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Communication using signs: an empirical study of a manufacturing information system using Stamper’s OS ladder
Full text linkThis paper investigates information exchange during a longitudinal study of a manufacturing information system in a multinational subsidiary where the researcher had the status of a temporary employee. During this study there was a gradual realization that the main locus of interaction was the cell information board. It was here that people gathered to assimilate digital information sources and transform these into “acts”. The paper seeks to answer the following research question: how does Stamper’s Organisational Semiotic (OS) Ladder stand up to empirical investigation on a manufacturing shop floor? The work makes a contribution by examining a manufacturing information system as a form of symbolic action using empirical data accumulated over two years. The conclusion of the study is that Stamper’s OS Ladder requires to be modified based on the evidence of the study. Furthermore, it challenges the IT artefact turn in the IS literature and argues that we should view information systems first and foremost as a service to human activity
Edith Stein and the problem of empathy: insights for responsible innovation
Full text linkThis paper argues that the concept of empathy can provide a rich philosophical source for the nascent area of Responsible Innovation (RI). The lens through which this study looks at RI is that of phenomenology. The research question addressed is: What are the implications of Edith Stein’s phenomenology of empathy for Responsible Innovation? The paper makes two contributions. It adds a new voice, that of the philosopher Edith Stein, to the debate on innovation and in particular the emerging area of RI. Second it proposes a synthesis of the innovation and empathy literature to facilitate dialogue between philosophers and both management academics and practitioners. One of the main arguments of the paper is that the concept of empathy can inform the quest to understand and explain what is meant by von Schomberg’s definition of RI as a process of mutual responsivity of actors
Improved high temperature stability of Anatase TiO2 Photocatalysts by N, F, P co-doping
No full textAmong the three commonly occurring phases (anatase, rutile, and brookite) of TiO2, the anatase form is reported\ud
to be the best photocatalyst due to the improved charge-carrier mobility and the greater number of surface\ud
hydroxyl groups. The anatase to rutile transition in titania photocatalysts usually occurs at a temperature between\ud
500 °C to 700 °C. Development of a high temperature stable (above 1000 °C) anatase phase is important\ud
for various environmental applications (e.g. self-cleaning ceramic tiles, anti-microbial sanitary wares, etc.). In\ud
this study, the use of ammonium hexafluorophosphate as a single source dopant (method A) and urea,\ud
trifluoroacetic acid and phosphoric acid as multiple sources (method B) was undertaken to improving its high\ud
temperature stability. Method A was seen to produce a more stable anatase phase, with 68% anatase present at\ud
1100 °C, compared to method B which showed 100% rutile at 900 °C. Kinetic analysis shows a marked increase\ud
in the photocatalytic degradation of a model dye using materials calcined at 1100 °C for method A\ud
(0.042 min−1) compared to that for method B (0.005 min−1) and the commercial photocatalyst Evonik-\ud
Degussa AEROXIDE® (0.031 min−1) at 1100 °C. XPS results showed that, the only dopant detected at high temperatures\ud
is phosphorus in its P5+ form. The incorporation of phosphorus has proved to be an effective method in\ud
stabilising the anatase phase at high temperature. The current investigation also showed that a single source precursor\ud
is more favourable to obtain high temperature stable anatase phase photocatalysts
Around the table : food work in children's residential services in Ireland
Full text linkThis study uses food and eating practices around the table to explore the complexities of daily life in residential care settings for young people principally from the workers’ perspective. The overall aim is to elicit the significance of food and eating practices in children’s residential care settings in Ireland. How food is used in residential care - what is eaten, how, when and where it is eaten - increases the sociological understanding of institutional eating practices in residential care for young people - an under researched area in Ireland.\ud
The table, both physical and metaphorical, is the focus for this research. Using a four legged table as a conceptual metaphor the four themes or legs that support the central focus of this thesis are; commensality, hierarchy, discipline and government. The approach taken is an exploratory sequential mixed methods design of: focused ethnography in five residential care centres, a survey of ninety two social care practitioners and photo- elicitation with a further forty two social care professionals. Thematic analysis of the collected data sets was connected during interpretation. This study puts forward a conceptual framework that enhances the knowledge of aspects of everyday life in residential care. In addition it makes a practical and theoretical contribution to the literature on residential care for young people.\ud
The findings are situated in the broader literatures of the sociology of food, the new sociology of childhood and the sociology of home. The key findings suggest the significance of food in residential care settings need to be considered within the everyday realities of lives lived in the centres – the young people’s ‘home’. Food can be used as a symbolic instrument to demonstrate care. Furthermore, food can also be used symbolically to reject the care on offer. In addition, food and eating practices can be seen as an expression of governmentality that contributes to the normalisation of ‘proper meals’ in a ‘homely home’. The research has highlighted the value of using the metaphorical table as the key focus to examine the theoretical concepts to enhance the understanding of the significance of food and eating practices in residential care for young people in Ireland
The application of GIS, predictive modelling, and morphological analysis to further understand cave use in Neolithic Ireland
Full text linkThis thesis presents the results of two archaeological predictive models applied to two\ud
geographic regions in Ireland - North Connaught and Munster. The main aim of the\ud
project was to identify caves that were most likely to have been chosen as places of\ud
Neolithic funerary activity. This was achieved using a non-invasive assessment strategy,\ud
consisting of data collection through field visits and desk-based research. In a juxtaposed\ud
setting, internal morphological characteristics of caves were used in a cognitive-deductive\ud
predictive model, whereas external environmental factors were used in a second,\ud
correlative-inductive predictive model.\ud
Several archaeological predictive modelling and survey methods were critically evaluated\ud
and adapted for this project, including cognitive modelling approaches and cave survey\ud
techniques. The resulting model for North Connaught forms a new approach to cognitivedeductive\ud
archaeological predictive modelling. Fieldwork was a major component of this\ud
thesis and encompassed detailed recording and surveying of numerous caves, mainly\ud
in the northwest of Ireland but also in the south where almost all caves of Neolithic\ud
significance are located. The catalogue presented here is the first extensive record of relict\ud
caves in the northwest of Ireland.\ud
Cave archaeology in Ireland is a relatively new sub-discipline. The majority of sites\ud
identified thus far as places of Neolithic activity were discovered during antiquarian\ud
excavation campaigns. This thesis seeks to employ a more pro-active approach in\ud
identifying caves that are likely to contain Neolithic deposits. This is the first major\ud
attempt to target likely caves rather than react to chance finds. In fact, the discovery of\ud
human remains of Neolithic date in a cave on Knocknarea Mountains, Co. Sligo, one of\ud
the most iconic Neolithic ritual landscapes in Ireland, has led to new interpretations of the\ud
relationship between natural places and monuments
Temporal and spatial variation in group size of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland
Full text linkBottlenose dolphin group size is known to be determined by food availability, social interactions and predator defence. This paper analyses data gathered over seven years from dolphin tour boats operating in the Shannon Estuary and examines whether there were any temporal or spatial trends in group size of the resident group of bottlenose dolphins in the region. Findings indicate that dolphin group size varied significantly between years (ANOVA, F 4.55, P 0.0001), and increased during the months of July, September and October (ANOVA, F 8.921, PB0.0001). Findings also reveal that group size of dolphins encountered in the middle part of the estuary was greater than the outer or inner estuary (ANOVA, F 4.176, P B 0.001). The seasonal change in group size is thought to be primarily caused by dolphins switching to different prey species
The effects that building information modelling may have on the role of quantity surveyors
No full textThe rationale behind the chosen research topic is the advancement of information technology in the construction industry in recent years and a mandate introduced into public works contracts in the United Kingdom in 2016, requiring Level 2 BIM to be used on all public works contracts. This research study aims to examine the affects that Building Information Modelling may have on the role of Quantity Surveyors. The methodology adopted to carry out the research was a number of semi-structured interviews with Quantity Surveyor working in industry. A qualitative method of analysis was be used to analyse the data collected, the results of which were analysed against the data in the Literature Review. The interview participants were Quantity Surveyors whom had various levels of experience with BIM.\ud
The main findings were that the role of the QSs would change in terms of the method that QSs adopt to quantify materials. Measurement procedure may move away from measuring lines on 2D drawing and towards quantifying items that are modelled in a 3D environment. The time spent measuring will be reduced, as well as the number of assumptions that QSs need to make. Re-works due to design errors and variations may become less common, but will most likely still occur due to clients changing their minds. The QSs role as a cost manager will still always persist. The QSs, in time, can offer enhanced service to the design team, by becoming more active in the design phase. The quick estimates are likely to result in changes to the design pre-contract becoming a much more intense occurrence. Buildings will be designed to cost
The experiences of newcomer populations and access to higher education opportunities in Ireland : an exemplar of enhanced or impeded integration policy
Full text linkThis thesis was framed within a period of what appeared to be endless economic growth and prosperity, significantly predicated on the requirement to attract and retain migrants into the Irish economy. As a consequence of the seismic economic decline Ireland has experienced since 2008, the thesis examines the impact of the re-adjustment of policies and practices on particular groups of migrants by providing a critical insight into their experiences of access to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and third level learning experiences in Ireland. Having participated in the Linehan and Hogan research on the experiences of migrants in higher education and training in 2008, it became apparent through research undertaken in the north west region, that a number of themes and issues were evolving: namely, the identification of a collection of interrelated barriers that migrants appeared to be encountering in higher education, primarily as a result of the underdevelopment or absence of access to HEI policies focusing on the learning needs of some newcomer populations. There are a number of limitations to Linehan & Hogan’s (2008) research, including a specific lack of focus on the humanistic perspective of the development of human potential on a holistic level. Each individual is entitled to flourish through education: a basic fundamental human right. Theoretically, this thesis is grounded in a rights-based approach (RBA) incorporating Nussbaum’s (2001) ‘Capabilities Approach’ (CA) along with a Walzerian emphasis on notions of membership and belonging and the denial of these to certain ‘out groups’ in society, namely certain migrant groups. Cumulatively, by adopting a social justice paradigmic lens and in conjunction with the insights of 41expert interviewees, a comprehensive review of existent literature along with the inclusion of a comparative international dimension to these issues by way of insights gleaned from the Netherlands and Great Britain, a number of key findings and recommendations are advanced. These include the urgent necessity of a major overhaul of policies around access to higher education for particular groups of migrant learners in Irish HEIs. Related to this, the findings uncovered in this thesis suggest that the presence of indirect institutional racism and institutionally racist practices around migrant learners’ access issues need to be addressed at both the national (Higher Education Authority) and HEI specific levels
Protecting the necessity of making: Katharine West
Full text linkMy interview with Katharine West coincided appropriately with Earth day, 22 April 2016. Listening to her describe the age-old geological processes of the weathering of igneous rock, producing primary kaolins, the basis for porcelain, conveying images of riverbeds with rich mineral deposits; I understood how she draws students to work with her in ceramics. Her appreciation of the connection of ceramics with the haptic and hand-made, with ancient cultures, anthropology, and archaeology is compelling
Why do Irish institutions still call themselves ‘royal’?
Full text linkMore than 90 years after independence, academies and colleges based in Ireland retain obsolete royal identitie