Where are the Girls? Locating Girlhood in Game Studies

Review of: Cunningham, Carolyn M. Games Girls Play: Contexts of Girls and Video Games. Lexington Books, 2018.   DOI: 10.1353/jeu.2020.001

Media Localism – The Value of Regional and Rural Radio in Australia

Radio holds a significant role in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia. The notion of ‘local radio’ has been challenged with the inclusion of network radio models into these places along with the take up of social media platforms. This paper will explore what it means to be local in this context, what type of radio service endures in these markets and to what extent they are successful. Arguably, radio is an integral part of the social structures in the geographical place and offers a synergistic relationship within the community. The notion of 'local' affords the market, in most cases, local news, information programs and community service information. Against a globalised understanding of the world, local is a contested concept. In this context local is geographically defined and is fiercely upheld by these local communities served by a variety of local radio stations. In the midst of the more recent reformation of the media industry in Australia, local content continued to be a significant element for consideration and protection. The policy outcomes identify the value placed on local, in the regional and remote communities. Governments around the world are challenged with the tension of maintaining a local presence for media against a national media model. The UK and USA have been champions of maintaining a local voice on the international stage. This paper will focus on some key Queensland regional and rural centres, specifically Roma, Charleville, Longreach and Winton, responses to the place of media in their community. I will discuss findings from some baseline data gathered in these communities. I have used both qualitative and quantitative methods to provide baseline data. These sites are of interest as they are representative of many locations around Australia in terms of climatic and economic impacts, as well as the loss of local media sources. Local communities are seeking a robust local voice and the changing mediascape offers little comfort to this important part of Australia. What is being sought, some current models and concepts for consideration will be provided in this paper

Uncovering and Documenting the Acequia de Valero on the Grounds of the Planned Civic Park at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Project Control (the CLIENT) working on behalf of the City of San Antonio contracted with Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI), for the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion Project, to perform archaeological investigations and monitoring associated with the installation of a gas line and gas tie-in within the boundaries of the Convention Center. The proposed gas line route had the potential to encounter a Spanish Colonial acequia, known as the Acequia Madre de Valero or the Acequia Madre del Valero (41BX8). The acequia is a Spanish Colonial irrigation ditch dating to approximately 300 years before present. Recent investigations have found that the acequia split to form two branches south of the project area. The branch running through the project area is referred to as the Acequia de Valero. Project Control requested that RKEI monitor the trenching associated with the gas line installation to ensure that the feature was not impacted during trenching. Another goal of the archaeological monitoring was to document the feature if encountered. Additional services related to the re-discovery of the acequia were suggested at this time. The COSA-OHP and THC recommended that a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey be implemented in an effort to determine the location of the acequia. Trenching followed after the GPR data was processed in an effort to relocate the portion of the Acequia Madre del Alamo (41BX8) passing through the property. Once sections of the acequia were uncovered, RKEI was present on site to monitor grading activities to ensure that area of the acequia alignment was not impacted. These services were added to the initial scope and permit obtained for the archaeological monitoring of the gas line installation. During later grading activities during the Convention Center Expansion Project, contractors encountered a stone-line well. The City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) requested that the well be documented prior to backfilling. The gas line monitoring was conducted over the course of two days in mid-October 2016. The documenting of the historic well, exploratory trenching for the acequia, and monitoring of the grading activities was conducted during late November 2016 to early January 2017. All portions of the investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 7813. Steve A. Tomka served as the Principal Investigator. Kristi Miller Nichols was the Project Archaeologist during the gas line installation. Mark P. Luzmoor served as Project Archaeologist during the exploratory trenching for the Acequia Madre del Alamo. The GPR survey was conducted by Kristi Miller Nichols. Field crew consisted of Cyndi Dickey, Zaneta McCoy, and Chris Matthews. The acequia was not encountered while RKEI monitored the gas line or the storm drain utility installations. Fifteen backhoe trenches were excavated within the project area to relocate the route of the Acequia Madre del Alamo. The acequia was encountered in six of the 15 trenches. The acequia was documented and location recorded in the areas where it was encountered. Based on historic maps, the presence of the acequia in six trenches, and the location of the Acequia Madre del Alamo encountered by UTSA-CAR within Hemisfair Park and the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Property, a probable alignment of the acequia was mapped. Due to the intact nature of sections of the acequia encountered during the backhoe trenching, the sections of 41BX8 uncovered during this portion of the project are potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as a State Antiquities Landmark. At the completion of the grading at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, RKEI recommended further evaluation and investigations to determine the exact route of the Acequia Madre del Alamo throughout the APE. Another phase to the investigation occurred at the start of the construction of Civic Park. Since all work was conducted under the same antiquities permit, this report is Volume 1 of two volumes, containing the results of the investigations leading up to the end of the Convention Center Expansion Project. A second volume of the report discusses the investigations associated with the Civic Park Project

An Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of 107 Acres Along Galm Road, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In December 2016, the Northside Independent School District (Client) contracted with Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) to perform a cultural resources pedestrian survey within a 107-acre tract near Galm Road in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of this survey was to determine whether cultural resources were located within the Area of Potential Effects (APE), and if feasible, assess their significance and eligibility for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) and for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The project was sponsored by the Client and the owner of the project is currently George Weimer (soon to be owned by the Client). Since the area of potential effects (APE) is owned by a political subdivision of the state, the project falls under the Antiquities Code of Texas, as administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Additionally, the APE is 2.5 kilometers to the southeast of Government Canyon State Natural Area. The field work was carried out between January 10 and 13, 2017 under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 7866, issued to Kristi M. Nichols, who served as Principal Investigator. Mark Luzmoor served as the Project Archaeologist and Chris Murray, Richard Sample, Chris Matthews, and Kendra Brownlow assisted during the field work. Background research revealed that no previously recorded archaeological sites are located within the boundary of the APE. However, there are five archaeological sites within a 1-kilometer radius of the APE. In total, 19 shovel tests (STs) were excavated within the APE. Surface visibility was around 80% throughout the APE. Approximately 75% of the APE was open-plowed fields, with the other 25% located in fairly thick underbrush. During the pedestrian survey, 25 isolated artifacts were encountered within the plowed fields of the APE. These included secondary and tertiary flakes, bifaces, and utilized flakes; only the tools were collected. A historic bottle dump also was encountered during the pedestrian survey on the eastern end of the APE. The bottles date to the middle of the twentieth century. Two shovel tests (ST 3 & 5) were positive for cultural material in the top 20 centimeters below surface (cmbs) (two pieces of debitage and one burned rock). 41BX2162 was designated as a multi-component archaeological site due to the large amount of surface finds, the two positive STs, and the historic bottle dump, all along the eastern end of the APE. However, no cultural deposits were encountered beneath 20 cmbs, the majority of the cultural material was recorded on the surface, and no diagnostic prehistoric material was encountered. Thus, RKEI finds that the site lacks research potential and recommends no further archaeological work within the project boundaries. All field records generated by this project will be curated in accordance with the Texas Archaeology Research Laboratory guidelines

Creators of Ipswich report

This report is aimed to provide a summary of the findings from a survey conducted in October, 2020 and the additional research that deals with the notion of the Creative Economy. The report offers clarity around the current state of play for the local creative community. Opportunities for leadership, growth and development of the sector

The use of systematic reviews in the planning, design and conduct of randomised trials: a retrospective cohort of NIHR HTA funded trials

BACKGROUND: A systematic review, with or without a meta-analysis, should be undertaken to determine if the research question of interest has already been answered before a new trial begins. There has been limited research on how systematic reviews are used within the design of new trials, the aims of this study were to investigate how systematic reviews of earlier trials are used in the planning and design of new randomised trials. METHODS: Documentation from the application process for all randomised trials funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) between 2006 and 2008 were obtained. This included the: commissioning brief (if appropriate), outline application, minutes of the Board meeting in which the outline application was discussed, full application, detailed project description, referee comments, investigator response to referee comments, Board minutes on the full application and the trial protocol. Data were extracted on references to systematic reviews and how any such reviews had been used in the planning and design of the trial. RESULTS: 50 randomised trials were funded by NIHR HTA during this period and documentation was available for 48 of these. The cohort was predominately individually randomised parallel trials aiming to detect superiority between two treatments for a single primary outcome. 37 trials (77.1%) referenced a systematic review within the application and 20 of these (i.e. 41.7% of the total) used information contained in the systematic review in the design or planning of the new trial. The main areas in which systematic reviews were used were in the selection or definition of an outcome to be measured in the trial (7 of 37, 18.9%), the sample size calculation (7, 18.9%), the duration of follow up (8, 21.6%) and the approach to describing adverse events (9, 24.3%). Boards did not comment on the presence/absence or use of systematic reviews in any application. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic reviews were referenced in most funded applications but just over half of these used the review to inform the design. There is an expectation from funders that applicants will use a systematic review to justify the need for a new trial but no expectation regarding further use of a systematic review to aid planning and design of the trial. Guidelines for applicants and funders should be developed to promote the use of systematic reviews in the design and planning of randomised trials, to optimise delivery of new studies informed by the most up-to-date evidence base and to minimise waste in research

The economic burden of cancer in the UK: a study of survivors treated with curative intent.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to describe the economic burden of UK cancer survivorship for breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients treated with curative intent, 1 year post-diagnosis. METHODS: Patient-level data were collected over a 3-month period 12-15 months post-diagnosis to estimate the monthly societal costs incurred by cancer survivors. Self-reported resource utilisation data were obtained via the electronic Patient-reported Outcomes from Cancer Survivors system and included community-based health and social care, medications, travel costs and informal care. Hospital costs were retrieved through data linkage. Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine cost predictors. RESULTS: Overall, 298 patients were included in the analysis, including 136 breast cancer, 83 colorectal cancer and 79 prostate cancer patients. The average monthly societal cost was $US409 (95$US316-$US502) [mean: £260, 95$US279, 95%CI: $US207-$US351) [mean: £177, 95%CI: £131-£224], patients' out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses (mean: $US40, 95$US15-$US65) [mean: £25, 95$US110, 95%CI: $US57-$US162) [mean: £70, 95%CI: £38-£102]. The distribution of costs was skewed with a small number of patients incurring very high costs. Multivariate analyses showed higher societal costs for breast cancer patients. Significant predictors of OOP costs included age and socioeconomic deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: This study found the economic burden of cancer survivorship is unevenly distributed in the population and that cancer survivors may still incur substantial costs over 1 year post-diagnosis. In addition, this study illustrates the feasibility of using an innovative online data collection platform to collect patient-reported resource utilisation information. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd