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Macular pigment levels following successful macular hole surgery
Get PDFAim: Macular pigment (MP) is composed of two hydroxycarotenoids contained within the photoreceptors and the axons of the central neurosensory retina, with peak concentrations in the Henle layer. A full thickness macular hole (FTMH) is characterised by absence of all retinal layers in an area centred at the former centre of the fovea. The authors report the results of a study designed to investigate MP levels in patients following successful FTMH surgery, using Raman spectroscopy, and to correlate these findings with functional and topographic outcomes. Methods: The following details were recorded for 12 eyes of 12 patients following successful closure of a FTMH: best corrected visual acuity; macula threshold test, fixation, fundus photography, and macular pigment levels using Raman spectroscopy. High resolution imaging of the retina using optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed in nine of the 12 study eyes. Results: Mean (SD) best corrected visual acuity was 0.6 (0.4) and improved significantly from preoperative levels. On macula threshold testing of the operated eye, a central scotoma was detectable in one eye only (8.3%). MP levels were demonstrable in 10 of the 12 study eyes following successful FTMH surgery. MP levels were higher in three study eyes, and lower in seven study eyes, when compared with the fellow eye. Of the three pairs of eyes where MP levels were greater in the study eye, macular pathology was present in two fellow eyes. Conclusions: The presence of MP was confirmed in the neurosensory retina of an anatomically closed FTMH in 10 of 12 study eyes, although the levels were lower than the fellow normal macula in nine of 10 cases. This suggests a good degree of physiological recovery of photoreceptors and their axons following successful FTMH surgery
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF THE INFLUENCE OF BRAND TRUST ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSUMER & COMPANY IMAGE
Get PDFThe theoretical issue of image congruence is an area of the academic literature which has received great interest over the years. However, to date most of the research regarding image congruity is based on the assumption that the greater the image match between consumer and brand, the more favourable the relationship between the two (Malhotra, 1981; Aaker, 1997). Recently, there has been an extension to the concept of image congruence and its application to corporate image (Davies et al., 2004; Argenti and Druckenmiller, 2004). We propose that corporate image is every dimension of the brand which is externally perceived by the consumer. It is the aggregate of product brand image, corporate brand image, and CEO image. The management of this externally perceived image is clearly of considerable importance to the field of corporate reputation management.
Commentators to date have suggested that a strong brand image is comprised of predominantly positive personality traits. However, we argue that image is not about rating either positively (for example, highly agreeable) or negatively (for example, highly ruthless) on various dimensions of a brand personality scale, but is about having an image which is fitting and competitively suited to the business environment. We propose to use the metaphor of ‘brand as person’ to measure image and present a conceptual framework to illustrate the interrelationship between consumer, corporate brand image, product brand image and CEO image. The influence that brand trust has on this interrelationship is examined, and likewise the influence that brand trust has on outcomes of satisfaction, purchase intention and brand loyalty are also examined. Conclusions and implications for managerial practice are discussed
'Opening a Door', Evaluating the Benefits of Guidance for the Adult Client: A Report.
Get PDFIn March 2005 a study was completed for the Regional Educational Guidance Service for Adults in Waterford Institute of Technology. The purpose of the research has been to evaluate the benefits of guidance for the adult clients accessing the guidance service. In the context of guidance provision, the focus of the research has been on the clients’ direct experiences of receiving information, advice and guidance, and the tracking of his/her progression to determine outcomes. REGSA is the longest established adult guidance service operating within the Adult Educational Guidance Initiative and the only one located in an Institute of Technology. By 2004, the need to implement a quality tracking system for assessing client progression and informing best practice had been recognized by the service. Findings from the research show that clients have benefited enormously from guidance, not only in terms of education and training experiences, but also career progression and personal fulfillment. The research has also highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for adults and the barriers they face in accessing education and training opportunities
A Two Phase Rating Process for Dynamically Composed Services
No full textEnvironments offering facilities to compose, on-demand, networked software services offered by multiple providers will require accounting systems that have the ability to charge for composed services in a manner reflecting the potentially complex business agreements between these providers. We present a two-phase rating process that allows rating engines generate charge information for dynamically composed services without having to have a priori knowledge of the structure of these services. In the first phase individual services comprising the composed service are rated as if they were executed standalone. In the second phase these interim charges are modified in line with providers' rules regarding whether monetary discounts or penalties should be applied when their services are used with other services. We discuss the ongoing implementation of this process in the context of an enhanced Rating Bureau Service and its deployment in the "Digital Business Ecosystem" environment
On a Family of Binomial Involutions and Related Integer Sequences
No full textWe use the formalism of the Riordan group to study a one parameter family of involutions related to Pascal’s triangle. We characterize a special set of eigen-sequences for these operators. Transformation pairs are identified among classical sequences
Dynamics of Traveling Waves in the Transverse Section of a Laser
Get PDFWe analyze the general features of the formation and interaction of transverse traveling waves and the
appearance of filamentation in broad area semiconductor lasers with current profiling. For small apertures,
the emitted profile is symmetric consisting of two counterpropagating transverse traveling waves, both
emanating from the center of the device. For larger apertures, the emission becomes asymmetric as one of
the traveling waves expands to occupy an increased area while the other occupies the remaining, smaller
spatial region. In both devices, the pattern becomes unstable at higher injection currents due to optical
filamentation, although an intermediate state is present in the wider device whereby the dominant wave
undergoes a Hopf bifurcation before filamentation occurs
INTERPRETIVISM AND THE PURSUIT OF RESEARCH LEGITIMISATION: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SINGLE CASE DESIGN.
Get PDFWhile interpretive research is recognized for its value in providing contextual depth, results are often criticized in terms of validity, reliability and generalizability, referred to collectively as research legitimisation. This paper explores the criticisms levied on interpretive case studies and presents a research design that seeks to address these criticisms. The paper describes the research template developed by the author and applies it to a longitudinal case study carried out on a micro firm in the Republic of Ireland. Following some detailed evaluation and analysis the author concludes that legitimisation of an interpretative case study is improved when an integrative approach involving the combination of specific research techniques to relevant and appropriate standards is adopted
Mobile Operator Publishing and Entertainment Platform
Get PDFThere is a gap between mobile Operators and content Publishers, hindering established small and medium sized publishers to enter the mobile market despite its commercial potential. A Mobile Operator Publishing and Entertainment Platform enables the creation of a new category of mobile service called a mobile magazine. An m-Mag (mobile magazine) is a next generation mobile publishing service that is made available from a mobile operator's portal, that is integrated with value added mobile data services and that uses the operator's billing capabilities to charge consumers for access to the magazine. Using Parlay/OSA as an open approach, the m-Mag platform can integrate into an operator's network using standardised APIs and is portable across different operator networks
Charging for Dynamically Composed Services in the Digital Business Ecosystem
No full textThe ability to compose, on-demand, networked software services to meet evolving requirements is an important step towards the development of digital business ecosystems that allow participants realise novel business models. In this paper we address a crucial issue that must be addressed before dynamic service composition becomes commercially viable - how users can be charged for the use of such services. We first discuss the challenges relating to charging for composed services of which the accounting system may have no prior knowledge. We then present a two-phase rating process that generates charges associated with dynamically composed services in accordance with potentially complex charging agreements between providers of the individual services comprising these services