Access to Research at National University of Ireland, Galway
Research at National University of Ireland, GalwayNot a member yet
15712 research outputs found
Sort by
Hyperspectral sensors and autonomous driving: technologies, limitations, and opportunities
No full textHyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a transformative sensing modality for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD). By capturing fine spectral resolution across hundreds of bands, HSI enables material-level scene understanding that overcomes critical limitations of traditional RGB imaging in adverse weather and lighting. This paper presents the first comprehensive review of HSI for automotive applications, examining the strengths, limitations, and suitability of current HSI technologies in the context of ADAS/AD. In addition, we analyze 216 commercially available spectral imaging cameras, benchmarking them against key automotive criteria: frame rate, spatial resolution, spectral dimensionality, and compliance with AEC-Q100 temperature standards. Our analysis reveals a significant gap between HSI's demonstrated research potential and its commercial readiness. Only four cameras meet the defined performance thresholds, and none comply with AEC-Q100 requirements. In addition, the paper reviews recent HSI datasets and applications, including semantic segmentation for road surface classification, pedestrian separability, and adverse weather perception. Our review shows that current HSI datasets are limited in scale, spectral consistency, channel count, and environmental diversity, posing a challenge for perception algorithms development and adequate HSI's potential validation in ADAS/AD applications. This review paper presents the current state of HSI in automotive contexts and outlines key research directions toward practical integration of spectral imaging in ADAS and autonomous systems.This work was supported, in part, by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland grants 13/RC/2094_P2 and 18/SP/5942, and co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund through the Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme to Lero – the Research Ireland Centre for Software (www.lero.ie), and by Valeo Vision Systems
Optimal port site skin closure method following minimally-invasive surgery: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials
No full textBackground
For minimally-invasive surgery (MIS), there are numerous acceptable port-site closure techniques with no consensus on the method used.
Aim
To identify optimal port site postoperative wound closure method following MIS with respect to complication rates and cosmetic outcome.
Methods
Network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed in accordance with PRISMA-NMA guidelines for RCTs comparing at least two methods of port-site closure.
Results
Nineteen RCTs were identified evaluating eight methods of wound closure in 1,932 patients; across three types of suture, three forms of tissue glue, staples and paper-tape. At NMA, there was no significant difference in wound complication, infection, dehiscence or pain rate irrespective of closure method, albeit a trend towards higher rate of dehiscence for adhesives. At NMA, wound cosmesis was superior for adhesives at both early and late postoperative follow-up.
Conclusion
This study validates the use of tissue adhesives with respect to primary closure of port sites following MIS while highlighting potential associated risks
Horizontal logistics collaboration in Greek retail: A stage-wise approach to supply chain innovation
No full textHorizontal logistics collaboration enables suppliers and retailers to streamline distribution networks, reduce transportation inefficiencies, and improve shared logistics operations. However, organizations still struggle to capture its full value, and successful cases remain rare. Drawing on the innovation management, this study applies a data-informed innovation process to generate and evaluate horizontal logistics collaborative schemes within the Greek retail sector. Involving nine multinational suppliers and two retailers in the fast-moving consumer goods sector in Greece over a 3 year project, this study highlights the need for a systematic analytically supported approach to logistics innovation. It proposes a stage-wise innovation approach as a “blueprint” for identifying and advancing the most promising collaborative schemes to implementation. By integrating insights from innovation management and logistics collaboration and by highlighting the specific conditions of the Greek logistics landscape, it offers a fresh perspective on approaching the traditional challenges and barriers of horizontal logistics collaboration. This flexibility ensures that collaborative models can be adjusted as business environments change, promoting sustainability.Open Access funding provided by the IReL Consortium. Science Foundation Ireland, 13/RC/2094_2.peer-reviewe
Behavioural, immunological and transcriptomic consequences of post-weaning social isolation and chronic celecoxib administration in mouse
No full textEarly life stress (ELS) and chronic low-grade inflammation are associated with psychiatric disease risk, but their neurobiological consequences are poorly understood. Here, we aim to investigate the behavioural, immunological and molecular consequences of ELS in mice. C57Bl6 mice were subjected to post-weaning social isolation (SI - PD21−40) with or without chronic celecoxib (CEL) (PD21−61). ELS-induced behavioural changes were assessed using the open field test (OFT) and three-chambered test (3CT). The anti-inflammatory effects of celecoxib were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10 cytokines released by stimulated splenocytes. Gene expression changes in the hippocampus and amygdala were assessed using RNA-sequencing. Neither SI nor CEL affected OFT time in centre or 3CT discrimination ratio. However, SI induced locomotor changes in both tests. CEL significantly reduced IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10 release from splenocytes. SI induced significant gene expression changes in both hippocampus and amygdala, while CEL only induced gene expression changes in the hippocampus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by SI were enriched for ontologies relating to gamma-aminobutyric acid activity and insulin binding in the hippocampus and neurogenesis in the amygdala. CEL-induced DEGs in the hippocampus were enriched for neurogenesis. Cell type enrichment implicated choroid plexus and vascular leptomeningeal cells in SI DEGs and medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in CEL DEGs. CEL-induced DEGs were enriched for heritability for psychiatric disorders and cognitive ability. In conclusion, gene expression changes show convergence with human psychiatric disorders through both enrichments in common genetic heritability and enrichment of previously implicated cell populations.This study received funding from the Irish Research Council (Grant: GOIPG/2019/1932 to Aodan Laighneach) and the European Research Council (Grant: ERC-2015-STG-677467 to Gary Donohoe). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Annoyance and memory performance in the presence of wind turbine sound
No full textWind energy is a critical component in the clean energy transition and the acceptance of wind turbines depends on understanding the impacts of wind turbines on local communities. There is concern that wind turbine sound may affect the health of local residents. One vector through which sound can affect the human body is via the induction of neural frequencies that compete with endogenous and task-specific frequencies. The current study assessed the effects of concurrent wind turbine sound on memory performance to investigate such effects. 46 participants each completed 304 memory trials under varying conditions of wind-turbine sound. Participants performed as expected in the memory task, with greater memory load reducing recognition accuracy, but there were no effects of wind turbine sound properties on performance. Subjective annoyance by wind turbine sound was low, but it was consistently related to acoustic properties of the sound samples, specifically loudness, sharpness, roughness and fluctuation strength. Annoyance by wind turbine sound slightly increased during the task suggesting prolonged exposure may contribute to an accumulation of annoyance over time. Annoyance did not affect memory performance. The current findings support the position that wind turbine noise may induce annoyance, but they do not support the position that wind turbine noise interferes with healthy human brain function.peer-reviewe
Precision and accuracy of dimensional assessment of luminal contours by commercially available quantitative angiography software as a prerequisite to angiography based FFR and other derived parametrics
No full textBackground
Accurate dimensional measurements are critical for quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and serve as the first step in angiography-based fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculations.
Aims
To compare minimum lumen diameter (MLD) measurements across multiple QCA or anigo-based FFR software programs using phantom models.
Methods
Fourteen QCA and angio-based FFR programs were evaluated using six plexiglass phantoms, each containing three sequential bifurcations with known true values for the MLD of the proximal main, distal main, and side branch vessels. The accuracy and precision of MLD measurements were assessed by comparing software-measured values with true values across 54 MLD measurement points. No manual correction of the vessel contour was performed. The results of the 14 programs were reported anonymously.
Results
The mean differences between the measured and true values were small ( 0.3 mm). The standard deviations of the differences were approximately 0.1 mm, except in one angio-based FFR program, where it exceeded 0.3 mm. Differences from true values were more pronounced in small (≦ 0.7 mm) compared to large (> 0.7 mm) true MLDs. The reproducibility of measurements was high (Pearson's correlation coefficient > 0.98) across all programs.
Conclusion
Variations in MLD measurements were observed among different QCA and angio-based FFR programs. These variations may influence diagnostic performance and can seriously impact decisions made solely using angio-based FFR.peer-reviewe
A labour perspective on videoconferencing fatigue: Critical review and reframing
No full textVideoconferencing fatigue or ‘Zoom fatigue’ has emerged as a prominent phenomenon due in part to the rapid adoption of videoconferencing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This critical literature review focuses on the nature of the labour involved in videoconferencing. Using a qualitative, grounded approach, insights from 147 papers on videoconferencing fatigue were coded according to five types of labour: interpretive labour, performative embodied labour, performative configuration labour, intensifying labour, and alienating labour. These insights can guide practitioners in making strategic decisions about the use of videoconferencing and provide a foundation for future research.peer-reviewe
Examination of the lung and lymphoid tissue mRNA transcriptome response in dairy calves following experimental challenge with bovine alphaherpesvirus one (BoHV-1)
No full textBovine alphaherpesvirus one (BoHV-1) is a primary cause of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cattle. The transcriptomic responses of key respiratory and immune associated tissues of dairy calves following experimental challenge with BoHV-1 are unknown. Thus, the study objective was to examine the gene expression profiles of multiple tissue types from dairy calves following an infectious challenge with BoHV-1. Holstein-Friesian bull calves (mean age ± SD 149.2 days ± 23.8; mean weight ± SD 174.6 kg ± 21.3 kg were challenged with either BoHV-1 inoculate (6.3 × 107/mL × 1.35mL) (n = 12) or sterile phosphate buffered saline (n = 6). Animals were euthanised on day 6 post-challenge and tissue samples collected, including bronchial (BLN) and mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN), pharyngeal tonsil (PGT) and healthy (HL) and lesioned right cranial lung (LL). Total RNA was extracted and libraries sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000. Differential expression analysis was conducted using edgeR and pathways analysed using DAVID. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted separately for each tissue type to identify networks significantly associated with BoHV-1 infection. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in all tissues (P 2). Thirty-three DEGs were common to all tissues and enriched pathways included Influenza A and Herpes simplex 1 infection (P < 0.05, FDR < 0.05). Modules enriched for antiviral and innate immune processes were identified for each tissue type. Of the 33 DEGs common to all tissues, 26 were also identified as hub genes in the blood (blue) module. Our use of a controlled experimental challenge allowed for improved understanding of the immune response of dairy calves to a BoHV-1 infection. Furthermore, discovering DEGs that are common to all tissues, including whole blood, indicates future focus areas in research surrounding BRD diagnostic biomarkers.This project was funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland, as part of the US-Ireland R&D partnership call (RMIS_0033 Project 16/RD/US-ROI/11). JT and JK were supported by Grant No. 2017-67015-26760 from the United States Department for Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture. There was no additional external funding received for this study.peer-reviewe
It takes a village: Coordination and directionality in sustainable food systems
No full text“It takes a village to raise a child” is a famous African proverb. Over the course of many hours of interviews with many different stakeholders in Uganda, there was an echo of this sentiment in working with agricultural cooperatives. In fact, one interviewed cooperative board member described his own cooperative as ‘a child learning to walk’. The strong, successful agricultural cooperatives operating in food systems today have been built over long periods of time with support from various policies, development programmes and individuals. In this thesis, the ‘village’ is explored in different ways. On the one hand, farmers are situated within local communities, interact with other local actors and receive support from various local partners. On the other hand, these farmers are part of the increasingly ‘global village’ of international markets and food systems; competing and collaborating with others to deliver their produce to markets.
The current food systems in which these farmers operate face multiple social and environmental challenges. These challenges require cross-disciplinary and high impact solutions (Klerkx & Begemann, 2020; Kanter & Boza, 2020; Kok & Klerkx, 2023). In developing contexts, these challenges are often interlinked and exacerbated ‒ droughts, floods and other climate change disasters worsen food security and poverty rates. Many of these farmers are smallholders who organise themselves into farmer groups and cooperatives to improve their position within agricultural food systems (Drivas & Giannakas, 2010; Bijman et al, 2016; Bijman & Hohler, 2023). There is increasing global acknowledgement from researchers, multilateral organisations and policy makers that in order to help producers tackle wicked challenges, current food systems need to be transformed, and a wide range of actors need to coordinate more closely (Pigford et al., 2018; Weber et al., 2020). This suggests a sharpened focus on directionality within food systems towards environmental and social goals. As such, this thesis explores relevant systems-thinking and frameworks which provide deeper understanding on when, how and to what degree actors coordinate for more sustainable and equitable food systems as well as the drivers for coordination. The thesis focuses on two seemingly different and unrelated agricultural contexts: Ireland and Uganda. Through a central case study of Tororo Groundnut Growers Cooperative Society (TGGC) in Uganda which is supported by an Irish International Development Organisation (Self Help Africa) and a local Irish social enterprise (Partners in Learning), these contexts are woven together.This research was supported by the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship Programme (2020-2024), the University of Galway and Self Help Africa
Leere im raum: Eine kritik des städtischen bestand
No full textIm hier vorliegenden Text wird das Verhältnis zwischen bebauten und leer stehenden städtischen Räumen neu gedacht. Aufbauend auf theoretischen Gedanken und Konzepten von Jacques Derrida wird dabei die starre Gegenüberstellung von „Leere“ und „Bebauung“ in ein dynami sches Bezugsgeflecht überführt, in dem eine jeweilige Anordnung von bestimmenden techno logischen, sozialen und menschlichen Elementen als jeweilge Infrastrukturen wirkungsmächtig werden. Unter Zuhilfenahme unterschiedlicher Medien und anhand dreier ausgesuchter Pariser Fallbeispiele veranschaulicht der Aufsatz diese Gedanken. Die durch den materiellen wie auch räumlichen Bezug auf Paris erzielte Konkretisierung beinhaltet dabei die Schaffung von „Natur-“ und „Kulturräumen“, die ihrerseits das Potenzial der hier versuchten Umdeutung von „Leere“ vermittels eines poststrukturellen Ansatzes exemplifizieren. An English abstract can be found at the end of the document.The publication of this article was made possible by the funding project KOALA (Konsortiale Open-Access-Lösungen aufbauen)peer-reviewe