Expanding Agri-Food Production and Employment in the Presence of Climate Policy Constraints: Quantifying the Trade-Off in Ireland

This chapter explores the trade-off between competing objectives of employment creation and climate policy commitments in Irish agriculture. A social accounting matrix (SAM) multiplier model is linked with a partial equilibrium agricultural sector model to simulate the impact of a number of GHG emission reduction scenarios, assuming these are achieved through a constraint on beef production. Limiting the size of the beef sector helps to reduce GHG emissions with a very limited impact on the value of agricultural income at the farm level. However, the SAM multiplier analysis shows that there would be significant employment losses in the wider economy. From a policy perspective, a pragmatic approach to GHG emissions reductions in the agriculture sector, which balances opportunities for economic growth in the sector with opportunities to reduce associated GHG emissions, may be required.

Progress and Research in Cybersecurity - Supporting a resilient and trustworthy system for the UK

Executive summary
Digital systems have transformed, and will continue to transform, our world. Supportive government policy, a strong research base and a history of industrial success make the UK particularly well-placed to realise the benefits of the emerging digital society. These benefits have already been substantial, but they remain at risk. Protecting the benefits and minimising the risks requires reliable and robust cybersecurity, underpinned by a strong research and translation system.
Trust is essential for growing and maintaining participation in the digital society. Organisations earn trust by acting in a trustworthy manner: building systems that are reliable and secure, treating people, their privacy and their data with respect, and providing credible and comprehensible information to help people understand how secure they are.
Resilience, the ability to function, adapt, grow, learn and transform under stress or in the face of shocks, will help organisations deliver systems that are reliable and secure. Resilient organisations can better protect their customers, provide more useful products and services, and earn people’s trust.
Research and innovation in industry and academia will continue to make important contributions to creating this resilient and trusted digital environment. Research can illuminate how best to build, assess and improve digital systems, integrating insights from different disciplines, sectors and around the globe. It can also generate advances to help cybersecurity keep up with the continued evolution of cyber risks.
Translation of innovative ideas and approaches from research will create a strong supply of reliable, proven solutions to difficult to predict cybersecurity risks. This is best achieved by maximising the diversity and number of innovations that see the light of day as products.
Policy, practice and research will all need to adapt. The recommendations made in this report seek to set up a trustworthy, self-improving and resilient digital environment that can thrive in the face of unanticipated threats, and earn the trust people place in it.
Innovation and research will be particularly important to the UK’s economy as it establishes a new relationship with the EU. Cybersecurity delivers important economic benefits, both by underpinning the digital foundations of UK business and trade and also through innovation that feeds directly into growth. The findings of this report will be relevant regardless of how the UK’s relationship to the EU changes.
Headline recommendations
● Trust: Governments must commit to preserving the robustness of encryption, including end-to-end encryption, and promoting its widespread use. Encryption is a foundational security technology that is needed to build user trust, improve security standards and fully realise the benefits of digital systems.
● Resilience: Government should commission an independent review of the UK’s future cybersecurity needs, focused on the institutional structures needed to support resilient and trustworthy digital systems in the medium and longer term. A self-improving, resilient digital environment will need to be guided and governed by institutions that are transparent, expert and have a clear and widely-understood remit.
● Research: A step change in cybersecurity research and practice should be pursued; it will require a new approach to research, focused on identifying ambitious high-level goals and enabling excellent researchers to pursue those ambitions. This would build on the UK's existing strengths in many aspects of cybersecurity research and ultimately help build a resilient and trusted digital sector based on excellent research and world-class expertise.
● Translation: The UK should promote a free and unencumbered flow of cybersecurity ideas from research to practical use and support approaches that have public benefits beyond their short term financial return. The unanticipated nature of future cyber threats means that a diverse set of cybersecurity ideas and approaches will be needed to build resilience and adaptivity. Many of the most valuable ideas will have broad security benefits for the public, beyond any direct financial returns.

Behaviour change techniques in home-based cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes offering secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease (CVD) advise healthy lifestyle behaviours, with the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) of goals and planning, feedback and monitoring, and social support recommended. More information is needed about BCT use in home-based CR to support these programmes in practice.

AIM: To identify and describe the use of BCTs in home-based CR programmes.

DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomised controlled trials of home-based CR between 2005 and 2015 were identified by searching MEDLINE(®), Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database.

METHOD: Reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for eligibility. Relevant data, including BCTs, were extracted from included studies. A meta-analysis studied risk factor change in home-based and comparator programmes.

RESULTS: From 2448 studies identified, 11 of good methodological quality (10 on post-myocardial infarction, one on heart failure, 1907 patients) were included. These reported the use of 20 different BCTs. Social support (unspecified) was used in all studies and goal setting (behaviour) in 10. Of the 11 studies, 10 reported effectiveness in reducing CVD risk factors, but one study showed no improvement compared to usual care. This study differed from effective programmes in that it didn't include BCTs that had instructions on how to perform the behaviour and monitoring, or a credible source.

CONCLUSION: Social support and goal setting were frequently used BCTs in home-based CR programmes, with the BCTs related to monitoring, instruction on how to perform the behaviour, and credible source being included in effective programmes. Further robust trials are needed to determine the relative value of different BCTs within CR programmes.

Understanding next generation sequencing in oncology: A guide for oncologists

DNA sequencing is now faster and cheaper than ever before, due to the development of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. NGS is now widely used in the research setting and is becoming increasingly utilised in clinical practice. However, due to evolving clinical commitments, increased workload and lack of training opportunities, many oncologists may be unfamiliar with the terminology and technology involved. This can lead to oncologists feeling daunted by issues such as how to interpret the vast amounts of data generated by NGS and the differences between sequencing platforms. This review article explains common concepts and terminology, summarises the process of DNA sequencing (including data analysis) and discusses the main factors to consider when deciding on a sequencing method. This article aims to improve oncologists' understanding of the most commonly used sequencing platforms and the ongoing challenges faced in expanding the use of NGS into routine clinical practice.

Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5)

Action Plan B3 of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) focuses on the integrated care of chronic diseases. Area 5 (Care Pathways) was initiated using chronic respiratory diseases as a model. The chronic respiratory disease action plan includes (1) AIRWAYS integrated care pathways (ICPs), (2) the joint initiative between the Reference site MACVIA-LR (Contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif) and ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma), (3) Commitments for Action to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing and the AIRWAYS ICPs network. It is deployed in collaboration with the World Health Organization Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD). The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing has proposed a 5-step framework for developing an individual scaling up strategy: (1) what to scale up: (1-a) databases of good practices, (1-b) assessment of viability of the scaling up of good practices, (1-c) classification of good practices for local replication and (2) how to scale up: (2-a) facilitating partnerships for scaling up, (2-b) implementation of key success factors and lessons learnt, including emerging technologies for individualised and predictive medicine. This strategy has already been applied to the chronic respiratory disease action plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

Sepsis: the LightCycler SeptiFast Test MGRADE®, SepsiTest™ and IRIDICA BAC BSI assay for rapidly identifying bloodstream bacteria and fungi – a systematic review and economic evaluation

Background: Sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death. Timely and appropriate treatment can reduce in-hospital mortality and morbidity. Objectives: To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three tests [LightCycler SeptiFast Test MGRADE® (Roche Diagnostics, Risch-Rotkreuz, Switzerland); SepsiTest™ (Molzym Molecular Diagnostics, Bremen, Germany); and the IRIDICA BAC BSI assay (Abbott Diagnostics, Lake Forest, IL, USA)] for the rapid identification of bloodstream bacteria and fungi in patients with suspected sepsis compared with standard practice (blood culture with or without matrix-absorbed laser desorption/ionisation time-offlight mass spectrometry). Data sources: Thirteen electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library) were searched from January 2006 to May 2015 and supplemented by hand-searching relevant articles. Review methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness studies were conducted. A review of published economic analyses was undertaken and a de novo health economic model was constructed. A decision tree was used to estimate the costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) associated with each test; all other parameters were estimated from published sources. The model was populated with evidence from the systematic review or individual studies, if this was considered more appropriate (base case 1). In a secondary analysis, estimates (based on experience and opinion) from seven clinicians regarding the benefits of earlier test results were sought (base case 2). A NHS and Personal Social Services perspective was taken, and costs and benefits were discounted at 3.5% per annum. Scenario analyses were used to assess uncertainty. Results: For the review of diagnostic test accuracy, 62 studies of varying methodological quality were included. A meta-analysis of 54 studies comparing SeptiFast with blood culture found that SeptiFast had an estimated summary specificity of 0.86 [95% credible interval (CrI) 0.84 to 0.89] and sensitivity of 0.65 (95% CrI 0.60 to 0.71). Four studies comparing SepsiTest with blood culture found that SepsiTest had an estimated summary specificity of 0.86 (95% CrI 0.78 to 0.92) and sensitivity of 0.48 (95% CrI 0.21 to 0.74), and four studies comparing IRIDICA with blood culture found that IRIDICA had an estimated summary specificity of 0.84 (95% CrI 0.71 to 0.92) and sensitivity of 0.81 (95% CrI 0.69 to 0.90). Owing to the deficiencies in study quality for all interventions, diagnostic accuracy data should be treated with caution. No randomised clinical trial evidence was identified that indicated that any of the tests significantly improved key patient outcomes, such as mortality or duration in an intensive care unit or hospital. Base case 1 estimated that none of the three tests provided a benefit to patients compared with standard practice and thus all tests were dominated. In contrast, in base case 2 it was estimated that all cost per QALY-gained values were below £20,000; the IRIDICA BAC BSI assay had the highest estimated incremental net benefit, but results from base case 2 should be treated with caution as these are not evidence based. Limitations: Robust data to accurately assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the interventions are currently unavailable. Conclusions: The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the interventions cannot be reliably determined with the current evidence base. Appropriate studies, which allow information from the tests to be implemented in clinical practice, are required.

Deep Corals, Deep Learning: Moving the Deep Net Towards Real-Time Image Annotation

The mismatch between human capacity and the acquisition of Big Data such as Earth imagery undermines commitments to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Aichi targets. Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to Big Data issues are urgently needed as these could prove to be faster, more accurate, and cheaper. Reducing costs of managing protected areas in remote deep waters and in the High Seas is of great importance, and this is a realm where autonomous technology will be transformative.

Temporal aggregation of migration counts can improve accuracy and precision of trends

Temporal replicate counts are often aggregated to improve model fit by reducing zero-inflation and count variability, and in the case of migration counts collected hourly throughout a migration, allows one to ignore nonindependence. However, aggregation can represent a loss of potentially useful information on the hourly or seasonal distribution of counts, which might impact our ability to estimate reliable trends. We simulated 20-year hourly raptor migration count datasets with known rate of change to test the effect of aggregating hourly counts to daily or annual totals on our ability to recover known trend. We simulated data for three types of species, to test whether results varied with species abundance or migration strategy: a commonly detected species, e.g., Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus; a rarely detected species, e.g., Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus; and a species typically counted in large aggregations with overdispersed counts, e.g., Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus. We compared accuracy and precision of estimated trends across species and count types (hourly/daily/annual) using hierarchical models that assumed a Poisson, negative binomial (NB) or zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) count distribution. We found little benefit of modeling zero-inflation or of modeling the hourly distribution of migration counts. For the rare species, trends analyzed using daily totals and an NB or ZINB data distribution resulted in a higher probability of detecting an accurate and precise trend. In contrast, trends of the common and overdispersed species benefited from aggregation to annual totals, and for the overdispersed species in particular, trends estimating using annual totals were more precise, and resulted in lower probabilities of estimating a trend (1) in the wrong direction, or (2) with credible intervals that excluded the true trend, as compared with hourly and daily counts.

Professionsmaktens framställning av fenomenet ADHD - en diskursanalys

In the body of knowledge surrounding ADHD there is a power struggle regarding which interpretations and perspectives should prevail. Representatives from various scientific disciplines and professions write and publish articles about the diagnosis based on their respective points of view. These articles are the focus of this thesis. Among other things it can be seen in these examined articles that, the prevalence of ADHD is higher amongst established bodies of social care, and that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the diagnosis in social systems such as schools and social services. Our aim with this study is to highlight how professionals within the Swedish contemporary field of knowledge surrounding ADHD create significance and meaning of the phenomenon. Based on Jonathan Potters discourse analysis, we focus on how ADHD is described by professionals in contemporary Swedish articles about ADHD and also on how these descriptions become valid and credible in these texts. The approach used in our case has been article analysis, based on Potter's rhetorical toolbox that includes both theory and method in one. ADHD is widely presented in the articles with descriptions ranging from a cultural disease constructed by prevailing social climate to being a genetic abnormality. Using various rhetorical strategies it is possible to establish totally different groups of interpretative repertoires as all true. In this thesis, we also discuss the possible consequences of these various explanations and constructions within social work and society at large.

Arbetsmiljö : Med fokus ur ett könsperspektiv

För att åstadkomma en god arbetsmiljö ska arbetsgivaren och arbetstagaren gemensamt sam-verka enligt Arbetsmiljölagen. Därav ligger ansvaret både på arbetsgivaren och arbetstagaren (Arbetsmiljölagen). Denna studie har utförts på ett industriföretag med syfte att undersöka ar-betsmiljön och arbetsskador ur ett kön- och genusperspektiv. För att kunna uppnå ett trovärdigt och tillförlitligt resultat har tre olika metoder använts såsom intervjuer, deltagande observation och information från företagets IA-system. Resultatet visar att det inte finns lika stora skillnader mellan kvinnor och män idag som det gjorde för 15 år sedan. Någonting annat som upptäcktes var att det finns ett stort mörkertal när det gäller att rapportera in säkerhetssamtal, tillbud och olycksfall i företagets IA-system. Efter att ha analyserat det insamlade empiriska materialet blev slutsatsen att kvinnor inte får arbetsskador lättare än män, utan att det beror på de kulturer, normer och värderingar som finns inom industrin. Företaget arbetar på rätt sätt när det gäller säkerhet, utrustning, ergonomi med mera, men når ändå inte ända fram till medarbetarna. Stu-dien visar att en stor del till att arbetsmiljön har blivit skapad på detta sätt genom att det finns en konflikt mellan medarbetare och ledning. Kultur, norm och värderingar påverkar både ar-betssituationen och arbetsmiljön. För att lyckas med sitt arbetsmiljöarbete måste företaget ar-beta med sin kultur och lösa konflikten mellan medarbetare och ledning, vilket kommer att bidrar till nöjdare medarbetare och ett trivsammare klimat.

Étude exploratoire des transitions de milieux de vie en communauté des personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle

Cette étude exploratoire dresse un portrait des transitions de milieux de vie (MDV) dans des Centres de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en troubles envahissants du développement (CRDITED) de la grande région de Montréal. Elle permet d’identifier 1) les pratiques de transition de MDV des intervenants pivots en CRDITED, 2) les critères de succès de la transition de MDV et les moyens de les évaluer selon les personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle et les intervenants pivots et 3) l’écart entre les pratiques souhaitées et les pratiques actuelles à partir du point de vue des deux types de participants. Des personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle (N = 9) et des intervenants pivots (N = 19) se sont exprimés sur leurs expériences de transition de MDV en participant à des entretiens de groupe. Une analyse qualitative de contenu a permis d’identifier une typologie des expériences de transition de MDV du point de vue des intervenants pivots. Un seul type de transition de MDV parmi les cinq identifiés, le type préparée, offre des conditions favorisant la réalisation de la transition dans des conditions satisfaisantes pour les intervenants pivots. Les autres types de transitions (types dernière minute, explosive, clé en main et salle d’attente) offrent peu d’occasions pour la personne présentant une déficience intellectuelle de s’impliquer dans le processus de transition. Les propos des intervenants pivots permettent d’identifier les caractéristiques d’une transition de MDV qu’ils jugent idéale (type comme si c’était moi). Les types de transitions sont comparés entre eux sur deux axes, soit sur l’axe représentant un continuum d’implication de la personne présentant une déficience intellectuelle dans sa propre transition et sur l’axe identifiant les grandes étapes de réalisation de la transition. Les résultats permettent de déceler un écart important entre les transitions actuellement effectuées et les politiques, intentions et engagements de l’offre de service auprès de cette clientèle, notamment au regard de l’implication de la personne présentant une déficience intellectuelle dans les décisions relatives à sa transition de MDV. L’étude permet aussi d’identifier trois dimensions importantes de l’évaluation du succès de la transition selon les perspectives des personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle et des intervenants pivots. Les dimensions identifiées sont : bien-être psychologique et comportement, santé physique et collaboration. Les propos des intervenants pivots permettent de constater qu’il existe parfois un paradoxe entre leurs perceptions du succès de la transition de MDV et celles des personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle. L’interprétation des résultats a permis d’élaborer des recommandations afin de favoriser de meilleures pratiques de transition.

Analyse multidimensionnelle de la persévérance aux études universitaires de premier cycle

L’abandon des études universitaires a attiré l’attention de plusieurs chercheurs. Toutefois, il est difficile de saisir la persévérance dans sa globalité à cause de sa complexité et le nombre important des facteurs associés. La persévérance aux études est liée aux facteurs individuels, aux facteurs contextuels et à la situation financière au cours des études. Ces facteurs ont été étudiés séparément et d’une manière isolée, et aucune étude n’a, à notre connaissance, tenté de mettre ces facteurs simultanément dans un même modèle. Dans cette thèse, nous identifions les principaux déterminants de la persévérance, tout en nous appuyant sur le modèle des attentes et des valeurs (Eccles et al., 1983), le modèle interactionnel de Tinto (1975) et les modèles d’impact financier (Paulsen & St. John, 1997; St. John, 1990; St. John et al., 1994). Cette thèse a pour objectif de valider un modèle de persévérance aux études universitaires de premier cycle. Celle-ci comporte deux études. Une étude rétrospective qui permet d’évaluer, à partir de l’expérience antérieure des étudiants (n = 731), les principaux facteurs qui ont joué un rôle sur le plan de la persévérance ou de l’abandon des études. Une étude prospective suivant sur une période de six mois (deux temps de mesure) des étudiants inscrits dans un programme de baccalauréat à l’Université Laval (n = 3 084). Pour les résultats de l’étude rétrospective, la situation financière, les performances scolaires antérieures et le fait d’avoir effectué des études préuniversitaires au Cégep prédisent la persévérance. Pour le premier temps de mesure de l’étude prospective, la perception de compétence, les attentes de succès et l’intérêt prédisent l’intention de persévérer. Deux facteurs interactionnels prédisent l’intention de persévérer à savoir : les interactions avec les pairs et l’engagement institutionnel et universitaire. En ce qui concerne le deuxième temps de mesure de l’étude prospective, l’intention de persévérer, la préoccupation de la Faculté par rapport à l’enseignement et au développement des étudiants, le développement intellectuel et académique ainsi que le fait d’avoir fait des études préuniversitaires au Cégep prédisent la persévérance. Les implications théoriques, méthodologiques et pratiques sont abordées et des pistes de recherches futures sont proposées.

Trans-ethnic fine mapping highlights kidney-function genes linked to salt sensitivity

We analyzed genome-wide association studies (GWASs), including data from 71,638 individuals from four ancestries, for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a measure of kidney function used to define chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified 20 loci attaining genome-wide-significant evidence of association (p < 5 × 10(-8)) with kidney function and highlighted that allelic effects on eGFR at lead SNPs are homogeneous across ancestries. We leveraged differences in the pattern of linkage disequilibrium between diverse populations to fine-map the 20 loci through construction of "credible sets" of variants driving eGFR association signals. Credible variants at the 20 eGFR loci were enriched for DNase I hypersensitivity sites (DHSs) in human kidney cells. DHS credible variants were expression quantitative trait loci for NFATC1 and RGS14 (at the SLC34A1 locus) in multiple tissues. Loss-of-function mutations in ancestral orthologs of both genes in Drosophila melanogaster were associated with altered sensitivity to salt stress. Renal mRNA expression of Nfatc1 and Rgs14 in a salt-sensitive mouse model was also reduced after exposure to a high-salt diet or induced CKD. Our study (1) demonstrates the utility of trans-ethnic fine mapping through integration of GWASs involving diverse populations with genomic annotation from relevant tissues to define molecular mechanisms by which association signals exert their effect and (2) suggests that salt sensitivity might be an important marker for biological processes that affect kidney function and CKD in humans.

Citizen science and natural resource governance: program design for vernal pool policy innovation

Effective natural resource policy depends on knowing what is needed to sustain a resource and building the capacity to identify, develop, and implement flexible policies. This retrospective case study applies resilience concepts to a 16-year citizen science program and vernal pool regulatory development process in Maine, USA. We describe how citizen science improved adaptive capacities for innovative and effective policies to regulate vernal pools. We identified two core program elements that allowed people to act within narrow windows of opportunity for policy transformation, including (1) the simultaneous generation of useful, credible scientific knowledge and construction of networks among diverse institutions, and (2) the formation of diverse leadership that promoted individual and collective abilities to identify problems and propose policy solutions. If citizen science program leaders want to promote social-ecological systems resilience and natural resource policies as outcomes, we recommend they create a system for internal project evaluation, publish scientific studies using citizen science data, pursue resources for program sustainability, and plan for leadership diversity and informal networks to foster adaptive governance.

A qualitative study of the emotional coping and support needs of children living with a parent with a brain injury

Primary objective: To examine emotional coping and support needs in children of persons with acquired brain injury, with a view to understanding what interventions would be helpful for these children. Design: The study was qualitative, using a thematic analysis approach. Methods and procedure: Six children between 9 and 18 years of age, six parents (three with ABI), and three support workers were interviewed either at home or at a support centre, using a semi-structured interview guide. Results: Children reported using a variety of adaptive and maladaptive emotional coping strategies, but were consistent in expressing a need for credible validation, i.e. sharing experiences with peers. The results are presented under four overarching themes: difficulties faced; emotions experienced; coping strategies; and reported support needs. Conclusions: The results reveal an interaction between the child’s experiences of complex loss that is difficult to acknowledge, emotional distancing between parent and child, and the children’s need for credible validation. All children expressed a desire for talking to peers in a similar situation to themselves, but had not had this opportunity. Interventions should set up such peer interaction to create credible validation for the specific distress suffered by this population.