Publications by authors named "Coughlan N"

As a result of intensive agriculture, large quantities of liquid wastewaters are produced. Dairy soiled water (DSW) is produced in large volumes during the milking process of cattle. It comprises essential plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

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Recent accumulation of evidence across taxa indicates that the ecological impacts of invasive alien species are predictable from their functional response (FR; e.g. the maximum feeding rate) and functional response ratio (FRR; the FR attack rate divided by handling time).

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UV-B radiation can substantially impact plant growth. To study UV-B effects, broadband UV-B tubes are commonly used. Apart from UV-B, such tubes also emit UV-A wavelengths.

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Standardised terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science - a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline - the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardised framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrepancies in descriptions of damage and interventions.

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Duckweed species (Lemnaceae) are suitable for remediation and valorization of agri-feed industry wastewaters and therefore can contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy where waste is a resource. Industrial applications will, however, require space efficient cultivation methods that are not affected by prevailing weather conditions. Here, the development and operation of a multi-tiered duckweed bioreactor is described.

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Avian vectors, such as ducks, swans and geese, are important dispersers of plant propagules. Until recently, it was thought that small vegetative propagules were reliant on adherence to vectors and are unlikely to survive passage through the avian digestive tract. Here, we conclusively demonstrate that metabolically active angiosperms can survive passage through the digestive tract of a large-bodied waterbird.

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The growth and nutrient uptake capacity of a common duckweed (Lemnaceae) species, Lemna minor "Blarney", on dairy processing wastewater pre-treated by an anaerobic digester (AD-DPW) was explored. was cultivated in small stationary vessels in a controlled indoor environment, as well as in a semi-outdoor 35 L recirculatory system. The use of AD-DPW as a cultivation medium for offers a novel approach to dairy wastewater treatment, evolving from the current resource-intensive clean-up of wastewaters to duckweed-based valorisation, simultaneously generating valuable plant biomass and remediating the wastewater.

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Biological invasions, especially invasive alien aquatic plants, are a major and growing ecological and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Freshwater systems are particularly vulnerable to invasion, where impacts of invasive alien species can damage ecological structure and function. Identifying abiotic and biotic factors that mediate successful invasions is a management priority.

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Molecules based on the deprotonated -hydroxycinnamate moiety are widespread in nature, including serving as UV filters in the leaves of plants and as the biochromophore in photoactive yellow protein. The photophysical behavior of these chromophores is centered around a rapid → photoisomerization by passage through a conical intersection seam. Here, we use photoisomerization and photodissociation action spectroscopies with deprotonated 4-hydroxybenzal acetone (CK) to characterize a wavelength-dependent bifurcation between electron autodetachment (spontaneous ejection of an electron from the S state because it is situated in the detachment continuum) and → photoisomerization.

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Given its high biomass production, phytoremediation capacity and suitability as a feedstock for animal and human nutrition, duckweeds are valuable multipurpose plants that can underpin circular economy applications. In recent years, the use of duckweeds to mitigate environmental pollution and valorise wastewaters through the removal of excess nitrogen and phosphate from wastewaters has gained considerable scientific attention. However, quantitative data on optimisation of duckweed performance in phytoremediation systems remain scant.

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Article Synopsis
  • Interactions between invasive species can enhance their ecological impact, yet there is limited research on how these relationships affect aquatic invasive alien species (IAS).
  • This study examines the interaction between the predatory round goby fish and the invasive Asian clam, focusing on how habitat complexity, provided by clam shells, influences the goby's feeding behavior compared to a native fish species.
  • Results indicate that while habitat complexity affects predation rates, the round goby shows a higher feeding efficiency with increased shell density, suggesting a facilitative interaction that could contribute to its ecological success in invaded environments.
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Ultra-high vacuum conditions are ideal for the study of trapped ions. They offer an almost perturbation-free environment, where ions confined in traps can be studied for extended periods of time-facilitating precision measurements and allowing infrequent events to be observed. However, if one wishes to study processes involving molecular ions, it is important to consider the effect of blackbody radiation (BBR).

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Article Synopsis
  • Climate change effects, particularly deoxygenation of aquatic environments, significantly impact the ecological dynamics between invasive alien species (IAS) like the round goby and native species such as the bullhead.
  • The study found that low oxygen levels lead to higher feeding rates in the invasive species compared to the native fish, which can destabilize ecological balances and exacerbate the decline of native populations.
  • Results show that the Relative Total Impact Potential (RTIP) of the invasive fish is notably higher at low oxygen levels, especially during stages of invasion, suggesting a dual threat from both climate stressors and invasive species on native ecosystems.
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The frequency and duration of short-term extreme climatic events, such as marine heat waves (MHWs), are increasing worldwide. The rapid onset of MHWs can lead to short-term stress responses in organisms that may have lethal or sub-lethal effects. In addition, increased temperature variability and extremes are predicted to favour and facilitate the spread of non-native species, altering rates of key ecosystem processes and functions.

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Incorporation of fluorescent proteins into biochemical systems has revolutionized the field of bioimaging. In a bottom-up approach, understanding the photophysics of fluorescent proteins requires detailed investigations of the light-absorbing chromophore, which can be achieved by studying the chromophore in isolation. This paper reports a photodissociation action spectroscopy study on the deprotonated anion of the red Kaede fluorescent protein chromophore, demonstrating that at least three isomers-assigned to deprotomers-are generated in the gas phase.

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Two prototropic isomers of adenine are formed in an electrospray ion source and are resolved spatially in a differential mobility spectrometer before detection in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Each isomer is gated in CV space before being trapped in the linear ion trap of the modified mass spectrometer, where they are irradiated by the tuneable output of an optical parametric oscillator and undergo photodissociation to form charged fragments with / 119, 109, and 94. The photon-normalised intensity of each fragmentation channel is measured and the action spectra for each DMS-gated tautomer are obtained.

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-Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) was electrosprayed from mixtures of protic and aprotic solvents, leading to formation of two prototropic isomers in the gas phase whose relative populations depended on the composition of the electrospray solvent. The two ion populations were separated in the gas phase using differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) within a nitrogen-only environment at atmospheric pressure. Under high-field conditions, the two prototropic isomers eluted with baseline signal separation with the -protonated isomer having a more negative CV shift than the -protonated isomer, in accord with previous DMS studies.

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Two ion populations of protonated Rivaroxaban, [CHClNOS + H], are separated under pure N conditions using differential mobility spectrometry prior to characterization in a hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer. These populations are attributed to bare protonated Rivaroxaban and to a proton-bound Rivaroxaban-ammonia complex, which dissociates prior to mass-selecting the parent ion. Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) studies indicate that both protonated Rivaroxaban ion populations are comprised of the computed global minimum prototropic isomer.

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As part of a circular economy (CE) approach to food production systems, , i.e., duckweed species, can be used to remediate wastewater due to rapid nutrient assimilation and tolerance of non-optimal growing conditions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Microplastics can impact aquatic and terrestrial animals by disrupting their physiology and behavior, but most studies use unrealistic amounts that don't reflect real-world conditions.
  • This research focuses on how different concentrations of microplastics affect the feeding behavior of shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) when preying on blue mussels (Mytilus edulis).
  • The findings reveal that neither low nor high microplastic concentrations changed the crabs' consumption rates, but the crabs consumed less as the prey density increased, indicating the potential for functional response analyses to better understand microplastic effects on food webs.
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Article Synopsis
  • Suppression of invasive Asian clams, Corbicula fluminea, is challenging and often ineffective, affecting freshwater ecosystems and their economic value.
  • Innovative methods like hot and cold thermal shock treatments were evaluated, revealing that steam, open-flame, and dry ice applications can be effective in controlling clam populations.
  • Combining these thermal treatments with mechanical substrate disruption significantly increased clam mortality, suggesting a more effective control strategy.
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Lemnaceae, i.e. duckweed species, are attractive for phytoremediation of wastewaters, primarily due to their rapid growth, high nutrient uptake rates, tolerance to a broad range of growing conditions and ability to expeditiously assimilate a variety of pollutants.

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Although seabirds are frequently used as sentinel species for anthropogenic pollution, the extent and impacts of synthetic debris ingestion remains poorly studied for many water bird species. Here, we assess ingestion of synthetic particles (≥0.5 mm) by barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, wintering on a remote island.

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Prioritizing the management of invasive alien species (IAS) is of global importance and within Europe integral to the EU IAS regulation. To prioritize management effectively, the risks posed by IAS need to be assessed, but so too does the feasibility of their management. While the risk of IAS to the EU has been assessed, the feasibility of management has not.

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Control strategies for established populations of invasive alien species can be costly and complex endeavours, which are frequently unsuccessful. Therefore, rapid-reaction techniques that are capable of maximising efficacy whilst minimising environmental damage are urgently required. The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea Müller, 1774), and the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771), are invaders capable of adversely affecting the functioning and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems.

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