National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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Hybrid Spaces, Healthy Places: Digital Placemaking as a Place Branding Strategy
No full textCities are increasingly disconnecting from nature, with decreased nature spaces while
populations are discovering their surroundings through technological devices. This thesis
aims to understand the dynamics involved in hybrid place experiences that combine
physical and digital layers of meaning in public spaces through digital placemaking as a
place branding strategy in nature for wellbeing. The thesis addressed gaps in current
knowledge on hybrid space effects in community dynamics.
Adopting a critical realism approach, the researcher aims to comprehend how the
relationships between digital placemaking, nature and wellbeing are developed. A mixed
methods study following a modified Delphi method gathered insights from 26 expert
participants in digital placemaking and related fields. Data was collected through three
rounds: qualitative semi-structured interviews, and two consecutive rounds of
questionnaires to achieve consensus.
The findings present and test a conceptual model of digital placemaking as a place
branding strategy in nature for wellbeing. Drawing on place attachment theory, place
branding, Social Identity Theory and nature connectedness, the model elucidates key
dynamics involved in digital placemaking. Four propositions are confirmed: i) Social
Identity Theory act as a binding agent, where online place attachment and community
nature connectedness are interlinked; ii) place branding in digital placemaking is
expanded, where marketing and communications shape place branding and identity; iii)
inclusion and accessibility are essential to ensure the multiple identities of a community
are considered; iv) digital placemaking fosters feelings of belonging with the place, with
others and with nature supporting wellbeing, enhanced through place attachment, social
identity and nature connectedness.
The study advances understanding of digital placemaking’s conceptualisation, maturity
and practical applications in nature for wellbeing. It confirms the role of hybrid spaces in
reconnecting communities with nature and offers actionable insights for scholars and
practitioners, particularly in using digital placemaking as a strategy to promote wellbeing
An examination of the Irish in South Africa, c.1919-61
No full textThis thesis breaks new ground by examining the Irish population in South Africa during the
twentieth century. While the Irish diaspora continues to captivate the minds of scholars around
the world, South Africa has generally occupied a marginal position within this much larger
discourse. As a result, the historiography that has developed around the Irish in South Africa
is quite modest and overwhelmingly focused upon the nineteenth century. Even for the handful
of existing works that do venture into the twentieth century, analysis tends to end either before
the Great War or immediately after the Irish Revolution.
What is wrapped up in this is the assumption that the Irish in South Africa ceased to be a
coherent group after the initial decades of the twentieth century. Historians of South Africa
have also tended to concur with this thought, assuming that Irish identity was inherently
transient in South Africa and that Irish individuals were destined to shed their distinct ethnic
awareness within South Africa’s racially charged society.
This thesis puts these popular beliefs to the test, by examining the Irish population in South
Africa during the rough time period between the Irish Revolution and South Africa’s
declaration of a republic. It demonstrates that previous assumptions regarding the Irish
experience in South Africa do not hold up to close inspection and argues that far more nuance
is required when discussing English-speaking white cohorts in South Africa generally. While
the early to mid-twentieth century was a period of immense change in Ireland and South Africa
– from which Irish South Africans were not immune – this thesis maintains that the Irish
continued to represent a distinct ethnic cohort in South Africa throughout the first half of the
twentieth century
Fast optimal control performance evaluation for wave energy control co-design
No full textWith the application of energy-maximizing control for wave energy converters (WECs), the WEC design
problem becomes a control co-design problem. One of the fundamental requirements of co-design is to
evaluate the optimal control performance, i.e., average power generation. Previous control techniques include
model predictive control (MPC) and pseudo-spectral (PS) control, but both require iterative optimization,
with computational requirements the main limiting factor in co-design. In this study, a fast optimal control
performance evaluation method is proposed based on a ‘wave-by-wave’ (WbW) representation. The idea is
to split the wave excitation force (WEF) signals into individual waves, process them separately, and then
combine the results with the distribution of WEF amplitude and period, yielding a straightforward average
power calculation. The method is fully developed and studied, considering the cases of position-only, and
general, constraints, as well as different choices to obtain the WEF parameter distribution. It is shown that
the WbW method can achieve a very high control evaluation fidelity (within a 5% error) and give almost
the same co-design result as MPC and PS (implemented using WecOptTool), but with a significantly reduced
computation time (e.g., hundreds of times faster), therefore being a game changer for control co-design of
WECs
Reconhecimento em Dirty Works: A Gestão do Estigma no Trabalho Sexual Recognition in Dirty Works: Managing Stigma in Sex Work
No full textResumo
Reconhecimento em Dirty Works: A Gestão
do Estigma no Trabalho Sexual
Este artigo analisa a gestão do estigma no trabalho sexual, argumentando que
esse processo se baseia em anseios por reconhecimento e não somente em expectativas de validação e normalização do trabalho maculado. Ele se embasa nos
debates sociológicos contemporâneos sobre dirty works, que visam compreender
o impacto das máculas morais nos trabalhadores e as estratégias para gerenciamento de estigmas. A análise é realizada no universo do trabalho sexual no webcamming, um lócus central para compreender demandas por reconhecimento
devido à amplitude de sua mácula. O estudo se alicerça em etnografia digital
conduzida de 2016 a 2020 e 15 entrevistas em profundidade com trabalhadoras
sexuais. Conclui-se que as trabalhadoras buscam desenvolver uma autorrelação
positiva e conquistar estima social através do gerenciamento do estigma atribuído
a seu labor e a si mesmas, demonstrando narrativamente como o trabalho sexual
contribui para seu autodesenvolvimento e possui função social para além da
obtenção de renda.
Abstract
Recognition in Dirty Works: Managing Stigma in Sex Work
This paper analyzes the stigma managing in sex work, arguing that this process is
based on a longing for recognition and not merely on expectations to validate and
normalize the dirty work. It uses contemporary sociological debates about dirty
works, which aim to understand the impact of moral taints on workers and the
strategies for stigma management. The analysis is developed in webcamming sex
labor, a central locus to understand demands for recognition due to the breadth
of its taint. The study relies on digital ethnography conducted between 2016 and
2020 and on 15 in-depth interviews with sex workers. The paper concludes that
workers aim to develop a positive self-relation and acquire social esteem by
managing the stigma attributed to their work and to themselves, demonstrating
narratively how sex labor contributes to their self-development and has a social
role besides earning income
Critical Data Studies: An A to Z Guide to Concepts and Methods
No full textCritical Data Studies has come of age as a vibrant, interdisciplinary field of study. Taking data as its primary analytical focus, the field theorises the nature of data; examines how data are produced, managed, governed and shared; investigates how they are used to make sense of the world and to perform practical action; and explores whose agenda data-driven systems serve.
This book is the first comprehensive A-Z guide to the concepts and methods of Critical Data Studies, providing succinct definitions and descriptions of over 400 key terms, along with suggested further reading. The book enables readers to quickly navigate and improve their comprehension of the field, while also acting as a guide for discovering ideas and methods that will be of value in their own studies.
Critical Data Studies is essential reading for students and scholars from across the sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as those who work with data professionally who want to extend and enrich their conceptual and practical understanding of data and their use
Supramolecular tools to combat antimicrobial resistance
No full textSince its advent in the 1960s, through the pioneering work of Lehn, Cram, and Pederson
– the field of supramolecular Chemistry has burgeoned and seen an array of applications
across the chemical and materials sciences. From Metal-organic frameworks which
exhibit notable chemical separation behaviours, to molecular receptors, and the
compounds which form Organic Light Emitting Diodes used by millions daily, there are
countless examples of the continuous advancements from the field. One such recent
interdisciplinary area gaining traction in recent years, is the application of supramolecular
chemistry concepts, and molecular design to the field of medicinal chemistry. For
example, there have been a plethora of reports of anion transporters, molecules which can
form association complexes with negatively charged ions and transport them across
membranes. These anion transporters have shown utility in the development of
therapeutics for Cystic Fibrosis, as anticancer therapeutics, and more recently as
antimicrobial agents.
Whilst the anticancer properties of anion transporters have been explored extensively,
and mechanistically characterised, there has been little effort made to further refine the
antimicrobial capacity of agents such as these. Furthermore, while several reports of
antimicrobial anionophores have been made – very little mechanistic underpinning has
been carried out. This Thesis, titled “Supramolecular tools to combat antimicrobial
resistance” aims to establish several classes of anionophores, and chemical tools to further
delve into the mechanistic subtleties of medicinally relevant supramolecular motifs.
Chapter 1 of this thesis provides a historical perspective on the supramolecular chemistry
of anion transport, paying particular attention to the medicinal relevance of anion
transporting motifs. In addition, there is a discussion of concepts employed by medicinal
chemists when designing antibiotics, aided through a discussion of historically relevant
examples, and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Following this, some of the
chemical biology techniques utilised throughout the course of this work are introduced
and discussed from a technical viewpoint.
Chapter 2 discusses the synthesis, supramolecular profiling, and mechanistic
underpinning of a series of four potent “squindole” antimicrobials. These compounds,
which can effectively bind, and transport Cl- across Large Unilamellar Vesicles (LUV’s),
exhibit potent antimicrobial activity, which was discerned to be as a result of a disruption
of chloride homeostasis.
Chapter 3 follows on from the previous chapter, where we aimed to synthesise
sophisticated bioconjugates of the most active lead compound, from chapter 2. Aided by
the use of “click” chemistry, we made significant progress towards the development of
natural product derived ion-pair receptors, for investigation as antimicrobials. Whilst we
could not arrive at a set of synthetic conditions which afforded target compounds, we
have made significant progress in this regard, and developed a series of biorthogonal
anion receptor motifs. In addition, through conjugation of lead compounds to
siderophores, we were able to expand the spectrum of activity to encompass Gramnegative
pathogens.
Chapter 4 takes a traditional “lead-refinement” approach to the development of
heterocyclic antimicrobial anionophores. Through scaffold hopping approaches, from
lead compounds of Chapter 2, we afforded three distinct heterocyclic subfamilies, each
of which exhibits antimicrobial effect against MRSA – to varying degrees. Using
conventional supramolecular approaches, in addition to cutting edge Chemical Biology
techniques, we studied, and verified an analogous mechanism of action to previous leads,
which is aided by the propensity for covalent modification of thiols in solution, which
may rationalise the observed antimicrobial effect.
Chapter 5 introduces a series of 13 structurally simplistic anion receptors, which show
varying anion binding propensities, but potent anion transport in-cellulo. This anion
transport behaviour manifests in potent antimicrobial activity against a range of
pathogens (both Gram-positive, and -negative), which we discerned to be linked to both
anion transport, and a disruption of membrane integrity. In addition, we successfully
synthesised a “caged anionophore” and carried out preliminary dissection of the spatiotemporal
control of anion transport in-cellulo.
Chapter 6 consists of a thesis summary which details the main findings for this project,
and potential future directions for each chapter. Chapter 7 includes the general
experimental procedures, synthetic methodology and compound characterisation, and
biological procedures for the work detailed in previous chapters. This is complimented
and followed by literature references and an appendix which is comprised of
spectroscopic and ancillary data which validates the work discussed in this thesis
Electroanalytical Methods for Forensic Evaluation of Firearm Generated Evidence
No full textFirearm related violence is a cause for concern in an ever-turbulent world. In this thesis, innovative electrochemical approaches to forensic evaluation of firearm generated evidence is presented using a two-prong approach. Firstly, development of an electroanalytical method for the detection of characteristic compounds found within the organic fraction of firearms residue (OFAR) was explored. This involved electrochemical analysis of diphenylamine (DPA) and ethyl centralite (EC) in both organic and aqueous supporting electrolytes revealing the formation of secondary products at the electrodes surface such as diphenylurea and primary amine degradation products. A novel sensing approach followed with the aid of magnetic nanoparticles of magnetite (MNPs) formed using controlled electrooxidation and chemical co-precipitation processes. Quantitative analysis using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) revealed limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) for EC and DPA at 4.39 ± 0.28 and 14.6 ± 0.95 μM and 3.51 ± 0.15 and 11.7 ± 0.47 μM respectively with sensitivities of 0.0637 ± 0.0044 and 0.0801 ± 0.0034 μA.μM-1. The method was applied to unburnt ammunition and real FAR samples while data from custom-designed screen-printed electrodes (SPE) highlighted the feasibility of onsite OFAR determination. Secondly, the deposition of conducting/redox active polymers for visualising latent finger-marks on brass ammunition casings was explored. This aspect exploited the electrodeposition of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), thionine Acetate (Th), neutral red (NR), and their mixtures at a range of transducers including sheet and cartridge brass. EDOT-Th emerged consistently as the most effective combination, revealing latent finger-marks at the highest level of detail (level 3), including pores within the ridges, on brass sheets using a rapid (120 s) and low-potential (0.1 V) approach. Successful visualisation of groomed latent finger-marks was achieved following exposure to temperatures of 700 °C and up to 16-month room temperature aging, with evidence for a robust methodology suitable for forensic practice. Bespoke electrochemical cells designed to facilitate the use of ammunition casings as working electrodes produced exceptional results via CV, resulting in pristine visualised latent finger-marks of grade 4 with visible level 3 features. Overall, the research advances the state of the art with respect to electroanalytical tools for OFAR measurement of signature analytes with the potential for extension to multiplexed operation
Quantum algorithm for linear systems of equations for the multi-dimensional Black-Scholes equation
No full textThe primary focus of this thesis is the investigation of the quantum algorithm
for linear systems of equations (HHL) for the valuation of multi-asset options,
a particular type of financial instrument. Quantum computing has the possibility
to revolutionize many fields that are computationally intensive, such as
quantitative finance. We extend the previous works on quantum solutions to the
Black-Scholes equation for option pricing and provide its proof-of-principle implementation.
We transform the problem of pricing a multi-asset option into a
system of linear equations and employ the quantum algorithm due to Harrow,
Hassidim and Lloyd to find its solution. Certain numerical characteristics of
the matrix representing the system of linear equations determine a vital role in
whether computational advantage can be achieved. The central question of this
thesis is whether we can perturb the matrix that is to be inverted in the direction
of more favourable numerical characteristics without compromising the accuracy
of the final solution in representing the present value of the multi-asset option.
Through specific examples, we show that this perturbation does not compromise
the accuracy of the calculated value for the option.
After an introduction to options and their underlying mathematical description,
we provide a derivation for the Black-Scholes equation using stochastic calculus
and its corresponding solution for the vanilla European option through the
Feynman-Kac formula. We continue with the numerical methods of finite difference
approximations to convert the problem into a system of linear equations.
Finally, after presentation of the quantum algorithm, we proceed with numerical
simulations to determine (a) whether the aforementioned perturbation can
be ameliorated with modified boundary conditions and (b) whether a working
end-to-end quantum algorithm for option pricing for the case of a single-asset
European option maybe achieved. Our simulation provides a proof-of-principle
demonstration of the quantum algorithm
Green Machine Learning: Analysing the Energy Efficiency of Machine Learning Models
No full textThe consumption of energy by Machine Learning
(ML) has increased significantly. There is growing concern about
the sustainable use of ML, where choosing the best ML model
should also consider energy efficiency. The main objective of
the Green Machine Learning paradigm is the simultaneous
optimisation of accuracy and energy consumption. The literature
has presented some suggestions for metrics to be used. However, these metrics have not been extensively compared among
different ML models. To address this aspect, in this paper, we
have analysed six Machine Learning models applied to three
benchmark datasets for binary classification tasks, focusing on
performance and energy consumption. The results of the F1-
Score show that the random forests model outperformed the
other models, while logistic regression was more energy efficient.
These results demonstrate the trade-offs between model performance and energy consumption, providing valuable guidance
for algorithm selection. Performance metrics are an essential
benchmark, with Python’s Scikit-Learn suite of models often
outperforming neural networks in classification tasks. Future
research should extend energy analysis to other machine learning
methods and consider metrics that balance performance and
energy consumption
Historical trends of floating wind turbine fatigue loads (Ireland 1920–2010)
No full textWe present a new method for analysing the fatigue loads of offshore floating wind turbines over the long term. In this method, bias-corrected wind and wave data from the 20th century (ERA20C versus ERA5 reanalysis) is used for an energetic sea location in western Ireland. To reduce the computational cost and theoretical complexity, the sea states were clustered into categories to indicate how these categories evolve over three climate periods during a period of 30 years (1921–1950, 1951–1980, and 1981–2010). OpenFAST aeroelastic code simulation in floating mode was then conducted at each sea state for spar-type 5-MW and semi-submersible 15-MW wind turbines. This shows the damage loads and fatigue increments over the century, with some relevant cases (rotor torque, blade pitch and flapping, and tower side–side and fore–aft moments) showing fatigue increments of 5%–8%. Thus, in the new method, historical data are used to create a model to represent the evolution of sea states and corresponding fatigue over the long term, which can be applied globally to future projections