NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Data-driven profiles of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using objective and ecological measures of attention, distractibility, and hyperactivity
No full textIn the past two decades, the traditional nosology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been criticized for having insufficient discriminant validity. In line with current trends, in the present study, we combined a data-driven approach with the advantages of virtual reality aiming to identify novel behavioral profiles of ADHD based on ecological and performance-based measures of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. One hundred and ten Spanish-speaking participants (6–16 years) with ADHD (medication-naïve, n = 57) and typically developing participants (n = 53) completed AULA, a continuous performance test embedded in virtual reality. We performed hybrid hierarchical k-means clustering methods over the whole sample on the normalized t-scores of AULA main indices. A five-cluster structure was the most optimal solution. We did not replicate ADHD subtypes. Instead, we identified two clusters sharing clinical scores on attention indices, susceptibility to distraction, and head motor activity, but with opposing scores on mean reaction time and commission errors; two clusters with good performance; and one cluster with average scores but increased response variability and slow RT. DSM-5 subtypes cut across cluster profiles. Our results suggest that latency of response and response inhibition could serve to distinguish among ADHD subpopulations and guide neuropsychological interventions. Motor activity, in contrast, seems to be a common feature among ADHD subgroups. This study highlights the poor feasibility of categorical systems to parse ADHD heterogeneity and the added value of data-driven approaches and VR-based assessments to obtain an accurate characterization of cognitive functioning in individuals with and without ADHD
On the accuracy of sequence methods for baroreflex sensitivity estimation
No full textIn the absence of a true gold standard for non-invasive baroreflex sensitivity estimation, it is difficult to quantify the accuracy of the variety of techniques used. A popular family of methods, usually entitled ‘sequence methods’ involves the extraction of (apparently) correlated sequences from blood pressure and RR-interval data and the subsequent fitting of a regression line to the data. This paper discusses the accuracy of sequence methods from a system identification perspective, using both data generated from a known mathematical model and spontaneous baroreflex data. It is shown that sequence methods can introduce significant bias in the baroreflex sensitivity estimate, even when great care is taken in sequence selection
Far-future hydrology will differentially change the phosphorus transfer continuum
No full textClimate change is likely to exacerbate land to water phosphorus (P) transfers, causing a degradation of water quality
in freshwater bodies in Northwestern Europe. Planning for mitigation measures requires an understanding of P loss
processes under such conditions. This study assesses how climate induced changes to hydrology will likely infuence
the P transfer continuum in six contrasting river catchments using Irish national observatories as exemplars. Changes or
stability of total P (TP) and total reactive P (TRP) transfer processes were estimated using far-future scenarios (RCP4.5 and
RCP8.5) of modelled river discharge under climate change and observed links between hydrological regimes (basefow
and fashiness indices) and transfer processes (mobilisation and delivery indices). While there were no diferences in P
mobilisation between RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, both mobilisation and delivery were higher for TP. Comparing data from 2080
(2070–2099) with 2020 (2010–2039), suggests that P mobilisation is expected to be relatively stable for the diferent
catchments. While P delivery is highest in hydrologically fashy catchments, the largest increases were in groundwaterfed catchments in RCP8.5 (+22% for TRP and+24% for TP). The inter-annual variability of P delivery in the groundwaterfed catchments is also expected to increase. Since the magnitude of a P source may not fully defne its mobility, and
hydrological connections of mobilisation areas are expected to increase, we recommend identifying critical mobilisation
areas to target future mitigation strategies. These are hydrologically connected areas where controls such as soil/bedrock
chemistry, biological activity and hydrological processes are favourable for P mobilisation
Hidden in Plain Sight: Attending to Women’s Amateur Filmmaking Histories at the Irish Film Archive
No full textThis article aims to identify various ways in which women’s amateur filmmaking becomes obscured in both film archives and in the academic scholarship on film and filmmaking. Recognising that amateur film is marginalised and undervalued in relation to commercial and professional filmmaking, the article uses the case study of one Irish amateur filmmaker to identify the processes and practices that have resulted in her work being obscured and overlooked. The filmmaker, Sr Maureen MacMahon, was practicing amateur filmmaking from the 1960s to the 1970s and her work is held at the Irish Film Archive. Investigation of Sr Maureen’s filmmaking drew from a variety of sources including the films and film materials, film metadata recorded at the archive, newspaper archives, an archive held at Sr Maureen’s religious order and an interview with Sr Maureen. Analyses of these materials has resulted in three findings: firstly, the dispersal of materials and information pertaining to Sr Maureen across multiple sites posed challenges for our construction of a coherent narrative about her; secondly, Sr Maureen turned her hand to many creative and pedagogic activities beyond filmmaking, and, in her own estimation, she was an arts educator more than a filmmaker; and, finally, the films are not easily categorised as they are generically and stylistically diverse, making auteurist approaches difficult. Drawing from these findings we discuss the challenges that this creates for foregrounding women’s contributions to film
Supported Decision-Making with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, their Family Carers and Professional Carers
No full textSupported decision-making (SDM) – where people use trusted friends, family members, and professionals to help them understand the situations and choices they face, so they may make their own decisions – is a means for increasing autonomy. This research aimed to explore the views and experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland and their decision-making supporters (family and professional carers) regarding SDM in order to inform the development of recommendations for guidelines to facilitate SDM for this cohort in anticipation of the commencement of Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act. A mixed methods systematic review identified a gap in current understanding of how adults with intellectual disabilities and their supporters use SDM to make everyday decisions. A qualitative survey exploring family and professional carers’ experiences of providing decision-making support during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that carers struggled to facilitate decisional support for adults with intellectual disabilities while restrictions were in place. An environmental scan of online Irish resources on SDM for adults with intellectual disabilities and their supporters identified a paucity of resources relating to the application of SDM in everyday decision-making. Focus groups conducted separately with four stakeholder groups (adults with intellectual disabilities, family carers, professional frontline staff and professional supervisory staff) explored aspects of SDM each group valued most. Two World Cafe-style multi-stakeholder workshops were held to show focus group participants the preliminary focus group conclusions and obtain further thoughts and perspectives on SDM. All findings across this project were synthesised into five key recommendations for the construction of a guide to SDM. This thesis contributes to the literature by providing a multi-stakeholder perspective on the most valued aspects of SDM for adults with intellectual disabilities and their decision-making supporters in an resource to be designed for their benefit
Hamstring Strain Injury Prevention: Current Beliefs and Practices of Practitioners Working in Major League Baseball
No full textHamstring strain injury (HSI) is the most frequently sustained injury in Major League Baseball (MLB). However, the beliefs and practices of practitioners working in MLB regarding HSI risk factors and prevention strategies in baseball athletes have not been documented.
Objective
To document the current beliefs and practices of practitioners working in MLB regarding HSI prevention.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Major League Baseball via an online survey.
Patients or Other Participants
Athletic trainers, physical therapists, and strength and conditioning coaches working in MLB during the 2021 season.
Data Collection and Analysis
An online survey was conducted, with participants completing the survey once. Questions pertained to risk factor identification, the use and perceived effectiveness of prevention strategies, and barriers to implementation. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each question.
Results
A total of 91 responses were received featuring respondents from 28 of 30 MLB organizations. The perceived most important intrinsic risk factors were tolerance to high-speed running for first-time HSI and previous HSI for recurrent injury. The perceived most important extrinsic risk factor for both first-time and recurrent HSI was internal communication between staff. The perceived most effective prevention strategies were managing overall workload, regular exposure to high-speed running, and periodization. The most used prevention strategies were core or lumbopelvic strengthening, traditional resistance-training exercises, and managing overall workload. Approximately half (53%) of respondents reported barriers to effective implementation of HSI prevention strategies, including player and coach buy-in, compliance, workload management, and scheduling.
Conclusions
This was the first survey to investigate MLB practitioner beliefs and practices regarding HSI prevention. Responses from practitioners regarding their beliefs about risk factors and appropriate prevention strategies varied, and discrepancies existed between the perceived most effective strategies and those most frequently used
Gendering postcolonial penality: The religious detention of women in Ireland
No full textThe role of religion was pivotal in shaping how women were punished in postcolonial
Ireland. The new state used the Catholic Church to establish a separate system of confinement, a shadow penal regime for women, which drew its inmates from within a
newly recognized threat to the nation. Drawing on Mark Brown’s work on the ways
in which postcolonial states can replicate the repression of colonialism, the article suggests that under an increasingly morally authoritarian state, women perceived as sexually
promiscuous found themselves in systems of religious control. This article explores the
‘how’ and the ‘why’ of this, examining the intersection of state and religious control
through the cases of women convicted in the courts and sent to religious detention. I
argue for the necessity of a gendered lens in postcolonial penality, and for consideration
of the conditions of postcolonial nation formation in shaping punishment
