Digital Commons Network^™

Presenting Budgeting And Financial Management Skills In The Community, Beverly Murrell-Frasier

Theses

This Capstone Project addresses the financial hardships faced by low income and underprivileged members of the Rochester-area and surrounding community, which is partially an end-result of inadequate budgeting and financial management skills. The project also provides an analysis of the impact of the C.A.S.H. Coach Program (Funded by United Way and Collaborating Partners) on the finances of individuals who participated in the nine-month program. I participated in the nine-month C.A.S.H. Coach Program as a coach, and also worked with the Assistant Director of C.A.S.H. to perform a detailed analysis in order to determine whether or not the provision of community-based …

Computing Laboratory Sustainability & Utilization: Initiatives For A Greener Education, Kristian Stokes

Theses

Environmental, social and economic sustainability has been a recent focus of academia and industry to further invest in the future and lower operating costs. In this thesis, various emerging techniques are applied in an academic laboratory environment to record, analyze and project green IT initiatives. Student utilization metrics are evaluated to observe typical computing operation during a normal academic quarter. CPU load, network usage, power consumption, and room temperature are analyzed. Sustainable power and virtualization practices are recommended based on projections and assessments of current and recommended configurations. The findings of this study can be used across an academic environment …

Socially Responsible Advertising In The Fashion And Cosmetic Industry : The Female Consumers’ Perspective, Christine Murphy

Theses

This study explores the portrayal of women in advertising in the fashion and cosmetic industry. While traditionally, companies have employed the use of highly attractive thin women known as the thin ideal in their advertisements, there have been some moves in the industry towards the use of women of various ages and sizes in an attempt to celebrate female beauty as a whole instead of focusing on the thin ideal. This has been in response to criticisms of the industry as dominant contributors to high levels of negative body images, dissatisfaction, extreme dieting and eating disorders among girls and women. …

Molecular Characterization Of Gastroenteritis Viruses Among Equines And Porcines In Southern Ireland From 2005-2007., P. J, Collins

Theses

Rotaviruses are a major cause of gastroenteritis in humans and animals. To date, seven serogroups (A to G) of rotavirus have been determined. Group A Rotaviruses (GARVs) are enteric pathogens, causing acute watery dehydrating diarrhea in various host species, including birds and mammals. Rotaviruses account for ~611,000 child deaths each year, mainly in developing countries. Likewise, rotavirus-associated enteritis is a major problem in young calves, weaning and post-weaning piglets and foals. Vaccines against the most important serologic group of rotaviruses (GARVs) are available for the prevention of rotavirus diseases in cows and horses, and, more recently, they have been made …

Do Campus Incubation Centres Provide A Successful Linkage Between Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Ventures And The Irish Institutes Of Technology?, Fiona Fox

Theses

This study is an examination of the issues that are pertinent to the development of linkages, which campus incubation centres provide between their host Institutes of Technology (loT) and their tenant firms. This research incorporates the views, opinions and recommendations of new firm entrepreneurs, campus incubation centre management, senior academic staff and researchers. This study responds to the lacuna of research on campus incubators hosted by the Institutes of Technology. This study confirms that campus business incubators that are affiliated to the loTs are still in their infancy. The research acknowledges that these campus incubators are in a ‘startup’ phase …

Participation And Determinants Of Physical Activity Amongst Irish 3rd Level Students., Jonathan Lerner

Theses

Currently, there is a dearth of research investigating physical activity patterns among Irish third level young adults (17-22 year olds). Both national and international research report that levels of physical activity decline in adolescence, this trend being most pronounced among females. Various biological, psychological, social, and environmental determinants have been found to influence physical activity; however, specific factors associated with the decline in activity during adolescence remain largely unknown. This research study examines participation and determinants of physical activity among Irish third level students.

A “National questionnaire” was administered to a sample of 532 students from Health Education Authority (HEA) …

A Virtual Training Environment For Temporal Bone Surgery, Denis Stack

Theses

A virtual training environment for temporal bone surgery incorporating haptic, visual and audio feedback is presented in this work. Data are derived from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, thus patient-specific cases may be examined in the simulator.

Two main classes of volume haptic algorithm exist for virtual surgery, namely proxy-based and non proxy-based. A review of the evolution of relevant haptic algorithms is presented. Proxy-based and non proxy-based algorithms are implemented and their performance measured against each other by comparison with real-world force data. An improved proxy-based feedback algorithm is also presented. This algorithm uses a spherical proxy which prevents the …

Development Of Pcr Assays To Detect And Characterise Salmonella Isolates From Cheese And Meat Products By Utilizing An Integrated Genomics Approach, Noelle Geraldine Mccarthy

Theses

Salmonella is an extremely important foodborne pathogen which is responsible for millions of cases of gastroenteritis annually. Salmonella outbreaks have been associated with numerous common food stuffs such as meat, dairy and seafood. Traditional culture based methods for the detection Salmonella are labourious and costly. Rapid detection and serovar identification would dramatically decrease the time required to identify Salmonella outbreaks and potential health risks.

In the US 99% of all Salmonella infections are caused by members of Salmonella enterica subspecies 1. Serovars within subspecies 1 can vary due to host specificity and pathogenicity. DNA sequencing projects have provided valuable genomic …

The Detection And Analysis Of Selected Pathogens In The Water Supply Of Dairy Cohort Herds., Niall Drummond

Theses

The issue of food safety is a growing concern to Irish agriculture and to the food industry. In the last twenty years, many novel pathogens, which can cause concern to the food industry, have been identified. Organisms such as Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis and Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which is the major cause of acute renal failure in children in many countries, and it’s presence in food is a cause of growing concern. Other pathogens causing concern are those implicated as causative agents of Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) and these can be bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms.

Consumption …

Aspects Of The Microbiological Quality And Safety Of Ready-To-Eat Foods In Sharjah Supermarket Stores, Najla Ali Al-Mualla

Theses

Ready to eat foods covers a wide range of pre-processed food products that are readily eaten by consumers without further processing. Recently, there has been considerable increase in the demand of processed and convenience foods that are mildly pre-cooked, rapidly chilled, portioned and distributed for refrigeration prior to reheating and consumption by consumers. However, some of these foods such as, luncheon meals, ready to eat vegetables, fruit salad, spinach salad, and other deli-style meat and poultry products can be a harbor for pathogenic bacteria that are harmful to health when consumed by people especially with weak immune system.

Unfortunately, these …

Investigation On The Minimization Of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions At Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company Limited (Adgas) And Its Impact On Ambient Air Quality, Haitham Salmeen Abdulla Babahar

Theses

The processing of sour gases within Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company (ADGAS) LNG Trains located in Das Island involves sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions that mainly result from fuel gas usage to produce steam and electricity, and incomplete recovery of sulfur from acid gases. ADGAS SO₂ emissions affect the ambient air quality in Das Island, and this has the potential to affect the health of the residents of the island. The aim of this work is to explore the feasible technologies to minimize SO₂ emissions from ADGAS, and study the impact of such on the ambient air …

Generating Sustainable Weight Loss: Investigating The Efficacy Of A Behavioral Based Weight Loss Intervention, Michael James Bordieri

Theses

Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Traditional obesity interventions (e.g. drug therapy, diets, behavior therapy) generate moderate short-term weight loss but have little evidence of long-term weight maintenance. The cultural phenomenon of "yo-yo dieting" mirrors empirical findings which suggest that weight loss, albeit demanding, is a far easier process to target than weight maintenance. The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy of an acceptance based behavioral intervention designed to generate improvements in psychological health and quality of life in obese and overweight adults as well as encourage gradual and sustainable weight loss. The therapy package combined the …

A Longitudinal Examination Of The Contribution Of Perceived Motor Competence And Actual Motor Competence To Physical Activity In 6 To 9 Year Old Children, Fleur Mcintyre

Theses

This study examined the relationship between perceived motor competence, actual motor competence and physical activity. In particular, it aimed to identify the impact of perceived motor competence (PMC), actual motor competence (AMC), and age and gender on the physical activity levels of young children. A number of factors have been identified as key contributors to children’s physical activity levels. However, there had been little investigation into their developing impact and subsequent relationship with emergent physical activity levels, particularly in the younger primary age groups.

Physical activity, AMC and PMC measures were collected from 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-year-old boys and …

Moral Enquiry In A Pluralist Society: From Contention To Conversation, Philip Matthews

Theses

Over the last five hundred years, several conceptually incommensurable theories of ethics have been promulgated. For some moral philosophers, this incommensurability is a matter of deep concern because, in complex cases, there is no tradition-independent method for resolving moral conflict. More recently, a new discipline of applied or practical ethics has emerged. Practical ethics attempts to fill the void between rival moral theories by appealing, first, to the role of reason from an impartial observer perspective and, second, to decision making protocols based on moral principles. This ―first generation‖ attempt at codifying practical ethics failed to bridge the incommensurability gap …

A Framework For Data Decay In Client-Server Model, Matthew Taber

Theses

Data breach incidents are a growing concern in both the private and public sector. As an increasing amount of sensitive information is made available through information systems, the number of occurrences and the potential damage as a result of these breaches will continue to expand. There is a clear need for a framework to mitigate the dangers of leaking data while simultaneously allowing authorized individuals to gain access to necessary information. This thesis presents the concept of data decay, applied to a client-server model for retrieval of sensitive data. In this framework, files tagged by the framework and stored on …

Adolescent Technology Usage During Sleep-Time: Does It Influence Their Quality Of Sleep, Attention Difficulties And Academic Performance?, Kristin Dehmler

Theses

Many adolescents use the Internet, cell phones, television, and computer and video games on a daily basis. Therefore, an important question for educators is: how is technology affecting adolescents' quality and quantity of sleep, their attention difficulties, and their academic performance? The purpose of the current project was to examine the relationships between adolescent self-reports of technology usage, sleep patterns, attention difficulties and academic achievement. Results indicated that nocturnal technology use has a negative impact on adolescents' quality and quantity of sleep. Furthermore both technology use in general and reported attention difficulties have a negative impact on adolescents' academic achievement. …

Assessment Of A Proposed Project For Improving The Quality Of Industrial Water For The Thermal Power Plant - “Kosova B” : [Presentation Given May 20, 2009], Visar Beqiri

Theses

This Capstone Project will produce an implementation plan that addresses the problem of low industrial water quality from the water treatment plant (WTP) for use in the thermal power plant - “Kosova B” (TPP-KB) in Kosovo. The project will have special importance because the quality of water is one of the most dominant problems in the TPP-KB. The problem of low industrial water quality is due to an old WTP system and manually controlled water treatment process. Since water in thermal power plants is transformed into steam, low quality water produces low quality steam. Low quality of steam causes foliation …

The Fair Information Principles: A Comparison Of U.S. And Canadian Privacy Policy As Applied To The Private Sector, Shane Crounse

Theses

U.S. consumers are worried about their privacy and their personal information. High profile cases of identity theft involving companies losing the private information of hundreds of thousands of customers have only served to elevate the mistrust consumers have for companies that collect and share their personal information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is charged with protecting U.S. consumers from fraud, deception, and unfair business practices in the marketplace; a task made difficult by an overarching need to balance the rights of the individuals against the security needs of the country and the free flow of information required by a free …

Implementing Qr Code Technology In Medical Device Pacakage, Manu Chakravarthy Kittanakere Naagaraj

Theses

The medical device industry strives to improve the delivery of key device information

through the package to patients, doctors and end users. To achieve this goal Indications For Use (IFU) and user manuals have been major tools and are necessary components required in Medical Device Package according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards.

Historically there have been challenges caused by packaging information materials aspects

such as manufacturing, transportation and translation. The need for extensive packaging and labelling has ultimately contributed to increased cost of manufacturing for devices. It is also important to know what information a customer needs and …

Guidelines To Developing A Corporate Packaging Group For The Medical Device Industry, Michael Piazza

Theses

The purpose of this study was to reveal and assess improvements that can be made to the candidate selection process when developing a Corporate Packaging Group in the Medical Device Industry.

Modeling Problems In Mucus Viscoelasticity And Mucociliary Clearance, Michael M. Norton

Theses

From the common cold and allergies to severe chronic and acute respiratory impairments, the function of the body's mucociliary clearance mechanism plays a primary defense role. Mucus demonstrates numerous non-Newtonian behaviors which set it apart from viscous fluids. Among them: Bingham plastic behavior, shear-thinning, and elasticity on short time scales due to relaxation time. Experimental evidence suggests that certain rheologies promote effective transport. In an effort to reveal the mechanisms controlling transport, models are developed. Firstly, a steady state model which idealizes the mucus as a rigid body is created in order to bring together disparate bodies of experimental work …

The Effects Of High Vibration On The Steam Turbo-Generator Machine Of The Unit B1 339 Mw In Thermal Power Plant “Kosovo B” : [Presented August 2009], Jonuz Saraci

Theses

This Capstone Project will address the analysis and diagnosis of the Steam Turbo-Generator (STG) vibration problems in the “Kosovo B” Thermal Power Plant (TPP) that are degrading the normal operations of the unit B1 339 MW. This Steam Turbo-Generator is a steam turbine directly connected to an electric generator for the generation of electric power and where unplanned shut downs can have catastrophic consequences for the production of electricity. The purpose of my analysis of the high level of vibrations in the STG-B1 machine is to extend the life of the machine and preventing any catastrophic failures. This implies not …

The Meaning And Personal Significance Of The Small Group Experience For A Group Of Recent Graduates From The Bachelor Of Counselling Degree At The University Of Notre Dame Australia, Martin Philpott

Theses

This research is a phenomenological study investigating the meaning and personal significance of the small group experience (personal growth) for a single cohort of eight mature-age graduates (male and female) who completed the Bachelor of Counselling degree at The University of Notre Dame Australia in the years 2005 and 2006. Two facilitators of these personal growth groups were interviewed, as were two agency supervisors who had access to these graduates during their clinical practice.

The research used qualitative methods in the collection of data. A semi-structured interview was conducted with purposefully selected participants to determine their understanding of the significance …

Computational Analysis Of Ultraviolet Reactors, Xiang Li

Theses

Disinfection of water treatment using ultraviolet (UV) light has received wide recognition as an important contribution to the protection of public health. To ensure a UV disinfection system that can deliver the required UV dose, analytical and numerical methods have been used to evaluate the flow field of the UV reactor. A Multiple Point Source Summation (MPSS) method was used to estimate the radiation intensity field, with the utilization of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. To couple the analytical model with numerical simulations, a user friendly interface software was developed to calculate the UV dosage distribution. In addition a UV …

Screening For Latent Or Silent Celiac Disease “Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy” In Uae Adults Nationals, Waheeba Salman Al Zaabi

Theses

No abstract provided.

Integrating Advanced Facades Intro Sustainable Office Buildings In The Emirate Of Abu Dhabi, Uae, Ahmad Omar Balhamar

Theses

Abu Dhabi emirate consume about 130 millions AED in air conditioning electricity bills, this amount is only for 700 buildings in Abu Dhabi City and 300 buildings in Musafah district. Abu Dhabi city consumes 239.70 Kw/m²/year; however Musafah district consumes 179.92 Kw/m²/year. The difference came from different in total area of glass building facades between Abu Dhabi city and Musafah district buildings. Despite the fact that Abu Dhabi is one of the hottest cities in the Gulf region, its modern office buildings are characterized by glass facades. Such a concept comes with increased air conditioning operational …

"Welcoming The Stranger": A Dialogue Between Scriptural Understandings Of And Catholic Church Policies Towards Migrants And Refugees And Pastoral Praxis In The Migrant And Refugee Pastoral Care Bodies Within The Archdiocese Of Perth, Judith M. Woodward

Theses

Growth in human movement around the world has been one of the phenomenal aspects of globalization since the Second World War. Among these ‘people on the move’ those whom the United Nations Humanitarian Commission for Refugees has described as ‘persons of concern’ – refugees, displaced persons etc. – have increased at an alarming rate. They are now well in excess of the global population growth rate over the same period Many of these have moved into adjacent poorer developing countries but increasingly many are seeking asylum, either through official United Nations’ channels or through on-shore arrivals, in developing nations. This …

Sustainability Of Potable Water In The Pilbara, Timothy P. Pidhirnyj

Theses

This paper provides an examination of current and future demands on potable (drinking) water in the Pilbara. In this examination, it builds a picture summarizing human habitation in the Pilbara, and the nature in which the Western Australia state and Commonwealth governments assess and manage resources in the Pilbara, state wide, and nationally. Following on, water demand is broken down into its major user groups per town, and future demand is estimated based on publically available documents. It will be shown that water demand in certain areas of the Pilbara will exceed their licensed extraction limits within the next 20 …

Development And Characterization Of Sulfur Dioxide Gas Analyzer, Samira Mohamed Saeed Mohamed Baomran

Theses

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is considered one of the main contaminants in air because of its major contribution to acid rain and due to the major health concerns associated with exposure to high concentrations of SO₂. Hence, there has been a great interest in the determination of SO₂ because of continuous monitoring its impacts on the environment and public health. However, limited reports targeted SO₂ in gas streams.

Therefore, the primary objective of the present work was to develop affordable gas analyzer for continuous monitoring of SO₂ in gas streams. The principle of operation …

Workplace Privacy: An Environmental-Behaviour Analysis Of Etisalat Offices In Al-Ain, Latefa Ali Saleh Ahmad Alkuwaiti

Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore environmental quality factors in the workplace and to examine the level of job satisfaction among the employees of Etisalat Al-Ain through three main factors: visual privacy, acoustical privacy and social interaction. The theoretical and conceptual elements of the study evolved from the literature of office history, behaviour studies, building performance evaluation and job satisfaction.

Data were gathered in two stages, first phase with a population of 10 and second stage with 100 subjects of Etisalat employees, including both those working in open plan workstations and those who work in enclosed offices.

Using …