Control of Diffuse Agricultural Pollution and Management of Trans-boundary Waterways : A comparative analysis of the policy making process in Ireland and Northern Ireland

Ph. D. ThesisRegulating diffuse agricultural pollution in the island of Ireland’s trans-border waterway catchments is a ‘wicked problem’. Alongside the need to mitigate agriculture-related water pollution are parallel and competing needs to support a socially and economically important agri-food industry and deliver public ‘goods’ under a paradigm of multifunctionality. Meeting all these objectives simultaneously is not possible. Thus, finding balance between various competing policy objectives is an important policy goal. Beyond this, co-managing trans-boundary waterways is a significant challenge for policymakers, not least because ecosystem boundaries typically do not align with administrative ones. The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union is set to exacerbate this challenge by vastly increasing administrative complexity on the island. This research contributes to academic literature on wicked policy problems by helping to improve understanding of the complex social factors that underpin and influence the agri-environmental policymaking process on the island of Ireland, particularly as it relates to the wicked problem of diffuse agricultural water pollution in trans-border catchments. Employing qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups) within a case study methodology, it draws on theories of agricultural post-exceptionalism, policy network analysis and leverage points to describe governance structures and their influence on agri-environmental policymaking. It also presents a modified power framework based on Lukes’ (1974) ‘three faces’ model that describes how actors within the agri-food sector obtain and employ power within the agri-environmental policymaking arena. This thesis argues that the structure of, and power distributions within, agri-environmental policymaking networks on the island of Ireland have significant implications for policy outcomes. It also demonstrates how actors within these networks capitalise on gaps left by multiple competing policy channels and complex administrative environments to advance their interests. It finds that in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the agri-food sector continues to be treated as exceptional, and agri-food actors remain central within policymaking networks as a result. This means that agri-environmental policy continues to favour agri-food interests, often to the detriment of the island’s waterways. It also finds that power distributions within the agri-food sector impact water quality. Some agri-food sectors (e.g., dairy, poultry) hold more power than others meaning they can resist important regulation such as water pollution initiatives, rendering such regulation ineffective. Meanwhile, other sectors (e.g., beef and sheep) are left out of the conversation, which compromises potential policy solutions. It argues that for future policies to adequately address the challenge of agriculture‐related water pollution, agri-food system governance must become more equitable and nuanced, allowing for tangible consideration of the challenges that different agriculture sectors face. It also argues that if diffuse agricultural pollution is to be fundamentally addressed, change is required in both the institutional structures that support the current policymaking apparatus, and in the productivist, export-focused logic currently underpinning the Irish agri-food industry.Teagasc Walsh Scholar Programme, Newcastle University, Enviresearch Foundatio

Bindings, boundaries and cuts: relating agency and ontology in photobook encounters

PhD ThesisThe artwork and commodity known as a “photobook” is gaining visibility as an object of creative practice and cultural economy. It has generally been studied within photographic histories. This thesis builds alternative ontologies of the photobook as an experiential, social artefact using a unique methodological assemblage that responds to the object’s hybrid nature. The enquiry posits that encounters with photobooks are “material-discursive configurations” of matter, materiality, meaning and context, in which the photobook-object is actualised in relation to its surroundings and the reader’s sensations and interpretations. The study foregrounds situated moments of “encounter” between humans and photobooks, which are simultaneously texts, images, actants and phenomena, to question what roles photobooks perform in different circumstances – what they do. The research identifies photobook agencies including: affecting aesthetic art experiences, mediating social and economic relations, and pushing back against established epistemic regimes. The study of this messy, boundary object employs counter-hegemonic techniques such as autoethnography alongside ethnographic data to uncover relational insight into photobook encounters, analysed through a combined lens of Actor-Network Theory, New Materialism and Phenomenology. The iterative methodology reveals the research process’ own agency, advancing the thesis’ argument that more-than-human entities co-produce diverse knowledges. This original theoretical position produces a multi-faceted analysis of an under-researched artistic medium, form and genre, which is novel for studies of photographic history and culture, as well as interdisciplinary object studies. Through exploring the complexities of a seemingly quotidian book-shaped thing in wide-ranging personal and institutional encounters, the study fosters a profound, felt awareness of relationalities between humans and non-humans. This alternative approach shows how encounters with art objects present new, pluralistic ways of knowing that disrupt habitual schematic modes of cutting or limiting our experiences of phenomena and things, with meaningful consequences for rethinking our modes of acting, consuming, feeling and being in the world.Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnershi

A peer-to-peer exchange framework for microgrids to improve economic and resilient operation

Ph. D. ThesisPeer-to-peer (P2P) exchange is an emerging approach in smart grids which enables users to share their energy production or storage surplus or the flexibility of their demand with other end-users. This provides benefits to both energy producers and consumers. In this work, a P2P exchange framework methodology is developed. It relies on a Time-of-Use (ToU) tariff scheme to value the benefit in time-shifting demand to low cost / low carbon periods. Two groups of stakeholders are considered, the local distribution network operator (DNO) and the microgrid (MG) users. Energy trading follows three principles: First, energy sharing occurs by using the storage and renewable assets of the microgrid. Second, P2P exchange is enabled during the high-tariff period and third, it is based on cooperation to achieve mutual benefits for the DNO and the MG users. The stakeholders share the cost and benefits of P2P energy trading. The main steps of the developed methodology include a battery sizing process, user categorization and priority order, zoning and optimum battery discharging. The electrical limits of transformer and storage inverter power are considered in the process. The developed methodology investigates the benefits gained by the DNO and MG users. Benefits are examined in terms of economic benefits for the stakeholders (profits), system resilience in case of faults, carbon emissions reduction and energy storage lifetime increase. Case studies are used to illustrate the capabilities of the methodology in determining the expected performance of a P2P scheme under a range of conditions and geographical locations. The results show that this method of P2P exchange will have significantly different impacts depending upon the local conditions for demand, generation, resilience standards and tariff structure.Enzen Global Solutions Lt

What lies beneath : investigating the distribution and dynamics of landslides in lakes, and fjords of New Zealand

PhD ThesisSubaerial and subaqueous landslides are a significant hazard in intramountainous lake and fjord landscapes across the globe. Landslides into, and within, the lakes and fjords can generate tsunamis that present a risk to shoreline communities and infrastructure. Understanding the landslide and associated hazard cascade (e.g. landslide tsunamis) is reliant on both identification of deposits to assess their magnitude-frequency relationship, and detailed analysis of the deposits, which can provide information on the landslide’s emplacement dynamics. This thesis aims to better understand the distribution and dynamics of landslides within lakes and fjords in the seismically active, high-mountain landscape of the South Island, New Zealand, to improve the understanding of the hazard. Despite the similar physiographic setting to many global counterparts (e.g. Norway, European Alps, western Canada, Patagonia), there have only been a few studies to quantify the hazard from landslides into and within lakes and fjords of New Zealand, compared to the subaerial landslide hazard. Previous research suggests that the lakes and fjords of New Zealand may provide a well-preserved archive of previously unknown landslide deposits. A new literature-based inventory of lakes and fjords with known landslides is presented within this thesis. In total, 15 lakes and 5 fjords were identified as having documented landslide events. The lakes and fjords contain a variety of landslide types; including subaerial originating (n=7), deltaic landslides (n=4), and mass-transport deposits, assumed to have originated from the subaqueous slopes (n=7). Previous bathymetric data investigations in Lake Tekapo and Milford Sound/Piopiotahi reveal deposits from multiple sources. Earthquakes are the main trigger, with 9 cases related to known earthquakes. Earthquakes are assumed to be the trigger in 5 further lakes and fjords. In Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, morphological and morphometric analysis, and numerical modelling by DAN3D of previously identified deposits from high-resolution bathymetric data indicate that the landslides exhibit a variety of morphologies, morphometries, and generally low apparent mobility. Factors such as transitioning from air to water, abrupt slope angle changes from the steep fjord walls to flat basin wall, and lack of lateral confinement resulting in freely spreading deposits appear to contribute to the apparent low mobility. Furthermore, the best fit numerical simulations required high basal friction angles, and/or low turbulence parameters to retard the landslide runout The modelling results also found a Voellmy rheology to be effective in simulating the subaqueous portion of landslide runout, as varying the velocity-dependent turbulence coefficient parameter could represent the resistance to flow ii by the water, in contrast to the frictional rheology where resistance is governed only by basal friction angle. In Lake Wānaka, newly collected bathymetric and sub-bottom data reveal comparatively few deposits on the lakebed (n=17), in contrast to the large number of subaerial deposits mapped and identified within the terrestrial catchment in this thesis (n=202). Limited subsurface penetration precludes identifying more deposits within the lake infill. Sub-bottom data do reveal that some of the visible deposits within the lake are draped by lake sediments, obscuring their true thicknesses. Therefore, burial of deposits may be obscuring the total number of deposits within the lake basin. The research presented within this thesis builds a proposed conceptual model for landslide distributions in New Zealand lakes and fjords. Landslides may occur more frequently in areas of frequent and strong seismicity. In contrast, regions with low frequency seismicity will likely trigger fewer landslides into, and within the subaqueous basins less often. Variations in sedimentation rates within the lakes and fjords control how long deposits will be visible on the basin floors for. Furthermore, the newly identified deposits, and quantitative insights into the landslide emplacement dynamics provide information that can be taken forward to assess tsunami hazard, which may present the greatest risk to shoreline communities and infrastructure around New Zealand lakes and fjords.Iapetus Natural Environment Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership, and my CASE Partner, the British Geological Survey University Funding Initiative PhD studentshi

The motivations and outcomes of consumer engagement with online sexual health communities

PhD ThesisThe continuous improvement in living standards has resulted in increasing attention being paid to personal health. The definition of health nowadays no longer refers only to physical or mental health, it also includes sexual health. Sexual health is not only understood in a narrow sense as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (hereafter STDs), but also the enjoyment and satisfaction of having sex with partners. Positive sexual experiences are beneficial to both physical and mental health (Hensel et al., 2016). Although, despite it being an important part of our lives, sometimes sexual health is difficult to discuss due to the stigmatization and discrimination associated with STDs, which can affect patients’ intention to seek a doctor’s advice, leading those patients in need to ignore their illness for fear of unfair treatment which in turn can lead to serious physical outcomes and psychological burdens. The National Health Services (NHS) is under enormous pressure from an increasing demand for consultation; in 2020 more than 60 million people were listed as registered with the NHS (NHS Digital, 2020). This sometimes results in patients not being able to seek medical attention promptly or having only a short consultation time, which is sometimes not sufficient to properly address an individual’s health concerns, and more specifically their concerns about STDs. By gathering users from multiple backgrounds and experiences to form a virtual online community, Online Sexual Health Communities (OSHCs) provide a platform for information sharing and the exchange of emotions (relating to sexual health). Combining the advantages of a virtual environment such as unrestricted time and space, OSHCs not only provide a convenient and effective consultation with users who may have similar health issues but also reduce the pressure on the NHS (Nagendra et al., 2020). Despite the relevance of health communities in today’s societies, the reasons why consumers engage with OSHCs has rarely been studied, nor has the consequences of such engagement on consumers’ psychological and physical wellbeing. This study believes that learning about the motivations and outcomes of OSHC engagement is conducive to enriching the existing engagement literature in the field. From a practical point of view, it provides a more comprehensive guide for those establishing, or seeking to establish, OSHCs. Accordingly, a clear understanding of a user’s motivation for engaging with an OSHC iii can better help the founders of sexual health forums in improving their online communities. Furthermore, understanding the outcome of their engagement can help public organizations understand their influence on individuals’ wellbeing. Scholars are calling for qualitative research on the impact of social media on consumer behaviour and societal wellbeing (Davis et al., 2016; Shensa et al., 2017). The present study lies within transformative consumer research, which focuses on significant social issues and challenges (Davis and Ozanne, 2019). Interviews were chosen for data collection due to their ability to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings (Rubin and Rubin, 2005), particularly in discussions involving sensitive or embarrassing topics (for example, body image concerns and self-esteem) (Malhotra et al., 2007). The author of this thesis conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 participants from one of the most popular OSHCs on Facebook namely PrEp Facts: Rethinking HIV Prevention and Sex. Data were analysed through both manual coding and NVivo. Ten themes emerged from the interviews including eight motivations and two consequences of engagement, which enabled the development of a conceptual framework of engagement with OSHCs The contributions of this study can be viewed from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Theoretically, this study provides a conceptual framework regarding the motivations and consequences of consumer engagement. This study sheds light on eight motivations: information quality, information quantality, social support, fear, source credibility, convenience, online community quality, and privacy concerns. There are two outcomes of consumer engagement with OSHCs (health empowerment and entertainment), which contribute to the existing literature. Specifically, this study offers a comprehensive understanding regarding consumer engagement towards OSHCs, which can help online community moderators develop a better virtual environment based on consumer demands. Future research around this subject should use quantitative research methods to further verify the model developed in this study

Self-Flipped Classroom Reuse of Student-Produced Videos for Flipped Classrooms

Ph. D. ThesisThe cultures of social media and prosumerism enter the domain of modern education and power a shift towards learner-centred active learning with a focus on learning through making in nearly every subject, discipline and level of teaching. Keeping pace with these changes requires pedagogical innovation and motivates us to develop and evaluate a new instructional and learning approach that is built on the reuse of student-produced content. This research has defined such a pedagogical approach, the Self-Flipped Classroom, built on the synergy of Flipped Classroom and learning through making pedagogies. In the proposed approach, the self- part of the name refers to materials that students produce as part of their own learning; and the -flip part of the name refers to reuse of these materials by instructors for teaching other students in the flipped classroom pedagogical model. This thesis presents the Self-Flipped Classroom both from theoretical and practical viewpoints, and discusses the experience of implementing the approach in courses related to Human-Computer Interaction discipline in two universities (Newcastle University, UK and Uppsala University, Sweden). The main contribution of this work is twofold. First, theoretical – in terms of the positioning of the new pedagogy within existing theories and pedagogical approaches. Second, practical – in presenting the testing and evaluation of two variants of the approach (the Distributed and the Enclosed Self-Flipped Classrooms) in real case studies. Anyone who is interested in trying the approach in their own practice will find the results of the presented case studies to be informative from two perspectives: a) student attitudes to and experiences of the Self-Flipped Classroom; b) associated benefits and challenges of the Self-Flipped Classroom for instructors. As part of the investigation of student experiences of the presented approach, this thesis explores lifelong learning skills development (media literacy, collaboration, attribution and others) that are found amid other benefits for students who engage with the Self-Flipped Classroom. The presented research has been conducted in the context of Computer Science education, however, the presented results, and particularly the proposed Self-Flipped Classroom approach, can be applicable to other disciplines.Newcastle Universit

Subjective Bayesian Methods in the Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials

Ph. D. ThesisAssurance provides a Bayesian alternative to commonly used frequentist sample size calculation methods. As part of sample size calculations, an estimate of a treatment’s effect size or a test’s accuracy is typically required. When using Bayesian methods, these unknown quantities can be represented with a prior distribution, rather than using a single point estimate, allowing for more nuanced information about the unknown quantity to be incorporated into the sample size calculation. In this thesis, we first review common sample size calculation methods and elicitation techniques. We consider the problem of aggregating expert prior beliefs to form a single prior distribution, to be used in sample size calculations. Common methods of prior distribution aggregation include mathematical methods, which use a mathematical rule to combine priors, and behavioural methods, which provide experts with a framework to assist them in creating an aggregate prior during a group discussion. Though not a recent development, assurance is not commonly used in practice. We provide a case study of a diagnostic study, investigating a novel diagnostic test for Motor Neurone Disease, for which prior distributions are elicited and aggregated across experts, and sample size calculations are conducted using both frequentist and assurance methods. As a result of the requirements involved in using each method of aggregation, few comparisons between behavioural and mathematical aggregation methods exist. In order to make comparisons, we structured a series of elicitations as part of the case study. We demonstrate how any method of aggregation outperforms individual experts, and that the Sheffield Elicitation Framework and Classical Method perform best out of the aggregation methods compared. We also demonstrate that all of the considered aggregation methods perform better than a randomly selected individual expert. In order to explore the behaviour of assurance, we provide a number of simulation studies comparing assurance and power calculations. We investigate the sensitivity of power and assurance to changes in input parameters, the effect of misrepresenting an effect size, and the effect of using different prior distributions in the design and analysis stages of assurance calculations. We consider these behaviours for both Normal and binomial observations. We use the resulting aggregated prior distributions for assurance and power calculations, to determine appropriate sample sizes within the case study and more generally. We compare assurance calculations with different priors, analysis methods and target values to further demonstrate differences between assurance and power, and their properties. We demonstrate how the choice of model and prior distribution can have a large impact on the final results of a sample size calculation

Engineered barriers for geological disposal of radioactive waste : b microbial interactions and their limits with thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes at the waste canister/bentonite interface

PhD ThesisNuclear waste is a global problem, with many countries in the process of creating deep geological repositories to store this waste. In proposed repository designs MX80 bentonite clay has been selected as the buffer and backfill. Extensive studies have been carried out on the geomechanical properties of the clay; however, the role of microbes has not been fully investigated. Specifically, in the UK, iron-reducing bacteria are a concern as carbon steel waste canisters will contribute iron oxides and rust products to the immediate environment. Iron-reducing bacteria can reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II) and some species are adapted to high temperatures and low water availability, in keeping with conditions within the repository. Iron-interacting bacteria were found to be indigenous to MX80 bentonite and microbiallyinfluenced iron-reduction was observed up to groundwater salinities of 0.45 M NaCl. The limits of this community at different temperatures and pressure were investigated through a series of batch experiments and subsequent enrichments, where necessary. Fe(II), Fe(Total) and pH were measured throughout the respective experiments and substrates were collected and analysed by XRD, SEM and EDX. The indigenous iron-reducing community and various iron substrates were used to investigate indirect interactions through a series of agar plate experiments. The potential bacterial production of H2 and silica-solubilising ability was also investigated. In some experiments steel was included to represent the waste canister, results from these experiments suggest that bacteria play a role in passive protection of steel against corrosion. Significant differences in plasticity and mineralogy of MX80 were seen in all biotic experiments. Additionally, silica release coupled to metal / microbe interactions was observed. Transformation of clay minerals through iron reduction or release of silica to groundwater could significantly impact the geomechanical properties of MX80, and thus negatively affect the function of the barrier.EPSR

Predicting hydromorphological responses to dam removal

Eng D ThesisThe alteration of flow regimes through abstraction and impoundment represents a major threat to aquatic species and ecosystems. Dam and weir removal have become attractive restoration measures for mitigating flow regime alteration, habitat fragmentation and other ecological impacts. Yet, large heterogeneity between study sites, a lack of historical data and complex underlying processes, mean predicting the hydromorphological response remains challenging. In this work, the novel application of Physically Based Spatially Distributed catchment modelling, Geomorphic Modelling and Level Pool Routing combined with extensive fieldwork is used to predict the hydromorphological consequences of weir removal at Ennerdale Water; a Special Area of Conservation in the Upper Ehen catchment, where impoundment and abstraction date back to the 1800s. The area is home to the last remaining stronghold of endangered freshwater pearl mussels in England and Wales and is subject to unique natural and managed conditions. Using historic flow regime data, a national-scale assessment of freshwater pearl mussel rivers is conducted. It shows that healthier mussel populations inhabit rivers with less extreme fluctuations between low and high flows and catchments with lower magnitude high flow events. Healthy populations, however, are found in both regulated and unregulated rivers. Abstraction has reduced mean flows in the Upper Ehen by 10% from 1995-2019. Without impounding infrastructure and flow regulation, minimum flows are predicted to fall by around 65% with no change to Q95 values. In the event of weir removal, mean lake levels are predicted to fall by 0.95m, resulting in a 5% reduction in the surface area of Ennerdale Water. The novel application of water-borne ground penetrating radar has shown evidence of historic lake outlets and previous lateral channel movement at the head of Ennerdale Water. Lakebed analysis identified small pockets of fine sediment, totalling an estimated 825 m3 , directly upstream of the weir. Chemical analysis identified no high levels of contamination. Following weir removal, sediment transport rates were predicted to vary between 0.25 m3 and 309m3 per year, averaging around 30 m3 /year. Transport was highly correlated with extreme high flows. Correctly managed weir removal represents an opportunity for United Utilities to align the interests of regulators, customers and wider stakeholders. The hydrological and geomorphic results presented, provide critical and unique evidence for achieving this outcome. Furthermore, this study presents a novel and thorough methodology for investigating weir and dam removal that can be applied to other sites requiring ecological restoration

Characterisation of a pair of copper storage proteins from pathogenic bacteria

Ph. D. ThesisNeisseria gonorrhoeae is a pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium that causes human gonorrhoeal disease. Its genome encodes a putative periplasmic homologue of a new family of copper storage proteins (Csp) recently described in methanotrophic bacteria. Although members of this protein family are abundant in pathogenic bacteria, the presence of this periplasmic Csp in N. gonorrhoeae is almost unique. Most Csp genes in pathogenic bacterial genomes lack a signal peptide and are therefore presumed to be cytosolic. For example, the Csp protein encoded in genomes of Salmonella sp. lacks a signal sequence. However, the N. gonorrhoeae Csp possesses a putative Tat signal for targeting it to the periplasm. Salmonella enterica is an important global pathogen, consisting of more than 2500 various serovars that can be host-specific or can have a broad range of hosts, whereas N. gonorrhoeae is highly specialised for infecting humans. Antibiotic resistance in both of these bacteria, N. gonorrhoeae and S. enterica, further enhances their risk to human health. Copper is a redox active metal that is essential for several biological functions as a cofactor used by a number of copper-dependent enzymes. However, excess copper is toxic; thus, its homeostasis is carefully regulated through a system of protein transporters, sensors, trafficking proteins, and storage proteins. The Waldron lab is studying the form and function of these Csp proteins in pathogenic bacteria, as copper is known to play an important role in the innate immune system’s ability to fight infection. It is anticipated that a putative role for N. gonorrhoeae Csp1 and Salmonella Csp3 in defending these pathogens from attack by the immune system would make these proteins potential therapeutic targets for future antibiotics. This study explored the copper binding properties of Csp1 from N. gonorrhoeae and of Csp3 from S. enterica, in order to understand how they may be able to aid virulence, either through sequestration of excess copper, thereby reducing copper toxicity, or by storing copper during times of abundance and subsequent release of copper during copper deficiency. Copper binding by the Csp proteins was assessed, and the crystal structure of Salmonella Csp3 was determined. We concluded that Csps bind a large number of copper ions, likely as a storage mechanism, within a four-helix bundle structure that could be targeted in future drug discovery programmes