Digital Commons Network^™

Loint: A Framework For Geospatial Data Quality Management Of Integrated Bim-Gis Models To Support Digital Twin Development In Construction And Renovation Applications, Peshawa Mohammed

Doctoral

The development of high-quality digital twins of built assets is essential for resolving defects and integrating off-site fabricated components in construction and renovation applications. A key component of digital twins is the three-dimensional (3D) digital models. Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information Science (GIS) models serve as valuable geospatial sources for these models. The integration of BIM and GIS data enables the creation of comprehensive digital twins within a georeferenced national mapping framework. Since digital twins are developed to reflect the existing conditions of the assets in the real world, geospatial surveying instruments and techniques are typically used to …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

“I Didn’T Know Architects Do This”: Interventions In The Social Reproduction Of The Architect Figure In Ireland., Miriam Delaney

Doctoral

The architect is widely understood as the producer of architectural artefacts: buildings, feasibility studies, drawings, and specifications. However, architects (as a professional collective identity) are themselves produced by the complex matrix of social relations and structural forces in which they act; the architect is as much a product as the architectural artefacts.

This thesis provides a retrospective critical examination of aspects of my work in expanded forms of architectural practice from 2011 to 2021. My Critical Appraisal of this work focuses less on the content or successes of the Outputs, the products of production, and more on their collective contribution …

Modeling The Copying Accuracy Of Two-Dimensional Holographic Gratings In Photopolymer Media, Maged Shaban, Dana Mackey, Owen Kearney, Izabela Naydenova

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Volume holographic gratings are periodic refractive index structures widely used in sensing and photonic devices. This paper develops a modeling and computational framework for predicting the copying accuracy of two-dimensional gratings recorded in photopolymer materials using interference lithography. A previous mathematical model is generalized to describe material transport, polymer growth, and modulation of the refractive index during exposure, enabling, for the first time, a quantitative assessment of copying accuracy in holographic gratings. High-fidelity finite-element simulations were performed for different optical lattices produced by three-beam interference. The results show that the diffusion–polymerization ratio has a strong impact on pattern accuracy, modulation …

After Meat: Ruin, Decomposition, And The Epistemic Collapse Of Industrial Food Systems, Alexandra Kenefick

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

The contemporary crisis of industrial meat is typically framed in environmental, ethical, or technological terms. This paper argues instead that the crisis is fundamentally epistemic, exposing the conceptual limits of modern food systems organized around abstraction, purification, efficiency, and control. Drawing on critical theories of modernity, political ecology, and design, it reframes meat not as food but as a designed industrial artefact. Through the lens of ruin, industrial breakdown is read as material disclosure, rendering visible the violences, dependencies, and exclusions that sustained modern abundance. Against technological solutionism and post-meat futurism, the paper develops decomposition as an alternative epistemic and …

A Crisis Of Blood – The Slow Death Of Ireland’S Fresh Blood Black Pudding Tradition, Kate Ryan

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

Fresh blood black pudding is one of the oldest foods of Ireland, yet rapidly declining access to fresh animal blood means this is a food under threat of extinction. Underpinning this crisis is the shuttering of abattoirs capable or willing to collect blood at slaughter. However, this is a crisis hidden from view of the consumer as proliferation of cheap mass-made puddings reliant on imported dried blood obfuscates the issue. The result is that this is a food crisis experienced only by those who persist – by obligation to recipe, legacy and tradition – in keeping the practice alive. This …

Superman And Coca-Cola, Karen Pepper

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

One crisis we currently face is the rising incidence of diabetes worldwide, arguably due to the inclusion of sugar, in one form or another, in nearly all processed foods. Superman and Coca Cola, two symbols prominent in the American cultural landscape, suggest an association of sugar consumption and power. Indeed, sweetness appeals to us both as a taste and as a concept, and sugar, accordingly, is often marketed not as nourishing but as empowering. Superman may seem far removed from discussions of food. However, the possibility of acquiring greater-than-human strength was apparently uppermost in the minds of mid-twentieth century Americans, …

A European Narrative Of Redemption And Hope In The Wine Sector: Fra I Monti – A Case Study, Francesco D'Ausilio

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

The paper focuses on the story of the Fra i Monti winery in Terelle, a small village located in Italy's Comino Valley, in the province of Frosinone, about 110 km southeast of Rome. This is a paradigmatic territory of agricultural Italy, where between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s, industrialisation and urbanisation shaped the figure of the “metal- mezzadro,” half factory worker and half farmer in the fields, leading to the progressive abandonment of the countryside because it did not offer a secure salary and to the relentless disappearance of farming and wine-making traditions. The paper addresses the theme of …

Dgs Programme 2026, Dgs Committee

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

This is the full and final Programme for the DGS 2026 - Food and Crisis/Hope, as well as the Map of Producers who furnished the delicious food and drink we serve at lunch over the two days of the event.

A Training Needs Analysis For A Sustainable Tourism Destination Management Programme: A Practitioner’S Perspective, Catriona Murphy Dr., Shane O'Sullivan, Nicola Orio, Ilaria Doimo

Irish Journal of Tourism, Hospitality, Leisure and Event Research

While sustainable tourism practices have long been acknowledged for their potential to reduce negative impacts and enhance positive outcomes, their effectiveness is often hindered by several challenges. These include a considerable gap in skills and inadequate collaboration between practitioners and educators. To meet these pressing challenges, it is essential to strengthen awareness, enhance collaboration between industry and educators, and develop the critical skills needed to champion responsible and sustainable tourism in European regions. As the principles of sustainability advocate for equitable management of tourism destinations combined with the upward growth in tourism activity in Europe post pandemic, there is an …

Build Digital Annual Survey 2025 And Trends & Comparisons 2022 - 2025, Clare Eriksson, Robert Moore, Bilal Succar

Reports

The Build Digital Annual Survey 2025 provides an overview of digital transformation across Ireland’s construction and built environment sector, drawing on responses from 205 participants across industry, government, and academia. The findings show continued sector engagement with digital transformation, driven by government mandates, project benefits, and partner expectations. Common digital deliverables, such as model-based design, documentation, coordination, and clash detection, are now widely used, while more advanced uses linked to operations, sustainability, interoperability, and AI remain less mature. The report also highlights ongoing challenges, including skills gaps, uneven training provision, limited OpenBIM adoption, and inconsistent implementation of ISO 19650 and …

Optical Performance Of Wall-Mounted Inverted Absorber Asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrators For Air Heating Solar Collectors, Fernando Guerreiro, M. Mckeever, D. Kennedy, B. Norton

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The optical performance of inverted absorber asymmetric compound parabolic concentrators (IACPCs) for solar air heating applications is analysed. An inverted absorber concentrates incident solar energy on to a downward-facing transpired surface from which convective and radiative heat losses can be minimised. Three-dimensional ray tracing is used to model optical behaviour, simulating solar radiation pathways and interactions with reflective surfaces. The variations of optical efficiency and effective concentration ratio with reflector geometry, truncation and collector length are analysed. Findings indicate that smaller, elongated concentrators maximise optical performance and reduce material requirements when integrated over a fixed façade area. Design configurations that …

The Applicability Of Artificial Intelligence In Tour Guiding: Perspective Of Sustainable Service Innovation In Tourism With Technology, Chiranjib Kumar Choudhary Phd, Aditi Choudhary

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming various sectors of the tourism, travel, and hospitality industry. Among these, the role of tourist guides remains crucial, as they act as cultural ambassadors representing destinations and nations. The primary objective of this study is to explore the applications of AI in developing intelligent audio-visual tour guides and assistive devices that enhance tourists’ real-time experiences at heritage sites, tourist attractions, and places of archaeological significance. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilising secondary data gathered from academic literature, printed and electronic resources, online databases, and expert opinions from tourism professionals. The collected data were …

Using Generative Ai To Enhance Critical Thinking And Digital Literacy In Postgraduate Education, Marzieh Nazemzadeh Goki Dr

Case studies: Digital Education

The DMLS module is delivered to Master’s level students focus on the design, analysis, and management of logistics systems. As generative AI tools are becoming increasingly common in higher education and professional practice, I wanted to encourage students to engage with these technologies critically and responsibly rather than avoid them entirely. Alongside the use of digital engagement tools such as Vevox during lectures and seminars, I redesigned one assessment brief to integrate the use of AI into the learning process. The intention was to support students in developing prompt engineering skills, understanding the strengths and limitations of AI-generated content, and …

Cultural Intelligence (Cq) In Engineering Students: A Case Study Of Northern Ireland And Ireland, Una Beagon, Margaret Morgan

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Globalisation requires engineers to collaborate effectively in diverse teams and communicate across cultural boundaries. To design classroom interventions that foster students’ cultural intelligence (CQ), it is crucial to establish a baseline of current CQ levels. This study surveyed 143 engineering students in Northern Ireland and Ireland, employing The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). Findings indicate that the CQ scores of engineering students is comparable to other worldwide studies, scoring highly on Motivational, Metacognitive and Behavioural CQ, but less so on Cognitive CQ. Statistical differences using paired t-tests indicate that women self-report higher scores than men in Cognitive, Motivational and Behavioural CQ …

Hlafreq: Download And Combine Hla Allele Frequency Data, David A. Wells, Michael Mcauley

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes encode cell-surface proteins which play an important role in immunity. Since different HLA alleles enable different immune responses, the population frequency of HLA alleles is often considered when designing vaccines (Gulukota & DeLisi, 1996). Specific HLA alleles have been linked to autoimmune disease (Simmonds & Gough, 2007) and associated with adverse drug reactions (Fan et al., 2017). Further, the success of solid organ and stem cell transplants is related to HLA matching between donor and recipient (Fürst et al., 2019; Morishima et al., 2002). We present HLAfreq, a Python package which can be used to …

Building Services Engineering March/April 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Optimisation Of Photosensitive Recording Materials For Broadband Holographic Optical Elements, Michael Murray

Doctoral

The introduction of broadband (white) LED outdoor lighting has led to significant energy savings. However, this has come at the cost of increased light pollution which has negative impacts both on ecological systems and human health. This light pollution is largely the result of the lack of control measures for the directionality of the light emitted by outdoor LED lighting. The lack of directionality also results in higher energy consumption in order to compensate for the light scattered to the atmosphere and sufficiently illuminate the target area. In this thesis holographic optical elements (HOEs) are proposed as a complementary technology …

Sacred Or Sold? A Systems Approach To Balancing Spirituality And Commercialisation In Faith-Based Tourism, Tadeja Jere Jakulin, Dane Munro

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper examines the complexity of pilgrimage tourism, with its interdependencies among sacredness, spirituality, and commercialisation at faith-based tourism destinations. We use a Systems Approach to move beyond linear thinking that positions spirituality and commerce as inherently oppositional forces, arguing that pilgrimage destinations function as complex adaptive systems in which spiritual, commercial, and educational objectives interact dynamically. We build Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) formed from autoethnographic observation and stakeholder discussions. We present and compare four pilgrimage sites: Lourdes (France), Brezje (Slovenia), Malta, and Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia (Türkiye). The CLD models reveal the dynamics of the pilgrimage sites, the interdependencies, and …

From Religious Sites To Cinematographic Sets: Symbolism Of Religious Cultural Heritage In The Italian Series ‘Le Indagini Di Lolita Lobosco’, Antonietta Ivona, Lucrezia Lopez

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Cinema and television, as core components of the creative industries, play a crucial role in transforming cultural heritage into meaningful narrative and symbolic resources. This study explores how religious cultural heritage is reconfigured from sacred sites into cinematographic sets, focusing on the Italian television series Le Indagini di Lolita Lobosco, set in Apulia. Drawing on the cultural and spatial turn in geography and media studies, the research examines the symbolic, aesthetic, and spatial functions of religious architecture and sacred landscapes within the series. Churches, monasteries, and coastal sacred spaces are not treated as mere backdrops, but as narrative devices that …

The Learning Analytics Value Chain, Charles Lang, Yunxi Kong, Geraldine Gray, Jie Gao

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

A persistent challenge for the learning analytics community is how to achieve a meaningful impact on educational practice. This paper proposes that Porter’s Value Chain framework provides a useful lens for addressing this challenge. This study developed operational definitions of a Learning Analytics Value Chain and mapped learning analytics research output (3,720 publications) over the last 16 years to its five stages: 1. Concept Development, 2. Prototyping & Efficacy, 3. Evaluation, 4. Dissemination, and 5. Impact & Iteration. SoLAR supported learning analytics venues show heavy concentration in Prototyping & Efficacy (41.5-43.2%) and Evaluation (43.4-53.4%), with minimal Dissemination (0.1-3.8%) and Impact …

Scientific Research In Cuba: A General Analysis With A Special Focus On Energy, Agriculture And Technology, Henri Dou, Pierre Fournie

International Journal of Islands Research

An analysis of science in Cuba is carried out using data from the OpenAlex database. Examples are developed: agriculture, rice, technology in relation to the current situation: national food supply, energy and medicine. The predominance of research in biology and medicine and the low commitment in the fields of agriculture, energy, medicinal plants and technology are highlighted. Various development schemes are proposed. The conclusion is that research must be directed towards strategic areas: food and energy, must be less dispersed and that technology must be better taken into account. Three proposals are made: the development of a chemical analysis platform …

From Lino To Luxury: Class, Taste And Identity In The Mid-Twentieth Century Irish Provincial ‘Good Room’, Angela Mehegan

Irish Communication Review

The aim of this paper is to position issues of class and taste within the context of the home and through the lens of the domestic in mid-twentieth century provincial Ireland from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. This was a time of unprecedented economic growth and heralded a period of social and cultural change. Our homes and the artefacts we surround ourselves with are central to our sense of self and how we wish to be seen by others. Issues of class, taste, status, gender, and aesthetic possibilities are unpacked by focusing on the ‘Good Room’ as a …

“This Play Has Become Something That Isn’T For Us”: Working Class Identity, Canonical Inheritance, And The Girlo On Stage In That’S Sooo Povo!, Ciara L. Murphy Dr

Irish Communication Review

That’s Sooo Povo! was first produced in 2025 as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival by D’Girlos Theatre Company. The play follows Chantelle and Croía, two working class Dublin drama students who, when faced with partnering up to perform a scene from Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars (1926), end up summoning the “drag-drenched larger-than-life entity” Queen Povo (That’s Sooo Povo! | Fringe Festival, 2025). This companion piece firstly aims to examine how O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars has made a journey from subversive class critique to nostalgic institutional property, and what it means for working class women …

That’S Class! Exploring The Class Dynamics In Ireland’S Creative Industries - Introduction From Editors, Caroline Ann O'Sullivan Dr, Ciara L. Murphy Dr

Irish Communication Review

This article introduces and contextualises this special edition of Vol 20 of the Irish Communications Review

Active Listening And Reassurance In Text-Based Virtual Health Coaches, Ghulam Hussain

Dissertations

Conversational agents (CAs) have strong potential to support health and physical wellbeing through text-based coaching, but they remain limited in their ability to demonstrate supportive social behaviours that are important in human coaching interactions. In particular, relatively little is known about how Active Listening and Reassurance are perceived, modelled, and evaluated in text-based virtual healthcare coaching, or how such behaviours should be adapted to individual users.

This dissertation investigates how supportive interaction behaviours can enhance text based virtual health coaching, with an initial focus on Active Listening and Reassurance and a later theoretical emphasis on Active Listening. Across five unique …

Integrated Biotechnological Strategies For Planetary Health And Ecosystem Restoration, Duygu T. Yildirim, A. Baki Yildirim, Donald Martin, Tommaso Beccari, Oscar Vicente, Iza Radecka, Fideline Tchuenbou-Magaia, Robert Marks, Ratnesh Lal, Satya Prakash, Adam Mechler, Mario Petrov Milkov, Svetlana Fotkova Georgieva, Ilia Iliev, Radka Kaneva, Nuriye Gokce, Galina Aleksieva Yaneva, Nadya Vasileva Agova, Nikoleta Dobromirova Ivanova, Izem Olcay Sahin, Mariya Kiryakova Tsvetkova, Ivelin Rosenov Iliev, Michel Salzet, Kisung Ko, Michele Maffia, Matteo Bertelli, Isabelle Fournier, Lejla Pojskic, Qun Sun, Lembit Nei, Reynir Armgrisson

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The escalation of ecological degradation, marked by climatic instability, precipitous biodiversity loss, and systemic chemical infiltration, necessitates a shift toward integrated biotechnological intervention. This analysis considers how the trajectory of diverse advanced methodologies, including environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance, CRISPR-based genetic restitution, and synthetic biology-driven bioremediation, might be synthesized into a unified Planetary Health Framework. By exploring the convergence of high-precision genomic engineering, AI-augmented bioinformatic modeling, and the tenets of a circular bio-economy, we examine the capacity of technological intervention to ameliorate ecological stressors and restore critical ecosystems. Moving beyond the constraints of conventional conservation, this discourse explores frontier solutions in …

Development Of Holographic Recording Techniques For Optical Couplers Designed For Solar Collection From Windows, Dipanjan Chakraborty

Doctoral

The main purpose of this research is to explore volume holographic optical couplers and investigate their potential for use as solar collectors in glass building structures. Such couplers are from the family of volume holographic optical elements (VHOEs) and their primary function is to re-direct the incident light so that it is trapped by Total Internal Reflection (TIR). They have been proposed for different waveguiding applications such as solar collection, head-up displays, and optical communication. Since the Sun is a non-stationary light source, often at a high altitude, couplers designed for non-normal incidence are crucial.

Ultimately, this work will address …

Virtual Humans In Virtual Reality: A Scoping Review On Sociability, Fidelity, And Expression, J K Sangeeth Chandran, Marisa Llorens Salvador, Cathy Ennis

Articles

Introduction:

Virtual reality (VR) systems have evolved significantly over the past decade, enabling immersive experiences with enhanced realism and interactivity. This has motivated an interest in socially oriented applications. As user proxies, Virtual Humans (VHs) play essential roles in such applications. However, despite technological advancements, achieving realistic, expressive, and socially responsive VHs continues to present design and implementation challenges. In this scoping review, we present the state-of-the-art of VR VHs, examining the impact of VHs on the user experience.

Methodology:

We reviewed 59 papers retrieved from five databases across three core themes: the implementation and impact of VH facial expressions, …

Point-Of-Care Electrochemical Diagnostic Developments For Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria: Role Of Aptamers And Nanomaterials, Kamna Ravi, Baljit Singh

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The unchecked and uncontrolled global spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a serious challenge to healthcare and modern medicine, and demands diagnostic approaches that are rapid, sensitive, multiplexed, and reliable in point-of-care (POC) settings. At the interface of nanomaterials and aptamer-based biosensing, significant advances have been reported. The convergence of portable electrochemical sensing technologies, smartphone-based readout systems, and artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based data analysis is also playing a significant role in advancing this area. This perspective reflects on the most recent breakthroughs and translational developments in electrochemical nano-aptasensors for MDR bacterial detection, covering diagnostic targets and translation …