NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Revisiting the Ruiz Zambrano Doctrine and Exploring the Potential for Its Extensive Application
No full textWith the tenth anniversary of the seminal Ruiz Zambrano judgment looming, there is scantly a better time to reassess its legacy and reflect on how its doctrine can be brought forward to foster the protection of fundamental rights in the European Union (EU). This article looks back at the reasons that make this decision a landmark in EU law, and discusses the potential for an expansive reading of the Ruiz Zambrano doctrine. It analyses to what extent the doctrine’s scope can be extended to subjects other than minors within the specific context of derived residence rights for third country nationals. On the whole, this article argues in favour of the expansive application of this doctrine by looking at a case study: that of persons with disabilities. In testing the potential application of the Ruiz Zambrano doctrine to protect the genuine enjoyment of rights that the status of EU citizens confers upon persons with disabilities, the article problematizes the idea of ‘dependency’. While this concept might be perceived as problematic from a disability perspective, the article reconciles this apparent tension by applying the concept of ‘empowering dependency’. The article concludes by highlighting the constitutional spill-over that a broader application of the Ruiz Zambrano doctrine may bring
Internet of Things (IoT) Enabled Architecture for Social Distancing During Pandemic
No full textSocial distancing has been regarded as a key method by the authorities worldwide to
manage the pandemic of COVID-19. Digital technologies play a crucial role to support the
social, professional and economic activities when people are forced to stay locked-down in
their homes. Internet of things (IoT) technologies have a track of providing high quality
remote health care and automation services which could guarantee social distancing while
maintaining health and well-being of populations. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end
IoT architecture to support the social distancing in the event of pandemic. The architecture
comprises of the major use cases of IoT in relevance with the COVID-19. Furthermore, we
also present a short-term and long-term strategy to mange the social distancing
methodology using the proposed IoT architecture. The challenges associated with
each layer of architecture have been highlighted and design guidelines have been
presented to deal with them
Exploiting Randomly Located Blockages for Large-Scale Deployment of Intelligent Surfaces
No full textOne of the promising technologies for the next generation wireless networks is the reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs). This technology provides planar surfaces the capability to manipulate the reflected waves of impinging signals, which leads to a more controllable wireless environment. One potential use case of such technology is providing indirect line-of-sight (LoS) links between mobile users and base stations (BSs) which do not have direct LoS channels. Objects that act as blockages for the communication links, such as buildings or trees, can be equipped with RISs to enhance the coverage probability of the cellular network through providing extra indirect LoS-links. In this article, we use tools from stochastic geometry to study the effect of large-scale deployment of RISs on the performance of cellular networks. In particular, we model the blockages using the line Boolean model. For this setup, we study how equipping a subset of the blockages with RISs will enhance the performance of the cellular network. We first derive the ratio of the blind-spots to the total area. Next, we derive the probability that a typical mobile user associates with a BS using an RIS. Finally, we derive the probability distribution of the path-loss between the typical user and its associated BS. We draw multiple useful system-level insights from the proposed analysis. For instance, we show that deployment of RISs highly improves the coverage regions of the BSs. Furthermore, we show that to ensure that the ratio of blind-spots to the total area is below 10 -5 , the required density of RISs increases from just 6 RISs/km 2 when the density of the blockages is 300 blockage/km 2 to 490 RISs/km 2 when the density of the blockages is 700 blockage/km 2
Psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are heterogeneous but have stabilised over time: 1 year longitudinal follow-up of the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) study
No full textShevlin et al. (2021) recently demonstrated heterogeneity in mental health responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic over time from a nationally representative sample of UK adults (March–July 2020). Five subpopulations representing either stability,
deterioration or improvement in both anxiety-depression and COVID-19 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were identified. The majority of the sample were characterised by low levels of anxiety-depression (56.6%) and COVID-19 traumatic stress (68.3%) during this early phase
of the pandemic but some showed deterioration and some showed mental health benefits. Here, we extend these findings using two additional survey waves from the COVID-19
Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) study, thereby modelling mental health trajectories for the UK population within the entire first year of the pandemic
Why it’s time to stop saying “mental illness”: A commentary on the revision of the Irish Mental Health Act
No full textThe Irish Mental Health Act (2001) is undergoing revision. In 2014 an Expert Review Group recommended that the term currently used in the act “mental disorder”, should be replaced with the term “mental illness”. We argue that the proposed change, while well intentioned, contradicts the internationally adopted terminology of “mental disorder” used by the United Nations, World Health Organisation and European Commission. The term “mental illness” is atavistic, it implies an unsupported cause, it contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and it is associated with concerns regarding stigma and reduced self-efficacy. Furthermore, the term “mental illness” is not used in any internationally accepted diagnostic or classification system in the mental health field. While any term used to describe mental health problems, may be contested, Ireland should not revert to using archaic terminology. In accordance with international best practice, and perhaps in lieu of a willingness to accept more progressive alternatives, Ireland should continue to use cause-neutral terminology, such as “mental disorder”, in the revised Mental Health Act
Reconstructing The Irish Prehistoric: 3D Digital Imaging And Inscription Enhancement For The Documentation, Analysis, And Digital Preservation Of Prehistoric Irish Rock Art, Co. Donegal
No full textRock art in Ireland can be classed into three distinct categories: cup-and-ring rock art, a style of petroglyphs generally found amongst erratic rock outcrops and earthfast boulders along the ‘fringe’ areas of the islands, megalithic tombs, of which passage tombs and dolmens are most common, and protohistoric rock art, which is comprised of Pictish, Ogham, and cross-inscribed stones. These categories, roughly dating to the late Neolithic, and early Bronze Age (c. 4000-2,500 BCE), Middle Neolithic (c. 3600 BCE), and early Christian, or Early Medieval Ireland respectively (c. 400-800 CE), have been the subject of extensive research in terms of stylistic typology within non-figurative rock art, and more peripherally, Prehistoric landscape usage (Bradley, 2001, p. 494; Cochrane, Jones, and Sognnes, 2014, pp. 4, 7; Cochrane and Jones, 2012, p. 9; Purcell, 2002, pp. 73-4). Unfortunately, the exterior nature of these elements has left them vulnerable to millennia of environmental and anthropogenic forces, severely damaging surface inscriptions, and subsequently data concerning relative
chronology, processes of making, tool use, and social geography—a situation which has only been amplified by the residual stagnation of Irish rock art documentation, and an overwhelming biases towards both representational approach, and to post-Bronze Age megalithic remains (Dessì et al., 2015, p. 132; Purcell, 2002, p. 74).
Recent projects in Great Britain such as the Rock Art Pilot Project (RAPP) (2000), and the Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Project (NADRAP) concluded that, in light of considerable environmental and anthropogenic threat, and a relative lack of publicly available rock art records, there is a critical need for greater documentation and recording of rock art on both regional and national scales (Purcell, 2002, p. 73; Williams and Shee Twohig, 2015, p. 125). Scholars have since recognised the relevance and potential for digital archaeology technology within archaeological recording and illustration, although practical application of these techniques has been slow to be adopted by professionals in the field (Dessì et al., 2015, p. 133; Williams and Shee Twohig, 2015, p. 125).
New approaches in 3D digital imaging and spatial analysis present an ideal opportunity for Irish rock art analysis, documentation, and digital preservation. In this project, possibilities for the use of reflectance transformation imaging (RTI), photogrammetry, and geographic information systems (GIS) are assessed within the context of prehistoric rock art sites in Co. Donegal. Specifically, this
research is focused on the use of RTI, photogrammetry, and GIS for the spatially informed 3D digital recording of rock art and enhancement of surface inscription to bridge the gap within rock art recording and to inform new knowledge of motif use, trend distribution, and rock art production during the Irish prehistoric
Book Review: Early Medieval Ireland, 431–1169 by Matthew Stout
No full textBook Review: Early Medieval Ireland, 431–1169 by Matthew Stou
A Just Digital framework to ensure equitable achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
No full textWhile the technological revolution is accelerating, digital poverty is undermining
the Sustainable Development Goals. This article introduces a justice-oriented
digital framework which considers how fair access to digital capabilities, commodities, infrastructure, and governance can reduce global inequality and advance the SDG
The green adaptation-regeneration nexus: innovation or business-as-usual?
No full textThere are divergent visions and practices of sustainable urban design
in the context of contemporary processes of climate adaptation and
infrastructural change. However, the key influences on what
trajectory is adopted in different instances have yet to be explored
in depth. This article highlights and explores an emerging
connection between climate adaptation, sustainable urban design
and regeneration or what is termed the ‘green adaptation regeneration nexus’. This is identified as an ambiguous
phenomenon which could instantiate more integrated and
collaborative models of planning or, alternatively, denote an
intensified economic focus. The implications of the green
adaptation-urban regeneration nexus are explored through two case
studies of combined climate adaptation and regeneration projects
in Sheffield and Copenhagen. The key finding is that both projects’
institutional setting within pre-existing regeneration planning
frameworks has been a key influence in both enabling and
constraining community participation. The article’s key contribution
is to highlight the inadequacy of inherited and often flawed
planning frameworks from the perspective of realizing innovative,
socially and ecologically sustainable approaches to design in an
increasingly important sector of urban planning and design practice
“Putting Meat on the Bones”: Understanding the Implementation of a Community-Based Early Intervention and Prevention Programme—Contextual, Person, and Programme Influences
No full textThe adoption and effective delivery of evidence-based interventions within “real-world” community-based, primary health care
service settings are of crucial importance. In this paper, we explore the successes and challenges of implementing a new complex,
group-based, early parenting intervention called the Parent and Infant (PIN) programme. This study involved a systematic
analysis of the processes and factors that influence the implementation of the PIN programme; the analysis was guided and
informed by the Implementation Outcome Framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. A
documentary review, alongside a series of one-to-one interviews and small group discussions with a range of stakeholders
(n = 44), and 7 focus groups (n = 24) were used as data sources. Factors that promoted programme adoption, acceptability,
and implementation feasibility included programme characteristics and stakeholder attitudes, as well as organisational and
systems factors (e.g. leadership and collaboration). Key challenges to implementation success included engagement and adoption
barriers. This research provides a useful and important example of real-world, theory-driven implementation research which
helped to identify interrelated processes, factors, and contexts which shape and influence the implementation of early intervention
and prevention programmes, removed for blind review