Predicting Intake Of Applications For First Registration In The Property Registration Authority, Orlaith Mernagh

Dissertations

The motivation for this dissertation is rooted in a real business need. The Property Registration Authority is the state organisation tasked with maintaining a register of land ownership on the island of Ireland. The PRA currently faces a series of challenges; a high level of staff retiring and the inherent loss of knowledge associated with this trend, a lack of recruitment in recent years and a large increase in lodgement of applications for first registration as a result of legislation. The organisation therefore requires a reliable system for predicting future intake. Prior to this project, there has also been a …

Ultra-Wideband Antennas, Max Ammann, Matthias John, Giuseppe Ruvio

Books/Book chapters

The focus of UWB antenna research activity has matured in recent years and currently mainly concentrates on applications such as biomedicine and security. Early UWB antenna designs were driven by the FCC allocation of spectrum in 2002 and focussed on obtaining wide impedance bandwidths with reasonable group delay characteristics. Many of these were simple planar monopoles antennas with canonical geometries. The emergence of new applications channelled the emphasis towards miniaturisation and integration into devices. This required optimisation of the antenna geometries to ensure that good system performance is achieved from the integrated antenna. Many optimisation techniques are available including the …

Eliminating Electromechanical Instability In Dielectric Elastomers By Employing Pre-Stretch, Liang Jiang, Tony Betts, David Kennedy, Stephen Jerrams

Articles

Electromechanical instability (EMI) is one of most common failure modes for dielectric elastomers (DEs). It has been reported that pre-stretching a DE sample can suppress EMI due to strain stiffening taking place for larger strains and a higher elastic modulus are achieved at high stretch ratios when a voltage is applied to the material. In this work, the influence of equi-biaxial stretch on DE secant modulus was studied using VHB 4910 and silicone rubber (SR) composites containing barium titanate (BaTiO3, BT) particles and also dopamine coated BT (DP-BT) particles. The investigation of equi-biaxial deformation and EMI failure for VHB 4910 …

Marco, Micro, Structure, Agency: Analysing Approaches To Engineering Ethics, Eddie Conlon

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

An Alternative Stiffening Method For Rigid Chs L- Joints, Niall Holmes, Darran Kierans, Patrick Crean

Articles

No abstract provided.

Case Studies Of Cavity And External Wall Insulation Retrofitted Under The Irish Home Energy Saving Scheme: Technical Analysis And Occupant Perspectives, Aimee Byrne, Gerard Byrne, Garrett O'Donnell, Anthony Robinson

Articles

The residential sector represents 27% of primary energy consumption in Ireland. This paper examines the case study of the Irish government’s national grant scheme to encourage energy efficiency retrofit in private housing. That is the Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme, later rebranded the Better Energy: Homes (BEH) Scheme. The methodology involved monitoring several homes immediately before and after retrofit alongside discussions with occupants. The examination focused on specific measures commonly introduced through the HES/BEH programme − cavity and external wall insulation. It has been found that a significant decrease in heat loss through the walls was measured in all cases. …

Cement Based Batteries And Their Potential For Use In Low Power Operations, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Articles

This paper presents the development of an innovative cement-electrolyte battery for low power operations such as cathodic protection of reinforced concrete. A battery design was refined by altering different constituents and examining the open circuit voltage, resistor loaded current and lifespan. The final design consisted of a copper plate cathode, aluminium plate anode, and a cement electrolyte which included additives of carbon black, plasticiser, Alum salt and Epsom salt. A relationship between age, temperature and hydration of the cell and the current it produced was determined. It was found that sealing the battery using varnish increased the moisture retention and …

Structural Control Of Wind Turbines With Soil Structure Interaction Included, Breiffni Fitzgerald, Biswajit Basu

Articles

The importance of considering soil structure interaction in structural control of wind turbines is investigated in this paper. An Euler–Lagrangian wind turbine mathematical model based on an energy formulation was developed for this purpose which considers the structural dynamics of the system and the interaction between in-plane and out-of-plane blade vibrations. Also, the interaction between the blades and the tower including a tuned mass damper (TMD) is considered. The turbine is subject to turbulent aerodynamic loading simulated using a modification to the classic Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory with turbulence generated from rotationally sampled spectra. The turbine is also subject …

Biofilm Growth Kinetics And Nutrient (N/P) Adsorption In An Urban Lake Using Reclaimed Water: A Quantitative Baseline For Ecological Health Assessment, Tianzhi Wang, Zhenci Wu, Yunkai Li, Mingchao Liang, Zhenhua Wang, Paul Hynds

Articles

Reclaimed wastewater reuse represents an effective method for partial resolution of increasing urban water shortages; however, reclaimed water may be characterized by significant contaminant loading, potentially affecting receiving ecosystem (and potentially human) health. The current study examined biofilm growth and nutrient adsorption in Olympic Lake (Beijing), the largest artificial urban lake in the world supplied exclusively by reclaimed wastewater. Findings indicate that solid particulate, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and metal oxide (Al, Fe, Mn) constituent masses adhere to a bacterial growth curve during biofilm formation and growth. Peak values were observed after ≈30 days, arrived at dynamic stability after ≈50days …

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment For Utilising Laminated Veneer Bamboo As A Primary Structural Material In High-Rise Residential Buildings, Philip Kavanagh

Masters

In a time when construction is ranked as one of the world’s least sustainable industries consuming about half of the world’s non-renewable resources (Hinson, 2012), it is important to develop and advance the methods and means by which we select and use building materials and how we design, engineer and construct our architecture. This research aimed to evaluate a method for utilising laminated veneer bamboo (LVB) as a primary structural material in high-rise residential buildings and evaluate the environmental potential of LVB through a comparative life cycle analysis (LCA). The process of life cycle analysis was completed through the development …

A Comparative Study Of Zn-Mn Electrodeposition From Deep Eutectic Solvents And Aqueous Electrolytes, Jelena Bajat, Mihael Bucko, David Culliton, Tony Betts

Conference Papers

The production of Zn-Mn coatings with high Mn and low oxygen content from additive free choline chloride/urea deep eutectic solvent (DES) is reported in this work. Alloy coatings containing high Mn contents (~30 at.% Mn) show the highest corrosion resistance amongst zinc alloys [1]. However, in order to obtain Mn-rich deposits on steel from a simple aqueous bath, a significant cathodic polarization or high deposition current density is necessary. Under such conditions, the Zn 2+ reduction reaction is under diffusion control, leading to the formation and growth of dendrites. In addition intensive hydrogen evolution significantly reduces the current efficiency, often …

Evaluating A New Cem Iii/A Cement For Concretes Exposed To Harsh Acid Rich Environments, David Thompson, Niall Holmes, John Reddy

Conference papers

The Irish Annex to the European specification, performance, production and conformity of concrete, IS EN 206, recommends CEM III/B cement for acid rich environments containing between 66 to 80% GGBS. However, BS 8500, the UK annex to EN 206 and the British Research Establishment (BRE) Special Digest 1, recommends CEM III/A cement with a GGBS range of 36-65%. This project investigated the performance of a new CEM III/A cement produced by Ecocem Ireland in concretes exposed to such environments using an extensive suite of laboratory tests.

In Ireland, up to €5.8bn will be invested to provide fresh drinking water and …

Use Of Forecast Uncertainties In The Power Sector: State-Of-The-Art Of Business Practices, Corinna Möhrlen, Ricardo J. Bessa, Morgane Barthod, Gianni Goretti, Malte Siefert

Conference papers

The work we present is an investigation on the state-of-the-art use of forecast uncertainties in the business practices of actors in the power systems sector that is part of the “IEA Wind Task 36: Wind Power Forecasting”. The purpose of this task is to get an overview of the current use and application of probabilistic forecasts by actors in the power industry and investigate how they estimate and deal with uncertainties. The authors with expertise in probabilistic forecasting have been gathering information from the industry in order to identify the areas, where progress is needed and where it is difficult …

A Method To Calculate Adherence To Inhaled Therapy That Reflects The Changes In Clinical Features Of Asthma, Imran Sulaiman, Jansen Seheult, Elaine Machale, Fiona Boland, Susan M. O’Dwyer, Viliam Rapcan, Shona D’Arcy, Breda Cushen, Matshediso Mokoka, Isabelle Killane, Sheila A. Ryder, Richard B. Reilly, Richard W. Costello

Articles

Electronic monitors are considered the gold standard for objectively quantifying adherence to inhaled therapy (1). Most studies using electronic recording devices have reported adherence as the mean adherence, or the mean daily dose, over the study period (2–4). However, this method does not reflect variations in the way that patients use their treatments. For example, the mean adherence is the same whether an individual took the medication according to the prescribed schedule or took all the doses in the first half of a dosing period, leaving none in the second half. Inhaler technique must …

Solar Thermal Systems: Towards A Systematic Characterization Of Building Integration, Laura Aelenei, Mervyn Smyth, Werner Platzer, Brian Norton, David Kennedy, Soteris Kalogirou, Christoph Maurer

Articles

Characterization is defined as the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features. In most solar thermal collecting systems the energy performance characterization is commonly used as the most important criteria by which the system (or component) is represented. Building Integrated Solar Thermal Systems (BISTS) however are typically classified across a range of operating parameters, system features and mounting configurations, and other criteria are similarly important to be considered. Therefore BISTS characterization should also account for the architectural and building physics integration based on structural, functional and aesthetical features. A comprehensive characterization of BISTS is necessary to give designers, installers …

Robust Fuzzy-Sliding Mode Based Upfc Controller For Transient Stability Analysis In Autonomous Wind-Diesel-Pv Hybrid System, Asit Mohanty, Sandipan Patra, Prakash K. Ray

Articles

This study presents a comparative study of transient stability and reactive power compensation issues in an autonomous wind–diesel-photovoltaic based hybrid system (HS) using robust fuzzy-sliding mode based unified power flow controller (UPFC). A linearised small-signal model of the different elements of the HS is considered for the transient stability analysis in the HS under varying loading conditions. An IEEE type 1 excitation system is considered for the synchronous generator in the HS, with negligible saturation characteristic, for detailed voltage stability analysis. It is noted from the simulation results that the performance of UPFC is superior to static VAR compensator and …

Utilising A Loop Structure To Allow A Microfiber Coupler With Larger Taper Diameters To Be Used For Sensing, Fangfang Wei, Gerald Farrell, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

This paper examines a technique that utilizes a Sagnac loop with a microfiber coupler (MFC) as a coupler which allows the MFC to operate effectively as a sensor but with larger than normal tapered fiber diameters. The proposed structure is found to be suitable for temperature and refractive index (RI) sensing. It is shown that a variation in the surrounding of the MFC RI results in a shift of the output spectrum, while a temperature variation leads to changes in the intensity of the interference dips. A decrease in the waist diameter of the MFC results in an increase in …

Laser Micromachining Of Contactless Rf Antenna Modules For Payment And Cards And Wearable Objects, Matthias John

Conference papers

The use of contactless payment methods for consumer transactions is becoming increasingly popular - 1.1 billion contactless transactions were made by Visa cardholders across Europe in the 12 months to July 2015 (€12.6 billion total value). Typically the contactless payment process uses a Radio Frequency (RF) enabled smartcard or a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled smartphone. In order to ensure continued market acceptance and repeat usage the contactless operation must be robust, quick and efficient. This paper describes the development of an inductively coupled contactless smartcard utilising UV DPSS laser micromachining to fabricate the novel antenna structures from copper laminated …

Gravity As An Ultra-Low Frequency Scattering Efect, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

Under the weak gravitational field appromination and for the 00-component of the stress-energy tensor, Einstein's field equations for the gravitational potential. By considering Newton' field equation to be the result of an ultra-low frequency scattering effect (in the limiting) case, this work introduces a model where gravitational field is taken to be the result of an ultra-low frequency gravitational wave (propagating in a near-Cartesian Minkowski space) scattering from an object (a mass)

Design Of Procedures For Rare, New Or Complex Processes: Part 1 – An Iterative Risk-Based Approach And Case Study, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Marko Gerbek, Steve Prast

Articles

The paper describes a proposed approach for operationalizing the Common Operational Picture concept introduced in the EU FP 7 TOSCA (Total Operations Management for Safety Critical Activities) project, in order to jointly integrate and enhance safety, quality and productivity in the production environment. The approach combines different methods for the description and analysis of plant and operations, including Task Analysis, 4D process simulation, hazard analysis and Pareto optimization, and iterates through them to generate a final procedure. The proposed approach has been demonstrated on an industrial case study related to planning of infrequent cold water pressure testing of LPG storage …

Predicting Asthma Exacerbations Employing Remotely Monitored Adherence, Isabelle Killane, Imran Sulaiman, Elaine Mac Hale, Aoife Breathnach, Terrence Taylor, Martin Holmes, Richard B Reilly, Richard W Costello

Articles

This Letter investigated the efficacy of a decision-support system, designed for respiratory medicine, at predicting asthma exacerbations in a multi-site longitudinal randomised control trial. Adherence to inhaler medication was acquired over 3 months from patients with asthma employing a dose counter and a remote monitoring adherence device which recorded participant's inhaler use: n = 184 (23,656 audio files), 61% women, age (mean ± sd) 49.3 ± 16.4. Data on occurrence of exacerbations was collected at three clinical visits, 1 month apart. The relative risk of an asthma exacerbation for those with good and poor adherence was examined employing a univariate …

Biofilm Microbial Community Structure In An Urban Lake Utilizing Reclaimed Water, Tianzhi Wang, Yunkai Li, Tingwu Xu, Naiyang Wu, Mingchao Liang, Paul Hynds

Articles

Analyses of biofilm community structure may potentially be employed for aquatic ecosystem health assessment, however, to date, biofilm diversity within urban lakes using reclaimed water has not been examined. Accordingly, the microbial community diversity and structure of biofilms from the surface of multiple matrices with varying roughness (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 μm) were characterized using a suite of molecular techniques including scanning electron microscopy, genetic fingerprinting and phospholipid-derived fatty acid analyses. Samples were largely comprised of inorganic particles, algae and numerous bacterial species; 12 phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) types were identified, significantly less than typically associated with sewage. Both growth …

Integration Of Antennas With Sun-Tracking Solar Panels, Adam Narbudowicz

Articles

A low-cost solution for antennas integrated into solar cells, allowing their implementation in solar tracking installations is proposed. The proposed passive device autonomously adjusts the phase shift of a two-element array proportional to the panel rotation. Consequently, the main beam is steered to compensate for panel rotation and maintain a radio link. The proposed device operates for a rotation of ±45° with an amplitude variation of ≤0.4 dB at 2.51 GHz.

Corrigendum To “Energy Savings Across Eu Domestic Building Stock By Optimizing Hydraulic Distribution In Domestic Space Heating Systems”, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

No abstract.

The Reinforcement And Healing Of Asphalt Mastic Mixtures By Rejuvenator Encapsulation In Alginate Compartmented Fibres, Amir Tabakovic, W. Post, D. Cantero, Oguzhan Copuroglu, S. J. Garcia, E. Schlangen

Research and Innovation - Articles

This paper explores the potential use of compartmented alginate fibres as a new method of incorporating rejuvenators into asphalt pavement mixtures. The compartmented fibres are employed to locally distribute the rejuvenator and to overcome the problems associated with spherical capsules and hollow fibres. The work presents proof of concept of the encapsulation process which involved embedding the fibres into the asphalt mastic mixture and the survival rate of fibres in the asphalt mixture. To prove the effectiveness of the alginate as a rejuvenator encapsulating material and to demonstrate its ability survive asphalt production process, the fibres containing the rejuvenator were …

Preliminary Investigation Into The Rate Of Carbonation Of Concrete Blocks Under Normal Production Yard Conditions, Aimee Byrne, Eanna Nolan

Conference papers

The release of CO2 from calcination during the manufacture of cement can be partially or fully offset by the CO2 it naturally absorbs during its lifetime. This paper reports results from a preliminary investigation into the rate of carbonation in concrete blocks stacked in a production yard over a period of 6 months. The blocks were stacked in a normal manner under natural exposure conditions. Carbonation progress was determined by splitting the blocks and spraying the freshly exposed surface with a phenolphthalein solution at intervals over the test period. It was found that the rate of the carbonation front progression …

Self-Powered Microfluidic Device For Rapid Assay Of Antiplatelet Drugs, Bincy Jose, Peter Mccluskey, Niamh Gilmartin, Martin Somers, Dermot Kenny, Antonio J. Ricco, Nigel Kent, Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts

Articles

We report the development of a microfluidic device for the rapid assay in whole blood of platelet-protein interactions indicative of the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs—e.g., aspirin and Plavix, two of the world’s most widely used drugs—in cardiovascular patients. Because platelet adhesion to surface-confined protein matrices is modulated by fluid shear rates at the blood/protein interface, and because such binding is a better indicator of platelet function than platelet self-aggregation, we designed, fabricated, and characterized the performance of a family of disposable, self-powered microfluidic chips with well-defined flow and interfacial shear rates suitable for small blood volumes (≤ 200 µL). We …

Specification Development For Cold In-Situ Recycling Of Asphalt, Amir Tabakovic, Ciaran Mcnally, Eanna Fallon

Research and Innovation - Articles

In-situ cold recycling provides a valuable means to reduce the environmental impact of road construction. The reduced energy requirements relative to traditional hot mix recycling can lead to significant reductions in cost and associated CO₂ emissions. Worldwide, in-situ cold recycling has been found to be particularly useful in the rehabilitation of rural roads where site locations are far from asphalt plants. However, practical issues remain due to the evolving nature of cold bituminous materials. Unlike hot-mix asphalts which gain strength quickly as they cool, cold-mix bituminous materials gain strength slowly over time. This is particularly an issue in countries …

Enhancing Student Learning By Narrowing The Gap Between Feedback Giving And Feedback Receiving, Eileen Goold Dr

Conference Papers

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement. However the mere provision of feedback to students does not necessarily lead to improved learning. Feedback is ineffective if it does not close the gap between learning goals and students’ performance. Often students do not have clear goals and they do not know what learning activities will improve their learning performance. Consequently the opportunity to learn from the feedback is lost. Learning is a social process and while young people have increasingly strong social needs they struggle with academic language. This study investigates the influence of lecturers’ feedback …

Battery Energy Storage System (Bess) Based Photovoltaic Charging Station (Pv-Cs) For A Green University Transportation, Ayda Esfandyari, Agata Świerc, Brian Norton, Michael Conlon, Sarah Mccormack

Conference Papers

With the trends encouraged by governments and political parties to increase the adoption of Renewable Energy Sources (RES); solar energy, and in particular photovoltaics (PV), is poised as an excellent candidate to offset the energy requirements of charging stations (PV-CS) for Electric Vehicles (BEV). This work presents a 10.5 kW Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) model of a university campus PV-CS to determine sizing as well to determine the best operating strategies for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The economical optimization model is formulated via theoretical approach adopting the Simple Payback Period (SPP) indicator. The optimization takes into account the …