Digital Commons Network^™

Pay For Play: The Compensated Leisure Flaw Of Contract Damages, Mitchell L. Engler

Articles

Contract damages aim to leave the injured party in as good a position as if the contract had been fulfilled. But discharged laborers often obtain a much better result due to the lack of a reduction for their excused work effort on breach. After first exposing the problematic ramifications of this unjustified deviation, this Article then provides two workable corrections.

Lighting Design In Europe: Aligning The Demands For Lower Energy Usage With Better Quality., Kevin Kelly, James Duff

Articles

Lighting design is one of the fastest changing areas in building engineering. It has evolved significantly in recent years due to changing technology and demands for improved quality, better control, reduced energy and sustainability. This paper is an overview of what is happening in Europe and elsewhere and examines the literature to find that latest recommendations in the Code for Lighting issued by the SLL (Society of Light and Lighting) in the UK change previous demands for equal illuminance across a working plane to more specific and demanding criteria. There are recommendations for qualitative metrics and better distribution of light …

How Profitable Are Wind Turbine Projects? An Empirical Analysis Of A 3.5 Mw Wind Farm In Ireland, Tony Kealy, Martin Barrett, Derek Kearney

Articles

With many electricity markets worldwide deregulated or in the process of deregulation, the opportunity for smaller independent generators to provide power to their local power system has increased. For smaller independent wind developers assessing the feasibility of a large scale wind farm project is vitally important due to significant risk associated with the investment. This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a 3.5 MW wind farm situated in the North East of Ireland utilising multiple sources of empirical data obtained over a three year period following commissioning. The findings suggest that an average yearly capacity factor of 34% was …

Flexoelectric Polarization Studies In Bent-Core Nematic Liquid Crystals, S. Sreenilayam, Yuri Panarin, J. K. Vij, S. I. Torgova, A. Lehmann, C. Tschierske

Articles

The flexoelectric polarization (Pf) of four bent-core nematic liquid crystals (LCs) has been measured using the pyroelectric effect. Hybrid aligned nematic cells are fabricated for measuring the pyroelectric response over the entire range of the nematic phase. It is found that the magnitude of flexoelectric polarization Pf and the sum of the flexoelectric coefficients |e1 +e3| for the bent-core LCs studied here are three to six times higher than for the calamitics. Pf is found to depend on the transverse dipole moment of LC molecules. However,|e1 +e3| values are by no means giant as |e3| alone had been reported for …

Dielectric Study Of Liquid Crystals With Large Electroclinic Effect, O. E. Panarina, Yuri Panarin, J. K. Vij

Articles

Here we report results of the study of tilt angle and birefringence of some “high-electroclinic” materials having similar molecular structure with two and three siloxane spacers. The structure of these LC materials were studied by dielectric spectroscopy, birefringence and tilt angle measurements. Three of the four studied materials with a siloxane fragment are the deVries materials, but the siloxane-free sample is conventional SmA phase and is thus different. Possible models for the molecular structures of deVries SmA∗ phases are discussed.

Occurrence Of Five Different Orthogonal Smectic Phases In A Bent-Core (Bc) Liquid Crystal, S. Sreenilayam, Yuri Panarin, J. K. Vij, A. Lehmann, C. Tschierske

Articles

Five orthogonal smectic phases (Sm-A, Sm-Ab, Sm-APR, Sm-APAR, and Sm-APA) were observed in a 4-cyanoresorcinol bisbenzoate with twoterephthalate–based wings achiral bent-core(BC) compound. The phase behavior was investigated by polarising optical microscopy, second harmonic electro-optic response(EO2) and dielectric spectroscopy. The field dependent biaxiality of polar and non-polar Sm-A phases was studied. It is obviously of enormous scientific significance and practical interest to find five different orthogonal smectic phases in a low molecular weight bent-core (BC) compound at relatively low temperatures.

Dielectric Study Of Nematic Lc Built With Bent-Core Molecules, S. Sreenilayam, Yuri Panarin, J. K. Vij

Articles

Here we report results of the study of bent-core (BC) cybotactic nematic LC by dielectric spectroscopy and electro-optic measurements. In the absence of electric field, this material is uniaxial and exhibits only one relaxation process corresponding to the fluctuations of the polar clusters. The application of the external electric field induces biaxialityandthesecondrelaxationprocessappearsinthedielectricspectra.Thisisassigned to the collective mode. Possible models for cluster transformation under electric field are discussed.

Control Strategy And Hardware Implementation For Dc–Dc Boost Power Circuit Based On Proportional–Integral Compensator For High Voltage Application, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Ersan Kabalci, Atif Iqbal, Haitham Abu-Rub, Olorunfemi Ojo

Articles

For high-voltage (HV) applications, the designers mostly prefer the classical DCeDC boost converter. However, it lacks due to the limitation of the output voltage by the gain transfer ratio, decreased efficiency and its requirement of two sensors for feedback signals, which creates complex control scheme with increased overall cost. Furthermore, the output voltage and efficiency are reduced due to the selfparasitic behavior of power circuit components. To overcome these drawbacks, this manuscript provides, the theoretical development and hardware implementation of DCeDC step-up (boost) power converter circuit for obtaining extra output-voltage high-performance. The proposed circuit substantially improves the high output-voltage by …

Integration Of Qos Metrics, Rules And Semantic Uplift For Advanced Iptv Monitoring, Ruairí De Fréin, Cristian Olariu, Yuqian Song, Rob Brennan, Patrick Mcdonagh, Adriana Hava, Christina Thorpe, John Murphy, Liam Murphy, Paul French

Articles

Increasing and variable traffic demands due to triple play services pose significant Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) resource management challenges for service providers. Managing subscriber expectations via consolidated IPTV quality reporting will play a crucial role in guaranteeing return-on-investment for players in the increasingly competitive IPTV delivery ecosystem. We propose a fault diagnosis and problem isolation solution that addresses the IPTV monitoring challenge and recommends problem-specific remedial action. IPTV delivery-specific metrics are collected at various points in the delivery topology, the residential gateway and the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer through to the video Head-End. They are then pre-processed using new …

Is There A Way Out Of The Non-International Detention Dilemma?, Gabor Rona

Articles

The article addresses the legal ambiguities surrounding detention in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs), highlighting the lack of explicit rules under international humanitarian law (IHL) and the challenges posed by the extraterritorial application of human rights law. It critiques the argument that detention authority can be implied from the right to target under IHL and advocates for reform to establish clear legal frameworks for detention in NIACs, ensuring compliance with human rights protections.

The Current State Of The Consumer Class Action, Myriam E. Gilles, Samuel Issacharoff, Andrew J. Pincus, Theodore D. Rave

Articles

No abstract provided.

Individualized Injunctions And No-Modification Terms: Challenging "Anti-Reform" Provisions In Arbitration Clauses, Myriam E. Gilles

Articles

The Supreme Court’s recent decisions in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion and American Express v. Italian Colors have considered only whether class actions for monetary damages may be barred by arbitration clauses requiring individual adjudication. The Justices have not examined the enforceability of arbitration clauses or arbitral rules which explicitly prohibit claimants from seeking or arbitrators from granting broad injunctive relief in an individual dispute. I term these "anti-reform" provisions because they broadly prohibit an individual arbitral claimant from seeking to end a practice, change a rule, or enjoin an act that causes injury to itself and to similarly-situated non-parties. This …

Goveille V. Liberty Mutual: An Opportunity To Correct The Problems Of Erisa Preemption, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

No abstract provided.

Inverse Relationship Between Physical Activity, Adiposity And Arterial Stiffness In Healthy Middle-Aged Subjects, Oscar Mac Ananey, B Mc Loughlin, A Leonard, L Maher, P Gaffney, G Boran, V Maher

Articles

BACKGROUND:

Several obesity related factors are reported to exacerbate premature arterial stiffening, including inactivity and metabolic disarray. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity, arterial stiffness and adiposity using objective methods. To further explore the role of adiposity in this complex process, obesity associated anthropometric and humoral biomarkers were measured.

METHODS:

Seventy-nine healthy, lifelong non-smoking, subjects were recruited. Habitual physical activity was measured using accelerometry. Arterial stiffness (augmentation index; AIx & pulse wave velocity; PWV), was measured using tonometry. Body composition was estimated using bioimpedence. Adipose associated biomarkers, leptin and adiponectin, were also …

Endurance Exercise Training Programs Intestinal Lipid Metabolism In A Rat Model Of Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes, Yu-Han Hung, Melissa A. Linden, Alicia Gordon, R. Scott Rector, Kimberly K. Buhman

Articles

Endurance exercise has been shown to improve metabolic outcomes in obesity and type 2 diabetes; however, the physiological and molecular mechanisms for these benefits are not completely understood. Although endurance exercise has been shown to decrease lipogenesis, promote fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and increase mitochondrial biosynthesis in adipose tissue, muscle, and liver, its effects on intestinal lipid metabolism remain unknown. The absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, mediate the highly efficient absorption and processing of nutrients, including dietary fat for delivery throughout the body. We investigated how endurance exercise altered intestinal lipid metabolism in obesity and type 2 diabetes …

Photonic Hydrogel Sensors, Ali K. Yetisen, Haider Butt, Lisa R Volpatti, Ida Pavlichenko, Matjaž Humar, Sheldon J.J.Kwok Sheldon J.J.Kwok, Heebeom Koo, Ki Su Kim, Izabela Naydenova, Ali Khademhosseini, Sei Kwang Hahnk, Seok Hyun Yunaf

Articles

Analyte-sensitive hydrogels that incorporate optical structures have emerged as sensing platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. The optical properties of the hydrogel sensors can be rationally designed and fabricated through self-assembly, microfabrication or laser writing. The advantages of photonic hydrogel sensors over conventional assay formats include label-free, quantitative, reusable, and continuous measurement capability that can be integrated with equipment-free text or image display. This Review explains the operation principles of photonic hydrogel sensors, presents syntheses of stimuli-responsive polymers, and provides an overview of qualitative and quantitative readout technologies. Applications in clinical samples are discussed, and potential future directions are identified.

A Quantum Theory Of Consciousness May Require A Paradigm Shift In Biology, Maurice Goodman

Articles

It is often assumed that the known physical laws form a closed system and are complete. It is also assumed that biological theories require no additional principles that are fundamental other than those we already know. Assumptions such as these are acting as a barrier to progress in biological theories and an understanding of consciousness. This paper examines the unexplained inconsistencies among fundamental particles and forces and the fundamental gaps in our knowledge of biology and the cell in particular that may impact on such progress. Also, the laws of quantum mechanics are examined and found to be grossly incomplete. …

Improved Harmonic Suppression Efficiency Of Single-Phase Apfs In Distorted Distribution Systems, Samet Biricik, Soydan Redif, Shafiuzzaman Khadem, Malabika Basu

Articles

In this study, a control method is proposed to improve the harmonic suppression efficiency of the single phase active power filter in a distorted power system to suppress current harmonics and reactive power. The proposed method uses the self-tuning filter (STF) algorithm to process single phase grid voltage in order to provide a uniform reference grid current, which increases the efficiency of the system. The results of the simulation study are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control technique in this study.

Effects Of Posttensioning Slippage On 2-Way Spanning Concrete Slabs, Niall Holmes, Eoin Byrne

Articles

This paper investigates the effect of improper posttensioning of a 2-way spanning concrete slab subject to a central point load. Due to plate slippage alone, the support conditions only offered a 1-way spanning action which could have led to premature failure with dangerous consequences. Posttensioning can strengthen a flat slab against punching shear by controlling deflections and cracking under service loads compared with traditional punching shear reinforcing methods leading to more slender structures and economic solutions for longer spans. However, if the method is not properly applied, these thinner floor plates can fail in a brittle and sudden manner by …

A Review Of Probabilistic Methods Of Assessment Of Load Effects In Bridges, Eugene J. Obrien, F Schmidt, Donya Hajializadeh, X-Y Zhou, Bernard Enright, Colin C. Caprani, Simon Wilson, Emma Sheils

Articles

This paper reviews a range of statistical approaches to illustrate the influence of data quality and quantity on the probabilistic modelling of traffic load effects. It also aims to demonstrate the importance of long-run simulations in calculating characteristic traffic load effects. The popular methods of Peaks Over Threshold and Generalized Extreme Value are considered but also other methods including the Box-Cox approach, fitting to a Normal distribution and the Rice formula. For these five methods, curves are fitted to the tails of the daily maximum data. Bayesian Updating and Predictive Likelihood are also assessed, which require the entire data for …

Nonlinear Analysis Of Isotropic Slab Bridges Under Extreme Traffic Loading, Donya Hajializadeh, A. Salam Al-Sabah, Eugene J. Obrien, Debra F. Laefer, Bernard Enright

Articles

Probabilistic analysis of traffic loading on a bridge traditionally involves an extrapolation from measured or simulated load effects to a characteristic maximum value. In recent years, Long Run Simulation, whereby thousands of years of traffic are simulated, has allowed researchers to gain new insights into the nature of the traffic scenarios that govern at the limit state. For example, mobile cranes and low-loaders, sometimes accompanied by a common articulated truck, have been shown to govern in most cases. In this paper, the extreme loading scenarios identified in the Long Run Simulation are applied to a non-linear, two-dimensional (2D) plate finite …

Self-Cleaning Applications Of Tio2 By Photo-Induced Hydrophilicity And Photocatalysis, Swagata Banerjee, Dionysios Dionysiou, Suresh Pillai

Articles

Self-cleaning materials have gained considerable attention for both their unique properties and practical applications in energy and environmental areas. Recent examples of many TiO2-derived materials have been illustrated to understand the fundamental principles of self-cleaning hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Various models including those proposed by Wenzel, Cassie-Baxter and Miwa-Hashimoto are discussed to explain the mechanism of self-cleaning. Examples of semiconductor surfaces exhibiting the simultaneous occurrence of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic domains on the same surface are illustrated, which can have various advanced applications in microfluidics, printing, photovoltaic, biomedical devices, anti-bacterial surfaces and water purification.

Several strategies to improve the efficiency of …

Spatial Brightness, Horizontal Illuminance And Mean Room Surface Exitance In A Lighting Booth, James Duff, Kevin Kelly, C. Cuttle

Articles

This paper presents a pilot study that has investigated the suitability of mean room surface exitance as a predictor of spatial brightness and compared these results with how horizontal illuminance predicts spatial brightness under the same conditions. The experiment took a group of 26 participants and, using a scaled booth, exposed each participant to three levels of mean room surface exitance, each delivered with three different light distributions and three different surface reflectances, resulting in a total of 27 light scenes. Results demonstrated that, under the range of conditions to which participants were exposed, a systematic relationship existed between mean …

High Sensitivity Refractive Index Sensor Based On A Tapered Small Core Single-Mode Fiber Structure., Dejun Liu, Arun Mallik, Jinhui Yuan, Chongxiu Yu, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova, Qiang Wu

Articles

A high sensitivity refractive index (RI) sensor based on a tapered small core single-mode fiber (SCSMF) structure sandwiched between two traditional single-mode fibers (SMF28) is reported. The microheater brushing technique was employed to fabricate the tapered fiber structures with different waist diameters of 12.5, 15.0, and 18.8 μm. Experiments demonstrate that the fiber sensor with a waist diameter of 12.5 μm offers the best sensitivity of 19212.5  nm/RIU19212.5  nm/RIU (RI unit) in the RI range of 1.4304 to 1.4320. All sensors fabricated in this Letter show good linearity in terms of the spectral wavelength shift versus changes in RI. Furthermore, …

Topological Risk Mapping Of Runway Overruns: A Probabilistic Approach, Paolo Trucco, Massimiliano Ambroggi, Maria Chiara Leva

Articles

The paper presents a topological risk mapping for aircraft overruns. The proposed procedure is based on the study published in 2008 by Hall et al. (Analysis of aircraft overruns and undershoots for runway safety areas. Airport Cooperative Research Program. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board; 2008). In that study the authors performed an analysis of aircraft overruns and undershoots for runway safety areas proposing the ACRP hazard probability model. In the present study the model was integrated into a two-step Monte Carlo simulation procedure to assess the risk of overrun accidents and to provide a topological risk map for a specific …

The Influence Of Particle Content On The Equi-Biaxial Fatigue Behaviour Of Magnetorheological Elastomers, Yanfen Zhou, Stephen Jerrams, Tony Betts, Gerald Farrell, Lin Chen

Articles

The equi-biaxial fatigue behaviour of silicone based magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) with various volume fractions of carbonyl iron particles ranging between 15% and 35% was studied. Wöhler curves for each material were derived by cycling test samples to failure over a range of stress amplitudes. Changes in complex modulus (E*) and dynamic stored energy during the fatigue process were observed. As for other elastic solids, fatigue resistance of MREs with different particle contents was shown to be dependent on the stress amplitudes applied. MREs with low particle content showed the highest fatigue life at high stress amplitudes while MREs with high …

Performance Of Utility Based Hedges, Jim Hanly, John Cotter

Articles

Hedgers as investors are concerned with both risk and return. However when measuring hedging performance, the role of returns and investor risk aversion has generally been neglected in the literature, by its focus on minimum variance hedging. In this paper we address this by using utility based performance metrics to evaluate the hedging effectiveness of utility based hedges for hedgers with both moderate and high risk aversion together with the more traditional minimum variance approach. To examine this for an energy hedger, we apply our approach to WTI Crude Oil, for three different hedging horizons, daily, weekly and monthly. We …

Indoor Characterisation Of A Photovoltaic/ Thermal Phase Change Material System, Maria Browne, Keith Lawlor, Adam Kelly, Brian Norton, Sarah Mccormack

Articles

Photovoltaic/ thermal (PV/T) systems integrate photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies and have the added advantage of producing both electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. This study has been carried out to investigate the performance of a PV/T phase change material (PCM) system under experimental climatic conditions. Electricity is generated by the PV during daylight hours and the heat produced is absorbed and stored in PCM. Water flows through a pipe network within the PCM and absorbs the stored heat in the PCM. In the PV/T-PCM system, water remained at a higher temperature for an extended period of time as well as …

Barriers To Utilisation Of Refractive Services In Mozambique., James Loughman, Stephen Thompson, Carmen Gonzalez-Alvarez, Kovin Naidoo, Farai Chinanayi, Geoff Harris

Articles

Mozambique has a population of more than 25 million people.1 Nampula Province has just fewer than 4 million people.2 Although Mozambique is currently experiencing unprecedented economic growth rates, buoyed by the discovery of natural resources, significant challenges remain for the population, such as adequate health care, including eye health services. VISION 2020 is a global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Its core strategies are focused on human resource development, infrastructure development, and disease control.3 The Mozambique Eyecare Project delivered a regional optometry model for Lusophone Africa, based on the VISION 2020 core strategies. A key output …

Trailmaking Test Performance Contributes To Subjective Judgment Of Visual Efficiency In Older Adults, Annalisa Setti, James Loughman, George Savva, Rose Anne Kenny

Articles

Introduction.

The determinant factors that influence self-reported quality of vision have yet to be fully elucidated. This study evaluated a range of contextual information, established psychophysical tests, and in particular, a series of cognitive tests as potentially novel determinant factors.

Materials &Methods. Community dwelling adults (aged 50+) recruited to Wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, excluding those registered blind, participated in this study (N = 5,021). Self-reports of vision were analysed in relation to visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, ocular pathology, visual (Choice Response Time task; TrailMaking Test) and global cognition. Contextual factors such as having visited …