Digital Commons Network^™

Hvac Supply Air Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Tony Van Nguyen

Theses

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning account for a vast majority of energy consumption in the residential and commercial sectors. Intelligent energy management control system (EMCS) in buildings offers an excellent means of reducing energy consumption in heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems while maintaining or improving indoor environmental conditions. This can be achieved through the use of computational intelligence and optimization. This project proposes and evaluates a model-based optimization process for HVAC systems using an evolutionary algorithm. The process can be integrated into the EMCS to perform several intelligent functions and achieve optimal whole-system performance. The proposed process addresses the requirements …

English Language Acquisition By Chechen Programme Refugees In Roscommon, Ireland, Liana Rose [Thesis]

Theses

This research explored the acquisition of English by Programme Chechen refugees who arrived in Ireland ten years ago. Very many of them had less than a basic level of English. To meet the language needs of the newly arrived Chechen Programme refugees an intensive English course was set up by the local Vocational Education Committee. However, refugees’ basic needs such as health care, parental care took precedence over language provision. The research found that they were unable to fully participate in and benefit from the course. The process of acquiring English happened to a large extent outside the classroom. This …

An Investigation Into The Marketing, Advertising And Labelling Of Processed Food In Ireland And Its Influences On Consumer Choice And Subsequent Health Issues, Jane Healy

Theses

Ireland has experienced much economic and social change in recent years, and as a result of this, many new food choices and commodities are on offer to the consumer. The simple diet of fresh, unprocessed foods that existed in Ireland in the past has for many consumers been replaced by processed, convenience food products. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects which the marketing, advertising and labelling of processed food in Ireland has on consumers, and how these strategies influence their choice of food. The advertising claims and the labelling of these processed foods is of interest …

Reaching The Yield In The Non-Investment Grade Corporate Bond Market, Michael Willar

Theses

The spread1between non-investment grade corporate bonds and Treasury bonds have contracted nearly 16% since the depths of the credit crisis in 2008, buoyed by strong investor demand. In this study, I conduct an empirir.al analysis on the relationship between unconventional monetary policy instituted in 2008 and market participants reaching for yield (RFY) in the speculative grade corporate bond market. This study uses the BofA High Yield Master II Index to quantify the RFY phenomenon, and is regressed against a number of interest and independent variables over two separate time periods namely, Ql 2003: Q3 2008 and Q4 2008-Q3 2014. The …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Development Of Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Systems Education For Third-Level Business Students, Maurice O'Brien

Theses

This study is an empirical investigation of the development of Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP) education for Business students. It uses Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) as its case study to determine the benefits of practical ERP education, the challenges faced by third-level institutions and how ERP education should be provided to Business students. The researcher used observation, review of documentation, and semi-structured interviews of fifteen academics as the research techniques.

As well as being beneficial for students, employers and ERP vendors, this study finds that the provision of practical ERP education has reciprocal benefits for the third-level institution. By …

The Role Of Social Marketing In Salt Reduction, Michael Barry

Theses

More people die from cardiovascular disease than any other cause in Ireland (Department of Health, 2013). A direct correlation exists between high salt intake and high blood pressure and ensuing cardiovascular diseases (He and MacGregor, 2010). This thesis focuses on the use of social marketing to educate people on the dangers of high salt intake with the eventual aim of making recommendations to aid in the reduction of high blood pressure. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve leading personnel from salt reduction and social marketing fields. All interviewees reached similar conclusions suggesting that salt reduction as a health issue needs …

Service And Communication Management In Cooperative Vehicular Networks, Olivia Brickley

Theses

The concept of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) presents new R&D challenges for the transportation and ICT sectors and is currently receiving considerable interest from the research community. The primary objective of ITS is the creation of advanced road traffic systems for improved traffic safety, efficiency, and travelling comfort. Basic vehicle and roadside infrastructure collaboration allows for an increase in efficiency and safety and acts as the foundation for an extensive service set to achieve these ITS goals. Applications such as journey planning, automatic tolling and emergency warnings, among others, are envisaged in a system which can potentially reform modern transportation. …

Early Onset Dementia : Individual, Family And Professional Perspectives On Experiences And Support Strategies., Caroline Kilty

Theses

As of 2016 there will be as many as 5,000 people with EOD (early onset dementia) in Ireland (Haase, 2005). This group experiences depression, changes to relationships, in how they relate to friends and their community (Alzheimer’s Australia, 2007) as well as a gradual reduction in social contact with friends and relatives (Haase, 2005). Approximately half of EOD caregivers will have symptoms akin to anxiety and depression (Bentham & La Fontaine, 2005). However, younger people with EOD are marginalised in society (Keady & Nolan, 1994), and there has been little research into interventions and strategies from the perspective of those …

Analysis Of Multi-Layered Beam Structures Using Spectral Finite Element Method, Ahmet Unal

Theses

Multi-layered elastic structures are widely used in engineering applications due to their high strength, fatigue resistance and their ability to be tailored to meet different design requirements. Although they provide many benefits compared to their metallic counterparts, they are also susceptible to damage. In most cases, the damage detection in a multi-layered structure is challenging due to its complex structure and construction (e.g. delamination). Lamb wave based structural health monitoring has been successfully implemented in metallic beam and plate structures. Damage location, amount and the extent can be determined by comparing baseline signatures of wave propagation in the structure. However, …

About Me, Wenyao Jia

Theses

I am inspired by my life experiences and try to reflect them in my art. The main media in my work is silver, along with resin and fabric, which I use to express my thoughts and observations about my life. During the procedure of creation, I have been influenced by Louise Josephine Bourgeois and Vincent van Gogh, and, a book called The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. While my perspective is that of a Chinese female living in the U.S. for four years, I believe that we all share similarities as human beings.

My hands, guided by my …

What Impact Would A Change To The Curriculum On Vocational Beauty Therapy Courses In The Dochas Centre (Mountjoy Prison) Have On Teachers And Prisoner-Learners: An Action Research Study, Carina Brereton

Theses

This action research study is an interpretive inquiry into the impact of curriculum design on female prisoner learners at the Dóchas Education Centre, Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. The objective was to understand prisoner learner experiences of vocational training courses in the discipline of beauty therapy. In particular, it aimed to understand the motivation for participation in the beauty therapy course and the effect of the course structure and assessment approach on learner perceptions of the training experience. The research design is qualitative and interpretivist in nature. The data was gathered via a series of semi-structured interviews, with prisoner-learners and teaching staff. …

Simulation Of Sound Propagating Over Soft Surface Using The Equivalent Source Method, Daniel Teye Ocansey

Theses

Noise generated by large explosions at military bases causes discomfort to residents living in the vicinity, for up to 20km away. This noise explosion has strong low-frequency content and can travel over long distances. Most of the theoretical and experimental work that has been done to study and reduce this type of noise involved the use of barriers and sound proofing the residential houses. In this thesis, we consider the application of reducing the acoustic noise by shaping the landscape. The solution of this problem is difficult due to the semi-infinite domain, especially in the case of soft ground. To …

An Analytical Model To Assess Technology Needs In A Rural Community, Orlando Ray Terry

Theses

Information technology (IT) has shaped fundamental changes throughout society. IT has facilitated the shift from an industrial age to a network age. In addition to altering commerce, education, government and communications, IT affects the construction of and response to social problems such as poverty and inequality. The very existence of the "digital divide"--or lack of access to IT for certain segments of the population-- is evidence of the ability of technology to worsen existing inequality. At the same time, technology promotes organizing efforts to disadvantaged communities, and it can connect people to a range of opportunities. The community technology movement--a …

Adaptations Of Bacterial Flagella To Animal And Plant Hosts, Alshae’ R. Logan

Theses

Flagella have been studied for more than a hundred years, yet there remains a simple and powerful question about how to further make use of the recent wave of genomic data to find differences between flagellar genes across diverse bacterial strains. With the comparative power of bacterial genomic data, we propose that flagellar gene sequences may be used as genetic markers that indicate evolutionary adaptations of different bacteria for different hosts. We specifically proposed to identify and utilize genetic sequence differences that may diagnose for the presence of bacterial pathogens found to infect different hosts, specifically animal versus plant hosts. …

Data-Driven Implementation To Filter Fraudulent Medicaid Applications, Muhammad Nader Suleiman

Theses

There has been much work to improve IT systems for managing and maintaining health records. The U.S government is trying to integrate different types of health care data for providers and patients. Health care fraud detection research has focused on claims by providers, physicians, hospitals, and other medical service providers to detect fraudulent billing, abuse, and waste. Data-mining techniques have been used to detect patterns in health care fraud and reduce the amount of waste and abuse in the health care system. However, less attention has been paid to implementing a system to detect fraudulent applications, specifically for Medicaid. In …

Mesoporous Tio2 Encapsulated Monometallic (Cu, Co, Ni, Pd, Sn, Zn) Nanocatalysts For Steam Reforming Of Methanol, Sri Lanka Owen

Theses

Hydrogen is a renewable, clean energy source considered to be promising for energy and environmental sustainability. Steam reforming of methanol (SRM) to produce H2 is ideal for fuel cell applications. One of the challenges of SRM at high temperature is the CO formation that poisons the Pt electrode in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In order to address this issue, development of novel catalysts is necessary that can be used for PEMFC applications. In this study, a one-pot procedure containing TiO2 precursor, metal salt, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant was used to synthesize monometallic (M: Cu, Co, Ni, Pd, Sn, …

The Divide At 65 - Implications For Domiciliary Care Delivery For Older People With Physical Disabilities In Ireland., Aoife Killeen

Theses

This thesis focuses on the division of services available to adults with a physical disability through the provision of 'disability' services to those under 65 years of age and 'older' people services provided to people over 65 years, overall referred to as the 'the divide at 65'. To uncover implications of such a divide for older people, it explores the services currently available in both sectors, the differences in services, access procedures, assessment and entitlement. It then links the current provision of services to policy, equality legislation and intersectional discrimination, the latter being discrimination against the person and the denial …

Blanche Dubois: Feminist Forerunner, Andrea M. Grey

Theses

Andrea M. Grey’s thesis, Blanche Dubois: Feminist Forerunner, explores Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire as a proto-feminist figure. Challenging traditional interpretations of Blanche as merely fragile or delusional, Grey argues that Blanche exhibits traits of modern feminism, advocating for female independence, financial self-sufficiency, and resistance to patriarchal oppression.

Blanche’s education, career as a teacher, and efforts to manage her family’s estate position her as an independent woman in a male-dominated world. However, societal constraints and gendered double standards undermine her agency. Her sexual autonomy is condemned while her male counterparts’ indiscretions are ignored. Blanche’s opposition …

Noongar Women's Birth Experience, Judith Pamela Wilson

Theses

This qualitative study used a descriptive interpretive approach that drew heavily on the methodological underpinnings of interpretive phenomenology in order to explore the lived experience of Noongar women in childbirth. The aim of the study was to give voice to Noongar women, who despite having poorer outcomes than the wider population, remain marginalised and mute in childbirth reform. The purpose of the study was to acknowledge as authoritative, Noongar women’s wisdom and understanding of their childbirth experience.

This study was conducted at the cultural interface, by a non-Indigenous researcher who implemented a collaborative and power sharing model of enquiry. Ten …

War Rights And Military Virtues: A Philosophical Re-Appraisal Of Just War Theory, Matthew T. Beard

Theses

The overwhelming majority of theorists addressing questions of the morality of war do so from within the moral framework provided by Just War Theory (JWT): a normative account of war that dates back over 1500 years in the Western Tradition. However, today’s iterations of Just War Theory are markedly different from those of its intellectual ancestors. Specifically, today’s accounts tend not to consider matters of moral virtue, personal excellence, moral psychology, or human flourishing – that is, aretaic matters – to be worthy subjects of discussion. Instead, they prefer to focus overtly on questions of law, justice, and human rights …

Analysis Of The Current Public Relations Practices Within The Irish Luxury Hotel Sector And The Importance Of These Practices To The Industry., Aoife Ducatta Lohse

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current knowledge, importance and application of public relations within Irish Luxury Hotels. Another aim was to find out how the public relations theories of relationship management, strategic management and communications are used in the sector.

The research methodology in this study used a mixed method approach. Quantitative research was used in the form of an online questionnaire and qualitative research was used in the form of semi-structured interviews. The online questionnaire was distributed to all luxury four star and five star properties with an online presence in Ireland with an aim …

A Decision Making Tool For Sustainable Design In Construction, Enda Collins

Theses

This report defines sustainability and sustainable development before any research is carried out. This is necessary so that the research carried out further in the report makes sense and there is a reason for including such items in this report. The need for this project and what the project aims to achieve is also highlighted in the introduction of this report.

Sustainability is made up of three equal parts; social, economic and environmental. This report goes through each item and gives examples of each type of development. Having discussed sustainability in a broad sense the report then focuses on Legislation …

Characterisation Of The Enzybiotic Potential Of Selected Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteriophages, Ruth Keary

Theses

The work presented in this thesis focuses on harnessing the bactericidal potential of bacteriophage (phage) encoded peptidoglycan hydrolase enzymes to combat the significant pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. In order to identify novel peptidoglycan hydrolases lytic against S. aureus, the complete genomes of two staphylococcal temperate Siphoviridae bacteriophages, DW2 and CSl, were sequenced and annotated. Screening of these genomes identified genes for several putative peptidoglycan hydrolases including two endolysins and three virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases. The identification of putative genes relating to virulence and host fitness lends to the understanding of the role played by such temperate phages in the evolution of this …

The Impact Of Different Types Of Core Training In Stable And Unstable Environments On Markers Of Athletic Performance, Gerry Fitzpatrick

Theses

Background: Research suggests that core stability and strength is important in facilitating athletes to effectively transfer force to the lower and upper extremities of the body. The purpose of the current research was to evaluate the impact of an eight week intervention of core training on stable and unstable surfaces, and in vertical and horizontal alignments, on markers of athletic performance relevant to team sports.

Methods: The athletic performance markers selected were bounce depth jump, counteiTnovement Jump, agility (T-test), 10 meter sprint, 30 meter sprints, and IRM leg strength as identified by Cressey (2007). Core stability and strength were measured …

An Investigation Into The Importance Of Organisational Public Relations For Live Music Festivals In Ireland, Paying Particular Attention To Organisational Identity, Image And Reputation, David Mahy

Theses

This research is concerned with Image and Reputation creation and management within the entertainment sector, specifically with regard to live music festivals and how a Public Relations campaign can successfully create a favourable image with its main target demographics and maintain a positive reputation and corporate identity.

The literature on the subjects of reputation, identity and event management revealed that relationship building and image management with primary groups of stakeholders can be very significant contributors to the success of live music festivals. Successful two way engagement with customers and perspective attendees of the festival can ensure the continued existence of …

Detection, Identification And Characterization Of The Novel Campylobacter Species: Campylobacter Ureolyticus And Campylobacter Corcagiensis From Their Reservoirs., Monika Koziel

Theses

Campylobacter ureolyticus has been identified in a large proportion of diarrhoeal samples from patients in Ireland. However, the source of human infections has not been established and little is currently known about the potential reservoirs of C. ureolyticus in nature.

The aim of this project was to investigate a range of environmental and animal samples for the presence of this emerging pathogen using a molecular approach, to support the hypothesis of its zoonotic origin.

During the study, C. ureolyticus was detected in 30 out of 1,254 (2.4%) human diarrheic samples and isolated from 11 patients, describing, to the best of …

Evaluation Of Ireland’S Potential To Expand Its Hydro Electrical Power Facilities Through The Construction Of A Seawater Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Scheme, James Herley

Theses

The National Renewable Energy Action Plan for Ireland has detailed that 40% of Irelands total energy consumption from the electricity sector must come from renewable sources by 2020. In 2012 this figure was at 11.4%, it is unlikely these targets will be met by 2020. The important role that hydro power can play in achieving these targets was examined. Research into hydropower in general was carried out in order to attain an understanding of the principles and terminology used. Many traditional hydro schemes have been previously developed in Ireland. However due to increased population, there are no longer suitable locations …

Gastroenteritis Viruses In Ireland: Epidemiology And Evolution, Lynda Gunn

Theses

Viral gastroenteritis is a common disease of both humans and animals. This thesis focuses on the use of classical virology, coupled with phylogenetics to study gastroenteritis viruses [Bocavirus (BoV), Coronavirus (CoV), and Rotavirus A (RVA)], isolated from selected samples from humans and animals. RVA was associated with outbreaks in elderly care facilities in Northern Ireland, isolates were genotyped and we reported the first detection of G2 lineage lie RVA in Ireland, with other common human RVA genotypes G1P[8], G2P[4] and G9P[8]. Evolutionary dynamics of human RVA VP7 genotypes was examined using codon models of evolution, results show heterogeneous selective pressure …

Investigation Of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids In Foods Using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, Caroline Griffin

Theses

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs) are known plant toxins which can cause hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) in both humans and livestock when ingested. Although PAs are primarily known for their hepatotoxicity they also induce genotoxicity, carcinogenicity and pneumotoxicity. PAs are consumed through plants as food, for medicinal purposes, or as contaminants of agricultural crops. Aside from ingesting the plants directly PA exposure may occur through the consumption of honey produced by bees that visit PA-containing plants or by drinking milk produced by animals that have consumed PA-containing plants. Possible PA contamination in our food chain is a potential health risk.

To assess …

The Development Of Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Methods For The Analysis Of Cyanobacterial Toxins In Environmental Freshwaters, Brian Anthony Dineen

Theses

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a common component of many freshwater and marine ecosystems and have a potential to produce several different classes of biotoxins. The most common class of cyanobacterial toxins are the microcystins (MCs) and cylindrospermopsins (CYLs). MCs are cyclic heptapeptides that display potent hepatotoxicity and are tumour promoters. CYLs are alkaloids that are cytotoxic and can cause illness and display hepatotoxic effects in animals and humans. Worldwide, these toxins have caused fatal poisonings to animals, birds and fish. Several incidents of human intoxications have been reported and the presence of these toxins in environmental waters …