Organically Farmed vs Locally Produced: Revolution and Reality

The green organic food revolution is emerging in Ireland out of growing concern for environmental and social issues. This papers examines the arguments for both organic and local farming

John Banville: “The Weightless Density of a Dream.”

Esta seção traz diferentes vozes de escritores que narram sua experiência como leitores do trabalho de John Banville para homenagear seus 50 anos de escrita inspiradora.This section brings different voices from writers who narrate their experience as readers of John Banville’s work to pay tribute to his 50 years of an inspiring writing.

"I like it here because I have to." Migration and Adolescent Identity Formation: Exploring the Experiences of Students in a London School

This study aims to explore the life experiences of migrant adolescents of Latin American heritage, with a particular focus on the personal influence of migration on their identity formation. Previous research has demonstrated that this is an area of difficulty for adolescents who have experienced international migration during their childhood years, and highlighted its impact on mental health. My aim is to shine a light on the experiences of this under-researched group of adolescents, helping to identify both the positives and difficulties of migration from their perspective, and to develop a more detailed knowledge of psychosocial developmental processes in migrant adolescents, using Erikson’s psychosocial theory as a framework. Semi-structured qualitative interviews, employing narrative and visual approaches were conducted with nine students in a London secondary school. Thematic analysis of this data has resulted in the development of six key themes, which centre around the topics of discrimination, loss, cultural adaptation, reduced freedom and pressure to succeed. These were presented back to the original research participants for feedback and development through a process of member reflection, to ensure that their voices are represented faithfully. Implications for practice are discussed, with the aim of influencing how Educational Psychologists, teachers and other professionals work with this group of young people in a way that promotes positive outcomes in an academic, social and psychological sense. These include ways in which discrimination can be challenged and reduced within schools, as well as approaches to facilitating the healthy identity formation of migrant students and responding to issues within families and the broader environment that can provide a barrier to this

An Investigation into Factors Influencing the Sensory Properties of Selected Irish Grown Organic and Conventional Vegetables

Research studies conducted on organic produce have given conflicting results whether they have superior sensory qualities when compared to conventionally cultivated produce. The development and implementation of a reliable testing system is therefore required. In this study Irish grown organic and conventional carrots (cv. Nairobi), potatoes (cv. Orla) and tomatoes (cv. Amoroso) were selected for physicochemical (size, colour, dry matter, texture, sugars, oBrix & pH), volatile emissions and sensory analysis (trained and consumerpanels). All vegetables were tested in both a raw and cooked state. Few significantdifferences were apparent between the organic and conventional vegetables for thephysicochemical components, volatile emissions and sensory properties. No significantdifferences were evident between the organic and conventional carrots (raw or steamed) forany of the instrumental or sensory parameters tested. The organic growing conditions appeared to have a significant impact on the texture (ppotatoes. The conventional tomatoes (raw or cooked) were perceived to be sweeter (pbetween the organic and conventional tomatoes for appearance and texture. The sensory quality of the organic vegetables was very similar to that of the conventional vegetables

The death and burial of the person with mental retardation

What does the death and burial of the person with mental retardation really mean to parents, friends, and to the reader? This paper is an attempt to answer this question by reviewing the literature regarding the emotions, feelings and reactions of the parents to the death of the person with mental retardation. It will attempt to present some pastoral guidelines for the clergy and all who work with people with mental retardation. It will attempt to provide some support for the parents who have lived the joy and the sorrow. This paper will not deal with the process of death itself, nor with the understanding of feelings, emotions, and reactions toward death in general of the person with mental retardation. It will not deal with the personal reactions of persons with mental retardation toward their own deaths. It will attempt to review the literature regarding the parents\u27 feelings and reactions to the birth of the child who is diagnosed as having some degree of mental retardation, especially to a moderate, severe or profound degree. It will review the literature regarding the chronic sorrow and mourning of the parents following the birth of the child with mental retardation. Literature regarding pre-death and the parents\u27 reactions to terminal illness in their child, as well as the treatment and care of the severely and profoundly handicapped child during this time, will be reviewed. The author will attempt to describe the secular, Jewish and Christian understandings of death. The funeral rite will be reviewed, especially as it relates to the Judeo-Christian tradition. From this review of the literature conclusions will be drawn to assist the parents, the clergy and the reader at the moment of the death and burial of the person with mental retardation

European Food Safety Authority open access tools to estimate dietary exposure to food chemicals.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a suite of open access tools to estimate dietary exposure to food-borne chemical hazards. The tools are tailored to several regulatory domains within EFSA's remit (e.g. food and feed additives, pesticide residues, contaminants and food enzymes) and are intended for use by EFSA experts, industry applicants of regulatory product dossiers, researchers or any stakeholder with an interest in estimating dietary exposure using European food consumption data. The majority of the tools are based on FoodEx2, EFSA's food classification and description system as well as the EFSA Comprehensive European food consumption database. This paper provides an overview of these open access tools, the regulatory framework in which they were developed as well as data sources used