Digital Commons Network^™

Muted Justice, Leah Litman

Articles

The Chief Justice of the United States possesses significant power. His position as the senior most Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court allows him to assign opinions to other Justices and to coordinate scheduling the Court’s cases for argument. And after Justice Kennedy retired in June 2018, Chief Justice Roberts was the median Justice on the Court, whose vote often determined the outcome in a case. Even after Justice Barrett’s confirmation changed that state of affairs, the Chief remains an important Justice to watch.

The Personal Responsibility Pandemic: Centering Solidarity In Public Health And Employment Law, Lindsay F. Wiley, Samuel R. Bagenstos

Articles

Our nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has revealed fundamental flaws in our legal regimes governing both public health and employment. Public health orders have called on individuals to make sacrifices to protect society as a whole. Simple fairness dictates that the burdens should be shared as widely as the benefits. And the case for burden-sharing does not rest on fairness alone. Public health measures are more likely to succeed when those who are subject to them understand them as fair1 and when their cooperation is supported. 2 Predictably, our pandemic response has placed disproportionate burdens on those who are …

Conducting And Analysing Semi-Structured Interviews: A Study Of Open Innovation In Food Firms In Ireland., Anushree Priyadarshini

Articles

This case study examines the use of semi-structured interviews that I used in my PhD research as a method to explore open innovation in food firms in Ireland. Literature in the field highlights that exploring innovation and the extent to which firms are open and collaborative with people outside of their organizations in conducting innovation requires detailed understanding of the concept in its natural settings. To interpret or make sense of the phenomena in terms of the meaning managers bring to it, I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with managers in Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, the food and beverage sector. Demonstrating …

Corporate Governance, Measurement Of, Maeve O'Connell, Anne Marie Ward

Articles

The increased focus on good governance and the development of best practice guidelines, often supported by legislation, has been in response to corporate scandals, such as Enron and Worldcom in the early 2000s, and the 2008 banking crisis. Good governance is increasingly recognised as a process where the ‘best practices' of yesterday become the standard practices of today. This increased focus has also coincided with a worldwide movement for corporate reporting on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues and a growing demand within the investment industry for investment products that are socially responsible (Benn and Dunphy 2013). Sustainable development …

Analytical Framework And Student Perceptions: Assessing The Quality Of Doctoral Education In Accounting In Ireland, Anne Marie Ward, Louise Gorman, Niamh M. Brennan

Articles

To examine the quality of doctoral education in accounting in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ireland, we develop an analytical framework from the relevant literature and the principles of quality doctoral education included in the Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) National Framework for Doctoral Education (NFDE). Our analytical framework identifies 16 measurable indicators of quality doctoral education classified into four dimensions: context, inputs, processes and outcomes. Compliance with the quality indicators is verified by coding HEI websites and prospectuses. Deeper insights on the indicators of quality doctoral education are obtained from semi-structured interviews with accounting doctoral students. Our findings shed valuable …

On The Intermediate Long Wave Propagation For Internal Waves In The Presence Of Currents, Joseph Cullen, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

A model for the wave motion of an internal wave in the presence of current in the case of intermediate long wave approximation is studied. The lower layer is considerably deeper, with a higher density than the upper layer. The flat surface approximation is assumed. The fluids are incompressible and inviscid. The model equations are obtained from the Hamiltonian formulation of the dynamics in the presence of a depth-varying current. It is shown that an appropriate scaling leads to the integrable Intermediate Long Wave Equation (ILWE). Two limits of the ILWE leading to the integrable Benjamin-Ono and KdV equations are …

Dynamic Blood-Brain Barrier Regulation In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Eoin O'Keeffe, Eoin Kelly, Yuzhe Liu, Chiara Giordano, Eugene Wallace, Mark Hynes, Stephen Tiernan, Aidan Meagher, Chris Greene, Stephanie Hughes, Tom Burke, John Kealy, Niamh Doyle, Alison Hay, Michael Farrell, Gerald A. Grant, Alon Friedman, Ronel Veksler, Michael G. Molloy, James F. Meaney, Niall Pender, David Camarillo, Colin P. Doherty, Matthew Campbell

Articles

Whereas the diagnosis of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is readily visible on current medical imaging paradigms (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and computed tomography [CT] scanning), a far greater challenge is associated with the diagnosis and subsequent management of mild TBI (mTBI), especially concussion which, by definition, is characterized by a normal CT. To investigate whether the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is altered in a high-risk population for concussions, we studied professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and adolescent rugby players. Additionally, we performed the linear regression between the BBB disruption defined by increased gadolinium contrast …

Interest Rate Volatility And Macroeconomic Dynamics: Heterogeneity Matters, Michael Curran, Adnan Velic

Articles

We examine the relation between real interest rate volatility and aggregate fluctuations for a diverse sample of countries. Compiling a new dataset including emerging and advanced countries, the substantial variation in our data yields novel results: (a) stochastic volatility outperforms Markovswitching in representing interest rates, (b) some advanced economies can be more volatile than emerging markets, and (c) creditors take on more debt following volatility shocks. We show how an equilibrium business cycle model with uncertainty shocks can generate these facts. Sample heterogeneity produces significant parameter differences, playing an important role in distinguishing the effects of volatility shocks.

Who Smokes In Europe? Data From Twelve European Countries In The Tackshs Survey (2017-2018), Silvano Gallus, Alessandra Lugo, Xiaoqiu Liu, Panagiotis Behrakis, Roberto Boffi, Cristina Bosetti, Giulia Carreras, Liliane Chatenoud, Luke Clancy, Xavier Continente, Ruaraidh Dobson, Tobias Effertz, Filippos T. Filippidis, Marcela Fu, Gergana Geshanova, Giuseppe Gorini, Sheila Keogan, Hristo Ivanov, Maria J. Lopez, Angel Lopez-Nicolas, Jose Precioso, Krzysztof Przewozniak, Cornel Radu-Loghin, Ario Ruprecht, Sean Semple, Joan B. Soriano, Polina Starchenko, Marta Trapero-Bertran, Olena Tigova, Anna S. Tzortzi, Constantine Vardavas, Vergina K. Vyzikidou, Paola Colombo, Esteve Fernandez, Tackshs Project Investigators

Articles

Background: Population data on tobacco use and its determinants require continuous monitoring and careful inter-country comparison. We aimed to provide the most up-to-date estimates on tobacco smoking from a large cross-sectional survey, conducted in selected European countries.

Methods: Within the TackSHS Project, a face-to-face survey on smoking was conducted in 2017–2018 in 12 countries: Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain, representing around 80% of the 432 million European Union (EU) adult population. In each country, a representative sample of around 1,000 subjects aged 15 years and older was interviewed, for a total of …

Academic And Practitioner Perspectives On The Ilc Draft Articles On Prevention And Punishment Of Crimes Against Humanity As Adopted On Second Reading, Charles C. Jalloh, Leila N. Sadat

Articles

No abstract provided.

Formation Of P-N Junctions In Nanoparticle Cerium Oxide Electrolytic Cells Displaying Memristive Switching Behaviour, Rafaela Cristina De Carvalho, Tony Betts, John Cassidy

Articles

A macro-scale metal–semiconductor–metal device comprising CeO₂ nanoparticles cast from a suspension of cerium dioxide formed by a novel synthetic method was fabricated. Thin CeO₂ films of 40 nm thickness placed between panels of aluminium and/or copper displayed memristive-like resistive switching behaviour upon the application of potential sweeps ranging between −0.6 V and 0.6 V. A mechanism is proposed based on the notion that an electrolytic cell operates under such conditions with the initial formation of p and n-type regions within the central semiconductive thin film. Evidence is presented for the existence of numerous point defects in these nanosized …

Producing Urban Aerobiological Risk Map For Cupressaceae Family In The Sw Iberian Peninsula From Lidar Technology, Raúl Pecero‐Casimiro, Santiago Fernández‐Rodríguez, Rafael Tormo‐Molina, Inmaculada Silva‐Palacios, Ángela Gonzalo‐Garijo, Alejandro Monroy‐Colín, Juan Francisco Coloma, José María Maya‐Manzano

Articles

Given the rise in the global population and the consequently high levels of pollution, urban green areas, such as those that include plants in the Cupressaceae family, are suitable to reduce the pollution levels, improving the air quality. However, some species with ornamental value are also very allergenic species whose planting should be regulated and their pollen production reduced by suitable pruning. The Aerobiological Index to create Risk maps for
Ornamental Trees (AIROT), in its previous version, already included parameters that other indexes did not consider, such as the width of the streets, the height of buildings and the geographical …

Hysplit As An Environmental Impact Assessment Tool To Study The Data Discrepancies Between Olea Europaea Airborne Pollen Records And Its Phenology In Sw Spain, Alejandro Monroy-Colín, J. M. Maya-Manzano, Rafael Tormo-Molina, Raúl Pecero-Casimiro, María Ángeles Gonzalo-Garijo, Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez

Articles

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is a native evergreen tree in the Mediterranean region, being one of the most important causes of seasonal respiratory allergies in Mediterranean countries. This work aims to relate flowering phenology, source tree distribution, meteorology, and airborne pollen records for this species and to analyse the possible arrival of air masses from distant areas during days when differences between the phenological and pollen peaks. Aerobiological sampling was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) for 4 years (2016–2019) using a Hirst volumetric sampler. Trees were geolocalized in the city and surrounding areas. The pollination phenology of 15 …

Biopharmaceutical Revolution In Saudi Arabia: Progress And Development, Rihana Alzahran, Elaine Harris

Articles

Purpose This paper aimed to analyze the situation of the biopharmaceutical industry in Saudi Arabia to improve the situation in a way that achieves high levels of development similar to those in Europe, the United States of America (USA), and Japan. Methods To achieve the objective of the study, the authors surveyed 18 out of 21 Saudi pharmaceutical companies that have received licensing for manufacturing from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to diagnose the situation of manufacturing in relation to biopharmaceuticals. An interview with SFDA officials was carried out as a supplement to the survey. Results Findings revealed …

Characterization Of An Aryl Piperazine/2-Hydroxypropyl-Β-Cyclodextrin Association, A Complex With Antidiabetic Potential, R. Devine, D.S.D. Martin, Gemma Kinsella, J.B.C. Findlay, J.C. Stephens

Articles

This study explores the molecular association between 4-(thiophen-2-yl)-1-(4-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)piperazin-1-yl)butan-1-one (RTC1), an antidiabetic compound recently reported by our research group with challenging aqueous solubility, and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD). The formation of a RTC1/HPBCD complex resulted in improved solubility. A phase-solubility diagram was used to determine the complex stability constant and stoichiometric ratio. 2D ¹H NMR spectroscopy was utilized to study the molecular interaction between RTC1 and HPBCD in the complex. Differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy was also employed to confirm complex formation. In vitro biological evaluation, using a glucose uptake assay, showed that the homogeneous RTC1/HPBCD complex solution showed the …

Investigation Of The Stereoselective Synthesis Of The Indane Dimer Ph46a, A New Potential Anti-Inflammatory Agent, Graham R. Cumming, Tao Zhang, Gaia Scalabrino, Neil Frankish, Helen Sheridan

Articles

PH46A, belonging to a class of 1,2-Indane dimers, has been developed by our research group as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The initial synthetic route to PH46A gave a low overall yield, due in large part to the generation of undesired diastereoisomer 5 and the unwanted enantiomer (R,R)-8 during the synthesis. The aim of this work was to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the stereoselective synthesis of PH46A. Significant progress was made on the ketone reduction step, where the use of triisobutylaluminum [TiBA, Al(iBu)₃] afforded high selectivity for …

N-Cyclo­Pentyl-N-(3-Oxo-2,3-Dihydro-1h-Inden-1-Yl)Acetamide, Tao Zhang, Tom Mccabe, Bartosz Marzec, Neil Frankish, Helen Sheridan

Articles

The title mol­ecule, C₁₆H₁₉NO₂, consists of an indane moiety, which is connected through an N atom to an acetamide group and a cyclo­pentane ring. The N atom adopts planar triangular geometry. Inter­molecular inter­actions, such as π–π stacking or hydrogen bonding, were not observed.

2-(Di­Phenyl­Methyl­Idene)-2,3-Di­Hydro-1h-Inden-1-One, Tao Zhang, Vilmar Bandero, Tom Mccabe, Neil Frankish, Helen Sheridan

Articles

In the title mol­ecule, C₂₂H₁₆O, the indanone ring system is approximately planar with a dihedral angle between the fused rings of 5.13 (14)°. Two benzene rings are linked together at one side of a double bond, sitting on either side of the indanone ring system and making dihedral angles of 70.30 (12) and 44.74 (13)° with it. In the crystal, hydrogen bonding is not present, but weak C—H⋯π or π–π inter­actions occur and mol­ecules form a sheet-like structure in the bc plane.

Antidiabetic Activities Of An Lc/Ms Fingerprinted Aqueous Extract Of Fagonia Cretica L. In Preclinical Models, Imran Nazir, Nisar Ur Rahman, Zunaira Alvi, M. Hafizur Rahman, Jandirk Jandirk Sendker, Tao Zhang, Neil Frankish, Helen Sheridan

Articles

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease and one of the most important public health challenges facing mankind. Fagonia cretica is a medicinal plant used widely in the Punjab in Pakistan. A recent survey has demonstrated that traditional healers and herbalists frequently use this plant to treat diabetes. In the current study, the traditional medicine was prepared as a tea, and the profile of the main metabolites present in the traditional medicine was analysed via LC/MS/MS. The extract was shown to contain a number of phenolic glycosides including quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-glycoside, kaempferol-3(6′-malonylglucoside), isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, and isorhamnetin 3-(6″-malonylglucoside) in addition to two unidentified …

Mast Cell Stabilisers, Tao Zhang, Deirdre Frances Finn, James William Barlow, John Jarlath Walsh

Articles

Mast cells play a critical role in type 1 hypersensitivity reactions. Indeed, mast cell mediators are implicated in many different conditions including allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, asthma, psoriasis, mastocytosis and the progression of many different cancers. Thus, there is intense interest in the development of agents which prevent mast cell mediator release or which inhibit the actions of such mediators once released into the environment of the cell. Much progress into the design of new agents has been made since the initial discovery of the mast cell stabilising properties of khellin from Ammi visnaga and the clinical approval of cromolyn sodium. …

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Effects Of Plasma-Treated Water (Ptw) Produced By Microwave-Induced Plasma (Midiplexc) On Pseudomonas Fluorescens Biofilms, Oliver Handorf, Viktoria Isabella Pauker, Thomas Weihe, Eric Freund, Sander Bekeschus, Katharina Riedel, Uta Schnabel, Jörg Ehlbeck

Articles

stract: For the decontamination of surfaces in the food production industry, plasma generated compounds (PGCs) such as plasma-treated water (PTW) or plasma processed air (PPA) offer many promising possibilities for future applications. Therefore, the antimicrobial effect of water treated with microwave-induced plasma (MidiPLexc) on Pseudomonas fluorescensbiofilms was investigated. 10 ml deionized water was treated with the MidiPLexc plasma source for 100 s, 300 s and 900 s (pre-treatment time) and the bacterial biofilms were exposed to the PTW for 1 min, 3 min and 5 min (post treatment time). To investigate the influence of PTW on P. fluorescensbiofilms, microbiological assays …

Food Security And Diet Quality In Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, And Filipino Infants 3 To 12 Months Of Age, Sally Campbell, John J. Chen, Carol J. Boushey, Heather Eicher-Miller, Fengqing Zhu, Marie K. Fialkowski

Articles

Food insecurity and other nutritional risks in infancy pose a lifelong risk to wellbeing; however, their effect on diet quality in Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino (NHPIF) infants in Hawai‘i is unknown. In this cross-sectional analysis, the association between various indicators of food security and NHPIF infant diet quality were investigated in 70 NHPIF infants aged 3–12 months residing on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The dietary assessments of the infants were collected using a mobile food record^TM. Foods consumed across four days were categorized into seven food groups. Indicators for food security were examined through an adapted infant food …

Direct Plasma Deposition Of Collagen On 96-Well Polystyrene Plates For Cell Culture, Denis O'Suillivan, Liam O'Neill, Paula Bourke

Articles

A cold atmospheric plasma unit was used to deposit a biologic, in this case collagen, onto a surface. A collagen coating was applied to 96-well polystyrene plates at a range of powers to determine the effects of the plasma power on the coating structure and viability. Plasma characterization was carried out using voltage, current, and power measurements. Coating characterization was completed using gravimetric measurement, cell growth, water contact angle, as well as spectroscopic analysis and compared to commercial collagen-coated plates. Cell culture studies were also undertaken. The plasma coating matched the performance of the commercial plate but dramatically reduced production …

Assessing The Biological Safety Of Atmospheric Cold Plasmatreated Wheat Using Cell And Insect Models, Agata Los, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehn, Paula Bourke

Articles

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is under investigation for an extensive range of biocontrol applications in food biosystems. However, the development of a novel intervention technology requires a thorough evaluation of the potential for negative effects and the implications for the human and animal food chains’ safety. The evaluations were performed using a contained, high-voltage, dielectric barrier discharge plasma system. The cytotoxicity of two types of food models—a liquid model (wheat model medium (WMM)) vs. a solid model (wheat grain extract (WGE)) was compared in vitro using the mammalian cell line CHO-K1. The residual toxicity of ACP treatment of grains for …

Salcaprozate Sodium (Snac) Enhances Permeability Of Octreotide Across Isolated Rat And Human Intestinal Epithelial Mucosae In Ussing Chambers, Sarinj Fattah, Mohamed Ismaiel, Brenda Murphy, Aleksandra Rulikowska, Jesus Maria Frias, Desmond C. Winter, David J. Brayden

Articles

Octreotide is approved as a one-month injectable for treatment of acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours. Oral delivery of the octapeptide is a challenge due mainly to low intestinal epithelial permeability. The intestinal permeation enhancer (PE) salcaprozate sodium (SNAC) has Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status and is a component of an approved oral peptide formulation. The purpose of the study was to examine the capacity of salcaprozate sodium (SNAC), to increase its permeability across isolated rat intestinal mucosae from five regions and across human colonic mucosae mounted in Ussing chambers. Apical-side buffers were Kreb's-Henseleit (KH), fasted simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF-V2), rat …

Effects Of Cold Plasma On Wheat Grain Microbiome And Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Challenge Pathogens And Their Resistance, Agata Los, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehm, Paula Bourke

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The safety and quality of cereal grain supplies are adversely impacted by microbiological contamination, with novel interventions required to maximise whole grains safety and stability. The microbiological contaminants of wheat grains and the efficacy of Atmospheric Cold Plasma (ACP) for potential to control these risks were investigated. The evaluations were performed using a contained reactor dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system; samples were treated for 0–20 min using direct and indirect plasma exposure. Amplicon-based metagenomic analysis using bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal 18S rRNA gene with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was performed to characterize the change in microbial community …

Temperature Stability And Effectiveness Of Plasma-Activated Liquids Over An 18 Months Period, Evanthia Tsoukou, Paula Bourke, Daniela Boehm

Articles

Non-buffered plasma-activated liquids such as water and saline have shown bactericidal effects. In the present study, we investigated the anti-bacterial efficacy and stability of plasma-activated water (PAW) and plasma-activated saline (PAS), generated using a high voltage dielectric barrier discharge system. This study compares the potential of non-buffered plasma-activated liquids (PAL) for the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) after storage of the solutions at five different temperatures for a storage time up to 18 months after their generation. The temperatures used were room temperature, 4 °C, −16 °C, −80 °C, −150 °C. Both PAW and …

Safety Evaluation Of Plasma-Treated Lettuce Broth Using In Vitro And In Vivo Toxicity Models, Caitlin Heslin, Daniela Boehm, Brendan F. Gilmore, Julianne Megaw, Paula Bourke

Articles

Cold atmospheric plasma is a promising new non-thermal technology for improving the microbiological safety and shelf-life of food products, particularly fresh produce and minimally processed fruit and vegetables. Limited research has been conducted on the safety of plasma-treated foods for human or animal consumption. This study focuses on basic safety studies by investigating lettuce broth treated with a di-electric barrier discharge plasma device as a fresh produce model in terms of in vitro cytotoxic and mutagenic effects on mammalian cells and its in vivo toxicity on Galleria mellonella larvae. Low cytotoxic effects were detected in vitro and mutagenic events were …

Ethics Committees For Clinical Experimentation At International Level With A Focus On Italy, Zakira Naureen, Tommaso Beccari, Robert S. Marks, Richard Brown, Lorenzo Lorusso, Derek Pheby, Stanislav Miertus, Karen L. Herbst, Liborio Stuppia, Gary T. Henehan, Benedetto Falsini, Ludovica Lumer, Munis Dundar, Matteo Bertelli, International Bioethical Study Group

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Guiding legislation and associated bureaucracy for the ethical review of clinical trials observational studies and food related research play an important role in the competitiveness of a nation in the face of tough global competition to attract sponsors and investigators. This is of particular relevance in the case of multicentre trials and multidisciplinary research. Accordingly, in this report we tried to gather in-depth knowledge of the current role and practices of ethics committees nationwide in both clinical and research settings. This mini-review aims to describe the formulation and organization of ethical committees in Italy in order to provide a focus …

Dissipation Of Pesticide Residues On Grapes And Strawberries Using Plasma-Activated Water, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Laurence Scally, Miroslav Gulan, P. J. Cullen

Articles

In this study, we present a novel atmospheric air plasma discharge for the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW), with the aim of reducing pesticide residues on fresh fruit. For this purpose, a large discharge volume pin-to-plate cold plasma reactor was employed. The pesticide-spiked grapes and strawberries were processed with varying PAW concentrations to study their efficacies for pesticide degradation combined with an evaluation of any induced changes in key nutritional and quality attributes. The results suggest that the reduction of chlorpyrifos was 79% on grapes and 69% on strawberries while that of carbaryl was 86% on grapes and 73% on …