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What Are The Key Considerations of Social Enterprises Planning to Scale, and How Do These Considerations Interact to Shape the Scaling Journey?
Get PDFSocial enterprises are organisations that pursue dual social and commercial goals. With increasing social issues facing our global society today, as highlighted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, social enterprises are well-positioned to respond and have a positive impact. Despite the increased recognition of the contribution of social enterprises, research into the phenomenon remains fragmented and underexplored. This study explores how social enterprises scale and what factors and elements are required. Furthermore, the research explores how the factors interconnect, interact and shape the scaling journey
Industry Perspectives on Engineering Communication Skills for the Green Transition
Get PDFEffective communication skills are crucial in complex multidisciplinary, multistakeholder engineering projects, where engineers must articulate ideas, negotiate solutions and convey technical information across diverse audiences. However, despite their importance, communication skills are often undervalued in engineering curricula, as students and faculty may view them as peripheral to technical training. Through focus groups and interviews with practicing engineers in Ireland, the study explores communication’s role in professional tasks and stakeholder interactions. The study provides a flowchart outlining each stage of a civil and structural project. This was then used to identify key communication activities which are presented using the who, why and how of various communication tasks. A thematic analysis of the focus groups supplemented by three interviews was undertaken to expose pertinent issues faced by engineers communicating in practice. These include the importance of developing relationships, communications methods and practices, specific communication skills and legal considerations in communication. Participants also discussed cultural influences, the impact of remote working and proposed ways in which communication skills can be taught. These insights have implications for communication training in engineering education and provide valuable guidance for curriculum designers and educators
The Golden Standard: Potential of Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Research and Therapy
No full textConventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have been fundamental in the treatment of cancer. However, these therapies are often limited due to serious side effects, including non-specific targeting of healthy tissues, systemic toxicity, and resistance to treatment. These limitations are currently being addressed by emerging therapies that can provide more effective and precise therapeutic approaches, such as immunotherapy and nanomedicine. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have shown great promise in cancer research and treatment due to their distinct physicochemical characteristics, biocompatibility, and versatility. This literature review aims to discuss conventional cancer therapies and further explores the potential of nanoparticles especially that of gold (AuNPs) in cancer treatment, examining their mechanisms of action including tumour targeting, drug delivery, and photo-thermal and photodynamic therapies. This paper investigates their function in imaging and diagnostics, such as enhancing contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans and serving as carriers for molecular probes. The review examines the use of AuNPs in specific cancers, while highlighting key findings from current clinical trials. Challenges in clinical translation, including large-scale production, toxicity concerns, and navigating complex regulatory processes will also be discussed. Finally, the potential of AuNP-based therapies to potentially transform cancer treatment as part of a multidisciplinary approach, and future directions for their development, is highlighted in the final section
Development of Urchin-like gold nanoparticles for drug delivery of the Glioblastoma and the Colorectal cancer cells
No full textUrchin-like gold nanoparticles have shown to enhance cytotoxicity against cancer cells compared to original gold nanoparticles making them a ‘promise’ for cancer treatment because of their specific size inducing more hot spots and produced surface/volume ratio. Different concentrations of urchin-like gold nanoparticles can be synthesised to observe the different effects the particles pose against the cancer cells. Urchin-like AuNPs were synthesised using the chemical reduction method to synthesise gold nano seeds. Hydroquinone was used to create the urchin shape of the gold nanoparticles. In vitro, cytotoxicity studies were performed to observe which concentration of urchin-like AuNPs had a stronger cytotoxicity against the U-373 and Caco-2 cancer cell lines. The Urchin-like AuNPs enhanced their cytotoxic properties against the cancer cell lines which affected the cell viability and proliferation which was analyzed using the MTT assay. The Urchin-like AuNPs (100μl hydroquinone) dose at 15μl had the highest cytotoxicity compared to the 5 and 10μl, the viability of the 15μl was at 60% which was the highest. The Urchin-like AuNPs presented a stronger cytotoxicity against the colorectal cells than the glioblastoma cells due to their structure. The glioblastoma cells could be more complex in structure and may require a stronger dose of Urchin-like gold nanoparticles
From Conflict to Connection: Educators Leading the Shift Towards Restorative Practices (RP) in DEIS Primary Schools
No full textWhen Care Can’t Move Forward – The Human and Social Cost of Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease
No full textThe battle to brand and market Irish beef—1950–73
No full textThis article examines the controversy around the marketing of Irish beef up to Ireland’s entry into the EEC in 1973. The internal industry wrangle simmered from the birth of the modern processing industry in the 1950s but burst into life following the collapse in beef farmer incomes in the late 1960s. The article will explore how the Department of Agriculture and successive ministers for agriculture sought to navigate a middle line between the conflicting positions of the farm organisations and meat factory owners. While the National Farmers’ Association (NFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) consistently called for centralised marketing of beef, the associations had on occasion sought Government support for a more ambitious intervention package which included guaranteed beef prices for farmers. In contrast, the meat factories were adamant that the selling of beef should remain their responsibility. They maintained that the responsibilities of any national marketing body be limited to promotions. The article will assess the impact of these contrasting positions on beef sector policy, and ultimately on the structure and remit of the marketing body Córas Beostoic agus Feola (CBF) which was established in 1969. Moreover, it explores the extent to which meat marketing was a test of strength for the farm organisations and the meat processor lobby; and examines its significance in this context
