1522 research outputs found
Sort by
Rambling House and The Barrelman: Folklore and Audience Participation in Radio Broadcasting in Ireland and Newfoundland
Get PDFArticle from the Irish Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Research ‘Ktaqamkuk Across The Water Thar Muir’ which was originally published in 2009 by the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies and has now been made open access
Examining the fiddle styles of Western Newfoundland
Get PDFArticle from the Irish Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Research ‘Ktaqamkuk Across The Water Thar Muir’ which was originally published in 2009 by the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies
Ancient Greek Conceptions of Virtue
Get PDFWhat comes to mind here in 21st century Ireland when we hear the word ‘virtue’? We might suggest that in the present economic climate, the virtues of thrift and prudence are making a return to public discourse. There is a hopeful feeling that the downturn will make us more community-minded and willing once again to show the virtue of charity to our neighbours. The public mood is one of shunning the vice of conspicuous consumption and becoming more temperate in our spending.
But what virtues are really motivating the pronouncements of those in public life? Personal glory? Cunning? Wealth? When we hear this list of supposed virtues, we experience intellectual vertigo, for they sound more like vices than virtues. But to the Greek poet Homer , these are all heroic virtues, and it is these with which I begin a brief exploration of ancient Greek conceptions of virtue
Ultrafast gain and refractive index dynamics in GaInNAsSb semiconductor optical amplifiers
Get PDFThe gain and refractive index dynamics of dilute nitride antimonide semiconductor optical amplifiers are studied using heterodyne pump probe spectroscopy, both in forward and reverse bias regimes. In the forward biased absorption regime, both gain and refractive index relax on the same timescale indicating that both quantities are linked to the same relaxation process, interband recombination. Above transparency, in the forward biased gain regime, the gain and phase exhibit differing timescales resulting in a dynamical alpha factor that varies strongly with time. Reversed bias measurements suggest a recombination dominated absorption recovery where the recovery timescale increases with increasing reversed bias, possibly due to charge separation effects. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3246781
Recovery time scales in a reversed-biased quantum dot absorber
Get PDFThe nonlinear recovery of quantum dot based reverse-biased waveguide absorbers is investigated both experimentally and analytically. We show that the recovery dynamics consists of a fast initial layer followed by a relatively slow decay. The fast recovery stage is completely determined by the intradot properties, while the slow stage depends on the escape from the dot to the wetting layer
BUILDING LOYALTY CREATING VALUE THROUGH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES
Get PDFA review of the academic and practitioner literature on customer relationship management indicates a general consensus that quality, value, and satisfaction are critical variables in explaining customer loyalty in services, yet, although much is known about the relationship between the aforementioned variables and customer loyalty, they don’t fully explain how customer loyalty is built? This paper argues that one critical variable has been excluded from consideration that impacts on customer loyality, explicitly customer experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to rectify this significant gap in the literature and present relatively new perspective of customer loyality that recognises that the customer has to interact with the components of a service in order for the service to become ‘real’ (Echeverri 2005) and that the successful management of customer experiences leads to a differentiated competitive advantage (Smith and Wheeler 2002). This paper proposes a preliminary conceptual model for building customer loyalty, one which incorporates the critical variable customer experiences and presents a number of propositions. This new approach has moved away from the typical loyalty building models and now incorporates all four critical variables, experiences, quality, value and satisfaction. These are significant variables in determining customer loyalty and to the best of our knowledge have not been collectively examined before. Due to the scarcity of research and interest in this area, it is perceived that this study will not only contribute substantially to academic knowledge in this area but will also make a significant contribution to tourism practice – informing practitioners on the criticality of the customer experience in building customer loyalty
A Classroom Investigation of Software Design Requirements for Special Needs Learners
Get PDFOur study investigates the establishment of a design framework for multimedia software design for young learners with autism. The researcher, in partnership with local special needs and autism schools, has developed a social skills multimedia-based lesson. The Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) teaching approach has been adopted within the framework of the prototype. DTI is a teaching method used to teach children with learning difficulties. DTI aims to positively improve a social behaviour or teach a task to a child within the classroom environment. The researcher has completed an in-depth study in the field in order to build a specific user model for these young learners. A series of interviews, classroom observations, parent/tutor reviews and sequential prototype design evaluations have been performed. Non-obtrusive observation techniques have been followed throughout the user profile building stage, as suggested by Druin, a children’s technology and interaction design expert. This approach enables learners to feel at ease in their own environment.
Findings from these early investigations and user profiling have shown that ease of access to technology and software is a key criterion for these young users. A variety of multimodal technologies such as touchscreens and switches must also be integrated into the design of software. These technologies alleviate the motor and input difficulties which many young learners find when using the more common hardware devices such as a keyboard or mouse.
Further recommendations have also indicated the importance of audio to be included within the prototype construction. From the perspective of this project, voiceovers have been recorded to assist children with reading and understanding of lesson content. Results from initial evaluations state that current software on the market is strongly targeted at an American audience. Our project consists of an Irish tone in order to make the lesson more comprehensible for the young learner. In accordance with the DTI approach an animated social scenario lesson has been created using web animation tools. Accompanying the animation is a sample quiz and short animated rewards to assist with motivation and the transfer of knowledge of the lesson content.
A nationwide survey is currently in progress to further consolidate the design structure of the prototype. A random sample of Irish national special needs schools has been chosen to participate in the survey. An online questionnaire documenting both interface design and software usability questions has been developed to evaluate the software design framework. It is anticipated that results from this survey should further help the progression of educational computer-based programmes for young learners with autism, and contribute to a clearer understanding of multimedia and software development approaches that have good learning and teaching potential
A Clash of Ideologies: Fishermen/Loggers in the Logging Industry
Get PDFArticle from the Irish Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Research ‘Ktaqamkuk Across The Water Thar Muir’ which was originally published in 2009 by the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies and has now been made open access
Factors affecting nitrate distribution in shallow groundwater under a beef farm in South Eastern Ireland
Get PDFGroundwater contamination was characterised using a methodology which combines shallow groundwater geochemistry data from 17 piezometers over a 2 yr period in a statistical framework and hydro-geological techniques. Nitrate-N (NO(3)-N) contaminant mass flux was calculated across three control planes (rows of piezometers) in six isolated plots. Results showed natural attenuation occurs on site although the method does not directly differentiate between dilution and denitrification. It was further investigated whether NO(3)-N concentration in shallow groundwater (<5 m below ground level) generated from an agricultural point source on a 4.2 ha site on a beef farm in SE Ireland could be predicted from saturated hydraulic conductivity (K(sat)) measurements, ground elevation (m Above Ordnance Datum), elevation of groundwater sampling (screen opening interval) (m AOD) and distance from a dirty water point pollution source. Tobit regression, using a background concentration threshold of 2.6 mg NO(3)-N L(-1) showed, when assessed individually in a step wise procedure, K(sat) was significantly related to groundwater NO(3)-N concentration. Distance of the point dirty water pollution source becomes significant when included with K(sat) in the model. The model relationships show areas with higher K(sat) values have less time for denitrification to occur, whereas lower K(sat) values allow denitrification to occur. Areas with higher permeability transport greater NO(3)-N fluxes to ground and surface waters. When the distribution of Cl(-) was examined by the model, K(sat) and ground elevation had the most explanatory power but K(sat) was not significant pointing to dilution having an effect. Areas with low NO(3) concentration and unaffected Cl- concentration points to denitrification, low NO(3) concentration and low Cl(-) chloride concentration points to dilution and combining these findings allows areas of denitrification and dilution to be inferred. The effect of denitrification is further supported as mean groundwater NO(3)-N was significantly (P < 0.05) related to groundwater N(2)/Ar ratio, redox potential (Eh), dissolved 02 and N(2) and was close to being significant with N(2)O (P = 0.08). Calculating contaminant mass flux across more than one control plane is a useful tool to monitor natural attenuation. This tool allows the identification of hot spot areas where intervention other than natural attenuation may be needed to protect receptors. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
The role of community programmes and mass events in promoting physical activity to patients
No full textThe challenge for physical activity promotion in clinical
contexts is finding ways of encouraging patients to
become more active. Brief advice in primary care is
effective, in the short term, in increasing physical activity,
but is only provided by a few clinicians on a regular basis.
The possibilities for public health approaches include
others in the practice providing brief advice, or referral to
community facilities and programmes. Even these have
limited evidence regarding their population reach.
Therefore, innovative and alternative solutions are
required. This review discusses three potential contributors:
clinician advocacy for and engagement in physical
activity as role models, referral to mass community
participation events, and encouraging attendance at
health fairs. These will not solve the inactivity crisis, but
could add new approaches for clinicians, in advising their
patients to initiate and try to become more physically
active