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A Journey of Enquiry: a historical, legal and economic analysis of further education in Ireland from 1800 to 2020
No full textThis examination of the historical evolution of Further Education in Ireland emerged from a
curiosity about the unique and complex development of the sector within Irish education.
Further Education has been depicted for many years as what it is not, rather than what it actually
is. We are informed that it is not second level but equally it is not third level. The in-between
status of Further Education in Ireland therefore, belies the positive influence this sector has had
on people’s lives for two hundred years. Uncovering how Further Education was conceived
and how it evolved over the years, allows those working or studying in the sector to make sense
of the complexities the sector reveals of itself and how things happen within.
This research emerged from practice in the field that lead to an exploration of how the sector
was constructed and moulded by historical, legal and economic drivers over the course of two
centuries. Analysis of policy, policy implementation shifts, and the reasons for those changes,
reveal a constantly changing landscape within which Further Education in Ireland was required
to operate. Examination of these aspects reveals that Further Education developed in a
dynamic and chameleon-like manner, capable of repeatedly changing its fundamental being,
according to the needs of its paymaster and without definitively outlining its boundaries or
identity as a sector.
Taking a , historical, legal and economic focus, as this research does, allows the reader to
follow the thinking behind political and economic decisions which influenced the sector but
were little known to those students educated within its many guises, and also reveals the
systemic challenges of its position and status, as the sector struggled to clearly record its
presence and activities either in terms of financial resources, student numbers or results in the
field of education. Understanding this unique historical evolution is key to appreciating the
particular form and position which Further Education currently occupies in the Irish
educational landscape
Role for Retinoic Acid-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORα) Expressing Macrophages in Diet-Induced Obesity
No full textThe transcription factor RORα plays an important role in regulating circadian rhythm,
inflammation, metabolism, and cellular development. Herein we show a role for
RORα-expressing macrophages in the adipose tissue in altering the metabolic state
of mice on a high-fat diet. The expression of Rora and RORA is elevated in white
adipose tissue from obese mice and humans when compared to lean counterparts.
When fed a high-fat diet Rora reporter mice revealed increased expression of Rora-YFP
in macrophages in white adipose tissue deposits. To further define the potential role
for Rora-expressing macrophages in the generation of an aberrant metabolic state
Rorafl/flLysMCre/+ mice, which do not express Rora in myeloid cells, were maintained
on a high-fat diet, and metabolic parameters assessed. These mice had significantly
impaired weight gain and improved metabolic parameters in comparison to Rorafl/fl
control mice. Further analysis of the immune cell populations within white adipose tissue
deposits demonstrates a decrease in inflammatory adipose tissue macrophages (ATM).
In obese reporter mouse there was increased in Rora-YFP expressing ATM in adipose
tissue. Analysis of peritoneal macrophage populations demonstrates that within the
peritoneal cavity Rora-expression is limited to myeloid-derived macrophages, suggesting
a novel role for RORα in macrophage development and activation, which can impact on
metabolism, and inflammation
Targeting Methionine Synthase in a Fungal Pathogen Causes a Metabolic Imbalance That Impacts Cell Energetics, Growth, and Virulence
No full textThere is an urgent need to develop novel antifungals to tackle the threat fungal pathogens pose to human health. Here, we have performed a comprehensive characterization and validation of the promising target methionine synthase (MetH). We show that in Aspergillus fumigatus the absence of this enzymatic activity triggers a metabolic imbalance that causes a reduction in intracellular ATP, which prevents fungal growth even in the presence of methionine. Interestingly, growth can be recovered in the presence of certain metabolites, which shows that metH is a conditionally essential gene and consequently should be targeted in established infections for a more comprehensive validation. Accordingly, we have validated the use of the tetOFF genetic model in fungal research and improved its performance in vivo to achieve initial validation of targets in models of established infection. We show that repression of metH in growing hyphae halts growth in vitro, which translates into a beneficial effect when targeting established infections using this model in vivo Finally, a structure-based virtual screening of methionine synthases reveals key differences between the human and fungal structures and unravels features in the fungal enzyme that can guide the design of novel specific inhibitors. Therefore, methionine synthase is a valuable target for the development of new antifungals. IMPORTANCE Fungal pathogens are responsible for millions of life-threatening infections on an annual basis worldwide. The current repertoire of antifungal drugs is very limited and, worryingly, resistance has emerged and already become a serious threat to our capacity to treat fungal diseases. The first step to develop new drugs is often to identify molecular targets in the pathogen whose inhibition during infection can prevent its growth. However, the current models are not suitable to validate targets in established infections. Here, we have characterized the promising antifungal target methionine synthase in great detail, using the prominent fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus as a model. We have uncovered the underlying reason for its essentiality and confirmed its druggability. Furthermore, we have optimized the use of a genetic system to show a beneficial effect of targeting methionine synthase in established infections. Therefore, we believe that antifungal drugs to target methionine synthase should be pursued and additionally, we provide a model that permits gaining information about the validity of antifungal targets in established infections
Non-pharmacological interventions for Covid-19: How to improve adherence
No full textNon pharmacological interventions (NPIs) have been widely recommended in the battle against Covid-19. Numerous NPIs, including personal protection, social distancing, and environment and travel measures, have been implemented globally to reduce Covid-19 incidence and mortality. Adherence to these measures is crucial in determining their effectiveness. This article discusses some important barriers and facilitators to adherence, based on existing knowledge and mainly recent literature in the area. We propose three ways in which adherence may be improved, including: (i) targeting individual-level barriers; (ii) addressing structural and societal factors; and (iii) facilitating healthy social norms/social emotions. Collectively, these highlight the important role of individual behavior (and adherence) in containing, and mitigating the impact of, Covid-19 now and into the future
Perceptions of Light Pollution and its Impacts: Results of an Irish Citizen Science Survey
No full textBackground: Light pollution is increasingly an area of concern for health and quality of life research. Somewhat surprisingly, there are relatively few descriptions of perceptions of light pollution in the literature. The current study examined such perceptions in a Irish sample. Methods: A survey was circulated as part of a citizen science initiative of a national newspaper; the survey included questions regarding night sky brightness and the impact of light at night on sleep and animal behaviour. Complete responses from 462 respondents were analysed. Results: Urban location was, as anticipated, associated with reported brighter night skies, and public lighting was reported as the main source of light at night for urban settings, whilst neighbours’ domestic lighting was the most commonly reported source for rural settings. Respondents from rural settings were more likely to report that light at night impinged on sleep, whilst city dwellers were more likely to report recent changes in wildlife behaviour. Conclusions: Citizen science approaches may be useful in gathering data on public perceptions of light pollution and its impacts. In the current study, this perception was strongly influenced by location, highlighting the importance of assessing experiences and attitudes across a number of geographical settings
Enable, Reconnect and Augment: A New ERA of Virtual Nature Research and Application
No full textBeing exposed to natural environments is associated with improved health and well-being, as these environments are believed to promote feelings of “being away” from everyday struggles, positive emotional reactions and stress reduction. Despite these positive effects, humanity is becoming increasingly more distanced from nature due to societal changes, such as increased urbanization and the reduced accessibility of natural environments. Technology is also partly to blame, as research suggests that people replace nature contact with increased screen time. In this cross-section between nature and technology, we find technological nature which is progressing towards a point where we may be capable of simulating exposure to real nature. Concerns have been raised regarding this technology, as it is feared it will replace real nature. However, research suggests that virtual nature may have a more positive impact on society than a mere replacement of real nature, and this review propose several areas where virtual nature may be a beneficial addition to actual nature (Enable), help people reconnect with the real natural world (Reconnect) and “boost” human-nature interactions (Augment). Based on the current research and theoretical framework, this review proposes guidelines for future research within these areas, with the aim of advancing the field by producing high quality research
Lock-free hopscotch hashing
No full textIn this paper we present a lock-free version of Hopscotch
Hashing. Hopscotch Hashing is an open addressing algorithm originally proposed by Herlihy, Shavit, and Tzafrir
[10], which is known for fast performance and excellent cache
locality. The algorithm allows users of the table to skip or
jump over irrelevant entries, allowing quick search, insertion, and removal of entries. Unlike traditional linear probing, Hopscotch Hashing is capable of operating under a high
load factor, as probe counts remain small. Our lock-free
version improves on both speed, cache locality, and progress
guarantees of the original, being a chimera of two concurrent hash tables. We compare our data structure to various
other lock-free and blocking hashing algorithms and show
that its performance is in many cases superior to existing
strategies. The proposed lock-free version overcomes some of
the drawbacks associated with the original blocking version,
leading to a substantial boost in scalability while maintaining attractive features like physical deletion or probe-chain
compression
Towards identifying malnutrition among infants under 6 months: a mixed-methods study of South-Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia
No full textObjectives:
To determine (i) whether distinct groups of infants under 6 months old (U6M) were identifiable as malnourished based on anthropometric measures and if so to determine the probability of admittance to GOAL Ethiopia’s Management of At Risk Mothers and Infants (MAMI) programme based on group membership; (ii) whether there were discrepancies in admission using recognised anthropometric criteria, compared with group membership and (iii) the barriers and potential solutions to identifying malnutrition within U6M.
Design:
Mixed-methods approaches were used, whereby data collected by GOAL Ethiopia underwent: factor mixture modelling, χ 2 analysis and logistic regression analysis. Qualitative analysis was performed through coding of key informant interviews.
Setting:
Data were collected in two refugee camps in Ethiopia. Key informant interviews were conducted remotely with international MAMI programmers and nutrition experts.
Participants:
Participants were 3444 South-Sudanese U6M and eleven key informants experienced in MAMI programming.
Results:
Well-nourished and malnourished groups were identified, with notable discrepancies between group membership and MAMI programme admittance. Despite weight for age z-scores (WAZ) emerging as the most discriminant measure to identify malnutrition, admittance was most strongly associated with mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Misconceptions surrounding malnutrition, a dearth of evidence and issues with the current identification protocol emerged as barriers to identifying malnutrition among U6M.
Conclusions:
Our model suggests that WAZ is the most discriminating anthropometric measure for malnutrition in this population. However, the challenges of using WAZ should be weighed up against the more scalable, but potentially overly sensitive and less accurate use of MUAC among U6M
Polyvictimization and psychopathology among children and adolescents: A systematic review of studies using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire
No full textBackground: Exposure to child abuse can lead to lasting mental health problems. Extant research
has found that different types of child abuse tend to co-occur and overlap, which merits the
investigation of the effects of exposure to multiple types of childhood mistreatment.
Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically review the evidence on the associations
between multiple different types of interpersonal victimization or polyvictimization, and indicators of psychopathology among children ages 0–17.
Methods: The review included studies across all economic strata and research on nationally representative, community, and at-risk samples, using the same standardized assessment tool (i.e.
the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire or JVQ). The review was conducted using peer-reviewed evidence published up until August 2019 from Scopus, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline,
CINAHL, and ERIC. Out of 4998 relevant references screened, 255 met the inclusion criteria, 22
of which aimed to address childhood polyvictimization and psychopathology.
Results: A total of 21 of the 22 included studies identified a significant positive association between polyvictimization and various indicators of psychopathology comprising both externalizing (e.g. anger), internalizing problems (e.g. depression) and total psychological distress.
A range of studies demonstrated that polyvictimization was a stronger risk factor for psychopathology than individual (sub)types of victimization. Based on the study findings, we provide a
set of recommendations for future research on polyvictimization and psychopathology.
Conclusion: The present systematic review was the first to review the evidence on the associations between polyvictimization (as measured by the JVQ) and child and adolescent psychopathology in the global research literature. As a novel approach, the present review included both
normative and high-risk samples. The results showed that polyvictimization is a substantial risk
factor for mental health problems spanning both inner-directed and outer-directed mental health difficulties. However, the inconsistency in methods of defining and measuring polyvictimization
severely undermines the scientific impact of this body of work.
Additional well-designed, longitudinal studies that take account of the context-specific nature
of polyvictimization are required to better establish the causal relationships between childhood
polyvictimization and psychopathology so as to improve prevention and intervention efforts
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Associated Comorbidity During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ireland: A Population-Based Study
No full textThe prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as it relates to individuals’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be determined. This study was conducted to determine rates of COVID-19–related PTSD in the Irish general population, the level of comorbidity with depression and anxiety, and the sociodemographic risk factors associated with COVID-19–related PTSD. A nationally representative sample of adults from the general population of the Republic of Ireland (N = 1,041) completed self-report measures of all study variables. The rate of COVID-19–related PTSD was 17.7% (n = 184), 95% CI [15.35%, 19.99%], and there was a high level of comorbidity with generalized anxiety (49.5%) and depression (53.8%). Meeting the diagnostic requirement for COVID-19–related PTSD was associated with younger age, male sex, living in a city, living with children, moderate and high perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, and screening positive for anxiety or depression. Posttraumatic stress symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic are common in the general population. Our results show that health professionals responsible for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic should expect to routinely encounter symptoms and concerns related to posttraumatic stress