Digital Commons Network^™

A Lost Soul In Search Of The Light : Francois Mauriac's ''Therese Desqueyroux'', Eamon Maher

Articles

Material reproduced by kind permission of Reality

The Transforming Power Of Grace, Eamon Maher

Articles

Material reproduced by kind permission of Reality

Icing Location Client, Seamus Rooney, Keith Gardiner, James Carswell

Articles

The ICiNG (Innovative Cities for Next Generation) project is researching a multi-modal, multi-access model of e-Government. It develops the concept of a “thin-skinned City” that will be sensitive to both the citizen and the environment through the use of mobile devices, universal access gateways, social software and environmental sensors. Intelligent infrastructure will enable a Public Administration Services layer and a Communities layer. Communities will interact with the infrastructure to avail of ICiNG services created by the administration, and will also create their own information-based services.

Youth, Governance And The City: Towards A Critical Urban Sociology Of Youth Crime And Disorder Prevention, Matt Bowden

Articles

This article considers the historical and spatial context for the emergence of youth crime and disorder prevention initiatives in Ireland. These initiatives have to be understood in the context of their relationship to the broader ‘urban question’ and in particular the relationship of the peripheral housing estate to the rest of society and the economic sphere. More recent changes in the nature of society and the emergence of a ‘liberal creed’ have resulted in greater use of surveillance technologies for offsetting the opportunities for crime to be committed. In this context, youth crime prevention initiatives must be seen as an …

Textual Case-Based Reasoning For Spam Filtering: A Comparison Of Feature-Based And Feature-Free Approaches, Sarah Jane Delany, Derek Bridge

Articles

Spam filtering is a text classification task to which Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) has been successfully applied. We describe the ECUE system, which classifies emails using a feature-based form of textual CBR. Then, we describe an alternative way to compute the distances between cases in a feature-free fashion, using a distance measure based on text compression. This distance measure has the advantages of having no set-up costs and being resilient to concept drift. We report an empirical comparison, which shows the feature-free approach to be more accurate than the feature-based system. These results are fairly robust over different compression algorithms in …

Offshore Strategies In Global Political Economy: Small Islands And The Case Of The Eu And Oecd Harmful Tax Competition Initiatives, Richard Woodward

Articles

This article investigates how recent attempts by the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to clamp down on harmful tax competition will affect small island economies with offshore financial centres (OFCs). It argues that although there are legitimate concerns about the initiatives, the likelihood that small island OFCs will disappear is remote. A confluence of factors have forced the EU and OECD to dilute their original proposals to the extent that while some marginal OFCs may be driven out of existence, more sophisticated OFCs will be unharmed and may even benefit from this supposed …

In Vivo Mature Immunological Synapses Forming Smacs Mediate Clearance Of Virally Infected Astrocytes From The Brain, Carlos Barcia, Clare Thomas, James Curtin, Gwendalyn King, Kolja Wawrowsky, Marianela Candolfi, Weidong Xiong, Chunyan Liu, Kurt Kroeger, Olivier Boyer, Jerzy Kupiec-Weglinski, David Klatzmann, Maria Castro, Pedro Lowenstein

Articles

The microanatomy of immune clearance of infected brain cells remains poorly understood. Immunological synapses are essential anatomical structures that channel information exchanges between T cell–antigen-presenting cells (APC) during the priming and effector phases of T cells' function, and during natural killer–target cell interactions. The hallmark of immunological synapses established by T cells is the formation of the supramolecular activation clusters (SMACs), in which adhesion molecules such as leukocyte function-associated antigen 1 segregate to the peripheral domain of the immunological synapse (p-SMAC), which surrounds the T cell receptor–rich or central SMAC (c-SMAC). The inability so far to detect SMAC formation in …

Remoulding The Critical Junctures Approach, John Hogan

Articles

This paper improves our understanding of critical junctures, a concept employed in historical institutionalism for exploring change. However, the concept lacks rigour, weakening our ability to define critical junctures. Of late, academics have utilized other mechanisms to identify change in historical institutionalism. Thus, it is within this context that the critical junctures approach is remoulded through the specification of standards, hence reducing uncertainty as to what constitutes a critical juncture. The remoulded approach is employed here in examining change in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ ~ICTU! influence over public policy in 1987.

Newly Identified Vitamin K-Producing Bacteria Isolated From The Neonatal Faecal Flora, Gordon Cooke, John Behan, Mary Costello

Articles

Fat-soluble vitamin K is an essential component of the blood clotting process. Menaquinones are the naturally occurring form of vitamin K identified in bacteria. Lipid extracts were made from three bacteria originally isolated from the human neonatal gut and identified as Enterobacter agglomerans, Serratia marcescens and Enterococcus faecium. Following preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC), the lipid extracts were subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Peak analysis of the LC-MS data showed that the three bacteria produce various forms of menaquinone.

Implications Of Mass Education On Chemistry Higher Education, Christine O'Connor

Articles

The following paper discusses the implications of government policy for widening access and participation in third level institutes. The increase in ‘non-traditional’ students has been widely recognised on an international scale; however, some issues of inequality still exist. The ‘struggles’ associated with widening participation and the creation of a ‘new’ student type are discussed, with particular reference to chemistry education. A change is needed with regard to the pedagogical approach taken by staff in order to cater for a diverse student body comprising a broad range of learner types, and this must be supported both at departmental and institutional levels. …

Modeling Liquid-Crystal Devices With The Three-Dimensional Full-Vector Beam Propagation Method, Qian Wang, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

Simulation of light propagation within nematic liquid-crystal (LC) devices is considered, of which the director is aligned normal to the z axis. A three-dimensional full-vector finite-difference beam propagation method for an anisotropic medium is presented and an alternating direction implicit scheme is adopted. Simulations of light propagation in a bulk polarization converter, a waveguide with a LC covering layer, and an integrated polarization splitter and optical switch are presented. Comparison with an existing simulation method is carried out for beam behavior within the bulk polarization converter. The effect of strong surface anchoring of a LC cell on the beam behaviors …

The Emergence Of Quality Assurance In Irish Higher Education: A Review Of European And National Policy And Description Of The Technological University Dubin Practice, Aidan Kenny

Articles

This is the second in a series of three papers which explore and describe ‘quality’ as a tool in the Irish Higher Education sector. This paper reviews macro, mesco and micro issues relating to quality assurance within the context of European Union Education Ministers’ communiqués and in Irish national policy. A micro perspective is then undertaken pertaining to the Technological University Dubin describing how quality assurance systems and procedures emerged in the Institute. It also includes the Institute’s response to provisions made in the 1999 Qualifications (Education and Training) Act with reference to the necessity of carrying out quality reviews. …

The Quality Movement Discourse In The Higher Education Sector: A General Review, Aidan Kenny

Articles

This paper – the first of a series of three – describes some of the macro milestones in the evolution of the Quality Movement in the industrial environment. The emphasis then shifts to reviewing the discourse relating to quality in the higher education sector in the UK. Attention is given to Quality Assessment, Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement models. The interface or tension lines between quality as a controlling mechanism or as a tool for development are outlined. Predominant concerns and issues as expressed by academics are clustered into macro questions, the answers to which will require further longitudinal research.

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally. The Irish White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000) recommends that adult education should be underpinned by three core principles, one of which is to promote equality of access, participation and outcome for participants in adult education, with pro-active strategies to …

What Light Do Professional Doctorates Throw On The Question Of What Counts As Knowledge In The Academy At The Start Of The Twenty-First Century?, Sandra Fisher

Articles

In their article, ‘Professional Doctorates in England’, Bourner et al. (2001: 81) pose the question ‘What light do professional doctorates throw on the question of what counts as knowledge in the academy at the start of the twenty-first century?’ This article attempts to address this question. The article provides some background to the development of professional doctorates. It looks at forces, such as the rise of the knowledge society, economic drivers, and the demands of lifelong learning, that are shaping knowledge in the academy in the twenty-first century. I attempt to interpret these forces in the context of the development …

The Teaching-Research Relationship In Higher Education, Claire M. Mcdonnell

Articles

This paper examines higher education policy regarding the relationship between research and teaching. The initial issue dealt with is whether current policy in Irish higher education recognises a relationship between research and teaching, and to examine the dual role of academics as teachers and as researchers. This is followed by an examination of any measures put in place to manage and balance the teaching–research relationship. The way in which the relationship between research and teaching is dealt with both in my own institution, the Technological University Dublin, and in higher education policy in a number of other countries is then …

Effect Of Ozone And Calcium Lactate Treaments On Browning And Textured Properties Of Fresh-Cut Lettuce, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Gary Henehan, Jesus Maria Frias, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The effects of three treatments, 1 mg L⁻¹ ozone at 18–20 °C, 15 g L⁻¹ calcium lactate (CLac) at 50 °C and a combination thereof, were compared on fresh-cut lettuce over 10 days of refrigerated storage. Respiration rate, browning and texture were examined as main quality indicators. The use of ozone produced a significantly (P < 0.05) higher oxygen decline than the use of CLac (from day 3 to day 10). At the end of storage, CLac (alone or combined with ozone) samples had higher oxygen content (∼9%) than ozone samples (∼6%). Enzymatic activity decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in ozone samples. Polyphenol oxidase activity in fresh-cut lettuce treated with ozone (alone or combined with CLac) showed lower values on day 1 (−1) and at the end of storage (g⁻¹) than CLac samples (4000–4800 units g⁻¹). Ozone also reduced peroxidase activity to ∼300 units g⁻¹ after treatment. Finally, pectin methylesterase activity was also reduced with ozone, showing a negative effect on textural properties. Data suggested that …

The Effect Of Physiological Cyclic Stretch On The Cell Morphology, Cell Orientation And Protein Expression Of Endothelial Cells, V. Barron, Claire Brougham, K. Coghlan, C. Stenson-Cox, D. O'Mahoney, P.E. Mchugh

Articles

In vivo, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to pulsatile shear and tensile stresses. The main aim of this study was to design and build a physiological simulator, which reproduced homogenous strain profiles of the tensile strain experienced in vivo, and to investigate the effect of this cyclic tensile strain on the cell morphology, cell orientation and protein expression of endothelial cells. The biological response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to a uniaxial cyclic stretch, in this newly developed simulator, was examined experimentally using immunohistostaining and confocal imaging and it was

found that the cells elongated and oriented at 58.9± …

Creating A Framework For A Single European Sky:The Opportunity Cost Of Reorganising European Airspace, Niall Neligan

Articles

The object of this article is to critically evaluate the legal framework for a European Single Sky project in light of the recent European Court of Justice decision in International Air Transport Association v The Department of Transport. The article will examine in detail the framework regulations outlining the major provisions from the recommendations of the Commission's High Level Group in 2000, to the implementation at a micro-level by national authorities of the legislation adopted in 2004. Furthermore, this article will examine whether the savings to air service providers from the Single European Sky project in the long term will …

Low-Cost Wavelength Measurement Based On A Macrobending Single-Mode Fiber, Qian Wang, Gerald Farrell, Thomas Freir, Ginu Rajan, Pengfei Wang

Articles

A low-cost all-fiber wavelength measurement technique is proposed and demonstrated. A macrobending standard single-mode fiber is developed as an edge filter with an optimal design and simple surface processing. A ratiometric wavelength measurement system employing the developed macrobending fiber filter demonstrates a resolution of ∼10 pm in a wavelength range from 1500 to 1560 nm with ease of assembly and calibration.

Osteria Di Passignano, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This is a review of the Osteria di Passignano restaurant located in a remote part of Tuscanny, Italy, owned by Antonori Wines.

Preliminary Results For A Monocular Marker-Free Gait Measurement System, Jane Courtney, Annraoi Depaor

Articles

This paper presents results from a novel monocular marker-free gait measurement system. The system was designed for physical and occupational therapists to monitor the progress of patients through therapy. It is based on a novel human motion capture method derived from model-based tracking. Testing is performed on two monocular, sagittal-view, sample gait videos – one with both the environment and the subject’s appearance and movement restricted and one in a natural environment with unrestricted clothing and motion. Results of the modelling, tracking and analysis stages are presented along with standard gait graphs and parameters.

A New Eccentric Geomagnetic Dipole To Give The Correct Dip Pole Locations, Annraoi De Paor, Ted Burke

Articles

In this paper, we describe a new eccentric dipole model of the Earth’s magnetic field. The constraints under which the conventional eccentric dipole model is defined result in predicted dip pole locations that differ significantly from the measured locations. Here, we give a preliminary exposition of a new dipole model which, because it is constrained by the observed dip pole locations, overcomes this problem.

Don't Go There: When To Abandon Lesson Plans And Venture, Humbly, Into Ground Zero, Sue Norton

Articles

This paper discusses pedagogical styles that are appropriate in the classroom.

Lost In Translation: Words And Buildings, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of book; Words & buildings - a vocabulary of modern architecture, by Adrian Forty

David Chipperfield: Questions Of Meaning, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with David Chipperfield Architect

Age Concern: The Future Of The Oecd, Richard Woodward

Articles

‘Life’, so the adage has it, ‘begins at 40’. But, as American journalist Helen Rowland wryly observed, ‘so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times’. Such a sentiment should resonate within the Parisian corridors of the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD) which celebrates its 45th anniversary on 30 September. Rival institutional developments, evolving geo-political realities, hostility from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the absence of a precisely defined mission statement have marred the OECD’s fifth decade and left the organisation struggling to justify its place in …

Designing Dining, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Just like its clothing cousin 'haute couture', the culinary world of 'haute cuisne' is influence heavily by changing fashions. This article outlines the trends for dining in 2006.

Integrated Antenna For Multiband Multi-National Wireless Combined With Gsm1800/Pcs1900/Imt2000 + Extension, Matthias John, Max Ammann

Articles

A printed triple-band monopole antenna appropriate for use as a terminal antenna in modern wireless multiband systems is proposed. The impedance bandwidth of each band has been optimised using a quasi-Newton technique and the bandwidth includes virtually all wireless bands. Various parameter sweeps are presented which improve our understanding of the antenna, in particular, the effect of groundplane-size and branch-off point on impedance bandwidth and radiation pattern.

The Mayne Event: All Things Are Possible, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with Thom Mayne Architect of Morphosis Architects.