13463 research outputs found
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Digital Twins for Impact (DT4I): Using Digital Twins to Deliver Effective Risk and Emergency Management
No full textThis report explores the transformative potential of Digital Twin (DT) technology in enhancing risk, emergency, and crisis management across organisational, urban, and national contexts. It outlines the technical foundations of DT systems, integrating IoT, AI, cloud computing, extended reality, and reality-modelling tools, and synthesises current research demonstrating DT applications for mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Two in-depth case studies, the Dublin Fire Brigade’s Digital Twin for Emergency Response (DTER) and the Smart DCU campus digital twin, illustrate practical implementations, benefits, and challenges, including improved situational awareness, training, interoperability, resource allocation, and data-driven decision-making. Findings from focus groups highlight stakeholder perspectives on future opportunities, while a technical review provides guidance for selecting DT platforms. The report concludes with strategic recommendations for developing a unified Digital Twin for Emergency Management (DT4EM), emphasising real-time data integration, multi-agency coordination, governance, scalability, and national significance
The influence of rich mathematical tasks on the productive dispositions of students aged 10-14 years
No full textThe overall aim of this study is to enhance mathematics learning experiences of 10-14-year-old students in Ireland, with a specific emphasis on promoting productive dispositions in mathematics. A productive disposition is a core element in the development of mathematical proficiency. However, how students develop a productive disposition in mathematics has received little attention in the research literature. The study addresses this gap in research and practice, placing productive disposition as a core element of mathematical proficiency. To achieve this, the study employs the use of rich tasks as a tool to enhance mathematics learning experiences and productive dispositions of 10-14-year olds in Ireland. This study is primarily qualitative in nature, and an 'Educational Design Research' (EDR) is adopted as the overall research approach.
This study adds to the relatively few empirical studies conducted on students' productive dispositions in mathematics. The findings of this study favour the role of rich mathematical tasks in developing students' productive dispositions in mathematics. The findings indicate that the rich mathematical tasks based on the design principles developed in this study afforded opportunities to develop mathematical thinking, fostered positive student attitudes, and enhanced confidence in mathematics. This study offers valuable insights into students' perceptions of mathematics learning during a critical developmental period (ages 10-14). The findings have implications for designing and implementing rich tasks in mathematics that can support student learning and foster productive dispositions in mathematics
Investigating the role of HER4 and HER4 mutations in cancer
No full textDysregulation of the Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor (HER/ErbB) family is associated with tumorigenesis, however HER4’s role remains unclear. Unlike other HER family members (EGFR, HER2, HER3), HER4 presents four isoforms, with different stability and tissue-specific expression. This thesis examines the role of HER4 in cancer. Given the high frequency of HER4 point mutations in cancers such as cutaneous melanoma (CM) (17.34%) and gastroesophageal (GE) cancers (12.22%), models of these cancers were investigated for HER4/ERBB4 isoform expression and activation upon neuregulin stimulation. Additionally, HER4 was investigated in models of Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour due to its potential role in this disease. HER4 expression was low/absent in the majority of cell lines investigated, with neuregulin stimulation being cell line-specific. Tissue microarrays of skin and CM samples were analysed for HER4 expression to assess variances between HER4 expression in in vitro models and patients. HER4 expression was higher in malignant and metastatic CM compared to skin samples. Using computational analyses, potentially oncogenic HER4 mutations in CM and GE cancers were identified. To functionally interrogate their impact in in vitro models, CRISPR/Cas9 methods were employed to insert HER4 mutations into CM cell lines. The successfully developed CRISPR/Cas9 HER4-edited CM cell lines reverted to HER4 WT. However, the analysis of a SKMEL24 CM HER4 CRISPR/Cas9 knockout suggested a potential role of HER4 in CM. Due to the interplay between oestrogen and HER4 in oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer and given the observed tendency for female CM patients to exhibit better outcomes than males, oestrogen stimulation was investigated as a potential mechanism that may influence CM tumour behaviour via the HER4 – GPER – RAR-α/RXR-γ axes. In conclusion, this thesis delivered novel insights into HER4 biology/function, identified a deficiency in availability of appropriate CM and GE HER4 cell line models, and developed a novel CM model to investigate HER4 biology
L-shell Photoionisation Cross Sections in the S +, S 2+, S 3+ Isonuclear Sequence
Full text linkWe present absolute L-shell photoionisation cross sections for the S+, S2+, S3+ ions. The cross sections were obtained using the monochromatised photon beam delivered by the SOLEIL syn-
chrotron source coupled with an ion beam extracted from an electron cyclotron resonance source (ECRIS) in the merged dual-beam configuration. The cross sections for single, double and triple
ionisation were measured and combined to generate total photoionisation cross sections. For each of the S+, S2+ and S3+ ions, the photon energy regions corresponding to the excitation and ionisation of a 2p or a 2s electron (∼175-230 eV) were investigated. The experimental results are interpreted with the help of multiconfigurational Dirac-Fock (MCDF) and Breit-Pauli R-Matrix (BPRM) or Dirac R-Matrix (DARC) theoretical calculations. The former generates photoabsorption cross sec-
tions from eigenenergies and eigenfunctions obtained by solving variationally the multiconfiguration Dirac Hamiltonian while the latter calculate cross sections for photon scattering by atoms. The cross
sectional spectra feature rich resonance structures with narrow natural widths (typically ≤100 meV) due to 2p →nd excitations below and up to the 2p thresholds. This behaviour is consistent with the large number of inner-shell states based on correlation and spin-orbit mixed configurations having three open subshells. Strong and wide (typically∼1 eV) Rydberg series of resonances due to 2s →np excitations dominate above the 2p threshold
Overcoming machine learning training data imbalance by simulating exoplanet transits
Full text linkWe propose to use simulations of exoplanet transits to improve training outcomes for Machine Learning models. Machine learning has huge potential in exoplanet detection but faces challenges due to data imbalance and lack of ground truth in observational data.
Most stars do not show transits, leading to datasets being skewed towards non-transit light curves, which can result in over-fitting and poor recall. Furthermore, the absence of ground truth complicates understanding the effects of noise and errors on detection outcomes.
To address these issues, we simulate exoplanet transits using key astrophysical parameters and diverse noise profiles to create balanced training datasets. This simulation-based approach will improve machine learning models, enhancing their outcomes in detecting exoplanets in real-world data
A Social Economy for a Shared Island
Full text linkThis research report aims to understand better the state of the social economy across Northern Ireland and Ireland, examining institutional policy frameworks, support mechanisms, and opportunities for enhanced cross-border cooperation. The analysis emerges from a 12-month collaboration between Development Trusts NI and the Carmichael Centre, supported by the Shared Island Fund, involving case study visits, policy engagement, desk-based analysis, review of policy and grey literature and extensive stakeholder consultation
Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Volume 2: Sustainable Transport Development
Full text linkGathering autistic children’s views on their educational experiences: A systematic review of methods
Full text linkChildren should be heard on matters that impact their educational lives. However, meaningfully engaging autistic children can be difficult for researchers and policymakers. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to summarise methods used to gather the views of autistic1 children on their primary educational experiences. Database searches identified 34 peer-reviewed articles, which met the inclusion criteria. Analyses showed that semi-structured interviews were the most frequently used practice, and a variety of visual and technology-based activities were used as part of the interviews to support participants’ expression. A key consideration for future research and practice is that as researchers, it is our responsibility to co-produce methods with autistic children, to allow them to express their views, both in research and real life
An Early Inclusive Start: Teachers’ Attitudes to Their Role in Supporting Autistic Pupils within Mainstream Primary Early Intervention Classes
Full text linkThis study explores the attitudes among teachers working with Autistic preschool children within Irish primary schools regarding the role of designated early intervention classes in supporting inclusive education. Given the increasing policy focus in Ireland on supporting educational access for Autistic children within mainstream school settings in recent decades, and the evidence that early intervention significantly contributes to the holistic educational development of young autistic learners, such classes may play a beneficial role in supporting long-term educational access. The current mixed 87 method study conducted a survey (n=28) and semi-structured interviews (n=7) with teachers working with Autistic preschool children in early intervention classes in mainstream primary schools. The study explored participants' attitudes and views regarding the role of the designated early intervention class model in supporting inclusive educational access within Irish mainstream primary classes. Past research has shown that teacher attitudes are an important variable in how inclusive educational provision is operationalised and there is limited current research exploring teachers’ attitudes towards the early intervention class model in Ireland. Findings indicated that participants held a positive attitude toward the designated autism-specific early intervention class model and three themes emerged; Early Intervention Classes: A good Start, School Readiness Preparation and Initial Parent Support. These findings provide a snapshot of attitudes among teachers working in designated early-intervention autism classes and, potentially, have implications regarding how they can be supported and how this model can be operationalized within Irish mainstream primary schools
Civil society’s role in constitutionalising global content governance
Full text linkThis article examines global content governance on social media platforms through the lens of digital constitutionalism, which explores how fundamental rights can be embedded within the socio-technical architecture of digital technologies. It highlights the often-overlooked role of civil society in articulating digital rights and principles. In addition to performing a watchdog function and raising awareness about the human rights implications of digital technologies, we argue that civil society organisations play a constitutionalising role, acting as a bridge between international human rights law and platform governance. Above all, by engaging in global conversations, civil society organisations may facilitate the emergence and dissemination of a set of shared principles and rules. By conducting a semantic network analysis on 44 digital bills of rights that were drafted by civil society organisations and addressed content governance issues, the article aims to identify emerging principles as well as to study their alignment with human rights standards, their relationships, and evolution over time. The findings highlight how civil society initiatives have effectively led to a convergence of expectations around a common set of principles for content moderation, which could both pressure and support platforms and policymakers to strike a balance between freedom of expression and protecting people and democratic institutions from harm and disinformation