Hierarchies of Pain and Responsibility: Victims and War by Other Means in Northern Ireland

This article develops an earlier analysis of definitions and disqualifications of victimhood during armed conflict, claims of responsibility and apologies for harm, based on the Northern Ireland case. The significance of political structures is considered by considering the consociational nature of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which established two parallel political dynasties, allowing the parties to the Northern Ireland conflict to ‘agree to disagree’. The nature of this agreement makes a ‘reconciliation’ between the parties optional and therefore unlikely without some intervention to address the grievances of the past, proposals for which were the responsibility of the Committee on Managing the Past whose report caused controversy. Key words: victims, perpetrators, consociational, reconciliation, Northern Ireland

Other Frontiers: Female Vagrants And Mother Outlaws In American Literature And Film Of The 1980s

The thesis examines female vagrant and outlaw figures in a selection of fictional texts produced in the 1980s. Using the idea of vagrancy in their characterizations of female protagonists, these texts revise persisting assumptions about women that are inherent in American culture. Beginning with a discussion of the reasons why women have been excluded, at least theoretically and ideologically, from a culture based on mobility, the thesis then considers two dominant and interrelated discourses in the American imagination--those of the frontier and of the myth of home--which are inescapable in any discussion of the American female outlaw and/or vagrant. This chapter is supplemented by readings or historical and fictional outlaw/vagrant figures: Anne Hutchinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne\u27s Hester Prynne, Stephen Crane\u27s Maggie, Kate Chopin\u27s Edna Pontellier, and Edith Wharton\u27s Lily Bart.;Chapters two and three view the conflicted characterization and literary space of the mother outlaw/vagrant in Mona Simpson\u27s Anywhere But Here and Louise Erdrich\u27s Tracks, Love Medicine and The Beet Queen. By emphasizing a specific historical context, I view these novels in terms of the changing formulation of the female subject in theoretical and cultural texts: for instance, the abandoned mother of conventional psychoanalysis is displaced by the as yet untheorized abandoning mother.;In chapters four and five, my emphasis shifts from the mother outlaw to the female vagrant. In examining the formal aspects of Ridley Scott\u27s film Thelma & Louise and Edward Zwick\u27s Leaving Normal, I suggest that the female vagrant, whether rendered as outlaw or vagrant, is depicted in ambivalent terms. For the outlaw/vagrant is narrativized not only by the script, which tends to radicalize such a figure, but also by a set of technical devices, which tend to keep her as a passive object of the male gaze. The thesis then concludes with a reading of Marilynne Robinson\u27s Housekeeping, which offers the most direct treatment of female vagrancy. The moment the vagrant becomes a palpable presence as protagonist and narrator, instead of an othered object of discourse, is precisely the point when the structures defining the vagrant are most profoundly shaken

An Examination of the Implications of Milk Quota Reform on the Viability and Productivity of Dairy Farming in Ireland

End of project reportThe aim of the project was to produce quality, scientific based policy advice on the most efficient means for the transfer of milk quota between dairy farmers. The main objective of the project was to identify milk quota transfer mechanisms that would ensure the viability of the maximum number of farmers in Ireland while still supporting an internationally competitive agricultural sector. During the course of the project the Irish Department of Agriculture introduced a new milk quota transfer scheme. The milk quota exchange scheme was launched in November 2006. At this stage the objectives of the project were altered to be more policy relevant. Rather than exploring the efficiency of various milk quota transfer models, the aim of the project was redirected to explore the efficiency of the scheme as it was operated in Ireland. The rationale for this change was to provide relevant and timely feedback to policy makers on the operation of the new scheme. While the MTR agreement guaranteed the continuation of the EU milk quota regime until 2014/15, it also made provisions for a review of the milk quota system to be conducted in 2008. Clearly any changes to EU milk quota policy would have implications for farmers in Ireland. A second objective of this project was to explore some policy scenarios that may transpire from the milk quota review and to estimate the implications for farmers in Ireland

Wetting hysteresis and droplet roll off behavior on superhydrophobic surfaces by Katherine Marie Smyth.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-56).Various states of hydrophobic wetting and hysteresis are observed when water droplets are deposited on micro-post surfaces of different post densities. Hysteresis is commonly defined as the difference between the advancing and receding contact angle and after many decades of research, the mechanisms governing hysteresis are still not fully understood. Particularly, stick-slip behavior of the three-phase contact line has been observed and qualitatively attributed to surface or chemical heterogeneities, but the behavior has yet to be quantified. In this thesis, contact line motion particularly focused on stick-slip behavior and its influence on drop width and contact angle was examined as a new approach to understanding hysteresis as pertaining to micro-textured surfaces. This work focuses on developing a fundamental understanding and physical model of the stick-slip behavior of the contact line and preliminarily explores the influence of contact line velocity on this stick-slip behavior and contact angle. By characterizing stick-slip behavior and hysteresis on micro-post surfaces, models can be developed that in the future can aid in surface design for optimal wetting behavior in industrial and power plant applications. Additionally, the pinning parameter has been used to predict roll off angle on micro-post surfaces for a variety of post densities and these predictions have been experimentally verified. With further definition of the pinning parameter to include surface roughness and impact phenomena, the pinning parameter can be used in surface design for droplet shedding in industrial applications.S.B

An investigation into the initial validity of the Canterbury behaviour screening protocol (CBSP): a pilot study

This study was a pilot investigation of the initial validity of a newly developed behaviour-screening instrument for early intervention service providers. Group Special Education, Early Intervention (GSE/EI) (2005) adapted the Canterbury Behaviour Screening Protocol (CBSP) from a widely used behaviour-screening instrument the Early Screening Project. The CBSP consisted of 49 items in 2 checklists. GSE/EI identified 10 early childhood centres with a total roll of 712 to participate in the study. Staff were asked to categorise children's problem behaviours as either withdrawn/isolated or aggressive/oppositional, using profiles provided. Next, they were asked to nominate 2 children in each category, and an additional 2 children in either category, and to rank them from most concerning to least concerning. Centres identified 25 children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 28 children in the aggressive/oppositional category. Staff completed checklists for children with parent/carer consent, which were scored according to preset protocols. Scores on the CBSP were assigned risk values ranging from "extreme" to "no risk". The estimated prevalence of "high" to "extreme" behaviour problems was 7.2% based on CBSP protocols and teacher nominations. The level of agreement between teacher rank and CBSP score was 79%, and this determined the initial specificity. Next, independent observations of the behaviour of the nominated children were conducted during free play periods at the centres by an observer blind to the children's nominated category, teacher ranking or checklist score. Risk levels were assigned based on the observation scores, using a cut-off value of 37% time spent in problem behaviour for girls and 40% for boys. There was agreement in terms of teacher rank and observation scores, (categorised into either "no risk" and "at/high/extreme risk) for 65% for children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 75% for children in the aggressive/oppositional category. The level of agreement between the CBSP score and the observations (categorised into either "no risk" or "at/high/extreme" risk) was 40% for children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 46% for children in the aggressive/oppositional category. Using the cut-off values, a prevalence estimate for high risk or extreme risk for behaviour disorders, based on independent observation of children, was 3.2%. Centre staff completing a feedback form determined the social validity of the CBSP. Although responses were generally favourable, a number of suggestions were also made to improve the procedure. Despite limitations in the design of the draft, the CBSP shows promise for a first step in a screening procedure designed to screen New Zealand early childhood centres for children who may be at risk for developing behaviour and/or social emotional problems. The independent observation may also be useful as a second step, prior to extensive eligibility assessment. A number of suggestions were made for future drafts such as addressing the limitations specified, conducting the CBSP with a greater number of children, and determining the concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability

Suddenly moving large classes online: Illuminating the experience of the teaching staff in one university

[EN] In early 2020, the transition of large classes from the face-to-face to the online context occurred overnight and at scale at a time when the crisis was being faced at all levels of society, nationally and internationally. This paper is based on research which examined the impact of this sudden transition on large classes in Dublin City University with a view to illuminating the experience to inform future practice (Authors., in press). A rapid, systemised review of literature was carried out with the aim of contextualising data gathered through surveys with staff and students in relation to our experience of moving large classes online in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the study examined the impact from the perspectives of teaching staff and students, this paper reports on the perspectives of teaching staff only. Large class teachers found this experience challenging, reporting a sense of isolation and worry. However it would seem that opportunity was seen in the face of adversity, whereby staff have identified potential for better ways of doing things going forward as a result of their experiences between March and May 2020.Glynn, M.; Farrell, AM.; Buckley, K.; Lowney, R.; Smyth, S.; Stone, S. (2021). Suddenly moving large classes online: Illuminating the experience of the teaching staff in one university. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 171-178. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13032OCS17117

ROAST: rotation gene set tests for complex microarray experiments

Motivation: A gene set test is a differential expression analysis in which a P-value is assigned to a set of genes as a unit. Gene set tests are valuable for increasing statistical power, organizing and interpreting results and for relating expression patterns across different experiments. Existing methods are based on permutation. Methods that rely on permutation of probes unrealistically assume independence of genes, while those that rely on permutation of sample are suitable only for two-group comparisons with a good number of replicates in each group

Assistants, Guides, Collaborators, Friends: The Concealed Figures of Conflict Research

Recent scholarship has demonstrated an increasing awareness of the need for more grounded, empirical research into the micro-level dynamics of violent contexts. Research in these difficult, dangerous, and potentially violent conflict or post-conflict settings necessitates the formation of new relationships of dependency, and assistants, friends, collaborators, and guides become central figures in the field. However, all too often, these figures are written out of academic accounts and silenced in our analyses. This not only does them a significant disservice, but it also obscures potential biases, complexities, and ethical dilemmas that emerge in the way in which such research is carried out. Drawing upon fieldwork exploring the 2007–2008 Kenyan postelection violence, this paper argues that reliance upon insider-assistants is essential in conflict settings and explores the challenges inherent in these relationships. As researchers become increasingly engaged in micro-level studies of violent contexts, we must interrogate the realities of how our knowledge has been produced and engage in more open and honest discussions of the methodological and ethical challenges of conflict research

THE STRUCTURE AND HYDRATION OF THE HUMITE MINERALS

The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned disciple. iii Hirner, Sarah Marie (M.S., Geology, Department of Geological Sciences) The structure and hydration of the humite minerals Thesis directed by Professor Joseph R. Smyth The entire water budget of the mantle may be dominated by nominally anhydrous minerals. The local structural environment of H in the humite minerals could provide a valuable model for the incorporation of H into olivine due to their structural similarities. It also thought that humites may play a significant role in the transport of water into the mantle. Four crystals of chondrodite, clinohumite, norbergite, and humite, both natural and synthetic, have been analyzed via Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis. Their structures have been refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The new data confirms earlier studies of cation ordering and hydration geometry, and adds new insight into the crystal chemistry of the humite minerals, particularly the geometry of the H position. In humite, hydrogen was found to occupy the H1 site. iv ACKMOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported in part by National Science Foundation grants to Joseph R. Smyth

Moving large classes online: illuminating the experience of the sudden transition of large, face-to-face programmes to the online environment in Dublin City University, in response to the Covid-19 crisis

This study was financially supported by the Dublin City University (DCU) Educational Trust as one of the projects accepted for the DCU Covid-19 Research and Innovation Hub. The motivation for developing the research project arose from discussions between the authors who, at the time of the call for proposals, were experiencing the emergency transition of a large class online from the perspectives of a teacher, a student, a learning technologist and an academic developer. The purpose of the study is threefold: To shed light on the sudden transition of DCU's large classes (100+ students) from the face-to-face teaching and learning setting to the online environment in March 2020 from the perspectives of staff and students. To contextualise the findings arising from the examination of the transition referred to above by reviewing relevant literature. To inform the work (a) of academics in DCU teaching large-class cohorts and (b) of DCU's academic developers and learning technologists, supporting them in this endeavour, as large programmes and modules move online in the forthcoming academic year. The composition of the research team was an advantage from the outset in terms of developing the proposal, designing the research and interpreting the findings. Viewing the above objectives from a range of perspectives ensured a richness in discussion, debate, synthesis, analysis and reporting. The report is divided into the following sections: Section 1 provides suggestions and guidance for transitioning large classes online, as we move into the academic year 2020/21. This is not a summary of the report; rather, it forefronts the implications and conclusions arising from the research process, instead of presenting them at the end. This section of the report was shared with DCU staff via email on 22 September 2020. Section 2 comprises the full report with the following elements: methodology; findings from the review of literature; findings from data analysis; discussion; authors’ personal reflections and references. Section 3 is an appendix, which includes relevant documentation that may be of use to the reader when navigating the document