A house divided: the Murrays of the border and the rise and decline of a small Irish house

The thatched farmhouse in which the Murray family lived dated from at least the middle of the nineteenth century when James Fee, a grandfather of Mrs Murray, returned to Ireland from America with enough money to marry and settle down. Originally a public house it stood directly on the dividing line between County Fermanagh and County Cavan. The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 elevated this unimportant boundary into a border between states. With one part in Northern Ireland (and, therefore, the United Kingdom) and another part in the Irish Free State, the Murrays could sit on a chair ‘in the Six Counties’ while eating off ‘the table in the Twenty-six’, or pass the salt back and forward from North to South. These humorous features of partition stood in contrast both to the family’s modest circumstances and to the conflict, road closures and restrictions that shaped border life. In time, the house attracted the attention of propagandists, journalists and travel writers, and brought the Murrays into contact or, in the last instance, correspondence with politicians, foreign visitors, and the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. This paper concerns the remarkable story of this otherwise unremarkable family and their home

Design & Evaluation of Cooling Systems for Photovoltaic Modules

There is a persistent need for further development and implementation of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Due to the increase in global population, the disappearance of fossil fuels, and the reality of climate change, renewable power is needed now more than ever. One such renewable power technology is solar photovoltaic, otherwise known as PV. These modules work via silicon cells which are as semiconductors, outputting electrical energy when incident with solar radiation. This is done by separating electrons and protons within the cell. One of the largest issues with PV technology is that there is a linear reduction in power production and module efficiency as the temperature increases, known as the negative temperature coefficient. Crystalline silicon solar cells are the leading standard and have a reduction in conversion efficiency of approximately 0.5% for every degree Celsius of temperature rise [1]. Additionally, the lifespan of a PV system is significantly reduced as a result of cell degradation due to excess thermal stress. For this project, I have modeled, prototyped, and tested three cooling systems for PV modules. Two of the cooling systems are passive, non-power consuming. One simply consisting of a large aluminum heat sink centered on the backside of the module, and the other consisting of a combination of copper heat pipes and the same aluminum heat sink. The third system consisted of a water-cooling method where water was pumped over the working surface of the module from a reservoir, being evenly spread across the working surface through a perforated tube. A successful cooling system, the module’s electrical efficiency must increase significantly and have a low payback period

Microbial diversity and function in radionuclide impacted soils and sediments

PhD ThesisThe activity of indigenous microbial communities in a natural environment can mediate the biogeochemical cycling of key nutrients and contaminants and impose conditions (Eh and pH) that are the principal controls on metal, and radionuclide, behaviour. Contemporary molecular techniques, in particular high throughput DNA sequencing techniques and subsequent bioinformatic analysis, can be used to construct high resolution microbial taxonomic and functional profiles associated with natural environments to augment and extend our understanding of these systems, when combined with measurements of inorganic and organic geochemical profiles. Understanding the assemblages and diversity of microbial communities in natural environments can enable detailed inferences of the complexity and coupled interactions of prevailing geochemical conditions and processes of an environment to be made. This approach is particularly useful for predicting the long-term transport and fate of radionuclide contaminants, via both direct and indirect interaction with indigenous microbial communities. This project, as part of the LoRISE consortium (Long-lived Radionuclides in the Near Surface Environment) studied depth cores from a range of radionuclide-impacted sites from around the U.K. The naturally uranium (U) contaminated site (Needle’s Eye, Scotland) represented a site that exhibited a close resemblance of the classical thermodynamically-controlled vertical succession of microbial redox processes (aerobic through to anaerobic processes). Reconstructed microbial community profiles were able to anticipate the prevailing U species as a function of depth. Sellafield-impacted sites on the north west coast of England and within the Irish Sea represented more heterogeneous microbial profiles but that were still able to explain geochemical conditions observed at the sites. Further away from Sellafield, depth cores from Loch Etive (Scotland) that were anticipated to exhibit a classic redox succession profile, did not, but contained depth-related community succession focused on sulfur cycling and fermentation. The development of bioinformatics pipelines centred on the latest platforms, databases, and statistical analyses as part of this Ph.D., enabled a high level of interrogation of the DNA sequencing data that enabled specific assertions of the geochemical conditions of each site to be made based on the sequencing results, which proved to be reliable, consistent, and accurate across all sites

Prospects for Assessing Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) Basement Rock Flow Stimulation by Wellbore Temperature Data

We use Matlab 3D finite element fluid flow/transport modelling to simulate localized wellbore temperature events of order 0.05–0.1 °C logged in Fennoscandia basement rock at ~1.5 km depths. The temperature events are approximated as steady-state heat transport due to fluid draining from the crust into the wellbore via naturally occurring fracture-connectivity structures. Flow simulation is based on the empirics of spatially-correlated fracture-connectivity fluid flow widely attested by well-log, well-core, and well-production data. Matching model wellbore-centric radial temperature profiles to a 2D analytic expression for steady-state radial heat transport with Peclet number Pe ≡ r0φv0/D (r0 = wellbore radius, v0 = Darcy velocity at r0, φ = ambient porosity, D = rock-water thermal diffusivity), gives Pe ~ 10–15 for fracture-connectivity flow intersecting the well, and Pe ~ 0 for ambient crust. Darcy flow for model Pe ~ 10 at radius ~10 m from the wellbore gives permeability estimate κ ~ 0.02 Darcy for flow driven by differential fluid pressure between least principal crustal stress pore pressure and hydrostatic wellbore pressure. Model temperature event flow permeability κm ~ 0.02 Darcy is related to well-core ambient permeability κ ~ 1 µDarcy by empirical poroperm relation κm ~ κ exp(αmφ) for φ ~ 0.01 and αm ~ 1000. Our modelling of OTN1 wellbore temperature events helps assess the prospect of reactivating fossilized fracture-connectivity flow for EGS permeability stimulation of basement rock.Peer reviewe

Coherence for elementary amenable groups

We prove that for an elementary amenable group, coherence of the group, homological coherence of the group, and coherence of the integral group ring are all equivalent. This generalises a result of Bieri and Strebel for finitely generated soluble groups

Epidermal Keratinocyte Self-Renewal Is Dependent upon Dermal Integrity

The epidermis is a major site of self-renewal in which there is constant replacement by cell division in the basal layers of cells lost by desquamation in the superficial layers. such a tissue is therefore likely to contain stem cells and in this study we have examined the role of the dermis in the maintenance of epidermal self-renewal. We have developed a mouse model to address the question of whether the maintenance of epidermal self-renewal is dependent, as in the hemopoietic system, upon a heterologous cell type. Intact epidermis separated from disaggregated epidermal cells, can reconstitute a stratified squamous epithelium when grafted onto the lumbo-dermal fascia of the mouse or onto an experimentally induced granulation tissue bed. However, we have shown that, after grafting the clonogenic capacity of the keratinocytes declines sharply and the colonies that are produced are incapable of self-renewal in vitro. Although initially hyperplastic, these epidermal grafts assume an atrophic appearance after 40–70 d this may be related to the loss of self-renewal observed in vitro. With both experimental murine grafts and clinical grafts the failure of keratinocytes to self-renew can be alleviated, partially, by the presence of the dermis in full-thickness or split-thickness grafts, which implies that the dermis has a functional role in epidermal role in epidermal stem cell maintenance. The relevance of these observations to the clinical experience with cultured autologous keratinocyte sheets as would dressings to patients is discussed

Automated elaborate resection planning for bone tumor surgery

PURPOSE: Planning for bone tumor resection surgery is a technically demanding and time-consuming task, reliant on manual positioning of planar cuts in a virtual space. More elaborate cutting approaches may be possible through the use of surgical robots or patient-specific instruments; however, methods for preparing such a resection plan must be developed. METHODS: This work describes an automated approach for generating conformal bone tumor resection plans, where the resection geometry is defined by the convex hull of the tumor, and a focal point. The resection geometry is optimized using particle swarm, where the volume of healthy bone collaterally resected with the tumor is minimized. The approach was compared to manually prepared planar resection plans from an experienced surgeon for 20 tumor cases. RESULTS: It was found that algorithm-generated hull-type resections greatly reduced the volume of collaterally resected healthy bone. The hull-type resections resulted in statistically significant improvements compared to the manual approach (paired t test, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The described approach has potential to improve patient outcomes by reducing the volume of healthy bone collaterally resected with the tumor and preserving nearby critical anatomy

Inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene Apc synergizes with H. pylori to induce DNA damage in murine gastric stem and progenitor cells

Helicobacter pylori infection is a major risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. The bacteria reside in close proximity to gastric surface mucous as well as stem and progenitor cells. Here, we take advantage of wild-type and genetically engineered murine gastric organoids and organoid-derived monolayers to study the cellular targets of H. pylori-induced DNA damage and replication stress and to explore possible interactions with preexisting gastric cancer driver mutations. We find using alkaline comet assay, single-molecule DNA fiber assays, and immunofluorescence microscopy of DNA repair foci that H. pylori induces transcription-dependent DNA damage in actively replicating, Leucine-rich-repeat containing G-Protein-Coupled Receptor 5 (Lgr5)-positive antral stem and progenitor cells and their Troy-positive corpus counterparts, but not in other gastric epithelial lineages. Infection-dependent DNA damage is aggravated by Apc inactivation, but not by Trp53 or Smad4 loss, or Erbb2 overexpression. Our data suggest that H. pylori induces DNA damage in stem and progenitor cells, especially in settings of hyperproliferation due to constitutively active Wnt signaling

Turning to God in the Face of Ostracism: Effects of Social Exclusion on Religiousness

The present research proposes that individuals who are socially excluded can turn to religion to cope with the experience. Empirical studies conducted to test this hypothesis consistently found that socially excluded persons reported (a) significantly higher levels of religious affiliation (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and (b) stronger intentions to engage in religious behaviors (Study 2) than comparable, nonexcluded individuals. Direct support for the stress-buffering function of religiousness was also found, with a religious prime reducing the aggression-eliciting effects of consequent social rejection (Study 5). These effects were observed in both Christian and Muslim samples, revealing that turning to religion can be a powerful coping response when dealing with social rejection. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Treg-selective IL-2 starvation synergizes with CD40 activation to sustain durable responses in lymphoma models

BACKGROUND: Roughly half of all diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) are infiltrated by large numbers of regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Although the presence of 'effector' Tregs in particular is associated with an inferior prognosis in patients on standard rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) immunochemotherapy, the role of this cell type during lymphoma initiation and progression is poorly understood. METHODS: Here, we use tissue microarrays containing prospectively collected DLBCL patient specimens, as well as data from publicly available cohorts to explore the mutational landscape of Treg-infiltrated DLBCL. We further take advantage of a model of MYC-driven lymphoma to mechanistically dissect the contribution of Tregs to lymphoma pathogenesis and to develop a strategy of Treg-selective interleukin-2 (IL-2) starvation to improve immune control of MYC-driven lymphoma. RESULTS: We find that all genetic DLBCL subtypes, except for one characterized by co-occurring MYD88/CD79 mutations, are heavily infiltrated by Tregs. Spectral flow cytometry and scRNA-sequencing reveal the robust expression of functional and immunosuppressive markers on Tregs infiltrating MYC-driven lymphomas; notably, we find that intratumoral Tregs arise due to local conversion from naïve CD4$^{+}$ precursors on tumor contact. Treg ablation in Foxp3$^{iDTR}$ mice, or by antibody-mediated Treg-selective blockade of IL-2 signaling, strongly reduces the lymphoma burden. We identify lymphoma B-cells as a major source of IL-2, and show that the effects of Treg depletion are reversed by the simultaneous depletion of Foxp3-negative CD4$^{+}$ T-cells, but not CD8$^{+}$ T-cells or natural killer (NK) cells. The inhibition of ATP hydrolyzation and adenosine production by Tregs at least partly phenocopies the effects of Treg depletion. Treg depletion further synergizes with pro-apoptotic CD40 activation to sustain durable responses. CONCLUSION: The combined data implicate Tregs as a potential therapeutic target in DLBCL, especially in combination with other immunotherapies