NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Leading the Process for Promotional Initiatives; An MU Library Strategy
No full textLightening Talk: Sustainability and Strategic Plannin
Temperature and dissipation in finite quantum systems
No full textThe ideas in this thesis are placed broadly within the context of many-body
quantum dynamics, an area of research that has gained significant interest in
recent years due to developments in cold atom experiments that enable the
realization of isolated many-body quantum systems.
In this thesis, we first focus on the concept of connecting quantum mechanical
systems to statistical mechanics, which often arises in the study of ‘thermalization’
in isolated many-body systems. An inescapable issue in the endeavor to connect
the two is the definition of temperature. The first core definition of temperature
we consider is inspired by the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, which
posits that the eigenstates of a generic thermalizing system have information
regarding thermalization encoded within them. We consider temperatures based
on comparing the structure of (full or reduced) eigenstate density matrices to
thermal density matrices. The second temperature definition invokes the standard
temperature-entropy relation from statistical mechanics relating temperature
and microcanonical entropy. We explore various ways to define the microcanonical
entropy in finite isolated quantum systems and numerically compute the
corresponding temperature.
Following this, we study the diametrical opposite of isolated quantum systems
— open quantum systems. We study a quantum particle on a tight-binding
lattice with a non-Hermitian (purely imaginary) local potential. Non-Hermitian
Hamiltonians are effective models for describing open quantum systems. We
analyze the scattering dynamics and spectrum, identifying an exceptional point
where the entire spectrum pairs up into mutually coalescing eigenstate pairs. At
large potential strengths, the absorption coefficient decreases, and the effect of the imaginary potential is similar to that of a real potential, which we quantify by
utilizing the properties of a localized eigenstate. We demonstrate the existence of
many exceptional points in a similar PT -symmetric system and non-interacting many-particle model. This investigation contributes to a many-body understanding of this non-Hermitian setup
Zonal Indian Ocean Variability Drives Millennial-Scale Precipitation Changes in Northern Madagascar
No full textThe low latitude Indian Ocean is warming faster than other tropical basins, and its interannual climate variability is projected to become more extreme under future emissions scenarios with substantial impacts on developing Indian Ocean rim countries. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to understand the drivers of regional precipitation in a changing climate. Here we present a new speleothem record from Anjohibe, a cave in northwest (NW) Madagascar well situated to record past changes in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). U-Th ages date speleothem growth from 27 to 14 ka. δ 18O, δ 13C, and trace metal proxies reconstruct drier conditions during Heinrich Stadials 1 and 2, and wetter conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum and Bølling–Allerød. This is surprising considering hypotheses arguing for southward (northward) ITCZ shifts during North Atlantic cooling (warming) events, which would be expected to result in wetter (drier) conditions at Anjohibe in the Southern Hemisphere tropics. The reconstructed Indian Ocean zonal (west-east) sea surface temperature (SST) gradient is in close agreement with hydroclimate proxies in NW Madagascar, with periods of increased precipitation correlating with relatively warmer conditions in the western Indian Ocean and cooler conditions in the eastern Indian Ocean. Such gradients could drive long-term shifts in the strength of the Walker circulation with widespread effects on hydroclimate across East Africa. These results suggest that during abrupt millennial-scale climate changes, it is not meridional ITCZ shifts, but the tropical Indian Ocean SST gradient and Walker circulation driving East African hydroclimate variability
Superalgebras, the Brauer-Wall Group and the Super Frobenius-Schur indicator
No full textIn this thesis, we will study the theory of superalgebras, which are algebras with
a C2-grading. One of our main aims is to show that many concepts and theorems in
Algebra Theory have their counterparts in Superalgebra Theory. For example, we will
state and prove the superalgebra counterparts of Schur’s Lemma, Maschke’s Theorem,
and Wedderburn’s theorem.
In Algebra Theory, each field F has a group called the Brauer Group of F (denoted
as Br(F)), which is a group of equivalence classes of central simple F-algebras. We will
be showing that there is a superalgebra equivalent, namely the Brauer-Wall group of
F (denoted as BW(F)), which is a group of equivalence classes of super central simple
F-superalgebras.
Additionally, we will be studying group superalgebras, super representations, and
super characters. In the study of ordinary group algebras, the Frobenius-Schur indicator
meaningfully associates an irreducible C-character of a finite group G with a division
algebra over R. In this thesis, we will introduce the Super Frobenius-Schur indicator,
which associates a super irreducible C-super character with a super division algebra over
R. We will also give the full decomposition of group superalgebras over R and C.
Finally, we will discuss Clifford Algebras, another family of examples of superalgebras
What's in Lisbon? Art Museums, Art Dealers, and Refugees in Portugal between 1933 and 1945
No full textThis thesis focuses on the transactions of works of art that took place in Portugal
during the period of the Third Reich (1933-1945), the institutions and individuals
involved in these transactions, and the works of art that were the object of those
transactions. Drawing on American, Austrian, British, Dutch, French, German,
Portuguese, and Swiss primary sources, the thesis sets out to determine the extent
of the influence of the refugee flux into the country and of the international
circulation of Nazi-looted art on the Portuguese art market. It does so by
identifying and studying the actions of specific groups identified as having the
higher chances of benefiting from these circumstances: importers and exporters of
non-contemporary works of art; national art museums in Lisbon and Porto, cities
with international communications and transport networks, which hosted the
highest number of refugees; public museums in seaside and spa resorts, where
thousands of refugees resided during the war years; and the foreign art dealers
who opened businesses in Lisbon. Conceptually, it begins with a large universe of
analysis, narrowing its scope as the chapters progress, culminating in the study of
the actions of one single figure, and clarifying the provenance of one single
painting, in a case study that brings together various areas of research examined
previously. While findings confirm the supposition that the Portuguese State and
public institutions did not knowingly engage in the acquisition of Nazi-looted art
during this period, they reveal that some of their acquisitions require further
provenance research, and that the actions of specific individuals in bringing works
of art into the country demand further scrutiny
Tying the Knot – Linking Bootstrapping and Working Capital Management in Established Enterprises
No full textPurpose – Bootstrapping is a practitioner-based term adopted in entrepreneurship to describe the techniques
employed in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to minimise the need for external funding by
securing resources at little or no cost and applying strategies to effectively use resources. Working capital
management (WCM) is a term used in financial management to define a set of practices used to manage
business resources, including cash management. This paper explores the overlap and divergence between
these two disciplinary distinct concepts.
Design/methodology/approach – A dual methodology is employed. First, the usage of the two terms in
prior literature is analysed and synthesised. Second, the study uses factor analysis to explore how
bootstrapping practices described by owners of 167 established MSMEs relate to the components of WCM in
financial management.
Findings – The factor analysis identifies two main bootstrapping practices employed by MSMEs: (1) delaying
payments and owner-related bootstrapping and (2) customer-related bootstrapping. Delaying payments is an
integral practice in trade payables management and customer-related bootstrapping includes practices that are
integral to trade receivables management. Therefore, links between bootstrapping practices and WCM
practices are firmly established.
Research limitations/implications – The study is not without limitations. Based on cross-sectional
evidence for established firms in Ireland only, future studies could explore cross-country longitudinal panel
data to fully examine life cycle and sectoral effects, as well as other external shocks (for example, COVID-19) on
bootstrapping and WCM practices. This study does not explain why some factors (for example, joint utilisation
and inventory management) are present in some bootstrapping studies and not in others; further case study
research might help explain this. Finally, changes in the business environment facing start-ups and established
enterprise, including increased digitalisation, online trading, self-employment, remote hub working and
sustainability, offer new avenues for bootstrapping research.
Originality/value – This is the first study to comprehensively explore the conceptual and empirical links
between bootstrapping and WCM. This study will enable researchers and practitioners in these two distinct
disciplines to learn from each other. Accounting researchers and practitioners can broaden their understanding
of how WCM “works”in MSME settings. Similarly, entrepreneurship researchers and practitioners can deepen
their understanding of how bootstrapping can be adopted by businesses to manage resources effectively
‘Strikingly and stubbornly high’: Investigating the paradox of public confidence in the Irish police
No full textWhile levels of public confidence in the police have declined internationally, the Republic of Ireland appears to have bucked this trend with confidence levels that remain ‘strikingly and stubbornly high’ ( Mulcahy, 2016: 275). This situation appears all the more puzzling given the wave of scandals to have hit the force in recent decades, ranging from police corruption in Donegal in the late 1990s to a more recent whistleblower scandal that has resulted in the resignation of a slew of Ministers and high-ranking officials. Such developments beg important questions as to the factors sustaining public confidence over this tumultuous period. Drawing on international and domestic data, this article aims to probe this ‘paradox’ of public confidence in the Irish police. It argues that, although confidence is high, there is more to the dynamics of confidence in the police in Ireland than this initial appraisal suggests. Indeed, it advances the Irish case as an illustration both of the dimensionality of the public confidence concept and the complexity of the pathways to trust in the police
Why Do European Buddhists Meditate? The Practical Problem of Inventing Global Buddhism
No full textGlobalising “Buddhism” beyond its pre-colonial homelands was a complex practical challenge. Actors seeking to bring Buddhism to new audiences in very different cultures met with failure far more often than success until recent decades. Modern-era Buddhist missionaries to Europe had to experiment, selecting elements of Asian Buddhism that could theoretically be transmitted – ordinations, preaching, textual knowledge, rituals etc. – and attempt to institutionalise these as conversion mechanisms.
This article uses the lens of Irish and British converts and sympathisers in Asia and Europe in the late C19th and early C20th centuries to explore the European situation – one with fewer Asian missionaries and different relationships between society and religion than those in North America. It explores the sources of their various versions of Buddhism; their organising techniques and repertoires of “Buddhist” activity, their audiences and how they defined “Buddhism” in relation to politics, ethnicity and colonialism. It argues that meditation (and “practice”) became central to European Buddhism because it solved a crucial organisational problem: what could Buddhist globalisers offer to turn audiences into Buddhists
Tools and measures for diversity and inclusion in media industries: International best practice and informing policy change in the Irish film and television sector
No full textThis article focuses on equality, diversity and inclusion in the Irish media industry and how it can be improved. The need to develop these policies, tools and measures has become pertinent, considering that the Irish media workforce currently lacks diversity. The aims of this article are twofold: (i) examine the tools and measures from the international media industry that have been developed to improve equality, diversity and inclusion and (ii) interrogate how these tools and measures could work within the Irish context. Through sampling tools and measures developed in varying media industries in English language territories, this research used this analysis as the basis of semi-structured interviews with independent production companies and broadcasters in Ireland, to gauge how the media industry can develop equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives. This article identifies four central areas that would encourage further diversity in the Irish media sector: data gathering and monitoring, developing diversity standards, objective setting and incentivization and diverse recruitment for the industry