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The reconfiguration of CPD for social care practitioners in Ireland : an activity theory approach
Full text linkSocial care practitioners at the frontline require specific Continuous Professional Development (CPD). Many changes affecting practitioners have occurred in Irish society since the start of the 21st century, resulting in the need for new types of reflective CPD. Previous research has explored the social care profession, but with little research conducted specifically on the CPD training provided to practitioners in residential child care centres.\ud
This thesis addresses this gap by providing an insight into the issue of CPD through the voices of practitioners. It is informed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), advanced by Engeström as a way to study learning phenomena within the complicated, ill-structured, and contradiction-laden world of adult professional life. Primary research was in the form of semi-structured interviews with 18 participants: 15 practitioners and three social care managers. A CHAT-informed intervention was conducted in the form of a sequence of change laboratories (CLs) in relation to Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) – a key technique adopted in state-funded residential care. A follow-up questionnaire study took place with six of the eight participants who took part in the TCI CLs. The outcomes of the CLs indicated that the CHAT approach could be adapted to a small-scale work setting; a follow-up survey was conducted with six participants who originally took part in a TCI intervention. Secondary research includes a comprehensive review of relevant literature in the field of contemporary social care and in that of CPD.\ud
The findings reveal that practitioners do not have a competency-based training framework; some participants said they had not received their mandatory training. In the follow-up, questionnaire participants reported they had subsequently received additional CPD. While structured formal supervision is offered, most expressed disappointment with it and suggested external supervision. Team reflection was the norm as opposed to personal reflection, with practitioners citing work constraints, staff shortages and depleted resources as the barriers to non-participation. Above all, professionals identified a lack of communication between them and their senior, external management and trainers; they all called for a change in their professional CPD training. In light of the findings, recommendations and avenues for future research are discussed
Improved high temperature stability of anatase TiO2 photocatalysts by N,F,P co-doping
Full text linkAmong the three commonly occurring phases (anatase, rutile, and brookite) of TiO2, the anatase form is reported\ud
to be the best photocatalyst due to the improved charge-carrier mobility and the greater number of surface\ud
hydroxyl groups. The anatase to rutile transition in titania photocatalysts usually occurs at a temperature between\ud
500 °C to 700 °C. Development of a high temperature stable (above 1000 °C) anatase phase is important\ud
for various environmental applications (e.g. self-cleaning ceramic tiles, anti-microbial sanitary wares, etc.). In\ud
this study, the use of ammonium hexafluorophosphate as a single source dopant (method A) and urea,\ud
trifluoroacetic acid and phosphoric acid as multiple sources (method B) was undertaken to improving its high\ud
temperature stability. Method A was seen to produce a more stable anatase phase, with 68% anatase present at\ud
1100 °C, compared to method B which showed 100% rutile at 900 °C. Kinetic analysis shows a marked increase\ud
in the photocatalytic degradation of a model dye using materials calcined at 1100 °C for method A\ud
(0.042 min−1) compared to that for method B (0.005 min−1) and the commercial photocatalyst Evonik-\ud
Degussa AEROXIDE® (0.031 min−1) at 1100 °C. XPS results showed that, the only dopant detected at high temperatures\ud
is phosphorus in its P5+ form. The incorporation of phosphorus has proved to be an effective method in\ud
stabilising the anatase phase at high temperature. The current investigation also showed that a single source precursor\ud
is more favourable to obtain high temperature stable anatase phase photocatalysts
A phenomenological study of community gardening : an insider's view of the lived experiences of community gardening participants throughout the growing and non-growing seasons
Full text linkThis study was carried out with the help of seven research participants at a community garden in the North-west of Ireland. Although research exploring the experiences of community gardening participants is limited, it is broadly acknowledged that community gardens have the capacity to promote positive, physical, social and mental health related outcomes for participants. However, the short Irish growing season and absence of guidelines concerning dormant season engagement limits the potential for these outcomes to be experienced all year round. In response to this I initiated a process of developing a range of new garden features and horticultural craftwork activities at the community garden under study, which would provide stimulation to its members throughout the whole year. The completion of this process paved the way for the execution of a unique study, one which would capture the experiences of participants throughout both the growing and dormant seasons.This study employed a phenomenological research strategy to explore the ‘lived’ seasonal experiences of community gardening participants and to establish what ‘meaning’ can be attached to these experiences. The main findings argue that community gardeners develop a strong sense of connectedness to the garden and to fellow participants and that the social, physical and skills development implications can influence the way participants self-identify. The collaborative efforts involved in developing and maintaining these spaces also fulfil an important function in relation to the promotion of social capital. The findings also demonstrate how dormant season activities can not only complement the growing season experiences in terms of the change of pace, scenery and direction, but also provide real value in terms of the different cognitive and skills development processes involved in carrying out these unique and unfamiliar tasks. This study also explores the transferability of the new dormant season activities to similar settings and provides recommendations for future areas of research
An effective method for the preparation of high temperature stable anatase TiO2 photocatalysts
No full textAn efficient, rapid and straightforward method for the preparation of nitrogen and fluorine (N, F) codoped high temperature stable anatase using a microwave pre-treatment is reported. Using a single source, ammonium fluoride (NH4F) for both nitrogen and fluorine, effective doping of the precursor titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) was possible. These samples were characterised for their structural and optical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform IR (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. In terms of the anatase to rutile transition enhancement using a novel microwave assisted technique, the sample prepared in a composition of 1:8 TiO2: NH4F at 1200 °C was seen to be most effective, having stable anatase present at 57.1 % compared to undoped TiO2 being 100 % rutile from 900 °C. This method involves the production of ammonium oxofluorotitanates (NH4TiOF3) at low temperatures. The inclusion of these intermediates greatly reduces the particle size growth and delays the anatase to rutile transition. The photocatalytic activity of these materials was studied by analysing the degradation of an organic dye, rhodamine 6G as a model system and the rate constant was calculated by pseudo-first-order kinetics. These results showed that the doped sample (0.0225 min-1) was three times more active than the undoped sample (0.0076 min-1) and over seven times faster than the commercial TiO2 photocatalyst standard Degussa P-25 calcined at 1200 °C (0.0030 min-1). The formation of intermediate compounds, oxofluorotitanates, was identified as the major reason for a delay in the anatase to rutile transition
Long-term outcomes of open repair of inflammatory and atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms
Full text linkBackground: \ud
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a common vascular disease mostly affecting those over the age of 65 years. Open surgical repair (OSR) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of AAA, however long-term mortality and morbidity still remain high in patients with inflammatory AAA, when compared to atherosclerotic AAA. \ud
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The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term outcomes of both inflammatory and atherosclerotic AAA after OSR. \ud
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Methods:\ud
Out of 837 aortic interventions, 149 patients were identified as having undergone open surgical repair for AAA between 2003 and 2013. Of the 149 patients, histopathological data was available for 92 patients with open AAA repair. Kaplan-Meier curves were analysed to evaluate probability of survival.\ud
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Results:\ud
Patients with inflammatory AAA were younger (70 years) by an average of 2 years compared to atherosclerotic AAA (72 years). Morbidity and length of intensive care stay were insignificantly different in both groups. Inflammatory AAA were associated with higher all cause survival rate (82%) compared to atherosclerotic AAA (68%) (P=0.008) after ten years.\ud
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Conclusion:\ud
There was no difference in clinical outcomes between both atherosclerotic AAA and inflammatory AAA, which is due to the technique used. IAAA were associated with lower mortality rates and improved all cause survival at ten years post open surgical repai
An investigation into the relationship between physical activity, perceived psychological well-being and stress levels
No full textMore than just a game: the role of simulation in the teaching of product design and entrepreneurship to mechanical engineering students
Full text linkThe purpose of this work is to contribute to the debate on the best pedagogical approach to developing undergraduate mechanical engineering skills to meet the requirements of contemporary complex working environments. The paper provides an example of using student-entrepreneur collaboration in the teaching of modules to Mechanical Engineering final year students. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of the most significant recent innovations in the area of education for the professions. This work proposes to make an original contribution by simulating a real-life entrepreneur interaction for the students. The current literature largely confines simulation-based learning to computer applications such as games. However, this paper argues that role-playing by students interfacing with technology start-ups can also be regarded as “simulation” in a wider sense. Consequently the paper proposes the concept of simulation-action learning (SAL) as an enhancement of PBL and to distinguish it from computer simulation
Behaviour of hybrid concrete lattice girder flat slab system using insitu structural health monitoring
Full text linkIn recent decades, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has emerged as an increasingly important tool in Civil Engineering to understand how structures behave during construction and operation. Although SHM is not a new concept, it is only relatively recently that Civil Engineers have adopted SHM for the design, construction and management of civil engineering structures. One of the key benefits of SHM is the improved understanding of insitu structural behaviour.\ud
This paper describes the SHM strategy implemented on a recently constructed building to monitor and record the behaviour of a hybrid concrete lattice girder flat slab floor system. Hybrid concrete construction (HCC) combines insitu and precast concrete to maximise the benefits of both forms of construction. HCC offers many advantages for both the designer and contractor and produces simple, buildable and economic structures which can result in faster, safer construction and reduced costs. Sensors were embedded in both the precast and insitu components of the hybrid concrete floor system and are used to monitor various aspects of the behaviour of the floor during the manufacture, construction and operational phase of the building. The information from the real-time monitoring offers the opportunity to compare actual and predicted behaviour using structural codes, such as Eurocodes. The majority of the instrumentation is embedded within the structure so that long-term effects such as creep and shrinkage of concrete components can also be investigated
Cross institutional interchanges: student-teacher perspectives on an Irish service learning partnership
Full text linkThe research partners in this action research study are the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Letterfrack (GMITL) and QDS, Cope Foundation, Cork. GMITL is a provider of undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) for second level teachers in the technical subjects Construction Studies and Design and Communication Graphics. QDS is service provider for adults with intellectual and physical challenges, specialising in wood technology and manufacture. GMITL student teachers engage in a civic engagement placement with QDS using the model of service learning (SL). This study investigates student teacher perspectives on participation in the SL experience with QDS. The study aims to identify benefits and challenges arising out of this partnership
The use of deep water berths and the effect of noise on bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary cSAC
Full text linkThe Shannon Estuary on the west coast of Ireland is one of Europe’s premier deepwater berths catering for ships up to 200,000 deadweight tonnage. It is also Ireland’s only designated candidate special area of conservation for bottlenose dolphins under the EU Habitats Directive. Long-term static acoustic monitoring was carried out at a number of intensive shipping sites. In 2012, noise monitoring took place over a 6-month period (at 1 site) as part of Ireland’s requirements under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This is the first assessment of the potential effect of vessel traffic on the behavior of this discrete dolphin population