NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Storm Anatol over Europe in December 1999: impacts on societal and energy infrastructure
No full textStorm Anatol impacted the North Sea and northern Europe on 3–4 December 1999. It brought hurricane force winds to Denmark and northern Germany, and high winds also in Sweden and countries around the Baltic Sea. For many meteorological stations in Denmark, the wind speeds were the highest on record and the storm was ranked as a century event. The storm impacts included extensive forest damage, fatalities, hundreds of injuries, power outages, transportation interruptions, as well as storm surge flooding on the west coast of Denmark. Strongly committed to wind energy, Denmark lost 13 onshore wind turbines destroyed during the storm. An important industry insurer noted that this was a remarkably low number, considering the storm intensity and the large number of turbines (>3500) installed in the country. In 1999, offshore wind energy was just getting started in Europe, and the storm provided an important test of environmental extreme conditions impacting offshore infrastructure. This contribution takes a closer look at the regional met-ocean conditions during the storm. A brief overview is made of the wind field and available wave measurements from the North Sea. An examination is made of water level measurements from around the North Sea to characterize the storm surge and identify possible meteo-tsunamis and infragravity waves. Offshore accidents are briefly discussed to assess if there had been unusual wave strikes on shipping or platforms. At the time of the storm in 1999, there was a growing awareness in the scientific community of possible changes in ambient sea state conditions and the increasing threat of rogue waves. The offshore wind energy community had become aware from the impact of rogue waves from damage at the research platform FINO1 in the southern North Sea during severe storms in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2013. Storm Anatol may have been another rogue wave storm at an earlier stage of offshore wind energy development
Masculinities in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Ireland
No full textThe study of masculinities in Irish history is a relatively new but thriving field of inquiry. This collection, based on two symposia in 2016 and 2017 funded by the Irish Research Council, brings together scholars who examine masculinities in revolutionary (1912–23) and post-independence Ireland. Taking themes that encompass the First World War, the Rising, the War of Independence, the Civil War and the Free State, the authors highlight different historical moments where a gendered analysis of men and an interrogation of contemporary concepts of masculinity can provide new and illuminating insights into this turbulent time. One of the phases of modern Irish history that has received ample scholarly attention, the history of the Irish revolutionary years has not been significantly addressed from the point of view of masculinities and gendered norms for men. Far from being an “outdated concept” in Irish historiography as Tosh queried in 2011, this collection utilises his approach “where a perspective of masculinity” can be usefully applied to exploring gendered histories of the revolution and beyond
Modeling pervasive platforms and digital services for smart urban transformation using an enterprise architecture framework
No full textPurpose – In smart cities pervasive systems are deployed by enterprises and stakeholders in municipalities to
provide digital services to citizens. But cities are faced with the challenge of achieving system pluggability,
mainly service integration due to numerous actors and systems needed for smart urban transformation. Hence,
there is need to employ a comprehensive and holistic approach to help achieve service integration of pervasive
platforms. Therefore, this study presents an Enterprise Architecture Framework (EAF) to support smart urban
transformation.
Design/methodology/approach – In this study the design science research methodology is adopted based
on a multi-case studies of two organizations and data is collected using semi-structured interview from an
organizations and municipality in Norway to validate how service integration can be achieved by the
developed EAF to address pluggability challenges faced in urban environment.
Findings – Findings suggest that the presented EAF provides the structure to manage changes and maintain
urban transformation and aims to align the business with the underlying information systems from the
perspective of the stakeholders. Additionally, findings from the case studies modelled in ArchiMate language
depict how service integration of different pervasive platforms provide digital services for smart urban
transformation.
Research limitations/implications – This research only employed semi-structured interviews to validate
service integration of digital platforms, other identified dimensions of pluggability were not fully addressed in
this study.
Practical implications – Findings from the case studies provides insights on how pervasive platforms can
be integrated to achieve a pluggable digital service from different stakeholders and data sources in practice.
The developed EAF presented in this study provide a model that supports collection and exchange of data from
different data sources in smart urban environment to enable the provision and consumption of digital services. Social implications – The developed EAF aids system pluggability of actors and systems in providing digital service such as smart urban transformation that contributes to sustainable use of electric mobility in cities.
Originality/value – As cities increasingly deploy pervasive platforms to support urban innovation,
researchers are seeking to explore how these platforms shape urban transformation. Presently, prior studies do
not offer important insights into pervasive platform management from urban perspective. Against this
backdrop, this study employs the information systems perspective of digital platforms literature roots in
software development and physical product development to depict how the EAF can be employed to describe
specific cases that integrate different pervasive platforms deployed by different stakeholders communicating
to co-create collective digital services to citizens
Associations of the natural and built environment with mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19: Irish perspectives from the GreenCOVID study
No full textBackground In several countries public health efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have included movement
restrictions that confine residents to their home or to reduced catchment areas. Household characteristics and assets
of nearby spaces may be particularly relevant to support wellbeing and mental health in this context. The aim of this
study was to explore wellbeing and mental health associations with factors of the immediate natural and built
environment among adults in Ireland during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Contested childhoods across borders and boundaries: Insights from curriculum provisions in Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in the 1920s
No full textConceptualisations and constructs of children and childhood are temporally and contextually grounded. Historical documents are rich sources of insight and understanding regarding how children were understood, valued and treated at various times by particular societies. This article
explores the conceptualisation of children and childhood in the 26-county Irish Free State (South) and the 6-county Northern Ireland (North) in the 1920s following the partition of Ireland, through the lens of educational documentation, primarily national primary school curricula. The focus on both jurisdictions is interesting in the context of partition, exploring the sometimes divergent and
often convergent ways in which children were conceptualised across borders and boundaries. This article reveals, using Sorin and Galloway’s framework as a conceptual and analytical tool, that conceptualisations of children were broadly similar in the North and South but differed in their focus and enactment in both fledgling states. These disparities are largely attributable to the very different
political, social and religious orientations of both jurisdictions and the use of education as a vehicle
for nation-building, as well as identity and gender formation. The article also explores alternative
conceptualisations of children in education policy in the North and South by presenting case study
‘outliers’ of educational provision. A century since partition, conclusions and implications are noted
that resonate with contemporary elements of convergence and divergence on educational policy and
the conceptualisation of children across the island of Ireland
Safe PPE: user needs for an interactive ppe training tool
No full textStaff competency and access to PPE training became critical early in
the COVID-19 pandemic. This placed demands on infection
prevention & control staff when already busy with COVID-19-related
tasks
Sensemaking and the influencing factors on farmer decision-making
No full textThe budget for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is €365bn (European Commission, 2018) for 2021–2027, with the majority allocated to farmers through direct payments. Given the economic vulnerability of many farm enterprises, and the concern about the sustainability of food supply for a growing worldwide population, these payments are provided to encourage food production. Despite this economic vulnerability, many farmers do not appear to run their business with the sole intention of profit maximisation. This paper explores various financial and non-financial influencing factors on the strategic farm expansion decision-making process of farmers with the aim of assisting policymakers and farm advisors to develop a deeper understanding of that process. As a result, agricultural policy may be more effectively formulated and advisory services to farmers may be improved. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 27 farmers who have undertaken strategic farm expansion decisions. Subsequently, the interview findings were presented to a focus group to probe them in more detail. A wide range of financial and non-financial influencing factors on the strategic farm expansion decision-making process of farmers emerge. Analysis of the influencing factors by the specific type of farm expansion decision undertaken and by farm type provides further insights. It is proposed that these influencing factors act as a cue which trigger a sensebreaking activity and cause the farmer to enter a process of sensemaking, culminating in a strategic farm expansion decision being undertaken
Premature Professionalisation or Early Engagement? Examining Practise in Football Player Pathways
No full textThere is a growing debate, both in the academic and sporting worlds, about the most appropriate pathway for high potential young players in sport. In this regard, there has been a considerable focus on the age of selection into structured talent development pathways and the nature of the experience once players have been recruited. Given the economic and reputational currency associated with developing professional footballers in particular, it is unsurprising that professional football clubs continue to invest significant financial resources into their academy structures. Understandably, this recruitment policy has attracted substantial attention within the media and research community, with ethical concerns arising surrounding the impact early selection may have on the welfare and the experiences of the young players within the pathway. The aim of this perspective article was to critically consider the research underpinning the early engagement practises of football clubs and the extent to which, and how, the pathway can provide players with the most appropriate starting point for their development. This evidence points to the need to look beyond the prevalent ‘early specialisation vs. diversification’ debate in youth sport towards a consideration of an early engagement perspective that reflects the biopsychosocial influences on talent development and the socio-political environment that influences decisions. We provide practical recommendations focused on the quality of the early engagement experience
Self-dual modules in characteristic two and normal subgroups
No full textWe prove Clifford theoretic results which only hold in
characteristic 2. Let G be a finite group, let N be a normal subgroup of G and let ϕ be an irreducible 2-Brauer character of N. We show that ϕ occurs with odd multiplicity in the restriction of some self-dual irreducible Brauer character θ of G if and only if ϕ is G-conjugate to its dual. Moreover, if ϕ is self-dual then θ is unique and the multiplicity is 1. Next suppose that θ is a self-dual irreducible 2-Brauer
character of G which is not of quadratic type. We prove
that the restriction of θ to N is a sum of distinct self-dual irreducible Brauer character of N, none of which have
quadratic type. Moreover, G has no self-dual irreducible 2-
Brauer character of non-quadratic type if and only if N and
G/N satisfy the same property. Finally, suppose that b is a real 2-block of N. We show that there is a unique real 2-block of G covering b which is weakly regular with respect to N
“No irregularity or obstruction can resist them”: advertising of abortion pills in the Irish press, 1890–1930
No full textThis article demonstrates the extent of advertising in the Irish press in the years before and after the foundation of the Irish Free State for the “female pills” widely understood to induce abortions. These advertisements appeared very frequently in a wide range of Irish publications for several decades prior to 1922, and the article establishes the ways in which the advertisements functioned as an open secret strategically ignored by both legal and moral authorities. The style and content of the advertisements themselves, which allowed this open secret to operate in plain sight, is explored in detail, along with the context in which the advertisements were produced, circulated and likely understood by women readers. The article concludes by examining the advertisements’ gradual and then complete disappearance from the Irish press, especially in light of the Free State legislation enacted during the 1920s