FUEL POVERTY IN IRELAND: EXTENT, AFFECTED GROUPS AND POLICY ISSUES. ESRI WP262. October 2008

This paper provides updated estimates for the scale of fuel poverty in the Republic of Ireland using two measures: one based on fuel expenditure as a share of income and the other based on self-reported deprivation. It also presents modeling results as to the characteristics of households most vulnerable to fuel poverty, examines the potential effects of future fuel price changes, outlines policies in place in Ireland and other countries, and discusses policy issues

Proteomic profiling of bovine M. longissimus lumborum from Crossbred Aberdeen Angus and Belgian Blue sired steers varying in genetic merit for carcass weight

Bovine skeletal muscle is a tissue of significant value to the beef industry and global economy. Proteomic analyses offer the opportunity to detect molecular mechanisms regulating muscle growth and intramuscular fat accumulation. The current study aimed to investigate differences in protein abundance in skeletal muscle tissue of cattle from two breeds of contrasting maturity (early vs. late maturing), adiposity, and muscle growth potential, namely, Belgian Blue (BB) × Holstein Friesian and Aberdeen Angus (AA) × Holstein Friesian. Twenty AA (n = 10) and BB (n = 10) sired steers, the progeny of sires of either high or low genetic merit, expressed as expected progeny difference for carcass weight (EPDcwt), and bred through AI, were evaluated as 4 genetic groups, BB-High, BB-Low, AA-High, and AA-Low (n = 5 per treatment). Chemical composition analysis of M. longissimus lumborum showed greater protein and moisture and decreased lipid concentrations for BB-sired compared with AA-sired steers. To investigate the effects of both sire breed and EPDcwt on M. longissimus lumborum, proteomic analysis was performed using 2-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry. Proteins were identified from their peptide sequences, using the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Swiss-prot databases. Metabolic enzymes involved in glycolysis (glycogen phosphorylase, phosphoglycerate mutase) and the citric acid cycle (aconitase 2, oxoglutarate dehydrogenase) were increased in AA- vs. BB-sired steers. Expression of proteins involved in cell structure, such as myosin light chain isoforms and troponins I and T, were also altered due to sire breed. Furthermore, heat shock protein β-1 and peroxiredoxin 6, involved in cell defense, had increased abundance in muscle of AA-sired relative to BB-sired steers. Protein abundance of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, enolase-3, and pyruvate kinase was greater in AA-sired animals of High compared with Low EPDcwt. Changes in the expression of these proteins were supported by gene expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR. This information will aid in our understanding of genetic infl uences controlling muscle growth and fat accumulation and could contribute to future breeding programs to increase lean tissue gain of beef cattle

Molecular Phylogenetics of Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) Based on Chloroplast and Nuclear DNA Sequence Data

We conducted a phylogenetic analysis to characterize relationships among Bromus and test the monophyly of five of the seven morphologically distinct groups within Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) that have been treated as sections, subgenera, or genera. We sequenced the chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron, the 3\u27-end of the chloroplast ndhF gene, and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA region for 46 species that represent a large proportion of the morphological and geographical diversity in the genus. Independent analyses of plastid and nuclear ribosomal data identified several lineages in Bromus, but there is some evidence of incongruence between these linkage groups. Nuclear ribosomal trees indicate that two clades comprising some North and South American species of sect. Bromopsis are the successive sister groups of the rest of the genus, and that Old World species of sect. Bromopsis are more closely related to sects. Ceratochloa and Neobromus than they are to the remaining North American species of sect. Bromopsis. In contrast, plastid trees indicate a close relationship between Old World and some North American species of sect. Bromopsis. In the nuclear ribosomal trees, sects. Genea and Bromus (if sect. Triniusia is included within it, as treated by most authors) are monophyletic and not closely related. In the plastid trees, species of these two sections are intermixed, supporting a hybrid origin for B. pectinatus. The monophyly of sect. Ceratochloa is supported in the plastid and nuclear ribosomal trees, and the monophyly of sect. Neobromus is robustly supported in the nuclear ribosomal trees. Current classification schemes do not reflect phylogenetic relationships in Bromus. Tentative evidence of conflict among nuclear and plastid data partitions needs clarification with more robustly supported plastid and nuclear ribosomal gene trees

Autonomous adaptation to climate-driven change in marine biodiversity in a global marine hotspot

While governments and natural resource managers grapple with how to respond to climatic changes, many marine-dependent individuals, organisations and user-groups in fast-changing regions of the world are already adjusting their behaviour to accommodate these. However, we have little information on the nature of these autonomous adaptations that are being initiated by resource user-groups. The east coast of Tasmania, Australia, is one of the world’s fastest warming marine regions with extensive climate-driven changes in biodiversity already observed. We present and compare examples of autonomous adaptations from marine users of the region to provide insights into factors that may have constrained or facilitated the available range of autonomous adaptation options and discuss potential interactions with governmental planned adaptations. We aim to support effective adaptation by identifying the suite of changes that marine users are making largely without government or management intervention, i.e. autonomous adaptations, to better understand these and their potential interactions with formal adaptation strategies. © 2019, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Design of Student Training Resources to Enhance the Student Voice in Academic Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement Processes

Without appropriate training and recognition, students – in particular Class Representatives – often struggle to engage fully with a University’s quality assurance and quality enhancement processes. Through the “Our Student Voice” project in Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), a suite of digital training resources were designed to provide training for students to help develop the requisite knowledge and skills for effective participation there processes, thus strengthening student engagement and enhancing the student voice. The resources are organised into thirteen accessible episodes that each commence with an animated scenario that sets out key messages. The remainder of the episode provides detailed guidance for students and learning activities to help students develop their skillset. Upon completion of the learning activities, and having satisfactorily undertaken one of three specific student role in the quality processes, students can apply for recognition through a digital badge. The training resources and digital badges have been co-designed by a project team comprised of staff and students from across the University guided by best practice internationally. This paper describes the co-design process and presents a set of lessons learned that may assist other higher education institutions in enabling impactful student engagement in their academic quality assurance and quality enhancement processes

Contributions to the dielectric losses of textured SrTiO3 thin films with Pt electrodes

The factors controlling low frequency (1 MHz) dielectric losses of textured SrTiO3 thin films deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering on platinized sapphire substrates were investigated. In particular, the influence of film texture, phase transformations, applied bias field, temperature and annealing atmospheres was studied. Films that were (111) textured showed a phase transformation at ~ 150 K, whereas films that were predominantly (110) oriented did not exhibit a phase transformation in the measured temperature range (100 K – 300 K). Two major contributions to the dielectric losses were identified: a low temperature loss increase for the (111) oriented film, which could be suppressed by an applied bias field, and a loss peak at ~ 250 K (at 1 MHz), which was strongly frequency dependent and likely associated with a relaxing defect. The low temperature loss mode was related to the appearance of a phase transformation and contributed to the dielectric losses even at temperatures that were more than 100 K above the phase transformation. In contrast to the leakage properties of the films, which were strongly dependent on annealing atmospheres, annealing under reducing conditions had no significant influence on any of the observed loss modes. Possible origins of the different loss contributions are discussed

Main Belt Comets as Clues to the Distribution of Water in the Early Solar System

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Molecular characterization of an adaptive response to alkylating agents in the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus.

An adaptive response to alkylating agents based upon the conformational change of a methylphosphotriester (MPT) DNA repair protein to a transcriptional activator has been demonstrated in a number of bacterial species, but this mechanism appears largely absent from eukaryotes. Here, we demonstrate that the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus elicits an adaptive response to sub-lethal doses of the mono-functional alkylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). We have identified genes that encode MPT and O(6)-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) DNA repair proteins; deletions of either of these genes abolish the adaptive response and sensitize the organism to MNNG. In vitro DNA repair assays confirm the ability of MPT and AGT to repair methylphosphotriester and O(6)-methylguanine lesions respectively. In eukaryotes, the MPT protein is confined to a select group of fungal species, some of which are major mammalian and plant pathogens. The evolutionary origin of the adaptive response is bacterial and rooted within the Firmicutes phylum. Inter-kingdom horizontal gene transfer between Firmicutes and Ascomycete ancestors introduced the adaptive response into the Fungal kingdom. Our data constitute the first detailed characterization of the molecular mechanism of the adaptive response in a lower eukaryote and has applications for development of novel fungal therapeutics targeting this DNA repair system

Association of Gangrenous, Suppurative, and Exudative Findings With Outcomes and Resource Utilization in Children With Nonperforated Appendicitis.

IMPORTANCE: The clinical significance of gangrenous, suppurative, or exudative (GSE) findings is poorly characterized in children with nonperforated appendicitis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether GSE findings in children with nonperforated appendicitis are associated with increased risk of surgical site infections and resource utilization. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter cohort study used data from the Appendectomy Targeted Database of the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, which were augmented with operative report data obtained by supplemental medical record review. Data were obtained from 15 hospitals participating in the Eastern Pediatric Surgery Network (EPSN) research consortium. The study cohort comprised children (aged ≤18 years) with nonperforated appendicitis who underwent appendectomy from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2020. EXPOSURES: The presence of GSE findings was established through standardized, keyword-based audits of operative reports by EPSN surgeons. Interrater agreement for the presence or absence of GSE findings was evaluated in a random sample of 900 operative reports. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative surgical site infections (incisional and organ space infections). Secondary outcomes included rates of hospital revisits, postoperative abdominal imaging, and postoperative length of stay. Multivariable mixed-effects regression was used to adjust measures of association for patient characteristics and clustering within hospitals. RESULTS: Among 6133 children with nonperforated appendicitis, 867 (14.1%) had GSE findings identified from operative report review (hospital range, 4.2%-30.2%; P \u3c .001). Reviewers agreed on presence or absence of GSE findings in 93.3% of cases (weighted κ, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86-0.92). In multivariable analysis, GSE findings were associated with increased odds of any surgical site infection (4.3% vs 2.2%; odds ratio [OR], 1.91; 95% CI, 1.35-2.71; P \u3c .001), organ space infection (2.8% vs 1.1%; OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.30-3.67; P = .003), postoperative imaging (5.8% vs 3.7%; OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.23-2.36; P = .002), and prolonged mean postoperative length of stay (1.6 vs 0.9 days; rate ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.32-1.54; P \u3c .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In children with nonperforated appendicitis, findings of gangrene, suppuration, or exudate are associated with increased surgical site infections and resource utilization. Further investigation is needed to establish the role and duration of postoperative antibiotics and inpatient management to optimize outcomes in this cohort of children