Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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Open Educational Resources at TUS: Pressing Forward to Provide Access for All
Get PDF2020 Fund and Create
2022 Build an Infrastructure
2023 Collaborate
2024 Share and Grow
Open Educational Resources at TUS:
Pressing Forward to Provide Access for All
Funding - National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education (National Forum) funding secured
OER Index – the funding facilitated the creation of an OER Index using
Wordpress to showcase OER resources for all disciplines
OER Library Guide – to increase awareness of OER and open licensin
Long-term trial of protection provided by adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the PPRV H protein
Get PDFA recombinant, replication-defective, adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the H surface glycoprotein of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has previously been shown to protect goats from challenge with wild-type PPRV at up to 4 months post vaccination. Here, we present the results of a longer-term trial of the protection provided by such a vaccine, challenging animals at 6, 9, 12 and 15 months post vaccination. Vaccinated animals developed high levels of anti-PPRV H protein antibodies, which were virus-neutralising, and the level of these antibodies was maintained for the duration of the trial. The vaccinated animals were largely protected against overt clinical disease from the challenge virus. Although viral genome was intermittently detected in blood samples, nasal and/or ocular swabs of vaccinated goats post challenge, viral RNA levels were significantly lower compared to unvaccinated control animals and vaccinated goats did not appear to excrete live virus. This protection, like the antibody response, was maintained at the same level for at least 15 months after vaccination. In addition, we showed that animals that have been vaccinated with the adenovirus-based vaccine can be revaccinated with the same vaccine after 12 months and showed an increased anti-PPRV antibody response after this boost vaccination. Such vaccines, which provide a DIVA capability, would therefore be suitable for use when the current live attenuated PPRV vaccines are withdrawn at the end of the ongoing global PPR eradication campaign.ye
Open Educational Resources for Teaching and Learning at TUS
No full textThis book provides a selection of Open Educational Resources (OER) which align with teaching and learning within our university to showcase the flexibility, adaptability and potential of OER. Subject areas which are explored include: 3D printing; immersive technology; lightboard and team based learning. This book is a living document, created for the 2024/2025 academic year. Content will be added, updated and amended during this academic year to reflect the needs of our university community. This book can be used with our OER index which has been curated to provide high quality OER for our university faculties: business, hospitality and humanities; engineering, built environment and informatics; sciences, health and technology; and Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD).
This web book is a living document and additional OER entries will be added to it, during the 2024/2025 academic year. The attached file is correct as at 12th November 2024, but we recommend accessing the online version for optimal content and user experience.ye
Numerical study of hydrogen injection to initiate oblique detonation wave
No full textWith the motivation of operating scramjet in shock induced combustion ramjet (shcramjet) or oblique
detonation wave mode, the current study aims to develop strategies for non-premixed oblique detonation
wave configuration using numerical simulations. The unsteady two-dimensional Reynolds Averaged
Navier-Stokes with reactive multi-species equations are solved using adaptive grid refinement and robust
SAGE solver on CONVERGE-CFD platform with detailed chemical kinetics. The sonic hydrogen injection
cases (ϕ = 0.5) into incoming air flow at Mach 7 with pressure of 40 kPa and temperature of 300 K
are simulated for 2 ms duration. The computational domain consists of finite length wedge (100 mm,
θw = 26◦ as well as hydrogen injection tube upstream of wedge starting point, to obtain non-premixed
oblique detonation wave. The unsteady detonation wave patterns are obtained for angle of injection
(AOI) 15◦ with injector location at (Dj=) 30 mm from wedge tip. It is found that various flow features,
such as jet-shock, shear layer and hot burnt zone near the wedge wall affect the lifted detonation wave
starting at the interaction point of shear layer and hot burnt zone. The detonation wave momentarily
transition to deflagration flame and re-establish itself as detonation wave multiple times. The angle of
injection (AOI) and injector locations are varied to obtain various patterns of unsteady non-premixed
oblique detonation wave and it was found that AOIs below or close to wedge angle lead to formation of
unsteady oblique detonation wave, while AOIs higher than the wedge angle lead to formation of stable
stretched deflagration flame. Injection location very close to wedge starting point leads to multi-cycle
detonation to deflagration transitions and deflagration to detonation transitions. The overall thermal and
combustion efficiencies are alsoye
The Impact of Changing Work Practices in Journalism in Ireland
Get PDFJournalists are working in an ever-changing environment (where precarity has become
commonplace). Reporters are increasingly required to multi-task, as news has become ubiquitous.
This includes writing and editing copy, posting content online and on social media, sourcing images,
recording and editing audio and recording pieces to camera: the traditional television, radio and print
reporter all rolled into one. Yet, additional duties are not matched by increased pay; in some instances
resources have been cut, and management cite reduced advertising revenue as the main reason. This
research examined the impact of those changes to work practices on journalists, the media industry,
and on wider society in Ireland, where multi-tasking has become more prevalent in the past 10
to 15 years and the pressures faced by journalists have intensified in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Twelve journalists working in the media in Ireland were interviewed as part of this research. Their
perceptions on the main influences on their work practices were explored. The findings of this
research argue that due to the relentless drive for profit maximization, the result is that insufficient
time and resources are made available to run newsrooms adequately and this is particularly prevalent
in the regional press. This means ‘desk’ journalism is prioritized over ‘field’ reporting, while the
battle between accuracy and immediacy is placing journalists under immense pressure and this also
affects the quality of content produced and disseminated. Also, there is insufficient focus by media
organizations on time intensive journalism i.e., investigative journalism—which potentially impacts
everyone’s lives—and this influences how ordinary citizens understand the world around them.
This research argues that the ability of journalism to hold the powerful to account is diminishing.
Journalism, in its current trajectory, does not fulfil its Fourth Estate or ‘watchdog’ function, and
critically, this influences people’s understanding of society, as this research outlines.ye
Silica supported Schiff-based palladium nanocatalyst for n-alkylation at room temperature
Get PDFThis works documents a new silica gel-supported nanocatalyst (Si@NSBPdNPs 3) with low Pd loadings for n-alkylation reactions at room temperature. Post synthesis characterisation using SEM-EDX and ICP techniques provided a quantitative assessment of palladium species. Additionally, TEM analysis unveiled an average palladium nanoparticle size of 5.87 ± 0.2 nm. In-depth X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed its predominant composition as Pd(0) complexed to a Schiff base ligand on low cost silica matrix. The nanocatalyst exhibited high efficacy in the catalysis of n-alkylation (Michael addition) reactions with various α,β-unsaturated Michael acceptors, yielding the corresponding n-alkyl products at room temperature with exceptional yields. Notably, the catalyst exhibited good stability and could be easily separated from the reaction mixture. Moreover, the catalyst displayed recyclability potential, maintaining its original catalytic efficacy for up to seven cycles without any discernible loss.ye
Enrichment of Whole-Grain Breads with Food-Grade Extracted Apple Pomace Bioactives Enhanced Their Anti-Inflammatory, Antithrombotic and Anti-Oxidant Functional Properties
Get PDFApple pomace (AP) is a bio-waste product of apples that is co-produced as a by-product during apples’ processing for making apple-based products, mainly apple juice, cider and vinegar. AP is a rich source of several bioactives that can be valorized as ingredients for developing novel functional foods, supplements and nutraceuticals. Within the present study, food-grade extracts from AP with different tannin contents were found to contain bioactive polar lipids (PLs), phenolics and carotenoids with strong anti-oxidant, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties. The extract from the low-in-tannins AP showed stronger anti-inflammatory potency in human platelets against the potent thrombo-inflammatory mediator platelet-activating factor (PAF), while it also exhibited considerable anti-platelet effects against the standard platelet agonist, adenosine diphosphate (ADP). The infusion of 0.5–1.0 g of this bioactive AP extract as functional ingredients for whole-grain bread-making resulted in the production of novel bio-functional bread products with stronger anti-oxidant, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory potency against both PAF and ADP in human platelets, compared to the standard non-infused control breads. Structural analysis by LCMS showed that the PL-bioactives from all these sources (AP and the bio-functional breads) are rich in bioactive unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), especially in the omega-9 oleic acid (OA; 18:1n9), the omega-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALA; 18:n3) and the omega-6 linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n6), which further supports their strong anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic properties. All food-grade extracted AP including that infused with AP-bioactives novel functional breads showed higher hydrophilic, lipophilic and total phenolic content, as well as total carotenoid content, and subsequently stronger antioxidant capacity. These results showed the potential of appropriately valorizing AP-extracts in developing novel bio-functional bakery products, as well as in other health-promoting applications. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to fully elucidate and/or validate the anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and antioxidant potential of novel bio-functional products across the food and cosmetic sectors when infused with these AP bioactives. © 2024 by the authors.ye
Resistance and Power in Irish Higher Education: ORCID and the Monitored University
Get PDFPurpose:
Created in 2012 ORCID now enjoys global status as a Persistent Identifier (PID) in the academic community. The international literature has been generally positive towards this new piece of research infrastructure, particularly based on its obvious potential to aid name disambiguation. However, a small number of commentators have highlighted negative issues with ORCID, as well as the way in which they are increasing mandated by publishers, funders, and even employers. This research sought to critically evaluate perceptions of ORCID in the Technological University (TU)/Institute of Technology (IoT) sector in Ireland.
Methodology:
This study adopted a mixed methods approach involving an online survey with academics in Ireland's TU/IoT sector and a survey of senior librarians. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore the qualitative data collected via open-ended questions.
Findings
The results indicate that most lecturers have only minimally engaged with ORCID. Thematic analysis of responses from faculty identified six distinct themes. The majority of themes identified were negative towards ORCID, with many lecturers appearing unsure about its purpose, having only registered for ORCID because of external pressure. Faculty were also concerned that ORCID could facilitate external monitoring, as well as them being resistant to the effort involved in keeping an ORCID profile up to date. ORCID was also seen as a potential source of danger, although some lecturers had started to use their ORCID profile to promote their work. Perceptions amongst librarians were very different, with librarians notably more in favour of ORCID. Three themes were identified: name disambiguation, facilitation of linkages with other IT systems, and future potential.
Originality:
The paper offers a critical analysis of ORCID adoption in Ireland based on perceptions amongst two stakeholder groups, academics and librarians.ye
The UBP5 histone H2A deubiquitinase counteracts PRCs-mediated repression to regulate Arabidopsis development
Get PDFPolycomb Repressive Complexes (PRCs) control gene expression through the
incorporation of H2Aub and H3K27me3. In recent years, there is increasing
evidence of the complexity of PRCs’ interaction networks and the interplay of
these interactors with PRCs in epigenome reshaping, which is fundamental to
understand gene regulatory mechanisms. Here, we identified UBIQUITIN
SPECIFIC PROTEASE 5 (UBP5) as a chromatin player able to counteract the
deposition of the two PRCs’ epigenetic hallmarks in Arabidopsis thaliana. We
demonstrated that UBP5 is a plant developmental regulator based on functional
analyses of ubp5-CRISPR Cas9 mutant plants. UBP5 promotes H2A
monoubiquitination erasure, leading to transcriptional de-repression. Furthermore,
preferential association of UBP5 at PRC2 recruiting motifs and local
H3K27me3 gaining in ubp5 mutant plants suggest the existence of functional
interplays between UBP5 and PRC2 in regulating epigenome dynamics. In
summary, acting as an antagonist of the pivotal epigenetic repressive marks
H2Aub and H3K27me3, UBP5 provides novel insights to disentangle the
complex regulation of PRCs’ activities.ye
The development and validation of a novel and quantitative 'Kremer' cleaning classification for reusable medical devices
Get PDFFor over half a century, Spaulding's microbial reduction categorization has been a guiding principle in the healthcare sector outlining necessary measures to safeguard patient safety for reusable medical devices. However, this classification system operates under an unreliable assumption that medical devices are initially clean before undergoing disinfection or sterilization procedures. This is supported by concerns regarding hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) originating from contaminated devices such as intricate endoscopes and robotic instruments. Despite medical device manufacturers validating their cleaning instructions, best-published literature highlights inconsistent adherence to effective device processing protocols within clinical settings leading to heightened risks to patient safety. Thus, the overarching aim of this novel study is to develop, test, and validate a new cleaning classification system (designated ‘Kremer’) for appropriate and effective standardized cleaning of reusable medical devices globally focusing on complex device features as a key challenge linked to patient risk.
Novel methods are developed and applied underpinning this simplified Kremer cleaning categorization system. An extensive suite of key device design features was evaluated (n = 23) for residual soils during cleaning validation to ensure their safety for human use. This risk-based approach evaluates the likelihood of residual soil remaining on or within different design features of a device after cleaning. For effective cleaning, the cleaning chemistry (comprising cleaning agent and water) must sufficiently access the soil, either through exposure (such as spraying or soaking) or force (like brushing, flushing, or sonication), to dissolve and remove it from the surface. The ‘device feature’ becomes a crucial variable influencing this relationship. Moreover, by focusing on the hardest to clean feature of the reusable medical device, the overall cleaning challenge can be established for the entire device. This more conservative approach for validation/verification of cleaning practices allows for the design of cleaning processes that are robust to quantify the risk of patient safety. By simplifying and streamlining classification criteria, users can swiftly assign items or concepts to specific categories, reducing complexity and the likelihood of errors. This simplicity expedites the categorization process, enhances clarity, and lessens cognitive load enabling users to make decisions based on their understanding of device's complexity. This cleaning classification proposes three risk categories: maximal, moderate, and minimal. Twenty-three of the most intricate device features were identified and rigorously tested in this study until they failed to clean effectively. Across the 150 experiments carried out (encompassing ca. 56,000 extractions/flushes for device feature validation and 2,695 individual analyte measurements for the 23 features experiment), each feature underwent evaluation concerning its impact on cleaning that considers geometry, material of construction, probability of soil drying, and fluid dynamics. Among these, the risk of soil drying emerged as the most crucial validation variable. Consequently, soil drying time and soil configuration were manipulated to adjust the cleaning challenge for the features. Manual cleaning, being the most variable method, served as the standardized cleaning approach. However, to explore the potential for excluding manual cleaning from the process, a semi-automated cleaning method was also tested to ascertain the feasibility of automation within the cleaning process. The results of cleaning validation for protein residuals were categorized into risk levels based on acceptance criteria outlined in ISO 15883-5.
The device feature categorization serves as the foundational element for risk assessment, but it is essential to also evaluate compound risks involving device geometry and material of construction. Compound risk occurs when multiple manageable risk factors converge or interact, creating a more complex level of risk. In the context of cleaning reusable medical devices, compound risk arises when various factors combine to make the cleaning process more challenging. This includes factors like complex device design, intricate components, and hard-to-reach areas. When these factors compound, they significantly increase the risk of incomplete cleaning, potentially endangering patient safety. As such, thirteen core topics were addressed using the risk assessment for medical devices outlined in ISO 14971 to quantify the compounding risks and sort reusable medical devices into the ‘Kremer’ cleaning classification for communicating device design risks across the entire device processing cycle. Medical device manufacturers can utilize this classification alongside Spaulding’s antimicrobial criteria to evaluate risks associated with the entire processing cycle for reusable medical devices. For the first time, this integration can enhance validation methods for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, improve device design, and ensure effective risk communication and mitigation at healthcare facilities. The well-established Spaulding Classification, focusing on disinfection, sterilization, and patient risk, serves as a convenient means to link manufacturers and healthcare facilities regarding device validation and processing requirements.
The benefits of the conclusions from this novel research extend widely. In addition to completing ten peer-reviewed publications to disseminate the acquired knowledge, it is anticipated that future application of this cleaning classification will yield several advantages. These include enhancing the economics of processing reusable medical devices, fostering trust in sustainability practices related to device reuse, diminishing the occurrence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), and guiding the development of future device processing methods, including automation and machine learning. For example, a proposal for a new draft work item (NWI) for industry titled "ISO-NP TS 17664-3, Processing of healthcare products – Information to be provided by the medical device manufacturer for the processing of medical devices – Part 3: Guidance on the designation of a reusable medical device" was accepted by the ISO/TC 198 committee as part of an initiative with Kremer's cleaning classification. This endorsement by an international assembly of experts highlights the practicality and relevance of the classification to the healthcare industry. The introduction of this ISO document is expected to promote the adoption of the cleaning classification in various global guidance and standard documents, establishing it as a valuable tool for risk reduction in healthcare.ye