NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Book review: Teaching for social justice and sustainable development across the primary curriculum
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
Data sinks, carbon services: Waste, storage and energy cultures on Ireland’s peat bogs
No full textThis article examines strategies by the Irish state to phase out the extraction and
burning of peat as a carbon fuel source in relation to the growing energy demands of
data centres. One of the major proposals within the ‘just transition’ for post-extractive
peat boglands is to incentivise the construction of data centres and associated energy
infrastructures alongside bog reclamation projects to encourage carbon sequestration.
These entangled plans for data, energy and carbon ‘storage’, driven by large-scale
and transformative relations to boglands, inherit colonial ways of valuing bogs as
‘wastelands’ that must be put to work for industrial capital. We argue that through
paired digital and green industrial strategies, the transformative energy cultures and
frontiers of capital continue to expand beyond the apparent sites of data and energy
infrastructural development, penetrating deeper into the earth and its atmosphere
Starting a conversation about racism with teenagers: using the social work research Dialogue Approach
No full textIncreased migration over the last two decades has resulted in greater diversity within Irish society. There is much debate around multiculturalism, diversity and integration, and how this is best achieved. As microcosms of society, schools have also experienced substantial growth in diversity. Over 90 per cent of second-level schools in Ireland record migrant students on their roll, with between 2 and 9 per cent of the school populations being migrant students. Moreover, research indicates that not only do teachers often struggle with increased diversity in the classroom but racism and inclusion are also not adequately addressed through the curriculum. Although Ireland sometimes prides itself on being a friendly and welcoming nation, racism is noted as a persistent issue. This article explores the topic of racism with teenagers in an Irish school, using the social work Dialogue Approach. This co-created study examines how students and teachers conceptualise racism and its impact. It is argued that exploring attitudes and encouraging dialogue among young people about the impact of racism and exclusion is fundamental to social work values
Proteomic dissection of the role of GliZ in gliotoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus
No full textGliotoxin (GT) biosynthesis in fungi is encoded by the gli biosynthetic gene cluster. While GT addition autoinduces
biosynthesis, Zn2+ has been shown to attenuate cluster activity, and it was speculated that identification
of Zn2Cys6 binuclear transcription factor GliZ binding partners might provide insight into this observation. Using
the Tet-ON induction system, doxycycline (DOX) presence induced GliZ fusion protein expression in, and recovery
of GT biosynthesis by, A. fumigatus ΔgliZ::HA-gliZ and ΔgliZ::TAP-gliZ strains, respectively. Quantitative
RT-PCR confirmed that DOX induces gli cluster gene expression (n = 5) in both A. fumigatus HA-GliZ and TAPGliZ
strains. GT biosynthesis was evident in Czapek-Dox and in Sabouraud media, however tagged GliZ protein
expression was more readily detected in Sabouraud media. Unexpectedly, Zn2+ was essential for GliZ fusion
protein expression in vivo, following 3 h DOX induction. Moreover, HA-GliZ abundance was significantly higher
in either DOX/GT or DOX/Zn2+, compared to DOX-only. This suggests that while GT induction is still intact, Zn2+
inhibition of HA-GliZ production in vivo is lost. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that GT oxidoreductase GliT
associates with GliZ in the presence of GT, suggesting a potential protective role. Additional putative HA-GliZ
interacting proteins included cystathionine gamma lyase, ribosomal protein L15 and serine hydroxymethyltransferase
(SHMT). Total mycelial quantitative proteomic data revealed that GliT and GtmA, as well as several
other gli cluster proteins, are increased in abundance or uniquely expressed with GT addition. Proteins involved
in sulphur metabolism are also differentially expressed with GT or Zn2+ presence. Overall, we disclose that under
DOX induction GliZ functionality is unexpectedly evident in zinc-replete media, subject to GT induction and that
GliT appears to associate with GliZ, potentially to prevent dithiol gliotoxin (DTG)-mediated GliZ inactivation by
zinc ejection
A spectacular jet from the bright 244-440 Orion proplyd The MUSE NFM view
No full textIn this work we present the highest spatial and spectral resolution integral field observations to date of the bipolar jet from the Orion proplyd 244-440 using Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) narrow-field mode (NFM) observations on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We observed a previously unreported chain of six distinct knots in a roughly S-shaped pattern, and by comparing them with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images we estimated proper motions in the redshifted knots of 9.5 mas yr-1 with an inclination angle of 73, though these quantities could not be measured for the blueshifted lobe. Analysis of the [Fe II] and [Ni II] lines suggests jet densities on the order of ~105 cm-3. We propose that the observed S-shaped morphology originates from a jet launched by a smaller source with M· < 0.2 M· in orbital motion around a larger companion of M· ≃ 0.5 M· at a separation of 30-40 au. The measured luminosities of the knots using the [O I]λ6300 A and [S II]λ6731 A lines were used to estimate a lower limit to the mass-loss rate in the jet of 1.3 × 10-11 M· yr-1 and an upper limit of 10-9 M· yr-1, which is typical for low-mass driving sources. While the brightness asymmetry between the redshifted and blueshifted lobes is consistent with external irradiation, further analysis of the [Ni II] and [Fe II] lines suggests that photoionization of the jet is not likely to be a dominant factor, and that the emission is dominated by collisional excitation. The dynamical age of the jet compared to the anticipated survival time of the proplyd demonstrates that photoevaporation of the proplyd occurred prior to jet launching, and that this is still an active source. These two points suggest that the envelope of the proplyd may shield the jet from the majority of external radiation, and that photoionization of the proplyd does not appear to impact the ability of a star to launch a jet
Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment. Synthesis report
No full textThis is the first Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment (ICCA) and is a major contribution to the national dialogue and engagement on climate change. It tells us what is known about climate change and Ireland. It also provides key insights on gaps in our knowledge. The development of ICCA was modelled on the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Sixth Assessment Cycle, completed in 2023, with the use of and localisation of its information for Ireland.
ICCA will support the national response to climate change, ensuring that it is informed by the
best available science. It also points to how and where that science can be improved through
further investments in innovation, in research and in systematic observations. These collectively
form the essential backbone of the science and data required to understand how Ireland is being
impacted by and responding to the climate change challenge.
The full Assessment has been developed through a co-creation process between leading academics in Ireland and officials from across state agencies and government departments.
Funding was provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and Department of Transport. The process was collaborative, involving mutual development and agreement of the scope, preparation and review of drafts, wider stakeholder consultation through a series of workshops and meetings, and a detailed signoff process.
The report is presented in a series of four thematic volumes accompanied by an overarching synthesis report. Volume 1 Climate Science: Ireland in a Changing World, Volume 2 Achieving Climate Neutrality by 2050, Volume 3 Being Prepared for Ireland's Future Climate and Volume 4 Realising the Benefits of Transition and Transformation.
Each volume is accompanied by a summary of policy makers. The synthesis report provides an integrated overview of all four volumes
‘Somewhere old, somewhere new, somewhere green’: An exploration of health enabling places from the perspective of people ageing‐in‐place in Ireland during COVID‐19
No full textDrawing on conceptual and empirical work in geographies of ageing and environmental gerontology, this study's aim is to explore the generation and maintenance of enabling places from the perspective of older community dwellers in the context of COVID-19. Findings are drawn from a qualitative thematic analysis of written submissions (n = 17), narrative interviews (n = 44) and go-along inter-views (n = 5) with people ageing-in- place in Irish communities during the pan-demic. The mean age of participants was 74.9 (SD = 7; range 65–96), 53% were female, 46% lived alone, and 86% lived in areas with high urban influence. Our results indicate that the COVID-19 public health restrictions curtailed participants' usual activities and influenced how they related to their homes, and a variety of public spaces where they had previously pursued valued activities. Transitions in their everyday geographies led to a wide array of affective and embodied experiences, and participants described diverse material and social emplaced-resources as enabling or hindering their health and well-being during COVID-19. Our core findings are summarised across three themes: (1) somewhere old, relates to emplacement in familiar places and the role of familiarity with place resources; (2)somewhere new, comprises the emergence of digital spaces and possible path-ways to build place in sideness; and (3) somewhere green, describes the negotiation and (re)turn to natural and outdoor environments during the pandemic. Results from this study contribute to identify the pathways through which enabling places for diverse older people may be generated and/or maintained, and provide evidence to support the development of enabling environments during times of social upheaval and beyond
Emotional control in selected somatic and psychiatric diseases
No full textThe aim was to assess the level of subjective control of emotional states among patients treated for dermatological
and gastrointestinal somatic diseases compared to those with depressive and anxiety disorders. The results were
related to the analyzed dimensions of emotion regulation in healthy subjects.
Materials and methods The reports of the conducted studies were compiled for a total of 310 people, including 120
patients diagnosed with a somatic disease (psoriasis, rosacea, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux),
as well as 96 patients diagnosed with depressive disorders and 30 patients with anxiety disorders. The control group
consisted of healthy subjects (64 individuals). To assess the psychological variables analyzed, the subjects completed
the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by J. Brzeziński.
Results The study showed that the patients suffering from a chronic somatic symptom disorder, similarly to those
treated for depression and anxiety disorders, differed from the healthy individuals in most aspects of emotional
control. The patients with dermatological and gastrointestinal diseases differed statistically significantly from the
patients with depression and the patients with anxiety disorders in relation to three dimensions of emotional control.
Patients with a somatic disease are characterized by higher emotional and rational motivation, lower emotional
resilience and lower emotional arousal.
Conclusions A chronic disease co-occurs with the emotional sphere of a person’s daily functioning. Regardless of the
diagnosis in terms of somatic disorders and mental illnesses, the way in which emotional states are controlled can be
an important factor in the onset of the disease, coping with it as well as the treatment process
Environmental health impacts and inequalities in green space and air pollution in six medium-sized European cities
No full textBackground: The GoGreenRoutes project aims to introduce co-created nature-based solutions (NBS) to enhance
environmental quality in six medium-sized cities (Burgas, Lahti, Limerick, Tallinn, Umeå, and Versailles). We
estimated the mortality and economic impacts attributed to suboptimal exposure to green space and air pollution, economic impacts, and the distribution thereof the adult population by socioeconomic status.
Methods: We retrieved data from publicly accessible databases on green space (NDVI and % Green Area), air
pollution (NO2 and PM2.5) and population (≥20 years, n = 804,975) at a 250m × 250m grid-cell level, and
mortality for each city for 2015. We compared baseline exposures at the grid-cell to World Health Organization’s
recommendations and guidelines. We applied a comparative risk assessment to estimate the mortality burden
attributable to not achieving the recommendations and guidelines. We estimated attributable mortality distributions and the association with income levels.
Results: We found high variability in air pollution and green spaces levels. Around 60% of the population
lacked green space and 90% were exposed to harmful air pollution. Overall, we estimated age-standardized
mortality rates varying from 10 (Umeå) to 92 (Burgas) deaths per 100,000 persons attributable to low NDVI
levels; 3 (Lahti) to 38 (Burgas) per 100,000 persons to lack of % Green Area; 1 (Umeå) to 88 (Tallinn) per
100,000 persons to exceedances of NO2 guidelines; and 1 (Umeå) to 206 (Burgas) per 100,000 persons to
exceedances of PM2.5 guidelines. Lower income associated with higher or lower mortality impacts depending on
whether deprived populations lived in the densely constructed, highly-trafficked city centre or greener, less
polluted outskirts.
Conclusions: We attributed a considerable mortality burden to lack of green spaces and higher air pollution,
which was unevenly distributed across different social groups. NBS and health-promoting initiatives should
consider socioeconomic aspects to regenerate urban areas while providing equally good environments