Digital Commons Network^™

Cost Optimization In Open Telemetry, Niksa Jadric, Cormac Keogh

Academic Poster Collection

Cost Optimization in Open Telemetry

Electrochemical Detection Of Nitrite Based On Iron Oxide–Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Modified Electrode In Real Water, Amira Ghezal, Zina Fredj, Ammar Al-Hamry, Marcos A. Gross, Leonardo G. Paterno, Mounir Ben Ali, Olfa Kanoun, Baljit Singh

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This work presents a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with iron oxide nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide (ION-rGO) nanocomposite for the rapid and highly sensitive determination of nitrite in real water samples. The presence of both ION and rGO on the electrode surface enhances the sensing performance compared to the unmodified SPCE by reducing the charge transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Under optimized conditions, it is demonstrated that the charge-transfer resistance determined from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) scales linearly with the logarithm of nitrite concentration. Due to its unique structure, the proposed nitrite sensor displays improved performance compared to our previous work, …

Exploring The Sustainability Of Single Use Plastics In The Biopharmaceuticals Sector: A Scoping Review Of Challenges, Opportunities And Impact, Cormac Mcmahon, Adrienne F. M. Fleming, Philip Owende, Malcolm Goggin

Articles

Single-use plastics (SUPs) are synonymous with the biopharmaceuticals sector, facilitating economies of scale, process efficiency, flexibility and sterility assurance, all with a seemingly negligible environmental footprint. Yet, in ever-tightening regulation, mandated by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and by concern for large-scale industrial impacts, the sustainability of SUP consumption is increasingly being questioned. Whilst the sector contributes to human welfare, its transition risk is unlikely to remain immune to societal pressure for more sustainable production. This paper aims to present a scoping review of the apparent contradiction between sectoral SUP adoption and the increasing importance of circularity. The approach to …

The Digital Loophole: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Child Age Verification Methods On Social Media, Fatmaelzahraa Eltaher Ph.D, Rahul Gajula, Luis Miralles-Pechuán, Christina Thorpe, Susan Mckeever

Conference papers

Social media platforms are an integral part of daily life for nearly five billion people worldwide. However, the growing presence of underage users on these platforms raises significant concerns regarding children's exposure to harmful content and its impact on their mental health. This paper examines the effectiveness of age verification measures implemented on leading platforms Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and X. We evaluate the age verification processes required for account creation by simulating the registration steps for minors on these platforms. We also compare these methods to best practices in online age assurance in finance, betting and public transportation …

Synthesising Cross-Speaker Data For Low-Resource Pathological Speech Recognition With Peft, Kesego Mokgosi, Milad Dadgar, Cathy Ennis, Robert Ross

Conference papers

Dysarthric speech recognition is essential for enhancing communication and accessibility for individuals with speech impairments, yet its development is hindered by a scarcity of robust, speaker-specific datasets. This study explores low-resource dysarthric speech recognition through cross-speaker transfer using synthetic data and parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT). We integrate SpeechT5 text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis with x-vector speaker embeddings to generate speaker-specific dysarthric speech, enabling model adaptation while preserving pathological speech characteristics such as prosodic irregularities. Experiments on the TORGO dataset show that mixed cross-synthetic data with LoRA fine-tuning achieves a WER of 0.17, representing a 71.7% improvement over the standard model (0.60 WER) without …

Agency, Index & Process: Investigating The Role Of The Artist’S Body In Digital Sculpture Production, Alan Magee

Doctoral

Contemporary Digital Sculpture has emerged out of recent developments in digital art, 3d modelling and virtual modes of production. These advances range from the creation of more powerful software and hardware systems to the to nascent XR sectors, and the potential for materialisation through technologies such as 3d printing, laser-cutting, or CNC1 machining. However, critical discourse remains predominantly focused on the end product, often overlooking the embodied labour processes inherent in its creation. As revealed through indexical traces of the artist’s body, these processes encapsulate the gestures, actions and subjective agency of artistic activity. Consequently, with the limitations of digital …

Public Art Coordination: Shaping The Irish Arts Landscape, Jennifer Haughton

Doctoral

Appointing public art coordinators responsible and accountable for programming and commissioning in the public sphere is a growing trend internationally. My aim in this PhD thesis is to undertake an inquiry into the practice of how public art coordination facilitates artists in producing ambitious public art works. Appropriating Mary Parker Follett’s (1866–1933) concept of multiple leadership in addition to curatorial, rights, and management theory, I argue for an increased accommodation of public art coordination as a public leadership service arising from the construction sector. Adopting Ricoeurian hermeneutics alongside vignettes, my thesis constitutes a deep dive into the habitat and culture …

Mapping Engineering Ethics Education, R Tormey, T Børsen, Shannon Chance, T T Lennerfors, Diana Adela Martin, G Bombaerts

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Writing a handbook implies describing the fundamental information needed by those teaching or researching in a field. This is a challenging task when the field is still maturing. This handbook grew from the idea that we could ‘collaboratively write’ engineering ethics education. In this introduction, we define the field in three dimensions: engineering, ethics, and education. The latter dimension is divided into three parts: the subjects that shape the teaching of engineering ethics education, the understanding of learners and learning that informs the pedagogical choices made, and the fusion of these two in the pedagogical methods used in teaching engineering …

Investigating The Anisotropic Effects On Machining Behavior And Performance Of As-Built Selective Laser Melting Processed Ti6al4v Alloy, Surinder Pal, Xavier Velay, Waqas Saleem, Muhammad Faisal Rathore

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This study examines how the natural anisotropy of as-build Ti6Al4V, fabricated using Selective Laser Melting, affects its machining behavior, specifically focusing on hardness and microstructure behavior. Milling experiments were carried out to understand how the anisotropy material responds to machining and its impact on the final surface finish. Advanced techniques, including FE-SEM, were employed to analyze the microstructure, revealing intricate microstructural details. EDS was used to assess the elemental composition of the materials. Additionally, hardness testing was conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties, highlighting the effects of anisotropic behavior on the alloy’s performance characteristics. The findings underscore the significance of …

Enhanced Wound Healing With Flaxseed Extract-Loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibrous Scaffolds: Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, And Antimicrobial Properties, Ahmed G. Abdelaziz, Hassan Nageh, Mohga S. Abdalla, Sara M. Abdo, Asmaa A. Amer, Samah A. Loutfy, Ali Alsalme, David Cornu, Mikhael Bechelany, Ahmed Barhoum

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This study aimed to develop and optimize composite nanofibrous scaffolds for enhanced wound healing and antimicrobial applications. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers loaded with ethanolic flaxseed extract were fabricated via solution electrospinning. The methodology focused on optimizing key parameters, including polymer-to-extract ratio, swelling ratio, hydrolytic degradation, and nanofiber mean diameter, to achieve superior scaffold properties. The optimized scaffold, with a PVA-to-flaxseed extract weight ratio of 70:30 (PV70:FS30), exhibited bead-free morphology and a mean fiber diameter of 319 nm (compared to 175 nm for pure PVA fibers). PV70:FS30 scaffolds demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity, effectively inhibiting both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial growth. Moreover, …

Closed Form Solutions Of Bending Bi-Directional Functionally Graded Tapered Beams Using Euler And Timoshenko Theories, Omar K. Omar, Mohammad Alshawabkeh, H. Alkhatib

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of The Velocity Ratio On The Flow And Wall Heat Transfer Characteristics Of A Wall-Bounded Dual Jet, Paula J. Murphy, Sajad Alimohammadi, Séamus M. O'Shaughnessy

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

A wall-bounded dual jet, consisting of a wall jet and a co-flowing offset jet, possesses a complex flow structure that has proved advantageous across many industrial applications. Despite this, dual jets remain relatively unexplored through experimentation and their flow phenomena are largely misunderstood. This investigation is the first to examine the effect of varying the velocity ratio (V_r) on the flow and heat transfer behaviour of a dual jet through experimental means. A velocity ratio range of 0.5≤V_r≤2 is achieved by varying each jet Reynolds number (Re_w/o) in the range 5500≤Re_w/o≤12,000. Infrared …

Workshop - Supercharging Your Engineering Classes With Ethics!, Shannon Chance

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Are you ready to energize your students’ learning of engineering ethics? Join us for a high-voltage, interactive workshop where we’ll unlock the power of the Routledge International Handbook of Engineering Ethics Education—an opensource treasure trove of cutting-edge knowledge and active learning strategies!This dynamic workshop is designed for educators who want to infuse their courses with innovative, discipline-specific ethics learning methods. Through gamified exploration, creative brainstorming, and collaborative problem-solving, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to integrate ethics into any engineering course.We’ll kick things off with a dynamic guided tour of the handbook, unveiling its structure and offerings. Then, we’ll divide …

Hydrothermal Behavior Of A Novel Conical Twisted Strip Turbulator In A Heated Tube: A Numerical Analysis, Azher M. Abed, Bhavesh Kanabar, T. Ramachandran, Aman Shankhyan, Jasgurpreet Singh Chohan, A. Karthikeyan, Deepak Gupta, Bashir Salah, Waqas Saleem

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The increasing use of heated pipes and heat exchangers has created a pressing need to enhance thermal efficiency. This research introduces a novel turbulator design known as the conical twisted strip turbulator. The turbulator design resembles a cone and is composed of several twisted strip tentacles. This unique configuration is expected to generate strong rotational and radial flow patterns, leading to enhanced heat transfer. A numerical analysis was conducted using the RNG k-epsilon model to investigate various geometric parameters of the turbulator. The study examined the twisted angle, which varied from 60 to 270°, the number of twisted strip tentacles, …

Augmented Ensemble Model (Aem) For Health Trends Prediction On Social Networks, Sonia Saini, Ruchi Agarwal, S. P. Singh, Punit Gupta, Ankit Vidhyarthi, Rohit Verma

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Social Media has given an exponential rise to an ever-connected world. Health data that was earlier viewed as hospital records or clinical records is now being shared as text over social media. Information and updates regarding the outbreak of a pandemic, clinical visit results, general health updates, etc., are being analyzed. The data is now shared more frequently in various formats such as images, text, documents, and videos. With fast streaming systems and no constraints on storage spaces, all this shared rich media data is quite voluminous and informative. For shared health data such as discussions on ailments, hospital visits, …

Challenges In Adapting Fibre Optic Sensors For Biomedical Applications, Sahar Karimian, Muhammad Mahmood Ali, Marion Mcafee, Waqas Saleem, Dineshbabu Duraibabu, Sanober Farheen Memon, Elfed Lewis

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Fibre optic sensors (FOSs) have developed as a transformative technology in healthcare, often offering unparalleled accuracy and sensitivity in monitoring various physiological and biochemical parameters. Their applications range from tracking vital signs to guiding minimally invasive surgeries, enabling advancements in medical diagnostics and treatment. However, the integration of FOSs into biomedical applications faces numerous challenges. This article describes some challenges for adopting FOSs for biomedical purposes, exploring technical and practical obstacles, and examining innovative solutions. Significant challenges include biocompatibility, miniaturization, addressing signal processing complexities, and meeting regulatory standards. By outlining solutions to the stated challenges, it is intended that this …

Aspen Plus Modelling Of The Milena Dual Fluidised Bed Biomass Gasifier Technology, Mohadeseh Naderi, Hamid Rashidi, Anthony Reynolds, Wayne Doherty

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The Energy Research Centre of The Netherlands is developing MILENA gasification technology to convert biomass fuels into high-value gaseous and liquid products. MILENA is a steam-blown dual fluidised bed (DFB) gasification process with separate gasification and combustion zones. This DFB gasifier produces high-quality gas with low N₂ content suitable for vehicle fuel or natural gas grid injection. This study presents a semi-kinetic Aspen Plus model for MILENA gasification, including stages like drying, rapid pyrolysis, gasification, combustion, and tar cracking and reforming. Pyrolysis as a key step, was modelled using experimental data for the rapid pyrolysis of wood to calculate …

Tailoring Innovative Silver Nanoparticles For Modern Medicine: The Importance Of Size And Shape Control And Functional Modifications, Ibtissam Laib, Noura Gheraissa, Abir Benaissa, Latra Benkhira, Manel Azzi, Yousef Benaissa, Ahmed G. Abdelaziz, Furong Tian, Maureen Walsh, Mikhael Bechelany, Ahmed Barhoum

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) play a significant role in modern medicine, with their size, shape, and surface chemistry strongly influencing their biological performance. Smaller nanoparticles (1–100 nm) can penetrate cells more easily, while different shapes such as spheres, rods, cubes, triangles, wires, and stars impact their antimicrobial activity and drug delivery efficiency. This review highlights the importance of precise control over these properties during synthesis to optimize their therapeutic potential. Green synthesis methods, including plant-based and microbial approaches, are presented as safer, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional chemical processes. The review also discusses surface functionalization strategies such …

Numerical Methodologies For The Analysis Of Horizontal-Axis Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (F-Hawts): A State-Of-The-Art Review, Naghmeh Akbari Zadeh, Peter Ryan, David M. Kennedy, Fergal O’Rourke

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

In recent decades, wind turbine installations have become a popular option to meet the world’s growing demand for energy. Both onshore and offshore wind turbines form pivotal components of the electricity sector. Onshore wind energy is now a mature technology, with significant experience gained by wind farm developers and operators over the last couple of decades. However, as a more recent enterprise, the offshore wind industry still requires significantly more development before the technologies and operations reach maturity. To date, floating platforms at sea have been utilised extensively for the oil and gas industry. While a lot of the expertise …

7-Ketocholesterol: Occurrence, Biological Activities, And Plausible Remediation, Shubhrima Ghosh

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Oxysterols, or cholesterol oxidation products, are potentially harmful derivatives of cholesterol arising from heat treatment in food systems and enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic processes in the body. Of these, 7-ketocholesterol (7KC) is a major oxysterol implicated in age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, and some inflammatory diseases. The cytotoxic pathways of 7KC often involve typical apoptotic markers such as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial and peroxisomal dysfunction, followed by the release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-9 followed by caspase-3, and other secondary messenger activations leading to cell death. The remedial approach …

A Systematic Review Of The Use Of Electronic Nose And Tongue Technologies For Detecting Food Contaminants, Muhammad Zia Ul Haq, Baljit Singh, Xolile Fuku, Ahmed Barhoum, Furong Tian

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Sensor operations in the food industry are faced with several major challenges, including in sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy and rapid detection. Among emerging technologies, e-nose and e-tongue systems have attracted much attention from researchers. This review examines 112 studies published from 2004 to 2025, and examines the functionalities and performance in detecting various food product-associated analytes. The sensitivity of e-nose and e-tongue systems was analyzed using various data processing techniques. Recent research and development in leading countries (i.e., China, United Kingdom, Columbia, India, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Ireland) was examined. The findings indicate that principal component analysis (PCA) was the most widely …

Personalized Persuasion In The Digital Age: A Data-Driven Approach To Effective Communication, Annye Braca

Doctoral

This thesis investigates the potential of Machine Learning (ML) to personalize persuasive marketing messages. It explores the identification of individuals receptive to specific persuasion techniques based on their psychometric profiles. By developing ML models that incorporate these profiles, the thesis aims to predict the impact of tailored messages and improve the effectiveness of marketing communication.

Development Of Holographic Optical Elements For Application In Wound Healing Monitoring, Pamela Stoeva

Doctoral

Growing global healthcare challenges, including the increasing prevalence of chronic wounds, necessitate the development of cost-effective, reusable, and readily accessible sensors for real-time wound monitoring. Such devices could extend basic healthcare to remote areas and support long-term space missions by facilitating on-the-spot wound assessment. Sensors that utilise Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs) are promising candidates due to their diverse sensing capabilities, advantageous physical properties (e.g., lightweight and flexibility), and suitability for mass manufacturing. The fundamental biochemical processes associated with wound healing are typically related to parameters such as oxygen levels, pH, temperature, and lactate concentration. Realtime quantification of these parameters enables …

Highly Sensitive Diffractive Optical Structures For Detection Of Volatile Organic Compounds, Faolan Radford Mcgovern

Doctoral

From aerospace to agriculture, sensors play a fundamental role in many aspects of modern life. Sensors form an integral part of the complex systems and devices required for the continued functioning and development of services and industries across society. The use of sensors is paramount in areas affecting human health, one such area being the monitoring of indoor air quality, in particular the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Human contact with VOCs has been associated with many health complications, including skin and eye irritation, cardiovascular damage, and cancers. Optical, electrical, gravimetric, and chemical sensors have been developed for VOC …

Plasmonic Down-Shifting Layers For Cylindrical Solar Concentrators, Kenneth Coldrick

Doctoral

The efficiency of photovoltaics (PVs) and photo-thermal (PT) systems is hindered by spectral mismatches and low thermal conductivity. A promising solution to address these issues can be the use of luminescent down-shifting (LDS) layers. This involves the incorporation of luminophores into solid or liquid layers that will act as spectral beam splitters (SBSs). In solid polymers, they form luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs), while in liquids, they act as working fluids and SBS for hybrid photovoltaic-photothermal (PVT) systems. This thesis will examine the energy conversion in both solid and liquid configurations through experimental, simulation, and economic analyses. An open-source model that …

Information Management Plan – Delivery Team, Robert Moore

Tools

Information Management Plan – Delivery Team is a support in a spreadsheet format that contains a number of delivery team (tenderers) templates that ISO 19650 recommend the delivery team (tenderers) should consider when responding to a tender to deliver a project for an Asset.

Build Digital has created Industry templates to allow organisations work in accordance with ISO 19650. These templates start to address the information requirements in the ISO 19650 series of standards. The templates are also in accordance with CEN-TR17654-2021” Guideline for the implementation of Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) and BIM Execution Plans (BEP) on European level based …

The Individual, Collective, And Cyclical Transformational Learning Created By Food Tourism Education, Ziene Mottiar, Mairtin Macconiomaire

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

Research on food tourism education is rare, despite a significant growth in food tourism literature in recent decades. A food tourism module was developed for a new MA Gastronomy and Food Studies at the Technological University Dublin, Ireland in 2017. This article, written by the two module creators and lecturers, analyses reflections of two cohorts of mature post-graduate students (n.14). We explore the transformational role (if any) that this module had. Then, using purposive sampling, employ semi-structured interviews with five graduates who had a collective transformational learning experience – setting up the food tourism network Wicklow Naturally – to explore …

Comparing Multivalent Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate/ Montmorillonite Beads Containing Curcumin Or Cayenne Pepper As Drug Carriers And Their Antimicrobial Resistance, Shionainn Traynor, Shubham Sharma

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

The aim of the following work was to investigate and compare curcumin and cayenne pepper in microbeads composed of sodium alginate (SA) crosslinked with montmorillonite (MMT) to act as drug carriers and their antimicrobial resistance. The microbeads were prepared through ion-exchange in multivalent solutions of CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and AlCl₃. The microbeads were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and the time required for intercalation of curcumin and cayenne pepper with MMT. Simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.3) and gastric fluid (pH 1.2) at 37°C were used for comparison in swelling studies. …

Mathematical Modelling Of Disease Outbreak, Favour Christian, Matthew Molloy

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Establishing a model framework for more research necessitates a thorough understanding of the causes, distribution, prevalence, and evolution of infectious illnesses. The main mathematical concept used in this modelling simulation is ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of the many criteria linked to a zombie virus spread. The zombie framework provides an accessible and relatively simple representation of the nature of infectious disease spread, allowing for tractable assumptions and the development of more complex situations.

The models are designed around a zombie outbreak in which the zombie virus is spread through a …

Total Organic Carbon Analysis Of Residual Contaminants In Bioreactor Equipment: A Cleaning Verification Study Using Surface Swabbing, Ciara E. Fitzpatrick, James J. Roche

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Contamination is a major issue in the biopharmaceutical industry. Bioreactors must be meticulously cleaned to remove residual impurities and avoid cross-contamination. Cleaning validation is necessary to ensure residual contaminants are reduced to the lowest acceptable limits. Bacterial cells represent the paramount challenge in manufacturing equipment cleaning because they are composed of insoluble organic contaminants. Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis is a fast, highly sensitive, and inexpensive analytical technique commonly used to evaluate the approximate level of organic contamination.

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of cleaning procedures in the removal of contaminants from bioreactor equipment by measuring the …