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Navigating digital interaction and privacy: A comparative analysis of social media engagement among consumers in Thailand and the UK
No full textConsumers engage in social media activities, such as liking, commenting, sharing, and creating content, often revealing their identities, even if it is as an online persona. The rise of social commerce allows users to purchase brands directly through social media, but it also raises concerns around privacy and trust. Brands can personalise messages to drive engagement, yet data monetisation has created tensions among technology, privacy, consumers, regulators, and firms. This paper explores the links between United Kingdom (UK) and Thailand (Thai) consumers’ social media activities, their privacy concerns, and perceptions of brand intrusiveness in relation to purchase intentions via social commerce. Results indicate limited differences in engagement levels between Thai and UK consumers, with active participation reducing feelings of intrusiveness and privacy concerns. However, some differences exist among those users who do have privacy concerns affecting their purchase intention, an interesting finding given that regulations surrounding online privacy are emerging at varying rates globally
Tracing the roots of magical tourism
No full textMagic has a long and complex history and tracing its roots is an awareness of the broader context within which magical tourism takes shape. Every year, magical or magic-themed events and gatherings attract thousands of tourists and ironically, they have never been included in tourism academic discourse. Considering the complex history of magic, our objective in this chapter is to trace the role of magic within influential socio-political structures and happenings spanning across the ancient, medieval and modern periods. Using examples from these broad periods of time, we argue that magical tourism has existed throughout history, tracing a path of green heritage through the ages and yet has been effectively sidelined or trivialized by contemporary tourism scholars. The cultural diffusion and convergences between the Western and non-Western systems of magical thinking is a testimony to the fact that magical tourism has existed long enough but has remained unacknowledged. While ‘magic belongs to modernity’, the chapter reveals that magic can also be a tool to critique modernity and a medium for social change
The role of careers work in addressing the awarding gap for Black students: reflecting on the experiences of students at one post-1992 university in England
No full textThis study explores the experiences of a group of Black students in a post-1992 university in England within the context of the persistent gap in awards achieved by Black students in relation to White students. An initial survey of 728 students was followed up by qualitative interviews with a smaller sample. Although the factors behind this gap in degree awards are multifactorial and complex, this work challenges common assumptions of the cause and explores an experience gap for Black students including relationships with academic staff and fellow students. Results from the survey and semi-structured interviews point to the role that careers practice might play in enabling students to thrive at university and highlight cultural changes needed including the cultural preparedness of tutors and careers practitioners
Small Extracellular Vesicle (sEV) Uptake from Lung Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Alters T-Cell Cytokine Expression and Modulates Protein Profiles in sEV Biogenesis
No full textBackground: Despite advances in immunotherapy, non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC)’s clinical success is limited, possibly due to substantial immunological alterations in advanced cancer patients. This study examines the immunomodulatory effects of sEVs derived from lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on T cells. Methods: SEVs were isolated from lung cancer cell lines and Jurkat-E6.1. SEV size and morphology were analyzed by NTA and TEM, respectively, while Western blotting confirmed sEV markers. SEV uptake was assessed, followed by resazurin assay, RNA isolation, quantification, cDNA preparation, RT-PCR, nano LC-MS, and bioinformatic analysis, before and after treating Jurkat-E6.1 cells with sEVs from A549 and SKMES1. Results: Cancer-derived sEVs were efficiently internalized by immune cells, reducing T-cell viability. The real-time PCR analysis showed downregulation of KI67, BCL2, BAX, TNFA, IL6, TGFβ, and IL10, suggesting reduced proliferation, dysregulated apoptosis, and impaired inflammatory and immunosuppressive signaling, and the upregulation of GZMB and IL2 suggests retained cytotoxic potential but possibly dysfunctional T-cell activation. Proteomic analysis revealed 39 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in ADC-treated T cells and 276 in SCC-treated T cells, with 19 shared DAPs. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of these DAPs highlighted processes such as sEV biogenesis, metabolic pathways, and regulatory functions, with ADC sEVs influencing NAD metabolism, ECM binding, and oxidoreductase activity, while SCC sEVs affected mRNA stability, amino acid metabolism, and cadherin binding. The cytoplasmic colocalization suggests the presence of these proteins in the cellular and extracellular lumen, indicating the potential of further release of these proteins in the vesicles by T cells. Conclusion: Lung cancer-derived sEVs regulate T-cell activities through immunoregulatory signaling. The molecular interactions between sEVs and immune cells can reveal novel tumor immune regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targets
Morphing structural materials used in wind turbine blades
No full textWith growing demands for cleaner and more sustainable energy, there has been rapid development in the wind energy industry. This trend has led to an increase in the size of wind turbines, which could cause drawbacks such as increased stresses, more complex control systems, and more costly manufacturing and transportation. Due to their high aerodynamic efficiency, light weight, and structural simplicity, morphing structures have become of great interest in the renewable energy industry. Morphing structures are structural systems capable of shifting their geometric form across two or more stable configurations to achieve targeted engineering functionalities. Despite having many advantageous characteristics, there is a significant challenge with designing morphing structures; that is, the structure must be compliant to demand low actuation force, while being stiff for load-carrying purposes. One approach to addressing this issue is using composite materials with anisotropic properties or bistable/multistable behavior. Through an extensive review of the recent literature, this study aims to provide insights into the underlying structural concepts and mechanical properties of morphing structural materials and their viability and sustainability for wind turbine blade applications
Catalytic production of aviation jet biofuels from biomass: a review
Get PDFThe aviation sector is a major emitter of fossil fuel-derived carbon dioxide contributing to global warming. For instance, jet fuel consumed by the aviation industry is 1.5–1.7 billion barrels per year, resulting in 705 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Aircraft manufacturers have set ambitious goals, aiming for carbon-free growth post-2020 and a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This issue can be solved by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels produced from modern biomass, thus meeting the carbon neutral objective. Here, we review the technologies to convert biomass into jet biofuel with focus on reactants, catalysts, and the chemistry of combustion. Reactants include alcohols, oil, esters, fatty acids, gas and sugars. Catalysts include Fischer–Tropsch catalysts, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, nickel, and molybdenum. The utilization of jet biofuels could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%. We also discuss economic implications
How does news coverage of suicide affect suicidal behaviour at a high-frequency location? A seven-year time-series analysis
Get PDFIntroduction
News reporting of suicide can have a significant influence on suicidal behaviour in the general population, especially following the death of a well-known individual. By comparison, the impact of reporting on suicides at well-known, ‘high-frequency’ locations is less well understood. We investigated the relationship between news coverage of suicide and incidents at a high-frequency coastal location in the UK over a 7-year period.
Methods
We analysed bidirectional associations (with daily and weekly lags) and Granger causality between suicide-related news in the UK (n=38 595, of which 789 focused on cliff locations) and suspected suicides (n=278) and crisis interventions (n=3050) at the site between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2023. Separate subanalyses explored associations with repeat coverage and with headlines featuring explicit location/method details.
Results
While coverage of incidents at the study site and other coastal locations represents a small and decreasing proportion of all UK news of suicide, 51% of all cliff-related news focused on the study site, often explicitly identified in the story’s headline (81%). There were significant but small (r<0.3) correlations between the volume of news coverage (particularly when method-specific and location-specific) and suicidal behaviour at the site, with fatalities increasing in the immediate aftermath of reporting. This effect was strongest in 2018–2019 (which had the greatest volume of reporting and repeat coverage) but failed to reach significance in 2020–2023, when there were fewer reports, less repeat coverage and no headlines referring to multiple deaths at the site.
Conclusions
Findings underscore the importance of continued efforts to monitor and improve the quality of news and other media portrayals of suicide. Follow-up studies, including qualitative research with people with lived/living experiences of suicide, could further explore how different types of news stories and wider narratives might contribute to increases—and potentially decreases—in suicides at high-frequency locations
Fainting spells and flow: Revisiting the role of syncope in pulmonary embolism.
No full textEditorial
Nutritional analysis of the Canterbury Food Bank emergency parcel
No full textThe nutritional adequacy of Canterbury Food Bank (CFB)’s emergency food parcels for children and adults was evaluated to assess their alignment with UK Government dietary recommendations and ensure their ability to support recipients’ long-term health. The protein, fibre, calories, minerals and vitamins in the parcels often exceeded the UK Government nutrient recommendation for children (2-3 years) and adults (19-64 years), making it sufficient to last beyond the intended three-day period. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and mostly Vitamin D were found to be very low in the parcel foods. Possibilities for improvement of the nutritional quality of the parcels, as well as better usage of the child parcel, should follow these recommendations: (i) reduce the sugar and salt content of the parcels; (ii) increase the Vitamin D content of the parcels; (iii) consider extending the child's parcel to 5-6 days; (iv) it is not essential to substitute fruit juice with fruit squash, as this does not significantly affect the sugar content of the parcels; (v) replace mashed potatoes with vegetables savoury rice rather than tinned potatoes; (vi) perform further nutritional analyses considering the scenarios recommended in this report, together with data on available and projected foods at CFB, in order to provide a clearer picture and more precise advice
Conducting research in a conflict zone: reflective remarks and lessons learned from my field experience in Syria
No full textIn this paper, I will reflect on my field experience in Syria where I conducted semi-structured interviews as part of my doctorate studies to examine the recently ousted Syrian government’s post-war initiatives to reconstruct the education sector. As a thinking piece, the aim of this paper is to provoke questions about the complexity of conducting qualitative research in a conflict zone and what implications this has for data generation and research ethics. The paper emphasises the central role of reflexivity as a ‘methodological process of learning’ about our development as researchers. It also concludes that there is a need to review current research ethics processes so that they can accommodate the needs of a more diverse body of researchers and research contexts