Digital Game Dynamics Preferences and Player Types

In this study, we examine digital game preferences by identifying game dynamics, i.e. player–game interaction modes, of 700 contemporary digital games, and players' (N = 1717) desire to play games with specific types of dynamics. Based on statistical analysis of the data, 5 game dynamics preference categories (“assault,” “manage,” “journey,” “care,” and “coordinate”) and 7 player types were revealed. The results show that identifying player types requires including both preferred and undesired game dynamics categories in the analysis. The findings unveil digital gaming as a more multifaceted phenomenon than common stereotypes suggest. The original game preferences model we present in this study can be conceptualized as a complementary approach for motivations to play and player behavior studies.     

Flexible data anonymization using ARX—Current status and challenges ahead

The race for innovation has turned into a race for data. Rapid developments of new technologies, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, are accompanied by new ways of accessing, integrating, and analyzing sensitive personal data. Examples include financial transactions, social network activities, location traces, and medical records. As a consequence, adequate and careful privacy management has become a significant challenge. New data protection regulations, for example in the EU and China, are direct responses to these developments. Data anonymization is an important building block of data protection concepts, as it allows to reduce privacy risks by altering data. The development of anonymization tools involves significant challenges, however. For instance, the effectiveness of different anonymization techniques depends on context, and thus tools need to support a large set of methods to ensure that the usefulness of data is not overly affected by risk-reducing transformations. In spite of these requirements, existing solutions typically only support a small set of methods. In this work, we describe how we have extended an open source data anonymization tool to support almost arbitrary combinations of a wide range of techniques in a scalable manner. We then review the spectrum of methods supported and discuss their compatibility within the novel framework. The results of an extensive experimental comparison show that our approach outperforms related solutions in terms of scalability and output data quality—while supporting a much broader range of techniques. Finally, we discuss practical experiences with ARX and present remaining issues and challenges ahead.     

Two CEGAR-based approaches for the safety verification of PLC-controlled plants

In this paper we address the safety analysis of chemical plants controlled by programmable logic controllers (PLCs). We consider a specification of the control program of the PLCs, extended with the specification of the dynamic plant behavior. The resulting hybrid models can be transformed to hybrid automata, for which advanced techniques for reachability analysis exist. However, the hybrid automata models are often too large to be analyzed. We propose two counterexample-guided abstraction refinement (CEGAR) approaches to keep the size of the hybrid models moderate.     

State‐of‐the‐Art in GPU‐Based Large‐Scale Volume Visualization

This survey gives an overview of the current state of the art in GPU techniques for interactive large‐scale volume visualization. Modern techniques in this field have brought about a sea change in how interactive visualization and analysis of giga‐, tera‐ and petabytes of volume data can be enabled on GPUs. In addition to combining the parallel processing power of GPUs with out‐of‐core methods and data streaming, a major enabler for interactivity is making both the computational and the visualization effort proportional to the amount and resolution of data that is actually visible on screen, i.e. ‘output‐sensitive’ algorithms and system designs. This leads to recent output‐sensitive approaches that are ‘ray‐guided’, ‘visualization‐driven’ or ‘display‐aware’. In this survey, we focus on these characteristics and propose a new categorization of GPU‐based large‐scale volume visualization techniques based on the notions of actual output‐resolution visibility and the current working set of volume bricks—the current subset of data that is minimally required to produce an output image of the desired display resolution. Furthermore, we discuss the differences and similarities of different rendering and data traversal strategies in volume rendering by putting them into a common context—the notion of address translation. For our purposes here, we view parallel (distributed) visualization using clusters as an orthogonal set of techniques that we do not discuss in detail but that can be used in conjunction with what we present in this survey.     

Analytical estimation of error in flank milling of ruled surfaces

This article introduces a method to estimate geometric error during flank milling of a ruled surface. The various positioning schemes developed by researchers are intended to reduce this geometric error in order to mill with larger sized milling cutters while respecting the tolerance interval. There are two trends in positioning: either positioning is simple and right from the start it is easy to determine design of the maximum allowed milling cutter radius, or positioning is complex and determination of the maximum milling cutter dimensions can only be conducted after digital calculations of the error. It will then be necessary to choose another milling cutter radius and recommence the positioning procedure and error calculation in order to validate the tool. In the present study, a method to estimate error in the scope of complex positioning is presented. The aim is to be capable of choosing a maximum cutting tool radius that respects the tolerance interval.     

Effect of acetaldehyde and several acids on the formation of vitisin A in model wine anthocyanin and colour evolution

Summary It was found that the reaction between malvidin 3-glucoside and added pyruvic acid (PA), leading to the formation of vitisin A in model wine solutions, was not prevented by the addition of either acetaldehyde (A) or several organic acids. The acylated forms of vitisin A (3-acetylvitisin A and 3- p -coumarylvitisin A) were formed through the interaction of malvidin 3-acetylglucoside and malvidin 3- p -coumarylglucoside. Disappearance of the three main anthocyanins (malvidin 3-glucoside, malvidin 3-acetylglucoside and malvidin 3- p- coumarylglucoside) from the model wine with time followed first order kinetics. Acetaldehyde had the effect of increasing the total amount of these losses but producing smaller amounts of vitisin A. During ageing model solutions developed some browness. The brownest solution was obtained without A and a reduced rate of browning was found in the presence of A. This latter result can be explained by the assumption of a superimposition of a blueing effect upon reactions of A with anthocyanins. In the presence of PA the formation of vitisin A compounds gave an intermediate colour, contributing a reddish hue to the solution. A good correlation (r²= 0.96) between the percentage of vitisin A, of the total anthocyanins and the hue angle was observed. The addition of large amounts of organic acids that are normally found in wine into the model solutions did not lead to the formation of new anthocyanins. The linear loss of PA in all model systems indicates that a first order reaction occurs and 35.35 times more PA than total anthocyanin was lost to form the new compounds.     

Modifications in Booth's method for the spectrophotometric determination of?-carotene in vegetables

Summary Booth's method for the spectrophotometric determination ofß-carotene gives reliable results, but the extraction method is very laborious and tedious. Removal of the acetone from the extract and elution of the acetone-free extract on the adsorption column also require much time and attention. The authors describe the modifications made to these three parts of Booth's method for the determination of carotene. The simultaneous application of Booth's original method and of the modified method to samples of carrots, five leafy vegetables and four brassicas gave, in general, corresponding results. With brassicas a tendency was observed for the modified method to yield lower carotene contents. Using the modified method, with pureß-carotene added to samples of carrots and spinach, the authors found recoveries of 98%–100% and 86%–88% respectively.

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Modifikationen der spektrophotometrischenß-Carotin-Bestimmung nach Booth in Gemüse

Zusammenfassung Die Ergebnisse der spektrophotometrischenß-Carotin-Bestimmung nach Booth sind zuverlässig, aber die damit verbundene Extraktionsmethode ist arbeitsintensiv und strapaziös. Auch das Entfernen von Aceton aus dem Extrakt und das Eluieren des acetonfreien Extrakts auf der Säule erfordert viel Zeit und Aufmerksamkeit. Die Autoren beschreiben die von ihnen angebrachten Modifikationen dieserß-Carotin-Bestimmung in den drei Stufen. Die gleichzeitige Anwendung der ursprünglichen Methode nach Booth und deren Modifikation brachte bei Karotten, fünf Blattgemüsen und vier Kohlarten im allgemeinen ähnliche Ergebnisse. Bei den Kohlarten war die Tendenz zu beobachten, daß mit der modifizierten Methode dieß-Carotingehalte etwas niedriger waren. Die modifizierte Methode hatte eine Rückgewinnungsquote von 98–100% bzw. 86–88% bei einem Zusatz von reinemß-Carotin zu Karotten- und Spinatproben.