CUAL Repository (Connacht Ulster Alliance Libraries)
Not a member yet
852 research outputs found
Sort by
The use of motion graphics within video game cut-scenes
Get PDFThis thesis explores the use of Motion Graphics within video game cut-scenes. It investigates\ud
advances in technologies that are creating opportunities for Motion Graphics within mobile\ud
gaming and digital comic industries. Through research and analysis an understanding of the cutscenes\ud
purpose and how Motion Graphics has the potential to provide a unique approach to the\ud
creation of cut-scenes is explored. Investigation involving the target audience explores their\ud
perception on the effectiveness of motion graphics within cut-scenes. The findings from this\ud
investigation, leads to the exploration of the 2.5D technique through the use of Motion Graphics\ud
using static imagery and dynamic camera movement within 3D space. This exploration involves\ud
assessing development of the cut-scene through use of Cinema 4D and After Effects.\ud
Collaboration with game developers, gamers, concept artists, animators, CGI artists, and graphic\ud
and motion designers, provides insight into industry experience and knowledge that further\ud
develops the research and analysis of motion graphics within video game cut-scenes
Building a business network: the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs
Get PDFPurpose – The importance of networks with respect to acquiring the resources needed for business creation is one of the main areas within entrepreneurship research. Although there is significant literature on the use of social capital and human capital by immigrant entrepreneurs, there is an absence of studies which report the impact of business networks. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study examining the process of business network development by immigrant entrepreneurs.\ud
Design/methodology/approach\ud
– For each of the 28 entrepreneurs, data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview. In completing the questionnaire, the entrepreneurs were asked to fill out a network audit, followed by a series of multiple‐choice questions. For the responses from the interviews, narrative structuring is used to create a coherent story of the entrepreneurs' experience of business networks.\ud
Findings – This paper presents data characterizing the entrepreneurs, their experience in business networks, and enablers and disablers to the development of a business network.\ud
Practical implications\ud
– The outcome is multiple perspectives on the purpose, process, benefits and challenges of developing a business network, and the impact of participation in a formal business network.\ud
Originality/value\ud
– The findings which emerge offer insights into the development of business networks by immigrant entrepreneurs
Replicating reality: Driver assessment using dual-fidelity simulator
Get PDFThis paper presents a driving simulator constructed for the purposes of allowing a direct comparison between two levels of fidelity in the driver interaction stream. The driving simulator itself is described, followed by an overview of two types of simulation; the first uses a three-dimensional model of a real world route, based upon data acquired from the Open Street Map standard. The second is a high-fidelity video sequence of the same route, acquired using a portable mobile mapping system. A comparison of the driver response to the route in terms of speed for each the data fidelities are then presented
Extraction of reliability indicators from large-scale, highly variable timing data of MEMS switches
Get PDFIn this paper we present a method for monitoring and processing large-scale highly variable and nonlinear reliability data for MEMS RF Switches. The data is generated by measuring the switch actuation dynamics and a combination of statistical methods are applied to extract the switch closure/opening time. The signal processing is performed in a 2-step approach encompassing basic parametric and nonparametric statistical methods to correctly categorize the obtained datasets, supplemented with a mean-first derivative algorithm to extract the reliability indicators from the filtered data. The presented procedure proves to be highly accurate generating very low error in dataset classification. The acquired results give an insight into the evolution of switch health throughout its whole operation cycle and can lead to further understanding of failure mechanisms in micromechanical structures
Barriers to improving service delivery in Malaysian hotels: experts’ views on a proposed model
Get PDFTourism is central to economic prosperity in a number of developing countries with many reliant on the industry as a major catalyst for growth and development. In Malaysia, for example, the tourism industry makes a significant contribution to GDP; however, the Malaysian tourism industry is developing rapidly within an era of increasing competition. While the industry comprises a number of well-appointed hotels, service delivery lags behind the physical hotel environment often struggling to meet the expectations of international guests. This study set out to develop a customised service improvement model to support the growing industry in Malaysia by extracting the most appropriate service improvement dimensions from existing, empirically tested models found within the literature. In line with recent services studies, the model developed placed strong focus on human resource management and development with an emphasis on employee satisfaction. Qualitative research was then used to establish whether key stakeholders in the Malaysian tourism sector could identify barriers to the implementation of the model and to the improvement of service delivery within Malaysian hotels. The results confirm that an appropriate service delivery improvement model for the Malaysian hotel sector needs to concentrate on dimensions that attract, train, motivate and retain employees. Among the most significant barriers to service improvement emerging out of the research was the issue of employee remuneration
A solution based approach on how tourism SME’s can develop the British market in light of “The GB Path to Growth”
Get PDFThis paper looks at how tourist numbers to Ireland from Great Britain has been falling over the years, and what Ireland needs to do to regain lost ground. It proffers different solution, and one of the main focuses of this paper was how Small to Medium Enterprise players in this industry can play a crucial role in achieving the above
Implementing an innovation project in an Irish multi-national subsidiary: A dialogical action research study
Get PDFThis paper presents an action research (AR) study based in APC by Schneider Electric, formerly APC Ireland, an Irish subsidiary of the Schneider Electric Corporation. The two-year study was carried out during a time of significant change in the Irish economy and in the multinational corporation. The research presents the reflections and findings of a dialogical action research study in the manufacturing operations group of the subsidiary. The work tells the story of how the project began,\ud
how the AR developed and how it was carried out. The study contributes to the debate for increasing academic–practitioner engagement within a rigorous framework and provides suggestions for further development of this recently proposed variant of action research. Consequently, we conclude that\ud
dialogical AR is a promising approach that provides a collaborative and supportive environment to facilitate organisational change and a practitioner’s professional development
Breeding habitat of poorly studied humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Get PDFThe waters surrounding Cape Verde comprise one of two known breeding grounds for humpback whales in the North Atlantic. The population remains very small and has apparently failed to recover since the cessation of whaling there. During the breeding seasons of 2011 and 2012, sighting surveys were carried out for humpback whales off Boa Vista, the easternmost island of the Cape Verde Island archipelago. The distribution and relative abundance of humpback whales and mother-calf pairs was investigated by plotting effort-corrected sightings using a 2km2 grid-square. The study area, a 206km2 region from the coastline up to 8km offshore, covered the western half of Boa Vista where whales have previously been regularly recorded. Following 1,954km of search effort, 117 sightings of humpback whales were made. An encounter rate of 0.11 whales per km was recorded for both years. It is hoped that these data may assist in implementing conservation measures to protect humpback whales and the habitat of Baia Sal Rei, which appears to be the single most important bay for winter breeding, calving and nursing humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic
The physical and numerical modelling of piled embankments
No full textThe construction of road and rail infrastructure on weak foundation soils presents many challenges for Geotechnical Engineers. Construction of embankments over soft soils, such as peat and soft clay, may result in large, often differential, surface settlements and expensive long-term maintenance costs. An innovative solution is the use of geosynthetic reinforced piled embankments (GRPE), which can reduce surface settlements, cost and construction time.\ud
In GRPEs, a redistribution of embankment load occurs whereby much of the vertical load on the soft soil is transferred to the piles, and hence to a firm stratum at greater depth. This redistribution of load is aided by a natural phenomenon known as arching that occurs in the granular embankment material. The design of piled embankments involves estimating the magnitude of arching that occurs in the fill over the piles. Factors that must be considered include the embankment geometry, shear strength of granular embankment material and support from the subsoil and the geosynthetic reinforcement.\ud
In this study, plane strain physical models of a piled embankment were investigated in a geotechnical centrifuge at up to 150 times Earth’s gravity (g). The centrifuge model facilitated the capturing of photographic images in-flight to allow the deformational response of the piled embankment to be assessed. Numerical analyses, using Plaxis 2D, replicated the centrifuge model testing to allow further assessment of the deformational response, as well as the tensile stress along the geosynthetic and stress in the embankment fill above the reinforcement. Direct comparison of the data from the physical and numerical models largely validated Plaxis for use in piled embankment design.\ud
The study highlighted the importance of certain parameters on the performance of GRPEs. Reduced surface differential settlements were observed for increased embankment height to clear spacing ratio, subsoil stiffness and geosynthetic tensile strength. The location of the piled embankment critical height, determined using the centrifuge model testing and Plaxis analyses, was influenced by the embankment fill density and subsoil stiffness. Good agreement was found between the critical heights determined in this study and those associated with BS 8006 (2010), Naughton (2007), Collin (2004), Horgan & Sarsby (2002) and Hewlett & Randolph (1988)
Developing Doe castle as a heritage centre
Get PDFDoe Castle a National Monument has been considered by many people in the local\ud
community as a built heritage that has potential to be further developed in the interest of\ud
tourism and for the benefit of the local people in Sheephaven Bay. It is acknowledge that\ud
heritage can bring economic benefits to rural regions, and the development of Doe Castle into\ud
a heritage centre would heighten the profile of this area and bring greater tourism acclaim by\ud
further enhancing the offerings to visitors that visit or may consider visiting County Donegal\ud
and this region.\ud
This dissertation focuses on the understanding of heritage, the features of a heritage tourist,\ud
the importance of management and sustainability and how marketing plays an overall role in\ud
the development of a heritage site. A further focus is on the importance of stakeholders\ud
working together in partnership, understanding that there can be conflicts within this\ud
partnership that must be managed if a successful outcome is to be achieved.\ud
An extensive study was carried out on relevant literature and practical research was\ud
implemented, the latter involved three methods of primary research, a survey, semi-structure\ud
in-depth interviews and focus group interview.\ud
The survey findings gave an overview of the profile, perceptions and views of visitors that\ud
visited Glenveagh National Park, a destination that is both a natural reserve and a place of\ud
heritage, it provided an understanding of the relationship that the heritage/cultural tourist has\ud
with the visited site and reinforced opinions taken from the literary review. It also confirmed\ud
that when a site is managed well visitors return again and promote the site by word of mouth\ud
a most powerful marketing tool. Appreciating the views of the various stakeholders both the\ud
government bodies that have charge of the site and the local communities have shown that\ud
small steps will be necessary over several years to achieve the full potential development of\ud
Doe Castle. The willingness of all the stakeholders to consider development ideas and work\ud
together was a positive finding.\ud
The conclusion shows that the stakeholders including potential visitors will gain positively\ud
from the development of Doe Castle. The government bodies directly in charge of the site\ud
will benefit from further conservation/preservation, the local community from extra visitors\ud
and another local attraction, and Failte Ireland from an improved offering in Sheephaven Bay\ud
which will further enhance Donegal’s future as a vibrant tourist destination.\ud
II\ud
If sustainability is to be achieved at the site it will require a good story, excellent\ud
management, the right target market and overall marketing. It was discovered that some\ud
visitors to Glenveagh National Park were interested in Doe Castle and the Park would be\ud
willing to partner with the site in the future.\ud
The recommendations are to bring together members of the local community and various\ud
government bodies interested in this project. Create a long term vision for Doe Castle with\ud
short term gains along the way that will help advance the project gradually and sustainably.\ud
Gain understanding of the target market that would suit the site and how they can be reached\ud
and further investigate similar sites in Ireland or abroad and learn from their experiences