A Study of Time and Labour Use on Irish Suckler Beef Farms

End of project reportLabour is one of the four factors of production and an increasingly costly and scarce input on farms. The attractiveness of non-farming employment, the nature of farm work and the price received for farm outputs are resulting in falling levels of hired and family labour

O polityce zrównoważoności wyznaczonej przez EEAC, w kontekście ostatnich pięciu lat

Determining policy for three generations ahead is difficult at the best of times. Society likes future thinking, but does not have the governing institutions to carry out long term preparation. If we layer in sustainability then the task becomes almost insurmountable. Sustainability makes very special demands. It requires us to live within the bounds of nature’s tolerances and to observe the value of ecosystem processes. Yet we neither have the science nor the capacity to adapt to such strictures. Also we will have to observe the rights of social justice and fairness if we are to create a society that cares for others and for the betterment of the planet. Since we are not too good at providing for distributional justice nowadays, then this objective will also be daunting. This paper takes all of these matters into consideration. It suggests that we need a vision of a sustainable economy and society so that we devise policy assessment procedures that enable governments and electorates to plan for long term eventualities. This will in turn a resurgence of virtue and responsibility both on the part of citizens and also of governments. We are passing through unprecedented times. Globalisation limits national action just when local scale sustainable endeavours are more effective and meaningful. Revamping the governing of the EU will be very tricky when the speeds and positioning of development are so very varied amongst member states and the recession bites into optimism for the forseeable future. But we cannot let go of the need to plan for sustainable futures, even when the going gets tough. This paper offers some scope for moving forward, but recognises that the stakes maybe just be too high.Wyznaczanie kierunku polityki dla kolejnych trzech pokoleń jest zadaniem trudnym. Społeczeństwa lubią wprawdzie futurologiczne refleksje, ale nie posiadają skutecznych instytucji zdolnych przeprowadzić długoterminowe przygotowania. Jeśli zagłębimy się w zrównoważoność, zadanie okazuje się niewykonalne.  Zrównoważoność stawia wymagania. Wymaga od nas funkcjonowania jedynie w ramach granic naturalnej tolerancji przyrody i docenienia wartości procesów zachodzących w ekosystemie. Nie posiadamy jednak podstaw naukowych ani kompetencji by wypełnić te postulaty. Jednocześnie będziemy musieli dostrzegać prawa sprawiedliwości społecznej  jeżeli mamy tworzyć społeczeństwo, które troszczy się o innych i o planetę. Ponieważ nie jesteśmy zbyt dobrzy w zapewnieniu sprawiedliwości teraz, to ten cel  także wzbudza zastrzeżenia. Artykuł  podejmuje wszystkie te zagadnienia. Sugeruję, że potrzebujemy wizji zrównoważonej ekonomii i zrównoważonego społeczeństwa, aby stworzyć procedury oceny politycznej, która umożliwi rządom i wyborcom planowanie działań z dużym wyprzedzeniem. To umożliwi odrodzenie cnoty i odpowiedzialności, zarówno po stronie obywateli, jak i rządów. Żyjemy w czasach o niespotykanych wyzwaniach. Globalizacja ogranicza możliwości działań podejmowanych przez poszczególne kraje w sytuacji, gdy to lokalne rozwiązania są bardziej sensowne i efektywne. Także zarządzanie UE będzie bardzo trudne w sytuacji, gdy poziom i szybkość rozwoju jest tak zróżnicowana pomiędzy poszczególnymi członkami, a widmo recesji ostudza optymizm. Ale nie możemy zrezygnować z konieczności zrównoważonego planowania przyszłości, nawet wobec trudnych wyzwań. Artykuł wskazuje na pewne możliwości osiągnięcia postępu, zarazem przyznając, że ryzyko może być zbyt wysokie

Studies of Autumn calving suckler cows, bulls at pasture and winter grazing

End of project reportMost beef and dairy cows are spring calving leading to distinct seasonality of supply. Calving a proportion of the beef herd in the autumn would lead to a more uniform annual supply of cattle for slaughter and potentially increase the proportion of grazed grass in the diet of the suckler progeny. Autumn calving sucklers also facilitate the use of AI, which should enhance the product quality. This project aimed to address the technical aspects of autumn calving sucklers, which differ from those of spring calvers. The currently available international energy models were evaluated for autumn calving lactating suckler cows using the type of cow typically found in Irish suckler herds (Experiment 1). The winter accommodation of the suckler cow and calf unit and its impact on cow reproductive performance was evaluated (Experiment 2). The final part of the project evolved into component studies to determine the effect of supplementary feed on the performance of grazing bulls (Experiment 3), and the consequences of weanling cattle grazing pasture in winter as an alternative to housing them in winter (Experiments 4 to 7)

A technique to prove parameter-uniform convergence for a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation

AbstractA priori parameter explicit bounds on the solution of singularly perturbed elliptic problems of convection–diffusion type are established. Regular exponential boundary layers can appear in the solution. These bounds on the solutions and its derivatives are obtained using a suitable decomposition of the solution into regular and layer components. By introducing extensions of the coefficients to a larger domain, artificial compatibility conditions are not imposed in the derivation of these decompositions

Ecopsychology informed coaching psychology practice: Beyond the Coaching Room into Blue Space

Ecopsychology interventions may offer creative and helpful ways of supporting coachees with wellbeing, stress management and psychological restoration. There is growing evidence to suggest that being with nature can positively influence our wellbeing and health. In light of this, coaching psychologists, coaches and healthcare professionals have begun to place more emphasis upon understanding the ways in which ecopsychology can inform our practice. This paper reports the findings from two studies based on outdoor coaching formats. Drawing on insights from an ecopsychology informed coaching psychology approach, participants were encouraged to undertake a short ‘walkand talk’ coaching session involving blue space outdoor-based activity. The findings from both studies showed that participants self-reported wellbeing and vitality scores improved following coaching in a natural setting. This has implications for the work of coaching psychologists and coaches and suggests there may be a possible over-reliance on more traditional coaching formats based on seated and indoor face-to-face or online coaching

Numerical approximations to a singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problem with a discontinuous initial condition

A singularly perturbed parabolic problem of convection-diffusion type with a discontinuous initial condition is examined. An analytic function is identified which matches the discontinuity in the initial condition and also satisfies the homogenous parabolic differential equation associated with the problem. The difference between this analytical function and the solution of the parabolic problem is approximated numerically, using an upwind finite difference operator combined with an appropriate layer-adapted mesh. The numerical method is shown to be parameter-uniform. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the theoretical error bounds established in the paper. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

An evaluation of earth banked tanks for slurry storage

End of project reportThis study examines the feasibility of using earth-banked tanks (EBT’s) as an alternative and economical means of winter storage for animal and other farmyard wastes. The study contains a detailed literature review on the subject, the results of a series of laboratory-scale experiments, field studies and a predictive model of the transport process through the soil liner of an earth-banked tank

Career Progression in the Irish Civil Service

Human Resource Management (HRM) reform is central to the current public service modernisation programme or Strategic Management Initiative (SMI). A new approach to HRM is a priority in the Irish civil service due to difficulties in recruiting and retaining the best staff. In particular there is evidence that the civil service is failing to meet the aspirations of its staff in a number of key areas: including earnings, career progression, responsibility, reward and recognition. The need to address staff concerns in these areas is highlighted in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (2000) which argues that ‘the civil service has to respond better to the aspirations of staff for more fulfilling work and improved career paths and create workplace conditions and relations which are conducive to increasing job satisfaction,motivation and commitment of staff’ (p. 19). Even with the recent downturn in the economic cycle and the decreased demand for labour in certain areas of the private sector, there is little room for complacency among public service employers. Regardless of the prevailing economic conditions, it is critical that the aspirations of civil servants with respect to career progression and development are met. It is within this context that this paper provides a critical overview of career progression arrangements in the Irish civil service. Throughout the report, career progression is discussed in its broadest sense. Rather than simply describing an individual’s progress up the ranks of an organisation, career progression and development is argued as being relevant to all staff. This approach is consistent with that found in the literature, where career development is described as focusing on the individual and the skills, training and experience they acquire, through their own effort and with the assistance of their employer in the course of their working life. Therefore, while promotion arrangements are of course important, the report also considers other developments essential for effective career progression including induction procedures, performance management, transfer/mobility, training and development. A review of current HRM arrangements indicates that in practice there is a considerable degree of diversity across departments with regard to the range of approaches adopted in relation to career progression. While some of this divergence is due to the size and nature of work of departments, there is also variation in the degree of progress made to date in modernisation. However, consultations with a range of key informants indicate a general consensus that the civil service needs to do more to be perceived as an ‘employer of choice’ by potential quality employees. In addition, it is clear that opportunities for career progression and development play a critical role in this regard. In order to gain an appreciation of how career progression arrangements might be improved, this paper examines the international public sector experience. Most OECD countries are currently pursuing strategies and policies to enhance the professional quality of HRM in the public service. In many countries this is coupled with concerns in relation to recruitment and retention as well as the public service’s competitiveness as an employer compared to the private sector. In response to this situation, public service employers have sought to benchmark salaries against those available in the private sector and increase performance pay, particularly for staff with highly sought after skills. ..

Revisiting the Psychology of Denial Concerning Low-Carbon Behaviors: From Moral Disengagement to Generating Social Change

This paper reassesses the scope for shifting high-carbon personal behaviors in the light of prevailing insufficient political and regulatory action. Our previous research has shown that citizens regard such behavioral shifts as extremely daunting and create a number of psychological denial mechanisms that draw attention to the inaction of others, including governments. Further theoretical insights and relevant new findings have been attained from a more recent survey of more than 1000 German residents. This reveals that direct denial of anthropogenic climate change is replaced by a denial of responsibility for individual climate action. Ways of moral disengagement play a more dominant role, such as the diffusion and displacement of responsibility, although a majority is aware of—and very much concerned about—the climate crisis. More attention needs to be given for further reinterpretation of the role of moral disengagement to single out adequate strategies for different individuals and groups of people, such as making role models more visible to encourage social learning that could accelerate further necessary moral and behavioral transformations

Reversible pulmonary artery perfusion abnormalities in the postpartum period as a precursor to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Deterioration, or a new presentation, of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), are recognized complications of pregnancy. In this report, we describe a patient with a family history of PAH who developed peripartum breathlessness and hypoxemia with ventilation-perfusion mismatch but no evidence of thromboembolism or PAH. Significantly reduced perfusion at both lung bases was noted on perfusion scintigraphy and three-dimensional magnetic resonance (3D-MR) perfusion maps in the immediate postpartum period. These abnormalities spontaneously resolved by 16 weeks postpartum, consistent with reversible pulmonary abnormalities of pulmonary perfusion. However, she developed new breathlessness four years later and was found to have developed PAH. This case provides a mechanism which may contribute to the high mortality seen in pregnant patients with PAH in the peripartum period