NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Fast optimal control performance evaluation for wave energy control co-design
No full textWith the application of energy-maximizing control for wave energy converters (WECs), the WEC design
problem becomes a control co-design problem. One of the fundamental requirements of co-design is to
evaluate the optimal control performance, i.e., average power generation. Previous control techniques include
model predictive control (MPC) and pseudo-spectral (PS) control, but both require iterative optimization,
with computational requirements the main limiting factor in co-design. In this study, a fast optimal control
performance evaluation method is proposed based on a ‘wave-by-wave’ (WbW) representation. The idea is
to split the wave excitation force (WEF) signals into individual waves, process them separately, and then
combine the results with the distribution of WEF amplitude and period, yielding a straightforward average
power calculation. The method is fully developed and studied, considering the cases of position-only, and
general, constraints, as well as different choices to obtain the WEF parameter distribution. It is shown that
the WbW method can achieve a very high control evaluation fidelity (within a 5% error) and give almost
the same co-design result as MPC and PS (implemented using WecOptTool), but with a significantly reduced
computation time (e.g., hundreds of times faster), therefore being a game changer for control co-design of
WECs
Enhancing Cultural Participation of Persons with Disabilities. A Toolkit for Cultural Organisations.
No full textThis Toolkit presents findings and recommendations that arise from the research conducted within the remit of the DANCING project. It complements peer reviewed articles and academic research outputs written during the course of the project.
This Toolkit is for cultural professionals and cultural organisations who play a crucial role in preserving traditions, fostering creativity, and shaping the cultural identity of societies overall, and who wish to participate in and contribute to a more inclusive and accessible cultural environment for people with disabilities, both as an audience and as active and involved cultural professionals
Developments in the Law Governing Online Activity: The Criminalisation of Catfishing and Civil Relief in Cases of Image-Based Sexual Abuse
No full textThis article considers the practice of catfishing and makes the case for it becoming a criminal
offence. It draws on the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) Bill 2024 which proposed the
creation of such an offence. Although the Bill collapsed upon the 2024 general election being called, the article
urges that the Bill or at least the issue that the Bill seeks to address, namely catfishing, be reconsidered in the
new Oireachtas. The article argues that a legislative response to this issue is necessary considering the extensive
harm that catfishing can cause and the multiple individuals that it affects. It is further argued that catfishing
ought to be a standalone offence notwithstanding assertions that the practice is punishable under pre-existing
offences like harassment. The article proceeds to discuss some recent developments in the law governing online
activity that the aforementioned Bill will join provided it becomes law. In particular, the developments
discussed here raise the prospect that there are now civil as well as criminal law remedies in cases of
image-based sexual abuse
The Maynooth Codex of Tabletop Adventures
No full textWriting for Role-Playing Games: Narratives, Adventures, and Worldbuilding was a post-graduate class offered
in the summer of 2024 by Maynooth University. Students immersed themselves in theory, design, and, most
importantly, writing. The diversity of games that students were interested in speaks to the strength of the genre.
Indeed, the existence of the class itself is a recognition of the importance and, dare we say, legitimacy of
tabletop RPGs as a creative industry. As the works presented here demonstrate, tabletop RPGs offer a unique
site to explore fundamental questions about society and human experience
Implications of the Revised Draft EU Accession Agreement for the echr
No full textThis article explores the implications of the EU's accession to the echr from the echr perspective based on the revised Draft Accession Agreement (daa 2023). The article analyses key procedural innovations in the daa 2023, notably how the co-respondent mechanism, the prior involvement of the cjeu, and the daa's solutions for advisory opinion requests and for dealing with the EU law concept of mutual trust would work. It exposes the EU's new role as a gatekeeper in relation to certain procedural questions. The article further contrasts the position of EU member states and non-EU member states post-accession by pointing out potential inconsistencies and assesses proposed solutions in light of their effectiveness and workability. The article suggests that, despite the considerable concessions made to the EU, EU accession to the echr would nonetheless result in a strengthening of the echr system and is thus worth the effort and compromises
An Talamh Bhláfar
No full textAn Talamh Bhláfar (The Fertile Land) is a song that bridges heritage, culture, and sustainability. Created by Maynooth University (MU) and University College Dublin (UCD) through the Horizon Europe BioBeo project and the BiOrbic BioCultúr project, it shares the significance of the bioeconomy with communities through the arts. The video launch coincides with the appearance of one of our guitarists on the RTE Late Late Toy show @rtelatelateshow #latelatetoyshow. The bioeconomy, focused on sustainable resource use and innovation, offers a path to resilient communities. By weaving these principles into a song inspired by Ireland’s cultural and ecological heritage, An Talamh Bhláfar shows how land, language, and tradition are deeply connected with a bioeconomy. In Ireland, the landscape and cultural identity are inseparable, reflected in place names, traditions, and livelihoods. The song highlights how communities can honour these ties while adopting sustainable practices. Through music, An Talamh Bhláfar invites listeners to embrace a shared vision of sustainability, celebrating the potential of the bioeconomy to protect both nature and culture for future generations
Fungal siderophores and their analogues alter microbial growth and biochemistry: expanding the repertoire of antimicrobial strategies.
No full textIn recent years, the concerns of rising anti-microbial resistance (AMR) in bacteria and fungi have grown due to the rate at which pathogens gain resistance to antimicrobials compared to the rate of antibiotic discovery. As a result, investigations into the role of siderophores, natural iron chelators produced by microbes under iron limiting conditions, are being carried out to see if these small metabolites can be used to bypass AMR by either limiting the amount of available iron or using them as carriers for ‘Trojan-Horse’ antibiotics. It was observed that Triacetylfusarinine C (TAFC), a siderophore native to Aspergillus fumigatus, significantly inhibited Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii growth in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05) and increased the production of a hitherto unknown catecholate, potentially enterobactin-related, siderophore in K. pneumoniae with a singly charged [M+1H]1+ of 924.34. Quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that K. pneumoniae treated with TAFC or gliotoxin (GT), another metabolite produced by A. fumigatus, exhibited disruption of metal homeostasis pathways, protein synthesis and electron transfer. Furthermore, Diacetylfusarinine C (DAFC), a TAFC analogue, was successfully conjugated to chitosan, a biopolymer, and separately to the chemotherapy drug methotrexate (MTX). The DAFC polymer exhibited increased iron-binding activity relative to free TAFC and the gallium chelate of DAFC-MTX (GaDAFC-MTX) conjugate significantly inhibited the growth of A. fumigatus on solid agar by 50 % (p < 0.005) and in liquid culture by 60% (p < 0.005). Interestingly, the GaDAFC-MTX conjugate significantly inhibited TAFC production by 95% (p < 0.005) and overall siderophore production by 50% (p < 0.05) whereas free MTX only inhibited the production of TAFC (p < 0.005). It is concluded that siderophores not native to K. pneumoniae can be used to limit the
available environmental iron and that TAFC and derivatives are suitable candidates for developing Trojan-Horse antifungals
Export policy cooperation in a pandemic: the good, the bad and the hopeful
No full textWe develop a model in which vaccine‐producing firms from different developed countries supply vaccines to the developing world during a pandemic. Exporting countries experience a negative externality from incomplete global vaccination, which they try to mitigate by exporting vaccines to developing countries. A cooperative export policy is compared to the alternative regimes of non‐cooperation and non‐intervention. When the negative externality is low, cooperation among exporting countries is worse for global welfare than non‐intervention. However, at high externality levels, export policy cooperation is globally superior to non‐cooperative export subsidization. It then even has the potential to maximize global welfare
