Digital Commons Network^™

A Vibrational Spectroscopic Based Approach For Diagnosing Babesia Bovis Infection, Anja Ruther, David Perezguaita, William Poole, Brian Cooke, Carlos Suarez, Philip Heraud, Bayden Wood

Articles

Babesia bovis parasites present a serious and significant health concern for the beef and dairy industries in many parts of the world. Difficulties associated with the current diagnostic techniques include they are prone to human error (microscopy) or expensive and time consuming (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to perform. Little is known about the biochemical changes in blood that are associated with Babesia infections. The discovery of new biomarkers will lead to improved diagnostic outcomes for the cattle industry. Vibrational spectroscopic technologies can record a chemical snapshot of the entire organism and the surrounding cell thereby providing a phenotype of the organism …

Birefringent Optofluidic Gratings, Sergio Calixto, Jose L. Garcia-Cordero, Diana F. Cedillo-Alcantar, Izabela Naydenova, Guillermo Garnica

Articles

A set of parallel microfluidic channels behaving as a diffraction grating operating in the Raman-Nath regime has been fabricated and studied. The diffraction efficiency of such structure can be tuned by selecting a liquid with a particular refractive index and/or optical anisotropy. Alternatively the optical properties of the liquid can be characterised by measuring the diffraction efficiency and the state of polarization of the diffracted beam. In this work, the microfluidic channels under study have been filled with penicillin molecules dissolved in water. Due to the chirality of the penicillin, the liquid has been found to have circular birefringence of …

Synchrotron Microct Reveals The Potential Of The Dual Contrast Technique For Quantitative Assessment Of Human Articular Cartilage Composition, Miitu K.M. Honkanen, Annina E.A. Saukko, Mikael J. Turunen, Rubina Shaikh, Mithilesh Prakash, Goran Lovric, Antti Joukainen, Heikki Kröger, Mark W. Grinstaff, Juha Töyräs

Articles

Dual contrast micro computed tomography (CT) shows potential for detecting articular cartilage degeneration. However, the performance of conventional CT systems is limited by beam hardening, low image resolution (full-body CT), and long acquisition times (conventional microCT). Therefore, to reveal the full potential of the dual contrast technique for imaging cartilage composition we employ the technique using synchrotron microCT. We hypothesize that the above-mentioned limitations are overcome with synchrotron microCT utilizing monochromatic X-ray beam and fast image acquisition. Human osteochondral samples (n = 41, four cadavers) were immersed in a contrast agent solution containing two agents (cationic CA4+ and non-ionic gadoteridol) …

Optimisation Of The Transmit Beam Parameters For Generation Of Subharmonic Signals In Native And Altered Populations Of A Commercial Microbubble Contrast Agent Sonovue®, Aoife M. Ivory, James F. Meaney, Andrew J. Fagan, Jacinta Browne

Articles

The aim of this work was to establish the optimum acoustic characterisation approach and insonation transmit beam parameters for subharmonic signal generation with ‘native’ and ‘altered’ populations of a commonly-used microbubble contrast agent. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) ultrasound is a non-invasive method of imaging the microvasculature, typically implemented using harmonic imaging. Subharmonic imaging, in which echoes at half the fundamental frequency are detected, detects signals which are generated by the ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) but not by tissue. However, optimal transmission parameters and furthermore, the optimum acoustic characterisation method have not been established. The subharmonic response of ‘native’ and ‘altered’ UCA, …

Smartphone Use As A Possible Risk Factor For Myopia, Saoirse Mccrann, James Loughman, John Butler, Nabin Paudel, Daniel Ian Flitcroft

Articles

Clinical Relevance

This study demonstrates an association between myopia and smartphone data usage. Youths now spend more time participating in near tasks as a result of smartphone usage. This poses an additional risk factor for myopia development/progression and is an important research question in relation to potential myopia management strategies.

Background

Children are now exposed to another possible environmental risk factor for myopia-smartphones. This study investigates the amount of time students spend on their smartphones and their pattern of smartphone usage from a myopia perspective.

Methods

Primary, secondary and third-level students completed a questionnaire exploring patterns of smartphone usage and …

Flash Vep In Clinically Stable Pre-Term And Full-Term Infants, Anish Kharal, Safal Khanal, Jyoti Baba Shrestha, Gauri Shankar Shrestha, Nabin Paudel

Articles

Purpose

Pre-term infants are at risk of abnormal visual development that can range from subtle to severe. The aim of this study was to compare flash VEPs in clinically stable pre-term and full-term infants at 6 months of age.

Methods

Twenty-five pre-term and 25 full-term infants underwent flash VEP testing at the age of 6 months. Monocular VEPs were recorded using flash goggles on a RETIscan system under normal sleeping conditions. Amplitude and peak time responses of the P2 component in the two eyes were averaged and compared between the two groups. Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the …

Can Protanopia Be Correctly Diagnosed In Clinical Practice? An Evaluation Of Diagnosis By Four Screening Tests, Peter Davison, Grainne Scanlon

Articles

SIGNIFICANCE

Protanopia is a color vision deficiency (CVD) that is unacceptable for certain occupations. This study compares simultaneously for the first time the ability of three recently revised or developed clinical tests of color vision with the Ishihara test to diagnose protanopia from other color vision deficiencies.

PURPOSE

The objectives were to examine the ability of four clinical tests to differentiate (1) between protan and deutan CVDs in patients with protanopia and deuteranopia, and (2) protanopes and deuteranopes as “strong” deficiencies.

METHODS

The Hardy-Rand-Rittler (4th ed.), City University (3rd ed.), Ishihara, and Mollon-Reffin tests were evaluated against the Oculus Heidelberg …

Determining The Age Of Spoiled Milk From Dried Films Using Attenuated Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (Atr Ft-Ir) Spectroscopy, Zack Richardson, David Perezguaita, Kamila Kochan, Bayden Wood

Articles

Milk spoilage is an inevitable occurrence, which generates waste and can result in food poisoning. When milk spoils, the off-flavor and curdling are due to excessive proliferation of various bacteria which causes pH changes. Time, temperature, environment,and previous handling practice all affects the spoilage rate. There is a need for a fast reliable and accurate method that can identify in situearly spoilage of milk. Here we show the ability of attenuated total reflectionFourier transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR FT-IR) in conjunction with multivariate data analysis to predict the age of milk. We found that dried films vastly increased the absorbance of important …

Towards A Rapid Screening Of Liver Grafts At The Operating Room Using Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy, David Perezguaita, Marta Moreno Torres, Ramiro Jover, Eugenia Pareja, Bernard Lendl, Julia Kuligowsky, Guillermo Quintas

Articles

The estimation of steatosis in a liver graft is mandatory prior to liver transplantation, as the risk of graft failure increases with the level of infiltrated fat. However, the assessment of liver steatosis before transplantation is typically based on a qualitative or semiquantitative characterization by visual inspection and palpation and histological analysis. Thus, there is an unmet need for transplantation surgeons to have access to a diagnostic tool enabling an in situ fast classification of grafts prior to extraction. In this study, we have assessed an attenuated total reflection−Fourier transform infrared (ATR−FTIR) spectroscopic method compatible with the requirements of an …

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Targets Irf7 Via Icp0 To Limit Type I Ifn Induction, David Shahnazaryan, Rana Khalil, Claire Wynne, Caroline A Jefferies, Joan Ní Gabhann-Dromgoole, Conor C Murphy

Articles

Herpes simplex keratitis (HSK), caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‑1) infection, is the commonest cause of infectious blindness in the developed world. Following infection the virus is initially suspended in the tear film, where it encounters a multi‑pronged immune response comprising enzymes, complement, immunoglobulins and crucially, a range of anti‑viral and pro‑inflammatory cytokines. However, given that HSV‑1 can overcome innate immune responses to establish lifelong latency throughout a susceptible individual’s lifetime, there is significant interest in understanding the mechanisms employed by HSV‑1 to downregulate the anti‑viral type I interferon (IFN) mediated immune responses. This study aimed to investigate …

In-Situ Ellipsometric Study Of The Optical Properties Of Ltl-Doped Thin Film Sensors For Copper(Ii) Ion Detection, Dervil Cody, Tsvetanka Babeva, Violeta Madjarova, Anastasia Kharchenko, Sabad-E- Gul, Svetlana Mintova, Christopher J. Barrett, Izabela Naydenova

Articles

Optical sensors fabricated in zeolite nanoparticle composite films rely on changes in their optical properties (refractive index, n, and thickness, d) to produce a measurable response in the presence of a target analyte. Here, ellipsometry is used to characterize the changes in optical properties of Linde Type L (LTL) zeolite thin films in the presence of Cu2+ ions in solution, with a
view to improving the design of optical sensors that involve the change of n and/or d due to the adsorption of Cu2+ ions. The suitability of two different ellipsometry techniques (single wavelength and spectroscopic) for the evaluation of …

Phenotypic And Functional Characteristics Of Exosomes Derived From Irradiated Mouse Organs And Their Role In The Mechanisms Driving Non-Targeted Effects, Seda Tuncay Cagatay, Ammar Mayah, Mariateresa Mancuso, Paola Giardullo, Simonetta Pazzaglia, Anna Saran, Amuthachelvi Daniel, Damian Traynor, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Soile Tapio Tapio, Munira Kadhim Munira Kadhim

Articles

No abstract provided.

Projections Of Excess Mortality Related To Diurnal Temperature Range Under Climate Change Scenarios: A Multi-Country Modelling Study, Whanhee Lee, Yoonhee Kim Yoonhee Kim, Francesco Sera, Antonio Gasparrini, Rokjin Park Rokjin Park, Hayon Michelle Choi, Kristi Prifti, Michelle L. Bell, Rosana Abrutzky Rosana Abrutzky, Yuming Guo Yuming Guo, Shilu Tong Shilu Tong, Micheline De Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, Paulo Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, Eric Lavigne, Hans Orru, Ene Indermitte, Jouni J K Jaakkola, Niilo R I Ryti, Mathilde Pascal Mathilde Pascal, Patrick J. Goodman, Ariana Zeka, Masahiro Hashizume Masahiro Hashizume, Yasushi Honda, Magali Hurtado Diaz, Julio César Cruz Julio César Cruz, Ala Overcenco, Baltazar Nunes, Joana Madureira, Noah Scovronick, Fiorella Acquaotta, Aurelio Tobias, Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, Martina S. Ragettli, Yue-Liang Leon Guo, Bing-Yu Chen, Shanshan Li, Ben Armstrong, Antonella Zanobetti, Joel Schwartz, Ho Kim

Articles

Various retrospective studies have reported on the increase of mortality risk due to higher diurnal temperature range (DTR). This study projects the effect of DTR on future mortality across 445 communities in 20 countries and regions.

Prediction Of Pathological Response To Neo‐Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy For Oesophageal Cancer Using Vibrational Spectroscopy, Thi Nguyet Que Nguyen, Adrian Maguire, Catherine Mooney, Naomi Jackson, Niamh Lynam-Lennon, Vicki Weldon, Cian Muldoon, Aoife Maguire, Dermot O'Toole, Narayanasamy Ravi, John V. Reynolds, Jacintha O'Sullivan, Aidan Meade

Articles

No abstract provided.

Discriminant Analysis And Feature Selection In Mass Spectrometry Imaging Using Constrained Repeated Random Sampling - Cross Validation (Corrs-Cv), David Perezguaita, Julia Kuligowsky, Guillermo Quintas

Articles

No abstract provided.

Dual Contrast In Computed Tomography Allows Earlier Characterization Of Articular Cartilage Over Single Contrast, Abhisek Bhattarai, Behdad Pouran, Janne T.A. Mäkelä, Rubina Shaikh, Miitu K.M. Honkanen, Mithilesh Prakash, Heikki Kröger, Mark W. Grinstaff, Harrie Weinans, Jukka S. Jurvelin, Juha Töyräs

Articles

Cationic computed tomography contrast agents are more sensitive for detecting cartilage degeneration than anionic or non-ionic agents. However, osteoarthritis-related loss of proteoglycans and increase in water content contrarily affect the diffusion of cationic contrast agents, limiting their sensitivity. The quantitative dual-energy computed tomography technique allows the simultaneous determination of the partitions of iodine-based cationic (CA4+) and gadolinium-based non-ionic (gadoteridol) agents in cartilage at diffusion equilibrium. Normalizing the cationic agent partition at diffusion equilibrium with that of the non-ionic agent improves diagnostic sensitivity. We hypothesize that this sensitivity improvement is also prominent during early diffusion time points and that the technique …

Ireland, Broadcasting And The Spectrum Wars, Kenneth W Murphy

Articles

This paper offers an overview and evaluation of Ireland’s changing media landscape through the prism of the recent policy contestation surrounding the future use of the UHF spectrum and it’s implications for the medium of television broadcasting. The article brings into focus current policy and governance developments and their interplay with market and technological change and how they are shaping a small open European state’s adaptation to the increasingly complex national/global hybrid media ecosystem. It examines the contexts surrounding the competition for spectrum resources and its implications for the role of free to air broadcasting and mobile broadband technologies in …

Does Smoke-Free Legislation Work For Teens Too?: A Logistic Regression Analysis Of Smoking Prevalence And Gender Among Sixteen Years Old In Ireland Using The 1995-2015 Espad School Surveys, Shasha Li, Sheila Keogan, Luke Clancy

Articles

Objectives: To assess the role of tobacco control legislation (TCL) in youth smoking in Ireland. To examine the effects of smoke-free legislation in youth. To consider whether TCL contributed to the gender equalisation in prevalence in 16 years old seen between 2003 and 2015.

Setting Data are from the 4 yearly European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs from 1995 to 2015. Total sample size was 12.394. A logistic regression model on grouped data was used. Dependent variable is whether a student was a smoker in last 30 days. Independent variables are time, gender and the policy indicators, …

A Qualitative Study Of E-Cigarette Use Among Young People In Ireland: Incentives, Disincentives And Putative Cessation., Joan Hanfin, Luke Clancy

Articles

Background Smoking prevalence in Ireland is falling in all age groups, but e-cigarette use is rising among young people. This qualitative study explores young people’s accounts of e-cigarette use in Ireland. Methods Semi-structured individual (22) and focus group (8) interviews were conducted with 62 young people aged 18–22 years, recruited from a higher-education institution and youth organisations working with early school-leavers across Dublin. All were smokers or exsmokers; 41 had tried e-cigarettes, 11 continued as dual users. We identified themes using thematic data analysis. Results Three broad themes were identified: incentivising features, disincentivising features, and ambivalent and unsuccessful cessation, named …

Prevalence Of Illicit Tobacco Use And Tobacco Tax Avoidance In Pregnancy, Brendan P. Mcdonnell, Robert Mccausland, Sheila Keogan, Luke Clancy, Carmen Regan

Articles

Background Smoking during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Tobacco tax avoidance and tax evasion undermine the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies, resulting in cheaper prices for smokers and increased tobacco usage. Aims The purpose of this study was to explore the purchasing habits of pregnant smokers with regard to tobacco expenditure and
use of illicit tobacco. Methods Prospective cohort study. Face to face interviews were conducted with 90 attendees (age range 18–42 years; mean age
28 years) of a smoking cessation antenatal clinic in a large Irish tertiary level maternity hospital. Information regarding smoking habits, quantity …

Does Smoke-Free Legislation Work For Teens Too? A Logistic Regression Analysis Of Smoking Prevalence And Gender Among 16 Years Old In Ireland, Using The 1995-2015 Espad School Surveys, Shasha Li, Sheila Keogan, Luke Clancy

Articles

Objectives: To assess the role of tobacco control legislation (TCL) in youth smoking in Ireland. To examine the effects of smoke-free legislation in youth. To consider whether TCL contributed to the gender equalisation in prevalence in 16 years old seen between 2003 and 2015.

Insuring Apologies, Benjamin J. Mcmichael

Articles

Based on evidence demonstrating that an apology from a wrongdoer to a victim can assuage the victim's anger, reduce the likelihood that the victim seeks legal redress, and facilitate settlement, state legislatures have passed apology laws to encourage the delivery of more apologies. Aimed primarily at medical malpractice litigation-a traditional locus of the tort reform effort-apology laws render apologies from physicians to patients inadmissible in subsequent legal proceedings. In theory, privileging apologies will encourage their use and reduce malpractice liability risk as patients assert fewer claims and settle those claims that are asserted. However, if apology laws encourage the delivery …

The Law Of Rescue, Shalini Bhargava Ray

Articles

No abstract provided.

Protecting Protected Activity, Daiquiri J. Steele

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No abstract provided.

Lumpy Work, Deepa Das Acevedo

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No abstract provided.

Slicing Defamation, Yonathan A. Arbel

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No abstract provided.

The Dangers Of Disclosure: How Hiv Laws Harm Domestic Violence Survivors, Courtney K. Cross

Articles

No abstract provided.

Health Justice Strategies To Eradicate Lead Poisoning: An Urgent Call To Safeguard Future Generations, Allyson E. Gold, Emily A. Benfer, Emily Coffey, Mona Hanna-Attisha, Bruce Lanphear, Helen Y. Li, Ruth Ann Norton, David Rosner, Kate Walz

Articles

Despite over a century of evidence that lead is a neurotoxin that causes irreparable harm, today, lead continues to pervade children's environments and remains a constant threat to health and wellbeing. One in three homes across the United States housing children under the age of six has significant lead-based paint hazards that place occupants at risk of permanent neurological harm and lifelong poor health risks. Federal, state, and local governments must use a range of primary prevention strategies in order to fully eradicate the risks and protect children from lead poisoning. This Article provides a comprehensive examination of best practices …

The Law And Political Economy Of A Student Debt Jubilee, Luke Herrine

Articles

The notion of a student debt jubilee has begun its march from the margin of policy debates to the center, yet scholarly debate on the value of canceling student debt is negligible. This article attempts to jump start such debate in part by presenting a novel policy proposal for implementing a jubilee. In addition to reviewing the history of student debt and the arguments for canceling much or all of it, it presents a detailed legal argument that canceling public student debt (which accounts for 95% of student debt outstanding) could be undertaken by the Executive Branch without further legislation. …

The Illusory Promise Of Free Enterprise: A Primer To Promoting Racially Diverse Entrepreneurship Special Issue On Systemic Racism In The Law & Anti-Racist Solutions, Mirit Eyal-Cohen

Articles

No abstract provided.