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Project Energize: Intervention development and 10 years of progress in preventing childhood obesity Public Health
Get PDFPrevention of childhood obesity is a global priority. The school setting offers access to large numbers of children and the ability to provide supportive environments for quality physical activity and nutrition. This article describes Project Energize, a through-school physical activity and nutrition programme that celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2015 so that it might serve as a model for similar practices, initiatives and policies elsewhere. The programme was envisaged and financed by the Waikato District Health Board of New Zealand in 2004 and delivered by Sport Waikato to 124 primary schools as a randomised controlled trial from 2005 to 2006. The programme has since expanded to include all 242 primary schools in the Waikato region and 70 schools in other regions, including 53,000 children. Ongoing evaluation and development of Project Energize has shown it to be sustainable (ongoing for \u3e10 years), both effective (lower obesity, higher physical fitness) and cost effective (one health related cost quality adjusted life year between 30,000) and efficient ($45/child/year) as a childhood \u27health\u27 programme. The programme\u27s unique community-based approach is inclusive of all children, serving a population that is 42 % Ma¯ori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. While the original nine healthy eating and seven quality physical activity goals have not changed, the delivery and assessment processes has been refined and the health service adapted over the 10 years of the programme existence, as well as adapted over time to other settings including early childhood education and schools in Cork in Ireland. Evaluation and research associated with the programme delivery and outcomes are ongoing. The dissemination of findings to politicians and collaboration with other service providers are both regarded as priorities
A Search for Spectral Hysteresis and Energy-dependent Time Lags from X-Ray and TeV Gamma-Ray Observations of Mrk 421
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Blazars are variable emitters across all wavelengths over a wide range of timescales, from months down to minutes. It is therefore essential to observe blazars simultaneously at different wavelengths, especially in the X-ray and gamma-ray bands, where the broadband spectral energy distributions usually peak. In this work, we report on three target-of-opportunity observations of Mrk 421, one of the brightest TeV blazars, triggered by a strong flaring event at TeV energies in 2014. These observations feature long, continuous, and simultaneous exposures with XMM-Newton (covering the X-ray and optical/ultraviolet bands) and VERITAS (covering the TeV gamma-ray band), along with contemporaneous observations from other gamma-ray facilities (MAGIC and Fermi-Large Area Telescope) and a number of radio and optical facilities. Although neither rapid flares nor significant X-ray/TeV correlation are detected, these observations reveal subtle changes in the X-ray spectrum of the source over the course of a few days. We search the simultaneous X-ray and TeV data for spectral hysteresis patterns and time delays, which could provide insight into the emission mechanisms and the source properties (e.g., the radius of the emitting region, the strength of the magnetic field, and related timescales). The observed broadband spectra are consistent with a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. We find that the power spectral density distribution at 4 × 10−4 Hz from the X-ray data can be described by a power-law model with an index value between 1.2 and 1.8, and do not find evidence for a steepening of the power spectral index (often associated with a characteristic length scale) compared to the previously reported values at lower frequencies
An Examination of the Factors that Influence the Strategic Priorities of Ireland\u27s Public and Private Higher Education Senior Managers
Get PDFGlobally, higher education is experiencing transformative changes, and higher education institutions now operate in highly competitive and dynamic environments. Funders of higher education, including governments, subsequently, require the strategic spending of funding, and expect higher education institutions to deliver a satisfactory return on investment. In this landscape, and in the context of Ireland’s challenging economic environment in recent years, this research seeks to understand precisely what factors influence the strategic priorities of Ireland’s higher education senior managers. Research on strategic planning in Irish HE is limited, particularly in the context of Ireland’s volatile economic environment, in recent years, and global developments in higher education. The current research uses a qualitative approach and aims to bridge the gap in HE literature, particularly Irish HE literature. It derives key insights from managers in relation to selecting, implementing, and attaining their organisations’ strategic priorities. The empirical research was conducted with 49 senior higher education managers in Ireland’s universities, institutes of technology, and private HEIs to elicit and capture their unique perspectives and experiences.
This research demonstrates that developments in the domestic environment predominantly influence the priorities of Ireland’s HE managers, particularly the role of the Irish government, and the economic and financial environment. This research builds upon existing higher education literature in relation to factors influencing higher education systems and institutions and, specifically, suggests that higher education trends and developments occurring outside of Ireland have less relevance for HE managers in this study. Based on the research conclusions a model was developed, which illustrates the primary findings to emerge from this study. Additionally, a framework for the pursuit and attainment of ambitious strategic priorities was created to, in particular, illustrate that HEIs and senior managers require five particular enablers in their immediate and wider environments, such as flexibility, autonomy, and trust from their key stakeholder. Through the creation and preservation of these enablers, managers are optimally positioned to pursue and attain ambitious strategic priorities, and to engage in impactful strategic planning. This research, therefore, synthesises strategic planning best practice and, additionally, highlights the critical role of relevant HE stakeholders in adhering to its implementation
Gamma-rays from the quasar PKS 1441+25: story of an escape
Get PDFOutbursts from gamma-ray quasars provide insights on the relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei and constraints on the diffuse radiation fields that fill the universe. The detection of significant emission above 100 GeV from a distant quasar would show that some of the radiated gamma-rays escape pair-production interactions with low-energy photons, be it the extragalactic background light (EBL), or the radiation near the supermassive black hole lying at the jet\u27s base. VERITAS detected gamma-ray emission up to ~200 GeV from PKS 1441+25 (z = 0.939) during 2015 April, a period of high activity across all wavelengths. This observation of PKS 1441+25 suggests that the emission region is located thousands of Schwarzschild radii away from the black hole. The gamma-ray detection also sets a stringent upper limit on the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared EBL intensity, suggesting that galaxy surveys have resolved most, if not all, of the sources of the EBL at these wavelengths
Phylogenetic investigation of enteric bovine coronavirus in Ireland reveals partitioning between European and global strains
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Bovine coronavirus is a primary cause of neonatal calf diarrhea worldwide, and is also associated with acute diarrhea in adult cattle during the winter season. There are no reports on molecular characterization of bovine coronavirus in Ireland, and little data exists apart from serological studies. Findings
In this study, 11 neonatal (mean age 9 days) calf BCoV strains from the south of Ireland were collected over a one year period and characterized using molecular methods. The spike gene which encodes a protein involved in viral entry, infectivity and immune response shows the most variability amongst the isolates and was subsequently selected for in depth analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of the spike gene revealed that the Irish strains clustered with novel BCoV strains from Europe in a unique clade, possibly indicating lineage partitioning. Direct analysis of alignments identified amino acid changes in the spike protein unique to the Irish clade. Conclusion
Thus, monitoring of bovine coronavirus in Ireland is important as the current isolates in circulation in the south of Ireland may be diverging from the available vaccine strain, which may have implications regarding future BCoV vaccine efficacy
A Proposed Model for the Approach to Augmented Reality Deployment in Marketing Communications
Get PDFIn the contemporary landscape, human interaction is characterized by the pervasive mediation of intelligent agents. Owing to advances in computer science and engineering, phenomena once limited to fixed locations are metamorphosing from extraneous entities to implicit components of the everyday. Computing power has simultaneously enhanced and miniaturized to the extent that contemporary consumer devices demonstrate power equivalent to or greater than that of personal computers of recent memory. At the same time, network connectivity has proliferated to ubiquitous levels, reflected in the fact that the amount of inanimate objects connected to the Internet has recently surpassed the human population of earth. Digitally mediated experiences are thus no longer the province of fixed-line terminals; rather than projecting a virtual avatar of oneself into a synthetic environment, elements of that environment are extricated and placed into the physical domain. In this landscape, the concept of augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a way to visualize the pervasive virtual information woven into the physical environment. However, research on the phenomenon has largely remained technical in nature; the collective body of work which seeks to understand its role in society has remained comparatively limited. This paper aims to bridge the divide between these hitherto disparate research avenues. The paper affords particular attention to the impact of AR on the discipline of marketing communications, as the domain’s interest towards phenomenon accelerates; following the motifs of historically innovative phenomena such as television and the Internet. Through a qualitative approach, the paper derives insight from key social actors, resulting in a number of findings used as a foundation to build knowledge on the nascent role of AR in the marketing communications domain. A model is presented which schematizes an approach to the deployment of AR, formalizing the collective intelligence of those key social actors. The aim of the paper is thus to propose heuristics for marketing professionals who seek to implement AR as a component of a communications programme, and increase the collective knowledge of the discipline on this enigmatic phenomenon. The proposed model is dual-natured, highlighting not only the unique attributes of AR, but emphasizing the robustness of traditional best practice values to which its implementation must adhere. The latter represents a recurring theme throughout the research findings; a potentially significant one given the singular nature of the phenomenon and the tendency towards the novel observed in many of its early applications
Preparedness of Hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an Influenza Pandemic, an Infection Control Perspective
Get PDFWhen an influenza pandemic occurs most of the population is susceptible and attack rates can range as high as 40–50 %. The most important failure in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared’. The aim of this study was to assess the preparedness of acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective
Project Spraoi: A Strategy to Improve Nutrition and Increase Physical Activity in Primary School Children
Get PDFIntroduction: Paediatric obesity has become a global epidemic with many countries developing strategies to help tackle its prevalence. School based physical activity (PA) and nutrition interventions have proven to play a promising role in tackling childhood obesity.
Background: Project Spraoi is an Irish primary school based intervention. The intervention was delivered to an intervention school to help enhance PA and nutritional behaviour amongst pupils. The intervention school was assigned an ‘Energizer’; a trained PA and nutrition change agent who worked with the school to achieve the objectives. For evaluation purposes a control school was recruited.
Methodology: Pupils from the intervention and control school (boys n = 85, 51.5%, girls n = 80, 48.5%) aged 6 and 10 at enrolment, had their anthropometric and physiological measurements taken, completed a nutritional knowledge survey and a cardiovascular fitness test, and wore an accelerometer at baseline and near intervention end. Data from intervention school stakeholders was also obtained.
Results: Pupils receiving the intervention had a statistically significant improvement in blood pressure (p = .000) compared to pupils who did not receive the intervention (p = .710). Twenty six weeks later pupils from the intervention school also performed better in the fitness test near intervention end (p = .000) compared to baseline. No statistically significant improvements in pupils’ BMI or waist circumference were found. PA increased and sedentary time decreased in the intervention school however these findings were not statistically significant. Improvements in pupils’ nutritional knowledge and behaviour across certain topics were also found.
Conclusion: This approach may be associated with health benefits however the trajectory of this change needs to be measured over a longer time period
Extensibility - Validation of Workplace Learning in Higher Education - Examples and Considerations
Get PDFThe importance of effective curriculum design and development in structuring and supporting learners in their knowledge attainment has been outlined in the writings of Tyler (1949) [1] which supports the approach adopted in European Higher Education stemming from the 1999 Bologna Declaration (European Commission, 2009). These structures are assisted in part by national and European qualification frameworks and the Dublin descriptors which are explicit of the variances in knowledge, skill and competence as one progresses in higher education and training. In addition, the inclusion of learning outcomes and programme objectives in the development of comprehensive curricula has been linked to the product model of curriculum development. Informal learning is defined as learning gained through in-house training, non-accredited courses where the outcomes is known in advance but there is no associated academic credit. This paper outlines the approaches adopted by Cork Institute of Technology in considering informal learning from the workplace in curriculum design, development, delivery and assessment of academic programmes. This is considered in terms of recognising how learning happens and the structures which need to exist to build an effective system for the growth and development of incorporating workplace learning and future needs. The paper includes a discussion around the necessary frameworks identified by Cork Institute of Technology which support the development of a more informed curriculum design quality assurance cycle. This cycle seeks to incorporate flexibility into the design to facilitate individual learning pathways and specialisations, whilst maintaining academic rigour, higher learning and workplace needs. The approach adopted by CIT as outlined in this paper provides examples of how the incorporation of flexibility without compromising quality assurance in curriculum design and development can deliver outcomes more aligned to the needs of graduates and the workplace