Digital Commons Network^™

The Application Of Social Marketing In Reducing Road Traffic Accidents Among Young Male Drivers - An Investigation Using Physical Fear Threat Appeals., Brian Harman

Theses

In 2004, the Irish government rolled out its new two year road safety strategy which aimed to reduce road deaths in the Republic of Ireland to no more than 300 road fatalities by 2006. The strategy failed to reach its target. There were 368 road fatalities on Irish roads in 2006. The effects of the penalty points system, which was introduced in 2003, is considered responsible for reducing Irish road fatality figures to their lowest level since 1964 (335 deaths). However the beneficial effects of the penalty points system have proved transitory and road deaths have risen in recent years. …

The Application Of Lc-Ms Technologies For The Detection Of Triazine Herbicides In Water, Michael Cahill

Theses

The triazine herbicides, including, simazine (6-chloro-N,N’-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4- diamine), atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-l,3,5-triazine) and cyanazine were developed as selective weed killers. Their design function is to disrupt the photosynthesis of broad-leafed plants. In the intensive production of grasses (e.g. wheat, cereals, etc.) broad-leafed plants growing in the grass production area are economically costly, competitors with the grasses for nutrients; their removal is facilitated by triazines herbicides and simazine and atrazine are the predominant compounds used. Significant amounts of triazine herbicides are consumed by the agricultural industry each year. However, due to the indiscriminate use of pesticides/herbicides, traces of herbicides have been found in run-off …

Analysis Of Adenovirus And Bovine Coronavirus., Kevin Lane

Theses

This investigation involved the analysis of selected gastroenteritis viruses, adenovirus and bovine coronavirus, obtained from faecal samples, collected from hospital and diagnostic laboratories respectively in Cork city, Ireland. The viruses isolated from these samples were subjected to analysis using cell culture and nucleic acid extraction. In addition adenovirus was analysed using PCR and PCR followed by restriction endonuclease digest. Many samples contained more than one gastroenteritis virus, the virus of interest and a natural co-infection with rotavirus species. Rotavirus infections in Ireland have been extensively studied and we were interested in studying singly and doubly infect samples.

Bovine enteric coronavirus …

Epidemiology And Drug Resistant Profiles Of Candida Species, In Cork Hospitals., Emma Mccurtin

Theses

Candida causes superficial infections in healthy individuals; however in the immunocompromised host Candida can cause invasive, systemic infections and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. This is not due to a more virulent phenotype but to a weakened immune system unable to fight this opportunistic pathogen. The immunocompromised population is ever increasing, due to medical advancements and more aggressive treatments, and hence is the need for epidemiological data of these potentially life threatening infections. The aim of this study was to provide an epidemiological snapshot, of Candida infections from the immunocompromised population in Cork hospitals. Surveillance programmes from …

Design Of A Multiplex Pcr Assay For The Detection Of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae., Elizabeth J. O'Callaghan

Theses

The incidence of N. gonorrhoeae infections in Ireland has been steadily increasing since 2003. Culture is currently the preferred method of diagnosis, however the sensitivity of culture can be low. In recent years there has been increased interest in non-culture techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Many of the PCR assays available have been shown to cross-react with commensal organisms, producing false positive results. This study aimed to improve the detection of N. gonorrhoeae by designing a multiplex PCR assay that used two N. gonorrhoeae genes as targets, thereby providing dual detection and confirmation of a positive result. PCR …

Elliptic Curve Cryptography Security On Restricted Mobile Devices, Debbie Mccann

Theses

Mobile technologies with limited resources, such as smart phones or PDAs, have increased dramatically in popularity. However, the level of security provided for these technologies has not kept pace with the value of the data that they contain or transmit.

Wireless networks usually provide some security, in the form of encryption. GSM and GPRS use different forms of the A5 algorithm, and Wi-Fi uses WEP or WPA. These encryption algorithms have proven weaknesses and in some cases have been efficiently cracked. To improve the security of wireless networks, stronger encryption algorithms need to be developed. One of the most attractive …

Orthogonal Cutting Of Bone, Donal Mccrohan

Theses

The cutting of bone has been undertaken for many centuries. Research in this area is contnually progressing to achieve an efficient cutting action while reducing recovery time and rauma to the patient.

Orthogonal cutting is defined where the cutting edge of the tool is set in a position that is perpendicular to the direction of relative work or tool motion. The failure mechanisms involved in the cutting of bone, their direct relationships to cutting tool geometry and cutting direction for orthogonal cutting are not accurately defined or quantified. A study of the orthogonal cutting behaviour of bone initiated in the …

Gender Bias Of Cardiovascular Risk In Caucasian Type Ii Diabetics: A Haemostatic Explanation?, William Quirke

Theses

People with type II diabetes are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease compared to those without diabetes. The relative risk of cardiovascular disease caused by type II diabetes is higher in females than in males. This risk has not been fully explained by traditional risk factors and attention has turned to the possible role of haemostatic abnormalities in explaining the excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among diabetic females. We examined specific parameters of the coagulation (factor VII, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor, fibrinogen) and fibrinolytic (plasminogen activator inhibitor- 1, thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) system in 113 Irish Caucasian type II diabetics to …

Treatment Of Industrial Wastewater Containing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients With A Membrane Bioreactor, With The Aim Of Reducing Resource Consumption, Pádraig Colm Ó'Maolcatha

Theses

The biodegradation of a selected active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) during wastewater treatment in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was examined experimentally. A comparison study was conducted by operating a conventional activated sludge (CAS) pilot plant in parallel to the MBR. The MBR was operated under varying conditions of pH (pH6 and pH8), MLSS (6g/L and l0g/L) and SRT (20 days and 30 days) according to a full factorial design of experiments. In the CAS, pH and SRT were altered as above but MLSS was maintained at 3-4g/L. Comparable average API removal results of 95.5% and 95.7% were obtained for the MBR …

Mesh Mac Enabling Mesh Networking Over Ieee 802.15.4 Mac Layer, Panneer Selvan Muthukumaran

Theses

Wireless sensor network is a network of sensor nodes that function in a cooperative manner to monitor the changes in the physical environment. Wireless sensor networks are used in environment and habitat monitoring, healthcare applications, building automation, and traffic control to name a few. Typically, wireless sensor node is a low power embedded device which consists of a microcontroller, sensors, wireless transceiver and a battery. These devices are usually distributed in a physical environment which makes it difficult to maintain the network manually.

The IEEE 802.15.4 and Zigbee are considered as standard protocols for wireless sensor networks. The IEEE 802.15.4 …

A Distributed Ai Approach For Large-Scale Wlan Design, Alan Mcgibney

Theses

The recent dramatic trend towards always-on-connectivity has driven the need for mobile ubiquitous computing environments with the advent of the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) seeing a shift from traditional wired networks to wireless networking. A WLAN typically contains a number of access points that allow wireless enabled clients access information and network resources such as the internet without the need for wires, offering flexibility and mobility to the users. Initial wireless networks were convenience based allowing users access to the primary wired network, and involved little planning prior to roll-out. The proliferation of low cost wireless devices combined wdth …

Optimization In Multi-Agent Systems : Structures And Procedures, Ingo Stengel

Theses

The main advantage for the use of agent technology is in the capacity of agents to represent the interests of individual entities and to act autonomously on their behalf. In multi-agent systems this involves communication, coordination and negotiation.

The focus of this dissertation is to find ways to optimize multi-agent systems at different levels by taking into consideration their structure and the procedures used. As optimization depends to a large extent on the problem to be solved, group forming scenarios, in which self-interested agents compete to form and join groups, have been selected here for consideration. Optimization issues are discussed …

Treatment Of Aqueous Waste Streams At Eli Lilly - Alternatives To Incineration, Barry Hennessy

Theses

The aim of this project was to investigate the potential to treat liquid waste (secondary) from production processes at Eli Lilly with the emphasis on minimising the volume of waste sent for thermal oxidation. In addition, the project aimed to investigate if the chosen technology was diverse and potentially capable of handling waste streams from different processes. Membrane technology was identified as one of the most suitable technologies and trials were carried out on secondary waste from three production processes. The literature review and practical thrials aswell as assessment of trial results ran from October 2003 to June 2005.

All …

Electrical Imaging Hydro Chemical And Isotope Investigation Of Mubazarah Area In Uae (Al-Ain), Faris Mirghani Mahgoub

Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Noise Impact Of Air Traffic At Dubai International Airport, Maryam Ali Ahmad Al Balooshi

Theses

The aviation industry in UAE has experienced rapid expansion over the past decade due to increase in economic growth and technological advancements. UAE’s total fiscal investment on airport development over the coming 20 years is estimated to exceed Dh 71 billion (US$19.35 billion). Civil aviation now a day is considered one of the greatest environmental concerns which lead to many different environmental problems. The International Aviation Organization (ICAO) secretariat considered aircraft noise as the most significant cause of adverse community reaction relating to the operation and expansion of airports. This is expected to remain the case in most regions of …

Assessment Of Favorable Conditions And Potentials Of Salinity Gradients In Solar Ponds (Sgsps) And The Production Of Solar Salt Along Abu Dhabi Coasts, Huda Ali Mohammed Saeed Al Mansouri

Theses

Coastal sabkha area of Abu Dhabi extends about 300km long and 15 km wide. It consist of a series of hypersaline (47%) lagoons surrounded by salt-entrusted flat sabkhas. Temperature there may reach 60° C in the summer. Moreover, the salinity of the lagoons is very high and may reach 70%.

The objective of this study was to assess the possibility of utilizing salinity gradient in solar ponds and/or production of solar salt along Abu Dhabi coasts. This study was conducted in sabkha area which extends from Al Mafraq-Al Sil’a Highway, near the Satellites Station (kilo 255, Dy 17 Street) until …

Commercialization Of Science: A Longitudinal Study Of Knowledge Distance, Firm Capabilities, And The Structure Of Licensing Contracts, Reddi Kotha, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Though the popularity of research on technology transfer offices (TTOs) has vastly increased, there is little empirical evidence of how the potential value for a technology is estimated and negotiated in a license. Limited qualitative work and empirical work (e.g., Owen-Smith, 2005) tap into the underlying decisions before a technology can be licensed. Consequently, we know very little on how a particular technology is valued and its impact on contract design. In this study, we analyze the content, design, and performance of 847 licensing contracts between university technology transfer offices and firms.

Feasibility Of Utilising Construction And Demolition Waste And Dredge Material As Landflll Liner, John David Riordan

Theses

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste and dredge material are significant bulk waste streams in the Republic of Ireland. This thesis examines the feasibility of combining these waste streams to produce a viable novel geotechnical clay liner for landfill.

This thesis includes a literature review and a detailed study of C&D waste, dredge material and landfill liners in Ireland. The research for this thesis includes a geotechnical laboratory test programme. Samples of C&D waste and dredge material were collected and tested to establish relevant characteristics. In addition, a senes of tests were commissioned on test samples to establish their chemical and …

Clostridium Difficile: Comparative Evaluation Of Two Detection Techniques And Characterisation Of Clinical Isolates., Rebecca Dennehy

Theses

Clostridium difficile is one of the most common causes of antibiotic associated diarrhoea. The presence of C difficile in stool samples may be detected by a variety of means including enzyme immunoassays and culture. Enzyme immunoassays detect the presence of the toxins produced by the organism, toxin A and/or toxin B, but are known to lack sensitivity. The aim of this study was to compare the commercial ELISA assay currently used for the detection of C difficile toxins in Waterford Regional Hospital to culture for the organism to selective media. To compare the sensitivity of the two methods serial dilutions …

The Scale Of Networks?: Local Climate Coalitions, Janet K. Levit, Hari Osofsky

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Light Vector Mesons In The Nuclear Medium, M. H. Wood, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, S. L. Careccia, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, G. Gavalian, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde-Wright, H. G. Juengst, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, K. V. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, J. Lachniet, M. R. Niroula, R. A. Niyazov, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang, Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

The light vector mesons (ρ,ω, and ϕ) were produced in deuterium, carbon, titanium, and iron targets in a search for possible in-medium modifications to the properties of the ρ meson at normal nuclear densities and zero temperature. The vector mesons were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) via their decays to e+e−. The rare leptonic decay was chosen to reduce final-state interactions. A combinatorial background was subtracted from the invariant mass spectra using a well-established event-mixing technique. The ρ-meson mass spectrum was extracted after the ω and ϕ signals were removed in a nearly model-independent way. Comparisons …

Electroexcitation Of The Roper Resonance For 1.7 < Q² < 4.5gev² In Ep → Enπ+, Clas Collaboration, M. J. Amaryan, M. Bektasoglu, S. Bültmann, S. L. Careccia, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, T. A. Forest, G. Gavalian, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, L. M. Qin, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

The helicity amplitudes of the electroexcitation of the Roper resonance are extracted for 1.7 < Q² < 4.5 GeV² from recent high precision JLab-CLAS cross section and longitudinally polarized beam asymmetry data for π⁺ electroproduction on protons at W=1.15-1.69 GeV. The analysis is made using two approaches, dispersion relations and a unitary isobar model, which give consistent Q² behavior of the helicity amplitudes for the gamma*p -> N (1440)P₁₁ transition. It is found that the transverse helicity amplitude A _1/2, which is large and negative at Q²=0, becomes large and positive at Q² similar or equal …

First Measurement Of Target And Double Spin Asymmetries For Ep → Epπ° In The Nucleon Resonance Region Above The Δ (1232), Clas Collaborative, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, S. Bültmann, G. E. Dodge, N. Guler, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

The exclusive channel polarized proton(polarized e,e' p)π⁰ was studied in the first and second nucleon resonance regions in the Q² range from 0.187 to 0.770 GeV² at Jefferson Lab using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). Longitudinal target and beam-target asymmetries were extracted over a large range of center-of-mass angles of the π⁰ and compared to the unitary isobar model MAID, the dynamic model by Sato and Lee, and the dynamic model DMT. A strong sensitivity to individual models was observed, in particular for the target asymmetry and in the higher invariant mass region. This data …

Electroproduction Of ɸ(1020) Mesons At 1.4 ≤ Q² ≤ 3.8 Gev² Measured With The Clas Spectrometer, Clas Collaboration, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, M. Bektasoglu, S. Bültmann, S. L. Careccia, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, G. Gavalian, C. E. Hyde-Wright, H. G. Jungst, N. Kalantarians, A. Klien, A. V. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, R. A. Niyazov, T. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

Electroproduction of exclusive ϕ vector mesons has been studied with the CLAS detector in the kinematic range 1.4 ⩽ Q² ⩽ 3.8 GeV² ,0.0 ⩽ t′ ⩽3.6 GeV² , and 2.0 ⩽ W ⩽ 3.0 GeV. The scaling exponent for the total cross section as 1/(Q² +M²_ϕ)ⁿ was determined to be n = 2.49 ± 0.33. The slope of the four-momentum transfer t′ distribution is b_ϕ = 0.98 ± 0.17 GeV^-2 . Under the assumption of s -channel helicity conservation, we determine the ratio of longitudinal to transverse cross sections …

Measurement Of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering Beam-Spin Asymmetries, Clas Collaboration, H. Bagdasaryan, S. L. Careccia, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, G. Gavalian, C. E. Hyde, H. G. Juengst, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, A. V. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, J. Lachniet, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

The beam-spin asymmetries in the hard exclusive electroproduction of photons on the proton (^→ep→epγ ) were measured over a wide kinematic range and with high statistical accuracy. These asymmetries result from the interference of the Bethe-Heitler process and of deeply virtual Compton scattering. Over the whole kinematic range (_xB from 0.11 to 0.58, Q² from 1 to 4.8  GeV², −t from 0.09 to 1.8  GeV²), the azimuthal dependence of the asymmetries is compatible with expectations from leading-twist dominance, A ≃ asinϕ/(1+ccosϕ). This extensive set of data can thus be used to …

Cross Sections And Beam Asymmetries For E ⃗ P → Enπ+ In The Nucleon Resonance Region For 1.7 ⩽ Q2 ⩽ 4.5 Gev2, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, S. Bültmann, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, G. Gavalian, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde-Wright, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, A. V. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, J. Lachniet, R. A. Niyazov, F. Sabatié, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

The exclusive electroproduction process e ⃗ p → e'nπ⁺ was measured in the range of the photon virtuality Q² =1.7-4.5 GeV², and the invariant mass range for the n π⁺ system of W=1.15-1.7 GeV using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. For the first time, these kinematics are probed in exclusive π⁺ production from protons with nearly full coverage in the azimuthal and polar angles of the nπ⁺ center-of-mass system. The nπ⁺ channel has particular sensitivity to the isospin 1/2 excited nucleon states, and together with the pπ⁰ final state will serve …

Development Of A Premarital Counseling Seminar For Pastors And Church Workers In The Euro-Asia Division, Elena Zhigankova

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

According to the 1984 Annual Council policy, Seventh-day Adventist ministers are to provide premarital guidance to couples requesting marriage. Where possible, this preparation of the couple should consist of several counseling sessions conducted by the minister who is to perform the service or by another qualified individual. Despite its obvious importance, this policy has not been seriously considered or implemented in Russia.

Description

The process of designing a Premarital Counseling Seminar for pastors and other church workers in the Euro-Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists is presented. The seminar content is intended to introduce pastors to their responsibilities as premarital …

The Impact Of Short-Term Missions On The Participants Of The Berkshire Mission Group, Garold Ray Wagner

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The face of missions is changing. While regular mission service (long-term) is still very much needed and extant, it no longer dominates the missions landscape. Fewer people are being sent to third-world or developing countries from North America to serve long term for positive reasons. There has been, however, an explosion in the number of people traveling to other countries for short terms and very short terms. While focus has shown that teens and young adults are positively impacted, no study has shown the impact on people of all age groups who go for this type of service.

Method …

Reaching The Indian Communities In Zambia: A Biblical Model Of Evangelism, John Shumba

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Statistics show that there are a significant number of Asian-Indians who are Zambian nationals. But the church in Zambia has not come up with a program to reach them with the gospel. Therefore, it is important to develop a biblical model of evangelism to reach the Indian communities.

Method

Studies were conducted using available data to obtain information on the social, religious, cultural, and political milieu of the Indian communities in order to develop a modality for cross-cultural mission based on missiological principles and social science disciplines.

Results

Results indicate that there is need for a training program to …

A Friendship Evangelism Seminar For The Bladensburg Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Marcellus Tyrone Robinson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Members of the Bladensburg Seventh-day Adventist Church expressed a desire establish closer bonds within the congregation and community. The lack of close friendships within the church fellowship led to several members transferring to other area churches. Later, an interest survey revealed the congregation wanted to participate in friendship evangelism. In response to the desire of members to form closer friendships and to engage in friendship evangelism, the purpose of this study is to develop a seminar of friendship evangelism for the Bladensburg Seventh-day Adventist Church that will enable members to identify, understand, and form friendships within the church fellowship …