Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Student's Learning With E-Portfolios In Financial Disciplines., Lucia Morales, Amparo Soler-Dominguez Dr., Valentina Tarkovska

Articles

This study explores the contribution ePortfolios can make to the learning process when they are implemented in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), specifically in financial subjects. The idiosyncrasy of this particular discipline and the technical difficulties arising during the course require resourc es that can keep students engaged and constructively consolidate the contents learnt. The ePortfolio successfully performs these functions. Additionally, ePortfolio use promotes self- regulated learning, ultimately facilitating comprehension and enjoyment of the financial environment. Our findings suggest that students prefer to be more active in the classroom, and the learning-by-doing approach therefore appears to be more effective in technical …

Offering Minority Communities Equal Opportunities Through Entrepreneurship, Thomas M. Cooney

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A substantial body of research has been undertaken in recent years giving prominence to the additional and distinctive challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and by ethnic entrepreneurs. However, other groups of minority entrepreneurs have received relatively little attention and so remain underexplored within entrepreneurship literature. This article introduces some of these minority communities (Ex–Prisoners, Disabled People, Travellers/Gypsies, Grey and Gay) and highlights the research opportunities that exist for entrepreneurship academics who might wish to analyse such ‘silent’ minorities. These communities are all relatively large in terms of population numbers, require tailored support to overcome distinctive economic, social and personal obstacles, …

Breast Cancer Detection Using Interferometric Music: Experimental And Numerical Assessment, Giuseppe Ruvio, Raffaele Solimene, Antonio Cuccaro, Domenico Gaetano, Jacinta Browne, Max Ammann

Articles

Purpose: In microwave breast cancer detection it is often beneficial to arrange sensors in close proximity to the breast. The resulting coupling generally changes the antenna response. As an a priori characterization of the radio-frequency system becomes difficult, this can lead to severe degradation of the detection efficacy. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate advantages of adopting an Interferometric Multiple Signal Classification (I-MUSIC) approach due to its limited dependence 25 from a priori information on the antenna. The performance of I-MUSIC detection was measured in terms of Signal-to-Clutter Ratio (SCR), Signal-to-Mean Ratio (SMR) and Spatial Displacement (SD) and …

Processing Thinprep Cervical Cytological Samples For Raman Spectroscopic Analysis, Franck Bonnier, Damien Traynor, Padraig Kearney, Colin Clarke, Peter Knief, Cara Martin, John J. O'Leary, Hugh J. Byrne, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Raman microspectroscopy has been proven to be a promising technique for diagnosis and early detection of pathologies. The data collected delivers a chemical fingerprint allowing the identification of specific biomarkers indicating the presence of abnormalities. Label free, fast and cost effective, Raman spectroscopy has already been proposed as the new generation of diagnostic tool with a strong potential but has not emerged in the medical field as yet. Notably, it is crucial to improve and adapt the protocols used to reach suitable reproducibility for screening large cohorts of patients. In this study, it is demonstrated that the variability existing in …

Diagnostics Of An O2–He Rf Atmospheric Plasma Discharge By Spectral Emission, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Mick Donegan, Patrick J. Cullen, Denis Dowling

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In this paper optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is used as a Diagnostic technique for the measurement of atomic and molecular spectral emissions generated using a helium rf industrial atmospheric plasma jet system. The OES of neutral atomic spectral lines and molecular bands are investigated over a range of plasma process parameters.
/="/">Wavelength resolve optical emission profiles suggest that the emission of helium’s spectral lines shows that the high energy electrons have a larger influence than helium metastables on the overall spectral emission. Furthermore, the experimental data indicates that the use of high helium flow rates, in any confined open …

Apple Pomace As A Potential Ingredient For The Development Of New Functional Foods, Sofia Reis, Dilip K. Rai, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Extruded snacks and baked scones were formulated with increasing levels (0-30%) of apple pomace (AP). The incorporation of up to 20% of AP in extruded snacks and in baked scones does not change significantly (pβ-carotene/linoleic acid system) increased when compared to the products to which no AP was added. Chlorogenic acid and quercetin were the major phenolic compounds found in the products. Loss of phenolic compounds during heat treatment occurred, however the DPPH radical scavenging activity of final products was not affected.

Zein Film: Effects Of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Cold Plasma, Shashi Pankaj, Carmen Bueno-Ferrer, N. Misra, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric plasma is a novel non-thermal technology for the food and packaging industry. The effects of dielectric barrier discharge plasma on the surface, structural, thermal and moisture sorption properties of edible zein films have been examined. Plasma treatment increased the surface roughness and equillibrium moisture content of the zein film in a direct relationship with the applied voltage level. No significant difference in the thermal stability of the zein film is also observed after plasma treatment. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatments of zein film lead to a change in the protein conformation which is confirmed by X-ray …

Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Cold Plasma For Inactivation Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms, Dana Ziuzina, Sonal Patil, Patrick J. Cullen, Daniela Boehm, Paula Bourke

Articles

In recent years, atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) has been widely investigated for potential application as an alternative decontamination technology in biomedical and healthcare sectors. In this study, the antimicrobial efficacy of ACP against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms was investigated. The 48-h biofilms were treated inside sealed polypropylene containers with a high-voltage dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) ACP (80 kVRMS) and subsequently stored for 24 h at room temperature. Treatment for 60 s by either the direct or indirect mode of ACP exposure (inside or outside plasma discharge, respectively) reduced bacterial populations by an average of 5.4 log cycles from an initial 6.6 …

Play Hard, Work Harder. Alternative Reality Game And Scenario Based Assessments For Learning., Barry Ryan

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In this paper, an evaluative case study is detailed as an example of alternative reality game and scenario based assessments for learning. This pedagogic approach is evaluated and recommendations for practice offered. Integrating technology into the assessment process, and final student product, influenced the chosen pedagogy. The use of technology permitted this assessment approach to be adopted for a medium sized (n=40) student cohort. The use of wikis, eportfolios and digital reflective diaries were central to creating a learning environment that centralised the student and allowed them to construct and create their knowledge through scaffolded alternative reality games and scenarios. …

Development Of A Novel Functional Soup Rich In Bioactive Sulforaphane Using Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea L. Ssp. Italica) Florets And Byproducts., Laura Alvarez Jubete, Juan Valverde, Kate Kehoe, Kim Reilly, Dilip K. Rai, Catherine Barry-Ryan

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Broccoli florets are rich in health-promoting compounds such as glucoraphanin, the precursor of the bioactive compound sulforaphane. In addition, broccoli byproducts such as broccoli stalk also contain health promoting compounds and represent attractive ingredients in the development of functional foods. The bioconversion of glucosinolates into bioactive isothiocyanates is affected by many factors including heat and therefore cooking of Brassicas such as broccoli may result in significant loss of sulforaphane production. The aim of this study was to develop a suitable food system as a vehicle for the delivery of sulforaphane in the human diet in adequate quantities. To this end, …

Human Factors Engineering At Design Stage: Is There A Need For More Structured Guidelines And Standards?, Farzad Naghdali, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Samuel Cromie

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Human Factors Engineering (HFE) focuses on the application of human factors knowledge to the design and construction of socio-technical systems. The objective is to ensure systems are designed so as to optimise the human contribution to production and minimise potential f r design-induced risks to health, personal or process safety or environmental performance (OGP, 2011). The ISO standard ISO 9241-210 (2010), Ergonomics of human-system interaction, requires that all new facilities projects apply the principles of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) during early design stages. In practice this means ensuring, as a minimum, that every new facilities project is screened in collaboration …

Safety Risk Registers: Challenges And Guidance, Nora Balfe, Maria Chiara Leva, Brian Mcaleer, Michael Rocke

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A risk database, or risk register, is a central tool for organisations to use to monitor and reduce risks, both those identified during initial safety assessments and those emerging during operations (Whipple and Pitblado, 2010). The risk register should contain all analysed risks and should prioritise the areas that require managerial attention. When populated with information on each risk, including risk ranking, the risk register can be analysed to present the risk profile for different aspects of the organisation (Filippin and Dreher, 2004). When reviewed and updated over time, it can also be analysed to present trends within the risk …

Modelling The Reporting Culture Within A Modern Organisation, Ewan Douglas, Samuel Cromie, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe

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Research shows that there are many factors that can influence the operation of a “Reporting Culture” within organisations, ranging from the attitudes to the workers, to the methodology implemented, to the managerial attitudes within the organisation (Reason, 1998). Understanding and modelling these factors may help develop an optimum reporting system. Historically, research has focused on the concept of “Near Miss Reporting” which is based on the idea of identifying the “bottom” of the safety triangle concept put forward in Heinrich (1941) which suggests that for each accident there are dozens of near misses, and identifying these near misses will hopefully …

Total Safety Management: What Are The Main Concerns In The Integration Of Best Available Methods And Tools, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Tom Kontogiannis, Emmanuel Plot, Micaela De Michela

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“BP released findings from its own internal investigation of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, revealed inefficient Organization interfaces among BP management, the rig crew and well site leader. Also according to the investigation, one important contributor to the accident was inadequate guidelines for critical tests and operations”. (Pires and Mosleh 2011) Over the recent past, the accumulation of major mishaps, crises and accidents have made it clear that organisations must still improve their capabilities to address safety “not as a stand-alone activity that is separate from the main activities and processes of the organization” but as an …

Fully Inert Subgroups Of Abelian P-Groups, Brendan Goldsmith, Luigi Salce, Paolo Zanardo

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A subgroup H of an Abelian group G is said to be fully inert in G, if for every endomorphism ϕ of G, the factor group (H+ϕ(H))/H" role="presentation"> is finite. This notion arises in the study of the dynamical properties of endomorphisms (entropy). The principal result of this work is that fully inert subgroups of direct sums of cyclic p-groups are commensurable with fully invariant subgroups of the direct sum.

Albert Camus And The Dilemma Of The Absent God, Eamon Maher

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The year 2013 marked the centenary of the birth of Albert Camus. In this article Eamon Maher considers Camus' writing on religion,focusing in particular on two novels, The Outsider and The Plaque. They offer a powerful analysis of the seeming absence of God from a world a suffering, a challenge for all who profess Christian belief.

''They All Seem To Have Inherited The Horrible Ugliness And Sewer Filth Of Sex'' : Catholic Guilt In Selected Works By John Mcgahern (1934-2006), Eamon Maher

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No abstract provided.

A Window On Murphy: Perspectives And Insights Of Clergy Of The Archdiocese Of Dublin: A Presentation Of Data Collated From A Survey Entitled "A Window On Murphy", Alan Hilliard

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This article draws on data from survey undertaken by the author of this article. The survey was entitled ‘A Window on Murphy’…the perspective of Clergy of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The survey set out to gain an insight into the life and ministry of the priests of the Archdiocese at the time of the publication of the report of the Commission of Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin; 1975-2004 commonly known as The Murphy Report. The report was published in November 2009; two chapters were withheld and were released at later dates. This article reflects on …

Dublin Clergy And The Murphy Report, Alan Hilliard

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No abstract provided.

“More Books” Reviews., Tanya Dean

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Short reviews of:

Performing Hybridity in Colonial-Modern China. By Siyuan Liu. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013;

Grotowski, Women, and Contemporary Performance: Meetings with Remarkable Women. By Virginie Magnat. New York: Routledge, 2014;

Theatre in the Expanded Field: Seven Approaches to Performance. By Alan Read. New York: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2013

Lives in Play: Autobiography and Biography on the Feminist Stage. By Ryan Claycomb. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012;

The Potential For Energy Reduction In Uk Commercial Offices Through Effective Management And Behaviour Change, Mark Mulville, Keith Jones, Gesche Huebner

Articles

eneral office equipment can be responsible for a significant proportion of overall electrical energy consumption in UK offices and this is predicted to rise significantly over the coming years [Webber, C. A., Roberson, J. A., Brown, R. E., Payne, C. T., Nordman, B., & Koomey, J. G. (2001). Field surveys of office equipment operating patterns. Berkley: CA: Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory]. As a significant contributor to overall energy use, this equipment has a corresponding cost and carbon impact. The legally binding requirements of the climate change act [Department of Energy and Climate Change. (2008 Department of Energy and …

Concern-Driven Integrated Toxicity Testing Strategies For Nanomaterials - Report Of The Nanosafety Cluster Working Group 10, Hugh Byrne, Agnes G. Oomen, Peter M.J. Bos, Teresa F. Fernandes, Kerstin Hund-Rinke, Diana Boraschi, Karin Aschberger, Stefania Gottardo, Frank Von Der Kammer, Dana Kühnel, Danail Hristozov, Antonio Marcomini, Lucia Migliore

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Bringing together topic-related European Union-(EU)-funded projects, the so-called “NanoSafety Cluster” aims at identifying key areas for further research on risk assessment procedures for nanomaterials (NM). The outcome of NanoSafety Cluster Working Group 10, this commentary presents a vision for concern-driven integrated approaches for the (eco-)toxicological testing and assessment (IATA) of NM. Such approaches should start out by determining concerns, i.e. specific information needs for a given NM based on realistic exposure scenarios. Recognized concerns can be addressed in a set of tiers using standardized protocols for NM preparation and testing. Tier 1 includes determining physico-chemical properties, non-testing (e.g. structure …

Effect Of Substrate Choice And Tissue Type On Tissue Preparation For Spectral Histopathology By Raman Microspectroscopy, Hugh Byrne, Leanne M. Fullwood, Dave Griffiths, Katherine Ashton, Timothy Dawson, Robert W. Lea, Charles Davis, Franck Bonnier, Matthew J. Baker

Articles

Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive, non-invasive, rapid and economical technique which has the potential to be an excellent method for the diagnosis of cancer and understanding disease progression through retrospective studies of archived tissue samples. Historically, biobanks are generally comprised of formalin fixed paraffin preserved tissue and as a result these specimens are often used in spectroscopic research. Tissue in this state has to be dewaxed prior to Raman analysis to reduce paraffin contributions in the spectra. However, although the procedures are derived from histopathological clinical practice, the efficacy of the dewaxing procedures that are currently employed is questionable. Ineffective …

College Is Where The Real Learning Happens: Perceptions From Irish Craft Apprentices Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Eric Bates

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This research set out to examine the learning experience of three apprentice painters and decorators on the Irish Standards Based Apprenticeship from the Technological University Dublin. This apprenticeship involves college based and work based learning. The main aim of the study was to explore the learning experiences of apprentices in their own words. This would provide for unique insights into their learning experience. The research method was one on one semi structured interviews and the data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. One of the super ordinate themes that emerged from the data analysis was the perception among the participants …

Words Worth Price And Value, Tom Dunne

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TOM DUNNE explains the terms used in relation to the valuation of property, and the need for common understanding among all parties using those terms. -

Locative Histories: Exploring The Continued Influence Of Early Locative Media Art, Conor Mcgarrigle

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This paper, which draws on aspects of my doctoral research, traces the influence of early Locative Media Art on the current form and application of location-aware technologies. The mechanisms and impulse for this influence are introduced and analyzed and it is proposed that they point to new approaches in the consideration of the agency of Locative Media art.

I return to the origins of Locative Media at the Karosta workshop and the ambitions of early practitioners to argue that the practice was based on a prescient analysis of the potential for ubiquitous networked location-awareness. From this analysis was developed an …

Omnidirectional Microstrip Patch Antenna With Reconfigurable Pattern And Polarisation, Max Ammann, Xiulong Bao, Adam Narbudowicz

Articles

An omnidirectional microstrip patch antenna, capable of reconfiguring both polarisation and radiation pattern is proposed. It operates with two orthogonal ±45° slanted linear polarisations and can produce two dipole-like radiation patterns, providing 360° coverage in either the horizontal or elevation plane. With appropriate steering, this enables a single antenna to provide full spherical coverage for any polarisation. The reconfiguration is realised by phase shifting, thus does not require switching elements, such as MEMS or pin diodes embedded into antenna. The basic principles of operation are discussed and validated by numerical and measured data.

The Controversy Over Citations To Foreign Authorities In American Constitutional Adjudication And The Conflict Of Judicial Philosophies: A Reply To Professor Glendon, Michel Rosenfeld

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The controversy over U.S. Supreme Court justices citing foreign authorities in constitutional cases reflects a deeper ideological divide between restrictive and expansive judicial philosophies. This debate, evident in cases like Lawrence v. Texas and Roper v. Simmons, transcends traditional labels like originalism or political ideology, focusing instead on whether judges should defer to majoritarian decisionmaking or actively shape evolving rights. The article argues that the furor over foreign citations will diminish once the broader philosophical clash over judicial interpretation is resolved, as differences over foreign authorities are secondary to this central divide.

Does Tort Law Empower?, Anthony J. Sebok

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No abstract provided.

Why Answer?, Anthony J. Sebok

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No abstract provided.