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The value of seaweed
No full textTEAGASC researchers are developing zero waste industry processes to generate high-value-added products from seaweed.Science Foundation Irelan
Developing seaweed/macroalgae as feed for pigs
No full textMacroalgae are a promising source of nutritional ingredients including proteins, polysaccharides and minerals. The need to increase animal and feed production has increased interest in macroalgae as underutilised resources with promising applications as alternative animal feeds. This chapter summarizes the nutritional attributes of macroalgae in terms of macro and micronutrients as a source of protein and other compounds in pig nutrition. The benefits of macroalgae or macroalgal derived extracts in feed are discussed together with future trends and challenges in the development of effective feed formulations
Sunshine or Curse? Foreign Direct Investment, the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, and Individual Corruption Experiences in Africa
No full textIt remains unclear if foreign direct investment (FDI) benefits local citizens in host countries. Combining geo-referenced FDI data and household level surveys, this paper uses spatial-temporal techniques to assess how FDI impacts individual corruption experiences. We investigate if this relationship is conditional on the corruption levels, or engagement with the OECD\u27s anti-bribery convention (ABC), of the FDI\u27s source country. We find evidence that FDI flows reduce individual bribery experiences, but only when existing levels of corruption are high. We find it is FDI from comparatively more corrupt, and non-ABC engaging, countries that locates to areas of high corruption. Further, FDI appears to improve both the employment prospects and financial positions of local households. Collectively, we argue that these results suggest that individual empowerment via a wealth effect, rather than spillovers from firm professionalization or regulatory pressure mechanisms, is what stems individual corruption experiences.European Commission Horizon 2020University College Dubli
Youth Homelessness in the Dublin Region: A profile of young, single emergency accommodation users in 2016, 2017 and 2018
No full textOn behalf of Focus Ireland I am pleased to welcome the publication of ‘Youth Homelessness in the Dublin Region’. This is the first instalment in our new ‘Insights into Youth Homelessness’ series, which will build on our successful ‘Insights into Family Homelessness’ series.We hope that this new research series will inform more effective responses to youth homelessness by policy makers and homeless service providers. In this respect this publication is particularly timely because the recently published Programme for Government 2020 commits the new government to ‘develop a National Youth Homelessness Strategy’. This report will provide valuable information to inform this strategy because it presents the first analysis of quantitative data on young people who use emergency accommodation for homeless people in Dublin. The report fills important gaps in our knowledge of why this group enters homelessness and when and how they leave homelessness and enables further exploration of some of the insights generated by the qualitative research into youth homelessness, most recently Paula Mayock and Sarah Parker’s book entitled ‘Living in Limbo: Homeless Young People’s Paths to Housing’ (2017)1.It is also important to acknowledge that this report would not have been possible without the support of Focus Ireland’s donors and valuable collaborations. In 2018, Focus Ireland’s Research Sub-Committee decided, in response to an invitation from Professor Michelle Norris of UCD, that it would part fund a PhD as part of the Irish Research Council (IRC) Enterprise Partnership Scholarship Scheme. This important scheme is an opportunity for voluntary sector organisations, with a commitment to research, to work with leading academics and support doctoral research. It has enabled Focus Ireland to support Cliodhna Bairead’s very useful PhD research on homelessness among single people in Dublin. The report is also the result of a collaboration with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) which provided access to the high-quality data examined in this report.1 ‘Living in Limbo’ was commissioned by FocusIrish Research Counci
Destabilized Calcium Hydride as a Promising High-Temperature Thermal Battery
No full textCalcium hydride (CaH2) is considered an ideal candidate for thermochemical energy storage (thermal battery) due to its high energy density and low cost. Its very high operating temperature and poor cycling stability are the main factors that hinder its development and implementation as a thermal battery for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. In this work, CaH2 was thermodynamically destabilized with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) at a 1:1 molar ratio to release hydrogen at a lower temperature than the hydride alone. Temperature-programmed desorption measurements showed that the addition of Al2O3 destabilized the reaction thermodynamics of hydrogen release from CaH2 by reducing the decomposition temperature to ∼600 °C in comparison to ∼1000 °C for pure CaH2 at 1 bar of H2 pressure. The experimental enthalpy and entropy of this system were determined by pressure composition isotherm measurements between 612 and 636 °C. The enthalpy was measured to be ΔHdes = 100 ± 2 kJ mol–1 of H2, and the entropy was measured to be ΔSdes = 110 ± 2 J·K–1 mol–1 of H2. The XRD after TPD and in situ XRD data confirmed the main product as Ca12Al14O33. The system exhibited a loss of capacity during hydrogen cycling at 636 °C, which was found to be due to sintering of excess Al2O3, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The hydrogen cycling capacity was significantly improved by reducing the initial amount of Al2O3 to a 2:1 molar ratio of CaH2 to Al2O3, deeming it asUniversity College DublinDepartment of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Australian GovernmentAustralian Research CouncilGlobal Innovation Linkag
Interacting Anyons in One and Two Dimensions: Strong Zero Modes in Anyon Chains and Non-Abelian Anyons on a Torus
No full textThe work in this thesis is split into two distinct parts. The first focuses on
the identification and construction of strong zero modes in non-abelian anyon
chains. We show a Tambara-Yamagami chain is equivalent to a Zn chiral
clock model. We then present numerical evidence for a strong zero mode in
an SU(2)4 anyon chain. By rewriting the chain as an XXZ spin chain, we
construct the zero mode explicitly in terms of spin operators. Finally, we
write the zero mode in the diagrammatic formalism of anyons.
In the second part, we construct a hopping model of non-abelian anyons
on a torus. We demonstrate that that the model possesses a translational
symmetry around each non-trivial torus loop. By calculating the level spacing
statistics of the model, we show that the model is non-integrable for Fibonacci
anyons, Ising anyons and abelian anyons. Lastly, we carry out the groundwork
for a future project. We add local interactions between the anyons to the
Hamiltonian. We then calculate the entanglement spectrum of a ground state
of the system after cutting the torus into two cylindrical pieces. The low lying
states of this spectrum have a linear dispersion relation for several systems we
examined, suggesting the entanglement spectrum is described by a conformal
field theory spectrum
Risk in adult social care: Perceptions and experiences of risk in disability services in Ireland
No full textThe principles of autonomy, choice, and independence have been prevalent in the rhetoric used to initiate policy change in disability services in recent decades. As part of this rhetoric, it has been stressed increasingly that a rights-based approach to care must embrace risk and view it in a more positive light and that services and social care professionals should facilitate and promote a positive risk-taking environment. While these changes represent an optimistic view and emancipation for service users, this move toward increased choice and risk-taking also means more responsibilities for service users and social care practitioners. This shift in disability services, and social care in general, is informed by ideological visions in which risk and disability become a matter of individual responsibility within markets while the role of the state in protecting and providing for its disadvantaged citizens diminishes.
In practice, service users risk-taking leads to tensions, particularly as services and professionals attempt to balance their duty to safeguard service users with a service user’s right to take risks. This situation is further compounded by a growing regulation of disability services and health and social care professions, heightening a perceived culture of blame. As such, professionals seek to avoid liability or being held accountable often through assessing, managing, and auditing risk in a defensive manner.
This study investigated varying perceptions and experiences of risk in disability services by exploring the perspectives of ten service users, five social care workers, and five social care managers. This research was informed by a constructivist theoretical framework, which facilitated recognition of participants varying perceptions. Data was collected via qualitative interviews and vignettes, and the descriptive phenomenological research method designed by Giorgi was used to analyse the data.
The findings showed that service users, social care workers, and service managers perceive, assess, and manage risks differently and that different perceptions and interpretations of risk can influence how risk is approached in practice. While service users view taking risks as their choice, managers and practitioners are concerned with potentially negative consequences, often driven by concerns over blame and litigation. Within this climate, social care professionals find it hard to do ‘the right thing’, and service users feel that choices are often limited to ‘safe options’, as managers and social care workers try to manage out any potential ill consequences. The findings further indicate that service users are largely excluded from decision-making around risk, which is often solely the preserve of managers and clinical professionals through standardised processes, which do not reflect the individual needs and wishes of the service users. This study has implications for policy and practice and has the potential to inform risk research and social care education.2022-03-2
Interleukin-33 regulates metabolic reprogramming of the retinal pigment epithelium in response to immune stressors
No full textIt remains unresolved how retinal pigment epithelial cell metabolism is regulated following immune activation to maintain
retinal homeostasis and retinal function. We exposed retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to several stress signals,
particularly Toll-like receptor stimulation, and uncovered an ability of RPE to adapt their metabolic preference on aerobic
glycolysis or oxidative glucose metabolism in response to different immune stimuli. We have identified interleukin-33 (IL-
33) as a key metabolic checkpoint that antagonizes the Warburg effect to ensure the functional stability of the RPE. The
identification of IL-33 as a key regulator of mitochondrial metabolism suggests roles for the cytokine that go beyond its
extracellular “alarmin” activities. IL-33 exerts control over mitochondrial respiration in RPE by facilitating oxidative
pyruvate catabolism. We have also revealed that in the absence of IL-33, mitochondrial function declined and resultant
bioenergetic switching was aligned with altered mitochondrial morphology. Our data not only shed new light on the
molecular pathway of activation of mitochondrial respiration in RPE in response to immune stressors but also uncover a
potentially novel role of nuclear intrinsic IL-33 as a metabolic checkpoint regulator
Justifying power: when autocracies talk about themselves and their opponents
No full textIt is commonly understood that authoritarian regimes attempt to legitimize their rule and de-legitimize opponents. What is less clear is the intensity with which they do so, whether (de-)legitimation varies by institutional structure, and whether and how this intensity varies in times of crisis. To address these questions, this article focuses on the types of messages that autocracies disseminate, how they vary across autocratic regime types, and how they change when confronted with system-challenging movements. The article tests expectations using quantitative events data on government statements, movements and state repression. It also examines a case of a single-party regime faced with a widespread protest movement, namely China in 1989, to investigate whether the quantitative findings manifest themselves in the dynamics of a particular episode. The article finds evidence that autocratic regimes regularly disseminate messages to legitimize their rule and de-legitimize opponents and that single-party regimes generally engage in more (de-)legitimizing rhetoric than other autocratic regime types both during ordinary times and times of regime crisis. In general, regimes scale up their (de-)legitimation efforts when they face a major system-challenging movement as well as when they choose to repress such movements
Political Disengagement and Spaces of Neglect in the Current Political System
No full textVoter turnout measures the legitimacy of functioning democratic processes within States. Areas of low or declining voter turnout highlight spaces of disengagement from formal political processes and are a legitimate cause for concern. Political disengagement has the potential to create spaces of inequality in terms of the level of political representation a given area or group in society receives, and as such, can create spaces of neglect in the political system. This thesis examines General Elections 2007-2016, Local Elections 2014-19 and the 2019 By-Election to identify trends across a range of election types, account for context-specific influences, and highlight areas of concern.
This thesis utilises both marked electoral register and census data to examine registered and voting-age population voter turnout levels. These figures allow detailed examination of voter engagement, while taking account of electoral register accuracy concerns.
Spatial statistical models provide an examination of socio-economic, demographic, and geographical influences which shape voter turnout trends. The thesis associates areas of low or declining turnout with areas that have high levels of social deprivation, unemployment, and younger and transient populations, as well as low education levels. It also identifies low levels of engagement across election types in areas that have significant foreign-born and Traveller communities, highlighting the potential under-representation of vulnerable groups in society.
This thesis investigates the traditional urban/rural divide in turnout levels for General Election 2016, demonstrating that this effect exists independently of an area’s socio-economic and demographic profile. The impact of other geographical factors is noted in all case studies. Candidate location and recent boundary changes impact directly on turnout levels; factors which call into question the boundary revision process.
This thesis utilises a range of advanced spatial statistical methods, as well as expert interviews, to identify the outlined trends and suggest potential mechanisms to address areas of concern