Showing papers by "University College Cork published in 1987"

Accounting and the construction of the governable person.

Abstract: The concern of the paper is historical. It addresses one familiar event within the literature of the history of accounting—the construction of theories of standard costing and budgeting in the first three decades of the twentieth century. A different interpretation of this event is offered from that commonly found. This is seen to have significant implications for the relevance of historical investigation to the understanding of contemporary accounting practices. Instead of an interpretation of standard costing and budgeting as one stage in the advance in accuracy and refinement of accounting concepts and techniques, it is viewed as an important calculative practice which is part of a much wider modern apparatus of power which emerges conspicuously in the early years of this century. The concern of this form of power is seen to be the construction of the individual person as a more manageable and efficient entity. This argument is explored through an examination of the connections of standard costing and budgeting with scientific management and industrial psychology. These knowledges are then related to others which, more or less simultaneously, were emerging beyond the confines of the firm to address questions of the efficiency and manageability of the individual. The more general aim of the paper is to suggest some elements of a theoretical understanding of accounting which would locate it in its interrelation with other projects for the social and organisational management of individual lives.

Responses of lactic acid bacteria to oxygen

Abstract: A small number of flavoprotein oxidase enzymes are responsible for the direct interaction of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with oxygen; hydrogen peroxide or water are produced in these reactions. In some cultures exposed to oxygen, hydrogen peroxide accumulates to inhibitory levels. Through these oxidase enzymes and NADH peroxidase, O2 and H2O2 can accept electrons from sugar metabolism, and thus have a sparing effect on the use of metabolic intermediates, such as pyruvate or acetaldehyde, as electron acceptors. Consequently, sugar metabolism in aerated cultures of LAB can be substantially different from that in unaerated cultures. Energy and biomass yields, end-products of sugar metabolism and the range of substrates which can be metabolised are affected. Lactic acid bacteria exhibit an inducible oxidative stress response when exposed to sublethal levels of H2O2. This response protects them if they are subsequently exposed to lethal concentrations of H2O2. The effect appears to be related to other stress responses such as heat-shock and is similar, in some but not all respects, to that previously reported for enteric bacteria.

Responses of lactic acid bacteria to oxygen

Abstract: A small number of flavoprotein oxidase enzymes are responsible for the direct interaction of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with oxygen; hydrogen peroxide or water are produced in these reactions. In some cultures exposed to oxygen, hydrogen peroxide accumulates to inhibitory levels. Through these oxidase enzymes and NADH peroxidase, O2 and H2O2 can accept electrons from sugar metabolism, and thus have a sparing effect on the use of metabolic intermediates, such as pyruvate or acetaldehyde, as electron acceptors. Consequently, sugar metabolism in aerated cultures of LAB can be substantially different from that in unaerated cultures. Energy and biomass yields, end-products of sugar metabolism and the range of substrates which can be metabolised are affected. Lactic acid bacteria exhibit an inducible oxidative stress response when exposed to sublethal levels of H2O2. This response protects them if they are subsequently exposed to lethal concentrations of H2O2. The effect appears to be related to other stress responses such as heat-shock and is similar, in some but not all respects, to that previously reported for enteric bacteria.

Heat stability of milk: role of β-lactoglobulin in the pH-dependent dissociation of micellar κ-casein

Abstract: On heating casein micelle systems containing β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) at 90°C for 10 min, β-lg complexed with casein micelles at pH < 6·9, probably as a result of interaction with κ-casein via sulphydryl-disulphide interchange, and co-sedimented with the micelles on ultracentrifugation. Complex formation with β-lg appeared to prevent the dissociation of micellar κ-casein on heating. However, at pH ≥ 6·9, κ-casein/β-lg complexes dissociated from the micelles on heating, thus enhancing the release of micellar κ-casein. High concentrations of β-lg (≥0·8%) induced coagulation at pH 7·3, essentially by promoting the dissociation of micellar κ-casein. It appeared that αs1-, αs2-, β- and κ-caseins dissociated from serum protein-free casein micelles to equal extents, but the presence of β-lg specifically enhanced the dissociation of κ-casein at pH values ≥ 6·9. Micelle hydration increased slightly when casein micelles were heated in the presence of β-lg at pH 6·7, while at pH 7·3 β-lg decreased the degree of hydration of casein micelles. Formation of a complex between β-lg and κ-casein appeared to stabilize the micelles in the pH range 6·5–6·7, possibly via increased micellar charge or degree of hydration or by preventing the dissociation of κ-casein.

Children's understanding of the causality of pain.

Abstract: The ideas of 680 Irish schoolchildren aged 5-14 years about the causality of pain were studied as part of a wider investigation of children's understanding of pain. The results indicated an association between pain and 'transgression' consonant with the literature on children's beliefs about the causality of illness, but not reported in previous studies of children's ideas about pain. Developmental patterns were also noted in the data and one significant sex difference consistent with a previously reported trend.

Interpersonal Problem‐Solving Deficits in Self‐Poisoning Patients

Abstract: Self-poisoning patients (n = 40) were compared with psychiatric patients (n = 40) and nonpatient controls (n = 20) on measures of interpersonal problem-solving skills and locus of control in an effort to determine the importance of these cognitive and personality variables in self-poisoning behavior. The psychiatric and self-poisoning groups showed deficits on measures assessing interpersonal problem solving when compared with nonpatient controls. The self-poisoning group performed below the level of the psychiatric patients on all except one test, on which they performed at the level of the psychiatric group. Locus of control did not differentiate self-poisoning patients from nonpatient controls, and it was concluded that this variable is not an important factor in self-poisoning behavior.

The first determination of the energy difference between solid-state conformers by x-ray diffraction. 1. The crystal structure of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller complex (nitrito)bis(2,2'-bipyridyl)copper(II) nitrate at 20, 100, 165 and 296 K and of its isostructural zinc(II) analog at 295 K. 2. The possibility of using x-ray diffraction to characterize adiabatic potential energy surfaces and relative ligand strengths

Abstract: Les complexes de Cu et de Zn cristallisent dans le systeme monoclinique, groupe d'espace P2 1/n

Heat stability of milk: influence of colloidal and soluble salts and protein modification on the pH-dependent dissociation of micellar κ-casein

Abstract: Reducing the colloidal calcium phosphate (CCP) content of milk by 40% or increasing it by 20% did not significantly affect the heat-induced pH-dependent dissociation of micellar κ-casein. However, changes in soluble Ca and phosphate affected the dissociation of κ-casein markedly; decreasing the phosphate concentration or increasing the Ca concentration reduced the formation of non-sedimentable N (NSN) and non-sedimentable 12% TCA-insoluble N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NANA). Dialysis of milk against water for short periods (∼ 5 h) reduced the formation of both NSN and non-sedimentable 12% TCA-insoluble NANA, as did NaCl at concentrations above 0·05 M. Modification of protein amino groups by succinylation promoted the release of κ-casein while amidation of carboxyl groups had the opposite effect. It appears that the pH-dependent dissociation of κ-casein produced on heating milk above 90°C is controlled by electrostatic interactions. The effects of soluble ions such as Ca2+ or Na+ appear to be due to shielding of such negatively-charged groups as seryl phosphate and carboxyl on the protein, thus reducing the release of κ-casein.

Detailed Characterization and Comparison of Four Lactic Streptococcal Bacteriophages Based on Morphology, Restriction Mapping, DNA Homology, and Structural Protein Analysis

Abstract: Bacteriophages uc1001 and uc1002, which are lytic for Streptococcus cremoris UC501 and UC502, respectively, were characterized in detail. Comparisons were made with a previously characterized phage, P008, which is lytic for Streptococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis F7/2, and uc3001, which is a lytic phage for S. cremoris UC503. Phages uc1001 and uc1002 had small isometric heads (diameters, 52 and 50 nm, respectively) and noncontractile tails (lengths, 152 and 136 nm, respectively), and uc1002 also had a collar. Both had 30.1 ± 0.6 kilobase pairs (kbp) of DNA with cross-complementary cohesive ends. Restriction endonuclease maps made with seven endonucleases showed no common fragments. Despite this there was a very high level of homology between uc1001 and uc1002, and results of cross-hybridization experiments showed that the organization of both phage genomes was similar. Heteroduplex analysis confirmed this and quantified the level of homology at 83%. The regions of nonhomology comprised 2.1−, 1.1−, and 1.0-kbp deletion loops and 13 smaller loops and bubbles. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic structural protein profiles were related, with a major band of about 40,000 molecular weight and minor bands of 35,000 and 34,000 molecular weight in common. There were also differences, however, in that uc1001 had a second major band of 68,000 molecular weight and two extra minor bands. Except for the restriction maps, which were strain specific, phages uc1001, uc1002, and P008 were closely related by all the criteria listed above. Their DNAs also showed a very significant bias against the cleavage sites of 9 of 11 restriction endonucleases. Phage uc3001 was unrelated to uc1001, uc1002, or P008 in that it had a prolate head (53 by 39 nm) and a shorter tail (105 nm), contained approximately 22 kbp of DNA, had unrelated cohesive ends, showed no DNA homology with the isometric-headed phages, and displayed a very different structural protein profile.

Strokes, cute hoors and sneaking regarders: The influence of local culture on Irish political style

Abstract: Viewing community as an orally‐constructed portrait of shared experience, this paper explores the notion of community in Ireland as a set of locally‐shared attitudes to place, territory, property, time and language. It considers the contrast between society and community and argues that local culture in Ireland portrays community as good and society as bad. The ways in which communal attitudes condition both political competition and attempts to use the policy process to further economic and social development are discussed, with the conclusion that Irish politics is more an exercise in expressiveness than an exercise of choice.

Effect of Bacteriophage on Colonization of Sugarbeet Roots by Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp.

Abstract: The colonization potential of two fluorescent Pseudomonas strains (M11/4, B2/6) that exhibit antifungal activity in vitro was studied on the roots of sugarbeet plants in a clay loam soil. The cell density of the introduced bacteria declined on the root system over a 16-day test period in nonsterile soil. Strain B2/6 declined at a significantly faster rate compared with M11/4. This loss in viability and difference in colonization ability between M11/4 and B2/6 was not observed in sterile soil. Nutrient deprivation induced by indigenous microorganisms was excluded as a key factor involved in the decline of the introduced bacteria on the basis that strains M11/4 and B2/6 retained viability when subjected to nutrient starvation conditions over a 16-day period. Experiments designed to test whether antagonism by indigenous microorganisms was responsible for the decline in the introduced fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. population revealed the presence of large numbers of bacteriophage in the soil capable of lysing strain B2/6. Reconstitution experiments carried out with sugarbeet seedlings inoculated independently with strains M11/4 and B2/6 and grown in sterile soil to which a soil phage filtrate had been added showed a significant decrease in the viability of strain B2/6 relative to M11/4. Phage antagonistic toward strain B2/6 were detected in 43% of soils taken from the major sugarbeet growing regions of Ireland.

Development of High-Frequency Delivery System for Transposon Tn919 in Lactic Streptococci: Random Insertion in Streptococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis 18-16.

Abstract: The conjugative transposon Tn919, originally isolated in Streptococcus sanguis FC1, is capable of low-frequency transfer (10−7 and 10−8 per recipient) on membrane filters to a wide number of streptococcal recipients including the industrially important lactic streptococci. The introduction of pMG600 (Lac+ Lax−; a lactose plasmid capable of conjugative transfer at high frequencies and which, in certain hosts, confers an unusual clumping phenotype) into a Streptococcus lactis CH919 donor, generating S. lactis CH001, resulted in a significant improvement in the transfer frequency of Tn919 to S. lactis CK50 (1.25 × 10−4 per recipient). In addition, these matings could be performed on agar surfaces, allowing the recovery of a greater number of recipients than with filter matings. Tn919 also transferred at high frequency to S. lactis subsp. diacetylactis 18-16S but not to Streptococcus cremoris strains. Insertion in 18-16S transconjugants generated from filter matings with an S. lactis CH919 donor was random, occurring at different sites on the chromosome and also in plasmid DNA. Thus, the conditions necessary for the practical exploitation of Tn919 in the targeting and cloning of genes from a member of the lactic streptococci, namely, high-frequency delivery and random insertion in host DNA, were achieved.

The development of the central-peripheral transitional zone of the rat cochlear nerve. A light microscopic study.

Abstract: A projection of central nervous tissue extends for a short distance into the proximal part of the cochlear nerve trunk during the last week of fetal life but regresses slightly as birth approaches. During the first two weeks after birth it again grows distally at a very rapid rate and reaches well into the modiolus of the cochlea. The segment of the cochlear nerve trunk which lies in the subarachnoid space comes to consist entirely of central nervous tissue. The central tissue projection continues to grow further distally into the cochlea up to the end of the first year of life. Cochlear nerve branches consisting of peripheral nervous tissue arise directly from the central tissue projection. The cochlear nerve trunk lacks a compact segment which consists only of peripheral nervous tissue.

Practical application of the sequential balancing technique: an example from the Irish Variscides

Abstract: The process of sequential restoration presented by Cooper & Trayner (1986) is applied to a N–S cross-section through the Irish Variscides to demonstrate that this approach improves the accuracy of thin-skinned structural modelling and allows the progressive deformation of a marginal belt to be examined. The principles and methods of sequential restoration are illustrated. The cross-section is restored in four steps and gives a bulk shortening of 52%. In this model, the fold belt evolved as the basal decollement migrated northwards, and considerable ductile shortening by folding and cleavage formation preceded faulting, although faulting gradually became more important towards the north. The section is divided into four structural domains based upon different deformation histories. Each is restored independently by removing the ductile strain before restoring the faulting. From this example it is clear that many models derived from single-step balancing, especially those through ductile-deformed areas, should be re-examined.

Heat stability of milk: influence of modifying sulphydryl-disulphide interactions on the heat coagulation time–pH profile

Abstract: Addition of reducing agents such as 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), dithio-threitol and Na sulphite to milk markedly reduced its heat stability at pH values below 7·1. 2-ME reversibly destabilized milk or serum protein-free casein micelle dispersions and promoted the release of κ-casein-rich protein from the micelles. Reduction of either casein micelles or β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) with 2-ME and subsequent blocking of the newly formed –SH groups with N-ethylmaleimide irreversibly reduced the maximum to minimum ratio in the heat stability profile. 2-ME disrupted κ-casein/β-lg complexes and stripped κ-casein from the micelles on heating. The milk or caseinate systems were thus destabilized. Addition of KBrO4 or iodosobenzoate to milk at 5 HIM eliminated the minimum but destabilized milk in the region of the maximum. However, KIO3 at 5 mm had a strong stabilizing effect throughout the pH range 6·5–7·3.

The geochemistry of the Blackstairs Unit of the Leinster Granite, Ireland

Abstract: The Blackstairs Unit is the southernmost of the five units which comprise the Leinster Granite. Four granite types are recognized, which in order of decreasing age are: Graiguenamanagh Granite, Porphyritic Microcline Granite, Non-Porphyritic Granite and Type 1 Granite. Using whole-rock geochemical data, in conjunction with field and petrographic evidence, a model is proposed whereby partial melting of a Lower Palaeozoic immature sedimentary source produced a parental granitic melt which crystallized without further differentiation to form the Non-Porphyritic Granites of the northeastern end of the pluton. At the SW end, this parental melt fractionated to form the Porphyritic Microcline Granite leaving the melt depleted in K 2 O, which then crystallized to form a slightly more acidic Non-Porphyritic Granite than that at the NE end. A mixture of restite minerals plus melt from this partial melting process crystallized forming the Graiguenamanagh Granite. Fractionation of thorium into restite allanite in the Graiguenamanagh Granite accounts for the low Th and Th/U levels which characterize the Non-Porphyritic Granite and the Leinster Granite in general. A high degree of partial melting of similar source material produced the low volume Type 1 Granite magmas which were subsequently intruded along faults. A similar petrogenesis is envisaged for the whole of the Leinster Granite.

The CNS-PNS transitional zone of rat cervical dorsal roots during development and at maturity. A morphological and morphometric study.

Abstract: Each seventh cervical dorsal nerve root is attached to the spinal cord surface by four to eight rootlets. A tapering outgrowth of central nervous tissue, the central tissue projection, extends distally into the proximal part of each rootlet in the immediate postnatal period. The central ends of the most proximal peripheral internodes surround this projection. Thus a length of rootlet contains both CNS and PNS tissue. This is termed the transitional zone. Material was processed by standard preparative techniques for electron microscopy. Serial semithin and ultrathin sections were made over the entire extent of several transitional zones at ages ranging from 2 to 300 days postnatum. Central tissue projections were reconstructed in three dimensions and analysed morphometrically. The morphology of the central tissue projection varies during development. At first, it forms an irregular projection into the anterior portion of the rootlet. It than elongates and takes the form of a dorsoventrally flattened, distally tapering wedge. By 20 days postnatum it has attained its definitive form. This consists of three segments: a proximal wedge-shaped portion, similar to that described above; continuous with this is a distally tapering, dorsoventrally flattened, cone-shaped segment which generally branches into two or more slender projections of central tissue. The latter comprise the third segment. The projection comes to form a substantial proportion of the anterior, proximal and distal surfaces of the dorsal rootlet from an early stage. The mean length of the central tissue projection increases progressively over all intervals studied, except that between 12 and 30 days postnatum, when a reduction in length is associated with reorganisation of the morphology of the projection. Projection length varies considerably between rootlets and is relatively weakly correlated with rootlet cross sectional area. There is a great deal of overlap between the distributions of projection lengths at all stages between 20 and 300 days.

Transgressive facies in the South Munster Basin, Ireland

Abstract: This paper describes the sedimentation style associated with the basal Carboniferous transgression in southern Ireland and the influence which this event had on the palaeogeography of the region. The transgression as marked by the base of the Carboniferous succession is shown to represent one of several genetically related transgressive pulses which commenced during the Late Devonian. At this time an east-west trending graben, the South Munster Basin, developed in southern Ireland. This was initially a non-marine depositional site in which sediment was derived from the north and west. Subsidence and eustatic sea-level rise resulted in a marine transgression which proceeded in a rhythmic style resulting in a number of transgressive-stillstand pulses. The first transgressive pulse (T1) advanced in a westerly direction along the basin axis resulting in the development of an epicontinental-like sea. The shoreline remained essentially static along the northern basin margin initially until a second transgressive pulse (T2) resulted in expansion of the marine area. The latter proceeded by gradual northward erosive advance of a barred coastal area as far as the northern basin margin where the stability of the bounding platform halted its progress. Erosion of the barrier shoreface was insufficient to destroy all the backbarrier lagoonal deposits which are preserved as a thin transgressive diachronous unit which grades northwards to a coastal alluvial plain. Immediately preceding the basal Carboniferous transgression (T3), a shallow, wave-dominated, storm-influenced shelf sea occupied the basinal area. Two sublittoral sand bar complexes developed on the shelf under the influence of shore-parallel current regimes, apparently derived from source areas located on either side of the epicontinental sea The basal Carboniferous transgression took place in two pulses. The first (T3a) resulted in a rapid reduction in sand supply to the shelf and deposition of clay. The barrier shoreline responded by erosively retreating across the lagoon, leaving a transgressive lag in its wake. Its northwards advance was, however, limited due to the relative stability of the northern platform. Sand supply to the shelf was completely terminated in the second pulse (T3b) and the barrier rapidly migrated erosively across the northern platform for a considerable distance such that the coastal plain is overlain by a thin transgressive lag. This transgressive phase was immediately followed by shoreline stillstand and progressive shallowing of the shelf. An open sandy shelf developed on which offshore sand bars accumulated under a storm and wave dominated regime. Clay deposition continued in the deeper part of the basinal area but was eventually terminated as the shelf sands prograded centripetally into the basin. The main factor that controlled the style of the overall transgression was an interplay between eustatic sea level rise and basin subsidence. The rate of relative sea-level rise together with the effect of differential subsidence and fluvial input from the north appear to have diminished with time. The rate at which successive transgressive pulses advanced northwards shows an overall progressive increase.

In Vitro Induction of Virus-Free Potatoes by Chemotherapy

Abstract: To maximize yield in potato it is important to plant virus-free seed and prevent or delay entry of virus into the crop such that infection does not affect the determinants of yield in the crop (van der Zaag 1983; Fig. 1).

Markets to Hierarchies and Back Again: The Implication of Management Buy‐outs for Factor Supply

Abstract: In both the United States and Europe there has been a spectacular growth in the number and importance of management buy‐outs since the late 1970s. The typical characteristics of these deals differ somewhat on either side of the Atlantic in ways which are outlined below. However, in each environment the term “buy‐out” refers essentially to the transfer of ownership of the assets of an existing firm — which may itself be an independent entity or a wholly‐owned subsidiary or division — to a new and especially established group of equity holders which intends to keep at least some of those assets in their former use. In the US buy‐outs have often involved very large asset transfers, indeed multi‐billion dollar deals have been quite frequent. The transaction is typically financed by a limited subscription of equity from specialist venture capitalists and perhaps from the firm's management, together with a very large input of debt capital. The latter has often been in the form of high coupon (so called “junk”) bonds. The characteristically high ratio of debt to equity in buy‐out finance has given rise to their American description as leveraged buy‐outs.

The vascularisation of the central-peripheral transitional zone of rat lumbar ventral rootlets: a morphological and morphometric study.

Abstract: The blood vessels supplying the central-peripheral transitional zone of rat fifth lumbar ventral spinal nerve rootlets were examined during development and at maturity. At all stages all vessels were either capillaries or postcapillary venules. They lay in the spaces between the rootlets, being entirely absent from the endoneurial spaces. A proportion of these vessels communicated with those supplying the adjacent spinal cord. In this respect they differed from those supplying the dorsal rootlet transitional zone, at least in the cat, where no such communication occurs. During the first week after birth, at least one capillary was directly related to each rootlet, generally over about half the length of the transitional zone. Subsequently vascularity increased considerably. At three weeks postnatum, and subsequently, capillaries outnumbered rootlets by up to 50% and almost the entire length of the transitional zone was related to one capillary or more. This change was related to the maturation of the transitional nodes of gamma axons, which is likely to be related to increased alpha and gamma motoneuron activity. These changes were somewhat offset due to the fact that rootlet diameter increased with age. As a result, the distance between the capillary wall and the centre of the rootlet almost doubled between 20 and 300 days postnatum. The diameter of the capillaries did not change with age but that of the postcapillary venules increased.

Heat-induced association-dissociation of casein micelles preceding coagulation

Abstract: Heating milk at 140 °C caused an initial increase in the percentage of total casein sedimented at 10000 g for 1 h and in the relative viscosity, but as heating continued both parameters decreased before increasing again just before the onset of visible coagulation. This suggests that heating milk at high temperatures caused an initial aggregation of casein micelles with a concomitant increase in particle size and weight, followed by dissociation of these aggregates with reaggregation just before coagulation. Chromatography of heated milk on controlled pore glass confirmed the above suggestion. Calcium appeared to play a major role in the initial association of casein micelles which was also influenced by the initial pH and total solids concentration but whey protein had no effect.

Local Community Involvement and Participation in Neighbourhood Watch: A Case-study in Cork, Ireland:

Abstract: It is often assumed that community policing will develop as a response to local crime and out of a sense of collective solidarity, although the evidence for both is inconclusive and often conflicting. This was examined in Cork, Ireland, by relating peoples' attitudes to neighbourhood watch and their willingness to participate to their perceptions of local crime, their experiences of it, and their involvement in a range of local community behaviours. Discriminant analyses show that the effect of crime is complicated. Serious crime deters involvement, although when this is held constant, victimisation to some offenses results in a greater willingness to join. Of the community variables, only involvement in a community organisation and strong value orientations encourage participation. Other dimensions, like social interaction and affect for the neighbourhood, have no significant influence.