Dublin City University

About: Dublin City University is a education organization based out in Dublin, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Machine translation & Laser. The organization has 5904 authors who have published 17178 publications receiving 389376 citations. The organization is also known as: National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin & DCU.

The control problem in public accounting firms: An empirical study of the impact of leadership style

Abstract: Prior research has highlighted the problem of dysfunctional reactions to control systems. Studies carried out in auditing firms have revealed high levels of budget pressure leading to a variety of dysfunctional behaviours which can be difficult to control. This study examines how subordinates' reaction to control systems is influenced by the leadership behaviour of supervisors. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire sent to all audit seniors in three Big Six audit firms. Two forms of dysfunctional behaviour were measured: under-reporting of time and audit quality reduction behaviour. A leadership style characterized by high structure and low consideration was found to be associated with the highest level of dysfunctional behaviour for all behaviours examined, while the lowest level of dysfunctional behaviour was associated with a style depicting low structure and high consideration. Perceived environmental uncertainty was found to moderate these relationships, and to exercise a stronger moderating effect for audit quality reduction behaviour than for under-reporting of time.

Microencapsulation using vibrating technology

Abstract: For over a half a century now, microencapsulation has played a very important role in many industries and in the recent decades, this versatile technology has been applied to numerous biotechnology and medical processes. However, successful application in these areas requires a methodology which has the capability to produce mono-dispersed, homogenous-shaped capsules, with a narrow size distribution, using a short production time. The manufacture of capsules using vibrating technology has gained significant interest mainly due to its simplistic approach to produce homogenous microcapsules with the desired characteristics for biotechnological and medical processes. However, certain limitations still exist for this methodology, which include the inability to manufacture microcapsules at large quantities and/or using highly viscous polymers. In this review, a detailed description of the theoretical and practical aspects behind the production of different types of alginate-based microcapsules, for application in biotechnological and medical processes, using vibrating technology, is given.

QoE-Driven User-Centric VoD Services in Urban Multihomed P2P-Based Vehicular Networks

Abstract: Recently, many cities around the world have witnessed large-scale deployment of terrestrial broadcasting mobile television (TV) to vehicles. This service is similar to the cable or satellite TV already in the home, and user-centric interactive mobile Video-on-Demand (VoD) over urban vehicular networks is in fact expected. However, providing this new service with focus on user Quality of Experience (QoE) constitutes a significant challenge. This paper introduces a QoE-driven User-centric solution for VoD services in urban vehicular network environments (QUVoD). QUVoD relies on a multihomed hierarchical peer-to-peer (P2P) and vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) architecture. Vehicles construct a low-layer VANET via Wireless Access in the Vehicular Environment interfaces; they also form an upper layer P2P Chord overlay on top of a cellular network via Fourth-Generation (4G) interfaces. A novel grouping-based storage strategy that uniformly distributes the video segments along the Chord overlay is proposed, reducing segment seeking traffic while also enabling load balancing. A novel segment seeking and multipath delivery scheme that achieves high lookup success rate and very good video data delivery efficiency is also introduced, which achieves high lookup success rate and very good video data delivery efficiency. Furthermore, a new speculation-based prefetching strategy is proposed, which analyses users' interactive viewing behavior and, by estimating video segment playback order, employs prefetching of the expected segments, smoothening the video playback. Simulation results show how QUVoD is a highly efficient user-centric mobile VoD solution in urban vehicular networks in comparison with existing state-of-the-art solutions.

Towards digital transformation: Lessons learned from traditional organizations

Abstract: Digitally enabled organizations are supported by new information and communication technologies, referred to as digital technologies, which increasingly promise enormous opportunities for growth. The study reviews 10 case studies from the literature and analysis the approaches these organizations have taken to successfully implement digital technologies. The findings reveal a conceptual framework that seeks to support management in understanding the actions required to implement digital transformation.

Physically crosslinked composite hydrogels of PVA with natural macromolecules: structure, mechanical properties, and endothelial cell compatibility.

Abstract: Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have been considered potentially suitable for applications as engineered blood vessels because of their structure and mechanical properties. However, PVA's hydrophilicity hinders its capacity to act as a substrate for cell attachment. As a remedy, PVA was blended with chitosan, gelatin, or starch, and hydrogels were formed by subjecting the solutions to freeze-thaw cycles followed by coagulation bath immersion. The structure-property relationships for these hydrogels were examined by measurement of their swelling, rehydration, degradation, and mechanical properties. For the case of pure PVA hydrogels, the equilibrium swelling ratio was used to predict the effect of freeze thaw cycles and coagulation bath on average molecular weights between crosslinks and on mesh size. For all hydrogels, trends for the reswelling ratio, which is indicative of the crosslinked polymer fraction, were consistent with relative tensile properties. The coagulation bath treatment increased the degradation resistance of the hydrogels significantly. The suitability of each hydrogel for cell attachment and proliferation was examined by protein adsorption and bovine vascular endothelial cell culture experiments. Protein adsorption and cell proliferation was highest on the PVA/gelatin hydrogels. This study demonstrates that the potential of PVA hydrogels for artificial blood vessel applications can be improved by the addition of natural polymers, and that freeze-thawing and coagulation bath treatment can be utilized for fine adjustment of the physical characteristics.