NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Adjustment and work outcomes of self-initiated expatriates in the United Arab Emirates: Development and testing of a model
No full textDrawing upon anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory and organization support theory (OST), we developed and tested a model on how globally mobile talent – in this instance, self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) - stay and perform well in the organization. We collected data from 276 superior-subordinate dyads, which were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Our results suggest that role clarity mediates the influence of perceived organizational support and work adjustment. Furthermore, we found that work adjustment mediates the influence of role clarity on task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. We draw out the implications for advancing theory and practice in expatriate management
The dialectics of heroin and methadone in Ireland
No full textIn this paper, I reflect on two of my intertwined research interests. The first is my professional engagement with researching drug use and abuse in Ireland, especially heroin addiction, in applied ethnographic projects, generally answering a specific set of questions on how services for ‘drug addiction’ work. My second interest is the historical construction of ‘addiction’ and the discursive intersections that produce various kinds of power, subjects, and techniques around this concept. I find the dialectical relationship between heroin and methadone in Ireland, especially the emergence of heroin ‘injecting rooms’, as a window into how drugs are social things. Drugs and the bodies who take them live in complex moral worlds; not as inert objects surrounded by abstract human creations. These worlds are an integral part of how ‘addiction’ works and how drugs treating addiction are actually used. Without a deeper understanding of such complexities, we will continue to miss key issues in the lives of people we hope to help
An Analysis of Iconic and Pure Abstractions in Animated Adaptations of Shahnameh
No full textFormal abstraction is a stylistic approach to various modes of representations that moves between the poles of reality and (pure) abstract and can be part of analysing any form of visual arts. The formalistic methods and the level of abstraction that an artist employs in embodying a concept can offer interesting artistic possibilities and have an impact on the process of meaning-makings and forms of engagement with the artwork. An instance of this is the various stylistic approaches to the animated adaptations of Shahnameh, the canonical Iranian epic poem written by Ferdowsi in 1010 AD. From the first decades of animation’s foundation in Iran, this ancient text has been a source of various re-makings. Despite a good number of animated adaptations based on Shahnameh, there has been a shortage of documenting these artworks as well as a lack of academic studies and practices, particularly on the topic of their adopted animation designs. For example, all former adaptations have maintained representational tendencies and avoided recreating Shahnameh’s narratives in purely abstracted forms. Thus, this research aims to study the artistic, meaning-making, engagement possibilities of ‘iconic’ and ‘pure abstracted’ forms of animation (two formal potentialities within the abstraction continuum) in conveying some of Shahnameh’s narratives and contents. This thesis will conduct textual analyses, including case studies, to define iconic and pure abstraction and critically and creatively analyse the impact of iconic abstraction on some of the formerly animated adaptations of Shahnameh. Next, to address the gap in the practice, by conducting a reflective practical-based methodology, it will experiment with more pure forms of abstraction in visualising and conceptualising this text. Finally, based on their level of familiarity with Shahnameh, employing a semi-structured (interview) method, it will examine five animation experts’ responses to and engagements with this text in abstract forms of animation. The result of this study will expand on the stylistic possibilities of iconic abstraction in animation practices. It will validate McCloud's (1993) model (of amplification through simplification) through an examination of iconic stylisations in the animated adaptations of Shahnameh. Additionally, it will suggest that the openness and ambiguity of purely abstracted styles of animation can enhance the inclusion of audiences regardless of their levels of affinity with an adapted narrative and offer unconventional, unexpected, and novel perspectives for explorations, where the spectators significantly impact the meaning-making process. These can lead to a deeper understanding of a cultural text and more interpretive and open ways of engaging with its narrative space. On this basis, the formalistic choices made in animation design should be taken into account when reconstructing a cultural narrative since such possibilities can help the adaptation process by amplifying the understanding of the narrative’s meanings and providing creative spaces to experience it anew
Discovery to clinical utility of genome sequencing in autism
No full textAutism is a highly heritable complex trait, heterogenous in genotype and phenotype. Rare genetic variants, both inherited and de novo, typically have larger effect sizes and are more penetrant than common variants in the population. Next-generation sequencing technologies facilitate simultaneous investigation of variation across the allele frequency spectrum.
This thesis aims to investigate rare variation and its contribution to the genetic basis of autism. This study applies genome sequencing to an autism cohort of affected individuals in a family-based study design. (WES n=42, WGS n=35). Variants emerging from these analyses contribute to the existing evidence supporting association of relevant genes with autism. Additionally, this thesis investigates the clinical utility of genome sequencing in autism. Genetic diagnosis in autism is limited by the ability to robustly determine the relevance of putatively pathogenic genetic variation. Through application of an evidence-based gene curation framework and through investigation of the diagnostic yield of commercial gene panels available for use in autism, this thesis informs on current strategies to translate genomics findings into the clinic.
Insights into the biological mechanisms underlying autism arising from this research, will lead to a greater understanding of the condition and potentially benefit clinical intervention and treatment plans in the future
Governing the Metropolis: An International Review of Metropolitanisation, Metropolitan Governance and the Relationship with Sustainable Land Management
No full textRecent research has identified the potential of the metropolitan scale, and indeed metropolitan bodies, in achieving greater coordination and more effective land-use management. In this paper, we have undertaken a systematic scoping review of the English-language literature (2014–2019) on metropolitanisation and metropolitan governance, with a view to understanding the potential relationship with more sustainable land management. Our scoping review identified several dominant trends within current research on metropolitanisation and metropolitan governance illustrating the complexity between sustainable land management and issues of territorial politics, resourcing, and power relations. The centrality of collaborative working relationships in supporting sustainable land management is identified, yet collaboration and effective metropolitan scale governance is not always an easy task or readily implemented. The paper identifies a series of challenges and concludes that while there is general consensus that the metropolitan arena may be an appropriate scale through which to support more sustainable land management, there is no agreement on the mechanisms to enable this. Steering and more strongly directing metropolitanisation processes through either formal metropolitan governance structures or other tools could provide a potential approach but will require significant adaptation in power and funding structures
Innovation Districts and Community Building: An Effective Strategy for Community Economic Development?
No full textInnovation districts are being advocated for their potential to create or revitalize communities, produce neighborhoods with housing near work, and benefit surrounding communities by creating jobs for a wide range of skill sets. However, these aspirations are often mismatched with the application of innovation districts. Analyzing four innovation districts (Boston, Detroit, St. Louis, and San Diego), we demonstrate how the direction of innovation district development determines whether community goals are realized. Promoting innovation involves prioritizing high-skilled workers. When real estate development takes center stage, market demands become the focus. The construction of high-end housing, entertainment, and retail amenities may leave affordable housing options for lower-skilled workers as secondary considerations. Surging real estate prices within and around an innovation district can eventually push out long-standing residents, further negating the innovation district as a space for a diversity of people, ages, resources, and amenities
Aggregate productivity and inefficient cropping patterns in Uganda
No full textThis paper measures the impact of inefficient spatial distribution of crops on aggregate agricultural productivity in Uganda.
By combining village level data on land use and on crop specific land suitability, I show that agricultural TFP could be
increased by one third just by reallocating crops according to the underlying structure of comparative advantage.
Interestingly, a regional decomposition indicates that half of these gains can be achieved just by redistributing crop
production within narrowly defined areas serving the same urban markets. The empirical analysis suggests that differences in
market access are a good candidate to explain these inefficiencies: in line with the qualitative theoretical model, more
isolated farmers devote systematically more land to non-perishable food crops and their production is less aligned with the
agro-climatic conditions they face
Exploring the ordinary: migration, sexuality and crime, and the progression of the ‘Agenda’ in Irish women's history, 1850s–1950s
No full textThis article reflects on some developments in women's history based on the 1992 ‘An agenda for women's history in Ireland, 1500–1900’, particularly responding to the section authored by Maria Luddy, incorporating work grounded in the nineteenth century up to the first half of the twentieth. Specifically, it considers developments in Irish women's social history over the past thirty years on the period from the 1850s to 1950s. The focus is on themes of poverty and migration, crime, and sexuality, which were touched on in the ‘Agenda’ and identified as areas for future research. Analysis on these subjects allows for an insight into lived realities for ‘ordinary’ women. These are areas which reveal the growth and development of historical research and its impact on public narratives and policy. Taking its cue from the ‘Agenda’, this article also identifies other fruitful research topics that could be further explored in future scholarship
Effects of immersive virtual nature on nature connectedness: A systematic review protocol
No full textNature Connectedness, an individual’s cognitive, affective, and behavioral connection with the natural world, has been linked to various health and well-being outcomes. As Nature Connectedness can be elicited and strengthened through direct contact with nature, in the past decade studies have investigated whether similar effects can be achieved through technologies that simulate highly immersive and realistic experiences of nature, such as Immersive Virtual Nature. This protocol describes the methodology for a systematic review that will summarize the existing evidence on the effects of Immersive Virtual Nature on Nature Connectedness in non-clinical populations.
Methods
The review will be conducted following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses. Terms such as “immersive virtual environment,” “natural setting*,” and “contact with nature” were searched in Scopus, WebOfScience, GoogleScholar, Medline, and GreenFILE (22–28 November 2021). Papers in English, describing experimental studies, with or without control/comparison, and testing the effects of Immersive Virtual Nature interventions on Nature Connectedness outcomes in non-clinical populations were included. The risk of bias will be assessed using Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2 for randomized studies, and the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies - of Interventions. The data synthesis will be performed through meta-analysis, assuming that the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group guidelines are met.
Conclusion
The findings will be relevant for understanding the potential and challenges of Immersive Virtual Nature as a tool to promote health and well-being in the general population, providing information on the consistency and limitations of the existing literature and recommendations for future research
What socio-demographic characteristics of university students in Southern Germany predict their urban nature connectedness?
No full textPromoting mental health addresses a global societal challenge. Nature connectedness, or relatedness to natural systems, is associated with increased well-being and mental health. Among urban populations, nature connectedness has been reported as lower. Nature connectedness in urban settings has been somewhat overlooked by researchers. This cross-sectional online study addressed this issue by identifying socio-demographic predictors of urban nature connectedness among 165 students, aged 20 to 40, from the Technical University of Munich. Analysis of the data from 153 female university students was conducted using ordinal regressions, (a) separately and (b) merged with their 12 male counterparts. A separate gender analysis for males could not be performed, due to sample size limitations. Although access to nature and a considerable nature dose in terms of frequency and duration of nature contact were noted, possibly achieved through the engagement in outdoor activities, urban nature connectedness was rather low. Results showed that urban nature connectedness was negatively predicted by living in a rural area and positively predicted by engagement in outdoor activities and increased hours per week spent in nature. This information can help researchers operationalize the construct of urban nature connectedness. Furthermore, it can aid the development of interventions aimed at promoting urban nature connectedness, by encouraging urban inhabitants to (repeatedly) get in contact with and spend time in provided high-quality urban nature (e.g., during outdoor activities). To draw conclusions about causality, further research is required to identify a clear cause-effect relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and urban nature connectedness. Based on a researched dose-response relationship, a(n) (inter)national recommendation for the duration of nature contact should be established to promote urban nature connectedness and, therewith, health in urban inhabitants. Future research should also investigate further potential individual influencing factors, as well as gender and within/between-country differences among urban inhabitants