On a probabilistic approach to synthesize control policies from example datasets

This paper is concerned with the design of control policies from example datasets. The case considered is when just a black box description of the system to be controlled is available and the system is affected by actuation constraints. These constraints are not necessarily fulfilled by the (possibly, noisy) example data and the system under control is not necessarily the same as the one from which these data are collected. In this context, we introduce a number of methodological results to compute a control policy from example datasets that: (i) makes the behavior of the closed-loop system similar to the one illustrated in the data; (ii) guarantees compliance with the constraints. We recast the control problem as a finite-horizon optimal control problem and give an explicit expression for its optimal solution. Moreover, we turn our findings into an algorithmic procedure. The procedure gives a systematic tool to compute the policy. The effectiveness of our approach is illustrated via a numerical example, where we use real data collected from test drives to synthesize a control policy for the merging of a car on a highway.Science Foundation Ireland24 month embargo - RO

The struggle for healthcare under the European Union’s new economic governance regime. Trade union and grassroots mobilisations in response to healthcare commodification in Italy and Romania (2008 – 2022)

In the last decades, and especially after the 2008 economic and financial crisis, EU countries’ healthcare systems have undergone dramatic changes. Most notably, austerity measures and privatisation processes have been furthered at the EU, national and local scales (Stan and Erne, 2021). My research addresses two aspects that have been under-studied so far: the role of the EU’s new economic governance (NEG) interventions and that of trade union and grassroots mobilisations in shaping these transformations (2008-2022). The research does so by studying NEG interventions in the healthcare sector and countervailing mobilisations in two EU countries, Italy and Romania, with different healthcare systems, different positions in the EU and different activist landscapes. My research thus answers the following research questions: How have NEG interventions impacted the Italian and Romanian healthcare systems? How have Italian and Romanian unions and grassroots mobilisations responded to NEG interventions and their implementation in their respective healthcare sectors? First, through policy analysis, I show how NEG interventions led to similar measures in the two countries: freezes or cuts to healthcare workers’ wages, decrease of staffing levels, restriction of union prerogatives, decrease in the number of hospital beds, promotion of private healthcare insurances, increase or introduction of co-payments to access public healthcare services and increased involvement of private actors in the delivery of the latter. Second, through protest event analysis, I show that trade unions and grassroots mobilisations opposed, at times successfully, the implementation of NEG interventions; that they did so primarily by challenging national policymaking; and that mobilisations politicising the attack to healthcare labour and those politicising the attack to users’ access to healthcare services were usually organised separately from one another. Through the observation of healthcare mobilisations and interviews with activists and trade union officials, I then explained collective actors’ choices in terms of the scale of their mobilisations and the issues politicised, as well as what contributed to the successes and failures of healthcare collective action across the two countries and over time. In conclusion, in this thesis, I show that the transformations of the Italian and Romanian healthcare systems were shaped by a conflict between NEG interventions favouring capital accumulation and countervailing collective action, and I provide explanations regarding the scale at which mobilisations occurred, the issues they politicised, as well as what contributed to their uneven success.European Research Council2023-12-18 JG: PDF not attached as contains GDPR issues, being queried with advisor. 2023:12-18: Compliance confirmed by R. Erne

Application of in situ process monitoring to optimise laser parameters during laser powder bed fusion printing of Ti-6Al-4V parts with overhang structures

Enhanced levels of alloy print defects such as porosity are associated with the printing of overhang structures by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). This study compared the microstructure and porosity of Ti-6Al-4V overhang structures, with that observed for the bulk alloy. It was observed in the region around the overhang structure that the microstructure exhibited larger grain sizes and was less homogenous, compared to the that obtained within the bulk alloy. An increased level of porosity of up to 0.08% was also observed in the overhang print alloy, compared with the corresponding < 0.02% in the alloy bulk. It is hypothesised that these microstructural changes are associated with the excess heat generated in the overhang region, due to the decreased thermal conductivity of the powder immediately below the print layers, compared with solid alloy. During L-PBF alloy printing, in situ process monitoring of the melt pool emissions was obtained in the near-infrared range and correlated with the properties of the printed parts. This in-process data was used to assist in selecting optimal laser processing conditions, in order to help prevent melt pool overheating at the overhang. By systematically controlling the laser energy during the printing of the first fifteen layers over the overhang structure, the level of porosity was reduced, to the < 0.02% level of the bulk alloy. There was also an associated reduction in the roughness (Ra) of the overhang itself, with its Ra decreasing from 62.4 ± 7.3 to 7.5 ± 1.9 µm.Science Foundation IrelandSMART Eureka project APEM-A

Risk assessment of the host range of Hydrellia lagarosiphon for the biological control of Lagarosiphon major in Ireland

Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss ex Wager (Hydrocharitaceae) is a submerged freshwater plant native to South Africa, and a destructive invader of waterways across Europe, Australasia and the USA. Native range exploration identified a leaf mining ephydrid fly, Hydrellia lagarosiphon, as a promising biological control candidate agent. Host specificity was conducted on H. lagarosiphon, using laboratory no-choice and paired choice tests. A number of non-target native Potamogeton species sustained feeding damage under no-choice and paired choice testing. To prevent rejection of a potentially safe agent, multi-generational population persistence trials were conducted on select native Potamogetonaceae. The non-target species could not sustain a viable H. lagarosiphon population beyond two generations. A risk assessment, incorporating the preference and relative survival, indicated that three non-target species presented extremely low (< 1.3 %) risk of sustaining damage relative to that of L. major. Potamogeton polygonifolius and P. x lanceolatus present a reproductive risk of 5.61% and 11.5% respectively but could not support a viable population beyond the 2nd generation. These results, coupled with damage efficacy and predicted colonisation, demonstrate the potential H. lagarosiphon has as a biological control agent for L. major in Ireland.Irish Research CouncilThe Central Fisheries Board (CFB) CAISIE Project EU Life+ ProgrammeTo check citing and date details in 6 m, amend embargo accordingly (12 m) and also to change publishers set text date accordingly, pleas

The Effect of Powder Size and Morphology on the Sinterability of Bioresorbable Mg-Sr/Ca Alloys

Possessing outstanding biocompatibility and bioresorbability, magnesium (Mg) alloys with strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) additions have shown potential to be used as temporary implants in orthopaedic applications. Having a low elastic modulus (45 GPa) close to the human bone lowers the stress shielding effects. Low temperature Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques (e.g., Fused Deposition Modelling) have potential to be used for the fabrication of complex Mg components while avoiding safety concerns associated with high temperature AM. However, low sinterability of common Mg-alloys is the main limiting factor. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of powder particle size / morphology on the sinterability of Mg-Ca/Sr based alloys produced via powder metallurgy. Laser Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize particle size and morphology. The study also focused on assessing the role of liquid phase sintering (LPS) mechanism by thermodynamic calculations and microstructural characterisation (SEM). Porosity measurements using density analysis and image processing were employed to determine the effects of powder size and morphology on sinterability of the alloys. It was found that the non-homogeneous particle size distribution with more spherical powder particles, facilitated the compaction and accordingly higher densification was obtained. This was achieved for powders milled at higher speeds (900 rpm), resulting in significantly lower porosity levels (~ 6-8 %) compared to the dry-milled state (~40-60 %).Science Foundation IrelandMarie Skłodowska-Curie FellowshipCheck for published version on check date2023-11-03 JG: PDF replaced at author's reques

Large-Scale Data Analysis for Glucose Variability Outcomes with Open-Source Automated Insulin Delivery Systems

Open-source automated insulin delivery (AID) technologies use the latest continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pumps, and algorithms to automate insulin delivery for effective diabetes management. Early community-wide adoption of open-source AID, such as OpenAPS, has motivated clinical and research communities to understand and evaluate glucose-related outcomes of such user-driven innovation. Initial OpenAPS studies include retrospective studies assessing high-level outcomes of average glucose levels and HbA1c, without in-depth analysis of glucose variability (GV). The OpenAPS Data Commons dataset, donated to by open-source AID users with insulinrequiring diabetes, is the largest freely available diabetes-related dataset with over 46,070 days’ worth of data and over 10 million CGM data points, alongside insulin dosing and algorithmic decision data. This paper first reviews the development toward the latest open-source AID and the performance of clinically approved GV metrics. We evaluate the GV outcomes using large-scale data analytics for the n = 122 version of the OpenAPS Data Commons. We describe the data cleaning processes, methods for measuring GV, and the results of data analysis based on individual self-reported demographics. Furthermore, we highlight the lessons learned from the GV outcomes and the analysis of a rich and complex diabetes dataset and additional research questions that emerged from this work to guide future research. This paper affirms previous studies’ findings of the efficacy of open-source AID.European Commission Horizon 2020Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE

How Does Inside Information Affect Sports Betting Odds?

We describe how the presence of insiders with superior information about potential outcomes of sporting events affects odds set by bookmakers, using a generalized version of the model in Shin (1991). The model has been widely cited as an explanation for the pattern of favorite-longshot bias observed in fixed-odds betting markets. We show that disagreement among those bettors without inside information causes favorite-longshot bias. The presence of insiders reduces odds but does not necessarily exacerbate favorite-longshot bias. For realistically calibrated beliefs, the fraction of insiders has a minimal effect on the ratio of favorite to longshot odds and the betting market collapses if this fraction rises above low levels

Ireland: Trade unions recovering after being tipped off balance by the Great Recession?

This chapter describes the features and fortunes of the Irish union movement over the last thirty years, highlighting the issues it faced and the strategic responses it adopted. Whereas the collapse of social partnership agreements and the unilateral imposition of wage cuts after the financial crisis put unions very much on the defensive, it would be wrong to write off the Irish union movement.European Commission Horizon 2020European Research Counci

Toward Autism-Friendly Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Exploring Autistic Individuals' Experiences of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans in the United Kingdom, a Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Autistic individuals might undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination for clinical concerns or research. Increased sensory stimulation, lack of appropriate environmental adjustments or lack of streamlined communication in the MRI suite may pose challenges to autistic patients and render MRI scans inaccessible. This study aimed to i) explore the MRI scan experiences of autistic adults in the UK, ii) identify barriers and enablers towards successful and safe MRI examinations, iii) assess autistic individuals’ satisfaction with MRI service, and iv) inform future recommendations for practice improvement. Methods: We distributed an online survey to the autistic community on social media, using snowball sampling. Inclusion criteria were: being older than 16, have an autism diagnosis or self-diagnosis, self-reported capacity to consent and having had an MRI scan in the UK. We used descriptive statistics for demographics, inferential statistics for group comparisons/correlations, and content analysis for qualitative data. Results: We received 112 responses. A total of 29.6% of the respondents reported not being sent any information before the scan. Most participants (68%) confirmed that radiographers provided detailed information on the day of the examination but only 17.1% reported that radiographers offered some reasonable environmental adjustments. Only 23.2% of them confirmed they disclosed their autistic identity when booking MRI scanning. We found that quality of communication, physical environment, patient emotions, staff training and confounding societal factors impacted autistic people’s experiences. Autistic individuals rated their overall MRI experience as neutral and reported high levels of claustrophobia (44.8%). Conclusion: The study highlighted a lack of effective communication and coordination of care, either between healthcare services or between patients and radiographers, and lack of reasonable adjustments as vital for more accessible and person-centred MRI scanning for autistic individuals. Enablers of successful scans included effective communication, adjusted MRI environment, scans tailored to individuals’ needs/preferences, and well-trained staff.College of Radiographers Industry Partnership Scheme Research GrantAhead of print, check citing and date details in 6 m pleaseCan't get access trhough UCD so can't see pdf and no pages2023-06-15 JG: PDF updated to remove duplicate cover page erroneously added by RR