On Encountering the Difficulty of Reality: Philosophical Perspectives on Why We Respond and Why We Turn Away

Whether considering the treatment of refugees fleeing a war zone on the other side of the world, or that of psychiatric patients closer to home, the Dublin Business School (DBS) conference of 6 September 2019 sought to explore why it is we respond to some human rights abuses and why we turn away from others. It opened a tightly sealed door in our individual and collective psyches, inviting us to turn towards difficulties that we spend so much of our time avoiding or explaining away. This piece seeks to explore why it is we do this; why we struggle with some aspects of reality and how we, as human beings, attempt to manage or out-manoeuvre, those aspects too difficult to comprehend. Drawing on the philosophy of Cora Diamond, particularly as captured in her paper The Difficulty of Reality and the Difficulty of Philosophy (2003), this piece attempts to bring some of these philosophical conversations and understandings into the conference’s broad and multi-disciplinary exploration of why we respond and why we turn away

What type of soft contact lens works best for reverse piggyback?

Aim To determine which type of soft contact lens works best in a reverse piggyback lens system. Background A reverse piggyback lens system comprises of a soft contact lens worn over a rigid gas permeable lens. Several uses of this system include prevention of rigid gas permeable lens decentration during sporting activities and reduction of rigid gas permeable lens intolerance due to lid sensitivity. Methods Four different types of soft contact lenses; Senofilcon A, Omafilcon A, Etafilcon A and Delefilcon A, were assessed in a reverse piggyback system, in both eyes of twelve subjects (n=24). Over refraction, best corrected visual acuity and comfort were measured for each lens. Comfort was assessed using a visual analogue scale. A LogMAR scale was used to determine best corrected visual acuity. These measurements were also conducted for rigid gas permeable lens wear alone. The results for over refraction, best corrected visual acuity and comfort were statistically analysed and interpreted with respect to change from baseline measurements of rigid gas permeable lens wear alone. Results Data for over refraction and best corrected visual acuity for each of the four lenses was tested to check for normal distribution using a Shapiro Wilk test. The data for over refraction was normally distributed for each lens, with the exception of Etafilcon A. However, as the frequency histogram for this lens appeared relatively normal, it was decided to proceed with a one-way ANOVA test to analyse the data for over refraction. The f-ratio value was found to be 0.19 (P=0.91). The data for change in best corrected visual acuity was not normally distributed. As the frequency histograms for this data did not resemble that of a normal distribution, a one-way ANOVA test could not be carried out. Instead, a Kruskal-Wallis test was utilised for statistical analysis of change in best corrected visual acuity. The H statistic was found to be 1.53 (P=0.68). The results for over refraction and best corrected visual acuity were not statistically significant at the 5% significance level. A Friedman test was used to analyse the data for comfort. The X2r statistic was found to be 9.01 (P=0.03). The differences in comfort between the lenses were found to be statistically significant at the 5% significance level. Re-analysis of the data using a Friedman test according to other researchers’ just noticeable difference estimations gave an X2r statistic of 5.37 (P=0.15). The differences in comfort between the lenses were not clinically significant at the 5% significance level. Conclusion There were no clinically significant differences in over refraction, best corrected visual acuity or comfort between each lens type. Therefore, a type of soft contact lens that works best for reverse piggyback was not identified. Further research with a larger sample size could be carried out to determine whether there is a lens which works best for reverse piggyback. However, if a lens was identified that works best for reverse piggyback, it may not be suitable in all cases due to the large amounts of individual variation indicated by the results

Reminiscence therapy for dementia:an abridged Cochrane systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials

Introduction: Reminiscence therapy (RT) is a popular psychosocial intervention widely used in dementia care. It involves discussion of past events and experiences, using tangible prompts to evoke memories or stimulate conversation. Areas covered: The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of RT for people with dementia. It includes studies from the specialized register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group (ALOIS). Searches yielded 185 records of which 22 (n = 1972) were eligible for inclusion. The meta-analysis comprised of data from 16 studies (n = 1749 participants). The review included four large multicenter high-quality studies and several smaller studies of reasonable quality. Outcomes of interest were quality of life, communication, depression, and cognition at posttreatment and later follow-up. Expert commentary: RT has the potential to improve psychosocial outcomes for people with dementia. Effects are small and can be inconsistent, varying across intervention modality and setting. Individual approaches were associated with improved cognition and mood. Group approaches were linked to improved communication. The impact on quality of life appeared most promising in care home settings. Diversity in reminiscence approaches makes it difficult to compare them, and the field would benefit from the development, evaluation, use, and sharing of standardized approaches

Degree distributions in networks: beyond the power law

The power law is useful in describing count phenomena such as network degrees and word frequencies. With a single parameter, it captures the main feature that the frequencies are linear on the log-log scale. Nevertheless, there have been criticisms of the power law, for example that a threshold needs to be pre-selected without its uncertainty quantified, that the power law is simply inadequate, and that subsequent hypothesis tests are required to determine whether the data could have come from the power law. We propose a modelling framework that combines two different generalisations of the power law, namely the generalised Pareto distribution and the Zipf-polylog distribution, to resolve these issues. The proposed mixture distributions are shown to fit the data well and quantify the threshold uncertainty in a natural way. A model selection step embedded in the Bayesian inference algorithm further answers the question whether the power law is adequate

What does well-being mean to me?’. Conceptualisations of well-being in Irish Primary Schooling

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of the term well-being as conceptualised by parents, grandparents, principals and teachers in the Irish primary education system.Design/methodology/approach: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to understand the nature and meaning of the phenomenon of well-being. Interviews were carried out with 54 principals, teachers, parents and grandparents from a representative sample of primary schools in Ireland. Each participant was asked the same, open, question: ‘What does well-being mean to you?’. Responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a combination of the principles of the hermeneutic circle and Braun and Clarke’s framework for thematic analysis. Findings: Three conceptualisations of well-being were identified (1) well-being is about being happy, (2) well-being is about being healthy and safe, and (3) well-being is something you ‘do’. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge this paper is the first of its kind to describe how well-being is conceptualised by adults in Irish primary school contexts. In particular it highlights how neoliberal conceptualisations of well-being as a ‘thing’, a commodity exchanged on assumptions of individualism, moralism and bio-economism, have crept into the education of our youngest citizens

The lived experience of people with obesity:study protocol for a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies

Abstract Background Obesity is a prevalent, complex, progressive and relapsing chronic disease characterised by abnormal or excessive body fat that impairs health and quality of life. It affects more than 650 million adults worldwide and is associated with a range of health complications. Qualitative research plays a key role in understanding patient experiences and the factors that facilitate or hinder the effectiveness of health interventions. This review aims to systematically locate, assess and synthesise qualitative studies in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the lived experience of people with obesity. Methods This is a protocol for a qualitative evidence synthesis of the lived experience of people with obesity. A defined search strategy will be employed in conducting a comprehensive literature search of the following databases: PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, PsycArticles and Dimensions (from 2011 onwards). Qualitative studies focusing on the lived experience of adults with obesity (BMI >30) will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, abstracts and full-text articles and abstract data. The quality of included studies will be appraised using the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) criteria. Thematic synthesis will be conducted on all of the included studies. Confidence in the review findings will be assessed using GRADE CERQual. Discussion The findings from this synthesis will be used to inform the EU Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)-funded SOPHIA (Stratification of Obesity Phenotypes to Optimize Future Obesity Therapy) study. The objective of SOPHIA is to optimise future obesity treatment and stimulate a new narrative, understanding and vocabulary around obesity as a set of complex and chronic diseases. The findings will also be useful to health care providers and policy makers who seek to understand the experience of those with obesity. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020214560

Standardization Agreements, Intellectual Property Rights and Anticompetitive Concerns

The relationship between standardization processes, intellectual property rights and competition rules has increasingly become of interest in the recent years. Recent investigations of the European Commission confirm that standardization processes and in particular ownership of IPRs that cover standardized technology might in certain circumstances infringe competition rules. The article first explores the meaning and different forms of standardization. It then analyses selected parts of the Guidelines on the applicability of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to horizontal co-operation agreements, in particular those parts that cover standardisation agreements. The Guidelines have been adopted by the Commission in December 2010 with a view to addressing the anti-competitive concerns stemming from inter alia standardisation agreements (eg, they encourage IPRs holders to disclose their exclusive rights before the adoption of the standard, as well as to give an irrevocable commitment to offer to license the IPR to all parties interested on a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms: so-called FRAND commitment). The author will then present and comment on different points of view on whether the ownership of IPRs which cover standardized technologies really create market dominance capable of triggering anti-competitive behaviours. Finally, a set of additional solutions proposed by various legal scholars will be highlighted and commented