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Cosmological implications of field space geometry
Get PDFPhD ThesisOne of the most fascinating aspects of recent endeavours in theoretical
cosmology has been the investigation of the quantum e ects of scalar elds in
eld-spaces with non-trivial geometries, in the early universe. The objective of
this thesis is the presentation of a series of original research topics that result
from such considerations.
The rst part of this work explores an extension to Starobinsky's model of
stochastic in ation. The functional integral describing the stochastic dynamics of a spectator eld during in ation is reviewed. Comparisons are drawn
between the diagrammatic expansion resulting from action and the one obtained directly from a perturbative solution of the corresponding Langevin
equation. The Feynman rules for computing arbitrary temporal n-point functions are stated and illustrative computations are presented. The role played
by the functional Jacobian determinant in the path integral is given increased
attention. Multiplicative noise is also brie y considered; allowing the eld
to contribute to the expansion rate introduces additional vertices and exciting
insights on the dependence of observable results on the discretization prescription are motivated.
The second part presents a covariant under eld rede nitions E ective
Field Theory proposed towards the resolution of the existing tension of conformal frame dependence. We are motivated by the meta-stability of the Higgs
vacuum which, in the early universe, can lead to complications. It is shown,
here, that the e ective Higgs potential at large eld values can be derived
in a way that is independent of the choice of conformal frame for the spacetime metric, resulting in unambiguous answers to questions about physical
observables (eg.vacuum stability). This approach leads to new relations for
the evolution of the coupling coe cients with the energy scale and motivates
improved limits on the allowed values of the Higgs-curvature coupling.
The third part investigates the dynamics of a multi eld in ation model
with curved eld-space. Abandoning the assumption of a single in aton, which
is both unphysical and not motivated by higher energy theories, results in
the introduction of a scalar multiplet, with non-trivial kinetic terms. The
recently proposed and topical Hyperin ation model is reviewed and a concise
treatment of the evolution of the background and the quantum perturbations
is introduced. Thus, bounds for the cosmological observables are established
and comparisons with experimental data are drawn, resulting in restrictions
in the admissible values of the eld-space curvature paramete
Cryopreservation of retinal organoids and applications of RPE cells for disease modelling in retinitis pigmentosa
Get PDFPhD ThesisGeneration of retinal cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provides great
opportunities for research and therapeutics. In this study, we generated hiPSC-derived retinal
cells to evaluate their ability to be cryopreserved, shipped at room temperature (RT), and assess
their application in disease modelling by studying the mechanisms causing Retinitis Pigmentosa
(RP).
To develop an effective cryopreservation protocol for the long-term storage of retinal organoids
(ROs), previously published cryopreservation methods were used. The structure and presence
of retinal cells in cryopreserved ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence analysis. The
‘Master Liver Supercooling’ protocol was the most promising among all in preserving the
overall retinal structure. However, success was limited, and only PRs survived.
To assess whether hiPSC-derived ROs can be shipped at RT, ROs were kept at RT for 5 days
or shipped internationally for 3 days using a commercial container. The structure, morphology
and function of ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy
and electrophysiology, indicating no differences between control, RT incubated and shipped
organoids. This study provides an effective shipping method to facilitate the transportation of
ROs at RT.
To identify the disease mechanisms of RP associated with PRPF31 mutations (known as RP11),
proteomic analyses of hiPSCs-retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells from control and RP11-
patients were conducted. These showed that RNA splicing, retinoid metabolism and visual
perception, and protein folding pathways were affected. RP11-RPE cells were characterised by
reduced functional PRPF31 protein and the presence of insoluble aggregates containing mutant
PRPF31, misfolded and ubiquitin-conjugated proteins. The waste disposal mechanisms were
impaired exacerbating aggregate formation which was associated with cell death activation.
Treatment of RP11-RPE cells with rapamycin (autophagy activator) reduced cytoplasmic
aggregates and improved cell survival.
This thesis highlights the applications of hiPSC-derived retinal cells and provides more insights
in cryopreservation, transportation and potential therapeutics for RP
Supply and demand for management accounting innovations : multidimensional analyses of the diffusion of activity-based costing and time-driven activity-based costing
Get PDFPhD ThesisThe purposes of this study are to examine ABC paradox via identifying the diffusion
pattern of ABC and TDABC over time, and to compare the industries where ABC and
TDABC are spreading well and those that are not, and to find out how and why the
differences in diffusion occurs in these fields. For macro analysis, diffusion patterns
of ABC/TDABC are analysed through a systematic literature survey between 1988
and 2019. And for micro analysis, comparison between the industries where ABC
and TDABC are spreading well and those that are not are analysed. For this, Korean
hospital industry and manufacturing industry are studied through case studies
focused on the suppliers (academics and consultants), the demanders (practitioners),
and the dynamics between the two.
Findings of this study are two-fold. First, in macro analysis, ABC/TDABC diffusion is
very active in non-business management fields, in particular to the bio/medical field.
In addition, practitioner authors with practitioner content articles drive ABC/TDABC
diffusion recently. Second, micro analysis reveals several reasons that TDABC
spread is better in hospital industry than in manufacturing. Unlike manufacturing, the
hospital industry has a distinct community of potential demanders, and TDABC
suppliers pioneered the market with hospital-only TDABC package. In addition,
unlike many manufacturing industries where ERP substitutes such as SAP exist,
hospitals have no alternatives other than TDABC. This contributes to greater
demand on TDABC as the sole provider of information. In addition, the
manufacturing industry conducts performance evaluation at the department level. so
practitioners are not very interested in TDABC, but in hospitals that perform
individual performance evaluation on a per-doctor basis, and is evaluated on the
basis of time, a fair standard, so practitioners are very interested in TDABC. This
contributes another reason to the mass spread of TDABC in hospital.
This study contributes to a comprehensive review of ABC/TDABC by providing
holistic longitudinal view of the development patterns and underlying forces of
ABC/TDABC. This study also contributes to the study of the spread of MAI by adding
new research on the supply and demand sides of diffusion process of TDABC to the
study on the diffusion of ABC
The Coroner in an Emerging Industrial Society: John Theodore Hoyle and Newcastle upon Tyne 1857-1885
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.In this thesis I examine the life and work of the Victorian coroner for Newcastle upon
Tyne, John Theodore Hoyle. Beginning with the nineteenth century description of the
coroner as the People’s Judge, I establish a new definition of this epithet and use it
as a lens with which to examine the life and work of a neglected but important branch
of the Victorian judiciary. I use the character of the People’s Judge in examining the
extent to which the personality, interests, and approach of a legally qualified coroner
shaped the role of coroner in the community of Newcastle upon Tyne.
I develop a biography of Hoyle from myriad small pieces of evidence. This is the
central plank of the thesis and anchors the discussion and analysis which follows, in
three broad areas: the dispute between medicine and the law in the coroner’s court;
inquests into the deaths of infants; and inquests associated with industrial expansion.
My research uses micro-history, legal history, and biography to draw together
disparate sources relating to Hoyle’s life and work.
My research establishes that the coroner, a judge who lived and worked in the
community he served, is an integral part of the jigsaw in building a picture of the
governance of Newcastle upon Tyne, an emerging industrial society, in the mid to
late nineteenth century. The impact of Hoyle’s approach as a lawyer is central to
appreciation of the coroner’s role.
The thesis fills one of many gaps in knowledge of the nineteenth century coroner,
and his work, by presenting a detailed study and analysis of the life and work of the
coroner in the most northerly English town. My research has resulted in a database
of material which will be used for further work and provides a template for such study.Northumbria Universit
Valorisation of nitrogen-deficient wastewater treatment systems using sludge enriched with nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Get PDFPhD ThesisWe live in a world highly dependent on the use of nitrogen fertilisers produced with the
Haber-Bosch process (HBP) but their production and deployment are unsustainable.
Finding cheaper and greener alternative technologies that can sustain global
agricultural production is therefore a research priority. Biological nitrogen fixation
(BNF) is a process carried out by some bacteria in which molecular nitrogen (N2) is
converted to ammonia (NH3) and is an example of sustainable nitrogen fixation. The
energy source for biological nitrogen fixation can, in principle, be obtained from
industrial or domestic wastewater. In this study a new strategy of nitrogen fixation was
developed using bench scale wastewater treatment plants, treating waste with a high
carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, to enrich wastewater sludge with N2-fixing bacteria (NFB).
This residual sludge enriched with NFB could contribute to the valorisation of low
nitrogen wastewater treatment systems as it can be potentially used as a biofertiliser.
Initially, NFB found in the sludge from industrial and domestic wastewater treatment
plants and from an anaerobic digester were used as an inoculum to build replicated
nitrogen-fixing sequencing batch reactors (SBR). After 85 days of operation, these
reactors were able to fix nitrogen at an average rate of up to 11.8 mg of N L-1 day-1 and
treat the wastewater with a COD removal efficiency of 73%. Additionally, the reactors
contained sludge that was enriched with NFB, attaining 13% of the total bacterial
population (1:4.2 copies of nifH to 16S rRNA quantified with qPCR).
Though the relationship between nitrogen content and the efficiency of wastewater
treatment has been investigated in low nitrogen wastewater, there are no estimates of
the inhibition of nitrogen fixation under different ammonia concentrations. Therefore,
the nitrogen fixation rates of this sludge enriched with NFB were measured under the
effect ammonium in concentrations of up to 78 mg of N L−1. The sludge fed with high
C:N wastewater was resistant to inhibition by ammonia with a half maximal inhibitory
concentration (IC50) of 54 mg of N L−1. This result suggests that it is reasonable to
expect BNF in high C:N wastes that are contaminated with ammonia and that it seems
at least plausible that the NFB in the sludge could work as a biofertiliser by fixing
nitrogen in soils with modest quantities of nitrogen-based chemical fertilisers.
Finally, the feasibility of using real effluent from pulp and paper mills as a source of
carbon to culture NFB in sequencing batch reactors (SBR) was evaluated. Effluent
from this industry is produced in large volumes and contains high organic loads with
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little to no nitrogen. Four reactors were inoculated with activated sludge enriched with
NFB and fed with a high C/N waste (100:0.5) from a paper mill. The reactors were able
to reduce the organic load of the wastewater by up to 89% after 114 days of operation
but did not have any nitrogen-fixing activity and showed a decrease in the putative
number of NFB (quantified with qPCR). Nitrogen fixation was only observed when
sucrose in concentration of 3 g L-1 was added as a further supplement of carbon
source. It is likely that real world biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) will only occur where
there is a C/N ratio ≤ 100:0.07. Consequently, operators should actively avoid adding
or allowing nitrogen in the waste streams if they wish to valorise their sludge and
reduce running costs.
This biotechnology demonstrates the scope and magnitude of nitrogen fixation in
wastewaters and provides fundamental insight into a novel green method that can treat
pulp and paper mill wastewater using less resources (compared to traditional high C/N
wastewater treatment systems) and existing facilities. In addition, this technology has
the potential to valorise the sludge from the treatment system by producing NFB which
could be used as a sustainable biofertiliser. This investigation sets the basis for future
work which should be aimed to demonstrate and quantify the benefits of the nitrogenfixing sludge as a biofertiliser.Colciencia
Proof of Concept of a Tailored Rehabilitation Programme for Interstitial Lung Disease, including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended
pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) for subjects with interstitial lung disease (ILD),
tailored services and research in this key treatment area are limited.
In this project UK Biobank data was retrieved and analysed for 122 subjects with ILD. A
regional service of PR for ILD was established and 18 subjects with ILD were recruited. This
was followed by a proof of concept RCT for 20 subjects with ILD. Similar methodology for
the clinical regional service and the RCT was used and in the RCT subjects were allocated/ and
or randomised to intervention inspiratory muscle training (IMT) with PRP or PRP alone. The
subjects attended an 8 week program in a hospice care setting with one supervised and two
unsupervised sessions. The supervised session was conducted in a novel hospice care
partnership setting and included education, exercise, and relaxation sessions. After PRP,
feedback was collected from all subjects.
The UK Biobank data provided limited data for ILD, however, sedentary time showed
correlation with weight (r=0.39, n=51, p=0.004), and with moderate and vigorous activities (r=-
0.32, n=51, p=0.021). The regional PRP service and RCT were shown to be feasible and
appreciated by patients and carers, and attendance for RCT was 81%. In the RCT in general,
when IMT was used, improvement was seen in maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP and sixminute walk test (6MWT). Circulating (Matrix Metallopeptidase 7 (MMP7) levels and 6MWT
data showed improvement regardless the use of IMT. Variability was seen in other outcomes,
where they either maintained, dropped, or improved. The feedback showed an appreciation for
‘exercise’, ‘information’ and ‘group’, stressing the importance of the education talks in the
group therapy. There were also suggestions/requests for longer PRP, showing subjects
appreciation for the program. In conclusion, UK Biobank contained limited data specifically
for ILD research. A novel tailored PRP was established and was feasible in collaboration with
a hospice healthcare partner. This was valued by subjects, carers and healthcare colleagues.
Response to outcomes varied considerably in the RCT and regional service but the data
suggested potential end points for further research trials. These could be investigated in future
studies with larger sample sizes
Digital citizenship in later life: Insights from participatory action research with older content creators
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Within the context of rapid digitalisation of societies, older people increasingly require digital
skills to participate civically. However, research has largely overlooked the digital dimension
of older adults’ civic participation. Grounding my research in Serrat and colleagues’ (2019)
later life civic participation framework, I explored digital content creation and community radio
as pathways to increased civic participation and digital engagement in later life. Working
collaboratively with older adults using participatory action research (PAR), I locate older
adults’ digital citizenship at the intersection of Gerontology and Human-Computer Interaction
research. Using qualitative methods, I explored: 1) an older people’s organisation’s media
output as part of their age-friendly efforts, and 2) community radio production as a pathway to
increased digital participation in later life. Both research strands, interwoven in a process of
PAR, shed light on older adults’ digital citizenship. My collaboration with the older people’s
organisation exemplifies a collective social civic activity organised by older adults themselves.
Findings highlight the importance of older adults as active contributors in digitalised societies.
My collaboration with older radio show hosts and other stakeholders, brought together at a radio
festival, evolved into the Later Life Audio and Radio Co-operative. Findings demonstrate the
importance of community radio to facilitate age-inclusive citizen dialogue and highlight how
digital technologies can support communities of practice in bridging collective social and
political forms of civic participation in later life. I reflect on my PAR journey, highlighting the
process of doing research within an evolving ecosystem of individuals, third sector
organisations and technologies, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I discuss the
contributions of my research to current debates on older adults’ civic participation and propose
a digital citizenship perspective rooted in community-based research, outlining implications for
policy and practice to prioritise the concept of digital participation to support older adults’ civic
participation online
From sequences to cognitive structures : neurocomputational mechanisms
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Understanding how the brain forms representations of structured information distributed in time is
a challenging neuroscientific endeavour, necessitating computationally and neurobiologically
informed study. Human neuroimaging evidence demonstrates engagement of a fronto-temporal
network, including ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), during language comprehension.
Corresponding regions are engaged when processing dependencies between word-like items in
Artificial Grammar (AG) paradigms. However, the neurocomputations supporting dependency
processing and sequential structure-building are poorly understood. This work aimed to clarify these
processes in humans, integrating behavioural, electrophysiological and computational evidence.
I devised a novel auditory AG task to assess simultaneous learning of dependencies between adjacent
and non-adjacent items, incorporating learning aids including prosody, feedback, delineated
sequence boundaries, staged pre-exposure, and variable intervening items. Behavioural data obtained
in 50 healthy adults revealed strongly bimodal performance despite these cues. Notably, however,
reaction times revealed sensitivity to the grammar even in low performers. Behavioural and
intracranial electrode data was subsequently obtained in 12 neurosurgical patients performing this
task. Despite chance behavioural performance, time- and time-frequency domain
electrophysiological analysis revealed selective responsiveness to sequence grammaticality in regions
including vlPFC. I developed a novel neurocomputational model (VS-BIND: “Vector-symbolic
Sequencing of Binding INstantiating Dependencies”), triangulating evidence to clarify putative
mechanisms in the fronto-temporal language network. I then undertook multivariate analyses on the
AG task neural data, revealing responses compatible with the presence of ordinal codes in vlPFC,
consistent with VS-BIND. I also developed a novel method of causal analysis on multivariate
patterns, representational Granger causality, capable of detecting flow of distinct representations
within the brain. This alluded to top-down transmission of syntactic predictions during the AG task,
from vlPFC to auditory cortex, largely in the opposite direction to stimulus encodings, consistent
with predictive coding accounts. It finally suggested roles for the temporoparietal junction and
frontal operculum during grammaticality processing, congruent with prior literature.
This work provides novel insights into the neurocomputational basis of cognitive structure-building,
generating hypotheses for future study, and potentially contributing to AI and translational efforts.Wellcome
Trust, European Research Counci
Branding Central America for an International market : practitioner networks in the region’s film production
Get PDFPhD ThesisThis dissertation studies Central American Cinema’s (CAC) role in the creation of
meaning and belonging in the 24 winners – fiction, documentary, long- and shortformat
productions – in the category ‘Best Central American Film’ at the Ícaro Film
Festival between 2009 and 2014. This is the first festival to use Central America as its
organising logic for validating and distributing films, which in fact bear varying degrees
of affiliation to the region. This deployment of CAC is closer to a marketing strategy
for targeting global audiences than a useful taxonomy for understanding the region's
filmmaking.
My methodology uses Actor-Network Theory to track those instances where ‘Central
America’ participates in the interactions and translations involved in a movie’s end-toend
production process. The resulting map presents each film as a heterogeneous
network of affects, hardly bound to notions of the isthmus's territoriality or its cultural
imaginaries. Instead, these exchanges perform a field – in the sense that Bourdieu
gives this term. Cinema’s production, reproduction and validation within this field rely
on cultural and economic capitals of a global and deterritorialized character.
In this relational perspective, cinema is thought of as existing on a symbol-commodity
continuum since, within this field, films interconnect local, non-territorial, for-profit and
non-commercial possibilities. I argue that these motion pictures perform the extraction
of value through exoticization, matching Beller’s notion of the cinematic mode of
production and its promotion of capitalism. Such actions coexist with sincere intentions
of self-representation or militancy with regards to subaltern concerns. However, CAC
is a label that obscures the diversity of these films' interactions by imposing the
historical, economic and symbolic preconceptions of the isthmus upon them. Such
strategy depends on, and nurtures, a revived colonial perspective, reproducing
structural/societal inequalities and asymmetries. The main beneficiaries are
individuals with easy access to worldwide exchanges and transnational mobility.Universidad Estatal a Distancia,
Costa Ric
Authentic Ethnic Advertisements (AEA) : b scale development and validation
Get PDFPhD ThesisThis thesis aims to investigate the factors that constitute authentic ethnic advertisements and to
highlight consumers’ perceptions of authentic ethnic advertisements. There is currently no
widely accepted measure of authentic ethnic advertisements. This is surprising as this notion
provides meaning to advertisements, making them unique and successfully communicating
ethnic authenticity to the targeted audience. Advertisements that feature ethnic cues have been
rising in popularity throughout recent years, with multiple brands incorporating ethnic cues to
target audiences, such as Air France, Pringles, Dove, and Liberty of London. Ethnic advertising
has been proven to be successful at attracting consumers’ interest as it is attention-grabbing
and provides unique content (Sierra, Hyman, & Torres, 2009; Martin et al. 2004; Zungia,
2016). Moreover, the use of ethnic advertising has been proven to increase favourability
towards the brand and advertisement (Jamal, 2003; Martin et al., 2004; Xu et al., 2004; Sierra
et al., 2009; Ting et al., 2015), increase purchase intention levels (Sierra et al., 2009; Appiah
and Liu, 2009; Michelle, 2011; Fowler & Carlson, 2015; Ting et al., 2015) and increase recall
and likeability (Sierra et al., 2009; Ting et al., 2015). However, this is not always the case in
the practical world due to the misuse of ethnic cues. The misuse of ethnic cues by practitioners
has created stereotypical and non-representative advertisements that provoke a negative
response towards the brand and the advertisement itself. This is true for both global brands and
small brands such as Air France, Dove, and Nivea, to name a few. This is due to the lack of
authentic portrayal of ethnicity within the advertisements (which Sky Media and the
Transportation of London have called for) (London City Hall, 2020). Therefore, it is important
to portray authentic ethnic advertisements to consumers because they can identify authenticity
within an ethnic advertisement. Understanding what constitutes an authentic ethnic
advertisement will provide key elements for the literature to expand on and practitioners can
use this knowledge to improve their ethnic advertising.
The notion of authenticity is an ever-changing perception of how genuine a
product/service is (Olsen, 2002; Grayson and Martinec, 2004; Peterson, 2005; Steiner and
Reisinge, 2006; Leigh, Peters and Shelton, 2006; Chiu et al., 2012). Newman and Bloom
(2012) have stated that the higher the perception of authenticity within a product/service the
higher the positive attitudes and outcomes towards the product/services. Thus, when
advertisements are deemed to be authentic, consumers have an overall positive response
towards the advertisement itself, increasing positive outcomes such as purchase intentions and
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positive attitudes (Miller, 2015). Regardless of the recognised importance of the notion of
authenticity within advertisements, it has received very little attention within the ethnic
advertising domain; moreover, there has been limited development of valid and comprehensive
measures of authentic ethnic advertisements. The research aims and objectives are driven and
generated from the lack of literature on authenticity within ethnic advertisements.
Today’s era is transcending global boundaries and areas of the world are becoming
more connected with one another. More individuals are migrating and integrating themselves
within new cultures and societies, due to several factors such as the free movement of labour
and the use of social media, where brands are targeting consumers on a global scale. Thus,
having successful authentic ethnic advertisements is key not only to targeting the correct
consumer group but also to understanding different ethnic groups. This is vital as ethnic
minorities are not only increasing exponentially but also becoming one of the strongest sources
of consumer purchasing power (Mail Online, 2017). Attaining authenticity within ethnic
advertisements will present a clear competitive advantage for a brand, creating a strong
communication pathway and positioning strategy. Understanding the effects of authenticity in
ethnic advertisements is needed to uncover the effects it has on consumers’ perceptions,
attitudes, and purchase intentions. It will also highlight the success factors of creating an
authentic ethnic advertisement that appeals to a wide range of consumers from different ethnic
backgrounds. Before examining how ethnic authenticity is perceived by consumers in an
advertisement, the study must go back to the beginning of the construction of the anatomy of
‘authentic’ ethnic advertisements. It must ask: what constitutes an authentic ethnic
advertisement? What is the makeup of authentic ethnic advertisements? Therefore, this
research aims firstly to review and refine the notion of authentic ethnic advertisements from
the consumers' perspective and then to develop a scale to measure authentic ethnic advertising.
To achieve the research aims, Churchill’s (1979) paradigm, DeVellis (2003), and other
scale development studies were followed (Brakus et al., 2009; Lundstorm & Lamont, 1976).
This research adopted a mixed-method research approach where both qualitative and
quantitative methods were used to fulfil the research aims. Qualitative methods were
implemented to gain insight into what constitutes authentic ethnic advertisements (from a
consumer’s perspective), in order to identify and understand the key dimensions that make up
authentic ethnic advertisements (AEA) and to generate and purify scale items. Quantitative
methods were implemented to validate and establish the final scale (AEA). Following the
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above-mentioned research design, this thesis has generated an AEA scale compromised of four
dimensions: Atmospherics, Personal Attributes, Symbols and Distinctiveness. The quantitative
analysis confirms that the scale is valid and reliable. In addition, the scale application is shown
by measuring and empirically establishing the connection between AEA and purchase
intention, attitude towards advertisements and word of mouth. The results confirm that
incorporating authentic ethnic cues within advertisements successfully enhances consumers'
perceptions of the advert, thus, positively increasing the behavioural response.
This research extends the literature from both authentic advertising and ethnic
advertising domains; it develops a scale measuring AEA as well as suggesting what constitutes
an authentic ethnic advertisement. Moreover, this research extends the literature on ethnic
advertising by identifying dimensions of authenticity that need to be included in order to
transmit an accurate authentic perception of ethnic advertising, thus increasing positive
consumer perceptions and attitudes towards the advertisement. Furthermore, this research
highlights the importance of consumers’ perceptions when constructing advertisements,
specifically authentic ethnic advertisements, as they are the consumers of the advertisement
and the advertised product/service. Moreover, it highlights the authentic cues that consumers
deem to be important and which transmit positive attitudes towards the AEA. In addition, this
study contributes to a much-needed domain of integrating authenticity within advertising,
adding to consumers’ perceptions of marketing domains (travel, food, television) (Lu and Fine,
1995; Freedman and Jurafky, 2011; Jang, Ha and Park, 2012; Tasi and Lu, 2012; Moran, 2015).
In this regard, this research is among the first to empirically integrate authenticity and ethnicity
within advertisements from a consumer point of view into an AEA scale