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The Economic Value of a Place-Based Resource for Regional Development
Get PDFRegional economic development has long been acknowledged as an important objective of government policy. Natural resources are also recognised as drivers of economic development. However, the importance of place-based resources such as peripheral coastlines and Harbour areas are less understood. This research provides insights into an industry based on its region’s natural resource and the value it generates for sustainable economic development. Using the world’s second largest natural Harbour region, the current research measures the economic activities associated with the Marine Leisure Industry in Cork Harbour, and estimates the economic impact on the local economy. The research establishes a multiplier specific to the industry, one that has the potential for use across Ireland. Cork Harbour, located in the south-west of Ireland generates approximately €6.6m direct expenditure by the industry. Based on the multiplier, the Marine Leisure Industry is estimated to account for approximately €11m of output supporting 29 direct jobs and 290 indirect jobs. With potential to grow berthing capacity, the region has real opportunities to increase the economic impact of this indigenous industry for the city, its hinterland and beyond. Our findings challenge policymakers to consider creating an enabling environment for the marine leisure industry to flourish and recognise the value of place-based resource as a driver of regional development
Making Adult Skills Visible: Implications for Practice and Policy
Get PDFA number of European Union priorities focus on sustained and shared approaches to making skills visible as well as supporting mobility of workforces within Europe including the integration of migrants and refugees. Supportive, transnational processes for the recognition and validation of learning provide an opportunity to maximise human capital and to benefit labour markets and societies generally leading to improved economic performance. The Visible Skills of Adults (VISKA) is an Erasmus+ Key Action 3 Project, filed under the call priority theme of “Employment and Skills: validation of informal and non-formal learning in Education and Training.” The project partners, from Norway, Iceland, Belgium-Flanders and Ireland will address European and national policy priorities by cooperating to make knowledge, skills and competences of adults more visible through consideration of the practice of validation of informal and non-formal learning and the implementation of some field trials. An initial mapping process of the national contexts has provided a baseline set of data on the existing processes, procedural information and resources related to the validation of learning of migrants /immigrants, refugees and those with low qualifications within partner jurisdictions and subsequently reflected into an EU context prior to implementation of various interventions planned by the project team. This vital relative information provides a context for the action-based interventions and a framework for the evaluation of the outcomes.This paper details the five planned interventions drawn up by the project partners and the positions them in relation to the data collection processes and the potential for the project to contribute to policy at a local, national and European level. It addresses how well these interventions map to the European Guidelines for the Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning and inform the national responses to these guidelines, and previews the project outputs and outcomes The focus of this paper is to detail how the interventions relate to the evaluation of competence of low-skilled, migrants and refugees for the purposes of identifying further opportunities as informed by their existing knowledge, skill and competence
Building Sustainability Through Organisational Arrangements
Get PDFRecognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has existed in Cork Institute of Technology(CIT) since 1999 as part of its central services to all learners for access, transfer and progression. The sustainability of RPL within CIT is as a result of strategic decisions made as to its importance and the multi-faceted approach which has been adopted and embedded by CIT to ensure that validation is implemented, used and valued. This presentation will outline the policy, systems and processes CIT has adopted to meet the needs of all stakeholders including learners, staff, institution and industry. It will focus on the strategy and policy of the institution which has evolved and developed through dialogue and in the establishment of the CIT Extended Campus, a central unit which facilitates CITs relationships and engagements with stakeholders. This presentation will also outline the challenges encountered and solutions which CIT enabled in response to their role in validation over the past twenty years
Gene co-expression analysis of the human substantia nigra identifies BMP2 as a neurotrophic factor that can promote neurite growth in cells overexpressing wild-type or A53T α-synuclein
Get PDFIntroduction: α-synuclein-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons has been proposed to be central to the early progression of Parkinson\u27s disease. This highlights the need to identify factors that are neuroprotective or neuroregenerative against α-synuclein-induced degeneration. Due to their potent neurotrophic effects on nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, we hypothesized that members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family have potential to protect these cells against α-synuclein. Methods: To identify the most relevant BMP ligands, we used unbiased gene co-expression analysis to identify all BMP family members having a significant positive correlation with five markers of dopaminergic neurons in the human substantia nigra (SN). We then tested the ability of lead BMPs to promote neurite growth in SH-SY5Y cells and in primary cultures of ventral mesencephalon (VM) dopaminergic neurons, treated with either 6-OHDA or MPP+, or overexpressing wild-type or A53T α-synuclein. Results: Only the expression of BMP2 was found to be significantly correlated with multiple dopaminergic markers in the SN. We found that BMP2 treatment promoted neurite growth in SH-SY5Y cells and in dopaminergic neurons. Moreover, BMP2 treatment promoted neurite growth in both SH-SY5Y cells and VM neurons, treated with the neurotoxins 6-OHDA or MPP+. Furthermore, BMP2 promoted neurite growth in cells overexpressing wild-type or A53T-α-synuclein. Conclusion: These findings are important given that clinical trials of two neurotrophic factors, GDNF and neurturin, have failed to meet their primary endpoints. Our findings are a key first step in rationalising the further study of BMP2 as a potential neurotrophic factor in α-synuclein-based translational models of Parkinson\u27s disease
A Method for the Measurement of the Latency Tolerance Range of Western Musicians
Get PDFThis thesis presents a new systematic method to measure the ability of western musicians to cope with latency. The core of the method is a listening test and the development of a measure. The viability of the method is statistically tested with an empirical observation of 31 test subjects performing on 17 different musical instruments.
The primary goal of the investigation is the development of a systematic, reliable and replicable method that can be applied to different western music instruments, in order to provide data for analysis on latency issues while performing music in non-collaborative performances. In addition, a measure of the latency range tolerance for different musical instruments groups is defined and developed on the basis of the data gathered.
The experimental application of the method developed provides empirical results showing that different musical instruments produce different results with regard to latency. This indicates that, in terms of latency, the type of musical instrument plays a decisive role with respect to the ability to perform music. Furthermore, evidence of the dissimilarities in the ability to cope with latency could be observed and classified according to musical tempo and the four musical instrument groups of aerophones, chordophones, idiophones and membranophones.
This investigation is a further contribution to the understanding of the relationship between musician, musical instrument and musical performance
Biological determinants of physical activity across the life course: A “determinants of diet and physical activity” (dedipac) umbrella systematic literature review
Get PDFBackground: Despite the large number of studies and reviews available, the evidence regarding the biological determinants of physical activity (PA) is inconclusive. In this umbrella review, we summarized the current evidence on the biological determinants of PA across the life course, by pooling the results of the available systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs). Methods: We conducted an online search on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases up to January 2018. SLRs and MAs of observational studies that investigated the association between biological determinants of PA and having PA as outcome were considered eligible. The extracted data were assessed based on the importance of the determinants, the strength of evidence, and the methodological quality. Results: We identified 19 reviews of which most were of moderate methodological quality. Determinants that were studied most frequently among all ages and demonstrated evidence suggesting a positive association to PA were younger age, being male, higher health status, and higher physical fitness levels. Among adults, normal birth weight was found to be positively associated to PA with convincing strength of evidence, while findings among adolescents were inconsistent and with limited strength of evidence. Conclusions: Different social or behavioral factors may contribute to the decrease of PA with age and among females versus males, and creating programmes targeted at diverse ages, female population, and adults with abnormal birth weight is recommended. Future studies should use prospective study designs, standardized definitions of PA, and objective measurement methods of PA assessment
Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults
Get PDFBody-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities1,2. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity3,4,5,6. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017—and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions—was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing—and in some countries reversal—of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories
The Economic Value of a Place-Based Resource for Regional Development
Get PDFRegional economic development has long been acknowledged as an important objective of government policy. Natural resources are also recognised as drivers of economic development. However, the importance of place-based resources such as peripheral coastlines and Harbour areas are less understood. This research provides insights into an industry based on its region’s natural resource and the value it generates for sustainable economic development. Using the world’s second largest natural Harbour region, the current research measures the economic activities associated with the Marine Leisure Industry in Cork Harbour, and estimates the economic impact on the local economy. The research establishes a multiplier specific to the industry, one that has the potential for use across Ireland. Cork Harbour, located in the south-west of Ireland generates approximately €6.6m direct expenditure by the industry. Based on the multiplier, the Marine Leisure Industry is estimated to account for approximately €11m of output supporting 29 direct jobs and 290 indirect jobs. With potential to grow berthing capacity, the region has real opportunities to increase the economic impact of this indigenous industry for the city, its hinterland and beyond. Our findings challenge policymakers to consider creating an enabling environment for the marine leisure industry to flourish and recognise the value of place-based resource as a driver of regional development
A Strategic Approach to Amplifying an Experiential Event using Social Currency to Reach a Mass Audience
Get PDFGiven the rise in popularity in the use of experiential marketing (Moderne Communications, 2014), it is timely to establish from the marketing practitioners’ perspective, the strategic approach necessary to amplify experiential events using social currency to reach a mass audience in the FMCG sector. By introducing the FMCG marketer’s perspective into the discussion on experiential event marketing, this research offers an insight into how brands are activating this marketing activity. Based on the analysis of interviews profiling fifty brands in the FMCG sector, preliminary findings suggest that the success of an amplification strategy for an experiential event in FMCG markets, is dependent on the application of a time phase approach, and the use of four critical success factors. Collectively, these findings contribute to the development of the Experiential Event Amplification Framework. This framework contributes to the gap in the literature on experiential event marketing in the FMCG sector. Given the perception that experiential event marketing is an expensive practice which can negatively impact ROI (Supovitz, 2013), this research contends that the Experiential Event Amplification Framework provides practitioners with a strategic approach, whereby the ROI of this marketing activity can become more efficient, reaching the mass audience globally
The Influence of Employer Branding in Talent Management in the Hotel Industry
Get PDFThis paper aims to explore the influence of employer branding in attracting and retaining talented employees, with a particular focus on millennial staff. The paper reviews literature in the area of talent management, employer branding and the millennial generation in the hotel industry and draws on the results of interviews with hotel General Managers. At a time when there is a shortage of talent to fill available positions in the hotel industry, this paper seeks to give hoteliers an improved understanding of the concepts of talent management and employer branding and their usage in the attraction and retention of staff, at a time when staff are in short supply and the traits and aspirations of the millennial generation are a concern for the sector