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In recent years, it has become apparent that sub-micron scale remnants of cells, called microparticles (MPs), are present in human circulation. MPs contain DNA, RNA, protein and lipids (such as cholesterol). Increased numbers of MPs are observed in autoimmune conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This work aims to address the deficiency in the literature concerning MP cholesterol (MPC) by establishing reference values for MPC in a representative healthy population group, and by investigating the potential of MP cholesterol as a biomarker in autoimmunity.

Social media data is open, free and available in massive quantities. However, there is a significant limitation in making sense of this data because of its high volume, variety, uncertain veracity, velocity, value and variability. This work provides a comprehensive framework of text processing and analysis performed on YouTube comments having offensive and non-offensive contents. YouTube is a platform where every age group of people logs in and finds the type of content that most appeals to them. Apart from this, a massive increase in the use of offensive language has been apparent. As there are massive volume of new comments, each comment cannot be removed manually or it will be bad for business for youtubers if they make their comment section unavailable as they will not be able to get any feedback of any kind.

Classification of customers through machine learning techniques is a common objective in business. While standard Two-Class classification (TCC) techniques are widely employed with great effect where both classes are relatively well represented, the issue of data imbalance in training can result in the creation of ineffective models.

The aim of this thesis is to explore the ramifications of surveillance by comparing aspects of the surveilled states of the GDR and NI during the 1970sand 1980s and their effects. This study will focus on the historical techniques and commonalties exploited by both states, exploringthe influential factors underlying the acceptance of surveillance, along with their impact on individual stakeholders, communities and societies. Foucault,who plays a key role in the theoretical framework of this thesis, in Discipline and Punishprovides ananalysis of Jeremy Bentham’s panopticonsuggests, in which he perceivedthe constant threat of surveillance has an altering effect on individual behaviour, surveillanceas Foucault argues:‘becomes an internalized disciplinary mechanism that is embedded in social structures and evokes self-regulation’ (Foucault,1979,p.15)Current studies have yet to determinewhat impact these surveillance practices will have on the way we function, both as a society and a communities and what influence it will have on the way we interact and communicate with each other.

There has been an explosion in unstructured text data in recent years with services like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp helping drive this growth. Many of these companies are facing pressure to monitor the content on their platforms and as such Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques are more important than ever. There are many applications of NLP ranging from spam filtering, sentiment analysis of social media, automatic text summarisation and document classification.

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, TU Dublin, Spring Newsletter captured the many events, research, awards, significant contributions and special civic and community activities which the students and staff members of the school have successfully completed up to the Spring period of 2019. The successful completion of these activities would not be possible without the active and on-going support of the 'INSPIRED' friends of Culinary Arts (school supporters) and our school's industry association supporters.

This thesis is focused on the development of a novel ambient pressure microwave synthesis of ZnS based materials for photocatalytic and anti-bacterial technologies. Chapter 1 introduces the problems with anti-biotic resistant bacteria and the impact that these species are causing within healthcare systems. One of the approaches to tackling these problems is the development of self-cleaning materials to replace the harsh cleaning agents currently in use to sterilize the surfaces of buildings and materials used in healthcare environments. Chapter 1 also introduces semiconductors, semiconductor photocatalysis and the mechanism of action, improving photocatalytic action and how to semiconductor photocatalysts have been used for anti-bacterial activities. Chapter 1 discusses zinc sulfide and its various properties that make it attractive as a platform for photocatalytic materials with its wide band gap that can be modified to make it work in an indoor environment where UV light is not present. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis techniques employed in developing ZnS and doped ZnS materials using an ambient pressure aqueous method. This chapter also explores the techniques employed to characterise the materials prepared by the microwave technique. Chapter 3 covers to development of the ambient pressure aqueous microwave synthesis method including the variation of reagents, microwave irradiation power, irradiation time and volume of reagents and how these factors impacted the characteristics of the material. These characteristics include the crystallinity, size of the material, absorbance profile and its photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. The work of this chapter was published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental in 2013 and was the subject of a talk which won the best Applied Chemistry talk at the Irish Universities Chemistry Colloquium at Queens University Belfast in 2010. Chapter 4 is a study on effect of metal doping of the Group 13 metals – aluminium, gallium and indium – on ZnS. The optimum conditions for microwave synthesis established in chapter 3 were used with varying amounts of dopant levels to determine the optimum doping concentration to enhance the photocatalytic activity and antibacterial activity under indoor light conditions. Luminescence spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to determine the mechanism of doping by the three different metals and the difference of the ionic radii of the metals was shown to affect how the metals interact with the ZnS crystal. The work of this chapter is prepared for publication and will be submitted in late 2018. Chapter 5 presents a study of silver and indium co-doped ZnS prepared by microwave synthesis. The materials were characterised and shown to have a slight improved photocatalytic activity in comparison to indium doped ZnS and a greatly improved activity toward undoped ZnS prepared under the same conditions. There is also a study on the effect of silver doping concentrations on the crystallisation of ZnS and how the level of silver determines whether cubic blende or wurtzite phase material is formed. The work in chapter 5 was published in the Nanotechnology in 2013.

The call for tutorials at UCC'19 and BDCAT'19 attracted submissions from Australia and Europe. The tutorial chairs reviewed and accepted two revised tutorials, and decided to award a third spot on a FCFS basis to ensure that conference attendees have access to learning resources across all conference topics.

Transmedia storytelling scholarship has been progressing rapidly over recent decades. Yet, a question that remains open is the lack of analysis of political transmedia campaigns. This political communication thesis contributes to filling that gap. Its goal is to develop a flexible and locally-specific approach to analysing transmedia political campaigning. To understand the context that affects the destinies of transmedia grassroots campaigns, the study turns to social movement and grassroots activism scholarships. In particular, it employs the idea of political opportunity structures to conceptualise those external opportunities and threats that affects transmedia campaigns in politics. To mitigate the negative aspects of a political climate, reduce the costs of political participation for active citizens and make their political change efforts more efficient, political organisers can mobilise valuable resources through transmedia campaigning, the thesis argues. Thus, the thesis incorporates the analysis of opportunity structures and mobilising resources to propose a new analytical approach to the study of political transmedia campaigns. Because this analytical approach reinterprets transmedia strategies through the lens of opportunity structures and resource mobilisation, I will refer to it in the thesis as the opportunity structures and mobilising resources (OSMR) analytical approach. The thesis tests it with the case study of Alexey Navalny's 2013 mayoral campaign for Moscow. The case study outlines the opportunity structures of modern Russia and discusses the transmedia strategies Navalny’s campaign used to overcome some of their negative aspects. In doing so, the thesis enriches transmedia storytelling scholarship with insights from other disciplines and offers a flexible and locally specific approach to analysing political transmedia campaigns.

Having experience a large increase in concert activity in recent years, one would assume that the works of J.K. Mertz (1806–1856) would haveexperience the same level of attention within academic circles, however research is still limited. As a result, this thesissetsout to understand in what areas do Mertz's works differ fromother guitar works in the first half of the nineteenth century—specifically Mertz's set of character piecesfound in hisBardenklänge, op. 13. This thesiswill address shifts in culture, aesthetics and the increasing interest in the ‘Folk’c.1800–1850 that led to the composition of Mertz’s Bardenklänge. Published in 1847, these works are unique in theirinstantiationofRomanticism, with few solo guitar works from the time fitting the mould of character music. The works draw inspiration from Macpherson's Ossian,Goethe's Willheim Meister, and many common poetic themes being exploredby artists at the time such a love, longing, children, nature, andthe supernatural. Connection to Mertz's piano contemporaries within these works is quite evident, particularly the likes of Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Chopin. These connections will be discussed under the context of Mertz's adaptation of a Romantic style for guitar. Following from an understanding of the contextual background, this thesiswill highlight literary, stylistic and compositional devices withintheBardenklänge that Mertz employs to compose in a uniquely Romantic style for guitar.