National University of Ireland, Maynooth
MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive LibraryNot a member yet
18981 research outputs found
Sort by
El declive de Podemos en España: Moderación, faccionalismo, oligarquización y contrapoder popular débil
Get PDFPodemos emerged in the wake of mass anti-austerity protests, promising to offer a novel party form that would shake up Spanish politics. Following a rapid bursting onto the scene, however, today Podemos faces an existential crisis. Utilising
data gathered via interviews with leading Podemos figures as well as cadres and activists from an array of leftist parties and organizations, this article sheds light on why and how the Podemos party-building process reached such a critical point
whereby the party has been delegitimised and where it risks replacement by Sumar
as the reference point on the left of the party system. The article argues that a combination of opposition pressures and a desire by leading party figures to gain as many
votes as quickly as possible fostered a rapid moderation of the party’s brand. Moreover, the article argues that to pursue such brand moderation entailed a sidelining
of radical voices from the party via degenerative factionalism in conjunction with
oligarchization. This moderation-factionalism-oligarchization faced weak popular
sector organization resistance, helping contextualise the process, and the subsequent
decline in popularity and legitimacy of the party. The outcome of the process entailed a Podemos which lacked a clear party brand or organic linkages to societal
organizations, leaving its very survival in jeopardy
Connected health in cancer survivorship: Evaluating the usability and utility of the cancer thriving and surviving programme in Ireland.
Get PDFBACKGROUND
Cancer survivorship care has become increasingly complex, with a growing population of people living with and beyond the disease requiring holistic support and follow-up. Connected health (CH) offer a promising solution to enhance care delivery.
AIM
This study evaluated the usability and effectiveness of CH, and motivations of participants in the Cancer Thriving and Surviving (CTS) programme in Ireland.
METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of persons living with and beyond cancer (PLWBC) who completed the CH-delivered CTS was conducted between December 2022 and April 2023. Closed and open-ended questions captured participants experiences and motivations. Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) assessed the CH usability. Qualitative content analysis examined recurring themes in participant responses.
RESULTS
Forty-four participants who engaged in CTS completed the survey. Participants were predominantly female (88%), diagnosed with breast cancer (76%), and had third-level education or higher (86%). Slightly over one third (36%) were in full time employment. Motivations for engaging in CTS included seeking peer support, psychosocial assistance, and practical self-management tools. Most respondents agreed that the programme improved their psychological wellbeing (90%), quality of life (76%) and helped them take more control of their health (83%). TUQ scores indicated high usability of the CH systems.
CONCLUSION
Findings suggest that the CH-delivered CTS programme effectively benefits PLWBC, improving psychological well-being and quality of life. The high CH system usability and positive user experiences highlight its potential to complement in-person care, supporting the continued development and evaluation of CH systems to enhance cancer survivorship, particularly within Irish digital health initiatives
Why Trump's attacks on libraries are bad news for everyone
Get PDFOpinion: Recent events in the US have shown us libraries, and the services and information they provide, must never be taken for grante
A review of energy storage systems for facilitating large-scale EV charger integration in electric power grid
Get PDFThe swift increase in electric vehicle (EV) into modern power grids presents both significant opportunities and challenges, particularly in maintaining power quality (PQ) and managing peak loads. This review synthesizes current research, providing a comprehensive analysis of the pivotal role of energy storage systems (ESS) in enabling large-scale EV charger integration while addressing critical PQ issues. A key contribution is the comparative evaluation of various ESS typologies—battery ESS (BESS), hybrid ESS (HESS), and distributed ESS (DESS)—each offering distinct advantages in mitigating PQ challenges such as harmonic distortion, voltage regulation, and peak demand control. Ensuring compliance with IEEE-519 standards is emphasized as vital for maintaining grid reliability and high PQ standards. This review paper further examines the diverse impacts of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) on power grids, including their charging and storage characteristics, which influence grid stability and efficiency. It highlights the transformative potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which facilitates bidirectional power flow to support grid stabilization, energy balancing, and ancillary services. Additionally, it addresses the mitigation of harmonic distortion from PEV charging, preserving transformer performance and lifespan, and explores strategies to manage large-scale PEV integration through predictive and adaptive control techniques. This study introduces innovative approaches to improving grid recovery following disturbances and evaluates the synergistic integration of renewable energy sources with PEVs to foster sustainable energy systems. Models for PEV interaction with microgrids are also discussed, emphasizing their role in enhancing energy resilience and grid flexibility. This paper underscores the critical role of advanced energy management strategies (EMS) in optimizing EV-grid integration and improving overall system efficiency. These strategies include rule-based EMSs employing fixed rules, fuzzy logic, and wavelet transforms; optimization-based EMSs utilizing techniques such as dynamic programming, genetic algorithms, model predictive control, and particle swarm optimization; and intelligent EMSs leveraging neural networks and reinforcement learning for adaptive and predictive control. By outlining innovative solutions and highlighting the importance of strategic collaboration among utilities, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers, this review provides a comprehensive roadmap for overcoming the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges associated with EV charger integration, laying the groundwork for a reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy future
Now You’re Talking... Old Irish Towards a conversational approach to teaching Old Irish
Get PDFThis thesis explores the possibilities of developing communicative approaches to the
teaching of Old Irish to absolute beginners, also providing possible options to
implement this practice. After an analysis of the communicative approaches applied to
the teaching of Latin and Ancient Greek since the Renaissance (Chapter 1), the focus is
switched to the Old Irish learning materials published since the first full description of
the language (second half of the 19th century), which are reviewed one by one in
Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, I introduce my own project for an Old Irish textbook based on
the conversational approach and explain its main principles. Chapter 4 is instead
focused on advanced beginners and their serious need for ‘bridge texts’, that is, reading
texts that facilitate and foster the transition from the textbook to original literature. I will
also discuss the option of producing such texts by translating existing literary works and
the issues that this kind of translation may raise. Chapter 5 provides materials that
exemplify my endeavours towards innovative approaches to Old Irish language
teaching
Resource List: Projects, Toolkits, and Resources related to Cultural Participation of Persons with Disabilities
Get PDFThe project ‘Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths
(DANCING)’ explores the right of persons with disabilities to take part in cultural life as an essential aspect
of enhancing cultural diversity in the European Union
(EU). The project is funded by the European Research
Council (ERC) and is based at Maynooth University
(MU), Ireland under Professor Delia Ferri as a Principal Investigator (PI). It explores the extent to which
the protection of the right to take part in culture of
people with disabilities and the promotion of cultural
diversity intersect and complement each other in the
EU legal order. On the whole, DANCING deploys interdisciplinary approaches to produce ground-breaking
knowledge intended to challenge the cultural exclusion often faced by people with disabilities, contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and culturally
diverse European society.
DANCING commenced on 1 September 2020 and is
due to be completed on 31 August 2025. It comprises
four Work Packages (WPs). Within WP1, DANCING has
identified and categorised barriers to and facilitators
of cultural participation experienced by persons with
disabilities and how they affect the wider cultural domain (experiential objective). Within WP2, DANCING
has provided a normative exploration of how the EU
has used and can use its competence to combat discrimination and its supporting competence on cultural
matters, in synergy with its wide internal market powers, to ensure the accessibility of cultural activities, to
promote disability identities, while achieving cultural diversity (normative objective). WP3 has aimed at
advancing the understanding of the legal concept of
cultural diversity, which stems from the intersection
of different sources of law, and, in the final phase of
the project, articulates a new theorisation of the promotion of cultural diversity within the EU legal order
(theoretical objective). The project is underpinned by
the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), which represents the global legal
standard on disability rights, and is informed by the
human rights model of disability.
DANCING also includes a fourth cross-cutting WP
(WP4) focused on raising awareness, deploying specific outputs for the general public and producing a
number of toolkits and guidelines that aim to advance
the understanding of what facilitates cultural participation of people with disabilities, legal change and effective policy responses at the EU level. As part of this
WP, as will be discussed in the following subsection,
we compiled this Resource List which provides information on existing organisations, projects, outputs
and good practices related to culture and disability in
a broad fashion, or that concern cultural participation
of persons with disabilities
Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024: annual update of key indicators of the state of the climate system and human influence
Get PDFIn a rapidly changing climate, evidence-based decision-making benefits from up-to-date and timely information. Here we compile monitoring datasets (published at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15639576; Smith et al., 2025a) to produce updated estimates for key indicators of the state of the climate system: net emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers, greenhouse gas concentrations, radiative forcing, the Earth's energy imbalance, surface temperature changes, warming attributed to human activities, the remaining carbon budget, and estimates of global temperature extremes. This year, we additionally include indicators for sea-level rise and land precipitation change. We follow methods as closely as possible to those used in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Working Group One report.
The indicators show that human activities are increasing the Earth's energy imbalance and driving faster sea-level rise compared to the AR6 assessment. For the 2015–2024 decade average, observed warming relative to 1850–1900 was 1.24 [1.11 to 1.35] °C, of which 1.22 [1.0 to 1.5] °C was human-induced. The 2024-observed best estimate of global surface temperature (1.52 °C) is well above the best estimate of human-caused warming (1.36 °C). However, the 2024 observed warming can still be regarded as a typical year, considering the human-induced warming level and the state of internal variability associated with the phase of El Niño and Atlantic variability. Human-induced warming has been increasing at a rate that is unprecedented in the instrumental record, reaching 0.27 [0.2–0.4] °C per decade over 2015–2024. This high rate of warming is caused by a combination of greenhouse gas emissions being at an all-time high of 53.6±5.2 Gt CO2e yr−1 over the last decade (2014–2023), as well as reductions in the strength of aerosol cooling. Despite this, there is evidence that the rate of increase in CO2 emissions over the last decade has slowed compared to the 2000s, and depending on societal choices, a continued series of these annual updates over the critical 2020s decade could track decreases or increases in the rate of the climatic changes presented here
Enhancing Cultural Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the European Union: A Policy Brief
Get PDFCultural participation is a human right and a vital part
of being a member of society. Yet, persons with disabilities face multiple obstacles when participating in
cultural life. In the European Union (EU), Eurostat data
have shown the significant and persistent ‘disability
gap’ in cultural participation, with data showing lower
rates of cultural participation among people with disabilities compared with the overall population aged 16
and over across all EU Member States (MS).
Barriers faced by persons with disabilities include the
absence of adequate or effective legislation ensuring
the right to cultural participation, as well as the insufficient consultation and involvement of persons with
disabilities in relevant decision-making processes.
Additionally, the lack of physical and informational accessibility of cultural sites, goods and services, as well
as persistent negative attitudes and stigma around
participation of people with disabilities in the Cultural
and Creative Sectors (CCS) are significant barriers for
persons with disabilities. Structural barriers - such as
poverty, social marginalisation and exclusion, along
with the lack of adequate support services - contribute to the exclusion of people with disabilities from
cultural life. Further, in the EU, barriers to cultural participation are linked to the existing fragmentation of
EU accessibility legislation, piecemeal approaches to
funding for accessible cultural initiatives as well as to
relatively low prioritisation of cultural participation of
persons with disabilities in EU disability policy.
As provided for in Article 26 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR), persons with disabilities have
the right ‘to benefit from measures designed to ensure their independence, social and occupational integration and participation in the life of the community’,
which includes participation in culture. Furthermore,
Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) articulates the right of
persons with disabilities to participate in cultural life
- alongside the right to participate in sport, leisure,
and recreation – and lists a number of obligations to
be complied with by States Parties to the Convention.
Having ratified the CRPD, the EU, alongside its MS,
shall implement Article 30 and promote the right to
culture of persons with disabilities. However, ensuring
meaningful participation in cultural life for people with
disabilities is not only a matter of compliance with the
CRPD and social justice, but it is also a vital contribution to the richness and diversity of society. When cultural spaces, programmes, and policies are accessible
and inclusive, everyone benefits
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in the Irish Free State, 1924–1935
Get PDFDespite a growing body of research on sexual violence in Irish history, and on recently reported historic sexual offences, few studies have focused on sex offenders who were prosecuted and convicted contemporaneously in the early decades of the Irish Free State. This article examines hitherto restricted archival files on sixty-five offenders who were convicted of unlawful carnal knowledge under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, and, in doing so, constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of convicted sex offenders during the formative years of the independent Irish state. The findings reveal the modus operandi of these perpetrators and that the majority of the victims were exploited by someone who was known to them. The article also challenges the view that there was little recognition of child sexual abuse as a societal problem in the early years of the state and demonstrates that there was an awareness of predatory individuals within Irish communities during this period
Forest expansion and irrigated agriculture reinforce low river flows in southern Europe during dry years
Get PDFThis study analyses the evolution of annual streamflow across Europe between 1962 and 2017, focusing on the connection of streamflow trends with climate dynamics and physiographic and land cover characteristics and
changes. The spatial pattern of trends in streamflow shows strong agreement with the spatial patterns of climate trends, suggesting a climate control of these trends. However, analysing temporal evolution at the basin scale
shows that the strong decrease in streamflow in southern Europe cannot be directly associated with climate dynamic. In fact, a negative trend related to non-climate factors clearly emerges. Rather, we show that forest
growth and irrigated agriculture are the leading drivers of negative streamflow trends in southern Europe, particularly during dry years due to the greater proportion of green water consumption compared to blue water
generation. These findings have significant implications, particularly in the context of widely embraced nature based solutions for mitigating climate change, including carbon sequestration through forests and the planned
expansion of irrigated agricultural lands in central and northern European countries as a response to rising crop water demands. These developments could potentially diminish water resources availability, leading to an
increased occurrence and severity of low flow periods