NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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An interval power flow for unbalanced distribution systems based on the Three-Phase Current Injection Method
No full textInterval arithmetic has been widely used for power systems analysis considering uncertainties associated with load and generation data. However, little work can be found within the context of three-phase distribution systems due to their peculiarities such as radial topology and unbalanced loads. In this paper, a novel methodology is proposed for determining interval results of a power system load flow for three-phase unbalanced distribution networks based on the Three-Phase Current Injection Method (TPCIM) in which state variables are considered in rectangular coordinates. In the proposed approach, active and reactive powers at each load bus are modelled as interval values to represent their inherent uncertainties and the Krawczyk operator is applied into the power flow equations in order to provide reliable interval three-phase results. Additionally, the use of interval extensions and an angular rotation technique are proposed to overcome overestimation problems associated with the interval solutions. Computational simulations are carried out using IEEE 13, 33 and 69-bus test systems. The main contribution of this work is the proposition of two methods based on traditional interval arithmetic to reduce the diameter of the solution and achieve similar results when compared with Affine Arithmetic and Monte Carlo Simulations. Additionally, the computational time associated with the algorithm is extremely advantageous. The method is useful for power distribution systems operation and planning studies, representing a viable and useful tool for calculating the impact of uncertain input data on the power flow results
Náš model obstojí, ale bílých míst je stále mnoho: odpověď autorů
No full textThe article presents the reaction of the authors to other papers in this symposium. Paper deals with methodological issues and in dialogue with other papers develops mainly the topics of judicial appointment, collegiality and judges and media relations
The Implementation of the Marrakesh Directive: A Comparative Analysis across Six EU Member States
No full textThis article examines the implementation of the so called ‘Marrakesh Directive’, which
transposes the Marrakesh Treaty into EU law and lays out rules on the use of accessible copies
of published works, across six Member States – namely Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, the
Netherlands, and Sweden. It highlights convergences and divergences in the implementation
and in the scope of access to copyrighted works guaranteed to persons with disabilities across
the States considered. In that connection, this article also detects the extent to which the
implementation of the Marrakesh Directive links to broader national disability policies and the
implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Suppressive effects of the obese tumor microenvironment on CD8 T cell infiltration and effector function
No full textObesity is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer; however, little is known about the effects of obesity on anti-tumor immunity. Here, we investigated the effects of obesity on CD8 T cells in mouse models and patients with endometrial cancer. Our findings revealed that CD8 T cell infiltration is suppressed in obesity, which was associated with a decrease in chemokine production. Tumor-resident CD8 T cells were also functionally suppressed in obese mice, which was associated with a suppression of amino acid metabolism. Similarly, we found that a high BMI negatively correlated with CD8 infiltration in human endometrial cancer and that weight loss was associated with a complete pathological response in six of nine patients. Moreover, immunotherapy using anti-PD-1 led to tumor rejection in lean and obese mice and partially restored CD8 metabolism and anti-tumor immunity. These findings highlight the suppressive effects of obesity on CD8 T cell anti-tumor immunity, which can partially be reversed by weight loss and/or immunotherapy
Distinct Glycosylation Responses to Spinal Cord Injury in Regenerative and Nonregenerative Models
No full textTraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in disruption of tissue integrity and loss of function. We hypothesize that glycosylation has a role in determining the occurrence of regeneration and that biomaterial treatment can influence this glycosylation response. We investigated the glycosylation response to spinal cord transection in Xenopus laevis and rat. Transected rats received an aligned collagen hydrogel. The response compared regenerative success, regenerative failure, and treatment in an established nonregenerative mammalian system. In a healthy rat spinal cord, ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) N-glycoprofiling identified complex, hybrid, and oligomannose N-glycans. Following rat SCI, complex and outer-arm fucosylated glycans decreased while oligomannose and hybrid structures increased. Sialic acid was associated with microglia/macrophages following SCI. Treatment with aligned collagen hydrogel had a minimal effect on the glycosylation response. In Xenopus, lectin histochemistry revealed increased levels of N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) in premetamorphic animals. The addition of GlcNAc is required for processing complex-type glycans and is a necessary foundation for additional branching. A large increase in sialic acid was observed in nonregenerative animals. This work suggests that glycosylation may influence regenerative success. In particular, loss of complex glycans in rat spinal cord may contribute to regeneration failure. Targeting the glycosylation response may be a promising strategy for future therapies
The occurrence and co-occurrence of ACEs and their relationship to mental health in the United States and Ireland
No full textBackground: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have various deleterious effects on mental
health but few studies have been conducted in Ireland.
Objective: The primary objective was to determine if there were significant differences in occurrences of ACEs in U.S. and Irish adults. We also sought to determine if there were unique associations between individual and multiple ACE events and mental health.
Participants and setting: Preexisting nationally representative adult samples from the U.S. (n =
1893) and Ireland (n = 1020) were utilized for analysis.
Method: To determine if there were significant differences in the occurrence of specific ACE events
and the mean number of ACEs experienced by U.S. and Irish adults, chi-square difference tests
and an independent samples t-test were used, respectively. Binary logistic regression was used to
examine the unique associations between ACE events and major depressive disorder (MDD),
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Complex PTSD
(CPTSD). Nationality, sex, age, and educational level were included as covariates and adjusted
odds ratios are reported.
Results: Irish respondents had a higher rate of ACEs, were more likely to experience specific ACEs,
and to meet diagnostic requirements for MDD, GAD, and CPTSD than U.S. respondents. Emotional
neglect was more strongly related to mental health than all other ACEs, and there was an
exceptionally strong dose-response association between ACEs and CPTSD.
Conclusions: ACEs seem to be more common in Ireland than the U.S., and efforts to minimize
exposure to ACEs through public policies may lead to beneficial mental health effects
Assessing the factorial validity and the internal reliability of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ); PTSD and complex PTSD among survivors of sexual violence in Ireland
No full textAims: To assess the factorial validity and internal reliability of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) among a treatment-seeking sample of survivors of sexual violence in Ireland. In addition, to assess the diagnostic rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) among the samples.
Methods: Participants were adult survivors of sexual violence (N = 114) in receipt of therapeutic support at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The ITQ was utilised to measure PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the factorial validity of the ITQ. Composite reliability was employed to assess the internal reliability of the ITQ scale scores.
Results: The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a six-factor correlated model and a two-factor higher model were good representations of the latent structure of the ITQ, both models are consistent with the conceptualisation of CPTSD. All ITQ subscales possessed satisfactory internal reliability except for the affective dysregulation subscale. Of the sample, 56.1% met the criteria for CPTSD and 20.2% met the criteria for PTSD.
Conclusions: The ITQ captured a distinction between PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and produced reliable scores within the sample, but replication with a larger sample size is required. In addition, the study findings demonstrated that CPTSD was relatively common among those seeking psychological support following sexual violence
Meeting report on 14th Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium: glycobiology in immunology, medicine, and clinical practice
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
Why the form of teaching matters: Defending the integrity of education and of the work of teachers beyond agendas and good intentions
No full textIf we understand the good of education exclusively in terms of intentions and agendas, there remains a risk that education itself – which is first of all about the work done day in day out by teachers in schools, colleges, and universities – is entirely understood and approached in instrumental terms, that is, as the way in which particular intentions and ambitions are to be achieved. The problem here is not just that even with a broad understanding of what education is supposed to be for, the discussion can quickly move back to technical questions about effectiveness and efficiency. The problem is also that in such an approach it remains difficult to articulate the ‘integrity’ of education itself which, in turn, makes it difficult for education to resist when it is being asked to do things that would go against its integrity. In this paper I explore the question whether the integrity of education may perhaps have to do with the specific form of education rather than with the aims and purposes that frame educational activities. The paper consists of a detailed reconstruction of the work of the German educational Klaus Prange who has put forward the idea that the distinctiveness of education lies in its mode of operation, where he suggests that the most central form is that of pointing. I argue, with Prange, that a focus on the form of education allows for a different way to resist attempts to undermine the public and democratic orientation of education
Value Co-creation in Sports Live Streaming Platforms: A Microfoundations Perspective
No full textAs a primarily synchronous social media form, social live streaming services offer real-time interaction between streamers and viewers, and among viewers. Users' value cocreation has become increasingly crucial for platform businesses to increase their competitive advantage. However, the previous studies using the microfoundations approach have only confirmed the employees' efforts to adopt technology as a way to achieve the firms' goals. In this article, we explore the microfoundations of external actors' (viewers and streamers) value cocreation on sports live streaming platforms (SLSPs). Taking China Sport as a case study, this article conducts netnography research with observations made of four live-streamed matches on the final matchday of the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Grand Final 2019. In total, 16 204 real-time messages and 5540 gifting messages are reviewed. In-depth interviews are also conducted with 5 streamers and 15 viewers. As a result, a typology of viewers (managers, fans, and audiences) emerges, and five viewer–streamer–viewer value cocreation activities are revealed. Furthermore, the unique value-in-use among streamers and viewers in different activities is found. This study presents a model to show that the viewers' engagement and the value cocreation activities between viewers and streamers at a microlevel determines the value-in-use formation, which, in turn, contributes to the competitive advantages for SLSPs at a macrolevel. This study contributes to the existing literature on the engagement behavior and value cocreation by empirically examining the role of external actors' engagement as the microfoundations of value cocreation in the context of new social technologies—SLSPs