NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Impact of network topology on the spread of infectious diseases
No full textThe complex network theory constitutes a natural support for the study of a disease propagation. In this work, we present a study of an infectious disease spread with the use of this theory in
combination with the Individual Based Model. More specifically, we use several complex network models widely known in the literature to verify their topological effects in the propagation of the disease. In
general, complex networks with different properties result in curves of infected individuals with different
behaviors, and thus, the growth of a given disease is highly sensitive to the network model used. The disease
eradication is observed when the vaccination strategy of 10% of the population is used in combination with
the random, small world or modular network models, which opens an important space for control actions
that focus on changing the topology of a complex network as a form of reduction or even elimination of an
infectious disease
‘To Catch the Song’: Word-Setting, Creative Collaboration, and the Reader-Listener in Handel’s English-Language Works
No full textGeorge Frideric Handel’s English-language works were immensely popular with the
eighteenth-century public, and many remain staples of concert repertoire today.
Important research exists on the philosophical import of the texts for these works, and
on the oratorio-listener as reader, but it focusses on a small part of the composer’s
English output, while musico-linguistic analysts have neglected eighteenth-century
English music in general. Addressing these understudied areas, the aim of this thesis is
two-fold. First, to apply recent models of musico-linguistic analysis to Handel’s English
output as a whole, in combination with aesthetic commentary of the period. Secondly,
to investigate the dissemination of these libretti as wordbooks without music, published
copies independent of musical scores, and other sources offering the text a potential for
appreciation parallel to (or separate from) music.
When writing texts for Handel, what decisions did poets make regarding verse
form, rhyme scheme, and metre? What input did the composer have in this process?
How did his music reflect the formal nuances of the finished libretto? Musico-linguistic
analysis offers new perspectives on such issues, illuminating the deeply collaborative
nature of these works. Furthermore, while Handel’s English word-setting is often
criticised for unidiomatic prosody, I explore counterintuitive stressing as a fruitful
tension between musical and verbal communication. Handel’s librettists are frequently
dismissed as mediocre poets, merely providing frameworks for music. I argue that
audiences’ engagement with the published texts of Handel’s English works formed a
more integral part of their musical experience than has previously been acknowledged.
Through the concept of reader-listenership, I explore the literate nature of eighteenthcentury
music-consumption, including the reading of a libretto before and during its
performance, of stage directions for a music-drama always intended to be unstaged, and
of a poetic text whose formal and semantic implications could conflict with those
realized in performance
Towards a concept for archiving hacked websites
No full textWeb defacements as a form of hacktivism are rarely archived and thus mostly lost for systematic study. When they find their way into web archives, it is often more as a by-product of a larger web archiving effort than as the result of a targeted effort. Aside from large collections there also exists a small scene of community-maintained cybercrime archives that archive hacked web sites, some of which are hacked in a hacktivist context. It is the purpose of this article to give an overview of the state and possibilities of using both archives for research. Such research may include qualitative and quantitative data analysis from a media and social studies perspective
Putative Membrane Receptors Contribute to Activation and Efficient Signaling of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascades during Adaptation of Aspergillus fumigatus to Different Stressors and Carbon Sources
No full textThe high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) response pathway is a multifunctional signal transduction pathway that specifically transmits ambient osmotic signals. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hog1p has two upstream signaling branches, the sensor histidine kinase Sln1p and the receptor Sho1p. The Sho1p branch includes two other proteins, the Msb2p mucin and Opy2p. Aspergillus fumigatus is the leading cause of pulmonary fungal diseases. Here, we investigated the roles played by A. fumigatus SlnASln1p, ShoASho1p, MsbAMsb2p, and OpyAOpy2p putative homologues during the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) HOG pathway. The shoA, msbA, and opyA singly and doubly null mutants are important for the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway, oxidative stress, and virulence as assessed by a Galleria mellonella model. Genetic interactions of ShoA, MsbA, and OpyA are also important for proper activation of the SakAHog1p and MpkASlt2 cascade and the response to osmotic and cell wall stresses. Comparative label-free quantitative proteomics analysis of the singly null mutants with the wild-type strain upon caspofungin exposure indicates that the absence of ShoA, MsbA, and OpyA affects the osmotic stress response, carbohydrate metabolism, and protein degradation. The putative receptor mutants showed altered trehalose and glycogen accumulation, suggesting a role for ShoA, MsbA, and OpyA in sugar storage. Protein kinase A activity was also decreased in these mutants. We also observed genetic interactions between SlnA, ShoA, MsbA, and OpyA, suggesting that both branches are important for activation of the HOG/CWI pathways. Our results help in the understanding of the activation and modulation of the HOG and CWI pathways in this important fungal pathogen
PRESCRIPTION FOR CARE? An exploration of the experiences of nurse and midwife prescribers in the maternity setting
No full textIntroduction and Background: Nursing/midwifery practice are continually
evolving and the introduction of prescriptive authority for nurses/midwives in 2007
is one of the most significant changes in recent years. Nurses/midwives in Ireland
can engage in prescribing decision making within their scope of practice following
educational preparation and with support from their employer. Though
prescriptive authority brings benefits for patients and practitioners, questions
have been raised about how caring and nurse/midwife identity may be affected.
Given prescribing was once the sole remit of doctors within healthcare,
nurse/midwife prescribing raises issues in relation to role boundaries which can
affect identity. This research aims to explore the experiences of nurse/midwife
prescribers (RNPs) in order to generate practitioner-based knowledge with the
potential to inform education and research, policy and practice.
Methodology: This qualitative study is influenced by hermeneutic
phenomenology. Ethical approval and permission to access the research sites
was obtained and a gatekeeper forwarded study information to potential
participants. 16 participants from 2 maternity hospitals participated in one to one
semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded and transcribed.
Interviews were coded and codes categorised, allowing themes to emerge.
Results: Findings suggest that the introduction of prescriptive authority was an
important point in the professionalisation of nursing/midwifery. Prescriptive
authority contributes to the empowerment of nurses/midwives but factors which
influence the extent to which this happens have been identified. Prescriptive
authority enhances nursing/midwifery identity and compliments
nursing/midwifery practice, facilitating a more agentic practitioner, though
challenges to this have also been identified.
Conclusion:
This study provides a rich account of the practice and experiences of RNPs in
the maternity setting, developing knowledge directly from those experiences.
Findings from this research can inform those with direct responsibility for the
regulation of prescribing practice and those responsible for education and
research in the context of nurse/midwife prescribin
In vivo Activity of Copper(II), Manganese(II), and Silver(I) 1,10-Phenanthroline Chelates Against Candida haemulonii Using the Galleria mellonella Model
No full textCandida haemulonii is an emerging opportunistic pathogen resistant to most antifungal drugs currently used in clinical arena. Metal complexes containing 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) chelating ligands have well-established anti-Candida activity against different medically relevant species. This study utilized larvae of Galleria mellonella, a widely used model of in vivo infection, to examine C. haemulonii infection characteristics in response to different copper(II), manganese(II), and silver(I) chelates containing phen, which had demonstrated potent anti-C. haemulonii activity in a previous study. The results showed that C. haemulonii virulence was influenced by inoculum size and incubation temperature, and the host G. mellonella immune response was triggered in an inoculum-dependent manner reflected by the number of circulating immune cells (hemocytes) and observance of larval melanization process. All test chelates were non-toxic to the host in concentrations up to 10 μg/larva. The complexes also affected the G. mellonella immune system, affecting the hemocyte number and the expression of genes encoding antifungal and immune-related peptides (e.g., inducible metalloproteinase inhibitor protein, transferrin, galiomycin, and gallerimycin). Except for [Ag2(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)4].EtOH (3,6,9-tddaH2 = 3,6,9-trioxoundecanedioic acid), all chelates were capable of affecting the fungal burden of infected larvae and the virulence of C. haemulonii in a dose-dependent manner. This work shows that copper(II), manganese(II), and silver(I) chelates containing phen with anti-C. haemulonii activity are capable of (i) inhibiting fungal proliferation during in vivo infection, (ii) priming an immune response in the G. mellonella host and (iii) affecting C. haemulonii virulence
The Impact of the Transparency Consent Framework on Current Programmatic Advertising Practices
No full textWith General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced, many online advertising practices were affected as data-driven techniques were inhibited by missing user consents. Meanwhile, the IAB Europe introduced the Transparency and Consent Framework to adapt the GDPR requirements into the online advertising ecosystem and provide support in handling consent management for involved actors. In this paper, the impact of the new framework from a programmatic advertising campaign perspective is reflected from a practitioner point of view and implications of missing user consent in five typical techniques which are applied in programmatic campaigns (targeting, retargeting, frequency capping, frequency tracking and cross-device targeting) are addressed and also viewed from an e-commerce perspective. The discussion indicates potential losses in the effectiveness of the applied techniques as well as a potential shift in the market towards walled-garden DSPs such as Google or Facebook. It furthe r provides awareness to raise the potential implications addressed and open future work in this regard
Two-dimensional titanium carbide MXenes and their emerging applications as electrochemical sensors
No full textMXenes, new two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, are attracting considerable attention as multifunctional materials in various research fields due to their high surface area, hydrophilicity, good mechanical properties, metallic-like conduction and adsorption characteristics, combined with the ability to tailor the surface properties with functional groups. In this review, the applications of MXenes as electrochemical sensors are summarised and discussed. The review is focused on Ti3C2Tx as these are the only MXenes that have so far been considered as electrochemical sensors, primarily due to the fact that they have metallic-like conduction and can be easily formed as single and multi-layered flakes through chemical etching of the parent MAX phase. The fabrication of the Ti3C2Tx-based sensors is first described and then followed by an account of their applications as electrochemical sensors, for the detection of small molecules, environmental contaminants and biosensors for biomedical sensing applications. Finally, their overall stability when exposed to aqueous media, which will have implications in the future development of MXene-based sensors, is discussed together with their future prospects as electrochemical-based sensors
Expectations of Artificial Intelligence and the Performativity of Ethics: Implications for Communication Governance
No full texthis article draws on the sociology of expectations to examine the construction of expectations of ‘ethical AI’ and considers the implications of these expectations for communication governance. We first analyse a range of public documents to identify the key actors, mechanisms and issues which structure societal expectations around AI and an emerging discourse on ethics. We then explore expectations of AI and ethics through a survey of members of the public. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for the role of AI in communication governance. We find that, despite societal expectations that we can design ethical AI, and public expectations that developers and governments should share responsibility for the outcomes of AI use, there is a significant divergence between these expectations and the ways in which AI technologies are currently used and governed in large scale communication systems. We conclude that discourses of ‘ethical AI’ are generically performative, but to become more effective we need to acknowledge the limitations of contemporary AI and the requirement for extensive human labour to meet the challenges of communication governance. An effective ethics of AI requires domain appropriate AI tools, updated professional practices, dignified places of work and robust regulatory and accountability frameworks
Old Irish lobur ‘weak, sick’
No full textOld Irish lobur‘weak, sick; leprous’ is cognate with Welshl lwfr‘cowardly,timid, faint-hearted; mean; idle’, Cornish lover, Middle Breton loffr, Modern Breton lovr‘weak, miserly, leprous’. The common notion linking these words semantically is ‘weak’. Because of the voca lism of the Welsh word, the Proto-Celtic reconstruction *lobro-, proposed in earlier scholarship (VGKSi 116‒17,Deshayes 2003: 477), is excluded: Proto-Celtic (PC) *oappears asoin all British-Celtic languages (SchRijveR 1995: 26), except for certain nasal contexts and before *RC‒ neither of which is applicable here ‒, where it is raised touin Welsh (SchRijveR 1995: 27‒44, 52–68); PC *u, on the other hand, is retain edasu in Welsh, but yields oin Cornish and Breton (SchRijveR 1995: 26‒7),precisely the distribution found in this etymon. Theoof OIr.loburis due to the regular lowering of PC *u>o before a non-high back vowel (McCone 1996: 110). The voiced labial fricative evidenced in the individual languages can continue Proto-Celtic *bor *φ. The former is the reflex of Indo-European *bh, *gu̯and the marginal sound *b(McCone 1996: 42‒3; Stifter 2017: 1189‒90), whereas the latter continues word-internal Indo-Euro pean *p before a liquid (McCone1996: 44; Stifter 2017: 1190