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ThemeCrowds: Multiresolution Summaries of Twitter Usage
No full textUsers of social media sites, such as Twitter, rapidly generate large volumes of text content on a daily basis. Visual summaries are needed to understand what groups of people are saying collectively in this unstructured text data. Users will typically discuss a wide variety of topics, where the number of authors talking about a specific topic can quickly grow or diminish over time, and what the collective is saying about the subject can shift as a situation develops. In this paper, we present a technique that summarises what collections of Twitter users are saying about certain topics over time. As the correct resolution for inspecting the data is unknown in advance, the users are clustered hierarchically over a fixed time interval based on the similarity of their posts. The visualisation technique takes this data structure as its input. Given a topic, it finds the correct resolution of users at each time interval and provides tags to summarise what the collective is discussing. The technique is tested on three microblogging corpora, consisting of up to tens of millions of tweets and over a million users. We provide some preliminary user feedback from a research group interested in the area of social media analysis, where this tool could be applied.Science Foundation Irelan
Mechanical properties of compressed wood
No full textWood is a natural composite material. However, its relatively low mechanical properties restrict the use in advanced structural applications but recent studies have shown that Compressed Wood (CW), with superior mechanical properties due to material densification, could be utilised in timber products and timber connections as an alternative to energy-intensive adhesives and metals. However, the limited literature available on the mechanical properties of CW makes it chanllenging to utilise them in the development of new products and structures. To address this issue, this paper presents a comprehensive test programme and an extensive database of CW materials. It includes experimental results of over 720 material tests that were conducted on CW materials. The fundamental tests under compression, tension, bending, embedment, yield moment, shear and impact tests were undertaken. The results obtained from this study will help engineers utilise more CW to develop new products and connections. The results are also compared with the characteristic values of solid wood from the literature. As the densification of wood significantly improves strength and stiffness, this work will contribute towards the substantial uptake of CW in the building and construction industry with great benefits to the environment.2023-08-0
The social, cultural and environmental costs of hyper-connectivity: Sleeping through the revolution
No full textThis book seeks broader critical engagement with the design, development and adoption processes of contemporary digital technologies. Such technology has been the catalyst for great improvements in the fields of medicine, employment, education and communications. Yet, a new digital age has also brought a unique set of societal, cultural and environmental challenges that have yet to be fully understood and, when needed, confronted. It could be argued that aspirations to develop an information super-highway that would be an instrument for human flourishing, has given way to vast stores of worthless trivia and is hijacking our attention at every opportunity.
In the absence of robust sociological input at the conceptual stages of digital communication technology development, the probability of these tools and instruments delivering change that is deeply personally, socially, culturally and environmentally damaging will continue to grow. Critical exploration of the organisational, social, political and environmental context of digital communications technology is necessary, without which technology will continue to be left to its own device to determine the social and cultural values of societies, for better or worse.
The Social, Cultural and Environmental Costs of Hyper-Connectivity investigates the profound effects 21st century digital technology is having on our individual and collective lives and seeks to confront the realities of a new digital age. Changes brought about by digital technology are frequently disruptive and, thus, need to be designed to protect against harm on society
The effect of serum starvation on tight junctional proteins and barrier formation in Caco-2 cells
No full textAssessing the ability of pharmaceutics to cross biological barriers and reach the site-of-action requires faithful representation of these barriers in vitro. Difficulties have arisen in replicating in vivo resistance in vitro. This paper investigated serum starvation as a method to increase Caco-2 barrier stability and resistance. The effect of serum starvation on tight junction production was examined using transwell models; specifically, transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), and the expression and localization of tight junction proteins, occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), were studied using western blotting and immunofluorescence. Changing cells to serum-free media 2 days post-seeding resulted in TEER readings of nearly 5000 Ω cm2 but the TEER rapidly declined
subsequently. Meanwhile, exchanging cells to serum-free media 4–6 days post-seeding produced barriers with resistance readings between 3000 and 4000 Ω cm2, which could be maintained for 18 days. This corresponded to an increase in occludin levels. Serum starvation as a means of barrier formation is simple, reproducible, and cost-effective. It could feasibly be implemented in a variety of pre-clinical pharmaceutical assessments of drug permeability across various biological barriers with the view to improving the clinical translation of novel therapeutic
Exploiting continuous processing for challenging diazo transfer and telescoped copper-catalyzed asymmetric transformations
No full textGeneration and use of triflyl azide in flow enables efficient synthesis of a range of α-diazocarbonyl compounds, including α-diazoketones, α-diazoamides, and an α-diazosulfonyl ester, via both Regitz-type diazo transfer and deacylative/debenzoylative diazo-transfer processes with excellent yields and offers versatility in the solvent employed, in addition to addressing the hazards associated with handling of this highly reactive sulfonyl azide. Telescoping the generation of triflyl azide and diazo-transfer process with highly enantioselective copper-mediated intramolecular aromatic addition and C–H insertion processes demonstrates that the reaction stream containing the α-diazocarbonyl compound can be obtained in sufficient purity to pass directly over the immobilized copper bis(oxazoline) catalyst without detrimentally impacting the catalyst enantioselectivity
On the elliptic sinh–Gordon equation with integrable boundary conditions
No full textWe adapt Sklyanin\u27s K-matrix formalism to the sinh–Gordon equation, and prove that all free boundary constant mean curvature annuli in the unit ball in are of finite type
The role of masculinities in shaping male smoking behaviour: A life course perspective
No full textINTRODUCTION: In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women, highlighting the importance of focusing on factors that influence smoking prevalence among men. In Indonesia, men’s smoking prevalence was more than ten times higher than women’s, and steep increases in prevalence have been observed among boys during adolescence. Aspects of masculinities may underpin their smoking behaviours, which may then persist throughout their life course. This thesis aimed to explore these masculinities related to smoking behaviours across men’s life-course.
METHODS: A scoping review was undertaken to determine the main themes in the literature and identify gaps in the knowledge of the relation between masculinities and smoking behaviours to achieve the initial objective. Key life stages in the formation and changes of perspectives on masculinities and their relation to smoking were the focus of the following stages of the study. The second stage examined the importance of smoking-related beliefs among adolescents aged 12 to 16 years. This examination was conducted utilising data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey and employing principal component analysis to combine items related to more conceptual and meaningful components. Two components were derived and analysed against five smoking outcomes using multivariate logistic regression. The third stage of the study focused on another important life stage for men that redefines their perceptions of masculinities. This stage explored the relationship between masculinities and smoking outcomes using data from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence. The relation between masculinities of men aged 18–49 years, represented by fatherhood, and smoking status and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) was analysed by employing logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial regression.
FINDINGS: The main themes identified in the scoping review were belief about masculine characteristics, external discouragement to smoke, external encouragement to smoke, psychological attachment, and the life maturation effect. However, a disproportionate number of studies were conducted in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions, leaving gaps in understanding how masculinities relate to smoking behaviour in those contexts. In Indonesia, the smoking prevalence almost tripled between the ages of 12 and 16 years and the measures of beliefs that favour smoking tended to increase year on year. Smoking-related beliefs were linked to two components, perceived social benefits and perceived harms, associated with
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smoking in opposite ways and represent the masculine tendencies of risk-taking and risk minimisation. These tendencies are gradually reduced, which could be observed among some men, especially after they had children. As a result, some fathers smoked fewer cigarettes per day (CPD), especially when sharing the financial responsibility for their family equally with their spouse.
CONCLUSIONS: Key aspects of masculinities that underpin men’s smoking behaviour were identified. The life maturation effect was a key aspect discussed in this thesis to portray the dynamic of masculinities across men’s life-course. During adolescence, boys having beliefs of perceived harms of smoking remain high even though the beliefs of social benefits continue to increase with age, suggesting that boys minimise the harms of tobacco. During adulthood, factors related to masculinities of fatherhood, such as the breadwinner role, occupation and shared income, had a significant association with men’s smoking status and CPD. When financial responsibility is considered a source of stress for men, sharing the financial family burden helps men smoke fewer CPD. Therefore, fatherhood offered a new perspective for examining the smoking problem among adult men, and the smoking prevention programme in Indonesia is worth exploring in the future
Endovascular management of delayed upper gastrointestinal bleeding after open esophagectomy for a benign oesophageal stricture
No full textIntroduction: Delayed upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a rare complication of esophagectomy and can be
difficult to manage.
Presentation: A 76-year-old female represented 17 days post open esophagectomy with an unstable upper GI
bleed. When control could not be achieved endoscopically, she was transferred to the Radiology Department
where a triphasic CT angiogram confirmed active contrast extravasation into the gastric tube. She proceeded to
the Interventional Radiology suite where a thoracic angiogram revealed an active arterial bleed from a branch of
the thyrocervical trunk. The bleeding vessel was successfully embolised with coils and haemostasis was achieved.
Discussion: Management options for upper GI bleeding post esophagectomy include medical, endoscopic and
endovascular approaches.
Conclusion: Our case represents a rare example of delayed bleeding into a gastric conduit post open esoph-agectomy for a benign stricture. The case reinforces:
a) The management options available for controlling an acute upper GI bleed.
b) The value of a CT angiogram in identifying the site of bleeding and mapping the relevant vascular
anatomy prior to embolization.
c) How endovascular embolization is a minimally invasive and potentially life-saving intervention for
bleeds that cannot be controlled endoscopically
Legitimisation of Sacral Kingship in Early Medieval Ireland and England, 6th to Mid-9th Centuries AD
No full textThis thesis is a comparative analysis of sacral kingship in early medieval Ireland and England from the sixth to mid-ninth centuries that explores the nature of kingship during a period of religious conversion in two distinct cultures on the periphery of the Roman Empire. Sacral kingship is defined as an institution in which a ruler occupies a unique position in society that is both secular and religious. They are an actor through which a deity, or multiple deities, act and they are protectors of their demesnes, both natural and supernatural. However, the realities of rulership have demonstrated that kings do not become kings as a matter of course, but rather through a complex process of legitimisation. This thesis will explore three modes of legitimisation: descent from deities and legendary figures, inauguration rituals, and royal/elite burial. Through this analysis, the thesis seeks to understand the similarities and differences between sacral kingship in early medieval Ireland and England, why these methods were used and how they were effective, and to understand the agency of the kings, clergy, and the people in partaking of and reinforcing this ideology. The comparative model is used to highlight the variety of approaches used in this thesis as well as pinpoint similarities in order to create a model of broader processes of sacral kingship in early medieval Europe. Moreover, it is useful for examining why sources in one society are silent on various aspects on kingship, which allows us to gain a wider perspective on kingship in early medieval Ireland and England that would otherwise be invisible to us. In addition, it is an interdisciplinary perspective that utilises study of historical texts and archaeological analysis, which allows us to widen our scope and fill gaps in our knowledge
Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Bimodal Neuromodulation for the Management of Symptomatic Tinnitus
No full textTinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external auditory stimulus. It is a common symptom, affecting 5 30% of the general population, however only 1 3% of patients report the symptom to be intrusive or bothersome. The exact pathophysiology of tinnitus is not clearly understood, however it is hypothesized that a reduction in peripheral auditory input may result in discoordinated activity within the auditory neural pathways. Hence, tinnitus is commonly associated with sensorineural hearing loss and the prevalence of tinnitus has been observed to increase after 70 years of age due to presbycusis. Tinnitus is also frequently reported by patients with hearing loss secondary to chronic loud sound exposure, such as in the case with military personal. Tinnitus is the most common disability affecting American military veterans, with an estimated 1.2 billion dollars spent in compensation annually.
There is a growing volume of evidence to support the involvement of non-auditory central structures in tinnitus activity such as the limbic system and dorsal cochlear nucleus. Hyperactivity within the limbic system may be linked to the strong psycho-emotional response often associated with tinnitus. The dorsal cochlear nucleus is a key site for neural convergence, receiving neural input from the auditory pathway, limbic system, cranial nerves and cervical spine nerve root ganglia. There is a growing volume of evidence to suggest that the dorsal cochlear nucleus is a key site involved in generating and sustaining tinnitus activity.
A gold standard treatment option for tinnitus remains illusive. To date, no drug therapy has been shown to be completely safe or clinically efficient. There is evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy as a treatment option for tinnitus symptom control. However this modality aims to improve the patient s response to tinnitus, rather than eliminating or reducing the severity of the symptom.
Neuromodulation has emerged as a potential effective treatment option for tinnitus. In general, this novel therapeutic modality aims to alter neural activity by delivering a targeted stimulus. There is evidence from both animal and human studies that show modulation of tinnitus activity can be achieved, by stimulating the auditory neural pathways, either directly or via an interconnected neural network. Multiple neuromodulation stimulation techniques have been designed and investigated, however no modality has been shown to be superior in achieving optimal clinical gains for tinnitus.
However, there is emerging evidence to support the use of bimodal stimulation techniques to achieve greater therapeutic gains during tinnitus treatment. The benefits of bimodal stimulation were initially observed in animal studies. The pairing of auditory and electrical stimulation had the therapeutic advantage of suppressing neural hyperactivity in animals exhibiting tinnitus behaviour.
Neuromod Devices Limited (Neuromod Ltd) has developed a CE marked medical device called MutebuttonTM that enables bimodal neuromodulation for the treatment of tinnitus, combining auditory and electrical stimulation. Auditory stimulation in the form of frequency-adjusted tones, are used to stimulate auditory pathways involved in tinnitus. Electrical impulses stimulate the trigeminal nerve (via the lingual nerve) through an anterior tongue surface probe. Relevant to this design is evidence supporting the use of anterior tongue stimulation to drive greater auditory neuroplastic changes.
The efficacy of the MutebuttonTM device was initially assessed in the Tinnitus Alleviation Via Sensory Stimulation (TAVSS) pilot study. This was a single arm study in which the recruited participants, (n = 54) underwent a 10-week treatment period. The findings from this study were encouraging with treatment compliant participants reporting statistically significant improvements in Tinnitus Handicap Index scores (mean improvements of 11.7 points, p<0.001).
The TAVSS study also established the feasibility of the MutebuttonTM device as a potential treatment option for symptomatic tinnitus.
The aim of this project was to build on the promising data observed in the TAVSS study. We designed a randomized double-blinded trial to assess the effects of three different bimodal stimulation settings on tinnitus severity. Based on both animal and human studies, variations in inter-stimulation settings (intensity and timing) have been shown to drive greater neuroplastic change that may be beneficial in reducing tinnitus activity.
The trial was conducted at two sites, Wellcome Trust-HRB Clinical Research Facility, St James s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland and Tinnituszentrum Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Germany. The participants underwent a 12-week treatment period and were assessed at five clinical visits over a 12-month period. Treatment outcome measures were recorded at each visit using validated tinnitus research questionnaires. A secondary aim of this trial was to assess the safety and feasibility of the MutebuttonTM device. Trained technicians at the clinical research facilities carried out device safety checks and relevant clinical examinations of the study participants during each assessment. All adverse events reported by participants were classified and logged for data analysis.
The outcomes reported in this study support the use of bimodal neuromodulation as a treatment option for symptomatic tinnitus. The variations in stimulations settings investigated during the trial have also shown to be beneficial in driving long-term therapeutic gains. These findings provide a strong basis upon which further research can undertaken