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Journal articleChiara V, Sara C, Kevin S, et al., 2024,
Spatial hearing training in virtual reality with simulated asymmetric hearing loss
, Scientific Reports, Vol: 14, ISSN: 2045-2322Sound localization is essential to perceive the surrounding world and to interact with objects. This ability can be learned across time, and multisensory and motor cues play a crucial role in the learning process. A recent study demonstrated that when training localization skills, reaching to the sound source to determine its position reduced localization errors faster and to a greater extent as compared to just naming sources’ positions, despite the fact that in both tasks, participants received the same feedback about the correct position of sound sources in case of wrong response. However, it remains to establish which features have made reaching to sound more effective as compared to naming. In the present study, we introduced a further condition in which the hand is the effector providing the response, but without it reaching toward the space occupied by the target source: the pointing condition. We tested three groups of participants (naming, pointing, and reaching groups) each while performing a sound localization task in normal and altered listening situations (i.e. mild-moderate unilateral hearing loss) simulated through auditory virtual reality technology. The experiment comprised four blocks: during the first and the last block, participants were tested in normal listening condition, while during the second and the third in altered listening condition. We measured their performance, their subjective judgments (e.g. effort), and their head-related behavior (through kinematic tracking). First, people’s performance decreased when exposed to asymmetrical mild-moderate hearing impairment, more specifically on the ipsilateral side and for the pointing group. Second, we documented that all groups decreased their localization errors across altered listening blocks, but the extent of this reduction was higher for reaching and pointing as compared to the naming group. Crucially, the reaching group leads to a greater error reduction for the side where th
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Conference paperDave RJ, Min X, Lou Z, et al., 2024,
Investigating construction and integration techniques of dry silver-based textile electrodes on electromyography of biceps Brachii muscle
, 5th International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles, Publisher: MDPI, ISSN: 2673-4591This research paper recommends an electrode construction and integration technique for dry silver-based textile electrodes capturing electromyographic (EMG) signals. Three integration methods with two different conductive textiles were compared using two analysis methods; analysis was also conducted before and after six washing cycles. Six wearable arm bands with each of the design parameter combinations were worn on the biceps brachii muscle to capture EMG signals from three users under a controlled task both before any washing of the bands occurred and after four washing cycles were completed. Additionally, impedance measurements over six frequency bands were recorded after each washing cycle. Textile electrodes made of Shieldex Techniktex P180B using an extended electrode integration method were found to perform best.
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Journal articleFan Y, Olsson E, Johannessen B, et al., 2024,
Manipulation of Transition Metal Migration via Cr-Doping for Better-Performance Li-Rich, Co-Free Cathodes
, ACS ENERGY LETTERS, Vol: 9, Pages: 487-496, ISSN: 2380-8195 -
Conference paperZhang M, Stewart R, Bryan-Kinns N, 2024,
Empowering textile and fashion designers with e-textiles for creative expression
, 5th International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles, Publisher: MDPI, ISSN: 2673-4591In the field of textile and fashion design, there is a growing desire to integrate interactive technologies into creative work. Traditional design education typically lacks support for material-oriented designers to develop electronic skills alongside their expertise in materials. There is a need to develop proper support for these designers to enter the world of electronic textiles (e-textiles). Our previous work introduced a material-centred e-textile learning approach through the development of a toolkit. This paper offers a glimpse into a design project made by our students, where digital functionality intertwines with physical design. It serves as a testament to the effectiveness of our approach in merging interactive technology concepts with material expertise, thereby aiding these designers in their creative endeavours.
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Journal articleHayes B, Shier J, Fazekas G, et al., 2024,
A review of differentiable digital signal processing for music and speech synthesis
, FRONTIERS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING, Vol: 3 -
Journal articleLi H, Gong Y, Zhou H, et al., 2024,
Ampere-hour-scale soft-package potassium-ion hybrid capacitors enabling 6-minute fast-charging (vol 14, 6407, 2023)
, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, Vol: 15 -
Journal articleNaylor Marlow M, Chen J, Wu B, 2024,
Degradation in parallel-connected lithium-ion battery packs under thermal gradients
, Communications Engineering, Vol: 3, ISSN: 2731-3395Practical lithium-ion battery systems require parallelisation of tens to hundreds of cells, however understanding of how pack-level thermal gradients influence lifetime performance remains a research gap. Here we present an experimental study of surface cooled parallel string battery packs (temperature range 20–45 °C), and identify two main operational modes; convergent degradation with homogeneous temperatures, and (the more detrimental) divergent degradation driven by thermal gradients. We attribute the divergent case to the, often overlooked, cathode impedance growth. This was negatively correlated with temperature and can cause positive feedback where the impedance of cells in parallel diverge over time; increasing heterogeneous current and state-of-charge distributions. These conclusions are supported by current distribution measurements, decoupled impedance measurements and degradation mode analysis. From this, mechanistic explanations are proposed, alongside a publicly available aging dataset, which highlights the critical role of capturing cathode degradation in parallel-connected batteries; a key insight for battery pack developers
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Journal articlePinkse J, Demirel P, Marino A, 2024,
Unlocking innovation for net zero: constraints, enablers, and firm-level transition strategies
, Industry and Innovation: dynamics, strategies, policies, Vol: 31, Pages: 16-41, ISSN: 1366-2716Transition pathways for net zero encompass seemingly insurmountable innovation challenges for the scaling of less mature technological solutions such as hydrogen, materials substitution, and electrification as well as societal challenges to increase the market acceptability of these solutions. In this article, we present a conceptual framework which provides a firm-level perspective on net-zero innovation which has four unique characteristics, i.e. it is complex, systemic, urgent, and directional. The framework shows that the input, process, and output constraints that incumbent firms face in the net-zero transition can be tackled through four firm-level innovation levers – i.e. recombinative, collaborative, integrative, and socio-cognitive capabilities – which, in concert, act as enablers for firms to address these net-zero constraints. We conclude the article by outlining the framework’s main insights for firms’ innovation strategies for net zero and the policy implications. We also propose avenues for future research on net-zero innovation.
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Journal articleJagtap SS, Childs PRN, Stettler MEJ, 2024,
Performance sensitivity of subsonic liquid hydrogen long-range tube-wing aircraft to technology developments
, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol: 50, Pages: 820-833, ISSN: 0360-3199Liquid hydrogen (LH2) may enable the decarbonisation of long-haul aviation. However, itslow volumetric energy density and subsequent tank space and weight requirements couldpenalise an aircraft's specific energy consumption (SEC, MJ/tonne-km). We evaluate theimpacts of developments in four technology areas e aerodynamics, structures, cryo-tankgravimetric index (h), and overall efficiency (ho) e on the design-point performance of alarge subsonic tube-wing LH2 aircraft. We characterise the critical value of h, which must beexceeded to enable a given design range. For a design range of 14,000 km, h must exceed 0.52today but only 0.35 with expected 2030 airframe and engine efficiency improvements. Usingthe most optimistic technology development estimates we observe that SEC could reduce by~25% via improvements in ho and aerodynamics and by 33% via improvements in all fourareas. Developments in technologies to improve ho and reduce drag are critical to enablingzero-carbon long-haul air travel.
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Journal articleRaja AA, Pinson P, Kazempour J, et al., 2024,
A market for trading forecasts: a wagering mechanism
, International Journal of Forecasting, Vol: 40, Pages: 142-159, ISSN: 0169-2070In many areas of industry and society, including energy, healthcare, and logistics, agents collect vast amounts of data that are deemed proprietary. These data owners extract predictive information of varying quality and relevance from data depending on quantity, inherent information content, and their own technical expertise. Aggregating these data and heterogeneous predictive skills, which are distributed in terms of ownership, can result in a higher collective value for a prediction task. In this paper, a platform for improving predictions via the implicit pooling of private information in return for possible remuneration is envisioned. Specifically, a wagering-based forecast elicitation market platform has been designed, in which a buyer intending to improve their forecasts posts a prediction task, and sellers respond to it with their forecast reports and wagers. This market delivers an aggregated forecast to the buyer (pre-event) and allocates a payoff to the sellers (post-event) for their contribution. A payoff mechanism is proposed and it is proven that it satisfies several desirable economic properties, including those specific to electronic platforms. Furthermore, the properties of the forecast aggregation operator and scoring rules are discussed in order to emphasize their effect on the sellers’ payoff. Finally, numerical examples are provided in order to illustrate the structure and properties of the proposed market platform.
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Journal articleWen H, Pinson P, Gu J, et al., 2024,
Wind energy forecasting with missing values within a fully conditional specification framework
, International Journal of Forecasting, Vol: 40, Pages: 77-95, ISSN: 0169-2070Wind power forecasting is essential to power system operation and electricity markets. As abundant data became available thanks to the deployment of measurement infrastructures and the democratization of meteorological modeling, extensive data-driven approaches have been developed within both point and probabilistic forecasting frameworks. These models usually assume that the dataset at hand is complete and overlook missing value issues that often occur in practice. In contrast to that common approach, we here rigorously consider the wind power forecasting problem in the presence of missing values, by jointly accommodating imputation and forecasting tasks. Our approach can infer the joint distribution of input features and target variables at the model estimation stage based on incomplete observations only. We place emphasis on a fully conditional specification method, owing to its desirable properties, e.g., being assumption-free when it comes to these joint distributions. Then, at the operational forecasting stage, with available features at hand, one can issue forecasts by implicitly imputing all missing entries. The approach is applicable to both point and probabilistic forecasting, while yielding competitive forecast quality in both simulated and real-world case studies. The results confirm that by using a powerful universal imputation method based on a fully conditional specification, the proposed universal imputation approach is superior to the common impute-then-predict approach, especially in the context of probabilistic forecasting.
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Journal articleAlmukhtar A, Batcup C, Bowman M, et al., 2024,
Barriers and facilitators to sustainable operating theatres: a systematic review using the Theoretical Domains Framework
, International Journal of Surgery, Vol: 110, Pages: 554-568, ISSN: 1743-9159Background:The health sector contributes significantly to the climate crisis. Operating theatres in particular are a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and while there are several evidence-based guidelines to reduce this impact, these are often not followed. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify barriers and facilitators of sustainable behaviour in operating theatres, categorising these using the TheoreticalDomains Framework (TDF).Method:Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, and Global Health databases were searched for articles published between January 2000- June 2023, using the concepts: barriers and facilitators, sustainability, and surgery. Two reviewers screened abstracts from identified studies, evaluated quality, and extracted data. Identified determinants weremapped to TDF domains and further themes as required.Findings:Twenty-one studies were selected for analysis and assessment (seventeen surveys and four interview studies) comprising 8286 participants, including surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists. Eighteen themes across ten TDF domains were identified. The mostcommon barriers to adoption of green behaviours in operating theatres were in domains of: ‘knowledge’ (N=18) e.g. knowledge of sustainable practices;‘environmental context and resources’ (N=16) e.g.‘personnel shortage and workload and inadequate recycling facilities; ‘social influences’ (N=9) e.g. lack ofleadership/organisational mandate or support; ‘beliefs about consequences’ (N=9) e.g. concerns regarding safety. Intention was the most common facilitator, with eleven studies citing it.Discussion:Despite intentions to adopt sustainable practices in operating theatres, this review identifies several barriers to doing so. Interventions should focus on mitigating these, especially by improving staff's knowledge of sustainability practices and working within the environmental context and time pressures. Furthermore, inst
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Journal articleChoi J, Waheed U, Myant C, 2024,
Investigating the impact of infill patterns on shape memory effect in material extrusion
, MATERIALS RESEARCH EXPRESS, Vol: 11 -
BookChilds PRN, Masen MA, 2024,
Mechanical Design Engineering Handbook
Mechanical Design Engineering Handbook, Third Edition discusses the mechanical engineering skills that are essential to power generation, production, and transportation. Machine elements such as bearings, shafts, gears, belts, chains, clutches and belts represent fundamental building blocks for a wide range of technology applications. The aim of this handbook is to present an overview of the design process and to introduce the technology and selection of specific machine elements that are fundamental to a wide range of mechanical engineering design applications. This book includes detailed worked examples for the design and application of machine elements and over 600 images, with line drawings complemented by solid model illustrations to aid understanding of the machine elements and assemblies concerned. The context for engineering and mechanical design is introduced in the first chapter, which also presents a blended design process, incorporating principles from systematic and holistic design, as well as practical project management.
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Conference paperQi N, Cheng L, Huang K, et al., 2024,
Reliability-aware Probabilistic Reserve Procurement under Decision-dependent Uncertainty
, ISSN: 1944-9925Current reserve procurement either adopt deterministic reserve or ignore the decision-dependent uncertainty (DDU) in reserve capacity availability, which will restrict the liquidity of reserve offers and introduce endogenous risks from reserves. This paper proposes a novel definition and modeling of probabilistic reserve, utilizing a generic energy storage (GES) model with DDU. A reliability-aware coordinated reserve procurement framework is further presented, where the system operator (SO) procures reserves from reserve aggregator (RA) in the day-ahead operation using distributionally robust chance-constrained optimization (DRCCO), while the joint unit and reliability commitment (URC) is adopted to distribute DA deviation to massive reserve providers in the intra-day operation. Case study verifies that the proposed method incorporating DDU can enhance the economy, reliability, and scalability of reserve procurement.
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Conference paperMarggraf-Turley N, Picinali L, Pontoppidan N, et al., 2024,
DECODING SOUND SOURCE LOCATION FROM EEG: PRELIMINARY COMPARISONS OF SPATIAL RENDERING AND LOCATION
, Pages: 420-427, ISSN: 2413-6700Spatial auditory acuity is contingent on the quality of spatial cues presented during listening. Electroencephalography (EEG) shows promise for finding neural markers of such acuity present in recorded neural activity, potentially mitigating common challenges with behavioural assessment (e.g., sound source localisation tasks). This study presents findings from three preliminary experiments which investigated neural response variations to auditory stimuli under different spatial listening conditions: free-field (loudspeaker-based), individual Head-Related Transfer-Functions (HRTF), and non-individual HRTFs. Three participants, each participating in one experiment, were exposed to auditory stimuli from various spatial locations while neural activity was recorded via EEG. The resultant neural responses underwent a decoding protocol to asses how decoding accuracy varied between stimuli locations over time. Decoding accuracy was highest for free-field auditory stimuli, with significant but lower decoding accuracy between left and right hemisphere locations for individual and non-individual HRTF stimuli. A latency in significant decoding accuracy was observed between listening conditions for locations dominated by spectral cues. Furthermore, findings suggest that decoding accuracy between free-field and non-individual HRTF stimuli may reflect behavioural front-back confusion rates.
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Journal articleZhan B, Sheldrick L, 2024,
Evaluation of customer engagement and interaction in online garment customisation
, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, ISSN: 1754-3266Online configurators enable the widespread customisation of products using personal devices. Through virtual simulation, the configuration process can become more interactive and immersive, opening new opportunities for a range of sectors. However, when it comes to fashion, the garment customisation process can be complicated and confusing for customers to navigate in an unguided environment. This study investigates established online garment customisation methods, to understand how the remote digital environment impacts customers’ engagement with garment function, form and fit. Participants with previous garment customisation experience were asked to customise a shirt using an online configurator, and data was collected through in-depth interviews to understand customers’ decision journeys and emotional responses toward a digitally configured product. The results indicate that, despite a positive experience in configuring appearance, customers’ inability to visualise the customised garment on their body could result in less satisfaction with, and sense of ownership of, the designed digital outcome.
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Journal articleParmar BJ, Salorio-Corbetto M, Picinali L, et al., 2024,
Virtual reality games for spatial hearing training in children and young people with bilateral cochlear implants: the “Both Ears (BEARS)” approach
, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Vol: 18, ISSN: 1662-4548Spatial hearing relies on the encoding of perceptual sound location cues in space. It is critical for communicating in background noise, and understanding where sounds are coming from (sound localization). Although there are some monoaural spatial hearing cues (i.e., from one ear), most of our spatial hearing skills require binaural hearing (i.e., from two ears). Cochlear implants (CIs) are often the most appropriate rehabilitation for individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss, with those aged 18 years of age and younger typically receiving bilateral implants (one in each ear). As experience with bilateral hearing increases, individuals tend to improve their spatial hearing skills. Extensive research demonstrates that training can enhance sound localization, speech understanding in noise, and music perception. The BEARS (Both Ears) approach utilizes Virtual Reality (VR) games specifically designed for young people with bilateral CIs to train and improve spatial hearing skills. This paper outlines the BEARS approach by: (i) emphasizing the need for more robust and engaging rehabilitation techniques, (ii) presenting the BEARS logic model that underpins the intervention, and (iii) detailing the assessment tools that will be employed in a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of BEARS in alignment with the logic model.
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Journal articlePandey SR, Pinson P, Popovski P, 2024,
Privacy-Aware Data Acquisition Under Data Similarity in Regression Markets
, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, ISSN: 2162-237XData markets facilitate decentralized data exchange for applications such as prediction, learning, or inference. The design of these markets is challenged by varying privacy preferences and data similarity among data owners. Related works have often overlooked how data similarity impacts pricing and data value through statistical information leakage. We demonstrate that data similarity and privacy preferences are integral to market design and propose a query-response protocol using local differential privacy (LDP) for a two-party data acquisition mechanism. In our regression data market model, we analyze strategic interactions between privacy-aware owners and the learner as a Stackelberg game over the asked price and privacy factor. Finally, we numerically evaluate how data similarity affects market participation and traded data value.
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Conference paperIkeva K, Cardin MA, Cilliers J, et al., 2024,
Multi-Objective Decision-Making for Deploying Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization Plants under Uncertainty
, Pages: 1724-1743, ISSN: 0074-1795To establish a self-sustained human presence in space. In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU). the act of utilizing local resources available in space, such as the lunar regolith. has been proposed and researched extensively. Previous studies have recognized the uncertainties associated with the lunar environment and operations of ISRU plants, including resource content and operational availability, and their effects on ISRU plant performance. These studies, however, often overlook the fact that knowledge about uncertainty can be continuously updated through information-gathering. This paper analyses the design and planning of ISRU facilities as a multi-objective sequential decision-making problem under uncertainty. Inspired by the value of information analyses commonly used in the terrestrial resource extraction industry, this research demonstrates the use of multi-objective decision analysis for lunar ISRU plant deployment to show potential risk management trade-offs in oxygen production. Monte Carlo simulations reveal the effects of various uncertain parameters on the performance of each ISRU plant, while Bayesian inference is employed to update these uncertain parameters. A case study of the deployment of pilot and full-size ISRU plants in the lunar southern polar region reveals trade-offs between design and planning decisions. The results indicate the benefits of deploying a water extraction architecture for both pilot and full-scale plants for mass payback and extraction energy efficiency, despite significantly small oxygen yield. The study also highlights the flexibility added by deploying a hybrid lunar ISRU pilot plant, which allows decision-makers to adjust their strategies as needed.
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Conference paperPrat E, Pinson P, Lusby RM, et al., 2024,
Optimal Operation of a Building with Electricity-Heat Networks and Seasonal Storage
As seasonal thermal energy storage emerges as an efficient solution to reduce CO2 emissions of buildings, challenges appear related to its optimal operation. In a system including short-term electricity storage, long-term heat storage, and where electricity and heat networks are connected through a heat pump, it becomes crucial to operate the system on two time scales. Based on real data from a university building, we simulate the operation of such a system over a year, comparing different strategies based on model predictive control (MPC). The first objective of this paper is to determine the minimum prediction horizon to retrieve the results of the full-horizon operation problem with cost minimization. The second objective is to evaluate a method that combines MPC with setting targets on the heat storage level at the end of the prediction horizon, based on historical data. For a prediction horizon of 6 days, the suboptimality gap with the full-horizon results is 4.31%, compared to 11.42% when using a prediction horizon of 42 days and fixing the final level to be equal to the initial level, which is a common approach.
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Conference paperDaugintis R, Alary B, Geronazzo M, et al., 2024,
Effects of binaural rendering personalisation and reverberation on speech-on-speech masking
This study investigates the effect of head-related transfer function (HRTF) personalisation on understanding binaurally rendered target speech masked by interfering speakers in reverberant conditions. During a listening test, participants had to identify a correct colour-number combination from a virtual talker rendered in front of them while ignoring two interfering talkers positioned either in front or at the back. The sound was rendered with either an individual HRTF or one of two non-individual ones. These were selected for each participant as the best or the worst–matching from the same HRTF dataset, based on predictions of a computational auditory model for sound localisation. Two types of reverb from measured spatial room impulse responses (SRIRs) were applied to the speech: realistic dichotic reverberation decoded from 4th-order Ambisonic SRIRs or diotic reverb based on the omnidirectional Ambisonic channel IR as a baseline. Preliminary results show that realistic dichotic reverb improves speech perception when interfering speech is co-located with the target. No significant differences were observed across HRTF conditions on a group level, but individual HRTF-related performance differences exist, requiring further intra-subject analyses and data collection to characterise the individual results.
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BookZagal JP, Deterding S, 2024,
THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF ROLE-PLAYING GAME STUDIES
This Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the latest research on role-playing games (RPGs) across disciplines, cultures, and media in one single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 40 key scholars, it traces the history of RPGs, from wargaming precursors to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live-action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and massively multiplayer online RPG franchises, like Baldur’s Gate, Genshin Impact, and World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on RPGs from key disciplines, like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from RPG studies around broadly significant topics, like worldbuilding, immersion, and player-character relations, as well as explore actual play and streaming, diversity, equity, inclusion, jubensha, therapeutic uses of RPGs, and storygames, journaling games, and other forms of text-based RPGs. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help students and scholars new to RPG studies find their way into this interdisciplinary field. A comprehensive reference volume ideal for students and scholars of game studies and immersive experiences and those looking to learn more about the ever-growing, interdisciplinary field of RPG studies.
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Book chapterZagal JP, Deterding S, 2024,
DEFINITIONS OF “ROLE-PLAYING GAMES”
, The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies, Pages: 21-55Role-playing games (RPGs) are the most contentious game phenomenon: the exception, the outlier, the not-quite-a-game game. In their foundational game studies text Rules of Play, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman acknowledge that their definition of a game considers RPGs a borderline case. When scholars, designers, and fans use the words “role-playing games,” they typically do not speak about all phenomena called “role-playing games” but usually refer to one of several clusters of phenomena, which we call forms. The empirical phenomena referred to as “role-playing games” are very heterogeneous, spanning different sociomaterial assemblages: joint talk and paper inscriptions, joint embodiment, and single and networked computing devices. Role-playing games is a word used by multiple social groups to refer to multiple forms and styles of play activities and objects revolving around the rule-structured creation and enactment of characters in a fictional world. However, because “role-playing games” is a social category created by humans, it has no unchanging, context-independent essence.
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Book chapterDeterding S, Zagal JP, 2024,
THE MANY FACES OF ROLE-PLAYING GAME STUDIES
, The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies, Pages: 1-17This chapter provides an introduction to role-playing games and their academic study. It presents role-playing games (RPG) as an intersection of four phenomena: roles, play, games, and media culture. They take a fundamental form of play-make-believe-and a fundamental aspect of social reality and identity-roles-and give them the structured form of a game. Also, they form a central part of contemporary gaming, nerd, and genre media culture. The chapter presents a history of research on role-playing games, an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book, and a guided tour through the Handbook.
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Book chapterWilliams JP, Kirschner D, Deterding S, 2024,
SOCIOLOGY AND ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
, The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies, Pages: 243-260Sociologists study the structures and processes of social life. The chapter begins with processes at the micro-level, demonstrating how interpretivist and constructionist approaches to sociological inquiry foreground player experiences and meaning-making. Concepts such as situation, identity, role, and frame help explain how players develop the shared understandings necessary for successful gameplay. The chapter then broadens to focus on culture and social organization at the meso-level. RPGs facilitate many different types of player relations and social interactions, such as TRPG gaming communities attending conventions or the complex, collaborative play illustrated by MMORPG group play. Finally, the chapter shifts to a more positivist approach and zooms out to the macro-level to review social stratification research highlighting noteworthy trends related to the RPG player base, gender and sexuality, and race and ethnicity. RPGs are now global phenomena shaped by mainstream cultures and societies in which they are produced and consumed, but which also (re)produce and (re)shape cultures and societies through player practices and representations. Sociology is well-positioned to study all these dimensions of role-playing and games.
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Book chapterHoover S, Simkins DW, Deterding S, et al., 2024,
THEATER AND PERFORMANCE STUDIES AND ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
, The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies, Pages: 227-242This chapter explores the intersection of theater and performance studies with role-playing games (RPGs), highlighting the historical and conceptual connections between these fields. It begins by outlining the practices and concepts within theater and performance studies, emphasizing the commonalities in lineage and function between performance, play, and ritual. The chapter discusses the characteristics of performance, such as restored behavior, enacted with an audience in mind, ritualized, producing new meanings, and made special. It also delves into the functions of performance, including reproducing or challenging social order, creating communitas, and depicting group myths. The concepts of liveness, embodiment, presence, and emergence in performance are also examined, shedding light on the unique and ephemeral nature of live events - a definition into which role-playing games fit. The chapter also provides a short historical survey of theater, focusing on Ancient Greek theater, Realism, and Postdramatic theater, drawing parallels between the ways these influence contemporary theater and RPGs. It discusses how RPGs share formal ties with these historical forms, emphasizing their shared characteristics and influences. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the potential for mutual enrichment between theater and performance studies and RPGs, encouraging a comparative and analytical approach to bring new life and interest to both fields.
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Conference paperCedeno MR, Porat T, Baxter W, 2024,
“This is MY PhD project… or is it?” Understanding perceived doctoral project ownership through psychological ownership mapping
, Pages: 2815-2824This paper investigates PhD student’s perceived feeling of project ownership and how it influences their project management. Drawing on psychological ownership (PO) theory and the PO mapping method, this study identifies distinct project ownership paths among students, revealing how project engagement can be improved. The findings demonstrate the importance of carefully considered and timely student-supervisor expectation discussions to help influence project ownership. To this end, the paper offers several routes of ownership that can influence project ownership among PhD students.
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Conference paperBhattacharyya J, Picinali L, Vinciarelli A, et al., 2024,
Investigating the Influence of Environmental Acoustics and Playback Device for Audio Augmented Reality Applications
, Pages: 1-10Presenting plausible virtual sounds to a user is an important challenge within audio augmented reality (AAR), where virtual sounds must appear as a real part of the audio environment. Reproducing an environment’s acoustics is one step towards this, however there is limited understanding of how the spatial resolution and spectral bandwidth of such reproductions contribute to plausibility, and therefore which approaches an AAR developer should target. We present two studies comparing room impulse responses (varying in spatial resolution and spectral bandwidth) and playback devices (headphones and audio glasses) to investigate their influence on the plausibility and user perception of virtual sounds. We do so using both a listening test in a controlled environment, and then an AAR game played in two real-world locations. Our results suggest that, particularly in a real-world AAR application context, users have low sensitivity for differences between reverberation models, but that the reproduction of an environment’s acoustics positively influences the plausibility and externalisation of a virtual sound. These benefits are most pronounced when played over headphones, but users were positive about the use of audio glasses for an AAR application, despite their lower perceptual fidelity. Overall, our findings suggest both lower fidelity environmental acoustics and audio glasses are appropriate for future AAR applications, allowing developers to use less computing resources and maintain real-world awareness without compromising user experience.
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Journal articleWang Z, Acha S, Bird M, et al., 2024,
A total cost of ownership analysis of zero emission powertrain solutions for the heavy goods vehicle sector
, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol: 434, ISSN: 0959-6526Transport-related activities represented 34% of the total carbon emissions in the UK in 2022 and heavy-duty vehicles (HGVs) accounted for one-fifth of the road transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Currently, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are considered as suitable replacements for diesel fleets. However, these technologies continue to face techno-economic barriers, creating uncertainty for fleet operators wanting to transition away from diesel-powered internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). This paper assesses the performance and cost competitiveness of BEV and FCEV powertrain solutions in the hard-to-abate HGV sector. The study evaluates the impact of battery degradation and a carbon tax on the cost of owning the vehicles. An integrated total cost of ownership (TCO) model, which includes these factors for the first time, is developed to study a large retailer's HGV fleet operating in the UK. The modelling framework compares the capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX) of alternative technologies against ICEVs. The TCO of BEVs and FCEVs are 11% to 33% and 37% to 78% higher than ICEVs; respectively. Despite these differences, by adopting a longer lifetime for the vehicle it can effectively narrow the cost gap. Alternatively, cost parity with ICEVs could be achieved if BEV battery cost reduces by 56% or if FCEV fuel cell cost reduces by 60%. Besides, the pivot point for hydrogen price is determined at £2.5 per kg. The findings suggest that BEV is closer to market as its TCO value is becoming competitive, whereas FCEV provides a more viable solution than BEV for long-haul applications due to shorter refuelling time and lower load capacity penalties. Furthermore, degradation of performance in lithium-ion batteries is found to have a minor impact on TCO if battery replacement is not required. However, critical component replacement and warranty can influence commercial viability. Given
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