Digital Commons Network^™

Inquiry-Based Emergent Curriculum Using A Transdisciplinaryapproach To The Visual Arts In Early Childhood Education And Care:Implications For Policy, Education And Practice, Evelyn Mary Egan

Theses

This research aims to investigate current approaches used by practitioners in the design and delivery of visual arts curricula for children availing of the Irish Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme (DCYA, 2019). The study rationale is borne out of an interest in establishing what constitutes good practice in this domain. The focus of the study is to provide an extensive review of national and international literature debating approaches to visual arts curricula for young children and to establish how this translates into practice through a field study methodology within the Irish ECCE context. Underpinning the research is the …

An Investigation Into The Technical And Running Performance Metrics Of Gaelic Football Training Andmatch-Play To Inform The Design Of A Novel Tactical Periodisation Training Model, Shane Mangan

Theses

Background: Carefully planned and implemented training programmes are essential for optimal sports performance. In depth knowledge of both the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport are critical to informing these training programmes. Gaelic football, an amateur intermittent field sport, is one of the most popular sports in Ireland. Limited previous research has attempted to extensively analyse and interpret key findings from the literature to formulate practical recommendations for Gaelic football training and match preparation. The purpose of this research is to objectively analyse Gaelic football performance at the elite and sub-elite levels and to use this data to …

Living With Pku: The Lived Experience Of Irish Adults With Early Diagnosed Phenylketonuria On Long Term Dietary Therapy, Mary-Ellen O'Shea

Theses

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic condition affecting the body’s ability to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine (PHE). A build-up of PHE in the blood and brain can result in irreversible intellectual disability and developmental delays. Ireland has one of the highest prevalence rates of PKU in Europe and some of the earliest treated patients with PKU in the world. However, little is known about their lived experience with PKU. Furthermore, cost-benefit analysis of treatments for rare diseases in Ireland is principally based on quantitative data. More qualitative data is needed to highlight the quality of life experienced by people …

To Investigate Nurse Preceptors’ Perceptions Of Their Role And Responsibilities When Preceptoring Undergraduate Nursing Students In The South West Of Ireland, Jia O’Connell

Theses

Background: In Ireland, there is limited research and no clear guidance related to a preceptor’s role and responsibilities. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (2016) has indicated that it plans to develop a national approach to preparing preceptors for their role and responsibilities.

Aim: To investigate preceptors' perceptions of their role and responsibilities when preceptoring undergraduate BSc nursing students.

Research design: A correlational, quantitative descriptive design.

Data collection: The Preceptor Roles and Responsibilities Assessment (PRRA) (Omer, Suliman and Moola, 2016) was adapted for data collection. The modified PRRA comprised of 4 preceptor roles encompassing 43 preceptor responsibilities, utilizing a …

Teasing Apart The Roles Of Fluency And Memory Beliefs In The Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors Of Visually-Impaired And Unimpaired Participants, Payne A. Winston-Lindeboom

Theses

Participants give higher judgments of learning to words presented in large font compared to those in small font despite memory performance not differing. One argument is large fonts seem more fluent than small. Another suggests participants have memory beliefs that large fonts will be more memorable. The present study sought to tease apart these arguments using vision impairment. We were also interested if self-regulated learning habits of these individuals differ. Both vision-impaired and unimpaired participants studied word pairs presented in both fonts. After studying the word pairs, participants were asked to select up to half of the word pairs they …

Aerodynamic And Heat Transfer Characteristics Of A Transonic Turbine Blade Tip With Pressure-Side Film Cooling, Michael Sampson

Theses

Currently, there is a deficit of experimental data for surface heat transfer characteristics and thermal transport processes associated with tip gap flows, and a lack of understanding of performance and behavior of film cooling as applied to blade tip surfaces. As a result, many avenues of opportunity exist for development of creative tip configurations with innovative external cooling arrangements. Described is the development of experimental facilities, including a Supersonic/Transonic Wind Tunnel and a linear cascade for investigations of aerodynamics and surface heat transfer characteristics of a transonic turbine blade tip with a unique squealer geometry and an innovative film cooling …

The Role Of Jailhouse Informant Incentive Size And Goal Attainment On Jury Decision-Making, Alexa Mecikalski

Theses

The present study examined whether mock jurors would question the reliability of a jailhouse informant witness as he admits to receiving different incentive sizes as well as if he admits to attaining the goal of prison release. Participants read a brief trial summary in which the jailhouse informant claimed to be receiving either a 90%, 50%, 25%, or 0% sentence reduction as an incentive for testifying. Additionally, the jailhouse informant also testified that he would either be released from prison or would remain in prison following his testimony. The results exhibited consistent verdict decisions and ratings of the jailhouse informant’s …

An Exploration Of The Impact Of Clothing Match And Opportunity To View On Showup Performance, Alexis Marie Le Grand

Theses

Clothing bias occurs during a showup when the clothing worn by the suspect matches the clothing of the culprit during a crime. The present study investigated whether a clothing match enhanced identification performance at varying levels of culprit facial view. Witnesses watched a mock-crime video and then made an identification decision from a showup. The results indicated that a clothing match led to an increase in correct and false identifications of the suspect, regardless of facial view. However, the presence of a clothing match did not enhance discriminability. Additionally, there was not a match by facial view interaction. Furthermore, there …

The Detection Of Continuing Current In Lightning Using The Geostationary Lightning Mapper And Exploring Its Relationship To Lightning Initiated-Wildfires, Sarah I. Fairman

Theses

Lightning with continuing current may have current durations that last for hundreds of milliseconds, resulting in continuous optical emission that coincides with the uninterrupted current flow. The space-based Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is an optical sensor that allows for the detection of continuous optical emission. GLM optical attributes associated with continuous optical emission are utilized to train a multiple logistic regression model to predict the presence of continuing current. GLM flashes that have continuous optical emission related to higher probabilities of continuing current tend to cover a longer distance, have a brighter maximum optical energy, and cover a larger maximum …

Toward The Chemical Modification Of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Using Click Chemistry : An Investigation Of Desirable Reaction Conditions, Benjamin J. Hession

Theses

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters produced by many microorganisms and are used as an energy and carbon storage material within the cell. PHAs are biocompatible, biodegradable, and applicable to many fields. The spectrum of applications of PHAs can be broadened by post-polymerization chemical modification of the polymer side chain. Copper Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (“click” chemistry) can be used to bind different functional groups to these side chains. Different catalysts, solvents, and chelating nitrogenous ligands were evaluated to determine the conditions that yield 100% conversion of the side chain terminus to propargyl benzoate and propargyl acetate. Polymer analogous click conversions were performed …

The Impact Of Anthropogenic Modification Of Rural Areas On Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity, Michelle Dornath-Mohr

Theses

In the quantification of Urban Heat Islands (UHI), anthropogenic modification of the rural area is an understudied yet vital area of interest. This research explores the influence of anthropogenic modification of vegetation in the rural reference area on surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) by examining two research objectives. MODIS daily land surface temperature (LST), annual Cropscape landcover maps, and MODIS weekly smoothed NDVI are used. The first research objective is to characterize the different impacts of cultivated and natural vegetation on SUHII. Seasonal, diurnal, and regional differences are studied by quantifying the LST response to phenology changes in two …

Evaluating The Impact Of Land Surface Properties On Simulated Dust Emissions And Air Quality, Erica Burrows

Theses

Strong winds and dry surface conditions result in frequent occurrence of dusty conditions in the Southwestern United States (SW US) causing degraded air quality and harmful health effects. The Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model is often used to forecast such events. Biases in specifications of soil moisture and vegetation cover in the land surface component for initialization of WRF-Chem can result in systematic errors in forecasts. This study examines how WRF-Chem dust forecasts for the SW US can be improved through better prescriptions of soil and vegetation for the following cases: 27 April 2014, 23 March 2017, …

Functional Analysis Of Cftr Promoter Dna Variants, Tiffany Michelle Ledbetter-Brumbeloe

Theses

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease that affects 1 in 3500 people in the United States. CF affects epithelial cells in areas such as the lungs, GI tract and reproductive system. The disease is caused by variants in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene which result in mutations in the CFTR protein. However, some CF patients who have the same genotype for the CFTR gene experience different severities of the disease. One explanation for this is that CFTR promoter SNPs influence gene expression which could lead to differing severities of CF. To test this hypothesis, luciferase …

Assessment Of Global Elevation Model Errors Impact On Flood Extents In Southern Niger, Rebekke Muench

Theses

Recent data has estimated annual flood loss at over 2.3 billion of dollars in damage a year globally, a figure likely to increase as populations grow, people move to flood prone areas, and flooding dynamics change. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are a primary input into many flood models; therefore, the accuracy and resolution of these data sets have implications for model accuracy yet are incompletely understood. In this age of technology, more DEMs are becoming open and freely available which leads to decision makers needing to understand which is best for their specific use case. This study compares the absolute …

Liquid-Based Extractive Fermentation Of Glycerol To Bio-Butanol, Jonathan Kilroy

Theses

Crude glycerol is generated as a major waste product of the biodiesel industry. Purification of glycerol is difficult and costly due to toxic impurities. Clostridium pasteurianum is capable of converting crude glycerol into butanol, a useful fuel additive. To optimize conversion of glycerol to butanol, a continuous culture chemostat was used to improve cell growth and fermentation. The use of an extraction column containing a hollow fiber membrane was explored as a possible method of separating butanol from the culture. Deionized water and liposome vesicles were both tested as possible extraction solutions. Continuous culture was found to induce a steady …

Exploring The Use Of Planetscope Data For Particulate Matter Air Quality Research, Jeanné Le Roux

Theses

Planet, a commercial company, has achieved a key milestone by launching a large fleet of small satellites (smallsats) that provide high resolution imagery of the entire Earth’s surface on a daily basis with its PlanetScope sensor. Given the potential utility of this data, this thesis explores its potential use for air quality applications. Before this data can be utilized for air quality applications, key features of the data including geolocation accuracy, calibration quality, and consistency in spectral signatures need to be addressed. In this study, data from PlanetScope is screened for geolocation consistency, and is compared to Moderate Resolution Imaging …

The Effect Of Prandtl Number On Heat Transfer In The Wake Of A Highly Confined Bubble In A Large-Aspect-Ratio Minichannel, Joseah K. Amai

Theses

A numerical study of the effect of Prandtl number on the heat transfer in the wake of a highly confined bubble in a large-aspect-ratio minichannel was performed. The channel height was 1.25 mm, and the precursor liquid flow was laminar at channel Reynolds numbers of 169 and 338. The upper channel was modeled as an electrically heated metal foil, and the lower wall was adiabatic. The simulation was performed using ANSYS Fluent, with the volume-of-fluid method was used to determine the phase boundary. A Lagrangian reference frame translating at the average bubble velocity was used to simulate a channel of …

Non-Homogeneous Distribution Of Solidification Phases In Inconel 718 Fabricated By Powder Bed Fusion, Laura Farris

Theses

Inconel 718 (IN718) is a precipitation strengthened, nickel-based superalloy that is used in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) of low volume, complex parts to reduce production time and cost compared to conventional subtractive processes. Critical to the development of cost-effective heat treatments, is the initial characterization of the phases formed during the AM build and their critical temperatures. During solidification, the Niobium (Nb) can segregate into carbide, Laves or delta (δ) phases. Since Nb is also the primary element in the subsequent formation of the strengthening phase (γ”), its formation is hindered if the matrix is depleted during the AM build. …

An Implementation Of Embedded Software For Real Time Monitoring Of Bioimpedance, Amirahmad Ramezani

Theses

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a convenient and highly accurate method for assessment of the internal composition of the body. It can be particularly used for evaluating the hydration level of an individual based on the amount of intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW) in total body water (TBW). Complex impedance of the body is a function of frequency and amount of ICW and ECW. By injecting small currents at different frequency and measurement of complex impedance, we can assess the amount of ICW, ECW, and TBW. This method can be applied to Internet of Things (IoT), fitness, and clinical …

Influences Of Operator Characteristics On Monitoring Behavior And Performance In A Supervisory Control Task, Jacob R. Davis

Theses

This study examined the influences of trust in automation and working memory capacity (WMC) on inattentional blindness (IB) in a supervisory control task. Participants completed 160 trials of a simulated X-ray screening task. Participants visually searched images of baggage for hazardous items and chose whether to clear or search the baggage. Participants were assisted by an 80% reliable automated aid. Participants’ performance was worse on unreliable recommendation trials, indicating participants were biased to agree with the automation. When participants (58.33%) chose to clear the trial which featured the IB stimulus (a bomb), it was interpreted as IB. Results indicated WMC …

Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function Measurements Of Spectralon® At 1.064 Micron, William Eugene Walker

Theses

The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is of substantial interest to those involved with laser radar (LADAR) target signature modelling. Measured, empirical data must often be used in place of mathematical models due to the complexity of targets encountered in real-world situations. When using a coherent illumination source, interference effects, such as coherent backscatter, must also be considered. This work demonstrates a calibration method for a reference standard as well as the material’s reflectance characteristics. The selected material, Spectralon, was chosen for its well-known diffuse scattering characteristics. Spectralon’s BRDF was measured for 0 through 80 degree incidence angles as well …

An Investigation Of Fire Behavior In Multiple Burning Shrubs, William E. Shannon

Theses

The current work focuses on better understanding of the phenomenon of fire interactions between multiple burning chamise shrubs. The Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS , Mell et al. 2009) was utilized to study burning behavior of 1 m tall, 0.7 m maximum diameter chamise shrubs. All shrubs were simultaneously ignited from their bases by individual ignition zones located on the ground beneath the shrubs. Two separate shrub arrangements were investigated. First, nine shrubs were placed in a 3 × 3 horizontal array arrangement. Several simulations were performed by varying the shrub separation distance and wind speed. Two competing interaction …

Positive And Negative Affect And Their Influences On Pain Belief, Coping, And Quality Of Life In Chronic Pain Patients Undergoing Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Savannah Michelle Kaye

Theses

The current study aimed to evaluate the influences of affectivity on pain belief, coping and quality of life in chronic pain patients. These relationships were tested using six separate Structural Equation Models. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to determine positive and negative affect from the Personality Assessment Inventory and the Millon Behavioral Diagnostic. EFA was also used to identify adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies from the Chronic Pain Coping Inventory. Pain attitudes were measured using the Survey of Pain Attitudes measure, and quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life – BREF instrument. Results …

Empty Skies, David Gambino

Theses

No abstract provided.

Toward Effective Molecular Catalysts For The Biomimetic Remediation Of Methane And Carbon Dioxide, Thomas Michael Jones

Theses

Interest in the development of new technologies for the remediation of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide has increased in response to concerns of a changing climate. However, methane and carbon dioxide are not only greenhouse gasses but also play interesting roles in biology, being used as sources of both energy and carbon. The study of enzymes that utilize these small molecules for biological function may provide valuable insight into developing practical solutions for carbon sequestration and utilizing them as alternative sources of energy. Learning from these enzymes, synthetic systems may be developed to address this challenging issue. …

Experimental Investigation Of Spray Characteristics For Different Geometrical Misalignment Cases Of Like Doublet Impinging Injectors, Swarnalatha Kathalagiri Vasantha Kumar

Theses

Liquid rocket engines sometimes use jet impinging injection streams to atomize liquid fuels and oxidizers in the combustion chamber. The work examines the effect of injector steam velocity, injection angles, and injection stream misalignment on the resulting sheet angles and sheet breakup lengths for like-double injectors. A set of cold flow, water simulant experiments at atmospheric pressure were conducted at three different geometric conditions. Angularly skewed impingement conditions investigated nine impingement angles from 30° to 90° with each injector having identical or different impingement lengths. Linearly-skewed impingement conditions included a set of five offsets where the impingement length of the …

The Effects Of Gill Parasitization By An Undescribed Species Of Genus Aethycteron On The Reproductive Capabilities Of Etheostoma Kennicotti, The Stripetail Darter, Joy Garcia

Theses

The aim of this experiment was to determine what effect gill parasites have on reproduction in stripetail darters. Nearly 450 stripetail darters were collected from Estill Fork stream in Jackson County, Alabama. Their gonads were excised and the oocytes were photographed, counted, and then classified into one of four developmental stages. Their gill parasites, flatworms belonging to genus Aethycteron, were also removed and counted. Sexual dimorphism in size was discovered in the stripetails, as well as a high gonadosomatic index and large (2.0 mm) size of clutch oocytes. Reproductive maturity was observed in females as small as 19.3 mm in …

Remodeling Recovery : Understanding Social Conditioning And Communication During Adolescent Stages Of Development And How They Correlate With Substance Use Disorders, Douglas Stogner

Theses

This thesis uses a mix method research design to collect data from entry assessments and a survey administered to current residents of the His Way recovery center. The survey was also administered to a control group of participants that did not have substance use disorders (SUD). This study addresses the potential determinants that may be associated with SUD. The data from the entry assessment shows that the preference or drug of choice for clients in His Way recovery is consistent with compatible data collected in the United states. The results of the survey data suggest that people who suffer from …

Effects Of Spreading Rate On The Formation Of Langmuir Films Of Quantum Dots, Jimmie Mitchell

Theses

Films of quantum dots (QDs) are utilized in applications such as television displays and solar cells because they have unique opto-electrical properties. Highly ordered, uniform thin films of QDs are required to reduce component size/cost, increase efficiency, and facilitate utilization in portable and/or flexible products. The Langmuir film method has been used to create monolayer films of QDs. The issue is that numerous defects such as gaps, voids, aggregates, rings and/or islands formed during the film spreading process make the film less suitable for transfer onto a solid substrate. In this study, we show that decreasing the solvent spreading rate …

Application Of Metaheuristics To A Subset Selection Graph Problem, Michael Volz

Theses

A graph problem is presented in which the objective is to remove links from a graph while maintaining path length and redundancy requirements. A branch-and-bound solution is presented, which is able to deterministically solve the problem for smaller inputs but fails to scale with graph size. An ant colony optimization approach is then presented, which is able to solve the problem stochastically with high probability and low runtime.