Root traits predict decomposition across a landscape-scale grazing experiment

Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Woodland Trust for maintenance of and access to the Glen Finglas experiment. We thank Debbie Fielding, William Smith, Sarah McCormack, Allan Sim, Marcel Junker and Elaine Runge for help in the field and the laboratory. This research was part of the Glen Finglas project (formerly Grazing and Upland Birds (GRUB)) funded by the Scottish Government (RERAS). S.W.S. was funded by a BBSRC studentship.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Combination of herbivore removal and nitrogen deposition increases upland carbon storage

© 2015 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Acknowledgements We thank Ruth Mitchell, Alison Hester, Bob Mardon, Eoghain Maclean, David Welch, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Woodland Trust for helping find appropriate exclosures and granting access permission. We thank Nick Littlewood and Antonio Lopez Nogueira for their assistance in the field and processing samples in the lab and Ron Smith and Tony Dore for providing N deposition data. SWS was funded by a BBSRC studentship.Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Editorial

Games are complex systems that operate at the intersections of science and art, leisure and sport, complex and simple, academic and practice, among others. In an increasingly connected and interdependent world, games continue to transcend borders and reach international audiences everywhere, often instantly. Despite this almost unfettered access to games, the global nature of game development and distribution has also resulted in complex economic ties across and between companies, countries and continents. Large media conglomerates design, develop and produce their AAA games in multiple locations around the world. Each location brings its own significant challenges, opportunities and barriers to entering particular markets, be it from a localization or legal point of view. This Special Issue of the Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 'China and the World: Navigating Video Game Localization and Copyright Challenges', brings together experts from different fields providing insights into the Chinese games market from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. This Special Issue is dedicated to analysing and understanding the Chinese games market from interdisciplinary perspectives, particularly the ways in which video game localization rationale and copyright law differ globally. The five contributions to this issue demonstrate the complex internationality and intersectionality of the Chinese games market together with the challenges and opportunities associated with entering the market

The Healthy Flea Market

Learn how rural students in Kentucky shared their classroom knowledge by presenting on health topics and new technologies at flea markets, swap meets, and specialty events such as car shows

Navigating China game publishing::a case study of Steam China

This case study focuses on engagement with publishing platforms in China and involves a collaboration with Steam China. Our goal was to develop a playable game prototype that was both framed and informed by China publishing and market expertise. By developing the game concept and pitch from the ground up with these restrictions and requirements in mind, our hope was that the resulting case study would serve as a useful pathfinder for other UK-based developers who want to learn more about game publishing for China markets

Exploring the opportunities for UK games businesses in China:a case study of two industry-led mobile game prototypes

This case study of game development R&amp;D brought together researchers, developers, and industrial partners to explore co-production of experimental games for UK-China markets. Postgraduate teams comprising British, Chinese and international developers were tasked with responding to industry-led challenges related to UK-China games industry interests. The case study examines issues such as bringing British IP to China, how social play is managed in the Chinese market, and cross cultural representation both within game products and within development teams.The final work comprises two original game prototypes that serve as pathfinders for UK games businesses with interests in the Chinese games market, and a final project video documenting the experiences of industry, academic, and developer experience on the project.<br/

Eeg-Derived Estimators of Present and Future Cognitive Performance

Previous electroencephalography (EEG)-based fatigue-related research primarily focused on the association between concurrent cognitive performance and time-locked physiology. The goal of this study was to investigate the capability of EEG to assess the impact of fatigue on both present and future cognitive performance during a 20-min sustained attention task, the 3-choice active vigilance task (3CVT), that requires subjects to discriminate one primary target from two secondary non-target geometric shapes. The current study demonstrated the ability of EEG to estimate not only present, but also future cognitive performance, utilizing a single, combined reaction time (RT), and accuracy performance metric. The correlations between observed and estimated performance, for both present and future performance, were strong (up to 0.89 and 0.79, respectively). The models were able to consistently estimate “unacceptable” performance throughout the entire 3CVT, i.e., excessively missed responses and/or slow RTs, while acceptable performance was recognized less accurately later in the task. The developed models were trained on a relatively large dataset (n = 50 subjects) to increase stability. Cross-validation results suggested the models were not over-fitted. This study indicates that EEG can be used to predict gross-performance degradations 5–15 min in advance

Longitudinal study of trachomatous trichiasis in The Gambia: barriers to acceptance of surgery.

PURPOSE: Investigation of compliance with surgery for trachomatous trichiasis has become a priority of the World Health Organization. This study was conducted to investigate attitudes toward trichiasis and its treatment and to determine the rate of surgical uptake in The Gambia. METHODS: A 1-year longitudinal study was performed in 190 subjects with trichiasis. Persons with major trichiasis (involving five lashes or more) were referred for surgery, and those with minor trichiasis were advised to epilate. Outcome measures included attitudes toward trichiasis and its treatment, reported barriers to surgical uptake, acceptance rates for surgery, and factors affecting acceptance. RESULTS: Twenty-three percent (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.5%-30.6%) of subjects with major trichiasis attended for surgery during the year. Degree of ignorance about surgery, symptoms impeding work, and a multiple income source for the head of household predicted attendance. Reported lack of time predicted nonattendance. Sixty-eight percent of patients who had undergone surgery were trichiasis free at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Poor attendance for surgery remains a problem in The Gambia. Barriers include ignorance and lack of time and money. Health education and surgical delivery strategies are needed to overcome these barriers. Regular audit of surgical results is necessary, with retraining where indicated

Population Dynamics Based on Resource Availability & Founding Effects: Live & Computational Models

With the looming global population crisis, it is more important now than ever that students understand what factors influence population dynamics. We present three learning modules with authentic, student-centered investigations that explore rates of population growth and the importance of resources. These interdisciplinary modules integrate biology, mathematics, and computer-literacy concepts aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. The activities are appropriate for middle and high school science classes and for introductory college-level biology courses. The modules incorporate experimentation, data collection and analysis, drawing conclusions, and application of studied principles to explore factors affecting population dynamics in fruit flies. The variables explored include initial population structure, food availability, and space of the enclosed population. In addition, we present a computational simulation in which students can alter the same variables explored in the live experimental modules to test predictions on the consequences of altering the variables. Free web-based graphing (Joinpoint) and simulation software (NetLogo) allows students to work at home or at school