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Edge2Guard: Botnet attacks detecting offline models for resource-constrained IoT devices
No full textIn today\u27s IoT smart environments, dozens of MCU-based connected device types exist such as HVAC controllers, smart meters, smoke detectors, etc. The security conditions for these essential IoT devices remain unsatisfactory since: (i) many of them are built with cost as the driving design tenet, resulting in poor configurations and open design; (ii) their memory and computational resource constraints make it highly challenging to implement practical attack protection mechanisms; and (iii) currently, manufacturers use simplified light protocol versions to save memory for extra features (to boost sales). When such issues and vulnerabilities are exploited, devices can be compromised and converted into bots whereby severe DDoS attacks can be launched by a botmaster. Such tiny devices are safe only when connected to networks with defense mechanisms installed in their networking devices like routers and switches, which might not be present everywhere, e.g. on public/free Wi-Fi networks. To safeguard tiny IoT devices from cyberattacks, we provide resource-friendly standalone attack detection models termed Edge2Guard (E2G) that enable MCU-based IoT devices to instantly detect IoT attacks without depending on networks or any external protection mechanisms. During evaluation, our top-performing E2G models detected and classified ten types of Mirai and Bashlite malware with close to 100% detection rates.This publication has emanated from research supported in
part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
under Grant Number SFI/16/RC/3918 (Confirm) and also by
a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under
Grant Number SFI/12/RC/2289_P2 (Insight), with both grants
co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
Ridding ourselves of the past: Trauma, testimony and the Irish Civil War
No full textThis dissertation complicates the widespread scholarly and popular belief that the Irish Civil War (1922–1923) was followed by a ‘traumatic silence’. It achieves this by opening up an alternative archive of published civil war testimony. Most of the testimonies included were produced in the 1920s and 1930s. They were written by pro- and anti-treaty men and women, in both English and Irish. Nearly all have eluded sustained scholarly attention to date. The wealth of this body of testimony suggests that the supposed ‘silence’ of the Irish Civil War was less related to an inability to speak on the part of revolutionaries, but rather due to an unwillingness by the architects of official memory to receive and invest in the testimony of civil war veterans. However, testimonies of traumatic events seldom appear in conventional form. The act of smuggling private, painful experience into the public realm, especially when it challenged official memory making (or even forgetting), demanded the cautious deployment of self-protective narrative strategies. As a result, this dissertation calls for the broader incorporation of less conventional, fictionalised and hybridised forms of life writing into historical study.
This rich archive of testimony facilitated a counter-memory to the dominant commitment to ‘forget’ the civil war. These testimonies also illustrate the interface between the cultural mediation of the ‘collective trauma’ of the Irish Civil War and emerging understandings of individual psychic ‘trauma’ in the early decades of the twentieth century. Indeed, a number of veterans self-consciously engaged in projects of therapeutic writing as a means to ‘heal’ the ‘spiritual wounds’ of civil war. This dissertation argues that fictionalised forms of life writing were widely employed to grapple with the psychological complexities of veterans’ wartime experience – this is particularly evident in the case of female revolutionaries. The dissertation also outlines the prevalence of literary representations of wartime sexual violence, challenging the assumptions that sexual violence during the Irish revolution was ‘rare’ or ‘hidden’. It further considers overlooked perpetrator trauma narratives that emerged in the 1970s in the context of the ‘Troubles’, and outlines the particular exculpatory narrative strategies adopted by veterans to enable their confessions of perpetrating violence.2025-05-0
Gray matter volume in the right angular gyrus is associated with differential patterns of multisensory integration with aging
No full textMultisensory perception might provide an important marker of brain function in aging. However, the cortical structures supporting multisensory perception in aging are poorly understood. In this study, we compared regional gray matter volume in a group of middle-aged (n = 101; 49–64 years) and older (n = 116; 71–87 years) adults from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging using voxel-based morphometry. Participants completed a measure of multisensory integration, the sound-induced flash illusion, and were grouped as per their illusion susceptibility. A significant interaction was observed in the right angular gyrus; in the middle-aged group, larger gray matter volume corresponded to stronger illusion perception while in older adults larger gray matter corresponded to less illusion susceptibility. This interaction remained significant even when controlling for a range of demographic, sensory, cognitive, and health variables. These findings show that multisensory integration is associated with specific structural differences in the aging brain and highlight the angular gyrus as a possible “cross-modal hub” associated with age-related change in multisensory perception
Sensemaking and the influencing factors on farmer decision-making
No full textThe budget for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is €365bn (European Commission, 2018) for 2021–2027, with the majority allocated to farmers through direct payments. Given the economic vulnerability of many farm enterprises, and the concern about the sustainability of food supply for a growing worldwide population, these payments are provided to encourage food production. Despite this economic vulnerability, many farmers do not appear to run their business with the sole intention of profit maximisation. This paper explores various financial and non-financial influencing factors on the strategic farm expansion decision-making process of farmers with the aim of assisting policymakers and farm advisors to develop a deeper understanding of that process. As a result, agricultural policy may be more effectively formulated and advisory services to farmers may be improved. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 27 farmers who have undertaken strategic farm expansion decisions. Subsequently, the interview findings were presented to a focus group to probe them in more detail. A wide range of financial and non-financial influencing factors on the strategic farm expansion decision-making process of farmers emerge. Analysis of the influencing factors by the specific type of farm expansion decision undertaken and by farm type provides further insights. It is proposed that these influencing factors act as a cue which trigger a sensebreaking activity and cause the farmer to enter a process of sensemaking, culminating in a strategic farm expansion decision being undertaken
The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism: Identification and Macroevolution of Parasites. Topics in Geobiology, vol 49.
No full textFungal parasites are important drivers in ecosystem dynamics today that can have far-reaching effects on the performance and community structure of other organisms. Knowledge of the fossil record and evolution of fungal parasitism is therefore a key component of our understanding of the complexity and functioning of ancient ecosystems. However, the fossil record of fungi as parasites remains exceedingly incomplete for several reasons. This chapter provides selected fossil examples of (putative) fungal parasites in association with land plants, algae, other fungi, and animals, and elucidates the inherent problems that often render interpretation of even the most exquisite fungal fossils difficult. Of all the potential levels of fungal interaction, parasitism is perhaps the most difficult to demonstrate in the fossil record. Different lines of evidence obtained from both the host and fungus are required to safely discriminate parasitic fungi from saprotrophs and even mutualists when examined in fossils
Children’s Ethno-National Flag Categories in Three Divided Societies
No full textFlags are conceptual representations of group membership that can prime nationalism and allegiance to one’s group (Butz, 2009; Firth, 1973). Flags of rival groups in post-accord societies may fuel further divisions (Bryson & McCartney, 1994; Holmes & Cagle, 2000; Jarman, 1997; Morris, 2005). Yet, in settings of historic intergroup conflict, flags may also symbolize unity and peace. For instance, in Bolivia, the Wiphala flag holds dual status with the Bolivian flag; flown side by side, these flags symbolize unity with the indigenous minority population (Flesken, 2014). In Kosovo, the creation of a new flag after the break from Yugoslavia symbolized the formation of a new subordinate national identity—the Kosovar identity (Maloku, Derks, Van Laar, & Ellemers, 2016). Given these multiple meanings and representations, investigating children’s understanding of the symbolic content of flags representing conflict-related groups and national allegiances can shed light on early conceptions of nationality. Framed by Social Identity Development Theory (SIDT; Nesdale, 1999; 2004), we investigate the development of categorization of, and preferences for, ethnic flags in three post-accord societies: Northern Ireland (NI), the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM), and Kosovo.School of Psychology Research Incentivisation SchemeDepartment for the Economy (DfE) - Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF)British Psychological Society, Social Psychology Section, Pump-priming and Dissemination Fun
Modified fiber optic sensor for highly precise identification of mercuric ion (Hg2+) concentrations in aqueous solution
No full textThe full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 01/04/2022A fiber optic sensor for monitoring mercuric (Hg2+) ions in the aqueous sample have been developed based on modified cladding. To fabricate a D-shaped sensing zone onto the multimode optical fiber lengthwise polishing was utilized using a mechanical end and edge polishing system. The produced sensing region has dimensions of 10 mm × 125 μm × 62 μm (l × w × h). A 2 μm thin layer of Al2O3 nanoparticles sensitized with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol was deposited onto the sensing element of multimode fiber optic sensor to make it sensitive and selective for Hg2+ ions. The analytical results demonstrate that the sensing device has a linear response for Hg2+ ions concentration over a range from 4 to 16 ppm along with a 4 ppm limit of detection in an aqueous sample at room temperature. The selectivity of the sensor is examined for the recognition of Hg2+ ions in presence of other cations such as zinc and/or lead ions up to 16 ppm in an aqueous solution. The main merits of this fabricated sensor are easy and safe installation, rapid response, enhanced linear response range, and better selectivity towards Hg2+ ions
A machine learning resource allocation solution to improve video quality in remote education
No full textThe current global pandemic crisis has unquestionably disrupted the higher education sector, forcing educational institutions to rapidly embrace technology-enhanced
learning. However, the COVID-19 containment measures that
forced people to work or stay at home, have determined a
significant increase in the Internet traffic that puts tremendous
pressure on the underlying network infrastructure. This affects
negatively content delivery and consequently user perceived
quality, especially for video-based services. Focusing on this
problem, this paper proposes a machine learning-based resource
allocation solution that improves the quality of video services
for increased number of viewers. The solution is deployed and
tested in an educational context, demonstrating its benefit in
terms of major quality of service parameters for various video
content, in comparison with existing state of the art. Moreover, a
discussion on how the technology is helping to mitigate the effects
of massively increasing internet traffic on the video quality in an
educational context is also presented
Engineering bioinks for 3D bioprinting
No full textThe full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 08/04/2022In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has attracted wide research interest in biomedical engineering and clinical applications. This technology allows for unparalleled architecture control, adaptability and repeatability that can overcome the limits of conventional biofabrication techniques. Along with the emergence of a variety of 3D bioprinting methods, bioinks have also come a long way. From their first developments to support bioprinting requirements, they are now engineered to specific injury sites requirements to mimic native tissue characteristics and to support biofunctionality. Current strategies involve the use of bioinks loaded with cells and biomolecules of interest, without altering their functions, to deliver in situ the elements required to enhance healing/regeneration. The current research and trends in bioink development for 3D bioprinting purposes is overviewed herein
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, comorbid psychopathology, behaviour problems and gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
No full textThe study aims to investigate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, comorbid psychopathology and behaviour problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Parents of 147 children and adolescents with ASD aged 6-18 years completed the Conners 3 Parent-Short Form, Gastrointestinal Symptom Inventory, Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form and Autism Spectrum Disorder-Comorbid for Children.
Fifty-six per cent of children and adolescents had a comorbid diagnosis of ADHD, yet over 70% presented with clinically significant ADHD symptoms. Forty per cent of participants received a diagnosis of ADHD before ASD and 25.6% received a diagnosis of ASD first. Relationships were found between ADHD symptoms and comorbid psychopathology, GI symptoms, and behaviour problems.
The outcomes suggest that ADHD is being underestimated as a comorbid disorder of ASD. This may have implications on treatment and interventions for children and adolescents who have a diagnosis of both ASD and ADHD