Names and Social Contracts: Late Gaelic Ireland and Celtic Studies

Abstract: Sixteenth century Gaelic Ireland is not normally associated with Celtic Studies. The aim of this paper is to show that not only can it be included, but it can also produce many useful insights for Celtic Studies. Using as an illustration a minor skirmish which occurred during the Nine Years War in Ireland, this paper will show how what at first may seem straightforward questions can be problematised, while also shedding a light on identity in sixteenth-century Ireland. Finally, the question of Gaelic contractualism is examined. This concept was quite widespread in Europe during the Renaissance and the later Medieval period, and in the works of sixteenth-century Spanish writers, notably Vitoria and Suárez, it gained a sophistication and radicalism not found in Hobbes or Locke. In Gaelic contractualism, the contract was not something rhetorical, or established in a distant past, rather it was dynamic, and allowed for a change of allegiance

A Bronze Age hilltop cemetery complex: Ballon Hill, Co. Carlow

Situated towards the middle of the relatively flat expanse between the Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains to the east and the Castlecomer plateau to the west, Ballon Hill is a conical-shaped hill aligned northwest-southeast in otherwise unremarkable topography. Rising to only 130m above sea-level, the surrounding countryside elevates the hill into a topographical focal point. This low yet prominent hill appears to have attracted considerable attention in the Early Bronze Age from possibly as early as 2200 BC when it was chosen as a burial place. In the 1850s and 1860s, ' diggings 'were carried out on the hill by the then landowners to try to recover so-called ' pans ' or ' crocks ' that were reportedly being found following tree-planting and quarrying works. Three publications on these ' diggings 'appeared in the 1850s and 1860s describing the uncovering of numerous artefacts. The Ballon Hill Archaeology Project was established to bring together all this disparate information and to try to understand the place of Ballon Hill in the burial record of the Irish Bronze Age. It appears at least three burial monuments, including a burial mound and two barrow monuments, were constructed during the Early Bronze Age with numerous other burials placed over much of the hill. There is an absolute minimum of 23 pottery vessels and arguably a minimum of 38 vessels from Ballon Hill with all extant vessels dating to the Early Bronze Age

Non-conservation of the valley density and its implications for the observation of the valley Hall effect

We show that the conservation of the valley density in a multi-valley insulator is broken in an unexpected way by an electric field, such as the one that is used to drive the valley Hall effect. This observation explains how a fully gapped insulator (i.e., one without edge states that cross the Fermi level) can support a valley Hall current in the bulk and yet show no valley density accumulation at the edges. If the insulator is not fully gapped, either because there are edge states crossing the Fermi level or because carriers are introduced in the conduction or valence band, then valley density accumulation at the edges is possible, paving the way to a direct observation of the valley Hall effect. However, the magnitude of the accumulation depends crucially on the inclusion of the anomalous electric field term in the continuity equation that relates valley current and density.Comment: 5 pages + 6 pages of supplemental material, 4 figure

Urban design and adapting to flood risk: the role of green infrastructure

This Practice Paper identifies and critically examines three alternative approaches and associated design philosophies in response to the problem of urban flooding. It traces the reasons why these three approaches have emerged and discusses the attributes of each. Following this, it examines the potential of the green infrastructure approach as a means to realize ‘evolutionary resilience’ in designing urban environments for enhanced drainage management. The paper then contrasts the three alternative approaches to flood risk management and identifies some implications of advancing the green infrastructure concept in urban design activities

Impact-based planning evaluation : Advancing nomative criteria for policy analysis.

Planning decisions have considerable impacts on both natural and built environments. The impacts of these decisions may remain for many decades and many are irreversible. In order to gain a better understanding of these long-standing impacts, planners require a systematic approach to evaluate the planning policy instruments utilised. The literature on planning evaluation shows that most studies have taken a conformance-based evaluation approach, where the success of a planning policy instrument is based on the degree of conformity between the policy outcomes and its intended objectives. While evaluating such criteria is necessary, it is hardly ever sufficient largely because of unintended effects. This paper proposes an impact-based approach to planning evaluation that incorporates all the impacts, intended and otherwise, that a planning policy instrument may bring about, irrespective of the initial objectives of the policy. Using a number of economic and planning theories, this paper argues that, in addition to conformance and performance, other normative evaluation criteria, such as, efficiency, equity, social and political acceptability, and institutional arrangements, should be included to emphasise the importance of planning decisions and their substantial impacts on quality of life, social justice, and sustainability

Estimates of transaction costs in transfer of development rights programs.

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Local jurisdictions in 36 states have implemented transfer of development rights (TDR) programs to provide a market-based approach to preserving farmlands and open space while redirecting future development to targeted areas. Participation in TDR programs involves transaction costs over and above paying for TDR credits. Planners know little about the magnitude of transaction costs; who, if anyone, incurs a disproportionate share of these costs; or how transaction costs affect TDR participation. In this study we estimate the magnitude and distribution of transaction costs incurred by participants in 4 countywide TDR programs in Maryland, a TDR pioneer, by interviewing multiple participants in these programs. We fi nd that total transaction costs were high and borne largely by private sector participants, although we exclude the initial public sector costs of establishing the programs. Total transaction costs range from 13% to 21% of total TDR costs per transaction. Our findings are based on data reported by participants and may not be scalable; transaction costs, however, might deter landowners from participating in TDR programs, thus thwarting the land use goals of planners. Takeaway for practice: Planners should work to reduce transaction costs by better constructing TDR programs and providing greater information on TDR sale prices and potential buyers and sellers. Lowering and more fairly distributing transaction costs will make the TDR program a more successful approach to achieving land use goals and addressing the externalities arising from land use markets

An analysis of the factors influencing transaction costs in Transferable Development Rights programmes.

Transferable Development Rights (TDR) programmes have been introduced as an alternative to traditional regulatory instruments with proponents arguing that the implementation of these alternative programmes leads to similarly effective land-use outcomes with greater efficiency and equity. The evaluation of land-use policies is key to improving policy design and implementation processes, and particularly important when considering whether alternative policy instruments such as TDR deliver preferable outcomes. While some researchers have tried to identify the factors affecting TDR success, there has been little research about institutional aspects and the related transaction costs of TDR programmes, and their potential effect on policy outcomes. The presence of significant transaction costs decreases the efficiency, and can have a negative effect on the success of TDR programmes. This paper explores the transaction costs that may arise in TDR programmes with the specific objective of gaining a better understanding of which factors influence transaction costs in these programmes and why such costs arise. These factors are examined under three categories; 1) the characteristics of the transaction; 2) the characteristics of the transactor; and, 3) the characteristics of the policy. The paper also examines the different effects of these factors on different parties involved in the TDR programmes

Non-conservation of the valley density and its implications for the observation of the valley Hall effect

We show that the conservation of the valley density in multi-valley and time-reversal-invariant insulators is broken in an unexpected way by the electric field that drives the valley Hall effect. This implies that fully-gapped insulators can support a valley Hall current in the bulk and yet show no valley density accumulation on the edges. Thus, the valley Hall effect cannot be observed in such systems. If the system is not fully gapped then valley density accumulation at the edges is possible and can result in a net generation of valley density. The accumulation has no contribution from undergap states and can be expressed as a Fermi surface average, for which we derive an explicit formula. We demonstrate the theory by calculating the valley density accumulations in an archetypical valley-Hall insulator: a gapped graphene nanoribbon. Surprisingly, we discover that a net valley density polarization is dynamically generated for some types of edge terminations

Extent and mechanism of phase separation during the extrusion of calcium phosphate pastes.

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of the mechanism and dominant drivers influencing phase separation during ram extrusion of calcium phosphate (CaP) paste for orthopaedic applications. The liquid content of extrudate was determined, and the flow of liquid and powder phases within the syringe barrel during extrusion were observed, subject to various extrusion parameters. Increasing the initial liquid-to-powder mass ratio, LPR, (0.4-0.45), plunger rate (5-20 mm/min), and tapering the barrel exit (45°-90°) significantly reduced the extent of phase separation. Phase separation values ranged from (6.22 ± 0.69 to 18.94 ± 0.69 %). However altering needle geometry had no significant effect on phase separation. From powder tracing and liquid content determination, static zones of powder and a non-uniform liquid distribution was observed within the barrel. Measurements of extrudate and paste LPR within the barrel indicated that extrudate LPR remained constant during extrusion, while LPR of paste within the barrel decreased steadily. These observations indicate the mechanism of phase separation was located within the syringe barrel. Therefore phase separation can be attributed to either; (1) the liquid being forced downstream by an increase in pore pressure as a result of powder consolidation due to the pressure exerted by the plunger or (2) the liquid being drawn from paste within the barrel, due to suction, driven by dilation of the solids matrix at the barrel exit. Differentiating between these two mechanisms is difficult; however results obtained suggest that suction is the dominant phase separation mechanism occurring during extrusion of CaP paste