Digital Commons Network^™

How Do Social Care Managers In Disability Services Experience Regulation And Inspection?, Deirdre Connolly

Dissertations

Regulation is one of the ways in which the State seeks to ensure that health and social care services are safe for those that are using them. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the regulatory body in Ireland charged by the State to assure the public that these services are safe. This study set out to understand how social care managers, in the role of person in charge (PIC) of residential services for adults with disabilities, experience HIQA’s regulatory process and to explore how these experiences impact on social care managers, and on service improvement more generally.

An Exploration Of Residential Care Managers Understanding Of The Professional Registration Of Social Care Workers And Its Implications For Their Role As Managers, Lorraine O’ Brien

Dissertations

The change that is referred to in this study is the professional registration of social care workers in the social care sector. The projected target date for the commencement of professional registration of social care workers is 2022 (CORU Presentation, 2019). This study explored CORU and residential care managers understanding of the implementation plan and their views of the implications professional registration will have on manager’s roles and responsibilities. Managers who play a key role in this change process need to be supported therefore residential care manager’s voices were at the heart of this study.

An Investigation Of Three Subjective Rating Scales Of Mental Workload In Third Level Education, Nha Vu Thanh Nguyen

Dissertations

Mental Workload assessment in educational settings is still recognized as an open research problem. Although its application is useful for instructional design, it is still unclear how it can be formally shaped and which factors compose it. This paper is aimed at investigating a set of features believed to shape the construct of mental workload and aggregating them together in models trained with supervised machine learning techniques. In detail, multiple linear regression and decision trees have been chosen for training models with features extracted respectively from the NASA Task Load Index and the Workload Profile, well-known self-reporting instruments for assessing …

Multi-Sensory Deep Learning Architectures For Slam Dunk Scene Classification, Paul Minogue

Dissertations

Basketball teams at all levels of the game invest a considerable amount of time and effort into collecting, segmenting, and analysing footage from their upcoming opponents previous games. This analysis helps teams identify and exploit the potential weaknesses of their opponents and is commonly cited as one of the key elements required to achieve success in the modern game. The growing importance of this type of analysis has prompted research into the application of computer vision and audio classification techniques to help teams classify scoring sequences and key events using game footage. However, this research tends to focus on classifying …

Predicting Customer Retention Of An App-Based Business Using Supervised Machine Learning, Jeswin Jose

Dissertations

Identification of retainable customers is very essential for the functioning and growth of any business. An effective identification of retainable customers can help the business to identify the reasons of retention and plan their marketing strategies accordingly. This research is aimed at developing a machine learning model that can precisely predict the retainable customers from the total customer data of an e-learning business. Building predictive models that can efficiently classify imbalanced data is a major challenge in data mining and machine learning. Most of the machine learning algorithms deliver a suboptimal performance when introduced to an imbalanced dataset. A variety …

An Evaluation Of Learning Employing Natural Language Processing And Cognitive Load Assessment, Mrunal Tipari

Dissertations

One of the key goals of Pedagogy is to assess learning. Various paradigms exist and one of this is Cognitivism. It essentially sees a human learner as an information processor and the mind as a black box with limited capacity that should be understood and studied. With respect to this, an approach is to employ the construct of cognitive load to assess a learner's experience and in turn design instructions better aligned to the human mind. However, cognitive load assessment is not an easy activity, especially in a traditional classroom setting. This research proposes a novel method for evaluating learning …

Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Male Military Spouses: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry, Christina L. Parsons

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the leadership experiences of male military spouses who serve as primary caregivers in the home. The primary objective of this research was to illuminate the voices of male military spouses from the various branches of military service to share their lived experiences and with specific regard to their leadership qualities. The goal of this research is to allow male military spouses to use their own words to describe their leadership experiences and to understand the context of that leadership inside the military culture. Pleck’s Gender Role Strain was used as the …

Staphylococcus Aureus Evasion Of The Innate Immune System, James Paul Grayczyk

Dissertations

Upon entry into the host, pathogens must overcome innate immunity in order to cause disease. The innate immune system represents a fast-acting initial line of defense to prevent infection. In order to withstand innate defenses, bacterial pathogens like the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, produce a wide array of virulence factors that can inhibit innate immune cell recruitment and antimicrobial activity, or directly target and kill phagocytic leukocytes thereby facilitating pathogenesis. Infection with S. aureus can cause disease in virtually any tissue site and is a significant burden to human health. In this dissertation, we sought to understand how S. aureus …

Alcohol Induced Bacterial Changes In The Setting Of Colitis, Paulius Kuprys

Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect a large number of individuals around the world. This group of diseases is largely composed of two types: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Upon development of IBD, patients experience cyclical episodes of inflammation, known as flares. Flare induction appears to arise from multiple factors, which can also vary on a person-to-person basis. Alcohol has been shown to trigger IBD flares and onset, though the underlying mechanism has not been established.Defining factors of the IBD intestinal environment include an altered microbiome, bacterial infiltration of the intestinal epithelium, and increased leakage of proinflammatory bacterial byproducts. …

A Self Study Of My Leadership As Principal To Improve Student Achievement In Literacy In The Middle Grades, Latrese Tonya Mathis

Dissertations

This self-study examined my leadership practices as a principal and researcher. Herr and Anderson (2005) define self-study as "a focus on one's own personal and professional self." Through reflective analysis of my leadership practices, the Instructional Leadership and Grade Level Teams were supported with protocols and leadership methods to improve literacy instruction at middle grades. Upon reflection, concerns existed regarding inadequate and inconsistent student growth through the lens of school wide assessments. The examination of student data, root cause identification, and the development and monitoring of action items assisted to investigate my analysis of this concern. The significance of this …

Generating Biologic And Genetic Research Tools To Investigate Serotype I Feline Coronaviruses, Robert Christian Mettelman

Dissertations

Serotype I feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) is an alphacoronavirus of high veterinary importance due to the 99% mortality rate observed in cats. Since the 1980s, robust experimentation on these viruses has been limited by availability of culturable pathogenic strains, few permissive cell lines, and a lack of standardized methods to study their basic virology. These complications have resulted in variable and conflicting literature reports, have slowed study of clinical strains and hindered effective vaccine design. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a laboratory "toolbox" containing standardized methods, permissive cell lines and genetic techniques to alleviate some of …

Binge Alcohol Drinking Exacerbates Ulcerative Colitis Flare, Abigail Cannon

Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains a prominent medical concern affecting over 1.4 million people in the U.S. One of the most common forms of the disease is ulcerative colitis (UC), and UC patients will often head doctor's advice to refrain from drinking alcohol. However, whether this phenomenon of alcohol exacerbating UC symptoms occurs is still unknown, which necessitated the generation of a mouse model of UC and binge alcohol. Therefore, we examined a range of DSS concentrations (2-4%) and 2 alcohol paradigms in C57BL/6 mice. Mice receiving 2% DSS ad libitum for five days with a three-day alcohol binge had …

Life-Cycle Considerations In Risk-Informed Decisions For Energy-Efficient Building Design Under Various Hazard Exposures And Climate Conditions, Zhenglai Shen

Dissertations

Buildings provide shelters to it residents and its safety and sustainability are of great interests to our society. Over the last decade, the application of the performance-based earthquake engineering framework for building design has been gained popularity in high seismic intensity regions, such as Los Angeles. On the other hand, energy-saving features, such as high-performance glazing materials, have been increasingly used in both new buildings and building retrofitting practices. However, there is lacking a comprehensive methodological framework that holistically considers buildings’ structural demands due to natural hazards, e.g., earthquake, and energy-efficiency requirements of buildings within different climate zones, as well …

Optically Modulated Terahertz Metamaterials Using Liquid Crystals, Muhammed Emin Gulduren

Dissertations

This dissertation reports on my research efforts towards optimizing tunable terahertz (THz) metamaterial (MM) performance using spatially varying liquid crystals (LC). First, gold wire grid polarizers and Y shape metamaterial designs with liquid crystal layer have intensely investigated and found important applications particularly in radar and microwave technologies to provide anechoic test chambers, or vehicle stealth. A change in the orientation of the LC molecules can change electromagnetic wave transmission in THz region. It has been shown that metamaterials including liquid crystals have great potential for tunable materials. However, tunable LC platforms requires transparent electrodes for some applications like displays. …

An Examination Of The Theoretical Basis For Agile Engineering Using Function-Behavior-Structure Framework And Agent-Based Modeling, Mitchell James Bott

Dissertations

Traditional systems engineering methods have been shown to not scale well to very large and complex projects. There is a need for methods that can adapt to changing technology, deliver robust solutions, and provide consistent results. Agile methods, used in the software development domain, offer one possible solution to this need. Often, new methods are developed and deployed with little examination and testing. This is partly due to the impracticality of thorough testing of engineering methods on large and complex projects. This research uses agent-based modeling and simulation to examine the suitability and advantages of Agile methods for large and …

Investigations Of Augmented Heat Transfer Due To Elastic Instabilities Within Low-Inertia Flows With Streamline Curvature, Mengying Su

Dissertations

The present investigation considers thermal transport variations from the presence of elastic instabilities within internal flows. A miniature Viscous Disk Pump (VDP) and a Couette Rotating Flow (RCF) environment are utilized to investigate flow and heat transfer characteristics for very low Reynolds numbers. The viscous disk pump heat transfer results are based upon energy balance measurements which utilize the mixed-mean temperature at the inlet and outlet of the VDP flow passage. The overall heat transfer rate is determined based upon a constant surface temperature thermal boundary condition, and upon a log-mean-temperature difference approach. Significant enhancements of mixing and transport are …

Two-Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling Of Cylindrical Plasma Jets Confined Magneto-Inertial Fusion Targets, Seth Thompson

Dissertations

A set of 2D time-dependent simulations of an imploding cylindrical target and liner are presented. The 2D model developed for this dissertation was used to evaluate these assumptions and explore the ignition space for PJMIF in cylindrical geometries. The 2D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model was discretized using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). The energy term within the equations was augmented with three volumetric power models, including the fusion power produced by alpha particle heating, Bremsstrahlung radiation, and thermal conduction. The original power balance models guided the choice of a reference case for the new 2D MHD simulation. This baseline case consisted of …

Interrogation Of Epigenetic And Genetic Determinants Of Complex Diseases, Megan Elizabeth Breitbach

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Industrially Applicable Approach To Transient Thermal Modeling In Additive Manufacturing Using A Mass-Added Finite Difference Method, Tom James Stockman Iii

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward A Biblical Theology Of God's Presence In Christian Theology: A Study Of How Difference Interpretations Of The Divine Presence Affect Liturgy, Karl Tsatalbasidis

Dissertations

Problem

In spite of the universal agreement on the importance of the divine presence as the central aspect of liturgy, there are three conflicting ways in which the presence of God relates to liturgy. They broadly correspond to the main liturgical traditions: Sacramental (Roman Catholic), Kerygmatic (Protestant) and Charismatic (Pentecostal and Interdenominational). In our current situation, how does this universal agreement about the presence of God as the central aspect of liturgy relate to the conflicting means by which congregations assess his presence?

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (1) to describe how the three diverging views relate the …

Constructing A Theology Of Relational Life Through The Themes Of Creation, Incarnation, And Re-Creation As An Alternative To Current Categories Of Religions, Andrew Tompkins

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that current categories of religions are overly reliant on Western Enlightenment-based presuppositions and academic thinking that creates barriers in understanding God’s desire for all people to have abundant life. Many theologians and missiologists utilize these inherited categories without first subjecting them to the biblical canon. As a result, the theological and missiological discourse on religions is often grounded in extra-biblical presuppositions rooted primarily in an overly high view of human reason that do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. These presuppositions do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. I, therefore, compared …

"Let Us Make 'Adam": An Edenic Model Of Personal Ontology, Marla A. Samaan Nedelcu

Dissertations

Personal ontology studies human constitution and human nature, an increasingly debated topic in Christian theology. Historically, the most prominent models of personal ontology in Christian theology have been substance dualist models. More recently, physicalist models have offered prominent alternatives.

This dissertation studies the conflict of interpretations between these two major model groupings. By applying a canonical theology, it then presents an Edenic model of personal ontology that can address the current conflict of interpretations. To achieve this end, the dissertation briefly analyzes substance dualism and physicalism according to the rubrics of constitution and nature, using a model methodology. It then …

Stochastic Simulation Optimization By Filtering Static Surrogate Models, William T. Garrison

Dissertations

Optimization is the search for the input settings or configuration that will produce a desired result from the system of interest. When direct system experimentation is prohibitive, experts construct a system model that represents those aspects relevant to the problem and abstracts those that are not. This model serves as an objective function, a mapping from input settings or configuration to the value of a system. Most objective functions are deterministic; however, some objective functions represent variability through stochastic behavior. An optimization algorithm determines the optimal system inputs through repeated evaluation of the objective function with different input values. Response …

Modeling And Evaluating Cost-Effectiveness Of Host-Microbiome Investigations, Renuka Panchagavi

Dissertations

Cost-effectiveness modeling accounts for how expenditures impact outcomes and is an appropriate step towards efficacy of the different methods used for modeling the dynamics of microbial communities. This will help to identify challenging aspects of microbiome studies and the associated costs, including the major differences in research designs (cross-sectional or time series-based) used for conducting such studies. The two major stages of our investigation were to first collect and model cost variable data for microbiome investigations, and then to evaluate how trade-offs related to sample size and expenditures impact investigational outcomes. We screened different potential sources of data for microbiome …

Mechanical Behavior Of Cement Paste At Nanoscale - Reactive Molecular Dynamics Modeling And Experimental Corroborations, Ingrid M. Padilla Espinosa

Dissertations

Concrete is the most used material for construction, and it is the most produced man-made product in the world. Concrete makes the contemporary architecture of the world conceivable and brings significant development to communities. Nevertheless, there are many downsides to the use of concrete such as the large amount of energy and water used in its production, large carbon footprint, shrinkage and expansion that can cause cracking and other failure mechanisms, and the required use of large amounts of material to ensure stability of concrete structures. These drawbacks create the need for engineering and tailoring the properties of concrete. An …

Factors Influencing Whether Firms Engage In Apprenticeship, Christopher L. Harrington

Dissertations

This study is focused on current and future workforce needs and the use of apprenticeship to bridge those needs from the perspective of business leaders. The author seeks to expand research, looking at the factors influencing whether business leaders engage in apprenticeship or not. Top leaders and influencers of businesses with and without apprenticeship programs from 19 industry sectors throughout North Carolina completed an online cross-sectional survey. The results support that there is an association between worker availability, approach to skill mastery, perception of apprenticeship, and connection with the workforce development ecosystem and having or not having an apprenticeship program. …

Modulating The Tumor Microenvironment To Induce Cross-Priming For Cancer Immunotherapy, Erica Fleming-Trujillo

Dissertations

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using T cells engineered to express tumor-specific T cell receptors (TCR) holds great promise in treating cancer patients. ACT involves the in vitro generation of large numbers of tumor-specific T cells, which are then administered back to the patient, to establish an in vivo response and effective tumor control. Our lab conducted a phase I clinical trial in which metastatic melanoma patients received systemic infusions of autologous T cells transduced to express a tyrosinase-specific TCR (TIL 1383I). We observed tumor regression in one of seven patients and the development of vitiligo, indicative of T cell-mediated killing …

Elucidation Of The Molecular Mechanisms Of Electrically-Induced Cardioprotection, Anne Elizabeth Roessler

Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is a major event in cardiovascular disease characterized by reduced blood flow to the heart. The ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury associated with an MI results in a region of dead tissue in the heart called an infarct, the size of which influences patient prognosis. In the 1980s, it was discovered that short, non-lethal episodes of I/R, termed ischemic preconditioning (IPC), can protect the heart against a subsequent MI. Ischemic preconditioning demonstrated the phenomenon of endogenous cardioprotection. Cardioprotection has great potential …

Human Resource Management And Innovation: Perceptions Of Hr Leaders, Jeremiah Nelson

Dissertations

Creativity and innovation are essential for organizations to identify, create and exploit their competitive advantages to succeed in an increasingly complex and dynamic business environment (Ceylan, 2013; De Tienne & Mallette, 2012; Sharifirad & Ataei, 2012). Human capital is an important source of competitive advantage, but little is known about how human resource (HR) managers, as the functional owners of this resource, perceive their influence of innovation. The roles of HR professionals have evolved. Where they were once strictly administrative, they now function as business partners supporting strategy and offering leadership. These changes can create situations of role ambiguity and …

Personality Characteristics And Job Satisfaction Of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists In North Carolina, Paul Barton Moore

Dissertations

Organizational leadership, at any level, strives to increase performance and efficiency, among other outcomes. One way to accomplish this is by increasing follower job satisfaction. Literature indicates that there are intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence job satisfaction. These factors, however, have not been explicitly studied for the profession of nutrition and dietetics for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of personality characteristics and job satisfaction of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in North Carolina. Personality characteristics were defined by the Big 5 Inventory personality test, while job satisfaction and its components were …