National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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Born to blossom, bloom, then perish? The rise and fall of the Pomells de Joventut de Catalunya (1920–1923)
No full textThe activities, outputs, and histories of youth organisations across a range of contexts can give us a privileged understanding of later political movements that find their roots with those youth movements. Scholars have already paid a great deal of attention to youth movements as part of totalitarian regimes, revolutionary and rebel-lious factions, as well as weird and wonderful cults. However, our understanding of the realities and impact of youth groups tied to minoritised language movements in Iberia remains under developed and fails to reflect on the agency of youth. In the case of Catalonia – the focus of this article – a number of youth groups emerged in the delicate, and politically fraught period between Spain’s disastrous defeat at hands of the United States in 1898and the sudden rise of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923–1930). Nearing the end of this timeline, the Pomells de Joventut de Catalunya (1920–1923) were one such organisation that sprung upto serve both God and Catalonia, a combination which would garner interest from the Catalan elite but also single them out for annihilation at hands of Spanish nationalism. This article seeks to disclose the history of the Pomells, their wider networks and relations to the power structures of the day, how young people made the organisation their own through small actions, and, finally, the demise and afterlives of the organisation
Climate Change is Happening and Humans are Responsible
No full textWe know Earth is warming. Clear evidence of warming can be seen in observations of the atmosphere, oceans, ice, and living things. Computer simulations can tell us what the world would have looked like without increases in greenhouse gases and other human influences, and Earth would not have warmed up like we have seen. By comparing the changes scientists have observed to computer simulations of the climate including or excluding various potential causes, scientists can work out what or who is responsible for the climate changes. Again and again, it has been shown that these simulations can only explain observed climate changes when historic emissions of greenhouse gases, principally arising from burning coal, oil, and gas, are included. The best estimate is that all the warming we have observed since 1850–1900 is due to greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities
Autobiographical Cerebral Network Activation in Older Adults Before and After Reminiscence Therapy: A Preliminary Report
No full textIntroduction: Reminiscence therapy (RT), which engages individuals to evoke positive memories, has been shown to be
effective in improving psychological well-being in older adults suffering from PTSD, depression, and anxiety. However, its impact
on brain function has yet to be determined. This paper presents functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to describe
changes in autobiographical memory networks (AMN) in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This pilot study used a
within-subject design to measure changes in AMN activation in 11 older adults who underwent 6 weeks of RT. In the scanner,
participants retrieved autobiographical memories which were either recent or remote, rehearsed or unrehearsed. Participants
also underwent a clinical interview to assess changes in memory, quality of life, mental health, and affect. Findings: Compared
to pretreatment, anxiety decreased (z = -2.014, p = .040) and activated significant areas within the AMN, including bilateral
medial prefrontal cortex, left precuneus, right occipital cortex, and left anterior hippocampus. Conclusion: Although RT had
subtle effects on psychological function in this sample with no evidence of impairments, including depression at baseline, the
fMRI data support current thinking of the effect RT has on the AMN. Increased activation of right posterior hippocampus
following RT is compatible with the Multiple Trace Theory Theory (Nadel & Moscovitch, 1997)
Un-silencing the silenced: Using Black Migrant Women’s experiences of racism to propose a critical anti-racist pedagogy for Irish Adult Education.
No full textThis is a study of how an intersection of race, gender, migration status and nation impact the everyday lives of Black women in Ireland. Using a critical qualitative frame and relying on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Black Feminist Thought (BFT) epistemologies, the research is based on 20 culturally responsive conversations, held with eight Black migrant women over a period of two years. I also include autobiographical reflections and inputs from my own experience as I too identify as a Black migrant woman.
The objectives of this research are: to position Black women as agents of knowledge by giving them the opportunity to tell their own story in order to disrupt dominant and majoritarian stories about Black migrant women; to contribute to Black Irish Feminist Thought and to develop a racially sensitive pedagogy for use in Irish adult education.
The women’s stories offer an insight into lives, daily inundated with micro and macro racial assaults. The thesis also highlights how Black women experience a pervasive and insidious kind of everyday racism in Ireland, which brings with it a range of psychological and physical trauma. The women report the widespread prevalence of negative stereotypes inputted on Black women and how attempting to debunk these stereotypes, sometimes re-enforces them, leaving the women psychologically drained, or excluding them from active participation in society. The inquiry shows that Black women are constantly devalued and looked upon as ‘less-than’. Educational spaces are not left out of racism as the inquiry highlights how racism permeates schools, churches and even the homes of these women. Drawing on aspects of various critical pedagogies, I use the experiences shared by the women, as a reflective fulcrum to propose a racially appropriate and culturally responsive pedagogy that can be applied in Adult and Further Education in Ireland. In addition to core critical pedagogic tenets, I specifically advocate for pedagogy that will use non-dominant cultures as a vehicle for learning, build community across social identities and teach from a standoint of reparation and love. In keeping with my own Nigerian way of knowing and being, but also modelling some of the epistemological and pedagogical positions that I recommend and advocate for, I present some of the findings in the form of parables and stories which I have included in different parts of the thesis
Responsive Synthetic Peptide Conjugates – From Sensors to Peptidomimetics
No full textThe importance of luminescent peptide sensors and peptidomimetics lies in their ability to address challenges in detection, imaging, drug development, and various other fields. More specifically, luminescent peptide-conjugates are often biocompatible and can detect analytes at trace-levels. This makes them effective tools for the visualisation of cellular processes and molecular interactions, while aiding in early diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. Indeed, peptidomimetics are designed to mimic the biological activity of peptides while often offering enhanced stability and bioavailability, overcoming some of the many limitations associated with native peptides. This thesis will focus on the use of modified synthetic peptide-conjugates as potential luminescent sensors for the visualisation of Caspase-3, and the design of a completely new peptidomimetic-scaffold based on Squaratides – a hybrid mix of squaramides and peptides.
The thesis opens with a literature review (Chapter 1) documenting the therapeutic history of peptides and the inherent functionalities that facilitate their diverse chemistries, all the way up to the luminescent applications of peptide-conjugates for selective sensing/visualisation of specific disease-related enzymes. Chapter 2 details the design, synthesis, and characterisation of a ratiometric fluorescent caspase-3 probe. This novel peptide-conjugate was investigated as a potential probe for the visualisation of caspase-3 via UV-vis/Fluorescence studies, enzyme kinetic(s) experiments, and selectivity studies. The probe was shown to be highly selective towards caspase-3, with kinetic data comparable to others reported in literature, while benefiting from the advantages of ratiometric detection. The design of a potential red-emitting naphthalimide-peptide probe for caspase-3 visualisation is also discussed.
Chapter 3 aims to build on the idea of fluorescent visualisation using traditional organic fluorophores, but instead employs lanthanide luminescence, with their prolonged luminescence lifetimes and tuneable emission colours. This chapter reports the synthesis and characterisation of a family of novel, water-soluble squaramide-based cyclen ligands with varying symmetry and substitution patterns, including one ligand that may have the potential to act as a lanthanide-based caspase-3 probe. The photophysical properties of each squaramide
antenna was investigated, with preliminary metal-centred luminescence emission spectra being obtained for Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes.
The final section (Chapter 4) documents the attempted synthesis of a novel class of peptidomimetics featuring a squaramide motif. The aim was to investigate the use of squaramides as potential peptidomimetics, by generating synthetic analogues of a previous pharmaceutical drug – Cilengitide – with the hope of improving its overall stability. This chapter outlines a versatile synthetic methodology for the production of Nβ-Fmoc alkyl-amines (from their respective commercially available amino acids) and their incorporation into cyclic Squaratide peptidomimetics
Fossil fuel interests in Puerto Rico: Perceptions of incumbent power and discourses of delay
No full textThis study explores perceptions of fossil fuel interests and the role narratives of fossil fuel obstruction play in
slowing down the renewable energy transition in Puerto Rico. We analyzed interviews conducted with 56
“energy actors” engaged in Puerto Rico’s energy system about their visions of the system’s future and perceptions
of the influence of different actors in promoting change or reinforcing the status-quo. The analysis also examined
the use of discourses of delay in participant interviews using a framework proposed by Lamb et al. (2020). Our
interviews revealed that a wide range of energy actors perceived obstruction by fossil fuel interests as shaping
Puerto Rico’s energy transition, and used discourses of delay to describe Puerto Rico’s energy transition, but also
employed narratives that countered this obstruction and resisted fossil fuel interests. The results depict the
conflicted nature of Puerto Rico’s energy transition: on the one hand there was widespread agreement across a
wide range of actors that the future of Puerto Rico’s energy system would eventually be renewable based, and at
the same time, there were significant doubts that a renewable transition could or would occur. The complex
interplay among perceptions of the influence of fossil fuel interests, discourses of delay, and narratives of
resistance and community power offers insights into why renewable energy deployment has been slow in Puerto
Rico, despite the possibility of a rapid transition after Hurricane Maria devastated the energy system in 2017 and
ambitious energy policies were passed
Public actor roles in market experiments: Innovating digital health markets in New York and Ireland
No full textThis paper responds to calls for greater focus on public actors in market innovation, asking how public actors engage in market experiments to innovate public goods markets. We introduce the concept of market experiments, and particularly public actors’ roles in instigating and directing such experiments, to better understand how market innovation processes are put into motion to effect market change and solve specific problems. We focus on two market experiments that track government efforts to encourage the inclusion of digital health technologies in healthcare markets in Ireland and the U.S. between 2015 and 2017. In doing so we move beyond views of government as largely confined to a regulatory role in institutional change. Rather, we see government actively experimenting for possible future markets that can embrace rapid digitalization and meet societal needs. We outline four different government roles across different stages of market de-institutionalization and re-institutionalization: triggering, stabilizing, and prescribing market experiments and anointing market actors
Response of the mushroom pathogen Cladobotryum mycophilum to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone and two Bacillus-based biological control agents in mushroom crop trials
No full textCobweb disease caused by members of the Cladobotryum genus is a major problem for growers of the white
button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Synthetic fungicides such as prochloraz and metrafenone have been very
successful at targeting and eliminating the pathogens that cause mushroom disease. However, prochloraz can no
longer be used in the European Union (EU) from June 2023 and over-reliance on metrafenone has resulted in
putative resistant pathogenic strains emerging. Prochloraz still showed good control of two different isolates of
Cladobotryum mycophilum with efficacy values consistently reaching 70%. Metrafenone inhibited the growth of
C. mycophilum isolate 618, which was isolated before metrafenone was introduced (efficacy 96%), but it failed to
control C. mycophilum 1546, which was isolated after metrafenone was introduced, and which should now be
classified as resistant. Two further C. mycophilum isolates from mushroom farms in 2019 also showed metrafenone resistance in vitro. In this work two biological control agents (BCAs) were investigated as potential environmentally sustainable alternatives to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone. The BCA Bacillus velezensis
QST 713 was unsuccessful in controlling cobweb disease caused by C. mycophilum isolate 1546 while the BCA
Bacillus velezensis Kos showed moderate control over two trials reaching 30–40% efficacy. Lower inoculum
concentrations resulted in slightly lower but not significantly different disease levels across all treatments. Future
trials with BCAs need to look at alternative methods to evaluate efficacy
An Exploration of Change and Leadership in an Emerging Technological University.
No full textThe higher educational sector in Ireland is undergoing significant change due to the complexity of evolving multifaced roles and demands within a highly regulated environment where resources are limited. This is being compounded as institutes of technology merge to form new technological universities. Although effective leadership is required to successfully lead change initiatives, limited research on change leadership exists, especially for the higher educational sector.
The purpose of this mixed methods study is to explore stakeholder experiences and perceptions of change and leadership in an emerging Technological University (TU) in Ireland. The case study was guided by the following research question: ‘How do stakeholders experience and value change leadership?’ Linked to this overall research question are the following subquestions: (1) What are the main change drivers, cultural and contextual factors for change? (2) What are staff perceptions about change and leadership? (3) What are the challenges for change management and leadership? (4) What are the importance and presence of change leadership characteristics?
The study considers the important components of change leadership including context, culture, and change, while also synthesising change leadership characteristics from literature. Utilising complexity theory as a theoretical framework, relationships between these topics and complexity leadership are conceptualised. Through content analysis, focus groups with senior management, a survey with all staff and an interview with the president, this four-stage research approach highlights the importance of working within the context and dealing with challenges through change leadership. Furthermore, insights associated with the influence of context and the important of culture have been provided as well as considerations for leading change and leadership overall. New understandings of change and its dynamics as well as complexity are also revealed. This study has contributed to knowledge, policy and practice and has implications for future change leadership research, training, and development
The Impact of Crime Media on Peoples’ Perceptions of Crime, Perpetrators and Victims
No full textThis dissertation aims to analyse the potential negative impacts of crime-related media on
viewers’ perceptions about crime, perpetrators, and victims. It will be completed using
desk-based research as this is the most fitting and most practical method to answer the
research question. Using desk-based research allows me to compare and contrast various
perspectives on the same topic which will allow me to identify trends and patterns that
will allow me to answer my research question.
To conduct research for this dissertation I used Google Scholar, Scopus and EBSOhost
as my main sources of literature. Initial searches of “crime media” found around 3 million
results so I had to be more specific. Some of the search terms I used to utilise this search
engine and database more efficiently included: “crime media AND ethics” (approx. 1.86
million results), “crime media AND fear” (approx. 1.7 million results), “crime media
AND perpetrators” (approx. 270,000 results), “crime media AND police” (approx. 1.95
million results), “crime media AND race OR ethnicity” (approx. 870, 000), and “media
AND ideal victims” (approx. 440,000 results). Where appropriate, I also used both the
American English and UK English spellings of certain words (such as ‘sensationalization’
and ‘sensationalisation’, or ‘racialisation’ and ‘racialization’) to maximise the efficiency of
my searches.
Additionally, for the purposes of this dissertation I used some inclusion and
exclusion criteria to narrow down my searches to best fit my research question. I included
literature related to both fictional and non-fictional crime-related media; and media from
various sources, including television, newspapers, and true crime podcasts and
documentaries. When searching for literature I mainly limited myself to sources that were
written within the last four decades. I also limited myself to literature written in English.
While reviewing the existing literature I gathered to help me answer my research
question, I highlighted and took a note of the main findings of each relevant paper. This
allowed me to observe and keep track of common themes that emerge from the literature
in relation to this topic. These included: sensationalism in relation to ethics; biased
reporting; selective reporting that it at odds with official crime statistics; stereotyping; impacts related to police; impacts related to fear; differential treatment of minorities; and
typifying legitimate victims. Biased reporting involved either the over-representation or
underrepresentation of certain groups (Greer, 2007; Jewkes, 2015). Selective reporting
involved the overrepresentation of certain types of crimes (Jewkes, 2015; Grosholz &
Kubrin, 2007; Chermak, 1998; Greer, 2007), and victims and offenders (Grosholz &
Kubrin, 2007); as well as a focus on newsworthiness to create stories most appealing to
viewers (Dmitrieva, 2017; Greer, 2007). Stereotyping referred to stereotyping who
criminals are (including racial stereotyping and the racialisation of crime (Colburn &
Melander, 2018; Monk et al., 2007; Keating, 2002)) as well as stereotyping who victims
are (Christie, 1986; Dukes & Gaither, 2017). Impacts relating to police involved more
negative perceptions of police (Choi et al., 2020; Long, 2021); the impact of media on
perceptions of police efficiency (Dowler, 2002) and legitimacy (Jewkes, 2015); and the
link of perceptions of police to fear of crime (Choi et al., 2020). Impacts on fear of crime
examined the extent to which this occurs (Greer, 2007; Grabe & Drew, 2007; Choi et al.,
2020; Keating, 2002; Heath & Gilbert, 1996; Jewkes, 2015), including differences across
racial/ethnic groups (Callanan, 2012; Dowler, 2002). It also examined whether media
influences who one ‘should’ fear. Differential treatment of minorities examined the
overrepresentation of minorities as offenders (Callanan, 2012; Colburn & Melander,
2018), as well as minority victims and offenders being treated or portrayed differently and
more negatively (Dixon & Linz, 2002; Brennan & Vandenberg, 2009; Smiley & Fakunle,
2016; Long, 2021; Slakoff, 2018). The typification of legitimate victims focused on the
perpetuation of Nils Christie’s (1986) construct of ‘ideal victims’ in media (Long, 2021;
Greer, 2007), and how legitimate and illegitimate victims are treated differently (Slakoff,
2018; Lewis & Hamilton, 2021; DiBennardo, 2018). These themes will be further
elaborated on and explored throughout this dissertation