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The legacy of history: women and the ownership of land in Ireland
No full textThis paper is a review of existing sources across disciplines focusing on the topic of female farm ownership. Throughout the centuries, females have been explicitly excluded from owning and prevented from inheriting land. The purpose of this paper is to examine historical customs and rules governing female land ownership in Ireland and to demonstrate how the ‘old’ laws and customs have contributed significantly to the patriarchal system of farm ownership that is still in existence today even though the gender-based laws have disappeared. This paper argues that a contributing factor to the current male-dominated farm ownership figures is the normalisation of patriarchy by way of the old, gendered laws and practices. Although gender discrimination is no longer acceptable in such a direct legal form, the tradition and culture that established and supported such customs can still be seen today, as males account for 87% of Irish farmholders. This research addresses a lacuna in our understanding of women’s unequal position when it comes to the ownership of farms in Ireland.</p
Reimagining school-university partnerships in physical education: a collaborative design to approach democratic professionalism
No full textBackground: An established body of research illuminates the benefits of school-university partnerships as opportunities for teachers’ professional development. Concomitantly, studies highlight power imbalances between schools and universities, challenges may form from the hierarchical structures within those partnerships. Consequently, it remains necessary to consider partnerships that foster democratic and collective agency amongst all actors involved in those partnerships in order to advance changes in the teaching profession. This paper is grounded in Sachs’ notions of viewing the teaching profession as democratic and managerial (2001; 2016). In this current paper, rather than presenting democratic and managerial approaches as two separate entities, they are presented here as a continuum on which university lecturers, mentor-teachers, and pre-service teachers, navigate, constantly facing diverse challenges to structure a democratic school -university partnership. Purpose: This study explored a school-university partnership in physical education teacher education. Specifically, we were interested in what features contributed to (or hindered) the development of mentor teachers’ (MT), teacher educators’, and pre-service teachers’ (PST) democratic professionalism. Method: An 18-month school-university partnership in the Institutional Program of Teaching Initiation, Brazil, was the project’s focus. The action research participants were 19 PSTs, two MTs, a teacher educator facilitator, and a critical friend. Data sources included: weekly meetings with the PIBID group (43), between MTs and facilitator (39), and facilitator and critical friend (8); mid and final-term PST focus groups; interviews (14); and diaries (22). Reflexive and inductive thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings: Three themes reflect how this school-university partnership cultivated teachers’ democratic professionalism. These themes are (1) enacting democratic practices as a group, (2) fostering participants’ agency, and (3) addressing power inequalities in a democratic space. The first theme includes diverse strategies (e.g. listening-to-respond, respecting affective connections, and acknowledging PSTs’ learning pace) developed within the project. The second theme relates to the challenges, the engagement in critical reflection, and the constant struggles against inequalities in the group context. The third theme concerns participants’ recognition of the partnership as a democratic space, albeit carrying power inequalities (e.g. organization of the program, context of education, and hierarchical relationships). Conclusion: The school-university partnership created spaces for participants to learn together about the teaching profession. A democratic structure included teachers as co-leaders of the program, PSTs’ needs as the starting point of action, and a critical and reflective approach as a practice of the group. Educating (future) teachers to disrupt a managerial view of their profession is necessary. By seeking collaboration, collective action, and the fostering of a less hierarchical and more egalitarian space, participants experimented and engaged with a democratic view of the teaching profession.</p
Transforming brain cancer biomarker research with patinformatics and SWOT analysis
No full textBrain cancer heterogeneity imposes significant challenges in diagnosis, causing high mortality. The lack of timely diagnosis intensifies these challenges, underscoring the need for improved diagnostics. Recent advancements in biomarker discovery have led to biomarker detection at ultra-low concentrations via multiplexing with biosensors, offering a promising avenue for the timely detection of brain cancer. Serving as a comprehensive resource, this review highlights the crucial role of primary biomarkers in brain cancer diagnosis via integration of patinformatics and SWOT analysis, thereby facilitating timely diagnosis and informed decision making. Furthermore, we aim to outline recent advances in brain cancer prognostics and management strategies, ultimately improving patient outcomes</p
Ultrasound-assisted recovery of blackcurrant press cake anthocyanins: Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, bioaccessibility, and application in functional gummies
No full textBlackcurrant press cake (BPC) anthocyanins were recovered using ultrasound-assisted extraction, and the optimal BPC extract was tested for its antioxidant capacity using chemical and biological assays and applied in a functional food model. Extraction at 400 W for 10 min followed by freeze-drying rendered an extract rich in polyphenols (47.83 mg GAE/g), where delphinidin-3-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, and cyanidin-3-glucoside accounted for 75 % of total phenolics. When the reverse process of protonation/ deprotonation was performed (pH 10 to pH 2), anthocyanins exhibited 79.3 % reversibility. The BPC extract inhibited human plasma oxidation (5052 mg AAE/g) and decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species generation by 54 % in erythrocytes and 45 % in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophage-like cells. BPC extract exhibited antiproliferative activity and cytostatic effect on HepG2 cells in monoculture at 100–250 μg/mL. Gummies added with BPC extract had a sensory acceptability of 75 %, but bioactive compounds had a low bioaccessibility.</p
Exploring the Unseen: A survey of multi-sensor fusion and the role of explainable AI (XAI) in autonomous vehicles
No full textAutonomous vehicles (AVs) rely heavily on multi-sensor fusion to perceive their environment and make critical, real-time decisions by integrating data from various sensors such as radar, cameras, Lidar, and GPS. However, the complexity of these systems often leads to a lack of transparency, posing challenges in terms of safety, accountability, and public trust. This review investigates the intersection of multi-sensor fusion and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), aiming to address the challenges of implementing accurate and interpretable AV systems. We systematically review cutting-edge multi-sensor fusion techniques, along with various explainability approaches, in the context of AV systems. While multi-sensor fusion technologies have achieved significant advancement in improving AV perception, the lack of transparency and explainability in autonomous decision-making remains a primary challenge. Our findings underscore the necessity of a balanced approach to integrating XAI and multi-sensor fusion in autonomous driving applications, acknowledging the trade-offs between real-time performance and explainability. The key challenges identified span a range of technical, social, ethical, and regulatory aspects. We conclude by underscoring the importance of developing techniques that ensure real-time explainability, specifically in high-stakes applications, to stakeholders without compromising safety and accuracy, as well as outlining future research directions aimed at bridging the gap between high-performance multi-sensor fusion and trustworthy explainability in autonomous driving systems.</p
Exploration of trust in participatory health research partnerships across two timepoints: a network approach
No full textBackground The value of a participatory approach to the generation of evidence for health and social services from a moral, methodological and policy level continues to gain recognition globally. Trust is a crucial mechanism in the participatory health research (PHR) process and is strongly influenced by context. However, gaps remain in conceptualising and operationalising trust over time in PHR partnerships. Objective This case study seeks to address these gaps by exploring the evolution of trust multidimensionally across two timepoints. Setting and participants Participants in a PHR project called the Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Ignite Network in Ireland (n=57 (T1); n=56 (T2)) were invited to complete a network survey at two timepoints. The PPI Ignite Network had local and national partners. Network measures Several core social network measures were calculated at both timepoints to characterise the differences between trust dimensions and between local and national partners. Results Subtle changes were observed across most network measures over the two timepoints. While there was a slight decrease in the number of connections for each trust dimension throughout the PPI Ignite Network, connections that were consistently nominated in both timepoints increased slightly. Some trust dimensions, such as vulnerability and integrity, were more similar, while others, like integrity and shared values, visions and goals, differed greatly, where national partners consistently received more incoming connections compared with local partners. Conclusion These findings (1) provide empirical support for using social network analysis to operationalise trust comprehensively and multidimensionally over time in a participatory partnership, (2) offer nuanced insights into the trust development process within the PPI Ignite Network and (3) enhance our understanding of trust in the community-based participatory research model.</p
An integrative review of healthcare professionals’ experiences in caring for women who have experienced psychological birth trauma or birth related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
No full textBackground: A significant proportion of women worldwide experience childbirth as a traumatic event, which may result in enduring consequences for themselves, their partners and their children. Healthcare professionals have a key role in supporting women with psychological birth trauma and birth related post-traumatic stress disorder through prevention, early detection and supportive practices but evidence indicates that these phenomena, are not recognised by practitioners. Design: This integrative review followed Whittemore and Knafl’s five-stage framework as it facilitates the inclusion of different methodological approaches into an overall synthesis of the evidence. A systematic search of four electronic databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO was conducted between 2003 and 2024, with no geographical limits set due to the paucity of research published in this area. Findings: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised using thematic synthesis. Two main themes plus sub-themes were identified: (1) Knowledge and Skills (sub-themes: Communication; Clinical skills) and (2) Challenges (sub-themes: Attitudes; Resources). Conclusions: Knowledge and skill deficits contribute to the difficulties healthcare professionals face when providing care to women with psychological birth trauma and birth related PTSD. A lack of referral pathways for women to receive the specialised support and treatment they require is also evidenced. This study is the first to our knowledge to examine healthcare professionals experiences of caring for women with psychological birth trauma and birth related post-traumatic stress disorder and make recommendations on how to prevent, identify and support affected women within the perinatal setting</p
Religiosity, spirituality, and cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress: A systematic review
No full textCardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress may be an underlying mechanism that links religiosity and spirituality to better cardiovascular health. However, studies examining religiosity, spirituality and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress have inconsistent findings; further whether it is religiosity or spirituality or both that is driving reported effects is not clear. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of the literature examining religiosity and/or spirituality and cardiovascular reactions to acute stress. Electronic databases were systematically searched (PubMed, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, CINAHL and Web of Science). After removal of duplicates, screening titles and abstracts, twelve peer-reviewed studies were included in the review. Overall, the majority of studies reported on an inverse relationship between religiosity and/or spirituality and cardiovascular reactivity, showing higher levels of religiosity and spirituality were associated with attenuated cardiovascular responses. This was particularly evident when measures assessed facets of intrinsic religiosity and focused on internalized spiritual beliefs, focusing on spiritual aspects such as finding meaning and purpose in life. However, in three studies, religiosity and/or spirituality showed exaggerated cardiovascular responses, importantly these studies examined religious/spiritual struggles, indicating that religiosity/spiritual struggles can have a negative impact on health. To date, no study has controlled for religiosity when examining spirituality and cardiovascular reactivity, or vice versa, to explore whether the outcomes differ. Overall, this review highlights that religiosity, and spirituality have potential health benefits for cardiovascular reactivity, however religious/spirituality struggles can diminish these positive effects. It is a priority for future research to clearly define, differentiate and measure the constructs of religiosity and spirituality separately, as both have demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiovascular reactivity.</p
Engineering students’ perceptions of problem and project-based learning (PBL): comparing online and traditional face-to-face environments
No full textThis paper investigates and compares students’ perceptions of a problem and project-based learning (PBL) module delivered through face-to-face and online environments in sequential years. The study employs a multi-method design, using multiple scales and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected after the completion of the same PBL project in a face-to-face (n = 89) and online (n = 94) environment. The qualitative findings uncover four themes and seven sub-themes affecting engineering students’ perceptions of PBL in a traditional face-to-face environment. Comparing these themes to those from the earlier study on the online environment reveals several unique themes specific to the online setting. The quantitative findings show that students’ overall level of teamwork satisfaction and collaborative attitude show no significant variation across environments. To conclude, the authors outlined three contributions. The first contribution centres on identifying predictive factors affecting students’ perceptions of face-to-face and online PBL environments. The second contribution centres on examining the difference in student teamwork satisfaction and collaborative attitude within the two different environments. The final contribution centres on the unique comparison of engineering PBL presented within this study. The findings underscore the necessity for educators to consider modality-specific factors when designing and implementing PBL in engineering education.</p