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Towards an operationalisation of nature-based solutions for natural hazards
No full textNature-based solutions (NBS) are being promoted as adaptive measures against predicted increasing hydrome-teorological hazards (HMHs), such as heatwaves andfloods which have already caused significant loss of life andeconomic damage across the globe. However, the underpinning factors such as policy framework, end-users\u27 in-terests and participation for NBS design and operationalisation are yet to be established. We discuss theoperationalisation and implementation processes of NBS by means of a novel concept of Open-Air Laboratories(OAL) for its wider acceptance. The design and implementation of environmentally, economically, technicallyand socio-culturally sustainable NBS require inter- and transdisciplinary approaches which could be achievedby fostering co-creation processes by engaging stakeholders across various sectors and levels, inspiring more ef-fective use of skills, diverse knowledge, manpower and resources, and connecting and harmonising the adapta-tion aims. The OAL serves as a benchmark for NBS upscaling, replication and exploitation in policy-makingprocess through monitoring byfield measurement, evaluation by key performance indicators and buildingsolid evidence on their short- and long-term multiple benefits in different climatic, environmental and socio-economic conditions, thereby alleviating the challenges of political resistance,financial barriers and lack ofknowledge. We conclude that holistic management of HMHs by effective use of NBS can be achieved with stan-dard compliant data for replicating and monitoring NBS in OALs, knowledge about policy silos and interaction be-tween research communities and end-users. Further research is needed for multi-risk analysis of HMHs andinclusion of NBS into policy frameworks, adaptable at local, regional and national scales leading to modificationin the prevalent guidelines related to HMHs. Thefindings of this work can be used for developing synergies be-tween current policy frameworks, scientific research and practical implementation of NBS in Europe and beyondfor its wider acceptance.European Commission Horizon 202
Complementary transcriptomic and proteomic analyses reveal the cellular and molecular processes that drive growth and development of Fasciola hepatica in the host liver
No full textBackground
The major pathogenesis associated with Fasciola hepatica infection results from the extensive tissue damage caused by the tunnelling and feeding activity of immature flukes during their migration, growth and development in the liver. This is compounded by the pathology caused by host innate and adaptive immune responses that struggle to simultaneously counter infection and repair tissue damage.
Results
Complementary transcriptomic and proteomic approaches defined the F. hepatica factors associated with their migration in the liver, and the resulting immune-pathogenesis. Immature liver-stage flukes express ~ 8000 transcripts that are enriched for transcription and translation processes reflective of intensive protein production and signal transduction pathways. Key pathways that regulate neoblast/pluripotent cells, including the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, are particularly dominant and emphasise the importance of neoblast-like cells for the parasite’s rapid development. The liver-stage parasites display different secretome profiles, reflecting their distinct niche within the host, and supports the view that cathepsin peptidases, cathepsin peptidase inhibitors, saposins and leucine aminopeptidases play a central role in the parasite’s destructive migration, and digestion of host tissue and blood. Immature flukes are also primed for countering immune attack by secreting immunomodulating fatty acid binding proteins (FABP) and helminth defence molecules (FhHDM). Combined with published host microarray data, our results suggest that considerable immune cell infiltration and subsequent fibrosis of the liver tissue exacerbates oxidative stress within parenchyma that compels the expression of a range of antioxidant molecules within both host and parasite.
Conclusions
The migration of immature F. hepatica parasites within the liver is associated with an increase in protein production, expression of signalling pathways and neoblast proliferation that drive their rapid growth and development. The secretion of a defined set of molecules, particularly cathepsin L peptidases, peptidase-inhibitors, saponins, immune-regulators and antioxidants allow the parasite to negotiate the liver micro-environment, immune attack and increasing levels of oxidative stress. This data contributes to the growing F. hepatica -omics information that can be exploited to understand parasite development more fully and for the design of novel control strategies to prevent host liver tissue destruction and pathology.This study was supported by a European Research Council Advanced Grant (HELIVAC, 322725) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Professorship grant (17/RP/5368) awarded to JPD. MWR was funded by a grant (BB/L019612/1) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Locative reverb: Artistic practice, sound technology, and the grammatization of the listener in the city
No full textThere are various ways that artists use technology in exploring the relation of sound to the urban environment, which has different impacts on the listener in relation to place. The rising prominence of these works is connected to a broader sonic turn in urban studies and art, underscoring a rising emphasis on the influence of sound on multisensory experience. Using Bernard Stiegler’s consideration of technology as pharmakon (or the condition of duality in which something is both poison and cure, bringing both benefit and harm), and his definition of technological grammatization, how artistic use of technology mediates the relationship of the urban environment to the listener through sound is studied through a pharmacological approach in order to nuance the possibilities of artistic critical engagement, emphasising how this can include unintended consequences of re-enforcing certain listener behaviours. At the same time, considerations of how artistic repurposing of listening technology can provide new modes of urban engagement are taken into account, where sound offers the impetus for what Brandon LaBelle (2017) refers to as sonic agency.Peer reviewed2022-12-3
Innovating with nature: from nature-based solutions to nature-based enterprises
No full textNature-based solutions (NBS) to address societal challenges have been widely recognised and adopted by governments in climate change and biodiversity strategies. Nevertheless, significant barriers exist for the necessary large-scale implementation of NBS and market development is still in its infancy. This study presents findings from a systematic review of literature and a survey on private sector agents in the planning and implementation of NBS, with the aim to identify them. In this study, we propose a typology for organisations delivering NBS and a categorisation of their economic activities. The most common organisation type found is nature-based enterprise which offers products or services where nature is a core element and used sustainably and engages in economic activity. Moreover, eleven categories of economic activities were identified, ranging from ecosystem restoration, living green roofs, and eco-tourism to smart technologies and community engagement for NBS. Nature-based enterprises contribute to a diverse range of sustainable economic activities, that standard industry classification systems do not adequately account for. The recognition of the value created by these activities is essential for designing effective policy support measures, and for market development of the sector and its potential to facilitate the wider adoption of NBS
Proposing a performance framework for innovation measurement: an exploratory case-based research
No full textPurpose: Measurement of the innovation process performance is critical for both managers and researchers. However, existing performance frameworks (PFs) neglect performance indicators (PIs) and dimensions relevant to the current innovation landscape in companies as well as lack support in the definition of action plans. Thus, this paper aims to introduce a new and updated PF for measuring innovation performance and defining improvement actions.
Design/methodology/approach: The proposed PF is developed from literature and action-oriented case studies in two European manufacturing companies. First, the literature review enabled the synthesis of framework elements into a “conceptual” PF capable of illustrating the current state of knowledge in the field. Then, this PF was applied in the case studies that enriched the conceptual form with empirical insights, resulting in a new and updated PF.
Findings: The review enabled the systematisation of nine dimensions and 259 PIs that were fragmented throughout the literature. In turn, empirical insights from the case studies gave rise to an actionable procedure for providing a comprehensive diagnosis of the company\u27s situation considering the new trends as well as defining improvement actions. Although the results from the two cases cannot be generalised, the findings encourage broader applicability.
Originality/value: The novelty of this research resides on the fact that the PF consolidates elements from the literature but combined with empirical insights in a new actionable way that supports managers in performance measurement and provides researchers with an extensive systematisation of dimensions and PIs
Detection of epileptic seizures from compressively sensed EEG signals for wireless body area networks
No full textWireless body area networks (WBANs) are gaining popularity for tele-monitoring of biomedical signals such as the electroencephalogram (EEG), with diagnosing and monitoring of epileptic seizures being one of the most important applications. Most seizure-detection algorithms cannot be applied directly to the compressed data in WBANs as they require full reconstruction of original EEG signals. In this study, we propose a novel feature for real-time automatic single-channel seizure detection which does not require complete reconstruction of original EEGs. The feature is based on iteratively applying the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm on the compressed EEG data and computing the rate by which the energies of partially reconstructed signals are increased. The feature, i.e. partial energy difference (PED), is then used for classifying seizure and non-seizure states. We also extend this method to the case for multichannel EEG. In multichannel case, the simultaneous OMP (SOMP) with a low number of iterations (1 and 15 iteration) is applied to the compressed data and the difference between the Frobenius norms of partially reconstructed signals is used as a multivariate feature for the classification of seizure and non-seizure states. The proposed features are used to detect seizure intervals in the EEG database provided by the University of Bonn and the CHB-MIT database. The results show that the proposed features can classify seizure epochs from non-seizures even for compression ratios as small as 0.05. The results also show that the proposed single-channel method achieves improvement of up to 4% for the area under the curve (AUC) with significantly less execution time compared to the benchmark matrix determinant (MD) classification approach. The results of applying the proposed multivariate feature to seizure and non-seizure segments of length 5 s from the CHB-MIT database show that it achieves mean AUC values of 0.941, 0.941, and 0.939 with mean execution times of 9.5, 10.7, and 13.1 s for compression ratios of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2, respectively. Applying a threshold to the PED in a leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO-CV) scenario generates a sensitivity of 0.873,specificity of 0.710, and accuracy of 0.791 at the compression ratio of 0.05. The proposed single- and multichannel features have the potential for deployment in WBANs for the real-time tele-monitoring of epilepsy patients in healthcare applications
Developing understandings of occupational (in)justice with occupational therapy students in a transnational project
No full textThis article describes an innovative transnational education project involving three European universities, funded through ERASMUS+. One of its aims was to develop and provide a curriculum to facilitate students’ understanding and identification of occupational (in)justice by exposing them to marginalised people living in three European communities with differing cultural, social, and political systems. Occupational injustice is an ongoing deprivation or patterns of disruption that creates health burdens, barriers to educational and social opportunities, and risk to the individual’s lifespan. We describe how a transnational educational collaboration offered a new way of facilitating learning of occupational (in)justice in a practical way to stimulate the application of concepts to discipline specific thinking and engage students in debate about new areas of potential practice which are transformational. The educational theory underpinning the project is discussed, together with a description of how authentic learning experiences supported the development of occupational justice knowledge and justice-focused practice.The team are grateful to all the community partners who supported the project, offered new sights, and readily engaged with the students throughout the 3 years. The team are thankful for co-funding by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Union (Grant no. 2016-1-SE01-KA203-022102) to support the development and delivery of this project.2022-02-0
Microbial processes mediating Priming Effects and the coupling of C and N cycling in soil
No full textSoil is fundamental to agricultural productivity and sustainability. Soil organic matter (SOM) is important as a “revolving nutrient fund”, which determines plant nutrient availability. Microbes are key determinants of SOM turnover and of SOM dynamics. Their activities are influenced by organic inputs from plants (Priming Effects). Understanding these interactions has the potential to reduce external N input by better predicting the soil N supply. However, which microbes are involved in primed SOM mineralization is unknown.
Analytical methods utilised to investigate this were 13C isotope ratio source partitioning for quantifying C mineralised fluxes, 16S rDNA and 16S rRNA sequencing to determine growing and potentially active taxa, and metaproteomics of contrasting soil extracts for illuminating proteins involved in SOM decomposition. A sample-specific soil interference correction was developed for quantification of protein and humic substances content in contrasting soil extracts. Results showed that correction factors differed with soils and buffer extract. Further, the potential for metaproteomics to profile contrasting extracts was assessed. Results in labile extracts showed that transporter proteins for carbohydrates, amino acids and nitrogenous compounds, and arylsulfatase for enzymes were most abundant, while the humic extracts remain to be successfully profiled. Results from incubation experiments indicated, that several genera, among others from the phylum Actinobacteria (e.g. (Pseud)Arthrobacter), were implicated in mediating primed fluxes. In another incubation experiment, the magnitude of labile C additions in relation to primed SOM mineralisation responses were tested. Dynamics of specific bacterial populations showed that primarily r-strategists were implicated with the bacterially mediated SOM-C mineralisation flux at all magnitudes. Bacterial, K-strategists were only activated at higher magnitudes of labile C additions.
This thesis addressed knowledge gaps on bacterial population dynamics involved in SOM and nutrient dynamics. This can inform on sustainable practices for the provision of ecosystem functions of nutrient cycling and soil C dynamics.2022-02-2
Exploring the potential of social robots to support resilience in dementia
No full textDementia is a debilitating progressive neurological syndrome that causes stress to people with the condition and their families. Most people with dementia want to be independent and with support, many people with dementia can maintain a level of independence. Robotics devices are being developed to support the independence of people with dementia but currently, there is limited empirical evidence concerning how they should be developed and deployed. There has also been little attempt to date to underpin the research into robotic technologies for people with dementia with substantive theory. Resilience is a substantive theory and a strength-based approach to dementia care. This approach focuses on a person with dementia’s existing abilities and it employs person-centred strategies that empower and support a person’s sense of personal identity. This doctoral thesis aims to explore the potential of social robots to support the resilience of people with dementia. In doing so, it applies the theory of resilience to the study of social robots for the first time.
This thesis contains four papers. The first two papers report literature reviews that identify the current evidence base. The first review was conducted to determine what robots need to be like, in terms of their form and function, for people with dementia to find them acceptable and to engage with them. This review focused on identifying the key factors that impact the acceptability of social robots in the context of dementia. Then a second literature review was undertaken to determine how social robots could potentially be used to support the resilience of people with dementia. This review focused on identifying the content, structure, and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions that have aimed to support the resilience of people with dementia. The review also aimed to identify how the concept of resilience had been defined and operationalised in previous research. The literature reviews revealed that an empirical study was needed to provide an in-depth examination of a social robot within the real-world context of a dementia care setting. It was also important that the robot facilitated a person-centred approach and that the investigation captured the perceptions and experiences of people with dementia. Case study methodology was chosen for the empirical study and the third paper included in the thesis reports a critical appraisal of the DESCARTE model (DESign of CAse Research in healThcarE). This appraisal was conducted to determine the model\u27s suitability to guide case study investigations that involve social robots for resilience in dementia care settings. The fourth paper reports a multiple case study that was designed using the DESCARTE model. This study examined the effect of the social robot MARIO on the resilience of people with dementia (n=10) in a residential care setting.
The first literature review (paper one), which included forty-four studies, found that multiple factors impact the acceptability of social robots for people with dementia. Acceptance can be increased through robots using human-like communication and if they are personalised in response to the needs of individual users. However, many studies had been conducted in a laboratory rather than in real-world settings. The exploration of the literature on psychosocial interventions for resilience (paper two) included three studies that had investigated five interventions that aimed to support resilience in dementia. This review revealed that the interventions supported people with dementia by enabling reciprocal social interactions and meaningful activities, but that further interventions were needed to support people with dementia who lack family caregivers and/or have more advanced dementia. The review also identified that resilience had been defined as a process of adapting to stress that operates at multiple interacting levels of the individual, community, and society. The critical appraisal of the DESCARTE model (paper three) found that the model could usefully guide the design and conduct of the MARIO case study investigation. DESCARTE provided a useful framework to enhance the quality of case study research by requiring the researcher to focus on philosophical cohesiveness, ethical considerations, reflexivity, and data analysis. However, recommendations were made to improve DESCARTE\u27s utility by adding a task list and providing researchers with additional guiding questions. The empirical study (paper four) found that MARIO could provide an embodied presence and personalised stimulus that engaged people with dementia, with the support of a facilitator. Whilst using MARIO, eight out of ten people with dementia were empowered to co-create meaningful activity. This supported resilience by increasing their positive sense of self-identity because, whilst people with dementia were engaged with MARIO, they were ‘doing okay’ despite the limitations of living with dementia.
Based on the literature and the empirical study, this body of work reveals that social robots have the potential to support the resilience of people with dementia. To support resilience robots need to facilitate people with dementia to maintain a positive sense of self-identity, through enhancing their ability to co-create meaningful activity and reciprocal social relationships. However, future social robots need to have a greater technical capacity to react to human emotions and communicate in a more human-like way, if they are to support the resilience of people with dementia, independent of human facilitators. These conclusions are based on a relatively small body of existing literature and an empirical study that used a small sample size and investigated only one residential care setting. Nevertheless, this thesis is underpinned by recognised theories of technology acceptance and resilience, and it is derived from comprehensive literature reviews and an empirical study that used robust methodology and provided an in-depth inquiry in a real-world clinical context
Next Generation ‘Wearable’ Biochemical Sensors – Can Biomimetic Fluidics Help Deliver Much More Sophisticated Technologies?
No full textThere is a hierarchy of complexity in sensing technologies starting with (i) transducers for tracking physical parameters (temperature, colour, light level, location etc.), (ii) chemical sensors for monitoring chemical analytes (pH, ions, certain molecules), and finally, and most complex, biosensors for biological targets. Unlike chemical sensors and biosensors, physical transducers do not have to be in intimate (molecular level) surface contact with a sample to deliver the measurement. This turns out to be a key advantage, as transducers can be physically separated from the sample (e.g. temperature, light and colour sensing), or protected within a robust material (temperature sensing). In contrast, chemical sensors and biosensors must not only be in intimate contact with the sample, but in addition, their beautifully engineered surfaces must interact at the molecular level to generate a viable signal. This leads to changes in surface characteristics over time, which in turn causes a degradation in the quality of the signal, baseline drift, and loss of sensitivity and selectivity. Even worse, in many cases, biosensor function depends on delicate biomolecules to create the analytically useful signal. Not only are they unstable when exposed to the sample, but even storage can be a major headache. In addition, many biologically important measurements depend on tremendous binding power to provide the exquisite limits of detection and selectivity needed for practical application. Unfortunately, this in turn leads to irreversibility in binding, meaning that the devices can only be used once, which is why the field of biosensing is almost entirely dominated by single use, disposable sensing strips. And just to cap it off, detection of many important biological targets like viruses (e.g. COVID19!) require multiple steps to get to the final answer.
This hierarchy of complexities is reflected in the reliability of technologies for wearable sensing and their migration towards practical applications. In this presentation, I will reflect on these challenges with regards to advancing wearable technologies for biochemical sensing, and offer some ideas on the role biomimetic fluidics might play in this regard