NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Public Trust and Willingness to Vaccinate Against COVID-19 in the US From October 14, 2020, to March 29, 2021
No full textThe development of vaccines showing high efficacy against
SARS-CoV-2 has offered a way to protect against the health effects
of the virus. Yet national surveys suggest that willingness to vac-
cinate declined throughout 2020 and may be insufficient to pro-
vide population immunity.1-3
Public trust in the develop-
ment of vaccines and the gov-
ernment approval process represents a potential crucial reason
for this hesitancy. This study tested changes in trust in vaccina-
tion and vaccine hesitancy
Investigation into the effect of mannan-rich fraction supplementation on the metagenome of broiler chickens
No full textAntibiotic resistance is regarded as one of the most serious threats to human health worldwide. The rapid increase in resistance rates has been attributed to the extensive use of antibiotics since they became commercially available. The use of antibiotics as growth promotors has been banned in numerous regions for this reason. Mannan-rich fraction (MRF) has been
reported to show similar growth-promoting effects to antibiotics. We investigated the effect of MRF on the microbial community, resistome and metabolic pathways within the caecum of commercial broilers at two different timepoints within the growth
of the broiler, day 27 and day 34. The data indicated an overall increase in health and economic gain for the producer with the
addition of MRF to the diet of the broilers. The only significant difference across the microbial composition of the samples was
in the richness of the microbial communities across all samples. While all samples harboured resistance genes conferring
resistance to the same classes of antibiotics, there was significant variation in the antimicrobial resistance gene richness
across time and treatment and across combinations of time and treatment. The taxa with positive correlation comprised Bacilli
and Clostridia. The negative correlation taxa were also dominated by Bacilli, specifically the Streptococcus genera. The KEGG-pathway analysis identified an age-related change in the metabolism pathway abundances of the caecal microflora. We suggest
that the MRF-related increases in health and weight gain in the broilers may be associated with changes in the metabolism of
the microbiomes rather than the microbial composition. The resistome variations across samples were correlated with specific
genera. These data may be used to further enhance the development of feed supplements to reduce the presence of antibiotic
resistance genes (ARGs) within poultry. While the ARGs of greatest concern to human or animal health were not detected in this
study, it has identified the potential to reduce the presence of ARGs by the increase in specific genera
Impact of nonlinear hydrodynamic modelling on geometric optimisation of a spherical heaving point absorber
No full textDue to the amount of iterative computation
involved, researchers involved in geometric optimisation of
wave energy devices typically employ linear hydrodynamic
models. However, the exaggerated motion of wave energy
devices, aided by energy maximising control action, challenges the assumptions upon which linear hydrodynamic
modelling relies. Furthermore, the optimal device geometry
is also sensitive to the nature of the energy-maximisation
controller employed, and to the set of wave conditions over
which the optimisation is carried out.
In order to focus on the essential issues, this study takes
the simplest possible device for optimisation, a heaving
sphere (with just one free parameter), but one which
exhibits nonlinear hydrodynamic characteristics, due to the
non-uniform cross-sectional area. The study examines the
sensitivity to the inclusion of nonlinear Froude-Krylov
forces. In addition, the sensitivity of the optimal device
size to differences in the applied control algorithm is also
studied, as are effects due to different representative sea
state representations and performance evaluation criteria
Numerical analysis of the hydrodynamic scaling effects for the Wavestar wave energy converter
No full textScaled model tests are an important step during the research and development of
wave energy converters (WECs). While such scaled model tests in physical wave tanks
are prone to undesired scaling effects due to e.g. mechanical artefacts and/or fluid
effects, numerical wave tanks (NWTs) provide excellent tools for the analysis of WECs
across a range of scales, overcoming the limitations of the physical test environment.
Simultaneous scaling based on the Froude and Reynolds number is achievable in physical
wave tanks only with significant effort, whereas NWTs allow the adjustment of fluid
properties, such as viscosity, in an easy manner, thereby catering for Froude and
Reynolds similarity. This study exploits the capabilities of a high-fidelity, computational
fluid dynamics based, NWT and investigates the hydrodynamic scaling effects for the
heaving buoy Wavestar WEC. Various test cases, relevant for WEC applications and
with progressively increasing complexity, are considered to develop a comprehensive
understanding of the scaling effects. Results show that significant scaling effects occur
for the viscous component of the hydrodynamic loads on the WEC hull, while the system
dynamics and total (viscous + pressure) loads are relatively unaffected by scaling effects
Controlling synchronization in a complex network of nonlinear oscillators via feedback linearisation and H∞-control
No full textThis short communication proposes a strategy to induce complete synchronization in a complex network composed of a general class of nonlinear dynamical oscillators. To that end, we formulate complete
synchronization as a robust stabilisation problem, and propose a multiple-input multiple-output feedback
decoupling linearisation algorithm in combination with H∞-control, designed to achieve a stable synchronization even in the presence of model uncertainty. We illustrate the strategy via a case study, where a
complex network composed of FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators is considere
Non-Linear Modeling of a Vibro-Impact Wave Energy Converter
No full textThis article proposes a non-linear vibro-impact mechanism, integrated inside a semi-submerged cylindrical buoy to
form a self-contained and self-referenced vibro-impact wave energy
converter (VIWEC), for performance enhancement. A non-linear
mathematical model of the VIWEC is derived, considering linear wave-buoy interaction and non-linear vibro-impact mechanics. Numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the influence of the vibro-impact mechanism on the VIWEC’s dynamics
and performance. Numerical results conclude that the VIWEC is
characterised by a band-pass frequency response and inherently
decoupled from ocean waves of low frequencies, indicating high
survivability under extreme sea states. The vibro-impact mechanism can also broaden the VIWEC’s power capture bandwidth
and limit the VIWEC’s motion within its physical constraint. On
the other hand, the VIWEC’s dynamics are sensitive to design
parameters, and an improper design may lead to rich and complex
non-linear dynamics of the VIWEC, e.g. chaos and multi-stability.
The proposed non-linear model can provide a platform for design
optimisation and control development of the VIWEC
LGBT plus young people's perceptions of barriers to accessing mental health services in Ireland
No full textAim: To explore the barriers to accessing mental health services in the Republic of
Ireland from the perspectives of young LGBT + people aged 14–25.
Background: Significant mental health disparities exist between LGBT + young people and their cisgender and heterosexual peers, yet they do not have equitable access to mental health services. Limited research has explored barriers, which exist
for LGBTI + young people in accessing services, particularly from their perspectives.
Method: An anonymous online survey design, consisting of closed and open questions, was used. The study was advertised through local and national organisations
and media. 1,064 LGBT + participants aged 14–25 opted to complete the survey.
Results: Most participants reported several barriers to them accessing mental health
services that were interlinked across three levels: individual; sociocultural; and mental health system.
Conclusion: Cultural competency training for practitioners, which address issues and
concerns pertinent to LGBT + young people, is key to addressing many of the barriers identified.
Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers can use the findings to advocate for practice and organisational change within their services to ensure that
care and support is responsive and sensitive to the particular needs of LGBT + young
people
Exploring equity and inclusion in Malawi’s National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan
No full textBackground: Equity and inclusion are important principles in policy development and implementation. The aim of
this study is to explore the extent to which equity and inclusion were considered in the development of Malawi’s
National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Methods: We applied an analytical methodology to review the Malawi’s National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy
and Implementation Plan using the EquIPP (Equity and Inclusion in Policy Processes) tool. The EquIPP tool assesses
17 Key Actions to explore the extent of equity and inclusion.
Results: The development of the Malawi National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan was
informed by a desire to promote the rights, opportunities and wellbeing of persons with disability in Malawi. The
majority (58%) of the Key Actions received a rating of three, indicating evidence of clear, but incomplete or only
partial engagement of persons with disabilities in the policy process. Three (18%) of the Key Actions received a
rating of four indicating that all reasonable steps to engage in the policy development process were observed.
Four (23%) of the Key Actions received a score five indicating a reference to Key Action in the core documents in
the policy development process.
Conclusions: The development of disability policies and associated implementation strategies requires equitable
and inclusive processes that consider input from all stakeholders especially those whose wellbeing depend on such
policies. It is pivotal for government and organisations in the process of policy or strategy development and
implementation, to involve stakeholders in a virtuous process of co-production – co-implementation – co-evaluation, which may strengthen both the sense of inclusion and the effectiveness of the policy life-cycle
Exploring stable-based behaviour and behaviour switching for the detection of bilateral pain in equines
No full textEfficient and sensitive animal pain detection approaches are increasingly studied with the goal of improving
animal welfare and monitoring the efficacy of treatment and rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to
determine the potential of various behaviours as sensitive indicators of subtle inflammation states in equines. The
long-term goal of this research is to understand how to objectively and remotely classify behaviours that are
associated with inflammation using wearable inertial sensor technologies. This study represents a proof-of concept investigation to ascertain what behavioural indices might be important in long-term monitoring of
mild bilateral inflammation and recovery with a view to translating the approach to a technology-enabled remote
monitoring paradigm. Bilateral synovitis of the intercarpal joints was induced in seven equines using lipopoly saccharide (0.25 ng) at time zero. The horses were confined to stables and monitored intermittently over seven
days by stable-fixed video cameras. White blood cell count, carpal circumference and food availability were
recorded across the study. An ethogram was created to manually annotate behaviours from video footage
following lameness induction at seven different timepoints across a 1-week period. Behaviour data were processed extracting the duration, frequency and variability of behaviours. One-way repeated measures ANOVA
revealed a significant time effect for white blood cell count and behaviour switching. There were no significant
changes in carpal circumferences and heart rate measures over the sampling period. Food availability appears to
be an important contextual factor that should be considered in pain-related behavioural studies. We conclude
that behaviour variability may be a promising indicator of subtle bilateral inflammation which should be further
explored in larger controlled trials and different pain presentations. Future work will seek to optimise grouping
of behaviours associated with inflammation that can be detected using wearable technologies for future remote
monitoring protocols
Between Human Rights and Transitional Justice: The Dilemma of Constitutional Courts in Post-Communist Central Europe
No full textThe essay sheds light on the role of constitutional courts in transitional justice, focusing on their role in
mitigating the conflicts between transitional justice and international human rights commitments. Through
a study of the Czech Constitutional Court’s case law, we demonstrate that international human rights work
both as a constraint and a tool. Constitutional courts use international human rights law selectively, when
it suits their reasoning and views on transition. Nevertheless, the influence of international human rights
law strengthens over time, especially when supported by the adverse rulings of international bodies, and
gradually prevails over transitional justice justifications