Affective Attachments to Carbon within Youth Cultures

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Vector time series modelling of turbidity in Dublin Bay

Turbidity is commonly monitored as an important water quality index. Human activities, such as dredging and dumping operations,can disrupt turbidity levels and should be monitored and analysed for possible effects. In this paper, we model the variations of turbidity in Dublin Bay over space and time to investigate the effects of dumping and dredging while controlling for the effect of wind speed as a common atmospheric effect. We develop a Vector Auto-Regressive Integrated Conditional Heteroskedasticity (VARICH)approach to modelling the dynamical behaviour of turbidity over different locations and at different water depths. We use daily values of turbidity during the years 2017–2018 to fit the model. We show that the results of our fitted model are in line with the observed data and that the uncertainties, measured through Bayesian credible intervals,are well calibrated. Furthermore, we show that the daily effects of dredging and dumping on turbidity are negligible in comparison to that of wind spee

Universal Error Correction Decoding Algorithms

There is no perfect communication channel, and any communication necessarily involves some level of noise. Attempting to hold a conversation across a crowded room, for instance, will likely result in miscommunication due to background noise. Channel coding, as a field, is concerned with reducing the rate of error in such noisy communication channels. This can be achieved by encoding messages with channel codes, which allow communication errors to be detected and corrected. The study of channel coding was launched in 1948 [78], and it now underlies critical technology such as the Internet, space communications, and storage of digital information [57]. In this thesis, we develop new algorithms and channel coding techniques based on Guessing Random Additive Noise Decoding (GRAND), a recently introduced family of decoders for channel codes. GRAND algorithms, unusually, can decode any channel code of any length that has a moderate amount of redundancy. Assuming that all messages are equally likely, they achieve maximum-likelihood decoding, which is the best possible outcome of decoding a channel code. GRAND challenges several assumptions of traditional channel coding and asserts a new decoding paradigm in which the particular channel code being used doesn't matter, allowing greater flexibility in the design of communication schemes. Given that an upper bound on GRAND's computational complexity increases exponentially with the amount of redundancy in a code, it is impractical to directly decode arbitrary channel codes that have a large amount of redundancy. The goal of this thesis is thus to explore if GRAND can be used to decode such high-redundancy codes, which are suitable for the noisiest channel environments. To that end, we introduce and develop two iterative decoding algorithms, Iterative GRAND (IGRAND) and block turbo decoding with GRAND, for a powerful class of channel codes known as product codes. Product codes are, in general, high-redundancy codes formed from a concatenation of low- to moderateredundancy component codes. The key insight of the algorithms considered here is that GRAND can decode product codes by decoding each of their component codes in turn, circumventing the aforementioned complexity constraint. Soft information indicates the reliability of a received message and is useful for a wide range of applications, including error detection and turbo decoding. In addition to the goal of decoding high-redundancy codes, this thesis also investigates the question of whether it is possible for GRAND decoding to output accurate soft information. We derive probabilistic soft output formulae for GRAND algorithms, evaluate their accuracy, and explore their application to error detection

Procrastination, depressive symptomatology, and loneliness in later life

Objectives: Procrastination is an almost universal behaviour and yet little research to date has focused on procrastination among older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential asso-ciation between age and procrastination, and the potential mediating roles of depressive symptom-atology and loneliness.Method: Structural equation modelling was applied to data from 1309 participants (aged 29–92) from two waves United States Health and Retirement Study (2016–2020). Within the model, sex, education, marital status, and job status were added as covariates.Results: There was no statistically significant direct effect between age and procrastination (β = 0.06, p = 0.106). However, an indirect effect was present via depressive symptomatology (β = −0.40, p < 0.001). No mediating effect of loneliness was observed (β = − 0.01, p = 0.371). Subsequent analysis revealed that the symptoms, fatigue, loneliness, and lack of motivation significantly predicted procrastination.Conclusion: While age was not directly associated with procrastination, increasing age was associated with a decreased likelihood of depressive symptomatology, which was in turn associated with an increased likelihood of procrastination. Such findings indicates that age demonstrates no association with procrastination because of the suppressing effect of depressive symptomatology

New opportunities for discourse studies: combining Discourse Theory, Critical Discourse Studies and Corpus Linguistics

This paper proposes a methodological framework that integrates poststructuralist Discourse Theory (DT), Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) and Corpus Linguistics (CL). While previous research has discussed potential compatibility between combinations of these approaches, there have been few attempts to bring them all together into a cohesive research programme. Fostering dialogue between diverse methodological perspectives can facilitate multi-level analysis to capture the complex dynamics of sociopolitical issues. In this vein, the article presents the methodological tree, an analogy used to illustrate how these traditions may come together to complement one another. This foundation lays the groundwork for practical application in discursive analysis, with a flexible analytical structure proposed and examples provided to illustrate its implementation. It is hoped that the article can stimulate further discussion around how DT, CDS and CL can be brought together to harness their strengths

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

The 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

Long-Term Evolution of Significant Wave Height in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic between 1940 and 2022 Using the ERA5 Dataset

Studies on the variability in ocean wave climate provide engineers and policy makers with information to plan, develop, and control coastal and offshore activities. Ocean waves bear climatic imprints through which the global climate system can be better understood. Using the recently updated ERA5 dataset, this study evaluated the spatiotemporal distribution and variability in significant wave height (SWH) in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic (ETA). The short-term trends and rates of change were obtained using the Mann–Kendall trend test and the Theil–Sen slope estimator, respectively, and decadal trends were assessed using wavelet transformation. Significant, positive monthly and yearly trends and a prevailing decadal trend were observed across the domain. Observed trends suggest that stronger waves are getting closer to the coast and are modulated by the Southern and Northern Atlantic mid-latitude storm fields. These observations have implications for the increasing coastal erosion rates on the eastern coast of the Tropical Atlanti

Critical Analysis of the Mediation Act (2017)

In this article I describe how mediation is regulated under the Mediation Act, 2017 with particular reference to parts 1 and 2 of the Act. I highlight key provisions, providing rationale for my views

How the Principle of Humanity in International Humanitarian Law can inform Weapons Regulation in Outer Space

Activity 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