Digital Commons Network^™

Eskape: Navigating The Global Battlefield For Antimicrobial Resistance And Defense In Hospitals, Kamna Ravi, Baljit Singh

Articles

The current healthcare environment is at risk due to the facilitated transmission and empowerment of the ESKAPE pathogens, comprising of Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species. These pathogens have posed significant challenges to global public health and the threat has only amplified over time. These multidrug-resistant bacteria have become adept at escaping the effects of conventional antibiotics utilized, leading to severe healthcare-associated infections and compromising immunocompromised patient outcomes to a greater extent. The impact of ESKAPE pathogens is evident in the rapidly rising rates of treatment failures, increased mortality, and elevated healthcare costs. …

The Motherhood Penalty In The United Kingdom: An Unconditional Quantile Regression Analysis, Abhijit Sharma, Stefano Grillini, Richard Woodward

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No abstract provided.

Data Justice In Education: Toward A Research Agenda, Luci Pangrazio, Glenn Auld, Julianne Lynch, Carly Sawatzki, Gavin Duffy, Shelley Hannigan, Jo O'Mara

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Educational institutions increasingly rely on digital platforms to deliver content and learning, monitor attendance, communicate with stakeholders, and evaluate institutional performance. Despite the efficiency and accessibility gains they offer, digital platforms are powered by personal data which, through a process of datafication, can be used to track, monitor, and profile staff and students. The insights drawn from this data can be used to shape educational and professional futures. This article examines how datafication has become a social justice issue in education, discussing the implications for well-being, decision-making, governance, and power in education. Using Hintz and colleagues framework for data justice, …

Textural Characterisation Of Wheat–Oat Breads Using A Combination Of Quantitative Descriptive Analysis And Partial Napping Profiling Techniques, Mahmoud Said Rashed, Shivani Pathania, Eimear Gallagher, Jesus M. Frias, Ciara Mcdonagh, Emily Crofton

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The aim of this study was to determine the textural sensory profile of wheat breads developed using oat flour at different substitution levels (10%, 30%, and 50%) and particle sizes (<224, 250–280, 280–500, 500–600 μm). A trained descriptive panel evaluated the wheat–oat breads using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) (n = 8) and partial napping (PN) (n = 12) sensory techniques. The QDA results showed that the textural properties of the breads were significantly affected by oat flour at different substitution and particle size levels (P < 0.001). The attributes crumb ‘denseness' and ‘stickiness' discriminated most frequently across samples, while crumb ‘chewiness' and ‘dryness' discriminated the least. Principal component analysis (PCA) illustrated that in PC1 (59%) crumb ‘denseness' was positively correlated with crumb ‘hardness' and ‘graininess', while ‘stickiness' was negatively correlated with crumb ‘graininess'. The application of clustering techniques on QDA data showed that breads with 10% oat flour were differentiated based on particle size; however, as the substitution level of oat flour increased, the substitution level of oat flour used in formulations exceeded the effect of particle size. In terms of PN, panellists identified four distinct groups of wheat–oat breads, indicating that wheat breads with 10% oat flour and <224 μm, 280–500 μm and whole oat flour had similar textural properties to the control wheat bread sample. The texture of wheat breads substituted with 50% oat flour were very different to the control. The results of this study suggest that in addition to the effect of substitution level, fractionation of oat flour may have application in the production of wheat bread formulations with different textural profiles. The findings also emphasise the importance of considering clustering techniques when evaluating complex samples for new product development applications.

Bridging The Gap: Determinants Of Consumers' Willingness To Pay For Environmentally Friendly Packages Of Leafy Greens, Carissa Dieli, Anushree Priyadarshini, Robert Ludgate, Lorraine Foley

Articles

Government and corporate policies have mandated a reduction in plastic packaging to combat issues of waste and climate change. This move towards sustainable packaging alternatives in the fresh food sector will increase costs for consumers. Much of the present research finds consumers are willing to pay more for sustainability, but their willingness to pay (WTP) does not align with real-world purchases, representing an attitude–behaviour gap. To combat this gap, it is posited that consumers' current purchasing- and sustainability-related behaviours will meaningfully correlate with their WTP and bridge the attitude–behaviour gap. This research used an online survey (n = 476) to …

A Comprehensive Review Of Cured Meat Products In The Irish Market: Opportunities For Reformulation And Processing, Jan Roland G. Molina, Jesús M. Frías-Celayeta, Declan J. Bolton, Cristina Botinestean

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No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Preharvest Silicon Treatment And Passive Map On Quality And Shelf Life Of White Button Mushrooms In Thermoformed Recycled Pet Packaging System, Tigist T. Shonte, Helen Grogan, Jesus Maria Frias Celayeta, Francesco S. Giordano, Andrew Reynolds, Orla O'Halloran, Lorraine Foley, Shivani Pathania

Articles

A crop pretreatment with silicon was combined with passive modified atmosphere packaging (PMAP) in a thermoformed recycled PET packaging format as a novel approach to minimize the quality degradation in mushrooms. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of (a) two preharvest treatments, namely preharvest control (PHTC) and preharvest silicon treatment (PHTS) and (b) four packaging lid formats, namely PMAP1: a single hole of 1.1 mm size, PMAP2: two holes of 0.53 mm size, PMAP3: three holes of 0.53 mm size, and PMAPC: OMNI-PW micro perforated cling film as a control on the quality and shelf life of mushrooms …

Structure-Function Relationship Of Oat Flour Fractions When Blended With Wheat Flour: Instrumental And Nutritional Quality Characterization Of Resulting Breads, Mahmoud Said Rashed, Milica Pojić, Ciara Mcdonagh, Eimear Gallagher, Jesus M. Frias, Shivani Pathania

Articles

Abstract: The present work investigated the structure-function relationship of dry fractionated oat flour (DFOF) as a techno-functional ingredient using bread as a model system. Mechanically, DFOF fractions (F), that is, F1: <224 µm, F2: 250–280 µm, F3: 280–500 µm, F4: 500–600 µm, and whole oat flour (F5) were blended with white wheat flour at 10%, 30%, and 50% substitution levels for bread making. The blended flours, doughs, and bread samples were assessed for their techno-functional, nutritional, and structural characteristics. The results of Mixolab and the Rapid Visco Analyzer show that the 50% substituted F3 fraction exhibits the highest water absorption properties (69.53%), whereas the 50% F1 fraction exhibits the highest peak viscosity of the past slurry. Analysis of bread samples revealed a lower particle size of DFOF fractions and higher supplementation levels, increased β-glucan levels (0.13–1.29 g/100 bread (db), reduced fermentable monosaccharides, that is, glucose (1.44–0.33 g/100 g), and fructose (1.06–0.28 g/100 g). The effect of particle size surpassed the substitution level effect on bread volume reduction. The lowest hardness value for F1 is 10%, and the highest value for F2 is 50%. The total number of cells in the bread slice decreased from the control to the F4 fraction (50%). Multi-criteria analysis indicated that DFOF fractions produced breads with similar structure and higher nutritional value developed from white wheat flour. Practical Application: The use of mechanically fractionated oat flours fractions in white wheat flour breads can improve the nutritional profile without affecting the physical properties of the bread product. Based on the oat flour fractions, bakers and food processing companies can tailor the bread formulations for high β-glucan, high fiber, and low reduced sugar claims.

Overview Of Antimicrobial Resistant Eskapee Pathogens In Food Sources And Their Implications From A One Health Perspective, Naomi Oyenuga, José Francisco Cobo Díaz, Avelino Alvarez-Ordóñez, Elena Alexandra Alexa

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No abstract provided.

Towards An Iot-Enabled Digital Earth For Sdgs: The Data Quality Challenge, M. S. B. Syed, Paula Kelly, Paul Stacey, Damon Berry

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No abstract provided.

Solution Studies, Synthesis And Antibacterial Activity Of Ga(Iii) Complexes With Bis-Kojate Derivatives, L. More O'Ferrall, A. Fantasia, K. Chan, L. M. Teixeira, K. Kavanagh, C. O'Connor, M. A. Santos, S. Chaves, V. M. Nurchi, G. Crisponi, M. A. Zoroddu, D. M. Griffith, R. Cappai

Articles

Given the recognized major problem of microbial drug resistance for human health, new metal-based drugs have been currently explored for their antimicrobial properties, including gallium-based compounds as potential metallophores that could perturb Fe's interactions with proteins. Herein we have designed and synthesized two bis-kojate ligands (named L4 and L6) and studied their Ga(III) complexes for their physico-chemical and biological properties. In particular a detailed study of their complexation properties in aqueous solution, showed equilibrium models with formation of quite stable dinuclear 2:3 metal:ligand complexes, though with different stability. Solid state complexes were also prepared and characterized and complementary DFT studies …

Systematic Regulation Of Artificial Intelligence, Yonathan Arbel, Matthew Tokson, Albert Lin

Articles

Today's artificial intelligence ("AI'') systems exhibit increasing capabilities across a remarkable variety of tasks. The rapid growth in AI ability has caught the attention of policymakers, parliaments, and the United Nations. These entities are increasingly looking towards regulating AI, not only in its particular applications, but as a technology. Yet legal scholarship has thus far offered little to this new and critical regulatory conversation, which has instead been dominated by computer scientists and technologists.

This Article begins the project of assessing AI 's broader risks and law 's role in addressing them. These risks are wide ranging-they span harms to …

What Is The Goal Of Health Insurance Reform?, Gabriel Scheffler

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No abstract provided.

Religious Clause Challenges To Early Abortion Bans, Caroline Mala Corbin

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The substantive due process right to abortion is gone. But other parts of the Constitution may also protect women’s right to control their bodies and live as equals in the United States. This Essay addresses what role the two religion clauses may play in advancing reproductive autonomy. Because religion and reproduction are intertwined, the religion clauses may provide some measure of constitutional protection.

The Establishment Clause bars the government from imposing religion onto those who do not share it. It also forbids the government from taking sides in theological disputes. Early abortion bans not only favor one religious belief on …

The Government Speech Doctrine Ate My Class: First Amendment Capture And Curriculum Bans, Caroline Mala Corbin

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Because of the government speech doctrine, public school curriculum restrictions like “Don’t Say Gay” mandates and bans on teaching critical race theory may escape free speech review. This exemplifies “First Amendment capture.” The term “capture” comes from “agency capture,” which occurs when regulated entities effectively gain control over the agency meant to oversee them. First Amendment capture occurs when speech becomes controlled by the government when the Free Speech Clause should be regulating the government.

Generally, laws that censor content trigger strict scrutiny under the Free Speech Clause. Curriculum bans, however, may trigger no scrutiny at all. Under the government …

Attributing Ai Authorship: Towards A System Of Icons For Legal And Ethical Disclosure, Joseph J. Avery, Patricia S. Abril, Alissa Del Riego

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Over the past year, the pervasive role of large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (Al) in text generation has precipitated concerns about ethical usage, authorship, and transparent attribution. This has been true in legal practice, academia, and the corporate world, as well as in countless other arenas. In this Article, we identify the gap that has opened between those demanding proper disclosure (we should know when and to what extent Al is an author) and those struggling to respond to these demands. Part of the problem is that there is no system in place, no lingua franca, no set …

The Submerged Administrative State, Gabriel Scheffler, Daniel E. Walters

Articles

The United States government is experiencing a reputation crisis: after decades of declining public trust, many Americans have lost confidence in the government's capacity to perform its basic functions. While various explanations have been offered for this worrying trend, these existing accounts overlook a key factor: people are unfamiliar with the institutions that actually do most of the governing-administrative agencies-and they devalue what they cannot easily observe. The "submerged" nature of the administrative state is, we argue, a central reason for declining trust in government.

This Article shows that the administrative state is systematically submerged in two ways. First, administrative …

Assemblages And Actor Networks In The Borderlands - The Apposition Of Reproductive Rights Along The Mexican-American Border, Madeleine M. Plasencia

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In 1971, Sarah Weddington argued Roe v. Wade as a class action on behalf of pregnant women living in Texas, many of whom, including herself had to flee the State to obtain an abortion in Mexico. In 2021, Texas enacted S. B. 8, otherwise known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, which created a private cause of action for injunctive relief and statutory damages awards against any person assisting in and any physician accused of performing an abortion, thus reigniting the cross-border flows that historically have made Mexico a haven for runaway enslaved people and pregnant persons heading south to freedom. …

Reflections On Corporate Governance At Work, Margaret Blair, Matthew Bodie, June Carbone, Scott Dewey, George S. Georgiev, Grant Hayden, Claire Hill, Brett Mcdonnell, Sanjukta Paul, Silvie Rohr, Natalya Shnitser, Aaron Sojourner, Alvin Velazquez

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No abstract provided.

Do Elections Really Have Consequences?: Presidential Indifference, Attenuated Accountability, And Policy Paralysis Within The Administrative State, Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr.

Articles

In theory, the Constitution vests all, not "some" or "most," of the executive power in the President; the buck supposedly stops at the Resolute Desk. Yet current practice falls well short of this constitutional ideal. The conjunction of fixed terms of office, good cause removal limits, and partisan balance requirements for the heads of multi-member independent federal agencies, boards, and commissions can and does leave critically important federal agencies effectively unaccountable to the President. Such a state of affairs existed at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from January 20, 2021, until September 25, 2023-over half of President Biden's fouryear term …

Antisocial Innovation, Christopher Buccafusco, Samuel N. Weinstein

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Innovation is a form of civic religion in the United States. In the popular imagination, innovators are heroic figures. Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and (for a while) Elizabeth Holmes were lauded for their vision and drive, and seen to embody the American spirit of invention and improvement. For their part, politicians rarely miss a chance to trumpet their vision for boosting innovative activity. Popular and political culture alike treat innovation as an unalloyed good. And the law is deeply committed to fostering innovation, spending billions of dollars a year to make sure society has enough of it. But this sunny …

Dobbs And Democracy, Melissa Murray, Katherine A. Shaw

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In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Alito justified the decision to overrule Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey with an appeal to democracy. He insisted that it was “time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” This invocation of democracy had undeniable rhetorical power: it allowed the Dobbs majority to lay waste to decades’ worth of precedent, while rebutting charges of judicial imperialism and purporting to restore the people’s voices. This Article interrogates Dobbs’s claim to vindicate principles of democracy, examining both the intellectual pedigree …

Situating The Modern Public Trust Doctrine In Trust Law: The Duty Of Loyalty And The Case For Bifurcated, De Novo Judicial Review, Edward A. Zelinsky

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This article situates the modern public trust doctrine (PTD) in contemporary trust law. Grounding the PTD in trust law leads to two important corollaries. First, the PTD planted in trust law imposes upon government actors and agencies trust law’s fiduciary duty of loyalty. In the context of the PTD, that duty of loyalty runs to the public as the beneficiary of the PTD. Second, faced with plausible claims that this fiduciary duty of loyalty to the public has been violated, courts should apply trust law’s de novo standard of review to those administrative and legislative decisions alleged to impair public …

An Analysis Of The Public Participation Processes Employed For An Urban Greenway Project, Maeve O'Connell

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The purpose of this study is to examine the public participation mechanisms employed for a proposed new infrastructure project. Public participation is a core characteristic of a contemporary democratic society as policy makers are increasingly encouraged to engage with citizens for learning and legitimacy. Participation is a loose concept with many forms and interpretations. This study explores the key characteristics of public participation formats, challenges to and the criteria for success. This analysis is then applied to the proposed local infrastructure consultation process. An additional survey is designed and its role in the public participation process is assessed. The processes …

The Impact Of Explaining Vegetarian Meal Requests On The Affective Responses And Perceptions Of Meat Eaters, Kate Laffan, Emma Howard

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Social situations can present challenges for those looking to reduce or avoid eating meat. In an experimental vignette study with a large representative sample of 1,117 UK-based meat eaters, we explore affective responses to requests for vegetarian meals and perceptions of those making the request across four social situations: a BBQ, a pub, a restaurant dinner, and a dinner party. We examine moderators of these perceptions including whether the requester presents themselves as vegetarian or a meat restrictor and whether they cite health, environmental or no motives for their request. Overall, we find that these moderators have a greater impact …

A Methodological Framework For Exploring Sme Finance With Safe Data, Marie Finnegan, Lucía Morales, Atlantic Technological University

Articles

Research on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access to bank finance is vital for the euro area economy. SMEs heavily represent the European business sector, employing around 100 million people and accounting for more than half of the Gross Domestic Product. Research studies in the field often rely on the ECB/EC Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE). Many studies employ probit or logit models with categorical dependent variables derived from SAFE. The research findings show that hardly any study employs the simpler linear probability model (LPM), with a dominant lack of research providing evidence that justifies the …

Circular Material Usage Strategies And Principles In Buildings: A Review, Paulo Santos, Génesis Camila Cervantes, Alicia Zaragoza-Benzal, Aimee Byrne, Ferhat Karaca, Daniel Ferrández, Adriana Salles, Luís Bragança

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Building construction accounts for a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions, raw material extraction, and waste production. Applying circular economy (CE) principles in the building construction industry would considerably reduce these values. However, uptake by the industry is relatively slow, which is largely attributed to sectoral barriers, including limitations in knowledge and experience. This review paper aims to assess and contribute to diminishing these obstacles by offering a comprehensive review of circular material usage principles and strategies within the construction sector. Opportunities and facilitators of change are also presented, including innovations and emerging technologies in recycling, digitization, robotic systems, …

The Role Of Interpersonal Conflict As A Cause Of Work-Related Stress In Construction Managers In Ireland, Patrick J. Bruce, Victor Hrymak, Carol M. Bruce Dr, Joseph Byrne

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Construction is a project-driven industry that places a high premium on product delivery on time, within budget and to required standards. Modern construction projects have become more complex in nature, the complex relational and lengthy process of designing and building makes construction a process in which conflict is virtually ensured (Jaffar et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2023). These characteristics of the industry contribute to workplace stress. Therefore, it is not surprising that research has confirmed a strong presence of workplace stress within the industry, (Lingard and Francis, 2004; Vaux and Dority, 2020). Many construction managers experience excessive levels of …

Gene Expression Of Kynurenine Pathway Enzymes In Depression And Following Electroconvulsive Therapy, Karen M. Ryan, Myles Corrigan, Therese M. Murphy, Declan M. Mcloughlin, Andrew Harkin

Articles

Objective: This study aimed to investigate changes in mRNA expression of the kynurenine pathway (KP) enzymes tryptophan 2, 3-dioxygenase (TDO), indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1 and 2 (IDO1, IDO2), kynurenine aminotransferase 1 and 2 (KAT1, KAT2), kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO) and kynureninase (KYNU) in medicated patients with depression (n = 74) compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 55) and in patients with depression after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Associations with mood score (24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HAM-D24), plasma KP metabolites and selected glucocorticoid and inflammatory immune markers known to regulate KP enzyme expression were also explored. Methods: HAM-D24 was …

Giving People The Words To Say No Leads Them To Feel Freer To Say Yes, Rachel Schlund, Roseanna Sommers, Vanessa K. Bohns

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We examine how to structure requests to help people feel they can say no (or yes) more voluntarily. Specifically, we examine the effect of having the requester provide the request-target with an explicit phrase they can use to decline requests. Part of the difficulty of saying no is finding the words to do so when put on the spot. Providing individuals with an explicit script they can use to decline a request may help override implicit scripts and norms of politeness that generally dictate compliance. This should make individuals feel more comfortable refusing requests and make agreement feel more voluntary. …