Games as Education in the United Kingdom

Digital game studies and design have rapidly become popular teaching areas in the United Kingdom. They also have a long history as tools for education in a range of disciplines through game-based learning. This project sought to inform teaching and learning within the College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, the College of Science and Engineering, and the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology through an exploration of the challenges, practices, and feedback of instructors and instructional designers on teaching with, through and on digital games. A workshop was held in the School of Media, Communication, and Sociology in May 2016 to understand emerging challenges and opportunities related to games-based teaching practice, innovations in assessment, available and needed resources for teaching, and game-based curricula. Participants included staff across the University of Leicester using digital games for learning and assessment as well as digital game studies and design instructors across the United Kingdom. Through collaborative discussion and workshopping of best practices related to teaching with games, this workshop generated a sharable portfolio of materials. It also provided insight into several possibilities for integrating this media form into higher education as well as significant challenges to consider moving forward, which are reported on here

BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2012–2013

The BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2012–2013 presents the latest national statistics in the monitoring of BreastScreen Australia, which aims to reduce illness and death resulting from breast cancer through organised screening to detect cases of unsuspected breast cancer in women, thus enabling early intervention. Around 55% of women in the target age group 50–69 took part in the program, with more than 1.4 million women screening in 2012–2013. Breast cancer mortality in 2012 was 44 deaths per 100,000 women

BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2011-2012

Presents the latest national statistics on BreastScreen, which aims to reduce illness and death resulting from breast cancer through organised screening to detect cases of unsuspected breast cancer in women, thus enabling early intervention. Summary BreastScreen Australia aims to reduce illness and death resulting from breast cancer through organised screening to detect cases of unsuspected breast cancer in women, thus enabling early intervention. Women aged 40 and over are eligible for free 2-yearly mammograms. This report is the latest in the BreastScreen Australia monitoring report series, which is published annually to provide regular monitoring of national participation and performance for BreastScreen Australia. The report provides data for the 2011-2012 period of participation in BreastScreen Australia, as well as the latest available data on incidence and mortality. The following statistics refer to the latest data available for women aged 50-69*. *As part of the 2013-14 Federal Budget, the Australian Government committed $55.7 million over 4 years to expand BreastScreen Australia\u27s target age range from 50-69 to 50-74. This report includes data from women screened when BreastScreen Australia actively targeted women aged 50-69. How many women were diagnosed with, or died from, breast cancer? In 2010, there were 7,449 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in Australian women aged 50-69. This is equivalent to 300 new cases per 100,000 women, and makes breast cancer the most common cancer affecting Australian women. Incidence has remained steady at around 300 per 100,000 women for over a decade. In 2011, a total of 1,130 women aged 50-69 died from breast cancer, equivalent to 44 deaths per 100,000 women. This is similar to the rate for 2010, and makes breast cancer the second most common cause of cancer-related death for Australian women. Breast cancer mortality fell from 68 deaths per 100,000 women in the target age range in 1991 (when BreastScreen Australia began) to 44 per 100,000 women in 2011. Incidence of breast cancer was lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women than for non-Indigenous women (221 compared with 266 new cases per 100,000 women), but mortality from breast cancer was higher (52 compared with 44 deaths per 100,000 women). How many women participated in BreastScreen Australia? In 2011-2012, more than 1.4 million women aged 50-69 had a screening mammogram through BreastScreen Australia, a participation rate of 55% for the target age group. This was unchanged from participation rates in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Participation of Indigenous women was lower-38% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the population participated compared with 54% of non-Indigenous women. How many women were recalled for further investigation? In 2012, 11% of women screening for the first time were recalled for further investigation; 3% of women attending subsequent screens were recalled. These are similar to rates for 2011. How many women had a small breast cancer detected? Small breast cancers (≤15 mm in diameter) are associated with better treatment options and improved survival. A high proportion of invasive breast cancers detected were small in 2012: 47% of invasive breast cancers detected in those attending their first screen, and 61% in those attending subsequent screens. These are similar to the figures for 2011

Suicide et tentatives de suicide en prison : vulnérabilité, ostracisme et soutien social

Malgré L'attention considérable des politiques dans ce domaine, le nombre de suicides dans les prisons d'Angleterre et du pays de Galles continue de poser un problème. Suite à la prolifération des études entreprises, d'importants progrès ont été réalisés. Nous allons ici revoir les conclusions clés de différentes études menées dans plusieurs pays au cours des dix dernières années. De plus en plus, le suicide en prison est considéré comme un problème de vulnérabilité et d'adaptation, et l'on croit qu'en améliorant les politiques et les relations on pourra offrir aux prisonniers ce soutien dont ils ont un si grand besoin. Les liens entre la capacité à résoudre des problèmes, l'adaptation, le soutien social et le comportement suicidaire en prison sont évidents ; le présent article soutient donc qu'il faut aborder le suicide dans le cadre des relations sociales interpersonnelles pour arriver à le comprendre. La recherche devrait s'appuyer sur la littérature sociologique facilement disponible et qui insiste sur l'importance des réseaux sociaux au sein de la communauté carcérale. Les détenus qui constituent un risque de suicide sont souvent les plus démunis quand il s'agit d'obtenir du soutien social ou de réagir aux rares sources de soutien disponible. Parallèlement aux méthodes psychologiques et aux tests psychométriques, la recherche devrait s'appuyer sur l'ethnographie et sur les modèles qualitatifs, ainsi que sur l'examen systématique du tissu complexe des relations existantes dans la communauté carcérale. Si cet article sert de tremplin à de plus amples discussions et qu'il génère davantage de recherche, son but aura été atteint.Prison suicides in England and Wales continue and present a problem despite considerable policy attention. Research has proliferated and some important advances have been made. Key findings from studies carried out over the last decade in several countries are reviewed. Prison suicide is increasingly seen as a problem of vulnerability and coping. Improvements to regimes and relationships can offer much needed support. There are clear links between problem-solving, coping, social support and suicidal behaviour in prison. This paper argues that prison suicide needs to be understood within a framework of interpersonal social relationships. Research should draw on readily available sociological literature, which highlights the significance of social networks in the prison community. Those at risk of suicide may be least likely to have, be able to summon, or respond to scarce sources of social support. Ethnographic and other qualitative modes of research should be used to supplement psychological methods and the use of psychometric tests. The complex web of relationships that constitute the prison community should be systematically examined. The aim of the paper is to serve as a springboard for further discussion and for the generation of further research

Intervention for Inclusivity: Gender Politics and Indie Game Development

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the indie identity, independence as a rhetoric, principles of interventionist work, and different models for creating a more inclusive industry. Through clashing understandings of the needs of aspiring game developers indie culture can serve to reify dominant narratives of the mainstream industry, including discourses that hinder female participation therein. However, there are successful models in which we can observe other, more inclusive, modes of welcoming previously marginalized and excluded groups, which can be taken up in other contexts for diversifying local indie game development

A common garden design reveals population-specific variability in potential impacts of hybridisation between populations of farmed and wild Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L

Released individuals can have negative impacts on native populations through various mechanisms; including competition, disease transfer and introduction of maladapted gene-complexes. Previous studies indicate that the level of farmed Atlantic salmon introgression in native populations is population-specific. However few studies have explored the potential role of population diversity or river characteristics, such as temperature, on the consequences of hybridisation. We compared freshwater growth of multiple families derived from two farmed, five wild, and two F1 hybrid salmon populations at three contrasting temperatures (7°C, 12°C, and 16°C) in a common garden experiment. As expected, farmed salmon outgrew wild salmon at all temperatures, with hybrids displaying intermediate growth. However, differences in growth were population-specific and some wild populations performed better than others relative to the hybrid and farmed populations at certain temperatures. Therefore, the competitive balance between farmed and wild salmon may depend both on the thermal profile of the river and the genetic characteristics of the respective farmed and wild strains. While limited to F1 hybridisation, the present study shows the merits in adopting a more complex spatially resolved approach to risk management of local populations

The name of the game : building methodologies for the study of video game theory

The study of the video game as a medium is characterized by several problems characteristic of new domains of study, as the projects, methods, terminologies and assumptions of other disciplines have been carried into discussions of this form. These epistemological assumptions have both confounded the nature of the video game and led to circular debates on the relevance of particular approaches in video game research. This has led to a relative dearth in academic inquiries that is disproportionate to the importance and growth of this medium in everyday life. This thesis aims to address this debate and promote theoretically-sound methodologies that adequately describe the traits of the video game. The research first identifies the key fields mobilized within the current literature and then investigates the epistemological roots of each field, thereby identifying the relevant aspects of particular disciplines and the elements that obscure the unique nature of the medium. The research also involves case studies of several different games, which allows for the proposal of methodological approaches that are open to scholars from varying fields and premised upon rigorous theoretical examination of both the form and traditional approaches to media

Seeking the Embodied Mind in Video Game Theory: Embodiment in Cybernetics, Flow, and Rule Structures

Abstract This paper explores the mobilization of classic cybernetic research and flow theory within video game theory, particularly in relation to their conceptualizations of the mind and the body. Through a consideration of rule structures, meaningful play, and the magic circle in video game play, the systematic and structural considerations of cybernetics are contrasted with the study of pleasure and immersion in flow theory. Through these analyses, this paper considers whether the use of cybernetics and flow serves to epistemologically emphasize or displace the body in a medium that has been argued b

Atlantic salmon and sea trout display synchronised smolt migration relative to linked environmental cues

Anadromous salmon and sea trout smolts face challenging migrations from freshwater to the marine environment characterised by high mortality. Therefore, the timing of smolt migration is likely to be critical for survival. Time-series comparing migration of Atlantic salmon and sea trout smolts in the same river, and their response to the same environmental cues, are scarce. Here, we analysed migration timing of ~41 000 Atlantic salmon and sea trout smolts over a 19-year period from the river Guddalselva, western Norway. Trout displayed a longer migration window in earlier years, which decreased over time to become more similar to the salmon migration window. On average, salmon migrated out of the river earlier than trout. Migration of both species was significantly influenced by river water temperature and water discharge, but their relative influence varied across the years. On average, body-length of smolts of both species overlapped, however, size differences were observed within the migration period and among the years. We conclude that salmon and trout smolts in this river are highly synchronised and migrate in response to the same range of linked environmental cues.publishedVersio