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Unearthing the artist: An autoethnographic investigation
No full textIn this paper I address how autoethnography was utilized to research the role and value of arts practice research in Western classical music professional training and practice, by a classically trained professional violinist. As a researcher, I use the philosophy and method of Dalcroze Eurhythmics as a framework to excavate the multiple layers of my own practice and investigate whether there is wider potential resonance for other professional performers. I utilize a mixed-mode approach, combining artistic practice with a number of documenting strategies, in particular using autoethnography as a tool for
documentation and reflection. I propose key findings concerning the value of arts practice, and how an autoethnographic journey facilitated the emergence of the self as artist, within the Western classical music culture. The processes of excavation, enabled by autoethnography, attempt to unearth the holistic artist within the performing musician
Effect of plane of nutrition during the first 12 weeks of life on growth, metabolic and reproductive hormone concentrations, and testicular relative mRNA abundance in preweaned Holstein Friesian bull calves
No full textThe objective of this study was to examine the effect of nutrition during the first 12 wk of life on aspects of the physiological and
transcriptional regulation of testicular and overall sexual development in the bull calf. Holstein Friesian bull calves with a mean
(SD) age and bodyweight of 17.5 (2.85) d and 48.8 (5.30) kg, respectively, were assigned to either a high (HI; n = 15) or moderate
(MOD; n = 15) plane of nutrition and were individually fed milk replacer and concentrate to achieve overall target growth rates of
at least 1.0 and 0.5 kg/d, respectively. Throughout the trial, animal growth performance, feed intake, and systemic concentrations
of metabolites, metabolic hormones, and reproductive hormones were assessed. Additionally, pulsatility of reproductive
hormones (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone) was recorded at 15-min intervals during a 10-h
period at 10 wk of age. At 87 ± 2.14 d of age, all calves were euthanized, testes were weighed, and testicular tissue was harvested.
Differential expression of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) candidate genes involved in testicular development was examined
using quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. All data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in Statistical Analysis
Software using terms for treatment as well as time for repeated measures. Blood metabolites and metabolic hormones generally
reflected the improved metabolic status of the calves on the HI plane of nutrition though the concentrations of reproductive
hormones were not affected by diet. Calves on the HI diet had greater mean (SED) slaughter weight (112.4 vs. 87.70 [2.98] kg;
P < 0.0001) and testicular tissue weight (29.2 vs. 20.1 [2.21] g; P = 0.0003) than those on the MOD diet. Relative mRNA abundance
data indicated advanced testicular development through upregulation of genes involved in cellular metabolism (SIRT1;
P = 0.0282), cholesterol biosynthesis (EBP; P = 0.007), testicular function (INSL3; P = 0.0077), and Sertoli cell development (CLDN11;
P = 0.0054) in HI compared with MOD calves. In conclusion, results demonstrate that offering dairy-bred male calves a high plane
of nutrition during the first 3 mo of life not only improves growth performance and metabolic status but also advances testicular
development consistent with more precocious sexual maturation
Analysis of N2O emissions and isotopomers to understand nitrogen cycling associated with multispecies grassland swards at a lysimeter scale
No full textThe EGU General Assembly, Online, 4-8 May 2020Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas associated with nitrogen fertiliser inputs to agricultural production systems. Minimising N2O emissions is important to improving the efficiency and sustainability of grassland agriculture. Multispecies grassland swards composed of plants from different functional groups (grasses, legumes, herbs) have been considered as a management strategy to achieve this goal.TeagascUniversity College Dubli
Concentric Annular Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation for Flow Chemistry and Continuous Processing
No full textA low-cost, modular, robust, and easily customisable continuous liquid-liquid phase separator has been developed that uses a tubular membrane and annular channels to allow high fluidic throughputs while maintaining rapid, surface wetting dominated, phase separation. The system is constructed from standard fluidic tube fittings and allows leak tight connections to be made without the need for adhesives, or O-rings. The units tested in this work have been shown to operate at flow rates of 0.1 – 300 mL/min, with equivalent residence times from 80 to 4 seconds, demonstrating the simplicity of scale-up with these units. Further scale-up to litre per minute scales of operation for single units and tens of litres/minute through limited numbering up should allow these low cost concentric annular tubular membrane separators to be used at continuous production scales for pharmaceutical applications for many solvent systems. In principle this approach may be sufficiently scalable to be utilized in-line, in batch pharmaceutical manufacturing also, through further scale-up and numbering up of units. Several solvent systems with varying interfacial tensions have been investigated, and the critical process parameters affecting successful separation have been identified. An additively manufactured diaphragm based back pressure regulator was also developed and printed in PEEK, allowing highly accurate, adjustable, and chemically compatible pressure control to be accessed at low cost.Enterprise IrelandEuropean Commission - European Regional Development FundScience Foundation Irelan
Applications in Image Aesthetics Using Deep Learning: Attribute Prediction, Image Captioning and Score Regression
No full textImage Aesthetics refers to the branch of computer vision which is about the study of aesthetic properties of photographs i.e. the factors which make an image look pleasing or dull. Such factors extend beyond the physical properties of an image such as object category or location to subtler and more nuanced ambiguous concepts such as "candid expression", "harsh lighting", "bad placement" etc. Nevertheless, the problems in Image Aesthetics have traditionally been modelled as classical computer vision tasks such as classification, regression etc. And, as with most other problems in computer vision, deep learning based strategies have proved more effective in this area as well, outperforming the classical approaches by a wide margin. Nowadays, automated systems for Image Aesthetics Analysis have widespread applications from professional multimedia content development to casual creatives in social media and advertising.
In this thesis, we study three different applications in Image Aesthetics using deep learning: attribute classification, captioning and score prediction. First, we study the capacity of deep neural networks in capturing the geometric attributes i.e. those which depend on the arrangement of objects within the image. Based on this, we propose a system that predicts the dominant aesthetic attributes in a photograph such as The Rule of Thirds, leading lines etc. Second, we develop an aesthetic image captioning framework by exploiting "in the wild" user feedback from the web. Given an image, our framework generates critical feedback such as "nice composition but the foreground is out of focus". Third, we investigate the limitations of traditional convolutional neural networks with respect to global relational reasoning and handling photographs of arbitrary aspect ratio and resolution. We present a visual attention based graph neural network that addresses these limitations and advances the state-of-the-art in aesthetic score prediction
The emerging role of long non-coding RNAs and MicroRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases: a perspective of machine learning
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are characterized by progressive neuronal dysfunction
and death of brain cells population. As the early manifestations of NDs are similar, their symptoms
are difficult to distinguish, making the timely detection and discrimination of each neurodegenerative
disorder a priority. Several investigations have revealed the importance of microRNAs and long
non-coding RNAs in neurodevelopment, brain function, maturation, and neuronal activity, as well
as its dysregulation involved in many types of neurological diseases. Therefore, the expression
pattern of these molecules in the different NDs have gained significant attention to improve the
diagnostic and treatment at earlier stages. In this sense, we gather the different microRNAs and
long non-coding RNAs that have been reported as dysregulated in each disorder. Since there are a
vast number of non-coding RNAs altered in NDs, some sort of synthesis, filtering and organization
method should be applied to extract the most relevant information. Hence, machine learning is
considered as an important tool for this purpose since it can classify expression profiles of non-coding
RNAs between healthy and sick people. Therefore, we deepen in this branch of computer science, its
different methods, and its meaningful application in the diagnosis of NDs from the dysregulated
non-coding RNAs. In addition, we demonstrate the relevance of machine learning in NDs from the
description of different investigations that showed an accuracy between 85% to 95% in the detection
of the disease with this tool. All of these denote that artificial intelligence could be an excellent
alternative to help the clinical diagnosis and facilitate the identification diseases in early stages based
on non-coding RNAs
Two large-scale forest scenario modelling approaches for reporting CO2 removal: a comparison for the Romanian forests
No full textBackground: Forest carbon models are recognized as suitable tools for the reporting and verification of forest carbon stock and stock change, as well as for evaluating the forest management options to enhance the carbon sink pro‑
vided by sustainable forestry. However, given their increased complexity and data availability, different models may
simulate diferent estimates. Here, we compare carbon estimates for Romanian forests as simulated by two models
(CBM and EFISCEN) that are often used for evaluating the mitigation options given the forest-management choices.
Results: The models, calibrated and parameterized with identical or harmonized data, derived from two successive
national forest inventories, produced similar estimates of carbon accumulation in tree biomass. According to CBM
simulations of carbon stocks in Romanian forests, by 2060, the merchantable standing stock volume will reach an
average of 377 m3
ha−1
, while the carbon stock in tree biomass will reach 76.5 tC ha−1
. The EFISCEN simulations produced estimates that are about 5% and 10%, respectively, lower. In addition, 10% stronger biomass sink was simulated
by CBM, whereby the difference reduced over time, amounting to only 3% toward 2060.
Conclusions: This model comparison provided valuable insights on both the conceptual and modelling algorithms,
as well as how the quality of the input data may affect calibration and projections of the stock and stock change
in the living biomass pool. In our judgement, both models performed well, providing internally consistent results.
Therefore, we underline the importance of the input data quality and the need for further data sampling and model
improvements, while the preference for one model or the other should be based on the availability and suitability of
the required data, on preferred output variables and ease of use
A study of the repeatability of the Bruce Treadmill Protocol in measuring V̇O2max and in estimating V̇O2max through prediction equations
No full textIntroduction: Maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) is a measure of cardiopulmonary fitness, and a strong indicator of risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); with a lower V̇O2max increasing a person\u27s risk of CVD. The most reliable method of V̇O2max measurement is via maximal exercise testing with direct analysis of expired air, commonly using the Bruce treadmill protocol. If, due to physical limitations of the participant, or a lack of testing equipment, V̇O2max can be predicted through equations. The first aim of this thesis was to determine the repeatability of the Bruce protocol in measuring V̇O2max. This was achieved through a literature review of previous Bruce protocol repeatability research, and by conducting maximal and submaximal repeatability studies using the Bruce protocol with healthy male adults. The second aim was to determine the reliability of prediction equations used with the Bruce protocol to calculate V̇O2max, again through a literature review of previous research in this area, and then comparing predicted and measured V̇O2max results from the maximal testing study to determine their accuracy. Study 1: The first literature review examined the previous research determining the repeatability of the Bruce protocol in measuring V̇O2max. Eleven studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. All studies concluded that the Bruce protocol was repeatable in measuring V̇O2max, although most findings were based on correlation coefficient analysis, which does not accurately represent agreement between repeated measures. A learning effect was also noted in some of the studies. Study 2: The second literature review analysed previous literature examining different equations used to predict V̇O2max following a Bruce protocol treadmill test. Seven studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. It was found that a number of variables were used to predict V̇O2max, which included exercise variables such as maximal test duration, heart rate, and submaximal V̇O2 extrapolated to maximal heart rate, as well as non-exercise data such as a person\u27s age, body fat or body mass index. The main finding across the research was that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) equations consistently over-predicted V̇O2max and therefore should not be used. Study 3: An initial research study was developed to examine the repeatability of the submaximal Bruce protocol in predicting VV̇O2max in health male adults. The submaximal test was chosen to establish a strict procedure for repeatability testing of the Bruce protocol, in a safe manner. Eighteen participants completed the study, and completed three submaximal Bruce protocol treadmill tests, each a week apart. V̇O2max was predicted using the Fitmate equation, chosen from the results of the previous literature review. Using limits of agreement (LOA) analysis, a wide range in differences between repeated V̇O2max predictions was found (LOA between Test 1 and Test 2: 4.86 to -10.35 ml?kg-1?min-1; LOA between Test 2 and Test 3: 6.67 to -7.96 ml?kg-1?min-1). A learning effect was noted when the mean differences between repeated V̇O2max predictions were examined, as the mean difference between Test 2 and Test 3 was much lower than that between Test 1 and Test 2. Due to the large LOA across all repeated tests, this study concluded that the submaximal Bruce protocol was not repeatable in measuring V̇O2max. Study 4: The final study of this thesis aimed to examine the repeatability of the Bruce maximal treadmill protocol in measuring V̇O2max, as well as to determine the accuracy of several V̇O2max prediction equations, identified through the second literature review. Fifteen healthy male adults completed three repetitions of the maximal Bruce protocol, with a further four participants completing two repetitions. V̇O2max was measured using a metabolic cart. Six prediction equations were used to predict V̇O2max, and these results were compared to the measured V̇;O2max values. It was found that LOA gave a large range for V̇O2max differences between Tests 1 and 2, but a smaller range between the second and third tests. The maximal Bruce protocol was deemed not repeatable from the first to second test, but due to learning effect noted, is likely repeatable at a third test. The most accurate prediction equation was that by Bruce et al.1 for active males ("Bruce 2" equation), while the ACSM equations were found to be unreliable in predicting V̇O2max. Conclusion: The current research has shown that the maximal Bruce protocol is repeatable in measuring V̇O2max but only after a full familiarisation session with the test. The submaximal protocol, with V̇O2max predicted through an equation is not repeatable, based on the current findings. Regarding V̇O2max prediction equations, the ACSM equations should be avoided, and the "Bruce 2" equation appears to provide the most accurate result for healthy male participants
Introduction: Reframing the religious underground
No full textIn this extended introduction, the editors of this volume explore the contours of the emerging field of research on the religious underground and secret police archives. The introduction addresses a number of key concepts that frame this edited collection, including an exploration of the formation of the religious underground and its meaning in the Cold War, the significance of the secret police and their role in anti-religious operations. Following this, the introduction addresses the politics, ethics and uses of secret police archives in post-communism as well as introducing emerging methodological approaches to the archives. Drawing on insights from the case studies included in the volume, the editors suggest important areas of future research in the field
The evolution of the football jersey - An institutional perspective
No full textThis paper explores the interaction of informal constraints on human behaviour by examining the evolution of English football jerseys. The jersey provides an excellent setting to demonstrate how informal constraints emerge from formal rules and shape human behaviour. Customs, approved norms and habits are all observed in this setting. The commercialisation of football in recent decades has resulted in these informal constraints, in many cases dating back over a century, co-existing with branding, goodwill and identity effects. Combined, these motivate clubs to maintain the status quo. As a result, club colours have remained remarkably resilient within a frequently changing landscape