Digital Commons Network^™

Developments In Performance Monitoring Of Concrete Exposed To Extreme Environments., W. J. Mccarter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, A. Adamson, E. Owens, P. A. M. Basheer, S. V. Nanukuttan, S. Srinivasan, Niall Holmes

Articles

The performance of the surface zone of concrete is acknowledged as a major factor governing the rate of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures because it provides the only barrier to the ingress of water containing dissolved ionic species such as chlorides, which ultimately initiate corrosion of the reinforcement. In situ monitoring of cover-zone concrete is therefore critical in attempting to make realistic predictions as to the in-service performance of the structure. To this end, this paper presents developments in a remote interrogation system to allow for continuous, real-time monitoring of the cover-zone concrete from an office setting. Use is made …

Clinical Coverage Of An Archetype Repository Over Snomed-Ct., Sheng Yu, Damon Berry, Jesus Bisbal

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Clinical archetypes provide a means for health professionals to design what should be communicated as part of an Electronic Health Record (EHR). An ever-growing number of archetype definitions follow this health information modelling approach, and this international archetype resource will eventually cover a large number of clinical concepts. On the other hand, clinical terminology systems that can be referenced by archetypes also have a wide coverage over many types of health-care information.

No existing work measures the clinical content coverage of archetypes using terminology systems as a metric. Archetype authors require guidance to identify under-covered clinical areas that may need …

Nanozeolites Doped Photopolymer Layers With Reduced Shrinkage, Mohesh Moothanchery, Izabela Naydenova, Svetlana Mintova, Vincent Toal

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An acrylamide based photopolymer doped with pure silica MFI-type zeolite (silicalite-1) nanoparticles has been characterized for holographic recording purposes. The concentrations of the silicalite-1 nanoparticles in the photopolymer layers were 1, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 wt.%. The inclusion of silicalite-1 nanoparticle in the photopolymer has resulted in an increase of the diffraction efficiency by up to 40%, and decrease of the shrinkage from 1.32% to 0.57%. The best results were obtained in layers doped with 5 wt.% silicalite-1 nanoparticles.

Statistical Optimization Of Blanching Time And Temperature Of Irish York Cabbage Using Desirability Function, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

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The effect of different heat treatments, as a means of preprocessing, on the phytochemicals present in Irish York cabbage was studied. A comparison of blanching (by immersing in water) and microwaving (using water as a medium) indicated that microwaving is detrimental to the phytochemicals present in cabbage. To achieve a blanching time and temperature combination that would result in minimal loss of phytochemicals, central composite design that integrates a desirability approach was used. A second-order polynomial equation was developed, indicating the effect of the blanching time and temperature on the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl …

Irish Culinary Manuscripts And Printed Books: A Discussion, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Dorothy Cashman

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This paper provides a discussion of Irish Culinary Manuscripts and Printed Cookbooks. It covers Gaelic hospitality and aristocratic hospitality, setting the background for the Anglo-Irish households from which many manuscripts emerge. It charts the growing sources of information on Irish culinary history. It outlines Barbara Wheaton's framework for reading historic cookbooks and discusses the growing manuscript cookbook collection in the National Library of Ireland.

Light Coupling Between A Singlemode-Multimode-Singlemode (Sms) Fiber Structure And A Long Period Fiber Gating, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova, Youqiao Ma, Pengfei Wang, Tuan Gao, Long Jin, Gerald Farrell

Articles

We propose a novel optical coupling technique based on evanescent field coupling between a singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) fiber structure and a long period fiber grating (LPFG). By parallel placement of the two fiber sections in close proximity to each other, the excited multi-cladding modes from the SMS fiber section can be selectively coupled to the guided mode in the LPFG, and vice versa. A theoretical analysis based for such a structure is undertaken and the simulated results are verified by experiments demonstrating a maximum coupling efficiency of up to 1.66% (which could be improved to 27.5% in theory) over a broadband …

Sex, Privacy And Public Health In A Casual Encounters Culture, Mary D. Fan

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The regulation of sex and disease is a cultural and political flashpoint and recurring challenge that law's antiquated arsenal has been hard- pressed to effectively address. Compelling data demonstrate the need for attention—for example, one in four women aged fourteen to nineteen is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease ("STD"); managing STDs costs an estimated $15.9 billion annually; and syphilis, once near eradication, is on the rise again, as are the rates of HIV diagnosis among people aged fifteen to twenty-four. Public health officials on the front lines have called for paradigm changes to tackle the enormous challenge. …

Going Green, Dermot Kehily

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No abstract provided.

When Is A Difference Really Different? Learners' Discrimination Of Linguistic Contrasts In American Sign Language, Joseph Bochner, Karen Christie, Peter Hauser

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Learners’ ability to recognize linguistic contrasts in American Sign Language (ASL)was investigated using a paired-comparison discrimination task. Minimal pairs containing contrasts in five linguistic categories (i.e., the formational parameters of movement, handshape, orientation, and location in ASL phonology, and a category comprised of contrasts in complex morphology) were presented in sentence contexts to a sample of 127 hearing learners at beginning and intermediate levels of proficiency and 10 Deaf native signers. Participants’ responses were analyzed to determine the relative difficulty of the linguistic categories and the effect of proficiency level on performance. The results indicated that movement contrasts were the …

The Changing Geography And Fortunes Of Dublin Haute Cuisine Restaurants, 1958-2008, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

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This paper considers the changing geography and fortunes of Dublin’s haute cuisine restaurants over the last half century, placing them within both a national and international context. Ireland’s place within the global story of food is discussed, and the paper illustrates links between Dublin and European and global trends. The paper points out that Dublin in the 1950s could be seen as the gastronomic capital of the British Isles. The leading restaurateurs are briefly profiled, and the decline, stagnation, and gradual re-birth of Dublin’s haute cuisine restaurants over the 1958-2008 period is charted and discussed. The paper combines data from …

Physicochemical And Microbiological Quality Of Water From A Pilot Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Facility In Ireland., Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton, Niamh Mcintyre, Jenny Pender, Anna Reid

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DTC Research Group, Dublin Institute of Technology personnel were commissioned in 2005 by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Ireland to assess the feasibility of utilising harvested rainwater to replace treated mains water, for non-potable uses. A pilot project was set up. The project involved the design, installation, commissioning and monitoring of rainwater harvesting facilities in a rural housing development. A monitoring program was carried out to examine the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of the harvested rainwater. Harvested rainwater was sampled monthly and tested. Analysis of the harvested rainwater quality showed a consistently high quality of raw …

A Comparative Study On The Polyphenolic Content, Antibacterial Activity And Antioxidant Capacity Of Different Solvent Extracts Of Brassica Oleracea Vegetables, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

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Brassica vegetables are rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and glucosinolates. Investigation was undertaken to optimise the best solvents among 60% ethanol, acetone and methanol for the extraction of polyphenols from Brassica vegetables. Furthermore, different properties such as antibacterial activity and antioxidant capacity were also investigated. Results showed that a 60% methanolic extract showed the highest total phenolic content which was 23.6, 20.4 and 18.7 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g−1 extract for broccoli, Brussels sprouts and white cabbage, respectively. The hydroxybenzoic acid content of various solvent extracts ranged from 5.86 to 8.91 GAE g−1 extract for broccoli, 2.70 to 5.44 GAE …

Enhanced Quantum Dot Emission For Luminescent Solar Concentrators Using Plasmonic Interaction, Subhash Chandra, Manus Kennedy, John Doran, Sarah Mccormack, A. J. Chatten

Articles

Plasmonic excitation enhanced fluorescence of CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) in the presence of Au nanoparticles (NPs) has been studied for application in quantum dot solar concentrator (QDSC) devices. We observe that there is an optimal concentration of Au NPs that gives a maximum 53% fluorescence emission enhancement for the particular QD/Au NP composite studied. The optimal concentration depends on the coupling and spacing between neighboring QDs and Au NPs. We show the continuous transition from fluorescence enhancement to quenching, depending on Au NP concentration. The locally enhanced electromagnetic field induced by the surface plasmon resonance in the Au NPs …

Dc Pulsed Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Image Information, Denis P. Dowling, F T. O'Neill, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Victor J. Law

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This paper presents optical imaging and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. It is shown how the visual information and OES information of the air discharge are related as the blown arc extends from the nozzle (2-4 mm) with a molecular nitrogen rotational temperature on the order of 1700 K and the flowing afterglow beyond this region is dominated by the cooler (300-K) NO-O chemiluminescent reaction that produces NO₂ species.

Understanding The Molecular Information Contained In Principal Component Analysis Of Vibrational Spectra Of Biological Systems, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

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K-means clustering followed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is employed to analyse Raman spectroscopic maps of single biological cells. K-means clustering successfully identifies regions of cellular cytoplasm, nucleus and nucleoli, but the mean spectra do not differentiate their biochemical composition. The loadings of the principal components identified by PCA shed further light on the spectral basis for differentiation but they are complex and, as the number of spectra per cluster is imbalanced, particularly in the case of the nucleoli, the loadings under-represent the basis for differentiation of some cellular regions. Analysis of pure bio-molecules, both structurally and spectrally distinct, in …

Phenomenological Study Of Postgraduate Researchers' Experiences Of Nanoscience And Nanotechnology Research, Deepa Chari, Paul Irving, Robert Howard, Brian Bowe

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Over the past few decades, scientific disciplines have changed significantly with the introduction of new and complex aspects of interdisciplinary research, particularly in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology (N&N). The current attempts to develop science education programmes in N&N area to adopt these complex changes however are mainly focussed towards the core scientific knowledge, and, not much attention has been paid to identify the attributes knowledge, skills and competences necessary to successfully undertake N&N research. Identification of these attributes is important so that the core scientific knowledge can be embedded in the curricula more effectively. Also, to work successfully …

Holographic Recording In Corona Charged Acrylamide-Based Mfi-Zeolite Photopolymer, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Simeon Sainov, Vincent Toal, Svetlana Mintova

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The influence of corona charging on holographic recording in acrylamide-based photopolymer nanocomposite containing MFI zeolite nanoparticles has been studied. The holographic recording was carried out in two different geometries —transmission grating recording and total internal reflection grating recording. During the recording process, the layers were charged in a corona field. It was observed that independently of the corona polarity, in the case of transmission geometry of recording, the corona charging led to a decrease in the diffraction efficiency (DE) of the grating. In the case of the total internal reflection grating, the DE increased in the corona field presence.

Climate Change And The Conservation Of Archaeological Sites: A Review Of Impacts Theory, Caithleen Daly

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This article identifies the current state of knowledge in the literature regarding the possible impacts of future climatic change on archaeological sites and ensembles. Drawing on the literature review a matrix of potential impacts is collated to provide a simplified overview. This theoretical ‘menu’ is then tested by applying it to a vulnerability assessment of the World Heritage site of Skellig Michael in Ireland. The case study results reveal some knowledge gaps, particularly in regard to the impacts of climate change on buried archaeological remains.

Performance Of Coiled Tube Ultraviolet Reactors To Inactivate Escherichia Coli W1485 And Bacillus Cereus Endospores In Raw Cow Milk And Commercially Processed Skimmed Cow Milk, Ruplal Choudhary, Srinivasaro Bandla, Dennis G. Watson, John Haddock, Amer Abughazaleh, Bhaskar Battacharya

Articles

Two coiled tube reactors were designed to investigate the influence of Reynolds number (Re) and diameter of fluid carrying tube on UV-C inactivation of Escherichia coli W1485 and Bacillus cereus endospores in raw cow milk (RCM) and skimmed cow milk (SCM) at room temperature. UV reactors were constructed using perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tubing having internal diameters of 1.6 and 3.2 mm and each had a residence time of 11.3 s. Four levels of Re were tested for each milk type, each tube size and each bacteria type. Inactivation efficiency increased as the Re increased in both the reactors for both types …

On The N-Wave Equations And Soliton Interactions In Two And Three Dimensions, Vladimir S. Gerdjikov, Rossen Ivanov, Assen V. Kyuldjiev

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Several important examples of the N-wave equations are studied. These integrable equations can be linearized by formulation of the inverse scattering as a local Riemann–Hilbert problem (RHP). Several nontrivial reductions are presented. Such reductions can be applied to the generic N-wave equations but mainly the 3- and 4-wave interactions are presented as examples. Their one and two-soliton solutions are derived and their soliton interactions are analyzed. It is shown that additional reductions may lead to new types of soliton solutions. In particular the 4-wave _{equations with} Z₂xZ₂ reduction group allow breather-like solitons. Finally it is demonstrated that …

Preparation And Characterization Of A Composite Of Gold Nanoparticles And Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Its Potential For Heterogeneous Catalysis, Anne Shanahan, James Sullivan, Mary Mcnamara, Hugh Byrne

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A single-walled carbon nanotube-supported gold nanoparticle composite was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy/scanning electron microscopy/transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The Au particles were found to be crystalline, with a well-defined and narrow particle-size distribution, centered around 7 nm. The activity and selectivity of the composite for solventless aerobic oxidation of a secondary alcohol were examined, and a conversion efficiency of 95% was obtained.

Technical Note: Friction Factor Diagrams For Pipe Flow, Jim Mcgovern

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This technical note describes diagrams of friction factor for pipe flow that have been prepared using, mainly, the equations that Lewis Moody used to prepare his famous diagram in 1944. The preparation of the new diagrams was prompted by the need for vector graphics versions that could be used for teaching purposes and that could be distributed freely to students and others under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license. Using a structure very similar to that of Moody's diagram, variants with the Darcy friction factor and the Fanning friction factor have been prepared. In addition, variants have been prepared that include …

Numerical Study Of An Ion-Exchanged Glass Waveguide Using Both Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Models, Pengfei Wang, Yuliya Semenova, Jie Zheng, Qiang Wu, Agus Hatta, Gerald Farrell

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A numerical study is carried out to compare the two-dimensional (2-D) case and three-dimensional (3-D) case for the modelling of an ion-exchanged glass waveguide. It is shown that different waveguide widths on the photomask correspond to different ion concentration distributions after an annealing process. A numerical example is presented of two waveguide sections with different widths indicates that due to the abrupt change of the waveguide width, a 3-D theoretical model is required for an accurate prediction of the parameters of ion-exchanged glass waveguides. The good agreement between the modelled and measured results proves that the developed 3-D numerical model …

Identifying The Knowledge, Skills And Competences For Nanoscience And Nanotechnology Research, Deepa Nathamuni Chari, Robert Howard, Brian Bowe

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Nanoscience and nanotechnology research has influenced the research activities in various scientific disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, molecular biology and biotechnology. The postgraduate researchers working on nanoscience and nanotechnology related research projects in any of these scientific disciplines experience the world of nanoscience and nanotechnology research closely. The examinations of the postgraduate researchers’ lived experiences can certainly unfold the characteristics of nanoscience research as experienced by the researchers themselves and can further illuminate the knowledge, skills and competences required to successfully undertake this research.

Activation Of Mmp-9 By Human Lung Epithelial Cells In Response To The Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Pathogen Burkholderia Cenocepacia Reduced Wound Healing In Vitro, Ciara Wright ], Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhan Mcclean

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Burkholderia cepacia complex is a group of bacterial pathogens that cause opportunistic infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). The most virulent of these is Burkholderia cenocepacia. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated in CF patients. The aim of this work was to examine the role of MMPs in the pathogenesis of B. cepacia complex, which has not been explored to date. Real-time PCR analysis showed that B. cenocepacia infection upregulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes in the CF lung cell line CFBE41o- within 1 h, whereas MMP-2, -7, and -9 genes were upregulated in the non-CF lung cell line 16HBE14o-. Conditioned media from …

Who Benefits From Early Childcare Subsidy Design In Ireland?, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Noirin Hayes

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Best Newcomer Article

The design of policy tools reveals underlying biases that are not easily identified in policy documents. A review of two early childhood education and care subsidies in Ireland aimed at different target populations exposes differential treatment of children, parents and service providers. It also demonstrates how in a split system ‘early education’ is prioritised over ‘childcare’. The designs serve to reinforce stereotypes that enable the powerful and advantaged to accrue benefits while those perceived to be less deserving are burdened through the maldistribution of resources.

George C Marshall: An Enduring Model Of Leadership Effectiveness, Jack Clarcq, Richard Demartino, Michael E. Palanski

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General George C. Marshall is universally recognized as a paragon of leadership. Marshall’s effectiveness as the leader of the U.S. Army during World War II, the State Department during the early post-war era, and the Defense Department during the Korean War are well known and documented. As a result of his many accomplishments, a number of researchers and historians have explored traits and factors that underlie Marshall’s success. While many of these efforts provide insight into Marshall’s leadership style, none employ original data (interviews) specifically focused on leadership, management, and character. This paper is based on interviews conducted in 1998 …

Nonthermal Plasma Inactivation Of Food-Borne Pathogens, N. Misra, B. Tiwari, K. Rahavarao, Patrick Cullen

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Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is electrically energized matter, composed of highly reactive species including gas molecules, charged particles in the form of positive ions, negative ions, free radicals, electrons and quanta of electromagnetic radiation (photons) at near-room temperature. NTP is an emerging nonthermal technology with potential applications for decontamination in the food industries. An upsurge in the research activities for plasma based inactivation of food borne pathogens is evident in the recent years. These studies have shown that NTP can be used for the surface decontamination of raw produce, dried nuts and the packaging materials etc. This paper reviews the action …

Application Of Baranyi Function To Model The Antibacterial Properties Of Solvent Extract From Irish York Cabbage Against Food Spoilage And Pathogenic Bacteria, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta, Sabrina Cox

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Cabbage is a rich source of a number of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, glucosinolates and their breakdown products which may have antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer properties. Outer green leaves of York cabbage were extracted with 60% methanol, ethanol or acetone. Antibacterial activities of vacuum dried crude extracts were estimated against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative food spoilage and food pathogenic bacteria. The crude extracts showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities but 60% methanol extract exhibited the highest antibacterial effect. Complete growth inhibition for Listeria monocytogenes was achieved with an extract concentration of 1.4%, whereas a two-fold concentration …

Human Reliability Analysis In Healthcare, Esa M. Rantanen, Joe Deeter

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The problem of human error in healthcare is well documented. Other domains (such as transportation and energy) have used techniques and methods from the engineering disciplines to analyze and ultimately reduce instances of error. In New York State (NYS), the Department of Health (DOH) requires the use of one such method, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), in investigating and reporting the occurrence of and response to sentinel events by hospitals. Despite the use of the RCA technique in an attempt to identify and mitigate the root causes of error, the problem of human error contributing to sentinel events persists. Experts in …