Burdens and Opportunities of Tradition in Artistic Communities: Listening to Narratives of the Arts in Siamsa Tíre’s Sounds Like Folk Podcast Series

Like 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

Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Medical Device Standards: A Multidisciplinary Literature Review

Concern has been noted at the lack of international standards available for Artificial Intelligence-enabled Medical Device (AIeMD) development, evaluation, and monitoring. This multidisciplinary literature review provides an overview of the current standards in development in support of the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. The EU AI Act requires that high-risk AI is regulated, though notably with an absence of regulatory guidance within healthcare to date. The medical device industry has already released hundreds of AIeMDs on the global market. This research is therefore necessary to provide the much-needed awareness of current and forthcoming standards. This research demonstrates that technical guidance is available to industry and requires consideration where it represents the current State of the Art (SoTA)

Unravelling the molecular mechanism of inactivation of BK channels by the novel regulatory subunit - LINGO1

BK 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

An Agile-Based Framework for Addressing Defects in Medical Device Software Development

Defects in Medical Device Software (MDS) have the potential to cause harm to both patients AQ1 and caregivers. Research has revealed that defect prevention is often neglected or inadequately implemented in many software development projects. In MDS development, the focus is on defect identification in later stages, typically during coding and testing stages. A recent survey revealed that although MDS development organisations plan to be proactive in defect management by preventing them in early development stages, in practice, they emphasise defect identification in later stages. This approach potentially leads to costly rework and increased risk of defects slipping into the final software release. When using the V-Model, a commonly adopted methodology for safety-critical software development, defect prevention occurs in the early stages on the left side, while defect identification occurs in the later stages on the right side. Studies have revealed that many defects that occur in software can be traced back to the early stages of the development lifecycle. Agile practices provide the potential to prevent defects in the early development stages and identify those that may slip into the later stages. This paper presents an Agile-based Defect Addressing Framework (AbDAF) that is designed to assist MDS development organisations to address defects during the development lifecycle. This framework uses agile practices to address defects by preventing them early on and identifying those that may arise in later stages of development

Ensemble modeling of lake evaporation under climate change

Approximately 87% of the freshwater on Earth resides in lakes, making them a critical resource for freshwater. Due to the open-water nature of lakes, evaporation is typically the main water loss in most lakes. Therefore, understanding lake evaporation responses to climate change is of paramount importance for the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies. In spite of the complexity of evaporation as a physical process, many studies simulate and quantify lake evaporation using single mechanistic models. The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate lake evaporation responses to climate change using an ensemble of lake-climate models (i.e., different lake models driven by various climate models) under historic and future climate change scenarios. The dissertation consists of the analyses of local (i.e., lake-specific), regional (i.e., continental), and global lake evaporation simulations over the 20th and 21st centuries (1901-2099) under historic and future scenarios of climate change from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) round 2b. Firstly, an evaluation of the differences in lake evaporation estimates among the model ensemble during the historic period was undertaken for a single lake with high socio-economic and political relevance. Furthermore, future lake evaporation projections for this lake are provided by the end of the 21st century. Secondly, the analysis was upscaled to 23 lakes located in Europe, where the association between lake morphometry and evaporation was investigated. Furthermore, historic and future changes in evaporation are reported for these European lakes, along with their implications for water availability. Thirdly, global lake evaporation simulations for 13K ‘representative lakes’ are assessed for historic and future scenarios of climate change. Spatial patterns among the lake-climate model ensemble are evaluated for distinct lake thermal regions. In addition, the associated uncertainties in future evaporation projections and the changes by the end of the century are calculated. Overall, this dissertation highlights the importance of using a multi-model approach for the prediction of lake evaporation responses to global warming and the need to inform the uncertainties associated with evaporation estimation

Encountering Irish traditional music through virtual space: the experience of FleadhFest 2021

Purpose: The main research questions critically examine online videos that draw attention to a local community of musical practice, noticing how these can potentially be included within tourism promotion strategies. This paper develops a case study of four videos realised by the Louth County Board of the organisation Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) in Co. Louth, Ireland, as part of the FleadhFest 2021 initiative. It highlights the role virtual spaces have in enhancing a sense of belonging to a music/festival community, as well as the possibility visual and audio supports have in promoting and celebrating a destination and its cultural features. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis involves a netnographic examination of these videos (Janta, 2017), informed by the concept of “tourist gaze” (Urry, 1990; 2002) and influenced by film induced tourism studies (Beeton, 2005). Findings: Results show how festival and event organisers responded to COVID-19 social restrictions by creating a virtual space for celebrating music heritage and local musicscape, placing an emphasis on local musical scene. Originality: This is the first study to consider the virtual activities of CCÉ from an ethnomusicological, as well as tourism, perspective. Research Limitations/Implications: The research aims to inform future developments in how the organisation operates within and engages with virtual space, its members and a wider audience

Digital health bother and burden in older age: a creative play exploration

Precarity 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

A Risk Management Framework for Data Security and Privacy of Wireless Body Area Network based Healthcare Applications

Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) based applications are gaining popularity due to recent advances in sensor technology, integrated circuits, mobile apps and wireless communication. The literature review conducted as part of this research indicates that the most challenging issues related to developing a WBAN based healthcare application are energy efficiency, antenna design, assuring quality of service, and security and privacy. WBAN applications operate in environments where people may have open internet access, making the application vulnerable and open to larger attack surfaces. Attacks can affect the performance and availability of the service, sometimes leading to life-threatening situations or even death. Through the literature review and an interview with one WBAN development organisation, this research has identified that assuring security and privacy while collecting, transmitting, processing, and storing personal health record (PHR) data is a key challenge for developers. The reasons for this challenge include (i) developers have limited knowledge of marketspecific regulatory requirements and standards, and (ii) there are a vast number of controls with insufficient implementation detail. The literature review also found no complete solution exists for assuring data security and privacy while also meeting the regulatory requirements for WBAN based healthcare applications. To address these challenges for assuring security and privacy, this research has developed a data security and privacy risk management (WBANSecRM) framework that will assist the developer in assuring security and privacy of the data and put them on the path to regulatory compliance. The framework outlines the process to identify the list of assets, threats, and vulnerabilities specific to WBAN applications. The framework also consists of a comprehensive list of controls, along with implementation details to mitigate the threats and vulnerabilities. The framework has been validated by implementation in an organisation that develops WBAN applications and was further validated by expert review

Contributions to The Companion to Irish Traditional Music (ed. Fintan Vallely)

‘Ahern, Fr. Pat’ ‘Dundalk Institute of Technology’ ‘Gaughran, Brendan’ ‘Kearney, Daithí’ ‘Kerry’ ‘Loughlin, Kevin’ ‘McAulliffes’ ‘monuments’ ‘notation and style’ ‘O’Kane, Brian’ 'recording, stylistic significance ‘regional style; radio

Review: Folklore and Nation in Britain and Ireland, edited by Matthew Cheeseman and Carina Hart’

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