NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
Not a member yet
18159 research outputs found
Sort by
Broadcasting the Movement and Branding Political Microcelebrities: Finnish Anti-Immigration Video Practices on YouTube
No full textThis paper examines how the video-sharing platform YouTube was utilized by networks of anti-immigration activists that began emerging in Finland during the so-called refugee crisis in 2015. By combining network analysis with qualitative analysis, we identified three central strategies of video activism: movement building through documentation, discursive controversy generation, and personal branding practices. These strategies are firmly supported by the affordances of YouTube and by the way in which the platform enables the building of varying scales of media presence. Consequently, our findings highlight the increasingly common practice of microcelebrity branding in online political communication. This notion demonstrates the affinities between fragmented and contingently mobilized anti-immigration movements and the personalizing and performance-oriented logics of social media presence, in particular when explored from a post-movement perspective. In the algorithmic environment of YouTube, microcelebrity is a political and a platform-specific genre that occupies the post-movement political space by generating sustainable algorithmic visibility
The Impact of Adherence to the Traditional Mediterranean Diet and Sex Differences on Global Cognitive Functioning: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
No full textContradictory findings in reviews that assess the relationship between the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) and cognitive functioning have been attributed to heterogeneity in the criteria used to assess MedDiet and cognition, and differences in the location or cultural habits of the populations studied. Few reviews have examined the relationship between dietary adherence and cognition or considered the impact of sex differences. This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the relationship between adherence to the MedDiet and cognitive functioning of healthy older adults (50+). We included isolated data from Mediterranean regions and considered differential outcomes based on sex. A search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science from 2011 to 2018 identified five longitudinal cohort studies (n = 3368) and one randomized controlled trial (RCT; n = 239 intervention; n = 95 controls). The primary outcome of interest was global cognitive functioning. Meta-analysis of cohort studies revealed a significant association between MedDiet adherence and cognitive functioning (n = 3368, r = 0.09, p = 0.012), an effect greater than previously reported. Meta-regression demonstrated that the effect size was stronger with improved quality of study reporting (p = 0.01). Sex did not impact cognitive outcomes, but sex differences in levels of adherence were reported in individual studies. There might be a stronger association between MedDiet and cognitive functioning for older adults from Mediterranean countries compared to other geographical locations, perhaps due to higher adherence and/or longer exposure over the life course. Results are compared to those of prior meta-analyses, and the impact of sources of heterogeneity is considered. The potential influence of sex and gender, as biological and social constructs, on dietary adherence is discussed
Incorporating temporal and spatial variability of salt-marsh foraminifera into sea-level reconstructions
No full textForaminifera from salt-marsh environments have been used extensively in quantitative relative sea-level reconstructions due to their strong relationship with tidal level. However, the influence of temporal and spatial
variability of salt-marsh foraminifera on quantitative reconstructions remains unconstrained. Here, we conducted a monitoring study of foraminifera from four intertidal monitoring stations in New Jersey from high
marsh environments over three years that included several extreme weather (temperature, precipitation, and
storm surge) events. We sampled four replicates from each station seasonally (four times per year) for a total of
188 samples. The dead foraminiferal assemblages were separated into four site-specific assemblages. After accounting for systematic trends in changes in foraminifera over time among stations, the distribution of foraminiferal assemblages across monitoring stations explained ~87% of the remaining variation, while ~13% can
be explained by temporal and/or spatial variability among the replicate samples. We applied a Bayesian transfer
function to estimate the elevation of the four monitoring stations. All samples from each station predicted an
elevation estimate within a 95% uncertainty interval consistent with the observed elevation of that station.
Combining samples into replicate- and seasonal-aggregate datasets decreased elevation estimate uncertainty,
with the greatest decrease in aggregate datasets from Fall and Winter. Information about the temporal and
spatial variability of modern foraminiferal distributions was formally incorporated into the Bayesian transfer
function through informative foraminifera variability priors and was applied to a Common Era relative sea-level
record in New Jersey. The average difference in paleomarsh elevation estimates and uncertainties using an
informative vs uninformative prior was minimal (< 0.01 m and 0.01 m, respectively). The dead foraminiferal
assemblages remained consistent on temporal and small spatial scales, even during extreme weather events.
Therefore, even when accounting for variability of modern foraminifera, foraminiferal-based relative sea-level
reconstructions from high marsh environments remain robust and reproducible
A large-scale validation of NOCIt’s a posteriori probability of the number of contributors and its integration into forensic interpretation pipelines
No full textForensic DNA signal is notoriously challenging to interpret and requires the implementation of computational tools that support its interpretation. While data from high-copy, low-contributor samples result in electropherogram signal that is readily interpreted by probabilistic methods, electropherogram signal from forensic stains is often garnered from low-copy, high-contributor-number samples and is frequently obfuscated by allele sharing, allele drop-out, stutter and noise. Since forensic DNA profiles are too complicated to quantitatively assess by manual methods, continuous, probabilistic frameworks that draw inferences on the Number of Contributors (NOC) and compute the Likelihood Ratio (LR) given the prosecution’s and defense’s hypotheses have been developed.
In the current paper, we validate a new version of the NOCIt inference platform that determines an A Posteriori Probability (APP) distribution of the number of contributors given an electropherogram. NOCIt is a continuous inference system that incorporates models of peak height (including degradation and differential degradation), forward and reverse stutter, noise and allelic drop-out while taking into account allele frequencies in a reference population. We established the algorithm’s performance by conducting tests on samples that were representative of types often encountered in practice. In total, we tested NOCIt’s performance on 815 degraded, UV-damaged, inhibited, differentially degraded, or uncompromised DNA mixture samples containing up to 5 contributors. We found that the model makes accurate, repeatable and reliable inferences about the NOCs and significantly outperformed methods that rely on signal filtering.
By leveraging recent theoretical results of Slooten and Caliebe (FSI:G, 2018) that, under suitable assumptions, establish the NOC can be treated as a nuisance variable, we demonstrated that when NOCIt’s APP is used in conjunction with a downstream likelihood ratio (LR) inference system that employs the same probabilistic model, a full evaluation across multiple contributor numbers is rendered. This work, therefore, illustrates the power of modern probabilistic systems to report holistic and interpretable weights-of-evidence to the trier-of-fact without assigning a specified number of contributors or filtering signal
Evidence and its consequences in educational research
No full textWe begin by arguing that the continuing dominance of ‘evidence-based’ thinking in educational policymaking does serious harm to the notion of evidence itself; also that it brings a loss of coherence to education as a practice that might wish to be regarded as a coherent and research-informed one. The second section of the article suggests that the invidious consequences of ‘evidence-based’
thinking are likely to continue unless energetically challenged by a vibrant and robust understanding
of education as a practice in its own right. In elucidating such an understanding, we investigate closely the notions of practice and practitioner, and their intrinsic connections, drawing on landmark researches on practice by authors like Alasdair MacIntyre and Joseph Dunne. Building on the
understanding of education as a practice in its own right, the third section argues that the Dewey-inspired notion of justified warrant, rather than proof or replicability, is more appropriate to research claims made in education. Here we focus in particular on action research, which has experienced recurring difficulties in having its research credentials recognise
Identification of SkpA-CulA-F-box E3 ligase complexes in pathogenic Aspergilli
No full textThe ubiquitin proteasome system is critical for the regulation of protein turnover, which is implicated in the modulation of a wide array of biological processes in eukaryotes, ranging from cell senescence to virulence in plant and human hosts. Proteins to be marked for ubiquitination and subsequent degradation are bound by F-box proteins, which are interchangeable substrate-recognising receptors. These F-box proteins bind a wide range of substrates and associate with the adaptor protein Skp1 and the scaffold Cul1 to form Skp1-Cul1-F-box (SCF) complexes. SCF complex components are highly conserved in eukaryotes, ranging from yeast to humans. However, information regarding the composition of these complexes and the biological roles of F-box proteins is limited, specifically in filamentous fungal species like the genus Aspergillus. In this study, we have identified 51 and 55 fbx-encoding genes in the genomes of two pathogenic fungi, A. fumigatus and A. flavus, respectively. Immunoprecipitations of the HA-tagged SkpA adaptor protein revealed that 26 F-box proteins in A. fumigatus and 30 F-box proteins in A. flavus are involved in SCF complex formation during vegetative growth. These interactome data also revealed that a diverse array of SCF complex conformations exist in response to various exogenous stressors. Lastly, we have provided evidence that the F-box protein Fbx45 interacts with SkpA in both species in response to Amphotericin B. Orthologs of the fbx45 gene are highly conserved in Aspergillus species, but are not present within the genomes of organisms such as yeast, plants or humans. This suggests that Fbx45 could potentially be a novel F-box protein that is unique to specific filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus species
Exposure of Agaricus bisporus to Trichoderma aggressivum f. europaeum leads to growth inhibition and induction of an oxidative stress response
No full textGreen mould disease of mushroom, Agaricus bisporus,is caused by Trichodermaspecies and can result in substantial crop losses.Label free proteomic analysis of changes in the abundance of A. bisporusproteins following exposure to T. aggressivumsupernatantin vitroindicated increased abundance of proteins associated with an oxidative stress response (zinc ion binding (+6.6 fold); peroxidase activity (5.3-fold); carboxylic ester hydrolase (+2.4 fold); dipeptidase (+3.2 fold); [2Fe-2S] cluster assembly (+3.3 fold)). Proteins that decreased in relative abundance were associated with growth: structural constituent of ribosome, translation (-12 fold), deadenylation-dependent decapping of nuclear-transcribed mRNA (-3.4 fold), and small GTPase mediated signal transduction (-2.6 fold). In vivoanalysis revealed that 10-4 T. aggressivuminoculum decreased the mushroom yield by 29% to 56% and 10-3 T. aggressivuminoculum decreased the mushroom yield by 68% to 100%. Proteins that increased in abundance in A. bisporusin vivofollowing exposure to T. aggressivumindicated an oxidative stress response and included proteins with pyruvate kinase activity (+2.6 fold) and hydrolase activity (+2.1 fold)). The results indicate that exposure of A. bisporusmycelium to T. aggressivum in vitroand in vivoresulted in an oxidative stress response and reduction in growth
Synthesis, Structure, and DFT Analysis of the THF Solvate of 2‐Picolyllithium: A 2‐Picolyllithium Solvate with Significant Carbanionic Character
No full textPrevious studies of different solvates of 2-methylpyridyllithium (2-picolyllithium) have uncovered electronic structures corresponding to aza-allyl and enamido resonance forms of the metallated pyridine-based compounds. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of [2-CH2Li(THF)2C5H4N], a new THF solvate. X-ray crystallographic studies reveal a dimeric arrangement featuring a non-planar eight-membered [NCCLi]2 ring, in which the primary cation-anion interaction is between the central Li atom and the C atom of the deprotonated methyl group [length, 2.285(2) Å], suggesting a new carbanionic resonance structure for this 2-picolyllithium series. The significant carbanionic character of [2-CH2Li(THF)2C5H4N] was confirmed by gas-phase DFT calculations [B3LYP/6-311+G(d)] with the calculated electron density interrogated by means of quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. For comparison these computational analyses were also performed on the literature structures of [2-CH2Li(2-Picoline)C5H4N] and [2-CH2Li(PMDETA)C5H4N]. In a reactivity study, [2-CH2Li(THF)2C5H4N] was found to undergo nucleophilic addition to pyridine to generate dipyridylmethane in a good yield
Governing Through Human Rights in Counter-terrorism: Proofing, Problematization and Securitization
No full textHuman rights are commonly regarded as the antidote to criminalization and securitization. Yet, since 9/11, at both the national and international levels, human rights law has largely accommodated the security-oriented changes deemed necessary to combat terrorism, including the use of torture and the erection of a “shadow” system of justice through the use of coercive non-trial-based measures (Gearty 2017; Hamilton 2018). In this article, we examine taken-for-granted features of modern legal adjudication and “human rights proofing” (forms of human rights protection) that dilute the restraining power of human rights law and extend security measures. Informed by a “governmental criminological” analysis of human rights in the security field, we present two case studies to illustrate these arguments. The first considers “human rights proofing” mechanisms in the United Nations counter-terrorism assemblage which, we argue, have been rendered “technical” (Sokhi-Bulley 2016) through the complexity of the structures deployed to protect rights and the forms of knowledge privileged by experts. The second case study draws on use of control orders—Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs) in the United Kingdom—and examines two governmental “techniques,” namely, the judicial “balancing test” and the European Convention on Human Rights “memos” put to parliamentary committees scrutinizing counter-terrorist legislation. At both national and international levels, how human rights are being institutionalized has affected the operation of power: we are being governed through rights (Golder 2011) in ways consistent with conditions of authoritarian liberalism (Dean 2007)
Mathematics support centres’ online presence: provision in Ireland and the UK in 2018
No full textMathematics Support Centres are available in the majority of Higher Education Institutions in Ireland and the UK. Whilst the online presence of these centres appears to be increasing, there is little research to date which considers its breadth or effectiveness. In this paper we consider the results of a survey on the online presence of support centres in Ireland and the UK. We discuss the opportunities that arise from such a presence, the challenges that exist and what the results of the survey mean for individual practitioners and the wider mathematics support community