NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Qualitative Research in HRI: A Review and Taxonomy
No full textThe field of human–robot interaction (HRI) is young and highly inter-disciplinary, and the approaches, standards and methods proper to it are still in the process of negotiation. This paper reviews the use of qualitative methods and approaches in the HRI literature in order to contribute to the development of a foundation of approaches and methodologies for these new research areas. In total, 73 papers that use qualitative methods were systematically reviewed. The review reveals that there is widespread use of qualitative methods in HRI, but very different approaches to reporting on it, and high variance in the rigour with which the approaches are applied. We also identify the key qualitative methods used. A major contribution of this
paper is a taxonomy categorizing qualitative research in HRI in two dimensions: by ’study type’ and based on the specific
qualitative method use
Cognitive characterization of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by domains: a systematic review
No full textAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is reportedly the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed during childhood, and it is recognized as a common condition in adulthood. We review the evidence to help identify cognitive domains associated to deficits in adult ADHD. A systematic review with narrative synthesis was performed, assessing studies on adult ADHD, neuropsychology and research on involved cognitive domains in adults 18+years old with an established diagnosis of ADHD, in seven electronic databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, WebOfScience, Embase, Scopus, OvidSPMedline,
and Teseo), and Worldcat and OpenGrey grey literature databases. 93 studies were included for this review, encompassing findings from a total 5574 adults diagnosed only with ADHD, medication-naïve or non-medicated at the moment of the assessment and 4880 healthy controls. Adults diagnosed with ADHD may show, when compared to healthy controls, a cognitive profile characterized by deficits across all attention modalities, processing speed, executive function (mainly working memory and inhibition with emphasis on reward delay and interference control), verbal memory, reading skills, social cognition and arithmetic abilities. A cognitive characterization of adult ADHD by domains is established beyond the sole consideration of attention and executive function problems. Along with these, verbal memory, language (mainly reading), social cognition and arithmetic abilities may also contribute to a more comprehensive characterization of the cognitive
profile in adult ADH
Linguistic distributional knowledge and sensorimotor grounding both contribute to semantic category production
No full textThe human conceptual system comprises simulated information of sensorimotor experience and linguistic distributional information of how words are used in language. Moreover, the linguistic shortcut hypothesis predicts that people will use computationally cheaper linguistic distributional information where it is sufficient to inform a task response. In a pre-registered category production study, we asked participants to verbally name members of concrete and abstract categories, and tested whether performance could be predicted by a novel measure of sensorimotor similarity (based on an 11-dimensional representation of sensorimotor strength) and linguistic proximity (based on word co-occurrence derived from a large corpus). As predicted, both measures predicted the order and frequency of category production but, critically, linguistic proximity had an effect above and beyond sensorimotor similarity. A follow-up study using typicality ratings as an additional predictor found that typicality was often the strongest predictor of category production variables, but it did not subsume sensorimotor and linguistic effects. Finally, we created a novel, fully grounded computational model of conceptual activation during category production, which best approximated typical human performance when conceptual activation was allowed to spread indirectly between concepts, and when candidate category members came from both sensorimotor and linguistic distributional representations. Critically, model performance was indistinguishable from typical human performance. Results support the linguistic shortcut hypothesis in semantic processing, and provide strong evidence that both linguistic and grounded representations are inherent to the functioning of the conceptual system
Squaramide-Naphthalimide Conjugates as Potential Self-Assembled Materials and as DNA Binders
No full textThis thesis entitled ‘Squaramide-Naphthalimide Conjugates as Potential Self-Assembled
Materials and as DNA Binders’ is divided in 7 chapters. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to
DNA, its function and structure. Various DNA binders were introduced in this section,
specifically currently studied naphthalimides as DNA intercalators, with potential as possible
treatments for various types of cancers. The H-bonding ability of squaramide and its potential
as a DNA binder to the negatively charged sugar phosphate backbone was discussed. Bis-intercalators were also described in detail and their strong DNA bis-intercalating ability was
also discussed. The proposed target bis-intercalators were introduced, with multiple modes of
binding to DNA, where the naphthalimide moieties would bis-intercalate into DNA, while the
squaramide would bind to the negatively charged sugar phosphate backbone of DNA.
In Chapter 2, the design and synthesis of novel compounds are discussed. The syntheses of the
desired compounds, the challenges encountered during synthesis and the change in the design
of the desired compounds was also described. Each compound was characterised with room
temperature NMR and it was concluded that after VT-NMR studies were performed, which
clearly indicated self-assembly properties of these novel compounds.
Chapter 3 describes the self-assembly properties of the novel squaramide containing bis-naphthalimides, which will involve various techniques including VT-NMR, UV absorbance
time studies, extinction coefficient studies and Scanning Electron Microscopy.
Chapter 4 discusses the possible DNA binding ability of the novel synthesised compounds
using UV-Vis absorbance, fluorescence and Ethidium Bromide Assays.
Chapter 5 gives an overall conclusion of the entire work carried out in this research and also
provides a perspective with the ideas for future work.
Chapter 6 contains the general experimental procedures including the synthesis and detailed
characterisation of each of the synthesised compounds.
Chapter 7, the Appendix section contains all supporting information
Researchers and survivors respond to the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes
No full textAs researchers – historians, social scientists, journalists, legal experts, researchers on Irish culture -and survivors who have been forced to do our own research we reject the conclusions of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes and in particular its claims about the evidence, which are deeply flawed
Technology usage, eHealth literacy and attitude towards connected health in caregivers of paediatric cancer
No full textWhile Connected Health (CH) presents an attractive solution to supporting those with paediatric cancer within a burdened healthcare system, uptake has been limited in practice. This study explored the extent to which attitudes towards CH and the ability to identify evidence-based CH interventions could be predicted by technology usage and eHealth literacy for parents of children with cancer and their Health Care Providers (HCPs). A survey of 85 parents and HCPs was conducted consisting of measures of eHealth literacy, attitude towards online sources, electronic device/internet usage and evaluations of existing CH technologies. While respondents frequently interacted with online supports, CH use was limited (30.8%). Multiple regression and t-test analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between technology usage and eHealth literacy on CH use, attitude and perceived quality. Positive attitudes towards CH and strong eHealth literacy skills were found, however, those who had not used CH had significantly lower eHealth literacy than those who had (t(74)=2.08, p=.04 (two-tailed). Further, eHealth Literacy and device use significantly impacted attitude (F(3,75)=12.01,
How can I improve my teaching of Wellbeing in my Senior Infant class?
No full textThe purpose of this self-study action research project is to establish how I can improve my
teaching of Wellbeing in my Senior Infant classroom. Wellbeing is an area that is evolving in
the education sector, for instance, by 2023, all primary schools must have a Wellbeing
Promotion Process (Department of Education 2018). Wellbeing is also present in the Draft
Primary Curriculum Framework (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2020).
However, the need for wellbeing education became strikingly evident in my classroom as a
result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and school closures as children struggled to address their
emotions from this time. It became clear to me that the time to improve my wellbeing
education skills was now.
Throughout two action research cycles, I compared programme-based wellbeing
education to teacher-led wellbeing education. These six-week cycles took place in my Senior
Infant classroom, located in a DEIS, co-educational school in County Dublin. The
intervention displayed benefits and downfalls to both approaches to wellbeing education.
After analysing all data, the findings demonstrated that following a programme, but
tailoring it to meet the needs and experiences of the pupils in the class, was the best type of
practice for me in my setting. Following a programme ensures consistency when considering
a whole-school approach to wellbeing education. However, it is essential that the teacher is
confident in adapting these lessons to acknowledge arising circumstances in the class that
may not be covered in the course, such as bereavement, or response to a global pandemic
Beyond the University: Towards Transfer
No full textThis chapter explores students’ experience of transfer as a worked
example of our assertion that a deliberate focus on transfer of
learning beyond the university could be part of the new normal for
higher education and could contribute to student success.
Specifically, the article examines how students experience writing
transfer beyond the university using a portion of the data which
we gathered as part of a Froebel Department of Primary and Early
Childhood Education Maynooth University case study on this
topic, which was in turn part of a large international multi-institutional study on writing beyond the university (Elon
University, Writing Beyond the University Research Seminar); the
case study in full is reported in Writing Beyond the University:
Preparing Lifelong Learners for Lifewide Writing. The purpose of our
research was to explore how student writers make connections
and navigate transitions between academic setting writing
(writing done in the University) and writing beyond the university
in professional settings. In order to answer this question, we
worked with a group of 4th year undergraduate students (n 60)
who completed a questionnaire pre- and post-professional
placement. We mapped students’ experience of writing transfer
beyond the university using an activity theory framework for
understanding transfer and our findings. We suggest implications
of the findings, which we believe could have applicability beyond
writing to curriculum design, assessment, workplace readiness,
employability and student success
Quantum Money Scheme
No full textQuantum computing has the power to break current cryptographic
systems, disrupting online banking, shopping, data storage and
communications. However, quantum mechanics can also be used to
make these systems stronger and more resilient. In this paper we
describe the transmissibility of a quantum money scheme, which
was proposed by Dmitry Gavinsky and implemented by the authors,
and discuss some of its benefits and limitations
Early Sasanian landscape modification: New geoarchaeological evidence from the Ardashir Pond in southwest Iran (Palace of Ardashir, third century CE)
No full textThe Sasanian period (224–651 CE) marked an era of large‐scale urban projects insouthwest Asia, including Iran's semi‐arid highlands, with particular efforts to ma-nipulate water bodies. This study presents a recent interdisciplinary investigation ofa spring‐fed pond at the entrance of the Palace of Ardashir (Firuzabad plain,southwest Iran), part of a recently registered World Heritage site. Historical ac-counts suggest that the entire water system of the plain, including the pond, un-derwent a hydraulic re‐organization at the beginning of the Sasanian period, a factthat has never been investigated geoarchaeologically. A series of sediment coreswere retrieved from the pond to probe its evolution and examine the extent of itslandscape modification. The cores were sedimentologically described andradiocarbon‐dated with age–depth models established based on 57 AMS (accel-erator mass spectrometry)14C dates to understand the basin's depositional history.The results indicate that (i) Ardashir Pond has existed as part of a larger wetlandcomplex since at least 4500 years ago, (ii) it was substantially enlarged at the be-ginning of the Sasanian era, and (iii) it was abandoned at the end of the Sasanianperiod. The Ardashir Pond is one of the first geoarchaeologically investigated casestudies to demonstrate the Sasanian landscape in the framework of the“Iranshahr”sociopolitical concept