NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Don’t Go Chasing Narcissists: A Relational-Based and Multiverse Perspective on Leader Narcissism and Follower Engagement Using a Machine Learning Approach
No full textAlthough research interest in leader narcissism has been on the rise over the past few years, prior literature has predominantly discussed leader narcissism from a leader-centric perspective. In this article, we provide a relational-based perspective of leader narcissism by examining the interaction between follower personality traits and leader narcissism on follower engagement in an online context. We combine a machine learning (ML) approach and multiverse analysis to predict the personality traits of a large sample of leaders and engaged followers across 18 created multiverses and analyze hypothesized interactions using multilevel regressions, also accounting for leader gender moderation effects. We find that the interaction between leader narcissism and follower agreeableness and follower neuroticism positively predicts follower engagement, whereas the interaction between leader narcissism and follower openness negatively predicts follower engagement. In addition, we find that leader gender plays an important moderating role. Limitations and implications are discussed
Income Distribution and Redistribution in Ireland: A Geographical Exploration
No full textThe distribution and redistribution of household incomes are explored at multiple geographical
scales (state, region, county, metropolitan area and electoral district) using several databases
compiled by the Central Statistics Office. This work complements an extensive body of
published research that has been mostly undertaken at the level of the State without much
consideration of trends and patterns at the levels of regions and smaller units. The focus
here is primarily on a geographical exploration at different spatial scales of the distribution
of incomes and of the factors that have influenced the distributions. International research
has concluded that the transition to neoliberal economic strategies in most economically
advanced countries over the last forty years was accompanied by an increasing divergence in
per capita incomes between regions. In Ireland, however, the impact of neoliberal economic
strategies in the context of an exceptionally open economy, was moderated for a period of
over twenty years from the mid 1980s by an innovative and dynamic national model of social
partnership.
Personal and household incomes in Ireland increased significantly over the last 30 years and
the overall level of inequality measured across all households in the State decreased, but
it is still high in comparison to other EU countries, especially for market-based income. At
the regional level, disparities in household incomes have declined but there remain large
differences between the Dublin-dominated East region and the strongly rural Border and
Midland regions. The transition to lower levels of inequality occurred in phases linked to the
trajectory of the national economy. Inter-regional convergence was more likely during periods
of significant economic slow-down as in the 1980s and again in the immediate aftermath of
the economic and financial crisis in 2008. This particular form of convergence was not due to
poorer regions ‘catching up’ with richer regions. It was instead more likely to be associated
with a weakening of the stronger regions, while State transfers to low-income households
and regions remained more resilient.
Over the longer term, the evidence points towards a pattern of convergence between urban
and rural areas in average household incomes. The micro-geographical data for 2016 at the
level of Electoral Districts provide two important insights that are not apparent from regional
data. Firstly, after exclusion of the five largest cities, there is no statistical relationship
between median household incomes and the population size of settlements. The relative
location of settlements in relation to the larger centres of employment, and especially the
extent of commuting, is much more important. Secondly, the 2016 data show that the highest
levels of inequality in income distribution profiles occur in both the cities and in some of the
poorest rural counties, while the lowest levels are found in counties that experienced the
highest levels of population increase over recent decades.
The overall distribution map of household incomes is directly influenced by two sets of
factors. The first relates to the spatial distributions of employment and earnings in different
economic sectors. The second relates to the role of State transfers that provide benefits to a
wide range of persons and households. They are especially important for places that may be
considered ‘left-behind’ in the overall restructuring of the economy and society. In addition
to the direct influences on the geography of incomes levels there are important background
factors related especially to demography, education, female participation in the labour force
and where households choose to live.
The findings from the research have implications for many areas of public policy, most
especially in relation to the spatial organisation of economic and social development. These
challenges are not unique to Ireland and have contributed to narratives that extend beyond
economic considerations to include potential adverse impacts on social cohesion, spatial
justice and on basic principles of democracy if the underlying processes are not addressed.
The experience from other countries, along with the patterns that remained dominant
in Ireland, is that traditional approaches to regional development are no longer adequate.
Policies that sought to overcome market failures and that relied on welfare transfers from
rich to poor regions did not succeed. Neither did policies that sought to maximise the national
economic growth by promoting agglomeration into the largest cities. The more recent focus
on place-based development with a more explicit concern for a holistic, human-centred
approach informed by principles of spatial justice offers a prospect for a better future in all
regions and places.
While this research was being undertaken, there were some significant events that may impact
on the future geography of incomes in Ireland. These include such international events as the
departure of the UK from the EU, the legacy of the COvID 19 pandemic which accelerated
a transition to new working arrangements including remote working, and the disruption of
the global economy following the Russian invasion of Ukraine with consequent impacts on
the costs of living especially for the elderly and those living in some rural areas. In addition,
in Ireland there are very significant challenges in relation to the supply and affordability of
housing. The critical roles of further and higher education in relation to employment and
regional development are being addressed through recent reforms in both sectors, though
these need to be linked more strongly to the overall strategy for regional development.
Further research is needed to examine in more detail the relationship between the geographical
distribution of incomes and commuting, and how it may be impacting on summary measures
for rural and urban areas. In addition, a more sophisticated approach to the identification of
a multi-level typology of places that includes both urban and rural areas and the linkages
between them is urgently required to avoid a risk of over-simplification in the interpretation
of the patterns revealed by the data
The role of soft law in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in the EU: A ‘hybridity’ approach to EU disability law
No full textThis article discusses the role of soft law in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in the
European Union (EU). In doing so, it revisits the emergence of the standalone, yet cross-cutting, field
of ‘EU disability law’ through the lens of the ‘hybridity theory’ advanced inter alia by Trubek and
Trubek. Being speculative in nature, this article construes EU disability law as a fruitful area for an
enquiry into the dynamic relationship between hard and soft law. Until the entry into force of the
Treaty of Amsterdam, soft law was crucial to attract disability within the sphere of action of the EU
and to embed the social model of disability, displaying a value-setting role. In the post-Amsterdam
period, soft law and hard law coexisted, being complementary to one another. Both contributed to a
common objective, namely that of advancing equality of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
After the conclusion of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the dynamic
relationship between hard and soft law has become more complex and akin to what Trubek and
Trubek define as ‘transformation’
Smart DCU Digital Twin: Towards Smarter Universities
No full textAlthough both smart city and digital twin are ambiguous and contested terms, there exists a co-creative link between the two. Theoretically, digital twin seems to be a sustainable digital solution for smart cities to achieve ideal city vision by digitization of physical urban spaces. This study investigates and informs the role, benefits and challenges in developing and deploying digital twin solution for efficient decision-making in infrastructure planning and management. This technology is experimented in a 3D cyberspace of Dublin City University, which is also one of the testbeds under the broader Smart Dublin umbrella. It is an ongoing project and expects to develop effective use-cases for monitoring present situations, multi-stakeholder collaboration and action research towards a responsive and adaptive campus environment
Control-aware Co-Design of A Wave Energy Converter for the Argentine Sea Conditions
No full textDespite the favourable energy conditions in the
Argentine sea (South Atlantic Ocean), the country has not yet
actively participated in the development and utilisation of wave
energy resources. Control co-design (CCD) is a novel controlaware design paradigm that integrates the energy-maximising
control from early stages of system design, allowing for optimisation driven by the considered control strategy to achieve
an overall optimal design. In this study, considering an overall
control-aware design perspective, a wave energy converter system
is specifically tailored for the Argentine sea conditions, analysing
different WEC structural configurations (geometry and dimensions). The performance of different control structures, including
a spectral-based control methodology and a reactive controller,
are assessed for each configuration. Realistic operating conditions, specifically tailored to the ocean wave modes prevalent in
the Argentine sea, are taken into account during the performance
analysis. The results obtained from the study are thoroughly
discussed, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the
considered control strategies in the context of the Argentine sea
The stakes of religious fundraising: economic transition and religious resurgence in Irish Catholicism and Tibetan Buddhism
No full textWhat impacts does the transition from a land-based to predominantly cash-based economy have on the fundraising strategies of religious institutions? What new opportunities does it present and what moral debates and dilemmas does it prompt? What is at stake? This article explores these questions through examples from two very different contexts: the Irish Catholic Church in the nineteenth century and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in late twentieth century to early twenty-first century Amdo (northeast Tibet). In both cases, political and religious oppression, poverty, and crisis presaged periods of both religious resurgence and significant economic shift that had profound effects on religious funding models, as well as the debates they generated. By bringing these cases into dialogue, this article identifies common themes and patterns beyond the specificities of religious tradition and cultural milieu that usually frame analyses of religion and economy. Building on these insights, we suggest a framework for conceptualising religious fundraising that explains why it is often a site of contestation where ideas about religion and economy are (re)produced and played out, without assuming that religion and economy are separate ontological categories
Care Matters in Higher Education: A Narrative Inquiry with a Community of Educators in a Technological University
No full textThis is a story about care in higher education, documenting a group of colleagues in a Technological University, as we engaged in a narrative inquiry. It explores how we might sustain educators who care and our care-based pedagogies: asking, how can we keep care at the centre of what we do and who we are?
Care is embedded in relationships, and it is in relation that we see care in the storied accounts in this thesis. Our collegial approach and our ‘climate of care’ encourages us to teach in a care-centred way. Our supportive professional relationships provide an essential space for each other and for care. It is these ‘pockets of care’ within our institutions, that enable us to sustain care.
As this inquiry attests, we are increasingly negatively affected by neoliberalism in our institutions. The troubling dismantling of our climate of care is revealed as our inquiry unfolds. This research makes care work in the academy more visible and offers the possibility that it may therefore become more valued by our institutions (and less easy to dismiss). Our stories suggest that re-centralising care into our concept of higher education can potentially be a powerful corrective to neoliberalism. Our pedagogies and our way of working together can be viewed as a form of resistance or refusal. This focusses on the agency we have as educators and is a means of giving us hope to keep caring.
In this inquiry, care is demonstrated as an ontological commitment to our students and our colleagues. Care is not an individual pursuit, it is an understanding of the interconnectedness of self and others, and personal and social concerns. We care together, and the stories contained here, speak of care as a collective process. Drawing on the resonances across my participants accounts, I conceptualise presence as the cornerstone of a care-centred pedagogy. With mutual respect at its core, we are present to our students, both emotionally and cognitively, responding competently to their learning needs.
This inquiry offers a cautionary tale to institutions; that care is fragile and can be easily lost, if not valued and recognised as an essential element of third-level education. Care matters
AGAMOUS mediates timing of guard cell formation during gynoecium development
No full textIn Arabidopsis thaliana, stomata are composed of two guard cells that control the aperture of a central pore to facilitate gas exchange between the plant and its environment, which is particularly important during photosynthesis. Although leaves are the primary photosynthetic organs of flowering plants, floral organs are also photosynthetically active. In the Brassicaceae, evidence suggests that silique photosynthesis is important for optimal seed oil content. A group of transcription factors containing MADS DNA binding domains is necessary and sufficient to confer floral organ identity. Elegant models, such as the ABCE model of flower development and the floral quartet model, have been instrumental in describing the
molecular mechanisms by which these floral organ identity proteins govern flower development. However, we lack a complete understanding of how the floral organ identity genes interact with the underlying leaf development program. Here, we show that the MADS domain transcription factor AGAMOUS (AG) represses stomatal development on the
gynoecial valves, so that maturation of stomatal complexes coincides with fertilization. We present evidence that this regulation by AG is mediated by direct transcriptional repression of a master regulator of the stomatal lineage, MUTE, and show data that suggests this interaction is conserved among several members of the Brassicaceae. This work extends our understanding of the mechanisms underlying floral organ formation and provides a framework to decipher the mechanisms that control floral organ photosynthesis
Transcriptional analysis in multiple barley varieties identifies signatures of waterlogging response
No full textWaterlogging leads to major crop losses globally, particularly for waterlogging-sensitive crops such as barley. Waterlogging reduces oxygen availability and results in additional stresses, leading to the activation of hypoxia and stress response pathways that promote plant survival. Although certain barley varieties have been shown to be more tolerant to waterlogging than others and some tolerance-related quantitative trait loci have been identified, the molecular mechanisms underlying this trait are mostly unknown. Transcriptomics approaches can provide very valuable information for our understanding of waterlogging tolerance. Here, we surveyed 21 barley varieties for the differential transcriptional activation of conserved hypoxia-response genes under waterlogging and selected five varieties with different levels of induction of core hypoxia-response genes. We further characterized their phenotypic response to waterlogging in terms of shoot and root traits. RNA sequencing to evaluate the genome-wide transcriptional responses to waterlogging of these selected varieties led to the identification of a set of 98 waterlogging-response genes common to the different datasets. Many of these genes are orthologs of the so-called “core hypoxia response genes,” thus highlighting the conservation of plant responses to waterlogging. Hierarchical clustering analysis also identified groups of genes with intrinsic differential expression between varieties prior to waterlogging stress. These genes could constitute interesting candidates to study “predisposition” to waterlogging tolerance or sensitivity in barley