NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Evaluation of Sub-Selection Methods for Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Low-Flow and Hydrological Drought Conditions
No full textA challenge for climate impact studies is the identification of a sub-set of climate model projections from the many typically available. Sub-selection has potential
benefits, including making large datasets more meaningful and uncovering underlying relationships. We examine the ability of seven sub-selection methods to capture low flow and drought characteristics simulated from a large ensemble of climate models for two catchments. Methods include Multi-Cluster Feature Selection (MCFS), Unsupervised Discriminative Features Selection (UDFS),
Diversity-Induced Self-Representation (DISR), Laplacian score (L Score), Structure
Preserving Unsupervised Feature Selection (SPUFS), Non-convex Regularized
Self-Representation (NRSR) and Katsavounidis–Kuo–Zhang (KKZ). We find that sub-selection methods perform differently in capturing varying aspects of the
parent ensemble, i.e. median, lower or upper bounds. They also vary in their effectiveness by catchment, flow metric and season, making it very difficult to
identify a best sub-selection method for widespread application. Rather, researchers need to carefully judge sub-selection performance based on the aims
of their study, the needs of adaptation decision making and flow metrics of interest, on a catchment by catchment basi
Exploiting the Temporal Dimension of Remotely Sensed Imagery with Deep Learning Models
No full textThe rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the
increasing availability of open Earth Observation
(EO) data present new opportunities to address
important global problems such as the proliferation of
agricultural systems which endanger ecological
sustainability. Despite the plethora of satellite images
describing a given location on earth every year, very
few deep learning-based solutions have harnessed the
temporal and sequential dynamics of land use to map
agricultural practices. This paper compares different
approaches to classify agricultural land use exploiting
the temporal and spectral dimensions of EO data. The
results show greater efficiency of the presented deep
learning-based algorithms compared to state-of-the-art approaches when mapping agricultural classes
Towards a theoretical model of dashboard acceptance and use in healthcare domain
No full textThe objective of this paper is to investigate existing factors related to the decision to adopt and use of dashboards in the healthcare domain using a systematic literature review approach. The study is part of a larger initiative on how analytics dashboards can support decisions in value-based prostate cancer treatment and care. Although many studies have been undertaken to evaluate the implementation of health information technologies in the healthcare sector, as far as we know, none of these studies provides a framework for dashboards use in the healthcare context. We believe that the resulting model from our study provides the necessary first step in developing empirical evidence for the acceptance and use of the dashboards in the healthcare domain
Quality and lean practices synergies A swift even flow perspective
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between investments in quality and lean
practices, and their impact on factory fitness. Using concepts originating in the theory of swift even flow, this
study asserts that manufacturers, in order to improve their production swiftness and evenness, must leverage
the potential synergetic effects between quality and lean practices.
Design/methodology/approach – This research uses data from the Global Manufacturing Research Group
(GMRG) survey project (with data collected from 922 manufacturing plants, across 18 countries). The
constructs and measurement model were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the
hypotheses were tested using ordinary least square (OLS) models.
Findings – This study highlights that both investments in quality and lean practices have direct impact
factory fitness. The results provide insights into the efficacy of the investments in manufacturing practices and
their role in augmenting the operational performance. The investments in quality practices were found to
enhance the efficacy of investments in lean practices, which in turn impact the factory fitness.
Practical implications – From a practical perspective, the study informs managers on how to leverage
investment in quality practices to enhance the impact of lean practice on performance. The results provide
empirical evidence to support management decision-making concerning the development of competences in
quality and lean practices, which may create competitive advantage.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the quality and lean literature and provides empirical evidence
of the synergetic effects between investments in quality and lean practices. The analysis offers a greater
understanding of the mechanisms that can be used to maximise the impact of investments in lean practices,
from a global perspective. The findings are important to the advancement of theory in operations management,
as it integrates three research streams: quality practices, lean practices and swift even flow research
Exploring teacher identity using poststructural tools
No full textHuman bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been investigated in numerous disease settings involving impaired regeneration because of the crucial role they play
in tissue maintenance and repair. Considering the number of comorbidities associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the hypothesis that MSCs mediate these comorbidities via a reduction in their native maintenance and repair activities is an intriguing line of inquiry. Here, it is demonstrated that the number of bone marrow-derived MSCs in people with T2DM was reduced compared to that of age-matched control (AMC) donors and that this was due to a specific decrease in the number of MSCs with osteogenic capacity. There were no differences in MSC cell surface phenotype or in
MSC expansion, differentiation, or angiogenic or migratory capacity from donors living with T2DM as compared to AMCs. These findings elucidate the basic biology of MSCs and their potential as mediators of diabetic comorbidities, especially osteopathies, and provide insight into donor choice for MSC-based clinical trials. This study suggests that any role of bone marrow MSCs as a mediator of T2DM comorbidity is likely due to a reduction in the osteoprogenitor population size and not due to a permanent alteration to the MSCs’ capacity to maintain tissue homeostasis through expansion and differentiation
An Exploration of the Ogoni People’s Resistance in Nigeria: A Participatory Action Research Approach
No full textThis thesis focuses on the Ogoni minority ethnic group in Rivers State, which forms part of
the Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. It explores the Ogoni people’s struggle for survival by
tracing the problems of the Ogoni to British colonial rule and its political effect on the
minority groups in Nigeria and the post-colonial reality of maintaining equality between the
majority ethnic groups and underprivileged minorities as the Ogoni people. The thesis
explores the Ogoni’s protest against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the
Nigerian government challenging the environmental degradation of their lands, and the
reason behind the socio-economic and political marginalization of the people since the
inception of oil extraction of oil and gas in 1958. The rights of Ogoni people to political and
economic self-determination which they claim as their legal right and fair entitlements to
proceeds of natural resources located within Ogoniland are key factors to the Ogoni struggle.
The contribution of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People- MOSOP (as agency
in this context) to achieve Ogoni self-rule within Nigeria is germane. Though a nonviolent
movement, it continues to face the state’s violent reaction against the entire Ogoni people -
the climax being the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa (founder of MOSOP) and eight other
Ogoni activists in 1995. The thesis draws heavily on Marxism and social movement studies;
the idea of social movement from below pursued by grassroots groups who through locally-
generated skills seek to challenge dominant structure of oppression. Rather than mainstream
social movement theory, the research adopts movement relevant theory, which relies on
activists’ experience to explain the everyday struggles of the Ogoni people; how their
collective nonviolent approach contributes to their fight for justice. To serve as an example to
the Ogoni struggle, the thesis discusses the principled and pragmatic nonviolent paradigms of
Mahatma Gandhi and Gene Sharp respectively. The research adopts a Participatory Action
Research (PAR) methodology and draws on 33 qualitative semi-structured and focus group
interviews and 9 participant observations across 5 kingdoms of Ogoni within the period of 5
months (plus 2 months of pilot). It includes a partially gendered-balanced cohort of
individual Ogoni youth, students, activists, farmers, graduates, chiefs and those living in the
city. The thesis is based entirely on primary material. Given the centrality of PAR, the
research reflects on the PAR learning cycle; the iterative and participative action process that
highlights the research constraints and provides an understanding as regards the research
context. Apart from the academic knowledge gained, the egalitarian, iterative and relatively
open-ended, sometimes serendipitous (Rudman et al. 2018) PAR process was beneficial for
the Ogoni participants. As the research findings show, though the Ogoni’s struggles seems
stalled, their campaigns against Shell and the Nigerian State continues. The research is a
learning process for the Ogonis and myself; hence it concludes with the recommendation to
take the study further until justice is achieved
An Overview of the Redevelopment of a Computer Science Support Centre and the Associated Pedagogy Impacts
No full text"Support Centres” are a form of intervention, particularly prevalent in Ireland and the UK through which undergraduate students interact with one or more tutors who help them with their studies. They primarily exist in the Mathematics and Computer Science fields. These centres tend to be remedial, in general aiming to improve the knowledge of struggling students, while also offering additional material to students looking for more of a challenge.
The Computer Science Centre at Maynooth University is a drop-in tutoring service which provides free tutoring to students, primarily of programming modules, in the first and second year of their degree. This service has been running in our Computer Science department since 2012. In the 2019-2020 academic year, two full time tutors were hired to refocus and improve the centre. This resulted in the creation of a redevelopment plan and relaunch of the centre, which will be presented in this paper.
The results of this redevelopment were very promising with the attendance of the centre increasing by over 800% compared to the 2018-2019 academic year. The students who did attend the centre also performed better on average than those students who did not attend the centre in their first-year undergraduate programming modules. An analysis of data relating to students visits to the centre will be presented and discussed.
This paper discusses in detail the redevelopment within the centre and the work carried out by these tutors in their first year, while also presenting future plans for the centre. Guidelines are presented on managing an effective support centre (through our redevelopment plan and support methods), with the hope that more institutions in both Ireland and abroad will consider supporting their students with this methodology
The #ebooksos campaign in Ireland
No full textAgainst the backdrop of COVID-19, this article outlines the ebooksos campaign. The
origin and rationale for the campaign is described. Development of the campaign
and possible future developments are considered
Western boundary circulation and coastal sea-level variability in Northern Hemisphere oceans
No full textThe northwest basins of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are regions of intense western boundary currents (WBCs): the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio. The variability of these poleward currents and their extensions in the open ocean is of major importance to the climate system. It is largely dominated by in-phase meridional shifts downstream of the points at which they separate from the coast. Tide gauges on the adjacent coastlines have measured the inshore sea level for many decades and provide a unique window on the past of the oceanic circulation. The relationship between coastal sea level and the variability of the western boundary currents has been previously studied in each basin separately, but comparison between the two basins is missing. Here we show for each basin that the inshore sea level upstream of the separation points is in sustained agreement with the meridional shifts of the western boundary current extension over the period studied, i.e. the past 7 (5) decades in the Atlantic (Pacific). Decomposition of the coastal sea level into principal components allows us to discriminate this variability in the upstream sea level from other sources of variability such as the influence of large meanders in the Pacific. Our result extends previous findings limited to the altimetry era and suggests that prediction of inshore sea-level changes could be improved by the inclusion of meridional shifts of the western boundary current extensions as predictors. Long-duration tide gauges, such as Key West, Fernandina Beach or Hosojima, could be used as proxies for the past meridional shifts of the western boundary current extension
Japanese Buddhism and Ireland
No full textThis article argues that there is no single relationship between Japanese Buddhism and Ireland, but rather a series of changing relationships mediated by different world-system contexts between one island and another (peripheral and post-colonial) one: as ethnographic information, as cultural influence and as religious practice. The process has a long history, stretching back to the Irish reception of Jesuit and traveller’s accounts, and then made concrete by early intermediaries like Lafcadio Hearn / Koizumi Yakumo and Charles Pfoundes. WB Yeats helped to give Japanese Buddhism a significant place in Irish culture, notably in poetry. From the 1960s and 1970s Japanese Buddhists started to settle in Ireland and Japanese Buddhism began to be practiced; both are now an established part of the Irish religious landscape. The article sketches this history together with the present situation of Japanese Buddhism in Ireland