Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Governance Of Maritime Higher Education Institutions To Ensure Success Of Filipino Cadets, Cleto Del Rosario,, Dimitrios Dalaklis, Momoko Kitada, Johan Bolmsten

Articles

No abstract provided.

Consumer Activism: From The Informed Minority To The Crusading Minority, Yonathan A. Arbel, Roy Shapira

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Legal scholars have long recognized that market norms are respected not only because of consumer protection laws, but also because of internal market dynamics. Consumers, the argument goes, fend for themselves and hold sellers accountable. But how exactly do consumers discipline sellers? The most influential model has been the informed minority theory, according to which a critical mass of informed consumers reads and negotiates contracts in advance, thereby pressuring sellers to offer better contracts to all consumers. Recent empirical studies, however, cast doubt on the existence of such a mass, leading many to view the informed minority theory as unrealistic. …

Tuition As A Fraudulent Transfer, David G. Carlson

Articles

Bankruptcy trustees are suing universities because the insolvent parent of an adult student has written a tuition check while insolvent. The theory is that the university is the initial transferee of a fraudulent transfer that has provided benefit to the student but not to the parent debtor. This article claims that the university is never the initial transferee of tuition dollars. Rather, the student is. Where the university has no knowledge of parent insolvency, the university can count educating the student as a good faith transfer for value, thus immunizing the university from liability. The unpleasant side effect is that …

Debating The Interface Between International Law And Municipal Law: A Few Concerns Regarding The Relevance Of The Traditional Debate, Primary Of Law And Integration Of The Legal Systems, Akhila Basalalli

Articles

The interface between international and municipal legal systems has moved from segregation towards convergence and integration. The changing contours of sovereignty are evident by the blurring divide between the two legal systems. This process is manifested by relaxing the requisite of transformation of treaties and elevating status of customary norms to ‘law of the land’. The Indian Courts too have emanated a varied set of judicial techniques. Considering contemporary developments, the paper examines the relevance of the monist-dualist debate, questions the primacy of law in the event of conflict and pursues the trending integration.

Gender-Related Differences In Flood Risk Perception And Behaviours Among Private Groundwater Users In The Republic Of Ireland, Cillian P. Mcdowell, Luisa Andrade, Eoin O'Neill, Kevin O'Malley, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

Extreme weather events including flooding can have severe personal, infrastructural, and economic consequences, with recent evidence pointing to surface flooding as a pathway for the microbial contamination of private groundwater supplies. There is a pressing need for increasingly focused information and awareness campaigns to highlight the risks posed by extreme weather events and appropriate subsequent post-event actions. To date, little is known about the presence, directionality or magnitude of gender-related differences regarding flood risk awareness and behaviour among private groundwater users, a particularly susceptible sub-population due to an overarching paucity of infrastructural regulation across many regions. The current study investigated …

High Lymph Node Positive To Sampled Ratio As A Potential Indication For Postoperative Radiation Therapy In Patients With Pn2 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Nikhil P Mankuzhy, Muayad F Almahariq, Craig W Stevens, Thomas J Quinn

Articles

Background: The role for postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal lymph node (LN) involvement (pN2 disease) is controversial. We performed a SEER analysis comparing surgery alone with PORT among patients with pN2 NSCLC. As we await the final results of the LUNG ART trial, a subset of patients with a high LN positive to sampled (LPR) ratio may benefit from PORT. Patients/methods: Patients with pN2 NSCLC, ranging from 1989-2016, were assessed from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. A propensity score (PS)-matched, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was conducted …

Beyond The Belloni Decision: Sohappy V. Smith And The Modern Era Of Tribal Treaty Rights, Monte Mills

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Indian tribes and their members are leading a revived political, legal, and social movement to protect the nation’s natural resources. In doing so, tribes and their allies employ many effective strategies but core to the movement are the historic promises made to tribes by the United States through treaties. Tribes are asserting treaty-protected rights, which the United States Constitution upholds as the supreme law of the land, to defend the resources on which they and their ancestors have relied for generations. Those claims have resulted in significant legal victories, igniting a broader movement in favor of tribal sovereignty and securing …

Resolving Tensions Between Disability Rights Law And Covid-19 Mask Policies, Elizabeth Pendo, Robert Gatter, Seema Mohapatra

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As states reopen, an increasing number of state and local officials are requiring people to wear face masks while out of the home. Grocery stores, retail outlets, restaurants, and other businesses are also announcing their own mask policies, which may differ from public policies. Public health measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus such as wearing masks have the potential to greatly benefit millions of Americans with disabilities, who are particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. But certain disabilities may make it difficult or inadvisable to wear a mask.

Mask-wearing has become a political flashpoint, putting people with …

Law Students And Cell Phone Use: Results Of A Six-School Survey, Hugh D. Spitzer, Robert M. Jarvis, Cindy I.T. Archer, Linda Galler, Jodi L. Wilson, Mark E. Wojcik

Articles

The sight of a law student using his or her cell phone now is so common that law professors do not give it a second thought. But what, exactly, is the student doing? Texting with friends? Shopping? Watching a movie? To try to find out, during the Fall 2019 semester we asked our six diverse law schools to take an online survey consisting of eighteen questions. To our knowledge, this is the first phone survey of law students.

This paper presents the results of the survey, exploring applications used (text, social media, email, etc.) and differences by audience (e.g., whether …

Associations Between The Home Environment, Feeding Practices And Children’S Intakes Of Fruit, Vegetables And Confectionary/Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Carolina Bassu, Clare Corish, John Kearney

Articles

Within the home environment, parents influence their children’s dietary intakes through their parenting and dietary practices, and the foods they make available/accessible. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between home environmental characteristics and children’s dietary intakes. Three hundred and thirty-two children aged three–five years and their parents participated in the study. Home environmental characteristics, including parental control feeding practices, were explored using validated and standardized questionnaires such as the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), the Physical and Nutritional Home Environment Inventory (PNHEI) and the Healthy Home Survey (HHS). Parent and child food consumption was also measured. …

Introducing A Model And A Framework To Unify The Pharmaceutical Quality System Enablers Quality Risk Management & Knowledge Management, Martin J. Lipa, Kevin O'Donnell, Anne Greene

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An organization that effectively manages knowledge should be able to recognize and proactively apply new learnings to better anticipate risks. This is particularly important in the manufacture of medicinal products. Since the publication of ICH Q10 in 2010, Quality Risk Management (QRM) and Knowledge Management (KM) have been positioned as co-enablers to the Pharmaceutical Quality System. The authors of this paper present a Knowledge Management process model to foster greater practical understanding of the practice of knowledge management. This model when joined with the familiar ICH Q9 process model for QRM, should enable a company to better manage their knowledge …

Tracing Sources Of Natural Organic Matter, Trihalomethanes And Metals In Groundwater From A Karst Region, Connie O'Driscoll, Eoin Mcgillicuddy, Peter Croot, Pamela Bartley, John Mcmyler, Jerome Sheahan, Liam Morrison

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Groundwater offers an important source for drinking water around the world; however, groundwater quality is under increasing pressure and is particularly vulnerable in karst areas. Total organic carbon (TOC) is significantly related to groundwater quality and when not removed by water treatment processes can give rise to the formation of disinfection by-products trihalomethanes (THMs) above the level of compliance. This study investigated the source of organic matter giving rise to the THM exceedances in a groundwater supply in a karst area. Results highlighted that source water for this groundwater supply was prone to surface water infiltration linked to rainfall events; …

A Geostatistical Study Of Socioeconomic Status (Ses), Rurality, Seasonality And Index Test Results As Drivers Of Free Private Groundwater Testing In Southern Ontario, 2012–2016, Shahryar Qayyum, Paul Hynds, Harriet Richardson, Kevin Mcdermott, Anna Majury

Articles

Approximately 12% of the Canadian population uses private wells for daily water consumption; however, well water testing rates are on the decline, resulting in an increased risk of waterborne acute gastrointestinal illness. To date, limited research has explored the determinants influencing well testing practices. Accordingly, the current study sought to investigate the drivers of “one-off” and repeat well water testing in southern Ontario during the 5-year period 2012–2016, using the worlds largest private groundwater testing data-frame. Data from >400,000 wells were geospatially integrated with all tests conducted by the provincial laboratory in southern Ontario. The Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) was …

Covid-19: A Simple Curve Approximation Tool, Jane Courtney

Articles

In the current COVID-19 pandemic, much focus is put on ‘flattening the curve’. This ‘curve’ refers to the cases versus time graph, which shows the rise of a disease to its peak before descending. The aim in a pandemic is to flatten this curve by reducing the peak and spreading out the timeline. However, the models used to predict this curve are often not clearly outlined, no model parameters are given, and models are not tested against real data. This lack of detail makes it difficult to recreate the curve from these models. What is much needed is a simple …

Performance Investigation Of Peak Shrinking And Interpolating The Papr Reduction Technique For Lte-Advance And 5g Signals, Somayeh Mohammady, Ronan Farrell, David Malone, John Dooley

Articles

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has become an indispensable part of waveform generation in wideband digital communication since its first appearance in digital audio broadcasting (DAB) in Europe in 1980s, and it is indeed in use. As has been seen, the OFDM based waveforms work well with time division duplex operation in new radio (NR) systems in 5G systems, supporting delay-sensitive applications, high spectral efficiency, massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) compatibility, and ever-larger bandwidth signals, which has demonstrated successful commercial implementation for 5G downlinks and uplinks up to 256-QAM modulation schemes. However, the OFDM waveforms suffer from high peak …

Applications Of Artificial Intelligence To Cryptography, Jonathan Blackledge, Napo Mosola

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This paper considers some recent advances in the field of Cryptography using Artificial Intelligence (AI). It specifically considers the applications of Machine Learning (ML) and Evolutionary Computing (EC) to analyze and encrypt data. A short overview is given on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and the principles of Deep Learning using Deep ANNs. In this context, the paper considers: (i) the implementation of EC and ANNs for generating unique and unclonable ciphers; (ii) ML strategies for detecting the genuine randomness (or otherwise) of finite binary strings for applications in Cryptanalysis. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview on …

Reformulating The Binary Masking Approach Of Adress As Soft Masking, Ruairí De Fréin

Articles

Binary masking forms the basis for a number of source separation approaches that havebeen successfully applied to the problem of de-mixing music sources from a stereo recording.A well-known problem with binary masking is that, when music sources overlap in the time-frequencydomain, only one of the overlapping sources can be assigned the energy in a particulartime-frequency bin. To overcome this problem, we reformulate the classical pan-pot source separationproblem for music sources as a non-negative quadratic program. This reformulation gives rise toan algorithm, called Redress, which extends the popular Adress algorithm. It works by definingan azimuth trajectory for each source based on …

Impact Assessment Of High-Power Domestic Ev Charging Proliferation Of A Distribution Network, Arsalan Zaidi, Keith Sunderland, Michael Conlon

Articles

Transport electrification is becoming the mainstream as a means to improve efficiency, performance, andsustainability of transportation systems. Electrical vehicles (EVs) can help to de-carbonise the environment, but a downside isthe technical issues presented to the low-voltage distribution network. To quantify the stochastic nature of transport-affectedelectrification, probabilistic load flow is employed. Monte Carlo-based simulation is applied to accommodate the probabilisticuncertainties associated with variable EV charging patterns. This study considers high-power charging (up to 11 kW) at thedomestic level while monitoring power quality variations (voltage drop, voltage unbalance factor, voltage sag) standards. Thiswork focuses on the Irish and UK, distribution system operator's–transmission …

A Wide Frequency Scanning Printed Bruce Array Antenna With Bowtie And Semi-Circular Elements, Zeeshan Ahmed, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann

Articles

A printed edge-fed counterpart of the wire Bruce array antenna, for frequency scanning applications, is presented in this paper. The unit-cell of the proposed antenna consists of bowtie and semi-circular elements to achieve wide bandwidth from below 22 GHz to above 38 GHz with open-stopband suppression. The open-stopband suppression enables a wide seamless scanning range from backward, through broadside, to forward endfire. A sidelobe threshold level of −10 dB is maintained to evaluate efficient scanning performance of the antenna. The antenna peak realized gain is 15.30 dBi, and, due to its compact size, has the ability to scan from −64° …

Anti-Resonance, Inhibited Coupling And Mode Transitionin Depressed Core Fibers, Xiaokang Lian, Gerald Farrell, Qiang Wu, Wei Han, Changyu Shen, Youqiao Ma, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

The depressed core fiber (DCF), consisting of a low-index solid core, a high-index cladding and air surrounding, is in effect a bridge between the conventional step-index fiber and the tube-type hollow-core fiber from the point of view of the index profile. In this paper the dispersion diagram of a DCF is obtained by solving the full-vector eigenvalue equations and analyzed using the theory of anti-resonant and the inhibited coupling mechanisms. While light propagation in tube-type hollow-core fibers is commonly described by the symmetric planar waveguide model, here we propose an asymmetric planar waveguide for the DCFs in an anti-resonant reflecting …

Investigation On The Polarization Dependence Of An Angled Polished Multimode Fibre Structure, Ruoning Wang, Ke Tian, Meng Zhang, Yuxuan Jiang, Libo Yuan, Guoyong Jin, Gerald Farrell, Elfed Lewis, Pengfei Wang

Articles

An angled polished multimode (APM) fibre structure is described for the first time, to the best our knowledge, and its polarization dependence is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Two angled planes are established in the multimode fibre (MMF) section of a single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) fibre structure using the fibre side-polishing technique, forming the APM fibre structure. This designed circular asymmetric geometry induces different propagation characteristics for the TE and TM modes within the MMF. Simulated and experimental results both show that this difference is enhanced as the polishing angle increases, and a maximum extinction ratio (ER) of the spectrum of 13 dB …

Spectral Dependence Of Transmission Losses In High-Index Polymer Coated No-Core Fibers, Xiaokang Lian, Gerald Farrell, Qiang Wu, Wei Han, Changyu Shen, Youqiao Ma, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

A high-index polymer coated no-core fiber (PC-NCF) is effectively a depressed core fiber, where the light is guided by the anti-resonant, inhibited coupling and total internal reflection effects and the dispersion diagram shows periodic resonant and anti-resonant bands. In this paper, the transmission spectra of the straight and bent PC-NCFs (length > 5 cm) are measured and analyzed from a modal dispersion perspective. For the purpose of the study, the PC-NCFs are contained within a fiber hetero-structure using two single-mode fiber (SMF) pigtails forming a SMF-PC-NCF-SMF structure. The anti-resonance spectral characteristics are suppressed by the multimode interference in the PC-NCF with …

Indirect Sliding Mode Control For Dc-Dc Sepic Converters, Hasan Komurcugil, Samet Biricik, Naki Guler

Articles

This article presents an indirect sliding mode control (SMC) for single-ended primary-inductor converters (SEPIC). Unlike the conventional SMC methods, the proposed SMC method employs a sliding surface function based on the input current error only. The use of such sliding surface function not only simplifies the implementation but also reduces the cost of implementation. It is shown that the output voltage control can be achieved indirectly. The input current reference is generated by a proportional-integral (PI) regulator. The existence condition and the region of the closed-loop system are determined for all possibilities of the PI gains. The performance of the …

Cost-Effectiveness Of A Mobile Health-Supported Lifestyle Intervention For Pregnant Women With An Elevated Body Mass Index, Elizabeth O'Sullivan, Salwa Rokicki, Maria Kennelly, Kate Ainscough, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of a mobile health-supported lifestyle intervention compared with usual care.

Methods We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the publicly-funded health care system. We estimated costs associated with the intervention and health care utilisation from first antenatal care appointment through delivery. We used bootstrap methods to quantify the uncertainty around cost‐effectiveness estimates. Health outcomes assessed in this analysis were gestational weight gain (GWG; kg), incidence of excessive GWG, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incidence of large-for-gestational-age (LGA). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated as cost per QALY gained, cost per kg of GWG …

The Prevalence Of Overweight And Obesity In Irish Children Between 1990 And 2019, Aisling O'Donnell, Maria Buffini, Laura Kehoe, Ann Nugent, John Kearney, Janette Walton, Albert Flynn, Breige Mcnulty

Articles

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the temporal prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish children through different methodologies and evaluate the change in rates between 1990 and 2019.

Preoperative Exercise To Improve Fitness In Patients Undergoing Complex Surgery For Cancer Of The Lung Or Oesophagus (Pre-Hiit): Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Grainne Sheill, Emer Guinan, Linda O'Neill, Charles Normand, Suzanne Doyle, Sarah Moore, John Newell, Granne Mcdermott, Ronan Ryan, John V. Reynolds, Juliette Hussey

Articles

Patients with cancer of the lung or oesophagus, undergoing curative treatment, usually require a thoracotomy and a complex oncological resection. These surgeries carry a risk of major morbidity and mortality, and risk assessment, preoperative optimisation, and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways are modern approaches to optimise outcomes. Pre-operative fitness is an established predictor of postoperative outcome, accordingly, targeting pre-operative fitness through exercise prehabilitation has logical appeal. Exercise prehabilitation is challenging to implement however due to the short opportunity for intervention between diagnosis and surgery. Therefore, individually prescribed, intensive exercise training protocols which convey clinically meaningful improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness …

Nutrition, Behavior Change And Physical Activity Outcomes From The Pears Rct—An Mhealth-Supported, Lifestyle Intervention Among Pregnant Women With Overweight And Obesity, Kate M. Ainscough, Eileen C. O'Brien, Karen L. Lindsay, Maria A. Kenneally, Elizabeth J. O'Sullivan, Orna A. O'Brien, Mary Mccarthy, Giuseppe De Vito, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Background: Diet quality and physical activity positively impact pregnancy outcomes among women with obesity, but successful lifestyle interventions require intense clinician time. We aimed to investigate the impact of a behavioral-lifestyle intervention (PEARS) supported by a smartphone app among pregnant women with overweight and obesity, on nutrient intake, behavioral stage-of-change and physical activity.

Methods: Pregnant women (BMI 25–39.9 kg/m2, measured, n = 565) were randomized at 15.6 weeks' gestation to the intervention (n = 278), or a control group (n = 287) (ISRCTN29316280). The intervention was grounded in behavior-change theory. Participants received nutrition (low glycaemic index and healthy …

Smartphone Use As A Possible Risk Factor For Myopia, Saoirse Mccrann, James Loughman, John Butler, Nabin Paudel, Daniel Ian Flitcroft

Articles

Clinical Relevance

This study demonstrates an association between myopia and smartphone data usage. Youths now spend more time participating in near tasks as a result of smartphone usage. This poses an additional risk factor for myopia development/progression and is an important research question in relation to potential myopia management strategies.

Background

Children are now exposed to another possible environmental risk factor for myopia-smartphones. This study investigates the amount of time students spend on their smartphones and their pattern of smartphone usage from a myopia perspective.

Methods

Primary, secondary and third-level students completed a questionnaire exploring patterns of smartphone usage and …

A Vibrational Spectroscopic Based Approach For Diagnosing Babesia Bovis Infection, Anja Ruther, David Perezguaita, William Poole, Brian Cooke, Carlos Suarez, Philip Heraud, Bayden Wood

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Babesia bovis parasites present a serious and significant health concern for the beef and dairy industries in many parts of the world. Difficulties associated with the current diagnostic techniques include they are prone to human error (microscopy) or expensive and time consuming (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to perform. Little is known about the biochemical changes in blood that are associated with Babesia infections. The discovery of new biomarkers will lead to improved diagnostic outcomes for the cattle industry. Vibrational spectroscopic technologies can record a chemical snapshot of the entire organism and the surrounding cell thereby providing a phenotype of the organism …

Empirical Study On The Effects Of Acquisition Parameters For Ftir Hyperspectral Imaging Of Brain Tissue, David Perezguaita, Julia Sacharz, Mustafa Kasniz, Shaiju Nazeer, Bayden Wood, Philip Heraud

Articles

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging is a powerful technique for molecular imaging of pathologies associated with the nervous systems including multiple sclerosis research. However, there is no standard methodology or standardized protocol for FTIR imaging of tissue sections that maximize the ability to discriminate between the molecular, white and granular layers, which is essential in the investigation of the mechanism of demyelination process. Tissue sections are heterogeneous, complex and delicate, hence the parameters to generate high quality images in minimal time becomes essential in the modern clinical laboratory. This article presents an FTIR spectroscopic imaging study of post-mortem human …