558 research outputs found
Sort by
Automating expert-defined tests: a suitable approach for the Medical Device Industry?
No full textTesting is frequently reported as a crucial stage in the software development process. With traditional approaches acceptance testing is the last stage of the process before release to customer. Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) promotes the role of an expert customer in defining tests and uses tool support to automate and execute these tests. Here the challenge is to support such an expert in the reuse of existing documentation. This paper details an experiment in a generic domain while outlining plans for development of an automated testing
model that could assist medical device companies to adhere to regulatory guidelines by providing them with a fully traceable testing artifacts
On being an access student
Get PDFAlthough mature students have long ceased to be an object of curiousity, those who enrol in a third-level institution via an Access Programme are still comparatively under researched. This paper will explore the experiences of a small group of students (5) whose entry route to Dundalk Institute of Technology was via the successful completion of a 12 week Access 21 Programme jointly funded with the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). The factors which prompted their initial decision will be traced as will their verdict on the adequacy of the access programme in readying them for the challenges of returning to college. Finally, with the benefit of a full academic year behind them, the students' experiental reflections will be noted for incorporation into the next programme
Towards a regional understanding of Irish traditional music
Get PDFThe geography of Irish traditional music is a complex, popular and largely
unexplored element of the narrative of the tradition. Geographical concepts such as the
region are recurrent in the discourse of Irish traditional music but regions and their
processes are, for the most part, blurred or misunderstood. This thesis explores the
geographical approach to the study of Irish traditional music focusing on the concept of
the region and, in particular, the role of memory in the construction and diffusion of
regional identities.
This is a tripartite study considering people, place and music. Each of these
elements impacts on our experience of the other. All societies have created music. Music
is often associated with or derived from places. Some places construct or reinforce their
identity through the music and musicians through which they are associated. The thesis
challenges conventional discourse on regional styles that construct an imagined pattern of
regions based on subtle musical differences that may, though are not always, shared by
people in that region and focuses on the social networks through which the music is
disseminated. The thesis also challenges the abandonment of regional styles and the
concept of regions in understanding the complex geographies of Irish traditional music
(Morton, 2001). It seeks to find a middle ground between discourse analysis, musical
analysis, the experience of music and place, and the representation of music and place.
The dissertation is divided into three parts. Part one considers the development of
music geography, noting and critiquing the abandonment of useful paradigms in both
geography and ethnomusicology in search of new ways of understanding. Of particular
interest is the concept of the region but it also considers the study of landscape and the
humanist approach in cultural geography. The second part focuses on the discourse and
study of regions in Irish traditional music and the various agents and processes that shape
the concept of the region in Irish traditional music. The final part presents a case study of
the Sliabh Luachra region combining and applying the various perspectives and
paradigms drawn from geographical, ethnomusicological and anthropological sources. It
attempts to generate an understanding of Sliabh Luachra as a region in the Irish traditional
music narrative that is based on a combination of musical, socio-cultural and
locational/environmental factors
A greenhouse trial on the effects of spent mushroom compost on the microaggregate fraction of lead-zinc tailings
Get PDFParticle size analysis was carried out on the microaggregate fraction (<53 µm) of spent mushroom compost (SMC) amended pyritic lead-zinc tailings using laser diffraction. A randomized factorial greenhouse trial of six-month duration was established using tailings originating from the surface (20 to 30 cm) of the partially vegetated 76-ha tailings management facility (TMF) in Gortmore, Silvermines, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. SMC was incorporated at application rates of 0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 t ha-1 and Lolium perenne sown at a rate of 200 kg ha-1. Following trial dismantlement, the effects of SMC treatment on the microaggregate fraction of the tailings was investigated using optical laser diffraction on a Malvern Mastersizer 2000®. At SMC applications of 200 t ha-1 and 400 t ha-1 an increase in clay dispersion was observed as represented by low d(0.10) values, while a reduction in clay dispersion was noted at SMC applications of 50 t ha-1 and 100 t ha-1. Furthermore, microaggregate stability generally decreased with increasing SMC application as noted by a decrease in d(4,3) values. This is probably explained by the change in surface charge following SMC amendment, the low clay concentration and the mineralogy of the lead zinc-tailings, all of which did not prove favorable in the stabilization of the microaggregates present in pyritic lead-zinc tailings. Laser diffraction gave rapid, reliable and consistent results and for the most part showed a shift in particle size distribution between each SMC treatment
Medi SPICE: An Overview
No full textThis paper outlines the development of a software process assessment and improvement model (Medi SPICE) specifically for the medical device industry. The paper details how medical device regulations may be satisfied by extending relevant practices from ISO/IEC 15504-5.
Medi SPICE will consist of a Process Reference Model and a Process Assessment Model. The Medi SPICE Process Assessment Model will be used to perform conformant assessments of the software process capability of medical device suppliers in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 15504-2: 2003. The Medi SPICE Process Assessment Model is based on ISO/IEC 15504-5: 2006 but will also provide coverage of additional software development practices that are required to achieve regulatory compliance within the medical device industry
Developing acceptance tests from existing documentation using annotations: An experiment
No full textThe importance of good software testing is often reported. Traditionally, acceptance testing is the last stage of the testing process before release to the customer. Unfortunately, it is not always appropriate to wait so long for customer feedback. Emerging agile methods recognise this and promote close interaction between the customer and developers for early acceptance testing, often before implementation commences. Indeed, Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) is a process that uses customer interaction to define tests and tool support to automate and execute these. However, with existing tools, tests are usually written from new descriptions or rewritten from existing documentation. Here, the challenge is to allow developers and customers to annotate existing documentation and automatically generate acceptance tests without rewrites or new descriptions. This paper introduces the related ideas and describes a particular experiment that assesses the value of using annotated text to create acceptance tests
Measurement of Motion and Emotion during Musical Performance
Get PDFThis paper describes the use of physiological and kinematic sensors for the direct measurement of physical gesture and emotional changes in live musical performance. Initial studies on the
measurement of performer and audience emotional state in controlled environments serve as the
foundation for three pieces using the BioMuse system in live performance. By using both motion and emotion to control sound generation, the concept of integral music control has been achieved
The strategic role of budgeting and performance measurement
No full textThe objective of this literature review was to reach a conclusion on whether performance measurement, in either the private or public sector, can aid the achievement of strategic goals when combined with budgeting. The methodology used was reviewing available literature. This consisted of both publicly available literature and literature to which Dundalk Institute of Technology Library has access. It was carried out between January 2009 and June 2009, mainly in Dundalk Institute of Technology using available databases.
Strategy consists of the organisation's long term plan for the future. Day-to-day budgeting is a tool with which an organisation implements its long term plan. There is often a "gap" between what the organisation is doing on a day-to-basis and what the organisation wants to achieve on a long term basis. Performance measurement is the means by which an organisation links budgeting to its strategic plan and attempts to close the gap. The review examines the available literature and real world examples to reach a conclusion on this, particularly in the case of the public sector. After reviewing the literature, the author reached the conclusion that performance measurement can indeed close the gap between budgeting and strategy in the private sector and public sector, but its application in the public sector is less appropriate due to the complex nature of the sector and the inability to link inputs, outputs and outcomes i.e. organisational goals. The review concludes by offering recommendations, namely that the author believes the most appropriate way of implementing strategy in the public sector is a mixture of the traditional method of budgeting and the use of specially adapted private sector performance measurement tools
Towards Agile Product Derivation in Software Product Line Engineering
No full textSoftware Product Lines (SPL) and Agile practices have emerged as new paradigms for developing software. Both approaches share common goals; such as improving productivity, reducing time to market, decreasing development costs and increasing customer satisfaction. These common goals provide the motivation for this research. We believe that integrating Agile practices into SPL can bring a balance between agility and formalism. However, there has been little research on such integration. We have been researching the potential of integrating Agile approaches in one of the key SPL process areas, product derivation. In this paper we present an outline of our Agile framework for product derivation that was developed through industry based case study research
Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site Research Framework
No full textBrú na Boinne has been an important ritual, social and economic centre for thousands of years. Its universal value was recognised in 1993 when it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, only one of three on the island of Ireland. As part of the responsibilities of managing a WHS, host countries are required to maintain an up to date management plan and research framework.
Knowledge and understanding of the significance of Brú na Bóinne has been gradually revealed through a process of discovery and research which began over 300 years ago. This documents reviews this corpus of research, putting its significance in context and identifying particular gaps in the research record for the area, particularly those caused by the advent of new technologies