Financing Constraints and Firms’ Growth in the European Union: Has the Financial Crisis Made Them Worse? ESRI Research Bulletin 2015/2/5

Since the onset of the financial crisis, corporate investment has declined sharply. The largest falls in firms’ investment from peak to trough have been in Greece, Latvia, Ireland, Estonia, Slovenia and Lithuania, the countries hardest hit by the financial crisis. While much of the declines in investment can be linked to poor macroeconomic conditions and a lack of profitable investment opportunities, financing constraints due to financial market imperfections may also have played a role

Place attachment, disruption and transformative adaptation

This paper explores place disruption, where transformative adaptation was proposed for flood risk management, by examining: a) the relationships between place attachment, place-related symbolic meanings, place-protective interpretative responses and attitudinal responses, and b) evaluation of governance processes. Questionnaires were administered to residents in Clontarf, County Dublin, Ireland in 2014 (n = 280) in the aftermath of community resistance to perceived transformative flood defences. Results highlight the dilemmas for individuals who recognise adaptation as necessary but who ascribe significant importance to valued places. Contrary to previous studies, our analysis shows place attachment to be strongest in individuals who perceive governance processes as inadequate, and finds that neither flood experience nor flood risk affect strength of place attachment and support for flood defences. We suggest that where transformative adaptation disrupts place and threatens place attachment, considering the views of both those affected and unaffected by hazardous events is paramount

A Systematic Review of the Acute Effects of Exercise on Immune and Inflammatory Indices in Untrained Adults

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality. Although the incidence may be reduced with regular exercise, the health benefits of a single bout of exercise on selected CVD risk factors are not well understood. The primary objective of this review is to consider the transient effects of exercise on immune (neutrophil count) and inflammatory (interleukin-6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein [CRP]) markers in untrained adults. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Sports Discus and Cochrane were searched for relevant studies published from January 1946 to May 2013. Randomised controlled or crossover studies which measured any of these parameters in untrained but otherwise healthy participants in the 48 h following about of exercise, less than 1 h in duration were included. RESULTS: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate a single bout of aerobic or resistance exercise of moderate to high intensity promotes an increase in IL-6 (145 %) and neutrophil counts (51 %). It appears that 30–60 min of moderate to high intensity exercise is necessary to elicit such changes although variables such as the mode, intensity and pattern of exercise also affect the response. The acute response of CRP within the included studies is equivocal. CONCLUSIONS: Although responses to CRP are inconsistent, a single bout of exercise can increase the activity of both circulating IL-6 and neutrophil counts in untrained adults. These immune and inflammatory responses to a single bout of exercise may be linked to a range of health benefits

Assessing citizen science participation skill for altruism or university course credit: a case study analysis

peer-reviewedA common challenge in citizen science projects is gaining and retaining participants. At the same time, the tertiary education sector is constantly being challenged to provide more meaningful and practical work for students. Can participation in citizen science projects be used as coursework with real practical experiential-learning benefits, without affecting the citizen science project outcomes? We seek to begin to answer this question via a case study analysis with Cyclone Center (CC), which asks participants to classify tropical cyclone characteristics through analysis of infrared satellite imagery. Skill of individual users has previously been shown to be obtainable once classifiers have looked at approximately 200 images using an expectation-maximisation likelihood approach. We use skill scores to determine if participation for course credit or altruism influenced skill for volunteers and students from two universities under three increasingly complex categories of classifications (eye or no eye; stronger, weaker, or the same; and which of six fundamental storm types). A bootstrap resampling approach was used to account for discrepancies between sample sizes. Overall, there is limited evidence for substantive differences in classification performance between credit awarded and altruistic participants, with only one finding of significance at <p = 0.05 (Maynooth University showing lower mean agreement with the volunteer consensus on eye vs. no-eye). There is evidence that integrating participation into a larger assessment that requires the students to show understanding of the project may reduce a low-skill student tail. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of the coursework compared to more traditional assignments were overall favourable. These findings, if replicated for other citizen science projects, open up possible avenues to more generally increasing participation in, and exploitation of, citizen science projects in the academic secto

Climate change and catchment hydrology

Climate change is expected to alter catchment hydrology through changes in extremes of flooding and drought. River catchments are complex, dynamic systems and it is important to develop our understanding of how these systems are likely to respond to changes in climate. Work is ongoing in using EC-Earth simulations to further our understanding of how climate change will affect catchment hydrology and flood risk. In Ireland, the importance of this task is emphasised given the widespread socio-economic impacts of recent flood events. This chapter reviews recent Irish research concerning the hydrological impacts of climate change

The Use of New Media by Political Parties in the 2008 National Election

The overall purpose of this research project has been to undertake an empirical, exploratory study into how political parties in New Zealand make use of ICTs in and around the 2008 national election campaign, and their implications. The following research questions have been explored: How, in what form, and to what extent did political parties in New Zealand make use of ICTs during the 2008 national election? How can the use, and non-use, of ICTs be understood and explained? What are the implications of the uptake and use of ICTs by New Zealand political parties for their external relationships with voters? What recommendations can be made regarding the use of ICTs by New Zealand political parties for election campaigning

Electropermanent magnetic anchoring for surgery and endoscopy

The use of magnets for anchoring of instrumentation in minimally invasive surgery and endoscopy has become of increased interest in recent years. Permanent magnets have significant advantages over electromagnets for these applications; larger anchoring and retraction force for comparable size and volume without the need for any external power supply. However, permanent magnets represent a potential hazard in the operating field where inadvertent attraction to surgical instrumentation is often undesirable. The current work proposes an interesting hybrid approach which marries the high forces of permanent magnets with the control of electromagnetic technology including the ability to turn the magnet OFF when necessary. This is achieved through the use of an electropermanent magnet, which is designed for surgical retraction across the abdominal and gastric walls. Our electropermanent magnet, which is hand-held and does not require continuous power, is designed with a center lumen which may be used for trocar or needle insertion. The device in this application has been demonstrated successfully in the porcine model where coupling between an intraluminal ring magnet and our electropermanent magnet facilitated guided insertion of an 18 Fr Tuohy needle for guidewire placement. Subsequent investigations have demonstrated the ability to control the coupling distance of the system alleviating shortcomings with current methods of magnetic coupling due to variation in transabdominal wall thicknesses. With further refinement, the magnet may find application in the anchoring of endoscopic and surgical instrumentation for minimally invasive interventions in the gastrointestinal tract

Climate Change and Water Resources

Abstract included in text

Political Fragment Excerpted From the Papers of Napoleon, Dead in Saint Helena

What is of importance in this text is not necessarily its historico-political significance—its bibliographical facts and political offerings—but instead the particular insights into Napoleon\u27s personality: his desires, anguish, and, most importantly, the carnal role of power within his political domination. This text reveals a great fall from power. Tézenas de Montbrison here presents Napoleon’s confessions to his closest confidant, Henri Gatien Bertrand, a celebrated soldier and his most faithful companion in work and misfortunes, who accompanied Napoleon throughout the majority his career and to the two sites of his exiles, Elba and Saint Helena. This conversation took place on the island of Saint Helena—the location of his death—and was published in July of 1821, two months after his passing. Written in rhyme and meter and including a glorifying introduction, this piece is part of a four-part series of poems, heretofore untranslated, published as the public awaited the release of his memoirs. One must preserve a certain skepticism in regards to the intended function of this text: it operated to some extent as propaganda. We can extrapolate this skepticism, quite simply, from the history of propaganda in early 19th century Europe, the exalting introduction, and the other more explicitly propagandist pieces within and outside DePaul University’s archives. This fact does not radically rupture our relation to the text but nonetheless the reader is well advised to monitor this intentionality, asking simply whether Napoleon’s anguish itself is fabricated or manipulated or if it is instead its inciting incident, here claimed to be Napoleon’s more philanthropic desire to be a rightful king. Napoleon speaks of his alienation and his torment, beginning by comparing himself to Prometheus and later revealing his last remaining desire after a renowned career: to be a legitimate king. Napoleon confides in Bertrand his rise from lowly origins, the necessity of a sovereign state\u27s strength, a deliberation on suicide, his fated end and the role of chance, the flattery of his entourage, in addition to his response to Waterloo. Each line, far different from some of the stark militaristic documents in our collection, echoes Napoleon’s discontent, allowing us precious insight into his personality, which is to say his immediate relation to the world

Climate Change Impacts for Ireland Part 2: Changes in Key Climatic Variables

Over the past five years or so research into the impacts of climate change in Ireland has been developing rapidly and we now have more information than ever before on the likely magnitudes and the spatial distribution of change in Ireland. Part One of the paper provided an overview of the steps and challenges involved in developing future climate scenarios. This paper draws together the main findings for changes in key climatic variables and impacts from recent reports on climate change in Ireland over the coming century. It also asks where the focus of climate change research needs to be pointed next in order to ensure successful adaptation to what are likely to be substantial changes