The Irish Property Bubble of 1995-2010; Japanese Lessons for the Celtic Tiger

Lauded for its success and heralded as an economic model for peripheral European countries to follow, since the bursting of the Irish property bubble in 2008 the management of the Celtic Tiger by the Irish state has been castigated as expressively how not to manage an economic bubble. Following a decade and a half of continuous growth averaging over six per cent, the Irish economy has since experienced significant depression which is currently stagnating with seemingly little prospect of abating. Since 2008, much talk within the Irish media has centred on whether the state might have managed the Celtic Tiger better and thus averted much of the destruction wrought by the bursting of the Irish property bubble. Thus the purpose of this thesis was to ascertain whether the Irish state might have learned valuable lessons to avert such a property bubble from a previous case of property bubble, namely that of Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This thesis compares the two cases, establishing their similarities – and thus grounds for comparison – with particular focus on the role played by both states. It then makes a number of suggestions as to what lessons the Irish state might have taken from the Japanese case so as to reduce the over-inflation of the Celtic Tiger’s property bubble, and thus averting much of the fallout caused by its 2008 bursting. It then concludes by that stating that while previous Ireland’s economic growth was regarded with something as approaching awe, in the future it might instead be studied as an example of how not to manage an economic boom

Discussing the motivation of knowlede workers to engage in employee driven innovation - the influence of trust in organisation processes

Title: Discussing the motivation of knowledge workers to engage in employee driven innovation – the influence of trust in organisational processes Date of the seminar: June 3rd 2014 Course: Master Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Internship and degree project (Master thesis 15 ECTS) Authors: Sam Hobbs & Julien Véron Supervisor: Håkan Lagerquist Keywords: Motivation, trust, employee driven innovation, knowledge workers, innovation, organisational processes Thesis purpose: The purpose of this thesis to establish both what determines knowledge workers’ trust in organisational processes, as well as the influence of such trust on their motivation to engage in employee driven innovation. Both of these areas have been underexploited and thus the authors seek to close gaps within literature. Insights into these two areas can advise organisations in how to design organisational processes so as to maximise employee trust, as well as how to increase the motivation of employees to engage in innovative behaviour. Methodology: This qualitative research employed a case study design which sought to inductively develop new theory. The authors interned as thesis workers in the Apps, Services and Development Department of Sony Mobile in Lund, Sweden. Following familiarisation with the organisation through informal discussions and observations, the authors undertook a preliminary literature review. Through this review organisational processes were recognised as an important means by which employees can engage in innovation. Following this a more thorough literature review was conducted which established the authors’ theoretical framework, after which the authors gathered empirical data through semi-structured interviews with managers and employees working within the department. This empirical data was then examined against the theoretical framework in order to generate the authors’ conclusions, both in terms of contributing new theory and providing practical implications for managers and organisations. Theoretical perspectives: The authors were inspired and influenced by previous literature when undertaking the thesis: knowledge workers (Newell et al., 2009; Drucker, 1959), trust (Mayer et al., 2009, Costa, 2003; Colquitt et al., 2007, motivation (Ettinger, 2007; Jayawarna et al., 2013) and employee driven innovation (Roderkerken, 2011; Kristansen & Bloch-Poulsen, 2010). Such literature enabled the authors to identify four factors of trust – integrity (Killinger, 2010), fairness (Janssen, 2000; Lawler, 1968), credibility (Lyman, 2003) and control (Jayawarna et al., 2013, Coyle-Stapiro & Shore, 2007; Nemeth & Staw, 1989). The authors could then ascertain exactly what factors inspired employed trust in organisation processes. After this the authors could then establish the influence of such trust on motivation to engage in innovative behaviours, with Ettinger (2007) dividing motivation into three distinct stages – initial motivation, motivation in the face of adversity and motivation to work with high intensity. Thus the authors were enabled to establish what form of motivation is influenced by employee trust in organisational processes. Conclusions: The researchers concluded that trust of knowledge workers in organisation processes is largely determined by the extent to which such processes hold integrity, fairness and credibility. Credibility – that is the likelihood that a process will enable successful development of an idea – was observed to be of particular importance for workers who were strongly focused on the potential benefits that could arise from a successful development of an innovative idea. Workers were also found to be more trusting of processes which held some form of human interaction. This trust in organisational processes was established to have an influence upon the initial motivation of workers to engage in developing innovative ideas. However such trust was found to have little influence on their motivation to persist with a project in the face of difficulty or to develop an idea with high intensity. Organisations aware of these findings can seek to strengthen the degree of integrity, fairness and credibility in their processes so as to gain the trust of knowledge workers, which can then have a positive impact on their motivation to engage in employee driven innovation

KHARON Is an essential cytoskeletal protein involved in the trafficking of flagellar membrane proteins and cell division in African trypanosomes

African trypanosomes and related kinetoplastid parasites selectively traffic specific membrane proteins to the flagellar membrane, but the mechanisms for this trafficking are poorly understood. We show here that KHARON, a protein originally identified in Leishmania parasites, interacts with a putative trypanosome calcium channel and is required for its targeting to the flagellar membrane. KHARON is located at the base of the flagellar axoneme, where it likely mediates targeting of flagellar membrane proteins, but is also on the subpellicular microtubules and the mitotic spindle. Hence, KHARON is probably a multifunctional protein that associates with several components of the trypanosome cytoskeleton. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of KHARON mRNA results in failure of the calcium channel to enter the flagellar membrane, detachment of the flagellum from the cell body, and disruption of mitotic spindles. Furthermore, knockdown of KHARON mRNA induces a lethal failure of cytokinesis in both bloodstream (mammalian host) and procyclic (insect vector) life cycle stages, and KHARON is thus critical for parasite viability

Use of Monofilament Line, Reflective Tape, Beach-Balls, and Pyrotechnics for Controlling Grackle Damage to Citrus

The effectiveness of monofilament line, reflective tape, beach-balls and pyrotechnics (propane cannons and shotgun scare shells) in reducing damage to citrus by great-tailed grackles was tested in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. Results indicate that these treatments can produce reduction in damage. Whether the treatments are economically advisable for a grower depends on the history of grackle damage to the grove and grove size. Only large amounts of damage in large groves justify costs associated with implementation of these methods

Use of Monofilament Line, Reflective Tape, Beach-Balls, and Pyrotechnics for Controlling Grackle Damage to Citrus

The effectiveness of monofilament line, reflective tape, beach-balls and pyrotechnics (propane cannons and shotgun scare shells) in reducing damage to citrus by great-tailed grackles was tested in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. Results indicate that these treatments can produce reduction in damage. Whether the treatments are economically advisable for a grower depends on the history of grackle damage to the grove and grove size. Only large amounts of damage in large groves justify costs associated with implementation of these methods

Influence of the time of day on axial length and choroidal thickness changes to hyperopic and myopic defocus in human eyes

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (March 2019) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyResearch in animal models have shown that exposing the eye to positive or negative spectacle lenses can lead to predictable changes in eye growth. Recent research indicates that brief periods (1–2 h) of monocular defocus results in small, but significant changes in axial length and choroidal thickness of human subjects. However, the effects of the time of day on these ocular changes with defocus are not known. In this study, we examined the effects of monocular myopic and hyperopic defocus on axial length and choroidal thickness when applied in the morning (change between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.) vs the evening (change between 5 and 7 p.m.) in young adult human participants (mean age, 23.44 ± 4.52 years). A series of axial length (using an IOL Master) and choroidal thickness (using an optical coherence tomographer) measurements were obtained over three consecutive days in both eyes. Day 1 (no defocus) examined the baseline ocular measurements in the morning (10 a.m. and 12 p.m.) and in the evening (5 and 7 p.m.), day 2 investigated the effects of hyperopic and myopic defocus on ocular parameters in the morning (subjects wore a spectacle lens with +3 or −3 DS over the right eye and a plano lens over the left eye between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.), and day 3 examined the effects of defocus in the evening (+3 or −3 DS spectacle lens over the right eye between 5 and 7 p.m.). Exposure to myopic defocus caused a significant reduction in axial length and thickening of the subfoveal choroid at both times; but, compared to baseline data from day 1, the relative change in axial length (−0.021 ± 0.009 vs +0.004 ± 0.003 mm, p = 0.009) and choroidal thickness (+0.027 ± 0.006 vs +0.007 ± 0.006 mm, p = 0.011) with defocus were significantly greater for evening exposure to defocus than for the morning session. On the contrary, introduction of hyperopic defocus resulted in a significant increase in axial length when given in the morning (+0.026 ± 0.006 mm), but not in the evening (+0.001 ± 0.003 mm) (p = 0.047). Furthermore, hyperopic defocus resulted in a significant thinning of the choroid (p = 0.005), but there was no significant influence of the time of day on choroidal changes associated with hyperopic defocus (p = 0.672). Exposure to hyperopic and myopic defocus at different times of the day was also associated with changes in the parafoveal regions of the choroid (measured across 1.5 mm nasal and temporal choroidal regions on either side of the fovea). Our results show that ocular response to optical defocus varies significantly depending on the time of day in human subjects. These findings represent a potential interaction between the signal associated with the eye's natural diurnal rhythm and the visual signal associated with the optical defocus, making the eye perhaps more responsive to hyperopic defocus (or ‘go’ signal) in the morning, and to myopic defocus (or ‘stop’ signal) in the latter half of the day

Integrative functional genomics identifies RINT1 as a novel GBM oncogene

Large-scale cancer genomics efforts are identifying hundreds of somatic genomic alterations in glioblastoma (GBM). Distinguishing between active driver and neutral passenger alterations requires functional assessment of each gene; therefore, integrating biological weight of evidence with statistical significance for each genomic alteration will enable better prioritization for downstream studies. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and potential of in vitro functional genomic screens to rapidly and systematically prioritize high-probability candidate genes for in vivo validation. Integration of low-complexity gain- and loss-of-function screens designed on the basis of genomic data identified 6 candidate GBM oncogenes, and RINT1 was validated as a novel GBM oncogene based on its ability to confer tumorigenicity to primary nontransformed murine astrocytes in vivo. Cancer genomics-guided low-complexity genomic screens can quickly provide a functional filter to prioritize high-value targets for further downstream mechanistic and translational studies

Parasitic Infection Surveillance in Mississippi Delta Children

Some recent studies suggest ongoing transmission of parasitic diseases in the American South; however, surveys in Mississippi children are lacking. We enrolled 166 children (median age 8 years, range 4–13 years) from the Mississippi Delta region and carried out multi-parallel real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Strongyloides stercoralis on their stool samples. Dried blood spots were obtained for multiplex serology antibody detection. Of 166 children, all reported having flushable toilets, 11% had soil exposure, and 34% had a pet dog or cat. None had prior diagnosis or treatment of parasitic disease. Multi-parallel real-time PCRs were negative on the 89 stool DNA extracts available for testing. Dried blood spot testing of all 166 children determined the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to Toxocara spp. (3.6%), Cryptosporidium (2.4%), S. stercoralis, Fasciola hepatica, and Giardia duodenalis (all 0%). In conclusion, parasitic infections and exposure were scarce in this population. Larger studies of at-risk populations are needed

From the Yellow Springs to the Land of Immortality

The Yellow Springs is a vivid metaphorical reference to the final destination of a mortal being and the dwelling place of a departed one in ancient China. In the writings of philosophers, historians, and poets during the long period of Chinese history, the Yellow Springs is not only considered as an underground physical locus where a grave is situated, but also an emotionally charged space invoke grieving, longing, and memory for the departed loved ones. The subterranean dwelling at the Yellow Springs is both a destination for a departed mortal being and an intermediary place to an ideal and imaginative realm, the land of immortality where the soul would enjoy eternity. From the Yellow Springs to the Land of Immortality is an exhibition that highlights sixteen carefully selected artworks from Gettysburg College’s Special Collections; each object embodies the perceptions and ritual practices of the rich funerary culture in the historical period in China, ranging from the late second millennium BCE to the beginning of the early twentieth century. These artifacts represent various artistic traditions and fabrication techniques — including jade carving, bronze casting, glazed pottery making — and most importantly, offer a glimpse of how art and artifacts are employed as a means to connect the living with the soul of the departed one in the Yellow Springs. Archaeo- logical discoveries in the past four decades in China have provided rich information that helps contextualize the sixteen artworks, as well as intimate knowledge about how the objects might “perform” in the life and afterlife of the individuals in the past. The practice of burying goods alongside departed loved ones has had a long tradition in China. The artworks included in this exhibition catalogue, encompassing the major dynasties in Chinese history, epitomize such a practice from a historical point of view. The bronze jue of the Shang dynasty (mid-16th c.-1046 BCE), and the miniature bell, a replica of yong bronze bell of the Zhou dynasty (1045-256 BCE), are not only ceremonial paraphernalia used by elites in ancestral sacrifices during the Bronze Age, but also material manifestations of ritual and music, the very foundations of ancient Chinese civilization. Comparable examples found in Bronze Age tombs illustrate the idea to connect the deceased, often the owner of these ritual objects, to the ancestors in the netherworld as they themselves were transitioned into the role of ancestors through a series of funerary ceremonies. [excerpt]https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/artcatalogs/1034/thumbnail.jp

Parasitic Disease Surveillance, Mississippi, USA

Surveillance for soil-transmitted helminths, strongyloidiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis was conducted in Mississippi, USA. PCR performed on 224 fecal samples for all soil-transmitted helminths and on 370 samples for only Necator americanus and Strongyloides stercoralis identified 1 S. stercoralis infection. Seroprevalences were 8.8% for Toxocara, 27.4% for Cryptosporidium, 5.7% for Giardia, and 0.2% for Strongyloides parasites