Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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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
3D printing of photocurable resin reinforced by functionalised graphene nanoplatelets
Get PDFThe influence of functionalised graphene nanoplatelets with melamine on the thermal and mechanical properties of a 3D-printed photopolymerisable resin is investigated. In this work, a liquid-based 3D printer and stereolithography were employed to fabricate the 3D-printed parts, and a commercial dimethacrylate-based resin was used. The 3D-printed parts were subjected to ultraviolet and thermal post-curing stages to improve thermal and mechanical behaviour. The quality of the graphene nanoplatelets’ functionalisation was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Thermal and mechanical characterisations were performed via thermogravimetric, tensile, and Izod impact tests. The fractured surfaces were observed via scanning electron microscopy. The degree of graphene nanoplatelet dispersion in the polymer matrix is enhanced by bonding with melamine via π–π interactions and inhibited surface defect formation. Results show property enhancements of up to 35% in tensile strength, 78% in impact strength, and 38% in residual weight at 400 °C.ye
In silico screening of phytochemicals from Dissotis rotundifolia against Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase.
No full textBackground: Malaria remains a major health concern in developing countries with high morbidity and mortality,
especially in pregnant women and infants. A major obstacle to the treatment of malaria is a low effectiveness and
an increase resistance of the parasite to antimalarial drugs. As a result, there is an ongoing demand for new and
potent antimalarial drugs. Medicinal plants remain a potential source for the development of new antimalarial
drugs. Amongst them is Dissotis rotundifolia is an ethnomedical important plant used in West Africa to treat
malaria.
Purpose: This study aimed at identifying new potential antifolates by virtually screening phytochemicals characterized
from the whole plant methanolic extract of D. rotundifolia against Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate
Reductase (PfDHFR).
Methods: LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis was employed to identify the phytochemicals present in the whole plant
methanolic extract of D. rotundifolia. These phytochemicals were docked against the catalytic site of PfDHFR. The
docking protocol was evaluated using the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of a Receiver Operating Characteristic
(ROC) curve. The binding mechanisms and the drug-likeness of the phytochemicals were characterized. A 100 ns
Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and Molecular Mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA)
calculations were utilized to analyze the stability, the energy decomposition per residue and the binding free
energy of the potential leads.
Results: Twenty nine phytochemicals were characterized and docked against PfDHFR. Dimethylmatairesinol,
flavodic acid, sakuranetin, and sesartemin were identified as potential leads with binding affinities of -8.4, -8.9,
-8.6, and -8.9 kcal/mol respectively, greater than a stringent threshold of -8.0 kcal/mol. The potential leads also
interacted hydrophobically with critical residue Phe58. A novel critical residue, Leu46 was identified to be
crucial in the catalytic activity of PfDHFR. The potential leads were also predicted to be anti-protozoal with a
probability of active (Pa) value ranging from 0.319 to 0.537.
Conclusion: This study elucidates the potential inhibition of PfDHFR by dimethylmatairesinol, flavodic acid,
sakuranetin and sesartemin present in D. rotundifolia. These compounds are druglike, do not violate Lipinski’s
rule of five, have a high binding affinity to PfDHFR, and interact with crucial residues involved in the catalytic
activity PfDHFR. Dimethylmatairesinol, flavodic acid, sakuranetinye
Do players with superior physiological attributes outwork their less-conditioned counterparts? A study in Gaelic football
Get PDFThis study investigated the association of physiological attributes with in-game workload measures
during competitive Gaelic football match-play. Fifty-two male developmental level Gaelic football players
(mean ± SD; age: 22.9 ± 3.8 years) underwent measurements of anthropometric characteristics, running speed,
muscular strength and power, blood lactate (BLa), running economy and aerobic capacity during two separate
testing visits. Global Positioning System units (18-Hz) were used to record players in-game workloads during
a competitive match 1-week following the baseline physiological assessments. Results indicated that players
body fat percentage, drop jump height (DJ) and running velocity at 4 mmol · L−1 BLa were significantly associated
with the number of high-speed runs completed (Adjusted R2
26.8% to 39.5%; p < 0.05) while 20 m running
speed, running velocity at 2 mmol · L−1 BLa and DJ were significantly associated with the number of accelerations
completed (Adjusted R2 17.2% to 22.0%; p < 0.05) during match-play. Additionally, aerobic capacity and body
fat percentage were significantly associated with total distance (Adjusted R2
14.4% to 22.4%; p < 0.05) while
body fat percentage, DJ and 20 m running speed were significantly associated with high-speed distance (Adjusted
R2 17.8% to 22.0%; p < 0.05). Players were also divided into higher-standard and lower-standard groups using
a median split of these physiological attributes. Players in the higher-standard groups completed significantly
more high-speed runs and accelerations and covered significantly larger total and high-speed distances (+10.4%
to +36.8%; ES = 0.67 to 0.88; p < 0.05) when compared to the lower-standard groups. This study demonstrates
that superior levels of physical conditioning are associated with larger in-game workloads during Gaelic football
match-play.ye
A concept of aerospike nozzle for cold spray additive manufacturing: towards a potential solution for preventing the issue of clogging
Get PDFThe clogging, a frequent gas passage deformation phenomenon because of powder accumulation on inner nozzle wall, is a major issue in long duration Cold Spray (CS) operations and a major challenge for Cold spray technology to be adopted for additive manufacturing. This study aims to design and integrate new nozzle design in Cold Spray operations for addressing the clogging issues in traditional circular convergent-divergent (CD) nozzles. The concept of the Aerospike nozzle is proposed for that purpose and is investigated using numerical simulation methods in this paper. An aerospike nozzle allows gases to accelerate externally bounded by environment on one-side and contoured spike wall on other side. After accelerating along the spike wall, aerospike nozzle can generate a longer supersonic gas stream. The spike region can be truncated near the tip to provide a flat face for powder injection. This proposed strategy will allow powder particles to accelerate through a longer supersonic core region, without interacting with nozzle wall. With appropriate operating parameters, an aerospike nozzle can reduce or eliminate the clogging issue completely. The efficiency and operation of aerospike nozzle is compared with same Mach number C-D nozzle using numerical simulations at stagnation pressure of 30 bar and temperature of 623K, where the aluminium powder particles are injected at 30 g/min in the centerline of both nozzles and are accelerated to similar velocities. The powder particles are accelerated in supersonic core region of aerospike nozzle without interacting with nozzle wall, it is concluded that the aerospike nozzle can be a promising nozzle design to provide clogging free long duration CS operations.ye
Short term decreases in salinity, combined with the right choice of species, can allow for a more nutritious sea lettuce lipid profile
No full textThe sea lettuce Ulva spp is becoming an increasingly important macroalgae for aquaculture. Sea lettuce can be grown on- and off-shore, displays high growth rates, and its biomass possesses attractive nutritional benefits. Among those are their fatty acids (FA) and lipid profiles, rich in omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) as well as bioactive lipids. In order to tailor those properties for food applications, we explored the use of a short-term (seven days) low salinity treatment to modulate the lipid profile of two species of Ulva. We found large quantitative differences between species, and while a low-salinity treatment negatively affected growth, Ulva australis’ lipid profile was positively impacted. Total FA particularly ɷ-3 PUFAs, increased three-fold, as well as most polar lipid species including known bioactive compounds. This study highlights profound differences between species and describes a simple method to increase the nutritional properties of Ulva biomass for food applications.ye
Synergy assessment of four antimicrobial bioactive compounds for the combinational treatment of bacterial pathogens
Get PDFAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a topic of great concern in recent years, with
much effort being committed to developing alternative treatments for resistant bacterial pathogens.
Drug combinational therapies have been a major area of research for several years, with modern
iterations using combining well-established antibiotics and other antimicrobials with the aim of
discovering complementary mechanisms. Previously, we characterised four GRAS antimicrobials that
can withstand thermal polymer extrusion processes for novel medical device-based and therapeutic
applications. In the present study, four antimicrobial bioactive—silver nitrate, nisin, chitosan and zinc
oxide—were assessed for their potential combined use as an alternative synergistic treatment for AMR
bacteria via a broth microdilution assay based on a checkerboard format. The bioactives were tested
in arrangements of two-, three- and four-drug combinations, and their interactions were determined
and expressed in terms of a synergy score. Results have revealed interesting interactions based on
treatments against recognised test bacterial strains that cause human and animal infections, namely
E. coli, S. aureus and S. epidermidis. Silver nitrate was seen to greatly enhance the efficacy of its paired
treatment. Combinations with nisin, which is a lantibiotic, exhibited the most interesting results,
as nisin has no effect against Gram-negative bacteria when used alone; however, it demonstrated
antimicrobial effects when combined with silver nitrate or chitosan. This study constitutes the
first study to both report on practical three- and four-drug combinational assays and utilise these
methods for the assessment of established and emerging antimicrobials. The novel methods and
results presented in this study show the potential to explore previously unknown drug combination
compatibility measures in an ease-of-use- and high-throughput-based format, which can greatly
help future research that aims to identify appropriate alternative treatments for AMR, including the
screening of potential new bioactives biorefined from various sources.ye
Performance of Biomass and Exopolysaccharide Production from the Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum in a New Fabricated Air-L-Shaped Bioreactor (ALSB)
Get PDFConventional stirred-tank bioreactor (STR) designs are optimised for cultures of bacteria but not fungal cultures; therefore, a new Air-L-Shaped Bioreactor (ALSB) was fabricated. The ALSB was designed to eliminate the wall growth and clumping of fungal mycelium in STRs. Ganoderma lucidum was used as a fungal model and its biomass and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production were maximised by optimising the agitation rate, glucose concentration, initial pH, and aeration via response surface methodology (RSM). The ALSB system generated 7.8 g/L of biomass (biomass optimised conditions: 110 rpm, 24 g/L glucose, pH 5.6, and 3 v/v of aeration) and 4.4 g/L of EPS (EPS optimised conditions: 90 rpm, 30 g/L glucose, pH 4, and 2.5 v/v of aeration). In combination, for both optimised conditions, biomass (7.9 g/L) and EPS (4.6 g/L) were produced at 110 rpm, 30 g/L glucose, pH 4, and 3 v/v of aeration with minimal wall growth. The data prove that the ALSB is a blueprint for efficient economical fungal cultivation.ye
Micro-injection mouding of PEO/PCL blend-based matrices for extended oral delivery of Fenbendazole
Get PDFFenbendazole (FBZ) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic administered orally to ruminants;
nevertheless, its poor water solubility has been the main limitation to reaching satisfactory and
sustained levels at the site of the target parasites. Hence, the exploitation of hot-melt extrusion
(HME) and micro-injection moulding ( IM) for the manufacturing of extended-release tablets of
plasticised solid dispersions of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/polycaprolactone (PCL) and FBZ was
investigated due to their unique suitability for semi-continuous manufacturing of pharmaceutical
oral solid dosage forms. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis demonstrated
a consistent and uniform drug content in the tablets. Thermal analysis using differential scanning
calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) suggested the amorphous state of the
active ingredient, which was endorsed by powder X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (pXRD). Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis did not display any new peak indicative of either a
chemical interaction or degradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed smoother
surfaces and broader pores as we increased the PCL content. Electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDX) revealed that the drug was homogeneously distributed within the polymeric matrices. Drug
release studies attested that all moulded tablets of amorphous solid dispersions improved the drug
solubility, with the PEO/PCL blend–based matrices showing drug release by Korsmeyer–Peppas
kinetics. Thus, HME coupled with IM proved to be a promising approach towards a continuous
automated manufacturing process for the production of oral solid dispersions of benzimidazole
anthelmintics to grazing cattle.ye