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Happiness in Nineteenth-Century Ireland
No full textThe Museum Building of Trinity College Dublin (1853-7), by Deane, Son & Woodward, is a seminal work of Ruskinian Gothic architecture, influencing a generation of British and Irish architects, and revolutionising Victorian architectural taste. Central to the architects’ design was a radical endorsement of the creative power of individual human happiness. Adopting an aesthetic precept first articulated in The Seven Lamps of Architecture of 1849 by England’s pre-eminent art critic John Ruskin, the architects encouraged the freedom of their workmen in designing and executing the building’s external and internal carvings. This paper comes out of Making Victorian Dublin, an IRC funded interdisciplinary research project (2017-18) on the architecture and materials of the Museum Building
Introduction: ‘Nothing about us without us’, a history and application for criminology
No full text‘Nothing about us without us’ surmises a burgeoning movement in criminology that is about giving voice to diverse perspectives and a way of doing research. Primarily it refers to the importance of an approach to criminology that is inclusive of those voices that have historically been hushed, marginalised, silenced or ignored. It also refers to the need for researchers to work with state and grassroots practitioners, especially those who provide a conduit to peoples most impacted by social injustice and crime. This edited volume will explore the importance of diversity and inclusivity in criminological discourses and, consider how researchers might bridge the gap between theory and lived experience, and how the authenticity of the voices of those who have been silenced can be incorporated into a meaningful criminology. This introductory chapter will explore the conceptual history of ‘nothing about us without us’ before summarising some of the key themes explored in this volume
A simple method for particle shape generation with spherical harmonics
No full textThe increasing interest in particle shape influence on granular mechanics necessitates a fast and robust particle shape generation method. We describe a new approach based on rotation-invariant spherical harmonic (SH) analysis. The core of this method is to construct morphology features at various length scales and superimpose them together to form the overall morphology. This method uses four rotation-invariant SH factors to construct SH coefficient matrices. We quantify particle shape at form, roundness, and compactness to establish the linkage between SH factors and traditional shape parameters. It is found that SH factors effectively control particle features at different scales. This method has a great potential to facilitate the research on granular mechanics considering particle shape effects.National Science Foundation of ChinaResearch Grant Council of HKSARShenzhen Basic Research Grant2021-11-12 JG: PDF replaced with correct pape
What is it good for? Basic versus applied research
No full textBasic research is often misunderstood by the public and misconstrued by the media.
Try this role play to learn how research is funded and how basic research advances
and protects societ
An Extendable Quadratic Bidirectional DC-DC Converter for V2G and G2V Applications
No full textThis paper proposes an extendable quadratic bidirectional DC-DC converter that has an improved voltage transfer ratio (VTR) with capability of redundancy and modularity for electric vehicle applications. As n modules are embedded, its VTR becomes n times higher for both directions of currents. Furthermore, the common electrical ground between input and output is preserved. This is a simple structure with the lowest rating of semiconductors in the family of quadratic bidirectional converters leading to ease of control ability. The proposed converter performance is evaluated in both power flow direction using the dead-beat controller which is smooth, accurate and fast response. Finally, the process of charging/discharging of a lithium-ion battery is controlled through the proposed converter. A 500 W experimental results are provided in both power flow directions in closed-loop system in the presence of the proposed controller. The obtained results verify the applicability of this structure.Science Foundation Irelan
World Renewable Energy Congress
No full textImprovement of state-of-the-art sustainable energy technology is required to accelerate the essential global transition away from fossil fuel energy sources. One potential method to increase the energy output of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is achieved by using parabolic reflectors, commonly known as compound parabolic concentrators (CPC). These curved mirrors allow incoming sunlight to be focused onto adjacent solar panels, thereby
increasing irradiance. Although the concentrating effects of CPCs have been demonstrated in multiple studies, large scale adoption of BIPV-CPC systems has been held back due to variability in performance and added financial cost. This study aims to assess the technical performance of BIPV-CPC systems through comparison of varying designs characteristics and environmental conditions using simulation models for two locations Dublin, Ireland and Ferrara, Italy
Predictors of employees’ self-reported future learning ability and disengagement at work
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between job characteristics that foster learning (experience with and demand for continuous learning at work, skills variety and autonomy) as potential predictors of self-reported outcomes, such as future learning ability and employee disengagement at work for a cohort of employees with no or very limited job change experience. Further consideration was given to employees’ experiences at work (meaningfulness and recognition at work) as potential mediators in this relationship between job characteristics and employee outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional design was applied. Participants (N = 284) were recruited from Northern Germany and asked to complete a paper-and-pencil survey. The results were subsequently analyzed using path models to examine direct and indirect effects associated with mediation. Findings: Path model analysis indicated that job characteristics promoting learning at work are positive predictors of self-reported future learning ability and negative predictors of disengagement. Both meaningfulness and recognition predict future learning ability as well. However, these variables only operated as significant mediators in the relationship between job characteristics and employee disengagement (but not self-reported future learning ability). Originality/value: The study outlines the importance of job characteristics and employee experience to understand employees’ beliefs about their learning ability and engagement at work. The findings highlight the importance of meaningfulness and recognition for employees, as well as the role of learning-supportive job characteristics
Actinomyces Produces Defensin-Like Bacteriocins (Actifensins) with a Highly Degenerate Structure and Broad Antimicrobial Activity
No full textWe identified a strain of Actinomyces ruminicola which produces a potent bacteriocin with activity against a broad range of Gram-positive bacteria, many of which are pathogenic to animals and humans. The bacteriocin was purified and found to have a mass of 4,091 ± 1 Da with a sequence of GFGCNLITSNPYQCSNHCKSVGYRGGYCKLRTVCTCY containing three disulfide bridges. Surprisingly, near relatives of actifensin were found to be a series of related eukaryotic defensins displaying greater than 50% identity to the bacteriocin. A pangenomic screen further revealed that production of actifensin-related bacteriocins is a common trait within the genus, with 47 being encoded in 161 genomes. Furthermore, these bacteriocins displayed a remarkable level of diversity with a mean amino acid identity of only 52% between strains/species. This level of redundancy suggests that this new class of bacteriocins may provide a very broad structural basis on which to deliver and design new broad-spectrum antimicrobials for treatment of animal and human infections.
IMPORTANCE Bacteriocins (ribosomally produced antimicrobial peptides) are potential alternatives to current antimicrobials given the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. We identified a novel bacteriocin from Actinomyces ruminicola with no previously characterized antimicrobial activity. Using publicly available genomic data, we found a highly conserved yet divergent family of previously unidentified homologous peptide sequences within the genus Actinomyces with striking similarity to eukaryotic defensins. These actifensins may provide a potent line of antimicrobial defense/offense, and the machinery to produce them could be used for the design of new antimicrobials given the degeneracy that exists naturally in their structure
A Review of Livestock Methane Emission Factors (2016-CCRP-DS.11) EPA Research Report
No full textTeagasc and University College Dublin, with support
from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
inventory team, reviewed the livestock methane
emission factors used in the national greenhouse
gas inventory approach for the agriculture sector and
assessed potential reduction strategies. Livestock
methane emission factors are annual estimates
of methane emissions per head. They are used in
conjunction with livestock statistics to estimate annual
livestock methane emissions. Methane emission
factors are computed using country-specific methods
or methods provided by the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC). Currently, Ireland uses tier
2 (country-specific data and emission factors) methods
for cattle and tier 1 (default data and emission factors)
IPCC methods for the remaining livestock species. The
latter are less accurate than the former. The objectives
of this desktop study were twofold: first, to evaluate
the activity data of Ireland’s national greenhouse gas
inventory’s livestock methane emission factors and,
second, to update/recommend new, more advanced
methods/emission factors for computing Ireland’s tier 1
and 2 livestock methane emissions
Preliminary investigation of the antimicrobial and mechanisms of resistance of Enterobacteria isolated from minced meat in the Northeast of Algeria: The case of butchers from Constantine
No full textFood products of animal origin such as fresh meat are easily contaminated by microorganisms if handling, processing and storage conditions are not fully respected.
The present study aimed first to evaluate the bacterial load and microbial contamination rates of ground raw beef to identify the main pathogenic flora that dominate
and second, to determine the resistance patterns and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) of isolated Gram-negative strains against certain families of
antibiotics. Therefore, 39 samples have been collected from 5 butcher shops located in Constantine province in the North-East of Algeria. The samples were analysed
for total bacterial count, presence of total and faecal coliforms, Staphylococci and Salmonella. Furthermore, 23 antibiotics were tested using the diffusion method on
Mueller-Hinton agar, towards 22 strains isolates. Bacterial analyses showed a high contamination by total aerobic bacteria, total and faecal coliforms. Escherichia coli,
Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Hafnia alvei, Salmonella pullorum and Staphylococcus spp (except Staphylococcus aureus) were further revealed in some samples. The
results of the antibiogram test exhibit multi-resistance to more than eight antibiotics with varied effects. From the whole tested strains isolates, the fully susceptibility
effect was for spectinomycin (SPT). This study reveals that the analysed minced meat was found to be highly contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria. This
study allows concluding that appropriate use of antibiotics in compliance with good hygiene practices is essential to reduce the antibiotic resistance identified in this
preliminary study