NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder, complex PTSD and adjustment disorder: the importance of stressors and traumatic life events
No full textBackground: Although ICD-11 adjustment (AjD), posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress (CPTSD) are commonly diagnosed disorders following exposure to stressful or traumatic life events, their dimensional structure and co-occurrence has never been tested in a single study. The present study explored the latent structure of AjD, PTSD, and CPTSD symptoms and their relationship to stressful and traumatic life events to determine the degree of distinctiveness between these constructs.
Methods: Participants were clinical patients (N = 331) who completed self-report measures of stressful and traumatic life events, AjD (The Adjustment Disorder – New Module 8 (ADNM-8)) and PTSD / CPTSD (The International Trauma Questionnaire – ITQ).
Results: Using confirmatory factor analysis, a second-order model comprised of correlated latent variables of AjD, PTSD, and CPTSD provided the best fit of the data. It was also found that stressors and traumatic life events were positively associated with all of these conditions although childhood trauma was only associated with CPTSD.
Conclusions: The current findings support the ICD-11 model of related-but-distinct stress-related disorders. We discuss the existence of a stress-response continuum and how the current findings impact the development of clinical interventions that may be shared across, or unique to, each stress-related disorder
Universal Design for Learning: Is it gaining momentum in Irish education?
No full textResponding to student diversity has become a key policy priority in education systems around the world. In addition to international and national institutional policies, major changes are underway in instructional practices and pedagogy in many national contexts. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has become a key pedagogical approach used in education systems which seek to promote inclusive and equitable education in response to student diversity. Despite Ireland’s policy commitment to inclusive education, UDL has been traditionally focused on the higher education sector with little discussion about the role UDL can play at primary and second-level education to achieve inclusion. Furthermore, there has been no research to date on the extent to which education policy reforms are introducing part, or all, of the aspects of the UDL framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which UDL is gaining momentum in Irish primary and second-level education through an analysis of curriculum policy. This paper examines the development and evolution of UDL in Irish education policy over the past decade by exploring the use of UDL in national educational curriculum frameworks. The paper highlights how UDL is slowly and implicitly emerging in education policy at a national level but suggests further momentum could be gained from its inclusion in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and professional development programmes. By exploring the development of UDL within existing policy contexts, the paper argues for a more explicit commitment to UDL as part of ongoing curriculum reform at the primary level, the review of Senior Cycle, and Ireland’s broader inclusive education agend
Characterisation of gravel deposits in the pre-glacial channel, Central Dublin
No full textThis paper reports on the production of an interactive 3-dimensional model over a key section of a pre-glacial channel feature in Dublin City. Significant infrastructural develop-ments, most importantly the Dublin MetroLink project, are planned in the study area. The model presented here represents a complex depositional environment produced by several discrete phases of glaciation and deglaciation during the Quaternary and is consistent with previous published reports on the area. The geology in the study area typically consists of a Quaternary channel cut into the Carboniferous limestone bedrock, an intermittent lower glacial till, a large fluvio-glacial sand and gravel deposit and an intermittent upper glacial till. The digital software used to manage and create a 3-dimensional ground model is described and is comprised of several commercially available modules. The digital 3-dimensional ground models are particularly useful as a single data repository which can easily be updated as new data becomes available. Interpretation of a large body of geotechnical tests confirmed the fluvio-glacial sand and gravel deposit is relatively non-homogenous but can be broadly char-acterised as a medium to very dense slightly sandy to sandy gravel. Simple index tests, such as particle size distribution analyses and standard penetration testing, are very useful for both material characterisation and interpretation of profiles, albeit the latter test results can be influenced by the presence of cobbles or boulders. Geophysical testing, especially shear wave velocity profiling, was shown to be a very useful characterisation tool in these deposits. The findings of this work are consistent with the overall understanding of the erosional features, pattern of glacial deposition and general geological history of the study area in Dublin
Using a systems thinking approach to understand teachers perceptions and use of assistive technology in the republic of Ireland
No full textPurpose: Assistive technology (AT) enables and promotes inclusion and participation, especially for persons with a disability, ageing populations, and those with non-communicable diseases. AT is essential for
generating collaborative learning environments, inclusive of students with a range of specific needs and
required supports. However, many teachers lack the training, resources, and skills to use AT in the class.
This study uses a systems thinking approach to consider teachers AT needs in the Irish classroom.
Methods: Three hundred and five teachers completed an online survey, and 10 took part in semi-structured focus groups. The survey examined teachers experiences with AT, their training needs, and the context within which they need support.
Results: Teachers reported low levels of AT knowledge, skills, and confidence. Many described limited
access to training and support for AT use. Results also reveal non-systems thinking, whereby there is no
meaningful linking across the main strategic drivers of AT - policy, products, provision, and personnel, to
support the people at the centre of the AT system – between these and the contextual factors that influence their effectiveness.
Conclusion: An AT system which is easy to navigate, which has policies and provision that supports educators, and has expert personnel on hand to support teachers, is crucial if AT is to become embedded in
Irish classrooms. This research shows that a comprehensive AT system in education should include policies, practices, personnel, and products that interact to support people to engage easily and successfully
with AT in the classroo
Strengthening the Participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the Decision-Making of National Government and the United Nations: Further Analyses of the International Disability Alliance Global Survey
No full textThe participation of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) is crucial at each
stage of policy processes at the local, regional, and international levels. However, decision-making
mechanisms have traditionally excluded OPDs, failing to consult with them on decisions that impact
on their daily lives. The overall aim of this study was to examine the participation of persons with
disabilities and OPDs in development programmes and policies by exploring recommendations
from a sample of OPDs on ways to strengthen their participation with government and the UN.
Secondary data analysis was conducted using a global survey on the participation of OPDs, administered by the International Disability Alliance to OPD representatives. Two open-ended items were
analysed, which explored participants’ recommendations on ways to strengthen their participation
with government and the UN. Data were analysed using the descriptive and interpretive qualitative
methods. Respondents provided recommendations on how to strengthen their participation with
their national government and the UN, focusing on several issues including accessibility, human
rights, and the need for inclusion of all OPDs and all groups of persons with disabilities. The synergy
between the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development
Goals presents opportunities for OPDs to increase their participation in development policies and
programmes. It is vital, however, to dismantle the barriers to participation in decision-making by
OPDs and persons with disabilities
Flood risk management, (un)managed retreat and the “relocation fix”: examining shifting responsibilities and compounding risks through two Irish case studies
No full textManaged retreat raises important questions of both risk and responsibility. These include what risks are addressed and/or exacerbated through retreat and whether retreat might function as a byword for state withdrawal and the individualisation of responsibility. In response, the aim of this paper is to understand the implications of shifts in the perceived balance of responsibilities between the state and private actors for managing the risks and vulnerabilities associated with managed retreat. The paper draws upon an analysis of two household relocation schemes which took place in County Galway, Ireland in 1995and 2009. This analysis highlights a range of factors which contribute to vulnerability and risk and which are traced to underlying conflicts regarding responsibility. These factors both put people at risk initially, leading to demands for relocation, and create new risks through a failure to effectively manage the relocation process. It is argued that the approach to relocation in Ireland reflects a neoliberal approach that responds to political and financial pressures upon the state and temporarily resolves some immediate risks for property owners but fails to address the underlying drivers of risk. The aggregate effects of such shifting responsibilities are to amplify existing and produce new vulnerabilities for communities impacted by flooding
Application of the STRAY statistical learning algorithm for the evaluation of in-situ process monitoring data during L-PBF additive manufacturing.
No full textThis study investigates the use of a statistical anomaly detection method to analyse in-situ process monitoring data obtained during the Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Ti-6Al-4V parts. The printing study was carried out on a Renishaw 500M Laser-Powder Bed Fusion system. A photo diodebased system called InfiniAM was used to monitor the melt-pool emissions along with the operational behaviour of the laser during the build process. The analysis of the in-process data was carried out using an unsupervised machine learning approach called the Search and TRace AnomalY algorithm. The ability to detect defects during the manufacturing of metal alloy parts was demonstrated
Economic Obstacles to Education in Ireland
No full textThis policy note highlights the costs of sending a child to school in Ireland and explores the extent to which these represent a significant economic barrier to schooling for low-income families. It also evaluates the efforts to reduce early school leaving and examines the increasing commodification of education in Ireland
"Digging for Gold": Irish Builders in Post-War London - Historical Representations and Realities.
No full textThis thesis explores the lived experiences of Irish male migrants who came to London
during and after World War Two to work as builders in the construction and civil engineering
industries. Using extensive primary, archival and secondary sources, this research blends socioeconomic,
construction and cultural history to compare and contrast a wide range of cultural
representations disseminated about these workers through Irish public discourse, culture and
folklore. Twenty-one original oral histories collected for this project are a crucial part of the
primary research, supported by an array of corroborative journalistic and corporate
documentation. This research concludes that these representations focus too narrowly upon a
range of negative stereotypes, connotations and socio-economic outcomes. Contrary to these
representations a significant majority of post-war migrants – whilst struggling through the
inevitable hardships of immigration - eventually led (or lead) productive, moderate, happy,
socio-economically viable, stable and rewarding lives in London.
This is the first research to make an objective evidence-based empirical survey, in
quantitative and qualitative terms, of the cohort of Irish migrants who worked on the post-war
reconstruction of London. It is also the first research to establish the geographic, socioeconomic
and cultural patterns to their migration stories and to link those patterns to underlying
theoretical concepts. An example is the synthesis of theoretical ideas relating to social capital,
networking, cultural circuits and ethnic entrepreneurship. This posits that Irish migrant
construction workers generally operated within an ‘auto-segregated’ workspace and socialised
within a volitional self-enclosed community. This community exhibited characteristics of both
ethnic and diasporic enclaves and gradually developed a form of niche ethnic economy. Other
novel aspects of this work are: the granular analysis of the casualised recruitment system
known as ‘the lump’ and the performative masculinities it elicited; the crucial role played –
albeit surreptitiously – by women in the Irish migrant construction environment; the detailed
histories of key Irish-founded British construction firms; and the elucidation of how their
entrepreneurial success fed back into developments in Irish political and economic life in the
post-war decades. The hope is that this research ignites further and deeper historical interest in
the histories of the people who created the metropolitan centres of the world, rather than simply
the structures of the cities themselves
Bring yourself back online, Old Bill: Westworld’s media histories, or six degrees of separation from Shakespeare
No full textThis article explores the polysemous intertextuality of Westworld, an example of ‘complex television’, and focuses particularly on its Shakespearean coordinates. In this
futuristic show about sentient androids who quote Shakespeare is a deep web of connections to other Shakespeare adaptations in film, digital cultures, and popular music. Through the perspectives of fan studies and media studies, the article argues that what
unfolds out of the show’s discourses and those of its fans, who engage with it through digital platforms and technologies, is a micro media history of Shakespeare. In turn, the show advances an understanding of Shakespeare as posthuman