Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamic Characterisation Of The Head-Media Interface In Hard Disk Drives Using Novel Sensor Systems, Glen Alan Tunstall

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Hard disk drives function perfectly satisfactorily when used in a stable environment, but in certain applications they are subjected to shock and vibration. During the work reported in this thesis it has been found that when typical hard disk drives are subjected lo vibration, data transfer failure is found to be significant at frequencies between 440Hz and 700Hz, at an extreme, failing at only Ig of sinusoidal vibration. These failures can largely be attributed to two key components: the suspension arm and the hard disk. At non-critical frequencies of vibration the typical hard disk drive can reliably transfer data whilst …

Pitch Estimation For Noisy Speech, Azar Khurshid

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In this dissertation a biologically plausible system of pitch estimation is proposed. The system is designed from the bottom up to be robust to challenging noise conditions. This robustness to the presence of noise in the signal is achieved by developing a new representation of the speech signal, based on the operation of damped harmonic oscillators, and temporal mode analysis of their output. This resulting representation is shown to possess qualities which are not degraded in presence of noise. A harmonic grouping based system is used to estimate the pitch frequency. A detailed statistical analysis is performed on the system, …

Digital Watermarking For Compact Discs And Their Effect On The Error Correction System, Kay Rydyger

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A new technique, based on current compact disc technology, to image the transparent surface of a compact disc, or additionally the reflective information layer, has been designed, implemented and evaluated. This technique (image capture technique) has been tested and successfully applied to the detection of mechanically introduced compact disc watermarks and biometrical information with a resolution of 1.6um x l4um. Software has been written which, when used with the image capture technique, recognises a compact disc based on its error distribution. The software detects digital watermarks which cause either laser signal distortions or decoding error events. Watermarks serve as secure …

Application Of Stiffness/Strength Corrector And Cellular Automata In Predicting Response Of Laterally Loaded Masonry Panels, Guang Chun Zhou

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This research has introduced a new concept, "stiffness/strength corrector", which more accurately models variation in masonry properties at various locations (zones) within a masonry wall panel. Derivation of these correctors was based on a closer mapping of the laboratory experimental results to those obtained from a non-linear finite element analysis of full-scale masonry panels subjected to a uniformly distributed lateral load. In this research only one panel, which was tested in a previous research, was used as the "base panel" and correctors for new panels with and without openings with various boundary conditions were derived by matching similar regions and …

A Pre-Transfer Assessment Framework For International Technology Transfer, Stephen Hobbs

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The demands off managing in an international operating environment has changed considerably over the past 20 years due to developments in global markets. Multinational enterprises face fierce international competition and are now tasked not only with developing effective competitive capabilities but also with maximising the knowledge and expertise developed in one part of the organisation by transferring it to another. This work has investigated the position of multinational enterprises in the developing global market and through a broad and thorough review of current literature, identified a gap in the knowledge -a tool for helping the assessment of the transfer of …

A Generic Network And System Management Framework, Martin Hans Knahl

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Networks and distributed systems have formed the basis of an ongoing communications revolution that has led to the genesis of a wide variety of services. The constantly increasing size and complexity of these systems does not come without problems. In some organisations, the deployment of Information Technology has reached a state where the benefits from downsizing and rightsizing by adding new services are undermined by the effort required to keep the system running. Management of networks and distributed systems in general has a straightforward goal: to provide a productive environment in which work can be performed effectively. The work required …

Evaluation Of Lntelligent Medical Systems, Julian Bernard Tilbury

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents novel, robust, analytic and algorithmic methods for calculating Bayesian posterior intervals of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and confusion matrices used for the evaluation of intelligent medical systems tested with small amounts of data. Intelligent medical systems are potentially important in encapsulating rare and valuable medical expertise and making it more widely available. The evaluation of intelligent medical systems must make sure that such systems are safe and cost effective. To ensure systems are safe and perform at expert level they must be tested against human experts. Human experts are rare and busy which often severely restricts …

The Development Of A Novel Suspension Arm With 2-Dimensional Actuation, For Use In Advanced Hard Disk Drives, Chibesa Chilumbu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

As magnetic computer disks are developed to ever-greater data storage densities, the accuracy required for head positioning is moving beyond the accuracy provided by present technology using single-stage voice-coil motors in hard disk drives. This thesis details work to develop a novel active suspension arm with 2-dimensional actuation for use in advanced hard disk drives. The arm developed is capable of high-bandwidth data tracking as well as precision head flying height control motion. High-bandwidth data tracking is facilitated by the use of piezoelectric stack actuator, positioned closer to the head. The suspension arm is also capable of motion in the …

The Development Of Party Systems And The Determinants Of Partisan Voting In English Local Government Elections 1973-1998, Lawrence Ware

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis takes a quantitative approach to the study of the development of party systems in English local government following its reorganisation in the early 1970s. Aggregate data, including local election results and census information, are used to identify the determinants of partisan support and the subsequent effects upon variations in local party systems. The study develops the first major classification of local party systems between 1973 and 1998, focussing principally upon factors accounting for variations in the evolution of such systems. This study provides the first clear evidence that the operation of local electoral systems contributes towards the production …

The Process Of Design Is Almost Like Writing An Essay, Susan Orr, Margo Blythman

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Addressing Racial Diversity In A Writing Center: Stories And Lessons From Two Beginners, Nancy Barron, Nancy Grimm

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Guilt-Free Tutoring: Rethinking How We Tutor Non-Native-English-Speaking Students, Susan Blau, John Hall, Sarah Sparks

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Writing Center Users Procrastinate Less: The Relationship Between Individual Differences In Procrastination, Peer Feedback, And Student Writing Success, Beth Rapp Young, Barbara A. Fritzsche

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

International Writing Centers Association

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Novel Electro-Magnetic Force Microscope, James Frederick Charles Windmill

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis describes the development of a new type of Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) probe based on a unique electromagnetic design. In addition the design, construction and testing of a new MFM system, complete in both hardware and software, is also described. The MFM allowed initial tests on prototypes of the new probe, and is to provide a base for future new probe integration. The microscope uses standard MFM micro-cantilever probes in static modes of imaging. A new computer hosted DSP control system, software, and its various interfaces with the MFM have been integrated into the system. The system has …

Development Of Improved Head-Disk Spacing Measurement Methods For Magnetic Disk Drives, Xinqun Liu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A detailed review of existing flying height or head disk spacing testing techniques has been made, and in-depth analyses of the working principles of the currently popular optical interferometry flying height testing methods are presented with simulation results. A new dual-beam normal incidence polarisation inteferometry method is then proposed. One advantage of this dual-beam polarisation interferometry is that it can be used for both the direct spacing measurement (DSM) method and relative displacement measuring (RDM) method. The RDM method is a good way to measure the head-disk spacing and the slider pitch or roll when a real magnetic disk is …

Spread Spectrum-Based Video Watermarking Algorithms For Copyright Protection, Cristian Vasile Serdean

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital technologies know an unprecedented expansion in the last years. The consumer can now benefit from hardware and software which was considered state-of-the-art several years ago. The advantages offered by the digital technologies are major but the same digital technology opens the door for unlimited piracy. Copying an analogue VCR tape was certainly possible and relatively easy, in spite of various forms of protection, but due to the analogue environment, the subsequent copies had an inherent loss in quality. This was a natural way of limiting the multiple copying of a video material. With digital technology, this barrier disappears, being …

Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents research that extends current knowledge in the area of business process re-design, with a specific focus on the 'Make Product' process within manufacturing organisations. Current business process re-design approaches offer only limited guidance on the specific changes that can be made to a process when re-designing it to achieve the desired performance improvements and often overlook any strategically derived performance requirements when re-designing the process. Case experience suggests that practitioners do not consider the performance requirements of their business processes when re-designing them and that the actions they take to achieve performance improvements are not selected with …

A Meeting Of Minds Across The Workspace: Common Ground In Collaborative Design, Susan Elizabeth Reed

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis reports an exploration of how the use and construction of external representations through methods of signalling and conversational grounding, support the sharing of ideas for spatial design tasks and how that support changes as a function of access to a shared works pace, external representations and memory support. Further aims of the study were to develop a coding scheme to identify the use of language in establishing and maintaining mutual understanding between collaborators. Pilot studies identified appropriate tasks relating to visual problem-solving design tasks for use in the main studies. For the main studies, video recordings were obtained, …

Using A Toolkit To Support Practioner Evaluation, Jen Harvey, Grainne Conole, Ed Crew, Martin Oliver

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Key Skills By Design: Adapting A Central Web Resource To The Departmental Context, Claire Mcavinia

Journal Articles

Web-­based delivery of support materials for students has proved to be a popular way of helping small teams to implement key skills policies within universities. The development of ‘key’ or ‘transferable’ skills is now encouraged throughout education, but resources (both in terms of staffing and budget) tend to be limited. It is difficult for key skills teams to see learners face to face, and not feasible to print or distribute large amounts of paper­-based material. Web-­based delivery presents a means of overcoming these problems but it can result in generic study skills material simply being published online without due consideration …

Expanding The Study And Understanding Of Psychological Control, Brian K. Barber, Roy A. Bean, Lance D. Erickson

Faculty Publications

The two central purposes of this volume are to review the historical, conceptual, and empirical literatures on parental psychological control and to advance the rapidly growing scientific literature Ono this aspect of the parent-child relationship. Chapter 2 addressed the first task with a review of published material that has specifically investigated psychological control or variables that are conceptually similar to it. From this review of the historical conceptualizations of parental psychological control, we concluded that psychological control is a psychologically oriented, intrusive, constraining, and manipulating form of parental control in which parents appear to maintain their own psychological status at …

Mediating Ethically: The Limits Of Codes Of Conduct And The Potential Of A Reflective Practice Model, Julie Macfarlane

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Discussions regarding the appropriate ethical behaviours for mediators and the subsequent development of formal codes of conduct have focused on hallmark issues such as third party impartiality and party self-determination. However, in an informal process, ethical choices are inherent in every intervention made by a mediator. In adopting the standard-setting approach of an adjudicative model, mediator codes of conduct are a poor fit with the conceptual and structural characteristics of this fluid, uncertain, and essentially private process. Confining the substantive and conceptual debate over mediation ethics to formal codes dangerously underestimates both the scope and the significance of choices faced …

Theft Of Time: Disciplining Through Science And Law, Laureen Snider

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This commentary traces the genealogy of "theft of time," a newly discovered offence committed by employees against employers. A Foucauldian perspective is used to examine how truth claims from science, technology, and law constitute categories through which groups are sorted, classified, and censured: the processes of naming, blaming, and shaming. This commentary argues that to understand why some truth claims are heard and acted upon, while others are ignored or silenced, it is necessary to link the power/knowledge nexus to political economy, the structural dominance of capital, and the power relations thereby created and reinforced.

Irish Marketing Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2002, Aidan O'Driscoll

Issues

The Irish Marketing Review deals with issues, developments, research and practice in Marketing. This is a special joint issue in association with the Korean Academy of Marketing Science on " Researching the Cybermarket".

Innovation, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June, 2002, Unknown

Issues

No abstract provided.

Cytokine Regulation In Ra Synovial Tissue: Role Of T Cell/Macrophage Contact-Dependent Interactions., Fionula Brennan, Andrew Foey

School of Biomedical Sciences

Several groups have documented the expression of cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue over the past 15 years or so. These studies have indicated that most cytokines examined are expressed at the mRNA levels at least, and many other cytokines are found in abundance as proteins. Our attention has recently focused on the mechanisms that induce and regulate tumour necrosis factor and IL-10. Other workers and ourselves have found that cell-cell contact is an important signal for the induction of cytokines, and our work has demonstrated that tumour necrosis factor and IL-10 production in rheumatoid arthritis synovial joint cells cultures …

2002 : Part - Time Courses, Dublin Institute Of Technology

DIT Publications

Book containing information and full list of part - time courses for 2002 entry.

2002/2003 academic calendar.

Faculty structure and key contacts at DIT.

The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the issue of cataloguing traditional earthen architecture. It proposes a methodology that will permit the systematic collection and analysis of objective and quantifiable data relating to historic earthen, or cob, buildings in a parish in mid Devon. The brief given for this project requhes a multi-disciplinary approach to be taken, one that considers the topographical surroundings and the historic context of the buildings as well as the architectural characteristics. A triangular concept is expounded, with the three elements providing a sound basis for the development of an holistic methodology for creating an earthen building inventory. To comply …

The Benefit Of Code Switching Within A Bilingual Education Program, Susan Pollard '02

Honors Projects

In this study, I explore the effects oftwo types of education (bilingual and immersion) on Spanish dominant students in two cities in the U.S. Specifically, I examine the role of codeswitching (the use of both Spanish and English within the same discourse) in bilingual and immersion settings. I explore the effects of code switching on bilingual students and whether subject matter can be discussed more effectively in classrooms where code-switching is allowed and encouraged due to the language freedom it provides.