Digital Commons Network^™

Information Seeking And Students Studying For Professional Careers: The Cases Of Enginerering And Law Students In Ireland, Gillian Kerins, Ronan Madden, Crystal Fulton

Support services (Former ITT) - Articles

This paper reports the results of two empirical studies which explored the information seeking behaviour of engineering and law students in Ireland. Findings reveal similar patterns in the information seeking behaviour between students studying to become professionals and information seeking patterns of these groups identified in the Leckie et al. model. Students learned their information seeking strategies, including effective and less effective approaches, from educators. Mis-perceptions of the role and value of libraries and information professionals in their studies were common, and as a result, students often adopted information seeking strategies that excluded libraries and library staff. The two studies …

Designing And Implementing A Blended Learning Approach To Executive Scm Education: A Case Study From Ireland, John Mee, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

The National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL) is Ireland’s centre of excellence for supply chain management (SCM). As part of its mission to promote the development of supply chain expertise in Irish business, it designs and delivers executive modular learning programmes. In 2004, as part of a drive to create more flexible learning opportunities for course participants, NITL designed and implemented an eLearning programme, which involved converting traditionally tutored modules to online modules. This paper describes the rationale behind this initiative and the significance of technology as an enabling tool for executive education, as well as detailing the design …

Structural Characterisation Of A Sol-Gel Copolymer Synthesised From Aliphatic And Aromatic Alkoxysilanes Using 29si-Nmr Spectroscopy, Mohamed Oubaha, M. Dubois, B. Murphy, P. Etienne

Articles

A hybrid organic-inorganic material was prepared from the hydrolytic co-condensation of 3- trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate (MAPTMS) and diphenyldiethoxysilane (DPHDES). The synthesis was performed in three steps: (1) MAPTMS pre-hydrolysis, (2) addition of DPHDES, and (3) further hydrolysis of the obtained mixture. ²⁹ Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to characterise the structural evolution of the mineral network during the synthesis. It revealed the catalytic effect of DPHDES on the condensation reaction of silanol groups, initially observed for pre-hydrolysed MAPTMS. In addition, it was clearly demonstrated that the formation of the highest condensed species of the aromatic oligomers (D₂ species) occurred …

Evaluating The Quality Of Research And Innovation At Faculty Level, Mike Murphy

Presentations

No abstract provided.

B2b E-Marketplace In The Procurement Supply Chain Of Airlines: A Strategic Direction For The Future?, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Austin Smyth, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

With the airline industry experiencing a global economic downturn, B2B e-Business is
becoming more and more the focus of airlines’ strategies. More recently, airlines have studied
intensively the potential of joint-procurement possibilities and have taken measures in creating
consortia-led B2B e-Marketplaces as mediators for aggregating demand and to facilitate transactions.
In academic literature, limited academic research has been undertaken in exploring the value creation of B2B e-Marketplace models in the aviation industry. The aim is to conduct a theoretical analysis to explore whether or not e-Marketplaces have the potential to add value to procurement in the aviation industry. The research …

Listening Spaces: Audiophiles, Technology And Domestic Music Listening, Brian O'Neill

Conference Papers

This paper examines the interrelationship of technology, space and identity as exhibited in the domestic music listening practices of the audiophile. Music listening in domestic contexts provides both a physical and imaginary space of cultural consumption. The paper describes work in progress into phenomenological aspects of listening, practices of audio technology use in domestic contexts, and features of identity formation based on a qualitative study of hi-fi listeners. Technological and cultural change in the production of aural soundscapes and processes of reception provide the backdrop to the current study. Three main issues are addressed. Firstly, the promise of digital technology …

Sustainable Water Supply In Ireland, Liam Mccarton, Sean O'Hogain

Reports

Sustainable water technology is concerned with the complete range of technologies, techniques, products and processes that will enable humankind to reduce the impact of water production and water consumption on the environment and to establish a more sustainable mode of development. The concept of sustainable development has gained wide usage over the past 15 years in an attempt to balance development needs and environmental protection. The Brundtland Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (1987) identified sustainable development as a global objective, which involved economic, social and environmental values. It defined sustainable development as ‘ …

The Role Of Supply Chain Management In Irish Enterprise Strategy Development: A Three-Dimensional Approach, Ciaran Finn, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

The Irish economy has grown strongly in recent years. This, combined with other factors in the
international trading environment, has sharpened the focus on the need for innovative strategies at a
national level which can contribute positively from an enterprise strategy development perspective. As
traditional manufacturing activity has migrated to lower labour cost economies questions have been
raised concerning the role of supply chain management (SCM) in the evolving Irish business
environment. This paper describes some of the main drivers in terms of both SCM and the changing economic and business environment. It goes on to propose a three-dimensional approach …

A Multi-Criteria Approach To The Evaluation Of Aviation E-Marketplace Portals, Edward Sweeney, Emilio Esposito, Pietro Evangelista, Michel Mastroianni, Renato Passaro, Claudia-Maria Wagner

Conference papers

After a proliferation of logistics e-Marketplaces during the dot.com boom of 1998-2000, there has been a high rate of failure and survivals are developing much more slowly than expected. This is the case of aviation industry where a large number of B2B e-Marketplaces emerged according to the focus of aviation companies’ strategies on electronic B2B in the late 1990s. However, the current use of e-Marketplaces in the industry is low and many of them have ceased trading. The traditional e-Marketplaces model have been characterised by poor quality of portals and the lack of technical standards. Such an approach is unsustainable …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

On The Dressing Method For The Generalised Zakharov-Shabat System, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

The dressing procedure for the Generalised Zakharov-Shabat system is well known for systems, related to sl(N) algebras. We extend the method, constructing explicitly the dressing factors for some systems, related to orthogonal and symplectic Lie algebras. We consider ’dressed’ fundamental analytical solutions with simple poles at the prescribed eigenvalue points and obtain the corresponding Lax potentials, representing the soliton solutions for some important nonlinear evolution equations.

Techniques For Investigation Of Surgical Cutting Instruments, Eamon Price, Ger Reilly, Brendan Mccormack, Andrew Macey

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Direct Least-Squares Ellipse Fitting, Jane Courtney, Annraoi Depaor

Conference Papers

Many biological and astronomical forms can be best represented by ellipses. While some more complex curves might represent the shape more accurately, ellipses have the advantage that they are easily parameterised and define the location, orientation and dimensions of the data more clearly. In this paper, we present a method of direct least-squares ellipse fitting by solving a generalised eigensystem. This is more efficient and more accurate than many alternative approaches to the ellipse-fitting problem such as fuzzy c-shells clustering and Hough transforms. This method was developed for human body modelling as part of a larger project to design a …

Occupational Decision-Making And Career Choice Among School-Leavers In Ireland 2002-2004 With Particular Reference To A Career In The Hotel And Catering Industry, Clement H. Ryan

Theses

No abstract provided.

Applications Of Mobile Computing For Fish Species At Risk Management, James Carswell, Keith Gardiner, Michela Bertolotto, Nick Mandrak

Conference papers

This paper describes the on-going development of a web-based and Mobile Environmental Management System (MEMS) prototype specifically tailored to perform context-aware queries and updating of spatial datasets. Spatially enabled computing can provide situation aware assistance to both web-based and mobile users by presenting the right information at the right time, place, and situation using context-associated knowledge. Contextassociated knowledge is assembled by combining knowledge gained about information accessed in the past with the activities planned by the user, together with other situation dependencies (e.g. location) of these activities. The MEMS datasets are provided by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Pressure Distribution Around Spherical Distal Ball-Tip In Ultrasound Angioplasty, Graham Gavin, Garrett B. Mcguinness, Finbar Dolan, M.S. J. Hashmi

Conference Papers

INTRODUCTION Ultrasound Angioplasty has been shown to be effective in the removal and re-canalising of blockages in arteries (Siegel RJ, 1993). By delivering therapeutic ultrasound to the blockage, via a wire waveguide to a ball-tip, the lesion or thrombus is affected by pressure waves, micro streaming, cavitation and direct contact with the oscillating ball-tip. Most work to date has concentrated on a spherical ball-tip geometry at the distal end of the wire waveguide (Steffen, 1994 and Rosenschein, 1996). Tip displacements usually lie between 10 - 100m (peak-to peak) and ball tip diameters between 1 - 2mm (Atar, 1999 and Yock, …

A New High Power Parallel Converter Scheme For Active Power Filters, Malabika Basu, S. P. Das, Gopal Dubey

Articles

A new topology for efficient utilisation of parallel converters as VAR compensators and active power filters (APF) for high power loads is proposed. Because of limited power handling capacity of individual devices, paralleling is the choice to increase rating of equipment, while keeping the THD of the current at the PCC within the agency specified standards. It has been reported in the literature that paralleling several converters, rather than switches, is more reliable in sharing of load. From this perspective, multilevel converters carry lot of weight, as their typical power circuit configuration limits the stress on individual devices to an …

Staff Mentoring At Dit - A Review Of Four Programmes, Leslie Shoemaker

Conference papers

Staff Mentoring at the Dublin Institute of Technology is quite ambiguous in terms of its definition and purpose, as well as the impact it has with retention issues. The purpose of this paper is to provide a research review regarding the profile of the typical first-year student as well as to compare four current staff-mentoring programmes in DIT Kevin Street.

For the purpose of this paper, a staff mentor is defined as an individual who meets the following criteria:

- he/she has been appointed to this position by his/her department; - their role is to provide ‘support’ to first year …

Where Does Ap(E)L Fit In Higher Education?, Anne Murphy

Journal Articles

On an EU policy level the paper acknowledges the impact on thinking about AP(E)L as a result of the agreement of common European principles for validation of non-formal and in-formal learning in 2004 at the Dublin Conference during Ireland’s presidency of the EU (note 1).This conference also addressed the possible areas of agreement across vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) on contiguous issues such as a common European Qualification Framework, common arrangements for credit transfer and common arrangements for quality assurance. Additionally, the paper is written contemporaneously with the introduction of such mechanisms as the Europass, European …

Using A Systems Approach In Logistics Design And Planning, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

The international economic and business environment continues to develop at a rapid rate. Increasing interactions between economies, particularly between Europe and Asia, has raised many important issues regarding transport infrastructure, logistics and broader supply chain management. The potential exists to further stimulate trade provided that these issues are addressed in a logical and systematic manner.

However, if this potential is to be realised in practice there is a need to re-evaluate current supply chain configurations. A mismatch currently exists between the technological capability and the supply chain or logistical reality. This mismatch has sharpened the focus on the need for …

Automatic Drum Transcription And Source Separation, Derry Fitzgerald

Doctoral

While research has been carried out on automated polyphonic music transcription, to-date the problem of automated polyphonic percussion transcription has not received the same degree of attention. A related problem is that of sound source separation, which attempts to separate a mixture signal into its constituent sources. This thesis focuses on the task of polyphonic percussion transcription and sound source separation of a limited set of drum instruments, namely the drums found in the standard rock/pop drum kit. As there was little previous research on polyphonic percussion transcription a broad review of music information retrieval methods, including previous polyphonic percussion …

Simple Feature Identification And Matching For Stereoscopic Imaging, Jane Courtney, Annraoi Depaor

Conference Papers

Many camera calibration techniques used in stereoscopic imaging require corresponding points in image pairs to be identified. The best matches tend to come from very distinctive regions, hence it is preferable to use only these points and reject points from more homogeneous regions. Often points are selected and matched by a combination of user input and automated matching. However, for most techniques, the more matching points identified, the more accurate and robust the calibration. Therefore, it is desirable to alleviate the need for user input and to automate the point selection process. In the feature matching technique described here, a …

They Don't Really Want To Know Us: Experiences And Perceptions Of International Students At The Technological University Dublin, Almut Schlepper

Articles

This paper seeks to explore the experiences and perceptions of international, non-EU students at the Technological University Dublin. My interest in the subject derives from my work as a lecturer at a college with an increasing number of international students and from my participation as a student on a course which made me appreciate the value of a diverse student and lecturer body. The sample of the survey I carried out included international students and lecturers at one campus of the Technological University Dublin. While the results indicated that international students are just as heterogeneous as Irish students, they are …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Diffusion Processes In Self-Processing Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer System, Izabela Naydenova, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Robert Howard, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

Results from the investigation of the diffusion processes in a dry acrylamide-based photopolymer system are presented. The investigation is carried out in the context of experimental work on optimization of the high spatial frequency response of the photopolymer. Tracing the transmission holographic grating dynamics at short times of exposure is utilized to measure diffusion coefficients. The results reveal that two different diffusion processes contribute with opposite sign to the refractive index modulation responsible for the diffraction grating build up. Monomer diffusion from dark to bright fringe areas increases the refractive index modulation. It is characterized with diffusion constant D0=1.6E-7 cm2/s. …

A Vocalisation-Based Drawing Interface For Disabled Children, Ted Burke

Articles

In our work with disabled children at Ireland’s National Rehabilitation Hospital, a problem we have experienced in the facilitation of art activities is that traditional art materials and standard computer drawing programs sometimes prove inaccessible. In this paper, an original system, called “PaintMyVoice” is presented which facilitates the creation of two or three-dimensional images using a variety of novel input modalities. In particular, vocalisations can be used to create original images of a variety of objects, including trees, flowers and landscape elements. Additional input to the system can optionally be provided via mouse, keyboard, switch interface or digital camera depending …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

A System For Monitoring Pressures And Spinal Curvature In Spinally Injured People Immobilised On A Spinal Raft, Ruairí De Fréin, Eoin Flinn, Ted Burke

Articles

We present a system designed to study the pressure at various ‘hot spots’ on the back of the body and the deformation of the spine experienced by a patient when strapped to a spinal board, and the potential alleviation of both by the addition of an inflatable “spinal raft” (or other similar device). In measuring pressure we devised a system of air-filled sacks interfaced with a PC. Each sack, placed under a particular key point on the body, is inflated until its faces just begin to separate and a switch thereby opens. The pressure reading is then captured and displayed …

A New Hub In The Aviation Industry: Towards An Integration Of B2b E-Marketplaces In The Airline Industry, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Edward Sweeney, Austin Smyth

Conference papers

In academic literature, limited academic research has been undertaken in exploring the value creation of B2B e-Marketplace models in the aviation industry. The aim is to conduct a theoretical analysis to explore whether or not e-Marketplaces have the potential to add value to procurement in the aviation industry. The research focuses on the potential of B2B e-Marketplaces in terms of improving an airline’s competitiveness in its procurement value chain. The theoretical framework adopted supports the identification of barriers to success and critical success factors.