Digital Commons Network^™

Investigations Of Offshore Breaking Wave Impacts On A Large Offshore Structure, Zheng Zheng Hu, Tri Mai, Deborah Greaves, Alison Raby

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Antarctic Sea Ice Region As A Source Of Biogenic Organic Nitrogen In Aerosols, M Dall’Osto, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Marco Paglione, David C.S. Beddows, Darius Ceburnis, Charlotte Cree, Pau Cortés, Marina Zamanillo, Sdena O. Nunes, Gonzalo L. Pérez, Eva Ortega-Retuerta, Mikhail Emelianov, Dolors Vaqué, Cèlia Marrasé, Marta Estrada, M. Montserrat Sala, Montserrat Vidal, Mark F. Fitzsimons, Rachael Beale, Ruth Airs, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, Facchini M Cristina, Roy M. Harrison, C O’Dowd, Rafel Simó

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Modal Testing Of Offshore Rock Lighthouses Around The British Isles, James Brownjohn, Alison Raby, James Bassitt, Emma Hudson, Alessandro Antonini

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

M2m Application Service Provision: An Autonomous And Decentralised Approach, M Steinheimer, U Trick, W Fuhrmann, B Ghita, G Frick

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This publication presents a novel concept for autonomous and decentralised M2M application service provision. The functional architecture of the approach is introduced as well as a detailed description of the system structure and process for application creation. Furthermore, this publication describes details about the proposed process for decentralised M2M application service management and formal description of M2M application services as well as independent validation of M2M application service configurations. Finally, the prototype M2M system realising the proposed concept is introduced and several scenarios are evaluated.

A Forensically-Enabled Iaas Cloud Computing Architecture, Saad Alqahtany

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Cloud computing has been advancing at an intense pace. It has become one of the most important research topics in computer science and information systems. Cloud computing offers enterprise-scale platforms in a short time frame with little effort. Thus, it delivers significant economic benefits to both commercial and public entities. Despite this, the security and subsequent incident management requirements are major obstacles to adopting the cloud. Current cloud architectures do not support digital forensic investigators, nor comply with today’s digital forensics procedures – largely due to the fundamental dynamic nature of the cloud. When an incident has occurred, an organization-based …

Neural Learning And Kalman Filtering Enhanced Teaching By Demonstration For A Baxter Robot, Chunxu Li, Chenguang Yang, Jian Wan, Andy Annamalai, Angelo Cangelosi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Buoy Geometry And Its Influence On Survivability For A Point Absorbing Wave Energy Converter: Scale Experiment And Cfd Simulations, J Engström, L Sjökvist, M Göteman, M Eriksson, M Hann, Ej Ransley, D Greaves, M Leijon

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

For wave energy to be an economically viable energy source, the technology has to withstand power levels during storms that can be close to 50 times higher than during normal operating conditions [1], and withstand many years of wear. The impact of high wave loads is studied not only within the field of wave energy, but has long been a subject of study for ships, platforms and other offshore structures. To model the force on the device under extreme and/or overtopping waves is a difficult task. Experiments are expensive and difficult to implement, and numerical methods are either very computationally …

Federated Authentication Using The Cloud (Cloud Aura), Abdulwahid Abdullah Al Abdulwahid

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Individuals, businesses and governments undertake an ever-growing range of activities online and via various Internet-enabled digital devices. Unfortunately, these activities, services, information and devices are the targets of cybercrimes. Verifying the user legitimacy to use/access a digital device or service has become of the utmost importance. Authentication is the frontline countermeasure of ensuring only the authorised user is granted access; however, it has historically suffered from a range of issues related to the security and usability of the approaches. Traditionally deployed in a point-of-entry mode (although a number of implementations also provide for re-authentication), the intrusive nature of the control …

The Impact Of Robot Tutor Social Behaviour On Children, James R Kennedy

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Robotic technologies possess great potential to enter our daily lives because they have the ability to interact with our world. But our world is inherently social. Whilst humans often have a natural understanding of this complex environment, it is much more challenging for robots. The field of social Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) seeks to endow robots with the characteristics and behaviours that would allow for intuitive multimodal interaction. Education is a social process and previous research has found strong links between the social behaviour of teachers and student learning. This therefore presents a promising application opportunity for social human-robot interaction. The …

A Reference Computational Model To Manage The Semantics Of Learning Environments Using Swrl Enabled Owl Ontologies, Eiman Almami

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis proposes a reference model and its computational core to support the creation of software applications within educational environments, which address Differences In Learning (DiffInL) and are applicable to both learners and instructors. This work differs from others in that the strength of this model resides on the re-usable character of the reasoning mechanism enabled by the computational environment. The starting point is the definition of agreed learning goals that the learner needs to achieve. In turn, the reference model generates personalised, best-practice teaching and learning materials, suitable for achieving the individual’s learning goals. This reference model consists of …

Plasmonic Luminescent Down Shifting Layers For The Enhancement Of Cdte Mini-Modules Performance, Hind Ahmed, S.J. Mccormack, John Doran

Articles

In this investigation, plasmonic coupling between luminescent species (lumogen yellow, and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has been exploited to produce significant enhancement in absorption and fluorescence emission of lumogen yellow dye luminescent downshifting (LDS) layers. The optimum dye concentration in a poly(methyl,methacrylate) polymer LDS layer of ∼100μm thickness was established. Subsequently, plasmonic coupling with Ag NPs was introduced and optimum concentration has been determined for the composite plasmonic Luminescent Down-Shifting (pLDS) layers. The optimum plasmonic coupling has been observed to produce fluorescence emission enhancement of up to 81% for the dye-pLDS layers. The pLDS layers were deposited on top of …

Improving The Stealthiness Of Dns-Based Covert Communication, Stephen Sheridan, Anthony Keane

Conference Papers

At present, the recommended stance to take regarding Cyber Security is to assume a state of compromise. With the increase in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), the Internet of Things (IOT) and Advanced Persistent Threats (ATPs), network boundaries have become porous and difficult to defend from external threats. Modern malware is complex and adept at making its presence hard to detect. Recent studies have shown that some malware variants are capable of using multiple covert communication channels for command and control (C2) and data exfiltration activities. Examples of this level of covert communication can be found in malware that targets …

Barriers To Glaucoma Case Finding As Perceived By Optometrists In Ireland, Catriona Barrett, Colm O'Brien, John Butler, James Loughman

Articles

Background: This research was designed to provide an in-depth exploration of the perceptions of optometrists relating to the challenges of glaucoma case finding in the Irish health-care system.

Methods: A survey was developed, piloted and distributed for anonymous completion by optometrists registered to practice in Ireland. The survey included 10 five-level Likert items exploring potential barriers to glaucoma detection and a free-text box for participants to comment more broadly.

Results: One hundred and ninety-nine optometrists (27 per cent of registrants) responded to the survey. Among the barriers identified, there was notable agreement (71 per cent) with the need for extra …

Perceived Barriers Of Optometrists To Glaucoma Case Findings In Ireland, James Loughman, Catriona Barrett, Colm O’Brien, John S. Butler

Articles

Background:

This research was designed to provide an in-depth exploration of the perceptions of optometrists relating to the challenges of glaucoma case finding in the Irish health-care system.

Methods: A survey was developed, piloted and distributed for anonymous completion by optometrists registered to practise in Ireland. The survey included 10 five-level Likert items exploring potential barriers to glaucoma detection and a free-text box for participants to comment more broadly.

Results: One hundred and ninety-nine optometrists (27 per cent of registrants) responded to the survey. Among the barriers identified, there was notable agreement (71 per cent) with the need for extra …

How Well Do Engineering Students Retain Core Mathematical Knowledge After A Series Of High Threshold Online Mathematics Tests, Michael Carr, Fiona Faulkner, Cormac Breen, Mark Prendergast

Journal Articles

In the Technological University Dublin, high threshold core skills assessments are run in mathematics for third year engineering students. Such tests require students to reach a threshold of 90% on a multiple-choice test based on a randomised question bank. The material covered by the test consists of the more important aspects of undergraduate engineering mathematics covered in the first two years of the Honours degree programme and/or the three years of the Ordinary degree programme . Students are allowed to re-sit the assessment as frequently as required until they pass. In order to measure the effectiveness of such an exercise …

Optimization Of Atmospheric Air Plasma For Degradation Of Organic Dyes In Wastewater, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Yash Dixit, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Carl Sullivan, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

This study optimises the degradation of a cocktail of the dyes methyl orange and bromothymol blue by atmospheric air plasma. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the efficacy of the plasma process parameters on degradation efficiency. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed to optimise the degradation of dyes by air plasma discharge. A second order polynomial equation was proposed to predict process efficiency. It was observed that the predicted values are significant (p < 0.001) with coefficients of determination 0.98, 0.96, 0.98 for dye degradation, pH value and ozone concentration, respectively. The analysis of variance results showed …

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy For Quantification Of Sodium And Potassium In Minced Beef: A Potential Technique For Detecting Beef Kidney Adulteration, Y. Dixit, Maria Piedad Casado-Gavalda, R. Cama-Moncunill, Xavier Cama-Moncunill, Maria Markiewicz-Keszycka, Patrick J. Cullen, Carl Sullivan

Articles

Beef is a rich source of important minerals, with potassium (K) being the most abundant mineral quantitatively except in cured meats where sodium (Na) from the added salt predominates. This study evaluates the capability of LIBS for quantification of the Na and K contents of minced beef as a potential method of detecting beef kidney adulteration. Additionally, the study aims to demonstrate the ability of LIBS to provide spatial mineral information of minced beef. A LIBS system was employed to collect spectral information of adulterated minced beef samples. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to obtain reference values for Na …

Challenges In Model Development For Meat Composition Using Multipoint Nir Spectroscopy From At‐Line To In‐Line Monitoring, Yash Dixit, Maria Piedad Casado-Gavalda, R. Cama-Moncunill, Patrick J. Cullen, Carl Sullivan

Articles

This study evaluates the efficiency of multipoint near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the fat and moisture content of minced beef samples both in at‐line and on‐line modes. Additionally, it aims at identifying the obstacles that can be encountered in the path of performing in‐line monitoring. Near‐infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra of minced beef samples were collected using an NIR spectrophotometer, employing a Fabry‐Perot interferometer. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models based on reference values from proximate analysis yielded calibration coefficients of determination of 0.96 for both fat and moisture. For an independent batch of samples, fat was estimated with a prediction …

A Rational Design Of A Selective Inhibitor For Kv1.1 Channels Prevalent In Demyelinated Nerves That Improves Their Impaired Axonal Conduction, Ahmed Al-Sabi, Declan Daly, Patrick Hoefer, Gemma K. Kinsella, Charles Metais, Mark Pickering, Caroline Herron, Seshu Kumar Kaza, Kieran Nolan, J. Oliver Dolly

Articles

K+ channels containing Kv1.1 α subunits, which become prevalent at internodes in demyelinated axons, may underlie their dysfunctional conduction akin to muscle weakness in multiple sclerosis. Small inhibitors were sought with selectivity for the culpable hyper-polarizing K+ currents. Modeling of interactions with the extracellular pore in a Kv1.1-deduced structure identified diaryldi(2-pyrrolyl)methane as a suitable scaffold with optimized alkyl ammonium side chains. The resultant synthesized candidate [2,2′-((5,5′(di-p-topyldiaryldi(2-pyrrolyl)methane)bis(2,2′carbonyl)bis(azanediyl)) diethaneamine·2HCl] (8) selectively blocked Kv1.1 channels (IC50 ≈ 15 μM) recombinantly expressed in mammalian cells, induced a positive shift in the voltage dependency of K+ current activation, and slowed its kinetics. It …

Quantification Of Trace Metals In Infant Formula Premixes Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Raquel Cama-Moncunill, Maria Piedad Casado-Gavalda, Xavier Cama-Moncunill, Maria Markiewicz-Keszycka, Yash Dixit, Patrick J. Cullen, Carl Sullivan

Articles

Infant formula is a human milk substitute generally based upon fortified cow milk components. In order to mimic the composition of breast milk, trace elements such as copper, iron and zinc are usually added in a single operation using a premix. The correct addition of premixes must be verified to ensure that the target levels in infant formulae are achieved. In this study, a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was assessed as a fast validation tool for trace element premixes. LIBS is a promising emission spectroscopic technique for elemental analysis, which offers real-time analyses, little to no sample preparation and …

Feasibility Of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs) As An At-Line Validation Tool For Calcium Determination In Infant Formula, Xavier Cama-Moncunill, Maria Markiewicz-Keszycka, Yash Dixit, Raquel Cama-Moncunill, Maria Piedad Casado-Gavalda, Patrick J. Cullen, Carl Sullivan

Articles

In this study, a 150 mJ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was assessed to determine calcium content in infant formula (IF) samples. LIBS is a promising emission spectroscopic technique for elemental analysis, which offers advantages over conventional methods such as real-time analyses, little to no sample preparation and ease of use. The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of LIBS as an at-line tool for IF manufacturing. To this end, IF mixtures with varying content of calcium were prepared over a range (approx. 1.5–7 mg/g of calcium) selected to be in conformity with the guidelines provided by …

Evaluation Of Chemical Immersion Treatments To Reduce Microbial Populations In Fresh Beef, Ahmed Kassem, Joseph Meade, James Gibbons, Kevina Mcgill, Ciara Walsh, James Lyng, Paul Whyte

Articles

The aim of the current study was to assess the ability of a number of chemicals (acetic Acid (AA), citric acid (CA) lactic acid (LA), sodium decanoate (SD) and trisodium phosphate (TSP)) to reduce microbial populations (total viable count, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes) on raw beef using an immersion system. The following concentrations of each chemical were used: 3 & 5% for AA, CA, LA, SD and 10 & 12% for TSP. Possible synergistic effects of using combinations of two chemicals sequentially (LA +CA and LA +AA) were also investigated. L*, a* and b* values …

Impact Of Atmospheric Pressure Nonequilibrium Plasma Discharge On Polymer Surface Metrology, Laurence Scally, James Lalor, Patrick J. Cullen, Vladimir Milosavljevic

Articles

Due to the attraction of plasma technologies as a clean and efficient means of surface modification, significant research has gone into the physical and chemical aspects of polymer functionalization. In this study, it was shown that the use of an atmospheric plasma jet can efficiently modify the surface of polyethylene terephthalate samples and change their hydrophobic properties to more hydrophilic characteristics. The dependence on the changes with respect to time, distance, and atomic oxygen (O I) intensity were considered as factors. It was found that with closer proximity to the plasma source (without causing thermal degradation) and with increasing levels …

Hamiltonian Dynamics Of Cosmological Quintessence Models, Rossen Ivanov, Emil Prodanov

Articles

The time-evolution dynamics of two nonlinear cosmological real gas models has been reexamined in detail with methods from the theory of Hamiltonian dynamical systems. These examples are FRWL cosmologies, one based on a gas, satisfying the van der Waals equation and another one based on the virial expansion gas equation. The cosmological variables used are the expansion rate, given by the Hubble parameter, and the energy density. The analysis is aided by the existence of global first integral as well as several special (second) integrals in each case. In addition, the global first integral can serve as a Hamiltonian for …

Hamiltonian Models For The Propagation Of Irrotational Surface Gravity Waves Over A Variable Bottom, Alan Compelli, Rossen Ivanov, Michail D. Todorov

Articles

A single incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid medium bounded by a free surface and varying bottom is considered. The Hamiltonian of the system is expressed in terms of the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators. The equations for the surface waves are presented in Hamiltonian form. Specific scaling of the variables is selected which leads to approximations of Boussinesq and KdV types taking into account the effect of the slowly varying bottom. The arising KdV equation with variable coefficients is studied numerically when the initial condition is in the form of the one soliton solution for the initial depth.

On Integrable Wave Interactions And Lax Pairs On Symmetric Spaces, Vladimir S. Gerdjikov, Georgi G. Grahovski, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

No abstract provided.

G-Strands On Symmetric Spaces, Alexis Arnaudin, Darryl Holm, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

We study the G-strand equations that are extensions of the classical chiral model of particle physics in the particular setting of broken symmetries described by symmetric spaces. These equations are simple field theory models whose configuration space is a Lie group, or in this case a symmetric space. In this class of systems, we derive several models that are completely integrable on finite dimensional Lie group G, and we treat in more detail examples with symmetric space SU(2)/S1 and SO(4)/SO(3). The latter model simplifies to an apparently new integrable nine-dimensional system. We …

Generalised Hopficity And Products Of The Integers, Brendan Goldsmith

Articles

Hopfian groups have been a topic of interest in alge-braic settings for many years. In this work a natural generalizationof the notion, so-called R-Hopficity is introduced. Basic propertiesof R-Hopfian groups are developed and the question of whether ornot infinite direct products of copies of the integers are R-Hopfian isconsidered. An unexpected result is that the answer to this purelyalgebraic question depends on the set theory assumed.

Epidemiological, Clinical And Genetic Aspects Of Adult Onset Isolated Focal Dystonia In Ireland, L. Williams, E. Mcgovern, O. Kimmich, A. Molloy, I. Beiser, John Butler, F. Molloy, P. Logan, D.G. Healy, T. Lynch, R. Walsh, Lorraine Cassidy, P. Moriarty, H. Moore, T. Mcswiney, C. Walsh, S. O'Riordan, M. Hutchinson

Articles

Background: Adult onset idiopathic isolated focal dystonia presents with a number of phenotypes. Reported prevalence rates vary considerably; well-characterized cohorts are important to our understanding of this disorder.

Aim: To perform a nationwide epidemiological study of adult onset idiopathic isolated focal dystonia in the Republic of Ireland.

Methods: Patients with adult onset idiopathic isolated focal dystonia were recruited from multiple sources. Diagnosis was based on assessment by a neurologist with an expertise in movement disorders. When consent was obtained, a number of clinical features including family history were assessed.

Results: On the prevalence date there were 592 individuals in Ireland …

Abusive Text Detection Using Neural Networks, Hao Chen, Susan Mckeever, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

eural network models have become increasingly popular for text classification in recent years. In particular, the emergence of word embeddings within deep learning architectures has recently attracted a high level of attention amongst researchers. In this paper, we focus on how neural network models have been applied in text classification. Secondly, we extend our previous work [4, 3] using a neural network strategy for the task of abusive text detection. We compare word embedding features to the traditional feature representations such as n-grams and handcrafted features. In addition, we use an off-the-shelf neural network classifier, FastText[16]. Based on our results, …