105 research outputs found
Multiperspectivity in organized sport in refugee sites : Sociological findings and pedagogical considerations
Refugee sites are a means to manage large-scale refugee movements,
a recurring event in today’s world. Sport is supposed to have beneficial
eects for the residents of such sites and is therefore an activity, which
is standardly organized by the sites’ management. Moreover, many NGOs
and “Sport for Development and Peace” programmes endorse the use of
sport in emergency situations—including in refugee sites—to achieve several
biopsychosocial objectives. There is a growing body of scientific literature,
however, that is calling into question the beneficial eects of sport in this
setting as well as the rationale behind this idea. Against this background, we
explore the question “How does multiperspectivity influence sport in refugee
sites?” based on two case studies. We use the ethnographic materials we were
able to collect for the case studies to conduct a (sociological) analysis of
multiperspectivity in sport and to develop (pedagogical) proposals on how to
incorporate multiperspectivity when devising sports activities for refugees. The
fact that the perspectives and motivations beyond the actual sports activities
in the refugee site setting might be extremely homogenous leads us to
conclude that multiperspectivity is key for planning, organizing and monitoring
sports activities, and that refugees’ positions must also be acknowledged. We
recommend programmes and practical ways of achieving these objectives with
a focus on the role of trainers and coaches
Mapping the impact: assessment methodologies and policy implications of the Collaborative and Sharing Economy
In this chapter the authors examine different methodologies for assessing the diverse impact of the Collaborative and Sharing Economies (henceforth, CSE) on many aspects of society, then make policy recommendations based on the outcomes of these assessments. The chapter briefly describes the multifarious CSE landscape, then goes on to enumerate the major frameworks currently used to evaluate and assess CSE impacts. It notes that there is no single methodology that can fully capture the wide variety of impacts, but identifies two methods as the most useful: multidimensional assessment, and Theory of Change (ToC) framework analysis. The chapter then elaborates on the benefits and drawbacks of each methodology, before suggesting the use of both methodologies in a mixed format. The authors undertake a brief literature review to examine recent approaches to impact assessment, and focus in on what those approaches have revealed from the points of view of social value, environmental impact, economy, and political impact, concluding with findings about 'rebound effects' in terms of indirect behavioural and other changes caused by CSE initiatives. The chapter maps out a suggested comprehensive inventory for multidimensional assessment, then describes a methodology for assessing the CSE and its impacts via the ToC Framework. It concludes with determining the implications on policy of the impact assessments. This section views policy through the lens of implications derived from the general impact of the CSE, and then via the impact assessment methods and tools derived from the ToC framework. In the first part it assesses considerations that need to be taken by policymakers due to CSE impacts on the market, government, the workforce, consumers, and the environment, and makes recommendations on each. In terms of impact assessment, it recommends more long-term and strategic actions to cope with the ongoing disruption caused by the CSE. In conclusion it recommends a robust and adaptive approach to assessing the impacts caused by flourishing and inevitable growth of the CSE
Online and offline integration in marketing communication. Delving into the business perspective
Literature about Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is still evolving, but lacks
a systematic focus on online and offline integration approaches. This research aims to
identify the key managerial issues related to online and offline integration within IMC
and explore the existence of clusters of firms with consistent conducts and results. We
carried out a survey with 124 large firms operating in Italy, running first exploratory
factor analyses and then a non-hierarchical cluster analysis. The former highlight the
nature of the implementation modalities of online and offline integration in IMC, the
main types of advantages, and the different categories of barriers to such
implementation. The latter results in two clusters of firms. Academic and managerial
implications are presented along with future research directions
Event Venue Satisfaction and Its Impact On Sponsorship Outcomes
The importance of sponsorship as a marketing communications tool is well recognized in the event literature. Despite the growth in event sponsorship investments and the increasing importance of the role of the venue in event planning, there is still a lack of research on the impact of event venue satisfaction on sponsorship outcomes. Thus, the objective of the present study is to analyze the effect of event venue satisfaction on sponsor image, and, in particular, to verify if attendee satisfaction with the venue has a positive effect on sponsor recall, attitude, and purchase intention. The article presents the results of a survey conducted during the International Rome Film Festival, which takes place annually at the Rome Auditorium. Results suggest that attendee satisfaction with venues affects attitudes toward the sponsors and sponsor-related purchase intention, while sponsor awareness is not affected. The main contribution of the article is the development of a comprehensive model of event sponsorship evaluation, in which traditional sponsorship outcomes are considered in light of attendee satisfaction and quality of services in the sponsor-related exclusive venue zones
Orthogonal paper biosensor for mercury(II) combining bioluminescence and colorimetric smartphone detection
Portable light detectors for bioluminescence biosensing applications: A comprehensive review from the analytical chemist's perspective
Bioluminescence, that is the emission of light in living organisms, has been extensively explored and applied for diverse bioanalytical applications, spanning from molecular imaging to biosensing. The unprecedented technological evolution of portable light detectors opened new possibilities to implement bioluminescence detection into miniaturized devices. We are witnessing a number of applications, including DNA sequencing, reporter gene assays, DNA amplification for point-of care and point-of need analyses relying on BL. Several photon detectors are currently available for measuring low light emission, such as photomultiplier tubes (PMT), charge-coupled devices (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and smartphone-integrated CMOS. Each technology has pros and cons and several issues, such as temperature dependence of the instrumental specific noise, the power supply, imaging capability and ease of integration, should be considered in the selection of the most appropriate detector for the selected BL application
Neurodevelopmental disorders and development of project of life in a lifespan perspective: between habilitation and quality of life
AbstractFor some years, the term “project of life” has become widely used in the field of neurodevelopmentaldisorders, and, at the same time, it has begun to make its way in many socialand health planning documents. However, beyond its relatively widespread use, this termdoes not yet possess an adequate and shared frame of the main underlying decision-makingprocesses. In particular, there is a need to identify the crucial questions for orientingthe choice of goals within the adolescent transition, which represents the complex hingebetween childhood and adulthood. Moreover, adulthood, which is often completely devoidof culturally and socially shared references, is still critical precisely because of thelack of future direction prompts usually represented by the stages of development. In thiscase, the themes of quality of life functioning as a guiding compass appear pertinent andmuch more relevant. The present contribution is, therefore, an attempt to present, in aunitary manner, the decision-making processes and questions at the basis of a constructof “project of life” shared within the scientific and associative communities
Stress and wellbeing among professionals working with people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Review and intervention perspectives
AbstractSupporting individuals with NDD is extremely demanding, with significant exposure tocritical contexts and events, and painful ongoing experiences. Stress and burnout conditionis a main concern with growing interest in research, despite the lack of consensus ontheoretical explanatory models and modification standards.The paper provides an up-to-date review of risk factors and involved processes, and presentsevidence-based procedures and protocols to implement effective preventive actionsaddressing both organizational and individual factors. The aim is to offer a global understandingof the subject and offer examples of practical plans to increase the impact onthe quality of life of clients and staff members
Endogenous CCL2 neutralization restricts HIV-1 replication in primary human macrophages by inhibiting viral DNA accumulation
Macrophages are key targets of HIV-1 infection. We have previously described that the expressionof CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) increases during monocyte differentiation to macrophages and it is furtherup-modulated by HIV-1 exposure. Moreover, CCL2 acts as an autocrine factor that promotes viral replication ininfected macrophages. In this study, we dissected the molecular mechanisms by which CCL2 neutralization inhibitsHIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), and the potential involvement of the innate restrictionfactors protein sterile alpha motif (SAM) histidine/aspartic acid (HD) domain containing 1 (SAMHD1) and apolipoproteinB mRNA-editing, enzyme-catalytic, polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) family members.Results:CCL2 neutralization potently reduced the number of p24 Gag+cells during the course of either productive orsingle cycle infection with HIV-1. In contrast, CCL2 blocking did not modify entry of HIV-1 based Virus Like Particles, thusdemonstrating that the restriction involves post-entry steps of the viral life cycle. Notably, the accumulation of viralDNA, both total, integrated and 2-LTR circles, was strongly impaired by neutralization of CCL2. Looking for correlates ofHIV-1 DNA accumulation inhibition, we found that the antiviral effect of CCL2 neutralization was independent of themodulation of SAMHD1 expression or function. Conversely, a strong and selective induction of APOBEC3A expression,to levels comparable to those of freshly isolated monocytes, was associated with the inhibition of HIV-1 replicationmediated by CCL2 blocking. Interestingly, the CCL2 neutralization mediated increase of APOBEC3A expression was typeI IFN independent. Moreover, the transcriptome analysis of the effect of CCL2 blocking on global gene expressionrevealed that the neutralization of this chemokine resulted in the upmodulation of additional genes involved in thedefence response to viruses.Conclusions:Neutralization of endogenous CCL2 determines a profound restriction of HIV-1 replication in primaryMDM affecting post-entry steps of the viral life cycle with a mechanism independent of SAMHD1. In addition, CCL2blocking is associated with induction of APOBEC3A expression, thus unravelling a novel mechanism which mightcontribute to regulate the expression of innate intracellular viral antagonistsin vivo. Thus, our study may potentially leadto the development of new therapeutic strategies for enhancing innate cellular defences against HIV-1 and protecting macrophages from infection
Motives to play videogames across seven countries: Measurement invariance of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire
Introduction. Gaming motives appear to be an important predictor of time spent gaming and disordered gaming.
The Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ) has shown adequate psychometric properties to assess gaming
motives among Spanish college students. However, the utility of this measure has not yet been explored in other
cultures. This research aimed to examine the structure and measurement invariance of the VMQ across seven
countries and gender groups, and to provide criterion-related validity evidence for VMQ scores. Method. College
students who reported having played videogames in the last year (n = 5192; 59.07 % women) from the US,
Canada, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, England, and Uruguay completed an online survey to measure time spent
gaming, disordered gaming, and the VMQ. Results. Findings support a 24-item 8-intercorrelated factor model
structure for the VMQ in the total sample. Our results also support configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the
VMQ across gender groups and countries. Students from North America (US and Canada) scored higher on most
gaming motives (except recreation and cognitive development) than students from the other countries. The
correlations between VMQ and non-VMQ variables were similar across gender and countries, except in England
where VMQ correlations with time spent gaming were stronger. Discussion. These results suggest that the VMQ
is a useful measure for assessing gaming motives across young adults from different countries.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume
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