Digital Commons Network^™

First Approaches To Standard Protocols And Reference Materials For The Assessment Of Potential Hazards Associated With Nanomaterialss, Gordon Chambers, Hugh Byrne, Iseult Lynch, Micheal Riediker, Hans Bouwmeester, Hans Marvin, Alan Casey, Markus Berges, Martin Clift, Teresa Fernandez, Lise Fjellsbo, Lucienne Juillerat, Gert Roebben, Christoph, Klein, Qinglan Wu, Vince Hackley, Jean-Pierre Kaiser, Wolfganag Kreyling, Michael Garner, Peter Hatto,, Kenneth Dawson

Articles

All new technologies have an inherent risk, which is typically assessed alongside the development of applications of the technology. This is also the case for nanotechnology: a key concern in the case of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is that due to their very small size, NMs can reach areas such as the cell that are inaccessible to other materials, such as implants and drugs. As a result of their large surface area, NMs may be more reactive than other larger materials. The large physical and chemical variability of NMs, and the fact that small changes can have large consequences, mean that …

Optical Properties Of Silica-Mfi Doped Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Tzvetanka Babeva, Rosen Todorov, Svetlana Mintova, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal

Articles

The optical properties of acrylamide-based photopolymer doped with pure silica MFI-type zeolites are studied by refractometric and spectrophotometric means. Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy are used for zeolite characterization and laser refractometry and White Light Interferometric profilometry are used for surface characterization of the composites. Refractive indices and absorption coefficients of composites are determined from their transmittance and reflectance spectra. The calculated dispersion curves are further used for deriving the zeolites refractive index and porosity and the latter compared to the values of total pore volume obtained from N2-sorption measurements. The impact of the doping level on the …

Optical And Holographic Characteristics Of Photopolymer Layers, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Ivanka Vlaeva, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal, Simeon Sainov

Articles

In the present work the optical and holographic characteristics of acrylamide-based photopolymer layers are studied. For the first time the refractive index change of a liquid acrylamide photopolymer due to exposure at 532 nm is obtained using a critical angle laser micro-refractometer. The 30 mm thick solid photopolymer films are prepared by casting on glass substrates. Bragg holographic gratings with spatial frequencies of 710 mm-1, 1050 mm-1 and 1600 mm-1 are recorded using a diode laser operating at 532 nm wavelength. The diffraction efficiency dependence on the exposure energy is investigated. The obtained results are compared with the Stetson holographic …

Investigation Of The Light Induced Redistribution Of Beta Nanoparticles In An Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Elsa Leite, Izabela Naydenova, Nitesh Pandey, Tzvetanka Babeva, G. Majano, Svetlana Mintova

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We report the redistribution of colloidal zeolite Beta nanoparticles during holographic recording in acrylamide-based photopolymers. Using the techniques of confocal Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM–EDX), we have observed a periodic pattern, whose spacing agrees with the fringe spacing of the recorded holographic diffraction grating. It was estimated that the fraction of nanoparticles redistributed as a result of the holographic recording is 40%. The effect of the nanoparticles on the average refractive index of the nanocomposite layers was studied by UV–visible spectroscopy. It was observed that the addition of zeolite nanoparticles leads to …

Second-Hand Smoke Exposure In Cars And Respiratory Health Effects In Children, Patrick J. Goodman, Z. Kabir, Luke Clancy, P.J. Manning, J. Holohan, S. Keogan

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We examined potential associations of ever asthma, and symptoms of wheeze (past 12 months), hay fever, eczema and bronchitis (cough with phlegm) among school children exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in cars, using a modified Irish International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol. 2,809 children of 13–14 yrs old and who selected randomly from post-primary schools throughout Ireland completed the 2007 ISAAC self-administered questionnaire. Adjusted OR (adjusted for sex, active smoking status of children interviewed and their SHS exposure at home) were estimated for the associations studied, using multivariable logistic regression techniques. Overall, 14.8% (13.9% in young …

Effect Of Air Pollution Controls On Black Smoke And Sulfur Dioxide Concentrations Across Ireland, Patrick J. Goodman, David Q. Rich, Ariana Zeka, Luke Clancy, Douglas W. Dockery

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During the 1980s Ireland experienced severe pollution episodes, principally because of domestic coal burning. In 1990, the Irish government introduced a ban on the marketing, sale, and distribution of coal in Dublin. They extended the ban to Cork in 1995 and to ten other communities in 1998 and 2000. We previously reported declines in particulate (black smoke [BS]) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations in Dublin following the 1990 coal ban. We now explore and compare the effectiveness of these sequential bans in 1990, 1995, 1998, and 2000. Daily BS and total gaseous acidity (SO2) measurements were compiled between 1980 and …

The Structural Case For Vertical Maximalism, Tara Leigh Grove

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Many prominent jurists and scholars including those with outlooks as diverse as Chief Justice John Roberts and Cass Sunstein have recently advocated a "minimalist" approach to opinion writing at the Supreme Court They assert that the Court should issue narrow factbound decisions that do not resolve much beyond the case before the Court I argue that minimalism as employed by the current Supreme Court is in tension with the constitutional structure Article III and the Supremacy Clause along with historical evidence from the founding era suggest that the Constitution creates a hierarchical judiciary and gives the Court a "supreme" role …

Rodrigo's Portent: California And The Coming Neocolonial Order, Richard Delgado

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I analyze developments in California as that state approached the tipping point at which its population would contain 50 percent minorities of color I showed that elite whites were making consciously or not efforts to hang onto power beyond the point at which sheer numbers would suggest that they ought to be sharing it with citizens of color

Trademarks As A Media For False Advertising, J. Shahar Dillbary

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This Article explores an unnoticed aspect of trademark law which in some instances may constitute a license to cheat. It shows that under certain circumstances a seller can use its own trademark to mislead its customers, free from legal sanction, in contexts where the same behavior would be sanctioned if the seller used other advertising media. The Article then explores how an alternate conception of the economic function of trademarks can be used to understand the informational value of trademarks and their advertising function. After identifying circumstances appropriate for legal intervention, the Article concludes with a proposal for a new …

The Rankings Game 2008 Symposium On Neglected Justices, James W. Ely Jr., Mark E. Brandon

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No abstract provided.

Constitution On Ice: A Report On Immigration Home Raid Operations, Bess Chiu, Lynly Egyes, Peter L. Markowitz, Jaya Vasandani

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No abstract provided.

The Chapter 13 Estate And Its Discontents, David G. Carlson

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Thirty years after the enactment of the Bankruptcy Code, the courts have yet to agree on a theory of the bankruptcy estate in Chapter 13 cases. This is not the fault of the courts. The Bankruptcy Code is contradictory as to the composition of the chapter 13 estate. This article selects one of four possible theories and defends it as the one that does the least violence to the plain meaning of the Bankruptcy Code.

This theory is referred to in this article as the "Divestment Theory," because it holds that, upon confirmation of a chapter 13 plan, the debtor …

The "Accidental Procreation" Argument For Withholding Legal Recognition For Same-Sex Relationships, Edward D. Stein

Articles

This article examines “the accidental procreation argument,” an argument against same-sex marriage that still has some traction in United States appellate courts. The accidental procreation argument is meant to take the place of one of the central arguments made by states — and almost universally accepted by courts — in the first batch of cases in the United States about same-sex marriage. That original procreation-based argument — now widely acknowledged to be inadequate — posited that marriage is crucially related to procreation; therefore, since same-sex couples cannot procreate, same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry. The accidental procreation argument …

Land Use Planning In Ireland: A Life Cycle Energy Analysis Of Recent Residential Development In The Greater Dublin Area, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Background, aim, and scope: One third of the total housing stock in the Republic of Ireland has been built in 10 years up to and including 2006 and of this approximately 34% was built in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). Much of the housing was low-density with poor public transport links leading to doubts over its sustainability—particularly in terms of energy use. Although the country is committed to reducing greenhouse gases to 13% above 1990 levels by the period 2008–2012, by 2005, emissions were already 25.4% higher than the aseline and current projections are that this figure will rise to …

Antenna Optimization With A Computationally Efficient Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm, Matthias John, Max Ammann

Articles

An efficient multiobjective evolutionary algorithm is described for optimizing a novel spline based printed monopole antenna. The antenna geometry is based on spline outlines. Both radiating element and groundplane are simultaneously optimized by the algorithm. The resulting antenna performance is evaluated. It is shown that the evolutionary algorithm and the spline geometry can be used to efficiently generate ultrawideband antennas on limited computing resources.

Emitter-Wrap-Through Photovoltaic Dipole Antenna With Solar Concentrator, Maria Roo Ons, S. Shynu, Max Ammann, Sarah Mccormack, Brian Norton

Articles

A novel photovoltaic dipole antenna employing a solar concentrator as a reflector is proposed. Four identical emitter-wrap-through rear contact solar cells connected in series as a folded dipole are simultaneously used for power generation and as the antenna radiating element, which is located in the focal line of a parabolic solar concentrator. The parabolic structure acts as a solar concentrator for the photovoltaic cells as well as a reflector for the folded dipole antenna. Full-wave electromagnetic simulation with supportive experimental work validates this design. The measured fractional impedance bandwidth and gain were 21% and 11.1 dBi, respectively. The antenna/solar arrangement …

Generalised Design Process For Fiber-Bend-Loss-Based Edge Filters For A Wavelength Measurement System, Pengfei Wang, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

We investigate and present a generalized methodology for the design of a fiber-bend-loss-based edge filter, starting with the task of evaluating and selecting suitable fibers and then considering the design of a fiber-bending-loss edge filter. As an example to illustrate the methodology, a Corning SMF28e fiber with a 900 μmdiameter is selected and two sample edge filters are designed for experimental verification. The designed edge filters are compact, easy to fabricate, meet target spectral specifications, and show low polarization-dependent loss, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for fiber-bend-loss-based edge filter design.

Microstrip-Fed Dual-Frequency Annular-Slot Antenna Loaded By Split-Ring-Slot, Xiulong Bao, Max Ammann

Articles

A compact dual-band annular-slot antenna loaded by a concentric split-ring-slot is presented. A stepped microstrip feedline enables the control of the coupling and provides good matching. The annular-slot is connected to the split-ring-slot by a rectangular slot, which increases the surface of the current path, thus notably reducing the resonant frequency for a given size. The embedded split-ring-slot structure allows many resonant modes to be realised. By tuning the key parameters, these operating modes and their bandwidths can be controlled. A wide bandwidth can be realised for either the lower band, upper band or both bands simultaneously, depending on the …

Sms Fibre Structure For Temperature Measurement Using A Simple Intensity-Based Interrogation System, Agus Hatta, Ginu Rajan, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell

Articles

A singlemode–multimode–singlemode (SMS) fibre structure for temperature measurement that utilises a simple intensity-based interrogation system is proposed. The temperature dependence of the SMS fibre structure utilised as a sensor is investigated numerically and experimentally. It is found that a strong temperature dependence for the SMS fibre structure exists at selected wavelengths. The temperature characteristic at such wavelengths is linear in nature and can be used for temperature measurements. The proposed temperature sensor offers a high resolution and accuracy, and also benefits from a simple configuration and low cost when compared to other fibre-optic temperature sensors.

Use Of A Single-Multiple-Single-Mode Fiber Filter For Interrogating Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensors With Dynamic Temperature Compensation, Qiang Wu, Muhammad Hatta, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell

Articles

An interrogation technique for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors with dynamic temperature compensation using a single-multiple-single-mode (SMS) fiber filter as a temperature compensating element is presented. Experimental results show that this technique offers a resolution of better than 3:4 με for strain measurements in the range from 0 to 1667 με, and the temperature induced error is as low as 34 με in the temperature range from 10 to 60 °C. The temperature induced error could be further reduced if the temperature sensitivity (the rate of temperature induced wavelength shift) of the SMS filter was closer to that of …

Holographic Recording In Acrylamide Photopolymers: Thickness Limitations, Mohammad Mahmud, Izabela Naydenova, Nitesh Pandey, Tzvetanka Babeva, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

Holographic recording in thick photopolymer layers is important for application in holographic data storage, volume holographic filters and correlators. Here, the characteristics of acrylamidebased photopolymer layers having thickness from 250 μm to 1-mm were studied. For each layer thickness samples with three different values of absorbance were studied. By measuring both the first order diffraction efficiency growth of holographically recorded gratings and studying the diffraction patterns obtained, the influence of scattering on the diffraction efficiency of thick volume holographic gratings was analyzed. It was observed that above a particular thickness and absorbance, the first order diffraction efficiency significantly decreased because …

Supreme Seafoods, Thomas Cooney

Articles

No abstract provided.

Hedging: Scaling And The Investor Horizon, Jim Hanly, John Cotter

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This paper examines the volatility and covariance dynamics of cash and futures contracts that underlie the Optimal Hedge Ratio (OHR) across different hedging time horizons. We examine whether hedge ratios calculated over a short term hedging horizon can be scaled and successfully applied to longer term horizons. We also test the equivalence of scaled hedge ratios with those calculated directly from lower frequency data and compare them in terms of hedging effectiveness. Our findings show that the volatility and covariance dynamics may differ considerably depending on the hedging horizon and this gives rise to significant differences between short term and …

Synthesis Of Maleic Anhydride Grafted Polypropylene-Butadiene Copolymer And Its Application In Pp/Ommt/Sbs Composite As Compatibilizer, Qiaohuan Cheng, Zhanxia Lu, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Maleic Anhydride (MA) grafted propylene-butadiene copolymer (PPB) was prepared. FTIR and 1H-NMR results indicated that the MA molecules reacted with the double bond in the butadiene unit of the PPB and the grafting percentage increased with the butadiene content in the initial copolymer. GPC results showed the introduction of butadiene in the copolymer prevented the degradation of the PPB. The MA-g-PPB (MPPB) was applied in PP/SBS/OMMT composite as compatibilizer. In the presence of 10phr MPPB, the impact strength of the composite was improved by ~20%. XRD patterns indicated the formation of β-phase crystallization of polypropylene in the presence of MPPB …

Preparation, Characterization Of Nipam And Nipam/Bam Copolymer Nanoparticles And Their Acute Toxicity Testing Using An Aquatic Test Battery, Pratap Naha, Alan Casey, Tiziana Tenuta, Iseult Lynch, Kenneth Dawson, Hugh Byrne, Maria Davoren

Articles

Poly N-isopropylacrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide / N-tert-butylacrylamide copolymer nanoparticles of 50 to 70 nm were prepared by free radical polymerisation. The particle sizes of the copolymer nanoparticles were measured in the test media MilliQ water, Algae Media, Daphnia Media and Microtox Diluent as a function of temperature. Whereas in MilliQ water the particle size was seen to decrease above the lower critical solution temperature of the thermoresponsive polymer, in the test media it was seen to increase significantly, indicative of aggregation. At the temperatures employed for the ecotoxicological studies all particles, with the exception of the 50:50copolymer existed as nanoparticles, however. …

A Test Battery Approach To The Ecotoxicological Evaluation Of Cadmium And Copper Employing A Battery Of Marine Bioassays, Ailbhe Macken, Michelle Giltrap, Kim Ryall, Barry Foley, Evin Mcgovern, Brendan Mchugh, Maria Davoren

Articles

The main aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of the battery to two recognised metal pollutants of the marine environment and rank species sensitivity accordingly.

Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli In Orange Juice Using Ozone, Sonal Patil, Paula Bourke, Jesus Maria Frias, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

This research investigated the efficacy of gaseous ozone for the inactivation of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and NCTC 12900 strains in orange juice. Orange juice inoculated with E. coli (10⁶ CFU mL^-1) as a challenge microorganism was treated with ozone at 75-78µg mL^-1 for different time periods (0-18 min). The efficacy of ozone for inactivation of both strains of E. coli was evaluated as a function of different juice types: model orange juice, fresh unfiltered juice, juice without pulp, and juice filtered through 500mm or 1mm sieves. Fast inactivation rates for total reduction of E. coli …

Detection Of Numerous Verotoxigenic E. Coli Serotypes, With Multiple Antibiotic Resistance From Cattle Faeces And Soil, L. Scott, P. Mcgee, Ciara Walsh, Seamus Fanning, T. Sweeney, J. Blanco, M. Karczmarczyk, B. Earley, N. Leonard, J.J. Sheridan

Articles

Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) belong to a diverse range of serotypes. Serotypes O157 and O26 are predominately identified in VTEC-associated disease in Europe, however due to difficulty in detection little is known about the epidemiology of non-O157 serotypes. This study reports the identification of 7 VTEC serotypes from cattle faeces and soil. Cattle faeces samples (n = 128) were taken from animals in 6 different farms, with soil samples (n = 20) obtained from 1 farm. After sample incubation in modified tryptone soy broth (mTSB) supplemented with streptomycin sulphate samples were plated onto sorbitol MacConkey (SMAC) also supplemented …

Changing Times: The Changing Role Of Assistant Librarians In Dit's Aungier St. Library, Allison Kavanagh

Articles

An examination of the changing role of subject librarians at Technological University Dublin's Aungier St library.

Influence Of Magnesium Nitrate On The Corrosion Performance Of Sol-Gel Coated Aa2024-T3 Aluminium Alloy, Rajath Varma, Brendan Duffy, John Cassidy

Articles

Traditional anti-corrosion technology has relied heavily on using reducible metal species, predominantly hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), for protecting reactive metal alloys such as aluminium which is extensively used in the aerospace sector. However, the impending changes in the use of Cr(VI) in Europe and the United States have forced aerospace manufacturers to examine alternative materials for protecting aluminium. One of the most promising alternatives being investigated are organosilane based sol-gels containing anticorrosion additives. In this work the anti-corrosion properties of magnesium (II) nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) as a inhibitor was investigated at different concentrations (0.1% - 1.0 wt %) in a methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) …