PLAYER

Serious games are playing an increasing role as educational tools and the last decade witnessed a growing number of proposals in this field. One of the major challenges of the current European societies is to foster an entrepreneurial interest in young people, and the European Commission has been promoting projects that pursue this objective. This chapter presents one such project, PLAYER, in which an educational game was implemented in Facebook with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship by guiding young people in the definition of a business proposal. The game encompasses 4 stages that include the basic description of the business idea, the characterization of its strategies, the filling of a funding quiz, the SWOT analysis, and finally the production of a detailed business plan, for those players to be able to reach the final stage of the game.

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Assessment in and of Serious Games: An Overview

Advances in Human-Computer Interaction ◽

10.1155/2013/136864 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 162

Author(s):

Francesco Bellotti ◽

Bill Kapralos ◽

Kiju Lee ◽

Pablo Moreno-Ger ◽

Riccardo Berta

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Performance Assessment ◽

Serious Games ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Information Provision ◽

Skill Assessment ◽

Future Research ◽

Educational Effectiveness ◽

Educational Tools

There is a consensus that serious games have a significant potential as a tool for instruction. However, their effectiveness in terms of learning outcomes is still understudied mainly due to the complexity involved in assessing intangible measures. A systematic approach—based on established principles and guidelines—is necessary to enhance the design of serious games, and many studies lack a rigorous assessment. An important aspect in the evaluation of serious games, like other educational tools, is user performance assessment. This is an important area of exploration because serious games are intended to evaluate the learning progress as well as the outcomes. This also emphasizes the importance of providing appropriate feedback to the player. Moreover, performance assessment enables adaptivity and personalization to meet individual needs in various aspects, such as learning styles, information provision rates, feedback, and so forth. This paper first reviews related literature regarding the educational effectiveness of serious games. It then discusses how to assess the learning impact of serious games and methods for competence and skill assessment. Finally, it suggests two major directions for future research: characterization of the player’s activity and better integration of assessment in games.

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Identification Of The Elements Specific To The Organizational Culture Through SWOT Analysis, In The Sports Camps In Romania

SPORT AND SOCIETY ◽

10.36836/uaic/fefs/10.61 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 38-42

Author(s):

Florin Nichifor

Keyword(s):

Organizational Culture ◽

Young People ◽

Swot Analysis ◽

Cultural Specificity

The purpose of the research is to analyze the elements of cultural specificity of the Oglinzi Târgu Neamţ sports camp, with a focus on the following aspects: the activity of the manager and of the managerial team, employees’ attitude, the behaviour of clients (children, students, young people, teenagers, athletes), the mental, behavioural, and attitudinal conditions in the context of globalization. Usually considered by children and teenagers the most exciting and attractive space, the camp attracts people every year, thus “producing” the most beautiful and intense memories. The camp is the place where the clients look for sportsactivity, relaxation, entertainment, and rest. At the same time, it becomes, for a shorter or longer period, a special institution, a community. For any client, the camp means emotion, surprise, knowledge, meeting expectations. The client also has the possibility of developing practical (sports) and communicational skills, of getting used to the spirit of teamwork, of expressing and developing new creative skills, of getting in contact with the customs, traditions, and culture of the area.

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Experimental Evaluation of Shear Behavior of Stone Masonry Wall

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14092313 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. 2313

Author(s):

Maria Luisa Beconcini ◽

Pietro Croce ◽

Paolo Formichi ◽

Filippo Landi ◽

Benedetta Puccini

Keyword(s):

Shear Behavior ◽

Stone Masonry ◽

Masonry Walls ◽

Mechanical Parameters ◽

In Situ Tests ◽

Capacity Curves ◽

Historical Structures ◽

Definition Of

The evaluation of the shear behavior of masonry walls is a first fundamental step for the assessment of existing masonry structures in seismic zones. However, due to the complexity of modelling experimental behavior and the wide variety of masonry types characterizing historical structures, the definition of masonry’s mechanical behavior is still a critical issue. Since the possibility to perform in situ tests is very limited and often conflicting with the needs of preservation, the characterization of shear masonry behavior is generally based on reference values of mechanical properties provided in modern structural codes for recurrent masonry categories. In the paper, a combined test procedure for the experimental characterization of masonry mechanical parameters and the assessment of the shear behavior of masonry walls is presented together with the experimental results obtained on three stone masonry walls. The procedure consists of a combination of three different in situ tests to be performed on the investigated wall. First, a single flat jack test is executed to derive the normal compressive stress acting on the wall. Then a double flat jack test is carried out to estimate the elastic modulus. Finally, the proposed shear test is performed to derive the capacity curve and to estimate the shear modulus and the shear strength. The first results obtained in the experimental campaign carried out by the authors confirm the capability of the proposed methodology to assess the masonry mechanical parameters, reducing the uncertainty affecting the definition of capacity curves of walls and consequently the evaluation of seismic vulnerability of the investigated buildings.

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Fundamental relations and identities of fuzzy hyperalgebras

Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems ◽

10.3233/jifs-210994 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Narjes Firouzkouhi ◽

Abbas Amini ◽

Chun Cheng ◽

Mehdi Soleymani ◽

Bijan Davvaz

Keyword(s):

Universal Algebra ◽

Equivalence Relation ◽

Polynomial Function ◽

Equivalence Relations ◽

Fundamental Relation ◽

Term Function ◽

Biological Phenomena ◽

Definition Of

Inspired by fuzzy hyperalgebras and fuzzy polynomial function (term function), some homomorphism properties of fundamental relation on fuzzy hyperalgebras are conveyed. The obtained relations of fuzzy hyperalgebra are utilized for certain applications, i.e., biological phenomena and genetics along with some elucidatory examples presenting various aspects of fuzzy hyperalgebras. Then, by considering the definition of identities (weak and strong) as a class of fuzzy polynomial function, the smallest equivalence relation (fundamental relation) is obtained which is an important tool for fuzzy hyperalgebraic systems. Through the characterization of these equivalence relations of a fuzzy hyperalgebra, we assign the smallest equivalence relation α i 1 i 2 ∗ on a fuzzy hyperalgebra via identities where the factor hyperalgebra is a universal algebra. We extend and improve the identities on fuzzy hyperalgebras and characterize the smallest equivalence relation α J ∗ on the set of strong identities.

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Genomic Tackling of Human Satellite DNA: Breaking Barriers through Time

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22094707 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 4707

Author(s):

Mariana Lopes ◽

Sandra Louzada ◽

Margarida Gama-Carvalho ◽

Raquel Chaves

Keyword(s):

Human Genome ◽

Satellite Dna ◽

Repetitive Sequences ◽

Nucleotide Composition ◽

Genomic Component ◽

Genomic Studies ◽

Human Genomic ◽

Definition Of ◽

High Degree

(Peri)centromeric repetitive sequences and, more specifically, satellite DNA (satDNA) sequences, constitute a major human genomic component. SatDNA sequences can vary on a large number of features, including nucleotide composition, complexity, and abundance. Several satDNA families have been identified and characterized in the human genome through time, albeit at different speeds. Human satDNA families present a high degree of sub-variability, leading to the definition of various subfamilies with different organization and clustered localization. Evolution of satDNA analysis has enabled the progressive characterization of satDNA features. Despite recent advances in the sequencing of centromeric arrays, comprehensive genomic studies to assess their variability are still required to provide accurate and proportional representation of satDNA (peri)centromeric/acrocentric short arm sequences. Approaches combining multiple techniques have been successfully applied and seem to be the path to follow for generating integrated knowledge in the promising field of human satDNA biology.

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A lattice-theoretic characterization of pure subgroups of Abelian groups

Ricerche di Matematica ◽

10.1007/s11587-021-00580-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M. Ferrara ◽

M. Trombetti

Keyword(s):

Abelian Group ◽

Abelian Groups ◽

Subgroup Lattice ◽

General Definition ◽

Short Paper ◽

Theoretic Characterization ◽

Definition Of

AbstractLet G be an abelian group. The aim of this short paper is to describe a way to identify pure subgroups H of G by looking only at how the subgroup lattice $$\mathcal {L}(H)$$ L ( H ) embeds in $$\mathcal {L}(G)$$ L ( G ) . It is worth noticing that all results are carried out in a local nilpotent context for a general definition of purity.

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Serious Games as a Complementary Tool for Social Skill Development in Young People: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Simulation & Gaming ◽

10.1177/10468781211031283 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104687812110312

Author(s):

Lucy R. Zheng ◽

Catherine M. Oberle ◽

W. A. Hawkes-Robinson ◽

Stéphane Daniau

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Social Skills ◽

Young People ◽

Social Skill ◽

Serious Games ◽

Skill Development ◽

The United States ◽

Serious Game ◽

Social Skill Development

Background The use of games for social skill development in the classroom is accelerating at a tremendous rate. At the same time, the research surrounding games designed for teaching social skills remains fragmented. This systematic review summarizes the current existing literature on social skill serious games for young people ages 5 to 19 and is the first review of serious games to note the demographic and geographic component of these studies. Method This review included papers that: evaluated a game designed to teach social skills; included measurable, quantitative outcomes; have a translation or be published in English; were peer-reviewed; date from January 2010 to May 2020; and have a nonclinical study population between ages of 5 to 19. Keywords were obtained from the CASEL 5 framework. Results Our findings are mixed but suggest that serious games may improve social skills when used alongside in-person discussion. We also found potential effects of the length of time of gameplay, intervention, and follow-up on social skill serious game effectiveness. Although this review found promising research conducted in East Asian countries and with minority samples in the United States, the majority of social skill serious game research takes place in the United States and Australia, with unreported demographic information and white-majority samples. Conclusions Due to the limited number of published studies in this area and studies lacking methodological rigor, the effectiveness of using games to teach social skills and the impact of background on social skill learning require further discussion.

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Characterization of Spent Ni-MH Batteries

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.730-732.569 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 730-732 ◽

pp. 569-574

Author(s):

Marta Cabral ◽

Fernanda Margarido ◽

Carlos A. Nogueira

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Phase Identification ◽

Recycling Process ◽

X Ray ◽

Leaching Experiments ◽

Plastic Components ◽

Definition Of ◽

Physical And Chemical

Spent Ni-MH batteries are not considered too dangerous for the environment, but they have a considerable economical value due to the chemical composition of electrodes which are highly concentrated in metals. The present work aimed at the physical and chemical characterisation of spent cylindrical and thin prismatic Ni-MH batteries, contributing for a better definition of the recycling process of these spent products. The electrode materials correspond to more than 50% of the batteries weight and contain essentially nickel and rare earths (RE), and other secondary elements (Co, Mn, Al). The remaining components are the steel parts from the external case and supporting grids (near 30%) containing Fe and Ni, and the plastic components (<10%). Elemental quantitative analysis showed that the electrodes are highly concentrated in metals. Phase identification by X-ray powder diffraction combined with chemical analysis and leaching experiments allowed advancing the electrode materials composition. The cathode is essentially constituted by 6% metallic Ni, 66% Ni(OH)2, 4.3% Co(OH)2 and the anode consists mainly in 62% RENi5 and 17% of substitutes and/or additives such as Co, Mn and Al.

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Surface and Underground Geomechanical Characterization of an Area Affected by Instability Phenomena in Zaruma Mining Zone (Ecuador)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063272 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3272

Author(s):

Paúl Carrión-Mero ◽

Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar ◽

Fernando Morante-Carballo ◽

María José Domínguez-Cuesta ◽

Cristhian Sánchez-Padilla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Movement ◽

Mining Activity ◽

Mining District ◽

Mean Values ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Definition Of ◽

Action Measures ◽

Geomechanical Characterization ◽

The City

In the last decade, in the mining district of Zaruma-Portovelo, there has been significant land subsidence related to uncontrolled mining activity. The purpose of this work was to carry out a surface and underground geomechanical characterization of a mining sector north of the city of Zaruma that allows the definition of potentially unstable areas susceptible to the mass movement. The methodology used consists of the following stages: (i) compilation of previous studies; (ii) surface and underground characterization of rocky material to establish its susceptibility to mass movement; (iii) interpretation of results; and (iv) proposal of action measures. Among the most relevant results, it stands out that 26.1% of the 23 stations characterized on the surface present conditions that vary from potentially unstable to unstable. In underground galleries, the studied mean values of the 17 stations indicate that the rock has a medium to good quality, representing a medium susceptibility to gallery destabilization. The results obtained for the surface areas (depths up to 50 m, where altered materials predominate) and the underground areas (depths > 50 m, where the alterations are specific) can be used to identify the areas with a more significant potential for instability. For both cases, it has been possible to define specific monitoring, control, and planning actions for sensitive areas.

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