NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Local Digital Twins for Engagement and Evidence-based Decision Making
No full textAn initiative of the FOUR DUBLIN LOCAL AUTHORITIES to engage with smart technology providers, researchers and citizens to solve challenges and improve city life
Outline of RES4CITY Learning and Upskilling Programmes Deliverable D2.4
No full textThe combination of rapid urbanization, escalating energy demands, and the urgent necessity to reduce
carbon footprints has amplified the priority for cities to implement renewable energy solutions.
To build a sustainable and successful urban economy, it is crucial to develop learning and upskilling
programmes for recently graduates and experienced professionals in order to provide the necessary
skills to participate effectively in the renewable energy transition. By doing so, cities can rely on
professionals prepared to address the challenges and opportunities presented by renewable energy
adoption.
As the educational landscape evolves, learners increasingly seek knowledge that is personalized,
flexible, and directly applicable to their needs. In response, Micro Programmes based on Micro
Credentials have emerged as a powerful educational tool, capable of delivering specific knowledge
efficiently. These bite-sized learning modules offer a unique and tailored approach to education,
catering to the demands of modern learners and the dynamic requirements of diverse industries.
The rise of Micro-based learning represents a transformative shift in the educational and training
sphere. Its ability to accommodate various learning styles and preferences, coupled with its alignment
with rapidly changing industries and the ever-evolving job market, marks it as a game-changer in the
field of education. Embracing Micro Programmes and Micro Credentials empowers learners to remain
relevant and competitive in an ever-changing world.
Considering this, RES4CITY project introduce eight Micro Programmes targeting master students,
recently graduates, and experienced professional with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) or SSH (Social Science and Humanity) background. The proposed MPs encompass a wide
range of area of knowledge and discipline supporting the integration of RES in the urban environment
Networking activities to promote sustainability and circularity. Deliverable D3.3
No full textRES4CITY is a 36-month European Commission funded project, which commenced in October 2022,
that aims to enhance the development of sustainable renewables and fuel technologies in cities by
co-designing innovative educational micro-programmes with stakeholders, and promoting
sustainability and circularity, filling the knowledge and skills gaps for a successful energy transition.
The deliverable D3.3 Networking activities to promote sustainability and circularity has been prepared
as part of Task 3.3 Enhancing RES and FT sustainable deployment and submitted in M12 (September
2023) of the project. This deliverable is one of the five reports of WP3 RES4CITY Innovation and
Stakeholder Network which has implemented a pan-European community of public and private
organisations around the energy transition, circular economy, sustainability, and the use of Renewable
Energy Sources (RES) and Fuel Technologies (FT).
This deliverable complements actions carried out in WP6 Dissemination, Communication, Exploitation
and Replication, as the networking activities and annual events carried out in the local hubs serve to
communicate and disseminate the results of RES4CITY.
The document consists of 5 main sections. The first section introduces the deliverable and the work
package it is undertaken in. The second section describes the local hubs and their objectives relating
to events and networking activities. The third section lists all events and networking activities each of
the hubs organised and participated in. The fourth section highlights the creation and management of
an online community in LinkedIn, which aims to engage with stakeholders in the hubs. Finally, the fifth
and last section describes the content and their related topics that will be produced to promote the
project and the translation of its outputs into visual, appealing, and more understandable material.
This deliverable D3.3 was completed and submitted in September 2023 by 3OC with the support of all
hubs, and FINN and NUIM as the reviewers
Evaluation of the mode of action of novel metal-based antimicrobial compounds
No full textThe global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is steadily on the rise jeopardising the efficacy of conventional antimicrobial agents. This crisis is driven by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials and decline in novel drug discovery. The most threatening pathogens have developed resistance to multiple drug classes and demand particular attention. Part of the ESKAPE pathogen list, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are major causes of severe nosocomial infection and frequent colonisers of cystic fibrosis patient lungs. Moreover, Candida and Aspergillus spp. contribute to the vast majority of fungal infections and exacerbate morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised.
Metal ions have a long history of antimicrobial use however, the advent of AMR and the desire for more innovative strategies have revived interest. Metal ions possess unique (and multiple) modes of action. In addition, the diverse physiochemical properties of metal-based complexes (e.g. coordination number, geometry, reactivity and type and number of ligands) enables the production of vast libraries of agents with differing properties. Indeed, the design, synthesis, characterisation and microbiological assessment relies upon an interdisciplinary approach in the fields of inorganic chemistry and biology. This project conducted microbiological assessment of novel gallium(III)- and silver(I)-based agents whereby drug candidates were screened against a range of bacterial and fungal pathogens. The most susceptible of which were subjected to label-free quantitative proteomic analysis to uncover the likely mechanistic roles.
The iron-mimicking capabilities of gallium and resulting disruption in iron ion homeostasis has led to the generation of therapeutic formulations including gallium maltolate (GaM). Anti-Pseudomonal assessment in vitro translated in vivo using Galleria mellonella as an insect model whilst subsequent proteomic studies revealed a number of affected pathways which would contribute to the attenuated growth and virulence of the pathogen. The poor bioavailability of gallium compounds prompted the development of water-soluble heteroleptic Ga(III) polypyridyl compounds ([Ga(bipy)2(2,3-DHBA-2H)](NO3) (1), [Ga(bipy)2(3,4-DHBA-2H)](NO3) (2) and [Ga(bipy)2(2,3,4-THBA-2H)](NO3) (3)) bearing a catecholate moiety. These siderophore conjugates, which aimed to enhance gallium uptake, were evaluated
against Aspergillus fumigatus. Proteomic and biochemical analyses revealed the superior activity of these novel agents to existing gallium nitrate and effect on mitochondria.
Subsequent work analysed the antimicrobial activity of the silver(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex, 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-diphenylimidazol-2-ylidene (NHC*), termed SBC3. Alterations in the Candida parapsilosis proteome revealed a significant decrease in protein synthesis and directed further studies on the anti-virulence capacities of SBC3 in terms of cell adhesion, biofilm formation and cell morphology. Possessing broad-spectrum activity, SBC3 was also examined against two structurally different bacteria: P. aeruginosa (Gram-negative) and S. aureus (Gram-positive). Both were susceptible to SBC3 treatment however, proteomic findings identified distinct variations in affected proteins and associated pathways.
The results presented in this thesis offer novel insights on the activity of these selected metal complexes for the treatment of resistant microbial pathogens. Proteomic analysis is a useful tool in drug discovery and development, which is key in addressing escalating rates of AMR
Characterising the impact of obesity on Dendritic Cell metabolism & function
No full textObesity is a worldwide epidemic, as of 2016, over 650 million people were living with obesity.
Obesity is strongly associated with over 200 comorbidities. In addition, people with obesity
(PWO) are more susceptible to infection, and have increased morbidity and mortality
following infection, as highlighted during the H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 pandemics.
Obesity has also previously been linked to reduced antibody
titres following immunisation,
depicting dampened vaccine efficacy. Dendritic cells (DCs) play an essential role in activating
the adaptive immune response, particularly in stimulating the differentiation of naïve T cells
into memory cells. DCs have been shown to be reduced in the periphery of PWO, and this was
paired with dysfunctional cytokine production. However, the mechanisms underpinning these
alterations remain unclear. Cellular metabolism has been shown to be critical for immune cell
function. Therefore, we investigated if obesity impacted DC metabolism using a murine model
of obesity. We utilized two different stimulations, bacterial-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
and an active virus, Sendai virus (SeV), and demonstrate both can drive robust activation of
DCs as measured by cytokine production and metabolic activity. We also map DC metabolism,
highlighting glycolysis as a major metabolic pathway and demonstrate metabolic flexibility
when exposed to alternative carbon sources, maintaining similar levels of cytokine between
glucose, fructose, galactose, or glucose-deprived conditions. We show that DC cytokine
production is significantly impacted in our obesity model, especially of IFNβ and IL-6. Finally,
we demonstrate reduced cellular metabolism, as measured by protein synthesis in both LPSand
SeV-stimulated DCs from mice on the high fat diet. Collectively, our data supports the
possibility that defects in DC function are linked to altered cellular metabolism, and this may
underpin dysfunc?onal pathogen or vaccine responses
Language, Soil and "Jewish" Alienation in Levinas and Adorno
No full textEmmanuel Levinas and Theodor Adorno are both post-Shoah philosophers who experienced refugeedom. In different contexts, both discuss the question of a linkage between language and soil, and ultimately show that the distinction between the native and the foreign is untenable. I suggest that Levinas’s evocation of linguistic soil illustrates his understanding of Jewishness as defined by a ceding of ground, thus showing that Levinas’s thought relies on a conception of ground in order to then reject it. Adorno, in evoking a “language without soil,” argues for a conception of language that rejects organicism, seeing both loanwords and Jews as examples of difference without foreignness
The Older Learner (and Teacher)
No full textThere is more to Lifelong Learning that skills acquisition. Age appropriate Higher Education for the older student
The role of knowledge management in the tourism sector: a synthesis and way forward
No full textPurpose – This study aims to explore and synthesize the role of knowledge management (KM) in tourism
organizations (including micro, small, medium and large enterprises and destination management
organizations).
Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts systematic review methods to synthesize the role
of KM in tourism from 90 journal articles.
Findings – This study identifies the prominent theories adopted to explore the relation and impact of KM
in the tourism sector, the geographic distribution of the literature and thorough qualitative synthesis. This
study identifies the critical research themes investigated and the outcome of KM applications. Finally,
through reviews, this study identifies critical gaps in the literature and offer promising avenues to advance
the KM in tourism research.
Originality/value – This is one of the few papers that comprehensively review the role of KM in the
tourism industry and offer implications
A Hardware-Efficient Perturbation Method to the Digital Tent Map
No full textDigital chaotic systems used in various applications such as signal processing, artificial intelligence, and communications often suffer from the issue of dynamical degradation. This paper proposes a solution to address this problem in the digital tent map. Our proposed method includes a simple and optimized hardware architecture, along with a hardware-efficient perturbation method, to create a high-performance computing system that retains its chaotic properties. We implemented our proposed architecture using an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and the 1’s complement fixed-point format. Our results demonstrate that the implemented digital circuit reduces logical resource consumption compared to state-of-the-art references and exhibits pseudo-random nature, as confirmed by various statistical tests. We validated our proposed pseudo-random number generator in a hardware architecture for particle swarm optimization, demonstrating its effectiveness
Blockade of MIF biological activity ameliorates house dust mite‐induced allergic airway inflammation in humanized MIF mice
No full textMacrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) expression is controlled by a functional promoter polymorphism, where the number of tetranucleotide repeats (CATTn) corresponds to the level of MIF expression. To examine the role of this polymorphism in a pre-clinical model of allergic asthma, novel humanized MIF mice with increasing CATT repeats (CATT5 and CATT7) were used to generate a physiologically relevant scale of airway inflammation following house dust mite (HDM) challenge. CATT7 mice expressing high levels of human MIF developed an aggressive asthma phenotype following HDM challenge with significantly elevated levels of immune cell infiltration, production of inflammatory mediators, goblet cell hyperplasia, subepithelial collagen deposition, and airway resistance compared to wild-type controls. Importantly the potent MIF inhibitor SCD-19 significantly mitigated the pathophysiology observed in CATT7 mice after HDM challenge, demonstrating the fundamental role of endogenous human MIF expression in the severity of airway inflammation in vivo. Up to now, there are limited reproducible in vivo models of asthma airway remodeling. Current asthma medications are focused on reducing the acute inflammatory response but have limited effects on airway remodeling. Here, we present a reproducible pre-clinical model that capitulates asthma airway remodeling and suggests that in addition to having pro-inflammatory effects MIF may play a role in driving airway remodeling