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This article discusses some of the main findings of a Critical Discourse Analysis of two landmark documents in Irish adult education: Learning for Life: The White Paper on Adult Education (DES, 2000) and the Further Education and Training Strategy (SOLAS, 2014) (from here on referred to respectively as the White Paper and the FET Strategy). The diachronic approach taken by this inquiry permits an exploration of the ways in which language in policy documents has changed over time, particularly in terms of how policy addresses educational inequality. It is in this way that the notion of a discursive shift could be explored, setting this change in language in starker relief. Policy as discourse shapes the formation of this inquiry so the article briefly explicates the approach taken to a Critical Discourse Analysis. Considerations of methodological nationalism widened the focus to consider the influence of European Union (EU) policy discourses specifically in Irish policy formation and these discourses in the statecraft of the EU and nation states. It is from this perspective that the Irish story is also a European one, so the article analyses how the White Paper and the FET Strategy were framed by the EU policy discourses of 'lifelong learning' and 'skills' respectively. As part of this analysis, this article considers the significance of the redefinition of the notion of 'inclusion' to 'active inclusion' and the sharpening of 'evidence based' discourse in policy resourcing of adult education provision. Finally, the article briefly elaborates on the authors' experience of this research and the value of Critical Discourse Analysis as a normative force and a tool for advocacy.

This document provides abstracts of papers presented at the Society of Dairy Technology 80th Anniversary Conference, covering a range of topics in the dairy industry. One paper examines the impact of process conditions on water evaporation and energy usage in spray drying, while another explores the use of near-infrared spectroscopy to analyze the composition of raw milk. Other papers discuss the development of high-protein soft cheese alternatives, plant-based cheese analogues, and sustainable cleaning strategies in dairy facilities. The document also mentions a project focused on characterizing the milk metabolome and developing biomarkers for milk processability and methane production. Additionally, the document highlights a study that modified sediment quantification tests for dairy powders to improve image analysis capabilities, with promising results. Further research is planned to investigate the effects of robotic agitation and test additional powders. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: Over the last few decades, gut microbiota research has been the focus of intense research and this field has become particularly important. This research aimed to provide a quantitative evaluation of the 100 most-cited articles on gut microbiota and IBS and highlight the most important advances in this field. Methods: The database Web of Science Core Collection was used to download the bibliometric information the top 100 most-cited papers. Microsoft Excel 2021, CiteSpace, VOSviewer, R software, and an online analytical platform (https://bibliometric.com/) were was applied to perform bibliometric analysis of these papers. Results: The total citation frequency in the top 100 article ranged from 274 to 2324, with an average citation of 556.57. A total of 24 countries/regions made contributions to the top 100 cited papers, and USA, Ireland, and China were the most top three productive countries. Cryan JF was the most frequently nominated author, and of the top 100 articles, 20 listed his name. Top-cited papers mainly came from the Gastroenterology (n = 13, citations = 6373) and Gut (n = 9, citations = 3903). There was a significant citation path, indicating publications in molecular/biology/immunology primarily cited journals in molecular/biology/genetics fields. Keywords analysis suggested that the main topics on gut microbiota and IBS were mechanisms of microbiome in brain-gut axis." Behavior" was the keyword with the strongest burst strength (2.36), followed by "anxiety like behavior" (2.24), "intestinal microbiota" (2.19), and "chain fatty acid" (1.99), and "maternal separation" (1.95). Conclusion: This study identified and provided the bibliometric information of the top 100 cited publications related to gut microbiota and IBS. The results provided a general overview of this topic and might help researchers to better understand the evolution, Influential findings and hotspots in researching gut microbiota and IBS, thus providing new perspectives and novel research ideas in this specific area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terminal examination of post-primary education in Ireland, the Leaving Certificate, is often criticised for the reliance on memory recall over higher order thinking skills in the assessment process. In order to examine the evidence base for these critiques, this article presents an empirical investigation of the intellectual skills and knowledge domains implicit in the tasks in the written examination papers of 23 subjects in the Leaving Certificate in Ireland from 2005 to 2010. Data were collected from two sources: examination papers and student interviews. In an in-depth document analysis of the examination papers, 14,910 occurrences of command verbs were coded for the intellectual skill and knowledge domains required by the assessment task. As the same verb can require different intellectual skills in different subjects and in different tasks, each occurrence of every verb was assigned a specific value depending on its context. The article presents the frequencies and distributions of intellectual skills and knowledge domains within and across subjects. In light of key points in the literature search, the findings indicate concern regarding the level of challenge and stimulation for the development of students of the Leaving Certificate.

Over the last century, there has been a dramatic change in both the composition and the structure of the Irish tax system. In this paper, we construct a new dataset of tax rates and tax bands for the main tax headings in Ireland, from 1920-2019. We document these changes and trends in tax policy in the aggregate and using the main tax headings. One striking regularity, however, is that Irish tax policy has been persistently procyclical. While tax revenues are naturally expected to vary with the cycle, we show that changes in tax rates have been conducted procyclically. Most notably, we find strong evidence that governments have tended to adjust the rates of income tax in a procyclical manner over the past century. Using an additional tax policy changes dataset, we show that discretionary tax measures - which incorporate all tax policy instruments (rates, bands, credits, exemptions, etc.) - have been largely procyclical over the period 1987-2019. These findings are in contrast with other developed countries, where tax policy has tended to be acyclical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognised that high-stakes assessment can significantly influence what is taught in the classroom. Many argue that high-stakes assessment results in a narrowed curriculum where students learn by rote rather than developing higher cognitive skills. This paper describes a study investigating the various cognitive objectives present from Bloom's Taxonomy Educational Objectives on the Leaving Certificate biology examination. The study analysed examination papers from the past and current biology syllabuses. Analysis was also carried out to determine the marks being awarded to the different cognitive objectives. The findings show that the examination predominately includes questions that do not promote higher levels of thinking. The majority of the marks on the paper were allocated to the lower objectives of the taxonomy, suggesting students can rely on rote learning to succeed when undertaking the biology examination. This study strongly highlights how high-stake examinations have a narrow scope in terms of student achievement and shows how current biology examination procedures promote low-level learning. This low level of thinking promotes rote learning and regurgitation of facts, requiring little to no understanding of the topics. To prepare students for the working world, there needs to be a shift from only terminal exams to a mixed approach.

Objectives: A national electronic health record is being procured for Health Service Executive hospitals in Ireland. A number of hospitals have implemented an electronic document management system. This study aimed to investigate the efficiency and safety of the electronic document management system in our centre., Methods: A retrospective audit was performed of patients operated on at Galway University Hospital. The availability and location of patients' admission data on the electronic document management system were recorded. These data were analysed using Microsoft Excel software, version 16.45., Results: The records of 100 patients were analysed. The main findings were: 5 per cent of operation notes were missing, 80 per cent were in the incorrect section, while 15 per cent were in the correct 'procedure' section on the electronic document management system., Conclusion: This study shows there is potential for error with 'paper-light' solutions, whereby delayed scanning, misfiling of scanned records and missing records may lead to significant delays in treatment and potential patient safety issues.

In Ireland and the UK it is accepted practice that agencies with formal responsibility for delivering school examinations allow examination candidates, and in many cases their teachers, to see their examination papers once they have been marked. Returned papers can carry various pieces of information; as well as the total score given for a performance, additional information is included in the form of the annotations left on the examination paper by the marking examiner. As far as we know there has been no research into how this information affects those who come into contact with it. The study uses teacher interview and survey data to explore whether a sociocultural approach to analysis can illuminate the factors that might influence their interpretation of those annotations. These analyses suggest that a key influence on the valid interpretation of an examiner's annotations is a teachers' involvement in examining activity. The analyses support further conceptualisation that these teacher-examiners' interpretative capacity is related to their positioning in a boundary zone between two different activity systems. (Contains 3 figures, 4 tables and 4 notes.)

The Government of Ireland has published its plan to reorder the infrastructure it uses to accommodate and support migrants seeking International Protection (IP) in Ireland. This policy document - entitled The White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Support Service - was published on 26th February, 2021. The White Paper proposes to replace Ireland's current but discredited system with a new IP accommodation and support process – to be entitled Ireland's International Protection Support Service. This new system is intended to "treat all applicants to the process with dignity and respect" (Government of Ireland, 2021: 7). Dissonances exist, however. The discursive framing of the IPSS and the spatialities inherent in the proposals suggest a potential rearticulation of state control rather that a diminution of same. I turn to the work of scholars inspired by Giorgio Agamben to help situate the spatialities of this shift, and suggest that the current 'white paper' should simply be seen as a mechanism deployed the Government of Ireland to ensure that its bio-political command and control processes can migrate from the spatially-defined set of control environments currently in effect to a diffuse construction of a spatially networked series of deterritorialised indistinctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The association between higher registered nurses (RN) staffing (educational level and number) and better patient and nurse outcomes is well-documented. This discussion paper aims to provide an overview of safe staffing policies in various high-income countries to identify reform trends in response to recurring nurse workforce challenges., Methods: Based on a scan of the literature five cases were selected: England (UK), Ireland, California (USA), Victoria and Queensland (Australia). Information was gathered via a review of the grey and peer-reviewed literature. Country experts were consulted for additional information and to review country reports., Results: The focus of safe staffing policies varies: increasing transparency about staffing decisions (England), matching actual and required staffing levels based on patient acuity measurement (Ireland), mandated patient-to-nurse ratios at the level of the nurse (California) or the ward (Victoria, Queensland). Calibration of the number of patients by the number of nurses varies across cases. Nevertheless, positive effects on the nursing workforce (increased bedside staffing) and staff well-being (increased job satisfaction) have been consistently documented. The impact on patient outcomes is promising but less well evidenced., Conclusion: Countries will have to set safe staffing policies to tackle challenges such as the ageing population and workforce shortages. Various approaches may prove effective, but need to be accompanied by a comprehensive policy that enhances bedside nurse staffing in an evidence-based, objective and transparent way., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The International Conference on the History of Records and Archives (ICHORA) has been held since 2003, with the most recent conference, ICHORA10, taking place online in July 2022. The conference aimed to reflect on the centenary of two significant events in recordkeeping history in the UK and Ireland. The conference featured various forms of participation, including short postcards from the past and longer academic presentations. The papers presented at the conference explored the nature of archives and records, highlighting the diversity of perspectives and the importance of historical context. The special issue of the journal includes articles on topics such as recordkeeping pioneers in Malta, recordkeepers in Latin America, and the history of archives in different countries. The conference also raised questions about the unique methods and perspectives involved in studying the history of archives and records. [Extracted from the article]

Background Executive skills refer to a set of cognitive skills that allow individuals to engage in goal directed behavior. They encompass planning, initiation, inhibition, monitoring and flexibility in approach to tasks, and are necessary for functional competence. Executive skills are vulnerable to disruption with damage to the brain, as occurs with dementia. Methods Participants were recruited from a tertiary memory assessment and support Service. The Assessment of Motor & Process Skills (AMPS), a standardised observational assessment of occupational performance (1Fischer, 2003) was administered by trained Occupational Therapists. In addition, the EXIT-25, a pen & paper based assessment of executive skills (2Royall et al, 1992) was administered. Process scores from the AMPS, and overall score from the EXIT 25 were utilised for correlation analysis. Results 22 participants, 12 male and 10 females, age range 60-91 (mean 75.5 years), was analysed using Spearman's Rho correlation (-.2). Results did not identify a strong correlation Conclusion Dementia is commonly regarded as a disorder of memory. However, diagnosis is dependent on functional decline related to cognitive decline. The AMPS provides a formal assessment of functional skills, in terms of motor & process skills with cut off scores regarding safe independent living. The results of this study indicate that the AMPS is not associated with executive scores on formal cognitive assessments, highlighting the value of an extensive multi-component MDT approach (also incorporating history taking, imaging, bio marker testing etc.) in assessing and diagnosing a dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2014 the government published a White Paper on Universal Health Insurance, which details the steps towards the implementation of the most radical reform proposals in the history of the Irish health system. The Irish health system currently contains a complex interaction between public and private financing and delivery, leading to a number of inequities, highlighting the need for reform. The government's proposals include changes to the funding, allocation and delivery of health-care resources, and will culminate with the introduction of universal mandatory private health insurance. However, there are a number of potential issues with the reforms, particularly relating to cost and cost containment, the ability of people to pay for mandatory health insurance, the need to strengthen regulatory governance and the need to invest in the provision of services. Wider health-reform issues also need to be considered, irrespective of the funding mechanism proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • ePIRLS 2016 is a new assessment of online reading skills of primary school pupils. • Spending time on the internet is positively associated with ePIRLS achievement. • Higher achievers in reading use computers less frequently for schoolwork at home. • Better online readers also use computers less frequently for schoolwork at school. • Owning a smart-phone is negatively associated with paper-based reading. Abstract Online reading necessitates the use of both similar and different skills to traditional paper-based reading. Therefore, some overlap is likely in the background and attitudinal factors associated with reading in the two modes. This study uses a multilevel framework and data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2016) to explore the characteristics associated with online and paper-based reading in Ireland. Of independent variables examined, pupil reading confidence has the largest effect size for both PIRLS and ePIRLS. Home background variables have similar effect sizes for the two outcomes. Differences between the models emerge regarding time spent browsing the internet, the frequency of using a computer at school, pupil enjoyment of reading, and pupil ownership of a smartphone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A hybrid method of ecological habitat survey and mapping is presented, bridging paper-based methods and mobile electronic procedures. The hybrid approach uses a hand-held PDA with real-time dGPS to map habitats and record habitat attributes. It retains paper field maps to facilitate ecological decisions and to overcome the need for field surveyors to operate a fully functional mobile GIS system. The transition from paper records to a full GIS implementation is bridged by secondary digitisation in which a GIS specialist, trained in field survey procedures, interacts routinely with the field surveyors, throughout the field season to assure data quality standards. The methodology is practical and affordable, particularly if there are multiple field surveyors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by interests in workforce planning and patient safety, a growing body of literature has begun to identify the reality and the prevalence of missed nursing care, also specified as care left undone, rationed care or unfinished care. Empirical studies and conceptual considerations have focused on structural issues such as staffing, as well as on outcome issues - missed care/unfinished care. Philosophical and ethical aspects of unfinished care are largely unexplored. Thus, while internationally studies highlight instances of covert rationing/missed care/care left undone - suggesting that nurses, in certain contexts, are actively engaged in rationing care - in terms of the nursing and nursing ethics literature, there appears to be a dearth of explicit decision-making frameworks within which to consider rationing of nursing care. In reality, the assumption of policy makers and health service managers is that nurses will continue to provide full care - despite reducing staffing levels and increased patient turnover, dependency and complexity of care. Often, it would appear that rationing/missed care/nursing care left undone is a direct response to overwhelming demands on the nursing resource in specific contexts. A discussion of resource allocation and rationing in nursing therefore seems timely. The aim of this discussion paper is to consider the ethical dimension of issues of resource allocation and rationing as they relate to nursing care and the distribution of the nursing resource.

This paper discusses some relevant issues in relation to the involvement of the Department of Education and Science in the education of children under four and examines the White Paper's proposals with specific reference to the target groups of young children who are disadvantaged, and young children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the development of policies dealing with teachers' digital competence in Norway, Ireland and Spain. Using a documentary research approach, the study analysed relevant policy documents from each country over a thirty-year period to the present day. Analysis of the documents highlights historical differences and similarities in how technology in education policies developed during that period and differences in how teacher education was addressed. Despite these differences, the analysis indicates a convergence in recent years towards a common understanding and the importance of teachers' digital competence influenced by supranational frameworks. The paper discusses the potential influence of these supranational frameworks and examines the opportunities and challenges of this policy convergence.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including human services; virtual community; and information technology.

The article concentrates on the inaugural 'Global Perspectives' edition of the International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support (IJPBS), providing expert insights into the conceptualization and utilization of positive behavioral support (PBS) models internationally. Topics covered include the development and uses of PBS in Australia, the history of PBS in Ireland rooted in human rights-based approaches, and a comprehensive 30-year evolution of PBS in the USA.

The article offers information on several upcoming conferences including one titled, Thanatos as Music? Schubert and Concepts of Late Style, to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in October 2011, one titled, Orchestral Conducting in the Nineteenth Century International Conference, to be held in La Spezia, Italy in July 2011, and one titled, ENIM 2011 to be held in Portugal in November 2011.

It is widely recognised that high-stakes assessment can significantly influence what is taught in the classroom. Many argue that high-stakes assessment results in a narrowed curriculum where students learn by rote rather than developing higher cognitive skills. This paper describes a study investigating the various cognitive objectives present from Bloom’s Taxonomy Educational Objectives on the Leaving Certificate biology examination. The study analysed examination papers from the past and current biology syllabuses. Analysis was also carried out to determine the marks being awarded to the different cognitive objectives. The findings show that the examination predominately includes questions that do not promote higher levels of thinking. The majority of the marks on the paper were allocated to the lower objectives of the taxonomy, suggesting students can rely on rote learning to succeed when undertaking the biology examination. This study strongly highlights how high-stake examinations have a narrow scope in terms of student achievement and shows how current biology examination procedures promote low-level learning. This low level of thinking promotes rote learning and regurgitation of facts, requiring little to no understanding of the topics. To prepare students for the working world, there needs to be a shift from only terminal exams to a mixed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose Ireland's physicians have a legal and an ethical duty to protect confidential patient information. Most healthcare records in Ireland remain paper based, so the purpose of this paper is to: assess the protection afforded to paper records; log highest risk records; note the variations that occurred during the working week; and observe the varying protection that occurred when staff, students and public members were present. Design/methodology/approach A customised audit tool was created using Sphinx software. Data were collected for three months. All wards included in the study were visited once during four discrete time periods across the working week. The medical records trolley's location was noted and total unattended medical records, total unattended nursing records, total unattended patient lists and when nursing personnel, medical students, public and a ward secretary were visibly present were recorded. Findings During 84 occasions when the authors visited wards, unattended medical records were identified on 33 per cent of occasions, 49 per cent were found during weekend visiting hours and just 4 per cent were found during morning rounds. The unattended medical records belonged to patients admitted to a medical specialty in 73 per cent of cases and a surgical specialty in 27 per cent. Medical records were found unattended in the nurses' station with much greater frequency when the ward secretary was off duty. Unattended nursing records were identified on 67 per cent of occasions the authors visited the ward and were most commonly found unattended in groups of six or more. Practical implications This study is a timely reminder that confidential patient information is at risk from inappropriate disclosure in the hospital. There are few context-specific standards for data protection to guide healthcare professionals, particularly paper records. Nursing records are left unattended with twice the frequency of medical records and are found unattended in greater numbers than medical records. Protection is strongest when ward secretaries are on duty. Over-reliance on vigilant ward secretaries could represent a threat to confidential patient information. Originality/value While other studies identified data protection as an issue, this study assesses how data security varies inside and outside conventional working hours. It provides a rationale and an impetus for specific changes across the whole working week. By identifying the on-duty ward secretary's favourable effect on medical record security, it highlights the need for alternative arrangements when the ward secretary is off duty. Data were collected prospectively in real time, giving a more accurate healthcare record security snapshot in each data collection point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situating its analysis in the late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Anglophone Atlantic world of print, this essay explores literature associated with experiments with paper currency in Massachusetts, Barbados, South Carolina, and Ireland. These currencies not only helped form imagined local publics for these provinces, but also produced imaginary notions of sovereignty for provincial legislative assemblies and their subjects. It comments on Jurgen Habermas's argument that a free and rational “bourgeois public sphere” emerged in Britain in this period by showing how writers like Swift, in both his British and Irish pamphleteering, persuaded readers into believing that they were part of an inclusive sovereign public. The work of Swift in defeating monetary experiments of all kinds in Ireland, written on behalf of an Anglo-Irish ruling elite that was the only demographic for whom the term “the public” truly applied, mobilized more common Irish readers with patriotic rhetoric. Swift's Drapier's Letters, in particular, thereby created an Irish counter-public to the more strictly elite “political public”—a counter-public that nonetheless became constituted as a popular market for the satire of Swift and others. This reading of the Drapier's Letters, following observations put forward by Clifford Siskin and Christian Thorne-Miano about the “invention” of British literature in this period, argues that the first modern Anglo-Irish discipline of literature is “forged” through such Swiftian publicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses some of the main findings of a Critical Discourse Analysis of two landmark documents in Irish adult education: Learning for Life: The White Paper on Adult Education (DES, 2000) and the Further Education and Training Strategy (SOLAS, 2014) (from here on referred to respectively as the White Paper and the FET Strategy). The diachronic approach taken by this inquiry permits an exploration of the ways in which language in policy documents has changed over time, particularly in terms of how policy addresses educational inequality. It is in this way that the notion of a discursive shift could be explored, setting this change in language in starker relief. Policy as discourse shapes the formation of this inquiry so the article briefly explicates the approach taken to a Critical Discourse Analysis. Considerations of methodological nationalism widened the focus to consider the influence of European Union (EU) policy discourses specifically in Irish policy formation and these discourses in the statecraft of the EU and nation states. It is from this perspective that the Irish story is also a European one, so the article analyses how the White Paper and the FET Strategy were framed by the EU policy discourses of 'lifelong learning' and 'skills' respectively. As part of this analysis, this article considers the significance of the redefinition of the notion of 'inclusion' to 'active inclusion' and the sharpening of 'evidence based' discourse in policy resourcing of adult education provision. Finally, the article briefly elaborates on the authors' experience of this research and the value of Critical Discourse Analysis as a normative force and a tool for advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the Republic of Ireland as a case study of the 'new' development advocacy, i.e. government, philanthropic, and celebrity humanitarian engagement with international development and statutory efforts to deepen understanding of international development among citizens in the global North (Biccum, 2010; 2011). It outlines some of the culturally specific narratives that inform the 'new' development advocacy in an Irish context, with reference to a set of recurrent tropes that have come to dominate both official and popular discourses of development 'at home'. Utilizing critical discourse analytic techniques, it illuminates the self constituting function these public pedagogical efforts perform and highlights the function that "remembering" instances of historical trauma and suffering, and of "forgetting" or ignoring Ireland's role in the history of imperialism, play in shaping and constituting the nation through orthodox development discourses. Rooted in a critical development education framework informed by postcolonial theory (Andreotti, 2006), the paper stresses the need for alternative development discourses that open up--rather than close down--possibilities for a deeper engagement with difficult questions of individual and collective responsibility, and with what it means to 'take action' in response to global problems or to engage with the suffering of Others.

Aims: To review, discuss and compare nursing and midwifery regulatory and professional bodies' scope of practice and associated decision-making frameworks., Background: Scope of practice in professional nursing and midwifery is an evolving process which needs to be responsive to clinical, service, societal, demographic and fiscal changes. Codes and frameworks offer a system of rules and principles by which the nursing and midwifery professions are expected to regulate members and demonstrate responsibility to society., Design: Discussion paper., Data Sources: Twelve scope of practice and associated decision-making frameworks (January 2000-March 2014)., Implications for Nursing: Two main approaches to the regulation of the scope of practice and associated decision-making frameworks exist internationally. The first approach is policy and regulation driven and behaviour oriented. The second approach is based on notions of autonomous decision-making, professionalism and accountability. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive, but have similar elements with a different emphasis. Both approaches lack explicit recognition of the aesthetic aspects of care and patient choice, which is a fundamental principle of evidence-based practice., Conclusion: Nursing organizations, regulatory authorities and nurses should recognize that scope of practice and the associated responsibility for decision-making provides a very public statement about the status of nursing in a given jurisdiction., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Hypospadias, the most common congenital malformation of the penis, is characterized by an abnormal ventral opening of the urethral meatus, abnormal ventral curvature of the penis, and an abnormal distribution of the foreskin around the glans, with a ventrally-deficient hooded foreskin, and has been described in modern peer-reviewed literature since Noble's description in 1853. A dramatic increase in the literature on hypospadiology has focused on two main topics: The aetiology of the condition including molecular mechanisms and environmental influences, as well as surgical techniques to repair the defect, however there have been a number of facets of research stemming from this poorly understood condition in a developing subspecialty (Figure). The majority of these publications focus on the evolution of surgical technique and management. Urethral reconstruction should offer the ability to stand to urinate and combine a satisfactory cosmetic result. The tubularized incised plate repair, popularized by Snodgrass et al., and the Mathieu repair, have been the mainstay for distal hypospadias, however, there have still been a large number of well-described techniques, with no consensus as to the ideal method of repair, some of which is attributed to non-uniform standards of reporting outcomes. There is also no standard objective means to qualitatively assess the importance of each of these contributions., Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the top 150 peer-reviewed articles in the field of hypospadiology by way of citation analysis as a means to determine the importance/relevance of each contribution throughout 8 decades of research., Study Design: A cited reference search was carried out for indexed citations within Web of Science™ Core Collection. The top 150 indexed cited articles containing the topic "hypospadias" in specific subject categories were compiled using a component of Science Citation Index command. References were then evaluated, and analysed across a number of indices, and over time., Results: The mean number of citations was 76 for each article. The top 150 articles were published across 21 countries, with the majority originating from the USA. The lead research institution was the University of Texas (Southwestern) Medical Center. In total, the top 3 centers represented 33 publications within the top 150 citations. The most commonly utilized journal was the Journal of Urology. The most cited author was W.T. Snodgrass. 39% papers in the top 150 cited articles were published prior to 1990. Three out of the five papers cited in the 1940s dealt with operative technique to repair hypospadias. The period 2000-2010 in contrast, demonstrated a significant inverse correlation between molecular biology citations, and those for operative techniques, with the incidence of the latter dropping to 6% of all cited papers., Discussion: This is the first study of its kind to analyse the most influential articles in hypospadiology, and their characteristics assessed for authorship, content and impact factor. Furthermore it allows data analysis by topic and between time points. This not only de-clutters the wealth of accumulated data on this subject, but also provides an important adjunct to education and training. As with this study, other citation analytical studies in urology found a significant preponderance in cited studies originating from the USA. The prevalence of the US in cited papers doesn't reflect any inherent bias, just a greater number of publications., Conclusion: Although there are inherent potential elements of bias in citation analysis, this study demonstrates that citation analysis in a complicated topic can provide a high-throughput, uncomplicated method of quickly deciphering important contributions of authors and institutions to the field of hypospadias research., (Copyright © 2015 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Eric Dunning influenced the development of curricula and research agendas in sociology, history, social science and sports studies, internationally, in the UK and in Ireland. Dunning was also doctoral supervisor to, and academic colleague/mentor and friend of, both authors (at Leicester, Dublin and Chester). Inspired by him, this paper reflects on the craft of sociological research. The case study is the struggle for recognition of 'Ireland' in international athletics and the associated painstaking ongoing archival and mixed methods research work in multiple venues, involving sporting, state and personal papers, interviews and oral history sources. Such a history of the social dynamics of charisma and shame between the so-called 'mother country' (Great Britain) and a restless dominion (Ireland) was by no means structureless or patternless, but ontologically interdependent with life today. Accordingly, we consider several themes: the interplay between theory and evidence, the involvement-detachment balance and exploring knowledge figurations. In line with Dunning (and Elias), the paper adopts an anticipatory motif, that is to say, the work of understanding social relations between the 'British' and 'Irish' 'then' and 'now' is not finished. This work is one step in carrying forth the baton – the stock of intergenerational knowledge – about doing sociology, handed to us in trust by Dunning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the relationship between anti-vice campaigns and the popular publishing industry of early-twentieth century Ireland. Specifically, it argues that there existed an informal but strongly symbiotic relationship between the two. The Irish anti-vice campaigns emphasised their objections to imported 'pernicious literature' in the form of British newspapers and story papers, thus allying themselves with both religious and nationalist movements of the time in Ireland. The Irish popular press, especially the story papers in direct and unequal competition with their large-scale British equivalents such as the Boys Own Paper, were able to use these moral attacks upon their competitors to position themselves as alternative leisure reading which was both wholesome and patriotic. This essay examines the ways in which Irish story papers such as the Emerald and Ireland's Own were able to use social purity rhetoric as a marketing technique against their British competitors. This occurred even though, as the essay outlines, in many cases the content of their stories was equally sensationalist and also had a strong emphasis upon violence, lurid plotlines and sometimes even sexually-suggestive advertising. Despite this, the anti-vice campaigns reserved their condemnations almost entirely for British publications, thus maintaining a co-operation with Irish publications which benefitted both parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how special educational needs (SEN) and social class can become intertwined in post-primary school choice in Ireland. The paper draws on data generated during a three-year ethnographic study of a DEIS school. Data are analysed using Holland et al.'s (1998. Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press) positional identities, authored selves and figured worlds in order to examine how learner identities and school choice processes can become informed by emergent school cultures being formed and re-formed by neoliberal marketisation of education and how these actions are taken up in the identity work of young people and their families. Soft barriers and their contribution to aspects of school stratification by social class and SEN in this setting are explored. Finally, the paper calls for recognition of the responsibilities of every school to own diversity in their own settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Ireland and the UK it is accepted practice that agencies with formal responsibility for delivering school examinations allow examination candidates, and in many cases their teachers, to see their examination papers once they have been marked. Returned papers can carry various pieces of information; as well as the total score given for a performance, additional information is included in the form of the annotations left on the examination paper by the marking examiner. As far as we know there has been no research into how this information affects those who come into contact with it. The study uses teacher interview and survey data to explore whether a sociocultural approach to analysis can illuminate the factors that might influence their interpretation of those annotations. These analyses suggest that a key influence on the valid interpretation of an examiner's annotations is a teachers' involvement in examining activity. The analyses support further conceptualisation that these teacher-examiners' interpretative capacity is related to their positioning in a boundary zone between two different activity systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922 and the subsequent efforts to salvage and preserve the records that were recovered. It discusses how the staff at the time worked to recover records from the rubble and how they were cleaned and preserved. It also highlights the use of glassine paper in repairing damaged records, specifically in the case of the collection of Dublin Marriage Bonds from 1749-1820.

Pedestrian bridges are increasingly becoming landmark structures designed to promote a modern vibrant image of their surrounding landscape. Designs are becoming more daring; spans are increasing and becoming more slender and the use of lightweight materials is more prevalent. The net result is that it is often the serviceability limit state, rather than the ultimate limit state, that controls the bridge design. Sean O'Casey Bridge, Dublin, is the most recently constructed pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey. This articulated steel bridge, designed by O'Connor Sutton Cronin Consulting Engineers following an international design competition, is located in Dublin's docklands and spans approximately 88m across the river. This paper describes the pedestrian crossing tests, experimental modal analyses, and associated numerical modelling undertaken to assess vibration serviceability. The results of these analyses and their implications for the serviceability limit state assessment of pedestrian bridges are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the papers of Patrick McGilligan were deposited in the University College Dublin (UCD) Archives in a series of tranches between 1977–1978 and are catalogued in five separate catalogues. It states that the paper has covered broad subject areas which include electrification of the Irish Free State (1919–1932); Shannon Board of Control files (1925–1931) and material regarding Dr. Thomas McLaughlin.

The analysis of electronic versus paper documents, especially in the context of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), has often focused on affordances, issues of design and implementation, and work practices. Issues of culture are often understated in such studies. Yet, like any object of material culture, the use of paper files, as well as an aversion to electronic information sharing, is conditioned by the cultural and political background of a society. This article will suggest that the persistence of paper files in a section of the Irish civil service during the 1990s had much to do with issues of accountability and a cult of expertise, in which papers files, as material objects, were deployed on behalf of claims of expertise and power. This intertwining of power, politics and information is a feature of Irish society, and the discourse of expertise and power is a theme that permeates many aspects of Irish culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to facilitate greater voting participation in the Republic of Ireland, photographs of candidates have been placed on the ballot paper for local, national and European elections. Limited research undertaken in advance of the implementation of the photograph policy advised that the measure would assist people with literacy problems. However, social psychology research has long demonstrated that people are willing to make considerable judgements about a person when shown a photograph. The advent of ballot paper photographs allows candidates to be evaluated on the basis of their appearance. This article will explore how photographs could have become a factor in voter decision-making. Providing additional knowledge to encourage greater participation and engagement has introduced a possible new level of superficiality into the voter decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical education policy in Ireland has enabled an increase in undergraduate and postgraduate education activity in general practice. Internationally, 'vertical integration in general practice education' is suggested as a key strategy to support the implementation of this policy development., Aims: To review the emerging literature on vertical integration in GP education, specifically to define the concept of 'vertical integration' with regard to education in general practice and to describe its benefits and challenges., Methods: We searched 'Pubmed', 'Academic Search Complete', 'Google', and 'MEDLINE' databases using multiple terms related to 'vertical integration' and 'general practice education' for relevant articles published since 2001. Discussion papers, reports, policy documents and position statements were identified from reference lists and retrieved through internet searches., Results: The key components of 'vertical integration' in GP education include continuous educational pathway, all stages in GP education, supporting the continuing educational/professional development needs of learners at each stage and effective curriculum planning and delivery. Many benefits (for GPs, learners and the community) and many challenges (for GPs/practices, learners and GPs in training) have been described. Characteristics of successful implementation include role sharing and collaborative organisational structures., Conclusions: Recent developments in medical education in Ireland, such as the increase in medical school clinical placements in general practice and postgraduate GP training and the introduction of new competence assurance requirements offer an important opportunity to further inform how vertical integration can support increased educational activity in general practice. Describing this model, recognising its benefits and challenges and supporting its implementation in practice are priorities for medical education in Ireland.

Background Ireland introduced comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in 2004. This study evaluates the economic impact of the workplace smoking ban on the value of sales in bars Methods Data on the value of bar sales were derived from a large, nationally representative, annual business-level survey from 1999 to 2007. The economic impact of the smoking ban was evaluated according to geographical region and bar size. Analysis was based on an econometric model which controlled for background changes in population income and wealth and for investments made by the bars during this period. Results The overall impact of the Irish smoking ban on bar sales appears to be very small. The ban was associated with an increase in sales among medium to large bars in the Border-Midland-West (more rural) region of Ireland, and a small reduction in sales among large bars in the more urban, South-East region. We failed to find any evidence of a change in bar sales in the remaining categories studied. Conclusions The results indicate that although some bars saw positive effects and some negative, the overall impact of the smoking ban on the value of sales in bars was negligible. These findings provide further supporting evidence that comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation does not harm hospitality businesses while having positive health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the cataloguing, digitization, and conservation on the papers written by Father Luke Wadding at University College Dublin regarding his activities as historian, theologian, and Irish agent in Rome. It mentions that four of his manuscripts were kept by Paul Grosjean of Society of Jesus at the Merchants' Quay in 1920 in a catalogue of hagiographical works. It states that his written and received were preserved at the Vatican Library, Biblioteca Landiana in Piacenza, and Archives of the Bollandists in Brussels. It adds that majority of his letters were sent from Saint Isidore, few from Naples, and others were from the friaries of San Pietro and Aracoeli in Montorio, Rome.

The article reports on the result of the survey by the Research and Markets in Dublin, Ireland regarding the increasing percentage rates of paper production in China in 2004. Accordingly, the papermaking industry in China shows development in 2004 with 49.5 million metric tons paperboard production which is 15.1 percent more than in 2003. China's gross domestic product in 2004 reached to 9.5 percent much higher than its 7 percent target.

To explore young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. Autonomous and controlled forms of extrinsic and intrinsic regulation are discussed regarding young peoples' decision to pursue an agricultural education. A qualitative research approach was applied comprising of purposive and snowball sampling for 28 face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. An understanding of the motivational regulations which mobilise young people to engage in agricultural education is provided. This paper sheds light on the psychological processes energising individuals to engage with agricultural education. The research highlights the importance of understanding motivation for engaging in agricultural education, and subsequent impacts on education programmes and educators. This paper contributes to pragmatic insights which demonstrate the importance of understanding young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. The paper builds on previous studies by using S.D.T. as a framework for understanding motivational processes within agricultural education. This paper supports an understanding of the motivational regulations which mobilise young people to engage with agricultural education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the current status of research in the field of metaverse, and to analyze the research progress and evolutionary trends in this field. Methods: Based on the bibliometric analysis, a total of 921 papers were obtained by searching the Web of science core database for the keyword "metaverse". CiteSpace was used to visualize and analyze the current status and trends of metaverse research in China. Results: Ireland is currently the country with the highest research impact. China is currently the country with the largest number of publications in this field, but the impact of the research is insufficient. The current research in the highly cited literature focuses on technical and history reviews of the metaverse as well as its development in the field of education. Artificial Intelligence and utaut2 are the underlying clusters of cited literature in this research area. Several research hotspots have been formed, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, digital twins and artificial intelligence. Conclusion: The current research on metaverse in various fields is basically in its infancy, but has a great potential for future development and will gradually penetrate into many different directions with many challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has risen rapidly to public and professional prominence in the UK in recent years. In this paper, we explore some issues that emerge from an analysis of newspaper articles on ADHD and look at the discourses that are constructed – discourses which contribute to defining what ADHD is, through argument and counter-argument. We contextualize these arguments in a developing consumerism and the changing relationships between the public and ‘experts’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]