1522 research outputs found
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Development of a Generic Tool Condition Monitoring Validation Methodology
Get PDFThis research brings GMP validation techniques to bear on a system that monitors the tool
wear aspect of CNC machining, known as Tool Condition Monitoring (TCM), with a view
to improving the overall performance of the process. The work was carried out in tandem
with an EU FP7 funded project which installed force, acoustic and vibration sensors on
CNC machines in Ireland, Poland, Italy and Norway.
The validation techniques are focused on the medical devices sector, primarily because the
medical devices sector is bound by Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s), which are
mandatory regulatory requirements. GMPs are enforced in different parts of world by
different regulatory bodies; some of the more recognizable bodies would be the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European
Union (EU). Validation is an essential part of good manufacturing practices and the
approach of bringing GMP validation techniques to TCM has not yet been implemented in
this industry, which otherwise relies heavily on validation.
The validation process consists of identifying and testing all aspects of a process that could
affect the final product. A validated process is one which has been demonstrated to provide
a high degree of assurance that uniform batches will be produced that meet the required
quality specifications throughout the product lifecycle.
One of the unique elements of this research was the incorporation of a Case-Based
Reasoning (CaBR) control system into the TCM, and the application of the validation
model to CaBR, an area which has received little attention in literature. The system must
be trained by a machine operator, during the setup process, to identify when a tool is at end
of life and based on this data makes its own decisions around the degree of tool wear
present on the tooling. Validation of the CaBR system was completed by establishing
whether an individual test case had been solved correctly, through benchmarking against
learned information and operator expectation.
The REALISM TCM system was tested in accordance with regulatory requirements and
has passed testing for the turning operation, boring operation and detection of catastrophic
tool failure (CTF), the drilling operations however, failed validation testing
The Role of Awareness in the Development of LC1 and LC2 Competence in E-tandem Exchanges between Learners of Mandarin and English (Volume 1 of 2)
Get PDFE-tandem learning happens between two native speakers of different languages in separate locations. They communicate regularly with one another usually using electronic media, with the purpose of learning the target language and culture. Tandem experiences are well established in Europe; however, the approach has grown in popularity beyond Europe and is proving very effective for intercultural language learning. This study is an e-tandem project by e-mail between Irish/American students studying Mandarin as a Foreign Language and Chinese students taking English as a Foreign Language. The project focuses on second language (L2) usage and learners’ intercultural and language awareness development through e-tandem exchanges.
The study relies on a task-based approach to promote participants’ intercultural and language awareness. Data was obtained from participants’ e-mails, online forum entries, learning diaries, focus group interviews and questionnaires, which were analysed by using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. 3 case studies were also conducted. In order to see how participants developed their understanding during the exchanges, data was categorised according to different themes of awareness of self and other. Moreover, participants’ noticing patterns of L2 usage, partners’ L2 errors and newly-learned L2 features were also recorded to gauge their language awareness development. Finally, response patterns emerging from Irish/American participants, on the one hand, and from Chinese participants, on the other, were also identified.
Results indicate that e-tandem provides a means for the elaboration of a third space for the development of linguaculture awareness through cognitive processes such as noticing, comparing and understanding. As e-tandem participants developed a strong will to be understood by others in their language and culture, changes in their communication behaviour began to emerge through reflection on their own linguaculture. The emotional impact of the exchange on participants became manifest, while perceived cultural differences appeared to become a communication barrier between several tandem partners
Resource Aware Placement of IoT Application Modules in Fog-Cloud Computing Paradigm
Get PDFWith the evolving IoT scenario, computing has
spread to the most minuscule everyday activities, leading to
a momentous shift in the way applications are developed and
deployed. With the volume of impact increasing exponentially, a
coherent approach of deploying these applications is critical for
an efficient utilization of the network infrastructure. A typical
IoT application consists of various modules running together
with active interdependencies; traditionally running on the Cloud
hosted in global data centres. In this paper, we present a
Module Mapping Algorithm for efficient utilization of resources
in the network infrastructure by efficiently deploying Application
Modules in Fog-Cloud Infrastructure for IoT based applications.
With Fog computing into picture, computation is dynamically
distributed across the Fog and Cloud layer, and the modules
of an application can thus be deployed closer to the source on
devices in the Fog layer. The result of this work can serve as a
Micro-benchmark in studies/research related with IoT and Fog
Computing, and can be used for Quality of Service (QoS) and
Service Level Objective benchmarking for IoT applications. The
approach is generic, and applies to a wide range of standardized
IoT applications over varied network topologies irrespective of
load
An investigation into momentum in the UK stock market and the behaviour of brokers and analysts
Get PDFThe efficiency of financial markets has been, and still is, a contentiously debated topic throughout the years. The momentum trading strategy has long since been recognised as a continuing anomaly in international markets, with rational explanations failing to explain the arbitrage possibilities as a result of engaging in a momentum trading strategy. Furthermore, the behaviour and impact of analyst output, particularly during times of economic crisis, is constantly being scrutinised.
To this end, this thesis aims to determine if abnormal returns can be generated in the presence of momentum in the UK stock market between 1995 and 2015. Furthermore, research on the presence of industry momentum in the UK market is lacking, this thesis aims to fill this research gap whilst adding to existing literature on the topic. Additionally, the role of analysts and the value and veracity of their recommendations in times of economic crisis is documented.
Momentum returns are generated in the UK stock market for both individual stock portfolios and industry portfolios, however, individual momentum is a better performing strategy overall. The performance of the momentum strategy appears to deteriorate in the latter years of this study. At the firm level analysts’ advice appears to contain investment value at least during the Internet bubble years. However, at an aggregate level no stable relationship is found between stock returns and various measures of analysts’ advice.
From an investment perspective the results imply that individual momentum strategies are more profitable in the UK market compared to industry momentum strategies. Analysts’ advice at the aggregate level lacks predictive power; however, at the firm level investment value is apparent during the Internet bubble period
Family Literacy: Developing a framework for practice
Get PDFThis study explores the experience of participants involved in three family literacy programmes in Ballymun, Dublin delivered by youngballymun. It looks at the concept of family literacy programmes and their role in combatting educational disadvantage in areas of socio-economic need. Family literacy programmes in Ballymun are delivered through a partnership approach between schools and youngballymun.
This qualitative research used a constuctivist grounded theory approach. Data was generated and analysed through a systematic process of coding, categorisation and the development of core themes grounded in the participants’ lived experiences of the programmes. The first research element was a questionnaire followed by ten qualitative interviews, which explored with the Home School Community Liaision Teachers (HSCL), and participants of the family literacy programmes their reasons for attending, their experience of the programmes and any changes in practice as a direct result from the programmes.
Five significant themes emerged. The first theme is “Barriers to participation” which describes a range of different reasons why parents can find it difficult to participate in family literacy programmes. The second theme “Overcoming barriers to participation” describes the approach recommended for teachers to engage parents from areas designated as disadvantaged. The third theme “Teaching–learning environment” describes the elements recommended to create a fun learning environment for participants. The fourth theme “Cultural shifts between home and school” describes the changes in participants’ relationship with the school and their children as a result of attending the programmes. The fifth and final theme is “Transformational learning” which describes the changes in participants’ lives as a result of their participation on the programmes.
These themes were developed into a family literacy framework for Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) teachers and family literacy teachers. The framework, summarised through the acronym SPACES, clearly describes key concepts needed to engage, retain, develop and support parents development of their children’s literacy skills. The findings of this research demonstrate that family literacy programmes can bridge the gap between parents’ knowledge and know how and the learning that occurs in the family literacy programmes can support parents, children, schools, and society
Evaluation of Non-linearity in MIR Spectroscopic Data for Compressed Learning
Get PDFMid-Infrared (MIR) spectroscopy has emerged as
the most economically viable technology to determine milk
values as well as to identify a set of animal phenotypes
related to health, feeding, well-being and environment.
However, Fourier transform-MIR spectra incurs a significant
amount of redundant data. This creates critical issues such
as increased learning complexity while performing Fog and
Cloud based data analytics in smart farming. These issues
can be resolved through data compression using unsupervisory
techniques like PCA, and perform analytics in the
compressed-domain i.e. without de-compressing. Compression
algorithms should preserve non-linearity of MIRS data
(if exists), since emerging advanced learning algorithms
can improve their prediction accuracy. This study has investigated
the non-linearity between the feature variables
in the measurement-domain as well as in two compressed
domains using standard Linear PCA and Kernel PCA. Also
the non-linearity between the feature variables and the
commonly used target milk quality parameters (Protein,
Lactose, Fat) has been analyzed. The study evaluates the
prediction accuracy using PLS and LS-SVM respectively as
linear and non-linear predictive models
A Maturity Matrix for Assessing Service Innovation Capability
Get PDFSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the service sector must consistently and continuously innovate and adapt to ensure their survival (Gebauer et al., 2012). Achieving this depends on their service innovation capability, which describes the capacity to deploy resources to develop and improve services (Giannopoulou et al., 2011). Despite its significance, the literature lacks practical measurement or management tools, the omission of which ensure the economic benefits of service innovation will never be fully realised within Irish SMEs (Kohler et al., 2013). In an attempt to eliminate much of this ambiguity, this paper provides a substantial academic and practical contribution by rigorously developing the foundation of a staged model to measure its maturity. The proposed matrix extends existing maturity models through its application in the services sector and represents an important step towards understanding the evolution of the constituent dimensions of service innovation capability
An Exploration of Compassionate Care in the Older Adult Care Setting
Get PDFCompassion and person-centred care are viewed as the gold standard when caring for patients. An increasing number of older adults are living in long term care settings and it would appear from recent healthcare scandals and reports that compassionate care delivery is experiencing challenges in such settings and that there are also issues with the staffs’ professional quality of life which may be impacting on compassionate care delivery. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore compassionate care in the older adult care setting by examining the relationships between observed care delivery, professional person-centredness and quality of life and patient satisfaction with person-centred care. An exploratory, case study design was employed. The literature highlighted the difficulties with measuring compassion. Thus, in this study, person-centeredness is used as a proxy measure for compassion. Healthcare professionals’ quality of life was measured using the Professional Quality of Life Scale to examine for relationships to person-centred care, measured using the Person-Centred Climate Questionnaire–Staff version. Patient satisfaction with person-centred care was also measured, using the Person-Centred Climate Questionnaire-Patient version. Staff- patients interactions to assess care delivery was measured using the Quality of Interaction Schedule. A HSE run long term care facility with 5 separate units was used as the study site. A purposive sample was recruited which included healthcare professionals (n = 54: nurses and healthcare assistants), patients (n = 56) or their nominated relative (n =15). The observations of care identified high levels of positive interactions. Professional quality of life was determined to be higher for healthcare assistants in comparison to nurses, with healthcare assistants having higher levels of compassion satisfaction and nurses having higher levels of compassion fatigue and burnout. High levels of person-centredness were acknowledged by both patients and staff and person-centredness was positively correlated with compassion satisfaction and negatively correlated with compassion fatigue and burnout within staff. Overall the findings suggest that healthcare professionals need further support in order to improve professional quality of life and thus, increase compassionate person-centred care
A Cross-Layer Communications Framework for THz Band Plant Monitoring Nanonetworks
Get PDFFor the realization of more efficient environmental monitoring applications, e.g., precision agriculture, the current technologies face many constraints in terms of observation precision and real-time capabilities. Nanotechnology promises new solutions to address such limitations through the fabrication of nano-scale devices which can be interconnected. The tiny size of these devices offers entirely new features that cannot be observed at larger scales, including the fine-grained detection of substances even at the molecular level. According to the existing literature, the predicted communication channel for nano-devices will be in the THz band, which has not been broadly studied yet. However, the limited research work already indicates numerous challenges for THz communications, mainly in terms of signal attenuation. These issues, which will be more prominent in the proximity of vegetation, can drastically affect the transmission range and channel capacity. As it is evident in the current literature, the traditional communication protocols cannot be deployed for nanonetworks, since they do not consider the specific constraints of such networks. Through this thesis, we propose a framework for THz nanonetwork communications in vegetation environments, to address those challenges. This research work can be considered as an initial step towards the realization of such types of communications. The proposed framework is composed of different components, including a cross-layer communication approach with specifications at the the physical and data link layers. It is also comprised of generic models of plants as well as models for approximation of the probability of success in transmissions. The performance of the proposed framework is analyzed based on the proposed theoretical models and by considering various communication scenarios