Export Performance and Competitiveness of the Irish Economy

This paper reviews Ireland’s recent export performance, with emphasis on the reasons behind the strong gains in market share experienced by the economy over the past 15 years.

Video: May It Please the Court: Techniques for Persuasive Witness Testimony

Success at trial depends on preparation and practice. Knowing the law and the facts of the case is important. Knowing how to present persuasive witness testimony at trial and how to speak to the Court and jury in an ethical and professional manner is even more important. Learn techniques to prepare witnesses and yourself for successful handling of direct, cross-exam, and objections to achieve your goals at trial. Our panel will direct an interactive role-play session

The Economic Legacy of Warfare: Evidence from European Regions

Historical warfare in Europe inflicted numerous costs on rural populations. To reduce such costs, rural populations relocated behind the relative safety of urban fortifications. We argue that war-related urbanization had positive consequences for long-run regional economic development. We geocode the locations of more than 600 conflicts in early modern Europe. We find a positive and significant relationship between historical conflict exposure and regional economic development today. Our results are robust to a wide range of econometric techniques, alternative samples, and economic outcomes. Human capital accumulation stands out as one channel through which war-related urbanization translated into regional economic development. Our results highlight the military origins of Europe’s wealthy urban bel

Demonstration of high performance in a perovskite oxide supported solid oxide fuel cell based on La and Ca co-doped SrTiO3

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative under grant agreement n° 256730 and Energy Technology Partnership (ETP).Perovskite electrodes have been considered as an alternative to Ni-YSZ cermet-based anodes as they afford better tolerance towards coking and impurities and due to redox stability can allow very high levels of fuel utilisation. Unfortunately performance levels have rarely been sufficient, especially for a second generation anode supported concept. A-site deficient lanthanum and calcium co-doped SrTiO3, La0.2Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 (LSCTA-) shows promising thermal, mechanical and electrical properties and has been investigated in this study as a potential anode support material for SOFCs. Flat multilayer ceramics cells were fabricated by aqueous tape casting and co-sintering, comprising a 450 μm thick porous LSCTA- scaffold support, a dense YSZ electrolyte and a thin layer of La0.8Sr0.2CoO3-δ (LSC)-La0.8Sr0.2FeO3-δ (LSF)-YSZ cathode. Impregnation of a small content of Ni significantly enhanced fuel cell performance over naked LSCTA-. Use of ceria as a co-catalyst was found to improve the microstructure and stability of impregnated Ni and this in combination with the catalytic enhancement from ceria significantly improved performance over Ni impregnation alone. With addition of CeO2 and Ni to a titanate scaffold anode that had been pre-reduced at 1000 oC, a maximum powder density of 0.96 W cm-2 can be achieved at 800 oC using humidified hydrogen as fuel. The encouraging results show that an oxide anode material, LSCTA- can be used as anode support with YSZ electrolyte heralding a new option for SOFC development.PostprintPeer reviewe

Development and testing of impregnated La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 anode microstructures for solid oxide fuel cells

Funding: EPSRC project EP/M014304/1 “Tailoring of Microstructural Evolution in Impregnated SOFC Electrodes”, the University of St Andrews and HEXIS AG.The A-site deficient perovskite: La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 (LSCTA-) is a mixed ionic and electronic conductor (MIEC) which shows promising performance as a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode ‘backbone’ material, when impregnated with metallic and oxide-ion conducting electrocatalysts. Here, we present data on the complete ceramic processing and optimisation of the LSCTA- ‘backbone’ microstructure, in order to improve current distribution throughout the anode. Through control of ink rheology, screen printing parameters and sintering protocol an advantageous LSCTA- microstructural architecture was developed, exhibiting an ‘effective’ conductivity of 21 S cm-1. Incorporation of this LSCTA- anode microstructure into SOFC and impregnation with Ce0.80Gd0.20O1.9 and either Ni, Ru, Rh, Pt or Pd resulted in promising initial performances during fuel cell testing in a fuel stream of 97% H2:3% H2O. Area Specific Resistances of 0.41 Ω cm2 and 0.39 Ω cm2 were achieved with anodes containing Rh/CGO and Pd/CGO, respectively.Postprin

Development and testing of impregnated La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 anode microstructures for solid oxide fuel cells

Funding: EPSRC project EP/M014304/1 “Tailoring of Microstructural Evolution in Impregnated SOFC Electrodes”, the University of St Andrews and HEXIS AG.The A-site deficient perovskite: La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 (LSCTA-) is a mixed ionic and electronic conductor (MIEC) which shows promising performance as a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode ‘backbone’ material, when impregnated with metallic and oxide-ion conducting electrocatalysts. Here, we present data on the complete ceramic processing and optimisation of the LSCTA- ‘backbone’ microstructure, in order to improve current distribution throughout the anode. Through control of ink rheology, screen printing parameters and sintering protocol an advantageous LSCTA- microstructural architecture was developed, exhibiting an ‘effective’ conductivity of 21 S cm-1. Incorporation of this LSCTA- anode microstructure into SOFC and impregnation with Ce0.80Gd0.20O1.9 and either Ni, Ru, Rh, Pt or Pd resulted in promising initial performances during fuel cell testing in a fuel stream of 97% H2:3% H2O. Area Specific Resistances of 0.41 Ω cm2 and 0.39 Ω cm2 were achieved with anodes containing Rh/CGO and Pd/CGO, respectively.Postprin

Highly unusual triangular crystals of theophylline: The influence of solvent on the growth rates of polar crystal faces

A noteworthy feature of the compound theophylline is that it forms crystals with a triangular habit, an extremely rare phenomenon for an organic molecule. Here, we investigate the formation of these crystals, comprised of the polymorph Form II (Pna21), and demonstrate that the triangles are obtained from solvents which are highly hydrophobic, or which have a hydrogen bond acceptor group and no hydrogen bond donor group. The formation of the triangular crystal habit is rationalized on the basis of the way such solvents interact with the inequivalent (001) and (00-1) polar crystal faces of Form II. Interactions are significantly stronger at one face than the other, inhibiting growth in one direction and limiting crystal growth to a single, triangle shaped, growth sector. This rationalization also enabled interesting surface features observed by atomic force microscopy to be interpreted. Furthermore, we report a second, previously unreported, type of triangular crystal of theophylline for which the angle at the tip of the triangle is obtuse rather than acute. These crystals are proposed, with the aid of transmission electron microscopy and crystal structure prediction, to be a new polymorphic form of theophyllin

The promise of power : the power of promise: sustaining six decades of solid oxide fuel cell research and development

The promise is enticing: an energy conversion “black box” that will produce electricity cleanly, silently and efficiently. This technology, known as the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), was promised as an important bridge to a low carbon energy future. However, despite the promise, the SOFC has still to cross the boundaries from promise to realisation. Repeatedly rejected by some on grounds of cost or reliability, its hold on the imagination persists. This persistence raises an interesting question: how have fuel cells managed to maintain validity as such a promising technology over decades of repeated false starts? In this thesis I follow historical pathways of SOFC development and find a device repeatedly reframed around the promise of new materials and processing, with expectation constructed around these promissory materials and designs. These offered new applications, which when facilitated by reorganisations of R&D management and changing energy markets, sustained sponsorship. Drawing on my 25 years as an SOFC researcher and augmenting documentary records with oral history, I also argue that the reframing of the SOFC reflected changing public policy imperatives around energy and the environment, from energy crises in the 1970s, pollution worries in the 1980s and climate concerns in the 1990s. Furthermore, my research adds to the evidence that the narratives and expectation around fuel cells have played a social role, providing plausible keystones for the technological optimism prevalent in policy responses to challenges around energy. This contributed to the impression that solutions to energy and environmental crises were close at hand, allowing difficult social decisions to be postponed and perpetuating business as usual. I suggest the SOFC inhabited two worlds, one of laboratory results and experiments, the other of ideas and imaginaries. Together these worlds constructed futures were the SOFC could flourish and remind us of the need to understand technologies within the social and cultural contexts in which they are both created and exist.The promise is enticing: an energy conversion “black box” that will produce electricity cleanly, silently and efficiently. This technology, known as the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), was promised as an important bridge to a low carbon energy future. However, despite the promise, the SOFC has still to cross the boundaries from promise to realisation. Repeatedly rejected by some on grounds of cost or reliability, its hold on the imagination persists. This persistence raises an interesting question: how have fuel cells managed to maintain validity as such a promising technology over decades of repeated false starts? In this thesis I follow historical pathways of SOFC development and find a device repeatedly reframed around the promise of new materials and processing, with expectation constructed around these promissory materials and designs. These offered new applications, which when facilitated by reorganisations of R&D management and changing energy markets, sustained sponsorship. Drawing on my 25 years as an SOFC researcher and augmenting documentary records with oral history, I also argue that the reframing of the SOFC reflected changing public policy imperatives around energy and the environment, from energy crises in the 1970s, pollution worries in the 1980s and climate concerns in the 1990s. Furthermore, my research adds to the evidence that the narratives and expectation around fuel cells have played a social role, providing plausible keystones for the technological optimism prevalent in policy responses to challenges around energy. This contributed to the impression that solutions to energy and environmental crises were close at hand, allowing difficult social decisions to be postponed and perpetuating business as usual. I suggest the SOFC inhabited two worlds, one of laboratory results and experiments, the other of ideas and imaginaries. Together these worlds constructed futures were the SOFC could flourish and remind us of the need to understand technologies within the social and cultural contexts in which they are both created and exist

Denial at the top table: status attributions and implications for marketing

Senior marketing management is seldom represented on the Board of Directors nowadays, reflecting a deteriorating status of the marketing profession. We examine some of the key reasons for marketing’s demise, and discuss how the status of marketing may be restored by demonstrating the value of marketing to the business community. We attribute marketing’s demise to several related key factors: narrow typecasting, marginalisation and limited involvement in product development, questionable marketing curricula, insensitivity toward environmental change, questionable professional standards and roles, and marketing’s apparent lack of accountability to CEOs. Each of these leads to failure to communicate, create, or deliver value within marketing. We argue that a continued inability to deal with marketing’s crisis of representation will further erode the status of the discipline both academically and professionally

Significant Learning Curves

In explaining to a potential client what issues could be accomplished in a weekend program you find yourself stumbling over why there are limitations to what could be addressed in such a short time frame. When training new facilitators you are asked how to select- out of such a wide range of possibilities - the activity or initiative that is most suited to the needs of a specific group and builds appropriately on their previous experiences. Intuitively adventure programmers know the answer to these two scenarios. The difficulty arrises when we are asked to explain our reasoning to people not as familiar with the discipline of adventure--based learning. It is easy to recognise the beneficial outcomes from this type of experience however, when it comes to explaining exactly why and how adventure programming works we often find ourselves in search of appropriate words