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Gender and intersectionality mainstreaming in whistleblowing systems (GIM-Tool)
No full textWhistleblowing is a vital tool for ensuring transparency and accountability, particularly in the fight against corruption and unethical behavior. Its effectiveness, however, relies on being accessible and inclusive for all groups, especially those facing additional barriers, such as women, racialized communities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. These groups often encounter obstacles like fear of retaliation, discrimination, and lack of safe reporting channels.The BRIGHT project (Building Resilience through Integrity, Good Governance, and Honesty Training), funded by the European Commission (EACEA – project 101143234), led by EDHEC Business School in collaboration with the European Whistleblowing Institute and the University of Galway, along with The Whistle-Time Project from the ROSETTA program, co-funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, Lero,
the Research Ireland Centre for Software, and the University of Galway.non-peer-reviewe
Adding insult to injury: A review of infections following envenomings
No full textOver 100 lineages of animal have evolved venom for a wide variety of purposes. An estimated 2.5 million people are bitten by snakes and another 1.2 million are stung by scorpions with many envenomings resulting in death. However, survival is not the end point of the envenoming syndrome as chronic life altering conditions, such as amputations, disfigurement and neuropathies can occur. In this context, infections at the site of envenomation could play an important role as they can exacerbate mortality and the incidence and severity of life altering conditions.
This review assesses the connection between envenoming and infections. It summarises and highlights the literature describing cases of envenoming-mediated infection by various taxa and the circumstances of these envenomings and the outcomes of infection. It could be deduced that the risk factors for envenoming-led infections are multifactorial. Factors enhancing the risk of infection include; 1. The delivery system, with larger devices leading to more substantial wounds, 2. Venom composition, with venoms containing cytotoxins more commonly implicated in infections, and 3. The environment, with aquatic microbiomes and venom system microbiomes as sources of the pathogen species. Infections are difficult to diagnose due to symptoms synonymous with those of the envenoming and it is recommended that medical practitioners consider the possibility of infection throughout all stages of medical treatment. There is a notable gap in our understanding of envenoming-led infections and further research will help to increase patient survival.The authors would like to thank the University of Galway for funding this research through the Hardiman Research Scholarship to Dayle Leonard.peer-reviewe
Essays on hand-to-mouth behavior in Asian developing countries
No full textThe growing diversity in consumption patterns in Asian developing countries is driven by a complex interplay of economic growth, sociocultural shifts, technological advancements, and policy transformations. While some consumer groups exhibit hand-to-mouth behavior due to financial constraints, limited financial planning skills, bounded rationality, or heterogeneous preferences, others develop habit-driven consumption behavior influenced by consumer inertia, social norms, or limited financial flexibility. These heterogeneous behaviors coexist as economies evolve, shaping complex and dynamic consumption patterns. Thus, from policymakers’ perspective, understanding these heterogeneous behaviors and their implications for macroeconomic policies is essential, yet evidence in Asian developing countries remains scarce. In this context, this thesis explores the prevalence of hand-to-mouth (HtM) and habit formation (HF) behaviors and their impacts on aggregate consumption dynamics and monetary policy. It pursues three specific goals across three theoretical and empirical studies.
A better understanding of the popularity of these heterogeneous behaviors can make a solid foundation for macroeconomic policies intended to regulate the economy more effectively. Thus, the first study empirically tests the prevalence of HtM and HF behaviors in Asian developing countries. It confirms significant heterogeneity in consumption behaviors, with HtM behavior prevalent in 38% to 52% of the population and HF behavior affecting more than half of consumers. Understandably, HtM behavior seems more popular in low-income countries, whereas HF behavior is more common in high-income economies. Moreover, it finds weak evidence for intertemporal elasticity of substitution (IES), suggesting that aggregate consumption in these economies is less sensitive to changes in interest rates than standard models predict. These insights have critical implications for both fiscal and monetary policies.
Whereas the first study strongly confirms the popularity of HtM and HF behaviors in Asian developing countries, with HF being more dominant, the second study extends this analysis by exploring the determinants of HtM behavior using the Global Findex database and its link to country-level financial access, which is measured by a novel Financial Access Index. It finds a strong negative correlation between the index and HtM behavior. Besides, lower HtM behavior is associated with higher education, receiving wages or remittances, and higher income. Having a bank account also correlates negatively, though causality remains unclear. Women and younger individuals show higher HtM tendencies, highlighting the need for targeted financial programs. Conversely, HtM behavior is positively linked to country-level macroeconomic indicators, such as unemployment, informal employment, and agricultural dependence, indicating greater financial vulnerability. The research further determines considerable heterogeneity across subgroups, with tertiary education showing the highest heterogeneity.
To help better understand the roles of heterogeneous behaviors in policy outcomes, the third study examines the impact of HtM and HF behaviors on monetary policy in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand using a Bayesian-estimated DSGE model. The theoretical model finds that both behaviors significantly influence output sensitivity to interest rate, challenging Bilbiie’s (2008) policy inversion. Empirical results indicate that approximately 22-34% of consumers follow HtM behavior, while nearly 50% exhibits HF behavior, highlighting the need for policies that account for diverse consumption patterns. Moreover, a policy experiment shows that while increases in the ratio of HtM consumers exaggerate monetary shock effects, they have little impact on demand and supply shocks.
Together, these studies offer a comprehensive perspective on consumption behavior heterogeneity and its macroeconomic implications. The findings inform policymakers of the need for tailored monetary policy measures, more inclusive financial systems, and structural reforms to address the constraints caused by HtM and HF behaviors. By bridging theoretical modeling with empirical analysis, this thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how consumption behaviors shape economic policy effectiveness in developing economies.University of Galwa
Exploring generative artificial intelligence and data augmentation techniques for spectroscopy analysis
No full textGenerative artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are advancing rapidly and are becoming increasingly challenging to implement. Researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts alike now require an understanding of complex concepts far beyond the scope of simple feed-forward neural networks to implement the current state-of-the-art methods for their research interests. In contrast, while data augmentation methods may not perform at the same level, they are easier to understand and implement, and are well demonstrated. For these reasons, this review aims to bridge the knowledge gap between the sciences of chemometrics and generative AI and provide a starting point for new researchers. In the context of spectroscopy, this work collects, categorizes, and describes the most popular preprocessing techniques and the state-of-the-art in generative AI and data augmentation, spanning over 104 peer-reviewed journals and proceedings across 32 publishers and organisations. We provide intuitive explanations of the methods, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and we include graphical and practical examples of their applications.This publication has emanated from research conducted with the financial support of Taighde Éireann–Research Ireland and the University of Galway. Aaron R. Flanagan and Dhairya Dalal are supported by the Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Artificial Intelligence under grant no. 18/CRT/6223, and Frank G. Glavin is supported by the University of Galway. We express our sincere gratitude to Matthew Webberley and SK Pharmteco for providing the necessary facilities and supporting the data acquisition.peer-reviewe
The administration of school discipline in a manner consistent with children’s human rights: A rights-based analysis of school codes of behaviour in Ireland for autistic students
No full textThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) obliges States Parties to administer school discipline consistently with children’s dignity and with the rest of their rights in the CRC. Whilst school discipline has been explored to various extents by scholars working in the children’s rights field and beyond, the policies that regulate children’s behaviour have not been systematically examined for their rights-compliance, and behaviour more generally has not been adequately conceptualized as a subject of legal concern. This article presents a rights-based policy analysis of 40 codes of behaviour in Irish schools to assess the extent to which codes of behaviour uphold Autistic students’ education rights. The study finds that whilst many codes employ rights-based discourse, codes are not rights-compliant because school discipline administration is incompatible with a rights-based approach and harbours behaviourist, ableist, and discriminatory attitudes towards disability. Three rights-based themes explore these tensions: responsibility, fairness, and procedure. The article concludes that autistic children’s rights are undermined by legal and policy frameworks that fail to adopt a human rights definition of disability and suggests that discipline policies must build capacity to balance and weigh rights in administrative decision-making processes.This project was funded by AsIAm (Ireland's Autism Charity).peer-reviewe
The development of a direct co-culture based diabetic foot ulcer model with application in drug screening
No full textDiabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are wounds that are hard to heal. Secondary to hyperglycaemia, both chronic inflammation and defective phagocytosis have been identified as contributing factors to the non-healing status of DFU.
In this work, both inflammation and defective phagocytosis were modelled in vitro for a DFU model using pHRODO bioparticles under optimized pathophysiological conditions using a direct co-culture approach. The pHRODO bioparticles are chemically killed microorganisms (e.g. E. coli, S. aureus) conjugated to the pH-sensitive pHRODO dye, that solely fluoresces within the acidic lysosomes where phagocytosis occurs. The application of pHRODO bioparticles as both proinflammatory stimuli and phagocytic cargos is believed to be novel for in vitro wound modelling. Previous studies have limited the use of pHRODO bioparticles to quantify phagocytic activity without considering their proinflammatory potential.
The direct co-culture based DFU model was developed by identifying which ratio of diabetic fibroblasts to THP-1 derived macrophages, exposed to pHRODO bioparticles, for an optimal stimulation time, under a certain oxygen level, and a certain nutrient level (based on foetal bovine serum concentration), exhibited both significant inflammation and reduced phagocytic ability. Inflammation was confirmed via TNF-α and MCP-1 quantification using ELISA. Phagocytic activity, derived from emitted fluorescence of ingested pHRODO bioparticles, was quantified using an automated, whole-well, fluorescent imaging system.
Work in this thesis has shown both significant inflammation and reduced phagocytic activity for a 1:4 ratio of diabetic fibroblasts to THP-1 derived macrophages upon four-hour incubation with 200 μg/ml pHRODO green S. aureus bioparticles under hypoxia, with a 2% foetal bovine serum concentration ideally – when compared to the in vitro healthy wound counterpart. Then, the developed direct co-culture based DFU model was tested against four drugs that have previously been shown to improve phagocytosis in vitro for other inflammatory-related diseases; namely: Dexamethasone, saracatinib, brepocitinib and Bay11-7085. Dexamethasone is a common and potent anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid for the treatment of variety of immune-related diseases. Saracatinib was recently proposed as a positive reference to identify novel drugs that improve microglial phagocytic activity for Alzheimer’s disease treatment. The dual Jak1/Tyk2 inhibitor, brepocitinib, reversed the inhibitory effect of lipopolysaccharide on myelin phagocytosis by murine Raw264.7 macrophages. Bay 11-7085, a NF-κB inhibitor, blocks TNFα-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and results in suppressed proinflammatory cytokine release and improved phagocytosis in vitro. In the present doctoral work, mild blockade of inflammation significantly increased phagocytosis using either Dexamethasone or Bay11-7085 in the in vitro DFU model (using both 10% FBS and normoxia, which also demonstrated impaired phagocytosis yet mimicking first-line treatment of growth factor-and oxygen-based therapies). On the other hand, saracatinib significantly repressed phagocytosis and brepocitinib had no stimulatory effect on phagocytosis.
Overall, this work presents a direct co-culture based DFU model based on optimized exposure to pHRODO bioparticles, nutrient and oxygen levels, that can be further validated for conducting preliminary high throughput screening of phagocytosis-modulating drugs for DFU treatment.Grant Number 13/RC/2073_P
Assessing the impact of hydro-climatic factors on surface water quality: A global review and synthesis
No full textStudy region
Global, with emphasis on diverse climatic and geographic regions impacted by hydro-climatic variability.
Study focus
This review investigates the influence of hydro-climatic parameters—such as precipitation, temperature, runoff, and streamflow—on surface water quality (WQ), incorporating both natural climatic variability and anthropogenic climate change. It synthesizes findings from 71 peer-reviewed studies using PRISMA guidelines, focusing on methodological approaches and key hydro-climatic drivers affecting WQ.
New hydrological insights for the region
Findings reveal that hydro-climatic factors significantly impact individual WQ parameters and overall WQ status. While precipitation and temperature are widely studied, variables like windspeed and relative humidity remain underexplored, potentially limiting the understanding of climate–WQ interactions. Most studies rely on statistical or hydrological models, which often fail to capture complex, nonlinear relationships. The integration of advanced machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods shows promise in improving predictive accuracy and uncovering hidden patterns. However, few studies assess the cumulative or synergistic effects of multiple hydro-climatic variables. Future research should adopt multidisciplinary, integrated modeling frameworks to better represent dynamic interactions under climate change scenarios. Long-term environmental monitoring and adaptive management strategies are essential for enhancing WQ resilience. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is among the first to comprehensively assess the interplay of multiple hydro-climatic drivers on surface WQ, offering critical insights for more informed water resource management and climate adaptation policy
An experimental and kinetic modeling study of ethyl tert-butyl ether. Part I: High-temperature pyrolysis and oxidation chemistry
No full textA comprehensive experimental and kinetic modeling study of the combustion of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) is conducted over a wide range of engine-relevant conditions. Part I focuses exclusively on the high-temperature chemistry including relevant experimental pyrolysis and high-temperature oxidative validation targets. Part II focuses on the low- to intermediate temperature chemistry of ETBE and uses ignition delay times to validate the mechanism. CO time-history profiles from highly-diluted ETBE pyrolysis are measured behind reflected shock waves with a spectroscopic laser diagnostic in the 1235–1528 K temperature range near atmospheric pressure. Laminar flame speed (LFS) measurements of ETBE oxidation in air are conducted at 1 and 3 atm in the equivalence ratio range of 0.7–1.6. Reaction classes involving unimolecular decomposition, hydrogen atom abstraction, fuel radical β-scission and isomerization reactions are included to describe the high-temperature chemistry using the GalwayMech1.0 core C0–C4 chemistry. Sensitivity analyses reveal that the rate constant of the elimination reaction ETBE ⇌ IC4H8 + C2H5OH is very important to species profile predictions, followed by the two C–O bond breaking channels. Hence, pressure- and temperature-dependent rate constants for the two alcohol elimination channels: (a) ETBE ⇌ IC4H8 + C2H5OH and (b) ETBE ⇌ TC4H9OH + C2H4 were calculated using quantum chemistry. Similarly, the C–O bond β-scission reaction of ETBE radical, ETBE-S ⇌ TĊ4H9 + CH3CHO was also calculated in this study. The LFS predictions are dominated by the C0–C2 core chemistry with the fuel chemistry not appearing to be sensitive.This research was supported by the China Scholarship Council (Grant no. 202206030062, and Grant no. 202306020134). The authors would like to acknowledge the computational resources provided by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC). The authors at the University of Galway acknowledge funding from the Computational Chemistry Consortium and Science Foundation Ireland via grant number 12_RC_2302
Ageing with place: examining the relationship between ageing and therapeutic landscape among mid-life women in rural Sweden, Ireland and Scotland
No full textThis article examines the relationship between the natural environment as therapeutic landscape and the ageing of mid-life rural women. The concept of ageing ‘with’ or ‘alongside’ place has received less academic attention than that of ageing ‘in place’ within the homeplace or locality, but is equally worthy of further exploration. Three distinct studies over separate time periods during 2013–21 were conducted within selected rural areas of Sweden, Ireland and Scotland to explore the relationship between the natural environment, its therapeutic qualities and the ageing of mid-life women. Qualitative data from one-to-one in-person interviews were gathered and analysed from a lifecourse perspective and informed by constructivist grounded theory. Findings from these three studies extend existing narratives on the relationship between perspectives on ageing and the natural therapeutic environment. While the research sites of these studies are all rural, nuanced geo-socio-demographic differences exist that produce deep participant diversity on ageing and the natural environment as therapeutic landscape. Overall, the natural environment was perceived as a positive, therapeutic contributor to ageing, but from different perspectives, for which three descriptors have been created. The 10 participants in Värmland, Sweden, viewed therapeutic landscape from a ‘utilitarian’ perspective; the 25 participants in Connemara, Ireland, viewed it from a ‘pragmatic’ perspective; and the 12 participants in the Outer Hebridean islands, Scotland, viewed it from an ‘aesthetic’ perspective. Such diversity of perspective is important to note as it suggests that mid-life rural women use their environments differently and follow culturally heterogeneous pathways toward ageing.Both the Sweden study and the Scotland study were supported by a Charlemont grant from the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin
Investigating etiological markers in acute ischemic stroke clots
No full textIdentifying etiological biomarkers in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) clots is vital for optimizing diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. Thrombo-inflammatory components such as lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) associate with stroke risk factors and form a thrombus through different mechanisms. Clot contraction is a platelet-driven process of fibrin remodelling, involving multiple factors like the cytoskeletal proteins Talin and Myosin-9 and the coagulation factor XIIIa-mediated fibrin cross-linking which can alter the clot density, permeability and size. We studied the expression of the different WBC subtypes, NETs as well as markers that are involved in clot contraction like Talin, Myosin-9 and FXIIIa in clots from different etiologies to improve our understanding of the stroke pathophysiology.
AIS clots from 100 cases each of large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), cardioembolic (CE) and cryptogenic stroke etiology were collected per-pass as part of the CÚRAM RESTORE registry of AIS clots and were analysed for the expression of WBC subtypes and NETs. For the analysis of Talin, Myosin-9 and FXIIIa expression, clots from 50 cases from each etiology were included. The extracted clot area (mm2) was measured using ImageJ software. Martius Scarlet Blue stain was used to identify the main histological components of the clots. Immunohistochemical staining was used to identify the expression of each marker as well as the distribution pattern of NETs, Talin, Myosin-9 and FXIIIa. The cellular and histological components were quantified using Orbit Image Analysis software.
LAA clots were larger, with more red blood cells and fewer WBCs than CE clots. CE clots were smaller and showed higher expression of neutrophils and web-like NETs as well as higher expression of the proteins involved in clot contraction. NETs distribution was significantly associated with peripheral location in CE clots, while a mixed distribution was observed in LAA clots. The expression of Talin, Myosin-9 and FXIIIa in CE clots showed a cluster-like distribution throughout the clot structure, whereas in LAA clots, they were mainly around the periphery of the clot.
The differences in clot size, composition and biomarkers expression and distribution between CE and LAA clots suggests an etiology-specific mechanism of thrombosis which can provide insight into the mechanism of clot formation in AIS. This can inform therapeutic strategies such as thrombectomy and thrombolytic therapy and can guide future research into more personalized stroke management