Digital Commons Network^™

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Writing In The Language Of Reality: Interwar Experiments In Language, Robin Fuller

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

This paper examines projects in universal communication from the interwar period, including Charles Kay Ogden’s Basic English, Otto Neurath’s Isotype, and László Moholy-Nagy’s typo-photo. The projects under discussion — experiments in language reform, graphic design and photography — were all born from a dissatisfaction with the imprecise, arbitrary and historically-contingent nature of established languages and semiotic systems. A non-arbitrary mode of communication was sought, one that represented reality directly without translation through a cultural code.

A Revolt Of The Masses: Culture And Modernity In Early 20th Century Spain: From Bullfights To Football Games, Katrine Helene Andersen

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

This article discusses the consolidation of mass culture in early 20^th century Spain and analyses the discrepancy between the intellectual debate about Spanish culture and public behaviour. Bullfighting has throughout history been a much debated theme amongst intellectuals, and it has been banned by kings and the Church on several occasions. Nevertheless, there has always been an audience. In early 20^th century, football entered the scene of popular culture in Spain and gained very quickly in popularity. The article discusses the presence of the two and analyses the contribution of bullfighting and football to the process of modernisation …

Nikolai Shpanov And The Evolution Of The Soviet Spy Thriller, Duccio Colombo

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

It is a common opinion that Stalinist literature knew no explicitly popular genres, and that, consequently, its whole body can be regarded as popular culture. The case of Nikolai Shpanov is one of the most evident arguments against such an interpretation.

From the late Thirties to the early Fifties, Shpanov's works, centered around the fight with fiendish spies, had huge print runs and conspicuous success among the readers; yet, Soviet critics nearly ignored them. The publishing channels were not those of the officially endorsed "classics" of Socialist Realism, but rather what can be regarded as a Soviet equivalent of a …

When Popular Cultures Are Not So Popular: The Case Of Comics In France, Sylvain Aquatias

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

Studies about comics in France have often focused on the process of cultural legitimation. This process is made complex by the composition of the French readership of comics, which consists largely of children, and by the transmedia circulation and expansion of comics, including cartoons and videogames. These factors, and the role of peers’ prescription reduce the impact of cultural legitimacy. By contrast, when adults are concerned, a correlation between education and tastes in comic art can be clearly identified, as evidenced in the preference shown by adult readers with higher instruction level for graphic novels.

Comic art is characterised by …

Queer, Gender And Crime Fiction In French Studies: A Hazardous Scientific Endeavour, Andrea Hynynen

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

This article focuses on the multifaceted challenge faced by academics doing queer and gender studies of French crime fiction. It argues that the French literary arena still entertains a sharp divide between literature and commercialist mass fiction, which hinders the establishment of popular fiction studies. It further discusses the reasons for and the effect of queer theory’s late arrival to France, arguing that France’s strong republican ideal entails a fear of ghettoization that has undermined the development of gender and queer analysis, especially of literature. These phenomena, in combination with France’s centralized, traditionalist academic institutions and linguistic franco-centrism, contribute to …

The Way We Read Now: Middlebrow Fiction In Twenty-First Century Europe, Diana Holmes

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

The allocation of a novel to the category ‘middlebrow’ is partly a matter of marketing and shifting attitudes to literary value, but this article argues that it also designates certain stylistic and narrative qualities that are little esteemed by ‘serious’ critics, but appeal consistently to a wider reading public. The article focuses on one sub-category of contemporary middlebrow fiction, feminine crime, through a comparative analysis of novels by Fred Vargas (French) and Kate Atkinson (British). The argument addresses the relationship between popular and middlebrow within the genre of crime writing, and the ways in which a female perspective inflects generic …

Cover, Dominique Jeannerod, Federico Pagello, Michael Pierse

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

No abstract provided.

Promoting Resilience Amongst Young People Transitioning From Care To Independent Living: Experiences Of Residential Social Care Workers, Linda Cameron, Anne Hynes, Yvonne Maycock, Eileen O'Neill, Ann Marie O'Reilly

Journal of Social Care

The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes. This includes social care workers helping young people build their resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from residential care to independent living. From analysis …

The Key Attributes Of A Successful Relationship With Service Users In Family Support: Views Of Family Support Workers, Kim Corless, Sharon Horan, Barbara Kirkpatrick, Nicola Crocker, Maura O'Donoghue, Veronika Steiner

Journal of Social Care

Existing research on family support suggests that key to the family’s engagement and satisfaction is the family’s perception of the quality of the relationship established with their assigned support worker (McArthur & Thompson, 2011; Mason, 2012). The research reported here explores the views of the other partner in this relationship, the family support worker. Two experienced family support workers were interviewed about their views of what where the key attributes of a successful relationship with the families they worked with. The data was thematically analysed and three themes identified. There were overcoming barriers; skills needed to build a successful working …

Supports For Parents Of Children With An Intellectual Disability: The Social Care Worker’S View, Christine Barretto, Catherine Byrne, Mairead Delaney, Aine Harrington, Kira Kazokova

Journal of Social Care

The aim of this research was to explore how social care workers view their role in providing support to parents of children or adults with an Intellectual Disability. The data was collected using semi-structured individual interviews with two practising Social Care Workers with experience working in Intellectual Disability Services, who were part of the research team. It was found that Social Care Workers view themselves as having a role in supporting parents with a child or adult with ID, even where the primary service user engaged with their organisation, was the child or adult with ID. However, while this was …

Non-Resident Fathers: A Literature Review Of Factors Influencing Their World, David Whyte

Journal of Social Care

It has been acknowledged (McCashin, 1996; Hogan & Gilbertson, 2007) that services designed to support families tend to focus on the mother and children and little contact is generally made with fathers, even when they are resident in the family home. Considering the changes in family structure in contemporary society and the often complex range of needs held by families who avail of social care services, this paper provides some insights in the factors that impact on non-resident fathers. The paper presents a literature review on the topic of non-resident fathers covering areas such as fathers’ role in the family …

Researching Effective Programmes And Ways Of Engaging Young People In A Youth Work Setting, Marie Holton

Journal of Social Care

Youth work in contemporary Ireland is undergoing many changes. The introduction of the National Quality Standards Framework (2010) has seen a shift from process orientated work to outcomes based models. There are several ongoing debates in the current economic climate which sees the need to satisfy the funding agencies, whilst upholding the core values and principles of youth work. Youth work seems to be divided between ‘mainstream’ which is open access to all young people, (this type of youth work is generally found in the voluntary sector), and ‘targeted’ youth work, (which is funded by government initiatives) to tackle disadvantage …

The Role Of Self-Awareness And Reflection In Social Care Practice, Aoife Greene

Journal of Social Care

This study examined social care workers’ understanding of self-awareness and reflection, the impact of reflection on their practice, and the factors which support and/or impede reflection in their practice. Given the limited evidence base in general on the use of reflection in social care practice, this qualitative study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by exploring the role of self-awareness and reflection in social care practice among a small group of social care practitioners in Ireland. The study included interviews with seven social care workers who were pursuing a postgraduate qualification in social care practice. The main findings indicate …

The Impact Of Intergenerational Projects On The Younger Person's View Of Older People, Ian Mcnamara

Journal of Social Care

Intergenerational projects and activities have become popular among both youth and senior citizen groups across Ireland. These programmes fill a variety of personal and societal needs as our society becomes increasingly age-segregated. This study examined the impact of intergenerational projects on a group of six girls aged 15 to 16 living in the west of Ireland. It explores preconceptions and changes in views towards older people, as well as personal impacts. All participants were members of a local youth group and had taken part in two intergenerational projects at a local nursing home. The first project involved working with residents …

Editorial, Fiona Mcsweeney, Dave Williams

Journal of Social Care

No abstract provided.

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Historical Perspectives Of Shifting Motives For Faith-Based Travel, Dane Munro

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Throughout pre-history and history, millions of people of many religions and faiths have undertaken pilgrimages. Although ‘the quintessential form of religiously motivated travel is pilgrimage’, the meaning of the practice of pilgrimage has changed over the centuries (Dietz, 2005:27). There are also some consistent Leitmotifs and principles in religious travel. Participants of the New Religious Movements (NRM) travel to Neolithic and other prehistoric sites (such as Malta) for a spiritual experience at such sites, seeking to fulfil needs which the historic churches cannot or no longer can fulfil. (Rountree, 2002:475-496). Many NRMs are based on historical values, past religions or …

When Is A Journey Sacred? Exploring Twelve Properties Of The Sacred, Jasmine Goodnow, Kelly S. Bloom

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

One of the first definitive works on the concept of the sacred was Emile Durkheim’s 1912 work The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. In it, he defined the sacred in opposition to the profane. The next major work on the sacred was not until Mircea Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, in 1959. A review of the literature since that time reveals that the thinking on the sacred/profane dichotomy has changed little since these seminal writings. A useful tool for examining the sacred was created in 1989 when Belk, Wallendorf and Sherry explored the dichotomy as it relates to …

Convergence Technologies For Sensor Systems In The Next Generation Networks, Conor Gildea, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

This paper describes an approach to the internetworking of sensory nodes in a converged network environment. This preliminary investigation of sensory network creation is driven by a joint applied research project which seeks to establish the feasibility of the real-time remote monitoring of animal welfare while in transit between Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. This paper examines the use of Java to create sensor services in converging architectures which leverage the Internetworking protocols and describes our implementation of such a system.

Questions Of Ethical Responsibility In The Research Of Unaccompanied Minors, Oonagh Charleton, Dr. Celesta Mccann James

The ITB Journal

This paper presents a general discussion on ethical considerations in qualitative research in the applied social sciences. It reflects on the ethical dilemmas posed to this researcher prior to initiating a field-work process and during the methodological structuring process. The intention is to promote discussion on issues of ethics when researching new types of service user groups with attention to the value of ethics committees.

Soft, Vertical Handover Of Streamed Multimedia In A 4g Network, Ger Cunningham, Philip Perry, Liam Murphy

The ITB Journal

In this paper the soft, vertical handover of streamed multimedia in a 4G network is considered. We propose a soft handover solution in which the mobile client controls the handover. This solution requires no modifications to existing wireless networks. The second stream required for the soft handover is duplicated just above the transport layer, rather than requiring the server to play out a second stream that needs to be synchronised with the existing stream. Such a scheme is outlined, and the results are presented that show how the scheme functioned in an emulated environment.

Measurement Of The Frequency Response Of Clinical Gas Analysers, Kabita Shakya, Catherine Deegan, Fran Hegarty, Charles Markham

The ITB Journal

A technique for the time and frequency response measurement of clinical CO2 analysers has been established. The time and frequency response of several analyser systems has been determined. This paper presents the case for the routine measurement of the dynamic performance of such systems in the context of their application in high-frequency ventilation schemes. The importance of these measurements has been demonstrated in the comparison of older and newer systems in the sense that older systems demonstrate significant deterioration in peiformance. In the context of the use of capnographs in life-support systems, it is essential to measure and monitor the …

Design Study Of A Heavy Duty Load Cell Using Finite Element Analysis: A Practical Introduction To Mechatronic Design Process, Mohamad Saleh

The ITB Journal

Mechatronics design process is a series of analytical brain storming operations from sepcification to implementation. The mechtronic products are widly available in the market for various use and applications. This is expected to develop futher in the future with great competitiveness. In order to succeed in the market, mechatronic products need to satisfy the market expectations with regard to quality, fitness for purpose, customer's appeal and cost efficiency. Therefore, the design analysis techniques play a significat part in the market success of these products. Finite Element Analysis is probably the most commonly used numerical technique for mechatronic product design. This …

A New Integrated Style To Teaching Engineering Mathematics At Third Level Engineering Courses, Mohamad Saleh, Colm Mcguinness

The ITB Journal

Mathematics is the main pillar in the engineering foundation courses and the engineering profession where mathematical manipulation, modelling and simulation are used widely. However, experience in engineering courses has shown that students encounter some difficulties in mathematics, with a certain degree of disinterest and apathy. This is reflected in the mathematical continuous assessments, final exams, laboratory reports for other engineering subjects and in answering engineering numerical question-based mathematical formula. This paper investigates a new development and the implication of two models of a CBL integrated with course lecture material. This is part of an overall integrated approach, achieved through an …

Neural Networks For Real-Time Pathfinding In Computer Games, Ross Graham, Hugh Mccabe, Stephen Sheridan

The ITB Journal

One of the greatest challenges in the design of realistic Artificial Intelligence (Al) in computer games is agent movement. Pathfinding strategies are usually employed as the core of any AI movement system. The two main components for basic real-time pathfinding are (i) travelling towards a specified goal and (ii) avoiding dynamic and static obstacles that may litter the path to this goal. The focus of this paper is how machine learning techniques, such as Artificial Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms, can be used to enhance an AI agent's ability to handle pathfinding in real-time by giving them an awareness of …

Emotion Authentication: A Method For Voice Integrity Checking, C. Reynolds, L. Vasiu, M. Smith

The ITB Journal

When people communicate with telephone type systems, it is often assumed that the listener would notice any modification of the speaker's voice. It is possible however to introduce small changes that would not be noticed by a listener but could modify the reading of a Voice Stress Analyser, popularly referred to as a lie detector. Existing approaches to checking the integrity of voice require significant amounts of processing or are able to detect only non-subtle modification such as change of speaker. With the advent of real time voice modification using software and hardware based signal processing, we argue that it …

Strengthening The Practices Of An Agile Methodology?, Jimmy Doody, Amanda O'Farrell

The ITB Journal

An investigation into how the software development process in an agile environment (Extreme Programming) can be aided by intelligent software, leading to the development of a tool that will automate the process of standardising and clarifying source code. The tool will also speed up and aid the testing process, by producing test objects based on the source code, and by providing full test tracking, without having a negative impact on the development process. By making the coding and testing processes more automated, the research aims to evaluate the following hypotheses: 1. That the programmer's productivity can be increased by the …

Camera Control Through Cinematography In 3d Computer Games, James Kneafsey, Hugh Mccabe

The ITB Journal

Modern 3D computer games have the potential to employ principles from cinematography in rendering the action in the game. Using principles of cinematography would take advantage of techniques that have been used to render action in cinematic films for more than a century. This paper outlines our proposal to develop a camera control system that uses principles of cinematography for 3D computer games and provides a critical review of related research.

Architecture And Development Methodology For Location Based Services, Aaron Hand, Dr. John Cardiff

The ITB Journal

This paper presents a LBS (Location Based Service) architecture, development methodology and a development tool to assist LBS developers in building new open standard LBS applications. The approach adopted has been to define new LBS systems based on open standards rather then proprietary driven technologies. SA GESS (Spatial Application Generic Environment System Standards) is an architecture platform for the development and deployment of wireless LBS applications. SAGE (Spatial Application Generic Environment) is a development methodology that outlines a step-by-step development approach to LBS application development. A prototype LBS application was deployed on the author's SA GESS architecture platform, developed using …