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The effects of earthworm functional diversity on microbial biomass and the microbial community level physiological profile of soils
Get PDFA novel experiment design based on the axial simplex design was used to study the effects of earthworm functional diversity on microbial biomass and microbial community level physiological profiles in soils. This mesocosm experiment was carried out at two densities of earthworm and at two levels of food supply. Soil mesocosms were maintained for 7 months and watered each week with 300 ml of distilled water. At the end of this period the soil columns were divided into upper and lower halves and microbial biomass carbon and functional diversity assessed. Greater microbial biomass and activity was found in the upper layer of soil. Food supply was the major driver leading to increased microbial activity and biomass. Increased earthworm biomass had the opposite effect. In the lower soil layer, the presence of anecic worms had the greatest effect on microbial biomass and activity. This effect was enhanced with increased food supply. Overall, the relationship between earthworm functional diversity and microbial community level physiological profile appeared to be idiosyncratic and the effect of the earthworms varied with soil layer, initial biomass and food supply. The loss of any earthworm functional group might lead to significant alterations in the microbial biomass, distribution and physiological profile
Sparse Multichannel Source Localization and Separation
Get PDFThe DUET and DESPRIT blind source separation algorithms attempt to recover J sources from I mixtures of these sources, in the interesting case where J > I, with minimal information about the mixing environment of underling sources statistics. We present a semi-blind generalization of the DUET-DESCRIPT approach which allows arbitary placement of the sensors and demixes the sources given the room impulse response. We learn a sparse representation of the mixtures on an over-complete spatial signatures dictionary. We localize and separate the constituent sources via binary masking of a power weighted histogram in location space or in attenuation-delay space. We demonstrate the robustness of this technique using synthetic room experiments
Socrates the intellectual midwife
No full textThe ancient Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BCE) was the son of a midwife. He often used ideas from childbirth as metaphors for teaching, and these still have relevance today fur tutors and mentors of midwives
Measuring Client Progression in Adult Guidance
Get PDFCurrently, in the field of guidance relevant stakeholders including guidance practitioners, educators and policy makers, have identified progression for adults in education and employment as one of the key outcomes of educational guidance. Lifelong guidance is now inextricably linked with lifelong learning as a mechanism to enhance individual mobility in the workforce for future economic growth. However, the current policy requirement for measurable data through positivistic methods of analysis may not provide a true reflection of individual progression. Methodologies generating extensive qualitative data in the longitudinal tracking of clients in adult guidance provision are now required. This is the topic of current research which aims to determine whether progression can be effectively measured within longitudinal tracking systems in adult guidance
Some conjectures on the ratio of Hankel transforms for sequences and series reversion
Get PDFFor each element of certain families of sequences, we study the term-wise ratios of the Hankel transforms of three sequences related to that element by series reversion. In each case, the ratios define well-known sequences, and in one case, we recover the initial sequence
E-Business Innovation and Process Management
Get PDFpresents a multiple case study investigation of email system monitoring and control. The study examines the interaction between key elements of email control identified by previous researchers, and considers the role of such controls at various implementation phases. The findings reveal eight major elements to be particularly important in monitoring and controlling email systems within the organizations studied. These are: (1) form a cross-functional email system management team; (2) implement and regularly update email management software; (3) formulate a detailed and legally sound email policy; (4) engage in structured email system training; (5) create and maintain ongoing awareness of email policy; (6) engage in a process of hybrid feedback and control based email monitoring; (7) firmly enforce discipline in accordance with the email policy; and (8) conduct regular reviews and updates of the email management program
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR CONSTRUCTION
Get PDFKnowledge management (KM) is now recognized for its potential to bring considerable gains to construction organizations, their projects and individual workers
through social and technological interventions. There is however, a paucity of empirical research in this area, and furthermore a lack of integrated KM models in the
literature. Continuing research into KM in the Irish construction industry is presented, where a range of methods have been utilized to address issues relating to
KM within the leading Irish construction companies. Current approaches to managing knowledge within these companies and an assessment of the potential for a
more formal approach to KM are considered. A number of these companies are engaged in Engineers Ireland’s (EI) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation scheme and are finding it difficult to understand the concept of KM, which is a criterion for accreditation. It is now proposed to engage further with these companies, and through a grounded theory approach, develop an integrated
theoretical model for KM which is both pragmatically useful and credible, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Based on the developed model, a key objective
of the research will be to develop guidance and training which will be endorsed by EI and assist Irish construction firms in understanding KM, achieving CPD accreditation
and improving performance. It is also anticipated that the research will foster closer links between industry, academia and professional bodies in addressing the poor
levels of collaborative research and innovation within the Irish construction industry
Implementing Hospital Accreditation: Individual Experiences of Process and Impacts
Get PDFThere is a global trend towards the pursuit of healthcare quality, driven forward as countries attempt to engage in the more effective management of resources and services, amidst concerns about increasing costs, competing priorities and patient safety. One approach to managing quality on an organisation-wide basis, and in a hospital context, is through the implementation of accreditation, which involves the assessment of work and organisational practices against predefined standards, conducted by multidisciplinary clinical and support services teams. The level of compliance against these standards is then evaluated by an external team of surveyors, on behalf of an independent body, and on the basis of this, an accreditation rating is arrived at for the organisation. Arising from this, the multidisciplinary teams move forward into the continuous improvement phase of the accreditation cycle, in order to action identified risks and opportunities for the development and enhancement of health services.
In terms of the implementation process and impacts associated with organisation-wide quality approaches such as accreditation, the literature highlights that these are not well understood, nor reported on in any depth, from the perspective of those actively involved with, and closest to them (Walshe et al. 2001;Ovretveit & Gustafson 2002;Grol, Baker, & Moss 2002;Ovretveit & Gustafson 2003).
Furthermore, with reference to Ireland, accreditation has only relatively recently
(2002) been adopted as the key vehicle for improving the quality of healthcare in publicly funded acute-care hospitals. As such, a paucity of literature exists within these particular areas. As a timely response to the recognised gaps in knowledge and understanding, and by positioning the study within the wider body of literature relating to organisational change and specifically, the Weisbord (1976a) change model, the research has posed the following research question:
What are the experiences of individual team members in terms of the accreditation
implementation process and the individual and organisational impacts associated with this, in a large acute-care hospital context?
The research was approached from a philosophical position of anti-positivism and a methodologically pragmatic stance. A descriptive single case study research design was adopted in the context of a large acute-care hospital, where the units of analysis were the individual accreditation team members (population - two hundred and four) who were listed as being involved with the first phase of accreditation. The primary research was supported by the utilisation of non-participant observation, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and centred on a number of themes integral to the implementation process (leadership; communication; involvement and participation; training; teams; reward) and impacts, in terms of those arising at the individual and organisational levels. Furthermore, the data collection facilitated the exploration of the extent of, and reasons for, differences in the experiences of both the implementation process and impacts, between those in clinical work roles and accreditation teams and those in support services and more administratively orientated functions and teams.
The findings from this study indicate that despite the positive assessments of several aspects of the accreditation implementation process, there were also a number of shortcomings associated with this and in particular, respondents identified the areas of leadership, communication, involvement and participation and training as having been problematic. As such, the conclusion arrived at was one of ‘partial implementation’. Despite these issues and somewhat paradoxically, accreditation was identified as contributing to, and impacting positively on, individual learning and development; future career progression; organisational communication; multidisciplinary working; the development of standards; work relationships; morale; hospital reputation and the overall standard and delivery of care at the research site. However, this research also found that accreditation had contributed to individual role conflict and furthermore, was perceived to have potentially impacted on service provision itself. Finally, the majority of results from this study have also demonstrated that those in clinical services roles and accreditation teams were more negative in their assessments of their experiences of the accreditation implementation process and impacts, than their support services counterparts.
Importantly, this study has contributed to knowledge and understanding of the under-researched areas of the hospital accreditation implementation process and associated impacts, from the perspective of individual accreditation team members. Furthermore, this has been achieved within an Irish healthcare context. This research may provide a useful framework and additional avenues of enquiry to other researchers in the field and also inform the practice and policy associated with accreditation implementation. Finally, a number of limitations are inherent within the study and relate to generalisability, issues of validity and reliability within the research methods and the potential bias of the author themselves
The Individual versus the Institution : An Analysis of Power Relations in Irish Society
Get PDFThis thesis examines power relations in Irish society; specifically involving two key institutions; the Garda Síochána and the health service. The perspectives of both the representatives of the institutions and the public are examined. Sociological explorations of power and power relations are discussed with an outline of the development of the theoretical structure/agency debate. Issues ranging from class based society and capitalism, to categories of power and basic power relationships are included, creating a foundation for the investigation of the nature of power relations in a democratic capitalist state.
The four main questions investigated concern the effects that power relations have on the individual, as both a member of the public and as a representative of an institution, the central issues of concern between individuals and institutions that affect power relations, whether the nature of power relations within Irish society have changed, and if so, how this may have affected both individuals and the relevant institutions. A focus group interview was conducted with a group of students, and subsequently thirteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample set of participants from the public, the Garda Síochána, and the health service. Methods of convenience (purposive) and snowball sampling were used to source suitable interviewees.
The key findings suggest that the concept of social class and interaction remains very important in the analysis of power relations in Irish society, from the perspectives of both the individual and the institution. Together with this, there has been a change in attitude in the area of power relations across all social classes for various reasons, with the effects of social mobility in a rapidly changing Irish society being of foremost importance. Finally, with a change in attitude among members of the public, has come a call for accountability within the remit of seemingly all institutions, particularly in this case, the Garda Síochána and the health service
An Empirical Analysis of the Interrelationship between Motivation and Stress in the Computing Industry
Get PDFAlthough a great body of literature exists on the concepts of motivation and stress, no such study has examined the interrelationship between them. The objectives of this thesis are thus, to investigate the factors that motivate/demotivate and cause stress among recently employed computing graduates, as well as examining the implications of these factors both individually and interdependently for both the computing graduate and their employing organisation.
An empirical quantitative approach of employee questionnaires (n=330) was used to assess the interrelationship between these concepts from the employees’ perspective.
Nine dimensions (job security, social relationships, fiscal equity, skill variety, autonomy, advancement, recognition, task identity and feedback) were created in order to assess, both motivation and stress. T Tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference test (HSD) were undertaken to determine if any of the demographic variables were significantly related to either employee motivation or stress. A bivariate regression approach was utilised to assess the interrelationship between these concepts using the above nine dimensions. A semi-structured interview schedule was utilised to determine three managers’ perceptions of whether these nine dimensions are a motivator/demotivator or a cause of stress for employees.
The employee results indicated that seven of the dimensions were significantly related (either positively or negatively) for the sources of motivation and the sources/levels of stress. The results also demonstrated that management were unaware of the factors that were a cause of motivation and stress for their computing subordinates.
Thus, employers by thwarting the motivation needs of their employees, inadvertently or otherwise, may find that their employees experience significant increases in stress, with resulting individual and organisational consequences. That is, the employing organisation faces increased expenditure and reduced productivity to counter their employees’ higher stress levels and lowered motivation, while the employees’ physiological, psychological and behavioural wellbeing suffers.
In conclusion employers and management need to be aware that any attempt at increasing motivation and decreasing stress should consider the impact of the interrelationship between the two variables, thus facilitating a more productive and satisfactory employment relationship for both the information technology graduate employee and employer