Tweeting the Olympic Games

From the introduction of television at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games to its transformation into 3D broadcasting at London 2012, media innovation has always surrounded the Olympics (Miah & Garcia 2012). As such, the broader context of a debate about London 2012’s new media production must be situated within the Olympic industry’s wider relationship with the media, where exclusive contracts with television broadcasters and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s commitment to reaching the widest possible audience have been key to its financial stability over the last 30 years (Payne 2006). Yet the new media story of the Olympics is still relatively new, with Atlanta 1996 being the first Games to even have a website (Toohey & Warning 2000). In less than 20 years, the world has seen the rise and fall of the dot-com era and the growth of Google, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress and Vimeo, to mention just a few. The web has shifted from a point-and-click static, Web 1.0, html environment, to a dynamic, xml, Web 2.0 architecture, where content can be republished, shared and embedded elsewhere at the stroke of a touchpad. • Miah, A. (2014) Tweeting the Olympic Games, in Girginov, V. The Routledge Handbook of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Volume 2, Oxon, Routledge, pp.96-10

How do esports companies support their community’s wellness?

Background: With the growing professionalisation of esports, there is greater public scrutiny of the health and wellness of their communities, but no research outlining the approaches taken by esports companies to deploy services and support. Aims: This paper aims to understand the prevalence and effectiveness of wellness initiatives within the esports industry, so as to inform best practice, knowledge of critical concerns, and pathways to greater provision for esports professionals. Methods & Results: The research identified a sample of 70 gaming companies (developers/publishers, game titles, streaming platforms, tournament organizers), based on their prominence within the international gaming industry. Subsequently, it undertook a qualitative analysis of their public, digital assets to identify evidence of policies, programmes, and partnerships that aim to support the wellness of the esports community. Conclusion: There is a varied and fragmented approach to wellness monitoring and support across the esports industry. Mostly, the approach is reactionary, with little evidence of cross-platform conversations on minimal or ideal standards or monitoring processes to determine their effectiveness. The paper argues on behalf of an integrated, in-platform solution, which provides comparability and shared ownership with the healthcare sector

The cybersport nexus

Exercise machines increasingly incorporate computer-controlled motion and force feedback and will eventually become reactive robotic sports partners.…Today’s rudimentary, narrowband video games will evolve into physically engaging telesports

Initial visioning and planning for policy change with partners and other BDC projects

The objectives are this vision document are to: 1) suggest guidelines and steps towards deiserble policy shifts; 2) compile an understanding of the issues and probable technical solutions that require appropriate policy shifts, based on the experiences of different development partners working in these areas; and 3) envision outcomes for the four components of the GBDC

Yield determinants of a promising mungbean line under various planting densities

A field experiment was conducted during September to November, 1992 at the Regional Agricultural Reseach Station (RARS), Ishurdi, Bangladesh, to evaluate the growth performance of a mungbean line (cv. Mosk-I) under varying plant population densities. The treatments consisted of 20 x 10', 30 x 10', 40 x 10', 50 x 10', 60 x 10' and 70 x 10' plants ha-1. The lowest plant population density recorded the highest total dry matter (TDM) plant-1, crop growth rare (CGR), and pods plantl, while higher plant population (i.e. 50 or 60 plants m-2) produced the highest grain yield (> 1.30 t ha-1) and higher TDM per unit area. TDM, leaJ and pod dry matUir were positively correlated with grain yield. In contrast, stem and petiole dry matter showed negative correlation with grain yield

Word-length optimization of folded polynomial evaluation

Published versio

Shifting Cultivation and its Alternatives in Bangladesh: Productivity, Risk and Discount Rates

This study evaluates the economic feasibility of replacing shifting cultivation (Jhum) with settled agriculture and new soil conservation technology based on an assessment of the farmers’ risk and corresponding discount rates in the Khagrachari hill district of Bangladesh. Shifting cultivation can cause top soil loss, degradation of soil quality, and decrease in crop yield but significant improvements in yields could also be achieved with increased fallowing. On the other hand, the use of soil conservation technology is found to be highly profitable. The study finds that the social discount rate is a crucial factor determining the switch from shifting cultivation to new soil conservation methods. Jhum farmers are likely to switch to the new technology in a 3-year rotation scheme only if their rate of discount is below 58%. On the other hand, farmers with a 6- year rotation would switch as long as their discount rate is less 33%. Because they discount the future rather heavily, poor farmers with short fallows would require very high returns to tempt them to adopt a new type of farming. High initial cost of establishment, long gestation period, and unclear customary rights are additional deterrents to the adoption of soil conservation technology. The study concludes that these problems can be overcome if financial support and technical assistance are made available

Online Education and its Effect on the workforce

The use of technology in education, commonly defined as electronic learning (e-learning), is commonplace in the curricula of the 21st century. The role of e-learning in professional development and workforce advancement, and more specifically, its impact on Louisiana`s workforce, was analyzed. Broader statewide efforts to address barriers and challenges that impact local adult learning opportunities are also examined. This paper also reviews the benefits of online education as it impacts on students, institutions, state and federal government, and the society in its entirety. Two models are proposed: the first addresses outreach programs to improve enrollment and retention of adult students; the second discusses methodologies to ensure the successful implementation of online programs to help those adult students to succeed

Straighthead disease of rice (Oryza sativa L.) induced by arsenic toxicity

Straighthead disease is a physiological disorder of rice (Oryza sativa L.) characterized by sterility of the florates/spikelets leading to reduced grain yield. Though the exact cause of straighthead is unknown, a glass house experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of inorganic arsenic on straighthead disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.). BRRI dhan 29, a popular Bangladeshi rice strain, was grown in soils spiked with arsenic (prepared from sodium arsenate, Na2HAsO4·7H2O) at the rate of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 mg of As kg-1 and one control treatment was also run to compare the results. Although there may be some other soil physico-chemical factors involved, arsenic concentration was found to be closely associated with straighthead of rice. With the increase of soil arsenic concentration, the severity of straighthead increased significantly. Up to the 50 mg of As kg-1 soil treatments, the severity of straighthead incidences were not prevalent. Straighthead resulted in sterile florets with distorted lemma and palea, reduced plant height, tillering, panicle length and grain yield. Straighthead caused approximately 17-100% sterile florates/spikelets formation and about 16-100% loss of grain yield. Straighthead also causes the reduction of panicle formation and panicle length significantly (p < 0.01). In the present study, panicle formation was found to be reduced by 21-95% by straighthead. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved