Digital Commons Network^™

Leaving No Trace In The Irish Countryside: Effecting Behavioural Change Of Recreationists, Noel Doyle

Theses

The Irish countryside has become a hotspot for outdoor recreation and activity tourism. Despite the many positive impacts of these activities, adverse impacts on wildlife, the environment and farming practices are an unfortunate consequence of irresponsible behaviour. Although not all negative impacts can be mitigated by behaving responsibly, user education has been identified as crucial to reducing negative impacts and ensuring the environmental, and hence the economic, sustainability of both activity tourism and recreation. The development of effective programmes aimed at behavioural change requires a thorough investigation of the target audience and how they interact with the natural environment. This …

An Examination Of Pain Education Of Medical Students In Australia And New Zealand, Elspeth Shipton

Theses

Background: Unrelieved pain is a significant public health challenge in Australia and New Zealand. Medical practitioners play an essential role in the management of acute, cancer and chronic non-cancer pain.

Aim: This thesis aimed to examine the delivery of pain education at medical schools in Australia and New Zealand, and to determine how effectively it equips medical students with pain medicine competencies required for internship.

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used. Quantitative studies focused on gathering information regarding the pain-related content of medical curricula of all medical schools; and on testing pain medicine competencies of final-year medical …

Investigating The Effects Of Blood Flow On Muscle Fatigue And Recovery In The First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle, Nicole Nugent

Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the physiological principles driving blood flow and fatigue both during and following different levels of intermittent exertion. Utilizing diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) allowed microvascular blood flow (BF) to be observed continuously, providing new insight into the behaviors of BF within the exerting muscle. This experiment was conducted with 11 healthy, adult participants, (5 male, 6 female), fatiguing the First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI) muscle through the abduction of the index finger. The study monitored BF and fatigue in response to 3 levels of intermittent exertion (20%, 30%, and 40% MVC) under …

Living With Pku: The Lived Experience Of Irish Adults With Early Diagnosed Phenylketonuria On Long Term Dietary Therapy, Mary-Ellen O'Shea

Theses

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic condition affecting the body’s ability to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine (PHE). A build-up of PHE in the blood and brain can result in irreversible intellectual disability and developmental delays. Ireland has one of the highest prevalence rates of PKU in Europe and some of the earliest treated patients with PKU in the world. However, little is known about their lived experience with PKU. Furthermore, cost-benefit analysis of treatments for rare diseases in Ireland is principally based on quantitative data. More qualitative data is needed to highlight the quality of life experienced by people …

To Determine The Predictive Accuracy Of The Frase Risk Assessment Tool In Identifying Older Adults At High Risk Of Falls In Community Hospitals/ Nursing Units, Susan Daly

Theses

Background: The operational effectiveness of Fall Risk Assessment Tools (FRATs)in predicting falls remains unclear due to variation in accuracy when applied in different settings and among different populations (Aranda-Gallardo et al. 2017, Castellini at al. 2017).

Aims: The primary aim of the study is to determine the predictive accuracy of the Falls Risk Assessment Scale for the Elderly (FRASE) risk assessment tool in identifying older adults at high risk of falls in Community Hospitals/ Nursing Units. The secondary aim is to determine the relationship between older adult faller status and the risk factors; gender, age, gait, sensory deficit, falls history, …

The Impact Of Spatial Occlusion Training On Complex Motor Skills In Sport, Alan Bernard Dunton

Theses

Visual occlusion is classified as the process of temporally occluding the entire visual field or spatially eliminating the vision of an object, limb or information source from the visuomotor workspace. Research in visual occlusion has typically been conducted utilising a temporal, video simulation approach with participants responding in a verbal, computerised or written manner. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to examine the impact of spatial occlusion, as a training tool, on complex motor skills in sport. Spatial occlusion goggles, that eliminate vision of the low-grade visual field, were incorporated during sports relevant tasks. Experiments were conducted, using a …

The Use Of Mycobacteriophages As A Novel Therapeutic Option To Control And Treat Johne's Disease, Gillian Catherine Crowley

Theses

The incidences of Johne’s disease (JD) in farms worldwide have increased significantly over the last 80 years. The increase in JD is owing to the lack of diagnostic tests available and the long incubation period of the disease causing pathogen, Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP). In addition, treatment of JD with antibiotics has proven difficult due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance MAP strains and the presence of the thick lipid rich mycobacterial cell wall. An alternative diagnostic and treatment method for JD involves the use of mycobacteriophages. As part of this research, individual mycobacteriophages (TM4) and a mycobacteriophage cocktail (LE1 …

An Investigation Into The Technical And Running Performance Metrics Of Gaelic Football Training Andmatch-Play To Inform The Design Of A Novel Tactical Periodisation Training Model, Shane Mangan

Theses

Background: Carefully planned and implemented training programmes are essential for optimal sports performance. In depth knowledge of both the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport are critical to informing these training programmes. Gaelic football, an amateur intermittent field sport, is one of the most popular sports in Ireland. Limited previous research has attempted to extensively analyse and interpret key findings from the literature to formulate practical recommendations for Gaelic football training and match preparation. The purpose of this research is to objectively analyse Gaelic football performance at the elite and sub-elite levels and to use this data to …

Motor Planning In Children With And Without Developmental Coordination Disorder: Behavioural And Neurological Evidence, Ranila Bhoyroo

Theses

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that is characterised by an inability to acquire and execute well-coordinated movements at an age appropriate level (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Converging evidence suggests that children with DCD experience motor planning difficulties compared to typically developing children; however, these difficulties may be task dependent. To our knowledge, the underlying nature of this deficit as well as the task parameters that might affect motor planning are not well established. Also, while it has been reported that alterations in areas of the frontal and parietal lobe may underlie poor motor planning in this population, …

Physical Activity In Aging: Biological Outcomes, Functional Autonomy, And Policy Implications, Nathan Albert Schuler

Theses

A 2016 study concluded that the elderly spend 2.5 times the national average on health services (De Nardi 2016). Despite consisting of only 14 percent of the United States population, the elderly accounted for 34 percent of all medical spending, and accounted for 73 percent of all deaths (De Nardi 2016). In addition, current projections estimate that with the aging of the baby boomer generation, the percentage of the population that is older than 65 will swell to approximately 20 percent of the population by 2030 (Ortman 2014). If the medical spending holds, this will coincide with massive increases in …

Is Liberal Democracy A Contradiction?: A Study Of Political Participation And Inequality In Australia During The 1960s And 1970s, Daniel A. Elias

Theses

The central concern of this thesis is the disconnect between the premise of democracy and economic realities. The first section of the thesis examines the essential components of a democratic political system by drawing upon political theorists of the past and present. From Aristotle to Robert Dahl the thesis gains an understanding of what democracy is, by identifying and isolating its essential mechanisms. The following section situates liberalism and its origins. Such a history is critical for within liberalism is the sum of many social norms, philosophies, laws, and culture in Australia. Combining political theory and the historical context of …

Comparative Study On Chinese Network Imported Food Safety Supervision System, Jingquan Wang

Theses

This paper aims to improve the efficiency of food safety supervision and the effective way to ensure food safety through the comparative study of the imported food safety supervision system of China's network, and the comparative study of the main methods to ensure food safety. In this paper, according to the basic theory of food safety, for the world's major developed countries government food safety regulatory system, the Chinese government's food safety regulatory system research, China's food regulatory measures related to a new model idea, several parts, and discover network imported food safety supervision system in our country's own insufficiency, …

Vitamin D Fortification Of Processed Meat To Reduce Self-Reported Deficiencies: Consumer Acceptance In The Irish Market, Emma Lynn Donaldson

Theses

It is believed that many areas of the world are experiencing a Vitamin D deficiency pandemic. With Ireland’s geographic location, genetic characteristics, and the reemergence of rickets in Ireland in the early noughties; Ireland is a part of the deficiency pandemic. Vitamin deficiencies have historically been handled effectively through food fortification schemes, however additional food products, like processed meats, need to be assessed for their ability to address the deficiency and consumer acceptance. Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the general consumer acceptance of future Vitamin D fortified, processed meats in the Irish market, in order to …

The Efficacy Of Lactic Acid And Steam Vacuum Applications In Reducing Microbial Load And Prolonging The Shelf Life Of Beer Carcases, Rachel Smith

Theses

Many foodborne outbreaks occur globally each year compromising consumer confidence and highlighting the need for continued improvements with regards to product safety. Therefore, intervention decontamination applications are currently gaining a lot of attention within the beef industry as an additional measure to improve the microbiological condition of finished products. Many studies have shown decontamination methods to be effective, however variations within the published literature makes scientific comparison difficult. This aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of a 2-3% lactic acid solution and steam vacuum technologies as intervention methods in reducing the microbial load and extending the shelf …

Assessing The Food Safety Culture Of A Dairy Processing Facility In Ireland, Emer Marie Hughes

Theses

ood safety culture has become a prominent topic, with food safety management systems (FSMS), food safety regulations, training and auditing being challenged due to the reoccurrence of foodborne outbreaks. Due to its link with food safety performance, food organisations must have the ability to accurately measure their food safety culture to ensure it is an integral part of the company’s culture. The food safety culture of a dairy processing facility in Ireland was measured quantitatively using a questionnaire which was an adaptation of a food safety climate self-assessment tool. The questionnaire assessed the human dimension of food safety culture such …

Comparison Of Allergen Legislation Between India And Ireland, Naresh Machha

Theses

2 Abstract Food allergen is one of the major issues in countries like Ireland and India. In Ireland, allergen and ingredients labelling are considered as the topmost problems in the Irish food business. The problems can be solved under a strict framework guided by strong regulations. The problem is bigger in India than Ireland as in India, there is no proper legalized standard in the context of food allergens so the people who are allergic to certain food products are on high risk. Labelling is a major issue in India due to pluralism and diverse linguistic barriers. Ireland operated FSAI …

A Study Of Consumer Perception Of Antibiotic Resistance And Antibiotic Use In Ireland, Andrea Todea

Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of Irish consumers regarding antibiotic use in Ireland. Data was obtained on antibiotic use, frequency, associated source and general awareness regarding antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. A cross-sectional survey was designed to analyse consumer’s perception and knowledge of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance. A total of 763 completed questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire was targeted for general public, based in Ireland. Fifty-seven percent of respondents are trying to completely avoid antibiotics, unless absolutely necessary. Half of respondents (50%) took antibiotics in the last 12 months. The majority of respondents obtained antibiotics through …

An Investigation Into The Prevalence Of Food Hypersensitivity Amongst Children In The Early Years Service In Ireland, Ruta Patel

Theses

In the early years services in Ireland, the study studied the prevalence of hypersensitivity to food and the associated food among children between the aging of 0 and 12. Participants were 980 EYS recorded with the State and Department of Education of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland during 2019. In the descriptive-analytical report, the management guideline for answering these questions by the EYS was circulated electronically via emails and included information regarding class, age, food hypersensitivity and food that induce hypersensitivity among children. Results on the prevalence of allergens to Food and Coeliac diseases and current policies to …

Feature Extraction For Classification Of Auroral Images, Shwetha Herga

Theses

Auroras are a dynamically evolving phenomenon. Different auroral forms are correlated with various physical processes in the magnetosphere and ionosphere system. Millions of auroral images are captured every year by the modern ground-based All-Sky Imager(ASI). In dealing with data from ASI, machine learning techniques play a critical scientific role, facilitating both efficient searches and statistical studies. In this work, we manually label night-side auroral images from various Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) all-sky imager based on the sky conditions; the labels are clear sky with auroras, cloudy with the moon, cloudy, clear-sky with the moon, …

An Implementation Of Chacha20 Stream Cypher In All-Programmable Socs, Igor Semenov

Theses

An increased reliance on services offered online is an inherent aspect of the Information Age. Such services often handle sensitive customers' data and therefore must ensure its confidentiality, for example, by using cryptographic algorithms. Some algorithms, such as AES, have long been used for this purpose, but they impose additional cost and/or performance overheads. However, new lightweight stream cyphers, such as ChaCha20, are emerging as a faster alternative to conventional algorithms without sacrificing the security. Development of hardware cryptographic accelerators has been widely used to reduce performance overheads of cryptographic algorithms. In the past, this approach was extremely expensive, but …

Lew.1wr1 Rats Have Altered Hepatic Metabolism During Their Type 1 Diabetes Susceptibility Window, Madushika Wimalarathne

Theses

LEW.1WR1 (1WR1) rats have increased type 1 diabetes (T1D) onset with the administration of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC). The objective of this study was to compare the insulitis status and liver gene expression in both control and treated 1WR1 rats during disease induction with a T1D-resistant strain of rat, the LEW/SsNHsd (SsNHsd). Using immunohistochemistry we observed higher T cell infiltration in the 1WR1 treated rats compared to the control strain, the SsNHsd PIC-treated rat. Yet we confirmed that the 1WR1 rats were not undergoing significant insulitis at the time point we selected. Interestingly the 1WR1 treated rat had significantly increased insulin …

Surface Heat Transfer Characteristics Of A Transfer Turbine Blade With Pressure Side Film Cooling And Different Tip Gaps, Hallie Collopy

Theses

Investigated are spatially-resolved distributions of surface adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and surface heat transfer coefficients for a transonic turbine blade tip. The tip contains a squealer rim, and a single row of film cooling holes is located on the pressure-side of the blade very near to the blade tip. As such, a unique pressure side film cooling arrangement is tested to provide a better understanding of thermal protection of turbine blade tips, as they are exposed to a complex and challenging flow environment. A two-dimensional linear cascade, with four flow passages and five complete blades, is employed, which is designed …

Gain Enhancement Of On-Chip Wireless Interconnects At 60 Ghz Using An Artificial Magnetic Conductor, Douglas Bean

Theses

The motivation for this work comes from the increased demand for short range high frequency data communication within and between integrated circuit (IC) chips. The use of wireless interconnects introduces flexibility to the circuit design, reduces power consumption and production costs, since the antennas can be integrated into a standard CMOS process. These findings have been well noted in literature. In addition, wireless interconnects operating in the mm-wave frequency range, at 60GHz, allow for a high data rate of over 1Gb/s for short range of transmissions. The drawback of wireless interconnects operating at high frequencies is the distortion in the …

Functional Analysis Of Cftr Promoter Dna Variants, Tiffany Michelle Ledbetter-Brumbeloe

Theses

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease that affects 1 in 3500 people in the United States. CF affects epithelial cells in areas such as the lungs, GI tract and reproductive system. The disease is caused by variants in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene which result in mutations in the CFTR protein. However, some CF patients who have the same genotype for the CFTR gene experience different severities of the disease. One explanation for this is that CFTR promoter SNPs influence gene expression which could lead to differing severities of CF. To test this hypothesis, luciferase …

Remodeling Recovery : Understanding Social Conditioning And Communication During Adolescent Stages Of Development And How They Correlate With Substance Use Disorders, Douglas Stogner

Theses

This thesis uses a mix method research design to collect data from entry assessments and a survey administered to current residents of the His Way recovery center. The survey was also administered to a control group of participants that did not have substance use disorders (SUD). This study addresses the potential determinants that may be associated with SUD. The data from the entry assessment shows that the preference or drug of choice for clients in His Way recovery is consistent with compatible data collected in the United states. The results of the survey data suggest that people who suffer from …

Information Discovery In Coronagraph Images, Jeren Suzuki

Theses

Three areas of research for information discovery in solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are presented. These include CME leading front detection, clustering approaches on CME catalog data, and neural network-based classification of CMEs into speed categories. In addition to describing explored methodologies, the experimental results and analyses are presented.

An Implementation Of The Wireless Body Area Network Of Synchronized Inertial Sensors For Balance Testing, Harsha Ganegoda

Theses

In an aging society with increased lifespans, falls represent a serious risk for older adults. Balance is a key indicator of mobility, stability, and risk of falls. Wireless body area networks (WBAN) provide opportunity for unobtrusive monitoring and assessment of balance impairments and mobility. This thesis presents an implementation of WBAN system for monitoring of balance in older adults in smart homes. The system features two wireless inertial sensor nodes, a smart watch, an always-on home server, and an Android smartphone application. The sensors are placed on the user’s lower back and forehead. We designed and implemented custom smart inertial …

Double Wall Heat Transfer With Full-Coverage Effusion With And Without Louver Slot Cooling, Austin Click

Theses

Presented are experimental heat transfer data for five different experimental configurations, where results are provided on different sides of the effusion plate, with full-coverage effusion cooling, both with and without louver slot injection. Three different coolant supply arrangements are considered, including a cross flow only arrangement, an impingement jet array only arrangement, and a combination cross flow and impingement jet array arrangement. Contraction ratios of 1 and 4 are used within the main flow passage to provide streamwise development with a zero pressure gradient, as well as with a strong favorable pressure gradient. With the five configurations, data are given …

Development Of A Pzt Fiber Sensor Rosette For Structural Health Monitoring Using Lamb Wave Responses, Bao Chi Ha

Theses

Because of their electro-mechanical coupling property, Lead-Zirconate-Titanate (PZT) materials have been widely used for ultrasonic wave sensing and actuation in structural health monitoring applications. In this thesis, a PZT rosette sensor concept is proposed to conduct Lamb wave based damage detection in panel-like structures by exploring its best directional sensing capability. First, a directivity study was conducted to investigate sensing of flexural Lamb wave propagation using the d33 effect in a PZT fiber. Then, commercial off-the-shelf PZT fibers were polarized in-house in order to construct the PZT rosette in a rectangular configuration, in which three PZT fibers were oriented at …

Influences Of Operator Characteristics On Monitoring Behavior And Performance In A Supervisory Control Task, Jacob R. Davis

Theses

This study examined the influences of trust in automation and working memory capacity (WMC) on inattentional blindness (IB) in a supervisory control task. Participants completed 160 trials of a simulated X-ray screening task. Participants visually searched images of baggage for hazardous items and chose whether to clear or search the baggage. Participants were assisted by an 80% reliable automated aid. Participants’ performance was worse on unreliable recommendation trials, indicating participants were biased to agree with the automation. When participants (58.33%) chose to clear the trial which featured the IB stimulus (a bomb), it was interpreted as IB. Results indicated WMC …