Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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An Analysis of the Remote Computing Systems and Solutions Provided by ATU Galway City School of Science and Computing to Staff and Students
Get PDFThe research question being asked here is what are the most efficient strategies to improve the remote working and learning experience in ATU Galway School of Science and Computing? The aim of the research was to analyse the effectiveness of remote computing resource provision by ATU Galway City School of Science and Computing and thus identify any gaps or weaknesses, so as to be in a position to make improvements. In other words, how well are staff and students able to work or study from locations outside the university when using computing services and systems and could it be done any better. The methodology used was action research. Action research involves using systematic observations and other data collection methods that are useful for the practitioner-researcher in reflection, decision making and in the development of more effective practices in the workplace. Data collection was undertaken using surveys, semi-structured interviews and observation. This study adds to the knowledge already in the literature, enabling improvements to be made to the provision and delivery of remote computing systems and solutions not only in ATU but elsewhere. It was found that the systems in use are effective and that the users are satisfied with their levels of knowledge and the training provided. Slow broadband or a lack of coverage in rural areas was the most common complaint. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in particular suffered from a lack of access caused by difficulties in paying for broadband as much as for technical reasons related to the availability or quality of Internet. It is recommended that students who qualify for the laptop loan scheme or who are identified via a means test should be provided with pre-paid data packages in order to offset the disadvantage they suffer and give parity of access to all.n
D4.6 RUN-EU Plus Research and Career Evaluation System.
Get PDFAn essential goal of the Regional University Network - European University (RUN-EU) is that
RUN-EU researchers will develop strong competencies in research and transferable skills in
addition to the ability to effectively plan their future career and learning paths. The Research
and Career Evaluation System that is being developed by the RUN-EU PLUS project should
explicitly support these general goals.
This report is the first description of the Research and Career Evaluation System developed for
the RUN European University. We follow the recommendations described in the EU report
Towards a Reform of the Research Assessment (2021) with the aim to develop research skills
and researcher career evaluation systems that are based on intrinsic merits and performance.
Also following the EU report suggestions, the RUN-EU research and career evaluation system
aims to be flexible to “accommodate the diversity of countries, disciplines, research cultures,
research maturity levels, the specific missions of institutions, and career paths”. As the RUN
European University alliance is a multidisciplinary and international network, it is natural that
the partner universities have some different practices regarding research and researcher
evaluation, such as in researcher recruitment. One university of the alliance, TUS, currently has
a Researcher Career Framework Policy in place. It provides the focus for topics and content
included in the researcher career evaluation system. The university also implements a personal
development plan template for researchers to use to identify skills training requirements. IPCA
is in the process of developing a researcher career evaluation system, as is FHV and HAMK
Using Moodle Workshop to facilitate peer review in a group assignment
No full textSummary of Teaching & Learning Context
Moodle Workshop is one of a number of tools available to academics and technologists to use to foster peer on peer
interactions, embedding graduate attributes such as professionalism and critical thinking, and has seen enhanced engagement
by learners in group work settings.
To add context to this submission, a number of similar products used in Irish and international contexts are presented for
comparison.
Moodle Workshop
The peer review tool used at TUS is Moodle Workshop. Its main features are:
• Setup phase – Academic sets up the Moodle Workshop tool in their Moodle page
• Submission phase – Students can submit work for assessment by their peers
• Assessment phase – Students qualitatively and quantitatively assess each other’s work
• Grading evaluation phase – Academic reviews submissions and assessments for final grade
Synthesis Report: All-island implementation of the Aarhus Convention
No full textThis report summarises the research carried out for the project
‘Finding Common Ground: Towards All-island implementation of the
Aarhus Convention’. This project set out to explore issues with allisland implementation of the Aarhus Convention and what role if any
an all-island ‘Aarhus Centre’ might play in this. This was done through
the preparation of draft desk-based reports on Aarhus Convention
implementation in Ireland and Northern Ireland which were put out to
consultation. Stakeholder consultations were held in each jurisdiction,
supported by survey collection. This study shows that there are
significant issues with implementation of the Convention across all
areas and in both jurisdictions, but that the Aarhus Convention holds
immense potential as a tool for enhancing the coherence of all-island
environmental governance. An Aarhus Centre could provide a potential
focal point for cross-border policy coordination as well as addressing
gaps in implementation and capacity building.ye
Older people leisure places, and wellbeing: older scuba divers, hill walkers & sea swimmers in Ireland
No full textHumans have a longstanding desire to live longer and healthier lives (Ekerdt et al., 2017). Medical advancements, immunisation and knowledge regarding lifestyle choices have contributed to rising life expectancy (WHO, 2011). While adding years to life is important, equally important is to add life to years. Historically, Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) model for successful ageing proposes avoidance of disease and disability, high cognitive and physical function, and engagement with life as important domains for successful ageing (Rowe and Kahn, 1997). Yet, as people age disengagement with aspects of life, and increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as some cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and dementia among older people become greater challenges to healthy ageing (European Commission, 2014
Applications of Digital Twin across industries: a review
No full textOne of the most promising technologies that is driving digitalization in several industries is
Digital Twin (DT). DT refers to the digital replica or model of any physical object (physical twin). What
differentiates DT from simulation and other digital or CAD models is the automatic bidirectional
exchange of data between digital and physical twins in real-time. The benefits of implementing DT in
any sector include reduced operational costs and time, increased productivity, better decision making,
improved predictive/preventive maintenance, etc. As a result, its implementation is expected to grow
exponentially in the coming decades as, with the advent of Industry 4.0, products and systems have
become more intelligent, relaying on collection and storing incremental amounts of data. Connecting
that data effectively to DTs can open up many new opportunities and this paper explores different
industrial sectors where the implementation of DT is taking advantage of these opportunities and
how these opportunities are taking the industry forward. The paper covers the applications of DT in
13 different industries including the manufacturing, agriculture, education, construction, medicine,
and retail, along with the industrial use case in these industries/ye
NIR-based intelligent sensing of product yield stress for high-value bioresorbable polymer processing
Get PDFPLA (polylactide) is a bioresorbable polymer used in implantable medical and drug
delivery devices. Like other bioresorbable polymers, PLA needs to be processed carefully to avoid
degradation. In this work we combine in-process temperature, pressure, and NIR spectroscopy
measurements with multivariate regression methods for prediction of the mechanical strength of
an extruded PLA product. The potential to use such a method as an intelligent sensor for real-time
quality analysis is evaluated based on regulatory guidelines for the medical device industry. It is
shown that for the predictions to be robust to processing at different times and to slight changes in
the processing conditions, the fusion of both NIR and conventional process sensor data is required.
Partial least squares (PLS), which is the established ’soft sensing’ method in the industry, performs
the best of the linear methods but demonstrates poor reliability over the full range of processing
conditions. Conversely, both random forest (RF) and support vector regression (SVR) show excellent
performance for all criteria when used with a prior principal component (PC) dimension reduction
step. While linear methods currently dominate for soft sensing of mixture concentrations in highly
conservative, regulated industries such as the medical device industry, this work indicates that
nonlinear methods may outperform them in the prediction of mechanical properties from complex
physicochemical sensor data. The nonlinear methods show the potential to meet industrial standards
for robustness, despite the relatively small amount of training data typically available in high-value
material processing.ye
Infographics & Concept Mapping
Get PDFAs part of the Athletic Therapy programme in TUS midlands,
our students obtain clinical hands-on experience through
practical classes and fundamental theoretical knowledge
in lectures. The Athletic Therapy students are required to
be competent in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment
and implementation of rehabilitation programs for all
musculoskeletal injuries. They are also required to understand
and apply the principles of Injury Prevention in their practice.
Hence, as part of the programme, our 26, Year one students
undertake a module in Fitness Injury Prevention. Many
different pre-habilitative principles are covered in detail such
as flexibility, warm up, recovery, psychological strategies and
sport nutrition.
As an educator using the flipped classroom approach to
this cohort, I wanted to transfer theoretical knowledge and
understanding into a digital format. This allowed the students
to showcase their digital skills through the translation of
complex concepts into simpler, bitesize, consumer friendly
theoretical knowledge in an engaging and interactive format
Formulation and evaluation of Fenbendazole extended-release extrudes processed by hot-melt extrusion
Get PDFThis study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of hot-melt extrusion in the development of
extended-release formulations of Fenbendazole (Fen) dispersed in PEO/PCL blend-based matrices.
Their thermal, physical, chemical and viscosity properties were assessed by differential scanning
calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and melt flow index. Drug dispersion was analyzed
by scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and drug release was
evaluated by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. A thermal analysis indicated the conversion of the
drug to its amorphous state. FTIR analysis endorsed the thermal studies pointing to a decrease in the
drug’s crystallinity with the establishment of intermolecular interactions. XRD analysis confirmed the
amorphous nature of Fen. MFI test revealed that PCL acts as a plasticizer when melt-processed with
PEO. SEM images displayed irregular surfaces with voids and pores, while EDX spectra demonstrated
a homogeneous drug distribution throughout the polymeric carrier. Dissolution testing revealed
that PCL retards the drug release proportionally to the content of such polymer incorporated. These
melt-extruded matrices showed that the drug release rate in a PEO/PCL blend can easily be tailored
by altering the ratio of PCL to address the issues related to the multiple-dosing regimen of Fen
in ruminants.ye
A survey of modern deep learning based object detection models
Get PDFObject Detection is the task of classification and localization of objects in an image or video. It has gained prominence in recent years due to its widespread applications. This article surveys recent developments in deep learning based object detectors. Concise overview of benchmark datasets and evaluation metrics used in detection is also provided along with some of the prominent backbone architectures used in recognition tasks. It also covers contemporary lightweight classification models used on edge devices. Lastly, we compare the performances of these architectures on multiple metrics.ye