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To make sense of the changes provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate aftermath, this paper critically examines digital education policy responses in the context of the 'new realities' faced by schooling. Based on seven case studies contributed by authors from Australia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Canada, Sri Lanka, two key questions are addressed: (1) What are the 'new realities' of schooling post COVID-19? and (2) How have digital educational policies changed in response to the new realities of schooling? Findings highlight the complexity of the problem of aligning digital education policies at the macro level to the realities experienced at the meso and micro levels of schooling systems. The paper concludes with discussion of the need for, and challenges of, agile policy making at all levels (macro, meso and micro) that are necessary for schooling systems to meet the challenges and realities of a complex changing world.

There is considerable rhetoric internationally around the need for national curricula to reflect the changes that are taking place in the world outside school. This raises questions about what a quality curriculum in a technological era should look like, and equally challenging issues about how to achieve the necessary changes in schooling in order for such a curriculum to be realised. This paper summarises the views of 11 experts from seven countries. It introduces a sociocultural framework that highlights the complexity of achieving alignment between policies and practice spanning the national to local school to classroom levels. Three key issues that underpin alignment are then explored, each of which link with the issue of trust: (1) stakeholders engagement; (2) teacher professionalism; (3) summative assessment. By exploring and exemplifying these three issues the paper indicates potential ways of addressing them and provides 'tools to think with' to enhance future curriculum development initiatives.

Incentivising has shown to improve participation in clinical trials. However, ethical concerns suggest that incentives may be coercive, obscure trial risks and encourage individuals to enrol in clinical trials for the wrong reasons. The aim of our study was to develop and pilot a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to explore and identify preferences for incentives. A DCE was designed by including following attributes (and levels) of incentives: value, method, and time involvement. To account for trial benefit and risk, each was included as an attribute with levels low, medium and high. For testing purposes, the DCE was administrated using SurveyMonkey in a population of third level students. A total of 245 students, representative of the general student population, participated in the online DCE. The results provide a template to assess and explore the use of different incentive methods in clinical trials. The template can be used in its current format or adapted to particular scenarios. This pilot study provides a feasible methodology to explore the use of incentives for participation in clinical trials and can be adapted to specific trial requirements to provide information for ethical applications or identify the most favourable incentive for participation in clinical trials.

Over the last few decades there has been increased recognition that the concept of 'access' encompasses not only entry to higher education (HE) but also participation and successful completion. Despite this, very little research has been carried out in Ireland on non-traditional students' experience of university. This article explores the experiences of 16 students from lower socio-economic backgrounds at one Irish university, with particular reference to peer relationships and their sense of 'belonging'. The research identified the challenges which these students faced in the first few months, including feelings of isolation and 'class-cultural discontinuities'. For one student, from the Traveller community, the transition to university was particularly complex, leading to the 'compartmentalisation' of different elements of her life. The research also, however, highlights these students' positive experiences of university life, which often centred on peer relationships and shared interests and aspirations. Overall, the research points to a diverse range of working-class experiences of university life, and the importance of targeted supports in actively encouraging friendship development in the early stages.

This article discusses ways in which subject teachers teaching through English can support the linguistic needs of learners whose first language is not English. It is argued that by focussing on the language of their particular discipline and adjusting their teaching in order to foreground language, subject teachers can make a significant contribution to addressing the language needs of these learners. The subject Geography has been chosen to illustrate ways in which this might be achieved. The topic of glaciation is explored from the perspective of language in order to highlight the complexity of the language used in Geography and to illustrate ways in which it can be made more accessible. Sample tasks that aim to engage learners simultaneously in new content (e.g. glacial erosion, deposition, landforms) as well as the language that is required to convey this content (to erode, to pluck, ablation, hydraulic) are presented. The linguistic features which are highlighted are drawn from two second-level Geography books that are currently used in Ireland. While the focus of the article is on Geography, the approach taken is of equal relevance to other subjects and can be used to support teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

Design is a discipline which involves many domains, skills and professions. Design practice in Technology education in the Irish second level (high school) context is not a representation of the professional realm of design. Design education in the Irish second level system is generally structured on a linear design process and associated assessment criteria. Both the linear process and assessment criteria are stifling creative design outcomes. In an attempt to improve design teaching and learning, and thus students design ability, consideration of students preferred mode of learning has been investigated. Educators have attempted to improve instruction through the influential adaptation of pedagogy intervention in the context of learning and cognitive styles of students (Cook 2008). This paper addresses the need for a strategic approach to design pedagogy to be established within the Irish second level education system, with reference to student's preferential learning styles (PLS). The findings of the study identify the test cohort's preferential learning styles. It also reveals significant differences in school types and contrary to initial hypotheses some surprising findings. The preferential learning styles will be one of the prime considerations in meeting the requirement of best practice design pedagogy, where there is a "compatibility of his or her learning style and the instructor's teaching style" (Felder and Silverman, 1988, p.674). (Contains 18 tables, 13 figures and 1 footnote.)

Background: In recent years, there has been a growth of research on men's experiences of becoming fathers, most of which relates to a typically developing child without intellectual disabilities. While some studies have specifically explored the experiences of becoming a father of a child with an intellectual disability, there are few studies from an Irish context. Aim: The aim of this study was to present Irish fathers' narratives within the context of leading up to the diagnosis and the actual diagnosis of a child's intellectual disability. Method: A qualitative narrative inquiry design was used with ten fathers aged 31-48 years through semi-structured interviews. Results: This study is part of a larger study focusing on becoming a father of a child with an intellectual disability in Ireland. The findings related to finding out "something was wrong" with the child are presented. Conclusion: Fathers are emotionally affected by the diagnosis of a child's intellectual disability. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to be cognisant of the emotional upheaval that such a diagnosis can have on fathers and be sensitive to their needs in supporting them through this process.

The focus of Thematic Working Group 1 at EDUsummIT 2017 centred on the need for alignment in education systems and was driven by two key questions relating to (a) if and how all the parts of an education system work together to support the type of learning envisioned in the twenty-first century, and (b) if there is alignment, what is the purpose/vision of that education system and does it meet the needs of its learners. Arising from the discussions held, the group advocated the use of a tool such as the UNESCO framework (ICT competency standards for teachers: competency standards modules, UNESCO, Paris, 2008a; ICT competency standards for teachers: policy framework, UNESCO, Paris, 2011) as a way to conceptualize a systemic approach to reform and to enable policy makers and stakeholders in a system to think about ways in which they can align changes with the goals of any proposed reform. Taking the Irish Education system as an example, this paper illustrates how the UNESCO framework has enabled policy makers in Ireland to adopt a systemic approach to policy formulation which aligns educational strategies across a range of elements "to leverage strengths, coordinate investments, consolidate gains, and advance national development goals and visions" ("Kozma in Hum Technol Interdiscip J Hum ICT Environ" 1(2):117-156, 2005). To counter the potential danger of a top-down imposition of the UNESCO framework, the group also proposed the Educational Vision and Mission Framework (EVMF) as a tool to support system wide (both top-down and bottom-up) reflection on the purposes of schooling in a rapidly changing world. The group concluded that what is defined as the purpose of education should inform alignment and suggest that application of the UNESCO framework and EVMF could enable the necessary alignment to support the educational, social, and economic transformation necessary for the complex connected global world of today and tomorrow.

Indirect treatment comparisons are useful to estimate relative treatment effects when head-to-head studies are not conducted. Statisticians at the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics Ireland (NCPE) and Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of new medicines as part of multidisciplinary teams. We describe some shared observations on areas where reporting of population-adjustment indirect comparison methods is causing uncertainty in our recommendations to decision-making committees when assessing reimbursement of medicines.

Designing and evaluating teacher development programs for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) who teach in the laboratory is a prominent feature of chemistry education research. However, few studies have investigated the impact of a GTA teacher development program on the verbal interactions between participating GTAs and students in the undergraduate laboratory. Further, little research has been devoted to the development of an instructional model designed specifically for GTAs. This research set out to develop an instructional model to underpin a GTA teacher development program and to evaluate its impact on the cognitive and psychomotor verbal interactions between GTAs and students in the laboratory. Seven GTAs participated in the "Teaching as a Chemistry Laboratory Graduate Teaching Assistant" (TCL-GTA) program that featured the development and implementation of the "Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory" (MLL) instructional model seeking to nurture undergraduate students' cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains of learning. The verbal interactions between each GTA and the students they interacted with were audio recorded for the entire duration of general chemistry laboratory sessions that took place before, during, and after the TCL-GTA program. The purpose of this article is to explore the influence of the TCL-GTA program on the cognitive and psychomotor verbal interactions between GTAs and undergraduate students during general chemistry laboratory sessions.

Graduate students who fulfill teaching roles in the undergraduate laboratory play an important role in establishing a positive learning environment. A host of various graduate teacher training programmes have been developed, implemented and evaluated accordingly in order to enhance their teaching capability. In addition research has also documented the varied or sometimes complex factors that influence graduate students' teaching capability. This present study set out to explore graduate students' sense of psychological empowerment as an influencing factor on their perceived teaching self-image and behaviours. The Teaching as a Chemistry Laboratory Graduate Teaching Assistant (TCL-GTA) programme was developed to enhance the sense of psychological empowerment experienced by seven chemistry graduate students at an Irish University as a means of enhancing their perceived teaching self-image and behaviours. The data collected throughout this study involved both qualitative and quantitative forms through conducting interviews and administering questionnaires. The findings of this research suggest that the level of psychological empowerment experienced by graduate students lends considerable and positive contributions to their perceived teaching self-image and behaviours which are influenced by a number of contextual, training and personal factors. This research should interest those involved in teaching chemistry in higher education as well as those interested in empowerment of either teachers or postgraduate students undertaking teaching duties.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe an innovative model of teacher professional learning that has evolved over a decade (2006 to 2016). Design/methodology/approach: Working in a range of different school contexts, in conjunction with an ongoing engagement with the research literature, has enabled the development over three phases of a robust yet flexible framework that meets teachers' expressed needs. At the same time, the framework helps to shift teachers' pedagogical orientations, as the learning design supports school-focused, job-embedded teacher professional learning, which challenges more traditional instructional environments by infusing digital technologies and other elements of twenty-first century skills into teaching and learning. Findings: Building on the experiences of the first two phases, the paper reports the most recent phase which expands on the emergence of a fourth wave of online learning to design and develop a massive open online course (MOOC) that potentially enables the massive scaling up of access to this already validated model of teacher professional development. The importance of maintaining key elements, threshold concepts and signature pedagogies in the design of MOOCs for teacher professional learning are discussed, and the paper concludes with early lessons from this latest work in progress. Originality/value: Challenges are identified relating to the design of the social supports within the MOOC structure to sustain the collaboration, dialogue and ongoing reflection observed across Phases 1 and 2 that are necessary for the changes in pedagogical orientation and classroom practices.

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access "appropriate" guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of "educational cutbacks" from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one's losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people--which they are entitled to.

This research investigated the creativity capacity across the levels of education in Ireland, involving 702 participants. Creative capacity was investigated through a comparative analysis of creativity quotient (CQ). A divergent thinking task comprising the "how many uses" activity was assessed using the criteria for determining CQ; fluency, flexibility, and product. Convergent thinking tasks comprised of graphic problems. A comparative analysis occurred between the divergent and convergent thinking activities. It is necessary that creativity is promoted throughout education systems to ensure that students maintain and develop their creative capacities into adulthood. Education systems need to foster independent thinking, creativity, and innovation. This article investigates students' creative capacity spanning 3 levels of education. The interdisciplinary and progressive graduate attributes from the levels of education were identified and synthesized toward developing collaborative progressive creativity across the levels of education for future success. Finally, this articles outlines, in the Irish context, the uniqueness with regard to the ability to sustain creative capacity (divergent and convergent thinking) at each level of education, and the degree to which this effort is supported by administration, teachers, and a common cultural interpretation of the nature of education.

In Ireland, Technology Education's structure and organisation across the levels of education is not delivered or governed in a coherent manner. Technology Education in primary level education, for students between 5 and 12 years of age, does not explicitly exist as a separate subject. In primary level education, Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (Science), encourages a child to examine and appreciate how technology and science impacts on their lives and the environment. It supports children developing design and make skills, and to apply scientific ideas to everyday situations and practical problems (DES in Primary school curriculum, science. Social, environmental and scientific education curriculum, 1999). In addition, various initiatives such as the Junior Lego League, supported by the Galway Education Centre, facilitate various perspectives of Technology Education. In second level education, which this paper primarily focuses on, Technology Education exists as a suite of eight subjects, for students of 12-18 years of age. In third level education students can choose from a wide range of bachelor degree programmes in science, technology, engineering or maths. The degree programmes available at third level also include programmes in initial teacher education (ITE). These programmes in initial teacher education are offered by two institutions, and graduate second level teachers to service the second level system. Technology Education in second level education was first introduced to Ireland in 1885. Since this introduction, revisions and changes have occurred, in both the Irish economy and syllabi. In 2006, Technology Education syllabi were revised to include more design activity at senior cycle. These changes reflect the forward thinking of policy makers in reflection of the progression from the industrial era to the information era to the conceptual era. The scope of second level Technology Education in an Irish context is still perceived by many as vocational, though progressive reformations are advancing towards a design-driven framework, grounded in a strong craft practice. This changing technological environment has resulted in the promotion of design activity in second level Technology Education in Ireland. This paper reviews the establishment of design education in Technology Education in the Irish second level education context, where an epistemological shift towards design activity has occurred.

This article presents findings from an exploratory research project entitled "Gaelscoileanna and Multicultural classrooms: the potential for transfer to enhance L2 learning experiences". The project focussed on two language immersion contexts in Ireland which, despite obvious differences, share a range of significant commonalities. One context was that of the Gaelscoil, where instruction is through the medium of Irish, and the other that of the mainstream English-medium school, where learners from migrant backgrounds often experience a form of language immersion which is referred to here as "immersion by default". The views of teachers and principals are described in this article. Data from this cohort illustrate how each school type approached the celebration of language per se in relation to learners for whom the language of instruction is not the L1. This raises two key issues: (1) the extent to which the school can see itself as a site of and for multilingualism, and (2) the extent to which learners in all immersion contexts can also be affirmed as "language" learners. Findings point to how immersion contexts, regardless of whether they are "design" or "default" in nature, can inform each other. We argue that each has the potential to approach Language in additive ways.

Purpose: This paper aims to present a case study illustrating the issues involved in the tacit knowledge conversion process and to determine whether such conversion delivers value to the organisation in terms of business value and return on investment (ROI). Design/methodology/approach: A single-case multiple baseline participants experimental design, replicated across two participants, was utilised. Aaron's KM V-model of evaluation is utilised to determine the ROI of the initiative. Findings: While the evaluation of the tacit knowledge conversion initiative suggests positive value to the business; analysis of the conversion process also reveals a number of individual level factors, which reinforce the challenges associated with efforts to access, capture and share expert tacit knowledge. Research limitations/implications: The results of this study may stimulate further research on tacit knowledge management processes, and specifically the influence of the individual in the success or failure of these initiatives. Practical implications: The paper presents an actual case study situation that reveals the micro-level issues involved in converting tacit expert knowledge. Originality/value: The paper addresses three important areas; it makes an effort to focus on tacit rather than explicit knowledge management, it takes steps to evaluate a tacit knowledge management initiative in terms of its tangible business value, and it pays attention to the influence of the individual in knowledge management processes, which are inherently driven by the individual. (Contains 4 tables.)

This paper describes the results of a pilot study conducted in Ireland to examine the effectiveness of an online book review project. The project focused on the production of book reviews by primary school children in the form of digital video. The videos created were uploaded to a password protected website, which was available to the schools involved in the project. A total of six primary schools took part in the project, and children from infant level (4/5 years) up to sixth class (11/12 years) across the schools completed book reviews. The project was carried out over a 6-month period, and almost 100 book reviews were uploaded to the website. The primary aim of this study was to ascertain if and how the concept of online book reviews might be used in Irish classrooms. (Contains 6 figures.)

Background: Many factors influence listener perception of dysarthric speech. Final consensus on the role of gender and listener experience is still to be reached. The speaker's perception of his/her speech has largely been ignored. Aims: (1) To compare speaker and listener perception of the intelligibility of dysarthric speech; (2) to explore the role of gender and listener experience in speech perception; and (3) to examine the relationship between speaker perceptions of intelligibility and formal clinical intelligibility ratings. Methods & Procedures: Study 1 examines listener perception of intelligibility of dysarthric speech. Twenty people with acquired dysarthria, ten speech language therapists (SLTs) and 20 naive listeners heard audio recordings of dysarthric speech and used direct magnitude estimation (DME) to rate perceptions of speech intelligibility. Differences in perception across gender and listener experience (SLTs versus naive listeners) were examined. Study 2 tackles the speaker's perception of his/her own speech intelligibility. Using the same groups of participants and DME, speakers rated their own speech intelligibility. SLTs and naive listeners then rated their perception of the speakers' intelligibility. Differences in perceptions between speakers and listeners were compared. Further analysis examined differences across gender and listener experience. Finally, ratings of speakers' perception of their own intelligibility were compared with intelligibility scores on the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS) (1981). Outcomes & Results: Study 1 showed no statistically significant differences in perception of intelligibility across the three listener groups, although results suggest that speakers rate perceptions of intelligibility differently to SLTs and naive listeners. Despite some individual differences in ratings between speakers and listeners in Study 2, overall there are no significant group differences and methodological limitations to this section of the study are highlighted. In Studies 1 and 2 there are no statistically significant differences across gender and listener experience, although SLTs are less consistent in their ratings of speech when compared with naive listeners. There is no statistically significant relationship between formal intelligibility assessment scores and the speakers' perception of intelligibility. Conclusions: This study contributes to an understanding of perceptions of dysarthric speech. The lack of gender differences in listener perception supports earlier findings in other areas of SLT. The strong relationship between SLT and naive listeners' perceptions suggests that SLTs are not more critical of dysarthric speech. The discrepancy between formal assessment measures and speakers' perceptions of intelligibility has implications for clinical practice. The need for further research in the area is highlighted. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)

Changing perspectives for practice in stuttering therapy are informed by the changes in knowledge, social values, and belief systems of a society. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF; World Health Organization, 2001) has a sociological emphasis with a focus on the ability and functioning of the person, and it is currently fostering changes in perspectives for working with those who stutter. These perspectives are reflected in Irish social mores in the 7th and 8th centuries, when social and legal codes enshrined the rights of people with speech disabilities in law and recognized the dignity and integrity of people with such disabilities. The society of the time showed awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities, and it provided the supports to enable their participation in society. To a large extent, these principles contrast with the predominantly impairment-based focus that has been the heritage of the speech-language pathology profession in the 20th century. In order to review changing emphases in stuttering therapy and to consider applications of a sociological approach to stuttering, an outline of historical perspectives of the profession of speech-language pathology is presented. The evolution of the ICF is also outlined, moving from an impairment-based focus to a more sociological perspective. Both perspectives provide a historical context for consideration of approaches to working with stuttering, reflecting the ICF and echoing principles that were practiced in an ancient Celtic society.

This study involves a group of over 300 third-year Bachelor of Education students attending St Patrick's College of Education, Dublin, Ireland. Working in groups of not more than three, the students completed an assignment to create a WebQuest. On construction of the WebQuest the students were asked to reflect on the experience, considering issues such as collaboration, cooperation, planning, decision-making, time management, project direction and design. They were also asked to reflect on the impact of the exercise on their own learning styles and its influence on their concepts of teaching and learning. Finally, they were asked if the exercise had affected their ideas of how to use the Internet in school and if they envisage using WebQuests as part of their teaching in the future. Their reflections were facilitated by a questionnaire. Results of the project have implications for future course design.

This paper examines the tax revenue forecasting performance of the Department of Finance over the period 1997-2014. While the general forecasting framework used reflects standard international practice, forecasting errors are relatively large by international standards. In almost all cases, we find no evidence of bias in the forecasts when considering the major tax heads over various forecast horizons. A decomposition of the forecast errors reveals substantial contributions from sources other than errors in forecasting the macroeconomic environment or in estimating the previous year's revenue outturn. This suggests that a formal review of specific procedures and assumptions by the Department could yield further improvements in forecasting performance. An innovative exercise examining the routine use of judgement by the Department to adjust the outcome of forecasting equations indicates that this practice often improved the quality of the forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetarianism is increasing in the western world. This trend can be attributed to heightened health, environmental and animal welfare concerns. In this paper we investigate the factors associated with vegetarianism and pescetarianism among adults in Ireland. Using the 2007 Survey of Lifestyles, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN), we use logit models to assess the relationship between vegetarianism and the socio-economic and personal characteristics of the respondents. We also analyse the factors associated with varying levels of meat and fish consumption using ordinary least squares. We find that household size, age, income and education explain meat and fish consumption; and that marital status, health indicators, and lifestyle are associated with meat and fish consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the distributional effects of Value Added Tax (VAT) in Ireland. Using the 2004/2005 Household Budget Survey, we assess the amount of VAT that households pay as a proportion of weekly disposable income. We measure VAT payments by equivalised income decile, households of different composition and different household sizes. The current system is highly regressive. With the use of a micro-simulation model we also estimate the impact of changing the VAT rate on certain groups of items and the associated change in revenue. We also consider how the imposition of a fiat rate across all goods and services would affect households in different categories. The Irish Government has recently announced that it proposes to increase the standard rate of VAT to 22 per cent in 2013 and to 23 per cent in 2014. We examine the distributional implications of such increases. The general pattern of results shows that those hardest hit are households in the first income decile, households in rural areas, 6 person households and households containing a single adult with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: AAA screening programmes have proven to be beneficial and cost effective worldwide for males greater than 65 years of age, with 4.9% males of 65–75 years of age having an un-diagnosed AAA at screening, resulting in a 42% reduction in the risk of rupture in an English population. This study assessed the incidence of AAA and risk factors for atherosclerosis in Irish males of 55–75 years. Methods: From April 2006 to December 2007, males between the ages of 55 and 75 years, living within the catchment area of Blanchardstown Hospital were invited for AAA screening using duplex ultrasound and cardiovascular risk factor screening. Results: 1.9% (17/904) of the study population had previously un-diagnosed aneurysms detected, with sizes ranging from 3.0cm to 5.8cm (0.6% in 55–65 years old (yo) and 4.2% in 65–75 yo, p <0.01). 33% (302/904) of patients had hyperlipidaemia, while 16% of those with a previous diagnosis of hyperlipidaemia, were inadequately controlled on the test date. 31% of patients had a single elevated blood pressure reading, meriting further investigation for possible hypertension. 3% (28/904) of all patients had a raised glucose levels which had not previously been identified and of those who had a previous history of DM, 46% had abnormal glucose levels. 16% of patients (93/573) were morbidly obese (BMI>30) and 64% (292/573) were overweight. Conclusion: The incidence of AAAs in 65–75-year-old men is similar to international figures. This study confirms that screening for hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia, obesity and hypertension may be worthwhile in all males over 55 years, while AAA screening should be reserved for 65–75-year-old Irish males. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The End-of-Life (EOL) stage of many commercial wind farms in Ireland is fast approaching. • Accumulations of large volumes of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) blade waste are expected to begin from around 2023 in Ireland based on a 20 year service life. • A spatial protocol and Geographical Information Science (GIS) and online dashboard-approach can facilitate better decisions for the planning of EOL waste management. The End-of-Life (EOL) stage of the first commercial wind farms is fast approaching and uncertainty remains in how to deal with their non-biodegradable Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite wind turbine blades. Repurposing options could potentially delay large volumes of material entering unsustainable waste streams such as landfill or incineration and contribute to the circular economy. To plan waste management methods as well as inform the collective team of policy makers, decision makers and local governments, it is essential to understand and assess the geographical variability in the quantity of potential FRP composite blade waste material. Decisions regarding EOL blades are complex due to the varying numbers of blades and diversity in models, therefore it is essential that decommissioning plans are tailored for each location. This research introduces an innovative spatiotemporal approach to investigate the magnitude of the problem and quantify blade waste material associated with the EOL stage of wind turbine blades using the island of Ireland case study. The technical and spatiotemporal variability is assessed through an integrated Geographical Information Science (GIS) framework and online dashboard for decision-making. The findings indicate that for the island of Ireland approximately 53,000 tonnes of composite material will reach the EOL stage by 2040 with highest material densities located in the west and southwest of the island. The integrated GIS approach provides important information on blade type and model to assist decision-making on the design of repurposing strategies for FRP composite blades and provides an exemplar for other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and an important cause of hospital admissions and long term disability. The incidence of stroke is estimated at 200 per 100,000 of the population, Dublin has approximately 2,400 new strokes per annum. In 1989 a comprehensive stroke programme was introduced in St Vincent's Hospital. The aim was to provide patients with a coordinated approach to rehabilitation. A study of the programme was conducted in 1993 by detailed chart review. 129 patients with a clinical diagnosis of stroke were referred to the programme during a 12 month period. 27.13% were under age 65 and 72.87% were over 65 years, 18% died and 44.2% were discharged home, independently mobile. The study findings suggest that the comprehensive stroke programme in St Vincent's Hospital represents a feasible model of care in the acute general hospital setting.