Digital Commons Network^™

Highly Efficient F, Cu Doped Tio2 Anti-Bacterial Visible Light Active Photocatalytic Coatings To Combat Hospital-Acquired Infections, Nigel S. Leyland, Joanna Podporska-Carroll, John Browne, Steven J. Hinder, Brid Quilty, Suresh Pillai

Articles

Bacterial infections are a major threat to the health of patients in healthcare facilities including hospitals. One of the major causes of patient morbidity is infection with Staphylococcus aureus. One of the the most dominant nosocomial bacteria, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been reported to survive on hospital surfaces (e.g. privacy window glasses) for up to 5 months. None of the current anti-bacterial technology is efficient in eliminating Staphylococcus aureus. A novel transparent, immobilised and superhydrophilic coating of titanium dioxide, co-doped with fluorine and copper has been prepared on float glass substrates. Antibacterial activity has demonstrated (by using Staphylococcus …

Maya Women Organising In The Margins: A Post Decolonial Feminist Approach, Jennifer Manning

Doctoral

The work and lives of marginalised indigenous women in the Global South are located outside of the dominant Western discourse of management and organisation. There is limited empirical engagement with marginalised indigenous women in the Global South within the organisation studies discipline. As a result, we know little about how they construct their identity as women and their organisation/organising experiences in the context of their social, cultural and historical location. My ethnographic research takes us into the lives of Maya women community weaving groups in the rural Highlands of Sololá, Guatemala, and explores the everydayness of their work and lives …

The Pragmatics Of Economics Experts’ Engagement With Non-Specialists, Brendan O'Rourke, Jens Maesse

Other

A Call for Papers for Panel on Economics and Language Use: The pragmatics of economics experts’ engagement with non-specialists, 15th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA2017) to be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 16-21 July 2017.

Constructing A Postcolonial Feminist Ethnography, Jennifer Manning

Articles

Purpose – The paper details the construction of a postcolonial feminist approach to ethnography; providing insight into how the researcher developed her ethnographic approach based on her theoretical framework and demonstrating how she undertook this research. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to outline how the researcher identified positionality and representation as the primary challenges of undertaking a postcolonial feminist ethnography with marginalised Maya women in Guatemala, and how she addressed these complexities in the field.

Design/methodology/approach – This postcolonial feminist ethnography was conducted over a three-month period in the rural highlands of Sololá, Guatemala. This approach bridges the …

An Investigation Of Irish Culinary History Through Manuscript Cookbooks, With Particular Reference To The Gentry Of County Kilkenny (1714-1830), Dorothy Cashman

Doctoral

This thesis argues that Irish culinary manuscripts have a significant contribution to make to an understanding of Irish culinary history. It does so by identifying one particular manuscript, NLI MS 34,952 (Baker) as being representative of the genre but singular in terms of the archival and literary support available for an in-depth study. Analysis of the manuscript is undertaken using a methodology devised by the culinary historian Wheaton for researchers attending her workshops at Radcliffe College, Harvard. In these workshops Wheaton studies historic cookbooks to ascertain what these complex texts can reveal by breaking them down into five categories, that …

All The World's A Page: Towards A Definition Of 'Writer' In An Age Of Opportunity, Sue Norton

Articles

This article considers the status of the writer at a time when publication is no longer elusive, given the immediacy of online dissemination. For those who identify as writers, it looks at the implications of blogging, social media, entrepreneurial self-publishing, and scholarly open access journals, including so-called ‘predatory’ ones. It argues for a distinction between day-to-day writing and composition, and seeks to establish a category for the writer that takes account of deliberation, craft, and readership. It juxtaposes the creative activity of Jack Kerouac, Virginia Woolf, Truman Capote, and Mother Goose against the linguist John McWhorter’s convincing dismissal of the …

Multiculturalism In Secondary Schools – A Linguistic, Socio-Political & Pedagogic Perspective, Maria Kenneally

The ITB Journal

As a modern foreign language lecturer I am fascinated by issues of language, culture and identity. To an extent my interest is compounded by the belief that we Irish are bilingual, English and Gaeilge, - a rich language with a strong oral tradition that has been an integral part of Irish identity. In September 1996 I began work as a secondary teacher in an inner city London school with a high proportion of multilingual and multicultural students. My observations and interactions with pupils at Plumstead Manor proved part of a journey of selfanalysis and self-discovery, and fortified my belief that …

The Effects Of Change On Culture And Identities: Case Study Of A Higher Educational Institution, Ann Conway

Conference papers

The primary aim of the research was to identify drivers of change and mergers in higher education. It was then reflected on how changes and mergers impact on cultures and professional academic identities. The case study is based on review of government policies and institutional strategy documents looking towards the future and determining how they are affecting the current situation in the Institution. This was conducted via analysis of interviews and observations at meetings and classes, and via use of discourse analysis of some policy and strategy documents. The interviewees were asked about their views on which factors bring about …

Analysing The Performance Of Economic Discourses, Joseph K. Fitzgerald, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

We focus on the methods used in analyzing broadcast interviews with economists on Morning Ireland, a prominent Irish radio news programme. Few would doubt that economists have taken a prominent role as experts on policy issues (Carrick-Hagenbarth and Epstein 2012, p.45) and some contend that no other social science discipline has gained such prominence (Schneider and Kirchgassner 2009, p.324). This paper comes from a larger research project, which uses a tailored methodological approach, incorporating a number of analytical methods. Keller (2011, p.63) has argued that a tailored methodological approach is often required to give special consideration to the ‘knowledge side’ …

Religious Tourism Versus Secular Pilgrimage: The Basilica Of La Sagrada Família, Estela Marine-Roig

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In recent decades, the number of tourists visiting religious buildings of special cultural attraction, mainly due to their exceptional architecture, has significantly increased. In such cases, it is hard to discern whether it is a question of religious tourism or of so-called secular pilgrimage. This paper analyses this issue by means of a paradigmatic case study: The Basilica of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Catalonia, a Roman Catholic church that receives over 3 million visitors a year; the part of the “unfinished cathedral”, built under the direction of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, was registered in 2005 as a cultural site …

An Insurmountable Gap: Can We Balance Incoming And Outgoing Erasmus Exchanges Among Engineering Students?, Susan O'Shaughnessy

Stream 2: Curriculum

Because of the global power of English and being situated in an English-speaking country, Irish higher education institutions do not have to try very hard to attract Erasmus students from across Europe. However, persuading Irish students, particularly students of engineering, to undertake an Erasmus exchange in another European country is a much more difficult process. This paper outlines the recent history of Erasmus exchanges of engineering students to and from the Technological University Dublin and examines the push and pulls factors that affect these exchanges. It presents the results of a small-scale research project into the factors that encourage or …

Experiences Of Computer Science Curriculum Design: A Phenomenological Study, Art Sloan, Brian Bowe

Articles

This paper presents a qualitative study of twelve computer science lecturers’ experiences of curriculum design of several degree programmes during a time of transition from year-long to semesterised courses, due to institutional policy change. The background to the study is outlined, as are the reasons for choosing the research methodology. The main findings are presented and the implications of the study described. The methodology chosen was hermeneutic phenomenology. The data were the texts of interview transcripts of the twelve participant lecturers. The experiences that emerged from analysis of the data grouped naturally in identifiable and presentable themes and these themes …

Tour Guides And The Mediation Of Difficult Memories: The Case Of Dublin Castle, Ireland, Bernadette Quinn, Theresa Ryan

Articles

This research seeks to furthering understandings of how Tour Guides interpret memories at heritage sites when the memories at issue are difficult yet subtle and not always apparent to tourists. Specifically, it explores how Dublin Castle, formerly the seat of British rule in Ireland, is captured in narratives presented to tourists that often include Britons. Representing the site is made challenging because some visitors have little knowledge of the site's history, while others are well informed and hold strong political views. The findings show that Guides select largely depoliticized narratives, strongly influenced by their personal interests and experiences. Some hint …

The Western Way: Democracy And The Media Assistance Model, Daire Higgins

Articles

International media assistance took off during a time where the ideological extremes of USA vs. USSR were set to disappear. Following the Cold War, international relations focused on democracy building, and nurturing independent media was embraced as a key part of this strategy. Fukayama called it the ‘End of History’, the fact that all other ideologies had fallen and Western style democracy was set to become the one common ideology. The US and UK led the way in media assistance, with their liberal ideas of a free press, bolstered by free market capitalism. America was the superpower, and forged the …

Criticality In Graphic Design, Clare Bell

Articles

No abstract provided.

Current Advances In The Application Of Raman Spectroscopy For Molecular Diagnosis Of Cervical Cancer, Ines Martins Ramos, Alison Malkin, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Raman spectroscopy provides a unique biochemical fingerprint capable of identifying and characterizing the structure of molecules, cells and tissues. In cervical cancer, it is acknowledged as a promising biochemical tool due to its ability to detect pre-malignancy and early malignancy stages. This review summarizes the key research in the area and the evidence compiled is very encouraging for ongoing and further research. In addition to the diagnostic potential, promising results for HPV detection and monitoring treatment response suggest more than just a diagnosis prospective. A greater body of evidence is however necessary before Raman spectroscopy is fully validated for clinical …

Symbolic Misery And Aesthetics- Bernard Stiegler, Noel Fitzpatrick

Articles

In this article I will deal with the development of a theory of aesthetics within the work of the French contemporary philosopher Bernard Stiegler with particular reference to his concept of symbolic misery. Rather than give an extensive account of Bernard Stiegler’s aesthetics this article will focus on some key concepts mobilized in the definition and analysis of symbolic misery. Firstly, I will argue that Stiegler’s understanding of the aesthetic comes from an expanded notion of aesthesis, where the political and the aesthetic are mobilized together. In this regard I will interrogate some key concepts in his work Symbolic Misery …

Exploring Economists & Society: Constructing Expert Identity, Joseph Fitzgerald, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

The recent economic crisis has created a heightened interest in economics and greater demand for economics experts. The media has played an important role in meeting this demand as mediated expertise is relied upon to understand the complex relationships within society (Albaek, Christiansen and Togeby 2003; Beck 1992; Boyce 2006; Giddens 1990). Such interactions of experts with media are a key element of the knowledge flows within society (Sturdy et al. 2009) and so have attracted research attention (Ekstrom and Lundell 2011; Hutchby 2006; Montgomery 2008). This paper contributes to this literature by focusing on the under-researched area of the …

Mission - To Incite Hunger: The Contemporary Singaporean Food Memoir, Donna Lee Brien

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

No abstract provided.

''The Aroma Produced This Time Is Inviting'' : Variations In Gustatory Enthusiasm In The African Cookery Book., Igor Cusack

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Into The Desire For Creative And Innovative Methods Of Investigative Educative Research Through The Medium Of The 'Curated Meal'., Emma Clarke

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

No abstract provided.

Food, The Nutritional Product That Fuels The Passing Of Time: How Time And Nutrition Transformed Eating Into Refuelling, Diarmuid Cawley

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

No abstract provided.

Defining The Audience: Redefining Public Service, Ann-Marie Murray

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Implementing Digital Storytelling As A Technology Integration Approach With Primary School Children, Nuala Sweeney-Burt

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

Irish educational policy acknowledges the importance of integrating technology meaningfully into teaching and learning at the primary level. Much remains to be done, however, in terms of developing, practically implementing and evaluating the use of technology in the Irish primary classroom. This paper describes a study on the use of a structured approach to digital storytelling as a tool for meaningful technology integration with children at primary level. In this study, the researcher developed a structured approach for implementing digital storytelling with primary school children, and collaborated with a class teacher in an Irish primary school to prepare to implement …

The Perception Of Emotion From Acoustic Cues In Natural Speech, John Snel

Doctoral

Knowledge of human perception of emotional speech is imperative for the development of emotion in speech recognition systems and emotional speech synthesis. Owing to the fact that there is a growing trend towards research on spontaneous, real-life data, the aim of the present thesis is to examine human perception of emotion in naturalistic speech. Although there are many available emotional speech corpora, most contain simulated expressions. Therefore, there remains a compelling need to obtain naturalistic speech corpora that are appropriate and freely available for research. In that regard, our initial aim was to acquire suitable naturalistic material and examine its …

Media And Information Literacy Policies In Ireland (2013), Brian O'Neill

Reports

This report is produced as part of the ANR Translit and COST IS0906 Transforming Audiences, Transforming Societies project.

The "transliteracy" includes three meanings of Information = news (in relation to the device in press) = Information Document (in relation to digital media), Information = data (in relation to social, occupational and cognitive Web ).

Cit Extended Campus : Case Studies On Engaged And Entrepreneurial Universities, Daithi Fallon, Irene Sheridan

Case studies

In 2011 the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland published its forward looking document ‘National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030’. That document focused on restructuring the higher education system as a key action in ensuring Ireland’s Economic Development and the creation of an ‘Innovation Island’. The Strategy document stated that ‘Engagement with the wider community must become more firmly embedded in the mission of higher education institutions’. The same document proposes the designation of some institutes of technology as Technological Universities and emphasises that the new universities should have ‘very strong links with enterprise to create programmes informed …

France And Ireland In The Public Imagination, Benjamin Keatinge, Mary Pierse

Books

This engaging collection of essays considers the cultural complexities of the Franco-Irish relationship in song and story, image and cuisine, novels, paintings and poetry. It casts a fresh eye on public perceptions of the historic bonds between Ireland and France, revealing a rich variety of contact and influence. Controversy is not shirked, whether on the subject of Irish economic decline or reflecting on prominent, contentious personalities such as Ian Paisley and Michel Houellebecq. Contrasting ideas of the popular and the intellectual emerge in a study of Brendan Kennelly; recent Irish tribunals are analysed in the light of French cultural theory; …

Introduction: Tickling The Palate. Gastronomy In Irish Literature And Culture, Eamon Maher, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Books/Chapters

There has been a gradual but noticeable growth in scholarship concerning food globally, particularly in the last decade. One of the longest running and most inf luential forces behind this phenomenon is the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery (1981–present) which was originally founded and co-chaired by Alan Davidson, pre-eminent food historian, diplomat, and author of The Oxford Companion to Food, and Dr Theodore Zeldin, the celebrated social historian of France. This spawned a dedicated publishing house, Prospect Books, which published the conference proceedings and also the journal Petits Propos Culinaires (PPC), now approaching its 100th issue.

Building A Database Of Political Speech Does Culture Matter In Charisma Annotations?, Andrew Hines, Ailbhe Cullen, Naomi Harte

Conference papers

For both individual politicians and political parties the in- ternet has become a vital tool for self-promotion and the distribution of ideas. The rise of streaming has enabled po- litical debates and speeches to reach global audiences. In this paper, we explore the nature of charisma in political speech, with a view to automatic detection. To this end, we have collected a new database of political speech from YouTube and other on-line resources. Annotation is per- formed both by native listeners, and Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) workers. Detailed analysis shows that both la- bel sets are equally reliable. The results …