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The burning armchair: can jurisprudence be advanced by experiment?
Get PDFIs the field of general jurisprudence catching up – or is it simply getting distracted? Whereas legal philosophy has always featured claims about the content of the folk concept of law, it is only in the last few years that it has begun to self-consciously test those claims. Kenneth Himma’s recent review of this effort in Jurisprudence is a milestone: it reveals X-Jur as having progressed to the point of attracting broader philosophical attention, and it challenges X-Jur’s practitioners to persuade those not already convinced of the potential of alternatives to the analytic method. I take Himma’s critique as an opportunity to sketch some preliminaries for a theory of experimental jurisprudence, considering, in turn, the nature of jurisprudential truth, the role of expertise, and how empirical data might best be interpreted to help adjudicate claims about the content of the folk concept. I conclude with a brief discussion of the field’s future
Irish experiences in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars a quantitative analysis of Irish military service in the regular army 1808 to 1815
No full textThe French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars (1792-1815) resulted in the first truly mass
mobilisation of European manpower. The campaigns fought by the British Army during the
period 1808-15 were among the most strategically important of the wars for Great Britain and
resulted in the expansion of the regular army to a peak of 230,469 men by 1813.1 This placed
a significant strain on the British state’s manpower resources and resulted in the large-scale
recruitment of Irish men into the regular army, directly impacting many communities across
Ireland.
While research has been conducted into the mobilisation of British society to meet the
demands of ‘total’ war, research within an Irish context has been limited.2 Irish military
service during this period has been viewed primarily through the perspective of the Irish
militia and yeomanry, with service in the regular army generally considered within the
context of the ‘Irish’ regiments of the British Army. This narrow focus has resulted in an
under-appreciation of the extent of Irish manpower mobilised by the British state for the
defeat of Napoleonic France. Furthermore, it has marginalised or omitted important
participants in the historical narrative of the Irish military experience, namely Irish women
and children. And finally, it has unintentionally restricted research into the wider impacts on
the political, economic, and social relationship between Ireland and Great Britain. This
research will address these gaps in the historiography of Irish military service by examining
Irish experiences across all regiments of the regular army between 1808 and 1815.
The research methodology employed differs significantly from those of other studies
of Irish military service during this period as it is based on the quantifiable analysis of data
from the military records. Two databases were constructed using biographical details from
military service records of enlisted men and officers. A database of 1,913 Irish enlisted men
from 45 cavalry and infantry regiments provides unique insights into these men’s social
backgrounds and their experiences in the regular army. A second database of 9,378 regular
army officers facilitates comparative analysis of the experiences of Irish officers against their
English and Scottish colleagues. A third database of 217 regiments and battalions allows for
the analysis, by regiment and rank, of the country of birth of 141,527 English, Scottish and
Irish enlisted men who served in the regular army. Quantifiable analysis is also conducted on
the military records relating to the experiences of thousands of Irish women and children in all
regiments of the British Army during the period. This is a new departure for the historiography of early nineteenth century Irish society by placing Irish military experiences
during the Napoleonic wars within the broader Anglo/Irish political, social and economic
narrative of the period.
Analysis of the databases demonstrates that Irish manpower was critical to enabling
the British state to prosecute the war in a sustained manner in terms of the numbers of officers
and enlisted men serving across all regiments of the regular army. Arising from the scale of
Irish recruitment, military service in the regular army impacted Irish society in more ways
than previously understood. Men from every parish, town and city in Ireland enlisted in the
regular army. Irish women and children accompanied their menfolk and were a significant
presence across all regiments of the regular army. This research also addresses important
aspects of Irish military service such as religion, welfare, education, discipline and the
relationship with military authority, promotion, and transnational experiences. Addressing the
topic of Irish military service in a more comprehensive manner utilising empirical based
analysis is the focus of this research. It is intended that this will facilitate new perspectives of
the relationship between the British Army and the British state with Irish society during this
period and in the following decades
P300-Based Neurofeedback and Adaptive Task Difficulty Using Iterative Learning Control: A Novel Approach to Cognitive Training in Healthy Adults.
Get PDFThe rising prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia
and Parkinson’s disease poses a critical challenge as the global population
continues to age. Enhancing cognitive reserve through cognitive
training, particularly via neurofeedback (NFB), has become a
promising strategy to counteract cognitive decline. This thesis presents
a comprehensive study on the development and evaluation of a novel
NFB training system designed to enhance attention in healthy adults.
The system leverages event-related potentials (ERPs) and iterative
learning control (ILC) to dynamically personalise task difficulty, thereby
optimising training efficiency and engagement.
The research is underpinned by extensive data collection, involving
a large-scale clinical trial with a significant sample size of healthy
adult participants. The trial rigorously tested the system efficacy, providing
robust evidence of its effectiveness. Participants were divided
into groups, with one group receiving ILC-adapted training and others
following traditional or random difficulty protocols. The results
demonstrate that the ILC group not only completed the training more
rapidly but also achieved substantial improvements in attention, validated
by both behavioural metrics and neurophysiological markers.
Further investigations within this thesis address the system practicality,
including studies on reducing the number of EEG electrodes to
improve usability. The potential transferability of attentional improvements
to motor skill acquisition in surgical training is also explored,
revealing insights that guide future research in this domain.
In conclusion, this thesis contributes significantly to the field of
cognitive training by showcasing the potential of ERP-based NFB systems
in enhancing attention through large-scale, real-world clinical
trials. The findings open new avenues for applying such systems
in broader cognitive training and rehabilitation contexts, with recommendations
for future studies to explore long-term impacts and
cross-domain applicability
Rethinking digital ‘visual’ twins and building alternatives for smart city planning: a case of Smart Dublin.
Get PDFThe abstract is included in the presentation
A qualitative study to explore post-primary principals’ view of the influence of staff conflict on school culture.
Get PDFThis thesis explores how post-primary principals construct, interpret, and make sense of the influence of staff conflict on school culture. The research objectives are threefold: to examine the experiences of post-primary principals in Munster of staff conflict on school culture; to explore the conflict resolution strategies employed by these principals; and to develop recommendations and approaches that will contribute to more effective ways of addressing staff conflicts which can influence school culture.
Utilising a qualitative methodology, the study involved semi-structured interviews with principals to gain in-depth insights into their perspectives and practices. The findings reveal the complex nature of staff conflicts, including their causes, manifestations, and impacts. Principals identified various factors contributing to conflicts, such as personality clashes, differing values, and power dynamics. The study highlights the dual nature of conflicts, with both constructive and destructive outcomes significantly influencing school culture.
The research highlights the importance of socio-emotional support systems for principals, including counselling services, peer support networks, mentorship programs, and professional development workshops focused on emotional intelligence and reflective practices. Additionally, it calls for comprehensive data collection on staff conflicts and regular updates to policies to provide clear guidelines for conflict resolution. By integrating relational leadership and sensemaking theories, the study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the dynamic processes of leadership and conflict management. This integration emphasises the importance of building trust, fostering open communication, and adapting leadership strategies through reflective practice.
The thesis concludes with practical recommendations for educational policy, including the development of clear conflict resolution policies, mandatory training for principals and staff, and the allocation of resources for support services. The findings highlight the critical role of principals in shaping a positive and inclusive school culture through conflict management. This research contributes valuable knowledge to the field of educational leadership, offering strategies to support principals and enhance the overall school environment, ultimately benefiting both staff and students
Talking about relational youth work: why language matters
Get PDFThe literature on youth work emphasises the importance of
‘relationship’ to good practice, moreover, the characteristics of
the youth-work relationship have been posited as a defining
feature of youth work in the British-influenced tradition. Despite
this, little attention is paid to the choice of language used to
describe how professional youth workers relate to young people,
or how language choices reflect political framing of youth work
and of power relationships within their practice. Language choice
has implications for how youth workers perceive their
professional identity, for how accountability is construed, and for
inter-professional working. In this article we undertake a thematic
analysis to identify, analyse and critique various language
options, drawing on international literature, with an application
focus on Irish and Australian contexts. We address the question,
‘what language choices offer most precision and clarity about
youth work professional relationships in different contexts?’ We
identify three main ways the relationship between youth workers
and young people has been framed: as collaboration; as
transaction; or, as rights-based entitlement. We conclude with
discussion of how different relational language choices in youth
work should be selected to be congruent with the youth work
context, power relationships and purposes
‘A Joycean Smutmonger’: Echoes of Joyce in Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s Rural Modernism
Get PDFSince its publication, critics of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s Irish-language masterpiece Cré na Cille (1949; Graveyard Clay) have consistently namechecked James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922), usually for the sole purpose of conveying its perceived difficulty and/or vulgarity. Indeed, Cré na Cille was first refused publication because, in Ó Cadhain’s words, it was too long and too ‘Joycean’. Ó Cadhain himself evidently saw his work as existing in dialogue with his renowned progenitor and during a late lecture revelled in retelling an overheard conversation in which he was described as nothing more than a ‘Joycean smutmonger’. This article goes beyond such surface-level comparisons to unpick how Ó Cadhain proffers a radical portrayal of rural Irish modernity to compare with Joyce’s predominantly urban equivalent. It argues that Ó Cadhain’s characters, like those found in Joyce’s oeuvre, are consistently forced to navigate the forces of tradition and modernity, which existed at the heart of rural Irish society in the mid-twentieth century. This essay will first compare how Ó Cadhain and Joyce treat the predicaments of a young woman preparing for emigration in their respective short stories ‘An Bhliain 1912’ and ‘Eveline’, before moving on to treat Ó Cadhain’s experiments in form and language in Cré na Cille. In particular, it will examine such experimentation in the context of his lasting obsession with Finnegans Wake (1939), as evidenced by his stated belief that he ‘could write a work like Finnegans Wake’. Informed by recent developments in ‘alternative modernities’, this essay attempts to offer a nascent definition of what might be signified by ‘rural modernism’ in an Irish context
The Effect of Eccentric or Isometric Training on Strength, Architecture, and Sprinting across an Australian Football Season
Get PDFThis study aimed to investigate the effect of an isometric (ISO) or Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) intervention, alongside a sprint training program on hamstring strength, architecture, and sprinting performance in Australian footballers.
Methods
Twenty-five male athletes undertook NHE ( n = 13) or ISO ( n = 12) training across a 38-wk period (including preseason and in season). Biceps femoris long head (BFlh) architecture, ISO, and eccentric knee flexor strength were assessed at baseline, at the end of preseason (14 wk), and at the conclusion of the intervention. Sprint times and force–velocity profiles were determined at baseline and at the end of preseason.
Results
After the intervention, both groups had significant improvements in BFlh fascicle length (NHE: 1.16 cm, 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.63 cm, d = 1.88, P < 0.001; ISO: 0.82 cm, 95% CI = 0.57 to 1.06 cm, d = 1.70, P < 0.001), muscle thickness (NHE: 0.11 cm, 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.21 cm, d = 0.51, P = 0.032; ISO: 0.21 cm, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.32 cm, d = 0.86, P = 0.002), and eccentric strength (NHE: 83 N, 95% CI = 53 to 114 N, d = 1.79, P < 0.001; ISO: 83 N, 95% CI = 17 to 151 N, d = 1.17, P = 0.018). Both groups also finished the intervention weaker isometrically than they started (NHE: −45 N, 95% CI = −81 to −8 N, d = −1.03, P = 0.022; ISO: −80 N, 95% CI = −104 to −56 N, d = −3.35, P < 0.001). At the end of preseason, the NHE group had improved their 5-m sprint time by 3.3% ± 2.0%), and their maximum horizontal velocity was 3% ± 2.1% greater than the ISO group who saw no changes.
Conclusions
Both ISO and NHE training with a periodized sprinting program can increase BFlh fascicle length, thickness, and eccentric strength in Australian footballers. NHE training also improves 5-m sprint time and maximum velocity. However, both interventions reduced ISO strength. These findings provide unique, contextually relevant insights into the adaptations possible in semiprofessional athletes
Minorities at War, Part 2: Minority Agency in Times of Conflict
Get PDFThis introduction provides an overview of the second part of thespecial issue titled “Minorities at War. Minority Agency in Timesof Conflict.” The articles in this issue underscore the role ofminority agency during times of conflict at the local, national, andregional levels. It examines how minorities self-organize inresponse to crises, the role of civic organizations and diasporas inproviding aid during wartime, and the impact of war on the creationand evolution of minority identities. Additionally, it explores theliving memories of past traumas among survivors and theirdescendants. The articles featured in this issue are based oncontributions originally presented at the BASEES Study Group forMinority History’s second official biennial symposium, “Minoritiesat War from Napoleon to Putin,” held at the New Europe College inBucharest, Romania, from 11-12 May 2023