NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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The Puzzle of Competitive Fairness
No full textThere is a sense of fairness that is distinctive of markets. This is fairness among economic competitors, competitive fairness. We regularly make judgments of competitive fairness about market participants, public policies and institutions. However, it is not clear to what these judgments refer, or what moral significance they have. This paper offers a rational reconstruction of competitive fairness in terms of non-domination. It first identifies competitive fairness as a distinctive claim, advanced within markets in turn characterised as antagonistic, instrumental and procedural. It distinguishes competitive fairness from a number of familiar ideals with which it might be confused: legitimate expectation, equality of opportunity, sporting fairness and economic efficiency. While many exponents likely assume competitive fairness can be explained in terms of one of these ideals, in each case there are significant objections to doing so. Instead, the paper argues that the most promising justification of competitive fairness is under the republican ideal of non-domination, which can reconstruct many of the intuitive judgments of competitive fairness that we make in particular cases. However, it concludes, this explanation makes it difficult for exponents to continue to emphasise competitive fairness, given diverse other risks of domination, and to other values, in markets
Metal-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: Targeted Metal-drug Conjugates
No full textTyrosine Kinases are enzymes that catalyse the phosphorylation of the tyrosine residues of their substrates and activate downstream pathways involved in cellular proliferation. Their overexpression/hyper-activity is implicated in numerous different cancerous cell lines. Small molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKi’s), such as Imatinib, Erlotinib and Sunitinib have been developed as targeted anti-cancer chemotherapeutics but, at the moment, their clinical usage is hindered due to acquired and innate resistance and/or dose limiting side effects. Recently, Metal-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor conjugates have become a promising field to overtake these drawbacks since the TKi’s show potential to improve selectivity and pharmacological properties of metal-based drugs, overcoming the resistance associated with current TKi’s. Metal-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor conjugates further find applications is several biological fields as dual-modal activity drugs, pro-drug systems and selective metal theragnostics. In this review, advancements over the past decade in the field of metal based-TKi conjugates are discussed and insights are provided to successfully develop metal – TKi conjugates. Three main TK targets are discussed, EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor), PDGFR (Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor) VEGFR (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor). Future perspectives and applications of this promising research area are also outlined
A regional (land–ocean) comparison of the seasonal to decadal variability of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream 1871–2011
No full textSeasonal to decadal variations in Northern Hemisphere jet stream latitude and speed over land (Eurasia, North America)
and oceanic (North Atlantic, North Pacific) regions are presented for the period 1871–2011 from the Twentieth Century
Reanalysis dataset. Significant regional differences are seen on seasonal to decadal timescales. Seasonally, the jet latitude
range is lower over the oceans compared to land, reduced from 20° over Eurasia to 10° over the North Atlantic where the
ocean meridional heat transport is greatest. The mean jet latitude range is at a minimum in winter (DJF), particularly along
the western boundary of the North Pacific and North Atlantic, where the land-sea contrast and SST gradients are strong-
est. The 141-year trends in jet latitude and speed show differences on a regional basis. The North Atlantic has significant
increasing jet latitude trends in all seasons, up to 3° in winter. Eurasia has significant increasing trends in winter and sum-
mer, however, no increase is seen across the North Pacific or North America. Jet speed shows significant increases evident
in winter (up to 4.7 ms −1 ), spring and autumn over the North Atlantic, Eurasia and North America however, over the North
Pacific no increase is observed. Long term trends are generally overlaid by multidecadal variability, particularly evident in
the North Pacific, where 20-year variability in jet latitude and jet speed are seen, associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscil-
lation which explains 50% of the winter variance in jet latitude since 1940. The results highlight that northern hemisphere
jet variability and trends differ on a regional basis (North Atlantic, North Pacific, Eurasia and North America) on seasonal
to decadal timescales, suggesting that different mechanisms are influencing the jet latitude and speed. This is important from
a climate modelling perspective and for climate predictions in the near and longer term
A Multi-Dimensional View of Stigma Experienced by Lone Parents in Irish Homeless and Employment Services
No full textThis critical and empirical article explores contemporary reproduction, experience, and responses to stigma in welfare delivery in Ireland. Combining qualitative data about lone parents (n22) gathered through two different research projects in 2017 and 2018 allows us to interrogate stigma in a multi-dimensional way and as an overarching experience as an ongoing project of neo liberalism. We analyse our findings using Baumberg’s (2016) typology of stigma which differentiates claim making stigma from personal and societal stigma, applying the framework to empirical data concerning lone parents’ recent experiences of Irish labour activation and homeless support services. We find that while behavioural conditionality necessarily frames this experience and constrains claimants, it is not totalising. We conclude by using Tyler’s concept of stigmacraft to situate the context of stigma as part of the political economy of welfare
Managing international professional service firms: a review and future research agenda
No full textPurpose – Research on international professional service firms (PSFs) has grown in recent years, reflecting the
increasing relevance of these firms in the global economy. However, to date, no attempt has been made to
systematically examine and integrate this literature. This study reviews the body of knowledge on the
international management of PSFs and proposes a future research agenda that aims to strengthen the research
on international PSFs, by applying the conceptual lens of PSF characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of 108 empirical articles on the management of
international PSFs was carried out.
Findings – The authors analyse where, how and what research was carried out on the international
management of PSFs, and find that currently the field offers few opportunities to integrate findings or explain
differences across different types of international PSFs. In recommendations for future research, the authors
show how the lens of PSF characteristics can help overcome these issues and unveil promising avenues for
future research that will lead to a more fine-grained theorising and understanding of the international
management of PSFs.
Originality/value – The study provides a comprehensive state of the art of research on the international
management of PSFs and a future research agenda, which builds on PSF characteristics to explore and better
understand the heterogeneity of international PSFs, in order to develop more robust explanations of their
behaviour and open new research avenues
Ligatus Summer School 2022: Histories of Bookbinding
No full textThe Ligatus Summer School is world-renowned amongst librarians, cataloguers, conservators, historians, and scholars who work with early books. It offers courses on bookbinding history and Linked Data - in particular, the development of historic bindings with a particular emphasis on description and recording of their various structures and materials.
Ligatus is organised in collaboration with many institutions including the University of the Arts, London and the Saint Catherine Foundation which supports conservation work at Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.
In this article, Assistant Librarian Yvette Campbell (Maynooth University) reflects on her experiences participating in the course which took place in Dublin in 2022
Dynamic High Resolution Hydrological Status Monitoring in Real-Time: The UK Water Resources Portal
No full textUnderstanding the current hydro-meteorological situation is critical to manage extreme
events and water resources. The United Kingdom Water Resources Portal (UKWRP) has
been developed to enable dynamic, interactive access to hydro-meteorological data
across the United Kingdom, including catchment daily rainfall (near), real-time daily
mean river flows, groundwater levels, real-time soil moisture data, and standardised
climate indices. The UKWRP offers a way of exploring the full range of river flow and
rainfall variability, including comparing current conditions to those in the past, from
droughts to floods. A variety of different plotting capabilities mean users can view and
explore data in different ways depending on their requirements. Here we discuss the
mechanisms and the engagement undertaken to develop the UKWRP, in addition to the
technical issues and solutions of bringing multiple data sources and types together, how
the data are processed, stored and published to deliver an integrated tool for water
resources management. The UKWRP enables all water users–from farmers, to water
companies to members of the general public–to view and explore the data used by
regulators to manage water supplies. We demonstrate how the UKWRP can be used to
monitor the hydrological situation, using recent examples of both floods and droughts, and
enables consistent messaging and universal access to data and information. Finally, we
discuss the decisions the information provided in the UKWRP can support, and possible
future developments. The UKWRP is aimed at the United Kingdom water research and
management community, but we envisage that the Portal (and the development pathway
and technical solutions reported here) could provide a useful exemplar for similar systems
in other international settings
Hidden Potential in Predicting Wintertime Temperature Anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere
No full textVariability of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) drives wintertime temperature anomalies
in the Northern Hemisphere. Dynamical seasonal prediction systems can skilfully predict the winter NAO.
However, prediction of the NAO-dependent air temperature anomalies remains elusive, partially due to the
low variability of predicted NAO. Here, we demonstrate a hidden potential of a multi-model ensemble of
operational seasonal prediction systems for predicting wintertime temperature by increasing the variability of
predicted NAO. We identify and subsample those ensemble members which are close to NAO index statistically
estimated from initial autumn conditions. In our novel multi-model approach, the correlation prediction skill
for wintertime Central Europe temperature is improved from 0.25 to 0.66, accompanied by an increased winter
NAO prediction skill of 0.9. Thereby, temperature anomalies can be skilfully predicted for the upcoming winter
over a large part of the Northern Hemisphere through increased variability and skill of predicted NAO
Historical droughts in Irish catchments 1767–2016
No full textRecent prolonged dry periods in summer 2018 and spring 2020 have
reawakened interest in drought in Ireland, prompting questions regarding historical drought occurrence and potential long-term risks. Employing 250 years
of monthly precipitation and flow reconstructions, we investigate historical
drought in Irish catchments evaluating the characteristics (number of events,
duration, and deficits) of moderate, severe, and extreme droughts as well as the
propagation of meteorological to hydrological drought. Using standardized indices, we identify three distinct catchment types. Cluster 1 catchments, located in
the wetter northwest are characterized by small areas, low groundwater storage,
and the highest frequency of hydrological drought relative to other catchments.
Cluster 3 catchments, located in the drier east and southeast have larger areas,
greater groundwater storage, the highest frequency of meteorological drought
but the least hydrological droughts. However, once established, droughts in
Cluster 3 tend to be more persistent with large accumulated deficits. Cluster
2 catchments, located in the southwest and west, are intermediate to Clusters
1 and 3, with hydrological droughts typically of shorter durations, reduced accumulated deficits but greater mean deficits. The most extreme droughts based on
accumulated deficits across all catchments occurred in 1803–1806, 1854–1859,
1933–1935, 1944–1945, 1953–1954, and 1975–1977. Although not as severe,
droughts in 1887–1888, 1891–1894, and 1971–1974 also appear as significant
extremes. Changes in drought characteristics reveal a complex picture with the
direction, magnitude, and significance of trends dependent on the accumulation
period used to define drought, the period of record analysed, and the reference
period used to standardize indices. Of particular note is a tendency towards
shorter, more intense meteorological and hydrological droughts. Our findings
offer important insight for drought and water management in Ireland given the
paucity of extreme droughts in short observed river flow records
The problem of educational theory
No full textThis interview sheds light on current developments threatening the disciplinary ‘heart’ of education. Taking a starting point in the continental ‘configuration’ of the field, Gert Biesta and Stefan T Siegel argue that there are forms of theory considered distinctively educational. Based
on this premise, they discuss why defining educational theories (Erziehungswissenschaftliche Theorien) is so challenging, and why it is nevertheless a rewarding endeavour. By distinguishing between (genuinely) educational theories in a narrow sense and (educationally relevant) theories in a wider sense, Biesta and Siegel attempt to tackle the problem of educational theory and to
stimulate the discourse on theorizing educatio