need not give up on the idea that Nietzsche takes the values he champions to have genuine evaluative standing – not because he has some sophisticated realist theory to this effect, but in a more philosophically unreflective way