Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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Bone tissue engineering scaffold optimisation through modification of Chitosan/ceramic composition
No full textA large bone defect is defined as a defect that exceeds the regenerative capacity of the bone. Nowadays, autologous bone grafting is still the gold standard treatment. In this study, a hybrid bone tissue engineering scaffold (BTE) was designed with biocompatibility, biodegradability and adequate mechanical strength as the primary objectives. Chitosan (CS) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that can be used in a wide range of applications in bone tissue engineering. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and fluorapatite (FAp) have the potential to improve the mechanical properties of CS. In the present work, different volumes of acetic acid (AA) and different ratios of HAp and FAp scaffolds were prepared and UV cross-linked to form a 3D structure. The properties of the scaffolds were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, swelling studies and compression testing. The cytotoxicity result was obtained by the MTT assay. The degradation rate was tested by weight loss after the scaffold was immersed in SBF. The results showed that a crosslinked structure was formed and that bonding occurred between different materials within the scaffold. Additionally, the scaffolds not only provided sufficient mechanical strength but were also cytocompatibility, depending on their composition. The scaffolds were degraded gradually within a 6-to-8-week testing period, which closely matches bone regeneration rates, indicating their potential in the BTE field.ye
An Investigation of Oracy and Graphicacy Knowledge and Skills Development, in a Selected Post-Primary Initial Teacher Education Programme in the Field of Technical Education
No full textPrior to 2011, Ireland's performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) was unsatisfactory. To improve these results, the Department of Education and Skills successfully implemented a strategic literacy and numeracy framework. Literature presents literacy as overarching categories, with sub-sets such as oracy and graphicacy although little has been published on oracy and graphicacy skills
development in initial teacher education. This study seeks to redress this imbalance by investigating these skills in the technical subject area, in the context of an Irish initial teacher education case study, the output of which is a workshop series on oracy and graphicacy. Data gathering methods include questionnaires, a focus group, and two interviews. A thematic analysis of the data, cross referencing the data sources and the
analysis of official programme documents was conducted to evaluate the programmes approach to oracy and graphicacy development. A finding from the examination of the programme modules showed that pre-service teachers were more likely to recognize oracy and graphicacy in the module when they were explicitly named in their module descriptors. Two recommendations from this study are: 1) to integrate explicit oracy and graphicacy strategies into the teaching, learning and assessment design plan for all module descriptors on the case study programme, and 2) to implement an oracy and graphicacy training workshop in the academic year 2023-2024, with the intention of enhancing oracy and graphicacy skill development and practice, as informed by this research. This study is a single bounded case study, but its methodology can be replicated across other teacher education programmes and adapted for different ITE contexts. It provides an original contribution to the effective promotion of oracy and graphicacy skills development in the context of post primary technical education.n
Designing sustainable polymer blends: tailoring mechanical properties and degradation behaviour in PHB/PLA/PCL blends in a seawater environment
Get PDFBiodegradable polyesters are a popular choice for both packaging and medical device manufacture owing to their ability to break down into harmless components once they have completed their function. However, commonly used polyesters such as poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL), while readily available and have a relatively low price compared to other biodegradable polyesters, do not meet the degradation profiles required for many applications. As such, this study aimed to determine if the mechanical and degradation properties of biodegradable polymers could be tailored by blending different polymers. The seawater degradation mechanisms were evaluated, revealing surface erosion and bulk degradation in the blends. The extent of degradation was found to be dependent on the specific chemical composition of the polymer and the blend ratio, with degradation occurring via hydrolytic, enzymatic, oxidative, or physical pathways. PLA presents the highest tensile strength (67 MPa); the addition of PHB and PCL increased the flexibility of the samples; however, the tensile strength reduced to 25.5 and 18 MPa for the blends 30/50/20 and 50/25/25, respectively. Additionally, PCL presented weight loss of up to 10 wt.% and PHB of up to 6 wt.%; the seawater degradation in the blends occurs by bulk and surface erosion. The blending process facilitated the flexibility of the blends, enabling their use in diverse industrial applications such as medical devices and packaging. The proposed methodology produced biodegradable blends with tailored properties within a seawater environment. Additionally, further tests that fully track the biodegradation process should be put in place; incorporating compatibilizers might promote the miscibility of different polymers, improving their mechanical properties and biodegradability.ye
Cause for Concern: Copycat Gender Identity Based Book Protests in Public Libraries in Ireland
Get PDFThis commentary briefly explores the rise of book bans in the US before giving an overview of similar protests emerging in Irish libraries. From being a very traditional and largely Catholic confessional State Ireland has been propelled into hyper-modernity over the last 50 years. The review briefly examines religious tensions in the Republic of Ireland and outlines ongoing conservatism, despite liberal social policies. The commentary concludes with a call for greater action and international solidarity to promote both inclusion and intellectual freedom.ye
Leukocyte and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (LPRF) Therapy & Leprosy: the Need for Caution and Research Among Marginalised Groups in Low Resource Settings
Get PDFThis paper discusses the potential of Leukocyte and Platelet-Rich Fibrin Therapy (LPRF) to help treat ulcers and skin damage associated with leprosy. It warns that although LPRF may be a valuable and cost-effective treatment, it is crucial to understand potential resistance to haematologically based treatments. For physicians and health service staff operating within a biomedical paradigm, folk beliefs resisting such treatments may be inconsequential. However, research and education among marginalised and excluded populations is vital to overcome potential hesitancy and resistance to such treatments.ye
A novel Bacillus subtilis BPM12 with high bis(2 hydroxyethyl)terephthalate hydrolytic activity efficiently interacts with virgin and mechanically recycled polyethylene terephthalate
Get PDFBiotechnological treatment of plastic waste has gathered substantial attention as an efficient and generally greener approach for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) depolymerization and upcycling in comparison to mechanical and chemical processes. Nevertheless, a suitable combination of mechanical and microbial degradation may be the key to bringing forward PET upcycling. In this study, a new strain with an excellent bis(2 hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) degradation potential (1000 mg/mL in 120 h at 30 °C) and wide temperature (20-47 °C) and pH (5-10) tolerance was isolated from a pristine soil sample. It was identified as Bacillus subtilis BPM12 via phenotypical and genome analysis. A number of enzymes with potential polymer degrading activities were identified, including carboxylesterase BPM12CE that was efficiently expressed both, homologously in B. subtilis BPM12 and heterologously in B. subtilis 168 strain. Overexpression of this enzyme enabled B. subtilis 168 to degrade BHET, while the activity of BPM12 increased up to 1.8-fold, confirming its BHET-ase activity. Interaction of B. subtilis BPM12 with virgin PET films and films that were re-extruded up to 5 times mimicking mechanical recycling, revealed the ability of the strain to attach and form biofilm on each surface. Mechanical recycling resulted in PET materials that are more susceptible to chemical hydrolysis, however only slight differences were detected in biological degradation when BPM12 whole-cells or cell-free enzyme preparations were used. Mixed mechano/bio-degradation with whole-cells and crude enzyme mixes from this strain can serve to further increase the percentage of PET- based plastics that can enter circularity.ye
Emerging venue considerations for event management: the case of Ireland
Get PDF: Event venues represent a focal point for infectious disease transmission among attendees
and event stakeholders, creating lasting uncertainty within the industry post-COVID-19. There is
now a need to investigate emerging venue considerations for the event industry as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Using Ireland as a case, a quantitative questionnaire was used on a sample of
event managers. Event venue monitoring for COVID-19 is lacking, while risk mitigation procedures
focus more on attendees already at the venue rather than avoiding infected persons entering the venue.
Risk assessments now comprise COVID-19 risk; however, a lack of resources means regular health and
safety has shown signs of weakening. Government and local authority resources and financial support
are required. Pre-venue procedures of symptom screening and proof of vaccination, combined with
venue procedures for disinfection of venue spaces, table service, and appropriate ventilation have
proven to be effective COVID-19 risk mitigation procedures. Additionally, ICT (information and
communications technology) could disseminate up-to-date health guidelines through customer centric digital environments representing enhanced information sharing to avoid uncertainty and
support pro-social intentions of event attendees and compliance with event venue COVID-19 risk
mitigation proceduresye
Modelling and simulation of waste tire pyrolysis process for recovery of energy and production of valuable chemicals (BTEX)
No full textThe pyrolysis oil fraction is highly attractive for pyrolysis products. A simulated flowsheet model of a waste tire pyrolysis process is presented in this paper. A kinetic rate-based reaction model and equilibrium separation model are created in the Aspen Plus simulation package. The simulation model is effectively proven against experimental data of literature at temperatures of 400, 450, 500, 600 and 700 °C. Also, the developed model was employed to investigate the impact of temperature on the pyrolysis procedure and demonstrated that there is an optimum temperature for chain fractions. The optimum temperature to have the highest amount of limonene (as a precious chemical product of waste tire pyrolysis process) was found 500 °C. The findings indicated that the pyrolysis process is ecologically benign, although there is still space for development. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to see how altering the heating fuel in the process would affect the non-condensable gases produced in the process. Reactors and distillation columns in the Aspen Plus® simulation model was developed to assess the technical functioning of the process (e.g., upgrading the waste tires into limonene). Furthermore, this work focuses on the optimization of the operating and structure parameters of the distillation columns in the product separation unit. The PR-BM, as well
as NRTL property models, were applied in the simulation model. The calculation of non-conventional components in the model was determined using HCOALGEN and DCOALIGT property models.n
Novel polyvinyl-alcohol microsphere for everolimus delivery for subependymal cell astrocytoma
No full textEverolimus (EVR) has demonstrated efficacy in treating subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) and other
tuberous sclerosis (TSC) manifestations. Oral use of EVR is associated with low bioavailability and systemic
toxicities culminating in treatment cessation in an appreciable patient population. To circumvent undesired
effects, we developed a microsphere embedded formulation of EVR using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with an endgoal
to achieve higher bioavailability and sustained delivery.
PVA-EVR microspheres were physically cross-linked using the freeze-thaw technique, and solvent-cast PVAEVR
films were developed as a control, without freezing and thawing cycles to ascertain the techniques significance.
In vitro analyses and characterisation was performed to determine drug release and drug-polymer
compatibility whereas In silico studies was done to analyse the non-crosslinked polymer and to evaluate qualitatively
the interaction between EVR and PVA.
The PVA-EVR microspheres were found to have high encapsulation efficiency, resulting in sustained release of
EVR when compared to solvent cast films. The molecular docking studies showed excellent compatibility of the
drug-polymer combination, further confirmed by the characterisation studies performed using DSC, FTIR, SEM
and XRD. The developed PVA-EVR microspheres in this study can serve as a highly effective drug-delivery system with better bioavailability in treating SEGA tumours.ye
Co-design for interdisciplinary research communities
Get PDFComplex research challenges facing society today require an integrative approach, therefore, interdisciplinary research is now required more often. By creating interdisciplinary research communities, we facilitate communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing between researchers from different fields. It can however be difficult to create interdisciplinary communities within universities, but co-design methods have been seen as being beneficial in doing so. Reporting and reflecting on three case studies (including N=130 participants), this paper aims to explore the use of co-design methods in creating interdisciplinary research communities In this paper, we focus on two main characteristics of co-design workshops. 1. Design/ Scheduling and Planning and 2. Workshop Formats, specifically co-design canvases. In doing so it seeks to 1. Offer a report and reflection on the three different co-design workshop approaches informing future co-design research and practice. 2. Understand how different formats of co-design help enhance interdisciplinary research communities in universities. It found that there were trade-offs in selecting approaches. Structured co-design approaches offer clear expectations and organisation but may limit creativity, while semi-structured approaches provide flexibility but may lead to reduced focus. Similar trade-offs were seen in the differing fidelities of canvas design. Low-fidelity canvases are inclusive but may lack detail, while high-fidelity canvases may limit creativity. Medium-fidelity canvases strike a balance between visual appeal and detail. It was found the best approach depends on the specific context and goals of participants; therefore, it is important to prepare in advance to tailor workshops to the needs and preferences of the participants involved.ye