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Intersecting vulnerabilities and compounded risks of women asylum seekers working in care during COVID-19 in Ireland
No full textThis article explores findings from a qualitative participatory study with asylum seekers in Ireland employed in the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. By extending an intersectional analysis framework, we demonstrate how the vulnerability of care workers living within the international protection accommodation system ‘under the care’ of the state intersects with power exercised by the neoliberal care market and is compounded by global health controls instituted during the pandemic. Participants reveal a lack of autonomy and forms of precarity that were not faced by other care workers, particularly increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and multiple forms of stigma
Implementation of a Frailty Care Bundle (FCB) targeting mobilisation, nutrition and cognitive engagement to reduce hospital associated decline in older orthopaedic trauma patients: pretest-posttest intervention study
No full textObjective: To implement and evaluate a Frailty Care Bundle (FCB) targeting mobilisation, nutrition, and cognition in older trauma patients to reduce hospital associated decline. Methods: We used a two group, pretest-posttest design. The FCB intervention was delivered on two orthopaedic wards and two rehabilitation wards, guided by behaviour change theory (COM-B) to implement changes in ward routines (patient mobility goals, nurse assisted mobilisation, mealtimes, communication). Primary outcomes were patient participants' return to pre-trauma functional capability (modified Barthel Index - mBI) at 6-8 weeks post-hospital discharge and average hospital daily step-count. Statistical analysis compared pre versus post FCB group differences using ordinal regression and log-linear models. Results: We recruited 120 patients (pre n=60 and post n=60), and 74 (pre n=43, post n=36) were retained at follow-up. Median age was 78 years and 83% were female. There was a non-significant trend for higher mBI scores (improved function) in the post compared to pre FCB group (OR 2.29, 95% CI 0.98-5.36), associated with an average 11% increase in step-count. Conclusion: It was feasible, during the Covid-19 pandemic, for multidisciplinary teams to implement elements of the FCB. Clinical facilitation supported teams to prioritise fundamental care above competing demands, but sustainability requires ongoing attention. ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN15145850 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15145850
Marginality, resilience and escape: Home in Ana Rocha de Sousa’s Listen
No full textRepresentations of the home are a central point for discussion in contemporary Portuguese cinema. From being a prime site for the understanding of gender inequality, to allowing for examinations of untamed urban expansion, the home has also featured in Portuguese films of the past decades as a proxy for social identity. The significance of the home for marginalised communities is the focus of this article, which examines Ana Rocha de Sousa’s Listen (2020). A Portuguese and British coproduction, Listen tells the story of a Portuguese immigrant family to the UK and their battle against social services, who take their children into custody. By presenting it as their last resource, as the space in which they are attacked but also reorganise for retaliation, Listen values the home not only as built infrastructure, but also as a signifier for unity, family and cultural and linguistic identity. Structured around three key plot points of the film that coincide with keywords featuring in recent feminist scholarship (marginality, resistance and escape), this article argues a discussion about global Portuguese cinema, and this film in particular, illuminates ongoing debates about the significance of the home and its relationship to class and gender in contemporary European film
Prediction of working outcomes in trainee dogs using the novel Assistance Dog Test Battery (ADTB)
No full textCanine behaviour is commonly assessed using test batteries comprising a test protocol and ethogram scoring system. These are particularly valuable for assistance dog organisations as a tool for evaluating trainee dogs’ proficiency in fundamental skills. The goal of this study was to design and validate a new test battery to assess the suitability of trainee dogs for assistance work at different stages of the training programme. The main objective was to develop a machine-learning tool capable of predicting working outcomes. Accordingly, the novel Assistance Dog Test Battery (ADTB) was developed. Trainee assistance dogs participating in this research performed the test at 3 weeks and 10 weeks after starting formal training. The results from the univariate logistic regression analysis were used to select the variables for the reduced feature sets that were used for modelling. The machine learning models were built using the data collected at 3 and 10 weeks separately and predicted working outcomes with an area under the ROC curve of 0.74 and 0.84, respectively. This research demonstrated the relationship between the novel ADTB ethogram measures and working outcomes in assistance dogs. The machine learning model created using the data collected at 3 weeks achieved comparable performance to the state-of-the-art, while the model built using the data collected at 10 weeks substantially outperformed it. These preliminary results suggest that the ADTB is a reliable tool for the prediction of working outcomes in trainee assistance dogs. Hence, assistance dog organisations can reduce the cost of training by using model predictions as a guide for deciding which dogs to withdraw from training. The data collected and the code developed in this research are publicly available on Mendeley Data (https://doi.org/10.17632/5mzfpt455r.1) and GitHub, respectively (https://github.com/mmarcato/dog_ethogram/)
Teaching tip: Embedding sustainability in information systems design education
No full textSustainability refers to the achievement of present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. While prior research has highlighted the potential of Information Systems (IS) to support sustainability objectives - for instance, through supporting eco-efficient work practices and democratising healthcare access - our understanding of how to integrate the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a core aspect of IS teaching and curricula remains nascent. This teaching tip presents a pedagogical design and teaching method for embedding sustainability in systems design education using design thinking and ‘active learning’ techniques. We provide examples of how students translated the SDGs into design concepts that target real-world sustainability problems with feedback from subject matter experts. Recommendations are then provided for supporting students’ experiential journeys when exploring sustainability objectives in the classroom by providing opportunities for variation and experimentation
Freedom of association in Italy: Genesis, evolution and limits of protection of associations in the Italian legal system
No full textThis paper aims to provide an overview of freedom of association in Italy and to also cover the issues of ‘social groups’ (organisations or communities standing between the individual and the State, including family, religious communities, associations and political parties)1 and of the rights of associations in the Italian legal system. It will develop the issue from a constitutional law perspective, although there are other equally interesting perspectives: the civil law analysis of associations; the commercial-tributary analysis of the economic-fiscal activities of associations; the labour law analysis of work relations in associations; the criminal law analysis of crimes related to associations and their enforcement. The focus of the paper will instead be mainly on the fundamental right to freedom of association in the Italian legal system, albeit issues relating to other areas of law will also be touched upon. From a methodological point of view, the contribution offers an analysis conducted within the categories of Italian constitutional law. In order to address the typical problems of comparative law, which first and foremost are the translation2 and conceptualisation of national legal categories,3 categories deriving from Western legal systems that share similar legal notions will also be used to explain Italian legal categories, and a lexicon consistent with that of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will be employed. The paper is structured into three additional sections and some brief conclusions. Section 2 contains a description of the historical evolution of freedom of association in the Italian legal system, its formalisation in the 1948 Italian Constitution (IC) and the rationales behind its protection. In section 3, the limits on freedom of association in the Italian legal system are analysed, looking at the subjects that enjoy this right, prohibited associations and compulsory associations. Section 4, on the other hand, will address the issue of the rights in associations and the rights of associations, focusing on compulsory associations and so-called tendency organisations (a legal category comparable to the German legal category of Tendenzbetrieb). In the conclusions, some recent trends in the area of freedom of association will be summarised, along with an overview of some recent legislative activities
Towards a better understanding of energy poverty
No full textEnergy poverty can manifest itself in households unable, for reasons of access and/or affordability, to source clean energy for necessities such as heat, light, cooling, cooking, and appliance use, or having to use an excessive portion of their disposable income to provide these essentials. Developing more effective responses to this social challenge necessitates a deeper appreciation of energy poverty and the different ways in which it manifests. While there has been some arguing for the importance of appreciating the lived experience of the energy poor, much of the literature on energy poverty has tended to be quantitative in nature. Work within the EnergyMeasures project identified a gap between the macro- and meso-level analysis of energy poverty and the identification of individual energy poor households. Energy poverty is fundamentally a human condition. The various definitions of energy poverty speak of people being unable to access or afford sufficient energy to meet their basic service needs
The role of expectation in the determination of proprietary estoppel remedies
No full textThis paper analyses the various roles which expectation could play in relation to the determination of proprietary estoppel remedies. It argues, by a process of eliminating the various alternatives, that the only appropriate role for expectation is as a cap on a remedy determined on the basis of other factors. The first possible approach to be analysed is that the remedy would invariably be determined by reference to the expectation. It is pointed out that this runs into difficulties in the context of countervailing benefits and also requires a willingness, in certain cases, to grant a remedy which is disproportionate to the detriment suffered by the claimant. The second approach, supported by Jennings v Rice [2002] EWCA Civ 159, is that the fulfillment of the expectation should be the prima facie remedy, to be granted unless such a remedy would be disproportionate to the detriment suffered by C. The paper argues that such an approach does not stand up to close scrutiny and leads to demonstrably illogical results. It then looks at the possibility of treating the expectation as one factor in the determination of the remedy, as appears to be advocated by Gardner; the possibility of regarding the fulfilment of the expectation as a proxy for erasing the detriment, as argued by Robertson; and the possibility of linking the expectation and the detriment by reference to a bargain, as suggested by Robert Walker LJ in Jennings v Rice. By way of conclusion, some observations are offered in respect of the possible future development of equity's approach to proprietary estoppel remedies
The socio-cultural terroir of Irish craft brewing
No full textRestricted AccessThis thesis provides a rich and unique exploration of the world of craft brewing in Ireland. One of the key concepts underpinning the research is that of socio-cultural terroir, which captures the all-important nexus between craft, practice, and place. Cultural geography provides a way of seeing and understanding the craft of brewing in all its richness, diversity and complexity. Foregrounding the brewers’ own experiences reveals how the craft is learned, affirmed and sustained. Applying emerging digital humanities methodologies such as textual analysis, information and knowledge visualisation to more conventional cultural geographic approaches allows for an exploration of how the journeys and values of Irish craft brewers emerge from, shape and (re)create meaning, identity and place in a rapidly growing and evolving community. Consisting of two parts, this thesis first seeks to bring a cultural geographic lens to bear on the craft brewing trade while carefully detailing the historical tradition from which it emerged, and secondly, it demonstrates how digital humanities practice can be employed to expand, augment, amplify, and enhance that exploration. The design, development, and deployment of an exploratory interactive platform to disseminate the findings facilitates an open sharing of the data, inviting further exploration, interpretation, and engagement with the research by a wider network of interested parties, including most importantly, the brewers themselves who have been a central focus of this research
Marine data analytics: Machine learning algorithms to optimize seaweed growth
No full textAquaculture farming faces challenges to increase production while maintaining welfare of livestock, efficiently use of resources, and being environmentally sustainable. To help overcome these challenges, remote and real-time monitoring of the environmental and biological conditions of the aquaculture site is highly important. Multiple remote monitoring solutions for investigating the growth of seaweed are available, but no integrated solution that monitors different biotic and abiotic factors exists. A new integrated multi-sensing system would reduce the cost and time required to deploy the system and provide useful information on the dynamic forces affecting the plants and the associated biomass of the harvest. As part of the EU funded IMPAQT project a new multi modal seaweed sensing system was developed incorporating a variety of sensor to investigate Seaweed growth parameters. The growth rate of seaweed is significantly affected by wave parameters and sea conditions. The wave characteristics in an aquaculture farm are normally measured using expensive equipment, which is not affordable for many farmers or researchers, and is not easily relocated from place to place to evaluate wave conditions in a variety of locations. This research focuses on developing an artificial neural network that can estimate wave height using acceleration and angular velocity data recorded by a low cost IMU sensor