UCC Journals (Univ. College Cork)
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U.C.C Geographical Society Report on Activities, 1987-88
Get PDFIt was a hot humid night as I made my way to the Geog. Soc. A.G.M. in April ,1987. Six-shooter in hand, Ben Dee, outgoing auditor was run out of town. Such was my ideology and youthful enthusiasm that I took the grand reigns of power and aimed to transform the Society
Humanistic Geography
Get PDFThe humanistic approach in geography has frequently been criticised for being eclectic, vague and unsure of its own footing. This is borne out in the disparate writings of such noted votaries as Yi-Fu-Tuan and Anne Buttimer. Indeed this vagueness seems to be the stock in trade of much of the humanistic endeavour as heretofore conceived
Lost Continent of Pacifica
Get PDFThe theory of continental drift was first put forward by Wegener in 1915, from a growing body of speculation in the century previous. It claimed that continents moved relative to each other to cause mountain building, and originally were all grouped as one supercontinent, given the name Pangea. The theory sustained heated debate until a satisfactory driving mechanism emerged in the 1960\u27s, with concepts of sea floor spreading by convection currents in the earth ‘s mantle proposed by Dietz ( 1961) and forming the basis of a new theory of plate tectonics (Le Pichon,1968). 
To Graffiti or Not to Be: Youth Culture and Graffiti in Social Analysis
Get PDFAt a time when Europe seems to be bursting out of her seams, it may -appear a little inconsequential to present an article on the role graffiti can play in complementing our knowledge of the social worlds of the city. My argument I\u27m sure is clear, but allow me to begin with a story of topical interest. One day last month I was partaking of some of the aforementioned beverage in a quiet public house on Dunbar Street when the barman proudly presented me with a section of the Berlin Wall. Actually, it was quite small, no bigger than my thumb-nail in fact, reminiscent of those saintly relics that my aunts used to haul back from Knock or Lourdes to ward off Communism. Yet distinctively, I could make out the psychedelic colours of the graffiti that humanised that infamous barrier with protest and dissent. It struck me then that graffiti is almost universal
The Creation of Underdevelopment
Get PDFIn any discussion on development or underdevelopment, the first sticking point usually, is a definition of the term. Can development be judged on the basis of a per capita Gross National Product over a certain amount? Is the percentage of the working population employed in industry a valid measurement of a nations development? I think a more humanistic approach is to measure the quantity of doctors perthousand, average life expectancy or even more crudely, the existence of malnutrition. If you use any of the above criteria, you may still arrive at the same answer, that the majority of the world\u27s nations are less well off than the \u27First World\u27, and that many are lagging. further behind rather than catching up. I intend to show that underdevelopment is principally due to the effects of colonialism and imperialism. 
Amhránaíocht ar an Sean Nós i gcomhthéacs geografaíochta
No full textIs breá leis an gnath Éireannaí canadh. Aon áit ar domhain ina bhfaighfaí scata Gaeil le cúpla phionta iontu, tosnaíann siad ag \u27canadh\u27. Is iontach saibhir an éagsúlacht amhráin a chlúintí sna seisiúin seo. Meascán mearaí idir an pop-cheol is déanaí, ceol na seachtaidí, amhráin tradisiúnta agus amhráin phobail nua chumatha a sheintí nach mór. Ach is annamh a castaí amhráin ar an sean nós
Geographical Society: Auditor\u27s Report
No full textDr. John Feehan, whose work has featured on R.T.E. television, was the society\u27s first guest speaker in October 1990. His presentation was preceded by a first year cheese and wine reception. Dr. Feehan\u27s talk on "Irish Heritage", illustrated with some very effective slides, was well received
A COVID question: the impact on our nursing home residents
Get PDFCOVID-19, a novel coronavirus which targets the respiratory system, has had a significant impact on Irish nursing homes. The virus was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, and as of 14th June the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has reported 258 clusters of cases in nursing homes, comprising 21% of all cases in Ireland and associated with 943 deaths. This pandemic is a source of many ethical dilemmas — an example being the ethical issues arising from enforced social isolation imposed on residents during lock-down.
The cocooning of residents in nursing homes raises a question with no simple answer — does the risk this isolation poses to the wellbeing of elderly residents outweigh the benefits of such strict measures to protect them from COVID-19?
The adverse effects of isolation, although relevant in any infectious outbreak, are compounded in this instance by the unprecedented scale of the coronavirus pandemic and the immense pressure on the healthcare system as it faces this new threat to health. Even in the chaos of a global pandemic, the ethical principles at the root of all healthcare decisions, namely non-maleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice remain pertinent
Trends in novel psychoactive substance use and the impact of Irish legislative efforts
Get PDFIntroduction: Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are emerging at increasingly rapid rates, creating unpredictability in drug markets and ineffective drug policies. Ireland has a drug-induced mortality rate greater than three times the European average and the highest rate of NPS use. Given the scarcity of published literature, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs has recommended trends in NPS use be studied in order to facilitate appropriate public health measures.
Objectives: To critically evaluate the published literature on NPS and establish the health risks associated with their use, trends in drug-induced fatalities, and the efficacy of legislative policies in reducing NPS consumption.
Methods: A systematic search of Medline and PubMed was completed based on pre-defined inclusion criteria, and relevant studies were selected for comprehensive analysis.
Results: Clinical experiences of NPS abusers predominantly involved neurological or psychological symptoms, coupled with cardiovascular effects. While the overall prevalence of NPS presentations in Europe remains low, fatal overdoses were primarily attributed to acute overdose and commonly involved ingestion of synthetic cathinones. Legislation in 2010 resulted in decreased rates of recent and problematic NPS use, along with higher rates of negative user experiences. No significant displacement towards established illicit drugs was reported.
Conclusion: This systematic review has demonstrated the current state of knowledge regarding NPS within an Irish context. The trends in NPS prevalence and toxicity are important considerations for the development of effective drug monitoring or enforcement strategies. This knowledge is further relevant for emergency physicians and forensic pathologists in order to make accurate medical assessments.
Design and construction of a GAP-43 reporter system for potential identification of effective therapeutics for peripheral nerve regeneration
Get PDFBackground: Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a condition that can result in muscle paralysis and sensory disturbances. Electrical stimulation and/or the application of exogenous neurotrophic factors and cytokines are effective at enhancing nerve regeneration and is mediated via the expression of regeneration associated genes (RAGs) such as the growth associated protein GAP-43. Therapeutic upregulation of GAP-43 has potential use as a treatment for improving recovery from PNI. Few studies have investigated the potential of increasing GAP-43 for PNI therapeutic purposes and current methods for measuring GAP-43 expression are limited.
Aims and Objectives: The broader aim of this work was to construct a motor neuron-like cell model with a GAP-43 reporter system. Such a model would have potential use in screening for novel therapeutics that upregulate GAP-43 and in the optimisation of electrical stimulation treatment in combination with these therapies.
The key aim of the work was to design and construct a Cas9 expressing plasmid bearing a gRNA that targets GAP-43 cleavage and a donor plasmid bearing a reporter GFP or Neo cassette flanked with 5’ and 3’ GAP-43 homology arms (HAs) to facilitate the insertion of the reporter immediately 3’ of the GAP-43 promoter via CRISPR/Cas9 homology directed repair (HDR). Such an insertion would enable quantitative measurement of endogenous expression of the GAP-43 gene.
Methods and Results: To guide the Cas9 nuclease to the target location, GAP-43 gRNA oligomers were designed and cloned downstream of the U6 promoter in the Cas9 expression plasmid px330, which also expresses the Cas9 gene and the cloned gRNA when transfected into cells.
For CRISPR/Cas9 HDR, the 5’ and 3’ GAP-43 HAs were amplified from mouse genomic DNA and cloned into the donor plasmid using Gibson Assembly so that they flanked the reporter cassette.
Results: This work successfully constructed the Cas9 gRNA expressing plasmid to target cleavage of the GAP-43 gene in mouse cell lines and has provided the complete design and construction foundation for generation of the reporter system for the endogenous GAP-43 gene in mice