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Facilitators and barriers to service provision for adolescent refugees and the impact on mental health and well-being: A service provider perspective
Get PDFBackground: Refugees may experience post-migration and acculturative stressors in their host country, including language and educational barriers and integration challenges, all of which may negatively affect their mental health. These may be particularly problematic for school-going refugees, and service providers (SPs) including school personnel play a critical role in supporting their mental health and well-being needs as well as their educational outcomes.
Aims: The principal aims of this study, which was conducted as part of a larger project called ‘SALaM Ireland’, were to: (1) undertake a review of the literature to explore services and interventions aimed at supporting the mental health and well-being of young, mainly Arabic-speaking, refugees in school and community settings; and (2) to explore the perspectives of stakeholders involved in supporting this population in Ireland, to better understand their psychosocial and wellbeing needs.
Method: A scoping review of relevant literature was undertaken (Stage One) alongside and a series of one-to-one interviews and a small focus group discussion with a range of stakeholders (n=21) involved in providing support for this population in Ireland (Stage Two).
Results: Several barriers to positive mental health and psychosocial well-being were identified from both the scoping review and the participant interviews, including stigma, cultural differences, poor or impoverished educational backgrounds and a lack of funding/resources. Facilitative factors included trauma-informed approaches, appropriate psychological interventions/therapies, adequate language and educational supports and other integrative supports and services.
Conclusion: This timely and topical research provides a valuable contribution to the international literature. The findings may also help to inform policy and practice both in Ireland and elsewhere, and especially in terms of identifying some potentially promising approaches which may be implemented (and evaluated) to help foster the successful integration and inclusion of young refugees in their host countries. Some directions for future research are also indicated
AgroCycle Kids Education Programme
Get PDFThe AgroCycle Kids Education Programme, conceived by the Maynooth University team made up of Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird and Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh, represents a departure
from traditional didactic approaches, opting instead for participatory sessions that
engage children as active co-creators of knowledge. Through immersive experiences designed to facilitate observation and reflection, participants are invited to explore the inherent circularity present in nature—a paradigm where waste is a concept rendered obsolete by the continual recycling and regeneration of materials and energy.
The programme places a strong emphasis on experiential learning, with children given
ample opportunities to design and implement solutions for a circular economy.
Spending significant time in natural environments, participants witness firsthand the interconnectedness and cyclical nature of all life forms, reinforcing the notion that nature serves as the ultimate model of sustainability
The dangers of masculine technological optimism: Why feminist, antiracist values are essential for social justice, economic justice, and climate justice
Get PDFResponding to the climate crisis requires social and economic innovation—because climate change is a symptom of patriarchal capitalist systems that are concentrating—rather than distributing—wealth and power. Despite the need for social and economic innovation, technological innovation continues to be prioritized in climate policy and climate investments. This paper reviews the dangers of technological optimism in climate policy by exploring its links to patriarchal systems and masculinity. The disproportionate focus on science and technology emerges from and reinforces “climate isolationism,” a term that I use to refer to the common framing of climate change as an isolated discrete, scientific problem in need of technological solutions. This framing stems from assumptions of patriarchal white-male conceptions of privilege and power that evolve from a colonizing and controlling mindset. Masculine technological optimism is dangerous because it is exclusive, it minimizes the need for social change and social innovation, and it is ineffective in catalyzing inclusive societal transformation. This paper argues that embracing feminist, antiracist values is necessary for transformative climate policies, economic justice, and climate justice
A model invalidation procedure for wave energy converters with experimental assessment and implications for control
Get PDFModel invalidation is the process of testing assumptions of a dynamical model by comparing simulated responses with experimental data, considering any discrepancies as evidence that the model may be invalid. In this study, a model invalidation methodology is presented, to obtain robust control oriented models for wave energy converters (WECs). In particular, this methodology can deal separately with dynamical uncertainty and external noise in experimental data sets. To this end, considering linear system theory, this study proposes a methodology for building input–output data sets for WEC systems, via a two-stage approach. Model invalidation results are analysed statistically, and the practical implications of considering dynamical uncertainty in WEC system models are discussed in terms of control performance, specifically absorbed energy. As indicated by the analysis and results presented in this study, failure to include dynamic uncertainty in the analysis can lead to performance overestimation. The importance of a good dynamical description for accurate estimation of experimental control performance is highlighted. Finally, this study emphasises the need for closed-loop controllers for WEC systems that can simultaneously maximise energy and guarantee robust stability, an area currently lacking within the WEC literature
Response of the mushroom pathogen Cladobotryum mycophilum to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone and two Bacillus-based biological control agents in mushroom crop trials
Get PDFCobweb disease caused by members of the Cladobotryum genus is a major problem for growers of the white
button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Synthetic fungicides such as prochloraz and metrafenone have been very
successful at targeting and eliminating the pathogens that cause mushroom disease. However, prochloraz can no
longer be used in the European Union (EU) from June 2023 and over-reliance on metrafenone has resulted in
putative resistant pathogenic strains emerging. Prochloraz still showed good control of two different isolates of
Cladobotryum mycophilum with efficacy values consistently reaching 70%. Metrafenone inhibited the growth of
C. mycophilum isolate 618, which was isolated before metrafenone was introduced (efficacy 96%), but it failed to
control C. mycophilum 1546, which was isolated after metrafenone was introduced, and which should now be
classified as resistant. Two further C. mycophilum isolates from mushroom farms in 2019 also showed metrafenone resistance in vitro. In this work two biological control agents (BCAs) were investigated as potential environmentally sustainable alternatives to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone. The BCA Bacillus velezensis
QST 713 was unsuccessful in controlling cobweb disease caused by C. mycophilum isolate 1546 while the BCA
Bacillus velezensis Kos showed moderate control over two trials reaching 30–40% efficacy. Lower inoculum
concentrations resulted in slightly lower but not significantly different disease levels across all treatments. Future
trials with BCAs need to look at alternative methods to evaluate efficacy
The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled in the European Union: Reflecting on Its Implementation and Gauging Its Impact from a Disability Perspective
Get PDFThe Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (Marrakesh Treaty) requires State Parties to introduce limitations and exceptions to national copyright rules in order to allow the reproduction, distribution and making available of published works in formats that are accessible to persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. This Treaty was concluded by the European Union (EU) on behalf of its Member States in 2018. It was then implemented by means of a Directive and a Regulation. On the tenth anniversary of its adoption, and six years after the enactment of the EU implementing acts, this article reflects on the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty in the EU, highlighting its strengths and shortcomings. It then discusses, from a disability perspective, the impact of the Marrakesh Treaty within Europe on foot of a multimethod empirical study conducted within the project ReCreating Europe. On the whole, this article argues that, in spite of some weaknesses of the Marrakesh Directive, which leaves room for differences across the Member States, the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty by the EU has supported access to printed materials for people with disabilities
How the Principle of Humanity in International Humanitarian Law can inform Weapons Regulation in Outer Space
Get PDFActivity in Outer Space has increased significantly in recent times, with new Space
actors and new technologies emerging. This has resulted in Outer Space becoming a
crowded and tense environment in which the possibility of the use of weapons grows
ever nearer. The consequences of such weapons use in Outer Space would be felt by
humankind as a whole.
The law that governs the conduct of armed conflicts, and the use of weapons during
these periods of conflict, is International Humanitarian Law (IHL). However, weapons
regulation in IHL struggles to keep pace with the development of weapons technologies
which can be used in Outer Space. In addition, International Space Law (ISL) does not
prohibit the use of all weapons in Outer Space. This research addresses this gap in the
ISL and IHL frameworks with regards to the regulation of weapons use in Outer Space.
IHL was founded on the basis of four principles – distinction, military necessity and
proportionality, all of which stem from the central principle of humanity. It was in the
Martens Clause of the 1899 Hague Convention II that this central principle of humanity
was referenced as providing guidance and applying in the absence of express legislation.
Therefore, the principle of humanity is currently addressing this gap by providing a
minimum standard of protection based on the considerations of what is in the interests
of humanity with regards to the regulation of the use of weapons in Outer Space.
This research forms recommendations for express regulation, from the perspective of
this central principle of humanity, as it is premised that this approach will inform
regulation with a view to protecting humankind from the consequences of the use of
weapons in Outer Space
Social consequences of planned relocation in response to sea level rise: impacts on anxiety, well-being, and perceived safety
Get PDFGovernments globally are adapting to sea level rise through a range of interventions to improve everyday lives of communities at risk. One prominent response is planned relocation, where people and communities are enabled to move from localities exposed to coastal erosion and inundation as a result of sea level rise. Managed retreat has significant social consequences including under-reported impacts on health, well-being and social identity. Here we adopt well-established measures of well-being and document the outcomes of planned relocation on well-being in the Volta Delta region of Ghana. Data from a bespoke survey for individuals (n = 505) in relocated and non-relocated communities demonstrate that planned relocation negatively impacts well-being and anxiety of those relocated when compared to a community that is equally exposed but has not moved. Individuals in the relocated community reported significantly lower levels of overall wellbeing, significantly higher levels of anxiety, and lower perceptions of safety, compared to non-relocated community members. These outcomes are explained as being related to the disruption of community connection, identities, and feelings of efficacy. Relocated community members reported significantly lower levels of attachment to the local area and home, significantly lower levels of community-based self-efficacy, and significantly lower levels of overall community-based identity. The results demonstrate that planned relocation to address sea level rise has multiple social consequences with outcomes for well-being that are not straightforwardly related to risk reduction
Diurnal to interannual variability in the Northeast Atlantic from hydrographic transects and fixed time-series across the Rockall Trough
Get PDFThe southern entrance to the Rockall Trough is subject to a complex set of dynamic processes, influenced by Atlantic gyre interactions, the North Atlantic Current, slope boundary currents, variable wind stress forcing, mesoscale activity, and a changing supply of modified water masses formed elsewhere in the Atlantic. These processes drive large temporal and spatial variations, and mixing of surface and intermediate water mass properties that advect through the Trough and drive variations in the deeper waters circulating around it. Here, we investigate variability across the southern and central Rockall Trough from standard hydrographic sections (2006–2022) and deepwater moored subsurface measurements, to better understand changes in water column characteristics and water mass modification during advection through the Rockall Trough and track the aftermath of recent freshening events. Rapid and longer-term physical changes are assessed along with spatial variability and watermass interaction. Interannual variability is large across intermediate depths, deeper circulations are regenerated and a salinity core associated with the eastern boundary current is detailed. Establishing, maintaining, monitoring and analysis of observational ocean time-series datasets are a fundamental requirement for managing and conserving crucial biological resources and are key to understanding oceanic and earth system change
Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment 2023. Volume 3: Being prepared for Ireland's Future Climate. Summary for Policymakers.
Get PDFThis 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.
Volume 3 covers the impacts we are likely to face and how we can prepare for these changes in an Irish context. It incorporates the latest projections from Ireland-specific climate modelling initiatives from ICHEC and Met Éireann, as well as impacts-modelling and social research into community resilience and wellbeing. The report covers a range of sectors, including biodiversity, critical infrastructure, health, and pays attention to the co-dependencies between them. It looks at a broad spectrum of research undertaken in Ireland on climate impacts, while also covering best practices in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report and the international literature