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Publication Open Access Power to change: a Foucauldian analysis of the Irish direct provision system(2014) Hewson, Dominic; Breda GrayIn April 2000 the Irish state implemented a policy of direct provision and dispersal through which the state provides accommodation, food and other basic requirements for asylum seekers and their families while their applications for asylum are being processed. Initially conceived of as a temporary measure, the Irish direct provision system has come in for much criticism for the poor quality of accommodation and food it provides, for removing the right to work from asylum seekers, for preventing integration, for being an unsuitable environment to raise children, for the adverse effects living within the system can have on an individual’s mental health and for the prolonged periods asylum seekers are required to remain within the system while their applications are processed. This study constitutes an investigation of the direct provision system according to the testimonies of those who live within it. It employs an action research based methodology which prioritises the perspectives and experiences of its participants. The key areas investigated include: how the direct provision system operates, the various relationships that permit the system to operate in this manner, how the system impacted upon participants, how participants subverted, exceeded and ultimately shaped the system themselves and how the system might be transformed in the future. The study employs the ideas of French philosopher Michel Foucault, an advocate of the power of ‘raw’ and ‘local’ knowledges, and his theorisations of power, conduct, discipline, governance, bio-politics and subjection in order to interpret the direct provision system as described by those closest to it. It reveals that direct provision is an intensely disciplinary and subject forming system, but also highlights the indomitable nature of those who live within it and their capacity to assert their autonomy and effect change.Publication Open Access Eco-friendly strategy for the joint valorization of invasive macroalgae and fast-growing wood to produce advanced biofuels(Elsevier, 2023) Del-Río, Pablo; Gullon, Beatriz; Romaní, Aloia; Garrote, GilA novel sustainable scheme to jointly valorize Sargassum muticum (Sm) and Paulownia wood (PW) was proposed in this work, employing the advanced environmentally friendly microwave-assisted autohydrolysis (MA) as pretreatment. Sm is an invasive macroalga that has been drastically spread in the Atlantic coast of Europe, causing environmental damage. Conversely, Paulownia elongata x fortunei is a fast-growing biomass with a high biomass production and potential for biofuels production. Thus, the concomitant valorization of both biomasses may lead to benefits related to environmental protection and bioeconomy. A sequential approach was proposed: first stage of glucose production from Sm (treated by MA and enzymatic hydrolysis to obtain a glucose-rich liquor), and second stage with MA-pretreated PW followed by saccharification and fermentation, employing in this process the glucose rich solution obtained from algae, to obtain simultaneously second and third generation bioethanol. These approaches enabled to add the ethanol production from both biomasses, leading to up to 45.2 g ethanol/L (70% ethanol yield), boosting ethanol titers compared to using only one biomass (up to 27.8 g/L) and confirming the benefits of combining MA-processed biomass. Furthermore, up to 87% of the energy may be recovered, reflecting a suitable approach within an integrated strategy.Publication Open Access Neonatal bacteraemia in Ireland: A ten-year single-institution retrospective review(PLoS, 2024) Powell, James; Beirne, Irene; Minihan, BRID; O'Connell, Nuala H.; Sharma, Santosh; Dunworth, Margo; Philip, Roy K.; Dunne, Colum P.; Dunne, Colum P.§0000-0002-5010-3185Neonatal sepsis is a catastrophic condition of global concern, with reported mortality rates exceeding 10%. Bloodstream infections are an important cause of sepsis, and epidemiological studies of these infections are crucial for predicting the most common aetiological agents and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and for developing antimicrobial guidelines. For the ten-year study period from July 2013 to June 2023, all neonatal bacteraemia cases were reviewed prospectively using an enhanced surveillance protocol. The patients were stratified according to their age at the time of blood culture collection: early onset if diagnosed in the first 72 hours of life, and late onset if diagnosed after that time. During the study period, 170 blood cultures were positive from 144 patients, of which 89 specimens from 64 patients represented the growth of significant pathogens. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were the most common pathogens identified (52%, 33/64), followed by Escherichia coli (14%, 9/64), Group B Streptococcus (GBS: 11%, 7/64) and Staphylococcus aureus (11%, 7/64). GBS was more commonly identified in early onset patients, while CoNS were predominantly associated with late onset. The presence of an intravascular catheter, maternal urinary tract infections and the receipt of total parenteral nutrition or transfused blood were identified as significant risk factors. The fatality rate was 8% (5/64). in summary, this study provides a detailed overview of the epidemiology of neonatal bacteraemia in a large teaching hospital in the Midwest of Ireland over a decadePublication Open Access The effect of age and AMH level on ART outcomes in patients with reduced ovarian reserve: A retrospective cross-sectional study(Springer, 2022) Hosseinzadeh, Fatemeh; Kabodmehri, Roya; Mehrafza, Marzieh; Mansour-Ghanaei, Mandana; Zahiri Sorouri, Ziba; Ghanami Gashti, Nasrin; Hanif, Sakineh; Ghalandari, MaryamBackground Despite many advances, patients with a poor ovarian response to stimulation are one of the most important and challenging factors of infertility. Chronological and ovarian ages are two effective factors in poor response to assisted reproductive treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of age and AMH level on the In vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in participants with a reduced ovarian reserve. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 210 participants with anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) <1.1ng/ml were included. The effect of age and AMH on pregnancy outcomes including dominant follicle count, serum estradiol level on the day of trigger administration, number of metaphase II (MII) oocytes, number of embryos, biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, abortion and live birth rate were evaluated. Results The number of dominant follicle (p<0.001), MII oocyte (p<0.001), grade A (p<0.001) and B (p<0.001) embryos, serum estradiol level (p<0.001), gonadotropin level (p<0.001), AMH (p=0.001), biochemical (p=0.007) and clinical (p=0.01) pregnancy, and live birth rate (p=0.003) were higher in participants younger than 35 years old. In univariable logistic regression, the chance of retrieving more than 3 oocytes in individuals over 35 years old was 97.1% lower than in individuals younger than 35 years old (p<.001). Conclusion It has been concluded that the higher clinical pregnancy and live birth rate in participants younger than 35 years can be due to the higher AMH level in this group. Also, under the same conditions of AMH and other variables, age can affect the number of retrieved oocytes.Publication Open Access Metastatic breast cancer microfluidics: the response of endocrine resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells to lymphatic flow conditions(2024) Moroney, Maeve; John J. Mulvihill; David T. NewportThe incidence of metastatic breast cancer (BC) mortality remains an urgent issue in need of address. Despite endocrine therapy significantly improving BC mortality rates in recent decades, endocrine resistance continues to limit treatment efficacy and consequently, the probability of metastasis greatly increases. When cancer cells leave the primary tumour and advect through biological microchannels of circulation systems, they are subject to a complex range of flow-induced forces. These microfluidic forces have been shown to influence cancer cell functionality and behaviour, and therefore by extension, metastatic success. As the physiological alterations which cancer cells undergo to become endocrine resistant are unclear, the morphological differences between endocrine sensitive and endocrine resistant MCF-7 BC cells were examined. In addition, the response of endocrine resistant cells to flow-induced forces has yet to be investigated. Both cell lines were thus suspended in a system representative of the lymphatic environment; the primary metastatic route. The circulating cells were exposed to varying levels of laminar flow conditions, following which the properties of cell viability, size and stiffness were quantified for comparative purposes. Firstly, it was observed that some endocrine resistant cells were much larger than the endocrine sensitive cells, although on average, this difference was found to be statistically insignificant. Endocrine resistant cells were then found to be predominantly uncompromised following exposure to flows of increasing Reynolds number (2.74–9.13), maintaining ≈ 90% of their size and viability, while endocrine sensitive cells saw corresponding size and viability decreases to ≈ 70% at the lowest flow rate. Finally, it was determined that this flow indifference seen in endocrine resistance cells was most plausibly due to their high deformability (534.7 ± 266.2 Pa) in comparison to their endocrine sensitive counterparts (875.4 ± 504.6 Pa), as deformability-induced lift direct cells with a lower stiffness towards the channel centre where they are protected from detrimental levels of wall shear stress. These properties and behaviour in flow align with those of known metastatic cell types, confirming that endocrine resistant BC cells exhibit a high metastatic potential; a conclusion which worsens the prognosis for patients presenting acquired or inherent endocrine resistance. However, the quantification of cellular stiffness and its identification as a biomarker of metastatic potential in endocrine resistant BC cells will inform the development of novel strategies which exploit or alter this property in an effort to prevent metastasis.Publication Open Access Pillar modularity in fsc topology hybrid ultramicroporous materials based upon tetra(4-pyridyl)benzene(American Chemical Society, 2022) Sensharma, Debobroto; Wilson, Ben; Kumar, Naveen; O'Hearn, Daniel; Zaworotko, Michael.Hybrid ultramicroporous materials (HUMs) are porous coordination networks composed of combinations of organic and inorganic linker ligands with a pore diameter of 10 for 1:99 C2H2/C2H4 and >5 for 1:1 C2H2/CO2. The approach taken, systematic variation of pillars with retention of structure, enables differences in selectivity to be attributed directly to the choice of the inorganic pillar. This study introduces fsc topology HUMs as a modular platform that is amenable to fine-tuning of structure and propertiesPublication Open Access The effect of conservative non-pharmacological interventions on the management of urinary incontinence in older adults living with frailty: Systematic review and meta-analysis(Public Library of Science) O'Calllaghan, Maureen; Robinson, Katie; Whiston, Aoife; Senter, Morgan; Clifford, Amanda M.Background Urinary incontinence (UI) is highly prevalent among older adults with frailty, impacting function, quality of life and risk of long-term care admission. Objective To systematically review and synthesise the results of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of conservative non-pharmacological interventions on the management of UI in older adults aged≥65 years living with frailty. Methods Five databases (Cochrane Library, Medline (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (OVID), PsycINFO (EBSCO)) were searched from inception to April 2024 for RCTs that evaluated conservative non-pharmacological interventions for UI in older adults living with frailty. Two independent reviewers screened records, assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB 2.0) Tool and Level of Evidence was summarised using GRADE guidelines. A meta-analysis using a random-effects model or narrative synthesis were performed as appropriate. Results Twelve RCTs, including 1,580 participants, with medium to high risk of bias were included. Conservative non-pharmacological interventions (categorised as single component or multicomponent interventions) resulted in a non-statistically significant reduction of objective measures of UI (6 RCTs, g=-0.39, p=0.090; pooled effect size, with CI=-0.39 [-0.832, 0.060], I 2=85.26%, with very low certainty of evidence). Improvements in functional ability were not found to be statistically significant (5 RCTs, g=0.20, p=0.39, pooled effect size, with CI=0.20 [- 0.251, 0.642], I 2=85.87%, and very low certainty of evidence). The interventions did not result in adverse events. Studies did not evaluate caregiver quality of life. Conclusions Very low-quality evidence found that conservative non-pharmacological interventions had beneficial but not statistically significant effects on objective UI and functional ability. Due to the high incidence of intervening illnesses and mortality in older adults living with frailty, it is recommended that future studies assess the effect of implementing tailored interventions addressing modifiable risk factors using more appropriate study design and outcome measures.Publication Open Access Health promotion policies, perceptions, actions and needs in sports clubs in Ireland(SAGE Publications, 2024) Van Hoye, Aurélie; Cullen, Benny; Lane, Aoife; Volf, Kevin; Kelly, Liam; García Bengoechea, Enrique; Vuillemin, Anne; Woods, CatherineObjective: Policy development is the biggest gap for health-promoting sports clubs. The present study aims to identify Irish sports club’s involvement in health promotion (HP) policy development. Design: Mixed methods concurrent survey design, with quantitative data providing insights into priorities, activities and documentation and qualitative data documenting stakeholders’ perceived needs. Setting: Two hundred and thirty-nine sports clubs in Ireland. Method: The survey measured perceptions of HP, the importance of promoting 10 health topics (e.g. suicide prevention, healthy eating, addictive behaviours) and corresponding actions relevant to HP in club policy documents and future needs. Quantitative data were analysed using multivariate statistics. The policy cycle was used to conduct a deductive analysis of qualitative data on sports clubs’ perceived needs Results: A high importance score (>70%) was found for the 10 health topics. Sports clubs reported their greatest investment was in physical activity promotion, and the lowest investment was in supporting the participation of disabled people. Up to two thirds of sports clubs had no HP policy. Irish sports clubs’ perceptions of HP showed higher but similar patterns of response relative to sports clubs in other countries. Conclusion: Findings suggest that sports clubs consider HP to be an important part of their remit, but up to 66% have no policy in this regard. The policy cycle analysis helped identify the key tools needed to promote sports clubs’ HP policy development. Practical implications include fostering the inclusion of HP in sports clubs’ development plans by establishing templates and receiving support from sports federations.Publication Open Access Wheelchair service provision education for healthcare professional students, healthcare personnel and educators across low- to high-resourced settings: a scoping review(2022) Burrola-Mendez, Yohali; Kamalakannan, Sureshkumar; Rushton, Paula W.; Bouziane, Selsabil-A.; Giesbrecht, Ed; Kirby, R. Lee; Gowran, Rosemary; Rusaw, David F.; Tasiemski, Tomasz; Goldberg, Mary; Tofani, Marco; Pedersen, Jessica P.; Pearlman, JonPurpose: This review aimed to collate and summarize available research literature about wheelchair service provision education available to healthcare professional students, healthcare personnel and educators across low- to high-resourced settings. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute methodological steps for scoping reviews were followed. Included studies were mainly sourced from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Academic Search Complete and ProQuest. Independent title, abstract and full-text screening with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria was performed. All screening and extraction were performed independently by two authors. A thematic approach was used to synthesize results. Data extracted from included studies were charted according to a template that we created. The study quality was also appraised. Results: A total of 25 articles were included (11, 36% from high-income settings) with 12 (48%) observational studies and 13 (52%) experimental studies. The literature addressed three main topics: (1) assessing wheelchair service provision knowledge, (2) implementing training interventions using in-person, online and/or hybrid learning approaches and (3) describing current wheelchair service provision education globally. The most frequently reported training programs used were the Wheelchair Skills Program and the World Health Organization Wheelchair Service Training Package – Basic Level. Conclusion: Limited information has been published about the integration of wheelchair content into the curricula of professional rehabilitation programs. Efforts to build international partnerships, improve the quality and currency of training programs and build resources that can assist educators in the integration of wheelchair-related content into professional rehabilitation programs should be prioritized.Publication Open Access Life Cycle Assessment of a Three-Storey Terrace of Three Timber-Framed Residential Workplace Units(MDPI, 2023) Clancy, Michael A.; Starbuck, Sally; O'Dwyer, Jean; Byrne, KennethThere is an urgent need to evaluate the environmental impacts of both traditional and more recent innovations in sustainable building materials. This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a single three-storey (aboveground) terrace in Ireland composed of three timber-framed residential workplace units. The supply of raw materials, their transport to the manufacturing site, and the manufacturing processes for the materials used in the building account for 58% of the GWP during the production stage. The horizontal elements of the An Corrán building and roof account for the largest contribution (29.3%) to the GWP environmental impact. The LCA results show that the building’s 469 m2 gross internal floor area (GIFA) produced life cycle carbon emissions of 220 t CO2e and has an embodied carbon value of 398 kg CO2e m−2 and 6.63 kg CO2e m−2 a −1 for the building’s 60-year estimated cradle-to-grave life cycle. When compared to conventional (i.e., masonry) and timber-framed buildings in Europe, the An Corrán building shows that substantial GWP savings occurred during the Use Stage with a GWP footprint of 50.5 kg CO2e m2 compared to 375.65 and 386.6 kg CO2e m2 for previously reported masonry and timber-framed houses, respectively.