118 research outputs found
The Evolution of a Collective Response to Rural Underdevelopment
Versions of this paper were presented at The National Jobs Conference, April 23rd,
2010, Dunhill Ecopark, Ballyphilip, Co. Waterford and at the 2nd Irish Rural Studies
Symposium, August 31st 2010, University College Cork. Thanks are due for comments
and suggestions received from participants at both events.The downturn in the Irish economy coupled with high levels of unemployment has
focused attention on the need to promote economic development throughout the
economy. This paper provides case study evidence on one successful approach to
rural economic development by outlining the evolution, outcomes and key capabilities
involved in a collective action response to the challenge of rural underdevelopment in
North West Connemara. Reviewing a fifty year period, the case study shows that
collective action in the region has not only been a series of events, but more crucially
from a development perspective, it is embedded as an institution and a process.
Therefore, as a result of learning by this community over a fifty year period, a
collective action response has evolved as a key strategy to overcome government and
market failure in relation to rural development. This case provides a good example to
other communities of how locality can be drawn upon and used as an advantage in an
increasingly globalised environment and how a local community can seek to
ameliorate the negative aspects of globalisation by harnessing its local resources. In
broad policy terms, the implication is that there are public good benefits to be gained
from assisting and encouraging local communities through the provision of finance
and capability building support, to deliver collective action responses to their
particular challenges
The potency of optical and augmented reality mirror boxes in amputees and people with intact limbs
Phantom limb pain is the distressing problem experienced by many amputees, defined as a painful
sensation perceived in the area of the missing body part. Phantom limb pain can be very severe and disabling. It
continues to be experienced by two thirds of amputees, eight years post-amputation. Augmented reality has the
ability to change a person’s sensory experience. More applications of this technology are gradually being
utilised for therapeutic purposes as augmented environments can be used both to distract the attention of patients
from excruciatingly painful experiences and to promote cortical re-mapping at the site from where the pain
arises. Using Augmented Reality, an environment has been created where upper limb amputees can both view
and control motion of their phantom limb to help alleviate phantom limb pain
Relieving the cognitive load of constructing molecular biological ontology based queries by means of visual aids.
Thesis (M.Comp.Sc.)-Universty of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.The domain of molecular biology is complex and vast. Bio-ontologies and information visualisation have arisen in recent years as means to assist biologists in making sense of this information. Ontologies can enable the construction of conceptual queries, but existing systems to do this are too technical for most biologists. OntoDas, the software developed as part of this thesis work, demonstrates how the application of techniques from information visualisation and human computer interaction can result in software which enables biologists to construct conceptual queries
Successful Treatment of Chronic Osteomyelitis of the Radius
Chronic osteomyelitis is uncommon in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Current migration trends with an influx of people from less affluent nations may result in more cases of chronic osteomyelitis being seen in community and hospital practice. We report on a case of chronic osteomyelitis of the radius and document current treatment recommendations
Augmenting the Reality of Phantom Limbs: Three Case Studies Using an Augmented Mirror Box Procedure
Phantom sensation and phantom pain are common after limb amputation. Previous research documents increased motor
control of phantom limbs and alleviation of phantom limb pain through exposure to the “mirror box illusion.” This
approach centers on the potential for vision and sensorimotor interactions to alter phantom limb perception. The
applicability and flexibility of this intervention is limited by methodological constraints inherent in the use of conventional
mirrors. This article reports the application of an "augmented reality" intervention that seeks to overcome these
constraints. Three case studies are presented, and it is argued that augmented reality technology offers a promising new
approach to the investigation of phantom experience and potentially to the treatment of phantom pain
OntoDas – a tool for facilitating the construction of complex queries to the Gene Ontology
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ontologies such as the Gene Ontology can enable the construction of complex queries over biological information in a conceptual way, however existing systems to do this are too technical. Within the biological domain there is an increasing need for software that facilitates the flexible retrieval of information. OntoDas aims to fulfil this need by allowing the definition of queries by selecting valid ontology terms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>OntoDas is a web-based tool that uses information visualisation techniques to provide an intuitive, interactive environment for constructing ontology-based queries against the Gene Ontology Database. Both a comprehensive use case and the interface itself were designed in a participatory manner by working with biologists to ensure that the interface matches the way biologists work. OntoDas was further tested with a separate group of biologists and refined based on their suggestions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>OntoDas provides a visual and intuitive means for constructing complex queries against the Gene Ontology. It was designed with the participation of biologists and compares favourably with similar tools. It is available at <url>http://ontodas.nbn.ac.za</url></p
A rapid systematic review of what we know about alcohol use disorders and brief interventions in the criminal justice system
Pharmacists' views on the impact of the falsified medicines directive on community pharmacies: A cross-sectional survey
Background: The Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) was implemented to minimise the circulation of falsified medicines in the legal pharmaceutical supply chain. Whilst pharmacists are involved in the final step of the FMD requirements with the decommissioning of medicines at the point of supply to patients, limited research has been conducted to investigate the impact of fulfilling these requirements on the relevant stakeholders. Objective: To examine community pharmacists' views on how the FMD has affected their practice. Methods: An online survey was disseminated via email in June 2020 to pharmacists in Ireland (n = 4727), who were invited to participate if practising full time or part time in community pharmacies. Quantitative data were captured through multiple option and Likert-scale questions, and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were captured by use of a free-text box, with the open comments analysed thematically. Results: In total, 618 valid responses were received (13.1% response rate). Most perceived that FMD requirements increased waiting times for patients (82%) and reduced time interacting with patients (65%). Only 28% agreed/strongly agreed that the introduction of the FMD legislation improves patient safety. In the open comments, the need for medicine authentication was acknowledged, but it was believed that this should be the wholesalers' responsibility, not pharmacists' responsibility. The additional step of medicines decommissioning was viewed as a time-consuming distraction to clinical checks that increased the risk for error. Pharmacists complained that they were not remunerated for the lost staff productivity or the additional software and equipment costs. Many pharmacists felt that the increased workload was disproportionate to the small risk of patients receiving falsified medicines. Conclusions: Key stakeholder engagement is required to optimise the implementation and integration of the FMD procedures into community pharmacy practice with minimal impact on dispensing and without compromising patient care
Needle in a Whey-Stack: PhRACS as a Discovery Tool for Unknown Phage-Host Combinations
The field of metagenomics has rapidly expanded to become the go-to method for complex microbial community analyses. However, there is currently no straightforward route from metagenomics to traditional culture-based methods of strain isolation, particularly in (bacterio)phage biology, leading to an investigative bottleneck. Here, we describe a method that exploits specific phage receptor binding protein (RBP)-host cell surface receptor interaction enabling isolation of phagehost combinations from an environmental sample. The method was successfully applied to two complex sample types-a dairy-derived whey sample and an infant fecal sample, enabling retrieval of specific and culturable phage hosts.IMPORTANCE PhRACS aims to bridge the current divide between in silico genetic analyses (i.e., phageomic studies) and traditional culture-based methodology. Through the labeling of specific bacterial hosts with fluorescently tagged recombinant phage receptor binding proteins and the isolation of tagged cells using flow cytometry, PhRACS allows the full potential of phageomic data to be realized in the wet laboratory
The cellular and synaptic architecture of the mechanosensory dorsal horn
The deep dorsal horn is a poorly characterized spinal cord region implicated in processing low-threshold mechanoreceptor (LTMR) information. We report an array of mouse genetic tools for defining neuronal components and functions of the dorsal horn LTMR-recipient zone (LTMR-RZ), a role for LTMR-RZ processing in tactile perception, and the basic logic of LTMR-RZ organization. We found an unexpectedly high degree of neuronal diversity in the LTMR-RZ: seven excitatory and four inhibitory subtypes of interneurons exhibiting unique morphological, physiological, and synaptic properties. Remarkably, LTMRs form synapses on between four and 11 LTMR-RZ interneuron subtypes, while each LTMR-RZ interneuron subtype samples inputs from at least one to three LTMR classes, as well as spinal cord interneurons and corticospinal neurons. Thus, the LTMR-RZ is a somatosensory processing region endowed with a neuronal complexity that rivals the retina and functions to pattern the activity of ascending touch pathways that underlie tactile perception
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