Educational Disadvantage in Ireland

This report discusses various ways to measure educational disadvantage. The precise way in which educational disadvantage is measured also influences the type of targets set to address it. The National Anti-Poverty Strategy has set three key targets in the area of educational disadvantage: Educational disadvantage is a significant problem at all levels of the education system and is influenced by the characteristics of families, schools, neighbourhoods and by broader public policies. There is a substantial amount of activity which is endeavouring to address educational disadvantage in Ireland. However, relatively little is known about what works, and this suggests that projects with the potential to produce lessons about effectiveness would be particularly worth considering. Outlined are a selection of project ideas which address educational disadvantage from which lessons may be learned about effective ways of doing this work

Integrating New Communities - Challenging Racism

In this report, the needs of new people hoping to settle in Ireland, and how these are responded to, provides the context in which racism in Ireland can be considered and one in which to identify opportunities where funding could make an important difference. This research considers the patterns of migration to Ireland and the likely future trends with reference to the particular groups of people who are choosing Ireland as a country in which to make a new life. Furthermore, this research explores what is known about racism in Ireland, and the initiatives currently being undertaken to combat racism are set out

The Changing Face of The Family in Ireland: Parenting Issues

This report examines family policy in Ireland, highlighting the substantial amount of service activity which are currently supporting families and, at the same time, the general awareness that significant gaps exist in services. Consequently, Mckeown and Clarke outline a selection of project ideas which might be used to fill some of these gaps, particularly with regard to supporting parents. These are based on a consideration of the statutory initiatives in place, some broadly focussed voluntary organisations and voluntary activity at local level

Building Customer-Based Brand Equity in Higher Education: Applying Brand Equity Theory to an International Higher Education Marketing Context

This study applies brand equity theory to a higher education marketing context. The study uses the theoretical model developed by Kevin L. Keller on building customer-based brand equity and explores its application to this context. A case study research design was used to explore how four different Universities conducted international marketing activities relevant to the theoretical model. The result was an adaptation of the theoretical model for higher education. The theories consulted in this study were those concerning brand equity, and more specifically customer-based brand equity, and marketing of higher education. The findings provide evidence that the customer-based brand equity model can be applied to the higher education context and used to guide marketing activities for Universities internationally

Public Archaeologies from the Edge

The chapter serves to introduce the first-ever book dedicated to public archaeologies of frontiers and borderlands. We identify the hitherto neglect of this critical field which seeks to explore the heritage, public engagements, popular cultures and politics of frontiers and borderlands past and present. We review the 2019 conference organised by Uiversity of Chester Archaeology students at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, which inspired this book, and then survey the structure and contents of the collection. We advocate that public archaeologies should seek to incorporate and foreground perspectives ‘from the edge’. By this we mean public archaeology should make frontiers and borderlands – including the people living with them and seeking to traverse them – paramount to future work

Measurement does not always aid state discrimination

We have investigated the problem of discriminating between nonorthogonal quantum states with least probability of error. We have determined that the best strategy for some sets of states is to make no measurement at all, and simply to always assign the most commonly occurring state. Conditions which describe such sets of states have been derived.Comment: 3 page

Correlating Volatile Lipid Oxidation Compounds with Consumer Sensory Data in Dairy Based Powders during Storage

peer-reviewedLipid oxidation (LO) is a recognised problem in dairy powders due to the formation of volatile odour compounds that can negatively impact sensory perception. Three commercial dairy powders, fat-filled whole milk powder (FFWMP), skim milk powder (SMP), and infant milk formula (IMF), stored under different conditions (21 °C, 37 °C, or 25 °C with 50% humidity), were evaluated by consumer acceptance studies, ranked descriptive sensory analysis, and LO volatile profiling using headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME GCMS) over 16 weeks. Significant (p = 0.001) differences in the concentration of LO compounds and sensory perception were evident between sample types in the different storage conditions. The sensory acceptance scores for FFWMP and SMP remained stable throughout storage in all conditions, despite the increased perception of some LO products. The IMF sample was perceived negatively in each storage condition and at each time point. Overall increases in hexanal, heptanal, and pentanal correlated with “painty”, “oxidised”, “cooked”, and “caramelised” attributes in all samples. The concentration of some LO volatiles in the IMF was far in excess of those in FFWMP and SMP. High levels of LO volatiles in IMF were presumably due to the addition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the formulation

Does endurance fatigue increase the risk of injury when performing drop jumps?

Although from an athletic performance perspective it may be beneficial to undertake drop jump training when fatigued (principle of "specificity" of training), such endur-ance fatigue may expose the body to a greater risk of injury if it causes an increase in peak impact accelerations. This study aimed to determine if endurance fatigue resulted in an increase in tibial peak impact acceleration and an associated change in knee kinematics when completing plyometric drop jumps. Fifteen females performed drop jumps from 3 heights (15, 30, and 45 cm) when fatigued and nonfatigued. Treadmill running was used to induce endurance fatigue. The following variables were assessed: tibial peak impact acceleration, knee angle at initial ground contact, maximum angle of flexion, range of flexion, and peak knee angular velocity. Fatigue resulted in significantly greater (p < 0.05) tibial peak impact acceleration and knee flexion peak angular velocity in drop jumps from 15 and 30 cm, but not from 45 cm. Fatigue had no effect on any of the knee angles assessed. The neuromuscular system was affected negatively by endurance fatigue at 15 and 30 cm, indicating that coaches should be aware of a potential increased risk of injury in performing drop jumps when fatigued. Because from the greater drop height of 45 cm the neuromuscular system had a reduced capacity to attenuate the impact accelerations per se, whether nonfatigued or fatigued, this would suggest that this height may have been too great for the athletes examined

Public Archaeologies from the Edge

The chapter serves to introduce the first-ever book dedicated to public archaeologies of frontiers and borderlands. We identify the hitherto neglect of this critical field which seeks to explore the heritage, public engagements, popular cultures and politics of frontiers and borderlands past and present. We review the 2019 conference organised by Uiversity of Chester Archaeology students at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, which inspired this book, and then survey the structure and contents of the collection. We advocate that public archaeologies should seek to incorporate and foreground perspectives ‘from the edge’. By this we mean public archaeology should make frontiers and borderlands – including the people living with them and seeking to traverse them – paramount to future work

Longitudinally and circumferentially directed movements of the left ventricle studied by cardiovascular magnetic resonance phase contrast velocity mapping

OBJECTIVE: Using high resolution cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), we aimed to detect new details of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function, to explain the twisting and longitudinal movements of the left ventricle. METHODS: Using CMR phase contrast velocity mapping (also called Tissue Phase Mapping) regional wall motion patterns and longitudinally and circumferentially directed movements of the left ventricle were studied using a high temporal resolution technique in healthy male subjects (n = 14, age 23 +/- 3 years). RESULTS: Previously undescribed systolic and diastolic motion patterns were obtained for left ventricular segments (based on the AHA segmental) and for basal, mid and apical segments. The summation of segmental motion results in a complex pattern of ventricular twisting and longitudinal motion in the normal human heart which underlies systolic and diastolic function. As viewed from the apex, the entire LV initially rotates in a counter-clockwise direction at the beginning of ventricular systole, followed by opposing clockwise rotation of the base and counter-clockwise rotation at the apex, resulting in ventricular torsion. Simultaneously, as the entire LV moves in an apical direction during systole, the base and apex move towards each other, with little net apical displacement. The reverse of these motion patterns occur in diastole. CONCLUSION: Left ventricular function may be a consequence of the relative orientations and moments of torque of the sub-epicardial relative to the sub-endocardial myocyte layers, with influence from tethering of the heart to adjacent structures and the directional forces associated with blood flow. Understanding the complex mechanics of the left ventricle is vital to enable these techniques to be used for the evaluation of cardiac pathology