Digital Commons Network^™

Future Potential Of Immigrant Entrepreneurship In Ireland, Thomas M. Cooney, Martina Brophy

Books/Book Chapters

International data shows that immigrant owned enterprises are an important feature of developed economies. Immigrant entrepreneurs generally report a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than the incumbent population, and their businesses, though traditionally concentrated in low skilled industries, can and are increasingly featuring in high value sectors of the economy. The motivation of immigrants to engage in entrepreneurship is informed by a myriad of reasons, but is traditionally associated with “push” factors or necessity. This diverse population of entrepreneurs can encounter various obstacles to entrepreneurship, some of which pertain to their immigrant status, in addition to the mainstream challenges of …

Evaluating The Health Implications Of Kombucha Fermented With Gardenia Jasminoides Teas: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, And Cytotoxic Properties, Gayathree Thenuwara, Xu Cui, Zhen Yao, Bilal Javed, Azza Silotry Naik, Furong Tian

Articles

No abstract provided.

Vitamin K2 In Health And Disease: A Clinical Perspective, Tao Zhang, Christine O'Connor, Helen Sheridan, James W. Barlow

Articles

Vitamins are essential organic compounds that vary widely in chemical structure and are vital in small quantities for numerous biochemical and biological functions. They are critical for metabolism, growth, development and maintaining overall health. Vitamins are categorised into two groups: hydrophilic and lipophilic. Vitamin K (VK), a lipophilic vitamin, occurs naturally in two primary forms: phylloquinone (VK1), found in green leafy vegetables and algae, and Menaquinones (VK2), present in certain fermented and animal foods and widely formulated in VK supplements. This review explores the possible factors contributing to VK deficiency, including dietary influences, and discusses the pharmacological and therapeutic potential …

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Human Blood Serum Of Glaucoma Patients Supplemented With Macular Pigment Carotenoids, Joy Udensi, Ekaterina Loskutova, James Loughman, Hugh J. Byrne

Articles

As all major dietary carotenoids are contained in blood, it is a suitable substrate to evaluate their content, in vivo. Following 18-month supplementation of open-angle glaucoma patients with macula-pigment carotenoids (Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Meso-Zeaxanthin) in the European Nutrition in Glaucoma Management trial, Raman spectroscopic analysis of the carotenoid content of pre- and post-supplementation participant blood serum was carried out, to investigate the systemic impact of the supplementation regimen and explore a more direct way of quantifying this impact using routine blood tests. Using a 532 nm laser source for optimal response, a consistent increase in serum carotenoid concentration was observed …

Investigating The Potential For Students To Contribute To Climate Data Rescue: Introducing The Climate Data Rescue Africa Project (Clidar‐Africa), Simon Noone, C. D'Arcy, S. Donegan, W. Durkan, B. Essel, K. Healion, H. Hersbach, S. Madden, Jack Marshall, L. Mcconnell, I. Mensah, N. Scroxton, S. Thiesen, Peter Thorne

Articles

The majority of available climate data in global digital archives consist of data only from the 1940s or 1950s onwards, and many of these series have gaps and/or are available for only a subset of the variables which were actually observed. However, there exist billions of historical weather observations from the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s that are still in hard‐copy form and are at risk of being lost forever due to deterioration. An assessment of changes in climate extremes in several IPCC regions was not possible in IPCC AR6 WGI owing, in many cases, to the lack of available …

The University Education Model Collection 2024: “A University Way Of Being”, Fionnuala Darby, Shaun Ferns, Barry J. Ryan

Group Reports

The University Education Model (UEM) revolutionises our approach to education; this approach is grounded in transformative learning opportunities and experiences for all. The UEM is central to the TU Dublin Strategic Intent, which itself is informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in the case of the UEM, SDG 4 Quality Education. Embedding the UEM into our practice, processes and culture will empower TU Dublin to cater for the largest number of diverse learners, producing the most sought after, digitally literate, graduates.

The central focus of UEM are our learners, grounded in the three components that comprise the …

Ailim Healing, Thomas M. Cooney, Martina Brophy

Case Study

For Niamh Malone, her challenges are typical of a high-tech start-up (i.e., raising funding, building an entrepreneurial team, creating a successful business model). However, these challenges are exacerbated by the additional difficulties associated with her disabilities. For instance, Niamh has difficulty securing financial lending due to her poor financial history as a result of not being able to work and having significant medical expenses. This case study requires a student to identify and address key issues in a business start-up, but they must also take cognizance of the additional and distinctive challenges faced by entrepreneurs who have a disability.

Voices Of The Feis Ceoil: An Exploration Of The Association’S Operational And Choral Networks, 1897–1932, Helen Doyle

Doctoral

The Feis Ceoil or ‘festival of music’ is a large-scale annual competitive music event. It has provided huge stimulus to all facets of Irish musical life in its almost 130-year lifespan. This study examines the first four decades of the festival which was inaugurated during the Gaelic Revival, a period of cultural nationalism that saw the development and celebration of Irish art, literature, language, and music. As this is the first sustained project centred upon the Feis Ceoil archival collection, detailed excavation of which has not been undertaken before now, it draws on a large amount of previously unexplored primary …

Emotional Intelligence Coaching For Higher Education Lecturers: Their Experience And Its Impact On Trait Emotional Intelligence, Stress, And Teaching Self-Efficacy, Eoghan Guiry

Doctoral

Previous research has established that emotional intelligence (EI) can be developed through targeted intervention; however, this was previously untested with lecturers. Guided by the job demands-resources model, this study explored the impact of an EI coaching intervention on lecturers’ trait EI, perceived stress, work-related stress, and teaching self-efficacy at Technological University Dublin. Additionally, the study explored the lecturers’ experiences of partaking in the intervention. Employing a pragmatic approach, mixed methods were used in a randomised controlled trial.

Chatting For Change: Insights Into And Directions For Using Online Peer Support Groups To Interrupt Prolonged Workplace Sitting, Ekaterina Uetova, Lucy Hederman, Dympna O'Sullivan, Robert J. Ross, Marily Oppezzo

Conference papers

Prolonged sedentary behavior and insufficient physical activity increase the risk for non-communicable diseases. Online peer support groups, driven by the widespread use of mobile phones and social media, have gained popularity among people seeking health condition management advice. This position paper examines the role of online peer support groups within a behaviour change intervention, MOV’D (Move Often eVery Day), which promotes physical activity and reduces sedentary behavior in the workplace. We conducted a thematic analysis of post-study interviews from two randomized control trials to identify the benefits and limitations of online peer support groups and provide recommendations for improvement. We …

Gpt Assisted Annotation Of Rhetorical And Linguistic Features For Interpretable Propaganda Technique Detection In News Text, Kyle Hamilton, Luca Longo, Bojan Božić

Conference papers

While the use of machine learning for the detection of propaganda techniques in text has garnered considerable attention, most approaches focus on “black-box” solutions with opaque inner workings. Interpretable approaches provide a solution, however, they depend on careful feature engineering and costly expert annotated data. Additionally, language features specific to propagandistic text are generally the focus of rhetoricians or linguists, and there is no data set labeled with such features suitable for machine learning. This study codifies 22 rhetorical and linguistic features identified in literature related to the language of persuasion for the purpose of annotating an existing data set …

Towards Fairer Nlp Models: Handling Gender Bias In Classification Tasks, Nasim Sobhani, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Measuring and mitigating gender bias in natural language processing (NLP) systems is crucial to ensure fair and ethical AI. However, a key challenge is the lack of explicit gender information in many textual datasets. This paper proposes two techniques, Identity Term Sampling (ITS) and Identity Term Pattern Extraction (ITPE), as alternatives to template-based approaches for measuring gender bias in text data. These approaches identify test data for measuring gender bias in the dataset itself and can be used to measure gender bias on any NLP classifier. We demonstrate the use of these approaches for measuring gender bias across various NLP …

Development Of Concrete Façade Sandwich Panels Incorporating Phase Change Materials †, Dervilla Niall, Roger West

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Using the mass of a building to store or dissipate heat can reduce the demand on auxiliary heating and/or cooling systems. There is a scarcity of full-scale and full-year studies in the literature, which this study seeks to address, as it is critical to assess the performance of real phase change material (PCM) composites throughout all seasons. This study involved the design and manufacture of precast cladding sandwich panels with a PCM–concrete inner leaf used in three full-scale huts which were instrumented to record thermal data over 18 months. Analysis of these data showed that when the internal air temperature …

Radiobiological Applications Of Vibrational Spectroscopy: A Review Of Analyses Of Ionising Radiation Effects In Biology And Medicine, Jade F. Monaghan, Hugh J. Byrne, Fiona M. Lyng, Aidan D. Meade

Articles

Vibrational spectroscopic techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption and Raman spectroscopy (RS), offer unique and detailed biochemical fingerprints by detecting specific molecular vibrations within samples. These techniques provide profound insights into the molecular alterations induced by ionising radiation, which are both complex and multifaceted. This paper reviews the application of rapid and label-free vibrational spectroscopic methods for assessing biological radiation responses. These assessments span from early compartmentalised models such as DNA, lipid membranes, and vesicles to comprehensive evaluations in various living biological models, including tissues, cells, and organisms of diverse origins. The review also discusses future perspectives, highlighting …

Co-Producing Ethics Guidelines Together With People With Learning Disabilities, Mary Bottomley, Jodie Bradley, Lisa Clark, Bryan Collis, Bojana Daw Srdanovic, Victoria Farnsworth, Annie Ferguson, Dan Goodley, Andrew Fox, Nikita K. Hayden, Charlotte Lawthom, Rebecca Lawthom, Claudia Magwood, Robert Mclean, Ian Middleton, Alison Owen, Matty Prothero, Simon Rice, Simon Richards, Katherine Runswick-Cole, Kelly Scargill, Rohit Shankar, Toni Ann Wood

Peninsula Medical School

Background: We are a research team of clinical, academic and advocacy-based researchers with and without learning disabilities, working on the Humanising Healthcare (for people with learning disabilities) project. The project is dedicated to finding and sharing healthcare practices that enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities. As part of our ethics applications to access National Health Service study sites for fieldwork, we worked together to write guiding principles for co-producing research ethics with researchers with learning disabilities. In this paper, we introduce these Participatory Ethics Good Practice Guidelines and reflect on our collaboration. Methods: We reflect on developing the …

The Cost Of Providing Care By Family And Friends (Informal Care) In The Last Year Of Life: A Population Observational Study, Miriam J. Johnson, David C. Currow, Jade Chynoweth, Helen Weatherly, Gamze Keser, Ann Hutchinson, Annie Jones, Laurie Dunn, Victoria Allgar

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: Little is known about replacement costs of care provided by informal carers during the last year of life for people dying of cancer and non-cancer diseases. Aim: To estimate informal caregiving costs and explore the relationship with carer and decedent characteristics. Design: National observational study of bereaved carers. Questions included informal end-of-life caregiving into the 2017 Health Survey for England including estimated recalled frequency, duration and intensity of care provision. We estimated replacement costs for a decedent’s last year of life valuing time at the price of a substitutable activity. Spearman rank correlations and multivariable linear regression were used …

An Analysis Of The Public Participation Processes Employed For An Urban Greenway Project, Maeve O'Connell

Articles

The purpose of this study is to examine the public participation mechanisms employed for a proposed new infrastructure project. Public participation is a core characteristic of a contemporary democratic society as policy makers are increasingly encouraged to engage with citizens for learning and legitimacy. Participation is a loose concept with many forms and interpretations. This study explores the key characteristics of public participation formats, challenges to and the criteria for success. This analysis is then applied to the proposed local infrastructure consultation process. An additional survey is designed and its role in the public participation process is assessed. The processes …

Covid-19 Vaccine Race–The Shadow Of Political And Multinational Interests, Daniel Rajmil, Lucía Morales, Toni Aira

Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic caused global disruption in 2020, throwing the world into an unprecedented health crisis with unpredicted socio-economic consequences. Strikingly, politicians and supranational organizations failed to collaborate and coordinate a united global response. In light of this, this research study explores how the vaccine race may have been used as a weapon of political communication, constantly influenced by international relations and economic interests. This study analyses the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the vaccine development was used to support Trump's political discourse to gain international political leadership amidst the electoral campaign to become reelected. The core …

Elara Conference - Techniques & Technologies To Support Sustainable Education In The Academic Sphere Year Ii Book 2, Volume 2, European Common Laboratory For Pedagogical Action-Research And Student-Centred Learning (Elara)

Publications

The Fourth Industrial Revolution was and s till is focused on digitalising processes and using AI to increas e productivity. Industry 5.0, on the other hand, focuses on the human factor and the human as the centre of the production process. According to the new paradigm, technology should benefit humans, and human s, in turn, should actively collaborate with machines. In other words, while Industry 4.0 wa s based on the relationship between machines and IT systems, Industry 5.0 brings together the strengths of humans and machines. Following this train of thought, we have come up with the idea to …

Elara Conference - Techniques & Technologies To Support Sustainable Education In The Academic Sphere Year Ii Book 2 Vol 1, European Common Laboratory For Pedagogical Action-Research And Student-Centred Learning (Elara)

Publications

The Fourth Industrial Revolution was and s till is focused on digitalising processes and using AI to increase productivity. Industry 5.0, on the other hand, focuses on the human factor and the human as the centre of the production process. According to the new paradigm, technology should benefit humans, and human s, in turn, should actively collaborate with machines. In other words, while Industry 4.0 wa s based on the relationship between machines and IT systems, Industry 5.0 brings together the strengths of humans and machines. Following this train of thought, we have come up with the idea to initiate …

Methodological Handbook In Food Sustainability Through Service-Learning, Maria Cantalejo, Maite Aldaya, C. Vilches, Isabel Navarlaz, Michael Murkovic, L. Pfeifer, Sami Ghnimi, Sghaier Chriki, Julie Dunne, Catherine Barry Ryan, Cormac Mcmahon, Sabrina Tomasi, Annapia Ferrara, Alessio Cavicchi, Fabrizia Toccoli

Reports

In 2022, the NEMOS project -A New Educational Model for acquisition of Sustainability Competences through Service-learning- was launched. This EU-funded project has been implemented in collaboration and partnership with five higher education institutions in Austria (TU Graz), Ireland (TU Dublin), Italy (UNIPI), France (ISARA-Lyon) and Spain (UPNA) and aims to take a step forward in the transition towards education for sustainability through practical and innovative educational approaches and interventions.Within the framework of the project, a collaborative process has been initiated to pool the knowledge and experience of the five higher education institutions working together to implement in practice new educational …

A Performative Framework For Exploring Traditional Whirling Dervish Movement And Flamenco Dance Through Augmented Digital Media And Wearable Technology, Hedy Hurban

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The thesis establishes a comprehensive framework that facilitates an in-depth exploration of the intricate traditional movements of the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey and the passionate expressions of Spanish Flamenco dance. This exploration is facilitated by leveraging augmented digital media and wearable technology. By integrating these modern tools into the realms of these historically rich art forms, the thesis endeavors to uncover new dimensions and possibilities within the dance practices. This convergence transcends the boundaries of conventional performance, offering a heightened sensory experience for both performers and audiences alike. At its core, the performative framework involves a harmonious synergy between the …

The Impact Of Child Learning Centres On Parenting Practices And Early Childhood Development: Lessons From The Rumah Anak Sigap Program 2021-2023, Bakir Haryanto, Fayna Faradiena, Budiarti Rahayu, Hani Yulindrasari, Urip Purwono, Radi Negara

Early Childhood Education

Research in child development demonstrates that early childhood experiences, especially in the first 1,000 days of life, lay the foundation for future growth and development. In Indonesia, however, early childhood education programs traditionally focus on children aged 4-6 years. In response to this concern, Tanoto Foundation, through its Siapkan Generasi Anak Berprestasi (SIGAP) program, seeks to ensure optimal development and school readiness children in Indonesia. One of the key strategies of SIGAP is the establishment of Rumah Anak SIGAP centers, a model of a child development centre that provides parenting training and early stimulation services targeted to children aged 0-3 …

The Cancellation Station Podcast: The Controversies Of Canceling, Quinn Rauchenecker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The term “Cancel Culture” has had a firm grasp on mainstream culture and disagreements about whether it is doing more harm than good. While the initial intention of the widespread term was created for good, it is now in a space of critique. For my thesis, I use the creative means of podcasting to explore cancel culture and its controversies.

Narratives Of Identity: An Autoethnographic Exploration Of Biracial Identity Construction And Performance In Family, Education, And Media, Eboni Springfield

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis explores the complex construction and performance of biracial identity within the context of the United States, delving into the historical and ongoing impacts of race and racism, and the pervasive influence of white supremacy. Through an autoethnographic approach, this study investigates how personal narratives illuminate the processes of biracial identity construction, expression, and negotiation across three social institutions: family, education, and media. The findings reveal the intricate and intersecting interactions that contribute to identity formation, highlighting the expansive nature of intersectionality. The analysis demonstrates that biracial identity is continuously shaped in response to white supremacy, which complicates efforts …

Positioning Paperback Books As Americana: Cultural And Historical Impacts Of The Wadle Pocket Book Collection, Jake Volk

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The first book in the form of a codex was bound around 300 BCE, but the earliest material used to record writing appeared around 3000 BCE. From these documents recording proto-writing of human history, people have sought to analyze and preserve writing, which continues as a contemporary work of scholars across multiple disciplines to form the field of the history of the book. As the book changed physical form from illuminated manuscripts on vellum to cheaply produced, paperback books, which appeared in the early 1800s, historians have documented these changes; however, more analysis is needed to categorize and interpret how …

Retrospective Analysis On The Impact Of Increased Set Volume On Back Squat And Bench Press One Repetition Maximums In Freshman Ncaa Di Fcs American Football Players, Colin T. Klatt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Title: Retrospective Analysis on the Impact of Increased Set Volume on back squat and bench press one repetition maximums in Freshman NCAA DI FCS American Football Players

Introduction: American football is the most popular sport in the United States. Over the past few decades, American football has experienced a notable transformation, with a growing emphasis on the necessity for increased strength and power gains. The evolving physical demands in American football underscore the importance of players adapting to these changing conditionings to thrive in the sport. With American football being a sport linked to physical attributes such as size and …

Dog-Training Programs For Incarcerated Women, Susan Grover

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Prison dog-training programs are a fairly new rehabilitative practice in women’s prisons. This study seeks to identify the effects dog-training programs have on women while incarcerated and then once reintegrated back into their family and community. This study includes an analytic literature review of the research on animal training programs and dog training programs in general. Most of the existing research, however, focuses on men and boys and shows that while prison-based dog-training programs are largely beneficial, they are less so for boys and do create unique vulnerabilities in men’s prisons. This study extends the previous research by examining the …

The Flute Music Of Claude Arrieu: Jean-Pierre Rampal, Radio, And The French Flute School, Breanna Daley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The flute works of Claude Arrieu (1903-1990) are relatively unknown, as is Arrieu herself. A composer active throughout the twentieth century and a radio producer in Paris during the 1930s and 1940s, Arrieu and her music are now often lost amongst the more popular works of her French contemporaries. Her compositional output, which includes music written for traditional concerts and over seventy scores for radio and film, displays her ease in navigating the early twentieth century’s changing mediums of music performance. Arrieu composed several pieces for solo flute with piano or orchestra, including the Sonatine for Flute and Piano (1943) …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Burnout, Resilience, And Psychological Safety Within The Workplace, Riley Elenz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.