Community Radio in Ireland: “Defeudalising” the Public Sphere?

The growth in interest and research in community radio worldwide over the last few decades is a welcome development. While, as noted by Jankowski (2003), a fi rst generation of research has been largely empirical in nature, describing and analysing the organisation and operation of stations in diff erent contexts, more recently a second generation of work has begun to emerge which aims at grounding empirical studies within broader theoretical frameworks, most notably those relating to democracy and the public sphere. The specifi c components of the public sphere remain somewhat underdeveloped in these studies however. This article aims to contribute to this literature through an examination of community radio in Ireland within a framework drawn from evolving work of Habermas and associated deliberative, social and media theorists. The article, drawing on a detailed study of four community stations in Ireland, identifi es elements of community radio which contribute towards a “defeudalisation” of the public sphere as well as highlighting challenges in this regard. Although situated within a specifi c context, with Irish community radio operating within a comparable regulatory environment to both that in Australia and the United Kingdom, the article draws lessons of specifi c interest to researchers and activists in these domains, as well as off ering a framework of use to community radio researchers interested in examining the sector’s contribution to the re-animation of the public sphere more globally

Voice of the people? Objectives versus outcomes for community radio in Ireland

Research has neglected to address the question of whether practitioners and the community groups served by community radio see it as a conduit of community empowerment and social change. This article explores this question through in-depth analysis of four community radio stations in Ireland. The central finding is that, while community stations subscribe to most of the ideals of community radio, practitioners do not generally see the stations as sites of social and political empowerment. Moreover, this outcome is not recognized as a benefit by the communities served by the stations. This is the case because of the policy framework, cultural traditions and training programmes central to community radio in Ireland, the weakness of linkages between stations and community groups and the failure of the latter to understand the unique remit of community radio

In vitro investigations of transforming growth factor-β2 induced airway wall remodelling

Airway wall remodelling contributes to decreased lung function in asthma. Key features of the remodelling process are thickening of the reticular basement membrane, differentiation of fibroblast-like cells with contractile properties termed myofibroblasts and sub-epithelial deposition of extracellular matrix. The pro-fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) is purported to drive remodelling responses. TGF-β2 may be upregulated in asthmatic epithelium, and is secreted by bronchial epithelial cells following injury. In this study significant increases in reticular basement membrane thickening and myofibroblast differentiation were identified by histology and immunohistochemistry of mild asthmatic and healthy human bronchial biopsy tissue, although no significant differences in TGF-β2 expression were identified. It was hypothesised that the proteolytic action of house dust mite (HDM) allergens would lead to increased activation of latent TGF-β2 secreted by bronchial epithelial cells. A transformed cell line, 16HBE14o-, did not show increased activation or expression following HDM extract challenge, however TGF-β2 activation and expression was increased following exposure of primary human bronchial epithelial cells to a HDM extract. Myofibroblast differentiation and matrix deposition by healthy and mild asthmatic- derived primary bronchial fibroblasts were assessed by α-smooth muscle actin expression and soluble collagen production, following challenge with exogenous TGF-β2. Results presented here show asthmatic bronchial fibroblasts are more sensitive to the myofibroblast priming effects of TGF-β2. Bronchial epithelial cell conditioned media challenge of healthy fibroblasts led to greater increases in matrix deposition and myofibroblast differentiation than was attributable to TGF-β2, with greatest increases seen following asthmatic epithelial cell conditioned media exposure. Responses were greater than suggested by the epithelial TGF-β2 levels, so it is suggested that additional soluble mediators play a part in airway wall remodelling responses. Further work is required to identify the soluble mediators secreted by bronchial epithelial cells that control the responses of the underlying fibroblasts.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Clinical and Epidemiologic Characterization of WU Polyomavirus Infection, St. Louis, Missouri

WU polyomavirus is a recently described polyomavirus found in patients with respiratory infections. Of 2,637 respiratory samples tested in St. Louis, Missouri, 2.7% were positive for WU polyomavirus by PCR, and 71% were coinfected with other respiratory viruses. Persistent human infection with WU polyomavirus is described

Secondary prevention and cognitive function after stroke: a study protocol for a 5-year follow-up of the ASPIRE-S cohort

Introduction Cognitive impairment is common following stroke and can increase disability and levels of dependency of patients, potentially leading to greater burden on carers and the healthcare system. Effective cardiovascular risk factor control through secondary preventive medications may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. However, adherence to medications is often poor and can be adversely affected by cognitive deficits. Suboptimal medication adherence negatively impacts secondary prevention targets, increasing the risk of recurrent stroke and further cognitive decline. The aim of this study is to profile cognitive function and secondary prevention, including adherence to secondary preventive medications and healthcare usage, 5 years post-stroke. The prospective associations between cognition, cardiovascular risk factors, adherence to secondary preventive medications, and rates of recurrent stroke or other cardiovascular events will also be explored. Methods and analysis This is a 5-year follow-up of a prospective study of the Action on Secondary Prevention Interventions and Rehabilitation in Stroke (ASPIRE-S) cohort of patients with stroke. This cohort will have a detailed assessment of cognitive function, adherence to secondary preventive medications and cardiovascular risk factor control. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Research Ethics Committees at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin and Connolly Hospital, Dublin, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Findings will be disseminated through presentations and peer-reviewed publications

Dopaminergic Progenitors Derived From Epiblast Stem Cells Function Similarly to Primary VM-Derived Progenitors When Transplanted Into a Parkinson’s Disease Model

Neural transplantation in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers to replace cells lost during the progression of the disease process. Primary fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM), the origin of bona fide midbrain dopaminergic (DAergic) precursors, is currently the gold standard source of cells for transplantation in PD. However, the use of tissue from this source raises ethical and logistical constraints necessitating the need for alternative supplies of donor cells. The requirement of any alternative donor cell source is to have the capability to generate authentic mature DAergic neurons, which could be utilized in cell-replacement strategies. Mouse pluripotent stem cells can efficiently generate electrochemically mature midbrain DAergic precursors in vitro using a stepwise control of FGF signaling. Here, we have compared DAergic transplants derived from two progenitor cell sources in an allograft system: mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSC) and primary fetal mouse VM tissue. Cells were transplanted into the striatum of 6-OHDA lesioned mice pre-treated with L-DOPA. Drug-induced rotations, a number of motor tests and drug-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) were assessed. Functional improvements were demonstrated post-transplantation in some behavioral tests, with no difference in graft volume or the number of TH immuno-positive cells in the grafts of the two transplant groups. L-DOPA-induced AIMs and amphetamine-induced AIMs were observed in both transplant groups, with no differences in rate or severity between the two groups. Collectively, in this mouse-to-mouse allograft system, we report no significant differences in the functional ability between the gold standard primary VM derived and pluripotent stem cell-derived DAergic transplants

Is general inpatient obstetrics and gynaecology evidence-based? A survey of practice with critical review of methodological issues

BACKGROUND: To examine the rates of evidence-supported care provided in an obstetrics-gynaecology unit. METHODS: The main diagnosis-intervention set was established for a sample of 325 consecutive inpatient admissions in 1998–99 in a prospective study in a UK tertiary care centre. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to obtain the evidence supporting the intervention categorised according to the following hierarchy: Grade A, care supported by evidence from randomised controlled trials; Grade B, care supported by evidence from controlled observational studies and convincing non-randomised evidence; and Grade C, care without substantial research evidence. RESULTS: Of the 325 admissions, in 135 (42%) the quality of care was based on Grade A evidence, in 157 (48%) it was based on Grade B evidence, and in 33 (10%) it was based on Grade C evidence. The patterns of care were not different amongst patients sampled in 1998 and 1999. CONCLUSION: A significant majority (90%) of obstetric and gynaecological care was found to be supported by substantial research evidence

Molecular identification of adenoviruses associated with respiratory infection in Egypt from 2003 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Human adenoviruses of species B, C, and E (HAdV-B, -C, -E) are frequent causative agents of acute respiratory infections worldwide. As part of a surveillance program aimed at identifying the etiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Egypt, we characterized 105 adenovirus isolates from clinical samples collected between 2003 and 2010. METHODS: Identification of the isolates as HAdV was accomplished by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and confirmed by a set of species and type specific polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RESULTS: Of the 105 isolates, 42% were identified as belonging to HAdV-B, 60% as HAdV-C, and 1% as HAdV-E. We identified a total of six co-infections by PCR, of which five were HAdV-B/HAdV-C co-infections, and one was a co-infection of two HAdV-C types: HAdV-5/HAdV-6. Molecular typing by PCR enabled the identification of eight genotypes of human adenoviruses; HAdV-3 (n = 22), HAdV-7 (n = 14), HAdV-11 (n = 8), HAdV-1 (n = 22), HAdV-2 (20), HAdV-5 (n = 15), HAdV-6 (n = 3) and HAdV-4 (n = 1). The most abundant species in the characterized collection of isolates was HAdV-C, which is concordant with existing data for worldwide epidemiology of HAdV respiratory infections. CONCLUSIONS: We identified three species, HAdV-B, -C and -E, among patients with ILI over the course of 7 years in Egypt, with at least eight diverse types circulating

AlphaSim: Software for Breeding Program Simulation

This paper describes AlphaSim, a software package for simulating plant and animal breeding programs. AlphaSim enables the simulation of multiple aspects of breeding programs with a high degree of flexibility. AlphaSim simulates breeding programs in a series of steps: (i) simulate haplotype sequences and pedigree; (ii) drop haplotypes into the base generation of the pedigree and select single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and quantitative trait nucleotide (QTN); (iii) assign QTN effects, calculate genetic values, and simulate phenotypes; (iv) drop haplotypes into the burn-in generations; and (v) perform selection and simulate new generations. The program is flexible in terms of historical population structure and diversity, recent pedigree structure, trait architecture, and selection strategy. It integrates biotechnologies such as doubled-haploids (DHs) and gene editing and allows the user to simulate multiple traits and multiple environments, specify recombination hot spots and cold spots, specify gene jungles and deserts, perform genomic predictions, and apply optimal contribution selection. AlphaSim also includes restart functionalities, which increase its flexibility by allowing the simulation process to be paused so that the parameters can be changed or to import an externally created pedigree, trial design, or results of an analysis of previously simulated data. By combining the options, a user can simulate simple or complex breeding programs with several generations, variable population structures and variable breeding decisions over time. In conclusion, AlphaSim is a flexible and computationally efficient software package to simulate biotechnology enhanced breeding programs with the aim of performing rapid, low-cost, and objective in silico comparison of breeding technologies