Software innovations: The influence of quality, diversity and structure of network ties

There is high uncertainty associated with the outcomes of Information Technology (IT) investments and innovations. In such environments, IT actors (firm and individuals) are also unsure about their actions and preferences. The social relationships of these actors create substantial value for these actors in multiple ways (e.g. providing social support and information and knowledge resources) and hence also influence their economic actions. Therefore, rather than focusing on actor\u27s characteristics and economic incentives in isolation, it is important to consider broader social environment in which actors are embedded to explain actions and outcomes. In this research, we analyze the actions of actors and outcomes of these actions through the socio-economic lens. In the first essay, we study the factors that explain the heterogeneity in value of software innovations. Many firms invest in costly research and development to produce innovative software applications. However, software innovations exhibit an enormous variance in their importance or value . Since innovation is a result of collaborative effort, in this study we investigate the impact of social capital accrued by a team of inventors from inter-personal collaboration networks on the value of the resulting software innovations. Software innovations have not only benefited from traditional social networks but have also shaped new social networks which are being constructed on digital platforms and have extended the reach and range of existing social networks. In the second essay, we study the actions (investments) of actors embedded in one such digital social network (Prosper.com—a peer to peer (P2P) lending website). As a relatively new phenomenon, online peer to peer (P2P) lending (where individual lenders provide unsecured loans directly to individual borrowers) has received great coverage in media but little attention from academic researchers. While few recent studies have examined this market from the borrower\u27s point of view, we set out our analysis from the lender\u27s point of view and focus on risk and returns of investments on prosper (P2P lending website). We identify important loan and borrower characteristics which can be used to segment loans in term of returns and risk profiles. We find that on average, loans through prosper provide negative returns. However, there do exist certain segments of loans that produce positive returns. We then derive the efficient frontier for investments on prosper and determine the optimal portfolio for investments for a given level of risk. Our study provides investment guidelines for lenders and design implications for online peer to peer lending websites. In the future research we want to focus on lenders\u27 learning strategies over time. Lenders can update their beliefs about the risk and returns of various loans and thus adjust their investment strategies based on their own past experience, performance of overall prosper market and knowledge accrued from the social network of lenders in the Prosper marketplace.

Iconographic architecture as signs and symbols in Dubai

This study seeks to investigate the impact of architectural icons on the cities that they are built in, especially those in Dubai to understand the perceptions and associations of ordinary people with these icons, thus analysing their impact on the quality of life in the city. This is an important study with the advent of ‘iconism’ in architecture that has a growing acceptance and demand, wherein the status of a piece of architecture is predetermined as an icon by the media and not necessarily by the people. There is no denying that the fastest means of appearing on the world map is through icons, which Dubai evidently achieved, and there are many supporters of this phenomenon as a means of progress and development, the bonus being instant fame and status. But the symbolism employed in these icons, specifically for this part of the world, many argue may not be relevant to the people or the region, thus leading to a loss of identity and sense of belonging that is a vital component in the overall sense of pride. This study thus evaluates architecture as a service industry that is not only to satisfy the personal egos of the architects or the clients. It has an important role to leave a mark on the end users and not only on the glossy architectural journals. The study presents views on what really leaves a mark on the people’s memory, addressing the scale, the grandness, the location, the size, the technology and the materials that may or may not contribute to the iconic status of an architectural project from the people’s perspective. Further the study investigates if an icon is one that could be a forced landmark or it is one that people associate with, relate to and one that gives them the sense of belonging and pride, binding them together. The expressive iconic forms with the metaphors emerging, may or may not add to the quality of a place, create places of spaces or it may result in more of form accommodating functions.Thus it is imperative to understand that though today Dubai with its multiple icons that are jewels in the crown of Dubai, reflecting awe and splendor, what does this architecture do for the people and thus in leaving an imprint on the peoples mind collectively. The study analyzes the dimensions that make certain kind of architecture stand out. Some of these dimensions are physical and others are difficult to measure, thus it addresses the tangible and intangible factors that result in the icon and the associated symbolism with it. The relevance and meaning of these symbols will have to stand the test of time to leave an ever-lasting impression on generations to come. The literature review was the first part of the study and the theoretical studies were divided into three pivot areas in this thesis: evolution of architecture as signs and symbols, international iconic architecture and its impact, architecture as identity through symbolism. The study also focusses on Dubai as an emerging iconic city concentrating on the needs of people and impact of these icons on people specifically, further highlighting the issues of legibility, context and identity in Dubai. The empirical study examines this argument about iconic architecture through questionnaires and interviews. A comparison is drawn between different segments of people in the community, one set of samples being those who are closely associated with these icons through the process of decision making or building, the others who have very minimal knowledge and association with these icons. The findings thus indicate both the well-established criteria for awarding an iconic status and also the intangible often ignored aspects in iconic image building. Thus, the study suggests a paradigm that could provide more human based elements in the iconic architecture and the selected symbols in representing these icons. Certain recommendations supporting the perception of people towards icons, their needs and local considerations are further made to make cities more liveable and joyful for the people they are intended for.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Strike a happy medium: The effect of IT-knowledge on VCs’ overconfidence in IT-investments

In this article, the effect of IT knowledge on the overconfidence of venture capitalists (VCs) in their IT investments is examined. Our findings show that the effect of IT knowledge on overconfidence is nonlinear. VCs with moderate levels of IT knowledge are least overconfident. At the same time, VCs with moderate levels of IT knowledge are most resistant to the biasing effects of past successes. Past failures show a negative association with overconfidence independent of the level of the VC’s IT knowledge. Finally, the negative association between stakes and VC overconfidence is stronger with greater levels of IT knowledge. These results shed light on the highly disputed role of IT knowledge in the domain of IT investments

Impact of filter design variables on clogging in stormwater filters

This article, using a laboratory-based approach, aims to study the effect of different filter bed design variables on the clogging phenomenon and its inter-relationship with treatment performance. Filter bed design parameters studied include: filter media particle sizes (0.5mm, 2mm, 5mm), depth of the filter bed (100mm, 300mm and 500mm), and filter media packing configurations. To study the effect of packing, configurations were constructed with a single layer of a specific filter media size, two and three layers of different particle sizes, and mixed filter bed with particles of different sizes. It was found that parameters, such as size of filter grains and depth of filter bed, affected the overall performance of filter beds considerably (initial infiltration rate, volume of stormwater treated before clogging and overall treatment performance). Layering of particles also improved the performance of different filter bed designs but three layered system behaved in same way as a two-layered system. Experimentation with these variables will assist in development of a modelling tool to predict clogging of filter media with high infiltration rates used for stormwater treatment.WSUD 2012 - 7th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design: Building the Water Sensitive Community, Final Program and Abstract Boo

Conversion Disorder Presenting As Neuritic Leprosy

Conversion disorder is not normally listed amongst the conditions in differential diagnosis of leprosy neuropathy. A case conversion reaction who was initially diagnosed as neuritic leprosy is reported. Patient responded to narcosuggestion and psychotherapy

Duodenal diverticulum and associated pancreatitis: case report with brief review of literature

Pancreatitis in the elderly is a problem of increasing occurrence and is associated with severe complications. Periampullary diverticula (PAD) are extraluminal outpouchings of the duodenum rarely associated with pancreatitis. The presence of PAD should be excluded before diagnosing idiopathic pancreatitis, particularly in the elderly. However, when a duodenal diverticulum is found in the absence of any additional pathology, only then should the symptoms be attributed to the diverticulum. We describe a case of duodenal diverticulum presenting with pancreatitis to emphasize the importance of this commonly neglected etiology

Slurry erosion of thermal spray coatings: Effect of sand concentration

This paper from the Malaysian International Tribology Conference 2013 conference proceedings discusses using Ni based thermal spray coatings deposited on a commonly used hydroturbine steel

Pembrolizumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin alone for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (KEYNOTE-966): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Background: Biliary tract cancers, which arise from the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile ducts and the gallbladder, generally have a poor prognosis and are rising in incidence worldwide. The standard-of-care treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer is chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin. Because most biliary tract cancers have an immune-suppressed microenvironment, immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy is associated with a low objective response rate. We aimed to assess whether adding the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab to gemcitabine and cisplatin would improve outcomes compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin alone in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer.Methods: KEYNOTE-966 was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial done at 175 medical centres globally. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older; had previously untreated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer; had disease measurable per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours version 1.1; and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. Eligible participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo, both administered intravenously every 3 weeks (maximum 35 cycles), in combination with gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks; no maximum duration) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks; maximum 8 cycles). Randomisation was done using a central interactive voice-response system and stratified by geographical region, disease stage, and site of origin in block sizes of four. The primary endpoint of overall survival was evaluated in the intention-to-treat population. The secondary endpoint of safety was evaluated in the as-treated population. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04003636.Findings: Between Oct 4, 2019, and June 8, 2021, 1564 patients were screened for eligibility, 1069 of whom were randomly assigned to pembrolizumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (pembrolizumab group; n=533) or placebo plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (placebo group; n=536). Median study follow-up at final analysis was 25·6 months (IQR 21·7-30·4). Median overall survival was 12·7 months (95% CI 11·5-13·6) in the pembrolizumab group versus 10·9 months (9·9-11·6) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·83 [95% CI 0·72-0·95]; one-sided p=0·0034 [significance threshold, p=0·0200]). In the as-treated population, the maximum adverse event grade was 3 to 4 in 420 (79%) of 529 participants in the pembrolizumab group and 400 (75%) of 534 in the placebo group; 369 (70%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 367 (69%) in the placebo group had treatment-related adverse events with a maximum grade of 3 to 4. 31 (6%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 49 (9%) in the placebo group died due to adverse events, including eight (2%) in the pembrolizumab group and three (1%) in the placebo group who died due to treatment-related adverse events.Interpretation: Based on a statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin without any new safety signals, pembrolizumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin could be a new treatment option for patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable biliary tract cancer