Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Subterranean Space: A Link Between A Ground Level Public Space And Underground Infrastructure, Junghwa Lee

Theses

The global trend of urbanization requires an increased demand for reliable infrastructure in urban land. The lack of buildable space in urban areas has been resolved traditionally by skyscrapers and sometimes, the location of new development is shifted to the outside of the central city due to the lower density and property values. However, longer distance between the traditional city center and the new developed area requires additional infrastructure to support the networks.

Urbanization allows economic and social development as well as an opportunity to lessen the impact of consumption and production on the environment. However, the urbanization and denser …

Assessing The Influence Of Variable Cognitive Load On Fatigue Development And Recovery Of The First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle, Sidharajsinh Jadeja

Theses

Localized muscle fatigue (LMF) has been associated to many adverse effects on human performance and the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). While the development of LMF can be dependent on several factors, the influence of cognitive demands is still uncertain. This study analyzed the influence of varying levels of cognitive load for a simple biomechanical system involving static exertions at a moderate level (25% of maximum voluntary capacity). Participants performed 1-hour sessions of intermittent isometric abductions of the index finger for four experimental conditions including passive rest and added cognitive load in the form of an arithmetic task. Both …

Sustainable Learning Through Architecture Elementary School: A Synergy Of Metrics, Anita Parvathi Darla

Theses

Sustainability (noun): “Sustainable development is built environment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

When is a good time for our future generations to start learning about sustainability? Education is humanity’s best hope and most effective means in the quest to achieve sustainable future. Sustainability has become a priority and needs to be addressed as a school of thought from a very young age to be more effective and achieve better results. Research shows that sustainability education must begin in early childhood when children tend to learn, absorb, …

A New Platform For Knee Surgery Patient Rehabilitation, Motivating Mirror: Providing An Interactive Experience To Knee Surgery Patients To Assist Them With A More Effective Rehabilitation., Yu He

Theses

There are many tools for knee injury patients to use for rehabilitation. Both Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists work with patients on rehabilitation to help them recover, bring them back from illness or injury. For knee surgery patients, they will go through rehabilitation including CPM (Continuous passive movement) and exercises assigned by PT (Physical Therapists) to improve recovery.

CPM is a passive motion that a machine forces patients to do, and along with and after that, patients need to be active to do other exercises themselves. Lots of patients run into trouble when rehabbing. Some of them refuse to do …

Think And Stop: Share Your Knowledge To Help Others, Unez Akbar

Theses

Often, individuals develop habits that do not seem to have an adverse effect initially. However, these habits may lead to critical problems in the long run. It is important to create awareness about these critical problems as unawareness would lead to major challenges in the future.

"Think and Stop” is a social responsibility campaign that focuses on creating awareness amongst people about everyday facts.

The campaign would share some existing facts on specific topics such as eating disorder, harmful effects of wearing heels every day and excessive use of mint.

This thesis investigated how big these problems could become if …

Role Of The Snf2 Homolog, Irc20, In Yeast Genome Maintenance, Deena Mohamed Galal Eldin Ahmed

Theses

In eukaryotes, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins forming a highly compact structure, the chromatin. All DNA-based processes must occur within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires modulation of its structure when needed. This is accomplished by covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts, as well as through the actions of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. These multi-subunit complexes play major roles in transcription regulation, replication and repairing DNA damage. This thesis aims to characterize a poorly studied member of the SWI/SNF family of ATPases/helicases, Irc20, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously, Irc20 has been shown to be involved in …

Determination Of The Ideal Plant Density Of Tomato Solanum Lycopersicum Under An Aquaponic Production System With Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus Under Uae Conditions, Mohamed Ahmed Al Dhanhani

Theses

Aquaponics is an agricultural system that saves water and fertilization and offers a way of growing plants without soil pest infestation or pesticide residues. This system ensures the production of hazardous chemical free food for humans. This system also ensures sustainability by creating a natural relationship between fish and plants and makes gardening more productive and economical.

Aquaponics system is a dynamic ecosystem that can be integrated to achieve food security through the production of fish and vegetables without the intervention of fertilizers.

The focus of this study is optimizing planting density of tomato in an aquaponics system; with assess …

The Effect Of Β-Caryophyllene On Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity, Hasan Al-Taee

Theses

Doxorubicin is an effective and widely used chemotherapeutic drug. However, its clinical use is limited due to cardiotoxicity which it causes that appears in the form of dilated cardiomyopathy. Many efforts have been devoted to developing/discovering agents which can counter DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the cardioprotective potential of β Caryophyllene (BCP), a dietary phytocannabinoid, in a rat model of DOX-induced acute and chronic cardiotoxicity. BCP is widely found in various herbs and spices and is a full agonist of the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB₂) and exhibits potent anti-inflammatory effects. In the present …

Aevum: Personalized Health Monitoring System, Abhishek Swaminathan

Theses

Advancement in the field of sensors and other portable technologies have resulted in a bevy of health monitoring devices such as blue-tooth and Wi-Fi enabled weighing scales and wearables which help individuals monitor their personal health. This collected information provides a plethora of data points over intervals of time that a primary care physician can utilize to gain a holistic understanding of an individual’s health and provide a more effective and personalized treatment. A drawback of the existing health monitoring devices is that they are not integrated with the professional medical infrastructure. With the wealth of information collected, it is …

Social Financing And Payment By Results: Greater Driver In Efficiency, Innovation, And Impact In Tackling Social Problems?, Erin Mathis

Theses

There is mounting pressure on government to provide funding for social services; however, due to budget constraints and complex social issues, this has become a challenge (Social, 2014). With the increase of poverty, behavioral and mental health issues in America, the status quo in the social sector simply will not hold (Shah, 2013). In 2013, fourteen percent of Americans were living below the poverty line (Gongloff, 2014), with one in five children living in poverty (Shah, 2013, p.2). In 2011, under President Obama, the US government decided to try a different method in assisting the high demand for social services, …

Prognosis Of Equine Limb Fractures Based On Type And Location, Megan Gaffney

Theses

Horses are powerful animals: a galloping horse’s forefoot hits the ground with an average of about 2,000 pounds of force. This can result in many kinds of injuries. To work with and love a horse properly, the owner needs to understand more than just grooming and feeding. Owners must understand how the horse operates, particularly the structure and workings of the horse’s legs, to comprehend how a broken leg impairs a horse. This understanding enables the owner to work well with a veterinarian in determining the best course of treatment for an injury.

A review of the current veterinary literature …

Assessment Of Clinical And Blood Gas Parameters In Healthy And Diarrhoeic Calves, Patrick Dillane

Theses

Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD) is a major problem to calf health worldwide. Metabolic acidosis, electrolyte imbalances are common complications of NCD, consequently, blood gas analysis is regarded as the gold standard test to assess of severity of these abnormalities in diarrhoeic calves. The objective of this research was to develop blood gas reference ranges for neonatal calves accounting for influencing physiological and environmental factors. As this disease is commonly treated by primary producers, previously published clinical assessment scoring chart was also analysed and compared to gold standard blood gas, in addition to next- generation biomarkers for severity diagnosis for NCD. …

The Design, Test And Evaluation Of A Sensing System For Process Analytical Technology (Pat), Trevor Murphy

Theses

Increased globalisation and competitiveness has given rise to a more dynamic and diverse global market that has begun to place incredible strain on manufacturing supply chains. Conventional manufacturing methods such as the batch manufacturing methods employed largely by the materials processing industries i.e. pharmaceuticals, polymers and magnesium processing plants are ill-suited to cope with the demands of today. As products evolve with technological advancements they become more complex to produce and require alternative approaches to manufacturing to ensure product quality while reducing costs and increasing manufacturing efficiencies.

A potential solution to the growing demands on today's supply chain is process …

An Analysis Of Strategic Planning In Delivering Infrastructure In Ireland, Noel Murtagh

Theses

The 2009 recession was the most severe recession in the history of the state and led to bankruptcy and subsequent bailout of the Irish state by the European Union, International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank (collectively known as the 'Troika'}. In this context, this research looked at the role of strategic planning and investigated did Ireland lack a strategic planning perspective in economic development, with a particular focus on the delivery of critical national infrastructure. This research also looked at the impediments to the delivery of infrastructure in Ireland, the benefits to national growth with investment in infrastructure …

‘The Show Must Go On’: Amateur Musical Theatre As A Community Of Practice, Kevin Walsh

Theses

Amateur musical theatre has its roots in long-standing theatre traditions that include both professional and amateur production. Apart from the performance, which is the over-arching goal, participation in amateur musical theatre yields many other personal and social benefits in areas of learning, community and identity, aligning with Wenger’s concept of a ‘Community of Practice’.

Using an analytical framework based on previous studies in this area, this research investigates how amateur musical theatre functions as a ‘Community of Practice’. The research was conducted using an ethnographic case study of two contrasting local amateur productions. Experiential data and details regarding participant interactions …

An Investigation Into Teleworking As A Flexible Working Arrangement In The Irish Private Sector, Elaine Galvin

Theses

This study is based on teleworking in the Irish private sector. The aim of the research study was to assess the impact teleworking has on work-life balance, motivation and performance levels of employees working within the private sector of Ireland. The researcher had a keen interest in the research topic due to two major storms that hit Ireland during late 2017 and early 2018. Storm Ophelia was one of the worst Atlantic hurricanes on record to hit Ireland in 50 years (Siggins, 2017). Storm Emma hit Ireland at the end of February and start of March 2018, this storm was …

Retaining Nurses In The Irish Health Service: What Role Does Human Resource Management Play In Employee Retention?, Aishling O'Gorman

Theses

This thesis focuses on the role of Human Resource Management for employee retention. Given the critical shortage of nurses within Irelands healthcare workforce, the need for first class recruitment and retention strategies is vital. Management should be actively working to attract, recruit and retain nurses within the sector.

In an attempt to investigate the turnover and retention of nurses in the Irish Healthcare workforce research was carried out in the form of surveys and semi structured interviews. The study draws upon a survey gathering both qualitative and quantitative data from 117 nurses currently employed in Irish hospitals. It also draws …

Designing And Evaluating The Impact Of An Inclusive Aquatics Training Programme For Aquatic Tutors And Teachers, Lucy Cush

Theses

Every human has a fundamental right to physical education, physical activity and sport without discrimination. To achieve quality physical education, physical activity and sport, the associated support personnel, professionals and volunteers alike should be appropriately enabled through suitable training. For people with disabilities, aquatic activities are a recognised method of developing physical and motor skills, social skills and developing selfesteem (Getz, Hutzler and Vermeer, 2006). Hence, aquatics being the most popular physical activity for people with a disability (Irish Sports Monitor, 2015).

A key factor that determines the success of an inclusive aquatic programme is the aquatic instmctor (Conaster et …

Golf Access For All? An Analysis Of Golf Clubs From A Universal Aceess Perspective Towards The Development Of Case Studies Of Good Practice And Guidelines For Best Policy And Practice, Dominique Wehrkamp

Theses

People with disabilities (PWD) partake less in sport and physical activity than the able-bodied population, thereby putting PWD at a disadvantage in terms of experiencing the health and social-related benefits of an active lifestyle.

This mixed-method study conducted an analysis of Irish golf clubs (n=100) in order to assess their inclusiveness for PWD and gauge the sector’s willingness to become more inclusive. The research utilised an interpretative phenomenological approach in conjunction with a post-positivist research-method consisting of 100 surveys and 6 semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analysed thematically and quantitative data were analysed with SPSS Edition 23.

A total of …

Readiness For Assisted Decision-Making: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Kay Cronin

Theses

Background: Ireland has recently enacted the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. The enactment of the legislation has allowed Ireland to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2008). The convention obliges all member states to assist people with disabilities to make their own decisions, with their will and preference taking precedence over what others deem to be in their best interests. Implementation of this legislation requires a change in working practice among health and social care providers to promote autonomy and decision-making among service users. To date, this topic has not been researched in Ireland. …

Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging Of Populus Tremuloides Rhizosphere Nutrient Exchange Interactions With Laccaria Bicolor And Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Carli S. Salvador

Theses

Plants form interactions with other symbiotic organisms such as mycorrhizal fungus and bacteria in the rhizosphere; therefore, it is pivotal to understand the nutrient exchange that takes place. In this experiment, Populus tremuloides seedlings were grown on a thin, nutrient dense media for the control as well a limited-nitrogen media. Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging is used in this study to analyze nitrate and ammonium concentrations in the rhizosphere of P. tremuloides with Laccaria bicolor and Pseudomonas fluorescens after 7 weeks of growth. Plants were grown on low-emission slides in the first experiment; however, due to media thickness issues, Polyethylene and …

In Communion With Our Brothers : Catholic Clergy And Religious Sisters In The Civil Rights Movement, Shannon Meredith Lampton

Theses

In the history of the civil rights movement there is a great deal of research, narrative, and historiography devoted to African American men and women’s participation, and of the ways African American churches worked in the movement. I researched to find out how the Catholic Church and her people participated in the civil rights movement. My main points of focus were how these men of privilege and women got involved; how the changes in the Catholic Church encouraged or hindered its members’ civil rights’ work; and how historian perceived that work. I learned that the Catholic Church did not change …

Bicycle Safety Investigation In Alabama Using Historical Crash Data And Stated-Preference Survey, Sydnie Fiocca

Theses

The study objectives were to analyze bicycle-vehicle crash data in Alabama using a detailed review of police reports to identify specific bicycle-vehicle crash causes and patterns and develop an online stated-preference survey to examine drivers’ and bicyclists’ behavior on shared roadways and their understanding of cycling regulations in Alabama. From the crash analysis, a detailed review of 1,311 bicycle-vehicle police reports (from 2011 to 2015) in Alabama was conducted. Nighttime riding (19:01-7:00) and crashes involving males and middle-aged persons (26 to 64) were more severe. Compared to intersections, more severe crashes occurred at midblock sections. No severe crashes have occurred …

Solid Rocket Motor Static Fire Test Stand Optimization : Load Cell Effects And Other Uncertainties, Charles W. Freeman Ii

Theses

US military legacy missile systems must be periodically tested to ensure they will perform as designed during training and in times of armed conflict. The objective of this work was to assess the overall thrust measurement uncertainty of a tactical-sized solid rocket motor static thrust stand. Motor alignment, load cell / test stand dynamics, signal conditioning, data acquisition, and calibration procedures were examined as potential sources of uncertainty. The uncertainty analysis revealed that a 5,000 lbf thrust measurement can be made to within ±0.26% of full scale with 95% confidence. The load cell / test stand / motor structural resonance …

The Impact Of Humor On Stress Responses During A Listening Span Task, Cynthia L. Stanley

Theses

The current experiment examined how humor influences the effects of stress induced by mental workload. Participants completed a Modified Listening Span task (MLS) that was chosen to induce mental workload and measure working memory capacity. Participants also viewed a series of neutral and positive images, one of three videos, completed a workload measure before and after the MLS, and pulse wave amplitude readings were collected throughout the experiment. Participants reported higher workload ratings following completion of the MLS, demonstrating an increased mental workload. Subjective stress ratings and PWA readings were higher following the completion of the MLS, illustrating an increase …

Resilience And Coping In Survivors Of Unwanted Sexual Contact: Do Gender And Service Utilization Make A Difference?, Madeleine Frankford

Theses

While rates of sexual assault vary widely across studies, strong evidence exists that women, as well as men, face a risk of being sexually victimized during their college years (Artime & Buchholz, 2016; Krebs et al., 2007; Moors & Webber, 2013). The goal of the current study was to examine the association between gender and service utilization on measures of resilience and coping in victims of unwanted sexual contact. As part of a larger campus climate survey, college students who identified as having experienced an incident of unwanted sexual contact since becoming a student at the university were asked a …

The Use Of Machine Learning To Detect Suckling In Pre-Weaned Calves, Sukumar Katamreddy

Theses

The weaning of cattle is a process which is known to be labour intensive and to have stressful effects on both cow and calf Common methods used in the weaning process include the temporary removal of a mother from the calf and manual observation and intervention. Early and speedy weaning is known to have a number of benefits, including health benefits for both cow and calf, additional weight gains for the calves as well as reduced labour and feed requirements. The process known as Two-Stage Weaning is recognised to be an effective low-stress approach to weaning in which the calf …

Quantifying The Offset Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions At The University Of North Alabama, Paul Dunn Graham

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Design, Test And Evaluation Of A Sensing System For Process Analytical Technology (Pat), Trevor Murphy

Theses

Increased globalisation and competitiveness has given rise to a more dynamic and diverse global market that has begun to place incredible strain on manufacturing supply chains. Conventional manufacturing methods such as the batch manufacturing methods employed largely by the materials processing industries i.e. pharmaceuticals, polymers and magnesium processing plants are ill-suited to cope with the demands of today. As products evolve with technological advancements they become more complex to produce and require alternative approaches to manufacturing to ensure product quality while reducing costs and increasing manufacturing efficiencies.

A potential solution to the growing demands on today's supply chain is process …

Changes In Nadph Oxidase (Nox) Protein Isoforms And Downstream Reactions As Function Of Time And Overpressure In Blast Tbi, Smit Prakash Shah

Theses

Blast-induced Traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a leading cause of morbidity in soldiers on the battlefield and training sites with long-term neurological and psychological pathologies. Among many pathological sequela of blast TBI, oxidative stress has been identified as a major factor contributing to the pathophysiology of bTBI. Recent studies have demonstrated activation of oxidative stress pathways following blast injury but their distribution among different brain regions as function of post injury time and Blast over pressure (BOP) have not been explored. The present study examines the protein expression of NADP oxidase (NOX) isoforms 1 & 2, corresponding superoxide production, a …