National University of Ireland, Maynooth
MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive LibraryNot a member yet
18981 research outputs found
Sort by
From Displacement to Participation: Across the fence - Women's dialogue as a catalyst for community empowerment.
Get PDFThe following research focuses on the Ardnacassa Area of Longford, a community that has frequently in the past made headlines for negative reasons, including reports of antisocial behaviour, high levels of criminality, deep-rooted social issues, and tragic loss. The area faces significant challenges such as low literacy, early school leavers, unemployment, domestic violence and high levels of addictions and poverty, all having a toll and impact on the wellbeing of diverse vulnerable families living in fear and isolation within the area. This qualitative study explores the ways Women’s Community Education (WCE) programmes can support critical dialogue by centring the often-overlooked voices of marginalised communities. Empowering the voices of both Traveller and non-Traveller participants, through the delivery of an outreach creative focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews, offering a rich and grounded account of lived experiences, cultural perspectives, and community-driven insights on planning of community spaces. The study highlights how WCE bridges the personal and the political by sharing stories, building relationships, fostering understanding, and co-creating inclusive, community-based learning spaces. It identifies the structural barriers facing women and their families, it promotes a gender balanced regeneration, advances social inclusion and above all leads collective action, encouraging collaborating partnerships among local community services for the common good. By sharing my life journey, this research offers the reader a sense of where my curiosity lies, in my personal observation from a young age to date, of an absence of the Traveller Community from local conversations and in my desire to understand this more deeply. The image of an empty chair at the table serves as a powerful image of absence, the passing of Charlie, a young Traveller child from the Ardnacassa community and as a symbol of broader exclusions often experienced by marginalised communities. This shared grief is both personal and political, forming the emotional starting point of this thesis. Speaking from the hearth in this study, I aim to slow down, truly listen and to build trust
Because Everyone Deserves to Learn: Exploring the Educational Support Role of Social Care Workers.
Get PDFThis research explores the experiences of social care workers as they support
individuals with an intellectual disability to access post-secondary education. There is
a notable lack of research in this area, and this study aims to add to the existing
literature by addressing four research questions. (1) What types of support do social
care workers provide, and how are they implemented? (2) How do social care workers
perceive the effects of post-secondary education on the individuals they support? (3)
What barriers do social care workers encounter in facilitating access to post-secondary
education? (4) What theoretical frameworks are underpinning their work? The study
employed a qualitative design, using semi-structured interviews with social care
workers in one region in the south of Ireland. A thematic analysis was applied to the
dataset to identify emerging themes. Findings suggest that social care workers provide
supports to fill the gaps created by a lack of policy and institutional supports. The
research also highlighted that supports provided are creatively implemented and are
dependent on the good will and values of the social care worker. Participants did not
identify any theoretical influences, but the research indicates that supports are
provided because of care and respect for the rights to education for the person they
are supporting. Further research should be undertaken in this area and to include to
the voices and perspectives of people with an intellectual disability
Distinct Patterns of Temporally Coded Electrical Stimulation Interfere With Long-Range Interhemispheric Coupling in a Focal Model of Epilepsy
Get PDFObjectives
This study investigated 1) epileptiform activity propagation triggered by intrahippocampal kainic acid (KA) injections, 2) whether low-frequency probing stimulation applied to the ipsilateral amygdaloid complex (AMY) would affect propagation, and 3) whether distinct temporal patterns of electrical stimulation applied to the contralateral amygdaloid complex interfere with the interhemispheric propagation pattern.
Materials and Methods
Electrical stimulation (ES) comprised a 100-μs pulse of 500 μA applied to the AMY. The Probing protocol applied a 2000-millisecond interpulse-interval (IPI) ES ipsilateral to KA injection. The Propagation protocol ES was applied contralateral to KA injection using temporally coded ES patterns: periodic stimulation (PS, with fixed 250-millisecond IPI or nonperiodic stimulation [NPS], power-law distributed IPIs constrained by a maximum of 4 pulses/s). Continuous local-field electrophysiologic data were recorded from AMY and hippocampus sites in both hemispheres.
Results
Our results show that probing stimulation to the ipsilateral amygdala does not interfere with the seizure propagation pattern; however, independent contralateral seizures were observed. Our data show that NPS treatment, but not PS, interferes with propagation to the contralateral hemisphere even when applied before KA injection: seizure duration, energy, and total number of seizures were significantly reduced. Seizure causality analysis between channels also shows significant differences between PS and NPS treatments.
Conclusion
These data corroborate that KA injection seizures, even during status epilepticus, are not restricted to injection foci. Our data show promising perspectives on designing a closed-loop solution using 0.5-Hz probing stimulation to predict seizures and temporally coded stimulation to modulate seizure propagation
A Filtering Super-Twisting Controller with Noise Rejection.
Get PDFThis
paper
addresses
the
design
of
a
filtering
Super-Twisting
(FST)
controller
with
noise
rejection.
To
effectively
achieve
noise
rejection
and
improve
ST
performance,
the
proposed
control
structure
includes
a
zero-phase
sliding-mode
filter,
capable
of
rejecting
unbounded
measurement
noise.
The
features
of
the
FST
controller
reduce
the
control
effort
required
to
steer
the
sliding
variable
to
zero,
without
compromising
the
control
robustness.
The
convergence
of
the
FST
is
demonstrated,
and
a
numerical
example
based
on
wave
energy
systems
is
presented
to
illustrate
the
effectiveness
of
the
proposal
Social Movements and Insurgent Social Theory Making Theoretical Knowledge Through Collective Action
Get PDFThis chapter proposes that social movements are sites for the production of a distinct kind of theoretical knowledge, namely insurgent social theory. This argument is anchored in the claim that subaltern groups have always and everywhere been involved in the production of theory. More specifically, social movements are animated by a form of knowledge production that is grounded in subaltern experiences of exploitation and oppression and oriented towards bringing about emancipatory transformation. The chapter begins by discussing the relationship between activism, experience, and insurgent social theory, and then outlines and discusses the basic features of insurgent social theory as a distinctive form of knowledge. The chapter’s final section reflects on how we should conduct our discussions of what different forms of insurgent social theory enable us to know and do and argues for a commitment to insurgent epistemic gain—that is, a form of engagement committed to producing theoretical knowledge that is more effective in advancing oppositional collective action towards emancipation
Between Past and Present: Age, Period, and Cohort Effects on Changing Values in Lithuania
Get PDFThis study examines the changes in Schwartz’s higher-order-value dimensions in Lithuanians over time. We analyze cross-sectional repeated survey data, with a sample of 11,199 respondents from six waves of the European Social Survey (ESS) during the years 2010–2020. Time-lag and cross-sectional analyses revealed age and period effects on self-enhancement and self-transcendence, and age, period, and cohort effects on openness to change and conservation. A comparison of political generations shows that the youngest cohort (independent EU generation) is more conservative, more self-transcending, less open to change, and less self-enhancing over time, in contrast to other generations. The Soviet legacy generations follow a different trajectory of openness to change and conservation than the Stalin and Independent EU generations, suggesting that historical context and current period effects are strong, and that the youngest political generation is particularly sensitive to societal-level disruptions. It is plausible that forces related to rapid societal change, for example, a decline in the working-age population after the collapse of the Soviet Union and, more recently, during the period of the study due to mass emigration, have left a generation trapped between scarcity and modernity
Implications of the Revised Draft EU Accession Agreement for the echr
Get PDFThis article explores the implications of the EU's accession to the echr from the echr perspective based on the revised Draft Accession Agreement (daa 2023). The article analyses key procedural innovations in the daa 2023, notably how the co-respondent mechanism, the prior involvement of the cjeu, and the daa's solutions for advisory opinion requests and for dealing with the EU law concept of mutual trust would work. It exposes the EU's new role as a gatekeeper in relation to certain procedural questions. The article further contrasts the position of EU member states and non-EU member states post-accession by pointing out potential inconsistencies and assesses proposed solutions in light of their effectiveness and workability. The article suggests that, despite the considerable concessions made to the EU, EU accession to the echr would nonetheless result in a strengthening of the echr system and is thus worth the effort and compromises
Climate variability conceals emerging hydrological trends across Great Britain
Get PDFDetecting a climate change signal from observed trends in river flows and hydrological extremes is challenging given the limited length of observations and the effects of internal climate variability. There has been an increasing call to better integrate historical observations with model projections, particularly given apparent inconsistencies between observed and projected hydroclimate trends. Here we use the UK as a case study of a region with apparent incongruity between past trends and future projections, such as observed summer wetting but broad agreement between climate models of reduced summer rainfall and river flows. Applying dynamical adjustment shows empirically that internal atmospheric circulation variability was a dominant factor in the observed positive summer rainfall trends over 1981–2010. Characterising the impacts of internal climate variability is crucial to fully appraising the range of possible hydrological extremes in current and future climate.
Hence, we use a single model initial condition large ensemble (SMILE), with RCP8.5 forcing, to drive hydrological models at 190 catchments to explore the wide range of past and future river flow and hydrological drought trends that could arise due to internal variability. The results place the observed trends in context, showing that large ensembles are needed to fully capture the range of variability. This includes robust drying and wetting trends that could have occurred, thus in part reconciling the fact that observed trends may at first seem inconsistent with projections. Our results further show that the timing of a robust climate change signal above historical variability (i.e., a Time of Emergence) in river flows may remain obscured for decades due to the range of hydrological variability. There are however clear hotspots, such as decreasing low flows in southwest England, with an imminent ToE. However, a late ToE does not negate the potential for increased risk and adaptation
measures should be formulated before a statistically significant climate signal emerges
A Socio-Legal Study of Stakeholder Perspectives on the Identification of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings for the Purpose of Labour Exploitation Across European States.
Get PDFThis thesis is a socio-legal analysis of stakeholder perspectives on the identification of
victims of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation (THB-LE),
focusing on the practical operation of the identification procedure, multi-stakeholder cooperation
and, training and awareness measures. Through 42 semi-structured interviews
with labour inspectors, criminal law enforcement officials, trade unionists and
representatives from non-governmental organisations, it captures bottom-up insights on
the gap between the law and practice of identification. This is combined with a top-down
analysis of Article 10 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking
in Human Beings. Overall, the data highlights both limitations to the international legal
framework itself, and gaps between the obligation to identify under international law and
its practical realisation in Europe.
The interview findings suggest that the identification procedure should be understood as
encompassing the two distinct processes of detection and formal identification. Yet,
Article 10 only covers formal identification. The research thus finds a significant lacuna
in the legal framework. The analysis also reveals practical barriers to effective
identification relating to, for example, shifting the burden of identification to victims and
difficulties in distinguishing the boundary between a labour law violation and THB-LE.
The thesis establishes that the enduring criminal justice approach to trafficking in human
beings hinders the effectiveness of the identification procedure by limiting the formal
identification process to criminal law enforcement officials. Concurrently, it reveals
challenges to the substantive realisation of a multi-stakeholder integrated approach due
to, inter alia, stakeholders’ conflicting agendas and the failure to adequately recognise
certain labour market stakeholders, including trade unions.
Finally, the thesis makes recommendations for states to improve the practice of
identification, for example, by mapping the duties of relevant stakeholders to delineate
areas of convergence and align their efforts
Broadband Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy for Single-Cell Imaging
Get PDFIn the clinical context microscopy still plays a pivotal role in analysing cells with a range of downstream
analyses available. The choice of which is usually dependent on the information required,
such as the level of protein expression, genetic marker identification or cell population estimation.
Many cell analyses are optical in nature, but use either bulk properties that are unspecific or where
measurement is based on pre-labelling the sample. Alternatively, Raman spectro-microscopic
approaches are highly attractive for cell diagnostics as they provide a molecular fingerprint of a
cell that is very sensitive to the cell micro-environment, is label-free and can be non-destructive.
There is however common understanding that the rate of signal generation is too low for use in
high-throughput scenarios, such as for clinical screening and diagnosis. Broadband CARS (BCARS)
is a spectroscopic technique that probes the same molecular vibrations as Raman spectroscopy using
coherent excitation by employing focused ultrafast laser pulses. The resulting signal obtained can
be orders of magnitude stronger than conventional Raman scattering because it is a nonlinear effect.
In this thesis, BCARS is investigated as a tool for single cell imaging, with the ultimate goal of
label-free single-cell classification and high-throughput imaging. Exogenous fluorochromes were
not used in any of the samples studied in this thesis. In this work, single cell imaging consisted of
preparing an adequate cell sample, acquiring a hyperspectral dataset, where each point in the image
corresponds to a Broadband CARS spectrum, and finally, interpreting the molecular information. In
order to reach this capability, a highly optimised BCARS opto-electronic system was constructed,
consisting of a commercial ultrafast laser, a modified microscope and several optical elements. The
microscope was rigorously tested on non-biological samples such as pure solvents and microplastics,
which enabled the tuning of the optical parameters of the system such as its resolution. After
system optimisation much work was done on developing a sample targeting procedure and an
automated software program was developed to enable scanning of images. Finally, bespoke data
analysis procedures were developed and implemented in several single-cell image studies that were
of relevance to clinical diagnostics