Water quality and recreational use of public waterways. ESRI Research Bulletin 2017/06

Approximately half of the adult population participate in some form of water-based activity every year, across activities such as angling, boating, swimming, and water sports. Prior research from 2003 suggests that water-based tourism accounted for 22 per cent of the domestic tourism market and generated 45 per cent of domestic tourism revenue, all of which is underpinned by Ireland’s marine and freshwater resources. The Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent State of the Environment report notes that while the quality of Ireland’s surface waters is among the best in Europe improvements are still needed and insufficient progress is being made. Over the past six years there was no improvement in quality of river, transitional and coastal waters, while lake water quality has got slightly worse. This research examines how recreational activity is impacted by changes in water quality

WATER QUALITY AND WATER-BASED RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY. ESRI Research Bulletin 2017/11

The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent report on surface water quality confirms that there was a deterioration of water quality at hundreds of water bodies around the country between 2013 and 2015 (EPA, 2017). Water pollution has many impacts across the economy and society, including the potential to hinder water-based recreational activities. This Bulletin summarises research that investigates how different levels of water quality affect where recreational boating activity is undertaken

Discursive Narrative Analysis: A Study of Online Autobiographical Accounts of Self-Injury

This article offers an innovation in narrative analysis afforded by incorporating analytic concepts from discourse analysis. We share some examples from our study of online autobiographical accounts of non - suicidal self - injury (NSSI) to illustrate the various aspects of a discursive narrative approach to research. We show how the participants construct events and experiences as sequentially linked and temporarily related using a range of discursive practices and devices, including producing contrasting descriptions of emotional states, using figurative language, vivid or vague descriptions, and extreme case formulations. The specific way in which experience was constituted as sequentially and causally linked allows narrators to attribute relief from suffering to NSSI and to present NSSI as a reasonable and justifiable behavior to those who may read these autobiographies. This study offers insight into what may be missed when interpretation is focused solely on the content or broad structural elements of stories, as in much narrative analysis, and suggests the critical role of narrators’ social or interactive orientation and their reliance on the micro - details of language in the construction of stories. Methodological and theoretical implications are discusse

RECREATIONAL ANGLING TOURNAMENTS: PARTICIPANTS' EXPENDITURES. ESRI Research Bulletin 2017/05

Tournaments are a common feature of recreational angling, with upwards of 300 competitive angling events per annum in Ireland. Prior research has indicated that angler expenditures in Ireland exceed €555 million per annum but little is known specifically about angling tournaments and their economic contribution. Angling tournaments entail relatively short periods of intense activity, usually within a small geographic area, and consequently their economic impact can be quite significant in the local economy. A comprehensive understanding of tournament participants and their expenditures would be practical information for fishery managers and angling clubs seeking to raise funds, develop facilities, or boost local economic activity

Simultaneous interplanetary scintillation and Heliospheric Imager observations of a coronal mass ejection

We describe simultaneous Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) and STEREO Heliospheric Imager (HI) observations of a coronal mass ejection (CME) on 16 May 2007. Strong CME signatures were present throughout the IPS observation. The IPS raypath lay within the field-of-view of HI-1 on STEREO-A and comparison of the observations shows that the IPS measurements came from a region within a faint CME front observed by HI-1A. This front may represent the merging of two converging CMEs. Plane-of-sky velocity estimates based on time-height plots of the two converging CME structures were 325 kms?1 and 550 kms?1 for the leading and trailing fronts respectively. The plane-of-sky velocities determined from IPS ranged from 420 ± 10 kms?1 to 520 ± 20 kms?1. IPS results reveal the presence of micro-structure within the CME front which may represent interaction between the two separate CME events. This is the first time that it has been possible to interpret IPS observations of small-scale structure within an interplanetary CME in terms of the global structure of the event

Precious

Sheet music contains sexist and/or misogynistic language, concepts, and/or imagry promoting rape culture. With Ukulele arrangement. Contains advertisements and/or short musical examples of pieces being sold by publisher.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/7112/thumbnail.jp

Pre-Sleep Casein Protein Ingestion Does Not Impact Next-Day Appetite, Energy Intake and Metabolism in Older Individuals

Maintaining adequate daily protein intake is important to maintain muscle mass throughout the lifespan. In this regard, the overnight period has been identified as a window of opportunity to increase protein intake in the elderly. However, it is unknown whether pre-sleep protein intake affects next-morning appetite and, consequently, protein intake. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of a pre-sleep protein drink on next-morning appetite, energy intake and metabolism. Twelve older individuals (eight males, four females; age: 71.3 ± 4.2 years) took part in a single-blind randomised cross-over study. After a standardised dinner, participants consumed either a 40-g protein drink, isocaloric maltodextrin drink, or placebo water control before bedtime. Next-morning appetite, energy intake, resting metabolic rate (RMR), respiratory exchange rate (RER), and plasma acylated ghrelin, leptin, glucose, and insulin concentrations were assessed. No between-group differences were observed for appetite and energy intake at breakfast. Furthermore, RMR, RER, and assessed blood markers were not significantly different between any of the treatment groups. Pre-sleep protein intake does not affect next-morning appetite and energy intake and is therefore a viable strategy to increase daily protein intake in an older population

Evaluation of a direct access cardiac arrhythmia monitoring service

Background: This paper describes the clinical outcomes from a novel direct access arrhythmia monitoring service. Methods: The study was carried out in the north of Scotland. Data was collected over a 29 month period between 18 June 2008 and 8 November 2010 from consecutive cases from two groups of patients, general practitioner (GP) direct access and ‘redirected’ consultant referrals. Monitor test results, frequency of arrhythmias requiring further care and clinic attendances were recorded. Statistical differences were analyzed using Χ2, Fisher’s and Student’s t-test as appropriate with the significance taken at the 0.05 level. Results: 239 patients were referred from 47 GP practices. There were 165 (69%) referrals through the ‘direct’ and 72 (31%) through the ‘redirected’ route. The average age was 55.5 ± ± 16.7 years with 84 (35.1%) males. 127 (53.1%) had a patient activated event recording and the remaining 112 (46.9%) had Holter monitoring. Of the 239 patients, only nine (3.8%) cases required referral to a consultant cardiologist. Of these, three were directly returned to GP care without consultant clinic review. Six patients with significant arrhythmias were reviewed at cardiology clinic. There were no adverse events. Conclusions: Direct access for cardiac arrhythmia monitoring seems to provide an effective mechanism for diverting inappropriate or non-essential referrals away from the cardiology clinic. (Cardiol J 2012; 19, 1: 70–75

Estimation of Effective Lens Position Using a Method Independent of Preoperative Keratometry Readings

Purpose To evaluate the validity of a keratometry (K)-independent method of estimating effective lens position (ELP) before phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Setting Institute of Eye Surgery, Whitfield Clinic, Waterford, Ireland. Design Evaluation of diagnostic test or technology. Methods The anterior chamber diameter and corneal height in eyes scheduled for cataract surgery were measured with a rotating Scheimpflug camera. Corneal height and anterior chamber diameter were used to estimate the ELP in a K-independent method (using the SRK/T [ELPrs] and Holladay 1 [ELPrh] formulas). Results The mean ELP was calculated using the traditional (mean ELPs 5.59 mm ± 0.52 mm [SD]; mean ELPh 5.63 ± 0.42 mm) and K-independent (mean ELPrs 5.55 ± 0.42 mm; mean ELPrh ± SD 5.60 ± 0.36 mm) methods. Agreement between ELPs and ELPrs and between ELPh and ELPrh were represented by Bland-Altman plots, with mean differences (± 1.96 SD) of 0.06 ± 0.65 mm (range −0.59 to +0.71 mm; P=.08) in association with ELPrs and −0.04 ± 0.39 mm (range −0.43 to +0.35 mm; P=.08) in association with ELPrh. The mean absolute error for ELPs versus ELPrs estimation and for ELPh versus ELPrh estimation was 0.242 ± 0.222 mm (range 0.001 to 1.272 mm) and 0.152 ± 0.137 mm (range 0.001 to 0.814 mm), respectively. Conclusion This study confirms that the K-independent ELP estimation method is comparable to traditional K-dependent methods and may be useful in post-refractive surgery patients