NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Building Resources in Caregivers: Feasibility of a Brief Writing Intervention to Increase Benefit Finding in Caregivers
No full textThe Building Resources in Caregivers (BRiC) is a pilot feasibility trial that compared the effects of a 2-week benefit finding writing expressive intervention to a control intervention, who wrote about the weather. Caregivers completed primary (benefit finding) and secondary (quality of life, depression and anxiety) outcome measures at pre (t1), immediately post-test (t2) and 1 month later (t3). They also completed measures relating to trial feasibility, difficulty, and acceptance. Using complete case analysis only, analysis revealed no effect of the intervention for primary or secondary outcomes. Despite this, there were no differences between the intervention and control groups on key feasibility measures. Caregivers in the control condition were less likely to recommend this to other caregivers. Moreover, qualitative commentary provided by caregivers suggested that not everyone enjoyed the writing, some found it stressful, offering up some explanation for our findings. Our pilot trial suggests that any future benefit-finding writing intervention would require several procedure modifications including tailoring to a specific cohort of caregivers, in particular those who like writing, before it has some utility as a psychosocial intervention
‘There are Fourteen Grey Areas’: ‘Jailing’, Professionalism and Legitimacy in Prison Officers’ Occupational Cultures
No full textThe occupational cultures in which one is immersed have a profound
impact on individual and group occupational identities (Ashforth and Kreiner, 1999).
Occupational cultures are socially constructed patterns of shared thinking, feeling,
and behaving, distinctly associated with particular occupations (Manning, 2007;
Schein, 2010). The occupational cultures of prison officers provide a lens through
which they perceive their challenging and complex working world, and their place
in it. This paper provides insight into the nature of occupational cultures in Irish
prisons and their interplay with the identities of prison officers, including their
attitudes, feelings, habits, and practices. It identifies how these occupational
cultures are challenged, perpetuated, and/or reinforced in our prisons. The paper
presents some of the key findings from a large-scale study, commencing with the
relationship between officers’ experiences of solidarity and conformity with high
levels of entitativity.1
This will be applied to account for the conceptualisation of
‘jailing’, discretion, professionalism and legitimacy in prison officers’ occupational
cultures. The paper draws on unprecedented access to conduct ethnographic
research in four Irish prisons from 2015 to 2017, including 76 interviews with all
ranks from prison officer to governor. It is complemented by data from a survey
distributed to every prison in the state (n = 544). The analysis of prison officers’
occupational cultures and identities provides an in-depth understanding of the
experience of prison work and the perception and appropriation of penal policy,
while generating possibilities for future research, training, and policy
Observations on the bias of nonnegative mechanisms for differential privacy
No full textWe study two methods for differentially private analysis of bounded data and extend these to nonnegative queries. We first recall that for the Laplace mechanism, boundary inflated truncation (BIT) applied to nonnegative queries and truncation both lead to strictly positive bias. We then consider a generalization of BIT using translated ramp functions. We explicitly characterise the optimal function in this class for worst case bias. We show that applying any square-integrable post-processing function to a Laplace mechanism leads to a strictly positive maximal absolute bias. A corresponding result is also shown for a generalisation of truncation, which we refer to as restriction. We also briefly consider an alternative approach based on multiplicative mechanisms for positive data and show that, without additional restrictions, these mechanisms can lead to infinite bias
Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Chinese Adjustment Disorder – New Module 20
No full textThe Adjustment Disorder – New Module 20 (ADNM-20) was developed for the assessment of adjustment disorder symptoms. The aim of the present study was to translate and conduct psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the ADNM-20. The English version was translated into traditional Chinese in an iterative process with an expert panel of mental health professionals. A total of 433 university students in Hong Kong between ages 18–24 years completed the Chinese ADNM-20 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale via an online survey; 32 were retested after two weeks. The content validity indices were excellent for most of the items. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional first-order structure with excellent composite reliability. The test–retest reliability of the Chinese version was below satisfactory for the individual items; the intra-class correlation for the overall scale was moderate. The Chinese version of the ADNM-20 also indicated a moderate positive correlation with anxiety and depression symptoms. Initial results support the content, factorial, and discriminant validity of the translated scale. More research is needed to assess its reliability in this cultural context. The ADNM-20 can be quickly employed for the assessment of adjustment disorder as proposed for ICD-11
Proteome-wide Changes in the mdx-4cv Spleen due to Pathophysiological Cross Talk with Dystrophin-Deficient Skeletal Muscle
No full textDuchenne muscular dystrophy is primarily characterized by progressive muscle
wasting due to deficiency in the membrane cytoskeletal protein dystrophin but
is also associated with body-wide cellular disturbances in a variety of non-muscle
tissues. In this study, we have focused on the comparative proteomic analysis of
the spleen and established considerable changes in this crucial secondary
lymphoid organ from the genetic mdx-4cv mouse model of dystrophinopathy.
An apparent short isoform of dystrophin and associated glycoproteins were identified in spleen by mass spectrometry but appear not be affected in muscular dystrophy. In contrast, the mdx-4cv spleen showed significant proteome-wide
changes in other protein species that are involved in metabolism, signaling, and
cellular architecture. Since the spleen plays a key role in the immune response,
these proteomic alterations may reflect pathophysiological cross talk between
the lymphoid system and dystrophic muscles, which are affected by both fiber
degeneration and inflammation
The Aspergillus fumigatus transcription factor RglT is important for gliotoxin biosynthesis and self-protection, and virulence
No full textAspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that secretes an array of immune-modulatory molecules, including secondary metabolites (SMs), which contribute to enhancing fungal fitness and growth within the mammalian host. Gliotoxin (GT) is a SM that interferes with the function and recruitment of innate immune cells, which are essential for eliminating A. fumigatus during invasive infections. We identified a C6 Zn cluster-type transcription factor (TF), subsequently named RglT, important for A. fumigatus oxidative stress resistance, GT biosynthesis and self-protection. RglT regulates the expression of several gli genes of the GT biosynthetic gene cluster, including the oxidoreductase-encoding gene gliT, by directly binding to their respective promoter regions. Subsequently, RglT was shown to be important for virulence in a chemotherapeutic murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). Homologues of RglT and GliT are present in eurotiomycete and sordariomycete fungi, including the non-GT-producing fungus A. nidulans, where a conservation of function was described. Phylogenetically informed model testing led to an evolutionary scenario in which the GliT-based resistance mechanism is ancestral and RglT-mediated regulation of GliT occurred subsequently. In conclusion, this work describes the function of a previously uncharacterised TF in oxidative stress resistance, GT biosynthesis and self-protection in both GT-producing and non-producing Aspergillus species
How and why plants and human N-glycans are different: Insight from molecular dynamics into the “glycoblocks” architecture of complex carbohydrates
No full textN-glycosylation is one of the most abundant and diverse post-translational modifications of proteins, implicated in protein folding and structural stability, and mediating interactions with receptors and with the environment. All N-glycans share a common core from which linear or branched arms stem from, with functionalization specific to different species and to the cells’ health and disease state. This diversity generates a rich collection of structures, all diversely able to trigger molecular cascades and to activate pathways, which also include adverse immunogenic responses. These events are inherently linked to the N-glycans 3D architecture and dynamics, which remain for the large part unresolved and undetected because of their intrinsic structural disorder. In this work we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to provide insight into N-glycans 3D structure by analysing the effects of a set of very specific modifications found in plants and invertebrate N-glycans, which are immunogenic in humans. We also compare these structural motifs and combine them with mammalian N-glycans motifs to devise strategies for the control of the N-glycan 3D structure through sequence. Our results suggest that the N-glycans architecture can be described in terms of the local spatial environment of groups of monosaccharides. We define these “glycoblocks” as self-contained 3D units, uniquely identified by the nature of the residues they comprise, their linkages and structural/dynamic features. This alternative description of glycans 3D architecture can potentially lead to an easier prediction of sequence-to-structure relationships in complex carbohydrates, with important implications in glycoengineering design
Factors influencing the implementation of Epilepsy Specialist Nurse role: Using the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research
No full textBackground: Research to support the added value of including Epilepsy Specialist Nurses as
members of the multidisciplinary team is developing, yet little information exists on factors
influencing the translation of these roles into practice.
Aim: To describe the enabling and inhibiting factors to the implementation of the Epilepsy \ud
Nurse Specialist role in the Republic of Ireland.
Methods: A qualitative design involving semi-structure interviews, observation and analysis
of documents, such as portfolios was used. The sample included 12 epilepsy specialist nurses,
24 multidisciplinary team members, and 35 individuals with epilepsy and family members.
Data were analysed using the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research.
Reporting rigor is demonstrated using the COREQ checklist (See Supplementary File 1).
Results: While there was overwhelming support for the role, barriers and enablers were
identified across all domains of the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research.
Enablers included national policies and guidelines, leadership from senior nursing and
medical colleagues, climate of learning and mentorship, networking opportunities, infrastructural supports, and competence of ESNs. Barriers included the limited consideration
of service expansion and the increasingly complex nature of clinical cases on workload
capacity. Deficits in infrastructural supports, challenges in relation to role preparation, role
implementation and role responsibility, including concerns around lone practitioner models
and concerns that the role was a cost saving measure, also emerged as potential barriers to
future sustainability.
Conclusion: The Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research offers researchers a
pragmatic typology for analysing interrelationships between enabling and inhibiting factors
that impact implementation of advanced practice roles, across different evidence sources,
disciplines and boundaries.
Relevance to clinical practice: In order to secure role sustainability, managers need to address
the rate of service expansion, models of role development, deficits in supports and perceived
motivations for role development on the quality, acceptability, and sustainability of services
provided
Revealing what is distinct by recognising what is common: distinguishing between complex PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms using bifactor modelling
No full textBackground: Despite concerns of conceptual similarity, increasing evidence supports the discriminant validity of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, all studies to date have assumed a categorical model of psychopathology. In contrast, dimensional models of psychopathology, such as the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology model (i.e. HiTOP model), recognise shared vulnerability across supposedly discrete disorders. Accounting for shared vulnerability between CPTSD and BPD symptoms may help to better reveal what is unique about these constructs.
Objective: To identify the distinct and shared features of CPTSD and BPD via the application of dimensional modelling procedures.
Method: Confirmatory bifactor and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to identify the optimal latent structure of CPTSD and BPD symptoms amongst a convenience sample of Israeli adults (N = 617). Additionally, structural equation modelling was used to identify risk factors associated with these constructs.
Results: The latent structure of CPTSD and BPD symptoms was best explained by a bifactor model including one ‘general’ factor (i.e. vulnerability to all symptoms) and three ‘specific’ correlated factors (i.e. vulnerability to PTSD, DSO, and BPD symptoms, respectively). CPTSD symptoms were more readily distinguished from the general factor whereas BPD symptoms were not as easily distinguished from the general factor. CPTSD symptoms reflecting a negative self-concept and BPD symptoms reflecting an alternating self-concept were the most distinctive features of CPTSD and BPD relative to the general factor, respectively. Most of the risk factors were associated with the general vulnerability factor, consistent with the predictions of dimensional models of psychopathology regarding shared risk across supposedly distinct psychiatric constructs.
Conclusion: Consistent with a dimensional model of psychopathology, CPTSD and BPD shared a common latent structure but were still distinguishable. CPTSD and BPD symptoms may be most effectively distinguished based on the phenomenology of self-concept symptoms
Civic Participation Faces Resentment: Right-wing Movements in Brazil and the Crisis of Democracy
No full textSince 2015, Brazil has been experiencing the explosion of right-wing protests. These protests were assembled by groups organised in digital media, which claimed forms of democratic participation to propagate antidemocratic ideas, such as the shutdown of public policies based on social redistribution of resources to the poorest; the criminalization of the social movements linked to social minorities; and the extinction of councils of popular participation. In this article, we develop a discourse analysis on the Facebook pages of the three major right-wing groups in Brazil, namely, Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL), Vem Pra Rua, and Movimento Contra a Corrupção (MCC). Our sample is composed of 468 posts made by these three groups when they established profiles on Facebook and at the moment of the major right-wing civil protests in Brazil between 2015 and 2018. We aim to understand the discursive strategies adopted by these groups to undermine democratic citizenship purportedly laying claim to its normative terms. We argue that these movements show the dark face of civic action’s supposed virtuosity: a vengeful form of resentment