NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Uncertainties and their interaction in flood hazard assessment with climate change
No full textThe assessment of future impacts of climate change is associated with a cascade of uncertainty linked to the modelling chain employed in assessing local-scale changes. Understanding and quantifying this cascade is essential for developing effective adaptation actions. We evaluate and quantify uncertainties in future flood quantiles associated with climate change for four catchments, incorporating within our modelling chain uncertainties associated with 12 global climate models contained in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6, five different bias correction approaches, hydrological model parameter uncertainty and the use of three different extreme value distributions for flood frequency analysis. Results indicate increased flood hazard in all catchments for different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), with changes in flooding consistent with changes in annual maximum precipitation. We use additive chains and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to quantify and decompose uncertainties and their interactions in estimating selected flood quantiles for each catchment. We find that not only do the contributions of different sources of uncertainty vary by catchment, but that the dominant sources of uncertainty can be very different on a catchment-by-catchment basis. While uncertainties in future projections are widely assumed to be dominated by the ensemble of climate models used, we find that in one of our catchments uncertainties associated with bias correction methods dominate, while in another the uncertainty associated with the use of different extreme value distributions outweighs the uncertainty associated with the ensemble of climate models. These findings highlight the inability to generalise a priori about the importance of different components of the cascade of uncertainty in future flood hazard at the catchment scale. Moreover, we find that the interaction of components of the modelling chain employed are substantial ( 20 % of overall uncertainty in two catchments). While our sample is small, there is evidence that the dominant components of the cascade of uncertainty may be linked to catchment characteristics and rainfall-runoff processes. Future work that seeks to further explore the characteristics of the uncertainty cascade as they relate to catchment characteristics may provide insight into a priori identifying the key components of modelling chains to be targeted in climate change impact assessments
Review: Tomás Ó hÍde. Seáinín Tom Sheáin: From Árainn to the Silver Screen. Dublin: Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann, 2019. xiv + 267. €18 pb
No full textNovel Fus3‐ and Ste12‐interacting protein FsiA activates cell fusion‐related genes in both Ste12‐dependent and ‐independent manners in Ascomycete filamentous fungi
No full textFilamentous fungal cells, unlike yeasts, fuse during vegetative growth. The orthologs of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase Fus3 and transcription factor Ste12 are commonly involved in the regulation of cell fusion. However, the specific regulatory mechanisms underlying cell fusion in filamentous fungi have not been revealed. In the present study, we identified the novel protein FsiA as an AoFus3- and AoSte12-interacting protein in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. The expression of AonosA and cell fusion-related genes decreased upon fsiA deletion and increased with fsiA overexpression, indicating that FsiA is a positive regulator of cell fusion. In addition, the induction of cell fusion-related genes by fsiA overexpression was also observed in the Aoste12 deletion mutant, indicating that FsiA can induce the cell fusion-related genes in an AoSte12-independent manner. Surprisingly, the fsiA and Aoste12 double deletion mutant exhibited higher cell fusion efficiency and increased mRNA levels of the cell fusion-related genes as compared to the fsiA single deletion mutant, which revealed that AoSte12 represses the cell fusion-related genes in the fsiA deletion mutant. Taken together, our data demonstrate that FsiA activates the cell fusion-related genes by suppressing the negative function of AoSte12 as well as by an AoSte12-independent mechanism
Sex and age differences in ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD: An analysis of four general population samples
No full textBackground
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is traditionally understood as a disorder that occurs more commonly in women than in men, and in younger age groups than in older age groups. The objective of this study was to determine if these patterns are also observed in relation to International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD).
Methods
Secondary data analysis was performed using data collected from three nationally representative samples from the Republic of Ireland (N = 1,020), the United States (N = 1,839), and Israel (N = 1,003), and one community sample from the United Kingdom (N = 1,051).
Results
Estimated prevalence rates of ICD-11 PTSD were higher in women than in men in each sample, and at a level consistent with existing data derived from Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-based models of PTSD. Furthermore, rates of ICD-11 PTSD were generally lower in older age groups for men and women. For CPTSD, there was inconsistent evidence of sex and age differences, and some indication of a possible interaction between these two demographic variables.
Conclusions
Despite considerable revisions to PTSD in ICD-11, the same sex and age profile was observed to previous DSM-based models of PTSD. CPTSD, however, does not appear to show the same sex and age differences as PTSD. Theoretical models that seek to explain sex and age differences in trauma-related psychopathology may need to be reconsidered given the distinct effects for ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD
A New Welfare Imaginary for the Island of Ireland
No full textSocial imaginary is a sociological concept referring to the set of values, institutions, laws and symbols through which people imagine their social whole.
This article unpacks what might be needed to develop an all-island welfare
imaginary. Literature points to the importance of ‘institutional fit’, ‘policy
opportunity’ and ‘learning processes’ as factors facilitating policy transfer
between different jurisdictions. An absence of ‘institutional fit’ presents
barriers to policy transfer, but even where there is institutional fit, effective
policy transfer requires sufficient policy opportunity and effective policy
learning processes. We find potential for convergence between the Irish and
Northern Irish welfare systems in that both are broadly neoliberal in character, with common features and challenges. However, recent reforms created
divergence in their direction of travel, as is evidenced in social security
responses to the pandemic. Looking to the future, labour market disruption
and restructuring is likely as economies and societies cope with impacts of the
pandemic, future automation and climate challenges, and possible constitutional changes across the UK. Negotiating these new social risks will require
greater agility and navigational agency of citizens. Enabling institutions will
be key, as will maximum social and economic participation and cohesion;
these policy goals offer compass points to guide mutual travel for working
age welfare and social security policy, north and south. This article promotes
knowledge mobilisation towards an ‘island welfare imaginary’ that draws on
Nordic social democratic and universal models of welfare states and seeks to
maximise social and economic participation as a way of rooting solidarity
and reciprocal citizenship
Different Conspiracy Theories Have Different Psychological and Social Determinants: Comparison of Three Theories About the Origins of the COVID-19 Virus in a Representative Sample of the UK Population
No full textCOVID-19 conspiracy theories have proliferated during the global pandemic, and their rapid
spread among certain groups may jeopardize the public health response (e.g., undermining
motivation to engage in social distancing and willingness to vaccinate against the virus). Using
survey data from two waves of a nationally representative, longitudinal study of life in lockdown in
the United Kingdom (N 1,406), we analyze the factors associated with belief in three origin
theories related to COVID-19, namely that it 1) originated in a meat market in Wuhan, China; 2)
was developed in a lab in Wuhan, China; and 3) is caused by 5G mobile networks. Our findings
suggest that political-psychological predispositions are strongly associated with belief in
conspiracy theories about the virus, though the direction and effect sizes of these predictors
vary depending on the specific content of each origin theory. For instance, belief in the Chinese lab
conspiracy theory is strongly associated with right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance
orientation (SDO), and general conspiracy ideation, as well as less reliable news sources, distrust
in scientists, and anxiety about the pandemic. Belief in the 5G network conspiracy theory is
strongly associated with SDO, distrust in scientists, while less strongly with conspiracy ideation
and information from social networks/media; RWA is strongly negatively associated with belief in
the 5G conspiracy theory, with older and more wealthy individuals somewhat less likely to
endorse it. The meat market origin theory is predicted by intolerance of uncertainty,
ethnocentrism, COVID-19 anxiety, and less so by higher income, while distrust in scientists is
negatively associated with this origin story. Finally, belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is
associated with negative public health behaviors such as unwillingness to social distance and
vaccinate against the virus. Crucially, our findings suggest that the specific content of COVID-19
conspiracy theories likely determines which individuals may be most likely to endorse the
Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes among healthcare workers in the UK: UK-REACH ethico-legal research, qualitative research on healthcare workers’ experiences and stakeholder engagement protocol
No full textIntroduction
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging evidence suggests that individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds may be disproportionately affected. The United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers (UK-REACH) project has been initiated to generate rapid evidence on whether and why ethnicity affects COVID-19 diagnosis and clinical outcomes in healthcare workers (HCWs) in the UK, through five interlinked work packages/work streams, three of which form the basis of this protocol. The ethico-legal work (Work Package 3) aims to understand and address legal, ethical and acceptability issues around big data research; the HCWs" experiences study (Work Package 4) explores their work and personal experiences, perceptions of risk, support and coping mechanisms; the stakeholder engagement work (Work Package 5) aims to provide feedback and support with the formulation and dissemination of the project recommendations.
Methods and analysis
Work Package 3 has two different research strands: (A) desk-based doctrinal research; and (B) empirical qualitative research with key opinion leaders. For the empirical research, in-depth interviews will be conducted digitally and recorded with participants’ permission. Recordings will be transcribed, coded and analysed using thematic analysis. In Work Package 4, online in-depth interviews and focus groups will be conducted with approximately 150 HCWs, from across the UK, and these will be recorded with participants’ consent. The recordings will be transcribed and coded and data will be analysed using thematic analysis. Work Package 5 will achieve its objectives through regular group meetings and in-group discussions.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval has been received from the London-Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee of the Health Research Authority (Ref No 20/HRA/4718). Results of the study will be published in open-access journals, and disseminated through conference presentations, project website, stakeholder organisations, media and scientific advisory groups.
Trial registration number
ISRCTN11811602
Gambling Trends, Harms and Responses: Ireland in an International Context.
No full textThis report provides a summary of a one-year research project funded by the Gambling Awareness Trust in Ireland and conducted in late 2019 and 2020.
The core focus of the project was on 1) trends in the gambling industry and gambling behaviour 2) conceptual and empirical evidence on harmful gambling, and 3) responses to gambling harms and emerging best practice. This report is based on a state-of-the-art literature review on gambling and the findings of 20 interviews with a range of gambling stakeholders in Ireland.
This report contributes to expanding and updating our knowledge and understanding of the gambling ecosystem and the range of gambling harms in Ireland. It provides a social scientific perspective, which expands beyond medical and health-based responses to evaluate the wider trends, impacts and international best practice in responses to gambling harm.
The authors update available research to capture the mediatisation of gambling across television and social media, trace the emergence of digital and online platforms associated with gambling and e-sports, identify the ongoing gamblification of sport, and the emergence of corporate social responsibility responses in parts of the industry. Finally, it examines the patchwork of public, private and charity services and initiatives which are responding to the individual and social harms caused by gambling in communities and society more generally.
The report highlights five areas where urgent action is needed including: public health, education and awareness, legislation and regulation, advertising and marketing and the introduction of self-exclusion schemes
Wellbeing in Post-Covid Schools: Primary School Leaders’ Reimagining of the Future.
No full textIt is time to focus on the future. Since March 2020, all the resources went into helping schools maintain teaching and learning during the worldwide emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic (UN, 2020). School Leaders in Ireland have moved swiftly along the stages of grief ranging from the shock of the pandemic, through to anger, despair and finally acceptance of the new reality of living and working in the midst of the coronavirus. The entire school community have shown a remarkable resilience in the way students, parents, teachers and leaders have come together and navigated through the maze of the Covid-education (J. Burke & Dempsey, 2020; Devitt, Bray, Banks, & Ni Chorcora, 2020; Fahy, Murphy, Fu, & Nguyen, 2020; Mohan et al., 2020; Quinn, McGilloway, & Burke, 2020). With the new vaccines, we are now hopefully reaching the end of the lockdowns. However, the havoc that the pandemic caused may be long-lasting.
Pre-pandemic, primary school leaders’ role was already complex, “messy and demanding” (DES, 2016a; Stynes, McNamara, & O'Hara, 2018). They complained about the quantity of work, lack of time to focus on teaching and learning and resourcing needs (Reily, 2015). During the pandemic, their role has changed significantly. Apart from managing the day-to-day running of the school, leaders have also taken on additional duties associated with managing the Covid-19 safety, exacerbating the complexity of their role (Dempsey & Burke, 2020). It is now time to review leaders’ loaded role and identify ways in which it can be altered to positively impact on their wellbeing, ensure sustainability of the position, as well as ensure that they have the time and space to focus on rebuilding the ruptured school communities for a brighter post-Covid future.
The impact Covid-19 had on the school community varied. Some children were at a disadvantage when their access to education was limited due to the Wi-Fi connection issues or access to computing devices (J. Burke & Dempsey, 2020; Dempsey & Burke, 2020; Doyle, 2020). Families complained about the negative impact the lockdown had on pupils who felt more isolated, anxious and began to experience maladaptive behaviours at home (O’Sullivan et al., 2021). This was particularly challenging for parents of children with special needs. A comprehensive analysis of young people’s mental health in Ireland found that indeed, many have experienced lower levels of wellbeing compared with students pre-pandemic, although some aspects of their wellbeing remained the same (Quinn et al., 2020). Similarly, many parents, teachers and leaders found it difficult to cope with Covid-19 adversity, which impacted on various aspects of school community’s wellbeing (Devitt et al., 2020; Fahy et al., 2020; L. E. Kim & Asbury, 2020).
Wellbeing is “ a journey of promoting and improving individuals’ mental health and conditions, so that they can contribute to the school communities’ overall wellbeing, and vice versa.” (J. Burke, 2021). School leaders play an important role in promoting wellbeing and their leadership has a significant effect on their teaching staff, non-teaching staff and ultimately their students (Francisco, 2019; Serin & Akkaya, 2020; Wang, 2019). When individuals are not doing well, or when they withdraw psychologically from their role, it has a negative outcome on their performance (Erdemli, 2015). Thus, following the principles of “putting an oxygen mask first before assisting others”, it is crucial that primary school leaders’ wellbeing is considered to ensure the sustainability of their roles.
Psychological wellbeing can be assessed using at least a hundred of possible measures (Linton, Dieppe, & Medina-Lara, 2016). In the current research, we reviewed it from four perspectives. Firstly, we examined leaders’ personal wellbeing using a Mental Health Continuum model (C.L.M. Keyes, 2009), which combines three main theories of wellbeing, i.e. psychological wellbeing (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), emotional/subjective wellbeing (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999) and social wellbeing (Corey Lee M. Keyes, 1998). Then, we selected a model of illbeing which assesses participants’ symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Thirdly, we reviewed their work-related wellbeing (Kern, 2014). Finally, we assessed their perceived stress levels and work-life balance during the first term of the school year 2020-2021. Therefore the current research offers a holistic view of Primary school leaders’ health.
Wellbeing measures provided us with an outline of the impact of Covid-19 on leaders. However, what matters even more is what actions can all stakeholders take to create a better future for the entire school community with primary school leaders having the time and space to lead the change. This is what this report focused its attention on
Open Educational Resources (OERs): How to adopt and use them in the classroom
No full textAbstract is included in the tex