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Concordance of macular pigment measurements obtained using customized heterochromatic flicker photometry, dual-wavelength autofluorescence and single wave-length reflectance.
Get PDFBio-Inspired Routing and Resource Management for Future Networks
Get PDFCommunication systems have continually played a major role in our lives. In particular
in recent years, the Internet has transformed the way people interact and
communicate, which has led to increased number of services and functionalities.
However, with the increase in changes in network environments, more adaptive,
exible, efficient and scalable techniques are needed to enhance the operation of
the network, and at the same time minimise human intervention. The communication
network management community have addressed this problem, through the
notion of \autonomic network management". One particular approach of addressing
autonomic mechanisms is by borrowing mechanisms and processes that are
exhibited by biological systems (e.g. reaction to changes in their environments).
This thesis has investigated new bio-inspired solutions that are able to address
the challenges of the Future Internet. The thesis will present new bio-inspired
mechanisms to provide (i) efficient routing, (ii) energy-aware networking, (iii) adaptive
bandwidth allocation and (iv) support of multiple service providers. In the
case of (i), the bio-inspired routing protocol is scalable and supports complex and
highly dynamic services environments efficiently and robustly (e.g. dynamic traf-
fic, large scale networks). The bio-inspired energy awareness in (ii) is maximising
the benefits of the solution in (i) to reduce dramatically the energy consumption
of infrastructure networks without disrupting the delivery of services. In the case
of (iii), a bio-inspired bandwidth allocation mechanism adapts to new traffic conditions
in order to maintain the quality of delivery for prioritised traffic in the
event of bandwidth starvation. Lastly in (iv), the new architecture of the Internet,
iii
iv
requiring efficient and fair resource allocation between multiple service providers
sharing common physical resources, will be provided by an adaptable and
exible
bio-inspired model
Development of Interferometric & Spectroscopic Techniques for High–resolution Spectral Measurements on Fibre Bragg Gratings Vol II of II (Appendices)
Get PDFA Stylistic Examination of Shakespeare’s Texts Set for Solo Voice by Amy Beach, Elizabeth Maconchy and Madeleine Dring
Get PDFThis dissertation will focus on three female composers whose careers span from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. The author will conduct a detailed research on each composer’s cultural, socio-economic and musical background in order to obtain a true and precise understanding, and appreciation of their musical language and style. In turn, an examination will be carried out on each composer’s musical setting and interpretation of Shakespeare’s selected texts. Particular attention will be given to the musical settings of the text Take, O Take Those Lips Away, which is common to the three composers. Drawing on the findings of the research, the author will determine whether or not the three composers’ unrelated backgrounds and musical education led to any similar interpretations of Shakespeare’s text
Student placement service: An exploratory investigation of employer retention and a “Priority Partner” intervention
Get PDFPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors relating to retention of employers on
an undergraduate work placement programme in a third level institution.
Design/methodology/approach – An action research methodology involving problem diagnosis,
intervention planning, action and evaluation is employed. The diagnosis involved a survey of 130
employers that had taken students on placement during the first two years of the placement
programme. The action research also involved workshops with the work placement team and the
making of an intervention with respect to enhancing the placement process through the introduction
of a Priority Partner initiative for 26 of the employers.
Findings – The survey findings reveal differences in the ranking of importance of college selection
criteria by employers, as well the impact of the placement manager’s characteristics on the placement
process. The intervention findings show that the employer retention percentage increased for the
Priority Partners but remained the same for the other employers.
Research limitations/implications – The study reports qualitative findings in the context of a
placement programme in one institution which limits external validity.
Practical implications – Employer retention would seem to be improved with the development
of a customer relations management orientation with employers. The role of the placement manager
is pivotal to enhancing the retention of employers as is the quality and professionalism of the
work placement service.
Originality/value – New empirical data extends the very limited understanding of company
retention on work placement programmes.
Keywords Student work placement, Employers, Action research, Cooperative education, Internship,
Students
Paper type Case stud
The contribution of VM Slipher to the discovery of the expanding universe
Get PDFA brief history of the discovery of the expanding universe is presented, with an emphasis on the seminal contribution of VM Slipher. It is suggested that the well-known Hubble graph of 1929 could also be known as the Hubble-Slipher graph. It is also argued that the discovery of the expanding universe matches the traditional view of scientific advance as a gradual process of discovery and acceptance, and does not concur with the Kuhnian view of science progressing via abrupt paradigm shifts
Critique as a Modern Social phenomenon
Get PDFWhat are the origins and purposes of social critique? Rather than use critique as a mode of investigating social phenomenon, this book analyses critique as a social phenomenon. Critique is both constitutive of modernity and exceedingly diverse, and not only that but widely taken for granted in scholarly communities. Herein, the resources of historical sociology and anthropology are used in order to gain perspective on critique as something culturally specific to modernity. Based on this, I analyze critique as moving force in history, part of the dynamic of capitalism and consumerism, a recurring trope in the media from all any political positions, and finally as a common-place even of popular culture. Finally, I turn to some key literary writers who have explored critique as a social phenomenon within their work, thus providing a reflexive perspective on critique as a lived experience
Leadership, a key element of quality improvement in healthcare. Results from a literature review of “Lean Healthcare” and the Productive Ward
No full textPurpose – This paper reviews the Lean Healthcare and ProductiveWard: releasing time to care (RTC) literature and extracts the reported effects and impacts experienced by employees who implement it. The purpose of this paper is to identify and investigate the strength of the connection between the two models and explores the implications for leadership and implementation. Design/methodology/approach – This study reviewed the Lean Healthcare and Productive Ward: RTC literature using strict systematic inclusion criteria. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify key characteristics of reported employee experience, effect or impact. Themes and categories were ranked by the number of citations and presented. Findings – This study outlines the similar employee effects and impacts that exist between Lean-type improvement initiatives and the Productive Ward: RTC programme. It discusses the three top themes of: Empowerment, Leadership and Engagement and explores the opportunities for leadership. It also identifies one key difference between the two initiatives, the socio-cultural effect and impact which is strongly reported with Lean-type improvement initiatives. The socio-cultural element is discussed and presented as one of the fundamental aspects of Lean and the original Toyota production system. Originality/value – This study brings new insights for leaders involved in Lean-type improvement initiatives which are currently being imported into healthcare and provides a comprehensive list of reported employee impacts and effects of value to healthcare leaders attempting to establish an environment and culture of improvement. Keywords Leadership, Employee engagement, Quality improvement, Empowerment, Productive Ward, Releasing time to car
Reimagining Ireland's Innovation Landscape to Realise the Potential of Service Innovation
Get PDFInternationally, the transformative potential and relevance of service innovation to all industry sectors
and firm sizes has and continues to gain both policy and industry interest. However, in an Irish context,the legacy of prioritising a narrow product/technology conceptualisation of innovation continues to dominate the landscape (Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013). This is in spite of service innovation’s proven capacity to support the restructuring of existing businesses and the creation of new industrial structures, product/service offerings, channels to market, business models, global value
chains and customer experiences (McKinsey, 2010; Expert Panel on Service Innovation, 2011; PWC,2013). Indeed, despite the emerging international consensus of service innovation as a demonstrable engine for economic growth and transformation, Ireland’s engagement in and exploitation of the discipline is at an embryonic state. Hence, firstly, this paper will explore this enigma by examining the current situation through a service innovation lens, drilling down into the causes and critical issues impacting on this landscape. Secondly, this paper will seek to surface recent developments, such as the identification by DJEI/Forfás, of ‘Innovation in Services and Business Processes’ as a key national
priority. Thirdly, this paper will propose suggestions in respect of the dedicated resources and infrastructure needed to realise service innovation’s potential; for instance, the need for “...dedicated business support measures to promote R&D and innovation capability in services companies and to facilitate the development of services by manufacturing enterprises” (Forfás, 2008:17). Fourthly, this paper responds to calls (European Commission, 2012) for a more comprehensive dialogue on how service innovation can be promoted and scaled indigenously and internationally, by incorporating triangulated data from desk research with empirical policy and academia stakeholder interviews and cross-sectoral industry workshop data. Ultimately, this paper proposes a roadmap, informed by international best practice, and incorporating multiple innovation stakeholder views (industry, academia and policy), to reimagine Ireland’s innovation landscape. Accordingly, the research impacts and has implications for various levels of Ireland’s innovation landscape, most notably in terms of policy, stakeholder, industry, research and academic perspectives