James Joyce’s Modernist Dublin: Leopold Bloom and the Critical Eye of Ulysses’ Outsider

This paper analyses the ways in which Leopold Bloom critiques Dublin city life from his position as the excluded outsider figure of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Consideration will be given to Bloom’s engagement with Dublin and its transformation into a cosmopolitan city, its effect on Irish identity and consciousness, and its relationship with the Catholic Church. Finally, an attempt will be made to situate the ruminations of Ulysses’ hero within a wider context of a distinct Irish modernist movement that, as Ronan McDonald suggests, offered an “outright hostile response to essentialist ideas of […] Ireland or Irishness” as was previously “advanced by the Irish revival at the fin-de-siècle” (178). The prevailing question at hand, then, is this: how does Bloom’s critique of a modernising Dublin, from the position of the cultural outsider, coincide with the wider concerns of an Irish modernist movement that was responding to ideas laid out by their nationalist forebearers

Icing and De-Icing of a Propeller with Internal Electric Blade Heaters

An investigation has been made in the NACA Cleveland icing research tunnel to determine the de-icing effectiveness of an experimental configuration of an Internal electric propeller-blade heater. Two atmospheric Icing conditions and two propeller operating conditions were Investigated, In experiments with unheated blades and with heat applied to the blades both continuously and cyclically. Data are presented to show the effect of propeller speed., ambient air temperature and liquid-water concentration, and the duration of the heat-on and cycle times on the power requirements and de-Icing performance of the blade heaters. The extent of ice-covered area on the blades for various icing ax4 operating conditions has been determined. The largest iced area was obtained at the higher ambient-air temperatures and at low propeller speed. The ohord.wise extent of Icing In practically every case was greater than that covered by blade heaters. Adequate de-icing in the heated area with continuous application of heat was obtained with the power available but a maximum power, input of 1250 watts per blade was insufficient for cyclic de-Icing for the range of conditions investigated. Blade-surface temperature rates of rise of 0.2 to 0.7 F per second were obtained and the minimum cooling period for cyclic de-icing was found to be approximately 2-1/2 times the heating period

Nature and type of patient-reported safety incidents in primary care: Cross-sectional survey of patients from Australia and England

Background Patient engagement in safety has shown positive effects in preventing or reducing adverse events and potential safety risks. Capturing and utilising patient-reported safety incident data can be used for service learning and improvement. Objective The aim of this study was to characterise the nature of patient-reported safety incidents in primary care. Design Secondary analysis of two cross sectional studies. Participants Adult patients from Australian and English primary care settings. Measures Patients’ self-reported experiences of safety incidents were captured using the validated Primary Care Patient Measure of Safety questionnaire. Qualitative responses to survey items were analysed and categorised using the Primary Care Patient Safety Classification System. The frequency and type of safety incidents, contributory factors, and patient and system level outcomes are presented. Results A total of 1329 patients (n=490, England; n=839, Australia) completed the questionnaire. Overall, 5.3% (n=69) of patients reported a safety incident over the preceding 12 months. The most common incident types were administration incidents (n=27, 31%) (mainly delays in accessing a physician) and incidents involving diagnosis and assessment (n=16, 18.4%). Organisation of care accounted for 27.6% (n=29) of the contributory factors identified in the safety incidents. Staff factors (n=13, 12.4%) was the second most commonly reported contributory factor. Where an outcome could be determined, patient inconvenience (n=24, 28.6%) and clinical harm (n=21, 25%) (psychological distress and unpleasant experience) were the most frequent. Conclusions The nature and outcomes of patient-reported incidents differ markedly from those identified in studies of staff-reported incidents. The findings from this study emphasise the importance of capturing patient-reported safety incidents in the primary care setting. The patient perspective can complement existing sources of safety intelligence with the potential for service improvement

What’s really damaging the Reef?: Tracing the origin and fate of the ecologically detrimental sediment and associated bioavailable nutrients

This report addresses six key systematic questions to help inform the debate on the influence of anthropogenic sediment and associated particulate nutrients delivered to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. They are: 1. What is the influence of the newly-delivered sediment (i.e. from flood plumes) on turbidity regimes at coral reef and seagrass locations of the inshore GBR? 2. What is the contribution of the anthropogenic component of this sediment on turbidity regimes? 3. What are the characteristics of the suspended particulate matter (and associated particulate nutrients) that influence light and turbidity regimes and how do these change over the estuarine mixing gradient of flood plumes? 4. How does the particulate organic component of the suspended particulate matter and associated microbial community composition change from the catchment to reef? 5. How bioavailable is the suspended particulate matter along the estuarine mixing gradient 6. Where does the sediment (and associated particulate nutrients) that influence light and turbidity regimes in the GBR come from in the Burdekin catchment so that management efforts can be prioritised? This final project report is divided into eight separate stand-alone research chapters which collectively address these six key questions

Titan airglow spectra from Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS): EUV analysis

peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, studentWe present the first UV airglow observations of Titan's atmosphere by the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on Cassini. Using one spectral channel in the EUV from 561-1182 Å and one in the FUV from 1115-1913 Å, UVIS observed the disk on 13 December, 2004 at low solar activity. The EUV spectrum consists of three band systems of N[SUB]2[/SUB] (b [SUP]1[/SUP]∏[SUB]u[/SUB], b' [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]u[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP], c[SUB]4[/SUB]' [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]u[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP] -> X [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]g[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP]), while the FUV spectrum consists of one (a [SUP]1[/SUP]∏[SUB]g[/SUB] -> X [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]g[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP]). Both the EUV and FUV spectra contain many N I and N II multiplets that are produced primarily by photodissociative ionization. Spectral intensities of the N[SUB]2[/SUB] c[SUB]4[/SUB]' [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]u[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP](v' = 0) -> X [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]g[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP](v'' = 0-2) progression from 950-1010 Å are resolved for the first time. The UVIS observations reveal that the c[SUB]4[/SUB]' [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]u[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP](0) -> X [SUP]1[/SUP]∑[SUB]g[/SUB] [SUP]+[/SUP] (0) vibrational band near 958 Å is weak and undetectable, and that N I multiplets near 953.2 and 964.5 Å are present instead. Magnetospheric particle excitation may be weak or sporadic, since the nightside EUV spectrum on this orbit shows no observable nitrogen emission features and only H Ly-β

Analysing the consistency of martian methane observations by investigation of global methane transport

Reports of methane on Mars at different times imply varying spatial distributions. This study examines whether different observations are mutually consistent by using a global circulation model to investigate the time evolution of methane in the atmosphere. Starting from an observed plume of methane, consistent with that reported in 2003 from ground-based telescopes, multiple simulations are analysed to investigate what is required for consistency with an inferred methane signal from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer made 60 sols later. The best agreement between the existing observations is found using continued release from a solitary source over Nili Fossae. While the peaks in methane over the Tharsis Montes, Elysium Mons and Nili Fossae regions are well aligned with the retrievals, an extra peak on the south flank of the Isidis basin is apparent in the model due to the prevailing eastward transport of methane. The absence of this feature could indicate the presence of a fast-acting localised sink of methane. These results show that the spatial and temporal variability of methane on Mars implied by observations could be explained by advection from localised time-dependent sources alongside a currently unknown methane sink. Evidence is presented that a fast trapping mechanism for methane is required. Trapping by a zeolite structure in dust particles is a suggested candidate warranting further investigation; this could provide a fast acting sink as required by this reconstruction

Assistance, Support and Monitoring? The Paradoxes of Mentoring Adults in the Criminal Justice System

Mentoring has recently taken centre stage as one of the primary criminal justice ‘interventions’ to reduce reoffending, having grown in popularity over the past fifteen years. Its rapid growth has been driven by claims of success within and outwith the criminal justice system, leading some to argue that it has been perceived as a silver bullet (Newburn and Shiner, 2005). This article challenges such claims on three fronts: first, mentoring is an ill-defined concept with weak theoretical foundations; second, the evidence base upon which claims of success are made is limited; and third, transferring mentoring into the coercive and punitive environment of the criminal justice system results in a departure from the very principles and values which are the basis of its usefulness elsewhere. The article utilises the findings from three empirical criminal justice research projects to question claims of widespread and effective mentoring activity with defendants and offenders, suggesting instead that ‘interventions’ described as mentoring serve as a vehicle to extend the reach of the criminal justice system. At the end of the article we suggest that desistance theory, specifically the Good Lives Model, provides a conceptual framework for taking mentoring in criminal justice forward

Genomic signatures of selection associated with benzimidazole drug treatments in Haemonchus contortus field populations

Genome-wide methods offer a powerful approach to detect signatures of drug selection. However, limited availability of suitable reference genomes and the difficulty of obtaining field populations with well-defined, distinct drug treatment histories mean there is little information on the signatures of selection in parasitic nematodes and on how best to detect them. This study addresses these knowledge gaps by using field populations of Haemonchus contortus with well-defined benzimidazole treatment histories, leveraging a recently completed chromosomal-scale reference genome assembly. We generated a panel of 49,393 genomic markers to genotype 20 individual adult worms from each of four H. contortus populations: two from closed sheep flocks with an approximate 20 year history of frequent benzimidazole treatment, and two populations with a history of little or no treatment. Sampling occurred in the same geographical region to limit genetic differentiation and maximise the detection sensitivity. A clear signature of selection was detected on chromosome I, centred on the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene. Two additional, but weaker, signatures of selection were detected; one near the middle of chromosome I spanning 3.75 Mbp and 259 annotated genes, and one on chromosome II spanning a region of 3.3 Mbp and 206 annotated genes, including the isotype-2 β-tubulin locus. We also assessed how sensitivity was impacted by sequencing depth, worm number, and pooled versus individual worm sequence data. This study provides the first known direct genome-wide evidence for any parasitic nematode, that the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene is quantitatively the single most important benzimidazole resistance locus. It also identified two additional genomic regions that likely contain benzimidazole resistance loci of secondary importance. This study provides an experimental framework to maximise the power of genome-wide approaches to detect signatures of selection driven by anthelmintic drug treatments in field populations of parasitic nematodes

Identification of autoantigens and their potential post-translational modification in EGPA and severe eosinophilic asthma

BackgroundThe chronic airway inflammation in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) suggests potential autoimmune aetiology with unidentified autoantibodies analogous to myeloperoxidase (MPO) in ANCA-positive EGPA (eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis). Previous research has shown that oxidative post-translational modification (oxPTM) of proteins is an important mechanism by which autoantibody responses may escape immune tolerance. Autoantibodies to oxPTM autoantigens in SEA have not previously been studied.MethodsPatients with EGPA and SEA were recruited as well as healthy control participants. Autoantigen agnostic approach: Participant serum was incubated with slides of unstimulated and PMA-stimulated neutrophils and eosinophils, and autoantibodies to granulocytes were identified by immunofluorescence with anti-human IgG FITC antibody. Target autoantigen approach: Candidate proteins were identified from previous literature and FANTOM5 gene set analysis for eosinophil expressed proteins. Serum IgG autoantibodies to these proteins, in native and oxPTM form, were detected by indirect ELISA.ResultsImmunofluorescence studies showed that serum from patients with known ANCA stained for IgG against neutrophils as expected. In addition, serum from 9 of 17 tested SEA patients stained for IgG to PMA-stimulated neutrophils undergoing NETosis. Immunofluorescent staining of eosinophil slides was evident with serum from all participants (healthy and with eosinophilic disease) with diffuse cytoplasmic staining except for one SEA individual in whom subtle nuclear staining was evident. FANTOM5 gene set analysis identified TREM1 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1) and IL-1 receptor 2 (IL1R2) as eosinophil-specific targets to test for autoantibody responses in addition to MPO, eosinophil peroxidase (EPX), and Collagen-V identified from previous literature. Indirect ELISAs found high concentrations of serum autoantibodies to Collagen-V, MPO, and TREM1 in a higher proportion of SEA patients than healthy controls. High concentrations of serum autoantibodies to EPX were evident in serum from both healthy and SEA participants. The proportion of patients with positive autoantibody ELISAs was not increased when examining oxPTM compared to native proteins.DiscussionAlthough none of the target proteins studied showed high sensitivity for SEA, the high proportion of patients positive for at least one serum autoantibody shows the potential of more research on autoantibody serology to improve diagnostic testing for severe asthma.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier, NCT04671446