1522 research outputs found
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Aspects of grazing management to improve productivity and persistence of white clover in Irish grassland
Get PDFWhite clover houses symbiotic Rhizobia bacteria that make atmospheric nitrogen (N)
available for plant growth. This can reduce agriculture dependency on synthetic
fertilizer N and thereby reduce financial and environmental costs of agricultural
production. This study investigated certain aspects of grazing management of grassclover
swards on sward clover content, herbage production and animal performance on
a wet clay-loam soil at Solohead Research Farm, Tipperary, Ireland.
Defoliation height (DH), defoliation interval (INT) and final winter defoliation date
(FIN) were investigated under simulated grazing in summer and autumn. Treading
damage was investigated within three dairy grazing systems that differed in fertilizer-N
input, stocking rate and grazing season. The effects of post-grazing height (PGH) on
sward clover content, herbage production and milk yield per cow was investigated in
grazing systems over three entire grazing seasons.
Lowering DH under simulated grazing increased sward clover content and herbage
production. Under actual grazing conditions, lowering PGH did not increase sward
clover content but did increase herbage production. Unlike most previous experiments,
lowering PGH was not associated with any reduction in milk yield per cow. The main
reasons for this were that (i) the current experiment was on grass-clover, rather than
grass-only swards and (ii) treatments in the current experiment were imposed from
turnout in spring to housing in winter, rather than for briefer periods in late
spring/summer imposed after the grazing season had begun. Therefore, low (4 to 5 cm)
DH and PGH are recommended to increase clover content and/or herbage production in
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grass-clover swards. However, to avoid losses of milk production, target PGH should be
practiced from first turnout in spring and should not be abruptly lowered during the
grazing season with unsupplemented animals.
Simulated grazing intervals of 21 days in summer and 42 days in autumn gave the best
results in terms of balancing herbage production, herbage quality (CP and OMD) and
sward clover content into the following year. These are similar to current
recommendations for grass-only swards in Ireland and white clover may actually assist
these aspects of grazing management by maintaining herbage nutritive value for longer
periods of regrowth than grass-only swards.
Extending FIN from 23 September to 16 December in the mown plots had no effect on
sward clover content or clover herbage production. However, in the grazing systems, a
later grazing season (April to January instead of February to November) was associated
with higher sward clover contents and herbage production in the following year. The
difference between the results of the two experiments may have been due to the higher
grass competition generally found in grazed swards.
Treading damage was associated with reductions in herbage production of both grass
and clover. The effect of treading damage was greatest in spring, with reductions of
herbage production by up to 58%. Particular care should be taken at this time of year,
when silage ground has been removed and stocking rates are higher. More research is
needed to find practical solutions that enable farmers to reduce treading damage of
pasture (both grass and grass-clover) on Irish farms
The Unheimlich Self in Modernity: Recreating meaning through poetry
Get PDFThis thesis seeks to explore the sociological aspects of poetry – in terms of both reading and writing it. Research into the impact of contemporary postcolonial poetry on society has remained a topic which, to date, has been under-examined within sociology proper. As a result, poetry continues to be a topic which has, for the most part, been restricted to studies within the discipline of English literature, or in some cases the interdisciplinary arena of cultural studies. This thesis intends to offer an argument which will show poetry worthy of study in sociological terms. Poetry, as language, has a formative effect on communities. This is illustrated within this thesis by a close analysis of postcolonial poetry from Irish and native American cultures. Postcolonial poetry was chosen as the subject for this project because of the particular experiences of the communities this poetry is derived from. How communities and people experience their social worlds is considered to be essential for the creation of any social order. Poetry, it is argued, comes to life in this experiential struggle.
This struggle is explored in relation to a broad survey of sociological, anthropological and postcolonial literature through a series of interconnected themes. These themes – permanent liminality, court society, sacra, unheimlich, alibi-for-being, the surplus, and abyss – arise from the debates presented in the theoretical chapters of this thesis, and demonstrate the ways in which poetry, society and the subject interact
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A NODE CAN REPRESENT OR BE REPRESENTED BY OTHER NODES WITHIN A NETWORK
Get PDFA distributed method for determining whether a node can represent or be represented by other nodes within a network comprises receiving at a node (vn), respective sets of observations (kl) for each neighbour node (N(vn)) of the node across respective links ({vn,vk})) within the network. For each link, a measure (Dn,k) of dis-similarly between the observations for a neighbour node (kl) and the corresponding observations (nl) for the node is determined. Respective inequality measures (Ek) for each neighbour node (N(vn)) of the node are determined, each inequality measure being a function of respective dissimilarity measures (Dn,k) and weights (pn,k) for each link between a neighbour node (vk) and its neighbour nodes. For each link ({vn,vk}) between the node and a respective neighbour node, a weight (pn,k) is updated as a function of the dissimilarity measure (Dn,k) and a previous weight for the link. For each link between the node and a respective neighbour node, the node determines as a function of an inequality measure for the node (En) and the determined inequality measure for the neighbour node (Ek) whether a link between the node and the neighbour node should be maintained. The node then determines, based on the links maintained by the node, if the node can represent neighbour nodes within the network
A Low-Cost Direction Controller for Phased Array Antennas
Get PDFDirection control of continuous wave (CW) beams in phased array antennas is investigated in this work using Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) quadrature modulator control. The concept was simulated using Matlab and Agilent’s ADS and then implemented using off-the-shelf quadrature modulators, more usually used in the signal chain for digital communications. These components were used as they have been optimised to smoothly and accurately modify the phase of a local oscillator input, for subsequent transmission as a modulated communications carrier, which is similar to the beam steering requirements of a phased array antenna. The phase controlled signals fed four simple patch antennas and the subsequent beam control characterised and presented here
The effect of grain orientation on fretting fatigue plasticity and life prediction
Get PDFA study on crystal and J2
plasticity prediction of fretting fatigue is presented, using a microstructuresensitive fatigue parameter for crystal plasticity crack nucleation and a critical-plane (multiaxial) fatigue
parameter for J2
plasticity. A short crack propagation methodology is also implemented. The effect of
grain orientation on nucleation life is shown to be significant for fretting fatigue. J2
plasticity generally
predicts conservative lives. Crystal plasticity is superior in terms of (i) accuracy of life prediction, (ii)
ability to facilitate wear prediction and (iii) capturing the key effects of substrate fatigue stress and grain
orientation on life. The crystal plasticity model facilitates new insight into interaction between grain
orientation, fatigue stress amplitude and fretting surface damage vis-à-vis fretting fatigue life.
& 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Energy Use in Existing Dwellings: An Ethnographic Study of Domestic Energy Use Patterns in Ireland
Get PDFEnergy efficiency research in dwellings has traditi
onally focused on technical
matters, implying increased fabric insulation stand
ards and using energy efficient
appliances reduces energy consumption. However this
research has been shown to
have limitations in the form of the impact of polic
y and new technologies. As a result
there is now widespread recognition of the importan
ce for researchers to engage a
broader approach of non-technical research of energ
y use such as occupant
behavior. Monitoring of energy use down to a single
appliance is now possible and
relatively inexpensive. This paper presents the res
ults of an ethnographic study,
supported by monitoring, of energy use patterns for
six dwellings with a diverse
occupant demographic in Ireland. The study supporte
d by monitoring found that
occupant sex, age and behavior predominantly affect
ed energy use followed by the
presence of technology rather than the building fab
ric itself. Energy use in older
technically less efficient dwellings with older occ
upants was found to be
substantially less than that of the younger occupan
ts in supposed more energy
efficient houses. When given feedback, occupants we
re dispassionate when
presented information in terms of energy units (kWh
) but absorbed information
straightforwardly once the same information was exp
ressed in monetary terms.
From the research it is clear that technology and m
odern living has had a
transformational effect on the way we use energy wh
ich pose many problems for the
future. Ethnographical research is a long establish
ed discipline in the field of social
science but its importance is just burgeoning in re
lation to understand energy use
patterns in buildings. Thus, in addition to the res
ults the paper presents the lessons
learned during the process and proposes a framework
for future ethnographical
research of energy use in dwellings
The Music and Politics of Alan Bush with Reference to the Application of his Socialist Principles to his Workers’ Choral Music and Songs between 1926 and 1939
Get PDFDespite his overt Socialist beliefs, Alan Bush’s music was held in high esteem by the musical establishment until he began writing what he termed his ‘workers’ songs’ for the Labour movement, at which point he was accused of lowering his standards. His harmonic language, however, shows a masterly and intellectual approach to the composition of what, initially, appear to be unremarkable and somewhat simplistic songs. There is nevertheless a clear distinction between his functional songs for untrained workers’ choirs and ‘art-songs’ for more experienced ones: the tonal and harmonic complexities of the latter continue to prove challenging to modern performers. The aim of this dissertation is to evaluate selective workers’ choral music and songs written by Alan Bush (1900-1995) between 1926 and 1939, specifically for use by Labour Choirs, in the context of the circumstances of their composition, namely, Bush’s early life and politics, and his developing political credo during the inter-war years. This will lead to a greater understanding of an important, if underrated, element of his compositions and musical activity for the working class. Having joined the Labour Movement in 1925, Bush’s socialist principles eventually led him to active membership of the British Communist party in 1935. His involvement, with the London Labour Choral Union from 1925, and the Workers’ Music Association from 1936, included music education and training, and the composition and performance of workers’ choral music and songs. He also wrote music for large-scale pageants and festivals. The extent to which Bush’s works adhered to his personal Marxist beliefs will be explored in relation to the blueprint he devised for the composition of such workers’ music in 1936. The outbreak of the second World War in 1939 did not mark the end of his workers’ music, although the style of this remained substantially the same thereafter. Furthermore, in the years that followed, Bush’s musical style would gradually change, and the texts that he set took on a more international dimension
Strategic Management of Tourism Destinations: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective
No full textManaging tourism destinations is a multifaceted phenomenon due to the fragmented nature of the industry, where stakeholders such as private enterprises, public agencies and community groups operate in a relatively autonomous way. These diverse stakeholder groups generally collaborate through marketing initiatives to promote the tourism destination offering. However, there is a growing consensus that the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) has assumed a broader management mandate. Tourism destinations are reliant on the availability of natural and human resources; success from a management perspective is therefore dependent on the DMO’s capability to deploy these resources effectively. However it is widely acknowledged in the literature, that managing this disjointed array of stakeholders is a complex process. Destination age adds to the complexity of the problem, as destinations may have varying management needs as they traverse through the different stages of destination lifecycle. Therefore, this study adopts a network lens, where the DMO is a managed strategic net, comprised of a number of key tourism actors, in addition to an official tourism support agency. The theoretical basis of this study is drawn from the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm, which acknowledges that the DMO must possess specific dynamic capabilities to deploy, modify and recreate destination resources. As such, this research study seeks to identify and explain the dynamic capabilities required by the DMO to manage a tourism destination effectively. Taking an interpretative philosophical position, this study adopts a multiple case study research methodology to identify and examine the dynamic capabilities present within the DMO in three tourism destinations at different stages of destination lifecycle. The findings demonstrate that the DMO possesses key management capabilities in the form of partnering, visioning and orchestration, which is a key contribution of this research. While the findings confirm that these capabilities are evident in the three case sites studied, their relative effectiveness in managing the destination is explained by the specific embeddedness of relationships within each destination. Based on the research conclusions, an integrated destination management capability model is presented which highlights the interplay between these dynamic capabilities, which drive operating routines in pursuit of sustained competitive advantage. This model provides a basis for future research
Rebels, Critiques, Cynics
Get PDFComparing Albert Camus' diagnosis of the 'rebel' with the long standing Greek and Western tradition of cynicism, in terms of critique