Issues of assessment of pain and discomfort in neonates

Pain assessment in neonates often presents problems. The problem of inadequate or inaccurate assessment is complicated by issues related to the nature, consistency, and variability of the infant's physiologic and behavioral responses; the reliability, validity, specificity, sensitivity, and practicality of existing neonatal pain measures or measurement approaches; ethical questions about pain research in infants; and uncertainty about the responsibilities of health care professionals in managing pain in clinical settings. Despite these many issues, neonates need to be comfortable and as free of pain as possible to grow and develop normally. Valid and reliable assessment of pain is the major prerequisite for attaining this goal. Issues embodied in neonatal pain responses, measurement, ethical, and clinical considerations are explored. Suggestions for resolving some of these problems are presented.

The Irish High Court Issues its First Order on a Commitment Agreement between the NCA and an Undertaking (Fitflop)

The Irish Competition (Amendment) Act 2012 introduced court-endorsed commitment agreements to Irish competition law. The new section 14B of the principal Competition Act 2002 provides for making commitment agreements between the Irish Competition and undertakings an order of the Irish High Court. This piece, first, investigates the prior Irish practice regarding commitment or settlement agreements and its legal basis. It looks then into the newly introduced rules on court-endorsed commitment agreements. Finally, before concluding, it points to the first instance of their application — to an order issued by the High Court in the FitFlop case in December 2012, which came into effect in February 2013.

Impact of Cyber-Security Issues on Smart Grid

Greater complexity and interconnectivity across systems embracing Smart Grid technologies has meant that cyber-security issues have attracted significant attention. This paper describes pertinent cyber-security requirements, in particular cyber attacks and countermeasures which are critical for reliable Smart Grid operation. Relevant published literature is presented for critical aspects of Smart Grid cyber-security, such as vulnerability, interdependency, simulation, and standards. Furthermore, a preliminary study case is given which demonstrates the impact of a cyber attack which violates the integrity of data on the load management of real power system. Finally, the paper proposes future work plan which focuses on applying intrusion detection and prevention technology to address cyber-security issues. This paper also provides an overview of Smart Grid cyber-security with reference to related cross-disciplinary research topics.

Frequency Stability Issues for Islanded Power Systems

Frequency stability has not necessarily been a major problem for the majority of power systems in the past. However, for economic and environmental reasons, power systems are now operated closer to stability limits to maximise the use of the existing networks. Therefore, introduction of new, more efficient and renewable generation technologies, and their effect on the power system must be fully understood if a reliable and secure electricity supply is to be maintained. Using the Northern Ireland, and interconnected Republic of Ireland electricity networks as a case study, this paper addresses some of the issues regarding integration and modelling of combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT), and wind turbine generator (WTG) technology on a small islanded power system.

Contemporary environmental issues of landfill leachate: assessment & remedies

Landfills are the primary option for waste disposal all over the world. Most of the landfill sites across the world are old and are not engineered to prevent contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater by the toxic leachate. The pollutants from landfill leachate have accumulative and detrimental effect on the ecology and food chains leading to carcinogenic effects, acute toxicity and genotoxicity among human beings. Management of this highly toxic leachate presents a challenging problem to the regulatory authorities who have set specific regulations regarding maximum limits of contaminants in treated leachate prior to disposal into the environment to ensure minimal environmental impact. There are different stages of leachate management such as monitoring of its formation and flow into the environment, identification of hazards associated with it and its treatment prior to disposal into the environment. This review focuses on: (i) leachate composition, (ii) Plume migration, (iii) Contaminant fate, (iv) Leachate plume monitoring techniques, (v) Risk assessment techniques, Hazard rating methods, mathematical modeling, and (vi) Recent innovations in leachate treatment technologies. However, due to seasonal fluctuations in leachate composition, flow rate and leachate volume, the management approaches cannot be stereotyped. Every scenario is unique and the strategy will vary accordingly. This paper lays out the choices for making an educated guess leading to the best management option.