Relationships to Video Game Streamers: Examining Gratifications, Parasocial Relationships, Fandom, and Community Affiliation Online

Advances in media consumption and viewership have expanded the use of virtual communities such as streaming platforms (e.g., Twitch,tv, Azubu.tv, YouTube Gaming, AfreecaTV) and the ways individuals satisfy individual and social gratifications within these communities. Further, the connection viewers make with streamers as both fans and parasocially (i.e., a perceived friendship with media figure) has a number of implications for the communities that support them. This dissertation tested fandom and parasocial relationships (PSR) as mediators of the relationship between sense of community (SOC) and gratifications. Users of streaming platforms (N = 624) were surveyed regarding the gratifications they seek from streaming platforms, their fandom and PSR with their favorite streamer, and their sense of community on the site. Mediation analysis showed that PSR and fandom mediated the relationships between SOC and the gratifications of relaxing entertainment, expressive information sharing, and escapism. In other words, viewers for whom these gratifications were more salient reported higher PSR and fandom, and higher PSR and fandom predicted higher SOC. Unlike PSR, fandom mediated the relationship between SOC and the gratifications of cool and new trend and companionship. There are a number of theoretical and practical implications of PSR and fandom as they relate to gratifications and SOC. Specifically, the social nature of streaming platforms provide new opportunities for media consumers to satisfy individual and social gratifications. Additionally, the swings in popularity of microcelebrities on streaming platforms aligns well with traditional celebrity worship research (i.e., popularity dictates who receives special promotion). Streaming platforms provide opportunities for the building and maintenance of relationships comparable to previous research on streaming platforms. Ultimately, the streamer acts as the mechanism that enables to relationship between gratifications and SOC for stream viewers

Crustal evolution of the Saykhandulaan inlier, Mongolia : implications for Palaeozoic arc magmatism, polyphase deformation and terrane accretion in the southeast Gobi mineral belt

The Saykhandulaan Inlier in South East Mongolia lies within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), and records a complex history of Palaeozoic tectonism and magmatism associated with terrane accretion on the northern margin of the Palaeo-Asian ocean. The inlier spans the boundary between the Gobi Altai back-arc basin terrane in the north and the Mandalovoo and Gurvansayhan island-arc terranes in the south which are notable for their many mineralised intrusions, including the Oyu Tolgoi gold-rich copper porphyry deposit. Results from cross-strike transects within the Saykhandulaan Inlier reveal that it can be subdivided into five parallel east–west striking litho-tectonic domains; (1) the Northern Slate Belt, comprising Devonian greenschist grade pelites and psammites with deep-marine to coastal siliciclastic protoliths; (2) the Saykhandulaan Valley Lineament Zone (SVLZ), a tectonised zone of faulted and lithologically altered volcanic rocks; (3) the High Strain Belt, consisting of tightly folded and flattened metamorphosed clastic sedimentary rocks; (4) the Molasse Succession, consisting of relatively undeformed coarse conglomerates and sandstones and, (5) the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group, a nearly 5 km-thick folded Carboniferous volcanic succession that hosts the mid-Carboniferous Oyut Ulaan mineralised granite. The Northern Slate Belt metasedimentary rocks record a northerly cratonic provenance, whereas all rocks to the south of the SVLZ have arc affinities. The SVLZ is thus interpreted to be the boundary between the Gobi Altai and Mandalovoo terranes. Two major deformation events are documented; (1) back-arc basin closure and inversion involving regional scale folding and greenschist grade metamorphism in the Northern Slate and High Strain Belts; (2) contraction associated with Mandalovoo terrane accretion and final closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean to the south. Following terrane accretion and cessation of subduction, crustal extension and strike-slip faulting further modified the crustal architecture of the inlier. The results presented here provide a useful framework for understanding the crustal evolution of adjacent regions within the southeast Gobi mineral belt

Examining Undergraduate Communication Degree Programs: Mission Statements, Assessment Plans, and Assessment Evaluations

One hundred undergraduate communication programs listed in the NCA directory were examined in this investigation. The process involved gathering the university mission statement, departmental mission statement, program assessment plan, and program assessment evaluations. Results demonstrate that 98 institutions utilized mission statements, 81 departments provided mission statements, 18 departments made assessment plans available and the researchers obtained 4 assessment evaluations

Experimental Treatments for Spinal Cord Injury: What you Should Know

Experiencing a spinal cord injury (SCI) is extremely distressing, both physically and psychologically, and throws people into a complex, unfamiliar world of medical procedures, terminology, and decision making. You may have already had surgery to stabilize the spinal column and reduce the possibility of further damage. You are understandably distressed about the functions you may have lost below the level of spinal injury. You wish to recover any lost abilities as soon as possible. You, your family, or friends may have searched the Internet for treatments and cures

Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis and inflammation are key features of acute human spinal cord injury: implications for translational, clinical application

The Fas/FasL system plays an important role in apoptosis, the inflammatory response and gliosis in a variety of neurologic disorders. A better understanding of these mechanisms could lead to effective therapeutic strategies following spinal cord injury (SCI). We explored these mechanisms by examining molecular changes in postmortem human spinal cord tissue from cases with acute and chronic SCI. Complementary studies were conducted using the in vivo Fejota™ clip compression model of SCI in Fas-deficient B6.MRL-Fas-lpr (lpr) and wild-type (Wt) mice to test Fas-mediated apoptosis, inflammation, gliosis and axonal degeneration by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, gelatin zymography and ELISA with Mouse 32-plex cytokine/chemokine panel bead immunoassay. We report novel evidence that shows that Fas-mediated apoptosis of neurons and oligodendrocytes occurred in the injury epicenter in all cases of acute and subacute SCI and not in chronic SCI or in control cases. We also found significantly reduced apoptosis, expression of GFAP, NF-κB, p-IKappaB and iba1, increased number of CD4 positive T cells and MMP2 expression and reduced neurological dysfunction in lpr mice when compared with Wt mice after SCI. We found dramatically reduced inflammation and cytokines and chemokine expression in B6.MRL-Fas-lpr mice compared to Wt mice after SCI. In conclusion, we report multiple lines of evidence that Fas/FasL activation plays a pivotal role in mediating apoptosis, the inflammatory response and neurodegeneration after SCI, providing a compelling rationale for therapeutically targeting Fas in human SCI

RNA Interference and Single Particle Tracking Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Endocytosis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) enters hepatocytes following a complex set of receptor interactions, culminating in internalization via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, aside from receptors, little is known about the cellular molecular requirements for infectious HCV entry. Therefore, we analyzed a siRNA library that targets 140 cellular membrane trafficking genes to identify host genes required for infectious HCV production and HCV pseudoparticle entry. This approach identified 16 host cofactors of HCV entry that function primarily in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, including components of the clathrin endocytosis machinery, actin polymerization, receptor internalization and sorting, and endosomal acidification. We next developed single particle tracking analysis of highly infectious fluorescent HCV particles to examine the co-trafficking of HCV virions with cellular cofactors of endocytosis. We observe multiple, sequential interactions of HCV virions with the actin cytoskeleton, including retraction along filopodia, actin nucleation during internalization, and migration of internalized particles along actin stress fibers. HCV co-localizes with clathrin and the ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl prior to internalization. Entering HCV particles are associated with the receptor molecules CD81 and the tight junction protein, claudin-1; however, HCV-claudin-1 interactions were not restricted to Huh-7.5 cell-cell junctions. Surprisingly, HCV internalization generally occurred outside of Huh-7.5 cell-cell junctions, which may reflect the poorly polarized nature of current HCV cell culture models. Following internalization, HCV particles transport with GFP-Rab5a positive endosomes, which is consistent with trafficking to the early endosome. This study presents technical advances for imaging HCV entry, in addition to identifying new host cofactors of HCV infection, some of which may be antiviral targets

History, Commemoration, and Belief: Abraham Lincoln in American Memory, 1945-2001

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91765/1/Schuman-History_Commemoration_Belief.pd

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Identification and Characterization of the Host Protein DNAJC14 as a Broadly Active Flavivirus Replication Modulator

Viruses in the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family are arthropod-transmitted and contribute to staggering numbers of human infections and significant deaths annually across the globe. To identify cellular factors with antiviral activity against flaviviruses, we screened a cDNA library using an iterative approach. We identified a mammalian Hsp40 chaperone protein (DNAJC14) that when overexpressed was able to mediate protection from yellow fever virus (YFV)-induced cell death. Further studies revealed that DNAJC14 inhibits YFV at the step of viral RNA replication. Since replication of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a member of the related Pestivirus genus, is also known to be modulated by DNAJC14, we tested the effect of this host factor on diverse Flaviviridae family members. Flaviviruses, including the pathogenic Asibi strain of YFV, Kunjin, and tick-borne Langat virus, as well as a Hepacivirus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), all were inhibited by overexpression of DNAJC14. Mutagenesis showed that both the J-domain and the C-terminal domain, which mediates self-interaction, are required for anti-YFV activity. We found that DNAJC14 does not block YFV nor HCV NS2-3 cleavage, and using non-inhibitory mutants demonstrate that DNAJC14 is recruited to YFV replication complexes. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that endogenous DNAJC14 rearranges during infection and is found in replication complexes identified by dsRNA staining. Interestingly, silencing of endogenous DNAJC14 results in impaired YFV replication suggesting a requirement for DNAJC14 in YFV replication complex assembly. Finally, the antiviral activity of overexpressed DNAJC14 occurs in a time- and dose-dependent manner. DNAJC14 overexpression may disrupt the proper stoichiometry resulting in inhibition, which can be overcome upon restoration of the optimal ratios due to the accumulation of viral nonstructural proteins. Our findings, together with previously published work, suggest that the members of the Flaviviridae family have evolved in unique and important ways to interact with this host Hsp40 chaperone molecule

Six RNA Viruses and Forty-One Hosts: Viral Small RNAs and Modulation of Small RNA Repertoires in Vertebrate and Invertebrate Systems

We have used multiplexed high-throughput sequencing to characterize changes in small RNA populations that occur during viral infection in animal cells. Small RNA-based mechanisms such as RNA interference (RNAi) have been shown in plant and invertebrate systems to play a key role in host responses to viral infection. Although homologs of the key RNAi effector pathways are present in mammalian cells, and can launch an RNAi-mediated degradation of experimentally targeted mRNAs, any role for such responses in mammalian host-virus interactions remains to be characterized. Six different viruses were examined in 41 experimentally susceptible and resistant host systems. We identified virus-derived small RNAs (vsRNAs) from all six viruses, with total abundance varying from “vanishingly rare” (less than 0.1% of cellular small RNA) to highly abundant (comparable to abundant micro-RNAs “miRNAs”). In addition to the appearance of vsRNAs during infection, we saw a number of specific changes in host miRNA profiles. For several infection models investigated in more detail, the RNAi and Interferon pathways modulated the abundance of vsRNAs. We also found evidence for populations of vsRNAs that exist as duplexed siRNAs with zero to three nucleotide 3′ overhangs. Using populations of cells carrying a Hepatitis C replicon, we observed strand-selective loading of siRNAs onto Argonaute complexes. These experiments define vsRNAs as one possible component of the interplay between animal viruses and their hosts