From Movement to Choice: Ontic and Deontic Freedom in Video Games

Abstract According to the vast majority of game scholars, freedom is very important for games, relatively both to the dynamics which constitute their syntax properties and to the contents which give a framework to their semantics. But which is the type of freedom involved in games? Early computer games provided a freedom based on movement and interaction (ontic freedom). The notion of movement has been deeply grounded upon that of spatiality: the exploration of computer gaming spatiality is enacted by players through the interaction with a system of affordances, which in any case must be conceived by the very same players within a fictional context confining their behaviours in a state of psychological and ontological quarantine. Understanding the roles of fiction and interaction in defining the structure of games leads to discover that but the technical development of the representation of real time movement has created the possibility of implementing also a type of freedom based on choice and fiction (deontic freedom). In any case, almost all computer games provide just a negative freedom, i.e. a freedom from external constraints, whereas only few computer games provide a positive freedom based on social engagement

Gamebooks and branching narratives in education: fostering sustainability competences to promote positive social change

Gamebooks and branching narratives are a specific form of interactive literature that allows the reader to participate in the story, making decisions that affect its final outcome. We describe one case-study of introducing branching stories in the context of higher education, and discuss how it possibly enhanced communication and collaboration skills as well as prosocial attitudes. We further generalize this experience to discuss how educators can use branching narratives to promote positive social change. To this aim, we clarify what social development and sustainability competences are, and show how educational activities based on branching narratives can effectively promote their acquisition

A multilevel data integration resource for breast cancer study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types. Due to the complexity of this disease, it is important to face its study with an integrated and multilevel approach, from genes, transcripts and proteins to molecular networks, cell populations and tissues. According to the systems biology perspective, the biological functions arise from complex networks: in this context, concepts like molecular pathways, protein-protein interactions (PPIs), mathematical models and ontologies play an important role for dissecting such complexity. RESULTS: In this work we present the Genes-to-Systems Breast Cancer (G2SBC) Database, a resource which integrates data about genes, transcripts and proteins reported in literature as altered in breast cancer cells. Beside the data integration, we provide an ontology based query system and analysis tools related to intracellular pathways, PPIs, protein structure and systems modelling, in order to facilitate the study of breast cancer using a multilevel perspective. The resource is available at the URL http://www.itb.cnr.it/breastcancer. CONCLUSIONS: The G2SBC Database represents a systems biology oriented data integration approach devoted to breast cancer. By means of the analysis capabilities provided by the web interface, it is possible to overcome the limits of reductionist resources, enabling predictions that can lead to new experiments

On the Relationship Between the Optical Emission-Line and X-ray Luminosities in Seyfert 1 Galaxies

We have explored the relationship between the [O III] $\lambda$5007 and the 2--10 keV luminosities for a sample of Broad- and Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLSy1 and NLSy1, respectively). We find that both types of Seyferts span the same range in luminosity and possess similar [O III]/X-ray ratios. The NLSy1s are more luminous than BLSy1s, when normalized to their central black hole masses, which is attributed to higher mass accretion rates. However, we find no evidence for elevated [O III]/X-ray ratios in NLSy1s, which would have been expected if they had excess EUV continuum emission compared to BLSy1s. Also, other studies suggest that the gas in narrow-line regions (NLR) of NLSy1s and NLSy1s span a similar range in ionization, contrary to what is expected if those of the former are exposed to a stronger flux of EUV radiation. The simplest interpretation is that, like BLSy1s, a large EUV bump is not present in NLSy1s. However, we show that the [OIII]/X-ray ratio can be lowered as a result of absorption of the ionizing continuum by gas close to the central source, although there is no evidence that intrinsic line-of-sight absorption is more common among NLSy1s, as would be expected if there were a larger amount of circumnuclear gas. Other possible explanations include: 1) anisotropic emission of the ionizing radiation, 2) higher gas densities in the NLR of NLSy1s, resulting in lower average ionization, or 3) the presence of strong winds in the the nuclei of NLSy1s which may drive off much of the gas in the narrow-line region, resulting in lower cover fraction and weaker [O III] emission.Comment: 18 pages, including 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Performance of the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus in early disease, across sexes and ethnicities.

Funder: American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000960Funder: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000069Funder: European League Against Rheumatism; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008741OBJECTIVES: The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2019 Classification Criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been validated with high sensitivity and specificity. We evaluated the performance of the new criteria with regard to disease duration, sex and race/ethnicity, and compared its performance against the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012 and ACR 1982/1997 criteria. METHODS: Twenty-one SLE centres from 16 countries submitted SLE cases and mimicking controls to form the validation cohort. The sensitivity and specificity of the EULAR/ACR 2019, SLICC 2012 and ACR 1982/1997 criteria were evaluated. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of female (n=1098), male (n=172), Asian (n=118), black (n=68), Hispanic (n=124) and white (n=941) patients; with an SLE duration of 1 to <3 years (n=196) and ≥5 years (n=879). Among patients with 1 to <3 years disease duration, the EULAR/ACR criteria had better sensitivity than the ACR criteria (97% vs 81%). The EULAR/ACR criteria performed well in men (sensitivity 93%, specificity 96%) and women (sensitivity 97%, specificity 94%). Among women, the EULAR/ACR criteria had better sensitivity than the ACR criteria (97% vs 83%) and better specificity than the SLICC criteria (94% vs 82%). Among white patients, the EULAR/ACR criteria had better sensitivity than the ACR criteria (95% vs 83%) and better specificity than the SLICC criteria (94% vs 83%). The EULAR/ACR criteria performed well among black patients (sensitivity of 98%, specificity 100%), and had better sensitivity than the ACR criteria among Hispanic patients (100% vs 86%) and Asian patients (97% vs 77%). CONCLUSIONS: The EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria perform well among patients with early disease, men, women, white, black, Hispanic and Asian patients. These criteria have superior sensitivity than the ACR criteria and/or superior specificity than the SLICC criteria across many subgroups

A mouse-human phase 1 co-clinical trial of a protease-activated fluorescent probe for imaging cancer

Local recurrence is a common cause of treatment failure for patients with solid tumors. Intraoperative detection of microscopic residual cancer in the tumor bed could be used to decrease the risk of a positive surgical margin, reduce rates of reexcision, and tailor adjuvant therapy. We used a protease-activated fluorescent imaging probe, LUM015, to detect cancer in vivo in a mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and ex vivo in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial. In mice, intravenous injection of LUM015 labeled tumor cells, and residual fluorescence within the tumor bed predicted local recurrence. In 15 patients with STS or breast cancer, intravenous injection of LUM015 before surgery was well tolerated. Imaging of resected human tissues showed that fluorescence from tumor was significantly higher than fluorescence from normal tissues. LUM015 biodistribution, pharmacokinetic profiles, and metabolism were similar in mouse and human subjects. Tissue concentrations of LUM015 and its metabolites, including fluorescently labeled lysine, demonstrated that LUM015 is selectively distributed to tumors where it is activated by proteases. Experiments in mice with a constitutively active PEGylated fluorescent imaging probe support a model where tumor-selective probe distribution is a determinant of increased fluorescence in cancer. These co-clinical studies suggest that the tumor specificity of protease-activated imaging probes, such as LUM015, is dependent on both biodistribution and enzyme activity. Our first-in-human data support future clinical trials of LUM015 and other protease-sensitive probes