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Sentiment analysis of user feedback on the HSE’s Covid‑19 contact tracing app
No full textBackground Digital Contact Tracing is seen as a key tool in reducing the propagation of Covid-19. But it requires high uptake and continued participation across the population to be efective. To achieve sufcient uptake/participation, health authorities should address, and thus be aware of, user concerns. Aim This work manually analyzes user reviews of the Irish Heath Service Executive’s (HSE) Contact Tracker app, to identify user concerns and to lay the foundations for subsequent, large-scale, automated analyses of reviews. While this might seem tightly scoped to the Irish context, the HSE app provides the basis for apps in many jurisdictions in the USA and Europe. Methods Manual analysis of (1287) user reviews from the Google/Apple play stores was performed, to identify the aspects
of the app that users focused on, and the positive/negative sentiment expressed. Results The fndings suggest a largely positive sentiment towards the app, and that users thought it handled data protection and transparency aspects well. But feedback suggests that users would appreciate more targeted feedback on the incidence of the virus, and facilities for more proactive engagement, like notifcations that prompt users to submit their health status daily. Finally, the analysis suggests that the “android battery” issue and the backward-compatibility issue with iPhones seriously impacted retention/uptake of the app respectively. Conclusion The HSE have responded to the public’s desire for targeted feedback in newer versions, but should consider increasing the app’s proactive engagement. The results suggest they should also raise the backward compatibility issue,
regarding older iPhones, with Apple
Challenges in the interpretation of colorectal indocyanine green fluorescence angiography: Video vignette
No full textColorectal anastomotic leakage remains a serious complication with implications on hospital stay, oncological outcomes(1) and treatment cost. (2) Traditional intra-operative visual perfusion assessment has been shown to be suboptimal(3) and surgeons are looking to indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography as an adjunct to clinical judgement
Multinationality and Performance Patterns in Advanced and Emerging Markets
No full textThis longitudinal research focuses on measuring multinationality of the firm, country, and industry, and estimating the relationship between said level of multinationality, and the firms\u27 performance. My unique dataset consists of sales data from Thompson Reuters\u27 Datastream, and hand collected subsidiary data, enabling the measurement of multinationality using the Alan Rugman\u27s Triad model, and a more recent model by Aggarwal, Berrill, Hutson, and Kearney, the ABHK model. The study of firm level multinationality in the 1990\u27s and 2000\u27s has enforced the hypothesis that firms are regional by nature through Rugman\u27s analysis of Fortune 500 firms. The majority of that dataset is comprised of firms from the United States, Western Europe, or Japan, who record a large portion of their sales to those regions, thus coined the "Triad" regions by Ohmae (1985). This finding still holds true as trading abroad occurs to the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia by a greater number of firms when compared to South America, Africa, and Oceania. Concurrently, firms are both trading and investing at a rapid pace to countries in the latter three continents, concluding the Triad model to once be an accurate multinationality measuring model in the 1990\u27s and early 2000\u27s, an out of date model to measure a firms\u27 multinationality in today\u27s global economy. I preform an analysis of a 2,427 firms\u27 multinationality using the Triad and ABHK models. I then determine whether a relationship exists between the firms\u27 performance and its multinationality using a regression analysis. The performance-multinationality literature is divided with a wide range of measures being used in the regression model. I use three measures of multinationality; Triad model, ABHK model, and foreign sales percentage, and three measures of firm performance; return on assets, return on equity, and total return index, providing a thorough analysis on the subject matter. The results provide evidence of the ABHK model as the most appropriate measure of multinationality, and total return index as the measure of performance that gives the most significant regression results. Performance and multinationality have a significantly positive relationship when measured by ROA and the ABHK model for South American and African firms, while the remaining four continents of the world measure a significantly negative relationship. Analyzing the dataset, I select a positivist functionalist approach as the most appropriate for the research. My research objectives are to determine if patterns exist in the multinationality of advanced and emerging market firms and if the performance of the firm increases or decreases as multinationality changes. This research makes an empirical, methodological, and data contribution to academia
Twin roll casting of bulk amorphous alloys: modelling and experimental validation
No full textThe John Hunt International Symposium 2011, Brunel University, United Kingdom, 12-14 December 2011There is a growing commercial need for semi-finished flat bulk metallic glass product (BMG), in sheet or strip form, for further shaping into components or containers by forming when in the supercooled liquid state. It has been shown tha ttwin roll casting is a viable method to continuously produce flat amorphouse allow strip of a few mm in thickness. However the process has to be carefully designed and controlled to ensure successful production of a fully amorphous product. To assist with the design of experiments, a steady state model of twin roll casting of BMGs has been developed and used to simulate the continuous casting a Mg65Cu25Y10 alloy. The alloy\u27s thermophysical properties were measured to ensure reliable modelling. Twin roll casting experiments were carried out to assess the validity of the model simulations. The model predicted that it would be possible to roll cast the alloy to a thicness of 1.5 mm at speeds of up to 7cm/s using Cu-Be rolls of 190 mm diameter. This was found to be in good agreement with the outcome of the twin roll casting trials which successfully produced fully amorphous strip at these parameter settings
The Influence of National Culture on Accounting and Finance
No full textThis thesis, empirically analyses the role of cultural aspects in accounting and finance disciplines from diverse perspectives. It is made up of three distinct research papers. The first paper (chapter 4) primarily investigates the impact of sociocultural factors in underpinning early accounting thought in an ancient civilization (Ceylon-presently known as Sri Lanka). The next two papers maintain cultural aspects in the limelight but shift the focus to the modern corporate world. Precisely, the second paper (chapter 5) examines the role of Chief Executive Officer\u27s (CEO) cultural values in the firm leverage decision. The third paper (chapter 6) extends the work of chapter 5 and proposes that a firm does not associate with only a single culture, which has been the conventional research focus, but that firms operate with a multiplicity of cultures. Therefore chapter 6 empirically analyses the impact of cultural differences among the CEO, board of directors and stakeholders in a firm, on determining its idiosyncratic risk. Therefore, this thesis emphasizes the impact of culture on various accounting and finance aspects from a context ranging from antiquity to modern times. Another notable feature is that chapters 5 and 6 of this thesis, transcend the previous common focus of firm nationality based on country of origin and study cultural influences on corporate decision-making at a granular level, i.e. by examining the cultural values of the key players in a firm (e.g. the CEO, board of directors, stakeholders). Overall, it contributes to the existing literature on the impact of culture in Accounting and Finance outcomes. Chapter 4 goes back in time to the 1st-2nd centuries A.D. in ancient Ceylon (presently Sri Lanka) and employs content analysis method to study the English translations of 122 lithic and other inscriptions during the period from 1st century A.D. to the 16th century A.D. The study refers to an array of accounting and non-accounting practices in the ancient days and finds the existence of well-articulated forms of \u27kingship accounting\u27 and \u27Buddhist temple accounting\u27 practices that were engraved in rock walls or formations in ancient Ceylon. Furthermore this paper sheds light on the existence of cultural, socio-economic, political and technological infrastructure that underpinned the early accounting system, with special reference to the sociocultural landscape in ancient Ceylon that was largely governed by Buddhist philosophies. The study reveals that sociocultural factors exerted a dual impact, i.e. direct and indirect, on early accounting thought. The sociocultural factors that compelled accounting practices to be undertaken in ancient Buddhist monasteries signifies the direct impact, whilst the indirect impact encompasses the role of Buddhist cultural values in shaping the ancient political, technological (literacy, numerical technology and coinage) and economic landscape, which in turn underpinned early accounting thought. This study is unique as it brings to the fore, the influence of socio-cultural factors that prevailed during the ancient era, in ensuring the continuation of early accounting practices. Following a thorough literature review in a Ceylonese context, the researcher believes that this is among the first attempts to do so. Chapter 5 (and subsequently chapter 6) focuses on cultural implications in a modern corporate setting. Chapter 5, in particular, focuses on the influence of CEO\u27s cultural values on the firm leverage decision. It is well-known that debt can mitigate agency problems between managers and stockholders, by minimizing free cash-flows. However, the implicit factors that might motivate a manager to voluntarily choose debt discipline is barely researched. Chapter 5, therefore, focuses on managerial traits conditioned by national culture and their impact on firm leverage decision. This study is novel as it transcends the previous conventional emphasis on a firms\u27 nationality on the leverage decision by focusing on the CEO\u27s cultural origin and proposes that national cultural values of CEOs distort their perception of costs and benefits of debt. In addition to testing the association between CEO culture and firm leverage, the model is extended to closely examine the same, given three scenarios, i.e. when the existing firm leverage is low, moderate and high. By scrutinizing a sample of 594 CEOs, originating from 14 different nationalities, serving 317 Fortune 500 firms in the U.S., during 2000 to 2015 and by employing quantile panel regression with instrumental variables, the study reveals that high mastery CEOs, unknowingly, are in the pursuit of a target capital structure whilst highly embedded CEOs choose to borrow, irrespective of the current firm leverage. Apparently, high mastery CEOs make capital structure decisions that are more in the interest of shareholders, while the capital structure decisions of highly embedded CEOs might be detrimental to the firm. A direct link between cultural values and leverage, has been detected and confirmed via an analysis of a major exogenous intervention (global financial crisis 2007/08) to the system. By using a sample of non-US CEOs, the study reveals that cultural values are portable. Results remain robust to alternative specifications and procedures to mitigate endogeneity concerns. Academically the findings of this paper open up new paradigms that need to be considered in the area of agency conflicts and monitoring costs. Chapter 6 extends the previous work in Chapter 5 and proposes that a firm does not associate with just a single culture but operates with a multiplicity of cultures. Owing to the recent public pressure to increase diversity on boards, firms increasingly employ foreign nationals as board of directors and/or CEOs. As the employees, investors and other stakeholders are mostly local, how would they interact with a foreign CEO and/or board of directors? More importantly how would this interaction among a multiplicity of cultures affect the firm idiosyncratic risk? Whilst the cultural impact on firm outcomes has remained in the spotlight for the last decade or so, the interaction of a multiplicity of cultures within a firm and its impact on corporate outcomes is rarely studied. The study initially employs Feasible Generalized Least Squares Method (FGLS) and then the Dynamic Panel System Generalized Method of Momentum (DPS-GMM) to analyse a sample of 1,190 firms from 12 European countries, over 14 years from 2005 to 2018. The findings reveal that the cultural distance between the CEO and stakeholders, on firm risk, appear to remain positive and strongly significant, regardless of endogeneity correction and various other robustness tests, inferring that the greater cultural distances and the resulting disarray of preferences of CEOs and stakeholder groups may result with CEOs making unpredictable decisions, ultimately increasing performance volatility. CEO\u27 board cultural distance evinces a negative association, which proves statistically significant in most of the endogeneity corrected regression models, implying that a greater distance between the CEO and the board of directors is beneficial to a company as the board will play a more independent and active role in preventing the management from participating in value destroying risky ventures and making strategic decisions single-handedly. Within-board cultural distances generate mixed results. Moreover, to allow for the asymmetries between cultural distances and firm risk, quantile panel regression is employed. Whilst the first two cultural spheres reinforce the previous findings, within-board cultural distances appear to reduce stock performance volatility, in firms with moderate idiosyncratic risks, where the same is amplified in least volatile and most volatile firms, implying that the extra social and human capital that would be brought in to the firm by culturally diverse directors, would help to position the firm better in terms of managing risks, only in moderately uncertain environments. The results of this study remain robust to alternative specifications and endogeneity concerns. To the best of my knowledge, this paper is among the first, to investigate the co-existence of a multiplicity of cultures within a firm and its impact on firm performance volatility. Overall, the objective of this doctoral thesis is to improve the existing knowledge on the subtle and understated influences of cultural differences and resulting human behaviour on business outcomes
Application of hemp-lime renders to improve insulation of walls
No full textThe 3rd International Conference on Bio-Based Building Materials (ICBBM2019), Belfast, Northern Ireland, 26-28 June 2019This paper measures the variation in the thermal transmittance of solid brick walls triggered by the application of hemp-lime renders in an effort to enhance the insulating properties of building fabrics. Six trial renders with different proportions of hemp and lime were fabricated and two selected based on their workability and adhesion. The renders were applied to solid brick walls and their thermal transmittance measured using the hot box method. Thermal imaging was used to control thermal bridges in the masonry assemblies. The results were compared with a control brick wall with no render. When compared to commercial mixes such diathomite and expanded polystyrene, it was seen that the hemp-lime renders display similar thermal properties that qualify them as good insulators. The results evidenced that the application of a hemp-lime render can halve the thermal transmittance of a solid brick wall. The renders investigated notably increase the resistance to heat transfer in the brick wall. Render 5 (a 1.25: 1 -hemp: NHL3.5 mix applied in a 21 mm depth) nearly doubles the thermal resistance and halves the thermal transmittance of the wall, reducing the U-value from 6.99 to 3.65 W/m2K therefore doubling the insulation provided by the solid brick wall.It was also noted that the 21 mm hemp-lime renders also improve the thermal properties of stone walls however, the improvement is not as notable as in the solid brick walls. Though it was noted that a render twice the thickness (40 mm) would greatly improve the thermal performance of the stone walls reducing U-values by c.40%. The outstanding insulating ability of air gaps was exposed by including a 20 mm gap between the renders and the wall: when the hemp-lime renders were applied on a metal lath or mesh set with a 20 mm gap off the wall, the U-values of the walls lower by over 30%. Also, it was demonstrated that the hemp-lime renders improve the thermal performance of solid walls to a much greater extent than cavity walls
An interdisciplinary approach to secondary qualitative data analysis: what why and how
No full textLiving in global data-rich societies implies the development of critical appraisal to evaluate the quality, authenticity and meaning of data that is increasingly more accessible. Data is readily available, which is an advantage; however, not all data is good data, ethically sourced and governed under the same laws and principles in every part of the world. At this time, vast amounts of data are being collected and archived worldwide, therefore the use of existing data for further analysis is increasingly more prevalent (Johnston, 2014). Data availability has increased due to the efforts of organisations to create and maintain datasets in open and accessible ways and the advances in statistical software which have facilitated greater ease of manipulation (Trinh, 2018).
Secondary data analysis has the capacity to effectively use and make sense of readily available data; however, this also comes with advantages and challenges that will be explored in depth in this chapter. A case is made on the multiple benefits of engaging in secondary data analysis whilst highlighting the potential difficulties that should be given careful consideration. Secondary data analysis is an under-used methodological technique and the awareness of its benefits and how to overcome its limitations may encourage its use further (Irwin, 2013; Smith, 2008).
This chapter provides general guidelines that can be useful in different fields, particularly targeted at practitioners, policy makers and researchers from different backgrounds. The chapter, however, targets all levels of expertise from the very novice to experienced users of qualitative data. As proposed and described in this chapter, secondary qualitative data analysis is defined as an innovative and creative yet rigorous and systematic research design that can respond to the fast-changing data availability across different sectors. Additionally, funders across different countries now encourage and expect researchers to consider data sharing as part of their funding proposals (Irwin, 2013). It is, therefore, a very pertinent time to explore, understand and engage in secondary data analysis.Peer reviewed2021-08-1
Creating context for corridors of consumption: the case of Ireland
No full textGlobal consumption levels are significant contributors to detrimental environmental change and the current climate crisis. Across Ireland, domestic consumption levels have increased dramatically during the past three decades. Public discourse has focused primarily on minimum levels of consumption, with media outlets frequently reporting on minimum wages and acceptable minimum levels of food, shelter, and healthcare. A dearth of dialogue exists on the concept of maximum levels of consumption. This article proffers that the concept of consumption corridors provides a timely lens to initiate discussion and to critically consider the potential of ascertaining maximum levels of consumption across Ireland. Drawing on analyses of an extensive database of 1,500 households across two policy regions − Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland − we argue that there is no single universally just and ecologically sustainable way of setting limits to consumption. Numerous factors must be considered including scale, policy influences, cultural understandings, and varying expectations of standards of living and quality of life. The article reports on participants’ perceptions of material items as needs and satisfiers and aims to advance methodological applications of the consumption-corridors concept. This study offers evidence highlighting a need for tailored sustainability policies.The authors would like to extend their thanks to all members of the CONSENSUS research team and to the Environmental Protection Agency for financial support for this research which was financed by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007‒2013 as part of the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) Programme 2007‒2015. The comments and suggestions of the co-editors of this special issue, as well as SSPP Editor Maurie Cohen and our anonymous reviewers, are gratefully acknowledged
Fructose reprogrammes glutamine-dependent oxidative metabolism to support LPS-induced inflammation
No full textFructose intake has increased substantially throughout the developed world and is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Currently, our understanding of the metabolic and mechanistic implications for immune cells, such as monocytes and macrophages, exposed to elevated levels of dietary fructose is limited. Here, we show that fructose reprograms cellular metabolic pathways to favour glutaminolysis and oxidative metabolism, which are required to support increased inflammatory cytokine production in both LPS-treated human monocytes and mouse macrophages. A fructose-dependent increase in mTORC1 activity drives translation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to LPS. LPS-stimulated monocytes treated with fructose rely heavily on oxidative metabolism and have reduced flexibility in response to both glycolytic and mitochondrial inhibition, suggesting glycolysis and oxidative metabolism are inextricably coupled in these cells. The physiological implications of fructose exposure are demonstrated in a model of LPS-induced systemic inflammation, with mice exposed to fructose having increased levels of circulating IL-1β after LPS challenge. Taken together, our work underpins a pro-inflammatory role for dietary fructose in LPS-stimulated mononuclear phagocytes which occurs at the expense of metabolic flexibility
Characterisation of the role of IL-18 in neovascular AMD
No full textAge-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the over 50’s in developed countries, accounting for 8.7% of all blindness worldwide. AMD is a progressive disease affecting the macula region of the retina. Late stage ‘wet’ AMD is characterised by the presence of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) disrupting the retina leading to irreversible vision loss. Treatment options for AMD are limited and to date the only approved treatment available is for wet AMD, which involves frequent intraocular injections of an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy. Recent studies have shown that the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18) can attenuate CNV formation in mice and non-human primates. The anti-angiogenic function of IL-18 was shown to be most effective when administered in combination with anti-VEGF therapies and therefore presents a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of wet AMD. In this study, we report the prevalence of AMD-associated genetic risk variants in the Irish population, we found the prevalence of risk variants in complement factor H (CFH) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) are significantly associated with AMD risk and progression comparable with other Caucasian populations. We examine plasma levels of IL-18 and its neutralising protein IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) in a subset of this population but found no relationship between plasma IL-18 and AMD status, age, or genotype. However, we did observe change in IL-18 levels in AMD patients over 4-years associating with disease progression. We examine local levels of IL-18 along with 12 other pro-inflammatory cytokines in the aqueous humour of treatment naïve AMD patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy showing intraocular IL-18 increases significantly following VEGF neutralisation. Furthermore, we found increasing IL-18 correlated with improved best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and reduced central macular thickness (CMT) post treatment. High baseline levels of IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12p70 and IL-17A were found to strongly correlate with worse visual outcome post treatment, while high IL-8 levels strongly correlated with increased macular oedema. We evaluate the effect of IL-18 and IL-1α treatment on human retinal endothelial cells (HRMECs) and mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (pBMVECs), which found IL-1α as a potent inducer of vascular adhesion molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-Selectin and endothelial monolayer permeability alone and in combination with VEGF. In direct contrast, IL-18 failed to induce expression of these adhesion molecules or barrier permeability. IL-18 was however shown to induce pro-migratory and pro-angiogenic functions in endothelial cells suggesting that in the context of the eye IL-18 promotes resolution of tissue injury