Digital Commons Network^™

Sustaining Development Through Biodiversity Offsets, Linda Abdo

Theses

Biodiversity offsets, also called “environmental offsets”, are actions used to compensate for the loss of biodiversity and social values associated with development projects. They are commonly used by governments to contribute to ecologically sustainable development (ESD); however, offsets have been criticised for inappropriate use, poor implementation, and inadequate monitoring, reporting and enforcement. Regardless, use of offsets is likely to increase due to regulatory convenience in easing community discomfort with development impacts. This thesis investigated how biodiversity offsets in Australia can be enhanced to align with ESD principles. Analyses of peer-reviewed journal articles, published reports, media articles and legislative instruments for …

Exploring Shear Wave Elastography And B-Mode Ultrasound Measurements As Potential Biomarkers In The Diagnosis And Monitoring Of Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Novel Approach, Shereen Paramalingam

Theses

Background

Ultrasound (US) modalities, shear wave elastography (SWE), B mode US and power Doppler (PD) show great potential as imaging tools in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), but their utility requires further validation, reliability, and discrimination studies. This data are presented in five result chapters.

Methods

The initial literature review chapters set the foundation for the study. Chapter four assessed the face validity of US by comparing IIM patients and healthy controls. Chapter five aimed to establish criterion validity by comparing US with gold standard techniques. Chapter six and seven were longitudinal studies examining a non-inclusion body myositis (IBM) and IBM …

Improving Care In End-Stage Dementia With The End Of Life Care Assessment Tool For Advanced Dementia: A Multi Method Study, Carolyn Heather Bourke

Theses

Introduction

Often people living with advanced dementia do not receive person-centred palliative care until they are terminal. Two common barriers preventing provision of person-centred palliative care is staff’s uncertainty of dementia severity/stage and insufficient staff training in dementia symptom assessment. Evidence suggests that residential aged care nurses would benefit from gaining access to a measure that can build essential knowledge and skills in identifying advanced dementia symptoms, to ensure that planned care and support is responsive to the needs of the individual. The aims of this project were to develop and validate an advanced dementia symptom measure for use in …

Politics & Religion In Comparative Perspective: Papal Pastoral Visits To Mexico In 1990 & 1993, Kiara Catherine Black

Theses

This research examines the multi-layered agency of Pope John Paul II and the diplomatic relationship between the Holy See and the United States of Mexico from 1990-1993. Specifically, the research aims to examine Pope John Paul II’s pastoral visits to Mexico in 1990 and 1993 and how his activities are shaped by religious mission and statecraft. The pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II to Mexico in 1990 and 1993 are major inflections as the diplomatic relationship changed from one of cold hostility to normalised, and even congenial, in 1992. The research project is established via a detailed description of …

Looking In Jefferson's Mirror: Thomas Jefferson's Evolving Representation In Public History, Julie Spent

Theses

Thomas Jefferson's legacy entertains a high level of debate and controversy. Though he left a dense record of historical documents, the debate surrounding his words and actions has allowed for differing interpretations and representations over time. This study will focus on Jefferson's representations in public history with specific emphasis on examining the limitations or distortions present in these interpretations. Analysis of the image of Jefferson in public history reveals larger social and cultural influences in American society. This investigation will incorporate the way in which public history interpretations of Jefferson reflect and influence public views on race, class, and gender. …

Alabama's French Connection, Dixie Norwood

Theses

During the seventeenth century, a race to expand European empires into the New World was underway. Many explorers landed on shores that were far from where they had intended to arrive. What many perceived as mistakes, others saw as opportunities. Louis XIV was determined to expand his empire and establish a larger French dominance in North America. He and his minister of finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert, recognized that France was in a position to expand New France and the French Empire’s territory by following a previously spoken plan laid out by French explorer, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in …

A Study Of Explainable Real-Time Object Detection And Human-Ai Teaming Interactions In Virtual Environments, Joseph Schwalb

Theses

The exponential nature by which Artificially Intelligent (AI) models grow enables evermore complex tasks to be achieved. Since these tasks tend to augment human capability, interacting with these models presents a unique way to commission assistive automation. The introduction of Explainable AI (XAI) enables AI stakeholders to converse with models, understand model reasonings, and comprehend biases while considering reliability requirements. The introduction of this Explainable capability in Human-AI teams presents a unique approach to addressing the complexities behind Human-Computer Interactions. Our application of Explainable AI for Intelligent Systems to augment decision-making is poised to shine a light on the challenges, …

Disjointed Cynicism, Jay Armstrong

Theses

Like most students, I started this writing MA program to become a better writer, which would be a tremendous benefit to me both personally and professionally. Put simply, I want to write books I would enjoy reading. While I have enjoyed a few of the short stories that I have written so far, my work is nowhere near the level of the action-lacked novels I love to read for leisure. I feel my biggest shortcoming is in framing up multiple storylines to make a well-paced novel, which is my long-term goal. My writing usually has a lot of action and …

The Transformation Of Cherokee Medicial Practices And The Hesitations That Surround Them, Rebecca Bills

Theses

Studies on traditional Cherokee medicine during the 1800s explained Cherokee religious beliefs and the treatments they used to heal the members of their community. However, no updated research has been done to see if Cherokees are still using traditional medicine and if they are, which kinds are they using in the 21st century. This is in part due to the fact that Native Americans and the U.S. government have a complicated relationship from centuries of mistreatment, broken treaties, and the removal from their ancestral homelands. This has created a distrust between native and non-natives. Today, traditional healers' identities are protected …

The Survival Of Punic Identity In The Imperial Roman Age, Ryan Alcanio

Theses

After the Roman conquest of Carthage in 146 BC, North Africa began the process of becoming a Roman Province. From the 1st century AD onward, the surviving culture of the Carthaginian and Punic peoples underwent significant changes that better incorporated it into the Roman world. The Punic religion became adopted into the Roman Pantheon and took on Roman attributes while the Punic language survived mostly intact thanks to the written form adopting the Latin alphabet by the 2nd century AD.

A Different Perspective: An Exploration Towards The Emancipation Of Practice Within Social Care, Jonathan Condon

Theses

In Ireland today, it is recognized that the Reflexive Practitioner is the dominant paradigm within the district of Social Care and the approach of professionals is obtained through the traditional ways; whilst Social Pedagogy is still a relatively new import with only a couple of organizations operating across the country. Both disciplines work with the same general clientele and have similar goals for the clients with whom they work (Lalor and Share, 2013). The professional approach of both disciplines was unfastened and discovered throughout this study. Social care professionals focus on the protection of those in their care. Along with …

Caring For Individuals Who Have Used Methamphetamine: A Study Exploring The Experiences Of West Australian Nurses Working In An Authorised Mental Health Institute, John Kriticos

Theses

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) use in Australia has stabilized over the last 22 years, however changing routes of administration and increased purity of the drug has led to greater rates of physical dependency and higher rates of cardiovascular, neurological, and mental health complications. Challenges managing MA related presentations have been reported in Australian Emergency Departments (ED’s), with limited research considering nurses’ experience treating individual(s) who use MA (IWUM) and require prolonged mental health care. Purpose: The aim of this study was to understand nurses’ experiences who care for IWUM in a West Australian hospital’s inpatient mental health service. Methods: Interpretive phenomenological …

The Age Of De Fer: Maps, Knowledge, And The Western World View, 1680-1720, Fiona Keating

Theses

This thesis determines the degree to which cartographic tools and maps such as Nicolas de Fer’s Carte de la Mer du Sud et de la Mer du Nord (Paris, 1713) might be considered ‘weapons’ of empire and examples of eighteenth-century ‘plundering’ of the Pacific. It analyses the connection between knowledge, power, empire and identity in the so-called ‘Age of Discovery’ by examining the map created by de Fer in the early years of the Scientific Revolution and the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. Carte de la Mer du Sud et de la Mer du Nord is an encyclopaedic, visual representation of western …

Novel Electrocardiogram Biomarkers In Long Qt Syndrome, Daniel Theodore Tardo

Theses

Prolongation of the corrected QT interval (QTc) is key in diagnosing long QT syndrome (LQTS), however 25-50% of individuals with congenital LQTS (cLQTS) demonstrate a normal resting QTc. T wave morphology (TWM) can distinguish cLQTS subtypes but its role in acquired LQTS (aLQTS) requires further elucidation. Beyond the challenge of concealed LQTS, utilising the QTc is complicated by limitations related to overcorrection at fast and slow heart rates, due to assumptions based on non-physiological QT rate dependence. QT-RR dynamics enable improved heart rate correction and have been shown to distinguish cLQTS from controls, however RR dynamics have not yet been …

The Development Of The Mini-Neurosurgical Assessment Tool For Nurses, Loreta Murphy

Theses

A neurological assessment is performed on a patient to determine their neurological function and to establish a differential diagnosis should deficits be identified. Not all patients require the same neurological assessment, and a comprehensive assessment can be very time-consuming and lead to patient fatigue. However, the ability to identify and manage neurological decline and emergencies is singularly the most important skill required for the care of neurosurgical patients by their nurses. Consequently, neurosurgery nurses remain forever vigilant for neurological changes, assessing and recording their observations over time and at the bedside. Neurosurgery patients would benefit from a neurological assessment tool …

One Beat At A Time: Mitigating The Risk Factors Of Rheumatic Heart Disease Through Public Policies, Duy Phuong Huynh Nguyen

Theses

This thesis examines the challenges associated with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and the persistent prevalence of these diseases in the Australian context. In particular, the study focuses on the high resurgence of these preventable conditions within the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Torres Strait Island population. The study begins with an initial analysis on the initial infection of the Group A streptococcus (GAS: Streptococcus pyogenes). We then examine current knowledge of the mechanisms which permit the transmission and development GAS infections, leading to ARF and RHD. This chapter explores current challenges associated with …

An Examination Of The Trends In Activities Of Daily Living In The 12 Months After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Descriptive Study, Irene Van Staden

Theses

Background

The current trend to reduce the length of stay for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, together with the steadily increasing number of procedures being performed, has impacted on the functional independence goals expected by patients and the ability of nurses to deliver adequate education prior to discharge. Over the past 10 years length of stay has reduced from 7-10 days to 3-4 days and patients are expected to largely self-manage their post-operative rehabilitation and optimise their functional outcomes.

Patient feedback confirmed that patients do not feel ready for discharge and lack the ability to self-manage some activities of daily …

Vegetarianism And Social Change: Alternate Diets As Activism?, Jasper Lloyd

Theses

Research into vegetarian and vegan (vegist) diets has previously found animal rights to be the primary/most significant motivator. Such studies, however, were largely conducted prior to the mass mobilisation of young people - instigated by the global School Strike for Climate in 2018 - in environmental activism. This project, which included 110 surveys and 9 interviews with vegist students (18-25) at an Australian University in 2019 and 2020, examines a) the motivations for vegism in a young cohort, and b) explores the experience, tactics, and goals of young vegists through a social movement theory lens. The project found that a …

An Evaluation Of A Health, Wellbeing And Lifestyle Promotion Intervention Among A Cohort Of Year 1 Male Gaelic Games Student Athletes In An Irish University Setting, Anthony Casey

Theses

Background: The current research investigated the health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of a cohort of 1st year male Gaelic Games student athletes (Study 1), and subsequently evaluated the impact of a bespoke intervention on these health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours in the same cohort (Study 2).

Methods: Participants were 1st year male Gaelic Games student athletes (mean age 18.6 ± 0.6 years, n=166) in a university in southern Ireland. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach during the 2018/19 and the 2019/20 academic years. Data collection consisted of an online questionnaire (Bickerdike et al., 2018), which assessed health, wellbeing …

The Impact Of Weighted Football Training On The Skill Acquisition Processes Of Place-Kicking In Sport, Sam Jermyn

Theses

Weighted implement training (WIT) involves performance of sport-specific motor skills with heavier-than-normal sporting implements. Typically, full range of motion (ROM) and similar kinematic characteristics of the respective motor skill are maintained concurrent to minimal changes in the force-velocity movement profile. While the majority of WIT research has been conducted in baseball, track and field, and cricket, there is a paucity of research conducted in the football codes, particularly Gaelic football. Existing observations of increased standard implement velocity and distance following the use of weighted implements infers potential benefits for Gaelic football performance, such as increasing kick-out ball velocity (BV) and …

Exploring The Metabolic Capabilities And Biotransformation Potential Of Environmental Lactococcus Strains, Desirée Román Naranjo

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to characterize environmental Lactococcus strains to identify different and diverse metabolic capabilities that could be applied to microbial biotransformation, defined as the conversion of a cheap/waste substrate into a value-added product. Due to the increased amounts of food processing waste generated worldwide and the impact of climate change, new sustainable approaches are necessary to contribute to waste valorization and the circular bioeconomy. We ask to what extent and in what ways environment isolated Lactococcus strains could contribute to food biotransformation by metabolizing a different range of substrates. We do so to further understand and …

‘A Healthy Mtu’ A Mixed Methods Baseline Programme Of Research To Empirically Inform A Campus Health Promotion Initiative Within An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been called to lead global health promotion actions, yet there remains a dearth of empirically informed ‘Healthy University’ (HU) initiatives. This thesis constituted a baseline mixed methods needs assessment to inform a settings-based health promotion (HP) initiative (‘A Healthy MTU’) within a multi-campus ‘case’ HEI in Ireland (Cork campuses of MTU, formerly CIT). Specific aims were to (i) investigate student and staff health metrics, and (ii) identify the cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellbeing within the case HEI setting. Using a phased, mixed methodology (QUAN-QUAL), five sequential empirical studies were undertaken. Quantitative data …

Investigating Optimal Lipid:Protein Profiles For Infant Milk Formula, Valentina Ivanova

Theses

From the early twentieth century onward, much research has focused on improving infant milk formula (IMF). During the development of IMF, breast milk is commonly considered as the reference and IMF manufacturers are thriving to mimic the composition and/or to match the functionality of breast milk as closely as possible. A variety of bioactive ingredients, found in human breast milk, have been isolated and investigated for their potential functionality and utilised in the production of IMF. This study evaluated the current knowledge on compositional differences between human breast milk and IMF, and recent advances and developments in IMF production. Following …

Isolation And Characterisation Of Soil-Derived Bacteria With Antimicrobial Activity Against Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens, Ellen Twomey

Theses

Bacteriocins are a diverse range of ribosomally synthesized bioactive peptides, recognised predominantly for their potent antimicrobial activity against other strains closely related to the producer. The focus of this thesis was to explore this activity and examine the potential of bacteriocins to inhibit the growth of clinically relevant pathogens. Although evidence exists in the literature to suggest that bacteriocins could be applied in a similar fashion to conventional antibiotics, to date they are only utilised as preservative in food to prevent the growth of foodborne illness causing organisms. Isolating and screening bacterial strains in order to identify bacteriocin producers has …

An Evaluation Of The Psychosocial Benefits For Children Experiencing Homelessness Arising From The Introduction Of An Integrated Community Care Project Across The City Of Cork, Traolach O' Callaghan

Theses

The purpose of the research is to evaluate an intervention within a new model of family support being delivered in Cork City, on addressing child and family homelessness. This new model is being delivered for the first time in Ireland during ‘Youth Club’ and strives to act as an intervention to assist children experiencing homelessness. The model was first developed by Tusla Springboard Child and Family service and Good Shepherd Services Cork in 2016 in response to the alarming rise in child and family homelessness in Cork city, and the resulting impact of same. The research investigates the model and …

The Use Of Membrane Filtration To Increase Native Whey Protein In Infant Formula, And Effects On Bioaccessibility And Bioactivity, Yihong Chen

Theses

Breastfeeding is recognised as the gold standard for feeding newborns and infants. However, infants who cannot be breast-fed or for whom breast milk is not available, can be fed with bovine infant milk formula (IMF) as a substitute. Researchers and producers of IMF strive to continually improve or “humanise” the composition and functionality of IMF. During production of IMF it must undergo several heat treatment steps, e.g. heat-sterilisation or spray-drying, in order to provide a safe product to the infant. These heat treatments denature the globular whey proteins in IMF. In contrast, breast milk is by its nature unheated, so …

The Influence Of Personal Traits, Individual Behaviours And Population Health Determinants On The Epidemiology Of Facial Injury: Psychiatric Comorbidity, Substance Abuse, Sars Social Distancing Measures, Gary Russell Hoffman

Theses

ABSTRACT Introduction Injury can be defined as an act or event that causes harm, hurt or damage. It occurs as a result of the transfer of energy to living tissue. The biological response to such an insult is inflammation and is based on the activation of immune competent cells in tandem with alterations in vascular permeability. The process is orchestrated at a subcellular level by the release of immunomodulatory molecular mediators. T

he bones of the skull and face are the key determinant of human appearance. They form the framework to which other tissues are attached. The variability of facial …

The Aesthetically Engaging City: The Role Of Beauty And Play In Urbanism And Human Fulfilment, Amy Roser

Theses

This thesis argues that cities can only become better attuned to the complex human need for identity, meaning, understanding, and self-expression when urban decision-makers better understand the nature and significance of aesthetic engagement. When we strive toward aesthetic goals in building and city planning, we then nurture, more fully, essential human activities and needs. This thesis argues that the aesthetic of the urban environment profoundly influences the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours of those who dwell there and is therefore inseparable from culture, everyday life, and the cultivation of human fulfilment. By doing so, this thesis reconceptualises architecture, the urban environment, …

The Laicisation Of Principalship In Australian Jesuit Province Schools, Christopher John Kitching

Theses

This study examines the introduction of lay (non-religious) principals into three of the four Australian Jesuit Province schools, and their influence on Ignatian Spirituality and the Jesuit charism within the tradition of Catholic education in Australia. This study coincides with a decrease in the number of clergy available to provide extensive academic, pastoral, and social justice activities throughout the Australian Jesuit Province. First, this study seeks to explain the values, understandings, and pedagogy of the schools, their heritage, and contribution to Australian Catholic education as well as the contribution of the laity in partnership with the (Society of Jesus) Jesuits. …

Aquinas’S Four–Fold Senses Of Scripture: Harnessing Metaphysical Analogy For Theological Exegesis, Susanna Edmunds O.P. Sr.

Theses

This thesis seeks to contribute to the integration of exegesis and theology called for by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in his 1988 Erasmus address, “Biblical Interpretation in Crisis.” While much progress towards this integration has been made, limited attention has been given to Ratzinger’s recommended philosophical framework, the metaphysics of participation and analogy as formulated by St. Thomas Aquinas. This thesis builds on the contemporary revival in Aquinas’s approach to Scripture to propose a metaphysical framework for theological exegesis. This framework will be based on three claims. First, that the hermeneutic of faith adopted by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, among others, …