Time and Space in Digital Game Storytelling

The design and representation of time and space are important in any narrative form. Not surprisingly there is an extensive literature on specific considerations of space or time in game design. However, there is less attention to more systematic analyses that examine both of these key factors—including their dynamic interrelationship within game storytelling. This paper adapts critical frameworks of narrative space and narrative time drawn from other media and demonstrates their application in the understanding of game narratives. In order to do this we incorporate fundamental concepts from the field of game studies to build a game-specific framework for analyzing the design of narrative time and narrative space. The paper applies this framework against a case analysis in order to demonstrate its operation and utility. This process grounds the understanding of game narrative space and narrative time in broader traditions of narrative discourse and analysis

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund study: Major roads for the future - Identifying network users and their characteristics

The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund (RJRF) has commissioned an ambitious two-year study of major roads in England with a horizon of 2040. There are seven topics of interest, and the first topic of interest has two tasks, one of which (Task 1B) is to identify network users and their characteristics.The RJRF Study Team needs a comprehensive picture of the nature of usage of major roads in England – who and where the users are, and what sort of journeys they are making.Bringing together data from National Road Traffic Estimates and the National Travel Survey, this reportprovides:• Explanations of the patterns of use of different types of user.• Identification of the factors that may be used to define the nature and extent of roads that could beclassified as forming part of a newly defined Major Road Network (MRN).• Analysis of usage of the SRN in England by region, road type, vehicle type, journey purpose and length

Global green infrastructure: How is green infrastructure research translated into practice outside the UK?

The Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at the University of the West of England, Bristol have been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council(NERC) to conduct a review of how the evidence base for Green Infrastructure (GI) is being translated into practice across the international community. This builds on previous work that focussed on the grey literature targeted to a UK audience (Sinnett et al., 2016). This review will inform the future investment in GI from Innovation Programme and Partnershipswithin NERC.We reviewed 26 pieces of grey literature aimed at an international audience. These include those from government departments (e.g. US Department of Agriculture) and globalinstitutions (e.g. World Bank). Differences in the definition of GI internationally meant that some documents focussed almost exclusively on water management. Others included comprehensive reviews of the health and well-being outcomes associated with the use and presence of GI as well as broader evidence summaries.The review examined the extent to which academic evidence is cited in the grey literature and which ecosystem services are prioritised in these documents

Towards a Global Virtual Learning Environment(First Session "Innovating Higher Education by Networking: Toward the Building of International Education Networks in the 21st Century",AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM\u2797 HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 21st CENTURY -BRINGING TODAY\u27S EDUCATION INTO THE HI-TECH WORLD OF TOMORROW-)

The World Wide Web (WWW) provides the basis for a virtual learning environment which extends around the globe. This paper will first discuss the principles involved in creating an effective virtual learning environment and then will illustrate this with a description of the web-based Virtual-U system developed with support from the Canadian TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence at Simon Fraser University

The translation and use of green infrastructure evidence

The success of green infrastructure (GI) depends on the sharing of good practice and research between disciplines and sectors. This paper presents findings from a study to examine how GI research is shared with non-academic audiences. GI has been an active research area in recent years, with a wealth of evidence coming from the academic community. This has been mirrored by a body of grey literature aimed at different disciplines and sectors. But it is important to understand which evidence is being used in this grey literature and what the gaps are either in research or in its translation. In this study, 25 pieces of grey literature were reviewed to identify what research is represented; presented as the benefits or ecosystem services provided by different types of GI. This review was presented to around 70 academics, policy makers and practitioners working in GI through two workshops. Attendees were asked questions in order to further understanding of how research is translated and used, and the mechanisms by which it can be more effectively shared. The paper provides insights into how those working in GI can work collaboratively to ensure research findings are relevant and usable

NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) Payload Safety Review Process

Issues addressed by this program: (1) Complicated roles and responsibilities associated with multi-partner projects (2) Working relationships and communications between all organizations involved in the payload safety process (3) Consistent interpretation and implementation of safety requirements from one project to the rest (4) Consistent implementation of the Tailoring Process (5) Clearly defined NASA decision-making-authority (6) Bring Agency-wide perspective to each ElV payload project. Current process requires a Payload Safety Working Group (PSWG) for eac payload with representatives from all involved organizations

Setting the Standard for Green Infrastructure: The Need for, and Features of, a Benchmark in England

© 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Green infrastructure is an essential component of health and sustainable places. The quality of green infrastructure often represents a missed opportunity to achieve this. This paper presents a review examining how built environment assessment systems evaluate the quality of green infrastructure. This was used to develop proposals for a new benchmark, which were examined by experts in terms of the demand, scope and operation. The findings suggest that current systems are not providing a robust assessment of green infrastructure and that a benchmark for green infrastructure would overcome some of the challenges associated with its planning, design and delivery

Development of a single, practical measure of surgical site infection (SSI) for patient report or observer completion

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the third most common hospital-associated infection and can lead to significant patient morbidity and healthcare costs. Identification of SSIs is key to surveillance and research but reliable assessment is challenging, particularly after hospital discharge when most SSIs present. Existing SSI measurement tools have limitations and their suitability for post-discharge surveillance is uncertain. Aims: This study aimed to develop a single measure to identify SSI after hospital discharge, suitable for patient or observer completion. Methods: A three-phase mixed methods study was undertaken: Phase 1, an analysis of existing tools and semi-structured interviews with patients and professionals to establish the content of the measure; Phase 2, development of questionnaire items suitable for patients and professionals; Phase 3, pre-testing the single measure to assess acceptability and understanding to both stakeholder groups. Interviews and pre-testing took place over 12 months in 2014–2015 with patients and professionals from five specialties recruited from two UK hospital Trusts. Findings: Analyses of existing tools and interviews identified 19 important domains for assessing SSIs. Domains were developed into provisional questionnaire items. Pre-testing and iterative revision resulted in a final version with 16 items that were understood and easily completed by patients and observers (healthcare professionals). Conclusion: A single patient and observer measure for post-discharge SSI assessment has been developed. Further testing of the validity, reliability and accuracy of the measure is underway. </jats:sec