NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
Not a member yet
18159 research outputs found
Sort by
The Origins And History Of The Irish National Stud And Its Influence On British And Irish Politics From 1900 TO 2021
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
‘Seismic’ or stalemate? The (bio)politics of the 2021 Northern Ireland Census
No full textThis article provides a critical reading of the 2021 Census of Population in Northern Ireland. A close examination of the available data on religion and nationality leads us to suggest that the Census provides a distorted portrait of Northern Irish society in two crucial, and connected, senses. First, the operation of the Census creates incentives for many residents to identify in ethnoreligious terms who might not ordinarily do so. Second, the forms of inter-communal competition generated by the decennial poll serve to obscure the degree of cultural diversity that exists in an increasingly secular society
Governing Artificial Intelligence in the Media and Communications sector
No full textThe article analyses critical blindspots in current European Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies and examines the potential impact of data and AI in the emerging socio-technical ecosystem of the contemporary Media and Communications (MC) sector from the perspective of critical media and communication studies. We first identify central blind spots in the dominant EU trustworthy and risk-based approach to governing AI. Next, we propose a novel multi-level framework to analyse key policy challenges for governing AI in the MC sector. The framework and discussion are based on desk research and multi-stakeholder expert discussions. The article concludes with reflections on AI governance in development, deployment and use in the MC sector
Investigating the effects of non-insecticide pesticides widely used in Irish agriculture on the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L. 1758)
No full textAlthough pesticides are a key driver of bee decline globally, the contribution of non-insecticidal pesticides, specifically herbicides and fungicides, is poorly understood. The herbicide glyphosate and the fungicide prothioconazole are amongst the most widely used pesticides in Ireland. Consequently, characterising their impact on Ireland’s wild bee species is of urgent importance. Here, I investigated and characterised the impact of glyphosate and prothioconazole on the bumblebee B. terrestris at the molecular and organism level, in addition to two representative commercial formulations: Roundup Optima+® and Proline®, containing glyphosate and prothioconazole, respectively. Utilising mass spectrometry-based proteomics, DNA amplicon sequencing, and survival assays, I uncovered the impact of these pesticides and formulations on the digestive tract, brain, and fat body proteome, digestive tract microbiota, survival, behaviour, and food consumption in B. terrestris.
Neither pesticide altered survival or food consumption, but prothioconazole altered behaviour at field-realistic concentrations. Further, all treatments led to microbiota dysbiosis. Glyphosate and Roundup Optima+® consistently altered oxidative stress regulation and mitochondrial proteins in all organs and led to decreases in structural proteins in the digestive tract. Both glyphosate-based treatments altered synaptic transmission and signaling in the brain, and protein biosynthesis and energy homeostasis in the fat body. However, differential impacts were also observed. Further, prothioconazole and Proline® had differential impacts on all key organs, indicating the impact of co-formulants in formulations and solvents used for pesticide solubility on bees, leading to significant alterations to detoxification, neurotransmitter biosynthesis and cytoskeletal proteins, and oxidative stress in the digestive tract, brain, and fat body, respectively. Overall, this research uncovered the impacts of glyphosate and prothioconazole, as well as representative formulations, on B. terrestris, and raised important questions on the complexities of pesticide impacts on bees when used as part of a formulation
Evaluating wild and commercial populations of Bombus terrestris ssp. audax (Harris, 1780): from genotype to phenotype.
No full textBees, including bumblebees, are highly valued for the pollination services they provide to natural ecosystems and agricultural crops. However, many bee species are facing declines, likely a result of habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Additionally, the use of imported commercial bumblebee colonies for crop pollination poses several risks to wild pollinators, including competition, hybridisation and pathogen spillover. A stock-take is needed of wild bees on both genetic and functional levels to identify vulnerable populations, detect local adaptations and to prevent further pollinator losses. We examine wild Irish B. terrestris ssp. audax on genomic, proteomic, and behavioural levels with reference to British and commercial populations to deepen our understanding of the selective processes acting on wild and domesticated bumblebee populations. We find that wild Irish and British populations of B. t. audax are distinctive on genomic levels and exhibit differential signatures of selection. We also find putative evidence for genetic distinctions between wild and commercial populations. A genomic examination of canonical immune genes in wild, Irish bumblebees highlighted several genes undergoing positive, purifying and possibly balancing selection, possibly reflecting their functional diversity and indicating recent adaptation. We uncover distinctions in the proteomes of wild and commercial lineages of lab-reared worker bee fat bodies and brains, as well as in the proteomic responses of these organs to pesticide exposure and infection. Finally, distinctions in the growth dynamics of wild and commercial lineages of B. t. audax colonies were identified alongside differences in the bacterial and fungal gut microbiomes of lab-reared wild and commercial workers. Overall, the findings of this thesis provide novel insights into the genetic, physiological, and behavioural distinctions between wild and domesticated populations of B. t. audax which will likely have major implications for how we conserve valuable genetic resources and manage commercial bumblebee imports
Propagation and Characteristics of Hydrometeorological Drought Under Changing Climate in Irish Catchments
No full textHydrometeorological droughts are complex hazards expressed through the relative deviation
in water availability relative to long-term average conditions. The development and propagation of drought
is governed by hydrological processes at different spatial scales including precipitation, evapotranspiration,
overland flow, soil moisture, groundwater storage and discharge. Detailed investigation is thus required to
evaluate associated linkages among various types of hydrometeorological drought to understand the likely
impacts of climate change on drought characteristics (magnitude, frequency, duration and propagation). This
study explores the impact of climate change on hydrometeorological drought for 10 Irish catchments, using
standardized drought indices representing different components of the hydrological system. We employ 12
Global Climate Models from the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6), forced with
SSP370 and bias corrected to catchment conditions to force a conceptual hydrological model to generate
hydrological projections for each catchment. The results indicate substantial drying during summer with
associated increases in summer drought magnitude and frequency. However, simulations show a wide range of
change, especially for hydrological drought (discharge and baseflow). Only modest changes in the magnitude
and frequency of hydrological drought events were found, with increases in winter and spring precipitation
offsetting summer dryness. Similarly, the probability of meteorological drought propagating to hydrological
events (Standardized Streamflow Index/Standardized Baseflow Index), shows modest increases under the
climate change projections considered. Findings highlight that drought, especially during summer are a critical
climate change risk for adaptation
Institutional Management and Planning for Droughts: A Comparison of Ireland and Ontario, Canada
No full textSevere drought conditions in 2018 prompted concerted efforts by Irish authorities to establish a
formal planning process for drought risks as part of the wider national water management strategy.
More than two decades had passed since Ireland had experienced a socioeconomically significant
drought, but recently reconstructed long-term data have shown that drought is a much more frequent
hazard here than previously thought. With climate change impacts likely to affect the temporal
and spatial distribution of precipitation in coming decades, there is an ongoing need for further
planning and preparation to reduce the vulnerability of the Irish water system to droughts. In this
article we report results of a systematic comparison of Irish drought management plans and policies
with those in southwestern Ontario, Canada, a region that shares many similar drought risk factors
and management challenges but has longer established institutional practices for managing droughts.
Key recommendations for Irish water managers emerging from this project include fostering a culture
of water conservation among the Irish public; using catchments as the spatial unit for drought
monitoring and management decisions; creation of standing drought management teams that involve
and broaden key stakeholders and user groups; and further refining data collection to support
planning for future challenges associated with climate change. Pursuing future opportunities for
peer-to-peer learning between Irish water managers and their counterparts in other jurisdictions
is a wider opportunity for developing best practices for drought management in the Irish context
Flower-like strontium molybdate anchored on 3D N-rich reduced graphene oxide aerogel composite: An efficient catalyst for the detection of lethal pollutant nitrobenzene in water samples
No full textNitrobenzene (NB) is a carcinogenic water pollutant that can have dangerous effects on humans, animals, and the environment even in trace amounts. It can persist in contaminated sites and leach into the adjacent aquatic environment. Therefore, the detection of trace amounts of NB is of great interest. To address this challenge, we have fabricated strontium molybdate microflowers (SrMoO4, SMO MFs) grown on nitrogen-rich, porous three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide aerogels (SMO/N-rGO) for sensitive detection of NB in water samples. The 3D N-rGO and SMO/N-rGO composites were prepared by simple hydrothermal and precipitation methods. The fabricated SMO/N-rGO composites exhibited a porous and 3D structure with a strong synergistic effect between the SMO MFs and the N-rich porous rGO sheets with open voids that facilitate the diffusion of NB. The electrochemical detection of NB at the SMO/N-rGO modified electrode was significantly enhanced. Using amperometry (i-t), the modified SMO/N-rGO sensor was shown to have two linear response ranges in the sensing of NB, with the lower linear concentration range from 7.1 nM to 1.0 mM and the higher linear concentration range varying from 1.1 mM to 2.5 mM. In addition, the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 2.1 nM using the amperometric (i-t) technique. Common nitro derivatives, biomolecules, and cations often found in water systems had no influence on the detection of NB. At the same time, a good recovery of 96.1–99.6% was obtained for real-time monitoring analysis in tap and lake water samples. In this work, new electrochemical sensors for monitoring various pollutants are developed based on anchoring conductive metal oxide electrocatalysts on porous 3D carbon aerogels
Songs of life from fluvial worlds: A river, the state and Bengali Muslim char-dwellers in Assam, India
No full textThis dissertation looks at state-society relations of marginalized people living in liminal and (now) vulnerable ecologies. It is set in the fluvial and unstable landscapes called Chars or river-islands in Assam, a northeastern state in India. Using ethnography and archival sources, it looks at the historically marginalized Bengali Muslims living in these ‘chars’ and their interactions and experiences with a post-colonial majoritarian state, not just in the background of ‘jatiyotabaad’ or Assamese nationalism but also the rise and consolidation of a Hindutva regime both in India and Assam.
This narrative of state-society relations between Bengali Muslim char-dwellers and a majoritarian state is complicated by the fluvial and unpredictable ecological processes and Assam being a borderland state, sharing boundaries with other nations. Thus, as much as this dissertation understands char-dwellers’ relationship with the state through their everyday interactions, it also evaluates this relationship through events such as the ‘anti-immigration’2 Assam Movement or the more recent citizenship project called the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
This dissertation thus, in its quest to understand state-society relations, has been informed by and makes commentary on concepts such as violence, fluvial environment, immigration, citizenship, bureaucracy, affect, among others. Using the works of Baruch Spinoza (2002), Gilles Deleuze (1994, 1997) Pierre-Félix Guattari (1987 co-authored with Deleuze) and Sara Ahmed (2014), this dissertation finds affect to be rhizomatic which is a principle guiding both this dissertation’s methodology and as it will be established, the state-society relations in this context. Thus, while
it evaluates the violence that is characterized of this state-society relationship, the thesis will show that it is marked by beyond violence.
What are the varied dimensions, the other elements that characterize this state-society relation in a borderland state that historically has grappled with ‘anti-immigration’ sentiments but now also faces a fascist Hindu regime, while a river erodes and floods even more violently?
That is the story that this dissertation aims to understand