Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Value Generation Using A Hierarchical Simulation-Based Scor Framework, John Crowe, Amr Arisha

Conference Papers

We are part of extraordinary times, global recession coupled with increased competition; high costs and decreasing demand have changed the dynamics of supply chain management (SCM). In response, many organizations have fast-tracked changes to corporate-level strategies to reduce costs and maintain profit margins and have not considered the long-term impact these decisions have on more operational-level SCM activities. This has resulted in a renewed focus on customer value and the economic and behavioral systems of the supply chain, or more accurately, the value chain. The Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model increases the integration organizations have within their supply chains …

Academics' Views On Personalised E-Learning In Higher Education, Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp, Vincent Wade, Liam O'Donnell

Conference Papers

The challenges for academics in meeting the learning requirements of students are many and varied. This research focuses on the concept of personalised learning, where activities are specifically selected to suit the learning requirements of individual students. The creation of personalised learning activities to suit every student’s learning needs, are not easily achieved. A survey was conducted in June 2012 to determine academics awareness of, and views on, the ‘novel teaching approach’ of personalised e-learning in higher education. Forty academics participated in this study. 60% of academic respondents agreed with the statement: “There is a need to personalise e-learning to …

Diagnosing Weakness In Basic Principles Of Electricity In Motor Apprentice Education In Ireland, Peter Kenny

Conference Papers

Many Motor trade apprentice students enter the later years of their studies ill prepared for the level of material encountered. This is due to several factors including the level and knowledge of basic electricity and electrical/electronic principles.

A lot of basic material in these areas has been covered during earlier years of their training but by the time they reach the final year of their apprenticeship (Phase 6) it is not safe to assume that they have a full grasp of the basics required.

We have developed a diagnostic test to measure the level of preparedness of these students. This …

Circularly Polarized Terminal Antennas For Emerging Wireless Systems, Max Ammann, Xiulong Bao, Adam Narbudowicz

Conference Papers

Several types of omni-directional Circularly Polarized (CP) antennas are presented, which are employed by three different types of feedlines: Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) fed, Microstrip fed, and Differential-fed, to achieve omni-directional CP performances. The Dual-frequency Omni-directional CP antenna is proposed by using slot and inductor embedded into radiated patches. These omnidirectional CP antennas have potential application on GPS, WLAN and RFID systems.

A 2.45/5.8 Ghz Folded Monopole Antenna For Wlan Applications, Abraham Loutridis, Matthias John, Giuseppe Ruvio, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

A probe-fed printed folded monopole antenna for WLAN applications is presented. The antenna operates at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz, is compact and has omni-directional characteristics in both bands. A parametric study of key geometrical parameters is reported.

Integration Of Inverted-F Antenna With Solar Cell Substitute, Oisin O’Conchubhair, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann, Giuseppe Ruvio

Conference Papers

A study into the effect of a solar cell lattice on the performance of an Inverted-F antenna is presented. An FR-4 substrate with a lattice of copper electrodes printed on one side and a solid copper ground plane on the other is used to represent a polycrystalline solar cell. The effect of the lattice orientation on the performance of the Inverted-F antenna is discussed.

Unlocking The Knowledge: The Key To Delivering The Compliance And Business Benefits Outlined In Ich Q10 For Medicinal Product Manufacture, Nuala Calnan (Editor)

Conference Papers

This paper presents the challenges of delivering a holistic approach to the Pharmaceutical Quality System (Q10) expectations for medicinal product manufacture. It reviews the key findings from the recent ‘Operational Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Industry’ St. Gallen Uni. benchmarking report and explores the theme of 'Knowledge as the Key'. It explores how can we utilise familiar OPEX, Lean/ Six Sigma tools to capture this knowledge and deliver the expectations and opportunities for ICH Q10 and discusses this researchers study in the area of knowledge management and operational excellence.
It also includes a review of both the Regulatory Drivers and recent …

Developing Strategy From The Middle:Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary General Manager, Donal O'Brien

Conference Papers

The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We
suggest that the tensions between the headquarters perspective and the subsidiary perspective have resulted in the application of inappropriate frameworks to the study of subsidiary managers. This proposal presents …

An Investigation Of Distributed Schema Free Tabular Data Storage Technologies On Google App Engine And Microsoft Azure, Conor Mcgrath, Gary Clynch

Conference Papers

This paper examines schema free non-relational tabular storage for two important emerging Platform as a Service (PaaS) environments, where Google App Engine applications persist data to the Google Datastore, and Microsoft Azure applications store data in Azure Tables. A simple mobile web application was initially developed for both platforms, to understand how an application could be developed and deployed. Java Data Objects (JDO) was selected for Google App Engine and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) in C# for Microsoft Azure. Many applications have a requirement to store complex data that is organised in relations in the order of One to One, …

Design And Test Of A Linear Switched Reluctance Generator For Use In Wave-Energy Applications, Garret Brady, Cathal O'Loughlin, John Massey, David Griffiths, Carlos Villegas

Conference Papers

This paper describes the design of a double-sided linear switched reluctance generator for use in wave energy applications, and the build and test of a working bench-scale prototype. Beginning with a standard shape, the development of the design, from concept to detail, is presented. Numerical simulation results – magnetic, mechanical and electrical – inform the detailed design. Construction of the generator and test rig is described. Experimental results give good agreement with simulation predictions.

Developing Strategy From The Middle:Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary General Manager, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Patrick Gibbons

Conference Papers

The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We suggest that the tensions between the headquarters perspective and the subsidiary perspective have resulted in the application of inappropriate frameworks to the study of subsidiary managers. This proposal presents …

Towards Leaner Healthcare Facility: Application Of Simulation Modelling And Value Stream Mapping, Waleed Abo Hamad, John Crowe, Amr Arisha

Conference Papers

Recently, the application of lean thinking in healthcare has grown significantly in response to rising demand caused by population growth, ageing and high expectations of service quality. However, insufficient justifications and lack of quantifiable evidence are the main obstacles to convince healthcare executives to adopt lean. Therefore, this paper presents a methodology that integrates lean tools with simulation to enhance the quality of patient care in healthcare facilities. This enables healthcare organisations to dedicate more time and effort to patient care without extra cost to the organisation or to the patient. Value stream mapping is used to identify value-added and …

Strategic Activity In The Today’S Multinational Subsidiaries, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Patrick Gibbons

Conference Papers

This working paper presents an ongoing empirical study into strategy development at the subsidiary management level of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE). The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, despite the emergence of the concept, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We suggest that …

Investigation Of A New Material For Heart Valve Tissue Engineering, Claire Brougham, Gerard Cooney, Thomas Flanagan, Stefan Jockenhoevel, Fergal O'Brien

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Magnetic Field Design Reliable Data For Magnetic Field Design In Magnetorheological Elastomer Damping Applications Is Essential For Accurate And Cost-Efficient Operation, Dave Gorman, Stephen Jerrams, Ray Ekins, Niall Murphy

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Using Children’S Maps To Locate Areas Of Perceived Danger On Children’S Routes To School, Frank Bondzio, Ken Boyle

Conference Papers

Municipals and local authorities all over the world are attempting to boost the number of children walking or cycling to school as the benefits for children and society as a whole deriving from an active travel to and from school are widely acknowledged. For this reason programs that encourage active travel to school are often implemented by local authorities or schools. Many of these programs focus on the child. Cycle training or motivation programs aimed at a mode shift towards active travel are relatively easy to set up and can lead to quick results. Yet, a child centred review of …

Sensitivity Studies Of A Low Temperature Low Approach Direct Cooling Tower For Building Radiant Cooling Systems, Medhi Nasrabadi, Donal Finn, Ben Costelloe

Conference Papers

Recent interest in cooling towers as a mechanism for producing chilled water, together with the evolution of radiant cooling, have prompted a review of evaporative cooling in temperate maritime climates. The thermal efficiency of such systems is a key parameter, as a measure of the degree to which the system has succeeded in exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air. The feasibility of this concept depends largely however, on achieving low approach water temperatures within an appropriate cooling tower, at acceptable levels of energy performance. Previous experimental work for a full scale evaporative cooling system has shown that it …

Vivaldi Array For Generation Of Uwb Circular Polarization, Adam Narbudowicz, Matthias John, Xiulong Bao, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

A two antenna array is proposed for generating circular polarization for an ultra-wideband system. It consists of two orthogonal antipodal vivaldi antennas and a feed network which provides the appropriate phase and amplitude over the band of interest. The proposed structure is low cost and easy to manufacture, offering an axial-ratio bandwidth of 74%.

An Enhanced Method To Measure Pulse Dispersion In Uwb Antennas, Antoine Dumoulin, Matthias John, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

This paper will demonstrate a method to remove the dispersive effects of antennas and measurement equipment from a real time-domain measurement setup. By isolating the AUT transfer function, more accurate time-domain measurements can be achieved and agreement to simulation improved.

Improving Core Mathematical Skills In Motor Apprentice Education In Ireland, Peter Kenny

Conference Papers

In order to enter into an apprenticeship in Ireland a qualification in mathematics is not essential. Throughout their apprenticeship many motor trade apprentices find that many past mathematical weakness resurface. In addition to this the level and standard of mathematics increases as apprentices progress through their training.

A maths diagnostic test has been developed and sat by a selection of Motor Mechanic apprentices attending off the job training at the Technological University Dublin during the 2011 to 2012 academic year.

The results of this test indicate that many students experience difficulty with mathematically related subjects. The test was then repeated …

A Wireless And Digital Electrode Bus Topology For Biopotential Measurement, Mark Nolan, Edward Burke, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

The conventional biopotential measurement configuration utilises long lead wires which connect measuring electrodes to signal conditioning circuitry. The majority of bioelectric signals that are measured from the human body have a tiny signal amplitude (5µV-5mV range) and thus any interference that is induced on the lead wires can have a detrimental effect on the original signal. In this paper, we present an alternative configuration, in which digitisation occurs on the electrode, potentially providing enhanced signal measurement as well as significant benefits in terms of the simplification of the physical interconnections between electrodes. Multiple electrodes are combined to form a digital …

"Listen And Click": Enhancing Listening Comprehension Skills In The Language Classroom Through The Use Of Clickers, Valerie Hascoet

Conference Papers

The following article relates to an experiment with a group of second year students learning an applied language as a minor subject of their degree. Personal Response Devices were introduced to improve the students’ listening skills by creating more engagement with the course material. It led to 100% participation in class activities run through clickers, facilitated the students in self-evaluating their performance at the tasks and was fun, despite some technical issues occasionally. The experiment fell short however on the reflective aspect. Students were either incapable of or unwilling to reflect on the questions they found difficult. The lecturer was …

Michigan's Displaced Auto Workers: Using Administrative Data To Track Their Transition During Significant Industry Restructuring, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

A Life Cycle Assessment Of Emissions Reduction Potential In The Existing Irish Housing Stock: A Perspective Of International And Domestic Sources, Albert Famuyibo, Aidan Duffy, Paul Strachan

Conference Papers

As the volume of imported materials increases, the magnitude of the imported environmental impacts becomes a greater factor in the energy demand and related CO₂ emissions from the residential sector. As supply chains of goods within the global arena expands across country and region, domestic consumption of imported goods results in CO₂ emissions in countries of production. Given that these emissions are attributable to countries of import, directing information towards environmental policy experts on a complete view of total emissions of retrofitting along international and domestic sources will have an impact on decision making, and for the first …

Analysing Domestic Electricity Smart Metering Data Using Self Organising Maps, Fintan Mcloughlin, Aidan Duffy, Michael Conlon

Conference Papers

This paper investigates a method of classifying domestic electricity load profiles through Self Organising Maps (SOMs). Approximately four thousand customers are divided into groups based on their electricity demand patterns. Dwelling and occupant characteristics are then investigated for each group. The results show that SOMs are an effective way of classifying customers into groups in terms of their electrical load profile and that certain dwelling and occupant characteristics are significant factors in determining which group they end up in.

Everyday Discoveries In Helsinki And Dublin: How Pivot Dublin And The Institute Of Designers In Ireland Engaged In An Open And Participative Competition As Part Of World Design Capital 2012, Barry Sheehan

Conference Papers

Design Forum Finland invited the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) to take part in the International Design House Exhibition as part of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. The IDI was asked to work with Design Forum Finland and Imu Design in the event that takes place during Helsinki Design Week 2012.

In 2010 Dublin City Council formed a group called PIVOT Dublin to bid for World Design Capital 2014. Dublin has been investigating different ways of utilizing design to make changes and drive innovation in the City. PIVOT Dublin provides an ongoing flexible mechanism for design projects, actions and …

Diacetone Acrylamide-Based Non-Toxic Holographic Photopolymer, Dervil Cody, Izabela Naydenova, Emilia Mihaylova

Conference Papers

A new low-toxicity diacetone acrylamide-based photopolymer is developed and characterized. The environmentally-compatible photopolymer has been modified with the inclusion of glycerol. The incorporation of glycerol results in a uniform maximum refractive index modulation for recording intensities in the range of 1-20 mW/cm². This may be attributed to glycerol’s nature as a plasticizer, which allows for faster diffusion of un-reacted monomer within the grating during holographic recording. An optimum recording intensity of 0.5 mW/cm² is observed for exposure energies of 20-60 mW/cm². The modified photopolymer achieves a refractive index modulation of 2.2x10^-3, with diffraction …

Real Time Shrinkage Studies In Photopolymer Films Using Holographic Interferometry, Mohesh Moothanchery, Izabela Naydenova, Viswanath Bavigadda, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

Polymerisation induced shrinkage is one of the main reasons why photopolymer materials are not more widely used for holographic applications. The aim of this study is to evaluate the shrinkage in an acrylamide photopolymer layer during holographic recording using holographic interferometry. Shrinkage in photopolymer layers can be measured by real time capture of holographic interferograms during holographic recording. Interferograms were captured using a CMOS camera at regular intervals. The optical path length change and hence the shrinkage were determined from the captured fringe patterns. It was observed that the photopolymer layer shrinkage is in the order of 3.5%.

Student Experience In Optometry Education In Mozambique: Initial Challenges In An International Collaborative Program, Kajal Shah

Conference Papers

Purpose:

One of the solutions to creating sustainable eye care structures is education of personnel. Mozambique currently has only 17 ophthalmologists for a population of 21 million and 34 trained Ophthalmic Technicians, the only two providers of refraction services within the local health system. There are no optometrists. The Mozambique Eyecare Project is funding the training of the country’s first optometrists at the University of Lurio in Nampula, Mozambique. Their core competencies will be evaluated with a view to creating best practise in education in a developing world environment.

Method:

This is a longitudinal evaluation of the refraction competencies …

Michigan's Auto Workers: Tracking Their Transition During Significant Industry Restructuring, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.