558 research outputs found
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K. Heather Pinson, The Jazz Image: Seeing Music Through Herman Leonard’s Photography. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2010. 240 pp. ISBN 978- 1604734942 (hbk) £29.74.
No full textDuring the 1980s revival of the Herman Leonard jazz portfolio I bought three prints of his jazz photographs. Because of my ownership of these photographs I found this book enriching and informative in the author’s consideration of jazz and jazz culture through Leonard’s work. My interest was excited by the investigative contextualization of various cultural issues that the author associates with the topic in a fresh and authoritative approach. The study is extremely broad and uses an interdisciplinary approach to iconography; the author acknowledges this by stating that she has modelled her work on that of Ted Gioia, specifically in relation to his book The Imperfect Art (1988), and in relation to ‘society’s understanding of the jazz musician as a means to understand the other arts’ (p. 12). Structurally, the text is based on a two-part approach: the first two chapters focus on the jazz image, how it is constructed around the African-American male jazz musician and aligned with musical classicism and neoclassicism. In the second part, the final two chapters investigate how that neoclassical jazz image is mediated today and how it is highlighted recursively through experimental jazz styles
The role of the building surveyor as project manager in refurbishment
No full textThis dissertation addresses the area of project management and the various skills and stages involved in the position. It also looks at the building surveying profession and identifies the attributes that they can bring to a project team on a refurbishment project. When both of these areas are analysed, the findings are then amalgamated to find what the optimum requirements and skills are to be a successful project manager on a refurbishment project. The first stage of the dissertation was to explain and outline the job description of the project manager. Following this the project life cycle was then explained and evaluated. Once this was achieved the stages involved in project management were outlined and explained. A Chapter was completed on the attributes of a building surveyor and what he/she can bring to a project team as a PM. The different types and scales of refurbishment were then explained and a case study was the last piece of literature to be carried out for this dissertation. The Case Study was a vital part of this dissertation as it gave an insight into project management form people working in the industry that have real experience and knowledge in relation to the area
Conservation and repair of lime plaster and renders
No full textMany years ago, the use of lime as the traditional method of plaster or renderings, had more or less ceased after thousands of years of being the vital ingredient in building material. Lime renders and plasters were applied to most cottages and rural houses. The survival of lime renders is owed to its ability, acting like a sponge, to absorb moisture then allow it to evaporate slowly over time. The purpose of this dissertation is to show that lime renders of plasters cannot be easily replaced with modern Portland cement without having a major consequence to old and traditional buildings. This dissertation was compiled from an extensive literature review under three specific headings; 1) Formation of Lime 2) Conservation Guidelines and Legislation and 3) Repair & Maintenance of Lime. A case study was undertaken on the restoration of lime render and plaster to a protected structure. The case study showed that unless there is a good commitment and understanding from the outset by the property owners, lime has to be treated differently to ordinary Portland cement, to allow conservation and restoration of the render and plaster. An interview was held with a professional who is heavily involved in conservation of buildings using lime. The interview was carried out so as to gain a clear understanding of the main conservation methods of lime plastering. The information that was gathered during this interview was compiled in order to add further weight to the case study and assess the techniques used in restoration of lime plasters and renders to old buildings
Evaluation of a Multi-Sensor Platform in a Large-Scale Geophysical Survey at Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, Ireland
No full textThis poster presents comparative results from the first use of the Geophysical Exploration Equipment Platform (GEEP) in Ireland in carrying out a multi-sensor survey in the vicinity of a possible Neolithic passage tomb known as Site E in the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site.
Brú na Bóinne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been an important ritual, social and economic centre for thousands of years. Much research has been undertaken in the area, including large-scale excavations at the Neolithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. However we still lack an in-depth understanding of the site’s broad range of archaeological monuments, and the landscape and communities that shaped them.
To date there has been no systematic large-scale use of ground geophysical techniques although a number of successful spatially discrete geophysical surveys have been carried out. The landscape has many large, open fields under pasture or tillage suitable for systematic large-scale ground geophysical survey. Such a survey, integrated with the interpretation of other available remote sensing data is an obvious next step in the investigation of this internationally important landscape.
The evaluation was successful and the results from the GEEP dataset will be presented with a comparative study of data collected by traditional hand-carried magnetic gradiometry, earth resistance and magnetic susceptibility surveys
Balancing Agility and Discipline in a Medical Device Software Organisation
No full textAgile development techniques are becoming increasingly popular in the generic software development industry as they appear to offer solutions to the problems associated with following a plan-driven Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). However, agile methods may not be suited to all industries or organisations. For agile methods to succeed, an organisation must be structured in a way to accommodate agile methods. Medical device software development organisations are bound by regulatory constraints and as a result face challenges when they try to completely follow an agile methodology, but can reap significant benefits by combining both agile and plan-driven SDLC such as the Waterfall or V-Model. This paper presents an analysis of a medical device software development organisation based in Ireland, which is considering moving to agile software development techniques. This includes the performing of a Home-Ground Analysis to determine how agile or disciplined the organisation currently is. Upon completion of the Home-Ground Analysis recommendations were made to the organisation as to how they could tailor their existing structure to better accommodate agile development techniques. These recommendations include adopting agile practices such as self-organising teams to promote a culture of “chaos” within the organisation
An Agile V-Model for Medical Device Software Development to Overcome the Challenges with Plan-Driven Software Development Lifecycles
No full textThrough the use of semi structured interviews with medical device software organizations it emerged that medical device software organizations are experiencing difficulties when following plan driven Software Development Life Cycles (SDLC), particularly in the area of requirements management. To attempt to resolve these issues an examination of the non-regulated industry was performed to determine if lessons learned there could be applied to the development of medical device software. This examination revealed that agile methods are being widely adopted in the non-regulated software industry. To learn if agile methods could be adopted when developing medical device software a mapping study was performed which looked for instances of where agile methods have been used in regulated industries and where they have been adopted, to what success. This mapping study revealed that incorporating agile practices with the existing plan driven SDLC is the most favourable choice for medical device software organizations. This research aims to develop a SDLC which has a foundation of a plan driven SDLC which incorporates agile practices which can be followed when developing regulatory compliant software
How building energy management systems (BEMS) and other controls can manage energy use
No full textIn recent times people are becoming more aware of energy consumption in buildings. Services and plant are a large expense in buildings and people are paying high bills for the consumption of this energy. Not only is there a financial expense; there is an environmental impact too. There are ways of managing and solving these issues. The objective of this dissertation is to make the reader aware that there are ways of monitoring and controlling energy in buildings. This can be done by control devices for smaller buildings; in larger buildings, one must consider building energy management systems (BEMS). This set up will monitor and control all the services and plant within the building. It is able to automatically turn on services and allows the facilities manager to devise strategies for better control. Later the dissertation explores how three case studies monitor and control their energy. The three case studies are: i. Dealgan Nursing House ii. St.Oliver Plunkett Nursing Home iii. The Great Northern Haven The next chapter compares the case studies; it evaluates their similarities and differences of how they monitor and control their energy usage
An investigation into defective domestic waste water treatment systems and the remedial measures available
No full textThe aim of this dissertation is to educate the reader in all areas surrounding Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems within Ireland. An overview of the regulatory framework is given, which includes EU Directives and the Legislation in place at a national level. The research will identify the different types of waste water treatment systems that are available and the methods by which they work. It will explain the importance of ensuring, that treatment systems are working correctly and the potentially hazardous consequence they can have on the environment and human health in the event that they fail. An analysis of the approach taken by the National Inspection Plan, is given in comparison to the system which was previously implemented by Cavan Co. Council from 2004 – 2012. This study finds that there is a substantial problem in relation to defective DWWTS in Ireland. It will guide the reader, in terms of identifying the signs of a defective system, the preventative measures that should be in place and the remedial measures available when a problem is identified
Towards a Process Assessment Model for IEC 80001-1
No full textMedical Devices are widely used in patient care for both diagnosis and treatment purposes. Typically, modern medical devices are intended to be networked at their point of use. The incorporation of medical devices opens up new opportunities and new vulnerabilities to patients and medical facilities. In 2010, the first standard to address the risks of incorporating a medical device into an IT network was published in the form of IEC 80001-1. Currently no method exists to allow responsible organisations - entities that operate and maintain a network that incorporates a medical device- to assess themselves against this standard. This paper discusses the how healthcare providers can be assessed against IEC 80001-1. This paper discusses the work carried out to date to develop a Process Reference Model and future work to allow this Process Reference Model to be extended to form a Process Assessment Model is also presented within this paper
Incorporating Smart Sensing Technologies into the Poultry Industry
No full textIncreases in production input costs are driving innovation in the poultry industry in Ireland and worldwide. Integration of so called ‘Precision Livestock Farming’ techniques into the poultry industry supply chain will help producers to optimize management systems. This manuscript provides an overview of monitoring and performance sensor technologies within poultry production. It outlines traditional sensing methods and looks at the potential of novel performance related systems that could be incorporated into production facilities. Critical environmental parameters which are relevant to poultry production include inter alia air temperature, relative humidity, light, air speed and air quality (in particular CO 2 and NH 3 concentrations). Current industry practice with regard to the measurement of these parameters in addition of the effect of these parameters on bird welfare is reviewed, and improvements underpinned by novel technologies and processes are also investigated. Finally, the integration of such systems is also discussed