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An Investigation into the Biochemical Effects of Heavy Metal Exposure on Seaweeds
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Optimised methods, developed in this novel study, were utilised throughout the research. In environmental studies of Newfoundland and Ireland, interspecies and spatial variations in the total protein content and polyphenol levels of seaweeds were demonstrated. A positive correlation between total protein and temperature was
established. A downstream increase in polyphenol levels of seaweeds was observed and correlated with a downstream increase in seawater salinity. P. lanosa contained the
highest levels of all metals. Levels of Pb2+, Cr3+ and Cu2+ in seaweed were highest for sites in Waterford City. The highest proportions of Pb2+, As3+, Cr3+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Al3+
were intracellular.
Baseline levels of total protein, extracted protein and polyphenols of four different seaweed species varied significantly. P. lanosa contained the highest total protein. F. vesiculosus and A. nodosum yielded the highest levels of polyphenols. Significant interspecies variations in total and intracellular metals were observed. Zn2+, As3+ and Mn2+ were dominant for all species. P. lanosa demonstrated the best overall metal bioaccumulation potential. Regression analysis demonstrated correlations between total protein and Pb2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+.
Seasonal variations in levels of Cd2+, total protein, extracted protein and polyphenols of P. lanosa were observed. The highest levels of total protein were yielded in May. February demonstrated the highest extracted protein and November the lowest polyphenols. Increases in protein concentration following Cd2+ exposure were observed
for P. lanosa sampled in February. Increases in polyphenol levels following Cd2+ exposure were observed in the November samples. Potentiometric titrations and FTIR
analysis demonstrated seasonal variations in the binding potential of P. lanosa. Gel filtration chromatography, HPLC analysis and SDS PAGE demonstrated changes to the molecular weights of protein derived from P. lanosa following heavy metal exposure
Service Group Management facilitated by DSL driven Policies in embedded Middleware
Get PDFMiddleware by its very nature is fundamental to the functioning of systems as it provides the communication between software components. It is very much an underlying technology and is rarely visible to end users. As systems develop, certain domain semantics, provided by the domain experts, need to be injected into the behaviour of the underlying middleware, but in a controlled manner. The methods used to achieve this are often static in nature, wholly dependent on how they are implemented, deployed and managed. An increasingly popular way to manage this behaviour injection is through the use of policies, a technique used to govern defined rules, triggered by associated events, resulting in specific actions when certain conditions are encountered. Strong efforts have been made throughout the evolution of software development methods and programming languages to solve the lack of dynamicity which can arise through poor practices. Successive language based attempts to attain a higher level of abstraction in the notations used and techniques deployed have resulted in the re-discovery of Domain Specific Languages (DSL). This paper looks at injecting the dynamicity required in the management of service groups through a policy based DSL
From Facilitated to Independent Tourism Learning Networks Connecting the Dots
Get PDFFacilitated networks are regularly cited in tourism literature as a means to promote sustainable competitive advantage in small tourism firms. These networks function for a variety of reasons including marketing, innovation and research and development; however learning networks specifically seek to encourage learning among tourism entrepreneurs. Once established, the question remains whether such networks can transition from facilitated cooperative learning strategies to become independent learning communities in the longer term. Little is known about the formation, maintenance or success of these types of learning relationships after facilitated learning structures and supports reach a conclusion. What is known is that these networks, labeled ‘Evolving Learning Communities’ (ELCs) by the authors, are devoid of formal structures, thus autonomy in their structural and relational reasoning is required. In this paper, the authors explore a facilitated tourism learning network (TLN) environment operating in Ireland, and discuss the potential to transition from a facilitated TLN to an independent learning network environment. Following a comprehensive literature review, the authors propose an ELC model for the purposes of mapping the tourism entrepreneur’s learning development, from the autonomous business setting to the facilitated learning network environment and on to the independent learning network arena, illustrating the evolution of a learning community. The overriding research objective is: to explore the elements and relationships that influence entrepreneurial learning in tourism learning networks. Future research will inform and validate the proposed model through the completion of a longitudinal interpretive case study incorporating sub-studies for the purposes of cross-validation.
Key Words: Tourism, Facilitated Learning Networks, Evolving Learning Communitie
FRAMEWORK FOR ENHANCING COMPETITIVENESS IN CULTURE AND HERITAGE ORGANISATIONS IN THE IRISH TOURISM INDUSTRY
Get PDFThe culture and heritage sector of the tourism industry has become a major economic sector of enterprise and of wealth creation (Failte Ireland, 2009a). However, as the National Development Plan (2007-2013) notes, the landscape is changing and the tourism industry is at a significant turning point in its evolution due to the economic downturn. Creating a stronger competitive capacity within Irish tourism companies is a challenging issue (National Development Plan, 2007-2013) and a core focus of this research. This research will particularly focus on cultural and heritage organisations where the industry is predominantly made up of micro and small to medium sized organisations. Given these organisation‟s are small they have limited resource pools. However, as outlined in the „New Horizons for Irish Tourism‟ report (Failte Ireland, 2009b), the cultural and heritage sector has „core assets‟ which if leveraged and deployed to maximum capacity, it could result in a competitive advantage.
Strategic management theory has largely and traditionally focused on the external environment in which a firm can achieve competitive advantage (Bounfour, 2003).
Increasingly literature has redirected its focus towards the more controllable internal resources within the firm (Barney, 1991). Indeed, an increasing amount of literature has recognised that if small cultural and tourism organisations can strategically utilise their limited resources to maximum capacity, competitiveness should increase (Sundbo et al. 2006). Drawing on the resource based (Barney, 1991) and dynamic capabilities views of the firm (Teece et al., 1997), this paper will make a unique contribution to a very significant gap in the capabilities and business strategy literature by analysing how tourism organisations are utilising and maximising their intangible resource stocks as a means of gaining competitive advantage. Due to the scarcity of research and interest in this area, it is perceived that our ongoing study will contribute substantially to academic knowledge and practice and should highlight key areas warranting investigation going forward
Macular Pigment Optical Density in an Ageing Irish Population: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.
Get PDFPurpose: The 3 carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, which account for the ‘yellow spot’ at the macula and which are referred to as macular pigment (MP), are believed to play a role in visual function and protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD) via their optical and antioxidant properties. This study was undertaken to compare MP optical density (MPOD) in a population aged ≧50 years with MPOD values from a normative database of subjects aged 18–60 years. Methods: Seventy-nine subjects were recruited into this pilot study (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing-TILDA). MPOD was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry. Retinal fundus photographs, lifestyle data and general health data, were also obtained. Results: The mean ± SD age of the 79 subjects recruited into this study was 65 ± 11 years. There was a moderate, but statistically significant, age-related decline in MPOD at 0.5° in the TILDA data (r = –0.251, p = 0.045), which remained upon merging with a normative database of an additional 462 subjects aged between 18 and 67 years (r = –0.179, p = 0.000). Conclusions: We report an inverse association between MPOD and increasing age. Longitudinal data in a larger cohort of participants are required to satisfactorily investigate the relationship between the optical density of this pigment and age, and with risk for development and/or progression of AMD. This pilot study represents a first step in this endeavour
UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION PATTERNS AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS ON TACIT KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER EFFICIENCY IN BUSINESS NETWORKS
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ABSTRACT
Over the last decade, there has been an upsurge in interest among scholars on the importance of tacit knowledge transfer in firms, due to the belief that tacit knowledge represents a major source of sustainable competitive advantage (Darr and Kurtzberg, 2000). Despite this interest, factors affecting knowledge transfer at the micro level of analysis, namely a firm‟s interpersonal relationships and communication patterns, have been largely ignored, leaving a significant gap in substantive knowledge. This study will combine the foregoing micro level aspects of knowledge transfer with important contextual factors of the network environment: the geographic proximity of businesses in the network, the structural equivalence of network actors, network structure and a firm‟s absorptive capacity. A conceptual model is presented that depicts these variables as influencing tacit knowledge exchange efficiency. It is perceived that the contextual factors enhance the association between interpersonal relationships, their communication patterns and tacit knowledge transfer, while the nature of the interpersonal relationship (that is, close) has a positive impact on their communication patterns and, in turn, both of these variables have a positive influence on tacit knowledge transfer efficiency.
A mixed method approach will be carried out on three business networks of small and medium sized enterprises in the south-east region. Through an incorporation of network theory with the interpersonal relationship and communication literatures, it is perceived that this study will make a significant contribution to academic knowledge
OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS TO MANAGING INNOVATION IN THE EARLY STAGES OF NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN SMES
Get PDFThis paper centralises the management of innovation in the early stages of the new product development (NPD) process. The purpose of this paper is to describe the critical episodes that enabled an SME to successfully overcome the barriers to managing new product concepts from inception and, in so doing, presents implementable guidelines that can be used by SMEs to manage the delivery of creative and attractive new product concepts in the early stages of NPD. Action research was used to conduct a three-phase methodology involving a single case study. First, a diagnosis phase investigated the nature of innovation within the company. In the second phase, a series of iterative interventions by the researchers provided participants with both the theory and practice skills to manage innovation. The third phase involved an evaluation of the extent to which change in managing innovation in the company had occurred. The findings highlight a vast and sustained improvement in Dudley Europe‟s innovation management of their early NPD stages
Value Management (VM) Systems in Construction – An investigation into the use of VM systems in a leading Irish contractor
Get PDFDevelopment and characterisation of molecularly imprinted suspension polymers
Get PDFA controlled photo-polymerisation procedure for the synthesis of spherical molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) beads through the use of a suspension polymerisation methodology is described.
As molecular imprinting moves towards commercialisation, the need to produce packing materials with good flow properties is critical.
A comparative study of non-covalent MIPs synthesised by suspension and bulk polymerisation methods using 2-aminopyridine (2-apy) as a template and methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer to produce acrylate polymers is reported. The influence of experimental parameters such as temperature, agitation speed and cross-linker i.e. trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate
(TRIM) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) was examined in order to assess their impact on binding performance, yield, morphology and particle size distribution in the different polymers. It was concluded that for improved polymer performance, longer polymerisation times and lower temperatures resulted in the best polymer affinity for suspension polymerisation.
A detailed investigation of polymers produced by varying pre-polymerisation composition was performed using binding isotherm analysis. The optimum isotherm for use for MIP analysis was found to be the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm with additional information subsequently obtained by plotting affinity distribution spectra. A greater number of binding sites with similar binding energies were found in the suspension MIPs in comparison to NIPs. A GC-MS methodology was utilised to characterise the performance of polymers synthesised under varying conditions in the absence of solvent. A direct comparison was found between imprinting performance assessed by a GC-MS methodology and solution phase analysis experiments.
To extend the scope of this study, MIPs were prepared for chlorpheniramine racemate (CP), dchlorpheniramine (d-CP), brompheniramine racemate (BP) and d-brompheniramine (d-BP) as the template molecules respectively employing a novel non-stabilised aqueous suspension polymerisation procedure. A cross-selectivity rebinding study was carried out on the polymers using chiral HPLC analysis. Higher uptake capacities and IF values were found for the BP polymers over the CP polymers. It is speculated the higher binding of BP polymers over CP is related to differences in polarisability between Br and Cl and steric constraints.
The d-CP MIP prepared at 9500 rpm was packed as a HPLC stationary phase and the enantioselectivity and chromatographic behaviour of CP and BP was studied using an aqueous mobile phase. The highest enantioselectivity factor (1.19) and resolution (0.88) was obtained for
CP over BP. Interestingly, BP was more retained on the d-CP MIP column than CP as a result of deprotonation correlating with equilibrium binding observations. The effect of column temperature on the d-CP MIP column was also studied for the separation of a mixture of d-CP and d-BP isomers and concluded that with increase in column temperature improved retention performance was observed with sharper peaks produced and an increase in resolution from 0.61 to
0.86. The d-CP imprinted column was also capable of separating pheniramine racemate (PHEN), CP and BP enantiomers using an aqueous mobile phase. The highest retention factor,
enantioselectivity and resolution were observed for BP over the PHEN and CP enantiomers. This was explained due to the fact that all compounds possess similar pKa values and in addition the
hydrophobicity is in the order of BP, CP and PHEN. The chromatographic behaviour and separation of CP, d-CP, BP and d-BP isomers were also studied on a d-BP imprinted column using an aqueous mobile phase. The retention, selectivity and resolution of BP and d-BP on the d-BP imprinted column were greater in comparison to CP and d-CP. The results showed that the d-CP and d-BP imprinted columns each gave the best enantioseparation for its own template.
Physical characterisation of the polymers was carried out using nitrogen sorption porosimetry, particle size distribution, solvent swell studies and SEM. All samples exhibited low specific surface areas, pore volumes and pore diameters indicating non-porous materials. Trends were observed between the polymer properties characterised by the above techniques and the synthesis conditions
Exponential Riordan arrays and permutation enumeration
Get PDFe show that the generating function of the symmetric group with respect to five particular
statistics gives rise to an exponential Riordan array, whose inverse is the coefficient array of the associated orthogonal
polynomials.
This also provides us with an LDU factorization of the Hankel matrix of the associated moments