Culturalización: La dimensión geopolítica y cultural del contenido de los videojuegos

While most game publishers are well aware of standard localisation practices, far fewer are familiar with the notion of culturalisation, the process by which content is further adapted for a broader, diverse audience. However, unlike localisation which is usually perceived as a production step that takes place later in the development cycle, culturalisation is a holistic modus operandi for global game design, development and distribution that starts at the beginning of the project. While content creators must remain true to their game’s vision, they must increasingly account for the multicultural and politically volatile markets in order to maximize the global reach of their game titles.Pese a que la mayoría de los distribuidores de videojuegos están al corriente de las convenciones sobre la localización, aún hay muchos que no parecen entender bien la idea de «culturalización», el proceso a través del cual se adapta el contenido para conseguir atraer a una audiencia más plural. No obstante, y a diferencia de la localización que se entiende normalmente como una parte de la producción que tiene lugar hacia el final del ciclo de desarrollo, la culturalización requiere un modus operandi holístico desde el principio para introducir el aspecto global tanto en el diseño, como en el desarrollo y la distribución del videojuego. No cabe duda de que los creadores de videojuegos tienen que ser fieles a su idea, pero no pueden dejar de reconocer el carácter multicultural y políticamente volátil de muchos países importadores si quieren optimizar su éxito y permanencia en el mercado global

Understanding the part-time researcher experience

Vitae is supported by Research Councils UK (RCUK), managed by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation and delivered in partnership with regional Hub host universitie

Putting the context into learning

The article explores the conceptualisation of learning and context from a number of perspectives and some of the theoretical and methodological issues raised when context is no longer considered a container, but as a relational effect. Central to the article are the questions of what makes something specifically a learning context and what different ways of conceiving the relationship between learning and context might be and with what implications

Validation of spatial microsimulation models: a proposal to adopt the Bland-Altman method

Model validation is recognised as crucial to microsimulation modelling. However, modellers encounter difficulty in choosing the most meaningful methods to compare simulated and actual values. The aim of this paper is to introduce and demonstrate a method employed widely in healthcare calibration studies. The ‘Bland-Altman plot’ consists of a plot of the difference between two methods against the mean (x-y versus x+y/2). A case study is presented to illustrate the method in practice for spatial microsimulation validation. The study features a deterministic combinatorial model (SimObesity), which modelled a synthetic population for England at the ward level using survey (ELSA) and Census 2011 data. Bland-Altman plots were generated, plotting simulated and census ward-level totals for each category of all constraint (benchmark) variables. Other validation metrics, such as R2, SEI, TAE and RMSE, are also presented for comparison. The case study demonstrates how the Bland-Altman plots are interpreted. The simple visualisation of both individual- (ward-) level difference and total variation gives the method an advantage over existing tools used in model validation. There still remains the question of what constitutes a valid or well-fitting model. However, the Bland Altman method can usefully be added to the canon of calibration methods

Exercise on prescription and its role in the promotion of mental health: A critical investigation

The aim of the research was to investigate the current and potential role of exercise on prescription in the promotion of mental health. Key objectives were to determine the extent and nature of the mental health outcomes of an exercise on prescription scheme from the participant perspective; to acquire an insight into scheme impact at the 'wider' community level; and to explore the potential for augmenting the mental health promotive role of exercise on prescription through the application of mental health promotion theory. These objectives were pursued using triangulated methods. A self-completion questionnaire was employed for the quantitative element of the study, while in-depth interviews were conducted for the qualitative component of the investigation. Research participants were members of the Biddulph Valley Exercise on Prescription Scheme. Findings indicated that exercise on prescription may play an effective role in mental health promotion, generating a range of psychosocial health impacts promotive of mental well-being among participants and the wider community. Results also revealed that the augmentation of the mental health promotive role of exercise on prescription, in line with mental health promotion theory, was largely unwarranted, being inappropriate to the mental health needs of participants. These findings suggest that exercise on prescription confers benefits of an extent and nature as yet not widely recognised, and that the principles of mental health promotion may not be universally applicable. The implications for research and practice are to acknowledge the potentially significant psychosocial outcomes of exercise on prescription when targeting and evaluating initiatives, and when informing scheme development, to ensure that it is not theory, but needs assessment that takes precedence

Validation of spatial microsimulation models: a proposal to adopt the Bland-Altman method

Model validation is recognised as crucial to microsimulation modelling. However, modellers encounter difficulty in choosing the most meaningful methods to compare simulated and actual values. The aim of this paper is to introduce and demonstrate a method employed widely in healthcare calibration studies. The ‘Bland-Altman plot’ consists of a plot of the difference between two methods against the mean (x-y versus x+y/2). A case study is presented to illustrate the method in practice for spatial microsimulation validation. The study features a deterministic combinatorial model (SimObesity), which modelled a synthetic population for England at the ward level using survey (ELSA) and Census 2011 data. Bland-Altman plots were generated, plotting simulated and census ward-level totals for each category of all constraint (benchmark) variables. Other validation metrics, such as R2, SEI, TAE and RMSE, are also presented for comparison. The case study demonstrates how the Bland-Altman plots are interpreted. The simple visualisation of both individual- (ward-) level difference and total variation gives the method an advantage over existing tools used in model validation. There still remains the question of what constitutes a valid or well-fitting model. However, the Bland Altman method can usefully be added to the canon of calibration methods

Literacy practices in the learning careers of childcare students

This paper draws from the Literacies for Learning in Further Education research project, funded through the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Drawing on the empirical study of literacy practices in eight Childcare courses in Scotland and England, we seek to demonstrate that, integral to the learning careers of students are literacy careers through which their learning is mediated. In the process, by drawing upon the lens of literacy, we also challenge some of the common sense understandings of learning in childcare. In particular we suggest that the literacy practices of lower level courses can be more diverse than those of higher level courses, producing confusing literacy careers for the students involved. We also point to the complexity of the literacy careers in childcare, given that students are required to mediate different aspects of their experience through literacy. In particular there are the mediations made possible by the use of information technology and those entailed in relating work placements to classroom practice. We argue that students on vocational courses have complex literacy careers and that a literacies approach to learning helps to reveal this complexity

Short- and long-term temperature responses of soil denitrifier net N2O efflux rates, inter-profile N2O dynamics, and microbial genetic potentials

Production and reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) by soil denitrifiers influence atmospheric concentrations of this potent greenhouse gas. Accurate projections of the net N2O flux have three key uncertainties: (1) short- vs. long-term responses to warming, (2) interactions among soil horizons, and (3) temperature responses of different steps in the denitrification pathway. We addressed these uncertainties by sampling soil from a boreal forest climate transect encompassing a 5.2 ∘C difference in the mean annual temperature and incubating the soil horizons in isolation and together at three ecologically relevant temperatures in conditions that promote denitrification. Both short-term exposure to warmer temperatures and long-term exposure to a warmer climate increased N2O emissions from organic and mineral soils; an isotopic tracer suggested that an increase in N2O production was more important than a decline in N2O reduction. Short-term warming promoted the reduction of organic horizon-derived N2O by mineral soil when these horizons were incubated together. The abundance of nirS (a precursor gene for N2O production) was not sensitive to temperature, whereas that of nosZ clade I (a gene for N2O reduction) decreased with short-term warming in both horizons and was higher from a warmer climate. These results suggest a decoupling of gene abundance and process rates in these soils that differs across horizons and timescales. In spite of these variations, our results suggest a consistent, positive response of denitrifier-mediated net N2O efflux rates to temperature across timescales in these boreal forests. Our work also highlights the importance of understanding cross-horizon N2O fluxes for developing a predictive understanding of net N2O efflux from soils

Short- and long-term temperature responses of soil denitrifier net N2O efflux rates, inter2 profile N2O dynamics, and microbial genetic potentials

Production and reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) by soil denitrifiers influence atmospheric concentrations of this potent greenhouse gas. Accurate projections of the net N2O flux have three key uncertainties: (1) short- vs. long-term responses to warming, (2) interactions among soil horizons, and (3) temperature responses of different steps in the denitrification pathway. We addressed these uncertainties by sampling soil from a boreal forest climate transect encompassing a 5.2 ∘C difference in the mean annual temperature and incubating the soil horizons in isolation and together at three ecologically relevant temperatures in conditions that promote denitrification. Both short-term exposure to warmer temperatures and long-term exposure to a warmer climate increased N2O emissions from organic and mineral soils; an isotopic tracer suggested that an increase in N2O production was more important than a decline in N2O reduction. Short-term warming promoted the reduction of organic horizon-derived N2O by mineral soil when these horizons were incubated together. The abundance of nirS (a precursor gene for N2O production) was not sensitive to temperature, whereas that of nosZ clade I (a gene for N2O reduction) decreased with short-term warming in both horizons and was higher from a warmer climate. These results suggest a decoupling of gene abundance and process rates in these soils that differs across horizons and timescales. In spite of these variations, our results suggest a consistent, positive response of denitrifier-mediated net N2O efflux rates to temperature across timescales in these boreal forests. Our work also highlights the importance of understanding cross-horizon N2O fluxes for developing a predictive understanding of net N2O efflux from soils