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With the exposure of mass media, sports fans are able to enjoy games in real time in their homes (Beck & Bosshart, 2003; Phua, 2010). While just watching sports broadcasts, fans are likely to share the game experience with family, friends, and other fans who are following the same team (Gantz & Wenner, 1995). Besides, a significant number of people use social media when they are watching live sports broadcasts (Horn, 2012; Phua, 2012; Tang & Cooper, 2011). In particular, sports is one of the most common topics for Twitter users (Kwak, Lee, Park & Moon, 2010). Thus, this thesis explores 1) sports media audiences' motivations to watch live NFL game broadcasts with others, 2) their gratifications as a consequence of the group watching, 3) their motivations to use sports Twitter while watching live NFL game broadcasts, 4) their gratifications as a consequence of sports Twitter use while watching the game broadcasts, and 5) the level of gratifications as a consequence of the group watching and sports Twitter use. The factor analysis indicates that interactivity, fan identity, diversion/entertainment, and personal utility are the factors for the uses and gratifications of the group watching, while interactivity, information seeking, fan identity, and diversion/entertainment are the factors for sports Twitter use. All motivational factors are gratified as a consequence of sports group watching and Twitter use while watching the game broadcasts. This is the meaningful implication of the study that sports media allow the audience to have an opportunity to fulfill their desire for social interaction, and indeed, it is gratified as a consequence of sports media use. / Mass Media and Communication

No / Polymeric materials are described which have a bioflavonoid coating, the bioflavonoid content of the coating comprising at least naringin and neohesperidin. The use of such coated polymeric materials is also described as well as the process for making the coated polymeric materials.

<p dir="ltr">This research is about the innovative method for the control of the one of the fungal disease, Fusarium head blight, in wheat.</p><p dir="ltr"><i>Fusarium graminearum</i> is a devastating fungus that causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease in cereal crops, including wheat, rice, barley, and oats, as well as ear rot and stalk rot in maize. Currently, application of synthetic agrochemical fungicides remains the major mitigation strategy for FHB disease control. However, fungicide treatment carries risks to human health and the environment. Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) is suggested as an effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternative for the control of fungal diseases. SIGS uses double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to induce RNAi against eukaryotic pathogens and pest’s genes. Unlike fungicides, dsRNA can be engineered and carefully designed to target specific fungal pathogens, essentially limiting off-target effects and reducing harm to non-target organisms, including beneficial species.</p><p dir="ltr">In this study, we investigated the <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> effects of dsRNA application on growth and pathogenicity of <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> (<i>Fg</i>). We designed dsRNA against eight fungal genes <i>FgMGV1</i>, <i>FgRAS1</i>, <i>FgCOT1</i>, <i>FgPp2A</i>, <i>FgCAK1</i>, <i>FgTRI5</i>, <i>FgGMK1</i>, and <i>FgYCK1</i>, which have been previously reported to have a functional role in fungal growth and pathogenicity. I postulated that silencing the transcript expression of these selected fungal genes will lead to an attenuation of <i>F</i>. <i>graminearum</i> growth, development and virulence. For lab-scale <i>in vivo</i> dsRNA production, we first designed dsRNAs for each of the fungal genes using the pssRNAit webserver. These gene fragments were subsequently cloned into the L4440 plasmid and transformed into the RNAase III-deficient <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> strain <i>HT115</i>(DE3). Induction of dsRNA production was mediated by the addition of Isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG). Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) were used as nanocarrier, which were synthesized by pyrolyzing citric acid coupled with surface functionalization by using branched polyethyleneimine (bPEI).</p><p dir="ltr">The performance of ds<i>TRI5</i>, ds<i>MGV1</i>, ds<i>YCK1</i> and ds<i>COT1</i> in reducing fungal biomass in SNA medium was better than dsRNA of other genes, as evidence by lowering fungal biomass by almost half, while ds<i>CAK1</i> and ds<i>GMK1</i> being the least effective in controlling biomass. The inhibitory effect of dsRNA on fungal growth in plate was also investigated. The mycelial growth of <i>F. graminearum</i> on plates was highly inhibited with distinct inhibition zones when plate media was made by mixing the dsRNAs. When wheat spikes of two varieties i.e., ‘AL105’ and ‘Gilat’ were point inoculated with <i>F</i>. <i>graminearum</i>, and after three days sprayed with dsRNAs, the percent symptomatic spikelets (PSS) significantly reduced to 20-25% in both varieties while non-treated control spikes showed 100% symptomatic spikelets. We also evaluated the effect of dsRNA on lowering the accumulation of mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) post-infection followed by the analysis of transcript abundance for two genes <i>FgRAS1</i> and <i>FgPP2A</i> after the application of dsRNA in the liquid culture.</p><p dir="ltr">In summary, we have provided the first example of utilizing graphene quantum dots, for the delivery of dsRNA in SIGS applications in wheat against <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>. In addition, exogenously applied dsRNA degrades naturally, leaving no harmful chemical residues on plants, soil, or water bodies, making it safer for human consumption and the environment. Further optimization of delivery systems for improving the uptake of pathogens efficiency should be done before commercial use of RNA-based disease management in fields.</p>

This study expands research on uses and gratifications by exploring political information-seeking uses of the Internet and social networking sites (SNS) and their relationships with political efficacy and political participation. Approximately 300 young adults completed a survey covering information-seeking, information access, and information sharing uses for local civic and political purposes. The study hypothesizes that young adults' political talk, particularly in their online social networks, is associated with political efficacy. Variables that support the relationship between information-seeking and political efficacy are also explored. Random and convenience samples of young adults were combined in this study to explore the cognitive (perceived efficacy) and civic (actual behavior) behaviors of undergraduate students at Virginia Tech in order to examine the role of political talk in individuals' opinion networks measured by the outcome of political talk. Results show considerable support for hypotheses emphasizing the predicted relationships between Internet and SNS for political information-seeking uses, political efficacy, and political participation gratifications. Future research exploring the broad range of political communication uses and their association with political efficacy and political participation is warranted. / Master of Arts

In addition to recruitment pressures felt by all in higher education, community colleges have the unique challenge of communicating with students of all ages, interests, and academic levels, and doing so with limited staff and resources. Many recruiters have turned to social media as an important tool for reaching potential students. However, for community colleges with few staff, social media communication can be difficult and time-consuming. This study explores how community college administrators are using social media as a recruitment tool, and how this use aligns with students' needs and expectations. This two-part study employs uses and gratifications theory to guide qualitative interviews with the social media administrators at three Virginia community colleges and focus groups with current students at each of the colleges. This study takes a unique approach to theory by comparing the uses and gratifications of both the message creator and user. Social media administrators at the community colleges were found to use social media to gratify their awareness, recruitment, and reach/engagement needs. Students thinking about the recruitment process were found to expect community colleges' social media content to gratify their needs for socialization, discovery, and access. Administrators are meeting many of the students' reported social media recruitment needs but could use the data provided in this study to improve their social media efforts in a few emerging areas. / Master of Arts

This research set out to explore how individuals used Twitter during the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfire event of November 2016. More specifically, how and what did people from different geolocations share via Twitter during the crisis event and what gratifications were sought by their use of Twitter. A content analysis was completed on a stratified sample of tweets separated by geographic location. Based on prior uses and gratifications research, tweet and retweet content was coded as informational, social, and/or distractive. Findings from this research showed that individuals tweeted and retweeted at a fairly even rate despite their geographical location and that while information seeking and sharing was an important factor for users, social connectivity was the most important gratification to users during this crisis. / Master of Arts / This paper explored how and why individuals used Twitter during the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfire event in November 2016. Tweets from individuals who were in local, regional, and non-local areas were analyzed and coded based on the content of their tweet or retweet. Results from this research showed that the social connection an individual receives from using Twitter was the most important factor for using the service during a crisis situation.

Denna uppsats ämnar studera människors användning av olika nätdejtingtjänster i avseende att kartlägga motiv och tillfredsställelser kring fenomenet nätdejting. Studien syftar även till att blotta samband mellan ålder, kön och typ av dejtingtjänst för att jämföra och dra slutsatser till vad skillnader i beteende kan bero på. De teorier som använts genomgående och som uppsatsen bottnar i är den positivistiska medieteorin Uses &amp; Gratifications, samt den modernare påbyggnadsteorin Uses &amp; Grats 2.0 som fokuserarar på dagens framväxande medier. I undersökningen har en kvantitativ forskningsmetod i form av en enkätundersökning valts, där urvalet består av 222 personer från uppsatsförfattarnas bekantskapskretsar och 515 personer som svarat på enkäten via nätdejtingtjänster som publicerat undersökningen. I fokus ligger de 656 personer som svarat att de någon gång har nätdejtat. Insamlad data har lagts in i statistikprogrammet SPSS och analyserats. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att majoriteten av alla respondenter nätdejtar för att hitta kärleken. Variabeln kön blottar inte särskilt många nämnvärda skillnader, men avvikelserna är däremot större mellan åldrarna. Personer över 30 år tenderar nämligen i högre grad att nätdejta med avsikt att hitta kärleken än vad de under 30 gör. De respondenter som är under 20 år nätdejtar främst i syfte att fördriva tiden. Majoriteten av de som nätdejtat har träffat någon från en nätdejtingtjänst i verkligheten. Omkring hälften av dessa har blivit tillsammans med någon de nätdejtat och lika många har någon gång träffat en tillfällig sexpartner. Resultaten tyder också på att det finns skillnader mellan nätdejtingtjänsterna, främst i hur gamla medlemmarna är men också hur många de träffar i verkligheten och vad dessa möten leder till.