NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Housing financialisation and the creation of homelessness in Ireland
No full textThere is growing interest in the impacts of financialisation on housing affordability and insecurity in the private rental sector, particularly financialisation 2.0 and the increased role of global real estate funds. This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of these impacts on housing systems and housing marginalisation by conceptually and empirically exploring the relationship between the financialisation of rental housing and homelessness in the post-crash era. We identify the processes and pathways by which this has unfolded in Ireland. Our findings point to the financialisation of the Private Rental Sector (PRS) in Ireland, and particularly the emergence of institutional landlords, playing an important direct and indirect contributory role in the structural housing factors that create homelessness, including reduced affordability, rising housing insecurity, displacement and evictions. We argue there is a need for greater attention to be paid to the evolving real estate-state-finance relationship, particularly the central role of the state, conceptualised here through pathways and processes of action and inaction, in developing and facilitating financialisation
Some Useful Sources
No full textDebates about sustainable welfare and eco-social policy cut across many fields, from
environmental studies to political economy, to normative political theory, to comparative
welfare state research, to active labour market policy, to income support and social
protection. The key debates engaged with in this thematic section concern the relationship
between eco-social policy and normative theories of wellbeing (human needs theory,
capabilities approach), and the implications of such understandings of sustainable
wellbeing for the provision of benefits and services. Also at issue, particularly in the
latter contributions, is the intersection between eco-social policy and post-productivist
theories of ‘work’, and what this entails for active labour market policy and the
conditionality of income supports. This brings in a much larger debate about reconfiguring
income supports, and the differences between universal basic income (UBI), a minimum
income guarantee (Coote, this themed section), or a participation income (Laruffa et al.,
this themed section). The literature on UBI is vast, so only recent work articulating the
relationship between UBI and the transition towards a more eco-socially sustainable\ud
welfare state has been included. The literatures on human needs theory and the
capabilities approach are similarly extensive. Hence, only foundational work in those
fields has been included, along with subsequent contributions that have applied those
theories to issues of eco-social concern
This is who he is: the sociopathic violence that defines Vladimir Putin.
No full textAs Ukraine endures the agony of a brutal assault by Russian forces, the world is beginning to confront the cost of misreading Vladimir Putin ‑ his character, his intentions, his obsessions, his risk calculus and his worldview
The Development of a Gamma-(γ)-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Biosensor and Characterisation of an L-Glutamate Biosensor for Neurochemical Analysis
No full textThe research presented in this thesis started off as a PhD project with the aim to develop
and characterise an in vitro biosensor appropriate for in vivo detection and monitoring of gamma-
(γ)-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The ambition was simultaneous monitoring of GABA and Lglutamate.
It was also hoped that simultaneous D-serine monitoring would be performed using a
newly developed and validated sensor for this co-agonist of the glutamatergic N-methyl Daspartate
(NMDA) receptor. The development of a GABase-based biosensor was found to be too
large an undertaking and consequently, the research plan converted to refinement of an Lglutamate
biosensor. Some development work (pH and temperature studies) was also performed
on the D-serine biosensor.
Gamma-(γ)-aminobutyric acid is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter but has yet to
receive wide examination in the scientific community. In contrast, L-glutamate, the major
excitatory, neurotransmitter has not only experienced vast amounts of research but is also present
in the public eye unlike GABA. As neurotransmitters are chemicals producing electrical
stimulation in the brain, electrochemical techniques offer a unique insight into their operation and
reactions.
The development of a first generation GABA biosensor used an underlying L-glutamate
biosensor as GABA is the precursor to L-glutamate. An appropriate enzyme unit activity for the
GABase solution was the first barrier to be overcome. After this, the position of the GABase in
the composite design was investigated. This experimentation didn’t garner any results that
suggested a response would be produced. The active surface was examined to ensure that the
production of hydrogen peroxide would be detected. An alternate reaction scheme was also
investigated which didn’t produce any response either. This suggested the enzyme solution was,
at least in part, at fault. Further exploration and refinement of the enzyme solution could potentially
alleviate the issues encountered during this development work.
The characterisation of the L-glutamate biosensor then became the priority. The optimal
composite design was found to be:
Pt/IrC – PoPD – (Sty – GluOx(100 U/mL) – BSA:GA(1.0:0.1 %) – PEI(1%))15
After the optimal design was found and had appropriate sensitivity (90.4 ± 2.0 nA∙cm−2∙μM−1)
comparable to previously reported sensors, the in vitro characterisation was performed. This
consisted of ensuring the biosensor would remain operational after implantation in the extracellular
fluid i.e. under the chemical and physical parameters present in the brain. The shelf-life was found
to be several weeks (28 days) and there was no recorded loss in sensitivity after repeated
calibrations, or exposure to ex vivo rodent brain tissue. The sensor performed as desired under all
physiologically relevant pH and temperature ranges. The interference was mitigated with the use
of poly-ortho-phenylenediamine (PoPD) (interferent species were typically < 5% of the basal
glutamate (10 μM) glutamate response) and reliable detection of L-glutamate was still observed.
Preliminary in vivo characterisation performed in freely moving animals suggested the suitability
of this sensor design for in vivo use. Expected signal changes were observed and a stable baseline
over 16 days. Future work will include further in vivo characterisation and validation of this
biosensor. Tentatively, the dual monitoring of L-glutamate and D-serine would be examined
because of their co-agonist role at the NMDA receptor
Using Proteomic Analysis to investigate the Effects of Aging, Seasonality, Treatments and Disease Presence Within Apis mellifera Colonies.
No full textApis mellifera colonies are a complex, highly organised society that are essential pollinators across the world for both wild flora and cultivated crops. A. mellifera colonies face a myriad of challenges that can be detrimental to their survival – the spread of diseases and pests, poor bee husbandry, loss of essential flora, exposure to commercial insecticides and migratory beekeeping. These daily challenges and exposures have caused a worrying depletion of A. mellifera colonies which is resulting in an increasing concern in the environmental and scientific community. Research is now focused on the relationship honeybee colonies have with the changing environment and the presence of diseases. Female worker honeybees make up the majority of bees within A. mellifera colonies and are essential for hive survival. Worker bees undergo changes to their anatomy and gland secretions as they age to optimise their productivity. Furthermore, worker bees can be divided based on seasons – summer and winter worker bees, both age and seasonality can affect the proteome and therefore the immune response of worker bees. Label-free quantitative (LFQ) proteomics was performed on worker bees at various stages of their lifecycle, between winter and summer, in response to exposure to anti-Varroa treatments and finally in response to the presence of Varroa destructor and Nosema spores within colonies. The work presented in this thesis has identified key age, seasonal, and virus-infected differences within hives at a proteomic level. These results show both age-dependent evolution and environmental adaptions experienced by a hive highlighting their complex relationship and vulnerability to external threats. Importantly, this work has highlighted the impact of anti-Varroa treatments and the potential side effects towards colonies. Finally, work conducted on the effects of Varroa mites and Nosema spores on bees highlighted the need to better understand how these pathogens interact when both are infecting colonies simultaneously. The results presented here provide a novel insight into the proteomic changes that occur in worker bees when exposed to different external factors. However, it also highlights the need for further research into how honeybee workers adapt to stresses such as insecticide exposure and dual infections by Varroa and Nosema
Childhood trauma, attachment orientation, and complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms in a clinical sample: Implications for treatment
No full textAlthough there has been significant work on the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attachment orientation, this is less the case for complex PTSD (CPTSD). The primary aim of this paper was to assess the strength of the association between the four adult attachment styles (i.e., secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful) and severity of CPTSD symptoms (i.e., symptoms of PTSD and disturbances in self-organization [DSO]). We hypothesized that attachment orientation would be more strongly associated with DSO symptoms compared to PTSD symptoms. A trauma exposed clinical sample (N = 331) completed self-report measures of traumatic life events, CPTSD symptoms, and attachment orientation. It was found that secure attachment and fearful attachment were significantly associated with DSO symptoms but not with PTSD symptoms. Dismissing attachment style was significantly associated with PTSD and DSO symptoms. Preoccupied attachment was not significantly associated with CPTSD symptoms. Treatment implications for CPTSD using an attachment framework are discussed
Visualizing Variable Importance and Variable Interaction Effects in Machine Learning Models
No full textVariable importance, interaction measures, and partial dependence plots are important summaries in the interpretation of statistical and machine learning models. In this article, we describe new visualization techniques for exploring these model summaries. We construct heatmap and graph-based displays showing variable importance and interaction jointly, which are carefully designed to highlight important aspects of the fit. We describe a new matrix-type layout showing all single and bivariate partial dependence plots, and an alternative layout based on graph Eulerians focusing on key subsets. Our new visualizations are model-agnostic and are applicable to regression and classification supervised learning settings. They enhance interpretation even in situations where the number of variables is large. Our R package vivid (variable importance and variable interaction displays) provides an implementation. Supplementary files for this article are available online
Multi-Party Litigation and Third-Party Funding of Litigation
No full textThe abstract is included in the tex
Reconciling fragmented sectors of health research regulation: toward an ecosystem of processual regulation
No full textAbstract
The delivery of good outcomes from human health research is entirely dependent on the proper functioning of the attendant regulatory systems. This article focuses on the processes of regulation themselves, and how these might be better understood, so that regulators and other stakeholders have a strong normative basis upon which to pursue the regulatory objective of achieving outcomes with maximum social value. The argument is made that the concept of ‘processual regulation’—which promotes a whole systems approach to regulation—can assist greatly in the design, implementation, and review of human health research. This moves beyond the current often-fragmented approach to regulation towards a joined-up, reflective, and responsive system that has fitness-for-purpose at its core
Luxury Service Brands and Social Media. An Investigation of Luxury Service Brands’ Social Media Marketing Strategies
No full textThis thesis presents an investigation into the social media marketing strategies of
luxury service brands. Specifically, the analysis explores how Michelin star
restaurants in Ireland and the UK utilise social media platforms for the purposes of
signalling their luxury status, with a specific focus on luxury brand authenticity, to
consumers. To achieve this, participants within a total of 29 Michelin star restaurants
across Ireland and the UK were interviewed over a nine-month period.
Secondary analysis within this study stemming from an in-depth consultation
of literature surrounding the central theoretical areas of the study culminated in the
proposal of a novel theoretical framework depicting social media’s role within luxury
organisations. In adopting a systematic literature review approach, the first major
contribution of the thesis is the exhaustive analysis of the extant literature investigating
the confluence of social media and luxury, a theoretical model illustrating the role of
social media for luxury brand marketing, as well as a roadmap for future research in
the area. This review was published in the International Journal of Management
Reviews in 2022.
In adopting a critical realist perspective and being grounded within a signalling
theoretical foundation, the primary analysis of the study stems from the narratives of
the participants, their depictions of their business and ascension to Michelin star status,
the strategic objectives of their social media marketing strategies and how they utilise
these platforms for signalling luxury and, in particular, authenticity. The perspectives
sought included perceptions of the value of social media for luxury service brand
marketing, exploration of the nature of relationships between luxury brand and
consumer, as well as the most pertinent forms of content and its embedded elements
which maximise social media’s signalling capacity. The live social media accounts of
participants’ restaurants were also consulted to provide evidence of the varying forms
of signals utilised by these brands.
The study draws on the luxury services, social media marketing, and signalling
theory literatures, culminating in the proposal of a taxonomy of eleven distinct signals
of authenticity, further unpacked and discussed based on their degrees of
tangibility/intangibility as well as their levels of implicitness/explicitness within
luxury service brands’ social media content. In doing so, this study provides a more
comprehensive understanding of the role of social media platforms in luxury service
brand marketing strategies and the specificities of authenticity signals embedded
within social media content for luxury service brands. The findings, interpretations,
and conclusions make significant contributions to the fledgling luxury services
literature as well as the maturing social media marketing literature and provides
practical, actionable insights and recommendations for luxury service brand managers
to further apply these contemporary technologies for strategic marketing purposes