Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Modification Of Octafluoro[2.2]Paracyclophane (Parylene Af4), Craig Hicks, Brendan Duffy, Gráinne Hargaden

Articles

Parylenes are a class of organic compounds which have gained significant attention due to their application as coatings in areas such as medical devices and electronics. This review highlights the development of synthetic pathways to Octafluoro[2.2]Paracyclophane, commonly referred to as parylene AF4. Methods which have been used to functionalise AF4 are also presented.

Novel Cis-Restricted Β-Lactam Combretastatin A-4 Analogues Display Anti-Vascular And Anti-Metastatic Properties In Vitro, Seema M. Nathwani, Lisa M. Greene, Linda Hughes, Miriam Carr, Niamh O'Boyle, Susan Mcdonnell, Mary J. Meegan, Daniela M. Zisterer

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No abstract provided.

Making Connections: Networked Mindmaps As A Student Centred Assessment For Learning., Barry Ryan

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Engaging students is a difficult task faced by all academics. Student engagement can be achieved by giving ownership of their learning back to the student and by carefully aligning the assessment methodology to the students learning and future employability. To promote learning ownership in this case-study, a group of final year students were involved in the design of the delivery (‘flipped classroom’) and assessment strategy (‘flipped assessment’) of the curriculum. Upon reflection, students noted a deep understanding of their self-selected topic by taking ownership of their learning and their ‘assessment for learning’ within the bounded learning environment. Additionally, students enhanced …

A Walk Down The Red Carpet: Students As Producers Of Digital Video-Based Knowledge., Barry Ryan

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Disengaged and apathetic students are common in many undergraduate classrooms. Learning to these students is a passive process, typified by a consumer-like attitude. One approach to engage students, and enhance the learning experience, is to integrate active learning into the curriculum. The purpose of the pedagogical evaluative study described here was to investigate if student researched, designed and created digital video could act as a viable reusable peer learning resource. Although the use and integration of technology was central to the scope of this project, other ideas such as threshold concepts, the requirement for both active and authentic social constructivist …

Human And Organisational Factors As A Risk Management Strategy In An Aviation Maintenance Company, Samuel Cromie, Paul Liston, Derek Ross, Siobhan Corrigan, Lindita Vani, Dara Lynch, Solonas Demosthenous, Maria Chiara Leva, Alison Kay, Vangelis Demosthenous

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Aviation has for many years been one of the leading industries in addressing human and organisational factors (HOF) within its different sectors – flight operations, air traffic control, ground operations, maintenance, etc. In particular aviation has led the way in mandating a range of measures that address HOF issues – reporting systems, shift-handover procedures, etc (e.g. UK CAA, 2003). A key element of the regulation has been the mandating of initial and continuation training in HOF for virtually all personnel working in aviation maintenance. By contrast the development of practice and regulation of risk and safety management in aviation has …

Justice In Times Of Transition: A Reflection On Transitional Justice, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

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Transitional Justice as a motif, a discourse and a practice continues to entice analysis from scholars, practitioners and policy makers. It is a field that has rapidly expanded, and that has both the fortune and disadvantage of being termed an "industry." The growth of transitional justice is both an opportunity and a warning, as the challenges raised by massive human rights violations and transitions from violence to peace or from repressive regimes to more liberal ones continue to preoccupy scholars and practitioners. Each new country specific context facilitates revisiting old trade-offs and concepts revealing new elements to transitional dilemmas.

Subsidiary Innovation:A Phenomenon Under Threat?, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

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Rarely are the linkages between theory and practice as apparent as those between the strategic renewal literature and current structural transformations being realised within many multinationals (MNCs). Strategic renewal promotes the transformation of capabilities, structural models and organisational reform. Similarly, we can see similarly how many MNC organisations, cognizant of both global and technological change are championing these key tenets in choosing a new path, and shifting from networks of mini-replica subsidiaries towards more task-driven, integrated systems of activities. The advance of this transactional approach to operations is driven by an aim to create greater efficiencies, eliminate duplication of efforts …

Octree-Based Indexing For 3d Point Clouds Within An Oracle Spatial Dbms, Bianca Schoen-Phelan, Abu Saleh Mohammad Mosa, Debra Laefer, Michela Bertolotto

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A large proportion of today’s digital data has a spatial component. The storage and effective 10 management of such data poses particular challenges. Nowhere is this truer than with Light De-11 tection and Ranging (LiDAR), where datasets of even small geographic areas may contain sever-12 al hundred millions points. Currently available spatial information systems do not provide suita-13 ble support for 3D data. As a consequence, while a specific system can be used to store the data, 14 another has to be used to process it. Typically several software applications are used to analyze 15 and process LiDAR data, requiring …

A Viewpoint Of Tanzania E-Commerce And Implementation Barriers, George S. Oreku, Fredrick Mtenzi, Al-Dahoud Ali

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The growing rate of ICT utilization particularly the Internet and mobile phones has influenced at an exponential rate online interaction and communication among the generality of the populace. However, with the enormity of businesses on the Internet, Tanzania is yet to harness the opportunities for optimal financial gains. This study is exploratory in nature as it attempts to unveil the prospects of ecommerce implementation, participation, motivation and opportunity to the developing countries like Tanzania where by the domestic market is very big to ensure the growth of agricultural sector. The paper proposes to investigate the ability of consumers to purchase …

Beyond The Orthodoxy Of Rule Of Law And Justice Sector Reform: A Framework For Legal Empowerment And Innovation Through The Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities, Janet E. Lord, Deepti Samant Raja, Peter Blanck

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No abstract provided.

On The Road Without A Map: The Women Of The Beat Writers Symposium - Mania: The Lives, Literature, And Law Of The Beats: Session I: Weaving Lives Into Literature, Jean Stefancic

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No abstract provided.

Law's Violence: Derrick Bell's Next Article Challenging Authority: A Symposium Honoring Derrick Bell, Richard Delgado

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No abstract provided.

Fisher, Academic Freedom, And Distrust, Paul Horwitz

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In Fisher v University of Texas at Austin the United States Supreme Court remanded to the Fifth Circuit a challenge to the University of Texass postGrutter use of raceconscious admissions in selecting a student body concluding that the Fifth Circuit had not engaged in the proper level of strict scrutiny review such policies require From the moment Fisher was handed down it has been the subject of discussion and debate over whether Fisher represents a speedbump for raceconscious university admissions policies or a major barrier to such policies In this paper I focus specifically on what Fisher means as a …

Contemporary Issues In Critical Race Theory: The Implications Of Race As Character Evidence In Recent High-Profile Cases Challenging Authority: A Symposium Honoring Derrick Bell, Montre D. Carodine

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No abstract provided.

Apoptosis Is Signalled Early By Low Doses Of Ionizing Radiation In A Radiation-Induced Bystander Effect, Hayley Furlong, Carmel Mothersill, Fiona Lyng, Orla Howe

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It is known that ionising radiation (IR) induces a complex signalling apoptotic cascade post-exposure to low doses ultimately to remove damaged cells from a population, specifically via the intrinsic pathway. Therefore, it was hypothesised that bystander reporter cells may initiate a similar apoptotic response if exposed to low doses of IR (0.05 Gy and 0.5 Gy) and compared to directly irradiated cells. Key apoptotic genes were selected according to their role in the apoptotic cascade; tumour suppressor gene TP53, pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl2, pro-apoptotic JNK and anti-apoptotic ERK, initiator caspase 2 and 9 and effector caspase 3, 6 and …

Raman Spectroscopy In Nanomedicine: Current Status And Future Perspectives, Hugh Byrne, Mark Keating

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Raman spectroscopy is a branch of vibration spectroscopy which is capable of probing the chemical composition of materials. Recent advances in Raman microscopy have added significantly to the range of applications which now extend from medical diagnostics to exploring interfaces between biological organisms and nanomaterials. In this review, Raman is introduced in a general context, highlighting some of the areas in which the technique has found success in the past, as well as some of the potential benefits it offers over other analytical modalities. The subset of Raman techniques which specifically probe the nanoscale, namely Surface Enhanced and Tip Enhanced …

The Bio-Nano-Interface In Predicting Nanoparticle Fate And Behaviour In Living Organisms: Towards Grouping And Categorising Nanomaterials And Ensuring Nanosafety By Design, Hugh Byrne, Arti Ahluwalia, Diana Boraschi,, Bengt Fadeel, Peter Gehr, Arno C. Gutleb, Michaela Kendall, Manthos Papadopoulos, Iseult Lynch

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In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research directions and some recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must …

Betwixt And Between: Creative Writing And Scholarly Expectations, Sue Norton

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I teach English in a College of Arts and Tourism in an Institute of Technology in Dublin. The institute is one of the largest providers of higher education in Ireland, and it distinguishes itself with small-class sizes, community outreach and engagement, and excellence in teaching. It is, as its name indicates, an institute of technology, but it has aspirations to become a University.

My institute has, no differently than many other organisations of higher learning, sought to boost its reputation for research. It favours research with a capital R, meaning research that conforms to the usual higher education rhetoric surrounding …

Dual-Band Omnidirectional Circularly Polarized Antenna, Adam Narbudowicz, Xiulong Bao, Max Ammann

Articles

A dual-band omnidirectional circularly polarized antenna is proposed. The antenna comprises back-to-back microstrip patches fed by a coplanar waveguide. A very low frequency ratio of 1.182 has been achieved, which can be easily tuned by adjusting four lumped capacitors incorporated into the antenna. An analysis of the omnidirectional circular polarization mechanism as well the dual band operation is provided and confirmed by numerical and experimental data. Key parameters to tune the resonant frequencies and the axial ratio have been identified. The prototype antenna provides omnidirectional circular polarization in one plane with cross polar isolation better than 12 dB for both …

Tax Abuse According To Whom, Shannon Weeks Mccormack

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In 1996, Congress banned the Treasury Department from enacting retroactive regulations but provided an important exception, allowing tax regulations to apply retroactively “to prevent abuse.” Congress did not, however, explicitly define abuse; nor did it designate to any specific actor the power to do so. This Article provides the first comprehensive look at the level of deference owed a Treasury regulation’s interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code’s abuse exception. Generally, a reviewing court owes some level of deference to an agency’s interpretation of the statute it is entrusted to administer. Some statutory interpretations are entitled to receive the strong standard …

The Trials And Tribulations Of Japan’S Legal Education Reforms, Daniel H. Foote

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A sense of momentum accompanied the start of Japan's new legal education system in the spring of 2004. Less than three years had passed since the Justice System Reform Council (the Reform Council) issued its final report in June 2001, proposing a major restructuring of Japan's legal training system centered on a new tier of graduate level law schools. And less than a year and a half had elapsed since the details of the law school system were decided and enabling legislation passed. Despite the tight timetable, sixty-eight law schools were ready to commence operations in 2004, having arranged facilities, …

Organizing Interlocal Entities: What Form Is Best… And Does The Interlocal Cooperation Act Need A Rewrite?, Hugh D. Spitzer

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Intergovernmental cooperation is a generally-accepted approach to cooperative service delivery by Washington state and local agencies. Most municipal lawyers are involved from time to time in negotiating interlocal agreements and forming intergovernmental entities to assist municipalities in carrying out their responsibilities on a cooperative basis. There are a large number of legal tools available for interlocal arrangements. This paper focuses on several specific structural questions relating to intergovernmental entities:

• Sources of authority, and when and when not to use the Interlocal Cooperation Act (Ch. 39.34 RCW).
• When using the Interlocal Cooperation Act, what type of separate entity (if any) to …

Three Dimensional Simulation Of The Radiation Field Patterns Generated By An Integrated Antenna, Jonathan Blackledge, Bazar Babajanov

Articles

Simulating the electromagnetic field patterns generated by integrated antennas uses in mobile phones, for example, is fundamental to understanding their transmission characteristics and thereby engineering designs that optimize the directional properties of electromagnetic propagation. Modern integrated antennas have complex three-dimensional geometry designed to optimize their performance in terms of their multi-band and multi -modal attributes. This geometry, coupled with their close proximity to other component of the device (such as the battery and Printed Circuit Board, for example) produce complex field patterns due to the scattering of the electric (and magnetic) field within a spatial domain that is the same …

A Review Of Existing Microgrid Architectures, Lubna Mariam, Malabika Basu, Michael Conlon

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The future electricity network must be flexible, accessible, reliable, and economic according to the worldwide smartgrid initiative. This is also echoed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI). In order to facilitate these objectives and to reduce green house gas (GHG) emission, research on various configurations of microgrid system is gaining importance, particularly with high penetration of renewable energy sources. Depending on the resource availability, geographical locations, load demand, and existing electrical transmission and distribution system, uG can be either connected to 6the grid or can work in an autonomous mode. Storage can …

Selection Of Design Parameters To Reduce The Zero-Sequence Circulating Current Flow In Parallel Operation Of Dc Linked Multiple Shunt Apf Units, Shafiuzzaman Khadem, Malabika Basu, Michael Conlon

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Capacity enhancement and operational flexibility are two of the important limitations of the centralized shunt APF unit. These limitations can be conquered by the operation of multiple APF units in parallel and connected back to back by a common DC link capacitor. In that case, a circulating current (CC) flows within the APF units. This CC flow becomes out of control when the APF units operate in hysteresis based current controlled mode. One of the difficulties of this CC flow control or reduction is the variable switching frequency of the APF units. In this paper the model for CC flow …

Lumped Time-Delay Compensation Scheme For Coding Synchronization In The Nonlinear Spectral Quantization-Based All-Optical Analog-To-Digital Conversion, Zhe Khang, Jinhui Yuan, Qiang Wu, Tao Wang, Sha Li, Chongxiu Y, Gerald Farrell

Articles

this paper, we propose a novel lumped time-delay compensation scheme for the all-optical analog-to-digital conversion based on soliton self-frequency shift and optical interconnection techniques. By inserting a segment of negative dispersion fiber between the quantization and the coding module, the time delay of different quantized pulses can be accurately compensated with a simple structure compared to the multiple time-delay lines. The simulation results show that the coding pulses can be well synchronized using a span of fiber, with the flattened negative dispersion within the wavelength range of 1558-1620 nm. In addition, the problems of pulse broadening and time error are …

The Influence Of Light Beam Convergence On The Stop-Bands Of A One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal, Vladimir A. Tolmachev, Kevin Berwick, Tatiana S. Perova

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The influence of beam convergence on the photonic band-gaps, or stop-bands (SBs), of onedimensional photonic crystals (1D PCs) is investigated. The investigation is based on an analysis of the gap map obtained from reflection spectra, calculated by the transfer matrix method for various angles of light incidence, φ, The calculated data is compared with reflection spectra taken using Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy. It was found that the introduction of the parameter, Δφ to account for the focused light beam, for angles up to 20°, has little effect on the first, or lowest SB and the SBs adjacent to it. However, …

Hybrid Plasmonic Biosensor For Simultaneous Measurement Of Both Thickness And Refractive Index, Youqiao Ma, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova, Hau Ping Chan, Qiang Wu

Articles

A novel hybrid plasmonic biosensor using a sub-wavelength reflection metal grating is proposed and analyzed. The simulation results show that the hybrid plasmonic-cavity (HPCM) are wavelength dependent on both the refractive index (RI) and thickness of the surrounding analyte layer, with a sensitivity of 448 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) and 75 nm/um, respectively. However wavelength related to the cavity resonant mode (CRM) related is only sensitive to the environmental refractive index changes. In principle it is possible to determine both RI and thickness of the coating layer simultaneously.

Who Cares?:Practical Ethics And The Problem Of Underage Users On Social Networking Sites, Brian O'Neill

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Internet companies place a high priority on the safety of their services and on their corporate responsibility towards protection of all users, especially younger ones. However, such efforts are undermined by the large numbers of children who circumvent age restrictions and lie about their age to gain access to such platforms. This paper deals with the ethical issues that arise in this not-so-hypothetical situation. Who, for instance, bears responsibility for children’s welfare in this context? Are parents/carers ethically culpable in failing to be sufficiently vigilant or even facilitating their children’s social media use? Do industry providers do enough to enforce …

Re-Theorizing The “Structure–Agency” Relationship: Figurational Theory, Organizational Change And The Gaelic Athletic Association, John Connolly, Paddy Dolan

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This article illustrates how the figurational sociology associated with Norbert Elias provides an alternative theoretical framework for explaining the relationship between, ‘individualorganization- society’ and organizational change, and in so doing transverses what is conceived as a false dichotomy between structure and agency. Through an historical case study of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland, the ‘individual-organization-society’ relationship is conceptualized as overlapping figurations and organizational change is explained as figurational dynamics—the shifting social interdependencies between the individuals and groups comprising an organization, between that organization and other organizations, between social groups on a higher level of integration and competition. In tandem …