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

Comparing Student Perceptions in Traditional and Online Anatomy & Physiology Courses at the Community College Level

This paper is intended to compare student perceptions of learning environments within anatomy & physiology I and II courses at the community college level. Literature suggests that student perceptions vary depending on the learning environment. The purpose of this study stems from very little research within science courses. Students participating in the research will be grouped into two categories based on the type, of course, they are completing: A traditional face-to-face course or a distance education course. All learning materials within the courses are identical. The Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) will be used to gather data on student perceptions

Counting on r-Fibonacci Numbers

We prove the r-Fibonacci identities of Howard and Cooper using a combinatorial tiling approach

Fisheries management for different angler types. ESRI WP529. March 2016

On-site survey data from coarse and game angling sites in Ireland is used to estimate count data models of recreational angling demand. To investigate the existence of preference heterogeneity across angler-types, three demand functions are estimated according to angler type; coarse, game and a combination of both. Comparison of these demand functions indicates that the fishery characteristics which drive demand differ depending on angler-specific characteristics. For example treating all anglers as an homogeneous group led to results suggesting angling demand is higher where there is a greater provision of angling services (such as guide-hire and tackle shops). While this relationship pertained for the game angling demand function, angling service levels had no effect on coarse angling demand. Water quality, which was not found to be significant in driving demand in the combined case, was identified as a significant determinant of angling demand in game fisheries. Overall the results strongly support the need to specifically address angler characteristics when analysing angler preferences. Improved survey design that attains more detailed information such as anglers' quarry-type, skill level, etc. will improve the ability of analysts to understand angler preferences and provide more effective policy recommendations

The Moorean argument for the full moral status of those with profound intellectual disability: a rejoinder to Roberts

In a recent paper we argued that a Moorean strategy can be employed to justify our continued belief in the following proposition, even in the presence of philosophical views that entail it is false, without any philosophical argument against those views, and without any positive philosophical argument in its favour: H>A: Humans have an equal moral status that is higher than the moral status of non-human animals. The basic idea is that our confidence in the truth of this proposition is greater than our confidence in the propositions that make up those philosophical views that entail it is false, and that this is sufficient to justify rejecting those views and continue to believe H>A. Roberts has recently responded to our suggestion by claiming: (i) Although the Moorean strategy is valid, it is not powerful. (ii) A resort to the Moorean strategy reflects too great a pessimism about the accounts available that purport to justify H>A.2. In this short rejoinder we explain why we think that Roberts's two claims are false

Framework for Assessment of the Economic Vulnerability of Energy-Resource-Exporting Countries

Energy security is widely examined from the perspective of energy import vulnerability, but it is less common to evaluate the vulnerability of energy exporters. This paper presents an assessment framework and quantitative scorecard for evaluating the economic vulnerability of countries with significant energy exports. The background research of various related conceptual frameworks distils useful insights from energy security, corporate risks, and general economic vulnerability. Carbon exposure, largely missing from related work, is introduced to the study in new factors to evaluate exporter vulnerability to increasing global action on climate change. A holistic view is taken of all energy resource exports as a novel approach, rather than focusing on individual fuels. The developed scorecard is used to provide case studies of five major global energy exporters with comparative analysis between countries and over time

‘“This is the country of premature old men”:Ageing and Aged Miners in the South Wales Coalfield, c.1880-1947’

This article considers the effects of work in the south Wales coal industry either side of the turn of the twentieth century and, specifically, the ways in which work aged workers prematurely. It examines the consequences of working practices for miners��� bodies, the expedients utilized by miners to try and cope with the effects of premature ageing, and the consequences for their living standards, experiences and status. It situates these phenomena in the contexts of industrial relations and welfare provision. In so doing, the article engages with historiographies of the life-cycle, the aged, and pensions provision in modern Britain.Wellcome Trus

Observations of magnetically driven events in astronomical systems.

The interaction of magnetic fields with astrophysical plasmas drives many impressive displays of particle acceleration and impulsive energy release. Within the following work we present a brief overview of magnetic reconnection and energy release mechanisms. We then explore these impulsive energy releases in the form of solar flares (Chapter 2), flaring in the X-ray and optical on other stellar types (Chapter 4), and finally we explore the nature of what could be the brightest microquasar known. The RHESSI spectroscopy of flares in the hard X-ray regime confirms the presence of a deviation from the power law nature of the non-thermal flare spectra. These “knees” allow us to test our current knowledge of particle interactions during a flare. The results of this show that the high resolution spectra do not produce an unphysical result in the underlying accelerated electron spectrum. This gives us greater confindence in our current theoretical understanding of energetic particle interaction. Our observations in both the X-ray (Section 4.1) and the optical (Section 4.2) reveal, as expected, that the flare stars observed were mid M-dwarf stars and cool red dwarfs. Finally we come to the case of 1RXS J 162848.1-415241, possibly the brightest microquasar known to date. As it turns out it is probably not a microquasar at all but more likely is another example of magnetic field interaction, a many spotted RS CVn System. Overall we see magnetically driven events producing some of the most violent energy outburst in the galaxy, and have taken a few steps forward towards a better understanding of the underlying nature of both the events themselves and the objects on which they play out