NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Hydrodynamic excitation force estimation and forecasting for wave energy applications
No full textOcean waves represent a significant energy resource which can complement other
renewable energy technologies during the transition to a low-carbon energy mix.
Despite the large number of concepts suggested for the conversion of wave energy,
none of the technologies has yet demonstrated economic viability. To this end,
several solutions have been proposed in the literature, such as deploying Wave Energy
Converters (WECs) in large arrays or optimal control of WECs.
The majority of WEC optimal control strategies require knowledge of the previous,
current, and future excitation force acting on the device. However, for the WEC
case, the excitation force is an unmeasurable quantity and, therefore, must first be
estimated, based on available measurements, and then predicted in the future. The
main objective of this thesis is to analyse the estimation/prediction techniques proposed
for wave energy applications and to evaluate whether such techniques are ready to
be applied for real WEC control strategies. To this end, a critical comparison of the
available excitation force estimators is presented. Additionally, the performance of the
autoregressive model as a predictor is analysed, showing that, the obtained prediction
accuracy can get close to the theoretically best achievable prediction accuracy.
Based on the errors observed from the analysis of excitation force estimation/prediction
techniques, a sensitivity analysis of an optimal control strategy to such errors is
performed. As a result, this thesis provides an overview of the aspects which should be
considered at the stage of tuning estimation/prediction techniques, to not affect
the controller performance.
Since the estimation/prediction problem becomes more challenging for WEC arrays,
due to the hydrodynamic interactions, an important question is whether the extra
measurements from the array are sufficient to compensate for the greater complexity
of the wave field. Thus, a global estimator/predictor, considering information from
all the devices of the array, is developed and compared to a set of independent
estimators/predictors.
Finally, this thesis introduces an identification strategy to obtain a parametric model
of both the force-to-motion dynamics and/or the radiation force convolution term of
the device. The strategy allows for the identification of low-order parametric models
of WECs, which will simplify the implementation of optimal control strategies in
real-time. Additionally, the proposed strategy is compared to the other approaches
available in the literature
RcLS2F – A Novel Fungal Class 1 KDAC Co-repressor Complex in Aspergillus nidulans
No full textThe fungal class 1 lysine deacetylase (KDAC) RpdA is a promising target for prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infection. RpdA is essential for survival of the most common air-borne mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus and the model organism Aspergillus nidulans. In A. nidulans, RpdA depletion induced production of previously unknown small bioactive substances. As known from yeasts and mammals, class 1 KDACs act as components of multimeric protein complexes, which previously was indicated also for A. nidulans. Composition of these complexes, however, remained obscure. In this study, we used tandem affinity purification to characterize different RpdA complexes and their composition in A. nidulans. In addition to known class 1 KDAC interactors, we identified a novel RpdA complex, which was termed RcLS2F. It contains ScrC, previously described as suppressor of the transcription factor CrzA, as well as the uncharacterized protein FscA. We show that recruitment of FscA depends on ScrC and we provide clear evidence that ΔcrzA suppression by ScrC depletion is due to a lack of transcriptional repression caused by loss of the novel RcLS2F complex. Moreover, RcLS2F is essential for sexual development and engaged in an autoregulatory feed-back loop
Banks and Sovereigns: Did adversity bring them closer? Working Paper N307-20
No full textWe analyse the stability of the cross-market shock transmission mechanism between banks and sovereign bonds during the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis for crisis-hit periphery countries and Germany. We also examine the shock propagation of banking shocks and sovereign bond shocks between domestic and external markets. Using a Markov-switching framework, we find strong evidence of bilateral contagion between banks and sovereign bonds and also between domestic and external banking sectors. Sovereign bond markets are different. An external shock only produces contagious effects in Greece, who were largely dependent on external aid. For all the others, external shocks lead to decoupling as investors became increasingly discerning in their perception of the debt instruments issued by different Eurozone states
Ageing as well as you can in place: Applying a geographical lens to the capability approach
No full textDespite policy commitments to support ageing in place, we know very little about the everyday realities and experiences of older people living in different environmental circumstances, with varying personal capabilities. This paper: 1) examines the valued place-based functionings of older people through the use of geo-spatial and in-situ methods, where functionings are defined as states of being and doing, and place-based functionings are defined as places, activities, interactions, routes, and routines that support these beings and doings; and 2) demonstrates the utility of a capability approach by amalgamating the interconnected concepts ‘ageing in place’ and ‘ageing well’. Three in-depth individual experiences of ageing at home in a Dublin (Ireland) suburb show how differing health and mobility challenges are managed, and illustrate how conceptions of ageing well in place can be identified from geographically-grounded lifeworlds. Participants’ place-based functionings are identified by combining qualitative and geo-spatial approaches through the use of annotated maps, using data obtained from traditional interviews, go-along interviews, and mapping exercises. Results demonstrate the diversity of place- based functionings valued by each individual, and how functionings are negotiated depending on different needs, wishes, and health or mobility challenges. Results also highlight the importance of supportive environ-ments and social supports in enabling older people to realise their most valued functionings over time, which include being able to get out and about, engage and connect with others, carry out daily tasks and errands confidently, and remain independent. By paying attention to subjectively valued place-based functionings, as well as the specific supports required to sustain them, we can facilitate older people to not just age in place, or age well, but to age - as well as they can - in place
What's the Score? Surveying Game Workers in Ireland 2020
No full textThis report summarises the findings of a survey of workers and working issues in the games sector in Ireland. The survey was designed and administered by Game Workers Unite Ireland in 2019. GWUI is an affiliated branch of the Financial Services Union in Ireland and part of an international organisation with branches in a number of countries. The findings of this survey will inform the GWU charter in Ireland
Are we living the end of democracy? a defence of the “free” time of the university and school in an era of authoritarian capitalism
No full textIn this article I address education beyond individualism, elitism and instrumentalism and instead understand education as central for a democratic way of life. I discuss the role of education in the making of democratic forms of life in the university, in the school as well as in other
contexts outside institutions. I argue for the importance of defending the “free time” of the university and school against a “time of production” as a defining characteristic of university and school. I will show how a time of
production undermine the very possibility of education, and which therefore also tends to negate pluralist democracy
‘Promoted widely but not valued’: Teachers’ perceptions of team teaching as a form of professional development in post-primary schools in Ireland
No full textTeam teaching as a concept and approach has long been advocated at a policy level both internationally and in Ireland. However, there is very little focussed research on the use of team teaching as an approach in post-primary schools in Ireland or on its potential as a medium of teacher professional development. This article presents the findings of a two-year collaboration between the Department of Education, Maynooth University and the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) to support student teachers and qualified teachers to engage in team teaching. It reports on the context for the collaboration and the educational policy landscape relating to team teaching in Ireland. The main focus of this paper is to report the perceptions of experienced teachers about the potentialities of team teaching as a form of professional development. The findings highlight the fragmented and tenuous way in which team teaching exists in many schools, with one teacher asserting that it is ‘promoted widely but not valued’. Despite challenges, the data affirm a very strong appetite among post-primary teachers in Ireland for increased support to use team teaching as an approach that they report to be a valuable medium of professional development
Interleukin‐17 producing mucosal associated invariant T cells ‐ emerging players in chronic inflammatory diseases?
No full textMuc5ac Expression Protects the Colonic Barrier in Experimental Colitis
No full textAbstract included in the text
Glycosyl squaramides, a new class of supramolecular gelators
No full textGlycosyl squaramides were synthesised and evaluated as low molecular weight gelators. Amphiphilic glycosyl squaramides 5 and 6, with a C-16 aliphatic chain, formed thermoreversible gels in polar organic solvents and 1 : 1 ethanol/water mixtures with high efficiency. Rheological analysis showed these gels achieve their structural stability 120 h after gelation and were robust, making them particularly suitable for biomedical applications. The interactions between solvent and gelator strongly influence SAFiN (Self-Assembled Fibrillar Network) formation, critical gelation concentration (CGC) and subsequent gel structure, as evidenced by SEM imaging of xerogels. Spectroscopic studies indicate that H-bonding is involved in the self-assembly of the glycosyl squaramides in organic solvents, while hydrophobic interactions are the major driving force for gel formation in the presence of water. The compounds described herein are the first reported examples of carbohydrate-squaramide conjugates capable of forming supramolecular gels