NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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“How Can I Enhance Positive Leadership Skills in Young Children?”
No full textThis research paper is a self-study action research paper based on the title “How can I enhance positive leadership skills in young children?” The research site is a private preschool in Ireland. Fifteen children aged three to four years, their parents and four educators participated. Interventions introduced included persona dolls, new roles and responsibilities, books, and a leadership elf. A workshop was developed for the educators. Data was collected using anecdotal observations, focus groups, learning journals, surveys, and a reflective diary. Kolb's (1984) reflective cycle was used to reflect and build on developing and enhancing children’s leadership skills. Brookfield’s (2017) critical reflection theory was used to support the self-study element. Critical friends and a validation group supported reflections. Findings show the child's disposition, stage of development and learned values are important while the role of parents is paramount to the development of leadership skills in young children. Educators and the pedagogy of the classroom enhance those skills. Recommendations have been made for future practice
How the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated an e-book crisis and the #ebooksos campaign for reform
No full textThis article sets out the problems with the e-book market and the origins and work to date of #ebooksos, a librarian-led campaign for a fairer e-book market for libraries. While many of the issues identified predated the Covid-19 pandemic, the rapid pivot to remote teaching and learning and the subsequent change in working cultures it precipitated brought these issues to a head. The article is primarily about the academic context as the authors are academic librarians, but the e-book library crisis applies to all sectors and the #ebooksos campaign aims to represent them all. While it is recognized that change will take time, as with related change in areas such as open access and the movement of journals from print to online, this underlines, rather than diminishes, the need for the campaign to keep highlighting the problems and to work with colleagues and stakeholders to deliver an approach to e-books that is equitable and sustainable. The #ebooksos campaign is in its infancy and thus this article presents a snapshot of a work in progress at the vanguard of librarianship and information work
Blurred Boundaries and Fluid Selves : Identity in Contemporary Francophone Cinema
No full textThe probing of identity is an established concern of French and Francophone film. Different waves of cinema have brought us through an exploration of the self from a range of extensively discussed perspectives: for example, feminist, queer, existential and migrant theory. Building on theoretical developments such as these, I analyse the treatment of identity in contemporary French-language cinema. My analysis is not bound together by one particular aspect of identity, but rather by instances of blurring and fluidity in relation to the notion of identity. The type of hybrid self that emerges from analysis informed by blurring and fluidity is a clear reflection of the shifting nature of global society where boundaries no longer hold fast and we must rethink our relationship with the self, the other, time and space.
It is against this framework that I examine the work of three radical francophone filmmakers: Xavier Dolan, François Ozon and Céline Sciamma. All three consistently treat questions of nationality, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity from multiple angles and with crossover between the categories. The ‘blurred boundaries and fluid selves’ of the title evokes the way that the protagonists of the films experience multiple embodiments and an ambivalent relationship with the space that they inhabit. These ‘fluid selves’ engage the spectator in a series of reflections relating to how we perceive our place in the world and, indeed, our interconnectedness. The ‘blurred boundaries’ of the characters question the ways in which normative cultural values continue to weigh heavily on our sense of self and must be interrogated. This project will trace out an aesthetics of identity in contemporary Francophone cinema
Sensemaking and financial management in the decision-making process of farmers
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the financial decision-making process of farmers and to highlight the potential role that improved farm financial management (FFM) could play in developing sustainable farm enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a qualitative approach with 27 semi-structured interviews exploring farmers’ financial decision-making processes. Subsequently, the interview findings were presented to a focus group. Sensemaking theory is adopted as a theoretical lens to develop the empirical findings. Findings: The evidence highlights that FFM has a dual role to play in farmer decision-making. Some FFM activities may act as a cue, which triggers a sensebreaking activity, causing the farmer to enter a process of sensemaking whilst some/other FFM activities are drawn upon to provide a sensegiving role in the sensemaking process. The role of FFM in farmer decision-making is strongly influenced by the decision type (strategic or operational) being undertaken and the farm type (dairy, tillage or beef) in operation. Originality/value: The literature suggests that the majority of farmers spend little time on financial management. However, there are farmers who have quite a high level of engagement in FFM activities, when undertaking strategic farm expansion decisions. Those FFM activities help them to navigate through operational decision-making and to make sense of their strategic decision-making
Exposure of Candida parapsilosis to the silver(I) compound SBC3 induces alterations in the proteome and reduced virulence
No full textThe antimicrobial properties of silver have been exploited for many centuries and continue to gain interest in the fight against antimicrobial drug resistance. The broad-spectrum activity and low toxicity of silver have led to its incorporation into a wide range of novel antimicrobial agents, including N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes. The antimicrobial activity and in vivo efficacy of the NHC silver(I) acetate complex SBC3, derived from 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-diphenylimidazol-2-ylidene (NHC*), have previously been demonstrated, although the mode(s) of action of SBC3 remains to be fully elucidated. Label-free quantitative proteomics was applied to analyse changes in protein abundance in the pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis in response to SBC3 treatment. An increased abundance of proteins associated with detoxification and drug efflux were indicative of a cell stress response, whilst significant decreases in proteins required for protein and amino acid biosynthesis offer potential insight into the growth-inhibitory mechanisms of SBC3. Guided by the proteomic findings and the prolific biofilm and adherence capabilities of C. parapsilosis, our studies have shown the potential of SBC3 in reducing adherence to epithelial cells and biofilm formation and hence decrease fungal virulence
The role of polarseaworthiness in shipping planning for infrastructure projects in the Arctic: The case of Yamal LNG plant
No full textThe numerous Artic port industrial complex projects are currently marked by a lack of both railroad and road infrastructures and require a heavy cargo shipping service. Yet, navigation in the Arctic implies facing harsh sailing conditions. To prevent risk arising from this singular region, the IMO Polar Code imposes mandatory tools as the Polar Ship Certificate and suggests others such as POLARIS. At the crossroads of container and tramp market, scholars have paid little attention to the transportation of heavy cargo.
The objective of this research is to assess the impact of the Polar Code policy framework and its tools on the management of a highly strategic project. To do so, we shall rely on the case of the transport and assembly of the Yamal LNG plant modules. Yamal LNG started its production in late 2019 and has already produced 19 million tons per year. The paper contemplates a ship routing and scheduling optimization model that considers different fleet types and ice conditions and applies the POLARIS Risk Index Outcome (RIO) in Arctic waters.
Even though the modules are required on site in summer, due to the extreme weather conditions and limited accessibility in winter, our results highlight that the use of Polar Class vessels allowing year-round navigation in Arctic waters is critical to ensure the success of such projects. Indeed, Polar Class 3 vessels, as ships with the greatest possible “polarseaworthiness”, are capable of significantly reducing delays in project’s completion. It also emphasizes the paramount role of the Polar Code and related tools in the shipping risk management of Arctic infrastructure projects
Effects of quantum pair creation and annihilation on a classical exclusion process: the transverse XY model with TASEP
No full textWe investigate how particle pair creation and annihilation, within the quantum transverse XY
model, affects the non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) and Liouvillian gap of the stochastic totally
asymmetric exclusion process. By utilising operator quantization we formulate a perturbative
description of the NESS. Furthermore, we estimate the Liouvillian gap by exploiting a Majorana
canonical basis as the basis of super-operators. In this manner we show that the Liouvillian gap can
remain finite in the thermodynamic limit provided the XY model anisotropy parameter remains
non-zero. Additionally, we show that the character of the gap with respect to the anisotropy
parameter differs depending on the phase of the XY model. The change of character corresponds
to the quantum phase transition of the XY model
COVID-19 and legal responses on the island of Ireland: introducing the key themes
No full textThe abstract is included in the tex
Fertility Preservation for Children with Cancer: Legal and Ethical Challenges
No full textFertility preservation for cancer patients (oncofertility) is a new and developing area of medical practice presenting unique legal and ethical challenges. This is particularly so when the patient is a child. This paper traces the development of this new discipline and the medical options for fertility preservation for children and young adults. It then examines the legal and ethical issues presented by oncofertility for children by considering the right to reproduce, consent of minors and proxy consent, as well as the question as to who controls the fate of the child’s cryopreserved reproductive tissue. Some tentative conclusions are drawn
The Italian Version of the International Trauma Questionnaire: Symptom and Network Structure of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Sample of Late Adolescents Exposed to a Natural Disaster
No full textThe 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases has endorsed substantial changes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has introduced Complex PTSD (cPTSD). The objective of this study was to assess the symptom and network structure of PTSD and cPTSD using the International Trauma Questionnaire- Italian version (ITQ) and the prevalence of PTSD and cPTSD in a community sample of late adolescents enriched with exposure to a destructive earthquake. A 1,010 high school students participated to the study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supports that a six first-order correlated factors was the best fitting model of ICD-11 PTSD/cPTSD. The network analysis supports a clear separation between core PTSD symptoms and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) symptoms, avoidance, and negative self-concept were the most central items. The prevalence of PTSD and cPTSD was 9.11 and 4.06%, respectively. Female participants reported higher rates of both PTSD and cPTSD. This is the first study to report on ICD-11 PTSD and cPTSD rates on an Italian adolescence community sample. Consistent with other community samples, we found higher rates of PTSD compared to cPTSD. The results confirmed the factorial validity of the ITQ. The network structure highlights the importance of negative self-concept in cPTSD and avoidance in PTSD