National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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BioBeo
No full textThis song is part of the BioBeo Education Programme, designed to introduce primary school children to the concept of the circular bioeconomy in a fun and engaging way. It aligns perfectly with the AgroCycle Kids Education Programme, developed by Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird and Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh at Maynooth University, which emphasises participatory, hands-on learning. The BioBeo song encourages children to explore ideas of sustainability and circularity. By incorporating this song into classroom activities, educators can foster creativity and critical thinking about environmental solutions. It’s an excellent resource for making bioeconomy concepts accessible and enjoyable for young learners
Forest expansion and irrigated agriculture reinforce low river flows in southern Europe during dry years
No full textThis study analyses the evolution of annual streamflow across Europe between 1962 and 2017, focusing on the connection of streamflow trends with climate dynamics and physiographic and land cover characteristics and
changes. The spatial pattern of trends in streamflow shows strong agreement with the spatial patterns of climate trends, suggesting a climate control of these trends. However, analysing temporal evolution at the basin scale
shows that the strong decrease in streamflow in southern Europe cannot be directly associated with climate dynamic. In fact, a negative trend related to non-climate factors clearly emerges. Rather, we show that forest
growth and irrigated agriculture are the leading drivers of negative streamflow trends in southern Europe, particularly during dry years due to the greater proportion of green water consumption compared to blue water
generation. These findings have significant implications, particularly in the context of widely embraced nature based solutions for mitigating climate change, including carbon sequestration through forests and the planned
expansion of irrigated agricultural lands in central and northern European countries as a response to rising crop water demands. These developments could potentially diminish water resources availability, leading to an
increased occurrence and severity of low flow periods
Enhancing Cultural Participation of Persons with Disabilities. A Toolkit for Cultural Organisations.
No full textThis Toolkit presents findings and recommendations that arise from the research conducted within the remit of the DANCING project. It complements peer reviewed articles and academic research outputs written during the course of the project.
This Toolkit is for cultural professionals and cultural organisations who play a crucial role in preserving traditions, fostering creativity, and shaping the cultural identity of societies overall, and who wish to participate in and contribute to a more inclusive and accessible cultural environment for people with disabilities, both as an audience and as active and involved cultural professionals
The Long‐Term Effects of In Utero Exposure to Rubella
No full textA rubella infection in early pregnancy poses a significant risk of damage to the foetus. In this paper, we examine the later‐life impact of a rubella outbreak that occurred in Ireland in 1956. Matching the outcomes of individuals born in 1954–1957 in the 2016 Irish Census of Population to the county‐level rubella incidence rate that was prevailing when respondents were in utero in early pregnancy, we find that one extra rubella case per 10,000 population is associated with between 0.4% and 1.2% point increases in the probability of having lower levels of educational attainment, being in poor health and having a disability in later life
The psychological complex in contemporary education policy
No full textThis paper brings together work in critical psychology and network governance to build a distinctive critique of how education policy mobilises the psychological complex to reinscribe deficit accounts of children and young people. While contemporary work in the critical analysis of the global educational policy assemblage has uncovered the undercurrents of scientism working to frame mainstream discourses, this paper excavates the manifestation of this through the ‘psy-complex’, which works to construct specific, narrow visions of possibilities and pupil subjectivities. To achieve this, the paper draws on critical psychological research to interrogate the dominance of, and position awarded to, psychology in the research report that informs the education inspection framework used by Ofsted to inspect schools in England. The discourses and assumptions produced and reproduced through this resource are of profound influence in wider constructions of, understandings of, and responses to educational contexts. We argue that the framework draws on the psy-complex to reinscribe deficit accounts of children and young people while perpetuating systemic inequities. We call for a more critical approach to research in psychology and education within which cultural, social, and historical contexts of inequality in education and childhood are deployed in explanations of educational inequalities
A review of energy storage systems for facilitating large-scale EV charger integration in electric power grid
No full textThe swift increase in electric vehicle (EV) into modern power grids presents both significant opportunities and challenges, particularly in maintaining power quality (PQ) and managing peak loads. This review synthesizes current research, providing a comprehensive analysis of the pivotal role of energy storage systems (ESS) in enabling large-scale EV charger integration while addressing critical PQ issues. A key contribution is the comparative evaluation of various ESS typologies—battery ESS (BESS), hybrid ESS (HESS), and distributed ESS (DESS)—each offering distinct advantages in mitigating PQ challenges such as harmonic distortion, voltage regulation, and peak demand control. Ensuring compliance with IEEE-519 standards is emphasized as vital for maintaining grid reliability and high PQ standards. This review paper further examines the diverse impacts of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) on power grids, including their charging and storage characteristics, which influence grid stability and efficiency. It highlights the transformative potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which facilitates bidirectional power flow to support grid stabilization, energy balancing, and ancillary services. Additionally, it addresses the mitigation of harmonic distortion from PEV charging, preserving transformer performance and lifespan, and explores strategies to manage large-scale PEV integration through predictive and adaptive control techniques. This study introduces innovative approaches to improving grid recovery following disturbances and evaluates the synergistic integration of renewable energy sources with PEVs to foster sustainable energy systems. Models for PEV interaction with microgrids are also discussed, emphasizing their role in enhancing energy resilience and grid flexibility. This paper underscores the critical role of advanced energy management strategies (EMS) in optimizing EV-grid integration and improving overall system efficiency. These strategies include rule-based EMSs employing fixed rules, fuzzy logic, and wavelet transforms; optimization-based EMSs utilizing techniques such as dynamic programming, genetic algorithms, model predictive control, and particle swarm optimization; and intelligent EMSs leveraging neural networks and reinforcement learning for adaptive and predictive control. By outlining innovative solutions and highlighting the importance of strategic collaboration among utilities, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers, this review provides a comprehensive roadmap for overcoming the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges associated with EV charger integration, laying the groundwork for a reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy future
Resource List: Projects, Toolkits, and Resources related to Cultural Participation of Persons with Disabilities
No full textThe project ‘Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths
(DANCING)’ explores the right of persons with disabilities to take part in cultural life as an essential aspect
of enhancing cultural diversity in the European Union
(EU). The project is funded by the European Research
Council (ERC) and is based at Maynooth University
(MU), Ireland under Professor Delia Ferri as a Principal Investigator (PI). It explores the extent to which
the protection of the right to take part in culture of
people with disabilities and the promotion of cultural
diversity intersect and complement each other in the
EU legal order. On the whole, DANCING deploys interdisciplinary approaches to produce ground-breaking
knowledge intended to challenge the cultural exclusion often faced by people with disabilities, contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and culturally
diverse European society.
DANCING commenced on 1 September 2020 and is
due to be completed on 31 August 2025. It comprises
four Work Packages (WPs). Within WP1, DANCING has
identified and categorised barriers to and facilitators
of cultural participation experienced by persons with
disabilities and how they affect the wider cultural domain (experiential objective). Within WP2, DANCING
has provided a normative exploration of how the EU
has used and can use its competence to combat discrimination and its supporting competence on cultural
matters, in synergy with its wide internal market powers, to ensure the accessibility of cultural activities, to
promote disability identities, while achieving cultural diversity (normative objective). WP3 has aimed at
advancing the understanding of the legal concept of
cultural diversity, which stems from the intersection
of different sources of law, and, in the final phase of
the project, articulates a new theorisation of the promotion of cultural diversity within the EU legal order
(theoretical objective). The project is underpinned by
the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), which represents the global legal
standard on disability rights, and is informed by the
human rights model of disability.
DANCING also includes a fourth cross-cutting WP
(WP4) focused on raising awareness, deploying specific outputs for the general public and producing a
number of toolkits and guidelines that aim to advance
the understanding of what facilitates cultural participation of people with disabilities, legal change and effective policy responses at the EU level. As part of this
WP, as will be discussed in the following subsection,
we compiled this Resource List which provides information on existing organisations, projects, outputs
and good practices related to culture and disability in
a broad fashion, or that concern cultural participation
of persons with disabilities
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in the Irish Free State, 1924–1935
No full textDespite a growing body of research on sexual violence in Irish history, and on recently reported historic sexual offences, few studies have focused on sex offenders who were prosecuted and convicted contemporaneously in the early decades of the Irish Free State. This article examines hitherto restricted archival files on sixty-five offenders who were convicted of unlawful carnal knowledge under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, and, in doing so, constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of convicted sex offenders during the formative years of the independent Irish state. The findings reveal the modus operandi of these perpetrators and that the majority of the victims were exploited by someone who was known to them. The article also challenges the view that there was little recognition of child sexual abuse as a societal problem in the early years of the state and demonstrates that there was an awareness of predatory individuals within Irish communities during this period
