Digital Commons Network^™

Implementing Sensory And Emotional Intelligence Into Architectural Design Education In Ireland., Aoife Hayes

Theses

The 21^st century, as a whole, has seen massive developments in smart technologies, environmental strategies and architectural form. The 3D built environment is advancing on a daily basis, but has become a very two dimensional experience, frontloaded with screened imagery and visual stimuli, which has encouraged a trend of ocular-centric dominance. Unfortunately, as a result of this, the human experience is often lost. The prioritisation of the multi-sensorial human experience is not only at threat from this visual predominance, but also environmental concerns and economy seem to hold a greater place on the hierarchy. Research carried out by the …

In Vitro Three-Dimensional Skin Tissue Constructs, Tinashe Dereck Gombedza

Theses

Human skin provides fortification against peripheral threats which may compromise the integrity and health of the human body. Its presence as the largest human organ forms a protective barrier making it an effective first line of defence against pathogenic, chemical and physical damage. Tissue engineering technology has enabled the development of in vitro three-dimensional (3D) organotypic skin cultures in order to understand the skin's physiology and architecture. This advancement has enabled the use of 3D skin model platforms to study skin diseases and conditions as well as facilitate drug discovery, clinical research and cosmetic product development.

In this study, an …

Exploring The Impact Of A Training Programme On Acute Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes And Understanding Of Dementia, Orla Quirke

Theses

Acute healthcare professionals lack education and training in dementia care. This results in people with dementia having poorer outcomes when admitted to the acute healthcare setting. An overarching aim of The National Dementia Strategy (2014) is the provision of optimal care for people with dementia in all healthcare and community settings. In response to this, Dementia Elevator a national inter-professional suite of educational programmes were developed by Dublin City University and the Health Service Executive to help individuals, communities and health systems engage positively with people with dementia. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a four-hour dementia training …

Project Spraoi : The Effectiveness Of A School Based Multicomponent Health Promotion Intervention On Sedentary Time And Markers Of Health Among Irish Primary School Children., Juliet Murphy

Theses

1.1 Introduction

Sedentary Behaviour (SB) has been associated with deleterious health outcomes such as increased levels of overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (Tremblay et al, 2010, Pate et al., 2008). Currently, there is a dearth of objective data on the amount of time Irish children spend sedentary and the subsequent effect on their health. The purpose of this study was to assess (i) levels of SB and markers of health among Irish primary school children, and (ii) the effectiveness of a health promotion intervention Project Spraoi on reducing SB and improving markers of health among Irish children.

1.2 Methods …

Social Media In The Workplace: Legal Challenges For Employers And Employees, Jacques C. Duvenhage

Theses

Social media has become prevalent through platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and has essentially changed the way people communicate. At first, social media networks were used for private purposes; however, businesses have started using social media as a way to improve and advertise their products online. Therefore, social media presents many benefits such as lower costs for advertising and convenience for customers to view and share products online. However, the advent of social media in the business environment also creates challenges within the workplace that can have a negative effect on the employer–employee relationship. This is especially significant when …

The Modification Of Two Tools To Measure Emotional Intelligence In Undergraduate Student Nurses: A Mixed Method Pilot Study, Laurel Collin

Theses

Nurses need a range of strategies to manage their clinical practice while helping patients to cope with their health problems. Stress and inefficient coping skills of student nurses have been shown to lead to attrition within the university and later, on graduation, in the workplace. Student nurses can learn some of these strategies as they are expected to cope with issues associated with the practical nature of nursing, university demands and home life. One strategy offered is the use of emotional intelligence (EI). An ability to monitor and regulate emotions may contribute to an increase in the repertoire of coping …

Development, Implementation, Evaluation And Validation Of A Haemophilia Nurses’ Education Program In South Africa, Jill Smith

Theses

Haemophilia is a rare, inherited bleeding disorder found in all races and ethnic groups. Intervention regimens are more complicated in developing countries, such as South Africa, where numerous challenges present impediments to effective health care. This study investigated the value of the Haemophilia Nurses’ Education Program (HNEP) in the South African context where no comparable program of training for haemophilia nurses exists.

The HNEP has been in operation in South Africa for some fifteen years. The researcher, as one of the key instigators of the HNEP, was keen to determine whether the course was delivering the outcomes that had been …

Self-Compassion : What Meaning And Role Does It Play In The Lives Of Women Who Experience Anxiety And Depression In The Perinatal Period, Cindy Cranswick

Theses

With one in five Australian women suffering from perinatal anxiety and depression, there is a constant need for a greater understanding of the lived experience of motherhood. This research investigated the role and meaning of self-compassion in the lives of women in the perinatal period who experience anxiety, depression and psychological distress. There is a growing body of evidence to support findings that self-compassion is an important source of emotional and psychological well-being, but little evidence on the potential role it plays in the lives of women in the perinatal period. A qualitative approach was chosen to undertake this research …

The Effect Of Continuing Professional Development From The Perspective Of Nurses And Midwives Who Participated In Continuing Education Programs Offered By Global Health Alliance Western Australia: A Mixed-Method Study, Yan Ing (Jenni) Ng

Theses

Continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for nurses and midwives are central to improving knowledge, broadening skills and maintaining competencies to provide best practice and clinical care. This is gained through participating in continuing education (CE). CPD is readily accessible and a mandatory requirement for nurses and midwives in developed nations, such as Australia. However, in developing countries, such as Tanzania, while CPD is promoted, it has limited availability. As such, the Global Health Alliance Western Australia (GHAWA), an international health development program, seeks to provide further sustainable CPD opportunities for nurses and midwives in Tanzania.

The purpose of this research …

Hospitalisation And Comorbidities In Parkinson's Disease: A Large Australian Retrospect Study, Michal Lubomski

Theses

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and disabling neurological disorder that affects approximately 1% of the adult population aged over 65 years in Australia. Parkinson’s disease, as with many other chronic illnesses, results in frequent patient hospitalisations. There is a paucity of information on the causes and related co-morbidities that lead to hospitalisation among these patients in an Australian setting. The aim of this study was to examine patterns of hospitalisation of Parkinson’s disease patients with regards to demographic factors, co-morbidities and aspects relating to clinical management. In this study, data was extracted from the NSW Ministry of Health’s Admitted …

Mobile Learning In Early Childhood Education: A School-University Partnership Model, Serena Davie

Theses

Mobile learning (mLearning) devices are ideal for 21st century learning. mLearning devices are light and, therefore, mobile so that young children can use them anywhere. Examples of mLearning devices are tablet computers, programmable robots such as Bee-Bots and robotic Lego. The term 21st century learning is used around the world and includes the skills of collaboration, communication, new literacy, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. New literacy has emerged because of new technologies and being literate in the 21st century now includes being digitally literate. However, mLearning is not widely used in early childhood education despite the fact that schools are …

A Journey Towards Conscientisation: Motives Of Volunteers Who Support Asylum Seekers, Refugees And Detainees, Sarah Koelsch

Theses

The focus of this case study is an examination of the factors that motivate people to engage in volunteerism working with asylum seekers. In the research project, volunteering is understood as a civic responsibility of an active member of society which involves social interactions that foster social inclusion: active citizenship. The co-researcher agency of this project is the Perth based Centre for Asylum seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD). The project aim is to investigate the values, belief systems, and attitudes of CARAD’s volunteers. This informed the decision to employ a social constructionist approach and is intended to enable further understanding …

The Influence Of The Supernumerary Clinical Nurse Educator Role On Advancing Graduate Nurses’ Quality Of Patient Care: A Mixed-Methods Study In A Private Western Australian Health Service, Tracey Coventry

Theses

Theoretical and anecdotal evidence suggests that the presence of the supernumerary clinical nurse educator (CNE) in the acute care hospital clinical environment will positively affect patient quality outcomes. However, the supernumerary role suffers from scrutiny in response to the financial constraints of healthcare organisations, and is questioned regarding sustainability. The lack of empirical research diminishes the CNE role and its benefit for patient quality of care. This research focuses on newly qualified graduate registered nurses (GRNs) employed in a graduate programme and supported by the CNE in the clinical environment in order to articulate the effect of the supernumerary CNE …

Exploring The Concept Of Receptivity To Bereavement Support: Implications For Palliative Care Services In Rural, Regional And Remote Western Australia, Pippa Blackburn

Theses

Background: Palliative care services are primary organisations that provide bereavement support in Australia and aim to mitigate potential adverse outcomes of grief and bereavement The success of bereavement services depends, in part, on how ‘receptive’ the bereaved are to receiving support. Although palliative care services provide support services for bereaved carers and families, there still remains a discord between what is delivered, what is needed and factors that deter or encourage a person’s receptiveness to support.

Purpose: The aim of this research was to examine utilisation of bereavement support through the ‘lens’ of receptivity. Bereavement and receptivity are complex multifactorial …

Bioimpedance Spectroscopy - Can It Be Used As A Tool For Monitoring Fluid Shifts In Burns?, Pippa Kenworthy

Theses

Large fluid shifts and oedema are features of burn injuries. Oedema hampers burn wound healing and is directly related to the size and depth of the burn. The degree of oedema in burns covers a broad spectrum: Minor burns cause localised or peripheral oedema, whilst major burns may result in a systemic inflammatory response which can be life threatening and necessitates formal fluid resuscitation. Acute burn fluid resuscitation is paramount in decreasing patient morbidity and mortality but can contribute to already large amounts of oedema. There is currently no single clinically applicable, non-invasive and accurate outcome measure to titrate fluid …

Assessment Of The Neuroprotective Potential Of Poly-Arginine Peptides In Stroke Models, Diego Milani

Theses

Currently, there is no available neuroprotective treatment for reducing acute brain injury following stroke. Recent studies have demonstrated that poly-arginine and arginine-rich peptides (e.g. R18; R = arginine residues) exhibit potent neuroprotective properties in both in vitro and in vivo stroke models, and therefore have the potential to be developed into a neuroprotective treatment for stroke.

Consequently, the aim of this thesis was to further assess the neuroprotective efficacy of several poly-arginine and arginine-rich peptides in permanent and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke models in the rat.

The poly-arginine peptides R12, R15, R18 and the arginine-rich peptide protamine …

Distributed Leadership: Building Capacity To Maximise Collaborative Practice In A New Teaching Research Aged Care Service, Kirsty Marles

Theses

This research facilitated an approach to apply the concept of distributed leadership, as articulated in Health LEADS Australia: the Australian health leadership framework to generate the conditions required to support sustained collaborative practice. The setting for this research was ViTA South, which, at the time of the research was a newly established teaching, research aged care service located in Adelaide, South Australia. The research was concerned with developing distributed leadership amongst the staff team to engender sustained collaborative practice, critical to realising the vision for ViTA South, which requires collaboration beyond the traditional practices of an aged care workforce. This …

Educators' Practices For Promoting The Spiritual Development Of Children Aged 3 To 4 Years, In The Context Of Catholic Childcare Centres In Western Australia, Christine Robinson

Theses

The Australian early years’ mandated document, the Early Years Learning Framework (Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009), outlines the need for educators to attend to children’s spiritual capacity as part of a holistic approach to the early years (p. 9). Additionally, policy that governs the Catholic sector (such as Early Childhood Education Care Policy 2-B6 (Catholic Education Commission Western Australia [CECWA], 2013a)) reinforces this requirement for educators to attend to the holistic development of children, inclusive of their spiritual capacity alongside the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, creative and moral capacities. Consequently, educators employed in Catholic childcare are …

Sedimentation Dynamics Of The Cagayan De Oro River Catchment And The Implications For Its Coastal Marine Environments, Mars P. Tan

Theses

Declines in coastal environment condition can often be attributed to land-based activities in the uplands. This may be the case in some parts of Macajalar Bay, where river plume is observed almost daily. This present study aims to demonstrate the erosion-sedimentation process along the Cagayan de Oro River Catchment to its river mouth, and its implication for the marine coastal habitats. Highlighted in the study are the various natural factors that have influenced the erosion-sedimentation process: its volume; direction; and effects on the coastal habitats.

In the uplands, to account for the influence of catchment spatial heterogeneity and local rainfall …

Women's Imprisonment And Recidivism: An Illustrative Analysis Of Boronia Women's Pre-Release Centre (Western Australia) And Progressive/Open Prison Systems In Norway And Sweden, Cheryl M. Botello

Theses

Boronia Women’s Pre-release Centre (Boronia) is a minimum-security level correctional facility located in Perth, Western Australia. Boronia has adopted a progressive/open imprisonment approach to incarceration that is fairly unique within the Southern Hemisphere. This thesis examines Boronia as a progressive/open prison via an illustrative case study analysis and investigates if it does produce a recidivism rate that is comparative to the international progressive/open prison sector. Boronia’s facilities, policies, programs and recidivism rates, are reviewed against two international progressive/open women’s prisons - “Ravneberget” in Norway, and “Ystad” in Sweden. Scandinavian prisons were chosen, as they are known for producing some of …

A Chemical Foundation For Native American Use Of Cercis Canadensis And Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis, Kelly Marie Steinberg

Theses

This thesis project studied the bark of North American plants, Cercis canadensis and Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, plants used medicinally by the Cherokee Indians. The C. canadensis bark was analyzed through Soxhlet extraction, column chromatography, and thin layer chromatography to isolate its nonvolatile components. Collection and analysis of NMR experiments- proton, carbon, HSQC, HMBC, and COSY, led to identification of the compound lupeol. The C. canadensis and Z. clava-herculis bark essential oil was collected with Likens-Nickerson hydrodistillation and analyzed through GC-MS and chiral GC-MS. Major components of the C. canadensis bark oil include 1-hexanol, hexanoic acid, (2E)-hexenoic acid, oleic acid amide, and …

The Shift From Work-Life Balance To Work-Life Integration., Annie Butler

Theses

This thesis focuses on the shift from work-life balance to work-life integration. The term ‘work-life balance’ was first introduced in Ireland in the mid-1980s, outlining the significance of balance between employees’ work and personal life activities. Studies on work-life balance most often show that work and life are perceived as mutually exclusive domains that are constantly competing for an individual’s time or energy. Work-life balance practices improve employee motivation and enhance their job performance and commitment. For employers, these policies are essential to maintaining an edge over competitors, and necessary to retain highly qualified staff Flexible working is seen as …

Investigating The Parameters That Influence The Particle Mass Concentration Rates In A Grade C Cleanroom., Nazar H. Baker

Theses

The cleanroom design engineers use the guidelines tables, in which the Air Change Rates (ACHs) are determined based on the room cleanliness class. These guidelines are based on experience and do not fully address many other critical variables that influence the particulate level and particle distribution. These simplified approaches could often cause significant energy waste. In the last five decades, a number of mathematical models were developed to determine the airflow required in cleanrooms. As a consequence of the approximation of many critical variables in these models, these models can only be used as a qualitative indicator of the airflow …

Visual-Linguistic Semantic Alignment: Fusing Human Gaze And Spoken Narratives For Image Region Annotation, Preethi Vaidyanathan

Theses

Advanced image-based application systems such as image retrieval and visual question answering depend heavily on semantic image region annotation. However, improvements in image region annotation are limited because of our inability to understand how humans, the end users, process these images and image regions. In this work, we expand a framework for capturing image region annotations where interpreting an image is influenced by the end user's visual perception skills, conceptual knowledge, and task-oriented goals. Human image understanding is reflected by individuals' visual and linguistic behaviors, but the meaningful computational integration and interpretation of their multimodal representations (e.g. gaze, text) remain …

Kinetic Analysis Of The Hypergolic Reactivity Of Dimethylpiperazines With Red Fuming Nitric Acid, Kenneth Haines

Theses

This research investigated the hypergolic reaction that occurs between dimethylpiperazines with red fuming nitric acid. An advanced laser diagnostic system was designed previously to measure chemical delay times. This equipment was utilized to study the effects of temperature, fuel to oxidizer ratio, the presence of dinitrogen tetroxide in the oxidizer and the presence of methanol in the fuel. A comparison was made with dimethylpiperazine isomers and derivatives of hydrazine previously studied.

Schema Matching And Data Integration With Consistent Naming For Protein Crystallization Screens, Midusha Shrestha

Theses

Many companies have developed commercial screen kits of different combinations of chemicals for protein crystallization trials. Typically, scientists may use screen kits from various companies for crystallizing a single protein. The data representation as well as naming conventions used by these different companies make the automated analysis of crystallization experiments difficult and time-consuming. Matching headers among the input and output screens need to be identified and then the data has to be copied under corresponding headers in the output file. In order to reduce the human effort required to deal with this problem, we present an algorithm based on linguistic …

Feasibility Of Physiological Monitoring Embedded In Smart Stuff, Jonathan E. Pryor

Theses

This thesis evaluates the feasibility and effectiveness of smart physiological sensors embedded in smart objects of everyday use. The wide acceptance of Smart Stuff, our term for intelligent objects integrated into Internet of Things (IoT), opens new opportunities in various application fields such as healthcare and smart homes. With the proliferation of IoT platforms, there is an opportunity for embedded physiological monitors in everyday devices. We designed and developed The Touch and Pulse Sensor (TAPS) that integrates a photoplethysmographic (PPG) and capacitive touch sensor (for detection of handling), and integrated the sensor with the smart water bottle. We ran a …

The Trail Of Blood : Queer History Through Vampire Literature, Jonathan Tyler

Theses

The vampire archetype in literature and film has remained popular since its reconfiguration in the nineteenth century. This reconfiguration expresses society's anxiety concerning queer identity and sexuality. The vampire as a monster brings disorder to heteronormative values and systems and so must be dispatched to restore order. This treatment shifts in the mid-twentieth century when Anne Rice writes her novel from the vampire's point of view. This shift offers space for the vampire to become a beacon of hope for queer people to envision being accepted as they are. Queer people and vampires have both been treated as the monstrous …

Airway Clearance Of The Moderate To Late Preterm Neonate : A Retrospective Study, Brandi Rene Harbin

Theses

Background: An extensive review of the literature revealed a lack of standardized criteria or guidelines for suctioning in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Most literature indicates the harmful effects of suctioning including bradycardia, desaturation of oxygen, apnea, inflammation of airways, and/or bronchospasms. Methods: The study was a descriptive, retrospective chart review to analyze airway clearance practices in a level III regional NICU from 2016-2017. There were 87 participants and 384 suctioning events total between the gestational ages of 32 weeks -36 weeks and 6 days. Practices reviewed include suctioning via inline suction, soft tip “Little Sucker”, and bulb syringe …

The Effectiveness Of Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Li-Cbt) On Reducing Symptoms Of Depression In Arab Clients, Safa Ali Bait Jameel

Theses

This study examines whether an awareness of LI-CBT skills would result into the reduction of symptoms of depression in Arab clients. The study exclusively applies two techniques, behavioral activation (BA) and cognitive restructuring (CR), to clients of varying levels of depression residing in the United Arab Emirates. Utilizing a pre-test-post-test design, 50 participants (25treatment and 25control) were included in the analyses of the study and level of depression was measured using the PHQ-9. Results indicate that 76 percent of participants in the treatment group showed improvement in their level of depression, when compared to 30.4 percent of participants in the …