Self-branding and content creation strategies on Instagram:A case study of foodie influencers

The purpose of this study is to better understand the processes and procedures adopted by micro-influencers to create ‘instagrammable’ content. It is based on 17 in-depth interviews with foodie micro-influencers based in London and Barcelona. Interview data was complemented with participant observation in restaurants or cafes. This paper makes three original contributions. Firstly, the study expands the understanding of the concept of ‘instagrammability’ by approaching it from the perspective of influencers creating content to satisfy and/or grow an audience. Secondly, it illustrates how two dominant factors drive influencers’ content creation process: the self/audience focus content branding orientation. The ‘audience-focus’ content development process varied drastically, with some influencers being very conscious of responding to their audiences’ needs whereas others maintained first and foremost a very strong ‘self-focus’. However, even for the influencers who were the most responsive to their audiences’ perceived wishes, a sense of ‘self-focus’ was maintained as an anchor point in all developed content, often linked to a passion for a certain type of food. Thirdly, this paper maps and describes the behind-the-scenes content creation process adopted by micro-influencers, including four stages (1) Content Planning, (2) Media Gathering, (3) Editing, and (4) Publishing, which was followed by an engagement phase. This study offers a timely contribution to better comprehend the content creation cycle adopted by micro-influencers by using foodie influencers as a case study

Improving the quality of publications in and advancing the paradigms of clinical and social pharmacy practice research:the Granada Statements

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been defined as ‘the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on healthcare systems, medicine use, and patient care’. Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice disseminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other healthcare areas (ie, medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scattering, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors’ selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work

The application of additive manufacturing to heat exchangers for oscillatory flow:A case study

Additive manufacturing is an option for the fabrication of heat exchangers for thermoacoustic applications. In thermoacoustic devices, heat exchangers are placed in oscillatory flow. A careful consideration of heat exchanger geometries examines the application of methodologies to optimise heat transfer and the temperature gradient. Additive manufacturing is proposed as an alternative fabrication technique that can overcome the current limitations of conventional fabrication machining. Six identical crossflow heat exchangers were made and tested, three from stainless steel and three from aluminium. The oscillatory flow moves back and forth through circular cross-section channels, and water flows in channels perpendicular to them. Heat transfer and temperature gradients were investigated at different drive ratios and mean pressures

Situating halal:religiosity, identity and lifestyle in halal consumption in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates

In this paper we draw on a study of Muslim consumer perceptions and concerns about halal labels and certification practices in two affluent countries: the United Kingdom (UK) (where Muslims are a minority of the population) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) (where Muslims are the majority). The study looked at a stratified sample of 330 Muslim consumers in each country. Our analysis points to a growing demand for variety alongside increasing concern for the presence of food additives, GMOs, and alcohol in both cases. Expanding demands to label food and other commodities suitable for Muslims with information about quality and standards of production (Gauthier, 2021) are globalising trends, which Muslims everywhere engage with through ‘an Islamic lens – halal’ (Turaeva and Brose, 2020: 301). Our paper wants to address the gap in the literature that very little is known about how consumers perceive the halal concept regarding foodstuffs (see Demirci et al. 2016), and it argues that the expansion and segmentation of halal markets suggest that religious consumerism is affected by religious groups, but also by supply chain actors and that these markets cannot be controlled by religious authorities. Our research findings provide fresh insight into the existing understanding of religion and consumption, pointing to the geographical specificities of processes of politicization of halal consumption: the rise of new Muslim youth subcultures in the UK and the coexistence of growing processes of secularization with ‘halalization’ in the UAE

Capitalism and the ‘commercial determinants of health’:a more-than-human micropolitics

This paper argues that studies of the ‘commercial determinants of health’ (CDoH) need to acknowledge fully the part the capitalist mode of commodity production and exchange plays in producing negative health outcomes. This proposition is supported by recourse to a recent development in political economy that has established a more-than-human, relational and monist (or ‘flat’) ontology of capitalism, in place of the more conventional neo-Marxist perspective. This ontology reveals a dynamic to capitalism that operates beyond human intentionality, driven by the supply of, and demand for the capacities of commodities. This dynamic determines the production and consumption of all commodities, some among which (such as tobacco, alcohol and processed foods) contribute to ill-health. A case study of food consumption reveals how these supply and demand affects drive ‘unhealthy’ food choices by consumers. Ways to undermine this more-than-human dynamic are offered as an innovative approach to addressing the effects of commerce and capitalism upon health

The emotional metaverse:exploring the benefits of predicting emotion from 3D avatars

With the metaverse here to stay, we are seeing ever more advances in capability. This includes the ability to incorporate real-time body and facial animation, so that personalised avatars can display our changing expressions, allowing those we meet to gauge our mood. Given this advance, the opportunity now exists to utilise emotion recognition from avatars. This positional paper explores the benefits of utilising emotion prediction within the metaverse.</p

The comfort and functional performance of personal protective equipment for police officers:A systematic scoping review

This scoping review aimed to identify and summarise evidence on the comfort and functional performance of police officer personal protective equipment (PPE). The Arksey and O’Malley (2005) five-stage framework for scoping reviews was followed. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched, and 35 articles were included in the review. The findings show that increased police PPE mass increases heart rate, metabolic energy expenditure, and perceived exertion in response to exercise. Unisex armour designs cause increased discomfort for females with larger bra sizes. PPE reduces joint-specific range of motion, with the design and location impairing movement more than mass. Jumping and sprinting performance is decreased with heavy PPE but unaffected by lighter protection, while agility is compromised with most forms of protection. Future research is needed on the fit and function of PPE for specialist police units, such as mounted police, along with further investigations on how fit can affect functional performance.</p

Individual supported work placements (ReISE) for improving sustained return to work in unemployed people with persistent pain:an internal pilot study of a cohort randomised controlled approach

BACKGROUND: Persistent pain is a frequent cause of sick leave and work disability in Norway. A return-to-work intervention featuring supported work placements, developed in the UK, demonstrated feasibility, and a return-to-work rate of 20% within 6 months was observed in the sample. We sought to adapt the intervention for delivery in Norway and to confirm feasibility prior to a full-scale trial.METHODS: In this internal pilot, we used a pragmatic cohort randomised controlled approach with national recruitment in Norway. We recruited people who were unemployed (for at least 1 month), having persistent pain (for at least 3 months), aged between 18 and 64, and wanting to return to work. We initially recruited people to an observational cohort study of the impact of being unemployed with persistent pain. After baseline measurement, we randomly sub-sampled participants to whom we offered the intervention, which featured individual case management and support, work-familiarisation sessions, and the offer of a 6-week part-time unpaid work placement. We assessed recruitment rates (aiming to recruit 66, and sub-sample 17 within 6 months); optimal recruitment pathways; intervention acceptance rates; the feasibility of data collection; using video links for work-familiarisation sessions and remote case manager support.RESULTS: The pilot ran from June to November 2022. Of 168 people expressing interest, 94 consented. Recruitment posts on Facebook yielded the most 'expressions of interest' (66%, n = 111). After screening for eligibility, we included 55 participants. Of these, 19 were randomised to be offered the intervention. Of these, less than half (n = 8) consented to intervention participation. Remote case manager and work-familiarisation sessions appeared feasible. Following a delay in identifying placements, three participants received offers of work placements, with one starting and completing during the pilot period. Data collection methods were feasible, and no adverse events were reported.CONCLUSIONS: Recruitment and logistical processes, such as remote management by video link, are feasible. However, delivery of the intervention is challenging. In particular, sourcing placements and the time required for identifying appropriate placements was more challenging than anticipated. A full-scale trial is feasible but will require improvements to the placement identification processes.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN85437524 (Referring to the ReISE trial, of which this internal pilot was a part), Registered 31 of May 2022 https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN85437524 TRIAL FUNDING: Norwegian Research Council.</p

Managing compound events in the COVID-19 era:A critical analysis of gaps, measures taken, and challenges

Since the beginning of 2020, the focus has predominantly been on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 'new normal' has drastically altered responses to other hazards, underscoring the need to prepare and plan for complex, multi-risk scenarios. Nevertheless, there's limited literature on disaster preparedness and response for compound hazard scenarios, particularly pandemic-natural hazard hybrids. The few studies that have explored concurrent hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic have largely focused on developed, high-income countries. Yet, compound events can exacerbate pre-existing socio-economic vulnerabilities in developing countries, straining systems and causing disproportionate impacts. This study addresses this lacuna by examining (1) emergency preparedness and response measures for Sri Lanka's Southwest and Northeast monsoons during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the feasibility of current Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies for managing compound pandemic-natural hazard events in Sri Lanka. The research involves a desk-based policy analysis of disaster and health policies, key informant interviews with 26 officials, and focus group discussions with Public Health Inspectors from Ratnapura, Jaffna, Matara, and Gampaha. Findings indicate that while significant steps were taken, including impact scenario analyses, stakeholder meetings, and revised response measures, challenges such as resource constraints and limited capacity persisted. This study further demonstrates that the country's existing DRR strategies are characterised by gaps that may hinder capacities to effectively manage compound hazards. The findings of this study therefore encourage the implementation of structural changes and anticipatory action that adequately account for the complexity of risk supported by cross-sectoral collaboration. The study particularly highlights the importance of proactive scenario-based planning, developing composite risk matrices that account for multiple dimensions of vulnerability, fostering cross-sectoral and cross-level collaboration, and adapting existing early warning systems to effectively manage compound hazard scenarios

Edge computing in IoT for smart healthcare

The rapid advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) and the increment of its users have opened a door to put into service IoT in healthcare, known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), which consists of cloud, fog, and edge computing. IoMT has shown to be a flexible framework to remove traditional healthcare limits through utilizing technology/techniques and innovative digital devices to monitor patients’ conditions and to address medical service problems such as inaccuracy and long response time. It also could be helpful within critical and unexpected circumstances like epidemic diseases. Fortunately, some methods, including Edge Computing, were introduced to improve the healthcare system, make it more effective and solve problems. In this work, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was used to study Edge Computing solutions in healthcare, evaluate efficient therapeutic approaches, and demonstrate key factors that have not been considered in previous studies