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Wireless communication using ultrasound in air with parallel OOK channels
Get PDFThe use of airborne ultrasonic transducers for wireless communication was demonstrated. The work used capacitive ultrasonic transducers to transmit coded binary signals through parallel air channels. On-Off Keying modulation was successfully implemented in the system. Within the limited bandwidth of the transducers, six channels were used at frequencies from 50 kHz to 110 kHz with a channel spacing of 12 kHz, allowing 8-bit packets to be transmitted simultaneously. Wireless handshaking was achieved using a simple synchronization signal in front of the information signal. A data rate of 60 kbps was achieved over a short distance and the system Bit Error Rate (BER) was analysed
Perspectives on ecotourism: examining tourism provider understandings
Get PDFThis paper focusses on the area of ecotourism in Ireland, and how it can be both improved and promoted. An example of the Greenbox ecotourism initiative was given and how this came about, and the role that government can play in promoting this industry
Investigation of indoor positioning based on WLAN 802.11
Get PDFThe need for location based services has dramatically increased within the past few years, especially with the popularity and capability of mobile device such as smart phones and tablets. The limitation of GPS for indoor positioning has seen an increase of indoor positioning based on Wireless Local Area Network 802.11.\ud
This thesis reviews the various different techniques used by applications to determine one’s location through the measurement of Wi-Fi signals. It particularly focuses on the Cisco Context-Aware Mobility which provides a Real Time Location System solution based on Wi-Fi. It details the implementation of an Android application, developed to communicate with the Cisco Context-Aware Mobility to visually display the location of the mobile device. The application was tested in a production environment. Limitations in the production environment along with the diagnostic capabilities of the Context-Aware Mobility were identified
Vegetation succession post rehabilitation of an industrial cutaway Atlantic blanket bog
Get PDFBord na Móna harvested peat at Bellacorick (Oweninny works) in County Mayo between \ud
1961 and 2003. Milled peat was harvested from an area of over 6,500 ha of former Atlantic \ud
blanket bog and associated habitat types. The peat was supplied to the adjoining peat burning \ud
power station at Bellacorick. Peat production ceased in 2003 and a large scale site specific \ud
rehabilitation plan was designed and implemented. The main aims of the rehabilitation were \ud
to ensure environmental stabilisation of the former industrial peat production area (cutaway \ud
bog) and mitigation of silt run-off. \ud
A baseline ecology survey of the site was completed in 2001. The rehabilitation work on the \ud
cutaway bog was carried out in phases between 2001 and 2005 and comprised an extensive \ud
and comprehensive programme of drain blocking, wetland creation, terracing to mitigate \ud
erosion on slopes and silt pond decommissioning. The site was re-surveyed in 2011 and the \ud
main changes in vegetation cover and composition between 2001 and 2011 were recorded.\ud
The study found that sections of the site where the rehabilitation work allowed for water \ud
retention were quick to re-vegetate. Sections of the site where water retention was not \ud
possible (slopes and gravel ridges) have been slower to re-vegetate. Vegetation cover has \ud
increased across the site, bare peat occupied 53.3% of the site in 2001, and by 2011 this had \ud
reduced to 11.7%. \ud
Quadrats were set up across the site in order to analysis the vegetation and monitor future \ud
vegetation changes. Data Analysis of the vegetation data found that seven vegetation \ud
communities were present across the former peat production areas. Six of the vegetation \ud
communities belonged in the poor fen category with one belonging to a dry heath vegetation \ud
type. The six poor fen vegetation types were found to be at various stages of development \ud
ranging from dry, Juncus effusus dominated to Sphagnum-rich/abundant. A sequence of \ud
development within the poor fen communities has been identified where Juncus effusus is the \ud
first plant to colonise the bare peat and in doing so allows other plant species to become \ud
established. With time these areas become more diverse, culminating in Sphagnum-iv\ud
rich/abundant poor fen in areas where the hydrology is suitable. Following on from the \ud
rehabilitation work, pioneer poor fen vegetation has increased by 44.4% and Sphagnum-rich, \ud
poor fen (>50% Sphagnum) cover has increased by almost 7% across the site. The \ud
establishment of habitats with a high cover of Sphagnum indicates that there is significant \ud
potential for sections of the site to revert to peat-forming systems
Ireland’s understudied flatfish: reproduction, age and growth of the dab Limanda limanda (L.) in Irish coastal waters
Get PDFIn Ireland, although flatfish form a valuable fishery, little is known about the smallest, the dab Limanda limanda. In this study, a variety of parameters of reproductive development, including ovarian phase description, gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), relative condition (Kn) and oocyte size were analysed to provide information on the dab’s reproductive cycle and spawning periods. Sampling were collected monthly over an 18-month period using bottom trawls of the Irish coastline. A six phase macroscopic guide was developed for both sexes of dab, and verified using histology. In comparisons of macroscopic and microscopic phases, there was high agreement in the proposed female guide (86%), with males demonstratively lower (62%). No significant bias was observed between the the two reproductive methods. When the male macroscopic guide was examined, misclassification was high in phase 5 and phase 5 (41%), with 96% of misclassification occurring in adjacent phases. The sampled population was primarily composed of females, with ratios of females to males 1:0.6, although the predominance of females was less noticeable during the reproductive season. Oocyte growth in dab follows asynchronous development, and spawn over a protracted period indicating a batch spawning strategy. Spawning occurred mainly in early spring, with total regeneration of gonads by May. The length at which 50% of the population was reproductively mature was identified as 14cm and 17cm, for male and female dab, respectively. Precision and bias in age determinations using whole otoliths to age dab was investigated using six age readers from various institutions. Low levels of precision were obtained (CV: 10-23%) inferring the need for an alternative methodology. Precision and bias was influence by the level of experience of the reader, with ageing error attributed to interpretative differences and difficulty in edge determination. Sectioned otolith age determinations were subsequently compared to whole otolith age determinations using two age readers experienced in dab ageing. Although increased precision was observed in whole otoliths from previous estimates (CV=0%, 0% APE), sectioned otoliths were used for growth models. This was based on multinominal logistic regression on age length keys developed using both ageing methods. Biological data (length and age) for both sexes was applied to four growth models, where the Akaike criterion and Multi model Inference indicated the logistic model as having the best fit to the collected data. In general, female dab attained a longer length then males, with growth rates significantly different between the two sexes. Length weight relationships between the two sexes were also significantly different
Generation 'why'?: contested concepts of ultimacy in contemporary western European culture
Get PDFThe thesis proposes that the scientistic-technologicalist-consumerist meaning structures communicated via the mass-media, and pervasive in contemporary Western European culture, are limited in scope and function. In order to substantively identify, examine, and critique these limitations, the thesis explores and posits the role of the Christian Weltanschauung in providing wider horizons of significance and Ultimacy. In pursuing these objectives, the thesis engages with authors from an extensive range of disciplines, through a series of dialectical exchanges which interrogate dominant cultural currents in contemporary Western European culture. The consideration of key concepts is ‘nested’ through the thesis such that, as the thesis progresses, these key concepts are explored and re-explored in differing conceptual contexts, in order to draw out their richest subtleties and nuances. The findings of the thesis conclude that a radical re-evaluation and recalibration of contemporary Western European cultural meaning-structures can enable the disclosure of transcendent horizons of meaning – in particular, through re-engagement with Christian symbolic ‘language’ and its capacity to communicate Ultimate meanings. The outcome would be the (re-)expansion of available theo-cultural meaning-structures and meanings, enabling reflection on the nature of contemporary Western European culture and the reinvigoration of human cultural agency within it
Marketing family resource centres in County Donegal
Get PDFFamily Resource Centres play a key role in the Irish local communities. This thesis analyses \ud
the marketing strategies implemented by these organisations. A literature review covers the \ud
vision, role and challenges of the non-profit organisations sector globally and then focuses on \ud
Family Resource Centres in Ireland and particularly in County Donegal.\ud
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A qualitative research method in form of in-depth interviews and focus group discussion is \ud
employed. Managers of six Family Resources Centres participated in in-depth interviews on \ud
the marketing strategies implemented by their organisation. Users of Cara House FRC also \ud
participated in a focus group to discuss their perceptions on the services provided by Cara \ud
House FRC.\ud
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A qualitative research method in form of in-depth interviews and focus group discussion is \ud
employed. Managers of six Family Resources Centres participated in in-depth interviews on \ud
the marketing strategies implemented by their organisation. Users of Cara House FRC also \ud
participated in a focus group to discuss their perceptions on the services provided by Cara \ud
House FRC.\ud
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The current challenges faced by the sector are also explained in detailed based on literature \ud
review and in-depth interviews. Recommendations for a best practice model are also included \ud
as a research outcome
Fair trade, marketing and consumer behaviour
Get PDFThis paper examines different aspects of fair trade marketing. Firstly, secondary research examines the development, advantages and challenges of fair trade. Secondly, primary research explores consumer buying behaviour in Ireland and Austria in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) market. Thirdly, the attitudes of consumers towards mainstreaming and clean-washing are explored. Phase one of the data collection involved one hundred and twenty consumer surveys. In phase two exploratory research using mixed modes collected data from nine suppliers of fair trade FMCGs. The findings suggest that the\ud
effects of mainstreaming are perceived to be predominantly positive. The research suggests\ud
that more needs to be done to manage consumer perceptions of fair trade. Specifically, consumers need to be convinced that their purchasing behaviour can actually make a difference. This paper will be of interest to marketing professionals and stakeholders in the fair trade and the FMCG sector in relation to: merchandising strategy for fair trade products; developing tailored brand communications for fair trade; and new fair trade product development
Restorative justice and young offenders in the Republic of Ireland : case studies and insights
No full textThis thesis will examine restorative justice in the Republic of\ud
Ireland. It will do so in three main areas; theory, policy and practice.\ud
This will provide the framework to address the research question which\ud
is ‘ How does restorative conferencing for young offenders facilitate an\ud
exchange process whereby forms o f reparation and social regulation\ud
may be achieved? The thesis will outline the historical background to\ud
restorative justice; from first the British and then the Irish perspective.\ud
It should be understood from the outset that at the time this research\ud
was conducted the restorative justice conferencing events observed\ud
were the only one of their type in operation in the Republic of Ireland.\ud
Unlike England and Wales and other parts of the world restorative\ud
justice came late to criminal justice in Ireland. This thesis provides an\ud
insight into the first introduction of restorative justice to the criminal\ud
justice system in the Republic of Ireland. The thesis then applies these\ud
understandings to six case studies of restorative conferencing events\ud
that were observed by the researcher in the Greater Dublin Region.\ud
From this a wider understanding of restorative justice theory,\ud
philosophies, practices and policies is achieved. The thesis addresses its\ud
main research question through this analysis and provides a fuller\ud
understanding of the significance of combining restorative philosophies\ud
and practices to actual restorative conferencing events. The researcher\ud
personally sees restorative justice as an opportunity to achieve a fairer\ud
and more satisfactory criminal justice system for all members of\ud
society. Restorative justice principles are making slow but steady\ud
progress in Ireland. There is a growing acknowledgement among\ud
professionals and academics that we need to develop other responses to\ud
crime. The restorative justice ‘process’ has much to offer and the\ud
researcher believes that this concept particularly as it centres on the\ud
greater use of non custodial sentences will bring about changes not only\ud
in the law but will have significant implications for social regulation
Implementing a site waste management plan - a case study of a medium sized building contractor in Ireland
Get PDFConstruction and demolition waste management is becoming increasingly important on construction sites as landfill space in Ireland is rapidly depleting and waste management costs are rising. Due to these factors waste management plans are seen as a good response\ud
to minimising waste on site and this thesis aims to investigate how to implement such a plan on a practical case study as well as investigating the legislation regarding construction and demolition waste along with market availability for the reuse of the waste. Main\ud
contractor surveys were also carried out in order to gain a better understanding of current attitudes within the industry and these surveys are analysed in chapter five. A survey was also carried out among sub-contractors but this survey has not been used for this thesis as\ud
the study is on-going. The primary aim of this thesis is to examine the waste hierarchy opportunities that are\ud
available for construction and demolition waste in Ireland and to examine the effects of management strategies on construction and demolition waste reduction at the project level. A partnership was developed with Carey Developments Ltd in Co. Galway and an analysis\ud
of their waste management practices was undertaken. The primary case study will be the ‘Taylors Hill’ project in Co. Galway where work commenced in March, 2012. The secondary aim of the thesis is to develop specific waste minimisation strategies for the company and to develop a training tool kit for use on site. \ud
This thesis concentrates on the possible waste management strategies which a company can use to successfully implement good practice waste management. The initial research found that the construction and demolition waste topic is a worldwide issue with research being compiled constantly in order to help contractors implement successful waste management strategies. The initial stage of research involved a review of the legislation, theories and studies related to construction and demolition waste management. This research revealed that while good practice waste management is challenging, it is an\ud
achievable goal