Digital Commons Network^™

Supercritical Fluids And Fluid Mixtures To Obtain High-Value Compounds From Capsicum Peppers, Ana Carolina De Aguiar, Juliane Viganó, Ana Gabriela Da Silva Anthero, Arthur Luiz Baião Dias, Miriam Dupas Hubinger, Julian Martínez

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Peppers of the Capsicum genus have a rich nutritional composition and are widely consumed worldwide. Thus, they find numerous applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. One commercial application is oleoresin production, a nonpolar fraction rich in bioactive compounds, including capsaicinoids and carotenoids. Among the technologies for pepper processing, special attention is given to supercritical fluid technologies, such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with pure solvents and CO2 plus modifiers, and SFE assisted by ultrasound. Supercritical fluid-based processes present advantages over the classical extraction techniques like using less solvents, short extraction times, specificity and scalability. In this review, we …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Assessment Practices In Higher Education, Ziene Mottiar, Greg Byrne, Geraldine Gorham, Emma Robinson

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid pivot to online learning across many higher education institutions globally. This paper investigates to what extent assessment strategies changed as a result of this pivot. It explores the case of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) in Ireland and finds that 95% of respondents altered their assessment practices in some way. Beyond identifying changing practice, the paper also develops a TARC (Typology of Assessment Responses to COVID-19) model which shows four categories of responses. Reactors are those academics who simply moved their assessments online. Adaptive Responders modified assessments slightly for the online environment. While …

Effects Of Pretreatment And Drying On The Volatile Compounds Of Sliced Solar-Dried Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe) Rhizome, Roseline Esi Amoah, Faustina Dufie Wireko-Manu, Ibok Oduro, Firibu Kwesi Saalia, William Otoo Ellis, Alexander Dodoo, Charles Dermont, Maame Ekua Manful

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Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) rhizomes are mostly used as spice and medicine due to their high aroma intensity and medicinal bioactive compounds. However, the volatile compounds of ginger, partly responsible for its aroma and medicinal properties, can be affected by the pretreatment, drying method, and extraction processes employed. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of pretreatment and drying on the volatile compounds of yellow ginger variety at nine months of maturation. The effect of potassium metabisulfite (KMBS) and blanching pretreatment and drying on the volatile compounds of ginger using head space solid-phase microextraction with GCMS/MS …

Staff Stress And Interpersonal Conflict In Secondary Schools—Implications For School Leadership, Patrick Bruce, Carol Bruch, Victor Hrymak, Niamh Hickey, Patricia Mannix Mcnamara

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The importance of school leadership and workplace stress is a recurring theme in educationbased research. The literature reports that workplace stress in teaching is a difficult matter to resolve, with mixed outcomes from interventions. The aim of this initial scoping study was to report on the experiences of school leaders with interpersonal conflict (IPC), a known cause of this workplace stress. Accordingly, a sample of twelve school leaders working in Irish post primary schools were recruited to participate in this study using semi-structured interviews. All twelve participants reported experiencing workplace stress and linked other people as a source of this …

Review Of Analytical Techniques For Arsenic Detection And Determination In Drinking Water, Abhijnan Bhat, Tony O'Hara, Furong Tian, Baljit Singh Dr.

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Arsenic occurs in the natural environment in four oxidation states: As(V), As(III), As(0) and As(−III). The behavior of arsenic species changes depending on the biotic or abiotic conditions in water. In groundwater, arsenic is predominantly present as As(III) and As(V), with a minor amount of methyl and dimethyl arsenic compounds being reported. Global intake of As(III) and As(V) via drinking water and food has dramatically increased in recent years. The commonly used term inorganic arsenic includes both As(III) and As(V) species and constitutes the highest toxicological risk associated with arsenic in water compared to the organic arsenic species. Inorganic arsenic …

Disruptive Technologies In Smart Farming: An Expanded View With Sentiment Analysis, Sargam Yadav, Abhishek Kaushik, Mahak Sharma, Shubham Sharma

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Smart Farming (SF) is an emerging technology in the current agricultural landscape. The aim of Smart Farming is to provide tools for various agricultural and farming operations to improve yield by reducing cost, waste, and required manpower. SF is a data-driven approach that can mitigate losses that occur due to extreme weather conditions and calamities. The influx of data from various sensors, and the introduction of information communication technologies (ICTs) in the field of farming has accelerated the implementation of disruptive technologies (DTs) such as machine learning and big data. Application of these predictive and innovative tools in agriculture is …

Biological Properties And Health-Promoting Functions Of Laminarin: A Comprehensive Review Of Preclinical And Clinical Studies, Shanmugapriya Karuppusamy, Gaurav Rajauria, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Henry Lyons, Helena Mcmahon, James Curtin, Brijesh K. Tiwari, Colm O’Donnell

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Marine algal species comprise of a large portion of polysaccharides which have shown multifunctional properties and health benefits for treating and preventing human diseases. Laminarin, or β-glucan, a storage polysaccharide from brown algae, has been reported to have potential pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-coagulant, anticancer, immunomodulatory, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and neuroprotective potential. It has been widely investigated as a functional material in biomedical applications as it is biodegradable, biocompatible, and is low toxic substances. The reported preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate the potential of laminarin as natural alternative agents in biomedical and industrial applications such as …

First Long-Time Airborne Fungal Spores Study In Dublin, Ireland (1978–1980), Moisés Martínez-Bracero, Emma Markey, Jerry Hourihane Clancy, John Sodeau, David J. O'Connor

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Ambient fungal spores within the atmosphere can contribute to a range of negative human, animal and plant health conditions and diseases. However, trends in fungal spore seasonality, species prevalence, and geographical origin have been significantly understudied in Ireland. Previously unpublished data from the late 1970s have recently been collected and analysed to establish historical fungal spore trends/characteristics for Dublin. Historical spore concentrations were largely dominated by Alternaria, Ascospores, Basidiospores, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Erysiphe and Rusts. The main fungal spore season for Dublin commenced in April with the fructification of Scopulariopsis and Ganoderma. However, the vast majority of other spore types did …

Airborne Fungal Spore Review, New Advances And Automatisation, Moisés Martínez-Bracero, Emma Markey, Jerry Hourihane Clancy, Eoin Mcgillicuddy, Gavin Sewell, David J. O'Connor

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Fungal spores make up a significant portion of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles (PBAPs) with large quantities of such particles noted in the air. Fungal particles are of interest because of their potential to affect the health of both plants and humans. They are omnipresent in the atmosphere year-round, with concentrations varying due to meteorological parameters and location. Equally, differences between indoor and outdoor fungal spore concentrations and dispersal play an important role in occupational health. This review attempts to summarise the different spore sampling methods, identify the most important spore types in terms of negative effects on crops and the …

A New Approach To Self-Assessment Of Community Engagement: A Case Study Of Technological University Dublin., Emma O'Brien, Martina Brophy, Thomas M. Cooney

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Building upon existing international tools, the TEFCE (Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement of Higher Education) Toolbox for community engagement represents an innovative, robust, and holistic framework to support universities in reflecting upon their community engagement. Through a case study approach, this paper highlights the piloting of the TEFCE Toolbox at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Through an inclusive and participatory methodology, the process facilitated the recognition of community engagement achievements and the identification of potential areas for improvement.

When Teachers Misgender: The Free Speech Claims Of Public School Teachers, Caroline Mala Corbin

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No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Ligament Viscoelastic Properties Using Raman Spectroscopy, Andy Cui, Ervin Nippolainen, Rubina Shaikh, Jari Torniainen, Aapo Ristaniemi, Mikko Finnilä, Rami K. Korhonen, Simo Saarakkala, Walter Herzog, Juha Töyräs, Isaac O. Afara

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Injuries to the ligaments of the knee commonly impact vulnerable and physically active individuals. These injuries can lead to the development of degenerative diseases such as post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Non-invasive optical modalities, such as infrared and Raman spectroscopy, provide means for quantitative evaluation of knee joint tissues and have been proposed as potential quantitative diagnostic tools for arthroscopy. In this study, we evaluate Raman spectroscopy as a viable tool for estimating functional properties of collateral ligaments. Artificial trauma was induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) in the left or right knee joint of skeletally mature New Zealand rabbits. The …

Promoting Vaccine Innovation, Mirit Eyal-Cohen, Ana Santos Rutschman

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As society grows to understand the need to promote innovation, policymakers try to employ an arsenal of policy tools, from traditional intellectual property ("JP") to newer tools such as grants, regulatory vouchers, and prizes. This Article argues that these frameworks crowd out certain types of investments in innovation projects that have a high social value. Vaccine innovation is a case in point. Despite the immense socioeconomic benefit of vaccines, existing policies have been limited in fostering investments in this space. This is because they fail to directly address the relevant bottleneck issues distinct to vaccine development.

This Article offers a …

The Criminal Legal System Doesn't Care About Your Mental Illness: A Review Of The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, A Murder, And An Unlikely Fight For Justice Review, Fredrick Vars

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No abstract provided.

Using Feature Selection With Machine Learning For Generation Of Insurance Insights, Ayman Taha, Bernard Cosgrave, Susan Mckeever

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Insurance is a data-rich sector, hosting large volumes of customer data that is analysed to evaluate risk. Machine learning techniques are increasingly used in the effective management of insurance risk. Insurance datasets by their nature, however, are often of poor quality with noisy subsets of data (or features). Choosing the right features of data is a significant pre-processing step in the creation of machine learning models. The inclusion of irrelevant and redundant features has been demonstrated to affect the performance of learning models. In this article, we propose a framework for improving predictive machine learning techniques in the insurance sector …

An Audio Processing Pipeline For Acquiring Diagnostic Quality Heart Sounds Via Mobile Phone, Davoud Shariat Panah, Andrew Hines, Joseph Mckeever, Susan Mckeever

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Recently, heart sound signals captured using mobile phones have been employed to develop data-driven heart disease detection systems. Such signals are generally captured in person by trained clinicians who can determine if the recorded heart sounds are of diagnosable quality. However, mobile phones have the potential to support heart health diagnostics, even where access to trained medical professionals is limited. To adopt mobile phones as self-diagnostic tools for the masses, we would need to have a mechanism to automatically establish that heart sounds recorded by non-expert users in uncontrolled conditions have the required quality for diagnostic purposes. This paper proposes …

Investigating How Speech And Animation Realism Influence The Perceived Personality Of Virtual Characters And Agents, Sean A. Thomas, Ylva Ferstl, Rachel Mcdonnell, Cathy Ennis

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The portrayed personality of virtual characters and agents is understood to influence how we perceive and engage with digital applications. Understanding how the features of speech and animation drive portrayed personality allows us to intentionally design characters to be more personalized and engaging. In this study, we use performance capture data of unscripted conversations from a variety of actors to explore the perceptual outcomes associated with the modalities of speech and motion. Specifically, we contrast full performance-driven characters to those portrayed by generated gestures and synthesized speech, analysing how the features of each influence portrayed personality according to the Big …

Use And Awareness Of Heated Tobacco Products In Europe, Silvano Gallus, Alessandra Lugo, Xiaoqiu Liu, Elisa Borroni, Luke Clancy, Giuseppe Gorini, Maria José Lopez, Anna Odone, Krzysztof Przewozniak, Olena Tigova, Piet A. Van Den Brandt, Constantine Vardavas, Esteve Fernandez, Tackshs Project Investigators

Articles

Background: Heated tobacco products (HTP) are new forms of tobacco consumption with limited information available on their use among the general population. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence and associations of use of HTP across 11 countries in Europe.

Methods: Within the TackSHS Project, in 2017-2018 we conducted a cross-sectional study with information on HTP use in the following countries: Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. In each country, face-to-face interviews were performed on a representative sample of around 1,000 subjects aged ≥15 years, for a total of 10,839 subjects.

Results: Overall, 27.8% …

Original Discrimination: How The Supreme Court Disadvantages Plaintiff States, Heather Elliott

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The U.S. Supreme Court is famously the nation's top appellate court, but Article III also makes the Court a trial court, giving it original jurisdiction over several categories of cases. One of those categories suits by states against other states-remains exclusive. Thus, when Texas sought to overturn the 202o presidential election by suing four swing states, it had only one court in which to sue. The Court properly rebuffed Texas's claim for lack of standing, but the Justices give even meritorious claims by state plaintiffs short shrift. They have made clear that these suits detract from the Court's appellate role …

Federalism By Deception: The Implied Limits On Congressional Power, Bryan K. Fair

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The purpose of this Article is to lay bare federalism by deception and the theory of implied limits on federal power. Other scholars have recently noted the rise of anti-federalist viewpoints in modern cases. I go a step further to demonstrate how Supreme Court Justices have embraced anti-federal ideology, but have cited Federalist sources, including Marshall, to announce unenumerated limits on federal legislative power.

Are Children's Rights Enough?, Clare Ryan

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No abstract provided.

"Show Me Your Gun": A Way Forward On Waiting Periods Annual Survey: Gun Reform Symposium, Fredrick Vars

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No abstract provided.

Bringing Predictability To The Chaos Of Punitive Damages, Benjamin Mcmichael, W. Kip Viscusi

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Punitive damages remain unique in the American legal system. Awarded in the civil context with none of the protections offered in criminal law, courts levy punitive damages to punish and deter. The Supreme Court of the United States has clearly stated that courts may only seek to achieve these two goals when imposing punitive damages. A closer reading of the Court's punitive damages jurisprudence, however, reveals another goal that has largely been ignored: predictability. Unlike punishment and deterrence, predictability is not a purpose for which to award punitive damages. Instead, the Court requires that, when awarded, the level of punitive …

Law's Gaze, John Felipe Acevedo

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No abstract provided.

Retiring Social Security's (Non)Payment At Death After Eight Decades Essay, Alberto Lopez

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No abstract provided.

Why Govern Broken Tools?, Ryan Calo

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In Assessing the Governance of Digital Contact Tracing in Response to COVID-19: Results of a Multi-National Study, Brian Hutler et al. ably compare two approaches to the governance of digital contract tracing (DCT). In this brief essay, I want to examine to what extent governance actually played a meaningful role in the failure of DCT. If DCT failed primarily for other reasons, then the authors’ normative suggestion to pursue “a new governance approach … for designing and implementing DCT technology going forward” may be misplaced.

Vermin Of Proof: Arguments For The Admissibility Of Animal Model Studies As Proof Of Causation In Toxic Tort Litigation, Kristen Ranges, Jessica Owley

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Toxic torts is a body of law that aims to compensate individuals for harms they suffer from exposure to hazardous substances. To successfully bring a toxic tort claim, a plaintiff must prove the main elements of a general tort cause of action: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Causation in a toxic tort case is particularly challenging to prove given the nature of toxic substances. To prove the toxicant in question caused the damages alleged, plaintiffs often present expert testimony based on scientific studies. Animal model studies, in particular, can help factfinders understand the health implications of the toxicants at issue. …

Enhancing Work-Integrated Learning Through South-North Collaboration: A Comparative Contextual Analysis, Christine Winberg, Frances Finn, Irene Sheridan, Penelope Engles-Hills, Henri Jacobs, Eleanor Kent

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This study contributes a perspective on work-integrated learning (WIL) through the lens of South-North collaboration. The research question was: How might sharing experiences of WIL in different contexts enhance WIL practice in a local context? The purposive sample of twelve case studies; South Africa (n=6) and Ireland (n=6), represented business, engineering, biopharma and health sciences disciplines. Activity theory was drawn on to analyze data on program content, mechanisms and processes, and outcomes and challenges across the case studies. Key findings include: student support requirements, curricular modalities and assessment practices, levels at which WIL is offered, resourcing for WIL and understandings …

Regional Variations And Temporal Trends Of Childhood Myopia Prevalence In Africa: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Emmnuel Kobia Acquah, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, Prince Kwaku Akowuah, Gareth Lingham, James Loughman

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Purpose: To provide contemporary and future estimates of childhood myopia prevalence in Africa.

Methods: A systematic online literature search was conducted for articles on childhood (≤18 years) myopia (spherical equivalent [SE] ≤ −0.50D; high myopia: SE ≤ −6.00D) in Africa. Population-or school-based cross-sectional studies published from 1 Jan 2000 to 30 May 2021 were included. Meta-analysis using Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformation was performed to estimate the prevalence of childhood myopia and high myopia. Myopia prevalence from subgroup analyses for age groups and settings were used as baseline for generating a prediction model using linear regression.

Results: Forty-two studies from 19 …

Analysis Of Copper(Ii) Using The Ascorbate/Oxygen System – A Valuable Undergraduate Resource, Sean Tobin, John Cassidy, Kevin Kurian, Tony Betts

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In deionised water, ascorbic acid (AH−), through oxidation by oxygen in the presence of copper(II), was found to degrade with zero-order kinetics. The magnitude of the reaction rate varied directly with the copper(II) concentration. At a higher pH (7.4), the same reaction was found to be pseudo-first order. Once again, the magnitude of the rate increased linearly with copper(II) concentration at a micromolar level. Dissolved oxygen levels, in excess AH− and trace copper(II), displayed similar kinetics under both conditions. Monitoring of either AH− levels or dissolved oxygen concentration was found to be a useful novel undergraduate practical laboratory for trace …