The Irish Mortgage Market: Stylised Facts, Negative Equity and Arrears

This paper uses loan-level data from the residential mortgage books of four Irish credit institutions, as at December 2010. The focus of the paper, is to provide an overview of the structure and condition of these housing loan books. This includes a description of borrower categories, interest rate profiles, repayment structures, property types, arrears accruals and the regional distributions of these loan and borrower characteristics across Ireland. Because it is possible to secure more than one loan on an individual house, we distinguish the number of properties underlying the residential mortgage book. Additionally we combine the data with house price data in order to generate estimates on the amount of housing equity in the Irish mortgage market. We focus on the properties in negative equity, in particular. Our findings suggest that approximately 31 per cent of mortgaged properties, representing over 47 per cent of the mortgage books’ outstanding loan balances were in negative equity at the end of 2010. Of the mortgaged properties in negative equity, 8 per cent had also accrued more than three months worth of arrears on their mortgage loans.Credit, Asset Pricing, Banks, Mortgages, Regional Economic Activity, Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity, Housing Demand, Housing Supply and Markets

Research Based Recommendation: Effective Parent Advocacy for Students who are Twice-Exceptional, Academically Gifted With Autism

This thesis’s purpose is twofold. The first purpose is to present both information about what twice-exceptionality is and to make recommendations based on the existing research as to how parents or guardians can become more effective advocates and advocate for effective programming and services for their children who are twice-exceptional. While this thesis focuses on a specific subset of twice-exceptional students, those who are both gifted and have autism, a good deal of the material presented will be applicable to children who are gifted with learning disabilities. Effective parent advocacy looks the same across exceptionalities: producing the best educational experience based on the child’s unique needs. Strengths-based programming has been demonstrated to benefit twice-exceptional students no matter the disability, however the areas of deficit will vary depending on the specific disability a child has and his/her unique learning profile. The resources for information on special education law and twice-exceptionality will be useful to parents regardless of the twice-exceptional child’s disability. The second, and I feel most important, purpose of the thesis is to provide those parents/guardians with a “Quick Start Guide to Advocacy” to help them get started on the path to becoming the most effective advocate they can be for their child(ren). While educators and school administrators are expected to have a solid understanding of the rights and responsibilities of all stakeholders, many times parents are thrust into the world of special and gifted education with no preexisting knowledge. The aim of this thesis is to help bridge this gap for parents and guardians of this unique subset of students

Heidegger and the Ethics of the Earth: Eco-Phenomenology in the Age of Technology

Martin Heidegger came to see the history of Western metaphysics as a series of ontotheological epochs. These epochs, he argues, culminate in the age informed by the metaphysics of Friedrich Nietzsche. According to this ontotheological paradigm, entities are nothing more than meaningless resources to be optimized. This paper argues that this is the source of the environmental crises we face. In order to see our way through and beyond this nihilistic ontotheological age, we must recognize the ontological source of all existence, that which Heidegger called being as such. The philosophical tradition of phenomenology offers us an ideal method for cultivating an openness to and an appreciation of the existence of any particular entity as an instantiation of the inexhaustibly meaningful being as such. By being appropriately open, we come to have a more authentic relationship to the world and the entities within it, including ourselves. Since any ethics is built upon ontology, reorienting our ontological perspectives in this way makes possible the development of an environmental ethic that can help us resolve the ethical dilemmas we face on the environmental front

Liquid Phase Transition in the Postsynaptic Density?

An assembly of scaffold proteins termed the postsynaptic density (PSD) is attached to the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory glutamatergic synapses [1]. The scaffold serves to immobilize glutamate receptors in the membrane directly across from the position where glutamate is released from the presynaptic terminal. It also houses and organizes biochemical machinery whose job is to respond to particular patterns of electrical activity by increasing the strength of the synapse [2]. Synaptic strengthening helps to form new circuits that represent our experience [3]. These circuits are our memories. Biochemical machinery in the PSD strengthens the synapse by increasing the size of the PSD scaffold, the number of anchored receptors, and the size of the presynaptic active zone. A larger scaffold, more release sites, and more receptors means a stronger synapse, and vice versa

Glendalough Distillery: The Internationalisation Challenge

This case study focuses on the emergence and growth of an Irish-owned start-up challenger brand Glendalough, entering the highly competitive global whiskey market. From their origins in 2011, this small enterprise has gained global attention for their innovative products, their strong focus on branding and their rapid success. The case centres on their acquisition by Mark Anthony Brands, a major North American drinks producer and distributor, who took a stake in the business early on. The next phase for Glendalough will focus on how to maximise this relationship with Mark Anthony Brands. While this will give them increased access and power in the North American market how exactly should Glendalough tackle this opportunity

The Burren Smokehouse

The Burren Smokehouse is one of Ireland’s best known artisan producers of organic Smoked Salmon, Mackerel, Trout and Gauda Cheese using 100% Irish quality raw materials for its products. This case explores the role of the Brand and brand experiences in the artisan food market. The role of place in the brand story and values is central to The Burren Smokehouse and the expansion of the operation to include a visitor centre has ensured that these values are embedded. The case explores the role of visitor experiences and asks the student to Identify and discuss the strategic and tactical business and branding issues that the Burren Smokehouse as a whole may encounter in the next 3-5 years

A sex difference in the response of the rodent postsynaptic density to synGAP haploinsufficiency

SynGAP is a postsynaptic density (PSD) protein that binds to PDZ domains of the scaffold protein PSD-95. We previously reported that heterozygous deletion of Syngap1 in mice is correlated with increased steady-state levels of other key PSD proteins that bind PSD-95, although the level of PSD-95 remains constant (Walkup et al., 2016). For example, the ratio to PSD-95 of Transmembrane AMPA-Receptor-associated Proteins (TARPs), which mediate binding of AMPA-type glutamate receptors to PSD-95, was increased in young Syngap1+/- mice. Here we show that only females and not males show a highly significant correlation between an increase in TARP and a decrease in synGAP in the PSDs of Syngap1+/- rodents. The data reveal a sex difference in the adaptation of the PSD scaffold to synGAP haploinsufficiency

What type of soft contact lens works best for reverse piggyback?

Aim To determine which type of soft contact lens works best in a reverse piggyback lens system. Background A reverse piggyback lens system comprises of a soft contact lens worn over a rigid gas permeable lens. Several uses of this system include prevention of rigid gas permeable lens decentration during sporting activities and reduction of rigid gas permeable lens intolerance due to lid sensitivity. Methods Four different types of soft contact lenses; Senofilcon A, Omafilcon A, Etafilcon A and Delefilcon A, were assessed in a reverse piggyback system, in both eyes of twelve subjects (n=24). Over refraction, best corrected visual acuity and comfort were measured for each lens. Comfort was assessed using a visual analogue scale. A LogMAR scale was used to determine best corrected visual acuity. These measurements were also conducted for rigid gas permeable lens wear alone. The results for over refraction, best corrected visual acuity and comfort were statistically analysed and interpreted with respect to change from baseline measurements of rigid gas permeable lens wear alone. Results Data for over refraction and best corrected visual acuity for each of the four lenses was tested to check for normal distribution using a Shapiro Wilk test. The data for over refraction was normally distributed for each lens, with the exception of Etafilcon A. However, as the frequency histogram for this lens appeared relatively normal, it was decided to proceed with a one-way ANOVA test to analyse the data for over refraction. The f-ratio value was found to be 0.19 (P=0.91). The data for change in best corrected visual acuity was not normally distributed. As the frequency histograms for this data did not resemble that of a normal distribution, a one-way ANOVA test could not be carried out. Instead, a Kruskal-Wallis test was utilised for statistical analysis of change in best corrected visual acuity. The H statistic was found to be 1.53 (P=0.68). The results for over refraction and best corrected visual acuity were not statistically significant at the 5% significance level. A Friedman test was used to analyse the data for comfort. The X2r statistic was found to be 9.01 (P=0.03). The differences in comfort between the lenses were found to be statistically significant at the 5% significance level. Re-analysis of the data using a Friedman test according to other researchers’ just noticeable difference estimations gave an X2r statistic of 5.37 (P=0.15). The differences in comfort between the lenses were not clinically significant at the 5% significance level. Conclusion There were no clinically significant differences in over refraction, best corrected visual acuity or comfort between each lens type. Therefore, a type of soft contact lens that works best for reverse piggyback was not identified. Further research with a larger sample size could be carried out to determine whether there is a lens which works best for reverse piggyback. However, if a lens was identified that works best for reverse piggyback, it may not be suitable in all cases due to the large amounts of individual variation indicated by the results

Preserving professional credibility: grounded theory study of medical trainees’ requests for clinical support

Objective To develop a conceptual framework of the influences on medical trainees’ decisions regarding requests for clinical support from a supervisor