The total assessment profile, volume 2

Appendices are presented which include discussions of interest formulas, factors in regionalization, parametric modeling of discounted benefit-sacrifice streams, engineering economic calculations, and product innovation. For Volume 1, see

Data visualization of virtual reality library user data

Abstract. User research is an important part of developing software. In the gaming industry, different ways to analyse user behaviour is an increasingly important part of research. However, as game analytics are relatively new to the game industry, there is limited amount of research available. In this work, we discuss how to visualise collected data in virtual reality environments in a meaningful way to improve product quality and extract user behaviour patterns. We use clustering algorithms and analytical functions to have a more comprehensive look on test participants’ behaviour with our Data Visualization tool. This behaviour is then presented using different path maps, heat maps and data charts. Originally our aim was to conclude research on user behaviour in the Oulu Virtual Library application, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to change our focus from user research to designing and implementing a tool for researchers to analyse similar data sets as our example data. Even though we had no concrete user data, researchers can use the tool we developed with relative small modifications, when dealing with similar data cases in the future. Usability improvements and real-word experiences are still needed to make the tool more robust.Tiivistelmä. Käyttäjätutkimus on tärkeä osa ohjelmistokehitystä. Koska pelianalytiikka on suhteellisen uutta peliteollisuudessa ja saatavilla oleva tutkimus vähäistä, loppukäyttäjien toiminnan analysointi on yhä tärkeämpi osa peliteollisuuden kehitystä. Tässä tutkielmassa pohditaan, kuinka virtuaaliympäristöistä kerättyä dataa voidaan esittää, merkityksellisellä tavalla, tuotteiden kehittämiseksi ja käyttäjien erilaisten käyttäytymismallien tunnistamiseksi. Käytämme ryhmittelyalgoritmeja ja analyyttisia funktioita, jotta saamme esitettyä käyttäjien toimintaa datavisualisointityökaluamme hyödyntämällä. Käyttäjien toiminta esitetään erilaisten polku- ja lämpökarttojen sekä datakaavioiden avulla. Alkuperäisenä tarkoituksenamme oli tutkia käyttäjien toimintaa Oulun Virtuaalikirjasto-sovelluksessa, mutta COVID-19-pandemian takia jouduimme siirtämään painopisteen käyttäjätutkimuksesta tutkijoille suunnatun datavisualisointityökalun suunnitteluun ja kehitykseen. Vaikka emme saaneet konkreettista aineistoa, tutkijat voivat käyttää työkalua, suhteellisen pienillä muunnoksilla, esimerkkiaineistoa vastaavan aineiston käsitelyyn ja analysointiin tulevaisuudessa. Työkalu tarvitsee yhä käytettävyysparannuksia ja todellisia käyttökokemuksia työkalun käyttövarmuuden parantamiseksi

The total assessment profile, volume 1

A methodology is described for the evaluation of societal impacts associated with the implementation of a new technology. Theoretical foundations for the methodology, called the total assessment profile, are established from both the economic and social science perspectives. The procedure provides for accountability of nonquantifiable factors and measures through the use of a comparative value matrix by assessing the impacts of the technology on the value system of the society

The identification of established modifiable mid-life risk factors for cardiovascular disease which contribute to cognitive decline: Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA)

INTRODUCTION: We explored how different chronic diseases, risk factors, and protective factors highly associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are associated with dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in Korean elders, with a focus on those that manifest in mid-life. METHODS: A CVD-free cohort (n = 4289) from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging was selected to perform Cox mixed-effects proportional hazard regressions. Eighteen control variables with strong associations to CVD were chosen as explanatory variables, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score cut-off for dementia and MCI were used as outcome variables. RESULTS: The statistically significant (P < 0.05) adverse factors that contribute in developing dementia were age (aHR 1.07, 1.05-1.09), Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) (aHR 1.17, 1.12-1.23), diagnosis with cerebrovascular disease (aHR 3.73, 1.81-7.66), living with diabetes (aHR 2.30, 1.22-4.35), and living with high blood pressure (HBP) (aHR 2.05, 1.09-3.87). In contrast, the statistically significant protective factors against developing dementia were current alcohol consumption (aHR 0.67, 0.46-0.99), higher educational attainment (aHR 0.36, 0.26-0.56), and regular exercise (aHR 0.37, 0.26-0.51). The factors with a statistically significant adverse association with progression to MCI were age (aHR 1.02, 1.01-1.03) and CESD-10 (aHR 1.17, 1.14-1.19). In contrast, the statistically significant protective factors against developing MCI were BMI (aHR 0.96, 0.94-0.98), higher educational attainment (aHR 0.33, 0.26-0.43), and regular exercise (aHR 0.83, 0.74-0.92). CONCLUSION: In lieu of the protective factor of MCI and dementia, implementing regular exercise routine well before mid-life and cognitive decline is significant, with adjustments made for those suffering from health conditions, so they can continue exercising despite their morbidity. Further attention in diabetes care and management is needed for patients who already show decline in cognitive ability as it is likely that their MCI impacts their ability to manage their existing chronic conditions, which may adversely affect their cognitive ability furthermore

The subconvexity problem for \GL_{2}

Generalizing and unifying prior results, we solve the subconvexity problem for the $L$-functions of \GL_{1} and \GL_{2} automorphic representations over a fixed number field, uniformly in all aspects. A novel feature of the present method is the softness of our arguments; this is largely due to a consistent use of canonically normalized period relations, such as those supplied by the work of Waldspurger and Ichino--Ikeda.Comment: Almost final version to appear in Publ. Math IHES. References updated

Medical Device Safety Training by Using Quick Response Codes and Extended Reality-Based Technologies

This article describes the results of three different study settings where the use of QR codes and XR technologies were tested for medical device training among 132 social and health care professionals. Data from three types of learning events and different contents of training indicated that the professionals considered these novel technologies both beneficial for learning and useful in their working environments for training safe use of medical devices. Based on the collected data, these technologies can be considered prospective options for medical device training.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The rise of policy coherence for development: a multi-causal approach

In recent years policy coherence for development (PCD) has become a key principle in international development debates, and it is likely to become even more relevant in the discussions on the post-2015 sustainable development goals. This article addresses the rise of PCD on the Western donors’ aid agenda. While the concept already appeared in the work of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the early 1990s, it took until 2007 before PCD became one of the Organisation’s key priorities. We adopt a complexity-sensitive perspective, involving a process-tracing analysis and a multi-causal explanatory framework. We argue that the rise of PCD is not as contingent as it looks. While actors such as the EU, the DAC and OECD Secretariat were the ‘active causes’ of the rise of PCD, it is equally important to look at the underlying ‘constitutive causes’ which enabled policy coherence to thrive well

Platelet Ice Under Arctic Pack Ice in Winter

The formation of platelet ice is well known to occur under Antarctic sea ice, where subice platelet layers form from supercooled ice shelf water. In the Arctic, however, platelet ice formation has not been extensively observed, and its formation and morphology currently remain enigmatic. Here, we present the first comprehensive, long‐term in situ observations of a decimeter thick subice platelet layer under free‐drifting pack ice of the Central Arctic in winter. Observations carried out with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) during the midwinter leg of the MOSAiC drift expedition provide clear evidence of the growth of platelet ice layers from supercooled water present in the ocean mixed layer. This platelet formation takes place under all ice types present during the surveys. Oceanographic data from autonomous observing platforms lead us to the conclusion that platelet ice formation is a widespread but yet overlooked feature of Arctic winter sea ice growth

Linking scales of sea ice surface topography: evaluation of ICESat-2 measurements with coincident helicopter laser scanning during MOSAiC

Information about sea ice surface topography and related deformation is crucial for studies of sea ice mass balance, sea ice modeling, and ship navigation through the ice pack. The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observing System, has been on orbit for over 4 years, sensing the sea ice surface topography with six laser beams capable of capturing individual features such as pressure ridges. To assess the capabilities and uncertainties of ICESat-2 products, coincident high-resolution measurements of sea ice surface topography are required. During the yearlong Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in the Arctic Ocean, we successfully carried out a coincident underflight of ICESat-2 with a helicopter-based airborne laser scanner (ALS), achieving an overlap of more than 100 km. Despite the comparably short data set, the high-resolution centimeter-scale measurements of the ALS can be used to evaluate the performance of ICESat-2 products. Our goal is to investigate how the sea ice surface roughness and topography are represented in different ICESat-2 products as well as how sensitive ICESat-2 products are to leads and small cracks in the ice cover. Here, we compare the ALS measurements with ICESat-2's primary sea ice height product, ATL07, and the high-fidelity surface elevation product developed by the University of Maryland (UMD). By applying a ridge-detection algorithm, we find that 16 % (4 %) of the number of obstacles in the ALS data set are found using the strong (weak) center beam in ATL07. Significantly higher detection rates of 42 % (30 %) are achieved when using the UMD product. While only one lead is indicated in ATL07 for the underflight, the ALS reveals many small, narrow, and only partly open cracks that appear to be overlooked by ATL07.</p