Digital Commons Network^™

Defining The Potential Of Gene Therapy With Bone Morphogenetic Proteins As A Novel Therapeutic Approach In Parkinson’S Disease, Susan Rebecca Goulding

Theses

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterised by the progressive degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and the intracellular aggregation of the α-synuclein protein in neurons throughout the nervous system. These changes result in the characteristic motor impairments in Parkinson’s disease. Current treatments are solely symptomatic and therefore there is an unmet clinical need to develop new disease-modifying therapies that can alter disease progression. For over 25 years, one proposed experimental therapy has focused on the delivery of proteins called neurotrophic factors to the brain to prevent dopaminergic neuron degeneration. However, to date, clinical trials using the most well-known neurotrophic factors …

Dynamics Of A Swept Source Laser Under External Injection, Uday Bangavadi Munivenkatappa

Theses

Swept Sources are lasers with a periodically modulated frequency, over a wide scanning range. They are widely used in Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for medical imaging and metrology. The narrow instantaneous linewidth of a swept source is required for longer OCT imaging depths. The goal of the project is to investigate the mechanism that deteriorates the coherence of a swept-source laser by analyzing its properties under external injection and investigate the possibilities for a phase-locked laser operation, in order to control the coherence properties. The laser under study was a semiconductor ring fiber-based cavity laser, incorporating a tunable narrow transmission …

Wavelength Swept Photonic Crystal Laser, Sharon Marie Butler

Theses

Photonics has become integral to society, based on its ability to sense the environment, to manipulate materials and to transport information. The dominance of silicon electronics has made silicon photonics a compelling vision, but difficulties with light emission have caused delays in implementation and an enduring role for III-V materials. The research conducted in this Ph.D. thesis involves study and utilisation of a combination of the optical gain of Indium Phosphide with the precision and energy of silicon nanophotonics in a novel family of lasers. A continuously tunable akinetic reflective filter is exploited to obtain a wavelength swept laser. The …

Lighting Up The Black Box –Digital Transformation In German Lobbying, Kathrin Barabara Stürmer

Theses

Digital transformation, alongside social media channels, influences policymaking. The aim of this research is to build knowledge of the consequences of digital transformation on lobbying at German federal level. This analysis uncovers how digital lobbying works in Germany and how it changes classic communication within the political sphere. Taking a grounded theory approach, the study addresses both communicating sides: lobbyists, on the one hand, and members of the German Bundestag and their employees, on the other. A profound understanding of, and differentiation between, lobbying and digital lobbying is gained through a first data-gathering step of 15 interviews with representatives of …

Prejudice And Participation - An Investigation Into Challenges Surrounding Access To Early Childhood Care And Education For Children From The Traveller Community In Ireland, Denise Baker

Theses

Travellers are a distinct cultural group, gaining ethnicity in March 2017 but who have traditionally experienced educational disadvantage (Pavee Point, 2018). This study examines the challenges that Traveller children encounter in accessing the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme (DCYA, 2019) in Ireland. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is widely acknowledged as having a positive impact on children’s holistic development, school success and later outcomes (Boyce et al, 2018; OECD, 2018, NCCA, 2009). This study is underpinned by the bio-ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007), which considers the child as a construct of their immediate surroundings and the …

Development Of Analytical Methods For The Determination Of Β-Lactam Antibiotic Residues In Meat, Milk And Dairy Products, Melissa Di Rocco

Theses

In this project, analytical methodologies for the determination of β-lactam antibiotic residues in meat and dairy products were developed and validated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The methods included the main penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems commonly employed in human or veterinary medicine for the treatment of bacterial infections. A multi-residue method for the analysis of 30 β-lactams was developed and validated in bovine muscle using dispersive-solid phase extraction (d-SPE), reversed-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry detection. A number of sorbent materials were assessed for clean-up, and a simple and straightforward sample preparation protocol developed for …

An Exploratory Study Of Change Management In The Irish Defence Forces For Implementing New Technologies., Paul Dermot Hegarty

Theses

The aim of this research is to determine if the Irish Defence Forces would benefit from the introduction of change management processes when implementing new technological systems. The extant theory has neglected to examine the application of change management processes in military organisations, a shortcoming this thesis addresses. The research draws on semistructured interviews undertaken with military and civil servant professionals from the Irish Defence Forces and the Department of Defence. Analysis of the interviews resulted in a number of new findings. The research highlighted the current deficiency in long-term funding and long-term strategic planning at the political level, and …

Neurovascular Catheter Measurement System Development For Process And Design Effect Evaluation, Cathal Tadhg Merz

Theses

Neurovascular guide catheters are used to treat problems affecting blood vessels within the brain through minimally invasive procedures. Catheters are inserted into the patient via their femoral or brachial arteries and manually navigated to the brain to deliver treatment. This procedure replaces the requirement to cut into the patient’s skull and brain tissue but is limited by reduction of blood vessel lumen diameter and increase in tortuosity of blood vessels deep in the brain. During these procedures, catheters can sometimes fail by kinking or fracturing into two pieces. The rate of failure by fracture of a particular neurovascular catheter device …

An Exploration Of Experiential Marketing In The Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Industry: Development Of The Experiential Marketing Implementation Model And The Return On Integrated Experience Formula, Holly Anne Barry

Theses

The nature of brand-customer relationships has long been the focus of marketers’ attentions, however, the competitive environment of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry in the modern era, has significantly elevated the importance of that relationship in the literature. This is primarily due to the evolution of consumers’ needs and wants and their growing expectation of brands playing a key role in their daily lives. As a result, brands face the challenge of trying to communicate with their target audience through a multitude of marketing communications tools that both engages and excites them, while at the same time building effective memory …

Smart Ageing And Renewal Through Entrepreneurial Skills Training, Sarah Davis

Theses

Globally, while the population is ageing, only 3% of older (≥65 years) adults are engaged in entrepreneurship. The Healthy Ageing agenda is responding to the population trends by increasing its focus on elements of active or productive ageing (incorporating older working) with quality of life as a primary outcome. Alignment and exploitation of the synergies between healthy ageing and older entrepreneurial engagement are lacking. Entrepreneurship education is broadening its focus and targeting inclusivity, albeit with as yet little focus on the older population. Older entrepreneurship, while tentatively linked with increased quality of life, has yet to receive direct attention in …

Adaptive Uplink Data Rate Prediction And Networkselection In A Vehicular Mobile Channel, Georgi Nikolov

Theses

The rapid acceleration into the digital age brings a worldwide interconnectedness of an unprecedented level. This interconnectedness transforms the modern transportation network by linking its infrastructure components (e.g., signaling systems, traffic control systems, maintenance systems) together. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can utilize this newly emerged network infrastructure, improving traffic safety, traffic control, and reducing transportation-related environmental impacts, changing the way drivers, businesses and governments deal with road transport. It is expected that in the near future self-aware vehicles (e.g., trains, cars or trucks) will constitute the majority of the transportation infrastructure. Vehicles need to be able to reliably communicate critical …

Material Handling System For An Advanced Flexible Manufacturing Environment, Con Cronin

Theses

A Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is a method of production that is designed to easily adapt to changes in the type and quantity of the product being manufactured. Machines and computerised systems can be configured to manufacture a variety of parts and to handle the changing levels of production that is required. The aim of this project was to investigate the current manufacturing processes of Kostal Ireland GmbH with the aim of developing a bespoke prototype material handling system to achieve flexible manufacturing. Kostal Ireland GmbH currently do not have the ability to change their manufacturing operations easily when a …

Applications Of Earth Observations For The Development Of A Customized Composite Drought Index In Pakistan, Caily Schwartz

Theses

Evaluation of drought, leveraging multiple variables focused on the onset, persistence, and intensity provides the most complete accounting of all of the different aspects of the hydrological cycle. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of a monthly Customized Composite Drought Index (CCDI) to provide a localized assessment of agricultural droughts in Pakistan. Agricultural drought is defined as when prolonged dry conditions impact crop growth and sustenance. Pakistan’s economy and communities rely heavily on the agricultural sector, and many areas are at high risk of crop failure due to the dependence on precipitation. The CCDI was …

Producing Panic : An Analysis Of Conspiracy Theory Rhetoric During The Coronavirus Pandemic Of 2020, Aaron Andrews

Theses

In 1938, Orson Welles and his theatre group broadcasted an adaptation of War of the Worlds in the style of a breaking newsflash. The result produced a panic across America as millions believed they were under attack by an alien army. In 2020 during a global pandemic, millions of Americans turned to social media for news and updates, only to be the victims of conspiratorial posts that suggest the virus is part of a nefarious plot for world domination or to steal the Presidential election. In this thesis I will argue that the COVID-19 conspiracy theories share aspects of imagination, …

Using Goes-16 To Characterize Thunderstorms : Hail Scar Producing Storms Vs. Non-Hail Scar Producing Storms, Abigail Elizabeth Whiteside

Theses

Every year in North America, severe thunderstorms produce copious amounts of damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and lives. The United States relies heavily on the Next Generation Weather Radar for weather information. The U.S.’s reliance on radar has led to one of the most extensive radar networks in the world. However, this network has gaps in coverage that could put many at risk. Multiple studies have shown that satellite data provides valuable storm information to forecasters. The GOES-R series offers high resolution imagery of cloud tops. An important variable to examine is the overshooting top (OT). One variable that stems from …

Rf2 Sequestering By Stalled Ribosome During Tnac Synthesis Affects The Expression Of C-Terminal Proline-Containing Nascent Peptides, Mohamed Yousef Ghazal

Theses

The tnaCAB operon in Escherichia coli is regulated via an L-tryptophan dependent ribosome arrest mechanism. TnaC, which codes for a 24-residue leader peptide, has a critical role in regulating the expression of this operon. When inducing concentrations of free L-Trp are reached within the cell, TnaC-ribosome complex is arrested at the tnaC stop codon due to L-Trp binding and interacting with the nascent peptide and translating ribosome. This interaction induces conformational changes in the ribosome active site affecting release factor 2 (RF2)-aided translation termination. Considering that the expression of the tnaCAB operon is among the highest within the cell and …

Machine Learning Classification Of Inundation Following Hurricane Florence (2018) Via L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar And Ancillary Datasets, Alexander Melancon

Theses

During and after flooding events, mapping the extent of floodwaters aids in the distribution of resources, recovery efforts, and damage assessment practices. Development of a land cover classification system focused on mapping inundation after major hurricane events using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data could allow for the production of near-real-time inundation mapping, enabling government and emergency response entities to get a preliminary idea of a developing situation. In response to Hurricane Florence of 2018, NASA JPL collected numerous swaths of quad-pol L-band SAR data with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument observing the record-setting river stages across …

Development And Testing Of A Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine With A Racetrack Combustor And Shear-Coaxial Injectors, Evan Colson Unruh

Theses

Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) have the potential to provide higher propulsive performance compared to conventional deflagrative combustors. The objective of this study is to compare liquid propane (LC3H8) and gaseous methane (GCH4) fuels in a laboratory-scale RDE. To accomplish this objective, a 4-inch, “racetrack” type RDE was developed that facilitates optical access to the combustion region. Fuels are injected, along with gaseous oxygen (GO2), using 50 discrete GO2-centered shear-coaxial injector elements. The design approach for the engine is discussed including combustor channel sizing, injector selection, ignition method, and instrumentation. Counter-propagating detonation waves were observed during testing with average wave velocities …

Mechanical Behavior Of Hybrid Additive Manufactured Inconel 718 Lattice Structures, Baxter Barnes

Theses

Additive manufacturing offers the ability to produce complex structures directly from a CAD file, removing the need for complex machining or assembly. Additive manufactured lattice structures (AMLS) offer an excellent balance of light weight with high strength and energy absorption, and achieve multifunctionality unattainable in fully solid structures. Multifunctionality can be further enhanced by varying the topology arrangement of unit cells throughout an AMLS, but risks degrading the structural integrity. This study investigates the mechanical behavior of hybrid Inconel 718 AMLS with unit cell topology varied from row to row, and determines the effects of microstructure, loading direction, stacking order, …

Towards Effective Wireless Intrusion Detection Using Awid Dataset, Dino Linekar Robert Wilson

Theses

In the field of network security, intrusion detection system plays a vital role in the procedure of applying machine learning (ML) techniques with the dataset. This study is an IDS related in machine, developed the literature by utilizing AWID dataset. There tends to be a need in balancing a dataset and its existing approaches from the analysis of its respective works. A taxonomy of balancing technique was introduced due to the lack of treatment of imbalance. This attempt has provided a proper structure defined on all levels and a hierarchical group was formed with the collected papers. This describes a …

The Influence Of Oxygen Partial Pressure On The Properties Of Evaporated Alumina Thin Film, Tsion Teklemarim

Theses

Alumina (Al2O3) thin films are used in anti-reflection and high reflection mirror coatings from deep UV to near infrared. The optical, mechanical, and structural properties of films are dependent on the deposition technique and the desired film performance can be achieved by manipulating the deposition parameters. Such deposition parameters are substrate temperature, deposition rate, and oxygen partial pressure. For laser mirror performance applications, it is desirable to optimize the films with regards to laser damage threshold and film stress. To these ends, this thesis work studies Al2O3 thin films synthesized with electron beam evaporation technique as a function of oxygen …

Laser-Scribed Graphene Electrodes As Inflammatory Biosensors (Laserflame), Pei Shee Tan

Theses

Laser-scribed graphene electrodes (LSGE) are a low cost, portable, flexible and ideal electrochemical platform approach as point of care biosensors. It is anticipated that integrating the detection of immune cell inflammatory cytokines with LSGEs may present a useful diagnostic platform for managing the risk of inflammatory diseases as early detection of inflammatory molecules could significantly improve the treatment and outcome of diseases induced by protracted inflammation, such as cancer, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. This study proposed LSGE first time novel use in the detection of an inflammatory cytokine released by immune cells (monocyte THP-1 cell line), with high sensitivity and …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Land Use / Land Cover On Water Quality And The Intertidal Marine Macroalgae Communities At The Fluvial Outflows Of The Dingle Peninsula, Cassandra Lew

Theses

The Milltown, Feohanagh, and Owenmore river basins located on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland were studied to see how variation in land use and land cover (LU/LC) affected water quality and the macroalgal communities at each river’s respective fluvial outflow. Abundance and composition of macroalgae in river and coastal water bodies have been designated as an indicator of water quality according to the Water Framework Directive 2000. The results of this study found that the Feohanagh’s macroalgal community had the highest species richness for most months while the Milltown had the highest Shannon Diversity Index. The Owenmore’s community was consistently …

Gender, Role Models, Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy And Career Intentions: Implications For Entrepreneurial Education, Ciara Marie Lavelle - O Brien

Theses

This thesis explores gender, role models, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and career intentions of secondary school students in Ireland. Most prior research includes entrepreneurial education as an important factor in the decision to start a business. Few studies include the importance of entrepreneurial perceptions, role models, self-efficacy, and career intentions combined and what implications this may have for entrepreneurial education. Previous studies cite the importance of role models for potential entrepreneurs but ignore how the role model is perceived or who the role models of this generation (Gen Z) are. This study used a semistructured questionnaire and the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) …

Predicting Carcass Cut Yields In Cattle From Digitalimages Using Artificial Intelligence, Darragh Matthews

Theses

Beef carcass classification in Europe is predicated on the EUROP grid for both fatness and conformation. Although this system performs well for grouping visually similar carcasses, it cannot be used to accurately predict meat yields from these groups, especially when considered on an individual cut level. Deep Learning (DL) has proven to be a successful tool for many image classification problems but has yet to be fully proven in a regression scenario using carcass images. Here we have trained DL models to predict carcass cut yields and compared predictions to more standard machine learning (ML) methods. Three approaches were undertaken …

Investigating The Antioxidant, Immunomodulatory And Anti-Obesogenic Propertiesof Novel Bsg-Derived Extracts And Their Potential As Ingredients In Functional Foods For Older Adults, Suzanne O Brien

Theses

Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG) represents a substantial waste product of the brewing industry, with 39 million tonnes generated globally every year. To date the primary use of BSG is as animal feed but there is significant interest in identifying alternative uses for this agro-industry by-product. BSG is rich in protein and fibre and is known to contain health-promoting bioactive compounds, thus one application would be in the area of functional foods. People are living longer and as the older adult population continues to increase globally so too is the prevalence of age-related chronic conditions. Diet plays an essential role in …

Optimisation Of Grass Measurement Technologies Through Field Experimentation And Numerical Simulation Methods, Darren Joseph Murphy

Theses

Maximising pasture utilisation through optimal grassland management is vital in terms of ensuring the economic sustainability and mitigating the environmental impact of both Irish and global pasture-based livestock production. Frequent and accurate measurement of grass quantity and quality is one of the main methods of maximising grass production and utilisation on pasture-based farms. The most prominent grass measurement tool used on Irish pasture is the rising plate meter (RPM), however, there are a range of issues with this method including operator bias, precision and difficulties in accounting for spatial variation. Currently, there is no definitive protocol for grass measurement which …

Crop Salinity Tolerance Induction Using Novel Biostimulants (Saltibio), Elomofe Ikuyinminu

Theses

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Most of the vegetable crops are salt sensitive, growing inadequately in salinised soils due to the accumulation of toxic ions from prolonged, inadequate irrigation programs. A meaningful approach to counteract salinity stress and increase crop yield is the use of protein hydrolysate biostimulants (PHBs). The main objectives of this study were to generate legume-derived PHBs by enzymatic hydrolysis, evaluate their ability to induce salinity stress tolerance in plants, and understand their mode of action. A full compositional and structural analysis of the generated …

Large-Scale Renewable Energy Penetration – A Quantitative Analysis Of Political Determinants Of Renewable Energy And Its Impact On Electricity Price Volatility Transmission And Corporate Financial Performance, Abdul Abban

Theses

This thesis presents four studies on renewable energy. In this thesis, we analyse the political determinants of renewable energy investment in Chapter 2, evaluate the interaction effect between government system and governance quality on renewable energy investment in Chapter 3, estimate the impact of renewable energy on electricity prices and volatility transmission across the Australian regional markets in Chapter 4 and finally investigate the bi-directional causation between environmental and financial performance in Chapter 5.

The findings from Chapter 2 show that both the left and central-orientated governments promote renewable energy investment more than the right-orientated government. Although the presidential system …

The Great Southern Buy-Back: The Colony Of Western Australia And The Great Southern Railway 1880-1897, Thomas Goode

Theses

This thesis examines the circumstances surrounding the building of the Great Southern Railway as a land-grant railway in the colony of Western Australia in the 1880s and its purchase by the government in 1896. In the early 1880s the steamship companies bringing mail and passengers from overseas and the eastern colonies, preferred Albany to Fremantle, adding an uncomfortable three to four day journey to the capital Perth. To overcome this difficulty, the government proposed to build a railway from Albany to the existing network at Beverley. This railway was to be funded by grants of land to the private company …