Studies towards the asymmetric synthesis of cyclochiral rotaxanes and Au(III)-oxo complexes as catalysts.

The work reported in this thesis consists of studies towards the asymmetric synthesis of mechanically planar chiral rotaxanes via desymmetrisation approach. It describes the synthesis of a novel macrocycle and the investigation of this macrocycle as a potential ligand in the Cadiot-Chodkiewicz and CuAAC ‘click’ reactions as part of the study towards the synthesis of asymmetric planar chiral rotaxanes. Furthermore, the use of Au(III)-oxo complexes as potential catalysts in a model hydroamination reaction are described. The thesis is divided into four chapters: Chapter one is an introduction to rotaxanes and includes an overview of the synthesis of rotaxanes and chirality in rotaxanes. Chapter two is an account of the synthesis of a novel macrocycle and details attempts to implement this macrocycle towards the synthesis of a rotaxane using the Cadiot-Chodkiewicz and CuAAC ‘click’ reactions. Chapter three describes optimisation and multi-gram scale-up of the synthetic route towards a novel C1-symmetric bis(oxazoline) macrocycle first synthesised in our group by Pauline Glen. Chapter four describes our investigation into the use of Au(III)-oxo complexes for use as catalysts in a model hydroamination reaction.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding

Editors' introduction to special theme issue [of International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning]: Meanings emerging in practice (Part 3)

This issue publishes the third and final set of refereed papers from the first wave proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pedagogies and Learning, held at the Springfield Campus of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia on 27 and 28 September 2007. This third conference in the series focused on “Meanings Emerging in Practice” as a lens for examining and evaluating multiple enactments of pedagogies and learning

Future Energy Networks and the Role of Interactive Gaming as Simulation

As energy systems integration deepens to support the development of a cleaner and more intelligent energy infrastructure, it will be increasingly important for consumers to better understand their relationship to energy systems and to take more proactive roles in managing energy. Foregrounding the importance of systems comprehension, we argue for the strong potential of interactive games to be helpful in engaging consumers in sustainable energy practices, as they can demonstrate complex system dynamics through simulation-based experiences. Focusing on interrogations of engagement and social change posed by gaming theorists and designers, and using several flagship interactive games as points of reference, we discuss the elements of game space that make it capable of simulating complex systems and large-scale implications of energy decisions richly and effectively. We discuss social, technological, and narrative elements of game play, pairing a theoretical investigation with a practical exploration of how energyrelated games can link with data in the real world, with particular emphasis on the emerging Internet of Things. Our conclusions emphasise the importance of game simulation toward the longer-term goal of cultivating more complex patterns of interaction and cultural analysis around energy use; this is based on the assertion that energy, a social resource, must be managed in ways that are equally social

Measuring Productivity Change and Efficiency on Irish Farms.

End of Project ReportThis report investigates technical change and levels of technical efficiency on Irish farms using National Farm Survey (N.F.S.) data. It also examines whether levels of technical efficiency are influenced by contact with the extension service. The study utilises a stochastic production frontier approach to measure productivity growth and the technical efficiency of a panel of Irish farms over the period 1984 to 1998. This sample was used to calculate (a) technical change over time as measured by best practice farms and (b) technical efficiency levels of all farms over this period. It, therefore, provides disaggregated estimates of technical change by farming system as well as quantifying the average level of technical efficiency. The project also examines the factors associated with differences in technical efficiency between farms and the impact of extension service contact on farm-level technical efficiency. Mean technical change (i.e. changes in best practice) continued, albeit at a declining rate, throughout the period studied. Significant differences were revealed in the rate of technical change on farms of different types. For example technical change on dairy and crop farms averaged nearly 2 per cent per annum while technical regress occurred on beef and sheep farms. In addition to examining technical change, farm efficiency relative to best practice within each farming system was also measured. Results indicate that farms achieved, on average, approximately 65 per cent of the efficiency level of best practice farms. The average level of farm efficiency has been decreasing by 0.4 per cent per annum indicating that the gap between best practice farms and all farms has been increasing by this amount over time. Thirty one percent of the most efficient farms were dairy farms while 23 per cent were arable farms. Approximately 52 per cent of the least efficient farms were cattle farms while a further 31 per cent were sheep farms. Average efficiency over the period was 34.2 per cent in the least efficient quintile of farms. This compared to almost 90 per cent for the most efficient quintile of farms. A positive relationship between age and efficiency was found up to the age of 49 years after which the relationship between age and efficiency becomes negative. The farm debt to assets ratio was positively related to efficiency while farm size and location in the West of Ireland was negatively related to efficiency. Farms in contact with the extension service were found to be on average 6.5 per cent more efficient than farms without contact. Contact farms with a lower than average dependency on direct payments were a further 6.6 per cent than contact farms with an average dependency on direct payments. Contact farms with a higher than average dependence on direct payments were 1.9 per cent less efficient than the same group of contact farms. However, efficiency on these farms with a high dependence on direct payments was still, on average, higher than on farms with no extension contact.Teagasc Walsh Fellowshi

[in]visible belfast

[in]visible Belfast was an alternate reality game or (ARG) designed and produced by Danielle Barrios-O’Neill and Alan Hook in 2011, with cooperation from the University of Ulster, Queen’s University Belfast, FilmTrip, Ltd., and a variety of local businesses and arts organizations in Belfast. In the game, players follow Ana, a student of astronomy, on a mysterious quest through a labyrinthine version of Belfast, in the hopes of answering the question asked in the game’s first chapter: What lies at the heart of the city? En route to solving the mystery, players engage with some of the great voices of English, Irish and world literature, by solving clues and following the trail of narrative crumbs across multiple websites, social media platforms, and in the real city of Belfast. In the real-time progression of the game, players reveal the city that is unseen: Invisible Belfast. [in]visible belfast was designed to provide an interactive experience of Belfast city that engages with its historical and cultural heritage, as well as emphasizing its multifaceted relationships with other world literatures. Thematically and structurally, the game endorses translation, collaboration, and various modes of networked cultures both digital and analogue; it conceives Belfast as a complexity constructed of many interlinked histories, whose interactions produce fascinating and unusual forms. The interconnections and linkages that the game forms through its interaction with the players can be an educational tool, a form of “edu-tainment” that highlights writer Ciaran Carson and Belfast history, engaging students and non-students with the rich culture of the city. The game ran from May to June 2011, coinciding with the 2011 Belfast Book Festival

Survival and replication of Group A Streptococcus in human macrophages

As key components of innate immune defence, macrophages are essential in controlling bacterial pathogens, including Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Despite this, only a limited number of studies have analysed the recovery of GAS from within human neutrophils and macrophages. The purpose of this study was to determine the intracellular fate of GAS in human macrophages using several quantitative approaches. The first part of this work involved the set-up of a reliable and reproducible infection system for GAS. In both U937 and primary human macrophages, the appearance over time of long GAS chains revealed replication that despite GAS-mediated cytotoxicity, occurred in viable macrophages. Whereas the major virulence factor M1 did not contribute to bacterial growth, a GAS mutant strain deficient in streptolysin O (Δslo) was impaired for intracellular replication. SLO was required for vacuolar rupture and bacterial escape into the host cytosol. Despite evidence of efficient cytosolic growth, up to half of cytosolic GAS were targeted by autophagy and decorated with ubiquitin and p62. Our studies reveal that GAS can replicate within the cytosol of viable human macrophages and that components of antibacterial autophagy machinery, despite being recruited to the bacteria, fail to restrict overall growth. To my knowledge, this study provides the first direct visualisation of GAS replication inside human cells. GAS is also persistent coloniser of the oropharynx. Persisters are a subpopulation of non- or slow-growing bacteria that are multidrug tolerant, and thought to be involved in the recalcitrance of chronic infections. In the final section of this study, I investigated the in vitro persister formation of clinical isolates of GAS in response to antibiotics. I found that GAS produce a high level of persisters, but no significant difference was detected between different isolates. GAS isolates did not produce more persisters upon uptake in epithelial cells or by macrophages. I also characterized several putative toxin/antitoxin (TA) modules as candidate persister genes of GAS and a subset were shown to encode functional toxins, which when overexpressed in E. coli resulted in bacterial growth arrest.Open Acces

A Transmedia Topology of 'Making a Murderer

This article constructs a transmedia topology of the Making a Murderer text, mapping the ecologies of interaction, participation and creation with and of the text by the audience. Firstly we explore the mixed textualities of the series delivered through the streaming service Netflix. We then expand the analysis to consider the wider transmedial textualities and trace the thresholds of the transmedial text to investigate new approaches to analysing transmedial work in the context of non-fiction media forms. We explore the relationships between the core series and the participatory engagement in the production of the text as a whole which includes online engagement, active investigations, and the production of a wide range of new material in response to the core series. Here we define transmedia topology as a tracing of what we could call the geography of the text, as defined by its features and boundaries (or lack thereof). We situate the series as a piece of Complex TV, but explore how the series invites active participation from the audience; through its structure, complexity and form. The article maps the series textual connections with more traditional documentary form, and more experimental transmedial approaches, relating it to Alternate Reality Games. We consider (at the time of writing and publication) the tangible, real world outcomes of the text and the audiences participation in the production of the text. This mapping situates the text within a number of media discourses to understand its media geneology and explore its textual trajectories. This mapping explores both the 10-part series, and the wealth of paratextual material as a text together, mapping the connections between the documentary series and the emergence of a transmedial textuality that is owed largely to audiences and the textual terrain. Also translated to Spanish: Hook, A., Barrios-O'Neill, D., & Mairs Dyer, J. (2019). "Una Topología Transmedia De Making A Murderer" In N. Golubov (Ed.), TV Ficciones: Reflexiones Criticas Sobre Television Estadunide (pp. 67-93

Conservative Management of Paediatric Clavicle Fractures

Paediatric clavicle fractures have traditionally been treated nonoperatively. Recent studies have recommended operative management for displaced midshaft fractures. We conducted a retrospective review of all clavicle fractures in children aged one to sixteen over a two-year period. We classified fractures and evaluated followup and clinical outcome. We identified 190 fractures. There were 135 boys and 55 girls. 65% of fractures were displaced and 35% undisplaced. Mean radiographic and clinical followup was 35 days and 44 days, respectively. Clavicle fractures in children heal with nonoperative management. Radiographs of clavicle fractures in children are unnecessary in the absence of clinical symptoms