Digital Commons Network^™

Studying The Drug Delivery Kinetics Of A Nanoporous Matrix Using A Mip-Based Thermal Sensing Platform, Christopher J. Pawley, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, Kaelin S. Foley, Sarah Lentink

Articles

The implementation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) into sensing systems has been demonstrated abundantly over the past few decades. In this article, a novel application for an MIP-based thermal sensing platform is introduced by using the sensor to characterize the drug release kinetics of a nanoporous silver-organic framework. This Ag nanoporous matrix was loaded with acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) which was used as a model drug compound in this study. The drug elution properties were studied by placing the nanoporous matrix in phosphate buffered saline solution for two days and measuring the drug concentration at regular time intervals. To this extent, …

Effects Of Ommt On The Aging Behaviors Of Halogen-Antimony Flame-Retarded Lgfpa6 Composites: Flammability And Thermal Degradation Kinetics, Xiaoling Zuo, Haishuo Song, Huiju Shao, Minh Hang Au, Tao Wei, Jianbing Guo

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After a long-term thermo-oxidative exposure, compared to the long-glass-fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composite containing halogen-antimony flame retardants (FR/LGFPA6), substitution of a certain content of flame retardants with organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) was found to positively affect the FR/LGFPA6 composite in some cases (i.e. flammability and thermal degradation kinetics). The aged OMMT/FR/LGFPA6 composite not only was less flammable but also behaved better in the formation of char residues. All the calculated apparent activation energy obtained by the methods of Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Coats- Redfern in a dynamic measurement showed an obvious increase for the OMMT/FR/LGFPA6 composite after aging, a theoretical evidence for …

Precision Control Of Flow Rate In Microfluidic Channels Using Photoresponsive Soft Polymer Actuators, Colm Delaney, Peter Mccluskey, Simon Coleman, Jeffrey Whyte, Nigel Kent, Dermot Diamond

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A novel approach that allows control of flow in microfluidic channels with unsurpassed performance using light is described. Valve structures have been created using photoresponsive hydrogels based on spiropyran-functionalised pNIPAAm hydrogels photopolymerised around pillar structures within the channels. Valve actuation is controlled from outside the fluidic system using externally located LEDs. Highly precise and accurate flow rates can be selected by passing real-time flow rate measurements into a PID algorithm. The optimised algorithm also minimises overshoot of the selected flow rate, eliminates flow rate drift, and improves the system response time. In addition to the dramatic improvements in flow rate …

Taxation, Debt And Relative Prices In The Long Run: The Irish Experience., Vahagn Galstyan, Adnan Velic

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This paper investigates the effects of public debt and distortionary labour taxation on the long-run behaviour of Irish relative non-traded goods prices. We highlight that higher public debt, acting through higher taxes, has an equivocal impact on the relative supply of non-traded goods and, correspondingly, relative prices. Our empirical analysis for Ireland suggests that taxes and public debt play significant roles in the long run, comoving negatively with the relative price of non-tradables. Accordingly, shifts in public debt and taxation bear implications for the country’s international price competitiveness.

The Future Of Fast Food Governance, Andrew Elmore

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No abstract provided.

A Correction Current Injection Method For Power Flow Analysis Of Unbalanced Multiple-Grounded 4-Wire Distribution Networks, Keith Sunderland, M. Coppo, Michael Conlon, R. Turri

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Power flow analysis of distribution networks incorporating LV consumer representation needs to be cognizant of an unbalanced load structure and the grounding network between the consumer and network operator (TNC-S earthing). In this paper, the asymmetrical 3-phase (and neutral) power flow problem is solved by a correction current injectionmethodology applied to a system represented by a complex admittance matrix. The correction current injection technique is adopted to adjust the power exchange of shunt elements, whose nominal admittances are included in the system admittance matrix, through suitable fringing currents in the iteration process. This methodology offers an improved and more …

A Fast Linear Electro-Optical Effect In A Non-Chiral Bent-Core Liquid Crystal, Yuri Panarin, S.P. Sreenilayam, J.K. Vij, A. Lehmann, C. Tschierske

Articles

We report the observation of an electro-optical effect for a linear rotation of the optical axis as function of the electric field in an achiral tilted bent-core liquid crystalline compound, in which 4-cyanoresorcinol bisbenzoate core is symmetrically terminated by long linear alkyl chains (n =16) on both ends. The linear electro-optic effect observed in this material is similar to the deformed helical ferroelectric liquid crystal (DHFLC) effect reported previously in a FLC material except that dimensions of the helical pitch differ by two orders of magnitude. In the chiral systems, the helical pitch usually lies on the scale of sub-optical …

Europe's Moral Margin: Parental Aspirations And The European Court Of Human Rights, Clare Ryan

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The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) balances along two axes: individual right vs. government interest and national vs. supranational judgment. The Court calibrates the level of deference it affords States through the margin of appreciation, a doctrine designed to vary how strictly the supranational court will scrutinize national decisions. This Article challenges the way in which the Court deploys margin of appreciation in order to defer to "sensitive moral and ethical" decisions taken by domestic institutions. I call this deference the "moral margin." Although the European Convention on Human Rights explicitly authorizes the Court to take "protection of morals" …

Making The Minimum Wage Work: An Examination Of The Economic Impact Of The Minimum Wage, Steve P. Calandrillo, Taylor Halperin

Articles

With the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, Congress mandated a federal “living wage” in order to “maintain the minimum standard of living necessary for the health, efficiency, and general well-being of workers.” Advocates have long insisted that increases in the minimum wage result in a net gain to employees’ standard of living. Critics have countered that those gains come at the expense of higher prices and shrinking overall employment numbers, leaving a new class of potential workers out in the cold.

This Article synthesizes the empirical economic impact data from minimum wage increases over the past …

Cosmopolitan Democracy And The Detention Of Immigrant Families, Rebecca Sharpless

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No abstract provided.

Criminalization As Governance In The American Racial State, Charlton C. Copeland

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No abstract provided.

Trading Spaces: The Changing Role Of The Executive In U.S. Trade Lawmaking, Kathleen Claussen

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Since the earliest days of the republic, the U.S. executive has wielded a significant but constitutionally bounded influence on the direction of U.S. trade law. In the twenty-first century, the growth of free trade agreements has led to an institutionalization of trade norms that permits the executive many more spaces for engagement with trading partners. In addition, other types of quotidian lawmaking extend the power of the executive in both public and hidden spaces beyond congressional delegation, even as that power remains substantially bounded by congressional control. This Article analyzes the dynamics between the branches that will direct future U.S. …

Changing Course, Sergio J. Campos

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No abstract provided.

Contracting Correctness: A Rubric For Analyzing Morality Clauses, Patricia S. Abril, Nicholas Greene

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Morality clauses give a contracting party the right to terminate if the other party behaves badly or embarrassingly. A curious product of twentieth-century Hollywood, these contract clauses have traditionally been used to control the antics of entertainers and athletes. The current politically-sensitive historical moment, combined with the internet's ability to broadcast widely and permanently, has put everyone's off-duty speech, conduct, and reputation under the microscope. Media reports detailing people's digital falls from grace abound. For fear of negative association, businesses are more attuned than ever to the extracurricular acts of their agents and associates-and are increasingly binding them to morality …

From Law Reform To Lived Justice: Marriage Equality, Personal Praxis, And Queer Normativity In The United States, Francisco Valdes

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No abstract provided.

Label-Free, High Content Screening Using Raman Microspectroscopy: The Toxicological Response Of Different Cell Lines To Amine-Modified Polystyrene Nanoparticles, Esen Efeoglu, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne, Marcus A. Maher

Articles

Nanotoxicology has become an established area of science due to growing concerns over the production and potential use of nanomaterials in a wide-range of areas from pharmaceutics to nanomedicine. Although different cytotoxicity assays have been developed and are widely used to determine the toxicity of nanomaterials, the production of multi-parametric information in a rapid and non-invasive way is still challenging, when the amount and diversity of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials are considered. High content screening can provide such analysis, but is often prohibitive in terms of capital and recurrent costs in academic environments. As a label-free technique, the applicability of …

Thermostability Of The Coating, Antigen And Immunostimulator In An Adjuvanted Oral Capsule Vaccine Formulation, Stephanie Longet, Vincenzo Aversa, Daire O'Donnell, Joshua Tobias, Monica Rosa, Jan Holmgren, Ivan Coulter, Ed Lavelle

Articles

Oral vaccines present an attractive alternative to injectable vaccines for enteric diseases due to ease of delivery and the induction of intestinal immunity at the site of infection. However, susceptibility to gastrointestinal proteolysis, limited transepithelial uptake and a lack of clinically acceptable adjuvants present significant challenges. A further challenge to mass vaccination in developing countries is the very expensive requirement to maintain the cold chain. We recently described the effectiveness of a Single Multiple Pill® (SmPill®) adjuvanted capsule approach to enhance the effectiveness of a candidate enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) oral vaccine. Here it was demonstrated that this delivery system …

Graphene Toxicity As A Double-Edged Sword Of Risks And Exploitable Opportunities: A Critical Analysis Of The Most Recent Trends And Developments, Yuri Volkov, Jennifer Mcintyre, Adriele Prina-Mello

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Increased production volumes and a broadening application spectrum of graphene have raised concerns about its potential adverse effects on human health. Numerous reports demonstrate that graphene irrespective of its particular form exerts its effects on a widest range of living organisms, including prokaryotic bacteria and viruses, plants, micro-and macro-invertebrates, mammalian and human cells and whole animals in vivo. However, the available experimental data is frequently a matter of significant divergence and even controversy. Therefore, we provide here a critical analysis of the most recent (2015-2016) reports accumulated in the graphene-related materials biocompatibility and toxicology field in order to elucidate the …

Sital Kalantry: Women's Human Rights And Migration: Sex-Selective Abortion Laws In The United States And India, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

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No abstract provided.

How Privacy Distorted Standing Law, Felix T. Wu

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No abstract provided.

Fashion's Function In Intellectual Property Law, Christopher Buccafusco, Jeanne C. Fromer

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Clothing designs can be beautiful. But they are also functional. Fashion’s dual nature sits uneasily in intellectual property law, and its treatment by copyright, trademark, and design patent laws has often been perplexing. Much of this difficulty arises from an unclear understanding of the nature of functionality in fashion design. This Article proposes a robust account of fashion’s function. It argues that aspects of garment designs are functional not only when they affect the physical or technological performance of a garment but also when they affect the perception of the wearer’s body. Generally, clothes are not designed or chosen simply …

Testing Tarnishment In Trademark And Copyright Law: The Effect Of Pornographic Versions Of Protected Marks And Works Of Pornographic Versions Of Protected Marks And Work, Christopher Buccafusco, Paul J. Heald, Wen Bu

Articles

Federal and state law both provide a cause of action against inappropriate and unauthorized uses that ‘tarnish’ a trademark. Copyright owners also articulate fears of ‘tarnishing’ uses of their works in their arguments against fair use and for copyright term extension. The validity of these concerns rests on an empirically testable hypothesis about how consumers respond to inappropriate unauthorized uses of works. In particular, the tarnishment hypothesis assumes that consumers who are exposed to inappropriate uses of a work will find the tarnished work less valuable afterwards. This Article presents two experimental tests of the tarnishment hypothesis, focusing on unauthorized …

The Constitution Of Mothers: Gender Equality And Social Reproduction In The United States And The World, Julie C. Suk

Articles

The article explores the resurgence of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States, highlighting its potential to address ongoing gender inequalities and the role of social reproduction in modern society. It argues that the ERA, if ratified, could move beyond symbolic significance by integrating lessons from global constitutionalism, particularly the synthesis of gender equality and motherhood protections seen in European constitutions.

Defining Residence For Income Tax Purposes: Domicile As Gap-Filler, Citizenship As Proxy And Gap-Filler, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

The states' income tax systems are important repositories of experience which confirm the administrative benefits of citizenship-based taxation. Domicile today plays an important role in state tax systems as a gap-filler when more objective statutory residence laws fail to assign any state of residence to the taxpayer. Citizenship is an administrable proxy for domicile and serves a similar gap-filling role in the federal taxation of individuals whose income and activities straddle across national boundaries.

The states' difficulties enforcing domicile-based taxation highlight the administrative benefits of citizenship-based taxation. As long as residence is understood for tax purposes in terms of domicile, …

Evaluation Of A Reel-To-Reel Atmospheric Plasma System For The Treatment Of Polymers, Kate O'Flynn, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Peter Dobbyn, Denis Dowling

Articles

Plasma treatments are widely used to enhance the surface energy of polymers prior to bonding or the application of functional coatings. This study investigates the performance of a linear atmospheric pressure plasma source for the reel-to-reel treatment of polymer webs. The continuous argon plasma treatments were carried out on 15 cm diameter polyethylene terephthalate (PET) web substrates using the linear plasma source (Plamax), operating at 13.56 MHz. The study investigated how the processing parameters influenced the effectiveness of the plasma treatment in enhancing both the polymer web's water contact angle (WCA) and surface energy (SE). Based on these measurements the …

Pilot Investigation Into The Use Of An Anthropomorphic Breast Sonography Phantom As A Training And Assessment Tool, Jacinta Browne, Louise Cannon, Ronan Mcdermott, Max Ryan, Andrew Fagan

Articles

A device for the training and quantitative assessment of the competency of trainee radiologists in the technically challenging area of breast sonography was developed and evaluated. Currently, suitable commercially available devices are lacking, and there is a growing realization that the reliance on direct exposure to patients for learning may not represent best practice from either the trainees' or patients' perspective. Three devices (PI, PII and PIII) were designed to produce very realistic sonographic images of breast morphology with a range of embedded pathologies. The pilot evaluation used a case study research design to evaluate the role of the anthropomorphic …

The Mainstream Scientific Community Is Open To Incremental But Not Holistic Ideas, Maurice Goodman

Articles

NeuroQuantology

doi: 10.14704/nq.2017.15.2.1041

Ltl Type Nanozeolites Utilized In Surface Photonics Structures For Environmental Sensors, Sabad-E- Gul, Dervil Cody, Suzanne Martin, John Cassidy, Izabela Naydenova, Anastasia Kharchenko, Svetlana Mintovab

Articles

Environmental monitoring has been continuously increasing due to an emerging global emphasis on the importance of sustainable development. Improving water quality monitoring and control is a challenge that calls for innovative solutions. Current methods of water monitoring are costly and analytical techniques suitable for field use are limited. There is a need for accurate, long–term monitoring of environmental contaminants using sensors that can be operated on site. The aim of our research is to theoretically model, fabricate and characterise holographic sensors for water quality monitoring that are simple to operate, capable of sensing copper present in fresh water and have …

Theoretical Modelling And Design Of Photonic Structures In Zeolite Nanocomposites For Gas Sensing: Part I - Surface Relief Gratings, Dervil Cody, Izabela Naydenova

Articles

The suitability of holographic structures fabricated in zeolite nanoparticle-polymer composite materials for gas sensing applications has been investigated. Theoretical modelling of the sensor response (i.e. change in hologram readout due to a change in refractive index modulation or thickness as a result of gas adsorption) of different sensor designs was carried out using Raman-Nath theory and Kogelnik’s Couple Wave Theory. The influence of a range of parameters on the sensor response of holographically-recorded surface and volume photonic grating structures has been studied, namely phase difference between the diffracted and probe beam introduced by the grating, grating geometry, thickness, spatial frequency, …

Surface Holograms For Sensing Application, M. Zawadzka, Izabela Naydenova

Articles

Abstract. Surface gratings with periodicity of 2 μm and amplitude in the range of 175 and 240 nm were fabricated in a plasticized polyvinylchloride doped with a metalloporphyrin (ZnTPP), via a single laser pulse holographic ablation process. The effect of the laser pulse energy on the profiles of the fabricated surface structure was investigated. The sensing capabilities of the fabricated diffractive structures towards amines (triethylamine, diethylamine) and pyridine vapours were then explored; the holographic structures were exposed to the analyte vapours and changes in the intensity of the diffracted light were monitored in real time at 473 nm. It was …