Developing Interactive Elicitation: Social Desirability Bias and Capturing Play

Drawing on research from a mixed-methods project on gaming we argue for a qualitative methodological approach called “interactive elicitation,” a form of data collection that combines elements of photo elicitation, interviewing and vignettes. After situating our broader research project exploring young people’s experiences of violent open-world video games, we outline the process of conducting interactive elicitation, arguing for a mixed-methods approach where participants are observed and interviewed both during and immediately after interacting with particular cultural artefacts, in this case the game GTA V. We reflect on the initial design of the research methodology, the problematic aspects of conducting the research – focusing on social desirability bias – before proffering adaptations to our approach in relation to complementary work in the field of Game Studies. Ultimately, we argue for immediacy in relation to research on cultural experiences and the importance of social desirability as an asset in framing interaction, both of which have implications for sociological and interdisciplinary research more widely

Neuromechanical modelling of C. elegans locomotion: proprioceptive feedback in the ventral nerve cord

The simple undulatory gait of the small nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, along with its well characterised nervous system make it an ideal organism for studying the neural control of locomotion. Smooth mechanical propagating waves propel the worm's body through a wide variety of environments as a result of both highly coordinated motor output and finely tuned body mechanics. Inspired by previous modelling efforts, I employ an updated neuromechanical model to identify the effects of neural and mechanical modulation of C. elegans' locomotory gait and explore underlying control mechanisms, with a focus on proprioceptive feedback in the ventral nerve cord. I investigate interactions between body elasticity and fluid viscosity to highlight a fundamental condition for mechanically induced gait modulation, and quantitatively match this modulation with experimental results to predict the worm's material parameters under the model assumptions. By considering characteristics unique to proprioceptive neurons, I show how manifestations of internal gait modulation contrast that of external modulation. Manipulating the strength of various inhibitory connections within the nerve cord suggest that GABAergic connections impact locomotion in qualitatively different ways depending on location. Inhibition at the neuromuscular junctions may be used to control undulation frequency across multiple environments, while asymmetric neural inhibition supports robust high frequency undulations, in line with existing model predictions. Recent experimental work evidences simultaneous, independently driven oscillations with different frequencies along the body when anterior and posterior regions are isolated by external inhibition. By inhibiting anterior muscles in model worms, I find that purely proprioceptive control is capable of qualitatively capturing multiple frequency undulations. In such conditions the effects of neural coupling appear to dominate mechanical coupling, at least during crawling

The Right to the Virtual City: Rural Retreatism in Open-World Video

This paper uses Lefebvre’s (1991) spatial triad and his concept of The Right to the City (1968) to categorise open-world video games as contested virtual spatial experiences, interconnected with the non-virtual spaces in which they are produced and played and replete with the same spatial, capital forces of alienation to be negotiated and maintained. We use qualitative gameplay data (n=15), unpacking players’ journeys through Lefebvre’s conceived, lived and perceived spaces, to show, respectively, how open-world games can be (1) fundamentally about space, (2) spaces interconnected with the non-virtual world and (3) disruptive spatial experiences. In utilising The Right to the Virtual City and our players’ tendency to retreat into the wild spaces of our case study game, Red Dead Redemption 2, we evoke the same alienating forces of commodification and capitalism to which Lefebvre spoke, positioning open-world video games as both contested spatial experiences and opportunities to challenge spatialized inequalities

The Reification of Structural Violence in Video Games

The Grand Theft Auto franchise features prominently within existing research exploring graphic, virtual, lawless, and damagingly realistic interpersonal violence within video games. Following a review of this literature, we empirically interrogate notions of the ‘realistic’ and the ‘violent’ during gameplay, finding that the undertones of systemic, structural, capitalistic violence are experienced by players as providing the gritty sense of the ‘real’ that the game has been criticised for. Using Galtung’s concept of ‘structural violence’ and Žižek’s notion of the ‘real’, we unpack structural violence as the forerunning violent experience in the open world game. Due to the hidden and subdued nature of this violence, often taken for granted and experienced passively, we argue that it is the most impactful player experience that simultaneously makes the game playable and contextualises violent game activities. For cultural criminology, our data suggest that embedded and discrete forms of violence should be the leading edge of concern when studying the digital economy and playable forms of social harm

Osteoprotegerin antibodies in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common complication of many autoimmune diseases that is typically attributed to disease specific factors rather than a direct autoimmune process. This thesis arises from the investigation of a patient with severe high bone turnover osteoporosis who was identified as having autoimmune disease but whose osteoporosis deteriorated despite appropriate treatment. This presentation led to the hypothesis that neutralising autoantibodies to the bone protective cytokine osteoprotegerin (OPG) may have developed. Serum from the index patient, but not healthy controls, was able to immunoprecipitate recombinant OPG protein, demonstrating that OPG had become the target of an autoimmune response. Purified immunoglobulins from the index case were able to inhibit the function of OPG in vitro, by suppressing OPG-mediated inhibition of a luciferase reporter cell line. This represents the first description of disease associated with neutralising antibodies to OPG. Whilst the immunoprecipitation assay did identify OPG antibodies in further patients these results were difficult to quantify. A more robust enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for OPG antibodies was developed using OPG as a capture antigen, which allowed the screening of patient cohorts. Presence of OPG antibodies was defined as a titre greater than the mean plus three standard deviations of 101 healthy volunteers. A low prevalence of 14/864 (1.6%) was seen in a general population cohort and no association with bone density or turnover was seen. An association with higher vascular calcification score in this cohort requires replication. A prevalence of 37/315 (11.7%) was seen in an osteoporosis cohort though no association was seen with bone density or response to treatment. In a coeliac cohort OPG antibodies were identified in 14/282 (5.0%) patients and presence of antibody was independently associated with reduced spine bone density. Functional inhibition of OPG was shown in vitro in 3/14 (21.4%) of the positive cases. Case finding of osteoporosis in the coeliac cohort was not improved by identification of OPG antibodies. These results are consistent with OPG antibodies being pathological in a small number of patients with osteoporosis but a clinical utility of measuring OPG antibodies has not been established

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700