NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Topological fingerprints in Liouvillian gaps
No full textTopology in many-body physics usually emerges as a feature of equilibrium quantum states. We show that topological fingerprints can also appear in the relaxation rates of open quantum systems. To demonstrate this we consider one of the simplest models that has two topologically distinct phases in its ground state: the Kitaev chain model for th
Migration to and from Ireland, 2011 to 2024: Known Facts and Data Gaps. (MUSSI Working Paper Series 23)
No full textIn May and June 2024, election literature from people campaigning in the local and European
elections was posted through letterboxes across Ireland. Some of this literature made
reference to migration, with claims that "Ireland is Full" (from the Irish Freedom Party) and
calls for "an immediate halt on mass immigration" (from the National Party), mass
deportations, and the refusal of any more applications for asylum (from a variety of
Independents). Underpinning all of these various assertions and claims was the belief that the
level of immigration to Ireland was unacceptable. Yet, the election literature did not quantify
the scale of immigration, preferring to focus on emotions rather than facts.
This paper outlines the known facts about migration to and from Ireland in the period from
2011 to 2024 (see Gilmartin 2012, 2013 for overviews of the period from 2000-2012). The
period covers the aftermath of the financial crash in Ireland and the subsequent (partial)
financial recovery, broader geopolitical instability, and a widespread international cost of
living crisis. The first section provides a brief overview of migrant stock – the numbers of
people living in Ireland at the date of the last Census. However, the main focus of the paper is
migration flows – the movements of people into and from Ireland. The second section details
migration to Ireland in the period between 2011 and 2024, and highlights the continuation of
more established migration patterns as well as the development of new patterns. The third
section presents migration from Ireland in the same period. In both sections, sources of
reliable information as well as the knowledge gaps that exist are discussed. The paper
concludes with a reflection on the state of migration to and from Ireland today
Cultural Policies That Facilitate the Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Arts: Findings from a Qualitative Multi-National Study
No full textArts and culture are central to the political struggles of people with disabilities and have the potential to transform how societies relate to disability and to realize the human rights model of disability enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Yet, low levels of participation in arts by people with disabilities are reported in many countries. We also lack research to support policy making that promotes positive measures. This article presents some of the findings from a large qualitative study across 28 European countries addressing factors perceived as facilitative of cultural participation by people representing organizations of people with disabilities. Identifying these factors is a step in supporting the deployment of policies aiming to end the exclusion of people with disabilities from the cultural sphere both as audiences and artists and to realize the human rights model of disability. In particular, findings point to the need to change the knowledge base and ethos of cultural bodies and to reform, amongst other issues, funding mechanisms, governance structures, and consultation processes. We argue that making disability inclusion more intrinsic to cultural policy has the potential to enhance diversity and ultimately to foster the participation of people with disabilities in society more broadly
VR Sports Games: An Overview
No full textThis article provides an overview of the history of VR sports games and offers insights into the interaction and integration between real-world sporting events and VR games. Additionally, it reveals the challenges associated with VR gaming technology and VR sports games. Overall, motion-control based VR sports games blur the lines between the virtual and real sport, providing new options for participating in sports, fitness activities and competitions. They offer opportunities for individuals to explore and learn sports that may have been inaccessible to them otherwise. Furthermore, VR sports games have been increasingly integrated into international sporting events, paving the way for a new direction in the future development of both sports and video games. As computer and information technology advances, VR sports video games are creating innovative avenues for entertainment, physical exercise and sports competition
When Hard-Working Bees Do Not Make a Productive Beehive: Legitimacy Tensions in Societal Impact Governance and How to Navigate Them
No full textBusiness schools increasingly need to demonstrate the societal impact of their activities
to a broad range of stakeholders, both internal and external. With societal impact being a
hard-to-measure performance dimension, business school deans find it challenging to
create societal impact governance processes that reconcile multiple legitimate perceptions of what societal impact is. The result is that individual-level societal impacts (influences on society attributed to individual employees) are not aggregated into
organizational-level societal impact (influence attributed to an organization) in ways
that are effective and legitimate. In this paper, we develop a model that provides insights
into the process of legitimation for societal impact governance at the organizational
level. We address the emergence of different types of legitimacy and the sequencing of
legitimation stages that reduces internal decoupling and increases the perception of procedural justice. In a practical sense, our model helps in designing a decision-making process that addresses what societal impact is, how to measure it, and how much should be
spent on its measurement. We develop and share a set of tools and frameworks that can
be used to support the legitimation of societal impact evaluation and governance
Aspergillus fumigatus mitogen-activated protein kinase MpkA is involved in gliotoxin production and self-protection
No full textAspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic fungus that can cause a variety of human diseases known as aspergillosis. Mycotoxin gliotoxin (GT) production is important for its virulence and must be tightly regulated to avoid excess production and toxicity to the fungus. GT self-protection by GliT oxidoreductase and GtmA methyltransferase activities is related to the subcellular localization of these enzymes and how GT can be sequestered from the cytoplasm to avoid increased cell damage. Here, we show that GliT:GFP and GtmA:GFP are localized in the cytoplasm and in vacuoles during GT production. The Mitogen-Activated Protein kinase MpkA is essential for GT production and self-protection, interacts physically with GliT and GtmA and it is necessary for their regulation and subsequent presence in the vacuoles. The sensor histidine kinase SlnASln1 is important for modulation of MpkA phosphorylation. Our work emphasizes the importance of MpkA and compartmentalization of cellular events for GT production and self-defense
Fostering Greater Conversion for Active Liturgical Participation: Exploring the Thought of Bernard Lonergan
No full textThe challenge before contemporary liturgical and sacramental theologians is to findnew means of explaining the notion of sacramental ef icacy, which would be suf icient
to sustain the Christian faith and enhance worship in our contemporary society. This
study argues that the complexities of the human person in today’s society have made the traditional categories and framework (like Thomas Aquinas’ theory of sanctifying grace) used to express the human person’s experience of God inadequate to enhance worship in contemporary times. It presents Bernard Lonergan’s approach as a more sustainable model that better elaborates on the position of Thomas Aquinas and The Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Lonergan attempts to understand the idea of grace offered in the sacraments by beginning with human experiences. Head vocates for a liturgical and sacramental theology that enables the human person to encounter God. For him, reflection on conversion is the foundation for that new theology
Deputy Principals: A Hidden Asset in Schools?
No full textThe research team set out to explore how the position of deputy principal is perceived and
enacted in Irish primary and post-primary schools. A review of the literature, national and
international, and the views of 120 deputy principals (49 primary; 71 post-primary), through
online questionnaire responses and 10 (5 primary; 5 post-primary) one-hour interviews, shape
this report.
The literature review highlights a lack of clarity about the role of deputy principal, with
practitioners engaging in a multiplicity of tasks. The extent and range of these often depend on
the practices and preferences of the principal. Recent years have seen movement worldwide
where deputy principals increasingly share in management and leadership as well as
administration within the school. We note, however, that within the discourse of ‘distributed
leadership’, the deputy principal position is rarely discussed. Participants identify significant
job satisfaction in addition to role tensions and frustrations
Human Rights Approach to Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in Museums. Reflections from the DANCING Project.
No full textThe convergence of late neoliberalism and post-pandemic scientific optimism in the configuration of scientistic learnification
No full textThe forces of neoliberalism have profoundly reconfigured the landscape of educational policy and discourse, shifting focus from democratic values-based conceptions to exigencies for effective learning. The onset of the global recession of 2008, coupled with the ongoing effects of the global pandemic have resulted in the centring of crises discourses as fundamental to state strategies for educational policy. This paper adopts the theoretical conception of “late neoliberalism”, structured through assemblage theory, to discuss the significance of these impacts in Irish education, with references to the United Kingdom and international contexts as appropriate, reflecting the globalising force of neoliberalism. In so doing, I also draw on perspectives from Leo Strauss’ considerations of political philosophy with its critique of liberal society in order to refocus attention on the undercurrent ideology of scientism, which is masked in attempts to establish veils of neutrality in the knowledge basis of educational policy reformation. I argue that the recent crises have intensified the scientistic ideology that underpins a number of policy moves drawing on examples from both national and international contexts. I conclude the discussion by drawing upon Biesta's critical analysis of the learnification agenda in order to present the challenge of becoming “redemocratised” in our orientations to educational discourses