Digital Commons Network^™

The Ernie Els #Gameon Autism™ Golf Program For Young People With Autism: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jerrome Suganthy Selvaraj

Theses

The first evaluation of the #GameON Autism^^ Golf Program was conducted outside of the USA by the UNESCO Chair, I.T. Tralee in conjunction with the Els for Autism Foundation in partnership with LD Golf Ltd. The central aim of this research study was to evaluate the efficacy of the #GameON Autism^ Golf Program on young people with autism (ASD), their families, PGA golf coach, and volunteers. The two main objectives of the research were to analyse the impact of the program on the socia/communication, motor, and golf skills of individuals with autism and to assess the potential for the #GameON …

The Role Of The Public Health Nurse In Rural Areas Of Kerry And Cork, Hannah Healy

Theses

Aim of Research: To understand and gain insight into the role of the Public Health nurse in rural communities in Kerry and Cork.

Background: Public health nursing is the single largest group in community care, current figure employed by the HSE stands at 1,438. Demographic, changes such as the increase in population coupled with the shift in care from the acute sector to primary care has provided many challenges to the PHN service .

Objective: Whilst there have been substantial reviews on the role and workload of the PHN in Ireland, there is limited qualitative research available on what the …

The Extent To Which Strategic Talent Management Is Understood, And Properly Utilised, In The Life Science Sector In Ireland, Jennifer O'Brien

Theses

In 2017, Ireland was named the best country in the world for attracting high-value foreign direct investment for the sixth year in a row and is home to the top ten global Life Science organisations. The Life Science industry in Ireland depends on a consistent pipeline of talent to realise the growth incentivised by this investment and as the war for talent rages, there is unrelenting pressure on these organisations to attract, manage, develop, engage and retain highly skilled STEM talent. The talent focus, consequently, has to become more strategic.

This thesis focuses on the extent to which Strategic Talent …

What Is The Relationship Between Work-Life Integration And Job Satisfaction With Regard To Stress And Employee Well-Being?, Nicole King

Theses

The world of work is changing with the separation of work and personal life becoming an increasing challenge. Advances in technology have facilitated the mobility of work with over 6 billion people having access to a mobile phone which has led to greater demands on the modern worker which poses a question. What is the relationship between work-life integration and job satisfaction with regard to stress and employee well-being?

Due to the universal application of the chosen research topic, an industry focus was not chosen to allow for the collection of generalisable data. Questionnaires were the chosen research method and …

Optimisation Of Ion Exchange Chromatography Purification Protocols For A Staphylococcal Peptidoglycan Degrading Hydrolase Enzyme, Fiona Maher

Theses

Bacteriophage (phage) are the most abundant biological entities on earth and were first discovered by d’Herelle in 1917. They are found wherever their hosts live and, like all viruses they do not have the ability to make their own protein. Therefore, in order to reproduce, phage must invade and infect bacterial cells. This project focused on the optimisation of Ion Exchange Chromatography purification protocols for a staphylococcal peptidoglycan degrading hydrolase enzyme (CHAPk). The project objective was to obtain the greatest yield of enzyme from the growth of the E.coU XL 1-Blue expression system into which the vector pQE60 was previously …

Design Thinking: A Case Study Of Implementation Within The It Software Industry., Jean-Baptiste Liberge

Theses

In the global economy, competition and market pressures push the majority of company managers to drive with more efficiency by improving processes, optimizing performance and reducing costs. Companies are increasing shareholder value by improving cash flow' and cutting costs. How many cost savings can finance departments reproduce and for how long? Is this enough to lead their markets to deliver better services to their customers? Is it enough to build customer loyalty? The 11 industry fails to escape these constraints, operating in an intensely competitive market. To compete in this environment, companies need to face frequent new product launches and …

Sub-Wavelength Gratings For Long Wavelength Sensing, Brian Hogan

Theses

This Ph.D. thesis is concerned with the design and use of guided mode resonance (GMR) reflectors for applications in optical absorption sensing at wavelengths around 10 μm. These grating based reflectors comprise appropriately designed optical nanostructures which resonantly reflect a wide range of incident wavelengths. Because of the periodic modulation of the refractive index in the grating layer, the guided modes which exist in this region leak out of the waveguide and arc more appropriately termed leaky or quasi guided modes. Resonant reflection occurs when phase matching of the incident light and these leaky modes cancels any transmitted light. The …

Predicting Energy And Water Consumption On Dairy Farms Through Statistical Analysis And Machine-Learning Methods, Philip Shine

Theses

With the abolishment of milking quotas across all European Union member states in April 2015, dairy farmers must adjust their farming practises to minimise milk production costs to adequately prepare for potential periods of reduced revenue. Milk production is an intense energy and water consuming process. Coupled with challenging European greenhouse gas reduction targets and legislation regarding the prevention of groundwater pollution and deterioration, increasing the production of milk in Ireland must be met with the sustainable consumption of on-farm energy and direct water resources, to ensure the future monetary and environmental sustainability of Ireland’s dairy industry. Thus, this body …

Development Of Multi-Class Analytical Methods For Agrochemical Contaminants, Sarah Tuck

Theses

In this project, cost-effective multi-class analytical methods were developed to detect a range of antiparasitic, feed additive and pesticide substances in foodstuffs of animal origin. These substances have the potential to enter the food chain through their occurrence as residues either through the animals themselves or other routes e.g. contamination. To ensure the continued safety of food destined for human consumption regulatory control limits have been established for permitted levels of these residues in foods of animal origin. Despite these controls the continued monitoring of foodstuffs is necessary to ensure these limits are not breached and that substances are not …

A Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Study Of Male Farmers' Health Beliefs, Attitudes And Practices In Rural Kerry, Chrystal O'Brien

Theses

Aim/Background: Beliefs and attitudes about health directly and indirectly influence concomitant behaviours, practices and health outcomes. In Ireland, male farmers are experiencing a disproportionate burden of ill health in preventable lifestyle diseases, yet there is a lack of behavioural research in relation to male farmers and their health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the health beliefs, attitudes and practices of male farmers in rural Kerry, and to explore healthcare professionals' insights of male farmers' health beliefs, attitudes and practices.

Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methods design. Phase one of the study involved structured interviews with …

Autonomous Vehicles As A Disruptive Innovation: Economic And Social Impact, Tomasz Walivander

Theses

The pace of technology development and innovation is accelerating. The impact of new innovations becomes more and more disruptive, enriching but also challenging peoples' concept of life and the perception of the world. Social and economic implications of new innovations cause rapid and deep shifts in the existing paradigms. The number of tasks, at which machines exceed human capabilities is growing rapidly. Computers analyse medical images, make financial decisions and drive vehicles better than humans. This study is aimed to understand the disruptive nature of self-driving cars and explore the possible socio-economic outcomes that this innovation is expected to bring. …

The Design And Development Of E-Textbooks To Support Problem-Based Learning In Secondary School Science Classrooms, Nigel Stewart

Theses

Problem-based Learning (PBL) is widely used in education and extensive research has been conducted into the use of PBL to improve student learning. E-textbooks are a relatively recent development and represent the next stage of evolution of print media with improvements in the presentation of information. They also offer the possibility of being used as a learning tool rather than just as a store of knowledge. This thesis attempts to develop a set of design principles that allow the development of e-textbooks to promote PBL in secondary school science students.

This research presents the results of a four-year study, between …

The Changing Face Of Australia: From Secular To Post-Secular Identity, Saskia Ebejer

Theses

The secularisation thesis, originally developed in the 1960s and touted as a seminal sociological theory, has over the last few decades been called into question. In particular, claims regarding the displacement of religion in the public square and, ultimately, the waning or disappearance tout court of religion from the lives of individuals have come under scrutiny. The advent of the secular paradigm has no doubt had lasting effects, both publicly and privately, but, far from consisting merely in the extinction of religion, theorists have been drawing attention to the recent proliferation, spawned by the crisis of or dissatisfaction with the …

Assessment Of The Neuroprotective Efficacy Of Poly-Arginine-18 (R18) Peptides In A Pre-Clinical Model Of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (Hie), Adam Edwards

Theses

Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in infants, globally. This disorder eventuates following a reduction in oxygenated cerebral blood flow to the foetus in utero, leading to excitotoxic-mediated brain cell (e.g. neuron, glia and glial progenitor cell) death. Currently, there is no clinically appropriate neuroprotective treatment to reduce acute brain injury following HIE. Recent studies have demonstrated that poly-arginine and cationic arginine-rich peptides (CARPs; e.g. R18: R = arginine residues) exhibit potent neuroprotective properties in both in vitro and adult animal models of ischaemia, and therefore have the potential to be developed into …

Diagnosing Pulmonary Hypertension Due To Left Heart Disease Using Diastolic Echo Markers: The National Echo Database Of Australia (Neda) Ph-Lhd Predictive Formula, Kevin Chung

Theses

Aims: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is commonly due to left heart disease caused by ischaemic heart disease, hypertension and valvular heart disease. It is under diagnosed and associated with a high mortality. PH diagnosed using echo requires a measurable tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) to estimate the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PH = PASP >40mmHg). However, up to 40% of studies have insufficient TRV to calculate a PASP. This can lead to significant delays in the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, increased morbidity and delays in the initiation of treatment.

This thesis seeks to determine the prevalence of PH and the diastolic echo …

An Approximation To A Bayesian Detection Statistic For Continuous Gravitational Waves., John J. Bero Iv

Theses

This work concerns Bayesian detection statistics in targeted searches for continuous gravitational waves (GWs). The parameter space for continuous GWs can be divided into 2 groups: amplitude parameters which control the signal strength and phase-evolution parameters which determine its time evolution. A common issue in these searches is dealing with these amplitude parameters which do not affect the phase evolution of the system. The F-statistic maximizes the likelihood function of the data analytically over these parameters, while the B-statistic marginalizes over them. The B-statistic, while potentially more powerful and capable of incorporating astrophysical priors, is not used because of the …

Modeling Of A Dynamic Mckibben Style Muscle System Using Material Properties, Alexander G. Arcus

Theses

The McKibben style artificial muscle is a type of pneumatic artificial muscle. When the muscle is pressurized a length contraction and contractive force occur. Modeling a McKibben style muscle presents many challenges. The physical dynamics of the muscle are highly nonlinear, which makes accurate modeling difficult. Modeling using experimentally determined coefficients enables the creation of an equation that ignores the nonlinear nature of the system, but it can have a limited range or accuracy and cannot adjust for changing system properties. Modeling using the system properties requires the consideration of the nonlinear dynamics of the muscle; however, it provides the …

Compact Antenna With Artificial Magnetic Conductor For Noninvasive Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring, Meenakshy Iyer

Theses

A non-invasive technique for real-time continuous monitoring of blood glucose has been under development by Venkataraman’s research group in the ETA lab at RIT [16]-[18]. The methodology involves placing an antenna on the arm and monitoring changes in the resonant frequency, which is attributed to changes in the blood glucose level. This is because the blood’s permittivity depends on the glucose levels, and in turn, affects the antenna’s resonant frequency. In order to correlate the antenna’s resonant frequency shift with the real-time blood glucose change, glucose estimation was also modeled using the antenna’s input impedance. The antennas designed could successfully …

Who Will Lead?: Implications And Recommendations For The Development And Appointment Of Sydney Catholic Schools’ Leaders, Maria Maher

Theses

This thesis explores the future of leadership in Sydney’s Catholic schools to clarify teachers’ and leaders’ understanding of leadership in the context of their experience in Catholic primary schools. A review of leadership literature describes and critically assesses contemporary definitions and practices in educational leadership and determines their effectiveness in developing identification practices and leadership-formation structures and programs for use by Catholic Education Offices throughout Australia. A multiple case design is employed to gain insight into current leadership practices in Catholic primary schools in the Inner West region of Sydney. To facilitate this, Catholic school leaders and teachers were interviewed …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing, Through The Naplan Assessment, On The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics In One Primary School, Linda Cranley

Theses

In 2008, the implementation of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in all schools across Australia. This assessment of mathematical and literacy standards across Australia raised questions about the impact which high-stakes testing has on teaching and learning. This research specifically focused on the effect NAPLAN has had on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study explored perspectives about NAPLAN from key participants; students, teachers and parents at one Western Australian Primary School. These perspectives included the potential anxiety experienced by students and how this affected their performance in NAPLAN. According to recent research on …

Modelling Spatial Heterogeneity In The Haemodynamic Response With Implications For Neuroimaging, Russell Gore

Theses

Background: A foundational assumption of neuroimaging is the central volume principle (CVP): the mean transit time of oxygen particles in the brain equals the ratio of blood vessel volume to blood flow. Changes in mean transit time are expected to cause detectable changes in images produced by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The CVP assumes a uniform distribution of transit times, but in fact blood vessel volumes are spatially heterogeneous. This thesis examines the implications of spatial heterogeneity for fMRI research.

Methods: An amended form of the CVP that accounts for spatial heterogeneity is developed and parameterised using empirical data. …

Initial Teacher Education Students’ Literacy: Factors That Impact On Literacy Achievement Of Prospective Pre-Service Teachers, Elizabeth O'Sullivan

Theses

Strong literacy skills are a prerequisite for teachers. There is much contention about a perceived erosion of literacy skills in new teachers and how initial teacher education providers can ensure graduate teachers possess the literacy skills required for their teaching careers. This research investigated the factors that impact on prospective pre-service teachers’ literacy achievement. A mixed methods approach was used to examine the relationship between student entry pathway, Post Entrance Literacy Assessment (PELA) score, perceptions of self-efficacy, and previous literacy experiences in a first year literacy unit for prospective primary and early childhood initial teacher education students.

Initially, in phase …

Harbouring Discontent: Activism In 1930s Fremantle, Paul Reilly

Theses

The 1930s was a period of huge economic and political turmoil, with the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe, leading to the Second World War. Western Australia has been portrayed as a place of relative calm and consensus during this decade. This research challenges this view, and examines local community activism in Fremantle in relation to unemployment, industrial strife and the rise of fascism in Europe, particularly the civil war in Spain. The research indicates a highly active and politically conscious labour movement in Fremantle in this decade.

Insight Into Unexplained Infertility: How Do Women Make Sense Of Their Experience Of Unexplained Infertility Followed By Spontaneous Conception, Fabienne Michea

Theses

The causes of infertility are diverse and broadly fall under four categories: male, female, combined or unexplained (Wynter et al., 2013, p. 285). Treating infertility is usually associated with an often medically invasive procedure and fertility clinics have been expanding globally in the last thirty years (Krisak, 2013). Furthermore, medical research and treatment for this condition have allowed for considerable progress to be made, allowing a greater number of couples to have children despite their difficulty or inability to conceive at some time in their life (Bushnik, Cook, Hughes, & Tough, 2012). The focus of this study will be the …

4e’S Socratic Model: A Grounded Theory For Managing Team Creativity In An Organisational Context, Philip Dennett

Theses

There has been considerable research on identifying the antecedents of creativity and the determinants of organisational creativity, but researchers are yet to develop an effective model for managing creativity within a traditional hierarchical management structure. It has been suggested that using the Socratic Method to create a learning environment within an organisation is a way to foster creativity in an uncertain environment. In this context the Socratic Method is defined as a directed questioning technique to encourage critical thinking. This thesis proposes that taking a Socratic approach to champion creativity enables management to increase creativity in their teams. It also …

Prognostic Role Of Histologic Tumour Regression In Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy For High-Grade Serous Tubo-Ovarian Carcinoma, Edwina Coghlan

Theses

High-grade serous tubo-ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most common tubal/ovarian malignant tumour and is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Historically, primary debulking surgery followed by adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy was the recommended management of these patients. However, since two randomised controlled phase III trials (1, 2) both demonstrated non-inferior survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and interval debulking surgery (IDS) compared to primary debulking surgery, there has been an increasing trend to treat HGSOC patients with NACT. (3, 4)

Evidence supporting the change in practice is mounting, with the findings of a recent meta-analysis of 1,607 women showing that NACT is …

Narratives Of Experience: Senior Registered Nurses Working With New Graduate Nurses In The Intensive Care Unit, Susan Whittam

Theses

The experiences and perceptions of New Graduate Nurses as they transition into professional practice and into intensive care units abounds in the literature. However, there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences of Senior Registered Nurses who work with New Graduate Nurses in intensive care units.

The aim of this inquiry was to contribute to nursing knowledge by examining Senior Registered Nurses’ stories of experience around the complexity of enabling development of New Graduate Nurses whilst working in clinical or team leading roles in the intensive care unit. Thus, allowing the Senior Registered Nurses’ voice to be heard in …

The Impact Of Pilgrimage Upon The Faith And Faith-Based Practice Of Catholic Educators, Rachel Capets

Theses

A pilgrimage of Catholic educators from Sydney Catholic Schools served as a phenomenographic case study for an investigation into the impact of pilgrimage upon the faith and faith-based practice of Catholic educators. Forty-five Catholic educators embarked on a pilgrimage for the Canonisation of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in April 2014. The pilgrimage itinerary led the educators through Italy, whereby the pilgrims visited the holy sites of Saints significant in the life of the Church.

Phenomenographic data collection and analysis are used to investigate the range of ways educators’ perceive the impact of pilgrimage on faith. Pilgrimage is …

Effect Of A Nurse-Led Lymphoma Survivorship Model Of Care: A Pragmatic Phase Ii Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial, Karen Taylor

Theses

Background: Cancer survivorship is recognised as an integral component of the cancer continuum. Robust evidence on how best to deliver tailored survivorship care is limited, particularly for individuals affected by rarer cancers such as lymphoma, a potentially curable haematological cancer. These survivors may face long-term and late effects affecting quality of life due to the aggressiveness of the disease and treatment that may not be adequately addressed in current follow-up models of care.

Aim: To develop and pilot test a nurse-led model of survivorship care intervention that utilises an individualised survivorship care plan and treatment summary (SCPTS), motivational interviewing, tailored …

Because He Has Spoken To Us Joseph Ratzinger, The Revelation Of The Logos In Jesus Christ, And A Fundamental Pattern For Evangelization, Bradley Bursa

Theses

In a 1983 lecture, Joseph Ratzinger noted that one need not demonstrate at great length the apparent difficulties within the epoch’s catechetical efforts, even going so far as to declare the situation a state of crisis. He argues that the reversal of roles between content and method – with content now serving method – served as a significant source of the purported crisis.1 The bulk of Ratzinger’s expansive theological work is a response to various crises within the understanding of the contents themselves, with a willing admission on his part that he did not have responsibility for catechetical methods.2 However, …