‘Valar Dohaeris’: Problems of Transmedia Storytelling in Game of Thrones

More than fifty over five complete seasons. Five books, thousands of pages. Seven kingdoms, seven hells, one Lord of Light, and one true king, and upwards of two hundred characters! Describing the Game of Thrones series as “epic” is an understatement. If you haven’t read George R. R. Martin’s series, A Song of Ice and Fire, or if you haven’t seen the very successful and critically acclaimed HBO television series, you may not know that each episode of Game of Thrones, like those novels, is comprised of a series of vignettes that focus on a particular character, charting each individual’s narrative journey in short bursts. While serialized, character-based storytelling is far from new, the epic scale of Game of Thrones balloons this method to new levels. The series comes to follow over thirty major characters and include over two hundred minor characters over the five seasons and five books…which are soon to be six and seven books, and who knows how many additional viewing seasons. While the television program’s creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, should be lauded for their attention to maintaining Martin’s written narrative style in a genre that has seen its share of paltry screen adaptations, the program’s storytelling, like the novels, fragments character and plot development. By the time viewers are midway through Season 1, which focuses mainly on the Stark family, there are already too many major characters to get “everyone” into a single, one-hour episode, and this practice continues (and snowballs) as the show progresses and more characters and complexities are added to the narrative. What are the effects of these fragmentary narrative characteristics for viewers, and what might their purpose be

Expanding the use of real-time electromagnetic tracking in radiation oncology.

In the past 10 years, techniques to improve radiotherapy delivery, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) for both inter- and intrafraction tumor localization, and hypofractionated delivery techniques such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), have evolved tremendously. This review article focuses on only one part of that evolution, electromagnetic tracking in radiation therapy. Electromagnetic tracking is still a growing technology in radiation oncology and, as such, the clinical applications are limited, the expense is high, and the reimbursement is insufficient to cover these costs. At the same time, current experience with electromagnetic tracking applied to various clinical tumor sites indicates that the potential benefits of electromagnetic tracking could be significant for patients receiving radiation therapy. Daily use of these tracking systems is minimally invasive and delivers no additional ionizing radiation to the patient, and these systems can provide explicit tumor motion data. Although there are a number of technical and fiscal issues that need to be addressed, electromagnetic tracking systems are expected to play a continued role in improving the precision of radiation delivery

Prevalence of Sarcocystis calchasi in free-ranging host species: Accipiter hawks and Common Woodpigeon in Germany

The apicomplexan parasite Sarcocystis calchasi (S. calchasi) triggers pigeon protozoal encephalitis, a neurologic disease in columbids. Accipiter hawks have been identified as the final host, and Columbidae and Psittaciformes as intermediate hosts. In this study, 368 free-ranging Accipiter hawks and 647 free-ranging common woodpigeons were sampled in a country-wide study in order to identify the prevalence of S. calchasi in these populations. A semi-nested PCR specific for S. calchasi tested positive in 7.3% (4.9-10.5) of submitted samples from Accipiter hawks. Juvenile Accipiter hawks (13.7%; 7.7-22.0) had a significantly higher infection rate with S. calchasi than adult Accipiter hawks (5.8%; 2.7-9.3). The prevalence of S. calchasi in common woodpigeons was 3.3% (5.4-9.7). Positive pigeons were identified in 14/16 federal states, and a region-dependency was detected, with higher rates of infection in the eastern parts of Germany. The results of this study suggest that the common woodpigeon is a natural reservoir for S. calchasi. In a study of one region for four consecutive years, an increase in prevalence was not detected. Findings indicate that the parasite is not newly introduced to Germany, but rather long established. The prevalence suggests that there is a substantial risk of S. calchasi infections in other free-ranging as well as captive host species

How did a lower drink‐drive limit affect bar trade and drinking practices?:A qualitative study of how alcohol retailers experienced a change in policy

Introduction and Aims Reducing the legal drink-drive limit from 0.08% to 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can reduce road traffic accidents and deaths if properly enforced. Reduced limits may be opposed by alcohol retail and manufacturing industries on the basis of commercial impact. Our aim was to qualitatively explore how a reduction in the drink-drive limit from 0.08% to 0.05% BAC in Scotland, was experienced by bar owners or managers, including any resultant changes in customer drinking or business practice. This is the first study of this type. Design and Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 owners and managers of on-trade premises in Scotland in 2018, approximately 3 years after the drink-drive limit was reduced. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Most participants reported no long-term financial impact on their business, but a few, mainly from rural areas, reported some reduction in alcohol sales. Observed drinking changes included fewer people drinking after work or leaving premises earlier on weekdays. Adaptations to businesses included improving the range of no/low-alcohol drinks and food offered. Changes such as these were seen as key to minimising economic impact. Discussion and Conclusions Opposition to legislative measures that impact on commercial interests is often strong and receives significant public attention. This study found that Scottish businesses that adapted to the drink-drive limit change reported little long-term economic impact. These findings are of international relevance as potential BAC limit reductions in several other jurisdictions remain the subject of debate, including regarding the impact on business

Evaluating the Efficacy of Elaborative Strategies for Remembering Expository Text

This study investigated whether elaborative interrogation would be an effective learning strategy for lengthy expository text. One hundred undergraduates (65 females and 35 males) comprised the study's five experimental groups: (a) unsupported elaborative interrogation, (b) self-study, (c) repetition, (d) elaborative interrogation with preunderlined main ideas, and (e) elaborative interrogation with preunderlined main ideas plus structured why questions. All students read an eight-page passage on childhood education, studied the main ideas (preidentified or not), used their instructed strategies, and completed a free recall and multiple-choice test. Of interest is that in unsupported conditions students had difficulty recognizing the main ideas in the passage. Elaborative interrogation was maximized when supported with preunderlined ideas and also was enhanced by providing specific why questions in addition to preunderlined ideas.Cette étude visait à déterminer si l'interrogation elaborative représenterait une stratégie d'apprentissage efficace pour de longues rédactions descriptives. Cent étudiants du premier cycle (65 femmes et 35 hommes) ont été répartis parmi les cinq groupes expérimentaux de l étude: (a) l'interrogation elaborative sans appui, (b) l'étude auto-dirigée, (c) la répétition, (d) l'interrogation elaborative avec les idées principales soulignées, et (e) l'interrogation elaborative avec les idées principales soulignées et des questions structurées sur l'adverbe "pourquoi". Tous les étudiants ont lu un texte de huit pages sur l'éducation des enfants, étudié les idées principales (soulignées ou non), mis en pratique les stratégies qu'on leur avait suggérées et complété un test de rappel libre et un test composé de questions à choix multiples. Il est intéressant de noter que les étudiants qui n'avaient pas reçu d'appui ont manifesté de la difficulté dans l'identification des idées principales. L'interrogation elaborative a profité le plus à ceux pour qui on avait souligné les idées principales. Le fait d'ajouter des questions précises structurées sur l'adverbe "pourquoi" a également rendu l'apprentissage plus efficace

MEASURING & MONITORING Plant Populations

The root of the word monitoring means to warn, and an essential purpose of monitoring is to raise a warning flag that the current course of action is not working. Monitoring is a powerful tool for identifying problems in the early stages, before they become dramatically obvious or crises. If identified early, problems can be addressed while cost-effective solutions are still available. For example, an invasive species that threatens a rare plant population is much easier to control at the initial stages of invasion, compared to eradicating it once it is well established at a site. Monitoring is also critical for measuring management success. Good monitoring can demonstrate that the current management approach is working and provide evidence supporting the continuation of current management

Can We Institute Medical Trust? An exploratory case study of patient-staff relations at a community health center in the Mississippi Delta

The purpose of this study was to use the concept of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model and the case of the community health center (CHC) to explore social interaction and trust between patients and medical providers. While the PCMH model is being championed as revolutionizing and improving healthcare delivery, little evidence has yet to support the formation of basic social and health mechanisms, such as trust, that would result in positive health outcomes. The model’s guidelines focus more on healthcare organization and information technology than developing interpersonal relationships and adapting services to meet the specific needs of diverse populations. Utilizing participant observation and informal interviews, qualitative evidence suggests that context-specific details may have more impact on healthcare delivery than methods currently addressed in the PCMH guidelines themselves

Books and readers, 1596; a survey and analysis of all books printed in England or in English abroad during the year 1596

This thesis attempts to capture the temper of English life in 1596 through the medium of its extant printed works. It examines all of the extant printed works from that year in the fields of religion, the arts, education and learning, government and topical publications against the general background of the English Renaissance and the particular background of English life in 1596

Effects of Website Interactivity on Skin Cancer-Related Intentions and User Experience: Factorial Randomized Experiment

BACKGROUND: Digital media technologies provide users with the ability to interact with content and to receive information based on their preferences and engagement. OBJECTIVE: We used skin cancer and sun protection as a health topic to explore how modality interactivity, interface tools that afford users greater activity, resulting in greater depth and breadth of mentally representing and experiencing mediated content, and message interactivity, the extent to which the system allows users to exchange messages back and forth on health websites, influenced users\u27 attitudes, knowledge, behavioral intentions, and experience. METHODS: We employed a 2×2 (modality interactivity: high vs low; message interactivity: high vs low) between-subject online experiment for which 4 websites were created. Participants (n=293) were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and randomly assigned into to 1 of 4 conditions. After browsing the website, participants completed an online survey regarding their experience and cognitive perceptions. General linear models and path analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Both modality interactivity (P = .001) and message interactivity (P \u3c .001) had an impact on intention to use sun protection. Attitudes toward health websites and perceived knowledge mediated the effects of modality interactivity and message interactivity on sun protection use intention, individually. Participants in the high modality interactivity and high message interactivity condition felt more satisfied (P = .02). Participants in the low message interactivity condition had more interest in the experience with health websites than participants in the high message interactivity condition (P = .044). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that modality interactivity influenced intention to use sun protection directly as well as via attitudes toward the websites. Message interactivity impacted intention to use sunscreen directly and also through perceived knowledge. Implications for designing health websites and health intervention content are discussed