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Iterative design is an expensive yet necessary task in the creation of coherent game levels. However, it often requires many resources, something that many projects, especially in the academic field, are usually lacking. This paper discusses the results of a test performed on EscapeTower, a pre-existing customer-ready research game where hand-crafted levels have been replaced by procedural ones to speed up the development process. A custom room generator has been developed and used to procedurally generate several levels for the EscapeTower project. A User Study was subsequently conducted to assess how the procedurally generated levels affect the user experience within the game and how they compared to the original levels designed by professionals. Results are in line with current literature, showing that players have a significant preference over manually designed spaces. However, data also shows that procedurally generated environments did not impact users’ ability to navigate the spaces, leading to the possibility to use such systems in early prototyping and designing phases.

This paper has the purpose to show a stabilization video-streaming methodology feasible to low-power wearable devices. Thanks to an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) mounted together with the camera we are ready to stabilize directly on video-stream without the delay and the complexity due to image processing used by classic software stabilization techniques. The IMU gives information about the angle rotation respect to the three main orthogonal axes of the camera; the wearable device transmits the video along with the IMU data synchronized frame per frame then a base station receives and stabilizes while renders the video. The result is that the shaking and the unwanted motions of the human body wearing the system are compensated giving a clear and stable video. Numeric results prove that the video is more stable: we cut-off the half of the motion noise in the scene.

The impact of fish meal replacement with plant proteins on fish health is still poorly investigated. This study evaluates the effects of several diets containing graded levels of a mixture of gluten meal, soybean meal and soy protein concentrate on some immune parameters of turbot juveniles. The feeding trial was carried out at the aquaculture facilities of the Veterinary University of Bologna (Cesenatico, Italy). Turbot juveniles (9.7kept at 18in 500 l recirculating tanks (in triplicate) were fed four isonitrogenous (51%) and isolipidic diets (16%) (Skretting ARC, Stavanger, NO) for 9 weeks: a reference diet of 50% fish meal (FM50), and three diets containing 35%, 20% and 5% fish meal (FM35; FM20; FM5), with a proportional amount of vegetable ingredients. At the end of the trial, blood samples and spleen tissues were collected and analyzed for serum lysozyme concentration (lysoplate assay), differential leukocyte count (blood smears/May-Grunwald Giemsa) and quantification of splenic melano-macrophage centres (MMCs) (histology/image analyzer). One-way ANOVA and c2-test were applied respectively to humoral and cellular immune parameters to test the effects of dietary treatment. Plant protein diets induced significant changes in several immune parameters in turbot juveniles. Serum lysozyme was higher in turbot fed on FM35 and FM20 diets. The percentage of circulating phagocytes, mainly neutrophils, and splenic MMCs, increased, especially in fish fed FM5 and FM20 diets. No difference was observed in lymphocyte population. The increase in blood phagocytes could be responsible for the rise in serum lysozyme and interpretable as a stress or inflammatory response. Conversely, the lower lysozyme level measured in turbot fed FM5 diet in the face of a higher number of circulating phagocytes could be interpreted as a functional impairment of these cells. The increase in MMCs may be associated with a nutritional deficit, which is more severe in fish fed FM5. Long-term feeding trials are needed in order to gain further insight into the impact of dietary plant proteins on immune function and health in turbot.

A pilot experiment of stock enhancement based on the release of hatchery-reared juveniles of dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, was carried out at two artificial reefs located 0.9 km offshore the south-western Sicilian coast (Central Mediterranean). The fish assemblages inhabiting the reefs were characterized using underwater visual census (UVC) surveys. Despite some differences in fish species richness, diversity and abundance, both artificial reefs provide suitable feeding resources and shelter opportunities for the settlement of dusky grouper juveniles. A total of 95 dusky grouper juveniles, which were 3 and 4 years old, were released. No stress-related effects on fish swimming or behaviour were observed during the step by step transportation to the sea-bottom at 20 m depth. After release, several groupers showed very low reactivity; freezing and schooling were the most common behaviours. The sighting rate after one month of UVC surveys was 15.7% and 20% at the two artificial reefs. No effect of fish size at release on grouper survival was observed. Some groupers were not recorded on the pyramid of release but elsewhere in the same artificial reef, which demonstrated their ability to move around the reef. The extent of dispersal of the released juveniles largely exceeded the area encompassed by the reefs, which was shown by recaptures of tagged groupers by local fishermen up to 13 km from the release site. This result provides a first insight into the potential of stock enhancement of hatchery reared dusky grouper juveniles for marine ranching and conservation purposes. Un experimento de repoblación, basado en la liberación de juveniles de mero Epinephelus marginatus cultivados en criadero, fue realizado en dos arrecifes artificiales situados 0.9 kilómetros fuera de las costas sicilianas sur-occidentales (Mediterráneo Central). La ictiofauna de los arrecifes fue caracterizada a través de inmersiones submarinas, utilizando la técnica de censo visual (UVC). A pesar de algunas diferencias en número de especies, diversidad y abundancia, ambos arrecifes artificiales proporcionaron recursos alimenticios y refugio adecuados para el establecimiento de juveniles de mero. En total se liberaron 95 meros juveniles de 3 y 4 años de edad. Ningún efecto relacionado al estrés fue observado en el comportamiento de natación de los peces durante el gradual transporte hasta 20 m de profundidad. Después de la liberación, varios meros mostraron una reactividad muy baja, siendo el comportamiento más común quedarse inmóviles y agregados. Después de un mes de censos visuales, las tasas de avistamientos obtenidas en los arrecifes artificiales fueron de 15.7% y 20%. No se observó relación entre el tamaño en el momento de la liberación y la supervivencia. Algunos peces no fueron observados cerca del punto de liberación sino en otra parte del mismo arrecife artificial, demostrando así su capacidad de moverse por los alrededores. Según lo indicado por los pescadores locales que recobraron meros marcados hasta 13 kilómetros del punto de liberación, el grado de la dispersión de los juveniles liberados superó ampliamente el área abarcada por los arrecifes. Este resultado proporcionan la primera evaluación del potencial de los juveniles de E. marginatus cultivados en criadero para actividades de cría en mar y conservación.