61 research outputs found
Fandom from afar: identification, attachment, and consumption behaviors among United States based fans of English premier league soccer clubs.
The purpose of this study was to explore the antecedents to organizational identification among U.S.-based EPL fans and examine the relationship between these antecedents and various forms of sport consumption behavior. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which points of attachment explained variances in organizational identification and three types of sport consumption behavior â broadcast media consumption, social media consumption, and team-related merchandise purchases. Additionally, this study examined differences in points of attachment between fans of successful EPL organizations, known as the âBig Sixâ EPL clubs, and fans of unsuccessful EPL organizations. In contrast to most existing sport fan identification and attachment research, this study focused on distant fans, a group yet to receive significant attention in the sport management literature. This study utilized social identity theory as a conceptual foundation. Social identity theory is a socio-cognitive framework that explains the formation and behaviors of social groups. It provides the main theoretical foundation for research on organizational identification and team identification. Points of attachment represent an extension of team identification research that accounts for the potential of multiple factors to contribute toward oneâs fan identification. Previous research suggests an understanding of fan identification and attachment is crucial to developing targeted marketing plans which positively influence sport consumption behaviors. To address the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was distributed to U.S.-based EPL fans through Facebook group pages organized around fan support and interactions for EPL clubs. The questionnaire contained items to assess respondentâs levels of organizational identification, attachment to various aspects of the organization, and consumption behaviors. Participant responses (n = 753) revealed attachment to fan community exhibited the strongest relationship with organizational identification and each type of sport consumption behavior. Attachment to venue also suggested positive relationships with organizational identification and sport consumption behaviors. Two new points of attachment created for this study, attachment to owner and attachment to organizational history/tradition, positively explained respondentâs frequency of merchandise purchases. Additional analysis revealed player and venue attachment held particular salience among U.S.-based fans of Big Six EPL organizations. Meanwhile, attachment to fan community, city/region, and owner displayed significantly higher ratings among U.S.-based fans of EPL organizations outside the Big Six. These results produce several theoretical and practical implications for researchers and practitioners. From a theoretical perspective, the results illuminate similarities and differences in identification and attachment among distant fan populations compared to local sport fans. Additionally, factor analyses supported a factor structure for items relating to the two new points of attachment created for this study. This sets a foundation for future researchers to utilize these points of attachment in a variety of new research contexts covering distant and local fan types. From a practical implication perspective, the results show the importance of placing the concept of fan community at the heart of marketing strategies for EPL organizations and their U.S.-based broadcast partner, NBC Sports. As information technology and high-speed internet access continue to eliminate boundaries between sport teams and fans from across the world, it will become increasingly crucial for sport organizations to understand their fan bases in distant markets. This study provides initial evidence of variables that demonstrate a significant, positive impact on organizational identification and sport consumption behaviors for a particular set of distant fans
Co-Attendance Communities: A Multilevel Egocentric Network Analysis of American Soccer Supportersâ Groups
The growth of professional soccer in the United States is evident through the rapid expansion of franchises and increased game attendance within Major League Soccer (MLS) and the United Soccer League (USL). Coinciding with this growth is the emergence of European-style supportersâ groups filling sections of MLS and USL stadiums. In this study, the authors utilized an egocentric network analysis to explore relationships among supportersâ group members for two professional soccer clubs based in the United States. Egocentric network research focuses on the immediate social environment of individuals and is often viewed as an alternative approach to sociocentric (i.e., whole network) analyses. This study employed hierarchical linear modeling as an example of multilevel modeling with egocentric data, using ego- and alter-level variables to explain the strength of co-attendance ties. The results indicate the perceived commitment of fellow fans to the team, shared membership in a supportersâ group, age, and interactions with other fans in team settings related to higher levels of co-attendance. The outcomes of this study are both theoretical, as they advance an understanding of sport consumer behavior within soccer supportersâ groups, and methodological, as they illustrate the unique value of employing egocentric network analysis in sport fan research
A search for the analogue to Cherenkov radiation by high energy neutrinos at superluminal speeds in ICARUS
The OPERA collaboration has claimed evidence of superluminal {\nu}{_\mu}
propagation between CERN and the LNGS. Cohen and Glashow argued that such
neutrinos should lose energy by producing photons and e+e- pairs, through Z0
mediated processes analogous to Cherenkov radiation. In terms of the parameter
delta=(v^2_nu-v^2_c)/v^2_c, the OPERA result implies delta = 5 x 10^-5. For
this value of \delta a very significant deformation of the neutrino energy
spectrum and an abundant production of photons and e+e- pairs should be
observed at LNGS. We present an analysis based on the 2010 and part of the 2011
data sets from the ICARUS experiment, located at Gran Sasso National Laboratory
and using the same neutrino beam from CERN. We find that the rates and
deposited energy distributions of neutrino events in ICARUS agree with the
expectations for an unperturbed spectrum of the CERN neutrino beam. Our results
therefore refute a superluminal interpretation of the OPERA result according to
the Cohen and Glashow prediction for a weak current analog to Cherenkov
radiation. In particular no superluminal Cherenkov like e+e- pair or gamma
emission event has been directly observed inside the fiducial volume of the
"bubble chamber like" ICARUS TPC-LAr detector, setting the much stricter limit
of delta < 2.5 10^-8 at the 90% confidence level, comparable with the one due
to the observations from the SN1987A.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
Precision measurement of the neutrino velocity with the ICARUS detector in the CNGS beam
During May 2012, the CERN-CNGS neutrino beam has been operated for two weeks
for a total of 1.8 10^17 pot in bunched mode, with a 3 ns narrow width proton
beam bunches, separated by 100 ns. This tightly bunched beam structure allows a
very accurate time of flight measurement of neutrinos from CERN to LNGS on an
event-by-event basis. Both the ICARUS-T600 PMT-DAQ and the CERN-LNGS timing
synchronization have been substantially improved for this campaign, taking
ad-vantage of additional independent GPS receivers, both at CERN and LNGS as
well as of the deployment of the "White Rabbit" protocol both at CERN and LNGS.
The ICARUS-T600 detector has collected 25 beam-associated events; the
corresponding time of flight has been accurately evaluated, using all different
time synchronization paths. The measured neutrino time of flight is compatible
with the arrival of all events with speed equivalent to the one of light: the
difference between the expected value based on the speed of light and the
measured value is tof_c - tof_nu = (0.10 \pm 0.67stat. \pm 2.39syst.) ns. This
result is in agreement with the value previously reported by the ICARUS
collaboration, tof_c - tof_nu = (0.3 \pm 4.9stat. \pm 9.0syst.) ns, but with
improved statistical and systematic errors.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 1 tabl
The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe
The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the
dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for
life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront
of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early
evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The
Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed
plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE
is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity
neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream
of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed
as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research
Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in
Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at
Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino
charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet
cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can
accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional
combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and
potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility
for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around
the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program
of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of
LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics
worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will
possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for
LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a
comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the
landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate
and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure
Mowat-Wilson syndrome: growth charts
Background Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS; OMIM #235730) is a genetic condition caused by heterozygous mutations or deletions of theZEB2gene. It is characterized by moderate-severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, Hirschsprung disease and multiple organ malformations of which congenital heart defects and urogenital anomalies are the most frequent ones. To date, a clear description of the physical development of MWS patients does not exist. The aim of this study is to provide up-to-date growth charts specific for infants and children with MWS. Charts for males and females aged from 0 to 16 years were generated using a total of 2865 measurements from 99 MWS patients of different ancestries. All data were collected through extensive collaborations with the Italian MWS association (AIMW) and the MWS Foundation. The GAMLSS package for the R statistical computing software was used to model the growth charts. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and head circumference were compared to those from standard international growth charts for healthy children. Results In newborns, weight and length were distributed as in the general population, while head circumference was slightly smaller, with an average below the 30th centile. Up to the age of 7 years, weight and height distribution was shifted to slightly lower values than in the general population; after that, the difference increased further, with 50% of the affected children below the 5th centile of the general population. BMI distribution was similar to that of non-affected children until the age of 7 years, at which point values in MWS children increased with a less steep slope, particularly in males. Microcephaly was sometimes present at birth, but in most cases it developed gradually during infancy; many children had a small head circumference, between the 3rd and the 10th centile, rather than being truly microcephalic (at least 2 SD below the mean). Most patients were of slender build. Conclusions These charts contribute to the understanding of the natural history of MWS and should assist pediatricians and other caregivers in providing optimal care to MWS individuals who show problems related to physical growth. This is the first study on growth in patients with MWS
The Dichotomous Pattern of IL-12R and IL-23R Expression Elucidates the Role of IL-12 and IL-23 in Inflammation
IL-12 and IL-23 cytokines respectively drive Th1 and Th17 type responses. Yet, little is known regarding the biology of these receptors. As the IL-12 and IL-23 receptors share a common subunit, it has been assumed that these receptors are co-expressed. Surprisingly, we find that the expression of each of these receptors is restricted to specific cell types, in both mouse and human. Indeed, although IL-12RÎČ2 is expressed by NK cells and a subset of γΎ T cells, the expression of IL-23R is restricted to specific T cell subsets, a small number of B cells and innate lymphoid cells. By exploiting an IL-12- and IL-23-dependent mouse model of innate inflammation, we demonstrate an intricate interplay between IL-12RÎČ2 NK cells and IL-23R innate lymphoid cells with respectively dominant roles in the regulation of systemic versus local inflammatory responses. Together, these findings support an unforeseen lineage-specific dichotomy in the in vivo role of both the IL-12 and IL-23 pathways in pathological inflammatory states, which may allow more accurate dissection of the roles of these receptors in chronic inflammatory diseases in humans
Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study
Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised
- âŠ