Digital Commons Network^™

Here You Have To Be Mixing: Collaborative Learning On An Engineering Program In Ireland As Experienced By A Group Of Young Middle Eastern Women, Shannon Chance, Bill Williams

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This research project uses grounded theory to analyze interviews conducted with eight women from Oman and Kuwait. Members of the sample group were studying together at an institute of technology in Dublin, Ireland. The paper reports patterns in 15 interviews collected in the years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 to provide a longitudinal overview of the experience of the learners. During the coding process, three major themes emerged having to do with the experience of learning with others and/or learning in groups. The first theme involved communication within the group and the group's approaches to working together. The second identified …

Visualizing The Impact Of Europe’S Slow Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout, Mathias Beck, Gail Sheppard

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On 31 March 2021, the WHO Regional Office for Europe issued a formal statement of concern regarding the slow vaccine rollout across Europe [1]. The WHO noted that the “Region remains the second most affected by SARS-CoV-2 of all the world’s regions” which was worrying, especially because the more transmissible B.1.1.7 was now dominant in the region [1]. It further contrasted this with the experiences of the UK, by noting that according to data from Public Health England, “COVID-19 vaccines have saved, at the very least, over 6,000 lives among people over 70 since vaccination started in December 2020”. Beyond …

Label-Free Screening Of Biochemical Changes In Macrophage-Like Cells Following Mos2 Exposure Using Raman Micro-Spectroscopy, Caroline Moore, Andrew Harvety, Jonathan N. Coleman, Hugh Byrne, Jennifer Mcintyre

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The emergence of large scale production techniques for 2D particulate materials has dramatically increased their applications potential. Understanding the interactions of biological cells with such particulate material is therefore of paramount importance, both for toxicological assessment and potential biomedical applications. Conventional in-vitro cytological assays commonly record only a single colorimetric end-point, and do not provide an in-depth analysis of how such materials are uptaken and processed within cells. To demonstrate its potential as an alternative, label free approach, confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy has been used to profile the cellular response of macrophage-like immune cells as a result of exposure to a …

Spatiotemporal Epidemiology Of Cryptosporidiosis In The Republic Of Ireland, 2008–2017: Development Of A Space–Time “Cluster Recurrence” Index, Martin Boudou

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Approximately 1.5 million individuals in Ontario are supplied by private water wells (private groundwater supplies). Unlike municipal supplies, private well water quality remains unregulated, with owners responsible for testing, treating, and maintaining their own water supplies. The COVID-19 global pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have impacted many environmental (e.g., surface water and air quality) and human (e.g., healthcare, transportation) systems over the past 15-months (January 2020 to March 2021). To date, the impact of these interventions on private groundwater systems remains largely unknown. Accordingly, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of a province-wide COVID-19 lockdown (late-March 2020) …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Sporadic Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia Coli Enteritis, Ireland, 2013–2017, Eiimear Cleary, Patricia Garvey, Paul Mckeown, Jean O'Dwyer, Coilin Oh Aiseadha, Paul Mckeown, Paul Hynds

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The Republic of Ireland regularly reports the highest annual crude incidence rates of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) enteritis in the European Union, ≈10 times the average. We investigated spatiotemporal patterns of STEC enteritis in Ireland using multiple statistical tools. Overall, we georeferenced 2,755 cases of infection during January 2013–December 2017; we found >1 case notified in 2,340 (12.6%) of 18,641 Census Small Areas. We encountered the highest case numbers in children 0–5 years of age (n = 1,101, 39.6%) and associated with serogroups O26 (n = 800, 29%) and O157 (n = 638, 23.2%). Overall, we identified 17 space-time …

Genetic Background Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Multiantimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia Coli Isolates From Feces Of Healthy Broiler Chickens In Tunisia, Mohamed Salah Abbassi, Hajer Kilani, Islem Abid, Yolanda Sáenz, Paul Hynds, Sana Lengliz, Noureddine Ben Chehida, Ilhem Boutiba-Ben Boubaker

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Multiantimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolates are a global human health problem causing increasing morbidity and mortality. Genes encoding antimicrobial resistance are mainly harbored on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as transposons and plasmids as well as integrons, which enhance their rapid spread. The aim of this study was to characterize 83 multiantimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates recovered from healthy broiler chickens. Among 78 tetracycline-resistant isolates, the tetA, tetB, and tetC genes were detected in 59 (75.6%), 14 (17.9%), and one (1.2%) isolates, respectively. The sul1, sul2, and sul3 genes were detected 31 (46.2%), 16 (23.8%), and 6 (8.9%) isolates, respectively, among 67 …

Atmospheric Pressure Dry Etching Of Polysilicon Layers For Highly Reverse Bias-Stable Topcon Solar Cells, Bishal Kafle, Sebastian Mack, Christopher Teßmann, Sattar Bashardoust, Laurent Clochard, Edward Duffy, Andreas Wolf, Marc Hofmann, Jochen Rentsch

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Single-sided etching (SSE) of a-Si/poly-Si is typically considered a challenge for realizing a cost-efficient TOPCon production sequence, as there is a certain degree of unwanted wrap-around for poly-Si deposition technologies such as low pressure chemical vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. To date, alkaline or acidic wet-chemical solutions in either inline or batch configurations are used for this purpose. Herein, an alternative SSE process is proposed using an inline dry etching tool, which applies molecular fluorine as the etching gas under atmospheric pressure conditions. The developed etching process performs complete etching of both as-deposited …

Carbon Futures Trading And Short-Term Price Prediction:An Analysis Using The Fractal Market Hypothesis And Evolutionary Computing, Marc Lamphiere, Jonathan Blackledge, Derek Kearney

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This paper presents trend prediction results based on backtesting of the European UnionEmissions Trading Scheme futures market. This is based on the Intercontinental Exchange from 2005to 2019. An alternative trend prediction strategy is taken that is predicated on an application of theFractal Market Hypothesis (FMH) in order to develop an indicator that is predictive of short termfuture behaviour. To achieve this, we consider that a change in the polarity of the Lyapunov-to-Volatility Ratio precedes an associated change in the trend of the European Union Allowances (EUAs)price signal. The application of the FMH in this case is demonstrated to provide a …

Thoughts On The Future Of Higher Education In The Uk: A Personal View With A Historical Context, Jonathan Blackledge

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Before the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic, there had been continued debate about the future of Higher Education (HE) in the UK. It is now accepted that the effect of the pandemic will have a long-lasting effect on HE in the UK and elsewhere. This paper addresses the changes that are currently taking place, based on a strategy that aims to develop a future knowledge-based economy, following the UK governments 2019 landmark review of HE. It explores the underlying parallels between the current situation and certain historical events that catalysed the development of a new approach to HE in the …

Super Twisting Sliding-Mode Control Of Dvr With Frequency-Adaptive Brockett Oscillator, Samet Biricik, Hasan Komurcugil, Hafiz Ahmed, Ebrahim Babaei

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This paper presents a super twisting sliding mode control (ST-SMC) for single-phase dynamic voltage restorers (DVRs). Unlike the conventional first-order sliding mode controller, the proposed ST-SMC technique eliminates the need for differentiating the compensation voltage in the sliding surface function while keeping the merits of first-order SMC. As a consequence of employing ST-SMC, a continuous control signal is achieved from which the pulse width modulation (PWM) signals can be generated. In this case, the inverter operates at constant switching frequency. The stability analysis of ST-SMC is also presented. The reference compensation voltage needed in ST-SMC is estimated by using Brockett …

Associations Between Home Environment, Children’S And Parents’ Characteristics And Children’S Tv Screen Time Behavior, Carolina Bassu, Clare Corish, John Kearney

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In Ireland, television (TV) screen time is a highly prevalent sedentary behavior among children aged less than five years. Little is known about the influence of parental rules and policies or screen time availability and accessibility within the home on children's TV screen time behaviors. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the extent to which parents' sociodemographic and sedentary behaviors are associated with children's TV screen time; and to determine the associations between parents' rules and practices, home physical environment and children's daily TV viewing. Three hundred and thirty-two children aged 3-5 years and their parents participated in the study. …

Research On Medical Question Answering System Based On Knowledge Graph, Zhixue Jiang, Chengying Chi, Yun Yun Zhan

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To meet the high-efficiency question answering needs of existing patients and doctors, this system integrates medical professional knowledge, knowledge graphs, and question answering systems that conduct man-machine dialogue through natural language. This system locates the medical field, uses crawler technology to use vertical medical websites as data sources, and uses diseases as the core entity to construct a knowledge graph containing 44,000 knowledge entities of 7 types and 300,000 entities of 11 kinds. It is stored in the Neo4j graph database, using rule-based matching methods and string-matching algorithms to construct a domain lexicon to classify and query questions. This system …

Maternal Feeding Practices And Toddlers’ Fruit And Vegetable Consumption: Results From The Dit - Coombe Hospital Birth Cohort In Ireland, Xiyao Liu, Qianling Zhou, Keara Clarke, Katherine Younger, Meijing An, Zhouyinuo Li, Yang Tan, John Kearney

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Health benefits of fruit and vegetable have been well recognized. However, insufficient consumption of fruit and vegetable is prevalent among toddlers, and has become a global public health issue. Maternal feeding practices are potential factors influencing toddlers’ dietary intake, including fruit and vegetable intake. This study was conducted to explore the influence of maternal feeding practices on toddlers’ fruit and vegetable consumption in Ireland.

The Role Of Demographic And Clinical Characteristics On Risk Of Covid-19 Related Infection And Mortality, A. O'Shea, M. Youssef, M. Connolly, A. Al Lawati, S.I. Shah, S. Walsh, D. Mccartney, J. Faul

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Since the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) which causes Covid-19, global health systems have struggled to cope with the rising number of related infections, acute admissions and mortalities. Poorer clinical outcomes have been observed amongst older patients with Covid-19 and males, and in those who are obese or who have darker skin(1) . Additionally, poorer outcomes including increased mortality have been associated with low vitamin D status(2,3) . The current observational study aimed to elucidate the association between patient demographic, anthropometric, clinical and biometric characteristics and Covid-19 disease severity and mortality.

Cantilever-Based Sensor Utilizing A Diffractive Optical Element With High Sensitivity To Relative Humidity, Catherine M. Grogan, Faolan Radford Mcgovern, Rory Staines, George Amarandei, Izabela Naydenova

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High-sensitivity and simple, low-cost readout are desirable features for sensors independent of the application area. Micro-cantilever sensors use the deflection induced by the analyte presence to achieve high-sensitivity but possess complex electronic readouts. Current holographic sensors probe the analyte presence by measuring changes in their optical properties, have a simpler low-cost readout, but their sensitivity can be further improved. Here, the two working principles were combined to obtain a new hybrid sensor with enhanced sensitivity. The diffractive element, a holographically patterned thin photopolymer layer, was placed on a polymer (polydimethylsiloxane) layer forming a bi-layer macro-cantilever. The different responses of the …

Assessing A National Nanotechnology Infrastructure For Enforcing Nanosafety In Consumer Food - Funding The Infrastructure, Gordon Chambers, E. Mccarron

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. Crucial to assessing any national risk assessment infrastructure is the development of keen insights into the funding landscape, the base skill set and expertise levels, risk prioritisation, and stakeholder determination. This paper presents an overview of the first of these criteria with respect to the Irish funding landscape for nanotechnology and nano-agri-food. It examines difficulties with policy enforcement due to a lack of clarity and varying interpretations of the EU definition of nanomaterials and how the funding landscape could potentially facilitate the necessary infrastructure, to underpin regulatory enforcement and risk assessment for nanotechnology in food. In 2008 an assessment …

Using Case Studies In Engineering Ethics Education: The Case For Immersive Scenarios Through Stakeholder Engagement And Real Life Data, Diana Adela Martin, Eddie Conlon, Brian Bowe

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Our contribution is part of a broader study conducted in cooperation with the national accreditation body Engineers Ireland that examined the conceptualisation and education of ethics in engineering programmes in Ireland. The paper is a qualitative examination of the use of case studies in engineering ethics education and includes 23 engineering programmes from 6 higher education institutions in Ireland. The qualitative study aims to determine (RQ1) how cases are selected, (RQ2) the goals envisioned for engineering ethics case instruction, (RQ3) the characteristics of the scenarios employed and (RQ4) the preferred application by instructors. A first finding notes the diverse set …

Development Of A Smart Energy Community By Coupling Neighbouring Community Microgrids For Enhanced Power Sharing Using Customised Droop Control, Sandipan Patra, Madichetty Sreedhar, Malabika Basu

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This article aims to develop a smart isolated energy community (EC) by coupling the neighbouring rural community microgrids (CMGs) with enhanced droop control for efficient power sharing. This recommended solution employs a power management (PM) based droop-control to enable independent neighbouring CMGs to share power on an available basis by not constraining CMG inverters to equal power sharing. During the grid-connected mode, the droop control may have different power setpoints of each CMG. However, during the standalone mode of operation, the power setpoint should be defined according to their power rating and availability to maintain the system stability. In this …

The Access-To-Care Epidemic, Benjamin Mcmichael

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Among the many challenges it has created, the COVID19 pandemic has exacerbated the United States' access-to-care problem. While millions of individuals have confronted this problem for years in the context of chronic disease management, mental illness, and other diseases and injuries, many Americans are facing serious access-to-care issues for the first time during the pandemic. Recognizing the acuity of this problem, states adopted temporary policies to combat it. One of the most important policy solutions has been the relaxation of state scope-of-practice laws that inhibit the ability of many healthcare providers, such as nurse practitioners, to deliver healthcare. These temporary …

Developing A Framework For Professional Practice In Applied Performance Analysis, Denise Martin, Peter G. O'Donohoghue, Jonathan Bradley, Denise Mcgrath

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Applied performance analysts are increasingly seen as sports science professionals; however, there is no accepted framework for professional practice. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a framework for professional practice in applied performance analysis (PA) which identifies the components of practice and the expertise underpinning it.

A six-step framework analysis was conducted: (1) An initial conceptual framework was devised based on well-accepted components of applied practice; (2) A systematic review identified 90 papers relating to applied PA practice; (3) Papers were coded to the initial framework and additional themes recorded; (4) Themes were analysed and synthesised …

Crocodiles, Sharks And Turtles: The Urban Geo-Palaeontological Heritage Of Cagliari (Italy), Daniel Zoboli, Marco Pistis, Gabriela M. Afrasine, Giancarlo Nonnoi, Gian Luigi Pillola

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In this paper, we report on the first project on the promotion of urban geoheritage in Cagliari, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). We briefly address the history of geo-palaeontological research in the city area and outline the main phases of development in the history of Cagliari’s geo-palaeontological museum. Geotourism is an efficient method of bringing geosciences to a wider audience. For this project, we compiled a geoitinerary of the main lithotypes and fossils present within the urban territory. Miocene lithotypes are the most important materials in the edification of the Cagliari’s old town, and in the …

Optimisation Of Retrofit Wall Insulation: An Irish Case Study, Rakshit D. Muddu, D M. Gowda, Anthony James Robinson, Aimee Byrne

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Ireland has one of the highest rates of emissions per capita in the world and its residential sector is responsible for approximately 10% of total national CO2 emissions. Therefore, reducing the CO2 emissions in this sector will play a decisive role in achieving EU targets of reducing emissions by 40% by 2030. To better inform decisions regarding retrofit of the existing building stock, this study proposes Optimum Insulation Thicknesses (OIT) for typical walls in 25 regions in Ireland. The calculation of OIT includes annual heat energy expenditure, CO2 emissions, and material payback period. The approach taken is based on Heating …

Impact Of The 2018 European Drought On Microbial Groundwater Quality In Private Domestic Wells: A Case Study From A Temperate Maritime Climate, Jean O'Dwyer, Carlos Chique, John Weatherill, Paul Hynds

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A significant volume of research over the past two decades has highlighted both direct and indirect links between climate change and groundwater quality. However, to date, few studies have sought to explore the relationship(s) between drought conditions and groundwater quality in i) private (unregulated) groundwater sources, or ii) temperate maritime climates not commonly prone to drought events. The Republic of Ireland (ROI) represents an appropriate case-study due to its’ high reliance on private groundwater supplies, and while the region is largely unaffected by climatological extremes, modelling studies indicate that drier summers and drought conditions will increase in frequency. Accordingly, the …

Towards An Improved Understanding Of Biogeochemical Processes Across Surface-Groundwater Interactions In Intermittent Rivers And Ephemeral Streams, Lluís Gómez-Gener

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Surface-groundwater interactions in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), waterways which do not flow year-round, are spatially and temporally dynamic because of alternations between flowing, non-flowing and dry hydrological states. Interactions between surface and groundwater often create mixing zones with distinct redox gradients, potentially driving high rates of carbon and nutrient cycling. Yet a complete understanding of how underlying biogeochemical processes across surface-groundwater flowpaths in IRES differ among various hydrological states remains elusive. Here, we present a conceptual framework relating spatial and temporal hydrological variability in surface water-groundwater interactions to biogeochemical processing hotspots in IRES. We combine a review of …

Food Industries Wastewater Recycling For Biodiesel Production Through Microalgal Remediation, Divakar Dahiya, Uttam K. Ghosh, Poonam S. Nigam, Amit Jaiswal

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This article is an overview of a biosystem of food-industry wastewater (WW) treatment using microalgae towards circular bioeconomy through biosynthesis of compounds of added-value. Focusing on circular bioeconomy with concern to environmental pollution, the management of water-resource and energy-crisis could be combined; by upgrading conventional WW treatment and simultaneously producing a renewable and sustainable source of energy algal-lipids for biodiesel production. Phyco-remediation of food WW using microalgae has revealed many advantages that can fulfill new demands for the WW treatment. WWs can be valuable resources of micronutrients and organic content (carbon source) for algal cultivation. In this review, prospective routes …

Socio-Economic Factors Associated With The Incidence Of Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) Enteritis And Cryptosporidiosis In The Republic Of Ireland, 2008–2017, Eiimear Cleary, Martin Boudou, Coilín Oscar Óhaiseadha, Patricia Garvey, Paul Mckeown, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

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The Republic of Ireland (ROI) currently reports the highest incidence rates of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) enteritis and cryptosporidiosis in Europe, with the spatial distribution of both infections exhibiting a clear urban/rural divide. To date, no investigation of the role of socio-demographic profile on the incidence of either infection in the ROI has been undertaken. The current study employed bivariate analyses and Random Forest classification to identify associations between individual components of a national deprivation index and spatially aggregated cases of STEC enteritis and cryptosporidiosis. Classification accuracies ranged from 78.2% (STEC, urban) to 90.6% (cryptosporidiosis, rural). STEC incidence was …

Psychological Impairment And Extreme Weather Event (Ewe) Exposure, 1980–2020: A Global Pooled Analysis Integrating Mental Health And Well-Being Metrics, C. Chique, P. Hynds, M.M. Nyhan, S. Lambert, Martin Boudou, J. O'Dwyer

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Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) impose a substantial health and socio-economic burden on exposed populations. Projected impacts on public health, based on increasing EWE frequencies since the 1950s, alongside evidence of human-mediated climatic change represents a growing concern. To date, the impacts of EWEs on mental health remain ambiguous, largely due to the inherent complexities in linking extreme weather phenomena with psychological status. This exploratory investigation provides a new empirical and global perspective on the psychological toll of EWEs by exclusively focusing on psychological morbidity among individuals exposed to such events. Morbidity data collated from a range of existing psychological and …

Application Of Big-Data For Epidemiological Studies Of Refractive Error, James Loughman

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To examine whether data sourced from electronic medical records (EMR) and a large industrial spectacle lens manufacturing database can estimate refractive error distribution within large populations as an alternative to typical population surveys of refractive error.

International Entrepreneurship From Emerging To Developed Markets: An Institutional Perspective, Nuraddeen Nuhu, Martin Owens, Deirdre Mcquillan

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Purpose The authors explore how home and host market institutions impact emerging market (EM) international entrepreneurship (IE) into developed markets.

Design/methodology/approach Based on four case studies of Nigerian entrepreneurs expanding into the USA, this qualitative research adopts an institutional perspective to the study of EM IE.

Findings The findings show home and host formal and informal institutions simultaneously enable and constrain the IE process. Weak home institutions shape the international opportunity recognition decision but seriously impede international opportunity development and exploitation activities in the developed market. EM entrepreneurs benefit from highly functioning regulation in the developed market whilst also experiencing …

Digital Health’S Impact On Integrated Care, Carer Empowerment And Patient-Centeredness For Persons Living With Dementia, Nicole Gross, Vivienne Byers, Susi Geiger

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E-health or digital health technologies endeavour to connect key stakeholders and thereby lay the foundation for better integrated as well as potentially more patient-centered care. However, despite the promise of empowerment, efficiency and value, digital health has yet to become part of the daily lives of the people who care for persons living with dementia