NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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HALO: Study protocol for a single-case experimental design study evaluating the moderating impact of a befriending intervention on the association between loneliness and health in older adults
No full textackground: Loneliness in later life is often addressed with befriending interventions, yet evidence for their effectiveness is limited. Meanwhile it is known that loneliness has a deleterious impact on health. The aim of the study is to evaluate whether a befriending service for older adults mitigates the impact of loneliness on health outcomes, and to identify mechanisms through which befriending interventions might impact upon health.
Methods: A mixed methods design is used. The quantitative component utilises an AB single-case experimental design, to gather intensive longitudinal data. These data will be analysed using a generalised additive modelling approach. The qualitative component of the study uses semi-structured dyadic interviews, structured and analysed according to the principles of constructivist grounded theory. Findings will then be triangulated according to an existing mixed methods integration protocol.
Discussion: This mixed methods design has the potential to inform national and international policy in relation to befriending interventions for older adults. In addition, there is the potential for study results to inform our theoretical understanding of the nature of the relationship between loneliness and health
BMI, Weight Discrimination, and Psychological, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic
No full textObjective :
This study aimed to examine whether BMI and weight discrimination are associated with psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
Methods :
Using a prospective design, participants (N = 2,094) were first assessed in early February 2020 before the coronavirus crisis in the United States and again in mid-March 2020 during the President’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” guidelines. Weight, height, and weight discrimination were assessed in the February survey. Psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus were assessed in the March survey.
Results :
Prepandemic experiences with weight discrimination were associated with greater concerns about the virus, engaging in more preventive behaviors, less trust in people and institutions to manage the outbreak, and greater perceived declines in connection to one’s community. BMI tended to be unrelated to these responses.
Conclusions :
Despite the risks of complications of coronavirus disease associated with obesity, individuals with higher BMI were neither more concerned about the virus nor taking more behavioral precautions than individuals in other weight categories. Weight discrimination, in contrast, may heighten vigilance to threat, which may have contributed to both positive (greater concern, more precautionary behavior) and negative (less trust, declines community connection) responses to the pandemic
Nietzsche on Individual Autopoiesis: Critical Dialogue with Ethno-philosophy of Shienyu Ni Shienyuand Cosmopoeisis
No full textThe argument in this dissertation revolves aroundapositive reading of Nietzsche on the tragic nature of existence. The specificnarrative being advanced is that for Nietzsche, the task of individual fashioning must be conceived and examined within the tragic nature of existence. In fact, it can be claimed that,on Nietzsche’s account, existence properly conceived as tragic ipso factodemands a qualitative individual response. I arguethat the qualitative response amounts to an affirmation of life via cultivating singular individuality. These assertions respond to two related questions: What accounts for Nietzsche’s conception of singular individuality as a task? And howto create the necessary conditions for singular individuality? Nonetheless, this dissertation also toilswith the question of communalityand tragic existence. If existence is tragic within Nietzsche’s scope,then is a communal response tenable enough? Does theaporiaof existencefundamentallydemand an individual or communal response? These questions are precisely engaged with under Nietzsche’s Übermenschas the type which properly affirms existence as tragic.This research is conceived within two supposedly unrelated settings: Nietzsche’s philosophy of the type Übermenschand African ethno-philosophy. The two settings inevitablyare responding to the same reality, the aporiaof existence
Topple the racists I: Decolonising the space and the institutional memory of the university
No full textThe activism around ‘Black Lives Matter’
following the killing of George Floyd on 25 May
2020 in Minneapolis, USA, has brought further
attention to the racism inscribed into the space and
institutional memory of universities and of the
discipline of geography itself. This, the first of two
linked articles, looks at the cases made for
dishonouring the memory of Edward Colston (1636–
1721) and that of Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902).
Through their philanthropy, both left their name
upon elements of higher education in Britain. Yet, on
grounds both of the sources of their wealth and of
the causes in which their names have been evoked,
there are good reasons no more to praise such
famous men. The second linked article (Part 2 to be
published in the spring 2021 issue of Geography)
will consider the legacy of Halford Mackinder
(1861–1947) in the light of the obligation to
decolonise the space and institutional memory of
our discipline
Modelling of a vibro-impact power take-off mechanism for wave energy conversion
No full textOcean wave spectra are broad-banded, while wave
energy conversion systems are designed to harvest energy
efficiently within a narrow frequency range, resulting in low
overall power capture efficiency. This paper aims to introduce
a nonlinear vibro-impact power take-off (PTO) mechanism for
a heaving point absorber, in order to broaden its power capture
bandwidth and provide end-stop function. A mathematical
model of the vibro-impact mechanism is derived, and numerical
simulations are conducted under regular wave conditions,
to investigate the effect of the vibro-impact mechanism on
the system performance. Numerical results illustrate that the
heaving point absorber with the vibro-impact PTO system
exhibits a characteristics of band-pass effect, and the nonlinear
vibro-impact mechanism has the potential to broaden power
capture bandwidth, achieve end-stop function, and attenuate
peak-to-average power ratio
Student perspectives on their engagement with a mathematics support centre website.
No full textIn this paper, we focus on survey results of students’ use of a Mathematics Support Centre website. We discuss potential modifications to the advertisement of our online services based on student responses. We also consider the purpose of an MSC website and who should be responsible, in an institution, for the provision of topic specific online resources for students
The Role of the Joint Procurement Agreement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing Its Usefulness and Discussing Its Potential to Support a European Health Union
No full textIn 2014, the European Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) was introduced as an innovative instrument to organise the procurement of vaccines and medications in preparation for pandemics. An overriding purpose of the JPA is to secure equitable and cost-effective access to medical supplies for participating EU Member States during serious health crises. This article aims to understand the current use of the JPA in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Post analysis of the recent use of the JPA, the article will discuss how the regional procurement mechanism can be strengthened to support the development of a European Health Union. In particular, the article will firstly question if the recent four JPA procurement actions facilitated equitable access to medical supplies and services. Secondly, it will ask if the centralised procurement actions preserved the integrity of the Internal Market. The importance and originality of this study are that it addresses an instrument, the JPA, which has been largely overlooked by legal scholars, and it explores how the provisions for the joint procurement of medical countermeasures as included in Article 5 of Decision 1082/2013/EU on serious cross-border threats to health could be extended to support the functioning of a European Health Union
Third World Approaches to International Law Review: A Journal for a Community
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
Patentability and de-extinct animals in Europe: the patented woolly mammoth?
No full textDe-extinction is a hot topic within conservation science but the potential patentability of de-extinct animals in Europe has hitherto been unexplored. This article addresses this lacuna, examining the legal, commercial, and ethical implications of patenting de-extinct animals under European patent law. The article is organized into four parts. Part I explores the reasons why patents are relevant and may be applied for in this context. Part II provides an overview of the scientific techniques currently being used in de-extinction projects, setting the foundation for the analysis of patentability which follows. Part III then critically assesses whether recreated animals would qualify as patent eligible subject matter under European patent law. It also investigates the extent to which European patent exclusions such as those on animal varieties, essentially biological processes, and the morality provisions might apply and whether recreated animals would meet the novelty requirement for patentability. Part IV concludes by highlighting the possible ramifications of patenting such animals, elucidating the chasm between the cultural and symbolic significance held by such animals, and their lack of differential treatment in the patent law sphere. It argues that de-extinction reignites questions around the scope of patents, and the role of ethical considerations within patent decision-making which warrant urgent reconsideration
The potential of Design Thinking to enable change in Higher Education
No full textOver the past decade, design thinking had gained increasing attention from practitioners and academics from across many sectors and disciplines for its ability to foster innovation and tackle complex challenges. The approach has been defined as a “human-centered approach to innovation that puts the observation and discovery of often highly nuanced, even tacit, human needs right at the forefront of the innovation process” (Gruber et al., 2015). While there is increasing evidence that design thinking delivers value to firms trying to innovate and to societies trying to make change happen (Liedtka, 2018), there is little evidence that Higher Education has embraced the approach to the same extent as many other public, private and 3rd sector organisations.
Prior to the emergence of Covid-19 and the restrictions and disruption it brought about, Higher Education was facing many challenges. Now, as we begin to return to campuses, there is a growing pressure on institutions to respond, innovate and transform in order to tackle the growing list of new and existing operational challenges, the imminent threat of disruption and to meet the explicit and unarticulated needs of its staff and students. In this article we argue that design thinking could offer an inclusive approach to innovation and transformation, one that institutions can utilise to begin to address these complex challenges, improve stagnant processes and ensure sustainability over time. Change can only happen if institutions are able to motivate, build creative confidence and give permission to staff and students to take action. We argue that they need empower staff with the skills, attitudes and abilities necessary to identify and tackle challenges, and move into an uncertain space where the core skills and mindsets of design thinking : empathy, humility, creativity, experimentation and a bias towards action offer the opportunity to design that change. We suggest a set of design principles that could help begin this process