NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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The Comparative Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance Transfer from Pig, Poultry and Bovine Manure to Grassland
No full textAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifactorial issue involving an intertwining
relationship between animals, humans and the environment. Therefore, it is critical to
fully understand all potential routes of AMR transmission. Manure landspreading
introduces bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements
(MGEs) into the environment as well as altering the indigenous resistome and
microbiome. Grassland consists of ~70% of global agricultural land and is a vital source
of food for livestock. The phyllosphere of plants is an under-researched area regarding
the impact of agricultural management practices. Therefore, the grass phyllosphere is a
possible source of AMR transmission to livestock, which may enter the food chain.
Despite the important role grassland plays in food security, the temporal impact of manure
application on its resistome and microbiome is unknown. Additionally, the comparative
risk associated with different manure sources is unclear.
This thesis aimed to compare the temporal and contrasting impact pig, cow and chicken
manure had on grassland microbiomes and resistomes using 16S rRNA amplicon
sequencing and high-throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR). Additionally, through culture-
dependent approaches the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the WHO priority
pathogens Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the manures and grassland were assessed and the
molecular mechanisms of their resistance were investigated using PCR and whole
genome sequencing (WGS).
The manures, soil and the grass phyllosphere, both pre and post manuring, contained a
diverse range of ARGs, MGEs and opportunistic pathogens, including the priority
pathogens E. coli, K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii. Additionally, manure application
resulted in an increased diversity of ARGs and MGEs being detected in grass and soil. In
Ireland, current agricultural practices involve returning animals to land six weeks after
splash-plate manure spreading. In this study, manure spreading altered the microbiome
and resistome of grassland, however temporal analysis aligned with this current Irish
agricultural practice, indicating that current guidelines are sufficient to reduce the spread
of AMR to livestock. Pig manure was associated with the greatest change in the
microbiome and resistome however overall, temporal patterns of manure types were
similar, indicating that time had a greater impact than manure type. Overall, these results
demonstrate the role of the grass phyllosphere as a novel reservoir of AMR and that
current agricultural practices are sufficient to mitigate AMR dissemination
Oppression to Empowerment: The Role of Education in Facilitating the Right to Self- Determination of Indigenous Peoples
No full textThis research investigates the role of education in facilitating the right to self-determination of
Indigenous Peoples and investigates if education has evolved from a tool of oppression to one
for the facilitation of the right to self-determination and Indigenous empowerment. The
relationship between Indigenous Peoples and international law has been a turbulent one. Over
the past sixty-five years, the status of Indigenous Peoples has slowly changed within the
international legal regime which has seen Indigenous Peoples transition from objects to
subjects of international law. This change has added immensely to Indigenous empowerment,
transforming what were once deemed to be vulnerable groups in need of protection from the
States in which they resided, to self-actualising and empowered communities demanding the
rights to which they are entitled. This progression is not only due to the changing role of
Indigenous Peoples within the international legal order, but also owing to a change within other
vital societal infrastructures, including education systems. In the context of Indigenous
children, the education systems of Colonisers have, in the past, played a sinister role. It has
been used as a thinly veiled attempt to oppress indigeneity and to disrupt the transmission of
intergenerational knowledge and customs. One example is that of the Canadian Residential
School System, designed to eliminate Indigenous identity and hinder any advancement of the
right to self-determination of Indigenous groups in Canada. In more recent times, mainstream
education and educational institutions have become a beacon of hope for the promotion and
preservation of Indigenous identity. This suggests that education and systems of education have
the potential to be valuable tools in the process of maintaining Indigenous identity in a non-
Indigenous setting, a powerful engine for Indigenous empowerment and perhaps a beneficial
tool for Indigenous self-determination and empowerment. Utilising a descriptive-normative
approach, this work explores these themes, analyses examples of their occurrence both past
and present, and offers recommendations on how this right to self-determination can be
advanced both currently and in the future through education systems. This research addresses
how education systems, in the context of Indigenous Peoples, can be reformed to be a catalyst
of empowerment from a tool of subjugation
Evaluating Weekly Circadian Misalignment and the Role it Plays in Type 2 Diabetes Disease Management
No full textBackground
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic condition and poorer glycemic control in T2D
increases the risk of debilitating complications. Sleep and sleep timing have been
implicated in both T2D disease risk and management. Chronotype, the behavioural
manifestation of phase of entrainment, and social jetlag (SJL), the misalignment
between external social time and internal biological time, have been associated with
poorer metabolic health. The primary aim of this thesis was to determine how phase
of entrainment and living against the circadian clock can influence T2D disease
management, with the intention of guiding potential behavioural or educational
interventions to improve T2D disease management.
Methods and Results
Chapter 2 was a cross-sectional study which revealed that SJL predicted poorer
glycemic control in participants with T2D, while chronotype and personality factors
were not significant predictors. A novel interaction between chronotype, SJL and
glycemic control was identified; a positive association between later chronotype and
HbA1c was only identified in those with the most SJL.
Chapter 3 assessed additional measures of sleep timing variability and metabolic
health. This work demonstrated that many measures of circadian misalignment may
not measure the same construct. SJL and sleep end variability were moderately
associated; however, variability in midsleep, sleep onset and actual sleep duration
were not associated with SJL. Furthermore, variability in midsleep, sleep onset and
actual sleep duration showed an inverse association with HbA1c in a group of people
with well controlled diabetes, suggesting that lower variability was associated with
higher HbA1c levels. Why exactly this occurs is unknown, it may be reliant on the
characteristics of the sample.
Chapter 4 included two studies which investigated the association between SJL and
stress. Study 1 was a cross-sectional study which revealed that SJL was not a
significant predictor of general perceived stress or work-related psychosocial stress.
Study 2 was an experimental study which demonstrated that SJL did not result in
greater reactivity to a physiological stressor. These studies combined suggest that
stress does not mediate the effect of SJL on glycemic control or other indicators of
metabolic health.
Chapter 5 described weekly sleep offset differences in a large sample of UK adults.
Interestingly, older participants who were not working displayed weekday to weekend
day sleep offset differences, albeit to a lesser degree than younger participants.
Chapter 6 qualitatively assessed sleep timing among participants with T2D who were
either retired or not currently working. Reducing circadian misalignment may be more
feasible among individuals without the daily constraints that come with a regular work
schedule. Reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that
social factors such as quality of TV programs and a desire to maintain a sense of
normality when not working led to fluctuating sleeping patterns. Derived zeitgebers
from family members also played a role. Those with consistent sleeping patterns had
formed healthy habits, had ownership over the environment before bed and good sleep
hygiene. They also had some unavoidable curtailments every morning that helped
them to form this schedule.
Conclusion
The current findings highlight how common circadian misalignment is and how it may
impact T2D management. The findings also provide some rich information on what
factors can influence sleep timing beyond work schedules. This paves the way for
developing some behavioural and psychoeducational interventions designed to reduce
circadian misalignment among those with T2D. This could then reduce the risk of
debilitating complications
Implementing school self-evaluation: The experience of one school in making the process meaningful.
No full textThis study aimed to improve the implementation of school self-evaluation in our school and
how I, as principal, in collaboration with staff, could create the optimal conditions necessary.
The study investigated school self-evaluation in practice. From this perspective it describes the
characteristics which promote good quality implementation. The research used an action
research design, putting school staff at the centre of all efforts to improve the school self-
evaluation process.
I worked through two cycles of action research, based on Elliot’s (1991) action research for
educational change model using a range of predominantly qualitative tools including surveys,
interviews, a reflective journal, field notes and interaction with a critical friend. The data was
analysed using thematic analysis techniques. The constructs of complexity theory and school
improvement theory were used as the basis for coding the data and examining the generated
themes for key findings.
From a school evaluation perspective, the work provides the reader with a deeper
understanding of school self-evaluation in practice. The study also examines the impact of
values and reflective practice on a school principal’s ability to lead the school self-evaluation
process successfully.
The study concluded that when school leaders resource school self-evaluation, in terms of
professional and personal supports, the process can be implemented successfully. The study
showed a positive change in staff members’ attitudes, commitment and capacity to implement
school self-evaluation when the school leadership itself was reflexive and positive towards the
process and provided opportunities for staff members to take ownership of the process in a
spirit of collegiality and collaboration
Examining the Use of Cognitive Assessments in Clinical and Healthy Populations: A Focus on Spatial Cognition
No full textSpatial navigation and orientation deficits are often presented in early stages of Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) and can even be recognised in the predementia stage of Mild Cognitive Impairment
(MCI). Despite this, specialized tests of spatial cognition are not used in clinical settings as part of
MCI/AD screening procedures. Currently, the most widely used cognitive marker for AD
diagnosis is episodic memory. Episodic memory decline is evident not only in other forms of
dementia but also during healthy ageing. This complicates the early detection of AD which is
essential in allowing for early intervention and treatment of the disease. Recent research has
focused on spatial navigation/orientation as a potential cognitive marker for MCI and AD and has
shown greater specificity in detecting preclinical AD compared to episodic memory. Two widely
used clinical screening tools for MCI/AD detection are the Mini Mental State Examination
(MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In Chapter 2, the usefulness of these
tests in MCI/AD detection was examined, as well as utility of spatial subscales in predicting AD
conversion from MCI. MoCA subscales relating to spatial ability predicted MCI progression to
AD and reversion to cognitively normal, highlighting the importance of assessing spatial cognition
in these clinical populations. Tests of spatial cognition were used in Chapter 3 with a healthy
population to determine their use in a clinical setting as possible follow-up assessments with
MCI/AD patients. These tests were deemed useful for examining spatial cognition in a healthy
population, although further research would be required in order to inform clinical practice. This
thesis displays promising early findings for the use of spatial cognition tests as screening tools for
MCI/AD
The Experience and Effect of External Evaluation on Teachers’ Practice
No full textLimited research exists on the effects of evaluation on primary teachers’ teaching practices in
Ireland. This research seeks to fill this gap. It focused on external evaluation in a sample of
Irish primary schools. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research aimed to understand
how teachers experienced evaluation, and to what extent, and, for what reasons evaluation
brought about changes in their practices. This research combined two overarching theories of
adult learning theory and social cognitive theory to bridge the gap between the two phenomena
in this study; evaluation and teacher growth and development. Analysis of quantitative data
provided contextual information regarding the evaluation process. Surveys and qualitative data
from interviews with principals and teachers captured their experiences, providing nuanced and
wide-ranging accounts of their experiences of evaluation and its effects on their practices.
Sample schools made good progress in implementing inspectors’ recommendations regarding
teaching practices. Data suggested teachers had mixed experiences of evaluation, especially
regarding the nature of recommendations and the consistency and balance of feedback in
identifying teaching strengths and deficiencies. Factors that affected the teachers’ respect for
evaluation included the degree of partnership between teachers and inspectors; the inspectors’
personality and style and how far they considered school context factors in their evaluations.
Teachers reported varying levels of trust in the process, largely due to the perceived paucity of
time inspectors spent on the evaluation and their professional experience, especially in
specialised areas. Although the teachers experienced heightened emotions before and during
evaluation, and some found the experience negative, it nonetheless enabled them to reflect on
practices they had ignored. The findings provide a new and valuable insight into how teachers
experience evaluation and how it affects their teaching practices. The study makes many
practical, and some novel, recommendations on how evaluation might be improved in Irish
primary schools
Study protocol for the Multimodal Approach to Preventing Suicide in Schools (MAPSS) project: a regionally based randomised trial of an integrated response to suicide risk among secondary school students
No full textBackground
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians, accounting for one-third of all deaths in those under 25. Schools are a logical setting for youth suicide prevention activities, with universal, selective and indicated approaches all demonstrating efficacy. Given that international best practice recommends suicide prevention programmes combine these approaches, and that to date this has not been done in school settings, this study aims to evaluate a suicide prevention programme incorporating universal, selective and indicated components in schools.
Methods
This study is a trial of a multimodal suicide prevention programme for young people. The programme involves delivering universal psychoeducation (safeTALK) to all students, screening them for suicide risk, and delivering internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Reframe IT) to those students identified as being at high risk for suicide. The programme will be trialled in secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia, and target year 10 students (15 and 16 year-olds). safeTALK and screening will be evaluated using a single group pre-test/post-test case series, and Reframe IT will be evaluated in a Randomised Controlled Trial. The primary outcome is change in suicidal ideation; other outcomes include help-seeking behaviour and intentions, and suicide knowledge and stigma. The programme’s cost-effectiveness will also be evaluated.
Discussion
This study is the first to evaluate a suicide prevention programme comprising universal, selective and indicated components in Australian schools. If the programme is found to be efficacious and cost-effective, it could be more widely disseminated in schools and may ultimately lead to reduced rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour in school students across the region
Reinforcement learning for the traveling salesman problem with refueling
No full textThe traveling salesman problem (TSP) is one of the best-known combinatorial optimization problems. Many methods derived
from TSP have been applied to study autonomous vehicle route planning with fuel constraints. Nevertheless, less attention has
been paid to reinforcement learning (RL) as a potential method to solve refueling problems. This paper employs RL to solve
the traveling salesman problem With refueling (TSPWR). The technique proposes a model (actions, states, reinforcements)
and RL-TSPWR algorithm. Focus is given on the analysis of RL parameters and on the refueling influence in route learning
optimization of fuel cost. Two RL algorithms: Q-learning and SARSA are compared. In addition, RL parameter estimation is
performed by Response Surface Methodology, Analysis of Variance and Tukey Test. The proposed method achieves the best
solution in 15 out of 16 case studies
Provincializing Security: Materiality and Sensoriality
No full textSecurity has come to embody a self-evident and much sought-after kind of
good, and has come to colonise imaginaries, debates, policies, and large
swathes of what social life means in various corners of the world. Echoing
postcolonial calls for decentring that which is taken for granted, my essay
seeks to provincialise security in three distinct ways. Drawing on my
research on the securitisation of the Roma in Italy, first, I trace the transfor-
mation of the term sicurezza from safety to security in a recent-historical
perspective, showing how the notion morphed from bodily integrity to a
much more blurred – though taken for granted – concept. Second, using
a non-representational approach grounded in new materialism, I show that
what hides beneath the ubiquitous talk of sicurezza surrounding the Roma
nowadays are dimensions of materiality and sensoriality that construct
insecurity in a relational and ever-shifting manner. Third, I privilege the
perspective of the Roma in a decolonising move that questions their secur-
itisation and the overall framing of Roma-related concerns as a security
problem. Finally, I show the productivity of the topology framework in
provincialising both security, and the western-centric theory production
around it
Digging Underneath the Reconciliation Paradigm in Northern Ireland: Survival, Temporal Resistance, Rebellious Mourning
No full textThis dissertation argues that the political and spatial control over time and temporality is a deeply under-studied aspect of transitional societies. Specifically, I examine the temporal assumptions and temporal demands of the “reconciliation paradigm” in Northern Ireland. In transitional societies supposedly emerging from war and interethnic conflict, dominant manifestations of political power seek to bracket, periodicise, or temporally discontinue the violent past from an allegedly reconciling present and the promise of a liberal democratic future. Justice-seeking victims, survivors, and bereaved of political violence, in these contexts, are widely presented as anachronisms, people out-of-step with the direction an allegedly reconciling society is going.
In contrast to the impulses of the mainstream Transitional Justice, Trauma Studies, and Peace Studies, throughout this dissertation I argue that violent pasts are always in a state of “diabolical continuity” with an unjust present. I consider the reconciliation paradigm to be largely a mechanism of insulating the postconflict order from meaningful criticism and depoliticising survivors’ demands for justice. In this study, I examine the temporal and spatial practices of victims, survivors, and bereaved people in Northern Ireland, arguing that they are engaging in forms of “temporal resistance” that seek to prolong the past in the face of ubiquitous social and political pressure to “move on from” or “close the books on” Northern Ireland’s troubled past. But where this study departs from other excellent work critical of temporal power-formations in postconflict space is in its emphasis on geographical place as the crucial engine of temporal resistance. Specifically, I argue that temporal resistance is inseparable from the chronotopic, threshold places where the past can be re-emplotted in the present, places that still seethe and meddle with the lived realities and everyday mobilities of Northern Irish inhabitants