Culture, Identity, & Perspectives During the Anglo-Irish Conflict

On December 6th, 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, thus culminating a centuries-long battle for Irish independence. This, however, was the product of a long road of discourse, debate, and disagreement amongst both English and Irish alike. The corresponding question is: how did identity, ideology, and culture influence all sides of the Irish Question, on both the macro and micro levels, as it applied to Home Rule and independence since the establishment of the Act of Union in 1801? The goal is to analyze the ideologies of unionism and pro-independence movements in Ireland and England, including examining religion and national identity. This research utilizes primary sources such as the writings and words of prominent figures in support and contention with empire. Examples include the writings and words of Edward Carson, a prominent pro-empire activist who resided in Ireland, and the writings of former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. These sources allow me to interpret the shifts over time in ideological thought as it relates to culture, identity, and empire by examining popular opinion as it was revealed in electoral results, letters, oral histories, and other discourses. This research thus encompasses the thoughts, emotions, and mentalities of those who lived in both England and Ireland from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century to understand better how the fruits of rhetoric have changed and evolved over the course of the Home Rule movement in both England and Ireland. It also analyzes the nuances in public opinion that need to be reflected more in the literature relating to the Anglo-Irish conflict. The findings from this research will articulate that the Anglo-Irish conflict was both controversial and debated by both English and Irish alike. The point is that not all Irish were in favor of independence, while not all English were in favor of keeping and maintaining the Union, and that there was a fluid spectrum surrounding the arguments that pertained to Home Rule and independence

Stem and progenitor cell-based therapy in ischaemic heart disease: promise, uncertainties, and challenges

In the absence of effective endogenous repair mechanisms after cardiac injury, cell-based therapies have rapidly emerged as a potential novel therapeutic approach in ischaemic heart disease. After the initial characterization of putative endothelial progenitor cells and their potential to promote cardiac neovascularization and to attenuate ischaemic injury, a decade of intense research has examined several novel approaches to promote cardiac repair in adult life. A variety of adult stem and progenitor cells from different sources have been examined for their potential to promote cardiac repair and regeneration. Although early, small-scale clinical studies underscored the potential effects of cell-based therapy largely by using bone marrow (BM)-derived cells, subsequent randomized-controlled trials have revealed mixed results that might relate, at least in part, to differences in study design and techniques, e.g. differences in patient population, cell sources and preparation, and endpoint selection. Recent meta-analyses have supported the notion that administration of BM-derived cells may improve cardiac function on top of standard therapy. At this stage, further optimization of cell-based therapy is urgently needed, and finally, large-scale clinical trials are required to eventually proof its clinical efficacy with respect to outcomes, i.e. morbidity and mortality. Despite all promises, pending uncertainties and practical limitations attenuate the therapeutic use of stem/progenitor cells for ischaemic heart disease. To advance the field forward, several important aspects need to be addressed in carefully designed studies: comparative studies may allow to discriminate superior cell populations, timing, dosing, priming of cells, and delivery mode for different applications. In order to predict benefit, influencing factors need to be identified with the aim to focus resources and efforts. Local retention and fate of cells in the therapeutic target zone must be improved. Further understanding of regenerative mechanisms will enable optimization at all levels. In this context, cell priming, bionanotechnology, and tissue engineering are emerging tools and may merge into a combined biological approach of ischaemic tissue repai

Use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Angiography to Follow-Up Arterial Remodeling in an Animal Model

Appropriately sized arteries in small animals may be possible models for studying the remodeling process as occurs after arterial balloon injury in humans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to noninvasively image tissue in vivo. To date, small animal angiog raphy models have mostly used research-dedicated instruments and resolution, which are not universally available.Experiments were carried out on a rat aorta model of remodeling in vivo (n=40). Arteries were injured by oversized balloon dilation; control arteries were uninjured. Angiography imaging was performed immediately before sacrifice with an unmodified clinical MRI unit, a 1.5 Tesla MR tomograph with a 20-cm-diameter coil. Longitudinal MRI pictures of the aorta and morphometry of tissue sections to measure luminal and arterial wall areas were analyzed with use of computer-assisted techniques.Comparison of dimensions demonstrated correlation between MRI and histology measurements of the lumen. MRI and morphometry showed a gradual increase in mean luminal area over 6 weeks following injury. The lumen increase correlated with total arterial area and thickness.In this rat aorta model, remodeling documented at histology was followed-up in vivo. The use of such clinical MRI scanners has potential to reduce animal numbers needed to follow-up the remodeling process after therapeutic intervention

Cell-free Embryonic Stem Cell Extract-mediated Derivation of Multi-potent Stem Cells from NIH3T3 Fibroblasts for Functional and Anatomical Ischemic Tissue Repair

The oocyte-independent generation of multipotent stem cells is one of the goals in regenerative medicine. We report that upon exposure to mouse ES cell (ESC) extracts, reversibly permeabilized NIH3T3 cells undergo de-differentiation followed by stimulus-induced re-differentiation into multiple lineage cell types. Genome-wide expression profiling revealed significant differences between NIH3T3 and ESC-extract treated NIH3T3 cells including re-activation of ESC specific transcripts. Epigenetically, ESC extracts induced CpG de-methylation of Oct4 promoter, hyper-acetylation of histones 3 and 4 and decreased lysine 9 (K-9) dimethylation of histone 3. In mouse models of surgically-induced hind limb ischemia (HLI) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) transplantation of reprogrammed NIH3T3 cells significantly improved post-injury physiological functions and showed antomical evidence of engraftment and trans-differentiation into skeletal muscle, endothelial cell and cardiomyocytes. These data provide evidence for the generation of functional multi-potent stem like cells from terminally differentiated somatic cells without the introduction of trans-genes or ESC fusion

Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment for Ischemic Heart Disease in Patients with No Option of Revascularization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PMCID: PMC3686792This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

E2F1 Suppresses Oxidative Metabolism and Endothelial Differentiation of Bone Marrow Progenitor Cells

RATIONALE: The majority of current cardiovascular cell therapy trials use bone marrow progenitor cells (BM PCs) and achieve only modest efficacy; the limited potential of these cells to differentiate into endothelial-lineage cells is one of the major barriers to the success of this promising therapy. We have previously reported that the E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) is a repressor of revascularization after ischemic injury. OBJECTIVE: We sought to define the role of E2F1 in the regulation of BM PC function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ablation of E2F1 (E2F1 deficient) in mouse BM PCs increases oxidative metabolism and reduces lactate production, resulting in enhanced endothelial differentiation. The metabolic switch in E2F1-deficient BM PCs is mediated by a reduction in the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2; overexpression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 reverses the enhancement of oxidative metabolism and endothelial differentiation. Deletion of E2F1 in the BM increases the amount of PC-derived endothelial cells in the ischemic myocardium, enhances vascular growth, reduces infarct size, and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a novel mechanism by which E2F1 mediates the metabolic control of BM PC differentiation, and strategies that inhibit E2F1 or enhance oxidative metabolism in BM PCs may improve the effectiveness of cell therapy

Between Reconciliation and the Reactivation of Past Conflicts in Europe: Rethinking Social Memory Paradigms

Europe is grounded, from all sides, in traces of old inter-state and ethnic conflicts. Experience has proved that they can still be re-activated in spite of various forms of resolution in the past. History is welcome in the present, and we can observe mobilisation among agents, populations of victims, or despoiled groups, which have been forgotten or forced into silence through post-conflictual issues. Various interest groups, political parties, or states, build up memorial resources that they incorporate in their actions list of historicist strategies, with the aim of 'recycling' the representations of the symbolic pasts into contemporary political games. These mobilisations meet the reconciliation trends coming from society (for example, informal groups, NGOs, and so on), or are taken in charge by national and international institutions - which are becoming more and more routine - especially under the influence of the circulation of 'good' models of the pacification of resentments, containing a highly normative tone. The question is to know whether, in spite of the apparent heterogeneity of this phenomenon, the historicist games do constitute a common indicator of the state of political regimes, especially democracies, and also of the strength of that supranational construction called the EU. This question necessitates the revisiting of the dominant concepts in the field of the political sociology of memory. The international circulation of reconciliation grammars, and the fact that memory issues are being torn out of their national frameworks and exploited in several arenas, both internal and external, in order to increase their yield of political resources, are further evidence that the paradigms heretofore dominant in the social sciences are now at an impasse

Recirculating aquaculture tank production systems: Aquaponics - Integrating fish and plant culture

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