NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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The value of data visualisation: tracking geographies of informal care in Ireland, 2002–16
No full textAs policy and funding associated with informal/unpaid/family caring develops, more attention has been given to data that support and inform such policy. In particular, evidence around aspects of inequality is often expressed in geographical variations between places in terms of numbers and rates. In general, to date, research on informal caring has focused little on how such variations can be visualised and analysed. This short article looks at the mapping of data from Irish censuses between 2002 and 2016 to: first, explore and visualise patterns of caring, including high-intensity caring. A second broad aim is to use different spatial techniques, including location quotients and clustering, to provide more robust visualisations of spatial variations. Finally, some putative links are but forward between the variable geographical distributions of caring and changes in legislation and policy for carers in Ireland during that same period
Some fundamental results for cyclorotor wave energy converters for optimum power capture
No full textCyclorotor-based wave energy converters (WECs)
present a relatively new and innovative paradigm for wave energy
harvesting. Their operational principle is based on the generation
of lift forces on the rotating hydrofoils due to their interaction with
wave-induced circulation of water particles. As a result, relatively
little is known about their optimal operation. To date, cyclorotor
device performance has been measured by the power of waves ra-
diated by the WEC, while a constant rotational velocity, consistent
with the wave frequency, is employed. In this note we show (a) that
variation of the cyclorotor velocity within the incoming monochro-
matic wave period significantly increases the generated mechanical
power, while (b) optimising wave cancellation is at odds with the
maximisation of shaft power. To optimise shaft power, the letter
adopts a multi-harmonic solution for variable cyclorotor rotation
rate, inspired by methods developed in other WEC domains
The employment equality directive and access to justice for persons with disabilities: Some Reflections in Light of Tartu Vangla and Komisia za Zashtita ot Diskriminatsia
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
Inclusion of Adult Literacy Support in Further Education and Training in Ireland: A Research Report
No full textAdult Literacy Organisers (ALOs) take rightful pride in the work they do. They manage local adult
literacy services across the country. They liaise with other statutory bodies, Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs), community groups and with individual people who come to them looking to
improve their literacy, numeracy and/or digital literacy. ALOs offer literacy classes in a wide variety of
settings including, family resource centres, community hubs, libraries, addiction rehabilitation centres,
homeless support services, disability services, Health Service Executive (HSE) buildings, Tusla, Traveller
advocacy centres and in their own ETB centres. In all of the work that they do, they hold central the
learners’ needs, within competing policy and institutional demands.
In addition, they work with colleagues across Further Education and Training (FET) contexts to support
learners on FET programmes including Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) programmes, apprenticeship courses,
Back to Education Initiative (BTEI), English for Speakers of Other Languages courses (ESOL), and
Vocation Training Opportunities Schemes (VTOS). That collaborative, supportive work across FET,
currently not universally understood, is the subject of this research.
In June 2021, the Adult Literacy Organisers’ Association (ALOA) commissioned Dr Bernie Grummell of
Maynooth University to conduct the research. We created a research advisory team comprising four
ALOs and two tutors representing all six ALOA regions. It was important to ALOA that there should be
a tutor perspective advising the research, as they do much of the frontline work with learners. In the
report, we hear the experiences, frustrations and recommendations of our colleagues across FET at
various levels of management, from ALOs to FET Directors as well as tutors, teachers and instructors.
The Adult Education Guidance Service is also represented. We hope that these voices will help us
to better understand the work that we do. All of our FET colleagues who gave of their time did so in
the first term of the academic year, when that particular commodity is in short supply. For that we are
profoundly grateful.
This report is the first nationwide study of the supports offered by Adult Literacy Services to learners
and colleagues in other areas of FET provision. It considers that support work in its policy and legislative
contexts, and interacts extensively with the both national and international scholarship in the field.
ALOA hopes that this report and its recommendations will come to represent the beginning of an
important conversation among FET staff about the existing valuable collaborations we have. We also
hope that this research will enable us to improve upon our endeavours to afford FET learners the best
teaching and learning experience we can offer, by ensuring that unmet literacy needs are met at all
stages of learning
Parent Education for Responding to and Supporting Youth with Suicidal Thoughts (PERSYST): An Evaluation of an Online Gatekeeper Training Program with Australian Parents
No full textThe gatekeeper training of parents is a promising approach for suicide prevention in young people, but little research has addressed the effectiveness of such training, especially using online delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of the delivery of an online suicide prevention training program, LivingWorks Start, to improve the capacity of parents to support young people at risk of suicide. The participants were 127 parents of young people aged 12–25 who completed the LivingWorks Start training and consented to participate in the evaluation. The participants completed online surveys before, after, and 3 months after training. The participants showed increases in perceived self-efficacy and formal help-seeking intentions, and reductions in suicide stigma, although stigma returned to the baseline three months post-training. Suicide literacy also increased, but only at the three-month follow-up. Most parents found the training acceptable, and did not find it upsetting. Prior mental health, suicide-related experiences, and pre-participation vulnerability were not predictive of finding the training distressing. Overall, the findings show that online gatekeeper training for parents can be beneficial, and is rarely associated with distress
Ordinary Differential Equation based Recurrent Neural Network Models for Learning Continuous Time Series
No full textAn examination of cognitive and psychological outcomes of a neuroeducation programme for individuals living with Mild Cognitive Impairment and their families.
No full textBackground
The definition of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a cognitive decline more advanced
than one would expect based on a person’s age, but not severe enough to obtain a diagnosis
of dementia. Current literature varies on potential causes for MCI, and also on the impact
that depression, stress and anxiety may have on this neurodegenerative condition. Many
MCI patients go on to develop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, research has indicated
that MCI patients can benefit from different types of intervention programmes. This study
had a number of aims including, (i) to examine the impact of a non-pharmacological
intervention, a four-week neuroeducation programme, on both patients with MCI and their
family members, on various tests of cognition, stress, depression and anxiety; (ii) to follow
up and qualitatively explore, using semi-structured interviews, the general impact and
usefulness of the neuroeducation programme; (iii) given the global impact of Covid-19, our
third aim was to examine, again using semi-structured interviews and interpretative
phenomenological analysis (IPA), the impact of the pandemic on patients with MCI and
their family members.
Methods
The study involved testing a sample of five participants, three with MCI, and two family
members (FM) who did not have MCI. This project used a mixed methods design in which
to analysis the data collected. All participants were given an initial battery of cognitive and
psychological tests including the Control Autonomy, Self-realisation and Pleasure scale
(CASP-19), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression
Scale (HADS), the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ), the Cognitive Failures
Questionnaire (CFQ), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini Mental
State Exam (MMSE). Following this, participants were provided with a 40-minute video
file weekly to watch, over a 4-week period and began in February 2021; this was conducted
online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Weekly topics included: MCI and what it is; MCI
and its relationship to AD; MCI and life satisfaction; community integration; and MCI and
its relationship to diet and exercise. Following this four-week neuroeducation programme,
participants were asked to complete the same battery of cognitive and psychological tests
(with alternative versions where possible). Then, in a semi-structured interview,
participants were asked to provide an assessment of the programme, whether they felt that
it had had an impact, whether they found it useful and whether they would change aspects
of their lifestyle as a direct result of the programme. Finally, patients were asked to assess
the impact that Covid-19 was having on their lives, including restrictions and fear around
the disease.
Results
Results from the pre- and post-intervention battery of tests showed minimal and limited
changes in either cognitive (CFQ, MMSE, MoCA) or psychological measures (HADS,
CASP-19, SWLS). In terms of the assessing the programme itself, IPA revealed three key
themes which included Understanding, Lack of Time/Confidence and Intention to make
lifestyle changes after the intervention. Although most participants (both MCI patients and
family members) stated that they wouldn’t change their current lifestyle in terms of diet or
exercise, they understood the importance of these factors via the programme. Six common
themes emerged following our qualitative analysis on the questions relating to the impact
of Covid-19, these included: Family; Negative Emotions; Acceptance and Resilience;
Anxiety; and Restriction/Confinement. The interviews highlighted the importance of
family, social and care-networks in providing support and encouraging resilience.
However, despite this, the patients reported much anxiety around the disease itself, their
own situation (especially MCI patients), and anger due to restrictions imposed and the
limited contact allowed, brought about through the various government preventative
measures.
Discussion and Conclusions
Although the participant numbers in the current study are small, and any definitive
conclusions are difficult to make, we have shown that a neuroeducation programme may
be a useful tool to provide patients with MCI and their family members with an additional
understanding of the disorder and possible ways to improve lifestyles. In addition, the study
highlights the importance of talking to patients and family members to better understand
their worries and situation. As might be expected, Covid-19 had a particular impact that led
to anger and anxiety among all participants, but also led to a better appreciation of family
and an emerging sense of resilience. Such themes should be further explored among other
clinical populations as well as in the general society. Future research in this area should
aim to expand the numbers in both the MCI and family members, systematically compare
a neuroeducation programme to other types of interventions, and conduct follow-up
interviews that track changes in themes across time for both patients and families
A post-processing technique for removing ‘irregular frequencies’ and other issues in the results from BEM solvers
No full textWithin the wave energy community,
hydrodynamic coefficients obtained from boundary
element methods (BEMs) are commonly used to
predict the behaviour of wave energy converters
(WECs) in response to incident waves. A number
of commercially-available BEM solvers exist, with
a number of open-source alternatives also available.
While open-source solvers have an obvious cost advantage compared to their commercial counterparts,
the results from such solvers are often susceptible
to so-called ‘irregular frequencies’, which arise from
ill-conditioning in boundary integral problems, and
result in large under- or over-estimation of hydrodynamic parameters at certain excitation frequencies.
Furthermore, while commercial solvers may employ
techniques to suppress the effects of irregular frequencies, such solvers may, under certain circumstances,
exhibit other problems in the hydrodynamic results
produced. For example, the results obtained for the
added mass at high frequencies, and the infinite
frequency added mass for a water column, may be
incorrect. The current work first focusses on an approach to remove the effects of irregular frequencies
from the results obtained for the radiation damping
of a particular WEC geometry. The use of radiation
damping results to obtain values for the added mass,
through the use of the Ogilvie relations, is then
considered. The technique described herein has been
implemented in BEMRosetta, an open-source tool
which allows a user to view the results from various
BEM solvers, as well as converting input files between
solvers. The results presented in this paper have been
obtained using the BEMRosetta implementation
Optimal Control of Pitch and Rotational Velocity for a Cyclorotor Wave Energy Device
No full textThe development of optimal control strategies for
cyclorotor wave energy converters (WECs) is at an early stage.
In this paper, we present new methods and solutions for optimal
pitch and/or rotational velocity control strategies for different
configurations of cyclorotor-based WECs, in both monochromatic
and panchromatic waves. The cyclorotor is modelled with the use
of an approximate two-dimensional mathematical model, where
hydrofoils are approximated as point source vortices in potential
waves. The goal of the developed control strategy is to determine
the optimal velocity profile, and/or pitch angle variations, for maximum energy conversion, in terms of generated mechanical shaft
power. The solutions, obtained with the use of spectral methods,
show a clear benefit in using a variable velocity for cyclorotors with
either one or two hydrofoils, in monochromatic waves, with a typical
increase in energy capture of 30-40%, while the optimal pitching
did not significantly increase the value of the absorbed wave energy.
We also present control results for panchromatic waves, assuming
all the properties of incoming wave packages, within a 10 s time
interval, are known. The obtained solutions have shown significant
benefit in joint optimal pitch and velocity control, especially in the
case of panchromatic waves. It has been also shown that successful
implementation of cyclorotor control strategies requires optimal
configuration of the static characteristics of the cyclorotor. In
conclusion, we discuss the optimal control benefits and highlight
problems which must be solved for further successful development
of these control strategies
A Systematic Review of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
No full textObjective: Children and adults with ADHD often report sleep disturbances that may form part of the etiology and/or
symptomatology of ADHD. We review the evidence for sleep changes in children with ADHD. Methods: Systematic
review with narrative synthesis assessing sleep and circadian function in children aged 5 to 13years old with a diagnosis
of ADHD. Results: 148 studies were included for review, incorporating data from 42,353 children. We found that sleep
disturbances in ADHD are common and that they may worsen behavioral outcomes; moreover, sleep interventions may
improve ADHD symptoms, and pharmacotherapy for ADHD may impact sleep. Conclusion: Sleep disturbance may
represent a clinically important feature of ADHD in children, which might be therapeutically targeted in a useful way.
There are a number of important gaps in the literature. We set out a manifesto for future research in the area of sleep,
circadian rhythms, and ADHD