Considering the impact of the 'Right to Bargain' Legislation in Ireland: A Review

Ireland is rare among advanced economies in not having statutory trade union recognition legislation for collective bargaining purposes. The matter has been a source of policy contention over the years with attempts to resolve it encapsulated in the so-called ‘Right to Bargain’ legislation, introduced in 2001. This legislation has sought to circumvent statutory recognition in Ireland by putting in place an alternative mechanism for unions to represent members in non-union firms where collective bargaining is not practiced. This review, based on a mixture of empirical and documentary evidence, demonstrates that this legislation was moderately successful for a short period in generating pay rises, improved employment conditions and better access to procedures for union members in non-unionised firms. Indeed, in some respects, it was a superior institutional mechanism to a statutory recognition regime.

GWAS identifies an NAT2 acetylator status tag single nucleotide polymorphism to be a major locus for skin fluorescence

Skin fluorescence (SF) is a non-invasive marker of AGEs and is associated with the long-term complications of diabetes. SF increases with age and is also greater among individuals with diabetes. A familial correlation of SF suggests that genetics may play a role. We therefore performed parallel genome-wide association studies of SF in two cohorts.

It Had to Be You Performance at NYCEMF 2014:for Clarinet and Computer

Concert 15: 3:30-5:30 PM: Playhouse

Danny Saul, Glitches/Trajectories
Ethan Greene, Lissajous
Kyong Mee Choi, Ceaseless Cease
Thomas Beverly, Ocotillo

intermission

Paul Wilson, It Had to be You
Kwangrae Kim, Sound Drawing
Steven Kemper, Mythical Spaces
David Durant, FAJI

To be inside someone else's dream: On Music for Sleeping & Waking Minds

Music for Sleeping & Waking Minds (2011-2012) is a new,overnight work in which four performers fall asleep while wearing custom designed EEG sensors which monitor their brainwave activity. The data gathered from the EEG sensors is applied in real time to different audio and image signal processing functions, resulting in continuously evolving multichannel sound environment and visual projection. This material serves as an audiovisual description of the individual and collective neuro physiological state of the ensemble. Audiences are invited to experience the work in different states of attention: while alert and asleep, resting and awakening.

Variables to be considered when assessing the photocatalytic destruction of bacterial pathogens

The current study sought to assess the importance of three common variables on the outcome of TiO₂ photocatalysis experiments with bacteria. Factors considered were (a) ability of test species to withstand osmotic pressure, (b) incubation period of agar plates used for colony counts following photocatalysis and (c) chemical nature of suspension medium used for bacteria and TiO₂. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella ser. Typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to vary greatly in their ability to withstand osmotic pressure, raising the possibility that osmotic lysis may be contributing to loss of viability in some photocatalytic disinfection studies. Agar plate incubation time was also found to influence results, as bacteria treated with UV light only grew more slowly than those treated with a combination of UV and TiO_2. The chemical nature of the suspension medium used was found to have a particularly pronounced effect upon results. Greatest antibacterial activity was detected when aqueous sodium chloride solution was utilised, with ∼1 × 10⁶ CFU mL^-1 S. aureus being completely killed after 60 min. Moderate activity was observed when distilled water was employed with bacteria being killed after 2 h and 30 min, and no antibacterial activity at all was detected when aqueous tryptone solution was used. Interestingly, the antibacterial activity of UV light on its own appeared to be very much reduced in experiments where aqueous sodium chloride was employed instead of distilled water. 

Phytoremediation assessment of Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans grown in arsenic-contaminated hydroponic conditions as a safe and feasible alternative to be applied in arsenic-contaminated soils of the Bengal Delta

Several agricultural fields show high contents of arsenic because of irrigation with arsenic- contaminated groundwater. Vegetables accumulate arse- nic in their edible parts when grown in contaminated soils. Polluted vegetables are one of the main sources of arsenic in the food chain, especially for people living in rural arsenic endemic villages of India and Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of floriculture in the crop rotation system of arsenic en- demic areas of the Bengal Delta. The effects of different arsenic concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg As L−1) and types of flowering plant (Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans) on plant growth and arsenic accumula- tion were studied under hydroponic conditions. Total arsenic was quantified using atomic absorption spec- trometer with hydride generation (HG-AAS). Arsenic was mainly accumulated in the roots (72 %), followed by leaves (12 %), stems (10 %), and flowers (<1 %). The flowering plants studied did not show as high phytoremediation capacities as other wild species, suchas ferns. However, they behaved as arsenic tolerant plants and grew and bloomed well, without showing any phytotoxic signs. This study proves that floriculture could be included within the crop rotation system in arsenic-contaminated agricultural soils, in order to im- prove food safety and also food security by increasing farmer’s revenue.

Social Equality: On what it means to be equals

The first collected volume on social and relational equality.
Addresses a gap in the literature - while many philosophers have pointed to the importance of social equality, it requires much more theoretical development, which this volume aims to provide.
Offers a unique answer to the debate about whether or not equality is valuable.
Features a foreword by eminent political theorist David Miller
Includes new contributions by some of the most well-known contemporary moral and political philosophers, such as Samuel Scheffler and Jonathan Wolff.
Is equality valuable? This question dominates many discussions of social justice, which tend to center on whether certain forms of distributive equality are valuable, such as the equal distribution of primary social goods. But these discussions often neglect what is known as social or relational equality. Social equality suggests that equality is foremost about relationships and interactions between people, rather than being primarily about distribution.

A number of philosophers have written about the significance of social equality, and it has also played an important role in real-life egalitarian movements, such as feminism and civil rights movements. However, as it has been relatively neglected in comparison to the debates about distributive equality, it requires much more theoretical attention. This volume brings together a collection of ten original essays which present new analyses of social and relational equality in philosophy and political theory. The essays analyze the nature of social equality, as well as its relationship to justice and politics.

Readership: The book is primarily aimed at professionals in the field - philosophers (especially in moral, social and political philosophy) and political theorists. It is also aimed at the academic library market. Moreover, the book should be of interest to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students attending courses on theories of equality and/or social justice.