NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Moral appraisals guide intuitive legal determinations.
No full textObjectives: We sought to understand how basic competencies in moral reasoning influence the application
of private, institutional, and legal rules. Hypotheses: We predicted that moral appraisals, implicating both
outcome-based and mental state reasoning, would shape participants’ interpretation of rules and statutes—
and asked whether these effects arise differentially under intuitive and reflective reasoning conditions.
Method: In six vignette-based experiments (total N = 2,473; 293 university law students [67% women; age
bracket mode: 18–22 years] and 2,180 online workers [60% women; mean age = 31.9 years]), participants
considered a wide range of written rules and laws and determined whether a protagonist had violated the rule
in question. We manipulated morally relevant aspects of each incident—including the valence of the rule’s
purpose (Study 1) and of the outcomes that ensued (Studies 2 and 3), as well as the protagonist’s
accompanying mental state (Studies 5 and 6). In two studies, we simultaneously varied whether participants
decided under time pressure or following a forced delay (Studies 4 and 6). Results: Moral appraisals of the
rule’s purpose, the agent’s extraneous blameworthiness, and the agent’s epistemic state impacted legal
determinations and helped to explain participants’ departure from rules’ literal interpretation. Counter-literal
verdicts were stronger under time pressure and were weakened by the opportunity to reflect. Conclusions:
Under intuitive reasoning conditions, legal determinations draw on core competencies in moral cognition,
such as outcome-based and mental state reasoning. In turn, cognitive reflection dampens these effects on
statutory interpretation, allowing text to play a more influential role
Speaking Rights to Populism? Using Emotion as the Language of Values
No full textSince 2016 a series of unexpected developments such as Brexit and the shock election of Donald
Trump have drawn attention to the rise of populism as one of the most significant phenomena in
today’s political world. This populist ‘explosion’ is widely regarded as a significant threat to democracy
and human rights, particularly the rights of minorities. So how should the human rights movement best
respond? Speaking to the special issue theme on the meaning of and challenges to human rights, this
article advances an argument for human rights claims-makers to learn the ‘lessons from populism’ in
terms of its emotional appeal. Part 1 reviews the scholarly literature on human rights and the phenomenon of radical right populism to date, including the co-option of rights language by the far right. Part
2 builds on this literature to identify weaknesses in the legalistic way that (political) rights claims are
advanced and argues that constructivist perspectives on rights may help ‘speak rights to’ populism.
The final part argues that further research into emotions as the ‘language of values’ may help put
empirical and conceptual flesh on the bones of a more ‘constructivist’ view of human rights
Becoming a White antiracist: a practical guide for educators, leaders and activists
No full textEven though written by White authors for people working with a White audience, the 12 chapters that make up this book form a comprehensive anti-racism training resource that will be
beneficial to anyone interested or involved in anti-racism type work or anyone who wants to
educate themselves on issues surrounding race and racism. The authors, drawing from over
two decades of experience with anti-racism training and facilitation, have skillfully merged theory and practical guidelines in the production of this book. In this review, I will provide a brief breakdown of the book chapter by chapter; give a broad overview of what the book is
about, highlight parts of the book that stood out to me and then, I will proceed to offer an appraisal of the book through the lens of a Black person living outside of the United States of America
Validity of Inertial Measurement Units to Measure Lower-Limb Kinematics and Pelvic Orientation at Submaximal and Maximal Effort Running Speeds
No full textInertial measurement units (IMUs) have been validated for measuring sagittal plane lower-limb kinematics during moderate-speed running, but their accuracy at maximal speeds remains less
understood. This study aimed to assess IMU measurement accuracy during high-speed running
and maximal effort sprinting on a curved non-motorized treadmill using discrete (Bland–Altman
analysis) and continuous (root mean square error [RMSE], normalised RMSE, Pearson correlation,
and statistical parametric mapping analysis [SPM]) metrics. The hip, knee, and ankle flexions and the
pelvic orientation (tilt, obliquity, and rotation) were captured concurrently from both IMU and optical
motion capture systems, as 20 participants ran steadily at 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of their maximal
effort sprinting speed (5.36 ± 0.55, 6.02 ± 0.60, 6.66 ± 0.71, and 7.09 ± 0.73 m/s, respectively).
Bland–Altman analysis indicated a systematic bias within
±1◦for the peak pelvic tilt, rotation, and
lower-limb kinematics and −3.3◦
to −4.1◦
for the pelvic obliquity. The SPM analysis demonstrated a
good agreement in the hip and knee flexion angles for most phases of the stride cycle, albeit with
significant differences noted around the ipsilateral toe-off. The RMSE ranged from 4.3◦
(pelvic
obliquity at 70% speed) to 7.8◦
(hip flexion at 100% speed). Correlation coefficients ranged from
0.44 (pelvic tilt at 90%) to 0.99 (hip and knee flexions at all speeds). Running speed minimally but
significantly affected the RMSE for the hip and ankle flexions. The present IMU system is effective
for measuring lower-limb kinematics during sprinting, but the pelvic orientation estimation was
less accurate
Differentiation through flexibility in implementation: Strategic and substantive uses of discretion in EU directives
No full textThis article analyses the extent to which European Union (EU) directives allow for variation in domestic implementation. Such flexibility in implementation may be used to deal
with heterogeneity among member states. Based on an original dataset of 164 directives
adopted between 2006 and 2015, we find that the use of flexibility is associated more
with efforts to accommodate differences between national policies (substantive use of
discretion) than with attempts to facilitate the decision-making process in and between
EU legislative institutions (strategic use of discretion). Although flexibility may be used to
address some of the same concerns that drive differentiated integration (DI), the situations in which each is most likely to be used are distinct because they approach the
divergences between member states differently
A health data led approach for assessing potential health benefits of green and blue spaces: Lessons from an Irish case study
No full textResearch producing evidence-based information on the health benefits of green and blue spaces often has within
its design, the potential for inherent or implicit bias which can unconsciously orient the outcomes of such studies
towards preconceived hypothesis. Many studies are situated in proximity to specific or generic green and blue
spaces (hence, constituting a green or blue space led approach), others are conducted due to availability of green
and blue space data (hence, applying a green or blue space data led approach), while other studies are shaped by
particular interests in the association of particular health conditions with presence of, or engagements with green
or blue spaces (hence, adopting a health or health status led approach). In order to tackle this bias and develop a
more objective research design for studying associations between human health outcomes and green and blue
spaces, this paper discussed the features of a methodological framework suitable for that purpose after an initial,
year-long, exploratory Irish study. The innovative approach explored by this study (i.e., the health-data led
approach) first identifies sample sites with good and poor health outcomes from available health data (using data
clustering techniques) before examining the potential role of the presence of, or engagement with green and blue
spaces in creating such health outcomes. By doing so, we argue that some of the bias associated with the other
three listed methods can be reduced and even eliminated. Finally, we infer that the principles and paradigm
adopted by the health data led approach can be applicable and effective in analyzing other sustainability
problems beyond associations between human health outcomes and green and blue spaces (e.g., health, energy,
food, income, environment and climate inequality and justice etc.). The possibility of this is also discussed within
this paper
Functioning, symptom expression and risk along the psychosis continuum
No full textBackground. The psychosis continuum implies that subclinical psychotic experiences (PEs)
can be differentiated from clinically relevant expressions since they are not accompanied by
a ‘need for care’.
Methods. Using data from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and
Related Conditions (NESARC; N = 34 653), the current study examined variation in functioning, symptomology and aetiological risk across the psychosis phenotype [i.e. variation from (i)
no PEs, ‘No PEs’ to (ii) non-distressing PEs, ‘PE-Experienced Only’ to (iii) distressing PEs,
‘PE-Impaired’ to (iv) clinically defined psychotic disorder, ‘Diagnosed’].
Results. A graded trend was present such that, compared to those with no PEs, the Diagnosed
group had the poorest functioning, followed by the PE-Impaired then PE-Experienced Only
groups. In relation to symptom expression, the PE-Impaired group were more likely than the
PE-Experienced Only and the Diagnosed groups to endorse most PEs. Predictors of group
membership tended to vary quantitatively rather than qualitatively. Trauma, current mental
health diagnoses (anxiety and depression) and drug use variables differentiated between all
levels of the continuum, with the exception of the extreme end (PE-Impaired v.
Diagnosed). Only a few variables distinguished groups at the upper end of the continuum:
female sex, older age, unemployment, parental mental health hospitalisation and lower likelihood of having experienced physical assault.
Conclusions. The findings highlight the importance of continuum-based interpretations of
the psychosis phenotype and afford valuable opportunities to consider if and how impairment, symptom expression and risk change along the continuum
Comparison of soil and grass microbiomes and resistomes reveals grass as a greater antimicrobial resistance reservoir than soil
No full textGrasslands cover a large proportion of global agricultural landmass used to feed herbivores and ruminants and link the
environment to the food chain via animals onto humans. However, most scientific studies of antimicrobial resistance
and microbiomes at the environmental – animal nexus have focused on soil or vegetables rather than grasslands. Based
on previous microbiome phyllosphere-soil studies we hypothesised that the microbiome and resistomes across soil and
grass would have a core of shared taxa and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), but that in addition each would also
have a minority of unique signatures. Our data indicated grass contained a wider variety and higher relative abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) than soil with or without slurry amendments. The microbiomes
of soil and grass were similar in content but varied in the composition proportionality. While there were commonalities
across many of the ARGs present in soil and on grass their correlations with MGEs and bacteria differed, suggesting a
source other than soil is also relevant for the resistome of grass. The variations in the relative abundances of ARGs in
soil and on grass also indicated that either the MGEs or the bacteria carrying the ARGs comprised a higher relative
abundance on grass than in soil. We conclude that while soil may be a source of some of these genes it cannot be
the source for all ARGs and MGEs. Our data identifies grass as a more diverse and abundant reservoir of ARGs and
MGEs in the environment than soil, which is significant to human and animal health when viewed in the context of
grazing food animals
Differential impact of swine, bovine and poultry manure on the microbiome and resistome of agricultural grassland
No full textLand spreading of animal manure is an essential process in agriculture. Despite the importance of grassland in global
food security the potential of the grass phyllosphere as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is unknown. Additionally, the comparative risk associated with different manure sources is unclear. Due to the One Health nature of
AMR there is an urgent need to fully understand the risk associated with AMR at the agriculture - environmental nexus.
We performed a grassland field study to assess and compare the relative and temporal impact of bovine, swine and
poultry manure application on the grass phyllosphere and soil microbiome and resistome over a period of four months,
using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR (HT-qPCR). The soil and grass
phyllosphere contained a diverse range of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements
(MGEs). Manure treatment was found to introduce ARGs belonging to clinically important antimicrobial classes,
such as aminoglycoside and sulphonamide into grass and soil. Temporal analysis of ARGs and MGEs associated with
manure treatment indicated ARGs patterns were similar across the different manure types in the manure treated soil
and grass phyllosphere. Manure treatment resulted in the enrichment in members of the indigenous microbiota and
the introduction of manure associated bacteria, with this impact extending past the recommended six-week exclusion
period. However, these bacteria were in low relative abundance and manure treatment was not found to significantly
impact the overall composition of the microbiome or resistome. This provides evidence that the current guidelines facilitate reduction of biological risk to livestock. Additionally, in soil and grass samples MGEs correlated with ARGs
from clinically important antimicrobial classes, indicating the key role MGEs play in horizontal gene transfer in agri-cultural grassland. These results demonstrate the role of the grass phyllosphere as an under-studied sink of AMR
Cationic Triarylchlorostibonium Lewis Acids
No full textOrganopnictogen cations show promise as powerful, tunable main-group Lewis acid catalysts. The synthesis, solid-state structures, and reactivity of a series of weakly coordinated triarylchlorostibonium salts [Ar3SbCl][B(C6F5)4] (Ar = Ph, 3-FC6H4, 4-FC6H4, 3,5-F2C6H3, 2,4,6-F3C6H2) are reported. The cation in each adopts a tetrahedral coordination environment of antimony, with near complete separation from the anion. Structural, computational, and reactivity studies reveal that the Lewis acidity of [Ar3SbCl]+ generally increases with increased fluorination of the Ar substituents, with a secondary quenching effect from para fluorination. [Ar3SbCl]+ is reduced to Ar3Sb in the presence of Et3SiH, and the mechanism of this reaction has been modeled computationally. Preliminary studies demonstrate that they are useful catalysts for the dimerization of 1,1-diphenylethyleneand the Friedel−Crafts alkylation of benzene