ARROW@DIT

Consultancy Designer Involvement in New Product Development: Mapping a Novel Design Leadership Process

Fiona Maciver et al. — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:14:47 PST

The role of design and designers in new product development (NPD) has always been problematic and complex in its approach and in the extent of its involvement (Leenders et al., 2007; Murray and O’Driscoll, 1996; Veryzer and Borja de Mozota, 2005). As the industrial design profession seeks to confront the challenges of a recessionary environment, both the designer led ‘intuitive’ approach to NPD, and the marketer led ‘systematic’ approach become outmoded (Cross, 2001; Martin, 2007). There is shortcoming, even ambivalence, in the NPD and design management literature as to how design is involved in NPD (Cooper et al., 2003; Olson et al., 1998). Perks et al. (2005) suggest the designer’s involvement is moving from merely functional expertise to broader leadership activities. The research reported in this paper seeks to contextualise the fledgling position of design as NPD leader, and to understand the nature and level of design and designer involvement in NPD.

An Analysis of the Mortality Risks Associated with Heat and Heat Waves in Ireland, to Assist in Planning for Climate Change

Mathilde Pascal (Thesis) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:14:57 PST

Although extreme temperatures have not been identified as a major cause of mortality in Ireland, climate change calls for an evaluation of the past, present and future health risks associated with heat and heat waves. The health impacts of heat were investigated using mortality and temperature data for the period 1981-2003. Data were aggregated in urban areas (Dublin, Cork, Drogheda, Arklow, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford) and rural areas. Seven heat waves were identified between 1981 and 2003, corresponding to 254 excess deaths (197 in rural areas, and 57 in urban areas). A major episode was observed in rural areas in 1983: +115 [confidence interval CI 95% 96:137] extra deaths between the 5th and the 23rd July 1983. During summer, a 1°C increase above 15°C in the mean temperature was associated with a 1.5% [CI 95% 0.9:2.1] increase in total mortality in rural areas, and a 1.6% [0.6:2.5] increase in total mortality in urban areas. Risks were modified by the mortality observed in the preceding winter. There are indications that the heat-related risks have been decreasing between the 80s and the 90s. A better geographical resolution of the mortality data is an asset to refine this analysis and to study any relationship between a health topic and an environmental exposure. Despite limits on the data, an increase in temperature was associated with an increase in mortality during summer in Ireland, and past heat waves were associated with a small but observable excess mortality. With the perspective of climate change, and with the ageing of the population, it may be that more severe heat episodes results in a larger mortality burden, as was observed during the July 1983 heat wave. Steps to reduce vulnerability to heat during extreme episodes should be considered.

A Methodology Towards Comprehensive Evaluation of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators for Prosthetic Finger Design

Kevin O'Toole (Thesis) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:51:35 PST

Presently, DC motors are the actuator of choice within intelligent upper limb prostheses. However, the weight and dimensions associated with suitable DC motors are not always compatible with the geometric restrictions of a prosthetic hand; reducing available degrees of freedom and ultimately rendering the prosthesis uncomfortable for the end-user. As a result, the search is on-going to find a more appropriate actuation solution that is lightweight, noiseless, strong and cheap. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators offer the potential to meet these requirements. To date, no viable upper limb prosthesis using SMA actuators has been developed. The primary reasons lie in low force generation as a result of unsuitable actuator designs, and significant difficulties in control owing to the highly nonlinear response of SMAs when subjected to joule heating. This work presents a novel and comprehensive methodology to facilitate evaluation of SMA bundle actuators for prosthetic finger design. SMA bundle actuators feature multiple SMA wires in parallel. This allows for increased force generation without compromising on dynamic performance. The SMA bundle actuator is tasked with reproducing the typical forces and contractions associated with the human finger in a prosthetic finger design, whilst maintaining a high degree of energy efficiency. A novel approach to SMA control is employed, whereby an adaptive controller is developed and tuned using the underlying thermo-mechanical principles of operation of SMA wires. A mathematical simulation of the kinematics and dynamics of motion provides a platform for designing, optimizing and evaluating suitable SMA bundle actuators offline. This significantly reduces the time and cost involved in implementing an appropriate actuation solution. Experimental results show iii that the performance of SMA bundle actuators is favourable for prosthesis applications. Phalangeal tip forces are shown to improve significantly through bundling of SMA wire actuators, while dynamic performance is maintained owing to the design and implementation of the selected control strategy. The work is intended to serve as a roadmap for fellow researchers seeking to design, implement and control SMA bundle actuators in a prosthesis design. Furthermore, the methodology can also be adopted to serve as a guide in the evaluation of other non-conventional actuation technologies in alternative applications.

A Quantitative Study Into Grade Inflation (Perceived and Actual) in the College of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology

Derek Simon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:11:27 PST

Most academics have an opinion on the existence or otherwise of grade inflation. Some people deny the existence of grade inflation. Some argue that it is damaging to academia while some argue that it is a normal phenomenon and is not damaging while others assert that it is impossible to measure. Due to the difficulty in measurement of grade inflation this study was devised to measure firsts and distinctions to ascertain the quantity of grade inflation. This study takes a two pronged approach to discovering the real and perceived existence or otherwise of grade inflation in the College. In the first instance a comparative study of the grades achieved by final year students in the year 2000 and in the year 2010 was undertaken, the data used to ascertain this information was collected from the College computer database which serves two of the schools in the College. The information demonstrates that the number of firsts awarded to students grew by one hundred percent. In the second instance a perception survey was carried out in the College where all academics in the college were asked to complete the survey. The results of this survey assert that there exists a perception of the upward movement in the awarding of first class honours. They also confirm that the upward movement of grades is caused in the main by institutional pressures to increase marks rather than educational imperatives. Now that it is established that there has been over one hundred percent increase in firsts between 2000 and 2010 one must ask the question how much time will pass before everyone achieves a first in their final results and how will we rank order the successful students.

Muslim Entrepreneurship in Ireland

Thomas Cooney et al. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:39:34 PST

Beck Halstrøm (Sweden)

Jennifer Manning et al. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:17:23 PST

David Lysaght (Ireland)

Thomas Cooney — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:17:22 PST

GJ Belfrost (England)

Thomas Cooney et al. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:17:21 PST

Wristop Technologies (Finland)

Pasi Malinen et al. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:17:19 PST

E-Learning Summer School: a Case Study

Frances Boylan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:29:14 PST

In 2003, the then Learning Technology Team at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) ran, for the first time, a week-long boot camp-type event for its academic staff to facilitate their engagement with technology enhanced learning. That year over fifty academics attended the week which encompassed an innovative combination of workshops and reflective sessions exploring both existing and new technologies and their practical applications with students. The week was such a success that the E-Learning Summer School became a fixed event in the institute’s academic calendar. As an event it has gone from strength to strength, attracting a lot of outside interest. In recent years it has grown to become the Dublin E-Learning Summer School run by DIT under the auspices of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance (DRHEA). It is a model of good practice and this case study tells its story.

Increased Susceptibility of Arterial Tissue to Wire Perforation with the Application of High Frequency Mechanical Vibrations

Mark Wylie et al. — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:54:35 PST

High frequency mechanical vibrations (20–50 kHz), delivered via small diameter flexible wire waveguides represent a minimally invasive technology for the treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) and in other tissue ablation applications. Tissue disruption is reported to be caused by repetitive mechanical contact and cavitation. This work focuses on the effects of vibrating wire waveguides in contact with arterial tissue. An apparatus with clinically relevant parameters was used, characterized as operating at 22.5 kHz and delivering amplitudes of vibration of 17.8 - 34.3 µm (acoustic intensity, I_SATA: 1.03 - 3.83 W/cm²) via 1.0 mm diameter waveguides. Inertial cavitation (in water at 37⁰C) was determined to occur above amplitudes of vibration greater than 31.4 µm (I_SATA = 3.21 W/cm²). The energized waveguides were advanced through tissue samples (porcine aorta) and the force profiles were measured for a range of acoustic intensities. The results show that the tissue perforation initiation force, perforation initiation energy and total energy required to perforate the tissue reduces with increasing acoustic intensity. No significant reduction in perforation force or energy was observed in the inertial cavitation region. Multistage perforation was evident through the force profile and histological examination of the tissue samples post wire waveguide perforation.

Investigation of a New Material for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Claire Brougham et al. — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:01:31 PST

Completeness of Interacting Particles

Pavel Abramski (Thesis) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:50:24 PST

This thesis concerns the completeness of scattering states of n _-interacting particles in one dimension. Only the repulsive case is treated, where thereare no bound states and the spectrum is entirely absolutely continuous, so the scattering Hilbert space is the whole of L2(Rn). The thesis consists of 4 chapters: The first chapter describes the model, the scattering states as given by the Bethe Ansatz, and the main completeness problem. The second chapter contains the proof of the completeness relation in the case of two particles: n = 2. This case had in fact already been treated by B. Smit (1997), [17], but it is useful to include this case as it clarifies the more general case. In particular, the more algebraic approach used for the n-particle case is illustrated in this simple example. In Chapter 3 the case n = 3 is examined. This is useful for illustrative purposes as the scattering states can still be written explicitly term by term and it is not yet necessary to introduce the complicated notation used in the general case. On the other hand, this case shows up certain technical difficulties to do with the non-commutativity of the permutation group (S3) which do not occur in the 2-particle case. Finally, Chapter 4 contains the proof of the completeness relation in the general n-particle case. The method used is the same as in the 3-particle case, but the algebra is much more complicated. In particular a number of interesting lemmas and one theorem is proved. The first lemma for 3-particle case and its generalisation - theorem for n-particle case essentially concerns the Yang-Baxter relation for this model, as first written by Yang. Indeed, Yang proposed his version of these relations as a consistency condition for the Bethe Ansatz solution of the model but never actually gave a complete proof of the consistency given these relations. Here a complete inductive proof is given. Some algebraic manipulation reduces the left-hand side of the completeness relation to a simpler form. Another lemma, which seems to be new, then shows that this expression does not contain divergent terms and consists of a sum of integrals similar to those encountered in the 2- and 3-particle cases. Evaluation of these integrals then leads to the required _-relation.

Frames and Filters: Rethinking the Photographic Archive

Doireann Wallace (Thesis) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:49:56 PST

The basic premise of this thesis is that the photographic archive needs to be substantially rethought in the age of its assimilation by digital networked computing – and not only in terms of a dematerialisation at the level of its substrate, but of transformations in the relationship between words and images. Today, when the condition of photographs within what might still broadly be termed archives has been significantly modified by digitisation and the rapid expansion of the Internet, this issue is more crucial than ever. Access to images remains almost exclusively mediated by words in the networked digital archive, but the relationship between the two is now managed by an assemblage comprising technical platforms and programs, which modify the possibilities of use even as they anticipate and adapt to it. I articulate the key terms of this change as a shift from the dominance of verbal frames more bound to disciplinary apparatuses and institutions to that of the management of these frames by new technical filters operating as and within control structures, to follow Gilles Deleuze’s distinction. Tracing these dynamics across a range of sites, from general purpose image search engines to photo-sharing platforms to the commercial construction of proprietary closed vocabularies and the filtering operations affecting corpus formation in the image banks that now control so much of the trade in photographs, I aim to provide a theoretical account of the ‘basic sociotechnological conditions’ (Deleuze [1990] 1995) governing semantic and practical access to the photographic archive within control societies.

Mathematical Methods for Biosensor Models

Qi Wang (Thesis) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:54:18 PST

A biosensor is defined as a compact analytical device incorporating a biological sensing element integrated within a physico-chemical transducer whose aim is to produce optical or electronic signals proportional to the concentration of an analyte in a sample. Biosensors offer enormous potential to detect a wide range of analytes in health care, the food industry, environmental monitoring, security and defence. The beneficial impact on society as a result of the availability of such systems is immense, therefore investigating any strategy that could reduce development times and costs and reveal alternative designs is of utmost importance. In particular, mathematical modelling and simulation, the so-called \virtual experimentation", is a relatively inexpensive and yet powerful tool for scientific analysis and prediction. Biosensor modelling is a rich source of mathematical challenges. The main components of biosensors are based on well-understood physical processes (such as diffusion, convective flow, energy and mass transfer) as well as chemical and biological reactions, all of which are amenable to mathematical modelling using ordinary and partial differential equations. The objective of this project is to provide a foundation for mathematical and computational modelling of biosensors, through identifying analytical and numerical methods applicable to the study of electrochemical and optical biosensors, with a view to optimising their design process. The models will be relevant to ongoing experimental work in the National Centre for Sensor Research (NCSR) and the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI) at Dublin City University.

Identifying and Localizing Intracellular Nanoparticles Using Raman Spectroscopy

Jennifer Dorney et al. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:41:17 PST

Raman microscopy is employed to spectroscopically image biological cells previously exposed to fluorescently labelled polystyrene nanoparticles and, in combination with K-means clustering and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), is demonstrated to be capable of localising the nanoparticles and identifying the subcellular environment based on the molecular spectroscopic signatures. The neutral nanoparticles of 50 nm or 100 nm, as characterised by dynamic light scattering, are shown to be non-toxic to a human lung adenocarcinoma cell-line (A549), according to a range of cytotoxicity assays including Neutral Red, Alamar Blue, Coomassie Blue and (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Confocal fluorescence microscopy identifies intracellular fluorescence due to the nanoparticle exposure, but the fluorescence distribution is spatially diffuse, potentially due to detachment of the dye from the nanoparticles, and the technique fails to unambiguously identify the distribution of the nanoparticles within the cells. Raman spectroscopic mapping of the cells in combination with K-means cluster analysis is used to clearly identify and localise the polystyrene nanoparticles in exposed cells, based on their characteristic spectroscopic signatures. PCA identifies the local environment as rich in lipidic signatures which are associated with localisation of the nanoparticles in the endoplasmic reticulum. The importance of optimised cell growth conditions and fixation processes is highlighted. The preliminary study demonstrates the potential of the technique to unambiguously identify and locate nonfluorescent nanoparticles in cells and to probe not only the local environment but also changes to the cell metabolism which may be associated with cytotoxic responses.

Observations of the Wind Resource Across the Dublin Urban Area

Keith Sunderland BE Dip. Eng. CEng MIEI et al. — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:25:18 PST

This paper presents an investigation of wind observations made at three (of a network of ten) stations in Dublin. Two of the stations are located over different parts of the urbanized landscape and one is located at Dublin Airport, which exemplifies a typical meteorological station. The purpose of the analysis is to evaluate the nature of the wind resource in the urban area. The potential output of a range of commercially available micro wind turbines at one of the stations is considered. At this location, an anemometer is mounted in a similar manner to international examples of building mounted domestic installations of micro wind turbines. Finally, the paper investigates the relevancy of the Weibull and Rayleigh probability density functions as a means to represent urban wind power density for this Network.

The Role of Micro Wind Generation in Ireland’s Energy Future

Keith Sunderland BE Dip. Eng. CEng MIEI et al. — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:44:25 PST

This paper defines the current position for micro-generation, with particular reference to the potential for micro-wind units, in the Irish electricity supply system. A network model is developed using the Distflow method of load flow analysis and is applied to consider the appropriate level of micro-generation penetration.

The Probabilistic Integration of Demand-Side Load and Generation in a Representative Irish Distribution Network

Keith Sunderland BE Dip. Eng. CEng MIEI et al. — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:36:57 PST

This paper introduces a methodology for investigating the behaviour of a distribution network incorporating both load variations and variable micro-wind generation output. The probabilistic methodology is applied to a representative model of the Irish Distribution Network. Application of a selection of commercially available micro-wind turbines to the model is investigated for a range of load and generation scenarios based on a standard load profile and varying mean wind speed. Analysis of the results of the analysis forms the basis for defining the limitations of the methodology but also presents the opportunities for future work.

Estimating the Yield of Micro Wind Turbines in an Urban Environment: A Methodology

Keith Sunderland BE Dip. Eng. CEng MIEI et al. — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:28:32 PST

Micro wind turbines currently have the majority share of micro (electricity) generation installations in Ireland. These technologies are being installed predominantly in rural environments, and current applications to the Distribution Services Operator (DSO) for connection of all types of micro generator stand at less than 500. Poor market dissemination of information and research findings compounded with poor options for spill payment - as well as onerous planning restrictions do not –it appears - create a platform conducive to encouraging development in this market.

This paper outlines the complexities associated with evaluating the wind resource within an urban environment and investigates the means to ‘estimate’ wind regimes in an urban environment based on an extrapolation of a reference wind speed from a rural environment into the urban area. Methodologies for estimating the wind speed in such circumstances are considered with modeled wind data – benchmarked against wind data acquired from a site in the city centre - being applied to a set of commercially available wind turbines.