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The Live Frontier: Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Livestream Influencer Marketing
Get PDFThis thesis investigates how livestreaming reshapes influencer marketing and explores the implications of live content creation for streamer wellbeing, performance and value creation. It comprises three complementary studies. The first conceptualises streamers as synchronous influencers and theorises how passion orientation and need satisfaction shape authenticity, wellbeing and overall influence. The second develops a conceptual model of livestream influencer marketing effectiveness, showing how the simultaneous expression of high degrees of immediacy, indeterminacy and interactivity in livestreaming can generate distinctive value for streamers, brands, platforms and consumers. The third provides empirical insights from social media observations and depth interviews with experienced streamers, demonstrating how the characteristics of livestreaming can satisfy and frustrate streamers’ core psychological needs and reframing streamer performance through the lens of wellbeing, highlighting how brand partnerships can amplify these effects. Together, the thesis advances influencer marketing scholarship by providing a comprehensive study of synchronous online influence and highlighting the opportunities livestreaming creates for brands and entrepreneurial online creators. It also explores the moral and strategic importance of supporting streamer wellbeing to ensure sustainable performance and value creation can be achieved in this emergent interactive online context
What are the socioeconomic risk factors of depression among the elderly in China: a systematic review
Get PDFBackground: Numerous studies have explored the socioeconomic risk factors of depression in late life, including within China, however, there has been no systematic review and synthesis of these findings. Our systematic review aims to identify, evaluate, and synthesize current evidence on potential socioeconomic risk factors associated with depression among the elderly in China. Methods: Four electronic academic databases (MEDLINE [via OVID], Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) [via Web of Science], APA PsycArticles [via EBSCOhost], and Wanfang [a Chinese database]) were searched from 2005 to March 2022 for national studies reporting evidence on potential associations between socioeconomic risk factors and depression among the elderly in China. Elder is defined as a person who is aged 60 and over. Forward and backward citation searches were also conducted. Data was extracted using a standardized form. Study methodological quality was assessed using the Liverpool University Quality Assessment Tools (LQAT). A narrative synthesis was performed. Results: Thirty studies that met the review inclusion criteria were included. Across the studies, the evidence indicates that higher educational status, better financial status, better housing conditions, active social engagement, more social support and better neighborhood conditions reduced the risk of depression among the elderly in China. Evidence on associations between working status was equivocal, two studies found evidence suggesting that working after 60 increased the likelihood of depression, while another study suggested working after 60 decreased the likelihood of depression. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in the prevention and treatment of depression among the elderly in China. To support elderly mental health, policies should focus on expanding educational opportunities, strengthening financial security, improving housing conditions, and supporting flexible employment options for the elderly. Additionally, enhancing social engagement, reinforcing social support networks, and developing community-based initiatives can help create a more inclusive and supportive environment for healthy aging. Further research is needed on the relationships between working status and depression among the elderly in China. Trial registration: The protocol was registered on PROSPERO: CRD42023483862
Objective tremor monitoring using tri-axis accelerometer in MRgFUS thalamotomy for essential tremor: a feasibility study
Get PDFBackground: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy has shown promising results in treating pharmaco-resistant essential tremor (ET). This incisionless, image-guided technique targets the ventralis intermedius nucleus of the thalamus with precision, sparing surrounding eloquent tissue. Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy of MRgFUS thalamotomy in improving tremor among ET patients, as objectively measured by a tri-axis accelerometer, and to compare these objective measures with the conventional Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST). Design: Prospective observational study. Methods: Ten ET patients (aged 68.1 ± 11.8 years) received the MRgFUS treatment. Improvements in tremor severity were assessed using primary (CRST), with additional measurements of kinematic feature obtained from a tri-axis accelerometer. Correlations between accelerometer-derived kinematic features and CRST scores were evaluated. Results: Significant improvement in tremor severity was observed in the cohort, as measured by both the accelerometer and CRST (paired Student’s t test, p < 0.05) before and 1 day after the treatment. A moderate-to-strong correlation was found between accelerometer measurements and CRST scores. Conclusion: The tri-axis accelerometer provides an effective means of monitoring tremor reduction following MRgFUS and correlated well to the clinical scales like CRST. This study supports the feasibility of accelerometer-based monitoring in clinical practice for MRgFUS assessment
Mrs. Gladys Hutchinson, Lord Upjohn, and the case of the bankrupt “spendthrift…ne-er-do-well and… waster”
No full textThis chapter examines a bankruptcy case from the 1950s to see whether it qualifies as a ‘feminist judgment’ questioned from a socio-legal perspective. It uses feminist and afterlives methodologies to investigate and contextualise Mrs Gladys Hutchinson’s life, experience, and role in Stevens v. Hutchinson [1953] Ch. 299. Upjohn J’s ruling meant that Mrs Hutchinson, and the couple’s three children, were able to stay in the matrimonial home at 29 Carr Lane, York. The judgment in Stevens v. Hutchinson should be viewed as a significant marker in the evolution of law within the realm of bankruptcy and the family home, a brief moment of concern for women that quickly passed
Built Environment and Elderly Safety Risks in Old Residential Communities Under Urban Renewal
No full textWith China’s rapidly aging population, enhancing the safety and age-friendliness of existing residential communities has become a pressing need in the context of urban renewal. Based on empirical analysis of 146 questionnaires collected from aging communities in Jiangsu Province, this study examines how built environment factors influence safety risks and perceived security among older adults. The results show that public seating (F3), pedestrian pathways (F11), staircases (F1), lighting (F5), landscaping (F10), and outdoor animals (F12) significantly affect both actual safety risks and perceived safety. Insufficient lighting, uneven pathways, unstable seating, and unsafe staircases are the primary causes of falls, collisions, and abrasions, while issues such as standing water, overgrown vegetation, and stray animals further reduce residents’ sense of security. The findings indicate that improving elderly safety relies more on environmental visibility, accessibility, and spatial maintenance than on compensating for individual physical limitations. Therefore, interventions such as enhancing lighting, maintaining pedestrian routes, providing stable seating, and strengthening community management can effectively reduce risks and enhance perceived security. This study offers empirical evidence to guide age-friendly community renewal and provides policy insights for promoting safe, inclusive, and sustainable development in aging cities
Narrating the search for a methodology of the household
No full textThis article traces the search for a household-centered methodology amid global crises, grounded in feminist traditions of reflexive and narrative scholarship. We integrate ourselves consciously into the research process while drawing on feminist analyses of the household as a key site in socio-economic transformation and the reproduction of financialized capitalism. We propose four methodological moves. First, we dismantle conventional boundaries by treating the household as a complex nexus of social, cultural, and economic relations embedded in wider systems. Second, we move beyond scarcity-based explanations to foreground daily practices of social reproduction, including care work and resource flows that sustain capitalism. Third, we recognize harm by mapping circuits of violence, deprivation, and injustice that consolidate power. Fourth, we theorize household agency as dynamic, capable of both reproducing and resisting inequality. Together, these moves position the household as a crucial site of critique, resistance, and potential social transformation in today’s crisis-ridden global syste
Olynthos Integrated Kostings System (OIKoS) Pseudocode
No full textPseudocode for Olynthos Integrated Kostings System
Ultrafast NIR kHz and GHz Burst Laser Micro-Structuring of Polyimide Films
Get PDFAn ultrafast laser system combined with an optical delay line allowed ablation and in-scription at 1 kHz and 1 GHz pulse burst within transparent polyimide films. The two-photon-induced absorption results in clean surface ablation, while inscription results in polymer decomposition, creating carbonised regions within the polymer. Three pulse bursts at 1 GHz increased the observed coupling to the material significantly. Modified regions (with linewidths down to a few microns) were investigated using optical microscopy, white light interferometry, SEM and Raman spectroscopy, supporting the increasing carbon density relative to the pristine polymer. As depth of field was only a few microns at high NA, 3D micro-structuring was achieved. Polymer decomposition produces gaseous products, resulting in internal stress and thus affecting inscription fidelity. An inscribed subsurface electrode with dimensions of 5 mm × 0.3 mm × 3 μm connected to conducting vias had a resistance of R = 10.6 ± 0.2 kΩ, along with resistivity of ρ ~ 0.19 Ω cm; hence, it had DC conductivity, σ ~ 5.3 Scm−1. This conductivity is similar to that of bulk graphite and could well form the basis of future flexible sensors, demonstrating single-step 3D subsurface inscription of carbon or laser-induced graphene structures
<i>FMR1</i> RNA interaction with DNMT1 blocks DNA methylation at the <i>FMR1 locus</i>.
Get PDFIn the FMR1 gene, expansion of the CGG triplet beyond 200 repeats triggers DNA methylation, resulting in the Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). There exist rare individuals who carry a CGG expansion >200 that remains unmethylated, rescuing them from expressing the FXS phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that active FMR1 transcription regulates DNA methylation of the locus through the binding of its mRNA to DNMT1 enzyme. Our results show that DNMT1 binds FMR1-mRNA in transcriptionally active cells preventing them from being methylated, whereas it binds to the FMR1 locus in FXS cells, resulting in gene silencing. DNMT1 binds to the transcript or to the locus after reactivating or blocking FMR1 transcription using specific drugs, respectively. As proof of concept, aptamers capable of binding and inhibiting DNMT1 were shown to reactivate the silenced FMR1 gene. We propose that DNMT1 represents a specific molecular target to reactivate the FMR1 gene expression
Lifetimes of low-lying levels in 158Gd
Get PDFThe low-lying structure of the well-deformed nucleus 158Gd has been revisited to elucidate the nature of the low-lying states in 158Gd. Earlier (p, t) studies identified numerous 0+ states below 4.3 MeV, prompting questions about whether these states correspond to collective vibrations or shape coexistence. New and previously reported (n,n′γ) measurements are combined, including γ-γ coincidences, excitation functions, and angular distributions, to extract lifetimes and transition probabilities for 44 excited states up to 2.7 MeV, including 32 previously unmeasured levels. Our results confirm or revise γ-ray placements and provide detailed transition strengths, revealing both weakly collective and strongly enhanced B(E2) and B(E1) transition probabilities. In particular, a tentative 0+ state at 2437.8 keV exhibits a strong interband B(E2) transition, which may be a candidate for a possible two-phonon (ββ) excitation. Systematic comparisons with neighboring Gd isotopes, Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov, and interacting-boson model predictions suggest that the first excited 0+ state in 158Gd is predicted to be a β-vibration, although it is weakly collective. We also present results for lifetimes and transition probabilities for a number of negative parity states, including Kπ=0-,1-,2- sequences, perhaps providing insight into octupole collectivity and the interplay between quadrupole and octupole vibrations in deformed nuclei. The systematic presence of low-lying negative-parity bands and their interband transition strengths suggest that 158Gd’s potential energy surface may support both quadrupole and octupole vibrational modes, in agreement with microscopic calculations [1, 2–3]
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