Affective Videogames and Modes of Affective Gaming: Assist Me, Challenge Me, Emote Me (ACE)

[Jill] I don’t know what happened. [Chris] Barry. Where’s Barry? So opens the mansion scene to Capcom’s survival-horror Resident Evil (Capcom, 1996) – and with it one of the gaming world’s first tentative steps toward realisation of the emotionally-immersive, narrative cinematic experience. In this paper we describe the fundamentals of affective gaming; covering their origins, how they operate, some examples, an-in-depth analysis of one of our early affective games (Gilleade & Allanson, 2002), their current capabilities and the ongoing research to develop them further. We also explore a new approach to game design based on three high-level design heuristics: assist me, challenge me and emote me (ACE), a series of gameplay "tweaks" made possible through affective videogames. We are emotionally-creatures. If affect is not conveyed properly during game play (e.g. if Resident Evil’s ability to inspire fear in the player was non-existent), the player’s suspension of disbelief can be negatively affected and the movie-inspired immersive experience is spoiled. Advances in computation and memory capabilities mean that videogames are more than capable of conveying affect just as well as traditional media (e.g. film, books). As a result games are becoming more reliant on the imagination of game designers for their affective material rather than the constraints of the currently available technology. But the interactive nature of the videogame allows us to go one step further than traditional media. Unlike the latter; videogames are dynamic entities, they change according to how the player interacts with them. At the moment, these interactions are based purely on the input the player consciously decides to use in the game world (i.e. actions executed through the game controller). However these actions are not the only thing going on with the player during play; there are also the mostly unseen physiological responses that go on within the player’s body. Such responses are useful in identifying the current emotional state the player is in. If this information could be somehow collected and invested in the game dynamics; the affective bandwidth of future games could be increased (i.e. bi-directional, game affects player, player affects game and so on) allowing for the emotive "tweaking" of conventional gaming experiences or the creation of whole new ones. There are two ways in which physiological responses have been used in gaming so far. The most obvious are biofeedback games (sometimes referred to as affective feedback) such as the Media Lab relax-to-win racing game (Bersak et al, 2001); where players consciously try to control their biological responses of which they are not normally consciously aware (e.g. heartbeat, skin response, blood pressure). Such games use biological sensors to influence game play, thus the player effectively controls the game via their control of their own internal bodily functions. A variant of this is the skin-response based videogame created by Future University-Hakodate (Sakurazawa et al, 2004) where onlookers attempt to influence the physiological state of the player (i.e. provoking flight or fight responses through loud noises such as clapping) which then affects the game play (i.e. makes its more difficult, the player would attempt to exert conscious control over their biological responses to avoid getting into further difficulty). The other use of physiological data is for truly affective gaming, a derivation of Affective Computing (Picard, 1997). These games use the player’s own physiology to assess their current emotional state; this information is then used to manipulate gameplay in some prescribed manner in order to create more engaging and / or immersive entertainment experiences. The player may not even be aware that their physiological state is being sensed, the intention is to capture their normal affective reactions. In previous work on affective games (Gilleade & Allanson); we used the player’s heart rate to control the difficulty of a conventional videogame. Whenever game play was deemed too boring or overly exciting (i.e. represented as a decrease or increase in heartbeat rate respectively) the videogame would alter play to reverse the player’s affective state to keep within an optimum range. In the full paper we will describe these two classes in more detail and also introduce a more complete classification and discussion of affective gaming. Based on this analysis of other affective games and our own experience of the design of affective games, we propose several high level design heuristics for affective gaming, which we will explore further in the paper: • Assist me: Games that; identify player frustrations to which the game offers assistance through the current gaming context. • Challenge me: Games that; identify the player’s state of enjoyment in relation to the current challenge being offered to which the game compensates for if the challenge is to be found lacking. • Emote me: Games that; identify player responses to intentional emotional provoking content to which the game manipulates subsequent related content in respect to the recorded response. References: ----------- Gilleade, K., Allanson, J. (2003). A Toolkit for Exploring Affective Interface Adaptation in Videogames. Proceeding of HCI International 2003, volume 2. LEA, New Jersey, pages 370-374. Bersak, D., McDarby, G., Augenblick, N., McDarby, P., McDonnell, D., McDonal, B., Karkun, R. Biofeedback using an Immersive Competitive Environment. Online Proceedings for the Designing Ubiquitous Computing Games Workshop, Ubicomp 2001. Sakurazawa, S., Yoshida, N., Munekata, N. (2004). Entertainment Feature of a Game Using Skin Conductance Response. Proceedings of ACE 2004, Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, ACM Press, pages 181-186. Picard, R. Affective Computing. MIT Press (1997)

Identification, Localization, and Characterization of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Niche.

To improve our ability to identify HSCs and their localization in vivo we compared the gene expression profiles of highly purified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and non-self-renewing multipotent progenitors (MPPs). Cell surface receptors of the SLAM family, including CD150 and CD48, were differentially expressed among functionally distinct progenitors such that HSCs were highly purified as CD150+CD48- cells whereas MPPs were CD150-CD48-. The ability to purify HSCs based on a simple combination of SLAM receptors allowed us to identify HSCs in tissue sections. Most HSCs were associated with sinusoidal endothelium in the spleen and bone marrow. This raised the possibility that HSCs reside in perivascular niches. Our data suggesting that HSCs reside perivascularly was in contrast to studies which proposed that HSCs identified by the thymidine analogue bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-label retention are associated with osteoblasts via N-cadherin-mediated homophilic adhesion. We therefore tested the hypotheses that N-cadherin was important for HSC maintenance and that HSCs could be identified by BrdU-label retention. We did not detect N-cadherin expression in HSCs by polymerase chain reaction, using anti-N-cadherin antibodies, or by ß-galactosidase staining of N-cadherin gene-trap mice. Moreover, N-cadherin deficiency did not affect bone marrow cellularity, the numbers of colony-forming progenitors, the frequency of HSCs, the ability of HSCs to sustain hematopoiesis over time, or their ability to reconstitute irradiated mice. These results indicate that HSCs do not depend on N-cadherin-mediated adhesion to osteoblasts for their maintenance. We tested whether HSCs might retain BrdU, either because they segregate chromosomes asymmetrically or because they divide slowly, by administering BrdU to newborn, cyclophosphamide/G-CSF mobilized, and normal adult mice for 4 to 10 days, followed by 70-days without BrdU. In each case, less than 6% of HSCs retained BrdU and less than 0.5% of BrdU-retaining hematopoietic cells were HSCs, revealing poor specificity and poor sensitivity as an HSC marker. Sequential administration of chloro-deoxyuridine (CldU) and iodo-deoxyuridine (IdU) suggested that all HSCs segregate their chromosomes randomly. Division of individual HSCs in culture revealed no asymmetric segregation of label. HSCs therefore cannot be identified based on BrdU label-retention and BrdU-label retaining cells are highly unlikely to be HSCs.Ph.D.Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75797/1/mjkiel_1.pd

Creating a Legal Framework for Copyright Management of Open Access within the Australian Academic and Research Sector

There is an increasing recognition, in Australia and internationally, that access to knowledge is a key driver of social, cultural and economic development. The argument for greater access to, and reuse of, research outputs is reinforced by the fact that much research in Australia is funded by public money and, consequently, that there is a public benefit to be served by allowing citizens to access the outputs they have funded.2 This recognition poses both legal and policy challenges, in terms of existing legal frameworks such as copyright law and traditional business models. With the rise of networked digital technologies our knowledge landscape and innovation system is becoming more and more reliant on best practice copyright management strategies and there is a need to accommodate both the demands for open sharing of knowledge and traditional commercialisation models. As a result, new business models that support and promote open innovation are rapidly emerging. This chapter analyses the copyright law framework needed to ensure open access to outputs of the Australian academic and research sector such as journal articles and theses. It overviews the new knowledge landscape, the principles of copyright law, the concept of open access to knowledge, the recently developed open content models of copyright licensing and the challenges faced in providing greater access to knowledge and research outputs

Coping with loneliness at University: a qualitative interview study with students in the UK

Leaving home to attend University constitutes a transition that is often characterized by an increased risk of loneliness, a psychological state that predicts poor mental health outcomes. Informed by a comprehensive conceptual framework of coping with stress, this study sought to examine the coping strategies young adults deploy to manage experiences of loneliness whilst studying at University. A qualitative, cross-sectional study was designed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 University students who had moved away from home to study, and who self-identified experiencing loneliness. We used directed qualitative content analysis to analyse the data both between and within participants. The results demonstrate that participants used a variety of coping strategies to manage the distressing experience of loneliness. Accommodation, mainly in the form of distraction, support-seeking, social isolation, self-reliance, and problem-solving behaviours were the most prevalent coping strategies mentioned. Coping reflecting helplessness, escape, submission, and more rarely, opposition, were also found, albeit less often. Students showed evidence of a wide-ranging coping repertoire, with the deployment of specific coping strategies presenting as highly selective and contextual. Strategies for coping with loneliness take into account constraints and opportunities in the environment, the availability and appropriateness of social resources, as well as individual resources and needs

Everything we do, everything we press: Data-driven remote performance management in a mobile workplace

© 2018 Copyright is held by the owner/author(s). This paper examines how data-driven performance monitoring technologies affect the work of telecommunications field engineers. As a mobile workforce, this occupational group rely on an array of smartphone applications to plan, manage and report on their jobs, and to liaise remotely with managers and colleagues. These technologies intend to help field engineers be more productive and have greater control over their work; however they also gather data related to the quantity and effectiveness of their labor. We conducted a qualitative study examining engineers' experiences of these systems. Our findings suggest they simultaneously enhance worker autonomy, support co-ordination with and monitoring of colleagues, but promote anxieties around productivity and the interpretation of data by management. We discuss the implications of datadriven performance management technologies on worker agency, and examine the consequences of such systems in an era of quantified workplaces

Connecting Those That Care: Designing for Transitioning, Talking, Belonging and Escaping

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ACM via the DOI in this record.Care provision in many nations increasingly relies on the work of informal, or non-professional, carers. Often these carers experience substantial disruptions and reductions to their own sociality, weakened social support networks and, ultimately, a heightened risk of social isolation. We describe a qualitative study, comprised of interviews, design workshops and probes, that investigated the social and community support practices of carers. Our findings highlight issues related to becoming and recognising being a carer, and feelings of being ignored by, and isolated from, others. We also note the benefits that sharing between carers can bring, and routes to coping and relaxing from the burdens of care. We conclude with design considerations for facilitating new forms of digitally mediated support that connect those that care, emphasising design qualities related to transitioning, talking, belonging and escaping

Haematopoietic stem cells do not asymmetrically segregate chromosomes or retain BrdU

Stem cells are proposed to segregate chromosomes asymmetrically during self-renewing divisions so that older ('immortal') DNA strands are retained in daughter stem cells whereas newly synthesized strands segregate to differentiating cells(1-6). Stem cells are also proposed to retain DNA labels, such as 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), either because they segregate chromosomes asymmetrically or because they divide slowly(5,7-9). However, the purity of stem cells among BrdU-label-retaining cells has not been documented in any tissue, and the 'immortal strand hypothesis' has not been tested in a system with definitive stem cell markers. Here we tested these hypotheses in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can be highly purified using well characterized markers. We administered BrdU to newborn mice, mice treated with cyclophosphamide and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and normal adult mice for 4 to 10 days, followed by 70 days without BrdU. In each case, less than 6% of HSCs retained BrdU and less than 0.5% of all BrdU-retaining haematopoietic cells were HSCs, revealing that BrdU has poor specificity and poor sensitivity as an HSC marker. Sequential administration of 5-chloro-2-deoxyuridine and 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine indicated that all HSCs segregate their chromosomes randomly. Division of individual HSCs in culture revealed no asymmetric segregation of the label. Thus, HSCs cannot be identified on the basis of BrdU-label retention and do not retain older DNA strands during division, indicating that these are not general properties of stem cells.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62821/1/nature06115.pd

Phase III Trial of Trimodality Therapy With Cisplatin, Fluorouracil, Radiotherapy, and Surgery Compared With Surgery Alone for Esophageal Cancer: CALGB 9781

The primary treatment modality for patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction has been surgery, although primary radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy produces similar results. As both have curative potential, there has been great interest in the use of trimodality therapy. To this end, we compared survival, response, and patterns of failure of trimodality therapy to esophagectomy alone in patients with nonmetastatic esophageal cancer

Overexpression of Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 1 Inhibits Bone Formation and Attenuates Parathyroid Hormone Bone Anabolic Effects

Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) is an antagonist of Wnt signaling, an important pathway in maintaining bone homeostasis. In this study we evaluated the skeletal phenotype of mice overexpressing sFRP1 (sFRP1 Tg) and the interaction of parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment and sFRP1 (over)expression. Bone mass and microarchitecture were measured by micro-computed tomography (µCT). Osteoblastic and osteoclastic cell maturation and function were assessed in primary bone marrow cell cultures. Bone turnover was assessed by biochemical markers and dynamic bone histomorphometry. Real-time PCR was used to monitor the expression of several genes that regulate osteoblast maturation and function in whole bone. We found that trabecular bone mass measurements in distal femurs and lumbar vertebral bodies were 22% and 51% lower in female and 9% and 33% lower in male sFRP1 Tg mice, respectively, compared with wild-type (WT) controls at 3 months of age. Genes associated with osteoblast maturation and function, serum bone formation markers, and surface based bone formation were significantly decreased in sFRP1 Tg mice of both sexes. Bone resorption was similar between sFRP1 Tg and WT females and was higher in sFRP1 Tg male mice. Treatment with hPTH(1-34) (40 µg/kg/d) for 2 weeks increased trabecular bone volume in WT mice (females: +30% to 50%; males: +35% to 150%) compared with sFRP1 Tg mice (females: +5%; males: +18% to 54%). Percentage increases in bone formation also were lower in PTH-treated sFRP1 Tg mice compared with PTH-treated WT mice. In conclusion, overexpression of sFRP1 inhibited bone formation as well as attenuated PTH anabolic action on bone. The gender differences in the bone phenotype of the sFRP1 Tg animal warrants further investigation. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Researc