Improving the Energy Efficiency of the MANTIS Kernel

Event-driven operating systems such as TinyOS are the preferred choice for wireless sensor networks. Alternative designs following a classical multi-threaded approach are also available. A popular implementation of such a multi-threaded sensor network operating system is MANTIS. The event-based TinyOS is more energy efficient than the multi-threaded MANTIS system. However, MANTIS is more capable than TinyOS of supporting time critical tasks as task preemption is supported. Thus, timeliness can be traded for energy efficiency by choosing the appropriate operating system. In this paper we present a MANTIS kernel modification that enables MANTIS to be as power efficient as TinyOS. Results from an experimental analysis demonstrate that the modified MANTIS can be used to fit both sensor network design goals of energy efficiency and timeliness

A Comprehensive Experimental Comparison of Event Driven and Multi-Threaded Sensor Node Operating Systems

The capabilities of a sensor network are strongly influenced by the operating system used on the sensor nodes. In general, two different sensor network operating system types are currently considered: event driven and multi-threaded. It is commonly assumed that event driven operating systems are more suited to sensor networks as they use less memory and processing resources. However, if factors other than resource usage are considered important, a multi-threaded system might be preferred. This paper compares the resource needs of multi-threaded and event driven sensor network operating systems. The resources considered are memory usage and power consumption. Additionally, the event handling capabilities of event driven and multi-threaded operating systems are analyzed and compared. The results presented in this paper show that for a number of application areas a thread-based sensor network operating system is feasible and preferable

Quarterly Economic Commentary, Winter 2011/Spring 2012

The euro zone financial crisis remains unresolved. The euro zone economy is slipping into recession due to the impact of both the austerity measures and the effect of policy uncertainty in the euro zone on investment, consumer spending and employment. The euro zone banking system needs to be recapitalised, and account must be taken of the effect that the write‐down of Greek debt will have on this. The UK economy has been adversely affected by the euro zone crisis and is unlikely to meet its fiscal targets unless more restrictive measures are introduced, which in turn will worsen its economic performance. By contrast the US economy seems to be performing somewhat better than many had expected. Thus in the two regions that are of great importance in trade terms for Ireland – the euro zone and the UK – the country is facing weak or declining demand, while in the US, demand is growing modestly. The overall picture is weak

Quarterly Economic Commentary, Autumn 2011

The situation in the international economy has deteriorated in recent months. The eurozone debt crisis has not been resolved, rather it has spread, and now two major economies, France and Italy, are pursuing restrictive policies to contain budget deficits, in tandem with contractionary policies in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland. As a consequence, output in the eurozone economy will perform very poorly and may contract year‐on‐year and is certainly likely to contract from the end of 2011 to the end of 2012. This will have the effect of making it difficult for all eurozone countries to meet fiscal targets. This outcome will also hamper the restructuring of the UK economy and reduce its growth prospects. The US economy now seems to have recovered from the poor performance that began in the fourth quarter of 2011. Given this very unfavourable background the Irish economy is likely to experience very limited growth – less than 1 per cent for GDP and a fall in GNP next year. Three months ago the possibility of building on an improved performance in 2011 made us reasonably optimistic about growth in the economy and growth in employment. The deterioration in the eurozone economy makes that unlikely now, though the fiscal targets set for next year are achievable

Quarterly Economic Commentary, Summer 2011

The international economy is in a period of great uncertainty. On both sides of the Atlantic, governments are faced with difficult choices regarding levels of debt. In the United States, this has led to the first ever downgrading of sovereign debt by a major ratings agency. In Europe, governments have agreed major changes to the mechanism for bailing out troubled eurozone countries, although financial markets are not convinced that this is enough. While this agreement has brought about improved terms for Ireland’s bailout, and thus made the road to fiscal sustainability easier, the issue of burden sharing remains to be addressed. At present the cost of the restructuring of the covered banking system has primarily been borne by Ireland, even though the benefits of this restructuring are shared throughout the eurozone

Physiological and metabolic characteristics of elite tug of war athletes

Objective—To determine the aerobic power ([Image: see text] O(2)MAX), body composition, strength, muscular power, flexibility, and biochemical profile of an elite international squad of tug of war athletes. Methods—Sixteen male competitors (mean (SEM) age 34 (2) years) were evaluated in a laboratory. For comparative purposes, data were analysed relative to normative data for our centre and to a group of 20 rugby forwards from the Irish international squad. Results—The tug of war participants were lighter (83.6 (3.0) v 104.4 (1.8) kg, p<0.0001) and had less lean body mass (69.4 (2.1) v 86.2 (1.2) kg) than the rugby players and had lower than normal body fat (16.7 (0.9)%); all values are mean (SEM). Aerobic power measured during a treadmill test was 55.8 (1.6) ml/kg/min for the tug of war participants compared with 51.1 (1.4) ml/kg/min for the rugby forwards (p<0.03). A composite measure of strength derived from (sum of dominant and non-dominant grip strength and back strength)/lean body mass yielded a strength/mass ratio that was 32% greater (p<0.0001) for the tug of war group than the rugby group. Dynamic leg power was lower for the tug of war group than the rugby forwards (4659.8 (151.6) v 6198.2 (105) W respectively; p<0.0001). Leg flexibility was 25.4 (2.0) cm for the tug of war group. Back flexibility was 28.6 (1.4) cm which was lower (p<0.02) than the rugby forwards 34.2 (1.5) cm. Whereas blood chemistry and haematology were normal, packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, and erythrocyte volume were lower in the tug of war group than in the rugby players (p<0.05). All three haematological measures correlated with muscle mass (packed cell volume, r(2) = 0.37, p<0.0001; haemoglobin concentration, r(2) = 0.13, p<0.05; erythrocyte volume, r(2) = 0.21, p<0.01). Conclusions—The data indicate that international level tug of war participants have excellent strength and above average endurance relative to body size, but have relatively low explosive leg power and back flexibility. The data provide reference standards for the sport and may be useful for monitoring and evaluating current and future participants. Key Words: tug of war; body composition; [Image: see text] O(2)MAX; strength; power; flexibilit

Exploring the impact of authentic assessment on sustainability literacy through reflective and action-oriented tasks: A roundtable podcast

Business schools must engage in fundamental change to retain their legitimacy and position themselves as providers of solutions to urgent economic, social, and environmental crises. To this end, we need pedagogy that enables students to become sustainability literate graduates and thus develop appropriate knowledge, skills, and mind-sets. This roundtable discussion podcast comprises six colleagues engaged in conversation and reflection around a pedagogical initiative designed with the broad aim of enhancing sustainability literacy among business students using innovative digital tools as part of an authentic assessment strategy. The pedagogical approaches we discuss engage students with learning across several different modes and in a ‘deep’ reflective manner (Meyers & Nulty, 2009).  We discuss our use of the UN supported Sulitest platform, specifically our use of the Sulitest quiz tool. The podcast transcript has been annotated through footnotes to direct the listener/reader to further reading on the various topics that emerge in our discussion

Radical polymerization of alkyl 2-cyanoacrylates

Cyanoacrylates (CAs) are well-known fast-setting adhesives, which are sold as liquids in the presence of stabilizers. Rapid anionic polymerization on exposure to surface moisture is responsible for instant adhesion. The more difficult, but synthetically more useful radical polymerization is only possible under acidic conditions. Recommendations on the handling of CAs and the resulting polymers are provided herein. In this review article, after a general description of monomer and polymer properties, radical homo- and copolymerization studies are described, along with an overview of nanoparticle preparations. A summary of our recently reported radical polymerization of CAs, using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, is provided

Embedding Sustainability Literacy in Business School Curricula through Reflective Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study of Student Reflections of the Sulitest

Purpose Sustainability has emerged as a megatrend affecting all aspects of management practice. SDG 4.7 has mandated business schools to provide education for responsible leadership and to integrate sustainability principles in their curricula. Faculty are challenged to mainstream sustainability through engaging pedagogy that inspires and offers concrete tools. Yet, pedagogy has been viewed as a key challenge to embedding sustainability in management education. Design / Methodology / Approach We highlight the role of reflection in promoting the enhancement of sustainability literacy in business school curricula, supporting our proposition that management education for sustainability must have a reflective dimension that engages students in deeper learning. In addition to exploring theoretical perspectives on sustainability literacy development through reflection, we draw on empirical evidence provided from a study of 300+ student reflective assignments, based on their experiences of the UN Sulitest, using the DIEP (describe, interpret, evaluate, plan) framework. Findings A thematic analysis of reflective assignments suggest that students engaged in thoughtful reflection that was transformative in nature, broadening their knowledge, questioning their mindsets and fostering change agency. Typical knowledge domains highlighted include: the circular economy, child labour, pollution, equality and clean energy. Students expressed emotions of shock, anger and surprise about the role of human affluence in unsustainable futures. Research Limitations Although our analysis paints a story limited to reflection coupled to just one learning experience, namely the UN Sulitest, future pedagogical initiatives might expand to additional tools for promoting sustainability literacy. Whilst it is meant to illustrate how elements of a sustainability literacy are developed, no data was collected to systematically evaluate transformational impact. We recommend further research to evaluate future transformation. Originality / Value Our findings contribute to the practical application of reflective pedagogy in promoting the enhancement of sustainability literacy and to a conceptualisation of the role that reflection plays in the pursuit of transformation. Moreover, it provides corroborating evidence to principles of deep learning for sustainability based on the SDG framework, emotional stimuli, advocacy and action