Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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Doing good for other people and the planet and/or obsessed with your career? Personal value orientation as a predictor for internal CSR preferences of young professionals
Get PDFIn striving for sustainability success in organizations, the proactive behaviour of employees in times of irreversible climate change is of great importance: employees with an awareness of sustainability and their subsequent extra-role work behavior are required. As ambassadors for corporate social responsibility (CSR), they might convince their colleagues of the importance of CSR for business success. Sustainable and Green human resource management (HRM) concepts (e.g. participation in cultural campaigns, green vs social projects and green awareness training) promote this sustainable employee behavior. Our fundamental research question is therefore whether the personal value orientations (PVO) of candidates and/or employees predict internal CSR preferences that later promote sustainable employee behavior. In our integrative literature review, we focus on young, highly qualified job seekers who are facing the grand challenges of the 21st century. Applying Schwartz's personal values framework, empirical studies are reviewed to examine the proposed relationship between Schwartz’s personal values framework and employees’ internal CSR preferences. Our review yields heterogenous results: Schwartz’s self-transcendence values either positively or negatively impacted the internal social and environmental CSR dimensions, but the influence of self-enhancement values on employee focused CSR dimensions was consistent. Future research directions are set out along with practical implications. Finally, we give an outlook on our planned empirical work including hypotheses on a comparative sample of German and Irish student
Compendium of Active Learning Strategies for Student Engagement.
Get PDFThis Compendium of Active Learning
Strategies for Student Engagement,
consists of two key sections. Part One
provides a theoretical overview of Limerick
Institute of Technology’s commitment
to Active Learning and outlines over 60
different Active Learning Strategies for
Student Engagement. These include
sections on: Individual, Partner and Group
Learning Activities.Active learning at LIT
Individual activities
Partner activities
Group activities
Practitioners guid
WIP: Adaptive comparative judgement as a tool for assessing first-year engineering design projects
No full textDesign projects are an important part of many first-year engineering programs. The desire to
employ holistic assessment strategies to student work with open-ended and divergent
responses has been widely noted in the literature. Holistic strategies can provide insight into
the role of qualities (e.g., professional constructs) that are not typically conducive to standard
assessment rubrics. Adaptive Comparative Judgement (ACJ) is an assessment approach that
is used to assess design projects holistically. The assessment of projects using ACJ can be
carried out by experts or students to scaffold their learning experience. This Work-inProgress paper explores the use and benefits of ACJ for assessing design projects specifically
focusing on first-year engineering students and educators. Further, conference attendees will
be provided the opportunity throughout the conference to engage with the ACJ software to
experience how this system can work in practice for assessing student design projects.ye
Investigation into the potential use of dietary supplementation to reduce the impact of Amoebic Gill Disease
No full textAmoebic Gill Disease (AGD) is a disease affecting cultured Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) which is caused by Paramoeba perurans. The immunomodulatory impact of functional foods has previously been demonstrated in salmon. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of a novel fish feed in mitigating the severity and progression of AGD in Atlantic salmon.
Negative and positive control fish were maintained on a base fish feed, with experimental fish maintained on a customized feed blend pre- and post-amoeba inoculation. Disease progression was evaluated using gill scoring and diagnostic quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the detection of P. perurans at 14 and 21 dpi. The expression profiles of 11 immune related genes were analyzed by qPCR at 14 and 21 dpi. The customized feed blend was shown to delay the onset of clinical symptoms associated with AGD. Furthermore, the expression of genes with roles in maintenance of the mucosal layer and mucosal defense were impacted in fish fed on this novel feed formulation.ye
Connecting the Person by Removing the Stigma: Why Ireland Should Follow the Portuguese Model of Drug Decriminalisation
No full textThe decriminalisation of drugs and how it can impact addiction, crime and mental health is a subject that inspires global interest and debate. Much has been written about the positive outcomes of decriminalisation from a public health perspective, including the elimination of aggressive policing and community oversight and the shift to offering treatment and social supports for those affected by addiction. Ireland has yet to move to a model of decriminalisation, although a system similar to the one employed in Portugal has been suggested. This article briefly outlines reasons why a paradigm shift is vital if progress is to be made in reducing addiction in contemporary Ireland. The potential benefits could include a reduction in the pervasive social stigma connected with substance abuse, leading to less social exclusion within the Irish population.ye
Exploring the potential key role of microbial enzymes from plastic polluted sites in the biodegradation of polyhydroxybutyrate films
Get PDFBioresorbable chitosan-based bone regeneration scaffold using various bioceramics and the alteration of photoinitiator concentration in an extended UV photocrosslinking reaction in an extended UV photocrosslinking reaction
No full textBone tissue engineering (BTE) is an ongoing field of research based on clinical needs
to treat delayed and non-union long bone fractures. An ideal tissue engineering scaffold should
have a biodegradability property matching the rate of new bone turnover, be non-toxic, have good
mechanical properties, and mimic the natural extracellular matrix to induce bone regeneration. In this
study, biodegradable chitosan (CS) scaffolds were prepared with combinations of bioactive ceramics,
namely hydroxyapatite (HAp), tricalcium phosphate-α (TCP- α), and fluorapatite (FAp), with a fixed
concentration of benzophenone photoinitiator (50 µL of 0.1% (w/v)) and crosslinked using a UV curing
system. The efficacy of the one-step crosslinking reaction was assessed using swelling and compres sion testing, SEM and FTIR analysis, and biodegradation studies in simulated body fluid. Results in dicate that the scaffolds had comparable mechanical properties, which were: 13.69 ± 1.06 (CS/HAp),
12.82 ± 4.10 (CS/TCP-α), 13.87 ± 2.9 (CS/HAp/TCP-α), and 15.55 ± 0.56 (CS/FAp). Consequently,
various benzophenone concentrations were added to CS/HAp formulations to determine their effect
on the degradation rate. Based on the mechanical properties and degradation profile of CS/HAp,
it was found that 5 µL of 0.1% (w/v) benzophenone resulted in the highest degradation rate at
eight weeks (54.48% degraded), while maintaining compressive strength between (4.04 ± 1.49 to
10.17 ± 4.78 MPa) during degradation testing. These results indicate that incorporating bioceramics
with a suitable photoinitiator concentration can tailor the biodegradability and load-bearing capacity
of the scaffoldsye
Fingerprinting critical therapeutic attributes: overcoming challenges to fulfil commercial potential – Early stages
Get PDFAim: This research endeavour will determine
and evaluate the mechanism of action of a
modified coconut oil that has previously shown
promising antimicrobial activity against the
opportunistic infection, T. rubrum.
Background: Dermatophyte disorders are
among humanity’s most
persistent parasitic associates, and by now have
survived several generations of therapeutic
regimens. One concern in particular is the
clinical difficulty of obtaining permanent
treatments for fungal infections in the distal and
lateral subungual space of the human
nail. Another current worry remains the limited
number of antifungal treatments available on
the market, and with the widespread use of a
small selection of such agents, there is a fear of
a potential rise in antifungal resistance. These
issues highlight the demand for novel antifungal
therapeutic agents and with scaffolds offered by
nature becoming increasing popular,
they might just be the perfect solution
to combat the concerns. One such offering is
under development by a research group in TUS Midlands
The importance of spatial ability within technology education
Get PDFUnderstanding the factors that impact learners with respect to their academic achievement is critical for enhancing educational provision, and the nature of these factors can vary widely. They could be, for example, cognitive, conative, physiological, or physical. With increased understanding of such factor's teachers can better meet learner needs. Investigations into individual differences are not uncommon within technology education, for example much work has been conducted in the area of attitudes towards technology. However, research into individual cognitive differences is an emerging space. In light of the overwhelming evidence illustrating that spatial ability, commonly described as the ability to generate and manipulate abstract visual images, is positively associated with STEM educational performance and retention, understanding the role of spatial ability in technology education is important. Acknowledging the potential implications of such insight but recognising the lack of contextual evidence, this chapter describes the results of a series of studies conducted with the aim of supporting the development of theory and suggesting recommendations for practice with respect to spatial ability within technology education. A literature review of the extant literature on spatial ability was conducted, and four quantitative studies examined the theorised positionality of spatial ability within technology education, and its relationship with authentic problem solving and other cognitive factors.ye
Particle Acceleration Through Coaxial Co-Flow Nozzles for Cold Spray Applications
Get PDFThe present study numerically investigates the effectiveness of co-flowing nozzle for cold spray application. A convergent - divergent axi-symmetric nozzles have been simulated with high-pressure nitrogen flow. The particle acceleration is modelled by 2-way Lagrangian approach and validated with literature. An annular co-flowing nozzle with circular central nozzle has been simulated for nitrogen gas flow. The momentum preservation for central nozzle flow has been observed, which results in higher particle speed for longer axial distance after nozzle exit. It is envisioned from the outcome that utilization of co-flow can
lead to reduction in the divergent section length of cold spray central nozzle, which may ultimately help to address clogging issues for continuous operation. Co-flow operating at 3 MPa, same as central nozzle can increase supersonic core up to 23.8 %