Digital Commons Network^™

Regulation By (Bad) Proxy: How Selective Application Of Transaction Cost Economics Tainted The Ftc's Proposed Ban Of Employee Noncompete Agreements, Alan J. Meese

Faculty Publications

Agencies have imperfect information about conduct they regulate. This problem is particularly acute when identical conduct has differing effects in various markets. Determining the economy-wide impact of such conduct can be difficult or impossible.

The FTC faces such a challenge. The Commission has announced a rule banning the nation’s 30 million employee noncompete agreements (“NCAs”) as unfair methods of competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The Commission determined that NCAs likely reduce aggregate wages, helping to establish a presumptive violation. The Commission also found that nearly all NCAs are both procedurally coercive—because employers use overwhelming bargaining power to …

Tu-Net: A Strategic Alliance For Open Research: Libraries And Research-Associated Offices Collaborating To Support Open Research, Frances Madden, Lindsay Dowling, Seán Lacey, Johanna Archbold

Other

This year's theme is ‘Where is RMA Going? The Future of RMA in a Rapidly Changing World'. Read more about the EARMA Conference topics.

New challenges for RMAs are appearing every day across the research ecosystem and RMAs are expected to adapt and absorb. Artificial intelligence, academic freedom and integrity, Open Research, education and innovation, professionalisation and broadening of the profession, EDI, these and many others are transforming the ‘traditional’ role of the RMA.

Myopia Progression Following 0.01% Atropine Cessation In Australian Children: Findings From The Western Australia – Atropine For The Treatment Of Myopia (Wa-Atom) Study, Samantha Sze Yee Lee, Vinay Kumar Nilagiri, Gareth Lingham, Magdalena Blaszkowska, Paul G. Sanfilippo, Maria Franchina, Antony Clark, David A. Mackey

Articles

Background: A rebound in myopia progression following cessation of atropine eyedrops has been reported, yet there is limited data on the effects of stopping 0.01% atropine compared to placebo control. This study tested the hypothesis that there is minimal rebound myopia progression after cessation of 0.01% atropine eyedrops, compared to a placebo. Methods: Children with myopia (n = 153) were randomised to receive 0.01% atropine eyedrops or a placebo (2:1 ratio) daily at bedtime during the 2-year treatment phase of the study. In the third year (wash-out phase), all participants ceased eyedrop instillation. Participants underwent an eye examination every 6 …

The Multi-Country Multi-City Collaborative Research Network An International Research Consortium Investigating Environment, Climate, And Health, Multi-Country Multi-City (Mcc) Collaborative Network, Patrick Goodman

Articles

Research on the health risks of environmental factors and climate change requires epidemiological evidence on associated health risks at a global scale. Multi-center studies offer an excellent framework for this purpose, but they present various methodological and logistical problems. This contribution illustrates the experience of the Multi-Country Multi-City Collaborative Research Network, an international collaboration working on a global research program on the associations between environmental stressors, climate, and health in a multi-center setting. The article illustrates the collaborative scheme based on mutual contribution and data and method sharing, describes the collection of a huge multi-location database, summarizes published research findings …

Laser-Irradiating Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy Of Articular Cartilage: Potential And Challenges For Diagnosing Osteoarthritis, P. Krebs, M. Nägele, P. Fomina, V. Virtanen, E. Nippolainen, R. Shaikh, I. O. Afara, J. Töyräs, I. Usenov, T. Sakharova, V. Artyushenko, V. Tafintseva, J. H. Solheim, B. Zimmermann, A. Kohler, O. König, S. Saarakkala, B. Mizaikoff

Articles

Objective: A prototype infrared attenuated total reflection (IR-ATR) laser spectroscopic system designed for in vivo classification of human cartilage tissue according to its histological health status during arthroscopic surgery is presented. Prior to real-world in vivo applications, this so-called osteoarthritis (OA) scanner has been tested at in vitro conditions revealing the challenges associated with complex sample matrices and the accordingly obtained sparse spectral datasets. Methods: In vitro studies on human knee cartilage samples at different contact pressures (i.e., 0.2–0.5 ​MPa) allowed recording cartilage degeneration characteristic IR signatures comparable to in vivo conditions with high temporal resolution. Afterwards, the cartilage samples …

Regional Variation In The Role Of Humidity On City-Level Heat-Related Mortality, Multi-Country Multi-City (Mcc) Collaborative Network, Patrick Goodman

Articles

The rising humid heat is regarded as a severe threat to human survivability, but the proper integration of humid heat into heat-health alerts is still being explored. Using state-of-the-art epidemiological and climatological datasets, we examined the association between multiple heat stress indicators (HSIs) and daily human mortality in 739 cities worldwide. Notable differences were observed in the long-term trends and timing of heat events detected by HSIs. Air temperature (Tair) predicts heat-related mortality well in cities with a robust negative Tair-relative humidity correlation (CT-RH). However, in cities with near-zero or weak positive CT-RH, HSIs considering humidity provide enhanced predictive power …

Disaggregating Longer-Term Trends From Seasonal Variations In Measured Pv System Performance, Chibuisi Chinasaokwu Okorieimoh, Brian Norton, Michael Conlon

Articles

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are widely adopted for renewable energy generation, but their performance is influenced by complex interactions between longer-term trends and seasonal variations. This study aims to remove these factors and provide valuable insights for optimising PV system operation. We employ comprehensive datasets of measured PV system performance over five years, focusing on identifying the distinct contributions of longer-term trends and seasonal effects. To achieve this, we develop a novel analytical framework that combines time series and statistical analytical techniques. By applying this framework to the extensive performance data, we successfully break down the overall PV system output into …

Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring Based On Three Fitted Performance Curves, Shuo Zhang, Emma Robinson, Malabika Basu

Articles

Based on SCADA data, this study aims at fitting three performance curves (PCs), power curve, pitch angle curve, and rotor speed curve, to accurately describe the normal behaviour of a wind turbine (WT) for performance monitoring and identification of anomalous signals. The fitting accuracy can be undesirably affected by erroneous SCADA data. Hence, outliers generated from raw SCADA data should be removed to mitigate the prediction inaccuracy, so various outlier detection (OD) approaches are compared in terms of area under the curve (AUC) and mean average precision (mAP). Among them, a novel unsupervised SVM-KNN model, integrated by support vector machine …

Dynamic Thermal Effect In A Hollow Core Microbottle Resonator, Zhe Wang, Zhuochen Wang, Anuradha Rout, Rayhan Habib Jibon, Anand V. R, Fangfang Wei, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova, Northumbria University

Articles

Dynamic thermal wavelength shift in hollow core microbottle resonators has been experimentally demonstrated using the frequency-detuning method. A linewidth broadening phenomenon is observed when the tunable laser is swept from a shorter wavelength to a longer wavelength. The thermal effect in the microbottles with various diameters as a function of the power and sweep frequency of the tunable laser has been studied and analyzed. In addition, the effect of thermal broadening on multiple WGM resonances within the spectrum has been observed, demonstrating that broadening of the linewidth of the first WGM resonance suppresses the subsequent WGM resonances during the up-scanning …

Sm-Fplf: Link-State Prediction For Software-Defined Dcn Power Optimization, Mohammed Nsaif, Gergely Kovasznai, Ali Malik, Ruairí De Fréin

Articles

Efficient monitoring systems that optimize resource allocation, reduce energy usage through machine learning and flow aggregation routing techniques, are needed due to the escalating power consumption of data center networks, which, as has been recently reported, account for up to eight percent of global energy consumption, posing environmental operational concerns. We propose a software-defined data-center monitoring algorithm that reduces power consumption by: 1) using a GPU implementation of a Stacked Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model for link utilization prediction, thus reducing monitoring overhead; and 2) utilizing a flow aggregation routing algorithm with feedback from online, OpenFlow-powered monitoring …

Addressing The Complexity Of Spatial Teaching: A Narrative Review Of Barriers And Enablers, Ergi Bufasi, Ting Jun Lin, Ursa Benedicic, Marten Westerhof, Rohit Mishra, Dace Namsone, Inese Dudareva, Sheryl Sorby, Lena Gumaelius, Remke M. Klapwijk, Jeroen Spandaw, Brian Bowe, Colm O'Kane, Gavin Duffy, Marianna Pagkratidou, Jeffrey Buckley

Articles

Extensive research has established that spatial ability is a crucial factor for achieving success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, challenges that educators encounter while teaching spatial skills remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to develop a research framework that examines the interrelationships, barriers, and enablers amongst various educational components, including schools, teachers, students, classrooms, and training programs, that are encountered when teaching for spatial ability development. A thorough examination of international research, in combination with a detailed review of the primary Science and Mathematics curricula in Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, and the Netherlands, is undertaken to …

Organizational Support And Its Impact On Mental Health In Humanitarian Aid Volunteers, Valeria Prudnikova

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humanitarian aid volunteers encounter a wide range of stressors, from witnessing horrific events and human suffering to facing organizational challenges and threats to their personal safety. These experiences can have significant and lasting impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. Despite increasing awareness of the psychological toll on aid volunteers, research on effective coping mechanisms and organizational support remains limited, while efforts by organizations that have begun implementing mental health training remain insufficient in providing the comprehensive, long-term support needed to mitigate these effects. This article aims to address the gap by reviewing existing literature on the psychological and emotional …

Influence Of Heat Treatment And Shielding Gas Environment On The Very High Cycle Fatigue Behavior Of 17-4 Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steel, Jade Welsh

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) for stainless steel components has proved useful in a variety of industries ranging from aerospace to biomedical engineering. Many of these components are subject to very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) loading and must have tailored mechanical properties to ensure failures do not occur before a service life is reached. Testing the fatigue strength AM materials exposed to VHCF loading is paramount to compare with the expected life cycles of their wrought counterparts. In this thesis, AM 17-4 precipitation hardened (PH) stainless steel (SS) were fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) technique, while the wrought 17-4 PH …

Exploring Parental Engagement In A Family Stem Program Leveraging Social Media Spaces, Valentina Bongiovanni

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Family Take-home STEM Toolkit Program offers families the opportunity to engage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning by utilizing the informal environments of the home and program-dedicated social media groups. This initiative provides a frame for this research, as parental engagement in the context of this early childhood program is explored through the lens of the Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE). This theoretical model understands engagement as the mediation of space and capital (Barton et al., 2004) and guides this study to further explore parental perceptions concerning the social media space activated with the STEM Toolkit Program. …

Foreclosure Sales As Fraudulent Transfers, David G. Carlson

Articles

The Supreme Court has declared that noncollusive, regularly conducted foreclosure sales are not “constructive” fraudulent transfers voidable by a bankruptcy trustee Uniform state legislation ratifies this instinct for private creditor enforcements. But collusive or irregular foreclosure sales or sales that are intended to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors are subject to creditor attack, even though unsecured creditors are not proper parties to the foreclosure process. In such cases, unsecured creditors can cloud the title obtained from foreclosure in the cases of collusion, irregularity or fraudulent intent. This article examines precisely when foreclosure sales can be avoided by unsecured creditors of …

International Survey On Opinions And Use Of Robot-Assisted And Laparoscopic Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Surgery: 5-Year Follow Up, Horacio Asbun

All Publications

Background: Evidence on the value of minimally invasive pancreatic surgery (MIPS) has been increasing but it is unclear how this has influenced the view of pancreatic surgeons on MIPS.

Methods: An anonymous survey was sent to members of eight international Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Associations. Outcomes were compared with the 2016 international survey.

Results: Overall, 315 surgeons from 47 countries participated. The median volume of pancreatic resections per center was 70 (IQR 40-120). Most surgeons considered minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) superior to open (ODP) (94.6%) and open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) superior to minimally invasive (MIPD) (67.9%). Since 2016, there has been an increase …

Savings Associated With Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement With A Resilia Tissue Valve Based On Seven-Year Commence Trial Results, Tom Nguyen

All Publications

Background: Bioprostheses with RESILIA tissue demonstrate a reduction in calcification and improve health outcomes in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Prior economic analyses which relied on 5 years of evidence from the COMMENCE trial demonstrate financial savings for RESILIA tissue valves relative to mechanical valves after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Given the recent release of 7-year COMMENCE data, this economic evaluation updates the estimate for long-run savings of bioprosthetic valves with RESILIA.

Methods: Simulation models estimated disease progression across two hypothetical SAVR cohorts (tissue vs. mechanical) of 10,000 patients each in the US. The primary comparison calculated the SAVR-related expenditures …

Nebraska Snapshot #24-001: Is Nebraska Heading In The Right Direction?, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.

Book-And-Claim System For Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Christine Kranich, Sarah J. Haas

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

This Article provides an overview of the regulatory (legal) framework in which the decarbonisation of aviation is embedded, with a focus on European law. The Article further provides updates on EU-ETS, CORISA, RED III and the minimum quota of SAF supply in accordance with Refuel EU Aviation up to October 2023. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will be described in detail in this Article, and it is further explained that the use of SAF could significantly contribute to aviation becoming “greener”. As the availability of SAF is still rather scarce, the Article revolves around a mechanism of a global book-and-claim system …

Still Far From Home – How Personal Jurisdiction Doctrine Undercuts The Montreal Convention’S “Fifth Jurisdiction” For “Wandering Americans”, Hans Huggler

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

The rapid growth of global air travel in the mid-20th century gave rise to the problem of the “wandering American”—American residents whose air travel injury claims could not be heard in United States courts under the Warsaw Convention’s Article 28. Prominent cases prompted adoption of a “fifth jurisdiction” in the Montreal Convention’s Article 33, allowing injury suits in the Contracting State where an injured passenger had her “principal and permanent residence” so long as the international carrier served the forum. U.S. officials toasted their success in providing Americans with a domestic forum, but the adoption of the fifth jurisdiction did …

Space ‘Tourism’: A Framework For Ensuring ‘Safe And Orderly Development’ Lessons Learnt From The U.S. And Aviation, Sarah J. Fox

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

In August 2023, following its successful mission, Virgin Galactic announced the intention to provide scheduled services into space. Yet, this paper sets out to present evidence to argue that, from an international (U.N.) perspective, there has been a lack of activity to establish safeguards and to ensure a fit for purpose governance and oversight mechanism is in place for this new and growing sector—space tourism. The research is undertaken by way of a comparison law/policy analysis which factors in key historic events across both aviation and space. The main focus is given to the developments and approach of …

Associations Of Childhood Physical Activity And Screen Time With Cardiometabolic Health In Preteens Who Were Born To Mothers With Previous Macrosomic Delivery: Findings From The Rolo Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study, Sophie Callanan, Sarah Louise Killeen, Anna Delahunt, Eileen C. O'Brien, Aisling A. Geraghty, Rosemary Cushion, Amy Gainfort, Rachel K. Crowley, Patrick J. Twomey, Ciara M. Mcdonnell, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Background: Macrosomia (birthweight ≥4 kg) may alter the associations of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) throughout childhood with later cardiometabolic risk. Objective: To investigate associations of PA and ST over a 4–6-year follow-up period with cardiometabolic outcomes in preteens (9–11-year-olds) who were born to mothers with previous macrosomic delivery. Methods: This is an analysis of 402 preteens from the ROLO study, who were born to mothers that previously delivered an infant with macrosomia. Parental-reported measures of PA and ST were obtained in early childhood at 5-years of age. Preteen self-reported PA, parental-reported ST, anthropometry, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, blood …

An Exploration Of Fibre Intake And Bowel Function In A Sample Of Adults At An Irish University Campus, Ellen Lynch, Sophie Mulligan, Suzanne L. Doyle

Articles

Background: Bowel dysfunction can significantly impair quality of life. Adequate fibre intake is associated with good bowel health but intakes have been reported to be low in Ireland. Aim: This study aimed to gather data on fibre intake and bowel habits in a cohort of adults at a university campus in Dublin, Ireland. Methods: An online questionnaire was developed by adapting validated tools to assess habitual fibre intake and bowel function. The questionnaire was circulated through mailing lists and advertised via QR codes on campus in February/March 2023. Data was analysed using SPSS, p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In total, 275 valid responses were received. Low fibre intakes (< 19 g/day) were found in 50.5% of participants. A significantly higher proportion of males had low fibre intake compared to females (62.2% vs 44.8%, p = 0.039). Nearly a third (30.2%) of respondents experienced mild symptoms of bowel dysfunction, and 13.1% experienced moderate to severe symptoms. An inverse relationship was observed between fibre intake (g/day) and bowel dysfunction (p = 0.033). Conclusions: In this cohort, low fibre intakes and some degree of bowel dysfunction were prevalent. Public health campaigns to increase fibre intake could prove to be a cost-effective way to improve bowel function and health amongst adults in Ireland.

Nutrient Intakes And Gastrointestinal Symptoms Among Esophagogastric Cancer Survivors Up To 5 Years Post-Surgery, A. E. Bennett, L. O'Neill, S. L. Doyle, E. M. Guinan, J. O'Sullivan, J. V. Reynolds, J. Hussey

Articles

A cross-sectional analysis explored nutritional intakes and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms among esophagogastric cancer survivors up to 12, 13–36, and 37+ months post-surgery. Participants were identified from the Upper GI Cancer Registry at St James' Hospital, Ireland. The Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire, European Prospective Investigation of Cancer Food Frequency Questionnaire, World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) Score, and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale assessed malnutrition risk, nutritional intake, adherence to (secondary) cancer prevention recommendations, and GI symptoms, respectively. Most (82.5%, n33) participants (n40) were male. Mean age was 65.5 ± 9.3 years. Time post-surgery ranged from 6-62 months. Half …

Outcomes Of The Leap Feasibility Trial—A Low-Threshold, Exercise Programme With Protein Supplementation To Target Frailty And Poor Physical Functioning In People Experiencing Homelessness And Addiction Issues, Fiona Kennedy, Clíona Ní Cheallaigh, Roman Romero-Ortuno, Suzanne L. Doyle, Julie Broderick

Articles

Background People experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience poor health with physical functioning deficits and frailty commonly reported. It is not well known how strategies to target physical functioning deficits and frailty work in practice in this group. The primary aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of an exercise intervention with protein supplementation to target physical functioning and frailty in people experiencing homelessness evaluated by recruitment and retention rates, adherence to the exercise sessions and protein supplement, adverse effects, programme feedback and characteristics of non-returners, sporadic and frequent attenders. The secondary aim was to evaluate changes …

A Food-Exchange Model For Achieving The Recommended Dietary Intakes For Saturated Fat In Irish Children: Analysis From The Cross-Sectional National Children's Food Survey Ii, Aileen O'Connor, Maria Buffini, Anne P. Nugent, Laura Kehoe, Albert Flynn, Janette Walton, John Kearney, Breige Mcnulty

Articles

Objective: To identify the main foods determining saturated fatty acid (SFA) intakes and model the impact of food exchanges to improve compliance with dietary fat recommendations in Irish children. Design: Estimated food and nutrient intakes were obtained from a cross-sectional study, the National Children's Food Survey II. Participants were categorised into low, medium, and high SFA consumers, and the contribution of food categories to SFA intakes were compared. A food-exchange model was developed, whereby a selected range of high SFA foods were exchanged with lower SFA or unsaturated fat alternatives. Setting: Participants were randomly selected from primary schools throughout the …

The Iris Clinic: A Protocol For A Mixed-Methods Study Evaluating The Management Of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Eileen C. O'Brien, Jean Doherty, Sarah Louise Killeen, Melanie Bennett, Lillian Murtagh, Sinead Curran, Suzanne Murphy, Helen Mchale, Lucille Sheehy

Articles

Background: Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that affects 0.3–3% of women and has profound nutritional, physical and psychological consequences. Research is lacking regarding the most effective management of the condition. In response to patient feedback, a multidisciplinary HG day-case service (IRIS Clinic) was launched in 2020 at The National Maternity Hospital, Ireland. The clinic provides routine, day-case care in a comfortable space with pre-booked appointments. The MDT involves midwives, dietitians, perinatal mental health, obstetrics and pharmacy, and the nature of the clinic enables peer-to-peer support. As this clinic is the first of …

Dietary Amino Acids, Macronutrients, Vaginal Birth, And Breastfeeding Are Associated With The Vaginal Microbiome In Early Pregnancy, Gillian A. Corbett, Rebecca Moore, Conor Feehily, Sarah Louise Killeen, Eileen O'Brien, Douwe Van Sinderen, Elizabeth Matthews, Roisin O'Flaherty, Pauline M. Rudd, Radka Saldova, Calum J. Walsh, Elaine M. Lawton, David A. Macintyre, Siobhan Corcoran, Paul D. Cotter, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

The vaginal microbiome is a key player in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth. This study aimed to illustrate maternal environmental factors associated with vaginal microbiota composition and function in pregnancy. Women in healthy pregnancy had vaginal microbial sampling from the posterior vaginal fornix performed at 16 weeks gestation. After shotgun metagenomic sequencing, heatmaps of relative abundance data were generated. Community state type (CST) was assigned, and alpha diversity was calculated. Demography, obstetric history, well-being, exercise, and diet using food frequency questionnaires were collected and compared against microbial parameters. A total of 119 pregnant participants had vaginal metagenomic sequencing performed. …

Perceptions Of Healthy And Sustainable Eating: A Qualitative Study Of Irish Adults, Daniel Hazley, Mairead Stack, John M. Kearney

Articles

No abstract provided.

Diet Quality And Blood Pressure Among Pregnant Women With Overweight Or Obesity: A Secondary Analysis Of Two Randomized Controlled Trials, Sorcha Lynch, Sarah Louise Killeen, Eileen O'Brien, Kate Mullane, Emma Hokey, Grace Mealy, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Introduction: Maternal obesity is a significant risk factor for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. High diet quality may protect against this, yet data regarding the relationship between diet quality and blood pressure among pregnant women with raised body mass index (BMI) is limited. Material and methods: This is a secondary analysis (n = 543) of women with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 from two randomized controlled trials; PEARS (Pregnancy Exercise and nutrition Research Study with smartphone application support) and ROLO (Randomized cOntrol trial of LOw glycemic index diet to prevent macrosomia in euglycemic women). Blood pressure was measured at 10–18 weeks and 28 …