Digital Commons Network^™

Supremacies And The Southern Manifesto, Justin Driver

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No abstract provided.

Sport As Speech, Genevieve Lakier

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No abstract provided.

First Report On The Implementation Of The Ict Principles, Brian O'Neill

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It was a core commitment from the outset in 2010, when discussions began on the formation of an ICT Coalition spanning the whole ecosystem of internet-connected devices and online services, that any such self-regulatory initiative would need to demonstrate its commitment to independent assessment of its members’ achievements in online safety, given the concerns of the public and other stakeholders in this area. This report is the first such assessment, carried out by Dr Brian O’Neill, two years after the formal launch of the ICT Coalition - a timely moment to review the achievements of ICT Coalition members, assess the …

Measuring Political Brand Equity In Ireland, Ewan Alexander Mcdonald, Roger Sherlock, John Hogan Dr

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Measuring Political Brand Equity in the Republic of Ireland

This paper will apply cognitive mapping techniques to understand the manner in which political brand equity is formed and distributed amongst the four largest Irish political parties from the perspective of citizens. It assesses the fundamental aspects of branding and brand equity in the marketing and political marketing literatures and offers and overview of the market in question – the Irish political environment. Primary data was generated through the participation of 232 citizens in the political brand elicitation stage and a further 75 citizens were involved in the construction of the …

Net Children Go Mobile: Policy Recommendations, Monica Barbovschi, Brian O'Neill, Anca Velicu, Giovanna Mascheroni

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The aim of the Net Children Go Mobile project is to provide robust findings of patterns of online use, access, risk and opportunity in relation to children’s mobile access to the internet and to examine the implications for risks, online safety and – for the purposes of this report – the important policy issues which arise. The use of mobile connected devices by children and young people in Europe has undergone remarkable development in recent years with 45% of 9-16 year olds, and 65% of 15-16 year olds now using tablets or smartphones to access the internet on a daily …

In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment Of Cherry Tomatoes, N. Misra, Kevin Keener, Paula Bourke, J Mosnier, Patrick J. Cullen

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Cold plasma is increasingly under research for decontamination of foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. The effect of cold plasma on food quality, however, remains under researched. This study investigates the effects of cold plasma generated within a sealed package from a dielectric barrier discharge on the physical quality parameters and respiration rates of cherry tomatoes. Respiration rates and weight loss were monitored continuously, while other parameters are reported at the end of storage period. Differences among weight loss, pH and firmness for control and treated cherry tomatoes were insignificant towards the end of storage life. Changes in respiration rates …

Beginnings: 3 Examples (And Why They Work), Julie Patterson

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Our writer-in-residence helps us look closely at the beginnings of three short stories.

What Next For Social Enterprise In Ireland, Gerard Doyle

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No abstract provided.

In-Package Nonthermal Plasma Degradation Of Pesticides On Fresh Produce, N. Misra, Shashi Pankaj, Tony Walsh, Finbarr O'Regan, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

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In-package nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology is a novel technology for the decontamination of foods and biological materials. This study presents the first report on the potential of the technology for the degradation of pesticide residues. A cocktail of pesticides, namely Azoxystrobin, Cyprodinil, Fludioxonil and Pyriproxyfen was tested on strawberries. The concentrations of these pesticides were monitored in priori and post- plasma treatment using GC-MS/MS. An applied voltage and time dependent degradation of the pesticides was observed for treatment voltages of 60, 70 and 80 kV and treatment durations ranging from 1 to 5 min, followed by 24 h in-pack storage. …

Nanoscale Growth Of Cds And Pbs Semiconductor Within Calix[4]Arene Langmuir-Blodgett Lb Film For Ion Sensing Application, Faridah Lisa Supian, Tim H. Richardson, Alexei V. Nabok, Mary Deasy, M. Syahriman M. Azmi

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The characteristics of cadmium sulphide (CdS) and lead sulphide (PbS) nanoparticles, grown inside Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayer films of 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-dicarboxymethoxy-26,28-dihydroxycalix [arene (I), have been studied using ellipsometry, UV-visible spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Multilayer films were formed by transferring a floating Langmuir monolayer of I onto substrates using LB deposition and water subphase containing Pb2+ or Cd2+ ions. The nanoparticles were fabricated by exposing cadmium-or lead-containing multilayer films of I (20-80 monolayers thick) to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas for 12 hours. By Gaussian fitting of the absorbance - energy spectra, the size of the clusters and their dispersion were found …

Net Children Go Mobile:Initial Findings From Ireland, Brian O'Neill, Thuy Dinh

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Net Children Go Mobile is a two-year research project funded under the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme. Seven countries participate: Demark, Italy, Romania, United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal and Belgium.

The project uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate access and use, risks and opportunities of mobile internet use. This report presents the initial findings of the survey of children and young people’s use of mobile internet technologies in Ireland. 500 9-16 year olds were interviewed face-to-face in their homes. The fieldwork was carried out in Ireland by Ipsos MRBI in November and December 2013.

The Governance Of Visibility: Bodies, Information, And The Politics Of Anonymity Across The Us-Mexico Borderlands, Robert Latham

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This article explores the relationship between information and mobility as it is manifest at the Mexico-US border and understands that border to be one, although very important, site of information processing and production. Within the electronic as well as the physical spaces of the Mexico-US borderlands, it is argued that practices of evasion and exposure produce specific forms of politics. These forms bear on the militarization of the border, particular bourgeois anxieties, various instances of violence, the pursuit of survival strategies and recognition, and the emergence of resistance and countertactics. Also considered are possibilities for alternatives to the ways mobility …

The Limits Of Journalism : How Fictional Narrative Compensates For Journalism’S Shortcomings In John Banville’S The Book Of Evidence, Ian Kilroy

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How fictional narrative compensates for journalism’s limitations in John Banville’s novel The Book of Evidence.

Making An Impact: New Directions For Arts And Humanities Research, Ellen Hazelkorn

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The severity of the global economic crisis has put the spotlight firmly on measuring academic and research performance and productivity, and assessing its contribution, value, impact and benefit. While traditionally, research output and impact was measured by peer-publications and citations, there is increased emphasis on a “market-driven approach”, which favours the bio-, medical and technological sciences, and helped reinforce a disciplinary hierarchy in which arts and humanities research (A&HR) has struggled for attention. This article charts the changing policy environment across Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. It draws on evidence from the HERAVALUE project which studied how different stakeholders value …

Deciphering Irish Catholic Identities: Past And Present, Eamon Maher

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This collection of essays, compiled and edited by Oliver Rafferty, is a significant contribution to making sense of the tangled labyrinth that is Irish Catholic identities. The plural is important here, as there are, in fact, multiple Catholic identities, something that is often forgotten in the rush to blandly link “Irish” and “Catholic”.

The Collision Between The First Amendment And Securities Fraud, Wendy Gerwick Couture

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This Article seeks to correct the imbalance that occurs when the First Amendment and securities fraud collide. Under current precedent, securities analysts, credit rating agencies, and financial journalists are subject to differing liability standards depending on whether they are sued for defamation or for securities fraud. Under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, First Amendment protections apply in the defamation context in order to prevent the chilling of valuable speech, yet courts have declined to extend these protections to the securities fraud context. This imbalance threatens to chill valuable speech about public companies. To prevent the dangerous chilling effect of …

Fifteen Years And Growing Strong: The Annual Aall Children's Book Drive, Stacy Etheredge

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No abstract provided.

Adaptive Water Governance Project: Assessing Law, Resilience And Governance In Regional Socio-Ecological Water Systems Facing A Changing Climate, Barbara Cosens

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No abstract provided.

Policy Influences And Country Clusters: A Comparative Analysis Of Internet Safety Policy Implementation, Brian O'Neill

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EU Kids Online has developed a four cluster classification of 25 European countries based on the activities undertaken, the exposure to risk and harm, and type of internet safety mediation experienced by young people across Europe.

The purpose of this report is to add a further dimension by examining the policy context and to look at how countries within each cluster approach implementation of internet safety. Implementation in this context refers to a) policy frameworks and b) policy actions undertaken at the individual country/regional level.

The Changing Discourse Of The Supreme Court, Stephen M. Johnson

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In addition to exploring whether the Court’s opinions have become less readable, this Article also examines whether factors identified in other studies, such as the opinion type or the subject matter in dispute, correlate to the readability of the Court’s opinions, either in the 1930's or today, and whether that has changed over time.

Part I outlines the criticisms that have been leveled at the Supreme Court’s opinions and some of the possible reasons for the obfuscation of the opinions. Part II explores the purposes of, and intended audiences for, Supreme Court opinions and considers whether it really matters whether …

Cold Comfort Food: A Systematic Examination Of The Rituals And Rights Of The Last Meal, Sarah Gerwig-Moore

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Last meals are a resilient ritual accompanying executions in the United States. Yet states vary considerably in the ways they administer last meals. This paper explores the recent decision in Texas to abolish the tradition altogether. It seeks to understand, through consultation of historical and contemporary sources, what the ritual signifies. We then go on to analyze execution procedures in all 35 of the states that allowed executions in 2010, and show that last meal allowances are paradoxically at their most expansive in states traditionally associated with high rates of capital punishment (Texas now being the exception to that rule.) …

Assessing System Resilience And Ecosystem Services In Large River Basins, Barbara Cosens

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No abstract provided.

Opt-Out Education: School Choice As Racial Subordination, Osamudia R. James

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Despite failure to improve academic outcomes or close the achievement gap, school-choice policies, advanced by education legislation and doctrine, have come to dominate public discourse on public education reform in the United States, with students of color disproportionately enrolling in voucher programs and charter schools. This Article moves past the typical market-based critiques of school choice to analyze the particularly racialized constraints on choice for marginalized students and their families in the public school system. The Article unpacks the blame-placing that occurs when the individualism and independence that school choice and choice rhetoric promote fail to improve academic outcomes, and …

Performance Of Meshed Tree Protocols For Loop Avoidance In Switched Networks, Kuhu Sharma, Bill Stackpole, Daryl Johnson, Nirmala Shenoy, Bruce Hartpence

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Loop free frame forwarding in layer 2 switched networks that use meshed topologies to provision for link and path redundancy is a continuing challenge. The challenge is addressed through special protocols at layer 2 that build logical trees over the physically meshed topologies, along which frames can be forwarded. The first such protocol was based on the spanning tree. The spanning tree protocol (STP) had high convergence times subsequent to topology changes. Rapid STP and IETF RFC 5556 Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) on Router Bridges (RBridges) were then developed to reduce the convergence times. RSTP cntinued to …

Self-Regulated Learning And The Role Of Eportfolios In Business Studies, Amparo Soler-Dominguez, Lucia Morales, Valentina Tarkovska

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Through a case study supported by observation techniques, and questionnaires to gather data, we explored the use of ePortfolios as an efficient assessment tool to assist business degree students. Our main focus was a postgraduate course in which finance modules were a major component. We analysed the role of ePortfolios in Higher Education Institutions over a period of four academic years. Our findings suggest that ePortfolios could be used to facilitate and enhance students’ selfregulated learning. The role of the instructor was found to be fundamental in the early stages of the learning process. This role diminished as students became …

The Rhetoric Of War: Words, Conflict, And Categorization Post 9/11, Oren Gross, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

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No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of "Non-Economic" Damages In Civil Jury Awards, Herbert M. Kritzer, Guangya Liu, Neil Vidmar

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Using three primary data sources plus three supplemental sources discussed in an appendix, this paper examines how well non-economic damages could be predicted by economic damages and at how the ratio of non-economic damages to economic damages changed as the magnitude of the economic damages awarded by juries increased. We found a mixture of consistent and inconsistent patterns across our various datasets. One fairly consistent pattern was the tendency for the ratio of non-economic to economic damages to decline as the amount of economic damages increased. Moreover, the variability of the ratio also tended to decline as the amount of …

Effect Of Light On The Biodegradation Of Selective Azo Dyes By Escherichia Coli And Pseudomonas Sp. And Optimization Of Conditions For Decolorization, Muhammad Kashif, Abdul Jabbar, Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Yameen, Bushra Munir

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The degradation of two azo dyes; congo red and acid red 27, commonly used in textile industries, was investigated using Pseudomonassp. and Escherichia coli strains isolated from dye contaminated soil sludge. An aqueous medium containing 100 mg/L of dyes were used for the biodegradation experiments. The degradation results as color removal performance were obtained after 5 days incubation. Different factors like azoreductases specificity, pH and effects of a range of wavelengths of light on decolorization efficiencies were studied. Pseudomonassp. showed highest degradation rate for congo red and Escherichia coli showed highest degradation rate for acid red 27. The color of …

Contemporary Practice Of The United States Relating To International Law, April 2014, Kristina Daugirdas, Julian Davis Mortenson

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• Another Mexican National Executed in Texas in Defiance of Avena Decision • Manhattan Arrest of Indian Consular Official Sparks Public Dispute Between the United States and India • United States Questions Claims Based on China’s “Nine-Dash Line” in the South China Sea • United States Takes Steps to Combat Illegal Trade in Wildlife • U.S. Compromises Facilitate Agreement on World Trade Organization’s Bali Package; Question Remains Whether Bali Package Requires Congressional Approval • Destruction of Syrian Chemical Arms Delayed • Iran Nuclear Agreement Is Implemented Notwithstanding Expressions of Distrust by Iran and the U.S. Congress

Citizen Participation: Appraising The Saiban’In System, Daniel H. Foote

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Of the many reforms affecting the Japanese judiciary that were undertaken in connection with the recommendations of the Justice System Reform Council, one reform above all attracted widespread public attention: the introduction of the so-called saiban'in system. In this system, mixed panels of professional judges and lay jurors judge guilt and assess penalties in serious criminal cases. Following a five-year preparation period, the new system went into effect for the specified categories of crimes for which indictments were issued on or after May 21, 2009, with the first trials under the new system commencing in August 2009. Pursuant to the …