Theses - Science LYIThttps://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2032024-03-29T02:36:33Z2024-03-29T02:36:33ZEffects of a fall on the quality of life of someone over the age of 65Mitchell, Oonaghhttps://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/44062023-03-04T03:01:18Z2020-08-01T00:00:00ZEffects of a fall on the quality of life of someone over the age of 65
Mitchell, Oonagh
Background: Care of the older person will become more important in the future due to the expected increase in this area of the population. Falls and fall related injuries are the most comm on cause of admission to the comm unity hospital. Finding out how a fall affects the quality of life of an older person can provide the multidisciplinary team with the information needed to assist the older person in improving that quality of life.
Aims/Objectives: This study will be carried out in a rural Irish setting, with the aim to find out the effects of a fall on the quality of life of someone over the age of 65.
Materials/Methods: A total of 7 participants were recruited for the study. All of these participants have had a recent stay in a comm unity hospital and have been discharged home. The methodology used was that of semi-structured telephone interviews, with each participant receiving the same set of questions.
Results: The main themes identified were that of fear of falling with over half of participants mentioning developing a fear of falling. The other prominent theme was that of social isolation. The majority of participants had lived in the town, however they still felt socially isolated and this may have been due to the research taking place during the coronavirus pandemic.
Conclusion: For those who have fallen, there has been a reduced quality of life, however the participants recognised the importance of family support in assisting them to stay in their own environment which was important to them. In the current pandemic, social isolation was very prominent, regardless of fall status and this must be addressed. There are a variety of different services available to older people, however some are only in certain areas of Ireland. Developing a process to ensure these facilities are rolled out to all areas can only help to improve social isolation and in tum the quality of life of those over 65. Providing care within the home environment albeit virtually should reduce isolation, and improve fear of falling which were the comm on themes identified.
2020-08-01T00:00:00ZExploring early year educators' perspectives of outdoors playDoohan McCraith, Maryhttps://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/43232022-11-30T03:00:46Z2020-08-01T00:00:00ZExploring early year educators' perspectives of outdoors play
Doohan McCraith, Mary
Acknowledgement of outdoor play affordances, positively supports children’s health, wellbeing, learning and development. There has been a visible diminishing of opportunities for children’s outdoor play in recent years. In recognition of the significance of outdoor play in the lives of children, the study intention endeavours to “Explore Early Year Educators (n=8) perspectives of outdoor play” in the County of Donegal, Ireland. In an Irish context, educators’ perspective of outdoor play is under-researched.
Significant findings identified educators’ perceptions of allowing affordances of outdoor play in early year settings. In particular, educators’ thoughts on planning for outdoor play and acknowledgement of lack of continuous professional development courses in planning outdoor play available to them. Policy context, to an extent, positively promoted outdoor play. However, litigation and safety trepidations were overarching concerns identified as were lack of space, clothing and parental perceptions. There was clear evidence educators understood and promoted benefits of outdoor play – allowing affordances of enriched outdoor play opportunities. Educators’ positive attitudes to outdoor play were apparent.
Data collection utilised focus groups. Focus groups allowed for rich dialogue on group thinking on outdoor play and data identified enablers and constraints to outdoor play. Educators’ were mindful of safety at all times, again acknowledging litigation and child safety as factors which limited affordances of outdoor play. Educators’ beliefs for the most were similar to literature review evidence. However, further research is necessary for this area, and it envisaged study findings uncovered, would be disseminated in publications and conferences, contributing to a debate on outdoor play in an Irish context.
2020-08-01T00:00:00ZEvaluating elliptic curve cryptography for use on java cardPachtchenko, Nadejdahttps://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/12092017-06-20T15:14:34Z2003-01-01T00:00:00ZEvaluating elliptic curve cryptography for use on java card
Pachtchenko, Nadejda
Smart cards are used as trusted storage and data processing systems to store cryptographic
private keys and other valuable information. Java Card promises the ease of programming
in Java to the world of smart cards. Java’s memory model however is resource intensive
especially for smart card hardware. In this paper the software implementation of the elliptic
curve cryptography on Java Card is discussed. This work also covers the description and
implementation of the elliptic curves used in application and Nyberg-Rueppel elliptic
curve algorithms. Furthermore, The testing methods and the test results concerning the
performance of the operations, security, and the space required to store the keys are
discussed.
2003-01-01T00:00:00ZHigh performance liquid chromatography method development and chemometric analysis of ecstasy and cocaineMc Fadden, Kimhttps://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/12082017-06-20T15:14:34Z2011-01-01T00:00:00ZHigh performance liquid chromatography method development and chemometric analysis of ecstasy and cocaine
Mc Fadden, Kim
Consumption of illegal drugs of abuse remains a major social issue aligned with a
global law-enforcement priority. Forensic analysts are faced with the challenge of
continually developing sophisticated methods of analysis to combat the increasing
variability that occurs in illicit drug samples. Research work for this thesis has
focused on the development of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
methods for the analysis of major drug constituents associated with ecstasy and
cocaine illicit drug samples. Emphasis has been placed on method development with
strategies of univariate or multivariate experimental approaches used in the selection
and optimisation of procedures. Considerations with regard to the choice of
chromatographic factors, solutes under investigation and the provision of quality
assurance data throughout the research work have been the main criteria in methods
developed. Two HPLC methods were developed to qualitatively and quantitatively
assay for the major drug components and analogue derivatives found in ecstasy and
cocaine. Methods developed have undergone validation studies including intra- and
inter- reproducibility, accuracy, and linearity of calibration, limit of detection (LOD)
and limit of quantification (LOQ) and the use of internal standards. Applications of
methods to ecstasy and cocaine samples seized in Ireland ensured their suitability for
routine analysis of illicit drug samples.
As part of this study, chemical profiling of 183 ecstasy tablets seized in Ireland during
2002-2004 were recorded as discrete data sets. Chemical data sets include both the
quantification and occurrence in individual tablets of the major amphetamine
components (i.e. MDA, MDMA, MDEA, MBDB methamphetamine and
amphetamine), adulterant components (i.e. caffeine, phenacetin, acetaminophen and
acetylsalicylic acid), excipients components (i.e. sucrose, glucose, lactose, fructose,
mannitol, sorbitol and inositol) and inorganic components (i.e. Al, Zn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cr,
Pb, Na and K ). Chemometrics, including unsupervised methods of principal
component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and Pearson’s
correlation coefficient, as well as supervised methods of linear discriminant analysis
(LDA) and artificial neural networks (ANN) was applied to the chemical data sets to
demonstrate the ability of the statistical approach to linking sample seizures. HCA
and ANN were the numerical methods that most efficiently distinguished between
5HPLC method development & chemometric analysis of ecstasy & cocaine
linked and unlinked seizures. Eleven groups were identified from the chemical data
sets with group classification dependant on the main amphetamine, adulterant and
excipient components present. The benefits from this study can provide strategic
intelligence and an understanding of the operational level on the Irish ecstasy market
and help evaluate the changing profile or dynamics associated with this illegal market
supply.
2011-01-01T00:00:00Z