Babies, bodies and entitlement: gendered aspects of access to citizenship in the Republic of Ireland

Since the mid-1990s, automatic citizenship for children born in the Republic has been a source of growing debate against a backdrop of increasing immigration and the peace process. In June 2004, the debate culminated in a referendum, opening the way to a constitutional amendment that attaches residence qualifications to the hitherto unfettered entitlement to citizenship available through ius soli. Arguments for the amendment were couched in terms of a threat posed by Third World women having babies in Ireland to obtain residence, and a putative obligation to the EU to harmonise citizenship laws. This article explores how pregnant foreign women’s bodies became a site of perplexity about the borders of the twenty-first century Irish nation. It is therefore suggested that neither the ‘racial state’ theories nor feminist theories of the nation-state account fully for this. On closer inspection, the seemingly sui generis case of the Irish referendum is therefore fruitful in that it demands further reflection in terms of bridging gaps in the existing theory.

The development of discourse in a discourse of development:a case study of a group constructing a new discourse.

This thesis is a qualitative case study drawing on discourse analysis and ethnographic traditions. The aim of the study is to provide a description of the discourse consciously constructed by a group of six TESOL professionals in the interests of their own development. Once a week, the group met for one hour and took turns to act as 'Speaker'. The other five individuals acted as Understanders. The extra space given to the Speaker allowed a fuller articulation of a problem or focus than would normally be possible in other professional talk. The Understanders contributed moves to support this articulation. The description covers a two-year period (1998-2000) of this constructed discourse. Data, collected during this period, are drawn from several different sources: recordings, interviews, diaries and critical incident journals. The main recordings are of the actual Group Development Meetings (GDMs). Discussion of six transcribed GDMs demonstrates which discourse choices and decisions were important. In particular, the study looks at the key role played by 'Reflection' in this process. It is argued that Reflection is the key element in supporting the Speaker. The analysis of Reflection, which is considered from four perspectives (values, purpose, form and outcomes) draws on data from the featured cases. Issues relating to the transfer to other groups of this discourse-based approach to professional development are considered.

Creative credits:a randomized controlled industrial policy experiment

This report examines the results of a pilot study, which used a method of evaluation called randomised control trials (RCTs) to see if a popular business support scheme called Creative Credits worked effectively. The pilot study, which began in Manchester in 2009, was structured so that vouchers, or 'Creative Credits', would be randomly allocated to small and medium-sized businesses applying to invest in creative projects such as developing websites, video production and creative marketing campaigns, to see if they had a real effect on innovation. The research found that the firms who were awarded Creative Credits enjoyed a short-term boost in their innovation and sales growth in the six months following completion of their creative projects. However, the positive effects were not sustained, and after 12 months there was no longer a statistically significant difference between the groups that received the credits and those that didn’t. The report argues that these results would have remained hidden using the normal evaluation methods used by government, and calls for RCTs to be used more widely when evaluating policies to support business growth.

The mosaic test:measuring the effectiveness of colour-based image retrieval

A variety of content-based image retrieval systems exist which enable users to perform image retrieval based on colour content - i.e., colour-based image retrieval. For the production of media for use in television and film, colour-based image retrieval is useful for retrieving specifically coloured animations, graphics or videos from large databases (by comparing user queries to the colour content of extracted key frames). It is also useful to graphic artists creating realistic computer-generated imagery (CGI). Unfortunately, current methods for evaluating colour-based image retrieval systems have 2 major drawbacks. Firstly, the relevance of images retrieved during the task cannot be measured reliably. Secondly, existing methods do not account for the creative design activity known as reflection-in-action. Consequently, the development and application of novel and potentially more effective colour-based image retrieval approaches, better supporting the large number of users creating media for use in television and film productions, is not possible as their efficacy cannot be reliably measured and compared to existing technologies. As a solution to the problem, this paper introduces the Mosaic Test. The Mosaic Test is a user-based evaluation approach in which participants complete an image mosaic of a predetermined target image, using the colour-based image retrieval system that is being evaluated. In this paper, we introduce the Mosaic Test and report on a user evaluation. The findings of the study reveal that the Mosaic Test overcomes the 2 major drawbacks associated with existing evaluation methods and does not require expert participants. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Simple design of nonuniform fiber Bragg grating with sharp reflection

In this paper we consider the possibility of using intermediate solutions, in which ideal apodisation profile for a dispersion-free, sharp-reflection profile fibre Bragg grating approximated in different degrees. The ideal apodisation profile for a flat dispersion, 50 GHz bandwidth grating was obtained using the layer-peeling algorithm. To verify the modelled results a version of the 5-section grating has been manufactured with excellent agreement between the model and the experimental results. The performance penalty due to multiple reflections from the FBGs in different situations was studied. The results showed that in the approximated gratings some post-compensation must be included to account for the local deviations from zero dispersion. © 2003 IEEE.

Dual-parameters sensing based on multimode microfiber with Fresnel reflection

A compact and low cost fiber sensor based on microfiber with Fresnel reflection is proposed and demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of refractive index (RI) and temperature with high sensitivities. © OSA 2015.

Joining the dots:using structured e-portfolio assignments to enhance reflection

Although there has been an increased interest in the use of electronic portfolios in higher education over the last five years, relatively little is known about the potential of such tools to support the development of higher order abilities for students, such as reflection, in a structured way that is suitable for assessment. This paper reports the findings from a small-scale research which sets out to compare the outcomes of reflective assignments in two cohorts of participants in a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Higher Education in the UK. Participants in the programme were asked to submit reflective accounts using an e-portfolio system as part of their formal assessment. One cohort completed the assessment using some generic guidelines of how to reflect and construct an e-portfolio page without a given template or structure, whereas another cohort was given a specific template with clear assessment criteria to gauge the assembly of their reflections. The authors, who are also tutors in the programme, analysed the submitted reflections following open coding procedures. The analysis found a tendency for the reflection in the first cohort to be merely descriptive without progressing to speculating objectively about answers to relevant analytical questions about the process involved in the ability under scrutiny. In contrast the assignments of cohort two were found to be more insightful in terms of assimilating random bits of materials, thoughts and self-questions into complete reflective accounts. These findings bring some evidence to support and indeed promote a more structured approach to reflective practice, which can be further enhanced through a carefully created e-portfolio template and associated assessment criteria.

Is there a role for telemedicine in adult allergy services?

Telemedicine refers to the application of telecommunication and information technology (IT) in the delivery of health and clinical care at a distance or remotely and can be broadly considered in two modalities: store-and-forward and real-time interactive services. Preliminary studies have shown promising results in radiology, dermatology, intensive care, diabetes, rheumatology and primary care. However, the evidence is limited and hampered by small sample sizes, paucity of randomised controlled studies and lack of data relating to cost-effectiveness, health related quality of life and patient and clinician satisfaction. This review appraises the evidence from studies that have employed telemedicine tools in other disciplines and makes suggestions for its potential applications in specific clinical scenarios in adult allergy services. Possible examples include: triaging patients to determine the need for allergy tests; pre-assessment for specialised treatments such as allergen immunotherapy; follow up to assess treatment response and side effects; and education in self-management plan including training updates for self-injectable adrenaline and nasal spray use. This approach might improve access for those with limited mobility or living far away from regional centres, as well as bringing convenience and cost savings for the patient and service provider. These potential benefits need to be carefully weighed against evidence of service safety and quality. Keys to success include delineation of appropriate clinical scenarios, patient selection, training, IT support and robust information governance framework. Well-designed prospective studies are needed to evaluate its role. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Immunological protein-protein interactions:a critical reflection

Life, and the biochemistry of which it is ultimately comprised, is built from the interactions of proteins, and the study of protein-protein interactions is fast becoming a central feature of molecular bioscience. This is as true of immunobiology as it is of other areas of the wider biological milieu. Protein-protein interactions within an immunological setting comprise both the kind familiar from other areas of biology and instantiations of protein-protein interactions special to the immune arena. Of the generic kind of protein-protein interaction, co-stimulatory receptors, such as CD28, and the interaction of accessory proteins, such as CD4 or CD8, are amongst the most prevalent and apposite of examples. The key examples of special immunological instantiations of protein-protein interactions are the binding of antigens by antibodies and the formation of peptide-MHC-TCR complexes; both prime examples of vital molecular recognition events mediated by protein-protein interactions. In this brief review, and within the context of this burgeoning field, we examine immunological protein-protein interactions, focussing on the problematic nature of defining such interactions. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.