Session 1. Videogames

Videogame localization: from development to the end user experience / Itziar Zorrakin-Goikoetxea (University of the Basque Country) ; There is a place for accessibility in the games / Victória Albuquerque Silva (Universidade de Brasília) ; Fun for all: exploring new ways to improve game accessibility for blind players / María Eugenia Larreina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Carme Mangiron (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; You have rules… so what? Neologisms and anglicisms in video games localized for the French-Canadian market / Julie Pigeon (Université du Québec en Outaouais). Chair: Estel-la Oncins (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Audio description in video games? Persons with visual disabilities weigh in

In recent years, important advances have taken place to improve game accessibility for all types of players. However, audio description (AD), the access service that translates images into words, is yet to be widely implemented in mainstream games. This paper presents part of the results of the Researching Audio Description Project: Translation, Delivery and New Scenarios (RAD). One of the main objectives of the project is to investigate the potential inclusion of AD in video games in order to improve their accessibility and to contribute to a more enjoyable experience for persons with visual disabilities. First, the evolution of game accessibility is discussed, including the latest developments in the feld, both from the industry and research perspectives. Secondly, the RAD Project is presented. Thirdly, the data collected from a survey addressed to blind and low vision persons in Spain is described, for which 106 valid answers were received. Survey topics include the game accessibility barriers encountered by participants, their desired solutions, and their interest in the potential application of AD. Finally, results are discussed regarding similar studies, limitations, and future research. Survey participants are interested in including AD in video games, particularly in non-interactive sections such as cutscenes. Other pressing issues for the game industry regarding accessibility are improving screen reader compatibility, enhancing sounds, and exploring the technical feasibility of game AD in real-time action

Multicultivar and multivariate study of the natural variation for grapevine bunch compactness

[Background and Aims] Grapevine bunch compactness is an important trait with impact on fruit quality, mainly affecting the susceptibility to bunch rot. Many and different variables have been reported to have a significant influence on the variation of bunch compactness in particular cultivars, but little is known about the role of such variables in a wider framework. The aim of this work was to identify and weight the features responsible for the natural variation in bunch compactness in a large and diverse grapevine collection.[Methods and Results] Different statistical tests were sequentially applied to select the determining variables most influencing bunch compactness. Significant and low correlation was obtained for most of the variables studied for three consecutive seasons, confirming the multifactorial nature of this trait. Multivariate analyses indicated that there are three groups of variables with a significant influence on bunch compactness. Two groups, represented by the total number of berries per bunch and by the length of the first ramification of the bunch, are major factors responsible for the trait variation, whereas berry dimensions have a secondary role.[Conclusions] Bunch compactness is defined by the difference between its morphological (apparent) volume and its actual (solid) volume. The results showed that the actual volume is mainly determined by the total number of berries, whereas the morphological volume also depends on its spatial arrangement, determined by the architecture of the rachis.[Significance of the Study] This is the first multiyear study of bunch compactness at a multicultivar level, and it has allowed the selection and weighting of the main variables affecting the trait. These variables are suitable targets to study the underlying genetics of the trait. © 2015 Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology Inc.This work was supported by the Spanish MINECO (AGL2010-15694). Mr Javier Tello acknowledges the MINECO for his predoctoral fellowship (BES-2011–047041).Peer Reviewe

VizieR Online Data Catalog: 3D shape of Orion A from Gaia DR2 (Grossschedl+, 2018)

VizieR On-line Data Catalog: J/A+A/619/A106. Originally published in: 2018A&A...619A.106GCatalog of the 682 YSOs, used to infer on the cloud's shape. We use Gaia DR2 parallaxes of these YSOs, which can be used as a good proxy for cloud distances in Orion A. (1 data file)

Earliest Known Human Burial in Africa

The origin and evolution of hominin mortuary practices are topics of intense interest and debate1–3. Human burials dated to the Middle Stone Age (MSA) are exceedingly rare in Africa and unknown in East Africa1–6. Here we describe the partial skeleton of a roughly 2.5- to 3.0-year-old child dating to 78.3 ± 4.1 thousand years ago, which was recovered in the MSA layers of Panga ya Saidi (PYS), a cave site in the tropical upland coast of Kenya7,8. Recent excavations have revealed a pit feature containing a child in a flexed position. Geochemical, granulometric and micromorphological analyses of the burial pit content and encasing archaeological layers indicate that the pit was deliberately excavated. Taphonomical evidence, such as the strict articulation or good anatomical association of the skeletal elements and histological evidence of putrefaction, support the in-place decomposition of the fresh body. The presence of little or no displacement of the unstable joints during decomposition points to an interment in a filled space (grave earth), making the PYS finding the oldest known human burial in Africa. The morphological assessment of the partial skeleton is consistent with its assignment to Homo sapiens, although the preservation of some primitive features in the dentition supports increasing evidence for non-gradual assembly of modern traits during the emergence of our species. The PYS burial sheds light on how MSA populations interacted with the dead. The earliest known human burial in Africa, that of a young child, is dated to around 78,000 years ago