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An assessment of the thermal storage capacity of hemp-lime using the Transient Performance Ratio method
No full textThe 2nd International Conference on Bio-based Building Materials & 1st Conference on ECOlogical valorisation of GRANular and Fibrous Materials, Clemont-Ferrand, France, 21-23 June 2017Many claims are made regarding the superior thermal performance of high heat capacity materials under the general heading of thermal mass. However, the benefits of thermal mass are poorly quantified in existing literature. These issues often become more important in the case of biobased materials, where thick, monolithic wall construction leads to a stronger connection between a building\u27s structure and the indoor environment. New materials include hemp-lime concrete, which offers a combination of structural, thermal and hygroscopic properties that make it suitable for incorporation into the building envelope. Hemp-lime has long been proposed to offer excellent thermal mass performance, yet this impact is poorly quantified in existing literature. This paper uses the Transient Energy Ratio (TER) method, developed by these authors, to compare the performance of hemp-lime concrete walls with traditional solid wall and cavity wall constructions
A Review of Age Verification Mechanism for 10 Social Media Apps
No full textIn this study we analyze the 10 most used apps among children aged 8-12: Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok, Viber, Skype, Facebook, HouseParty, Discord, Messenger, WhatsApp. For each application we assess whether the terms of use specify a minimum age that is compliant with the GDPR and whether the specified age is the same across all EU countries. We also verify whether each app provides mechanisms to verify the age of the user and how easy is to circumvent the verification mechanisms. The remainder of this report discusses the results of our study providing evidence to support the answers provided for each question.European Commission Horizon 2020Science Foundation IrelandCyberSafe Irelan
Manual for the classification of intervention best-practices with rural NEETs
No full textThis manual deals with developing a methodology to assess best practices among interventions that specifically address rural NEETs, who are accepted as the most vulnerable and socially excluded segment of young citizens. We aimed to discover, develop and refine a valid set of
criteria to evaluate and classify the limited number of interventions in existence and to develop
a method to define best practice based on a defined number of dimensions and indicators.This manual wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of all members of working
group 2 of COST Action 18213 Rural NEET Youth Network: Modelling the risks underlying rural
NEETs social exclusion. Members’ ideas and suggestions on how to develop this manual were
very useful. We are immensely grateful to the members involved in the development of various parts of the manual: Emre Erdogan (Turkey); Elena Marta (Italy); Heidi Paabort (Estonia);
Maria Fernandes-Jesus (Portugal); Tereza Pilařová (Czech Republic); Bahanur Nasya (Austria); Stefan Bojnec (Slovenia), Claudia Petrescu (Romania); and, Paul Flynn (Ireland). For the
Glossary the contributions of the members in developing the definitions of various concepts
have allowed us to develop a better understanding of the transversality of NEETs. Francisco Simões, the leader of the COST Action, and Gabriela Neagu, vice-leader, deserve special
words of appreciation for their support and suggestions. Finally, we are deeply indebted to
Emre Erdogan and Paul Flynn for their wonderful editorial support and guidance
Clinical clustering of eight orthostatic haemodynamic patterns in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
No full textINTRODUCTION: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) can be assessed with non-invasive continuous beat-to-beat haemodynamic monitoring during active stand (AS) testing; this yields large volumes of data outside the scope of the traditional OH definition. I explored clinical associations of different AS patterns in participants from Wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). METHODS: AS patterns were generated based on three sequential binary BP features: drop ≥40/20mmHg SBP/DBP within 10s post-stand (“immediate deficit”), failure to return to within 20/10mmHgS BP/DBP of supine level at 40s after standing (“stabilisation deficit”), and drop ≥20/10mmHg SBP/DBP between >40 and 120s post-stand (“late deficit”). Eight AS groups (for SBP and DBP each) resulted from combining the presence/absence of these three features. The groups were cross-sectionally characterised, and their ability to independently predict orthostatic intolerance (OI), falls or syncope in the past year, was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models.The heart rate features of the eight SBP/DBP groups were then analysed including: resting heart rate (RHR), meanHR, maxHR, deltaHR and heart rate recovery. RESULTS4899 participants were included, with a mean age of 61 and of whom 55% were female. The largest group was the one with no deficits (SBP: 68% vs DBP: 49.41%). In both SBP and DBP groups, older age was associated with stabilisation deficit and late deficits were seen in groups with higher proportions of beta blockers and psychotropic medications. There were higher rates of cardiovascular risk factors/disease in the DBP groups.In both SBP and DBP groups, regression models identified independent associations between OI and three immediate-deficit groups; associations became stronger as more deficits were present.There was a significant association between falls history and the three-deficit group (SBP: OR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.15-2.07, p=0.004, DBP: OR1.56, 95% CI: 1.18-2.07, p=0.002). Groups 1 and 3 have the lowest RHR and Group 8 has the quickest HRR10_20 recovery (-6.69, -6.81)when defined by either SBP or DBP criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of AS deficits was reflective of a frailer and more multimorbid population and was associated with higher risk of OI and falls history. During an AS the recovery pattern after the drop is as important, if not more than the initial BP drop alone.The current practice of using SBP or DBP to identify OH may result in two OH populations with different underlying pathophysiology being grouped together
Fatherhood and smoking problems in Indonesia: Exploration of potential protective factors for men aged 18-49 years from the United Nations multi-country study on men and violence
No full textDespite the sustained high prevalence of smoking among Indonesian adult men, little is known about possible protective factors in this group. This study examined the relationship between key characteristics of masculinity (e.g., fatherhood status, being the main breadwinner or sole provider for the family) and current smoking behaviours (smoking status and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD)) among Indonesian men aged 18-49 years.
In total, 2540 Indonesian men aged 18-49 participated in the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence, 2012. Fatherhood status was categorised into three groups: nonfathers, new fathers and more experienced fathers. The association between fatherhood status and current smoking, as well as fatherhood status and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), was estimated by employing logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions, respectively.
Socioeconomic factors were associated with smoking behaviour among Indonesian adult men. The odds of smoking among new fathers and more experienced fathers were 2.3 (95% CI: 1.09-4.79) and 1.5 times (95% CI: 1.08-2.17) higher compared with nonfathers, respectively. Men who had a shared income with their partner or received income from their parents smoked 13% (95% CI 0.79-0.95) and 11% fewer CPD (95% CI 0.79-0.99) compared with men who were the main breadwinner, respectively.
In this study, fatherhood represents an aspect of traditionally masculine roles, offering a new perspective for looking at smoking problems in Indonesia. Other key aspects of traditional masculinity characteristics, the breadwinner role, occupation and sources of family income had significant associations with smoking status and CPD. Men smoked fewer CPD as fathers and when sharing the financial responsibility for their family equally with their spouse.This research was funded by UN Women Indonesia, grant number PSA-IDN-2012-001, and the APC was funded by NILSA, Dnr. 2015-01499, (Sweden). This paper is part of the PhD thesis of the first author with support from LPDP Indonesia
Mobile learning to support computational thinking in initial teacher education: A case study
No full textResearch on the role of mobile learning in computational thinking is limited, and even more so in its use in initial teacher education. Aligned to this there is a need to consider how to introduce and expose pre-service teachers to computational thinking constructs within the context of the subject area they will teach in their future classrooms. This paper outlines a quasi-experimental study to examine the role of mobile learning in facilitating computational thinking development amongst pre-service teachers in initial teacher education. The study enquires if there are significant differences in grades achieved in computational thinking and programming learning when mobile learning is introduced. Findings showed and reaffirmed the positive influence of the mobile applications on the development of computational thinking amongst the pre-service teachers who participated.The software applications used in this study were supported by TIN2015-66731-C2-1-R of the Spanish
Ministry of Education and P2018/TCS-4307 from the Autonomous Region of Madrid
Bespoke 3D printed eye cover for teen with rhabdomyosarcoma
No full textBackground We report a case of using 3D printing to create a bespoke eye cover for an 18-year-old man with left maxillary alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Further, the patient had proptosis causing chemosis and subsequent conjunctival abrasions. This had been managed by taping a large dressing around the eye for a number of weeks previously.
Methods A 3D scanner was used to capture the surface topography of the patients face. The data were imported into a CAD package and used as a guide to create a bespoke eye cover. The final design was 3D printed in a biocompatible material for use by the patient.
Results The scan, modelling, and printing of the bespoke cover was completed successfully in less than 72 hours.
Conclusion 3D printing offers a method to create bespoke solutions for patients in palliative care to meet rare and difficult clinical challenges
Continuous production of enzymes under carbon-limited conditions by trichoderma harzianum P49P11
No full textCarbon-limited chemostat cultures were performed using different carbon sources (glucose, 10 and 20 g/ L; sucrose, 10 g/L; fructose/glucose, 5.26/5.26 g/L; carboxymethyl cellulose, 10 g/L; and carboxymethyl cellulose/glucose, 5/5 g/L) to verify the capability of the wild type strain Trichoderma harzianum to produce extracellular enzymes. All chemostat cultures were carried out at a fixed dilution rate of 0.05 h1 Experiments using glucose, fructose/glucose and sucrose were performed in duplicate. Glucose condition was found to induce the production of enzymes that can catalyse the hydrolysis of p nitrophenyl-b-D-glucopyranoside (PNPGase). A concentration of 20 g/L of glucose in the feed provided the highest productivity (1048 ± 16 U/mol h). Extracellular polysaccharides were considered the source of inducers. Based on the obtained results, a new PNPGase production process was developed using mainly glucose. This process raises interesting possibilities of synthesizing the inducer substrate and the induced enzymes in a single step using an easily assimilated carbon source under carbon-limited conditions
‘We’re meant to be crossing over…but the bridge is broken’: 2020 university graduates’ experiences of the pandemic in Ireland
No full textGeneralized mean-field approximation for the Deffuant opinion dynamics model on networks
No full textWhen the interactions of agents on a network are assumed to follow the Deffuant opinion dynamics model, the
outcomes are known to depend on the structure of the underlying network. This behavior cannot be captured by
existing mean-field approximations for the Deffuant model. In this paper, a generalized mean-field approximation
is derived that accounts for the effects of network topology on Deffuant dynamics through the degree distribution
or community structure of the network. The accuracy of the approximation is examined by comparison with
large-scale Monte Carlo simulations on both synthetic and real-world networks