Digital Commons Network^™

Antiviral Trims: Friend Or Foe In Autoimmune And Autoinflammatory Disease?, Caroline A. Jefferies, Claire Wynne, Rowan Higgs

Articles

The concept that viral sensing systems, via their ability to drive pro-inflammatory cytokine and interferon production, contribute to the development of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease is supported by a wide range of clinical and experimental observations. Recently, the tripartite motif-containing proteins (TRIMs) have emerged as having key roles in antiviral immunity — either as viral restriction factors or as regulators of pathways downstream of viral RNA and DNA sensors, and the inflammasome. Given their involvement in these pathways, we propose that TRIM proteins contribute to the development and pathology of autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions, thus making them potential novel targets …

Self-Adaptive Application For Indoor Wayfinding For Individuals With Cognitive Impairments, Basel Magableh, Stephen Barrett

Articles

This article focuses on describing a Model Driven Archi- tecture (COCA-MDA) approach that facilitates the develop- ment of self-adaptive application for indoor wayfinding for individuals with cognitive impairments. COCA-MDA pro- vides the following benefits: 1) It enables the architecture to anticipate several behavioural variations based on the context and the specific needs of the individuals with cog- nitive impairments. 2) It enables the application to proac- tively anticipate or reactively address unforeseen changes through support by a dynamic-decision making and policy framework. The policy framework is based on a stable de- scription of software models and proprieties. 3) It can …

Factors Associated With Duration Of Breastfeeding In Ireland: Potential Areas For Improvement, Roslyn Tarrant, Katherine Younger, Margaret Sheridan Pereira, John Kearney

Articles

There is a need to comprehensively examine why mothers in Ireland discontinue breastfeeding early and to explore thefactors influencing duration of breastfeeding during the first 6 months postpartum. Findings from this study provide valuabledirection for future strategies and interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding duration rates in Ireland.

Keynote: The Crisis And Criminal Justice, Bernard E. Harcourt

Articles

No abstract provided.

"A Simple, Human Measure Of Privacy": Public Disclosure Of Private Facts In The World Of Tiger Woods, Patricia S. Abril

Articles

No abstract provided.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Induced Release Of Signalling Factors In Irradiated Cells Triggers Membrane Signalling And Calcium Influx In Bystander Cells., Fiona Lyng, Orla L. Howe, Brendan Mcclean

Articles

Purpose: The aim of this study was to elucidate the sequence of very early bystander signalling events and to determine the role of the different signaling molecules in both the production of the bystander signal and the response to this signal.

Materials and Methods: Human keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) were irradiated (0.005, 0.05 and 0.5 Gy) using a cobalt 60 teletherapy unit, the medium was harvested one hour post irradiation and transferred to recipient HaCaT cells. Membrane permeability and levels of calcium, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide were measured in the recipient cells immediately after the addition of irradiated …

The Current State Of Cooking In Ireland: The Relationship Between Cooking Skills And Food Choice, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, John Lydon

Articles

This research investigated the attitudes of Irish people to food to ascertain whether the acquisition of cooking skills influences food choice. Caraher et al. (1999) report on the state of cooking in England noted that changing lifestyles has had a significant impact upon the demand of food offerings and on the variance of domestic cooking skills. Caraher et al. (1999) found that cooking skills play an important part in healthy eating as a vehicle for lower-paid people to achieve a healthy diet and is an essential life-skill. While these discourses advance, the deficiency of inherently Irish empirical data contributed to …

Us Fda Releases Final Rule On Medical Device Data Systems:What Does This Mean For Device Manufacturers, Martin Mchugh, Fergal Mccaffery, Valentine Casey

Articles

On 16 April 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) final rule on medical device data systems (MDDSs) came into force. This rule attempts to remove the uncertainty surrounding the safety classification of certain information technology systems used in healthcare. Devices that now meet the criteria of being an MDDS are classified as Class I (general controls). However, this final ruling explicitly precludes specific software applications that meet the definition of an MDDS, such as electronic health record applications and computerised physician order entry applications, as being beyond the scope of an MDDS. Similarly, ambiguity still remains surrounding mobile …

Willpower Taxes, Lee Anne Fennell

Articles

Self-control and related concepts appear regularly in tax discussions, but often they are invoked hazily or blurred together with other aspects of choice over time. Despite the evident relevance of willpower to consumption patterns, wealth accumulation, and, ultimately, well-being, there is no consensus about whether and how heterogeneity along this dimension should factor into tax policy. There is support in the tax literature for such divergent responses as funneling more resources to low-willpower people, penalizing them for their lapses, and limiting their choices. Whether we should follow one of these approaches, or some other approach entirely, requires a careful analysis …

Judicial Inconsistency As Virtue: The Case Of Justice Stevens, Justin Driver

Articles

No abstract provided.

Building A World-Class System In Ireland’S Financial Crisis, Ellen Hazelkorn

Articles

Irish higher education faces particular difficulties given the severity of its economic crisis. Like other countries, it is engaged in significant system restructuring coupled with managed policy direction. Where Ireland does differ is in its emphasis on a 'whole of country strategy' and commitment that teaching and research go hand-in-hand. This paper looks at the fortunes and mis-fortunes of Irish higher education.

A Review Of Zero Discharge Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Reed Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton, Anna Reid, John Turner

Articles

The concept of a reed willow bed combination has the potential to achieve a zero discharge wastewater treatment system. This paper will present results from a two year study to monitor the performance of a reed willow bed facility at Lynches Lane, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Outline design specifications for the facility will be presented. Monitoring results for a two year period including influent and effluent parameters, rainfall, potential evapotranspiration, and soil classification will be presented and discussed. During the two year monitoring period the system achieved a zero discharge. This paper will discuss the potential widespread application of similar systems …

Maternal And Infant Nutritional Supplementation Practices In Ireland: Implications For Clinicians And Policymakers, Roslyn Tarrant, Margaret Sheridan-Pereira, Roberta Mccarthy, Katherine Younger, John Kearney

Articles

This prospective Irish observational study examined maternal and infant nutritional supplement use. From an initial sample of 539 mothers recruited from the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin (during 2004-2006), 450 eligible mothers werefollowed up at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum. Only 200 women (44.4%) complied with peri-conceptional folic acid at therecommended time with strong social patterning associated with its uptake. Almost 10% of the sample (n=44) consumed acombined multivitamin and mineral supplement during pregnancy. A vitamin D-containing supplement was provided to only 5 (1.1%)and 15 (3.3%) infants at 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively. A national …

Political History After The Cultural Turn., Steven Pincus, William J. Novak

Articles

Traditional political history is dead and is still dying. Over two decades ago, Lynn Hunt observed, "Social history has ovenaken political history as the most important area of research in history." The proponents of the new social history called for a broader, bottom-up, and more sociological account of the past. These scholars turned to historical sociology, social theory, as well as new empirical, socialscience methodologies in creating a fresh approach to history. More recently, of course, cultural history has ovenaken social history as the historical subdiscipline in which most doctoral research is conducted. While literary theory has played an important …

Optimisation Of Accelerated Solvent Extraction Of Antioxidant Compounds From Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.), Marjoram (Origanum Majorana L.) And Oregano (Origanum Vulgare L.) Using Response Surface Methodology, M. Hossain, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, N. Brunton

Articles

The present study optimised the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) conditions (Dionex ASE® 200, USA) to maximise the antioxidant capacity of the extracts from three spices of Lamiaceae family; rosemary, oregano and marjoram. Optimised conditions with regard to extraction temperature (66–129 °C) and solvent concentration (32–88% methanol) were identified using response surface methodology (RSM). For all three spices results showed that 129 °C was the optimum temperature in order to obtain extracts with high antioxidant activity. Optimal methanol concentrations with respect to the antioxidant activity of rosemary and marjoram extracts were 56% and 57% respectively. Oregano showed a different response to …

Comparison Of Subcellular Responses For The Evaluation And Prediction Of The Chemotherapeutic Response To Cisplatin In Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Raman Spectroscopy, Haq Nawaz, Franck Bonnier, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Confocal Raman Micro spectroscopy (CRM) is employed to examine the chemical and physiological effects of anticancer agents, using cisplatin and A549 adenocarcinoma cells as a model compound and test system respectively. Spectral responses of the membrane and cytoplasm of the cell are analysed independently and the results are compared to previously reported spectroscopic studies of the nucleus. Moreover, Raman spectra from the proteins extracted from the control and exposed samples are acquired and analysed to confirm the origin of the molecular changes of the cell membrane and cytoplasm of the A549 cells. Multivariate data analysis techniques including Principal Component Analysis …

An Evaluation Of The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme Using Policy Design Theory, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Noirin Hayes

Articles

This paper utilises Policy Design Theory to evaluate policy tool design and selection in Ireland in order to look beyond policy goals and rhetoric to the meanings and assumptions within policy design. A review of the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) reveals it to be an ‘incentive’ tool that is structured around a negative social construction of the target populations as ‘dependants’ with little capacity to solve their own problems. While immediate policy objectives are met through the design of the CCSS, if viewed in a wider context of overall national policy objectives a range of negative side-effects are evident …

Culinary Voices: Perspectives From Dublin Restaurants, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Despite growing interest in culinary history and gastronomy in the last three decades, the use of oral history within the culinary field remains in an embryonic stage. By discussing the strength of oral history, particularly when triangulated with other sources, and surveying some food related projects, the article focuses on the power of oral history to capture the life experiences of chefs, waiters, restaurateurs and diners. The article calls on curators of culinary libraries to build oral history archives which can be accessed electronically.

Does Qualified Immunity Matter?, Alexander A. Reinert

Articles

In litigation brought pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Fed. Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), most commentators agree that qualified immunity plays a substantial role in limiting plaintiffs' ability to recover compensation. Many find this tradeoff acceptable, in part because of concerns of fairness to government official defendants and in part because courts may still play a central role in announcing the law without worrying over the retroactive effect their decision will have on the personal funds of the defendant official.

This paper considers the different role that qualified immunity may play in …

The Impact Of Ashcroft V. Iqbal On Pleading, Alexander A. Reinert

Articles

The article critically examines the Supreme Court’s decision in *Ashcroft v. Iqbal*, which extended the plausibility pleading standard to all civil actions, and argues that this ruling has led to significant inconsistencies in lower court applications, raised Seventh Amendment concerns, and potentially excluded meritorious cases from judicial review. The analysis emphasizes the need for clarity and uniformity in pleading standards while proposing reforms to align the plausibility standard with constitutional and procedural fairness principles.

Unbundling Risk, Lee Anne Fennell

Articles

Scholars have explored many ways to rearrange risk outside of traditional insurance markets. An interesting literature addresses a range of innovative alternatives, including the sale of unmatured tort claims or chances at windfalls, "anti-insurance," or "reverse insurance," and index-based derivatives that address routine (but life-altering) risks, such as those to home values or livelihoods. Because most of this work grows out of a conviction that specific risk allocations embedded in law could be improved upon, the merits of the newly proposed risk arrangements have taken center stage. This Article, in contrast, examines questions surrounding risk customization itself such as the …

Quantitative Assessment Of The Shelf-Life Of Ozonated Apple Juice, Sonal Patil, Vasilis Valdramidis, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick J. Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Sterile apple juice inoculated with S. cerevisiae ATCC 9763 (10³ CFU/mL) was processed in a bubble column with gaseous ozone of flow rate of 0.12 L/min and concentration of 33-40 µg/mL for 8 min. The growth kinetics of S. cerevisiae as an indicator of juice spoilage was monitored at 4, 8, 12 and 16 ºC for up to 30 days. The kinetics were quantitatively described by the primary model of Baranyi and Robert’s and the maximum specific growth rate was further modeled as a function of temperature by the Ratkowsky type model. The developed model was successfully validated for …

Maternal Health Behaviours During Pregnancy In An Irish Obstetric Population And Their Assocations With Socio-Demographic And Infant Characteristics, Roslyn Tarrant, Katherine Younger, Margaret Sheridan-Pereira, John Kearney

Articles

Objectives: To examine the prevalence and combined occurrence of peri-conceptional folic acid (FA) supplement use, smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy in a sample of women in Dublin, and determine the factors associated with these health behaviours.

Subjects/Methods: A prospective observational study (2004-2006) involving the recruitment of 491 pregnant women from antenatal clinics in a Dublin maternity hospital, with postpartum follow-up of 450 eligible mothers. Data on FA use, maternal smoking and alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy were collected from the antenatal patient-administered questionnaire, which was completed by participants, and returned to the investigator on the day of recruitment. …

Thermal Bridging - Understanding Its Critical Role In Energy Efficiency, Joseph Little, Beñat Arregi

Articles

Plane element heat loss[1] and thermal bridging[2] together constitute all the conduction heat loss (measured in W/K, watts per kelvin) through the thermal envelope[3] of a building. Perversely insulating the plane elements more and more without carefully dealing with junctions can lead to a significant increase in thermal bridging heat loss. This is often more significant in poorly thought-out energy-focused retrofits than in existing or new buildings.

Correlation Of P16ink4a Expression And Hpv Copy Number With Cellular Ftir Spectroscopic Signatures Of Cervical Cancer Cells, Kamila Ostrowska, Amaya Garcia, Aidan Meade, Alison Malkin, Ifeoluwapo Okewumi, John O’Leary, Cara Martin, Hugh Byrne, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Cervical cancer, a potentially preventable disease, has its main aetiology in infection by high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV). Approaches to improving cervical cancer screening and diagnostic methodologies include molecular biological analysis, targeting of biomarker proteins, but also exploration and implementation of new techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy. This study correlates the biomarker protein p16^INK4A expression levels dependent on HPV copy number with the infrared absorption spectral signatures of the cervical cancer cell lines, HPV negative C33A, HPV-16 positive SiHa and CaSki and HPV-18 positive HeLa. Confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that p16^INK4A is expressed in all investigated cell lines …

Anatomy Of An Aggregate Settlement: The Triumph Of Temptation Over Ethics, Lester Brickman

Articles

In an aggregate settlement, usually of a mass tort claim, a defendant agrees to pay a specific dollar amount to be divided up by the lawyer among her multiple clients which may number in the hundreds and even thousands. Each client, therefore, is in competition with all of the lawyer’s other clients suing the same defendant for a share of the fixed sum. Rule 1.8(g) of the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct requires that each client give their informed consent to their allocation. To facilitate the settlement and the often quite substantial contingency fees to be earned, lawyers may mislead …

Student, Practitioner, Or Both?:Separation And Integration Of Identities In Professional Social Care Education, Fiona Mcsweeney

Articles

This paper presents and discusses some of the findings from a qualitative study of identities in work-related learners. The theoretical framework of structural symbolic interactionism is outlined and the two identities of interest, that of student and practitioner discussed. The aim of professional education is viewed as enabling the practitioner to deal with ambiguity and change through critical examination of work practices and location of these within theoretical frameworks. It is argued that for knowledge and behaviour to transfer to the work setting the student and worker identities need to be integrated rather than kept separate. Factors identified as influencing …

Producing Governable Subjects: Images Of Childhood Old And New, Karen Smith

Articles

Conceptions of childhood in terms of ‘evil’ and ‘innocence’ transcend time and culture. These conflicting images are deployed by Chris Jenks as the Dionysian and Apollonian models of childhood to symbolize external and internal forms of control. Drawing on the literature on governmentality this paper revisits these models and introduces a third model, the ‘Athenian’ child, analogous and supplementary to those developed by Jenks. This model is necessary in order to take account of relatively recent strategies in the government of childhood, which, predicated on understandings of children in terms of competence and agency, operate via responsibility and reflexivity.

Influence Of Angular Orientation Of The Embedded Highly Birefringent Fiber On Pmd Changes Under Axial Stress, Daniel Budaszewski Daniel Budaszewski, Piotr Lesiak, Robert Plaga, Ginu Rajan, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell, Anna Boczkowska, Andrzej W. Domanski's, Tomasz R. Woliński

Articles

In the paper we present results of the research on polarization mode dispersion changes inside the polarimetric optical fiber sensors based on highly birefringent optical fibers embedded into composite materials with different angular orientations of the optical axes. Based on measurements made for different types of highly birefringent optical fiber sensors we have shown that strain sensitivities after lamination process are different in comparison to the data obtained before lamination. Our results indicate that polarization mode dispersion in side-hole highly birefringent fibers under axial stress strongly depends on fiber orientation in the composite material suggesting that orientation of the polarization …

Not Seeing The Joke: The Overlooked Role Of Humour In Researching Television Production, Edward Brennan

Articles

This article argues that humour can provide researchers with a unique access point into the professional cultures of media producers. By reconsidering an earlier case study, and reviewing relevant literature, it illustrates how humour can fulfil several functions in media production. Importantly, humour is a central means of performing the ‘emotional labour’ that increasingly precarious media work demands. For production research, the everyday joking and banter of media workers can provide an important and, heretofore, overlooked means of accessing culture, meaning, consensus and conflict in media organizations. The article argues that humour’s organizational role should be considered as a sensitizing …