When 'us vs. them' goes one step further : double alienation in An Garda Siochána

In policing literature, the ‘us versus them’ paradigm is well documented, whereby ‘us’ is the police and ‘them’ is the public. But what happens when frontline officers are separated both from society and from those within their own organisation? This research looks down a new pathway of what it means to be doubly alienated in an atmosphere that already makes sociability difficult. In Ireland, there has been little research to date on An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police force, and nothing that has addressedthe cross roads these officers find themselves in under these circumstances. The organisation espouses a culture of conform or face the consequences. In these particular circumstances, officers must then either compromise their integrity or become pariahs in the organisation. This qualitative exploration analyses documents to understand under what conditions officers must make these decisions and how they are received by the public and the organisation when they do

Engaged learning in Europe

Globally, there are growing calls for Higher Education Institutions to become more civically engaged and socially relevant while increasing public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions. Engaged Learning facilitates students to apply theory to real-world contexts outside of the University and to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Engaged Learning provides students with the skills which increase their employability, and improve their personal and professional development, while communities gain access to skills to help develop, evaluate, or communicate their work with regard to actual societal challenges. To enhance the knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a successful and sustainable Engaged Learning programme an in-depth view is provided into practices from six institutional contexts from six countries throughout Europe. Highlighted is the diversity and flexibility to be found within Engaged Learning initiatives. However, the one constant is each initiative’s commitment to a concept where reciprocity between the students, universities, and communities, is prioritised. While the examples themselves differ in their structure and intended outcomes, this diversity is a benefit of Engaged Learning and further cements the varied nature across the disciplines and Europe

Engaged Learning in Europe: Case Study Compendium

Globally, there are growing calls for Higher Education Institutions to become more civically engaged and socially relevant while increasing public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions. Engaged Learning facilitates students to apply theory to real-world contexts outside of the University and to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Engaged Learning provides students with the skills which increase their employability, and improve their personal and professional development, while communities gain access to skills to help develop, evaluate, or communicate their work with regard to actual societal challenges. To enhance the knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a successful and sustainable Engaged Learning programme an in-depth view is provided into practices from six institutional contexts from six countries throughout Europe. Highlighted is the diversity and flexibility to be found within Engaged Learning initiatives. However, the one constant is each initiative’s commitment to a concept where reciprocity between the students, universities, and communities, is prioritised. While the examples themselves differ in their structure and intended outcomes, this diversity is a benefit of Engaged Learning and further cements the varied nature across the disciplines and Europe

The interdisciplinary CaST project as inspiration for criminology education?

Engaged learning in the higher education systems is an idealised method of learning that reciprocally benefits the educator, students, and community. While this seems like an optimal method of education, in practice what this means in concrete terms is far less clear. The CaST project, under the Erasmus+ programme, along with partnering universities, Ghent University is exploring what engaged learning means in context for criminology courses in Flanders and what, if any, provisions have been made by universities to encourage this type of learning. Adapted from the education sector’s perspective and research on engaged learning, we have developed an understanding of what best practice is when adapted for the field of criminology. Considering this framework, we have identified and evaluated criminology courses in Flanders to further understand what our best practice looks like when actually implemented and what implications this has for the Flemish community

A state-of-the-art review of Engaged Learning in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom

In this state of the art review, we explore the concept of Engaged Learning, and the development of this pedagogy globally, with a specific focus on each of the CaST Partner Countries of Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. We define Engaged Learning as the process where students apply the theory learned at Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to a context outside of HEI by addressing societal concerns, challenges or needs while producing knowledge in an equitable, mutually beneficial partnership

Intramuscular Administration of a Synthetic CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotide Modulates Functional Responses of Neutrophils of Neonatal Foals

Neutrophils play an important role in protecting against infection. Foals have age-dependent deficiencies in neutrophil function that may contribute to their predisposition to infection. Thus, we investigated the ability of a CpG-ODN formulated with Emulsigen to modulate functional responses of neutrophils in neonatal foals. Eighteen foals were randomly assigned to receive either a CpG-ODN with Emulsigen (N = 9) or saline intramuscularly at ages 1 and 7 days. At ages 1, 3, 9, 14, and 28, blood was collected and neutrophils were isolated from each foal. Neutrophils were assessed for basal and Rhodococcus equi-stimulated mRNA expression of the cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-8 using real-time PCR, degranulation by quantifying the amount of β-D glucuronidase activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation using flow cytometry. In vivo administration of the CpG-ODN formulation on days 1 and 7 resulted in significantly (P<0.05) increased IFN-γ mRNA expression by foal neutrophils on days 3, 9, and 14. Degranulation was significantly (P<0.05) lower for foals in the CpG-ODN-treated group than the control group at days 3 and 14, but not at other days. No effect of treatment on ROS generation was detected. These results indicate that CpG-ODN administration to foals might improve innate and adaptive immune responses that could protect foals against infectious diseases and possibly improve responses to vaccination.The open access fee for this work was funded through the Texas A&M University Open Access to Knowledge (OAK) Fund

It’s a man’s world, try to convince the men otherwise : the role of women in irish policing

Police organizations are historically and predominantly male organizations; as such, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of women in Irish policing. The literature review will analyze gender-specific organizational literature, focused on the United States. Theoretical components include biological determination and social constructivism in the policing context. The study is conducted through qualitative interviews and thematic analysis of 10 current and former Gardai in Ireland. This study empirically contributes to how the organization views gender and how those differences are institutionalized in that Gardai are treated differently based on their gender