558 research outputs found
Sort by
Digital health bother and burden in older age: a creative play exploration
Full text linkPrecarity in older age, living with uncertainty, insecurity, or vulnerability, is characterised by anxiety about the anticipated impact of transformative changes such as the digitalization of society. Narratives about the resilience of older persons imply the transfer of responsibility for health and wellbeing to individuals and families is warranted. However, concerns about the bother of accessing supports can impede use of health and wellbeing resources including digital health tools. The terms ‘bother’ and ‘burden’, although different, are often conflated or used conjointly. This research sought to explore differences in the conceptualisation of these terms, to inform digital health implementation.
Language philosophers posit that the meaning of a word only truly exists in the social context within which it is used. To elicit the latent real-world meaning of the terms bother and burden, Lego Serious Play® (LSP) workshops, conducted in Ireland and Belgium, explored each term separately. A group-based methodology, LSP enables constructive reflection and facilitates the expression of complex concepts in a creative way, using Lego® bricks as metaphors. Participants over 70 years of age (n=15 in Belgium; n=8 in Ireland) were guided through a sequence of Lego® building and descriptive activities. Final models, described in participants own words, were video recorded. A thematic analysis of recordings followed transcription and translation of content from Dutch to English.
Findings suggest that unmet expectations about what technology ‘should’ be able to do, and the unpredictability of the technology-use journey, are elements of bother and burden respectively. Furthermore, while inadequate digital proficiency is experienced as a bother, the anticipation of exclusion, as society and healthcare becomes more digitalised, is experienced as burden. Reduced face-to-face interpersonal engagement further exacerbates these experiences. Additional research is needed about the relationship between bother, burden, and precarity of older age within digitalised health and care delivery systems
Unravelling the molecular mechanism of inactivation of BK channels by the novel regulatory subunit - LINGO1
No full textBK channels are present in excitable and non-excitable cells found throughout the body (Di Resta and Becchetti, 2010; Latorre et al., 2017; Tao et al., 2017) and are responsible for controlling diverse functions including action potential repolarisation, neurotransmission and airway hydration (Jin et al., 2000; Bengtson et al., 2021). Functional channels are formed from four identical α-subunits and each subunit is comprised of three functional domains called the voltage sensing, Ca2+ sensing and pore gate domains (Zhang et al., 2022). The biophysical and pharmacological properties of these channels are affected by splice variants and the presence of β, and LINGO auxiliary subunits (Meera et al., 1996; Latorre et al., 2017; Dudem et al., 2020). These regulatory LINGO subunits are also comprised of three distinct domains which are the extracellular (ED), transmembrane (TMD) and tail domain (TD) (Dudem et al., 2020;2023). The co-expression of LINGO1 or LINGO2 proteins with BK channels resulted in inactivating currents and a negative shift in the half maximal voltage of activation (V1/2) in 100 nM Ca2+ by 50 mV and 30 mV, respectively (Dudem et al., 2020; 2023). Interestingly, LINGO1 also reduced the plasmalemmal expression of BK channels by more than 90% (Dudem et al., 2020) but LINGO2 did not (Dudem et al., 2023).
The differences between LINGO1 and LINGO2 were exploited via using a set of six chimeras to identify the domains responsible for altering BK channels properties. Molecular docking models and site-directed mutagenesis were employed to identify the residues important for the inactivation and determine their contribution to the inactivation process. The inside-out configuration of the patch clamp technique was used on HEK cells co-expressing BK channels with either LINGO1, LINGO2 or their chimeras and GFP at 37°C to study the impact of the chimeras and mutations on BK channels behaviour.
The aims of this study were to ascertain if the reduction in BK channel plasmalemmal expression and the negative shift in the activation V1/2 were linked with a specific domain of LINGO1. Investigate the impact of a putative electrostatic interaction between 329RKK331 in the S6/RCK1 linker in BK and E594 and E596 in the
9
juxta-membrane region of LINGO1 TD on the inactivation. Moreover, assess the contribution of the last eight residues in the TD to the inactivation process.
The findings of the first chapter linked the ED of LINGO1 with the reduction in the plasmalemmal expression of BK channels while associated the TD of LINGO1-2 with setting the activation V1/2 of BK in 1 μM Ca2+. This chapter identified chimera 211 (211) as a useful tool to study the effects of LINGO1 on BK channels, showing similar biophysical properties to LINGO1 without reducing BK channel plasmalemmal expression.
The subsequent chapter showed that removal of the positive charge of 329RKK331 residues in the S6/RCK1 linker resulted in a large negative shift in the activation V1/2 of BK channels in the absence and presence of wild type (WT) or mutated 211. In addition, this chapter linked E594 and E596 in the juxta-membrane region of 211 with the negative shift in the activation V1/2 induced by LINGO1 in 100 nM Ca2+. The results of this chapter also demonstrated that neutralising 329RKK331 residues in the BK S6/RCK1 linker and E594:E596, in the juxta-membrane region of LINGO failed to abolish the stability of inactivation.
The final chapter indicated that the absence of all positively charged residues in the distal C-terminus of LINGO1 (R613:K614:K618) practically abolished inactivation. This chapter also attributed the reduction in the rate, stability and the steady-state voltage-dependency of the inactivation process to K618A mutant. The alanine scan targeting the hydrophobic residues in the distal eight residues of 211 TD revealed the modest contributions of hydrophobic interactions shown only at negative potentials in higher Ca2+ concentrations.
These findings help in clarifying the mechanism by which LINGO1 activates BK channels at more negative potentials and inhibits K+ permeation. Therefore, these insights also can enhance our understanding of diseases linked to BK channel dysfunction and impairment in the regulation of BK channels
A Critical Examination of Otherness in Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy
Full text linkOld stories are repeatedly retold and reworked. They are used to explore social issues, represent political movements, and reconnect us with the past. This thesis critically examines how Irish mythology and folklore have been reworked by Irish filmmakers to tell new stories, focusing on Cartoon Saloon’s folklore trilogy. The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020) demonstrate how old myths can be effectively brought into the present to address modern issues. This process has multiple effects, enriching an audiences’ understanding of Irish identity and allowing filmmakers to explore Ireland’s past and present in new ways. The animated films by Cartoon Saloon are contextualised in relation to the development of the Irish animation industry and compared with other examples of Irish and international cinema to gain a sense of how the trilogy fits into the history and development of Irish film, as well as changing representations of Irishness. Divided into two parts, this interdisciplinary dissertation provides a theoretical underpinning that incorporates literature from beyond film studies, drawing from the perspectives offered by different disciplines, and a historical overview of Irish animation. The second part focuses on Cartoon Saloon, demonstrating the applicability of archetypal theory to the trilogy, and focusing on themes of nature, solitude, women characters, and queer identities. The dissertation demonstrates how the studios reworking of myth to explore otherness differentiates Cartoon Saloon’s films from the conservative and traditionalist Irish films of the past, firmly establishing the trilogy as an example of modern, post-nationalist Irish cinema
Let’s put up a stage: Experiencing Speyfest, a Celtic Music Festival in Scotland
Full text linkIn July 2022, the music festival Speyfest celebrated its 25th event, returning after two years without a festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only weeks after the death of festival founder, Sir James Alexander MBE (1955–2022). Utilising ethnographic fieldwork and incorporating interdisciplinary approaches from ethnomusicology, geography and tourism studies, this chapter critically examines the festival from the perspective of researchers who were performers and workshop facilitators at the festival. Recognising Alexander’s initial desire to develop an event whereby local musicians experience and perform with professional artists, we reflect on the expression of culture, authenticity, and meaning with particular consideration for the conceptualisation of ‘Celtic’ music as a musical and commercial term. We critique how the event has changed the ecosystem of traditional music around Fochabers, particularly in terms of the resilience of local music community. Central to the study is a consideration of the Fochabers Fiddlers, an ensemble founded by Alexander in 1980 that, for the festival, not only include locally based members but also members who have left the area but return to perform with the group at the festival. This chapter demonstrates how community festivals and events impact on both place-making and the development of a community of musical practice
Burdens and Opportunities of Tradition in Artistic Communities: Listening to Narratives of the Arts in Siamsa Tíre’s Sounds Like Folk Podcast Series
Full text linkLike many venues and arts companies across the world, the Siamsa Tíre Th atre and Arts Centre in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland experienced signifi cant disruption to programming and other activities due to COVID-19 between 2019 and 2022. One of Siamsa Tíre’s responses was the development of a
podcast series, Sounds like folk. In this paper, I critically reflect on the representation and evocation of two communities of artistic practice internal and external to Siamsa Tíre. I highlight recurring themes that include the value of collaboration in arts practice, the sense of duality between tradition and innovation, and references to the Irish language and its role in current artistic endeavour. The podcasts reflect efforts to engage respectively and creatively with folk culture and intangible cultural heritage, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities presented by the material and the pandemic
Review: Folklore and Nation in Britain and Ireland, edited by Matthew Cheeseman and Carina Hart’
Full text linkRevie
Happy to Zoom: a New Frontier in Online Delivery of Day-care for Older People During COVID-19
Full text linkFrom early in the COVID-19 pandemic, community day-care centres sought to find ways to deliver services remotely using digital tools, but older people are often presumed resistant to using digital technologies. This study sought to examine the delivery of community day-care services at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the willingness of older service users to participate in day-care activities remotely while in-person services were unavailable. Community day-care services are essential to ensuring social participation and overall wellbeing for many older people who remain living at home. On March 16th, 2020, like many other services, community day-care in Ireland was paused to reduce Coronavirus transmission among this at-risk cohort. This paper presents quantitative findings from a survey, conducted in September 2020 by a community day-care service in a large town in Ireland, examining pre-COVID-19 service engagement and willingness of day-care members (n=81) to participate in online delivery of social activities. Descriptive analysis of responses, using SPSS software, shows older people were willing to use digital interventions to engage with day-care activities, where access to devices was assured and if support was provided to help them overcome technology-related challenges. Differences between groups of day-care service users were identified. Findings from this research suggest opportunities exist to increase engagement with day-care services through remotely delivered activities both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
A Summer Without Siamsa – Are We Forgetting About Local Arts Communities?
Full text linkThe board and management of Siamsa Tíre in Tralee have suspended ‘all non-profit-making productions' for the summer season, but what does that mean for the original vision of the theatre and in particular the local arts community, asks Daithí Kearney
Review: Lea Hagmann (2022), Celtic Music and Dance in Cornwall: Cornu-Copia (London: Routledge), 238 pp., £130, ISBN: 978-0-367-69141-7
Full text linkReview of Lea Hagmann (2022), Celtic Music and Dance in Cornwall: Cornu-Copia (London: Routledge)
Book Review: Handbook of Niche Tourism by: Marina Novelli, Joseph M. Cheer, Claudia Dolezal, Adam Jones and Claudio Milano (Editors)
No full textTourists travel for a huge variety of reasons, some of which are highly specialized and involve relatively small numbers, but their activities, understood as niche tourism, contribute to economic, social and cultural sustainability in many parts of the world. Niche tourism is often viewed as a panacea or virtuous counterpoint to mass tourism, sometimes neglecting the diversity and complexity of tourism activities that might be considered under this heading. People have a desire to do something different and achieve memorable experiences but these activities must be considered in the context of sustainable development and may also consider potential increases in domestic tourism in the aftermath of COVID-19