Digital Commons Network^™

Formulation, Characterisation And Evaluation Of The Antihypertensive Peptides, Isoleucine-Proline-Proline And Leucine-Lysine-Proline In Chitosan Nanoparticles Coated With Zein For Oral Drug Delivery, Minna Khalid Danish, John P. Gleeson, David J. Brayden, Hugh Byrne, Jesus Maria Frias, Sinead Ryan

Articles

Isoleucine-Proline-Proline (IPP) and Leucine-Lysine-Proline (LKP) are food-derived tripeptides whose antihypertensive functions have been demonstrated in hypertensive rat models. However, peptides display low oral bioavailability due to poor intestinal epithelial permeability and instability. IPP and LKP were formulated into nanoparticles (NP) using chitosan (CL113) via ionotropic gelation and then coated with zein. Following addition of zein, a high encapsulation efficiency (EE) (>80%) was obtained for the NP. In simulated gastric fluid (SGF), 20% cumulative release of the peptides was achieved after 2 h, whereas in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), ~90% cumulative release was observed after 6 h. Higher colloidal stability …

Hydrogel On A Smart Nanomaterial Interface To Carry Therapeutics For Digitalized Glioma Treatment, Xinyi Zhao, Bilal Javed, Furong Tian, Kangze Liu

Articles

Glioma is considered the primary brain tumor to cause brain illnesses, and it is difficult to treat and shows resistance to various routine therapeutics. The most common treatments to cure glioma are the surgical removal of tumors followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The latest biocompatible interfaces have been incorporated into therapeutic modalities such as the targeted delivery of drugs using hydrogels to treat and manage brain glioma. This review illustrates the applications of the multimodal hydrogel as the carrier of therapeutics, gene therapy, therapeutic tactics, and glioma devices. The scientific articles were retrieved from 2019 to 2022 on …

Cold Plasma Technology In Food Packaging, Kalpani Perera, Jack Prendeville, Amit Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

Articles

Cold plasma (CP) is an effective strategy to alter the limitations of biopolymer materials for food packaging applications. Biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins are known to be sustainable materials with excellent film-forming properties. Bio-based films can be used as an alternative to traditional plastic packaging. There are limitations to biopolymer packaging materials such as hydrophobicity, poor barrier, and thermos-mechanical properties. For this reason, biopolymers must be modified to create a packaging material with the desired applicability. CP is an effective method to enhance the functionality and interfacial features of biopolymers. It etches the film surface allowing for better adhesion …

Comparison Of Vibrational Spectroscopic Techniques For Quantification Of Water In Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents, Suha Elderderi, Pierre-Yves Sacré, Laura Wils, Igor Chourpa, Abdalla A. Elbashir, Philippe Hubert, Hugh Byrne, Leslie Boudesocque-Delaye, Eric Ziemons, Franck Bonnier Franck Bonnier

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Vibrational spectroscopic techniques, i.e., attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATRIR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS), coupled with Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), were evaluated as cost-effective label-free and reagent-free tools to monitor water content in Levulinic Acid/L-Proline (LALP) (2:1, mol/mol) Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent (NADES). ATR-IR delivered the best outcome of Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of Cross- Validation (CV) = 0.27% added water concentration, RMSE of Prediction (P) = 0.27% added water concentration and mean % relative error = 2.59%. Two NIRS instruments (benchtop and handheld) were also compared during the study, respectively yielding RMSECV = 0.35% …

Ordinary And Extraordinary Images: Making Visible The Operations Of Stock Photography In Posters Against The Repeal Of The 8th Amendment, Ann Curran

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The operations of stock photographs, as utilised by the Irish anti-abortion lobby, have not been examined before. Many of the ‘Vote No’ posters in the 2018 Irish referendum campaign on the 8th amendment maintained a visual and textual focus on foetal personhood: asking the Irish electorate to ‘love both,’ while deploying a range of stock photographs. In this article, I trace specific stock images used on anti-abortion posters against Repeal back to their online image bank sources. I make visible the role of generic or stereotypical photographs in anti-abortion messaging, in the knowledge that stock photographs often function best when …

Performance Of Wlan In Downlink Mu-Mimo Channel With The Least Cost In Terms Of Increased Delay, Lemlem Kassa, Jianhua Deng, Mark Davis, Jingye Cai

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To improve the performance of IEEE 802.11 wireless local area (WLAN) networks, different frame-aggregation algorithms are proposed by IEEE 802.11n/ac standards to improve the throughput performance of WLANs. However, this improvement will also have a related cost in terms of increasing delay. The traffic load generated by mixed types of applications in current modern networks demands different network performance requirements in terms of maintaining some form of an optimal trade-off between maximizing throughput and minimizing delay. However, the majority of existing researchers have only attempted to optimize either one (to maximize throughput or minimize the delay). Both the performance of …

Evaluating A Peer Assisted Learning Programme For Mature Access Foundation Students Undertaking Computer Programming At An Irish University, Nevan Bermingham, Frances Boylan, Barry J. Ryan

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Access Foundation Programmes are a widening-participation initiative designed to encourage engagement in higher education among under-represented groups. This includes socioeconomic and educational disadvantage. Mature students in particular enrolled on these programmes experience greater difficulties making the transition to tertiary education, especially when they opt to study disciplines traditionally considered difficult. Computer programming is perceived as a traditionally difficult subject with lower pass rates and progression rates typically than other subjects.

This paper describes the first of a three-cycle action research study examining the perceived effects of a structured Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Programme for mature students enrolled on a computer …

Towards A European Framework For Community Engagement In Higher Education – A Case Study Analysis Of European Universities, Emma O'Brien, Bojana Culum Ilic, Anete Veidemane, Davide Dusi, Thomas Farnell, Ninoslav Scukanec Schmidt

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Purpose – This paper aims to examine the development and piloting of a novel European framework for community engagement (CE) in higher education, which has been purposefully designed to progress the CE agenda in a European context.

Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework was co-created through the European Union (EU)-funded project towards a European framework for community engagement in higher education (TEFCE). The TEFCE Toolbox is an institutional self-reflection framework that centres on seven thematic dimensions of CE. This paper follows the development of the TEFCE Toolbox through empirical case study analysis of four European universities and their local communities.

Findings …

Beyond Section 230 Liability For Facebook, Nancy S. Kim

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No abstract provided.

Adhesive Terms And Reasonable Notice, Nancy S. Kim

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This Article challenges the conceptualization of adhesive forms as contracts and introduces a taxonomy of adhesive terms. It argues that this classification system should be used to determine which adhesive terms are in fact contractual rather than depending upon the self-serving “contracts” label that businesses use to identify their terms. Even if contract law is not the proper framework, torts, property, and other legal and regulatory regimes may determine the enforceability and effect of adhesive terms.

Thus, this Article is both a deconstruction of standard form contracts and a reconstruction. Courts typically apply the standard of reasonable notice to assess …

Direct Femtosecond Laser Inscription Of High-Order Bragg Gratings In Fluoroaluminate Glass Fiber, Lin She, Niannian Xu, Pengfei Wang, Jiquan Zhang, Mo Liu, Nian Lv, Ruoning Wang, Zhenrui Li, Shijie Jia, Shunbin Wang, Gerald Farrell, Weimin Sun

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This letter reports the fabrication of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) within in-house fabricated fluoroaluminate (AlF3) glass fibers using femtosecond (fs) laser inscription at 800 nm. The grating strength of the FBGs was investigated for different pulse energies and different orders, and a 3rd-order FBG with Bragg wavelength at 1557 nm was found to have the highest reflectivity of 99.5%. In addition, the reflectivity of the mid-IR grating peaks for different orders was also studied, and a 2nd-order FBG with a reflectivity of 98.8% was obtained at 2864 nm. Finally, the temperature characteristics of a mid-IR FBG were studied between 30 …

Recent Advances In Luminescence And Lasing Research In Zbya Glass, Changjun Xu, Jiquan Zhang, Mo Liu, Haiyan Zhao, Fengzi Ling, Shijie Jia, Gerald Farrell, Shunbin Wang, Pengfei Wang

Articles

In the last few decades, fluoride glasses have attracted a growing interest due to their unique advantages compared to multi-component oxide glasses. Among them, the most studied and widely used were fluorozirconate glasses, represented by ZrF4–BaF2–LaF3–AlF3–NaF (ZBLAN) glasses. However, compared with ZBLAN glasses, a kind of fluorozirconate glass with the components ZrF4–BaF2–YF3–AlF3 (ZBYA) has higher thermal and chemical stability. In this paper, we first introduce the advantages of ZBYA glasses compared to ZBLAN glasses. Then we review and discuss recent advances in research on luminescence and lasing in ZBYA glass and fiber. These studies suggest that ZBYA glass has strong …

Science And Hurling: A Review, Kieran Collins, Thomas Reilly, Shane Malone, John Keane, Dominic Doran

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Hurling is one of the world’s fastest field sports. Since the last review of science and Gaelic sports in 2008, there has been an increase in sports science provisions across elite and sub-elite cohorts, resulting in increased hurling-specific literature equating to an additional 111 research investigations into the game across all sports science disciplines. The present review aims to provide an updated analysis of the current research on the game and propose recommendations for future research. Overall, intermittent aerobic fitness remains an important physical quality during competition, with a focus on games-based training methodologies within the literature. Within the current …

Encapsulation Of Essential Oils In Nanocarriers For Active Food Packaging, Shubham Sharma, Lilly Mulrey, Megan Byrne, Amit Jaiswal, Swarma Jaiswal

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Active packaging improves a packaging system’s effectiveness by actively integrating additional components into the packaging material or the headspace around the packaging. Consumer demand and awareness have grown enough to replace chemical agents with natural active agents. Essential oils (EOs) are extensively distributed throughout nature but at low levels and sometimes with poor recovery yields, which poses an issue with their application in food. Due to the instability of EOs when added directly into a food product, they require encapsulation before being added to a packaging matrix such as liposomes, solid-lipid nanoparticles, nano-emulsions, cyclodextrins, and nanostructured lipid nano-carriers. This article …

Narratives Of Black Women Stem Faculty: Breaking Barriers To Promote Institutional Transformation At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Anna Lee, Maya Corneille, Karen T. Jackson, Bahby Banks, Sherrice Allen, Robin N. Coger, Margaret I. Kanipes, Stephanie Luster-Teasley

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Women faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), experience many barriers. HBCUs’ rich histories of advancing racial equity have often outweighed a focus on gender equity, with issues at the intersection of race and gender receiving minimal attention. This study highlights the need for institutional transformation at HBCUs by identifying the structural factors that promote and inhibit Black women STEM faculty advancement. Interviews (n=15) were conducted with HBCU Black women STEM faculty using the Life Interview approach. The three major themes related to barriers included: (a) greater likelihood of having their expertise questioned, (b) increased pressure to work harder, …

The Between-Competition Running Demands Of Elite Hurling Match-Play, Brendan Egan, Damian Young, Kieran Collins, Shane Malone, Giuseppe Coratella

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The current study aimed to investigate the differences in running demands between the National Hurling League (NHL) and the Championship, and within playing positions. GPS (10 Hz, STATSports Apex GNSS) were used to analyse the running demands during 34 games (2017–2020 seasons) of the Championship and the NHL. The running demands (total-, relative-, high-speed- [>17 km·h−1] and sprint [≥22 km·h−1] distance, number and length of sprints, and peak speed) were compared between competitions. Greater total- [ES = 0.32], relative- [ES = 0.26], and sprint-distance [ES = 0.41], and number of sprints [ES = 1.29] were completed in the Championship. …

Micro-Rna And Proteomic Profiles Of Plasma-Derived Exosomes From Irradiated Mice Reveal Molecular Changes Preventing Apoptosis In Neonatal Cerebellum, Simonetta Pazzaglia, Barbara Tanno, Ilaria De Stefano, Paola Giardullo, Simona Leonardi, Caterina Merla, Gabriele Babini, Seda Tuncay Cagatay, Ammar Mayah, Munira Kadhim, Fiona Lyng, Christine Von Toerne, Zohaib N. Khan, Prabal Subedi, Soile Tapio, Anna Saran, Mariateresa Mancuso

Articles

Cell communication via exosomes is capable of influencing cell fate in stress situations such as exposure to ionizing radiation. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that exosomes might play a role in out-of-target radiation effects by carrying molecular signaling mediators of radiation damage, as well as opposite protective functions resulting in resistance to radiotherapy. However, a global understanding of exosomes and their radiation-induced regulation, especially within the context of an intact mammalian organism, has been lacking. In this in vivo study, we demonstrate that, compared to sham-irradiated (SI) mice, a distinct pattern of proteins and miRNAs is found …

A Knowledge-Based Model For Context-Aware Smart Service Systems, Thang Le Dinh, Thanh Thoa Pham Thi, Cuong Pham-Nguyen, Le Nguyen Hoai Nam

Articles

The advancement of the Internet of Things, big data, and mobile computing leads to the need for smart services that enable the context awareness and the adaptability to their changing contexts. Today, designing a smart service system is a complex task due to the lack of an adequate model support in awareness and pervasive environment. In this paper, we present the concept of a context-aware smart service system and propose a knowledge model for context-aware smart service systems. The proposed model organizes the domain and context-aware knowledge into knowledge components based on the three levels of services: Services, Service system, …

Transferring Studies Across Embodiments: A Case Study In Confusion Detection, Na Li, Robert J. Ross

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Human-robot studies are expensive to conduct and difficult to control, and as such researchers sometimes turn to human-avatar interaction in the hope of faster and cheaper data collection that can be transferred to the robot domain. In terms of our work, we are particularly interested in the challenge of detecting and modelling user confusion in interaction, and as part of this research programme, we conducted situated dialogue studies to investigate users' reactions in confusing scenarios that we give in both physical and virtual environments. In this paper, we present a combined review of these studies and the results that we …

Advancing Competency In Managing Risk And Knowledge: Steps Toward Operationalisation Of The Risk-Knowledge Infinity Cycle (Rki Cycle) Part 3: Uncovering Knowledge For Qrm Through Knowledge Mapping At Node 1, Martin Lipa, Valerie Mulholland, Anne Greene

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To date, literature on the Risk-Knowledge Infinity Cycle (RKI Cycle) has mainly been theoretical. This paper series intent is to focus on the operationalisation of the RKI Cycle by describing a series of steps – the “How to” – for RKI Cycle deployment, to help move the RKI Cycle from theory to practice. The third paper in this series focuses on ensuring the best available knowledge flows into QRM through a case study demonstrating knowledge mapping to support effective quality risk assessment during commissioning and qualification activities.

Development And Validation Of A Raman Spectroscopic Classification Model For Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (Cin), Damien Traynor, Shiyamala Duraipandian, Ramya Bhatia, Kate Cuschieri, Prerna Tewari, Padraig Kearney, Tom D'Arcy, John J. O'Leary, Cara M. Martin, Fiona Lyng

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The mortality associated with cervical cancer can be reduced if detected at the precancer stage, but current methods are limited in terms of subjectivity, cost and time. Optical spectroscopic methods such as Raman spectroscopy can provide a rapid, label-free and nondestructive measurement of the biochemical fingerprint of a cell, tissue or biofluid. Previous studies have shown the potential of Raman spectroscopy for cervical cancer diagnosis, but most were pilot studies with small sample sizes. The aim of this study is to show the clinical utility of Raman spectroscopy for identifying cervical precancer in a large sample set with validation in …

Mirna-Mediated Fibrosis In The Out-Of-Target Heart Following Partial-Body Irradiation, Barbara Tanno, Flavia Novelli Flavia Novelli, Simona Leonardi, Caterina Merla, Gabriele Babini, Paola Giardullo, Munira Kadhim, Damian Traynor, Dinesh Medipally, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Soile Tapio, Luca Marcetti, Anna Saran, Simonetta Pazzaglia, Mariateresa Mancuso

Articles

A causal association between radiation exposure and various types of non-malignant diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, has been extensively reported [1,2]. The risks of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) were described in therapeutically exposed cohorts of patients with thoracic tumors in which a high incidence of long-term complications (i.e., pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, conduction abnormalities and myocardial fibrosis) increased the risk of heart-disease-related mortality [3]. Patients who received post-mastectomy radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer were at a 2–3-time higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, due to the apex and anterior wall of the heart being exposed to doses …

Carbon Nanotube Coated Fibrous Tubes For Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors Having High Linearity, Chenchen Li, Bangze Zhou, Yanfen Zhou, Jianwei Ma, Fenglei Zhou, Shaojuan Chen, Stephen Jerrams, Liang Jiang

Articles

Strain sensors are currently limited by an inability to operate over large deformations or to exhibit linear responses to strain. Producing strain sensors meeting these criteria remains a particularly difficult challenge. In this work, the fabrication of a highly flexible strain sensor based on electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibrous tubes comprising wavy and oriented fibers coated with carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is described. By combining spraying and ultrasonic-assisted deposition, the number of CNTs deposited on the electrospun TPU fibrous tube could reach 12 wt%, which can potentially lead to the formation of an excellent conductive network with high conductivity …

A Cure Of What Ails You: How Universal Healthcare Can Help Fix Our Tort System, David Pimentel

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No abstract provided.

The Epistemology Of The Internet And The Regulation Of Speech In America, Brian Leiter

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The Internet is the epistemological crisis of the 21st century: it has fundamentally altered the social epistemology of societies with relative freedom to access it. Most of what we think we know about the world is due to reliance on epistemic authorities, individuals, or institutions that tell us what we ought to believe about Newtonian mechanics, evolution by natural selection, climate change, resurrection from the dead, or the Holocaust. The most practically fruitful epistemic norm of modernity, empiricism, demands that knowledge be grounded in sensory experience, but almost no one who believes in evolution by natural selection or the reality …

Duplicative Taxation Among The States: A Problem Not Worth Solving?, Julie Roin

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Recent legal and economic changes not to mention the rise in telecommuting caused by COVID have raised the salience of a lon-simmering fact about the operation of state and local income tax systems: some multistate employers and employees pay a combined income tax liability that is higher than the tax they would have borne had they operated in just one jurisdiction. Seemingly beyond the reach of the courts to correct, there have been persistent calls for congressional action to eliminate or reduce this "duplicative" taxation. This Article suggests that the alleged problem may be both less of a problem, and …

Limiting Access To Remedies: Select Criminal Law And Procedure Cases From The Supreme Court's 2021-22 Term, Eve Brensike Primus, Justin Hill

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Although the most memorable cases from the Supreme Court’s 2021-22 Term were on the civil side of its docket, the Court addressed significant cases on the criminal side involving the Confrontation Clause, capital punishment, double jeopardy, criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, and important statutory interpretation principles, such as the mens rea presumption and the scope of the rule of lenity. Looking back, the Court’s decisions limiting individuals’ access to remedies for violations of their constitutional criminal procedure rights stand out. Shinn v. Ramirez and Shoop v. Twyford drastically limit the ability of persons incarcerated in state facilities to challenge the …

The 4c’S Of Pal – An Evidence-Based Model For Implementing Peer Assisted Learning For Mature Students, Nevan Bermingham, Frances Boylan, Barry J. Ryan

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Peer Assisted Leaning (PAL) programmes have been shown to enhance learner confidence and have an overall positive effect on learner comprehension, particularly in subjects traditionally perceived as difficult. This research describes the findings of a three-cycle Action Research study into the perceived benefits of implementing such a programme for mature students enrolled on a computer science programming module on an Access Foundation Programme in an Irish University. The findings from this study suggest that peer learning programmes offer students a valued support structure that aids transition and acculturation into tertiary education whilst simultaneously improving their subject-matter comprehension and confidence. An …

Digital Accessibility In Iran: An Investigation Focusing On Iran's National Policies On Accessibility And Disability Support, Laleh Nourian, Kristen Shinohara, Garreth W. Tigwell

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Digital accessibility has become an important topic in the field of HCI, but when looking at accessibility on a global scale, we find that the representation of accessibility research is mostly centered in the Global North with countries that are WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). Our paper explores digital accessibility in Iran, focusing exclusively on its national policies on accessibility. Iran is a non-WEIRD country located in the Global South, with no reports on its digital accessibility status from the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict). We found that there is not enough focus on …

Feminist Ethics And Research With Women In Prison, Christina Quinlan, Lucy Baldwin, Natalie Booth

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In this article, a new model, An Ethic of Empathy, is proposed as a guide for researchers, particularly new scholars to the discipline. This model emerged from the authors’ concerns regarding the application of ethics to studies that focus on the experience of female offenders in criminal justice systems. The key issue is the vulnerability of incarcerated and post-release women in relationship to the powerful status of social scientist researchers. The complexity of ethics in such research settings necessitates a particular ethical preparation, involving formation, reflection, understanding, commitment, care, and empathy. Three cases are outlined which document the authors’ ethical …