NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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State of Ireland's mental health: findings from a nationally representative survey
No full textAims: Current information about the prevalence of various mental health disorders in the general adult population of the Republic of Ireland is lacking. In this study, we examined the prevalence of 12 common mental disorders, the proportion of adults who screened positive for any disorder, the sociodemographic factors associated with meeting criteria for a disorder and the associations between each disorder and history of attempted suicide.
Methods: A non-probability nationally representative sample (N = 1110) of adults living in Ireland completed self-report measures of 12 mental health disorders. Effect sizes were calculated using odds ratios from logistic regression models, and population attributable risk fractions (PAFs) were estimated to quantify the associations between each disorder and attempted suicide.
Results: Prevalence rates ranged from 15.0% (insomnia disorder) to 1.7% (histrionic personality disorder). Overall, 42.5% of the sample met criteria for a mental health disorder, and 11.1% had a lifetime history of attempted suicide. Younger age, being a shift worker and trauma exposure were independently associated with a higher likelihood of having a mental health disorder, while being in university was associated with a lower likelihood of having a disorder. ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder and insomnia disorder had the highest PAFs for attempted suicide.
Conclusions: Mental health disorder prevalence in Ireland is relatively high compared to international estimates. The findings are discussed in relation to important mental health policy implications
Diversification, concentration and renewability of the energy supply in the European Union
No full textEnergy security assessment quantifies the energy supply to a population and the likelihood, or risk, of an energy disruption or shortage and represents an important aspect of national security, economic stability and prosperity. The quantification of the state of energy supply is context-dependent and involves multiple perspectives: infrastructural, technological, environmental, market, social and geopolitical. Among all the different and relevant aspects involved, diversity and dependence of the energy fuel mix are two of the main energy security dimensions. The present paper investigates the diversification of the energy supply in Europe, by analysing import dependence, market concentration and renewable energy resource deployment in the European Union over the last decade. The analysis utilises a set of indicators aimed at measuring the fuel mix diversity, market concentration, geopolitical stability, renewable energy share and stochasticity - both at single country and at aggregated European levels. Results show a stable evolution of the diversity of the fuel mix and a relatively low market concentration of the period examined. However, the import dependency reduces the energy security by approximately 30% due to the high proportion of imports from a limited number of countries. Moreover, an increasing trend in renewable electricity production share is evident over the last decade, albeit with differences between member states, as a result of the decarbonisation policies implemented by the European Union
Reconnecting to others: grounded theory of social functioning following age-related hearing loss
No full textAge-related hearing loss (ARHL) is common and a known risk factor for social disengagement in later life. This study explored social functioning following a diagnosis of ARHL.
Using a constructivist grounded theory approach we developed an interview schedule
to advance a grounded theory from data collected from six older adults who used either
hearing aids or cochlear implants. Interview questions concerned social functioning as
well as focusing on their perspective of the impact of ARHL on cognitive functioning.
We describe a grounded theory conceived as ‘Reconnecting to Others’. This theory posits
that participants faced social challenges in relation to their ARHL, and resolved these
challenges partly through the use of hearing aids and cochlear implantation. The theory
also emphasises the importance of help from other hearing aid users for new users, and
corroborates prior findings about strategies older adults with ARHL use to cope with their
hearing impairment in various social situations. Once hearing aids and cochlear implants
are used and adapted to with the help of peers, participants completed their journey by
helping others who had received diagnoses of ARHL. Additionally, participants spoke
of the pleasure of hearing again. Interestingly, no participant felt that their ARHL had
impacted their cognitive functioning. Our theory provides a basis for explaining existing
quantitative findings as well as creating new hypotheses for future testing
Should states restrict recipient choice amongst relevant and available COVID-19 vaccines?
No full textSeveral COVID-19 vaccinations have been authorised worldwide. Whilst some vaccines are contraindicated for certain age groups or health conditions, there are often multiple clinically suitable
authorised vaccine brands available. Few states have allowed recipients to choose amongst them,
though there are multiple reasons why choice would be valued. We consider the policy justifications
for state controls on recipient choice amongst COVID-19 vaccine brands, focusing on European
countries and drawing on the UK context as an example. We contrast justifications for not offering
choice at the height of the early pandemic crisis, and as some states seek to de-escalate their response and transition towards living with COVID-19. We argue that in the latter context public
expectations of choice between available vaccine brands and platforms may rise, but that several considerations may justify continued restrictions on choice. A key factor which states should continue
to take into consideration is the global nature of the pandemic. Insofar as offering recipient choice
at a national level might exacerbate global inequity in vaccine distribution, states retain a normative
and legal justification for restricting choice amongst available and clinically suitable vaccine brands
Atmospheric breakdown chemistry of the new “green” solvent 2,2,5,5-tetramethyloxolane via gas-phase reactions with OH and Cl radicals
No full textThe atmospheric chemistry of 2,2,5,5-tetramethyloxolane (TMO), a promising “green” solvent replacement for toluene, was investigated in laboratory-based experiments and computational calculations. Results
from both absolute and relative rate studies demonstrated that the reaction OH + TMO (Reaction R1) proceeds
with a rate coefficient k1(296 K) = (3.1 ± 0.4) ×10−12 cm3 molecule−1
s
−1
, a factor of 3 smaller than predicted
by recent structure–activity relationships. Quantum chemical calculations (CBS-QB3 and G4) demonstrated
that the reaction pathway via the lowest-energy transition state was characterised by a hydrogen-bonded prereaction complex, leading to thermodynamically less favoured products. Steric hindrance from the four methyl
substituents in TMO prevents formation of such H-bonded complexes on the pathways to thermodynamically
favoured products, a likely explanation for the anomalous slow rate of Reaction (R1). Further evidence for a
complex mechanism was provided by k1(294–502 K), characterised by a local minimum at around T = 340 K.
An estimated atmospheric lifetime of τ1 ≈ 3 d was calculated for TMO, approximately 50 % longer than toluene,
indicating that any air pollution impacts from TMO emission would be less localised. An estimated photochemical ozone creation potential (POCPE) of 18 was calculated for TMO in north-western Europe conditions, less
than half the equivalent value for toluene. Relative rate experiments were used to determine a rate coefficient of
k2(296 K) = (1.2±0.1) ×10−10 cm3 molecule−1
s
−1
for Cl + TMO (Reaction R2); together with Reaction (R1),
which is slow, this may indicate an additional contribution to TMO removal in regions impacted by high levels of atmospheric chlorine. All results from this work indicate that TMO is a less problematic volatile organic
compound (VOC) than toluene
Data-driven time propagation of quantum systems with neural networks
No full textWe investigate the potential of supervised machine learning to propagate a quantum system in time. While
Markovian dynamics can be learned easily, given a sufficient amount of data, non-Markovian systems are non-trivial and their description requires the memory knowledge of past states. Here we analyze the feature of such
memory by taking a simple 1D Heisenberg model as many-body Hamiltonian, and construct a non-Markovian
description by representing the system over the single-particle reduced density matrix. The number of past states
required for this representation to reproduce the time-dependent dynamics is found to grow exponentially with
the number of spins and with the density of the system spectrum. Most importantly, we demonstrate that neural
networks can work as time propagators at any time in the future and that they can be concatenated in time
forming an autoregression. Such neural-network autoregression can be used to generate long-time and arbitrary
dense time trajectories. Finally, we investigate the time resolution needed to represent the system memory. We
find two regimes: For fine memory samplings the memory needed remains constant, while longer memories
are required for coarse samplings, although the total number of time steps remains constant. The boundary
between these two regimes is set by the period corresponding to the highest frequency in the system spectrum,
demonstrating that neural network can overcome the limitation set by the Shannon-Nyquist sampling theorem
Investigation of the electrocatalytic activity of bismuth-substituted pyrochlore Y2Sn2O7 for the voltammetry determination of the antipsychotic drug
No full textPyrochlore oxides are considered active candidates for various electrochemical applications due to their cationic charges and anionic deficiency. At the same time, the cationic substitution of pyrochlore is a crucial parameter to improve the catalytic activity of electrode materials. Against this background, this article aims to synthesize bismuth-substituted defective pyrochlore-yttrium tin oxide nanoparticles (Bi0.6Y1.4Sn2O7; BYSO NPs) and construct an electrochemical sensor for the antipsychotic chlorpromazine (CHPMZ). The catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation technique followed by thermal treatment. The analytical methods, such as p-XRD, FT-IR, TGA, and XPS, confirmed the successful substitution of Y3+ by Bi3+. The morphology of the as-prepared catalysts was analyzed by the FE-SEM and TEM techniques, which shows that the size of nanoparticles is ⁓20–30 nm. From the CV results, the cationic substitution enhances the electrocatalytic oxidation of CHPMZ due to the intrinsic activity enhancement by the substitution with a large size cation and the anionic deficiency of the pyrochlore structure. Moreover, the heterogeneous rate constant of CHPMZ on BYSO/SPCE was calculated to be 4.49 × 10−3 cm/s, indicating that the oxidation of CHPMZ on BYSO/SPCE is quasi-reversible. The electrode modified with BYSO NPs showed wider linear ranges (0.01–58.41 μM, 78.41–1158 μM), high sensitivity (1.03 μA/μM/cm2) with a low detection limit of 3 nM. The modified electrodes showed good selectivity, repeatability, and excellent stability for the detection of CHPMZ. Moreover, the constructed sensor showed promising results in practical analysis with good recovery in human blood serum and urine samples
Precarious (Dis)Placement: Temporality and the Legal Rewriting of Refugee Protection in Denmark
No full textThis article addresses the legal reconfigurations of refuge and its consequences for people displaced by war and state violence. Within Western countries signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, refugee protection has traditionally served as a solution to conflict-induced displacement by offering a path to permanent residence and citizenship. Yet, in the wake of recent global “refugee crises,” several countries have introduced new refugee protection statuses that only allow refugees to stay temporarily. In this article, I focus on one such intervention in Denmark introduced in the fall of 2014, which targets Syrian refugees. Through a feminist geo-legal analysis of this statute and surrounding policy documents, I illustrate how the Danish state has mobilized subtle legal interventions to transform the meaning and character of refugee protection. By differentially classifying groups of refugees according to new calculations of threat and risk, I show how these maneuverings work to deny refugees basic rights and make them subject to intimidation, surveillance, and deportation. I argue that this new statute functions as a legal mechanism of sociospatial b/ordering that produces a series of displacements and limits refugees’ access to effective protection under the 1951 Convention. In doing so, I advance critical discussions on temporary protection status, displacement, and refuge
Production of Purpureocillium lilacinum and Pochonia chlamydosporia by Submerged Liquid Fermentation and Bioactivity against Tetranychus urticae and Heterodera glycines through Seed Inoculation
No full textPochoniachlamydosporia and Purpureocilliumlilacinum are fungal bioagents used for the sustainable management of plant parasitic nematodes. However, their production through submerged liquid fermentation and their use in seed treatment have been underexplored. Therefore, our goal was to assess the effect of different liquid media on the growth of 40 isolates of P. lilacinum and two of P. chlamydosporia. The most promising isolates tested were assessed for plant growth promotion and the control of the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) and the soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines). Most isolates produced > 108 blastospores mL−1 and some isolates produced more than 104 microsclerotia mL−1. Microsclerotia of selected isolates were used to inoculate common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds in greenhouse trials. All fungal isolates reduced the T. urticae fecundity in inoculated plants through seed treatment, while P. chlamydosporia ESALQ5406 and P. lilacinum ESALQ2593 decreased cyst nematode population. Purpureocillium lilacinum was more frequently detected in soil, whereas P. chlamydosporia colonized all plant parts. Pochonia chlamydosporia ESALQ5406 improved the root development of bean plants. These findings demonstrate the possibility of producing submerged propagules of P. chlamydosporia and P. lilacinum by liquid culture, and greenhouse trials support the applicability of fungal microsclerotia in seed treatment to control P. vulgaris pests
Urban Blue Spaces as Therapeutic Landscapes: “A Slice of Nature in the City”
No full textUrban blue spaces are defined as all natural and manmade surface water in urban environments. This paper draws on how the concepts of experienced, symbolic, social, and activity
space combine to position urban blue spaces as therapeutic landscapes. We conducted 203 intercept
interviews between 12 October 2019 and 10 November 2019. Although safety concerns had health limiting impacts, interacting with the Glasgow Canal and surrounding landscape was predominantly
perceived as health-enhancing. Our findings build on current evidence, which has suggested that
urban blue spaces, particularly canals, may foster therapeutic properties, contributing to healthier
city environments. Further research is required to understand better the interconnectedness of urban
blue spaces and health and how such spaces can be best developed and managed to improve the
health outcomes of local populations