In free-to-play (F2P) games, development has rapidly progressed in recent years with the introduction of numerous new games as well as new revenue models. In 2014, a survey was conducted to understand how game developers themselves viewed the genre and its revenue models, but since then, there have been changes in the F2P model and the gaming industry. This survey aims to again examine how developers currently perceive the model and its evolution in recent years. Among players, there has been a perceived sense of unfairness regarding the F2P model, and the revenue models have been perceived as intrusive and aggressive. Some of these revenue models have also been linked to problematic gaming behavior due to their design. The research question underlying this study is: How do game developers view the current in-app purchase (IAP) model in mobile games? Is it possible to design it in a way that is not perceived as intrusive and unfair, while still serving as a viable revenue model for companies? To answer this question, the study employed a qualitative approach, conducting several semi-structured interviews with individuals working in the gaming industry. The interviews were then subjected to thematic analysis to identify codes and themes. The results indicate that developers generally have a positive attitude towards the F2P model. However, they do see issues with how some of the revenue models are implemented and presented to players. The interviewees expressed optimism about the future of F2P games, but they also believe that the revenue models may undergo changes.

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Denna uppsats utgår från att studera hur kommunal fysisk planering förhåller sig till och tillämpar regionala överenskommelser avseende fysisk struktur. I uppsatsen studeras ett fall av soft planning med ett integrerat perspektiv av Callons (1986) beskrivning med etablerandet av nätverk och hur aktörer associerar sig till nätverket. Detta kompletteras med skapandet av självklarheter genom black boxes och planeringsdoktriner. Kontexten som undersöks är Rådslagsprocessen som Göteborgsregionens kommunalförbund (GR) och dess 13 medlemskommuner ingår i. Tre ingångsvinklar styr uppsatsen: (1) Hur kommunerna förhåller sig till de regionala överenskommelserna och hur de tillämpar dessa. (2) Vilket värde som tillskrivs de regionala överenskommelserna av kommunpolitiker och tjänstemän. (3) Hur lokalt demokratiskt inflytande i den fysiska planeringen påverkas av regionala överenskommelser. I uppsatsen tillämpas två tillvägagångssätt för datainsamlingen: (1) En dokumentstudie där urvalet utgår från att det kan antas finnas ett utmanande mellan kommunernas fysiska planering och överenskommelserna. (2) Semistrukturerade intervjuer med kommunpolitiker och tjänstemän på kommuner. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys utgörs uppsatsens analysmetod. Av empirin kan det märkas att de regionala överenskommelserna ger en huvudinriktning på kommunernas planering. Kommunerna väljer att göra avsteg när de önskar göra det. Det uttrycks ett ansvar gentemot de andra medlemskommunerna att överenskommelserna ska vara en huvudinriktning för deras fysiska planering. Hedersfrågan att hålla överenskommelserna verkar stabilisera kommunernas förhållande och tillämpning av dem. Av de tre överenskommelserna som fattats inom Rådslagsprocessen får den regionala strukturbilden ett särskilt genomslag. Det förefaller som att strukturbildens rumsliga uttryck tillsammans med dess språkliga dimension gör att en identitetsanknytning etableras hos kommunerna. Soft planning får en känslig karaktär då det handlar om hur enskilda individer anknyter sig till det skapade rummet. I detta fall handlar det om hur politiker associerar sig till överenskommelserna, då det uttrycks att överenskommelserna främst är en fråga för den politiska sfären. Förhållningssättet och tillämpningen av överenskommelserna riskerar att utsättas för en destabilisering när nya förtroendevalda ska anknytas till överenskommelserna. Det verkar alltså finnas ett samband med att arbete genom soft planning i framtiden kräver ännu mer arbete inom upprättat soft space, för att individerna ska anknyta sig till det skapade rummet. Soft planning verkar därför präglas av ett inneboende bäst före datum. Genom att överenskommelserna är strikt politiskt tillägnade är tillträdet för invånare begränsat. Informanterna uttrycker att det lokala demokratiska inflytandet sker genom att medborgare väljer ut politiker i kommunvalen, som sedan tillsätts i kommunalförbundet. Överenskommelserna har därför definierat huvudinriktningen på kommunernas fysiska planering innan invånare får möjlighet till att delta. Det ställer frågor om hur ansvarsutkrävandet från väljarna gentemot politikerna säkerställs, vilket hamnar i en komplex situation. Politikerna uttrycks vara ansvariga gentemot sina väljare. I samma stund är de ansvariga gentemot de andra folkvalda politikerna från medlemskommunerna att de ingågna överenskommelserna ska hållas. En möjlig konflikt kan uppstå i ansvarsutkrävandet när politiker behöver tillgodose en lojalitet gentemot sina väljare och en annan till politiker från medlemskommunerna. Väljarnas möjligheter att utkräva ansvar riskerar därför att bli begränsat.

Base teórica: Apesar de o escore da soma das caixas da escala de avaliação clínica da demência (CDR-SB) ser amplamente utilizado, sua aplicabilidade na avaliação do estadiamento da gravidade da demência e sua acurária para detectar as categorias diagnósticas não foram normatizadas em várias partes do mundo, inclusive no Brasil. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a validade diagnóstica de CDR-SB na detecção e no estadiamento do comprometimento cognitivo e da demência em uma amostra de pacientes brasileiros com comprometimento cognitivo leve amnéstico (CCL amnéstico), doença de Alzheimer (DA) e demência vascular (DV). Métodos: Os dados foram obtidos a partir do banco de dados do ambulatório de demência do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) e incluíram 407 participantes com idade superior a 50 anos (115 controles saudáveis, 41 pacientes com CCL amnéstico, 165 pacientes com DA e 86 pacientes com DV ou demência mista). Curvas ROC foram geradas para detectar os melhores pontos de cortes de CDR-SB. A escolaridade média foi 4 anos. Resultados: Um ponto de corte de CDR-SB ≥0,5 permite identificar corretamente indivíduos com CCL amnéstico de controles normais (sensibilidade de 100% e especificidade de 98,3%). Um ponto de corte ≥4,5 identifica corretamente os pacientes com CCL amnéstico dos pacientes com demência, todos juntos ou separadamente (DA e DV) (sensibilidade de 96,4% e especificidade de 100%) em 96,9% dos indivíduos. Os melhores intervalos de CDR-SB correspondentes aos escores globais de CDR foram de 0,5 a 4,0 para um escore global de 0,5; 4,5 a 8,0 para um escore global de 1,0; 8,5 a 14,0 para um escore global de 2,0; e 14,5 a 18,0 para um escore global de 3,0. Quando aplicados à amostra de validação, os escores variaram de 0,87 a 0,97. Conclusão: O escore CDR-SB apresentou boa validade clínica para detectar e classificar a gravidade de prejuízos cognitivos na população brasileira. / Background: The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale sum of the boxes (CDR-SB) score has been widely used its utility in staging dementia severity and accuracy to detect diagnostic categories in sociodemographic and cultural diverse regions of the world remains untested. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the CDR-SB diagnostic validity in detecting and staging cognitive impairment/dementia in a sample of Brazilian patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD). Methods: Data were obtained from the Dementia Clinic of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) database and included 407 participants (115 healthy controls, 41 aMCI, 165 AD and, 86 VD). Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to detect best CDR-SB cutoffs. Average education was 4 years. Results: A CDR-SB cutoff ≥0.5 was obtained to correctly identify aMCI from normal controls (sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98.3%). The cutoff ≥4.5 correctly identified aMCI from dementia patients altogether or separately (AD and VD) (sensitivity of 96.4% and specificity of 100%) in 96.9% of the individuals. Optimal ranges of CDR-SB scores corresponding to the global CDR scores were 0.5 to 4.0 for a global score of 0.5, 4.5 to 8.0 for a global score of 1.0, 8.5 to 14.0 for a global score of 2.0, and 14.5 to 18.0 for a global score of 3.0. When applied to the validation sample, scores ranged from 0.87 to 0.97. Conclusion: The CDR-SB showed good clinical validity to detect and classify severity of cognitive impairment a Brazilian population.

This work deals with the operation of Data Boxes in relation to public institutions, namely the Czech Social Security Administration. The introduction is devoted to a summary of the historical development of Data Boxes and description of the basic rules for using the Information System of Data Boxes. There is a mention of the role of Data Boxes in the Czech eGovernment and its relationship to the other elements. Finally, there are listed and briefly discussed the basic legislation with the problems related to Data Boxes. The next part deals with analysis of the situation in the Czech Social Security Administration in the sphere of Data Boxes. It describes situation in the delivery of documents before commissioning of Data Boxes and the situation occured after their commissioning. Follows the comparision of this periods and the evaluation the impact of the introduction of Data Boxes for the operation of Czech Social Security Administration. The final part of the work focuses the analysis of the problems arising from the Czech Social Security Administration in connection with the operation of Data Boxes and suggests possible options for addressing these problems.

Prescription drug abuse is a major public health problem in United States. Research showing 70% of nonmedical prescription drug users obtain drugs from friends and family has sparked discussion over disposal of unused or expired medications. Tennessee experienced a 250% increase in overdose deaths from 2001 to 2010. In response to this increase, permanent drug donation receptacles have been installed in multiple law enforcement offices across the state; however, the extent to which the public utilizes these receptacles is not well known. In partnership with Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement, drop box donations were analyzed in six Northeast Tennessee locations from June 2012 to October 2013. The objectives of this research were to: 1) quantify controlled substances (CS) donated, and 2) evaluate time lapse between dispensing date and donation across CS schedules as well as potency rankings for opioids. Over the 18-month collection period, 3,113.5 lbs. of pharmaceutical waste was donated; 5.14% or 160lbs were CS, totaling 65,430 individual doses. Analysis of dispensing dates for CS medications indicated a median of 34 months lapsed from dispensing to donation (range 1 to 484 months). Comparison of means between Schedule II and Schedule III/IV indicated that Schedule II drugs were donated within fewer months than Schedule III/IV drugs (t-test = -4.37, p-value <0.0001). These results quantify the potential impact of permanent drug donation boxes on the prevention of CS diversion in Northeast Tennessee. Further study is warranted to examine the effect of targeted public health messages on increasing CS donation.

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Boolean functions are an important area of study for cryptography. These functions, consisting merely of one's and zero's, are the heart of numerous cryptographic systems and their ability to provide secure communication. Boolean functions have application in a variety of such systems, including block ciphers, stream ciphers and hash functions. The continued study of Boolean functions for cryptography is therefore fundamental to the provision of secure communication in the future. This thesis presents an investigation into the analysis of Boolean functions and in particular, analysis of affine transformations with respect to both the design and application of Boolean functions for cryptography. Past research has often been limited by the difficulties arising from the magnitude of the search space. The research presented in this thesis will be shown to provide an important step towards overcoming such restrictions and hence forms the basis for a new analysis methodology. The new perspective allows a reduced view of the Boolean space in which all Boolean functions are grouped into connected equivalence classes so that only one function from each class need be established. This approach is a significant development in Boolean function research with many applications, including class distinguishing, class structures, self mapping analysis and finite field based s-box analysis. The thesis will begin with a brief overview of Boolean function theory; including an introduction to the main theme of the research, namely the affine transformation. This will be followed by the presentation of a fundamental new theorem describing the connectivity that exists between equivalence classes. The theorem of connectivity will form the foundation for the remainder of the research presented in this thesis. A discussion of efficient algorithms for the manipulation of Boolean functions will then be presented. The ability of Boolean function research to achieve new levels of analysis and understanding is centered on the availability of computer based programs that can perform various manipulations. The development and optimisation of efficient algorithms specifically for execution on a computer will be shown to have a considerable advantage compared to those constructed using a more traditional approach to algorithm optimisation. The theorem of connectivety will be shown to be fundamental in the provision many avenues of new analysis and application. These applications include the first non-exhaustive test for determining equivalent Boolean functions, a visual representation of the connected equivalence class structure to aid in the understanding of the Boolean space and a self mapping constant that enables enumeration of the functions in each equivalence class. A detailed survey of the classes with six inputs is also presented, providing valuable insight into their range and structure. This theme is then continued in the application Boolean function construction. Two important new methodologies are presented; the first to yield bent functions and the second to yield the best currently known balanced functions of eight inputs with respect to nonlinearity. The implementation of these constructions is extremely efficient. The first construction yields bent functions of a variety of algebraic order and inputs sizes. The second construction provides better results than previously proposed heuristic techniques. Each construction is then analysed with respect to its ability to produce functions from a variety of equivalence classes. Finally, in a further application of affine equivalence analysis, the impact to both s-box design and construction will be considered. The effect of linear redundancy in finite field based s-boxes will be examined and in particular it will be shown that the AES s-box possesses complete linear redundancy. The effect of such analysis will be discussed and an alternative construction to s-box design that ensures removal of all linear redundancy will be presented in addition to the best known example of such an s-box.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.