Player agency in interactive narrative: audience, actor & author

The question motivating this review paper is, how can computer-based interactive narrative be used as a constructivist learn- ing activity? The paper proposes that player agency can be used to link interactive narrative to learner agency in constructivist theory, and to classify approaches to interactive narrative. The traditional question driving research in interactive narrative is, ‘how can an in- teractive narrative deal with a high degree of player agency, while maintaining a coherent and well-formed narrative?’ This question derives from an Aristotelian approach to interactive narrative that, as the question shows, is inherently antagonistic to player agency. Within this approach, player agency must be restricted and manip- ulated to maintain the narrative. Two alternative approaches based on Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed are reviewed. If a Boalian approach to interactive narrative is taken the conflict between narrative and player agency dissolves. The question that emerges from this approach is quite different from the traditional question above, and presents a more useful approach to applying in- teractive narrative as a constructivist learning activity

Cereal Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Influence of Seeding Rate of Oats on Populations

In field and greenhouse studies, more cereal leaf beetle [Oulema melanopus (Lin- naeus)] eggs and larvae were found per unit area on spring oats, Avena sativa L., planted either at intermediate (54 kg/ha) or high (136 kg/ha) seeding rates, than when planted at a lower seeding rate (14 kg/ha). However, there were fewer eggs and larvae per stem in plantings of the high or intermediate rates than in those of the lower rate. Oats should not be planted at less than the recommended rates in beetle-infested areas

Electronic transport in Si:P delta-doped wires

Despite the importance of Si:P delta-doped wires for modern nanoelectronics, there are currently no computational models of electron transport in these devices. In this paper we present a nonequilibrium Green's function model for electronic transport in a delta-doped wire, which is described by a tight-binding Hamiltonian matrix within a single-band effective-mass approximation. We use this transport model to calculate the current-voltage characteristics of a number of delta-doped wires, achieving good agreement with experiment. To motivate our transport model we have performed density-functional calculations for a variety of delta-doped wires, each with different donor configurations. These calculations also allow us to accurately define the electronic extent of a delta-doped wire, which we find to be at least 4.6 nm.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure

Integrated out-of-hours care arrangements in England: observational study of progress towards single call access via NHS Direct and impact on the wider health system

Objectives: To assess the extent of service integration achieved within general practice cooperatives and NHS Direct sites participating in the Department of Health’s national “Exemplar Programme” for single call access to out-of-hours care via NHS Direct. To assess the impact of integrated out-of-hours care arrangements upon general practice cooperatives and the wider health system (use of emergency departments, 999 ambulance services, and minor injuries units). Design: Observational before and after study of demand, activity, and trends in the use of other health services. Setting: Thirty four English general practice cooperatives with NHS Direct partners (“exemplars”) of which four acted as “case exemplars”. Also 10 control cooperatives for comparison. Main Outcome Measures: Extent of integration achieved (defined as the proportion of hours and the proportion of general practice patients covered by integrated arrangements), patterns of general practice cooperative demand and activity and trends in use of the wider health system in the first year. Results: Of 31 distinct exemplars 21 (68%) integrated all out-of-hours call management by March 2004. Nine (29%) established single call access for all patients. In the only case exemplar where direct comparison was possible, cooperative nurse telephone triage before integration completed a higher proportion of calls with telephone advice than did NHS Direct afterwards (39% v 30%; p<0.0001). The proportion of calls completed by NHS Direct telephone advice at other sites was lower. There is evidence for transfer of demand from case exemplars to 999 ambulance services. A downturn in overall demand for care seen in two case exemplars was also seen in control sites. Conclusion: The new model of out-of-hours care was implemented in a variety of settings across England by new partnerships between general practice cooperatives and NHS Direct. Single call access was not widely implemented and most patients needed to make at least two telephone calls to contact the service. In the first year, integration may have produced some reduction in total demand, but this may have been accompanied by shifts from one part of the local health system to another. NHS Direct demonstrated capability in handling calls but may not currently have sufficient capacity to support national implementation

On the nonlocal viscosity kernel of mixtures

In this report we investigate the multiscale hydrodynamical response of a liquid as a function of mixture composition. This is done via a series of molecular dynamics simulations where the wave vector dependent viscosity kernel is computed for three mixtures each with 7-15 different compositions. We observe that the nonlocal viscosity kernel is dependent on composition for simple atomic mixtures for all the wave vectors studied here, however, for a model polymer melt mixture the kernel is independent of composition for large wave vectors. The deviation from ideal mixing is also studied. Here it is shown that a Lennard-Jones mixture follows the ideal mixing rule surprisingly well for a large range of wave vectors, whereas for both the Kob-Andersen mixture and the polymer melt large deviations are found. Furthermore, for the polymer melt the deviation is wave vector dependent such that there exists a critical length scale at which the ideal mixing goes from under-estimating to over-estimating the viscosity

Spectral characteristics of 3U1915-05, a burst source candidate

An X-ray burst source was discovered near the X-ray source 3U1915-05. The continuum spectra of both the burst source and the quiescent 3U1915-05 are hard, with kT above 20 keV. The spectrum of 3U1915-05 has a feature at 9.1 keV, which, if attributed to absorption by hydrogen and helium-like iron, suggests the presence of a highly ionized cloud surrounding a central X-ray source