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Investigating and mitigating privacy risks of eye tracking on handheld mobile devices
No full textAbstract not currently available
The application of ATR-IR for the in-situ investigation of heterogeneous liquid-phase hydrogenation reactions
Get PDFThe ability to successfully probe reactions in situ is an invaluable tool to uncover the identity of the species present during reaction. Heterogeneous catalysis allows reactions to be performed in an efficient manner, with metal-based catalysts facilitating an extensive number of industrial reactions with some 95% of all chemicals in industry utilising catalysis in their process and of which 80% are heterogeneously catalysed.
Obtaining useful information regarding reactions as and when they happen can pose challenges to researchers, with spectroscopic means leading the way for in-situ investigations. Infrared spectroscopy has been used as an analytical tool for many decades and provides invaluable information concerning chemical identification, namely through functional group elucidation owing to the characteristic vibrational character of chemical bonds. Traditional methods of infrared sampling experience pitfalls when it comes to probing heterogeneous reactions, particularly three-phase reactions where there is significant perturbation from the reaction solvent. Therefore, methods such as attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) are applied to circumvent these issues and allow researchers to obtain information about both surface and solution phase species.
The application of ATR-IR is explored herein with the aim of showcasing the technique’s success in providing in-situ insight into hydrogenation reactions. Specifically, three distinct hydrogenation reactions are examined: (1) benzaldehyde; showcasing adsorbed and solution phase reactant partitioning (2) nitrobenzene; highlighting the importance of understanding how to achieve appreciable turnover within confined ATR reactors and (3) furfural; uncovering catalyst active sites in-situ. Each hydrogenation reaction uncovered considerations to be made regarding the use of ATR-IR for in-situ analyses and provided evidence for the advantageous application of ATR-IR in the field of heterogeneous catalysis
Laboratory approaches for expanding the understanding of an emerging strain of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in the Arctic
Get PDFRecent investigations into mass mortality events in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago have discovered that one singular ‘Arctic clone’ (Ac) of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae has been causing a large number of muskox dieoffs. There is limited understanding of how this strain of the bacterium is maintained and transmitted, or why it is causing such high mortality in this wildlife population. Evidence suggests that this strain could be more virulent than other strains of E. rhusiopathiae. The aim of this project was to contribute to the further understanding of the Ac in the Canadian Arctic. Advances in animal welfare have redefined the ethics behind the use of mammalian models for scientific research. An emerging invertebrate disease model, using Galleria mellonella larvae as a host, has gained increasing recognition. The immune system of the larvae is similar to the mammalian innate immune system. Several successful examples using this model in studies of bacterial virulence suggest that this could be a useful tool to test the virulence of the Ac compared to nonArctic clones (Nac) of E. rhusiopathiae. Since there were no prior investigations conducted on E. rhusiopathiae using this model, my first data chapter serves as an initial evaluation of its use. The experiments included the measurement of the growth kinetics and the inoculation of G. mellonella larvae in biological triplicate. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to illustrate the larvae
mortality over the course of the experiment. Up to 2.08 × 106 colony forming units of either Ac or Nac were injected into each larva but did not cause significant mortality during the 9-day observation period. The only experimental group that showed a significant difference was the undiluted Nac group (p-value of 0.049). The limited mortality observed across the majority of the test groups, and limited statistically significant differences in mortality in the treatment versus control groups (as shown using a Cox proportional hazards model) suggests that the G. mellonella is not a suitable model for studying the virulence of E. rhusiopathiae or the Ac. My results suggest that future studies to assess virulence of E. rhusiopathiae would best utilise other in vivo models.
The outbreak investigation of E. rhusiopathiae in muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has raised the need for a rapid and sensitive detection assay, particularly for identifying strains belonging to the Ac. I evaluated the design and implementation of a triplex qPCR for simultaneous identification of three strains of interest. Signal leakage and limit of detection testing was conducted. An investigation was conducted to determine the cause of apparent false amplification of the Ac target in four outlier isolates. These ‘imposter’ isolates had cycle threshold (Ct) higher than other Ac isolates on the yellow channel; this observation was used to establish a trend between amplification of the E. rhusiopathiae and Ac targets to help spot future false positives or co-infections. Digital PCR established that true Ac isolates had around 500-600 copies/µL of the Ac target while the imposters had around 0.3 copies/µL and sequencing results from whole genome sequencing of the ‘imposter’ isolates were used to confirm the findings (i.e., that these isolates lacked the Ac-specific sequence) and
concluded that the imposters were likely showing late amplification due to earlier contamination of the DNA extracts. The triplex qPCR I developed was further used for strain identification in DNA extracted directly from 367 samples collected from animal carcasses and carcass sites on Ellesmere Island and Axel Heiberg, where recent muskox die-offs occurred. Nearly 90% (n=329) of the samples tested were positive for Ac. Further optimisation is necessary for validation of the assay in different sample types and target concentrations, especially for samples with lower concentrations of the pathogen’s DNA.
Overall, my Masters work has demonstrated that the G. mellonella larvae model is not suitable for E. rhusiopathiae infections at the studied conditions, helping redirect future virulence studies of the Ac towards other models. The development of the new triplex qPCR assay has provided a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective alternative to identify Erysipelothrix species and distinguish between Ac and non-Ac strains in infections in the Canadian Arctic
Structure-activity relationships in heterogeneous catalysis: a correlation between adsorbate geometry and nitrobenzene hydrogenation with Pd/Al2O3 catalysts
No full textAbstract not currently available
Development of a low-cost, field deployable miniature fermentation assay of colonic microbiota function for use in low- and middle-income countries
No full textAbstract not currently available
The outlooks of international students when immersed in an Irish higher education setting
Get PDFIreland’s history of education for understanding internationalisation in education is important. The country once used English as a second language but was provoked by famine and opportunity to gradually shift to be an English speaking country. The impacts of this language on Ireland have been profound, and discussion in this analysis establishes how the nation viewed education as a means of opportunity. In the 20th Century, Ireland developed rapidly following membership of the OECD and the EU. Notably, as Ireland modernised it responded to international commonalities, while higher education and participation in the EHEA made Ireland transition to be a more competitive producer of education.
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) impacted Ireland in unprecedented ways. Ireland had been preparing to engage in greater internationalisation in higher education, until economic catastrophe expediated this process. A series of policy changes were implemented in this era signalling widespread reform to meet the requirements of the Bologna Process and economic restrictions. In 2010 and 2016, Irish strategies for internationalisation were revealed. These strategies are critiqued, and a thorough understanding of their outcomes and expectations is considered. Linguistic imperialism is applied to comprehend and establish aspects such as Irish government’s interpretation of global citizenship, which influences the strategies.
An interpretivist paradigm guides data collection of semi-structured interviews which analyse the experiences students from China. The significance of the data collected for this study comes from providing Chinese students in Ireland an opportunity to share their experiences and to have a voice in discussions on internationalisation. Five themes emerged from the data: experiences; being a Chinese student in Ireland; role of the university; social networks; career benefits. The penultimate discussion and analysis show the presence of student agency in almost every action carried out. Agency was analysed and discussed in relation to students attempts to become more independent, their need for transferable experiences, and establishing a sense of belonging. Currents mechanisms for assessing students’ progress and supporting life and learning in Ireland appear inadequate and in need of revision
The world of the pose: constructing a dramaturgy of the pose
Get PDFThis is an interdisciplinary practice led study (actor training/theatre/visual arts). The study asks, what does the treatment of the pose as a dramaturgical tool offer the contemporary practitioner? It examines the impact of a pose dramaturgy on a dramatic text, characterisation and performance practice. In addition, it explores the pose as a tool to investigate performance practice and aims to engage its spectators in co-creation. This aspect is guided by the principles of Sanford Meisner’s actor training strategy: the Meisner technique. Furthermore, the Meisner technique is explored in an unconventional way, both as a theoretical tool to think through a devising process, and as a tool for the actor to engage with the self in the creative process and on the stage. The study offers a sensory approach to text exploration, characterisation and performance practice. The study privileges and foregrounds the actor’s embodied learning processes as an important (underrepresented and undervalued) knowledge producer in the theatrical discourse. The study’s aim is to create a practice mode in which actors/practitioners may extract their own unique creative practice explorations, and language.
Using desk-based, fieldwork and practice investigations, the study analyses and attempts to codify the pose in theatrical performance, which includes how performance structures support the pose moment and the pose template.
The codified structures derived from this study of the pose could be applied to other art forms. Due to the status of the pose as an image, the theatrical performance might not be the finite event, as the image (the pose) can be transferred and re-investigated through other art forms, such as visual arts, interactive events and film.
The study posits that, while modern technologies are available, there is still much to learn about actor and spectator engagement from the sensory world of the pose
Uncovering neural patterns of cognition by aligning oscillatory dynamics
Get PDFA primary aim of cognitive neuroscience is to explain how cognition is physically realized by the brain. Toward this end, neuroscientists study consistent activity patterns produced across ensembles of neurons. Importantly, such ensembles are subject to excitability fluctuations imposed by neural oscillations, which are used in a self-organized way to realize windows of effective communication, coding schemes, a switch between memory processes, interareal information exchange, and other functions. Given the intimate link between oscillations and neural processing, this thesis explores the power of studying activity patterns of cognition with reference to brain dynamics. Specifically, I submit that spectral information like phase and oscillatory cycles offer a brain-intrinsic coordinate system by which the readout of neurocognitive patterns can be assisted. From this vantage point, I explore two methodological advances: (1) brain time warping, which incorporates oscillatory dynamics post-hoc after brain data has been acquired, and (2) visual perturbation or “pings”, which artificially regularize oscillations as memory retrieval is ongoing. We demonstrate that brain time warping can reveal activity patterns otherwise left undetected, and we introduce a comprehensive toolbox to apply the algorithm and test its effects. On the other hand, we found no evidence that pings enhance the readout of memory representations from electroencephalography data. Together, these empirical and theoretical points underscore the need for a neurally inspired methodology in which scientists are cast as spectators with privileged access to external world variables
'They care about a lot of folk. They definitely do.': Taking an asset-based approach to promote inclusion and support adults with intellectual disabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic
Get PDFAsset-based approaches focus on strengths and capabilities as opposed to deficits. Social inclusion is central to asset-based work and what it seeks to achieve. However, social inclusion is often difficult for people with intellectual disabilities to fully realise. This may have particularly been the case during the Covid-19 pandemic. This body of work sought to explore the role an organisation taking an asset-based approach had in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, both before and during the pandemic. It also explored the impact the pandemic had on the organisation and its members and how they adapted to the pandemic. A focus was placed on how the organisation taking an asset-based approach facilitated social inclusion among members and the role this organisation played in members’ lives both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. A case study design was adopted to address these aims.
The study initially incorporated in-person interviews and observations and a photomapping exercise. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting government restrictions prevented data collection. A new study was designed to take these restrictions into account. A case study was carried out with an organisation taking an asset-based approach, dates-nmates, in Scotland. A single-case embedded design was adopted. Six members of the organisation were interviewed a total of 37 times either online or by telephone in the summer and early autumn of 2020. Each participant was interviewed up to seven times on a fortnightly basis for three months to capture change over time. They were asked about their experiences of the pandemic and their experiences of taking part in the organisation both before and during the pandemic. In addition to the interviews, social media data were collected from the Twitter account held by the organisation from March 2020 to June 2021.
It was found that participants faced a range of difficulties and barriers during the pandemic, but they also showed an ability to adapt. Their individual accounts illustrate some of the challenges people faced during this time and the strategies they employed to cope with this unprecedented situation. Dates-n-mates helped to support members during this time through the dissemination of information and by hosting a wide range of online activities, chats, events, and workshops. The restrictions that were in place during the pandemic meant that individuals were cut off from social connections and revealed the fragility of the support networks of many people with intellectual disabilities. However, dates-n-mates clearly helped to facilitate the broader social inclusion of members and fostered a sense of belonging within the group both before and during the pandemic, which highlights the importance of organisations like dates-n-mates, particularly during challenging life circumstances
Understanding experiences of miscarriages, stillbirths, and infertility during the late 1950s to 1974
No full textAbstract not currently available
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