NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Phase gratings for the sub-millimetre band
No full textThis presentation is concerned with the development of phase gratings for use at terahertz frequencies (sub-mm wavelengths). Design, fabrication and testing of two grating types (Dammann and Fourier) are discussed. Modelling using quasi-optical techniques is outlined and the implementation of a suitable algorithm (Gerchberg-Saxton) to find solutions for the phase-retrieval problem discussed
Measuring ICD-11 adjustment disorder: the development and initial validation of the International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire
No full textBackground: Adjustment disorder (AjD) is one of the most frequently used diagnoses in psychiatry but a diagnostic definition for AjD was only introduced in release of the ICD-11. This study sought to develop and validate a new measure operationalizing the ICD-11's narrative description of AjD, and to determine the current rate of people meeting the symptoms indicative of AjD in the general population of the Republic of Ireland. Methods: The International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire (IADQ) was constructed to measure the core diagnostic criteria of ICD-11 AjD: stressor exposure, preoccupations with, and failure to adapt to, the stressor, timing of symptom onset, and functional impairment. A nationally representative sample (N = 1,020) of adults from Ireland completed the IADQ. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported construct validity and the reliability estimates were excellent. The IADQ correlated strongly with depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. The criteria were met by 7.0% of the sample, adjusted for other exclusionary disorders. Discussion: The IADQ is a measure based on the ICD-11's description and produces reliable scores, however it should not be used for clinical assessment until validated with clinical interviews
Optimisation- vs. non-optimisation- based energy-maximising control for wave energy converters: A case study
No full textEnergy-maximising control of wave energy converters can be separated into two different classes: optimisation
and non-optimisation based strategies. While optimisationbased controllers can outperform non-optimisation based
strategies, the computational requirements associated with
numerical optimisation routines, and the high control forces
required under optimal conditions, can render these energymaximising control laws unsuitable for realistic scenarios. Nonoptimisation-based controllers present an alternative solution,
where linear time-invariant systems are used to approximate
the so-called impedance-matching condition. These strategies
are often simple to implement but suffer from performance
degradation when motion constraints are considered. This paper aims to present a critical comparison between both families
of controllers, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of
each approach. We present simulation results for a state-of-theart CorPower-like device under polychromatic (irregular) wave
excitation, for both (motion) unconstrained and constrained
scenarios
Decriminalisation Revisited: PP v The Judges of Dublin Circuit Court, the DPP, Ireland and the Attorney General [2019] IESC 26
No full textThe decision in PP v The Judges of Dublin Circuit Court' revisits the fate of s 11
of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, a provision that, before its repeal in
1993, prohibited gross indecency between men. This was the law under which
Oscar Wilde was prosecuted, and a measure that profoundly affected the lives
of many gay and bisexual men (in both direct and indirect ways) over many
decades in both Ireland and the UK. Long reviled by the LGBTQ community, s
11 was repealed in 1993.
Just a 'bad flu'? How death notices debunk that Covid-19 myth
No full textAnalysis: Excess mortality shows that Covid-19 killed more people in one month than the most recent severe flu season did in three.
RTE Brainstorm 28/09/202
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Clinical Effectiveness of a Technology-Enabled Cardiac Rehabilitation Platform (Physical Activity Toward Health-I): Randomized Controlled Trial
No full textBackground:
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is highly effective as secondary prevention for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Uptake of CR remains suboptimal (30% of eligible patients), and long-term adherence to a physically active lifestyle is even lower. Innovative strategies are needed to counteract this phenomenon.
Objective:
The Physical Activity Toward Health (PATHway) system was developed to provide a comprehensive, remotely monitored, home-based CR program for CVD patients. The PATHway-I study aimed to investigate its feasibility and clinical efficacy during phase III CR.
Methods:
Participants were randomized on a 1:1 basis to the PATHway (PW) intervention group or usual care (UC) control group in a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled pilot trial. Outcomes were assessed at completion of phase II CR and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was physical activity (PA; Actigraph GT9X link). Secondary outcomes included measures of physical fitness, modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, endothelial function, intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery, and quality of life. System usability and patients’ experiences were evaluated only in PW. A mixed-model analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustment was used to analyze between-group effects over time. Missing values were handled by means of an intention-to-treat analysis. Statistical significance was set at a 2-sided alpha level of .05. Data are reported as mean (SD).
Results:
A convenience sample of 120 CVD patients (mean 61.4 years, SD 13.5 years; 22 women) was included. The PATHway system was deployed in the homes of 60 participants. System use decreased over time and system usability was average with a score of 65.7 (SD 19.7; range 5-100). Moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA increased in PW (PW: 127 [SD 58] min to 141 [SD 69] min, UC: 146 [SD 66] min to 143 [SD 71] min; Pinteraction=.04; effect size of 0.42), while diastolic blood pressure (PW: 79 [SD 11] mmHg to 79 [SD 10] mmHg, UC: 78 [SD 9] mmHg to 83 [SD 10] mmHg; Pinteraction=.004; effect size of −0.49) and cardiovascular risk score (PW: 15.9% [SD 10.4%] to 15.5% [SD 10.5%], UC: 14.5 [SD 9.7%] to 15.7% [SD 10.9%]; Pinteraction=.004; effect size of −0.36) remained constant, but deteriorated in UC.
Conclusions:
This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a technology-enabled, remotely monitored, home-based CR program. Although clinical effectiveness was demonstrated, several challenges were identified that could influence the adoption of PATHway
Conceptualising women's perinatal well-being: A systematic review of theoretical discussions
No full textBackground: Perinatal well-being has increasingly become the focus of research, clinical practice and
policy. However, attention has mostly been on a reductionist understanding of well-being based on a
mind-body duality. Conceptual clarity around what constitutes well-being beyond this is lacking.
Aim: To systematically review theoretical discussions of perinatal well-being in the academic literature.
Design and methods: A search of online databases identified papers which discussed perinatal well-being
theoretically, taking a multi-dimensional approach to well-being. Thematic synthesis was used to identify
and synthesize relevant elements within the included papers.
Findings: Eight papers were identified for inclusion in this review. All contributed a number of elements
towards a theoretical discussion of perinatal well-being. Three themes were developed: (1) the impor-
tance of a number of general domains of women’s lives and domains specific to the perinatal period, (2)
well-being as a subjective and individual experience with physical/embodied, affective, and psychologi-
cal/cognitive aspects, and (3) the dynamic nature of well-being.
Conclusions and implications for practice: Perinatal well-being is a complex, multi-dimensional construct.
Current theoretical discussions in the academic literature do not provide a comprehensive model or con-
ceptualisation covering all aspects of well-being during the perinatal period. Further theoretical work is
required, particularly with regards to theorising well-being during labour and birth, the perinatal period
as a continuum, and the role played by women’s expectations. The themes identified in this review con-
tribute to a tentative model of perinatal well-being, taking note particularly of the dynamic nature of
well-being. This model should be refined and validated through empirical work and can then be used to
underpin further research and the development of a multi-dimensional measure of perinatal well-being
Emotions and agency in prison research
No full textThe emotionality of prison research has received much justified attention in recent years. However, this aspect of undertaking qualitative research is often not considered by early career researchers until they are confronted with the impact of both researching emotionally laden subjects and employing their emotional agency as the researcher. Emerging from this, the authors argue for the development of a methodology that conceives researchers as emotional agents. This methodology incorporates harnessing emotional experiences as a tool for data collection. In this way, researchers are encouraged and trained to shift from passive to active emotional agents. Thus, far from inhibiting the research, the inherent emotionality of conducting research enhances its rigour, integrity and validity. Emotionality is intrinsic to conducting research in the prison milieu. As such, it warrants constructive employment and integration into existing research methodologies. This article draws on the authors’ respective experiences conducting mixed methods research in prison settings. The authors’ research methodologies incorporated emotional reflexivity as a core constituent throughout their data collection, analysis and the writing of their doctoral studies. The argument will be illustrated by detailing experiences of emotional charge during the fieldwork. To reflect this, the authors advocate for the emergence of an integrative methodology. The development of such a methodology would be of value to prison researchers but particularly to novice and/or doctoral researchers. Furthermore, it would be similarly applicable to researchers throughout the field of criminal justice and beyond
Reporting familicide-suicide in broadcast media: An Irish case study to inform better practice
No full textNews media coverage plays an important role in the public recognition of intimate partner homicide (IPH) and familicide as crimes. However, studies find that news coverage typically fails to contextualise these crimes, relies on non-expert sources, and often engages in victim-blaming. Existing studies have primarily investigated print media. The lack of attention to broadcast media is significant because broadcast news attracts a larger share of public attention and it relies on distinct routines and practices that may influence coverage. To address this gap, this study presents an in-depth analysis of the broadcast news coverage surrounding a 2016 case of familicide-suicide in Ireland. Our analysis identifies patterns of decontextualisation, non-expert sourcing and perpetrator exoneration. Specifically, coverage decontextualised the crime through an emphasis on the family and the response of the community and through the privileging of (male) local sources, including male religious voices, over expert sources. Although victim-blaming was not very explicit, coverage frequently exonerated the perpetrator through references to his good character. Thus, we find that broadcast news replicates the patterns of print news and that the preference for on-the ground reporting privileged sources who were proximate to the crime rather than those who could provide an expert understanding of it. These findings are discussed in terms of efforts to change media practices for more accurate representations of IPH and familicide in news media
The role of task classification and design in curriculum making for preservice teachers of mathematics
No full textThis paper reports on a research project undertaken with a group (n = 19) of Irish preservice student teachers (PSTs) during the third year of a five-year undergraduate education course. A series of workshops were carried out on the classification and design of mathematics tasks. The research is presented as a case study using mixed methods to gather data at three points, before the workshops, after the workshops, and two years later, when PSTs were in their final year. We argue that task classification and design are curriculum-making activities for mathematics teachers. Through critically classifying and designing mathematics tasks, PSTs developed skills of evaluating the cognitive demand of tasks and showed evidence of using these skills in curriculum making. Through using frameworks to classify tasks, the PSTs demonstrated a capacity to take a more critical role in curriculum making. Our data show that the development of skills in these areas has lasting effects on PSTs’ practices and willingness to engage meaningfully with the curriculum in mathematics. The research highlights the need for PSTs to work on evaluating and designing tasks. How frameworks can support and enhance PSTs’ capacity to make curricular decisions is evidenced