The Poetics of Game Narratives

In this final week we will look at the tensions between ludology and narratology in games design, in effect how the agency of games has been reconciled with the dramatic requirements (and lack of agency) in narrative. I will argue that there are two broad approaches, the mainstream method of concentrating in the Fabula, and a method pioneered by many indie games of fusing narrative and play. We will look in more detail at what this might mean in terms of thematic cohesion, diegetic choices, and mechanics and metaphor. Finally we look at Spec Ops: The Line, as a rare example of a AAA title that takes this fusion approach. Looking at how the game uses many of the techniques we have explored.

Turing’s imitation game and human thought

In 1950, the English mathematician Alan Mathison Turing proposed the basis of what some authors consider the test that a machine must pass to establish that it can think. This test is basically a game; nevertheless, it has had great infl uence in the development of the theories of the mind performance. The game specifications and some of its repercussions in the conception of thinking, the consciousness and the human will, will be ramifications of the path that will take us through the beginning of the artificial intelligence, passing along some of its singular manifestations, to culminate in the posing of certain restrictions of its fundaments.

Psychometric properties of the scale NBAS applied to preterm or low birth weight

Objective: to assess, in a randomized sample of measurements made with the NBAS scale, in preterm and / or low birth weight babies, some psychometric characteristics of the same as her construct validity and internal consistency. Materials and methods: we designed a study of assessment of Psychometric properties. From a study of cross-sectional measurements, there were made assessment of the statistic behavior of the items, individually and in their internal consistency, then, there were carried out, type exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: we find that, in the analysis of preterm or low birth weight babies, the scale remains largely, the overall structure of factors proposed since 1982, in relation to the dimensions of habituation, social interactive and complementary. The items that make up the dimensions of SNA and motor systems are integrated. Also, we found Cronbach alpha values for internal consistency, which reflects higher to medium correlation levels in the behavioral and reflex items. Conclusion: the NBAS scale reflects characteristics of construct validity and internal consistency, which credits it as a useful tool in clinical assessment of neurodevelopmental effects of preterm or low birth weight babies. It is necessary to analyze the structure of the scale when used for purposes of scientific research.

Analysis of the alveolar recruitment maneuvers applied at seven intensive care units

Introduction: During the past years, alveolar recruitment maneuvers (RM) have produced growing interest due to their beneficial potential in pulmonary protection, and have been introduced in clinical practice. Objective: To describe and analyze the knowledge of MR and its application at seven intensive care units in the city of Cali, Colombia. Methods and materials: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study with an intentional sample of 64 professionals working in seven intensive care units and who apply MR. The self-completed survey was made up of thirteen questions, and the application period was two months. Results: Out of 64 professionals surveyed, 77.8% of them follow a protocol guide; 54.7% employes during RM the ideal Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), which maintains a saturation > 90% and a PaO2 > 60 mmHg; 42.1% tolerates airway pressures between 35 and 50 cmH2O; 48.4% perform RM with a progressive increase of the PEEP and a low tidal volume. Conclusions: Regarding the knowledge related to RM, heterogeneity was found in the answers. There is currently no consensus about which is the most effective and secure way to implement an MR. This study can be the starting point to create awareness towards the revision of knowledge, capacities and abilities that are required to perform RM.

On the exhaustiveness of truncation and dropping strategies in many-to-many matching markets

We consider two–sided many–to–many matching markets in which each worker may work for multiple firms and each firm may hire multiple workers. We study individual and group manipulations in centralized markets that employ (pairwise) stable mechanisms and that require participants to submit rank order lists of agents on the other side of the market. We are interested in simple preference manipulations that have been reported and studied in empirical and theoretical work: truncation strategies, which are the lists obtained by removing a tail of least preferred partners from a preference list, and the more general dropping strategies, which are the lists obtained by only removing partners from a preference list (i.e., no reshuffling). We study when truncation / dropping strategies are exhaustive for a group of agents on the same side of the market, i.e., when each match resulting from preference manipulations can be replicated or improved upon by some truncation / dropping strategies. We prove that for each stable mechanism, truncation strategies are exhaustive for each agent with quota 1 (Theorem 1). We show that this result cannot be extended neither to group manipulations (even when all quotas equal 1 – Example 1), nor to individual manipulations when the agent’s quota is larger than 1 (even when all other agents’ quotas equal 1 – Example 2). Finally, we prove that for each stable mechanism, dropping strategies are exhaustive for each group of agents on the same side of the market (Theorem 2), i.e., independently of the quotas.

Conflict and negotiation: a game theoretical approach

We study economic conflicts using a game theoretical approach. We model a conflict between two agents where each one has two possible strategies: cease-fire or neglect the truce. Under this setting, we use the concept of pre-donations, namely, a redefinition of the game where agents commit to transfer a share of their output to the other agent (Sertel, 1992), and explain under which conditions a system of pre-donations can facilitate a truce. We find that for conflicts involving high costs there is a distributive mechanism, acceptable for both parties, such that, the best strategy for both parties is Cease-Fire. However, in many cases there are no sufficient conditions for the scheme or pre-donations to be effective. We also analyze some limitations of this framework and extend the model in order to deal with some of these flaws. Finally, in order to illustrate the relevance of the theoretical results we briefly describe some of the circumstances that characterized the negotiation processes between the Colombian government and different illegal groups.

La gestión colectiva: Una estrategia para las holdings. Estudio comparativo entre derecho francés y derecho colombiano

Originalmente presentada en francés como proyecto de grado para la Maestría en Derecho Bancario y Financiero de la Universidad de Estrasburgo, la presente monografía tiene por objetivo analizar la Gestión Colectiva como estrategia para las Holdings. La Gestión Colectiva es un término francés empleado para designar al intermediario financiero que convierte el ahorro individual en portafolios colectivos. En Colombia, la Gestión Colectiva es conocida como Carteras Colectivas o Fondos de Inversión Colectiva, (su nombre más reciente). Este vehículo financiero, es en cierto modo una democratización de las finanzas, ya que canaliza el ahorro de la población hacia las principales industrias, permitiendo que las empresas hagan del ahorro individual una fuente de financiación para sus proyectos, y que la mayor parte de la población tenga acceso a las finanzas. Es por esto, que el tema frecuentemente es abordado desde el punto de vista de la protección a los inversionistas y no, desde los vehículos que prestan dicho servicio. Sin embargo, la presente Monografía estudia la Gestión Colectiva como una posible estrategia para las Holdings, analizando desde este punto de vista, la pertinencia de implementar la Gestión Colectiva como estrategia para reunir fondos para las Holdings. De ahí que el derecho comparado sea de gran ayuda para comprender si dicha estrategia es viable en todos los países en general o si, por el contrario, como lo vemos en Derecho Bancario, unos países sean más favorables que otros. El presente, es un estudio multidisciplinario en el cual se tienen en cuenta variables de tipo legal, económico y político, y se implementan teorías económicas aplicables al estudio del Derecho como Law & Economics. En una primera parte nos centramos en un análisis comparado de las legislaciones de dos países con niveles de desarrollo diferente, a saber, Francia y Colombia. Y, en la segunda parte analizamos el rol de la Gestión Colectiva en las Holdings, así como sus ventajas y desventajas según la legislación aplicable.

GCSE applied science.

Está escrito para los estudiantes que preparan el General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) en ciencias. Contiene, además, actividades escritas para ayudar a los alumnos a desarrollar las habilidades obligatorias para este curso y recuadros con palabras clave y datos clave que son definidos en el texto. Se acompaña de un recurso dirigido al profesor.

GCSE in applied science. Teacher's file.

Este recurso para el profesor se apoya en el libro del alumno que sirve para preparar el General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) en ciencias. Proporciona al docente: tareas para cumplir con los criterios de evaluación, actividades prácticas, fichas para el desarrollo de destrezas y plantillas. Se completa con un doble CD-ROM.

Information and communication technology for Edexcel applied AS level single award.

Esta escrito para apoyar las nueva especificación Edexcel AS en las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (ICT). Su contenido se estructura en tres unidades: la edad de la información; la economía digital; y el trabajador del conocimiento.

Information and communication for AQA applied AS single award.

Esta escrito para ayudar a los profesores y estudiantes en la preparación del curso sobre las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (ICT) para las especificaciones AQA AS. Su contenido se estructura en cuatro secciones, la primera trata de las ICT y la sociedad; la segunda sobre las ICT y las organizaciones; la tercera sobre utilización de datos; y la última sobre portfolios.

BTEC First in applied science. 1.

Este recurso ha sido escrito para ayudar a los alumnos a formar su cartera de pruebas para el nivel 2 del curso Edexcel BTEC en ciencia aplicada y también a cómo obtener una calificación de aprobado, notable o distinción. El programa de estudios BTEC ofrece una cualificación profesional o laboral. El contenido se divide en tres grandes unidades: química y nuestra Tierra; energía y nuestro universo; biología y nuestro entorno.

Information and communication technology for Edexcel applied A2 level single award.

Libro para estudiantes de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, de enseñanza secundaria - bachillerato, orientado a la consecución del certificado de Edexcel nivel A2. Contiene las unidades 7 a 12 y cubre las siguientes materias: uso de bases de datos, gestión de proyectos TIC, uso de programas multimedia, uso de hojas de cálculo, y personalización de aplicaciones. Incluye proyectos de ejemplo y casos de estudio que permiten al alumno entender cómo planificar, producir, revisar y presentar sus propios porfolios digitales. Cd-rom con material de apoyo.

AS Level and A Level Applied ICT.

Este libro ha sido editado y actualizado para satisfacer las necesidades del AS y A examen de secundaria de la asignatura Información y Tecnología de la Comunicación proporcionando grandes oportunidades para el trabajo práctico. Los temas del libro son: Sistemas ICT, como las organizaciones usan ICT 1, el impacto de ICT en la sociedad, el ciclo de vida de los sistemas, el impacto de ICT en la sociedad 2, redes de ordenador, selección de software, comunicación, documentación y presentación de la producción, bases de datos y gráficos, utilizando hojas de cálculo, correspondencia, automatización.

Programa de autoayuda para la toma de decisiones al finalizar la educación secundaria obligatoria (ESO) : CESOF-06 = Self-applied decision making program at the end of the compulsory secondary education (ESO) : CESOF-06.

Resumen basado en el del autor