NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Geography’s relevance debates and new forms of scholar policy activism
No full textIn the context of class and culture wars over the social purpose of the university, it is time to revisit a pivotal question: to whom is the discipline of geography accountable and for what? In the spirit of looking back to look forward, we wonder to what extent and in what ways historiographies of geography that critically interrogate geographers' statements on the discipline's social mission might help and guide us at this hour? Specifically, we work to extract added value from the so-called relevance debates which animated anglophone geography in the 1970s. Characterising the present historical conjuncture as a Gramscian moment of interregnum when the ‘old is dying and the new cannot be born’, we tender the provocation that it is the responsibility of geographers to advance the cause of a ‘progressive populism’. To prosecute this public mission, it will be necessary to recentre the discipline around the figure of the geographer as scholar policy activist, immersed in and a progenitor of a vigilant, contestatory democracy. We conclude that whilst the relevance debates failed to theorise, codify, professionalise and valorise such an academic identity, these debates did bequeath logics and legacies that can fast track this work now
A model invalidation procedure for wave energy converters with experimental assessment and implications for control
No full textModel invalidation is the process of testing assumptions of a dynamical model by comparing simulated responses with experimental data, considering any discrepancies as evidence that the model may be invalid. In this study, a model invalidation methodology is presented, to obtain robust control oriented models for wave energy converters (WECs). In particular, this methodology can deal separately with dynamical uncertainty and external noise in experimental data sets. To this end, considering linear system theory, this study proposes a methodology for building input–output data sets for WEC systems, via a two-stage approach. Model invalidation results are analysed statistically, and the practical implications of considering dynamical uncertainty in WEC system models are discussed in terms of control performance, specifically absorbed energy. As indicated by the analysis and results presented in this study, failure to include dynamic uncertainty in the analysis can lead to performance overestimation. The importance of a good dynamical description for accurate estimation of experimental control performance is highlighted. Finally, this study emphasises the need for closed-loop controllers for WEC systems that can simultaneously maximise energy and guarantee robust stability, an area currently lacking within the WEC literature
Response of the mushroom pathogen Cladobotryum mycophilum to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone and two Bacillus-based biological control agents in mushroom crop trials
No full textCobweb disease caused by members of the Cladobotryum genus is a major problem for growers of the white
button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Synthetic fungicides such as prochloraz and metrafenone have been very
successful at targeting and eliminating the pathogens that cause mushroom disease. However, prochloraz can no
longer be used in the European Union (EU) from June 2023 and over-reliance on metrafenone has resulted in
putative resistant pathogenic strains emerging. Prochloraz still showed good control of two different isolates of
Cladobotryum mycophilum with efficacy values consistently reaching 70%. Metrafenone inhibited the growth of
C. mycophilum isolate 618, which was isolated before metrafenone was introduced (efficacy 96%), but it failed to
control C. mycophilum 1546, which was isolated after metrafenone was introduced, and which should now be
classified as resistant. Two further C. mycophilum isolates from mushroom farms in 2019 also showed metrafenone resistance in vitro. In this work two biological control agents (BCAs) were investigated as potential environmentally sustainable alternatives to the fungicides prochloraz and metrafenone. The BCA Bacillus velezensis
QST 713 was unsuccessful in controlling cobweb disease caused by C. mycophilum isolate 1546 while the BCA
Bacillus velezensis Kos showed moderate control over two trials reaching 30–40% efficacy. Lower inoculum
concentrations resulted in slightly lower but not significantly different disease levels across all treatments. Future
trials with BCAs need to look at alternative methods to evaluate efficacy
Digital twins and their potential use in democratising urban futures.
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
The Irish National Teacher: Origins, Identity and Contribution 1831-1871
No full textThe Irish national education system is long recognised as fruitful ground for historians of education. Established in 1831 by the pre-Independence administration, some forty years before similar systems emerged in other English-speaking domains, the national system realised exponential growth over a short period to become an embedded feature of the Irish educational landscape. Central to this narrative, but largely omitted from historiographical studies to date, are the school teachers who staffed the system. Colloquially known as national teachers (NTs), these individuals were tasked with the delivery of the new national education system. The lacuna around early national teacher identity foregrounded the central research question of this work which sought to establish ‘Who was the Irish national teacher in the early decades of the nineteenth century’? In essence, the purpose of the research was to examine who these teachers were, where they came from and how they came to inhabit a specific national teacher identity. In order to examine this early national teacher identity it became apparent that an understanding of identity as a phenomenon and the theory of identity was required. Readings of contemporary identity theory such as those outlined by Schwartz, and Adams and Marshall, amongst others, led the researcher to recognise that there were modern elements which could be applied retrospectively to historical data, such as establishing a shared point of origin, social status and class, and religious affiliation. These core aspects of identity became the central elements of examining Irish national teacher identity in the historical context, in this study.
Drawing on archival material, largely grounded in official correspondence between the Inspectorate and the CNEI, data relevant to the Irish national teachers’ identity are examined while those current theoretical understandings of identity noted above informed and guided this historical analysis of Irish national teacher identity between 1831 and 1871. Ultimately, the thesis draws firm conclusions around the identity of the early Irish national teacher. First, it is clear that the majority of those employed as national teachers originated amongst the poorer classes of Irish society while, second, the social class and status of the national teachers for the greater part of the time period under review remained in an ambiguous state. Third, in respect of religious beliefs, it is clear that the majority of those who were employed as national teachers were affiliated to the Catholic Church. Each of these elements of national teacher are discussed and analysed within the thesis to assess their contribution to the emerging identity of the Irish national teacher in the early decades of the nineteenth century.
Finally, the import of this work cannot be understated. This is the first comprehensive research undertaken on the identity of the early Irish national teacher. This is tempered by the unique methodological approach employed, which utilises contemporary identity theories in tandem with document analysis to further understanding and knowledge of early Irish national teacher identity. Neither can the implications or resonance for the composition of the twenty-first century Irish primary teaching population be ignored. This positions this research as both timely and useful in assessing and analysing intake within Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in Ireland at the present time
Defining the Role of Diminished CD73 Expression and Altered Extracellular Adenosine Signalling on Wound Healing and Barrier Function in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
No full textEosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus,
believed to be triggered by an allergen-specific immune response, resulting in progressive
barrier dysfunction and impaired wound healing. EoE is characterised by the influx of
inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and leukocytes to the esophagus driving a type-2
inflammatory response in EoE, sequestering available oxygen in the esophageal epithelium
and creating a pathologically hypoxic microenvironment. Previously published literature
has demonstrated a significant attenuation of HIF-1α signalling in EoE patients and
additionally in an in vivo L2-IL5OXA EoE mouse model, contributing to esophageal epithelial
barrier dysfunction mediated via decreased claudin-1 expression within EoE. Furthermore,
HIF-1α, via transcriptional upregulation of target genes is critical for mediating homeostatic
epithelial functions such as cell migration, proliferation and barrier restoration, essential
processes for effective wound healing responses, which have been demonstrated to be
dysregulated in EoE.
Building on previously published data, CD73 a direct downstream transcriptional
target of HIF-1α was shown to be significantly diminished in EoE patients. CD73/ecto-5’-
nucleotidase plays a critical role in the production of extracellular adenosine, a signalling
molecule important for playing an adaptive and protective role during hypoxia via
interaction with extracellular adenosine receptors. These studies aimed to investigate for
the first time in the esophagus, the functional consequence diminished CD73 expression
has on mediating esophageal epithelial dysfunction within EoE. With reference to the
growing body of literature that extracellular adenosine receptor ADORA2B is critical in
protecting epithelial barrier integrity and wound healing responses during hypoxia, it
became an attractive novel pathway to further investigate in the esophageal epithelium.
We hypothesized that diminished CD73 expression in EoE, results in altered downstream
ADROA2B signalling, mediating esophageal epithelial dysfunction within EoE.
In line with this, we combined pharmacologic studies and in vivo mouse model studies
using a L2-IL5OXA EoE mouse model to address our hypothesis. Our studies demonstrated
that pharmacological inhibition of CD73 using adenosine 5’-(ɑ-β-methylene) diphosphate
(APCP) resulted in defective wound healing responses in in vitro scratch assays and
dysfunctional epithelial barrier in 3-dimensional air liquid interface cultures measured by
transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). In concordance with published literature, we
demonstrated for the first time in the esophagus that activation of downstream ADORA2B
signalling via administration of ADORA2B agonist BAY606583 improved wound healing
responses and barrier functions via restoration of fibronectin (FN1) and occludin (OCLN)
expression, which have previously been shown to be associated with downstream
ADORA2B signalling. Similarly, in vivo studies in L2-IL5OXA EoE mouse models recapitulated
our in vitro findings of improved epithelial barrier integrity characterised by increased
expression of occludin following treatment with ADORA2B specific agonist BAY606583.
Overall, our studies demonstrate a significant contribution of diminished CD73 expression
and altered ADORA2B signalling in mediating epithelial dysfunction within EoE via defective
wound healing and barrier dysfunction and establishes an exciting possibility for ADORA2B
agonist, such as BAY606583 as a potential novel therapeutic approach for EoE
Innovation Districts: Assessing Their Potential as a Strategy for Urban Economic Development
No full textInnovation districts have gained attention as a fast-spreading urban economic development strategy, raising numerous questions. What are their distinguishing attributes? Are they a substantive policy innovation? Are they likely to succeed in fostering innovation and economic dynamism? We propose a definition of innovation districts based on their characteristic features. Given the ambiguity of the term in practice, this is crucial for understanding and analyzing the strategy. We then evaluate innovation districts by applying theories and current understandings of the spatial and economic development aspects of innovation, entrepreneurship, and human capital, illustrating with examples from Boston, Detroit, Saint Louis, and San Diego. We conclude that the combination of components that comprises innovation districts is both new and valuable. Innovation districts present a potential pathway for advancing regional economic development goals via the pathways of innovation and entrepreneurship. We stress the importance of rigorous empirical evaluation and research regarding a variety of practical and strategic concerns
Investigating the role of miR-223 in Ulcerative colitis and Colitis-associated colorectal cancer.
No full textAberrant intestinal inflammation is a pathological feature of Ulcerative colitis (UC), and
plays a crucial role in the development of Colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC).
However, the mechanisms behind the role of the myeloid immune compartment in this
inflammatory process are not fully understood. miRNA-mediated gene expression regulates
numerous biological processes, with altered miRNA expression identified in both UC and
CAC. Despite this, the role of myeloid-specific microRNA’s in the inflammatory process
that underpins the continuum from UC to tumorigenesis remains unresolved.
Here, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) on a discovery RNA seq data set from treatmentnaïve
paediatric patients with UC, revealed that there was a positively enriched signature for
myeloid inflammation among patients who were non-responsive to therapeutics.
Confirmatory analysis on an Irish validation cohort of treatment-naïve paediatric patients
with UC showed a similar inflammatory profile in mucosal biopsies via RT-PCR. Expression
of miR-223 was increased in patients with pancolitis and correlated with the expression
disease relevant inflammatory gene sets including OSM, MMP3 and IL-6.
An Azoxymethane-Dextran Sodium Sulfate (AOM/DSS) mouse model of CAC showed that
miR-223 is critical limit myeloid-driven inflammation. In this model, miR-223-/y mice
presented with significantly larger tumours and an enhanced proliferative signature.
Immunoprofiling showed that miR-223-/y mice have significantly increased colonic myeloid
immune infiltrate (neutrophils, monocytes and macrophage) following AOM/DSS. This was
accompanied by an increased inflammatory chemokine and cytokine signature for
monocytes and neutrophils. Bone marrow chimera studies demonstrated that myeloidexpressed
miR-223 is responsible for the enhanced tumor proliferation and inflammatory
response. RNA sequencing on chronic AOM/DSS samples identified several pathways that
could be contributing to the development of CAC in miR-223-/y mice, including the IL-6-IL-
17a cytokine family/STAT3 signalling.
Finally, to mechanistically understand how miR-223 regulates epithelial tumorigenesis
following myeloid inflammation, Nitric oxide signalling was identified as a major pathway
of interest. Pharmacologic inhibition, lentiviral gene knock down and colonic mouse
organoids were utilized to understand how miR-223 regulated type II interferon-NOS
signalling and its impact on epithelial stem cell function
Reading the Creative Industries With Deleuze: How Creative Are the Creative Industries?
No full textThis article develops a definition of creativity that is informed by the work of Gilles Deleuze, Dan Harris, Susan Luckman, and others. We explore its application in the context of the creative industries in Australia. Through our empirical interviews conducted as part of an Australian Research Council–funded project called Vital Arts, we delve into the multifaceted nature of creativity, which we argue is not always accounted for in the bureaucratic organization, categorization, and funding of the creative industries. We outline the measurements used by key governmental, nongovernmental, and policymaking bodies in Australia to categorize and fund the creative industries. These metrics reveal blind spots in how the creative industries are institutionally organized and treated when considering the Deleuzian ontology of creativity that actually motors creative work. We argue that many creative jobs and industries exist outside traditional bureaucratic definitions and categories, and through the concepts of affect, becoming, the major and the minor, as well as fabulation, from Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy, we explore these dynamics further