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Effects of epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs on mental health as measured by the DAS Scale
No full textThe present experiment examines if epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs influence a patient’s mental health as measured by the DAS Scale. The following experiment is a quantitative experiment using both the DAS Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1994) and an altered version of the QOLIE-10 (Cramer, et al., 1996). 305 participants took part with 172 participants with epilepsy and 133 participants without epilepsy. This study found that there was a significant difference in DASS scores between these two groups with no significant differences being found between the different medication groups. There was a significant positive correlation between QOLIE-10 scores and DASS scores among those with epilepsy as well as a significant negative correlation between length of diagnosis and DASS scores, showing higher DASS scores among those diagnosed for less time. This study has shown differences in mental health among those with epilepsy and those without, with further research needed in relation to different medication groups
Publishing a major archive on open access: the Maynooth University Ken Saro-Wiwa Collection
Get PDFThis chapter, written by a librarian and a publisher, sets the context for open access publishing and follows with an exploration of the publication of the death-row correspondence of Ken Saro-Wiwa on open access
Applying Deep learning techniques - masked facial recognition in smartphone security systems using transfer learning
No full textFace recognition is the most reliable security measure in smartphones. Face masks make face detection more challenging. In most countries the wearing of facial masks is mandatory on public transport and in public areas to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In smartphone security, facial detection and authorization is a recent measure implemented along with fingerprints, passwords, and pins. This research aims to identify the person while the face is covered with a facial mask with only eyes and forehead being exposed. Four transfer learning object detection models namely YOLOv3, YOLOv4, YOLOv3 tiny, and YOLOv4 tiny have been implemented in identifying the masked and unmasked faces. The YOLO V3 object detection model is the best performing model with a detection time of 0.015 seconds, F1 score of 0.85 and mAP score of 0.88. Further, fast, and accurate masked face detection suitable for deployment on a smartphone hardware architecture is demonstrated on a webcam
Library support for scholarly activity
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Thoughts on Business Value: Understanding the Digital Transformation drivers in European Manufacturing Enterprises
No full textDigital Transformation is shaping the global economy and it is dividing companies between Leaders and Laggers. This research is aimed at understanding Business Value as the main driver of such a transformation. Understanding how Business Value is defined and quantified in different companies could be considered a precondition for understanding why the spread between Digital Leaders and Digital Laggers is widening. The chosen domain is the European Manufacturing Enterprises because such industry is generally lagging behind when it comes to Digital Transformation, while the chosen methodological approach is the qualitative one. The research provides (1) insights around the ways Business Value is defined on new Digital Transformation initiatives and how it is quantified before and after its deployment. We discovered that Business value monitoring and quantifications are not frequent due to two main factors: the fear of making wrong predictions and because of the increasing velocity in which the Digital Transformation process is taking place. The second research question is aimed at understanding (2) if it is possible to establish a correlation between the clarity and agreement over the definition of Business Value among the different stakeholders, and the perceived success of the initiative. The answer was negative, but admittedly, not definitive. While answering the third research question, the dissertation offers insights over (3) the perceived role of IT in Digital Transformation projects. The initial hypothesis, largely based on the Agile literature, that the IT should be considered a Business Value co-creator, was largely disproved by the interviewee who defined IT as a mere recipient of requirements coming from the business. The fourth research question (4) investigates which methodological approach should companies use to analyze Business Value and its delivery. Three methodologies were investigated and an agnostic approach was preferred given its more comprehensive (strategy, risk, cost efficiency, revenue) and prescriptive nature (it suggests a number of alternatives to quantify Business Value based on the way it is defined)
Training to appraise the performance of employees: a quantitative study of line managers working in Ireland and Brazil
No full textTraining is an essential element to consider when boosting line managers skills. However, some abilities demanded by line managers, such as evaluating the performance of their employees, may not be given through training. Thus, it is unreasonable to require such skill if line managers are not be trained to accomplish it precisely. Hence, this study primarily aims to determine whether line managers are being trained to appraise the performance of employees in Ireland and Brazil. It was utilised a quantitative cross-sectional design and an appropriate sampling to collect information from line managers working in Ireland and Brazil. An online questionnaire was applied for the procedure of data collection. The gathered data was examined through a descriptive method, which was demonstrated by frequencies and percentages via tables and charts. A total number of 103 line managers, 45 working in Ireland and 58 in Brazil cooperated in this study. This study demonstrated that most of the line managers respondents, both working in Ireland and Brazil, had not received training to appraise the performance of their employees. Nevertheless, there is a piece of evidence by some that they were trained in this matter. The analyses also showed that LMs working in Brazil responded that lack of feedback culture is the most challenging element when dealing with evaluations of their employees’ performance. By contrast, in Ireland, most respondents reported lack of HR skills as well as lack of time
Where do we stand with OCD: Psychotherapists recognition of, and treatment recommendations for, individuals presenting with taboo intrusive thoughts
No full textObsessive compulsive disorder is a prevalent mental health problem and is characterised by high levels of morbidity. It can present in a variety of ways and research suggests that taboo intrusive thoughts are less likely to be recognised as OCD in comparison to more recognisable forms. Most individuals with OCD do not receive adequate therapeutic intervention. The aim of this study was to examine psychotherapists appraisals of clients presenting with specific OCD symptoms. This study was a cross sectional vignette-based survey of 514 accredited psychotherapists in Ireland. Each participant was randomly assigned to a vignette describing a client with different OCD subtypes – paedophilia, aggressive, religious, homosexuality, contamination and symmetry intrusive thoughts. Participants were asked for their interpretations of the presenting symptoms, their treatment recommendations and to rate their confidence in their responses. Perceived dangerousness and willingness to work with the client were also investigated. This study was a cross sectional vignette-based survey of 514 accredited psychotherapists in Ireland. Each participant was randomly assigned to a vignette describing a client with different OCD subtypes – paedophilia, aggressive, religious, homosexuality, contamination and symmetry intrusive thoughts. Participants were asked for their interpretations of the presenting symptoms, their treatment recommendations and to rate their confidence in their responses. Perceived dangerousness and willingness to work with the client were also investigated. Participants who were presented with the contamination and symmetry vignettes were significantly more likely to accurately identify OCD than those presented with the taboo intrusive thoughts vignettes. Participants also attributed greater levels of stigma to clients with taboo intrusive thoughts. Participants who correctly identified OCD were significantly more likely to recommend an evidence-based treatment. Confidence was a poor predictor of OCD identification and evidence-based treatment recommendations. The results suggest a lack of awareness of certain types of OCD presentation amongst psychotherapists in Ireland, and of beneficial therapeutic interventions for OCD. The implications of this, and possible applications of these results, are discussed in the dissertation
Performance improvement and reporting techniques using SparklyR and H2O.ai
Get PDFThe aim of the current study was to analyse ways of reducing cost and improving performance for machine learning by integrating driverless AI such as H2O with Spark in R and generate report. The current research pits regression models such as LM, GBM, XGBoost and Random Forest with one another and focuses on identifying the best performing model in terms of RMSE, time to execute and hardware cost. The datasets contained 29 variables and 65000+ observations out of which, Origin, Dest, UniqueCarrier, FlightNum, Month, DayOfWeek, DayofMonth, Distance, DepDelay, ArrDelay, AirTime, Cancelled, hour and gain were considered. The analyses showed that, GBM was the best performing model with optimal cost followed by XGBoost, Random Forest and LM. In conclusion, it was proved that machine learning is cost effective by integrating H2O with Spark in R and professional reports can be generated with feedback and test results from Shiny
The perceived effectiveness of interviews in comparison to assessments among managerial staff in the public sector
Get PDFThe primary aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of job interviews in comparison to other assessment activities from a manager’s perspective for public sector jobs. The study also aimed to analyse what happened after a candidate was hired in terms of finding out if the performance management system in the public sector was used to review the recruitment and selection process. The researcher conducted 4 interviews with staff in the Public Appointments Service to gather their opinions about the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection process. A qualitative thematic analysis was used in order to measure the opinions of staff members. These findings showed the staff in the Public Appointments Service perceived the assessments as a slightly more effective method of hiring candidates in the public sector. However, they believed a combination of interviews and assessments to be the most effective in predicting job performance.The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protectio