24,834 research outputs found

    Sponsorship image and value creation in E-sports

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    .E-sports games can drive the sports industry forward and sponsorship is the best way to engage consumers of this new sport. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of sponsorship image and consumer participation in co-creation consumption activities on fans’ sponsorship response (represented by the variables interest, purchase intention and word of mouth) in e-sports. Four antecedent variables build sponsorship image (i.e., ubiquity of sport, sincerity of sponsor, attitude to sponsor and team identification). A quantitative approach is used for the purposes of this study. Some 445 questionnaires were filled in by fans who watch e-sports in Spain; these are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The outcomes show that sponsor antecedents are crucial factors if a sponsor wants to change their sponsorship image and influence sponsorship response, and that it is also possible to use participation to improve responsesS

    Analysis of reliable deployment of TDOA local positioning architectures

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    .Local Positioning Systems (LPS) are supposing an attractive research topic over the last few years. LPS are ad-hoc deployments of wireless sensor networks for particularly adapt to the environment characteristics in harsh environments. Among LPS, those based on temporal measurements stand out for their trade-off among accuracy, robustness and costs. But, regardless the LPS architecture considered, an optimization of the sensor distribution is required for achieving competitive results. Recent studies have shown that under optimized node distributions, time-based LPS cumulate the bigger error bounds due to synchronization errors. Consequently, asynchronous architectures such as Asynchronous Time Difference of Arrival (A-TDOA) have been recently proposed. However, the A-TDOA architecture supposes the concentration of the time measurement in a single clock of a coordinator sensor making this architecture less versatile. In this paper, we present an optimization methodology for overcoming the drawbacks of the A-TDOA architecture in nominal and failure conditions with regards to the synchronous TDOA. Results show that this optimization strategy allows the reduction of the uncertainties in the target location by 79% and 89.5% and the enhancement of the convergence properties by 86% and 33% of the A-TDOA architecture with regards to the TDOA synchronous architecture in two different application scenarios. In addition, maximum convergence points are more easily found in the A-TDOA in both configurations concluding the benefits of this architecture in LPS high-demanded applicationS

    Unraveling the effect of sex on human genetic architecture

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    Sex is arguably the most important differentiating characteristic in most mammalian species, separating populations into different groups, with varying behaviors, morphologies, and physiologies based on their complement of sex chromosomes, amongst other factors. In humans, despite males and females sharing nearly identical genomes, there are differences between the sexes in complex traits and in the risk of a wide array of diseases. Sex provides the genome with a distinct hormonal milieu, differential gene expression, and environmental pressures arising from gender societal roles. This thus poses the possibility of observing gene by sex (GxS) interactions between the sexes that may contribute to some of the phenotypic differences observed. In recent years, there has been growing evidence of GxS, with common genetic variation presenting different effects on males and females. These studies have however been limited in regards to the number of traits studied and/or statistical power. Understanding sex differences in genetic architecture is of great importance as this could lead to improved understanding of potential differences in underlying biological pathways and disease etiology between the sexes and in turn help inform personalised treatments and precision medicine. In this thesis we provide insights into both the scope and mechanism of GxS across the genome of circa 450,000 individuals of European ancestry and 530 complex traits in the UK Biobank. We found small yet widespread differences in genetic architecture across traits through the calculation of sex-specific heritability, genetic correlations, and sex-stratified genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We further investigated whether sex-agnostic (non-stratified) efforts could potentially be missing information of interest, including sex-specific trait-relevant loci and increased phenotype prediction accuracies. Finally, we studied the potential functional role of sex differences in genetic architecture through sex biased expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and gene-level analyses. Overall, this study marks a broad examination of the genetics of sex differences. Our findings parallel previous reports, suggesting the presence of sexual genetic heterogeneity across complex traits of generally modest magnitude. Furthermore, our results suggest the need to consider sex-stratified analyses in future studies in order to shed light into possible sex-specific molecular mechanisms

    Structure and adsorption properties of gas-ionic liquid interfaces

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    Supported ionic liquids are a diverse class of materials that have been considered as a promising approach to design new surface properties within solids for gas adsorption and separation applications. In these materials, the surface morphology and composition of a porous solid are modified by depositing ionic liquid. The resulting materials exhibit a unique combination of structural and gas adsorption properties arising from both components, the support, and the liquid. Naturally, theoretical and experimental studies devoted to understanding the underlying principles of exhibited interfacial properties have been an intense area of research. However, a complete understanding of the interplay between interfacial gas-liquid and liquid-solid interactions as well as molecular details of these processes remains elusive. The proposed problem is challenging and in this thesis, it is approached from two different perspectives applying computational and experimental techniques. In particular, molecular dynamics simulations are used to model gas adsorption in films of ionic liquids on a molecular level. A detailed description of the modeled systems is possible if the interfacial and bulk properties of ionic liquid films are separated. In this study, we use a unique method that recognizes the interfacial and bulk structures of ionic liquids and distinguishes gas adsorption from gas solubility. By combining classical nitrogen sorption experiments with a mean-field theory, we study how liquid-solid interactions influence the adsorption of ionic liquids on the surface of the porous support. The developed approach was applied to a range of ionic liquids that feature different interaction behavior with gas and porous support. Using molecular simulations with interfacial analysis, it was discovered that gas adsorption capacity can be directly related to gas solubility data, allowing the development of a predictive model for the gas adsorption performance of ionic liquid films. Furthermore, it was found that this CO2 adsorption on the surface of ionic liquid films is determined by the specific arrangement of cations and anions on the surface. A particularly important result is that, for the first time, a quantitative relation between these structural and adsorption properties of different ionic liquid films has been established. This link between two types of properties determines design principles for supported ionic liquids. However, the proposed predictive model and design principles rely on the assumption that the ionic liquid is uniformly distributed on the surface of the porous support. To test how ionic liquids behave under confinement, nitrogen physisorption experiments were conducted for micro‐ and mesopore analysis of supported ionic liquid materials. In conjunction with mean-field density functional theory applied to the lattice gas and pore models, we revealed different scenarios for the pore-filling mechanism depending on the strength of the liquid-solid interactions. In this thesis, a combination of computational and experimental studies provides a framework for the characterization of complex interfacial gas-liquid and liquid-solid processes. It is shown that interfacial analysis is a powerful tool for studying molecular-level interactions between different phases. Finally, nitrogen sorption experiments were effectively used to obtain information on the structure of supported ionic liquids

    Probing the Intergalactic medium properties using X-ray absorption from multiple tracers

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    Based on the Lambda Cold Dark Matter concordance cosmological model (ΛCDM), the majority of baryons exist in the Intergalactic medium (IGM). It is extremely challenging to observationally trace the IGM, especially at higher temperatures and low densities. Post reionisation, the vast majority of hydrogen and helium is ionized in the IGM and therefore, the observation of metals is essential for parametrising the IGM properties. My hypothesis is that there is significant absorption in the diffuse highly ionisied IGM and that this IGM column density increases with redshift. I use X-ray absorption in multiple tracers which yields information on the total absorbing column density of the matter between the observer and the source. Clear IGM detections require tracer sources that are bright, distant, and common enough to provide a good statistical sample of IGM lines of sight (LOS). To more accurately isolate any IGM contribution to spectral absorption, I examine each tracer host type to realistically model it, in addition to using appropriate intrinsic continuum curvature models. I test the robustness of the result from a number of perspectives. I examine the impact of the key underlying assumptions that affect the column density calculations including metallicity, ionisation and location of absorption. I look for any evidence of evolution in the parameters. In Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5, I use gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), blazars and quasars (QSOs) to estimate IGM baryon column densities, metallicity, temperature, ionisation parameters and redshift distributions. My results for each tracer are presented in each of the respective chapters and collectively in Chapter 5 which includes comparative analysis. In conclusion, through the work in this thesis I demonstrate a consistent case for strong X-ray absorption in the IGM on the LOS to three different tracer types and that it is related to redshift. The results are consistent with the ΛCDM model for density, temperature and metallicity. Given these results, I would recommend that studies of distant objects should not follow the convention of assuming all X-ray absorption in excess of our Galaxy is attributed to the host galaxy, that the host is neutral and has solar metallicity. Instead, particularly at higher redshift, absorption in the IGM should be accounted for to give more accurate results for the tracer host properties

    How to Be a God

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    When it comes to questions concerning the nature of Reality, Philosophers and Theologians have the answers. Philosophers have the answers that can’t be proven right. Theologians have the answers that can’t be proven wrong. Today’s designers of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games create realities for a living. They can’t spend centuries mulling over the issues: they have to face them head-on. Their practical experiences can indicate which theoretical proposals actually work in practice. That’s today’s designers. Tomorrow’s will have a whole new set of questions to answer. The designers of virtual worlds are the literal gods of those realities. Suppose Artificial Intelligence comes through and allows us to create non-player characters as smart as us. What are our responsibilities as gods? How should we, as gods, conduct ourselves? How should we be gods

    The applied psychology of addictive orientations : studies in a 12-step treatment context.

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    The clinical data for the studies was collected at The PROMIS Recovery Centre, a Minnesota Model treatmentc entre for addictions,w hich encouragesth e membership and use of the 12 step Anonymous Fellowships, and is abstinence based. The area of addiction is contextualised in a review chapter which focuses on research relating to the phenomenon of cross addiction. A study examining the concept of "addictive orientations" in male and female addicts is described, which develops a study conductedb y StephensonM, aggi, Lefever, & Morojele (1995). This presents study found a four factor solution which appeared to be subdivisions of the previously found Hedonism and Nurturance factors. Self orientated nurturance (both food dimensions, shopping and caffeine), Other orientated nurturance (both compulsive helping dimensions and work), Sensation seeking hedonism (Drugs, prescription drugs, nicotine and marginally alcohol), and Power related hedonism (Both relationship dimensions, sex and gambling. This concept of "addictive orientations" is further explored in a non-clinical population, where again a four factor solution was found, very similar to that in the clinical population. This was thought to indicate that in terms of addictive orientation a pattern already exists in this non-clinical population and that consideration should be given to why this is the case. These orientations are examined in terms of gender differences. It is suggested that the differences between genders reflect power-related role relationships between the sexes. In order to further elaborate the significance and meaning behind these orientations, the next two chapters look at the contribution of personality variables and how addictive orientations relate to psychiatric symptomatology. Personality variables were differentially, and to a considerable extent predictably involved with the four factors for both males and females.Conscientiousness as positively associated with "Other orientated Nurturance" and negatively associated with "Sensation seeking hedonism" (particularly for men). Neuroticism had a particularly strong association with the "Self orientated Nurturance" factor in the female population. More than twice the symptomatology variance was explained by the factor scores for females than it was for males. The most important factorial predictors for psychiatric symptomatology were the "Power related hedonism" factor for males, and "Self oriented nurturance" for females. The results are discussed from theoretical and treatment perspectives

    The labour supply and retirement of older workers: an empirical analysis

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    This thesis examines the labour supply of older workers, their movement into retirement, and any movement out of retirement and back into work. In particular the labour force participation, labour supply and wage elasticity and other income elasticity of work hours are estimated for older workers and compared to younger workers. The thesis goes on to look at the movement into retirement for older workers as a whole by examining cohorts by gender, wave and age. The thesis also presents a descriptive and quantitative ‱ examination of the changes in income and happiness that occur as an individual retires. Finally the thesis examines the reasons why an individual may return to work from v . retirement. The results of the findings suggest: that younger workers are significantly more responsive to wage and household income changes than older worker

    Gendered spaces in contemporary Irish poetry

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    The thrust of this thesis is summarized by the following questions: How does contemporary Irish poetry migrate from traditional conceptions of identity drawn on by the cultural nationalism of the Irish Literary Revival, and what effects does this have on understanding gendered and national identity formation? Chapters are on the following: Seamus Heaney, Tom Paulin, Paul Muldoon, MedbhMcGuckian, Eavan Boland and Sara Berkeley. These poets are chosen for discussion since their work most effectively engages with the relationship between woman and nation, the representation of gendered national identity, and the importance of feminist and post-colonial theorization. Focusing on poetry worth and South of the border from the last fifteen years, the thesis asks how a younger generation of poets provide a response to nationality which is significantly different from their predecessors. The thesis is composed of three parts: the first understand how the male poets depart from conventional conceptions of the nation with reference to post-colonial theorization; the second explores how feminist theorization informs readings of how the female poets respond to the nation; the final part investigates migration in the poetry and problematizes this in terms of post-nationalism. Discussing the issue of deterritorialization in Irish poetry, the thesis notice how as the poets attempt to take flight from the mythologies of nationhood, they undermine the monoliths of gendered and national identity inscribed within Irish political discourse, which is typified at a representative level by the figure of Mother Ireland or Cathleen Ni Houlihan. Investigating the ways in which gender and nation, and the body and space are reinscribed by the poets, the thesis argues that their poetry challenges authentic conceptions of Irish identity and the nation-state, so as to loosen the legacy of a colonial and nationalist inheritance
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