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Mineral precipitations and hydrochemical evolution of brines in graduation towers
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine hydrochemical changes of saline groundwater and precipitation of mineral phases during evaporative graduation processes. Therefore, concentrated brines and mineral precipitates were sampled at four graduation towers with differing evaporation approaches. Solid phase compositions were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. Hydrochemistry changes of dissolved ion concentrations during successive evaporation was assessed by comparing natural with concentrated brines. PHREEQC was used to simulate sequence and quantity of mineral precipitates. Finally, a prognosis for expected precipitations of a newly built graduation tower was made using PHREEQC modelling. The identified mineral phases included calcite, aragonite, gypsum and halite in varying proportions. Concentrations of all investigated ions (except bicarbonate) increase, eventually leading to supersaturation and sequential precipitation of evaporite minerals. Modelled saturation indices show that calcite is the first and halite is one of the last precipitating phases at all sites. Further calculated precipitates include the carbonates dolomite, siderite and strontianite; manganese oxide and hematite; and the sulphates baryte, celestine and gypsum which precipitate depending on local hydrogeochemistry and graduation conditions. Calculated precipitation quantities reach a maximum of 48.6 g/L of applied natural brine at an evaporation grade of 90%. After 25 years, the total expected mass of precipitates at the new graduation tower is about 34.4 t for a graduation process up to a salt content of 19%, and about 356 t for a permanent evaporation grade of 90%
Learning communities and physical education professional development: A scoping review
No full textLearning communities (LCs) in a variety of formats are touted as an effective strategy for
continuing professional development (CPD) in physical education. This study’s purpose was to provide an overview of the research on LCs in physical education for professional development between 1990 and 2020. A scoping review undergirded the research process and search parameters included full-text empirical studies in 12 languages. Ultimately 95 studies were found. A descriptive analysis revealed teachers as the focus in 75% of the studies; fewer studies focused on initial teacher education students, teacher educators, and facilitators. The largely qualitative studies reflected an international database (18 countries; four multinational studies) with South Korea, the US, and England dominating the literature. Four features spotlight thematic findings: (a) facilitation, (b) the process of community development, (c) the focus of the group and (d) the product(s) of the group. Learning communities as a CPD approach in physical education appear to
be effective in a variety of ways. Little evidence, however, exists regarding their sustained nature over time, or how teacher engagement in LCs may result in substantive student learning. Contributing to the scattered nature of literature to date was the interchangeable use of communities of practice (CoP) and other forms of LCs. Often communities were not theoretically aligned, the development process of communities not explained, norevidence provided as to how the community studied contained the qualifying features of a CoP or LCs. Future research, therefore, should detail the nature of community and fidelity to the theoretical framework
There\u27s something about ammonia
No full textThis is a comic aimed at children from the age of eight upwards. It highlights impacts from ammonia in agriculture, plus sources and solutions to the problem.Environmental Protection AgencyEuropean Commission Horizon 202
There\u27s something about ammonia
No full textThis is a comic aimed at children from the age of eight upwards. It highlights impacts from ammonia in agriculture, plus sources and solutions to the problem.Environmental Protection AgencyEuropean Commission Horizon 202
Biosystems and Food Engineering Research Review 26
No full textThe Twenty Sixth Annual Research Review describes the ongoing research programme in the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering at University College Dublin over the academic year 2020/21, from the collective research body within the school comprising our academic staff, technical staff, research staff and our early stage researchers totalling over 130 researchers (15 academic staff, 1 technician, 15 postdoctoral researchers and over 100 post-graduates). A copy of this book is available to download from the UCD Research Repository at: http:// researchrepository.ucd.ie. The research programme covers two main focal areas: Food and Process Engineering as well as Energy and the Environment. Each of these areas is divided into sub-themes as indicated in the Table of Contents, which also includes the name of the research scholar (in bold); the title of the research and the nature of the research programme.Department of Agriculture, Food and the MarineEuropean Commission Horizon 2020European Commission - European Regional Development FundScience Foundation IrelandTeagascUniversity College DublinInterreg NWE project, REAMITChina Scholarship CouncilSchool of Food Engineering, University College Dubli
Irish pig farmer’s perceptions and experiences of tail and ear biting
No full textAbnormal behaviours such as ear and tail biting of pigs is of significant welfare and economic concern. Currently,
pig welfare legislation is under renewed focus by the EU commission and is likely to be enforced more thoroughly.
The legislation prohibits routine tail docking and requires adequate enrichment to be provided. In Ireland, taildocking
is still the most utilised control mechanism to combat tail biting, but biting is still widespread even in taildocked
pigs. In addition, as pig farms are almost all fully slatted, bedding type material cannot be provided. Thus,
the opinions, and practices of farmers in countries like Ireland, which may need to make significant adaptations to
typical pig management systems soon, need to be considered and addressed. We carried out a survey of pig
farmers during 2015 in order to gain a greater understanding of the extent of biting on Irish farms, perception on
the most important preventive measures, current enrichment use and actions following outbreaks. Fifty-eight
farmers from 21 Counties responded with an average herd size of 710 ± 597 sows (range 90–3000 sows). Only two
farms had experienced no biting in the last year. Of the farms that had experienced tail biting (88%), 86% had also
experienced ear biting. The most common concerns relating to biting were condemnation and reduced productivity of
bitten pigs with both receiving an average score of 4 (most serious). Ear biting occurred most commonly in the 2nd
stage (approximately 47–81 days from weaning) weaner and tail biting in the finishing stage. The most important
preventive measures were felt to be taking care of animal health, restricting density, maintaining an even quality of feed/
content and maintaining good air movement. Sixty-five percent of respondents added additional enrichment following
an outbreak. Chains were the most common form of enrichment currently used (83%). Those not using chains favoured
wood, toys and rope (17%). Identification of the most effective and accessible control and prevention measures both for
the animals and for the farming community is thus essential. Improved understanding of the concerns and practices of
producers, which this survey contributes to, is a first step towards this aim
The evolution of primary teacher\u27s in-service education and continuous professional development in Ireland 1945-1995
No full textThis study is an examination of the evolution of teachers’ in-service education and continuous professional development in Ireland between 1945 and 1995. The purpose is to investigate the evolution and development of in-service policy, its goals, construction, participation, implementation and outcomes. The objectives are to deepen educators’ understanding of the current in-service issues by locating them in their broader temporal context and to extend the range of policy options considered by providing a basis for comparison with past situations. Its focus is the professional development policies and implementation strategies adopted by the Department of Education, the development and pursuit of policy positions among teachers, school management organisations and teacher educators, and the transactions between them in the evolution of in-service education and training of primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland. The in-service policy antecedents of the three decades prior to 1950 are explored to identify contemporary policies and practices and examine what foundations and legacies they contributed to primary teachers’ in-service education and training between 1945-1995. There were three separate primary-level level in-service initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s, one by the teachers’ union, the INTO, another by the Catholic Church and a Department of Education revision of Irish language. The breadth and depth of the curriculum reforms required Inspectorates to change approaches to in-service policy and practices. Comprehensive primary curriculum reform commenced in 1967 and its dissemination was planned by the Department around policy decisions on and coordinated implementation of strategically interrelated features including in-service training. An In-service Steering Committee, established in 1970, attempted to coordinate various institutions’ in-service contributions. The Committee advocated teacher centres, which when established from 1972, created an atmosphere of local optimism. In the absence of adequate resources or Steering Committee agreement on an encompassing in-service plan, an insufficiency of activities ensued which was curtailed by the mid-1970s recession. Dissatisfaction with the consequences of budget cuts resulted in a review of in-service education policies in 1980. The report of the Committee on In-service Education was ignored and its main recommendation, a national in-service agency, was deferred. There was an increase in the quantity of short course but this did not address access, course depth or continuity or address emerging in-service priorities or deficiencies. The decade from 1987 witnessed a period analysis, national policy making and deliberative processes involved in achieving an education policy consensus. In the case of in-service education and in-career development, departmental preferences with regard to structure, prioritisation of curriculum implementation and defining which in-service activities were funded, preceded the policy-making processes. The preferred option was solidified by the conditionality of the funding source, the European Structural Fund. The policy process, stimulated by the 1991 OECD contributions, expanded a departmental conceptualisation of curriculum-focused in-service training to school-focused organisational, staff and teacher professional development
UNCRPD Implementation in Europe A Deaf Perspective 9: Access to information and communication
No full textAn investigation of high-performance team sport coaches’ planning practices
No full textThe aim of this study was to provide a rich description of team sport coaches’ planning practices and to evaluate these practices in light of the Game-Based Approach literature and Complex Learning Theory. Twelve Gaelic football coaches operating in a high-performance setting were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Coaches prepared two coaching session plans used as prompts within the inter-view. An iterative thematic analysis developed three major themes: (1) practice activity design, (2) sequencing of practice session content, and (3) contextual factors influencing planning. Despite strong indications of coach engagement with pedagogy in aspects of their session planning, the findings also revealed missed opportunities, with coaches failing
to provide explicit learning intentions for session plans, inattention to session sequencing, and limited small-sided game designs. Given these missed opportunities, this paper illustrates how coaches can engage with research and theory to elevate the quality of their planning of coaching sessions
Teaching with and through Stories: Exploring Identities with Children using Narrative Approaches
No full textThe purpose of this self-study action research project (ARP) was to improve my teaching about identities, with identities and for identities while working with children using narrative interventions. I felt my teaching was pitched at a passive or deductive level and did not reflect my values of inclusion, student voice and identity representation within education. I was a student who received an education where not all identities where represented. In fact, many identities were discouraged and forced to be silenced. I truly believe that the vision for education has changed and with the right attitude, hard-work and correct teaching methods, the classroom can become a more inclusive and safe learning environment.
Stories and narratives have long been used as a method to develop a young child’s imagination, engagement, and language and that is why I decided to apply it to my teaching of identity. This approach allowed me to critically reflect on identity development through the idea of the situated self. It enabled me, and the children to engage critically with the concept allowing us to recognise ourselves as individuals shaped by experiences, beliefs, and understandings not only in education, but in the wider world in which education is situated. Therefore, the notion of narrative identity provided the backdrop to my critical reflections.
This research was conducted online with various educational professionals and academics as well as in person in an urban, co-educational Educate Together national school in Ireland which places a strong emphasis on inclusion. The twenty-eight 2nd class children in my care, various educational professionals and academics, as well as my critical friend all acted as participants in the research, with me and my practice as its focus.
My chosen methodology was self-study action research as it is a form of educational research that allows the researcher to put himself at the forefront of the study. I adopted a qualitative approach to data-gathering including student interviews post interventions, interviews with academics and professionals from various educational backgrounds, daily observations and recording my evolving thoughts, opinions, and mindset in my reflective journal. I conducted the research in accordance with ethical research principles in mind while maintaining a commitment to validity and reliability demonstrated within the process of triangulation. My narrative interventions were influenced by Hegarty (2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016,), Jenny Mosley’s (1996) and Winslade & Monk’s (1999) work on narrative approaches to childhood development. It used a story-telling or narrative approach to explore the various identities children may express. There was a focus on open dialogue, questioning and creating professional links with academic involvement.
The findings revealed the importance of affirmation, teacher identity and power as central in the negotiation of identities and its representation in classroom settings. A clear desire to enhance the teaching about and with identities from the Social Personal Health Education, better known as the S.P.H.E. (1999) curriculum was evident from the professional interviews as well as emerging evidence of the effectiveness of using narratives throughout the school day. I concluded that through my practice of using narrative approaches I can increase meaningful engagement in learning about identities for students and teachers alike. Further to this, the research highlighted the opportunity of using narrative interventions to learn more about the students beyond their role as a learner.
As a self-study process this research has had a profound effect on my own practice and understanding as I am more committed to teaching for, with and about identities with children.
How I now teach for, with and about identities aligns more closely with my personal and pedagogical values of inclusion, student voice and identity representation as I am now committed to providing time and spaces where children’s stories can be articulated, heard and responded to throughout their educational journey