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Information centric networking based collaborative edge computing framework for the Internet of Things
No full textThe Internet of Things (IoT) has connected billions of devices and its proliferation
will continue. As IoT grows, so do the volumes of data it produced and exchanged.
The challenge lies in efficiently processing the massive amounts of IoT data.
Moreover, IoT applications prioritize extracting meaningful knowledge rather than
building connections with multiple devices. This results in a mismatch between the
host-centric nature of the current Internet and the information-centric demands of IoT
applications.
To address these challenges, this thesis presents an Information Centric Networking
(ICN) based collaborative edge computing framework for distributed IoT data
processing. Firstly, the functional architecture is investigated to enable in-network
data processing in IoT edge environments. Within this architecture, three software
components, namely Computation Manager, Computation Executor and Function
Repository, collaborate to resolve, deploy and execute IoT jobs. This thesis leverages
the powerful and prevalent MapReduce paradigm in the architecture design. The
ICN-based implementation empowers MapReduce job execution by categorizing
Computation Executors as mappers and reducers, developing a distributed
computational job tree construction protocol for the Computation Manager, and
defining an ICN naming scheme for request expression and data/function acquisition.
The Function Repository is distributed and maintained by each Computation
Executor, which retrieves and saves functions by parsing users' requests.
Experimental simulations have verified the feasibility of the proposed design and
demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing network traffic.
Secondly, this thesis improves the proposed ICN-based computing framework by
considering the resource constraints of heterogenous edge devices. It classifies edge
devices into two types: processing-capable nodes (i.e. mappers and reducers) and
forwarding-only nodes (called forwarders). Both types of nodes join in the
computational job tree construction procedure. A job maintenance scheme is
developed to disseminate IoT jobs to appropriate devices and coordinate their
collaboration in serving multiple jobs simultaneously. Performance evaluation tests have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed framework, indicating decreased
network traffic compared to the centralized data processing approach.
Thirdly, this thesis enhances the proposed framework to ensure exactly once data
computation. Interruptions in IoT network connections during edge collaboration can
lead to data loss or duplicated data transmission and processing, which is
unacceptable for IoT applications with exactly once computation requirement.
Although checkpoint-based schemes have been successfully developed in traditional
big data processing frameworks to achieve exactly once data delivery/processing, it
is challenging to directly apply these solutions in IoT scenarios due to the differences
between IoT networks and datacentre environments. This thesis identifies three
specific challenges of achieving exactly once computation in IoT collaborative edge
scenarios and devises a five-phase protocol to address them. The proposed protocol
consists of a job execution procedure for normal job operations and a job recovery
procedure to handle network failures. Simulation tests have shown that the proposed
design outperforms the checkpoint-based benchmark solution in terms of network
traffic and job execution time.ye
Current decontamination challenges and potentially complementary solutions to safeguard the vulnerable seafood industry from recalcitrant human norovirus in live shellfish: Quo Vadis?
Get PDFSafeguarding the seafood industry is important given its contribution to supporting our growing global population.
However, shellfish are filter feeders that bioaccumulate microbial contaminants in their tissue from wastewater
discharged into the same coastal growing environments leading to significant human disease outbreaks unless appro priately mitigated. Removal or inactivation of enteric viruses is very challenging particularly as human norovirus
(hNoV) binds to specific histo-blood ligands in live oyster tissue that are consumed raw or lightly cooked. The regula tory framework that sets out use of clean seawater and UV disinfection is appropriate for bacterial decontamination at
the post-harvest land-based depuration (cleaning) stage. However, additional non-thermal technologies are required
to eliminate hNoV in live shellfish (particularly oysters) where published genomic studies report that low-pressure
UV has limited effectiveness in inactivating hNoV. The use of the standard genomic detection method (ISO 15,
216–1:2017) is not appropriate for assessing the loss of infectious hNoV in treated live shellfish. The use of surrogate
viral infectivity methods appear to offer some insight into the loss of hNoV infectiousness in live shellfish during de contamination. This paper reviews the use of existing and potentially other combinational treatment approaches to en hance the removal or inactivation of enteric viruses in live shellfish. The use of alternative and complementary novel
diagnostic approaches to discern viable hNoV are discussed. The effectiveness and virological safety of new affordable
hNoV intervention(s) require testing and validating at commercial shellfish production in conjunction with laboratory-based research. Appropriate risk management planning should encompass key stakeholders including local govern ment and the wastewater industry. Gaining a mechanistic understanding of the relationship between hNoV response
at molecular and structural levels in individually treated oysters as a unit will inform predictive modeling and appropriate treatment technologies. Global warming of coastal growing environments may introduce a contaminant challenges (such as invasive species); thus, underscoring need to develop real-time ecosystem monitoring
of growing environments to alert shellfish producers to appropriately mitigate these threats.ye
Role of ascomycete and basidiomycete fungi in meeting established and emerging sustainability opportunities: a review
Get PDFFungal biomass is the future’s feedstock. Non-septate Ascomycetes and septate Basidiomycetes,
famously known as mushrooms, are sources of fungal biomass. Fungal biomass, which on averagely
comprises about 34% protein and 45% carbohydrate, can be cultivated in bioreactors to produce
affordable, safe, nontoxic, and consistent biomass quality. Fungal-based technologies are seen as
attractive, safer alternatives, either substituting or complementing the existing standard technology.
Water and wastewater treatment, food and feed, green technology, innovative designs in buildings,
enzyme technology, potential health benefits, and wealth production are the key sectors that
successfully reported high-efficiency performances of fungal applications. This paper reviews the
latest technical know-how, methods, and performance of fungal adaptation in those sectors. Excellent
performance was reported indicating high potential for fungi utilization, particularly in the sectors, yet
to be utilized and improved on the existing fungal-based applications. The expansion of fungal
biomass in the industrial-scale application for the sustainability of earth and human well-being is in
line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.ye
Modification of bioactive hyaluronic acid for stereolithography 3D printing of hydrogel conduits for peripheral nerve regeneration
Get PDFPeripheral nerve injuries occur as a result of illness or injury, and present a significant healthcare and economic burden. Many of these cases occur in otherwise healthy individuals, in the age range 20-40 years, due to trauma in the work environment. Despite all that is known of this condition, complete functional recovery remains difficult to obtain through current surgical methods.
The aim of this research was to modify hyaluronic acid (HA) to enable 3D printing of hydrogel nerve conduits which could enable full functional recovery of a peripheral nerve injury. An array of compounds were screened in conjunction with HA to assess any potential neurotrophic benefits to their inclusion in the final formulation.
As HA is not conducive to cell attachment, neuronal and glial cell lines were initially used to characterise HA in order to design a testing procedure and acquire a baseline response. HA was then successfully modified with cysteamine HCl and methacrylic anhydride, to produce thiolated HA (HA-SH) and methacrylated HA (HA-MA) respectively, as confirmed by colorimetric and spectroscopic methods. The modification degree was approximately 20% so as not to interfere with the receptor interaction of HA. Modified HA was characterised chemically and biologically to ensure cytocompatibility in neuronal and glial cell lines. UV photo-polymerised hydrogels were created via click chemistry reactions by combining thiolated HA and methacrylated HA in various ratios and their properties were evaluated. Due to the poor mechanical properties of the HA hydrogels, a synthetic polymer, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA), was introduced to the matrix. An optimal formulation was discovered and prints were created via stereolithography 3D printing. Direct contact and elution extract testing revealed no significant cytotoxicity over a 24 h period, in contrast to the hydrogels of each of the four polymeric matrices tested (PEGDMA, 50 %wv HA-MA: PEGDMA, 50 %wv HA-SH: PEGDMA and hybrid blend). This would indicate that 3D printing yielded a sample which is representative of the conduit formulation, which is capable of providing biological and physical support to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration.
Through extensive testing of potential neurotrophic compounds, the lead compound Tyrosol failed to produce significant proliferative effects from elution extract testing of 3D printed samples using the resazurin assay. Given its antioxidant status and the significant proliferative effects observed with this compound in direct cell assays, future studies should
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refine the test methods in order to evaluate the effective elution concentration of Tyrosol from the final conduit, rather than from a representative sample.
This research could have a significant impact on the future of not only nerve regeneration, but also bioengineering as a whole. This thesis has elucidated the use of click-chemistry reactions to enable highly reliable cross-linking reactions in biological polymers to enable processing which would otherwise be difficult. Further work would involve the ex vivo testing of this formulation in dorsal root ganglion cells before in vivo testing could take place. This formulation could also be tested in other formats such as injectable hydrogels and foams for a number of pathologiesye
"I realized it was a different kind of culture to other sports": an exploration of sport psychology service provision and delivery in Gaelic games.
Get PDFIn this article, we present two studies that provide the first evidence on sport psychology services in Gaelic games. In Study 1, 36 participants providing support for mental aspects of performance in Gaelic games completed a survey that ascertained an initial insight into practitioners and the services they provided in this context. Findings of Study 1 suggested considerable engagement with psychology support in Gaelic games but also highlighted a range of challenges with service delivery. In Study 2, we interviewed 11 sport psychology consultants to understand the active ingredients that contribute to context-driven sport psychology in Gaelic games and the role of contextual intelligence. Findings from Study 2 offered insights into how participants shaped their services to the context and how the active ingredients for effective service delivery, including working alliances, buy-in, and engagement with individuals within the performance environment, could be enabled or constrained in this context.ye
Electrospun drug-loaded and gene-loaded nanofibres: the holy grail of glioblastoma therapy?
No full textTo date, GBM remains highly resistant to therapies that have shown promising effects in other cancers. Therefore, the goal is to take down the shield that these tumours are using to protect themselves and proliferate unchecked, regardless of the advent of diverse therapies. To overcome the limitations of conventional therapy, the use of electrospun nanofibres encapsulated with either a drug or gene has been extensively researched. The aim of this intelligent biomaterial is to achieve a timely release of encapsulated therapy to exert the maximal therapeutic effect simultaneously eliminating dose-limiting toxicities and activating the innate immune response to prevent tumour recurrence. This review article is focused on the developing field of electrospinning and aims to describe the different types of electrospinning techniques in biomedical applications. Each technique describes how not all drugs or genes can be electrospun with any method; their physico-chemical properties, site of action, polymer characteristics and the desired drug or gene release rate determine the strategy used. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future perspectives associated with GBM therapy.ye
D3.1 Strategic Research Priorities Report
Get PDFThis report presents an overview of the regional strategic research priorities of RUN-EU partner organisations. The Regional University Network (RUN) is a European University made up of seven Higher Education Institutions from 6 countries and has 75,000 students and 8,000 staff. RUN-EU provides a structured framework for the enhancement of the research and innovation ecosystem with business and society at a regional and inter-regional level across the university alliance. The RUN-EU PLUS project (Professional Research Programmes for Business and Society) focuses primarily on enhancing the development of research and innovation with and for society through the development and deployment of collaborative professional practice-based research degrees across the RUN-EU alliance.
An analysis of RUN-EU regional priority domains for research and innovation (R&I) with business and society is presented here, including an overview of the regional research interests and regional priorities that can be leveraged in the creation of RUN-EU Professional Practice-based Research Degrees that will attract the support of business and society.
Sustainability, Digitalisation and Social Innovation were selected as the priority research domains by the RUN-EU PLUS project management committee following a review of this report.
These priority domains which are relevant to the RUN European University in terms of research and innovation with business and society will drive the formation of collaborative action teams to lead the development of specialist research degree programs, accredited across the RUN European University and integrated into the RUN research institutions and centres. These specialised research programmes will support the impact of the RUN-EU European Innovation Hubs in Future and Sustainable Industries, Bio-economy and Social Innovation in our regional development
Privacy preserved video summarization of road traffic events for IoT smart cities
Get PDFThe purpose of smart surveillance systems for automatic detection of road traffic accidents
is to quickly respond to minimize human and financial losses in smart cities. However, along with
the self-evident benefits of surveillance applications, privacy protection remains crucial under any
circumstances. Hence, to ensure the privacy of sensitive data, European General Data Protection Regulation
(EU-GDPR) has come into force. EU-GDPR suggests data minimisation and data protection
by design for data collection and storage. Therefore, for a privacy-aware surveillance system, this
paper targets the identification of two areas of concern: (1) detection of road traffic events (accidents),
and (2) privacy preserved video summarization for the detected events in the surveillance videos.
The focus of this research is to categorise the traffic events for summarization of the video content,
therefore, a state-of-the-art object detection algorithm, i.e., You Only Look Once (YOLOv5), has been
employed. YOLOv5 is trained using a customised synthetic dataset of 600 annotated accident and
non-accident video frames. Privacy preservation is achieved in two steps, firstly, a synthetic dataset
is used for training and validation purposes, while, testing is performed on real-time data with an
accuracy from 55% to 85%. Secondly, the real-time summarized videos (reduced video duration to
42.97% on average) are extracted and stored in an encrypted format to avoid un-trusted access to
sensitive event-based data. Fernet, a symmetric encryption algorithm is applied to the summarized
videos along with Diffie–Hellman (DH) key exchange algorithm and SHA256 hash algorithm. The
encryption key is deleted immediately after the encryption process, and the decryption key is generated
at the system of authorised stakeholders, which prevents the key from a man-in-the-middle
(MITM) attack.ye
Perceived factors informing the pre-acceptability of digital health innovation by again respiratory patients: a case study from the Republic of Ireland
Get PDFIt is appreciated that digital health is increasing in interest as an important
area for efficiently standardizing and developing health services in Ireland,
and worldwide. However, digital health is still considered to be in its infancy
and there is a need to understand important factors that will support the
development and uniform uptake of these technologies, which embrace
their utility and ensure data trustworthiness. This constituted the first study to
identify themes believed to be relevant by respiratory care and digital health
experts in the Republic of Ireland to help inform future decision-making
among respiratory patients that may potentially facilitate engagement with
and appropriate use of digital health innovation (DHI). The study explored and
identified expert participant perceptions, beliefs, barriers, and cues to action
that would inform content and future deployment of living labs in respiratory
care for remote patient monitoring of people with respiratory diseases using
DHI. The objective of this case study was to generate and evaluate appropriate
data sets to inform the selection and future deployment of an ICT-enabling
technology that will empower patients to manage their respiratory systems
in real-time in a safe effective manner through remote consultation with
health service providers. The co-creation of effective DHI for respiratory care
will be informed by multi-actor stakeholder participation, such as through a
Quintuple Helix Hub framework combining university-industry-governmenthealthcare-
society engagements. Studies, such as this, will help bridge the
interface between top-down digital health policies and bottom-up end-user
engagements to ensure safe and effective use of health technology. In addition,
it will address the need to reach a consensus on appropriate key performance
indicators (KPIs) for effective uptake, implementation, standardization, and
regulation of DHI.n
Subject(s) matter: a grounded theory of technology teachers' conceptions of the purpose of teaching technology
Get PDFTechnology education internationally has for some time struggled to achieve continuity between what is depicted in policy and curricular documents and the reality of day-to-day practices. With its focus often articulated through the nature of activity students are to engage with, technology teachers are recognised as having significant autonomy in the design and implementation of their practices. From this, it is important to understand teachers’ beliefs about technology education, as their conceptions of the subject will inform practice. As such, this study sought to investigate teachers’ conceptions of the purpose of teaching technology through reflection on their enacted practices. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed for the design of the study and analysis of data. According to our analysis, despite similarities between the nature of student activity that teachers designed and implemented, teachers represented the purpose of the subject in different ways. Three different conceptions of the purpose of teaching technology were identified; obtaining knowledge and skills for application, ability to act in a technological way, and ability to think in a technological way. Central to the three conceptions were contentions in the representations of what constituted subject matter knowledge in the subject, and the role that different application cases played in teaching technology. Without consideration and explicit articulation of the purposes for teaching technology, this lack of clarity and differences in rationale for teaching technology are likely to continueye