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Coastal sea-level changes driven by oceanic and atmospheric circulation
No full textThis thesis investigates the coastal sea-level changes driven by oceanic
and atmospheric circulation, with a focus on three ocean basin boundaries
in the northern hemisphere: the northeast Atlantic, the northwest Pacific
and the northwest Atlantic.
In a first part, the focal point is on the northeast Atlantic and
the European shelf and coastal sea level. Observations of the oceanic
circulation in the northeast Atlantic are presented, using altimetry
observations and in-situ measurements from moored instruments deployed
in the last thirty years. Together, these recent observations showcase a
poleward flow to the west of Ireland and Scotland: the Rockall Slope
Current. In contrast, I find no evidence of an upstream continuation to the
Rockall Slope Current which would form a continuous slope circulation
circumnavigating Europe. The spatial distribution of sea level induced
by an idealised eastern boundary slope circulation, representative of the
Rockall Slope Current, is then derived. Both bottom friction as well as
the joint effect of baroclinicity and relief are considered in this theoretical
study. I demonstrate how the large-scale poleward dynamic height decline
in the North Atlantic is mediated to the shelf and eventually affects the
coastal sea level thanks to the transport divergence generated by bottom
Ekman currents. Through this process, the poleward slope circulation is
slowed down. Finally, the sub-annual variability in sea level and currents is
investigated. The shelf sea-level changes are found to reflect the alignment
of the winds with the along-isobath direction. Analysis of the in-situ
current data reveals the build-up of sea level on the shelf leads to changes
in along-isobath currents on the outer-shelf and upper-slope.
In a second part, the focal point shifts to the links between subtropical
western boundary currents and sea-level variability in the northern
hemisphere. The role of the Gulf Stream and of the Kuroshio in driving
interannual changes in nearby coastal sea level are conjointly investigated.
It is found that the sea level on the Japanese and American coasts is
strongly affected by the variability of these major western boundary
currents. In particular, path changes of the western boundary currents
are responsible for important coastal sea-level variations. Coastal sea-level
changes reflect meridional shifts of western boundary currents downstream
of their separation from the continental slope. In the northwest Pacific,
meandering of the Kuroshio in the region upstream its separation point
is also a strong driver of coastal sea-level changes
Antimicrobial Resistance in Irish Private Drinking Water Supplies and Novel Treatments
No full textAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is jeopardising the efficacy of current and future antimicrobial
agents, with the environment as a reservoir for AMR being notably underrepresented in the One
Health framework. However, drinking water has emerged as a potential environmental route of
transmission of AMR. Irish private drinking water supplies (PDWS) are particularly vulnerable
to AMR contamination due to poorer microbiological quality than public supplies. An absence of
guidelines that recognise AMR bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARGs) as contaminants of drinking
water has limited our knowledge on the contribution of PDWS in the spread and persistence of
AMR. Furthermore, AMR plasmids are particularly concerning within One Health, as they can
independently mobilise between and across species, and ecosystems.
With the support of citizen science, we investigated the bacterial reservoirs of AMR in Irish
PDWS and explored the potential of alkyl α-D-mannopyranosides to reduce the transmission of
MDR plasmids via inhibition of biofilms amongst Escherichia coli.
Irish PDWS were confirmed reservoirs of both commensal and clinically relevant ARB. Bacteria
resistant to last-line antimicrobials were identified as carbapenem-resistant H. alvei and linezolid�resistant Enterococcussp. Opportunistic and potentially pathogenic isolates of E. coli, E. cloacae,
Enterococcus casseliflavus, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Serratia rubidaea harboured
MDR phenotypes. In E. coli, this was attributed to conjugative plasmids, IncP-1α, IncFIA and
IncFIB. Whole genome sequencing of two E. coli isolates harbouring IncFIB revealed virulence
factors and clinically relevant ARGs such as phenicol- (floR, catI), aminoglycoside- (apha�variants), and β-lactam- (blaTEM-1) resistance genes. Exogenously captured plasmids also
harboured IncF, IncQ and Col-plasmids. In addition to the ARGs identified in E. coli, these plasmids additionally encoded clinically relevant ARGs such as the methyltransferase (cfrA),
tetracycline efflux (tetB) and broad-spectrum β-lactamase (blaTEM-116).
Investigations into a biofilm-inhibiting, next generation antimicrobial, revealed previously
unexplored conjugation inhibitor (COIN) activity against MDR F-plasmids. Heptyl α-D�mannopyranoside inhibited biofilms of a broad range of biofilm-forming E. coli strains at µg/mL
concentrations, with only a small impact on bacterial viability. In addition, heptyl α-D�mannopyranoside significantly reduced the transmission of MDR IncF plasmids of both clinical
(pEK499) and environmental (pEN154, pEN500) background. However, limitations were
identified due to an increase in the conjugation of the R388 (IncW) plasmid.
Heptyl α-D-mannopyranoside failed to inhibit conjugation in the absence of FimH, demonstrating
the significance of FimH interactions. Further, the COIN potency of heptyl α-D-mannopyranoside
was determined – in large – by the plasmid host. We also uncovered COIN potential for the
galactose analogue, heptyl β-D-galactopyranoside, which demonstrated comparable COIN
activity on pEK499 (IncFIA/IncFII), but this was limited by concentration.
Overall, this thesis provides evidence that Irish PDWS are reservoirs of AMR. By accumulating
information regarding the movement and persistence of ARB and ARGs, efforts can be made to
mitigate the potential risk this poses to the Irish population. Moreover, the novel and promising
findings have unveiled a new class of COINs for the control of MDR plasmids amongst E. coli.
The work suggests that lectins may be used as an alternative target for COINs, a promising starting
point for future COIN studies
An Examination Of Nazi Propaganda Directed At Women Of The Neutral States, 1933-45
No full textThis thesis examines the gender dimensions of Nazi propaganda in six key neutral states:
Argentina, Ireland, Spain and Portugal (states that remained neutral throughout the Second
World War) and the United States and Brazil (states which abandoned their neutrality in 1941
and 1942 respectively). Women and the Third Reich has been the focus of important historical
investigations. However, these studies have predominantly adopted a national approach or have
been concerned with states that came under Nazi occupation. Nazi foreign policy and
propaganda have also been the topics of historical inquiry, but studies dedicated to examining
the gender dimensions of both are lacking. This thesis attempts to bridge these seemingly
separate historical fields of study. It aims to do so by arguing that the gender messages and
networks that emanated from the Third Reich to neutral states formed part of Nazi attempts to
use soft power projections to gain influence abroad. The extent to which women in the neutral
states served as targets of Nazi propaganda is examined along with the response Nazi efforts
received. The analysis then moves to focus on how women served as the subjects of the Nazis’
message, seeking to influence neutral opinions about the regime, its ideological and later
wartime adversaries. Finally, the thesis explores women’s involvement in the dissemination of
Nazi propaganda and, thereby, the furtherance of the regime’s foreign policy interests. The
findings in this thesis contribute to our understanding of Nazi attitudes and policies towards
women as well as Nazi soft diplomacy by showing that the Nazis’ used women to improve
their international reputation. Six politically diverse neutral states have been chosen to show
that their efforts in this regard were not confined to states within their sphere of influence or to
bilateral encounters but were also employed along multilateral lines and to states across the
political divide
In search of a neuropsychological profile for migraine: A scoping review
No full textObjective: Migraine is commonly overlooked by the general population and by professionals in research and clinical practice. Moreover, it is difficult to grasp the neuropsychological profile of migraineurs due to the cyclic nature of the disorder. With this in mind, a scoping review of the literature was conducted with the goal of characterizing cognitive domains associated with deficits in migraine.Methods: PubMed, PsychInfo, Scopus, EMBASE and OpenGrey databases were searched for studies published from 1st January 2006 to 30th November 2022. Following the review process, 52 eligible studies were included in the review.Results: Studies included in this review show mixed and sometimes contradic-tory findings. Overall, both visual and auditory perception appear to be impaired. Deficits on attention, many memory processes, visuospatial function and spatial navigation and on a wide range of executive functions (set- shifting and cogni-tive flexibility, decision- making and reasoning, working memory and prospective memory) complete a complex cognitive profile in migraine. Lack of consistency across studies in sample selection and sizes, lack of detailed links between cogni-tive deficits and specific migraine phases, or length and chronicity, inconsisten-cies on the role of aura in cognitive function; and heterogeneity and sometimes questionable reliability and validity of some of the cognitive measures used may affect the clarity and consistency of results observed.Conclusion: Further research properly addressing the role of gender and age, migraine stage, length and chronicity of the condition, the effect of aura and co-morbidities is needed, alongside increasing consistency across diverse neuropsy-chological assessment protocols.Significance: This review provides a comprehensive, up- to- date picture of the current status of knowledge in relation to the characterization of the complex cognitive profile of migraine. It offers detailed information of the existing re-search gaps and challenges to improve the cognitive characterization of migraine across its different stages and leads clinicians to carefully consider the selection of relevant cognitive tasks, in order to grasp more accurately the patient’s cognitive profile; an assessment that should be an integral part of any protocol developed for the clinical assessment and subsequent treatment planning for migraine
Optimal control of wave cycloidal rotors with passively morphing foils: An analytical and numerical study
No full textIn this paper we perform an analytical and numerical study of the performance of a wave cycloidal rotor in irregular waves, with passively morphing foils and variable rotational velocity control. The performance is measured in two ways: Mechanical power, and fatigue damage in a sample stress hot spot located at the fixed end of the hydrofoils. We consider different strategies seeking to both maximise power extraction and reduce fatigue damage. To maximise power, we consider both constant and variable rotational speed. To mitigate fatigue damage, we consider, for the first time, morphing foils in the context of a wave cycloidal rotor. By testing these control strategies in isolation and in combination, and with the aid of high performance computations, we find that variable rotational speed, in combination with morphing foils, offers the best compromise to enhance power production with a reduced structural penalty on the sample stress hot spot. Hence, in this work, we demonstrate that novel control strategies, such as those proposed in this work, can hold the key in reducing the levelised cost of energy and accelerate the commercialisation of the next generation of lift-based wave energy converters
Celebrating Thirty Years of the Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership.
No full textIn 2022, the Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership
(SLIP) marked its 30th year with the publication
of Leaves from the Cotton Tree: Celebrating
Thirty Years of the Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership
(funded by a grant from Irish Aid).
The book takes its name from the iconic cotton tree
where, in 1792, a group of former slaves, who had
come from Nova Scotia, established the beginning of
the settlement that became Freetown. Sadly, the tree,
which was a national landmark, suffered signifi cant
damage during a heavy rain storm in May 2023
MAC attack: MSCs and macrophages join forces against chronic lung infection
No full textMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)
possess several characteristics that make
them attractive as a potential adjunct
therapy for acute and chronic infectious
diseases. MSCs are well known for their
impressive immunomodulatory, prorepair effects and clinical safety
profile, however, the efficacy of MSCs
in controlling bacterial infections, at least
directly, remains unclear.
Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) is a chronic condition driven by multi-drug resistant bacteria
for which there are no robust efficacious
treatment strategies
Learning by Ear: Multimodal listening and the Embodiment of Irish Traditional Music and Dance
No full textIn Irish traditional music and dance, listening to other encultured performers is understood as being vital in embodying key stylistic and aesthetic traits of the tradition. In this sense, listening forms part of the broader processes of learning by ear and includes in-person experiences, listening to recorded music, and in more recent times 'cross-modal' listening on platforms such as YouTube - which also provide contextualising visual information. Perhaps because traditional music is conceptualised as being an aural art form, and because diAerent combinations of sensory information are present in each of the previously mentioned examples, 'listening' and 'watching' are often described as constituent parts of absorption, which can have the eAect of separating the senses. As recent thought on listening has shown, any real-life listening event is multimodal, where auditory, visual, haptic and other sensory input combine in informing a coherent experience. Rather than being reactive, the listeners' internal model of this experience is predicted, based on their prior experiential knowledge of the same sensory input. As such, listening experiences are not universal and are instead shaped by individual enculturation. For musicians and dancers in particular, this process of embodiment is inherently multimodal and so creates a heightened association between sound (gesture) and physical gesture. From this, it follows that even 'monomodal' sources such as audio recordings, are listened to from a multimodal perspective, one which positively correlates with the experiential knowledge of the listener
Procrastination, depressive symptomatology, and loneliness in later life
No full textObjectives: Procrastination is an almost universal behaviour and yet little research to date has focused on procrastination among older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential asso-ciation between age and procrastination, and the potential mediating roles of depressive symptom-atology and loneliness.Method: Structural equation modelling was applied to data from 1309 participants (aged 29–92) from two waves United States Health and Retirement Study (2016–2020). Within the model, sex, education, marital status, and job status were added as covariates.Results: There was no statistically significant direct effect between age and procrastination (β = 0.06, p = 0.106). However, an indirect effect was present via depressive symptomatology (β = −0.40, p < 0.001). No mediating effect of loneliness was observed (β = − 0.01, p = 0.371). Subsequent analysis revealed that the symptoms, fatigue, loneliness, and lack of motivation significantly predicted procrastination.Conclusion: While age was not directly associated with procrastination, increasing age was associated with a decreased likelihood of depressive symptomatology, which was in turn associated with an increased likelihood of procrastination. Such findings indicates that age demonstrates no association with procrastination because of the suppressing effect of depressive symptomatology
Critical Analysis of the Mediation Act (2017)
No full textIn this article I describe how mediation is regulated under the Mediation Act, 2017 with
particular reference to parts 1 and 2 of the Act. I highlight key provisions, providing
rationale for my views