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This paper explores the contribution to geography teaching which can be made by serious games. We describe the ways in which gaming has progressed from "dissected maps" and jigsaws through board games, to the range of online games which are available today. We describe the development, in conjunction with European partner institutions, of a new game, entitled "RU EU?", intended to raise student awareness of European issues, notably the question of European identity; this seems to be both important and topical at the time of Brexit. We describe the development and the nature of the game and its launch, and the feedback which we have received from students who have played it, and suggest that, while it is not necessarily a substitute for traditional lecture-style teaching, games such as this can provide an additional tool in the geography lecturer's armoury.

Liberal education as a form of higher education is increasing globally even as it struggles for support and legitimacy in the USA. Its emergence and spread are only partially attributable to the growth in the tertiary sector worldwide: although the sharpest spike has been in Asia, new programs have opened in Western Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Why now? Why in a particular locale? What forms do these programs take, and why? This article uses concepts from organizational theory to argue that such programs are decoupled from economic 'needs', challenging the predominant explanations for the global growth. Complexity theories explain the uneven expansion and variability in approach, and offer insights for replication and/or critique. This theoretical analysis allows insight into the interplay and explanatory power of isomorphism and complexity, and suggests that studies of convergence should assess not only the form, but also the processes and substance of educational innovations.

This article focuses on the early stages of an international project on gamifying national identity. It examines the production of the content required for developing a sophisticated and engaging approach to pedagogical innovation in education, through game-based learning. This will encourage individuals to think about both European and national identity, specifically within the context of the European Union (EU). At a time when the EU faces significant challenges, a better understanding and appreciation of the role of national and supra-national identity and belonging in Europe is clear. RU EU? -- an Erasmus+ funded project -- aims to develop an innovative online game to help students and others enhance their understanding of their own national and European identities and challenge attitudes and prejudices. The content development of the game has brought together experts with socio-political knowledge, pedagogical understanding and technical expertise. This article discusses the early stages in the content development process, during which we amassed material from literature reviews, academic interviews and student focus groups and surveys. We sought to ensure that the content of the game reflected the issues raised within the game development lifecycle and our article describes our engagement with this material and its integration into game content.

This paper explains a new model of entrepreneurship education at university level. The early development of potential entrepreneurs through education, experience and nurturing may be one of the most important initiatives that business and other academic schools can pursue, because the role of entrepreneurship in creating new businesses (as well as in innovating within existing companies) can have a profound effect on the national economy. The entrepreneurial ingredients of a university business education include, among other things, a culture of learning in the classroom that fosters entrepreneurial thinking; experience in new business start-ups; and exposure to entrepreneurs through entrepreneurial retreats that ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship. The attributes at the heart of entrepreneurship include creativity, persistence and innovation--attributes that need to be identified, nurtured and freely expressed in the classroom. In order to realize this goal, the professor must be both educator and mentor. A focus on innovation is the most salient feature of an entrepreneurial classroom, wherein the professor's role shifts from the mere delivery of information to the true facilitation of learning. The curriculum and individual courses must be well designed and implemented, and a balance between analytical and creative approaches to instruction must be carefully crafted to tap the inner resources of the mind for creative thought. By leading the efforts for change, universities in Central and Eastern Europe have a great opportunity to capitalize on the market economy. With the advances in innovation, new product development and new management thinking by companies in the global economy, business educators should create new entrepreneurship programmes that are capable of preparing and educating students for a new world. The proposed model includes entrepreneurial retreats for the development of entrepreneurial thinking, since this type of thinking often requires larger doses of educational medicine. Other parts of this integrated model include new curricula and individualized entrepreneurial prescriptions, apprenticeships and opportunity centres. (Contains 1 figure.)

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Abstract: A key environmental concern is pollution loads released from human activity, since excessive pollutant loads can cause significant public health and/or environmental impacts. A principal objective of environmental regulation is therefore to minimise pollutant releases. The most common approach to assessing and monitoring pollutant loads is through pollutant release databases, with such systems now operating throughout Europe, North America and Australia. This paper has compiled and analysed an extensive data set on Australian coal mining and associated pollutant emissions reported through the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI). In Australia, the coal industry has been growing rapidly over recent decades, and this is causing significant community concerns over cumulative environmental impacts. The pollutant loads and intensities from coal mining are analysed in conjunction with production data. The trends identified in this paper provide an important basis to understand the value of pollutant release and transfer registers, such as the NPI, and demonstrate the critical need to integrate such data with ongoing trends in industry and environmental management initiatives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study that deals with trophodynamics in Cubin Sands, a shallow lagoon off northwestern Europe. It focuses on the spatial and temporal variability of epibenthic communities, their diets, and consumption efficiency. The epibenthic communities include the brown shrimp Crangon crangon, the shore crab Carcinus maenas, and teleost fish, sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus and Spinachia spinachia, seascorpion Myoxocephalus scorpius, gobies Pomatoschistus microps and Pomatoschistus minutus, flounder Platichthys fesus, and plaice. Based on their findings, the diets of the epibenthic predators were insect larvae for shrimp, amphipods Bathyporeia pilosa for shrimp and gobies, harpacticoids for plaice and gobies, and bivalves for plaice.

Hodgkin's disease mortality rates steadily declined by about 75% between the late 1960's and the late 1990's in the current European Union countries and the USA, and Japan. Eastern European countries, however, showed only an approximately 40% decline between the late 1960's and the early 1990's, and no further fall thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author talks about the topics discussed in the issue including origins of the Irish Department of Finance, joint annual conference of the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD), and challenges faced by public administration in Europe.

The article discusses the proposal of Jan Vesterholt and colleagues to conserve the name Hebeloma cylindrosporum against Hebeloma angustispermum (Basidiomycota). It cites Hebeloma cylindrosporum as a common agaric in pine forests all over Europe, easily distinguished from other Hebeloma species by its narrow, almost cylindrical spores. It also notes the importance of Hebeloma cylindrosporum on researches in mycorrhizae as evidenced by number of citations in scientific literature using the name.

Background: To update the pattern of cancer mortality in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]