Digital Commons Network^™

The Identification Of Diagnostic Serological Autoantibodies For Cutaneous Melanoma, Pauline Zaenker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Abstract not available.

My Worst Ever Night At The Best School Ball Ever : Creating Taboo Theatre For Teenagers, Jeremy F. Rice

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

My Worst Ever Night at the Best School Ball Ever (School Ball) is a new play for teenage audiences. The action takes place on the night of a ball for final year students. A prank with a goat goes horribly wrong, a photo of a girl pissing in a pot plant is widely circulated, and everyone finds out about the boy in a sexual relationship with a teacher. At the heart of the play are teenagers, armed with mobile phones, trying to find their way in a contradictory and confusing world.

The creative development of School Ball centred on practice-based …

A Model Of Management Learning For Occupational Therapists In Small Business In Australia, Jeannine Millsteed

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research sought to identify factors that contribute to occupational therapists developing management competencies when they become small business owners providing professional clinical services. This is an important for several reasons and precipitated by the Australian government’s introduction of incentives that encourage health professions to move from employment in public hospitals into the private sector, coupled with a recognition that occupational therapists receive no formal business training in their professional education, and the reported high levels of business failure in the small business sector. A review of the literature established the value of small business to the Australian economy, growth …

Biomarkers Of Disease : Concentrations In The Serum Of Women During Natural And Stimulated Ovarian Cycles And During Early Pregnancy, Melissa Stemp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Molecular biomarkers are chemical signatures that all cell types possess. They are used in medicine to evaluate both normal biological events and pathogenic processes. A series of biomarkers associated with cancer of the breast, ovaries and other parts of the female reproductive tract and the monitoring of pregnancy were measured in disease‐free women. The biomarkers measured were prostate specific antigen (PSA), CA125, CA15‐3, CA72‐4, and pregnancy associated plasma protein‐a (PAPP‐A). The patterns of change during natural and stimulated ovarian cycles and early pregnancy were investigated to determine if these biomarkers could reflect normal events relating to ovulation and implantation/placentation. In …

Magnetocardiography In Unshielded Environment Based On Optical Magnetometry And Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Valentina Tiporlini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis proposes and demonstrates the concept of a magnetocardiographic system employing an array of optically-pumped quantum magnetometers and an adaptive noise cancellation for heart magnetic field measurement within a magnetically-unshielded environment.

Optically-pumped quantum magnetometers are based on the use of the atomic-spin-dependent optical properties of an atomic medium. An Mxconfiguration- based optically-pumped quantum magnetometer employing two sensing cells containing caesium vapour is theoretically described and experimentally developed, and the dependence of its sensitivity and frequency bandwidth upon the light power and the alkali vapour temperature is experimentally demonstrated. Furthermore, the capability of the developed magnetometer of measuring very weak …

Financing Preferences And Capital Structure Among Successful Malaysian Smes, Shafie Mohamed Zabri

Plymouth Business School Theses

The increasing importance of economic contributions of small and medium-sized sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world, especially in developing countries, motivated a better understanding of financial practices among SMEs. Financial support is among the factors affecting the success of SMEs. However, studies on the financial practices among successful SMEs in Malaysia are still limited. An understanding of the financial practices of this particular group of SMEs is essential in developing a supportive financial framework to achieve national agenda for improving SMEs sustainability and increasing the overall SMEs’ contributions to the Malaysian economy. This research investigates the financial practices among successful …

The Mediating Role Of Entrepreneurial Leadership: An Investigation Of The Competitiveness Of Smes In The Uk South-West Food And Drink Manufacturing, Lise Hunter

Plymouth Business School Theses

ABSTRACT It has long been argued that Social Capital, a concept represented by the value embedded in the social relationships of individuals or collectives constitute strategic resources for individuals and organisations. Social networks are thus perceived by businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, as a means to access those resources, for example gaining privileged access to strategic information that could secure financial resources. In reality, and because of the inherent characteristics of Social Capital, entrepreneurs or business owner/managers who effectively use resources available within social networks are driven by a clear and compelling vision and sustained by a set of …

Fluid Fractals: Leadership At The Apex Of Local Authority In England, Smita Tripathi

Plymouth Business School Theses

Purpose: This thesis aims to explore the complex phenomenon of leadership at the apex of democratically elected local authority in England. It makes sense of the social construction of leadership as perceived and enacted by senior appointed officers (hereinafter officers), elected members (hereinafter members) and key stakeholders – the voices from the apex and their understandings and interpretations. Design/methodology/approach: The thesis examines leadership literature through the paradigm of constructivism-interpretivism, making sense of transcripts of the semi-structured interviews with officers, members and stakeholders engaged in local authority work. Dominant/mainstream theories of leadership offer limited help to understanding the relational, processual constructions …

Plymouth Family Intervention Project Longitudinal Review: 2008-2013, Z James, T Green

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Rural Non-Farm Livelihood Diversification And Poverty Reduction In Nigeria, Paul Agu Igwe

Plymouth Business School Theses

The aim of this research is to provide analysis of the rural non-farm sector in Nigeria by investigating inter-linkages between farm and non-farm activities. By critical analysis using quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate farm and non-farm sectors, the research attempts to reveal the complex linkages between these activities undertaken by rural households. The analysis employs household surveys aimed at collecting primary data undertaken to investigate various aspects of rural livelihoods including sources of income, employment, diversification and determinants of household income. The research provides analysis of Rural Micro and Small Enterprises (RMSEs) in the non-farm sector. It investigates …

The Construction Of Local Road Safety Issues: When Lay And Professional Discourses Collide, Stephen Ball

Plymouth Business School Theses

Highway Authorities in the United Kingdom have jurisdiction to control, maintain and improve the local highway network, and the Road Traffic Act 1988 places a duty on such authorities to take preventative measures to reduce road casualties. As such, engineers working for the Highway Authority are on the ‘front-line,’ and are required to deal directly with lay concerns relating to road safety. This study investigates the nature and characteristics of how local road safety issues are raised and how engineers respond to such issues in a local authority setting. A grounded theory methodology was applied in the collection and analysis …

"The Duchy Of Cornwall - A Feudal Remnant? An Examination Of The Origin, Evolution And Present Status Of The Duchy Of Cornwall", John Kirkhope

Plymouth Business School Theses

John Kirkhope “The Duchy of Cornwall – A Feudal Remnant?” “An examination of the origin, evolution and present status of the Duchy of Cornwall” ABSTRACT This thesis conducts a legal analysis of the Duchy of Cornwall and how its perceived status has changed over the centuries. The roots of the Duchy date back nearly a thousand years therefore an understanding of the roots of the Duchy and its evolution, focussing on the significant legal issues, over time is necessary to comprehend its present position. The thesis concludes by exploring issues surrounding the contemporary legal status of the Duchy and identifies …

Investigating The Effects Of Corporate Governance Of Banks In Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Approach, Umar Abbas Ibrahim

Plymouth Business School Theses

This thesis investigates the phenomena that underlie corporate governance practices in the Nigerian banking sector (NBS); the purpose is to understand the nature of corporate governance and the factors influencing it. It offers a response to a number of concerns raised about the effectiveness of banks’ corporate governance practices, especially before the consolidation reform and during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis. Culture and leadership are identified as providing the most suitable theoretical framework for this study, and through grounded theory (GT), an empirical study is undertaken to identify the nature of corporate governance practices in banks, the factors that influence …

Covenant Of Redemption In The Theology Of Jonathan Edwards: The Nexus Between The Immanent And The Economic Trinity, Reita Yazawa

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary trinitarian theologies tend to hold that the doctrine of the Trinity, especially the immanent Trinity, became impractical, speculative, and abstruse over the years in the history of Christian theology. In response, the recent theologies of the Trinity explore various practical implications of the doctrine of the Trinity with emphasis on God’s economic work of redemption in history. However, the Reformed idea of the covenant of redemption helps us to reconsider whether the doctrine of the Trinity, even of the immanent Trinity, has been really so impractical. In this study, I argue that the Reformed idea of the covenant of …

Accumulation Of Aqueous And Nanoparticulate Silver By The Marine Gastropod Littorina Littorea, Haiying Li, Andrew Turner, Murray T. Brown

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Age Effects On Explicit And Implicit Memory, Emma V. Ward, Christopher J. Berry, David R. Shanks

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

"Until The Trial Is Complete You Can't Really Say Whether It Helped You Or Not, Can You?": Exploring Cancer Patients' Perceptions Of Taking Part In A Trial Of Acupressure Wristbands, John G. Hughes, Wanda Russell, Matthew Breckons, Janet Richardson, Mari Lloyd-Williams, Alex Molassiotis

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Exogenous Application Of Molybdenum Affects The Expression Of Cbf14 And The Development Of Frost Tolerance In Wheat., Mohammed Al-Issawi, Hail Z. Rihan, Wondwossen Abate Woldie, Stephen Burchett, Michael P. Fuller

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Wheat is able to cold acclimate in response to low temperatures and thereby increase its frost tolerance and the extent of this acclimation is greater in winter genotypes compared to spring genotypes. Such up-regulation of frost tolerance is controlled by Cbf transcription factors. Molybdenum (Mo) application has been shown to enhance frost tolerance of wheat and this study aimed to investigate the effect of Mo on the development of frost tolerance in winter and spring wheat. Results showed that Mo treatment increased the expression of Cbf14 in wheat under non-acclimating condition but did not alter frost tolerance. However, when Mo …

A ‘Whole-School/Community Development’ Approach To Preventing And Countering Bullying: The Erris Anti-Bullying Initiative (2009–2011), Stephen James Minton, Mahoney M O', Rose Conway-Walsh

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Novel Polyomaviruses Of Nonhuman Primates: Genetic And Serological Predictors For The Existence Of Multiple Unknown Polyomaviruses Within The Human Population, Nelly Scuda, Nadege Freda Madinda, Chantal Akoua-Koffi, Edgard Valerie Adjogoua, Diana Wevers, Jörg Hofmann, Kenneth N. Cameron, Saj Leendertz, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Martha Robbins, Christophe Boesch, Michael A. Jarvis, Ugo Moens, Lawrence Mugisha, Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fh Leendertz, Bernhard Ehlers

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Fimh Inhibitor Prevents Acute Bladder Infection And Treats Chronic Cystitis Caused By Multidrug-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli St131., Makrina Totsika, Maria Kostakioti, Thomas J. Hannan, Mathew Upton, Scott A. Beatson, James W. Janetka, Scott J. Hultgren, Mark A. Schembri

School of Biomedical Sciences

BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli O25b:H4-ST131 represents a predominant clone of multidrug-resistant uropathogens currently circulating worldwide in hospitals and the community. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli ST131 are typically associated with limited treatment options and are often recurrent. METHODS: Using established mouse models of acute and chronic UTI, we mapped the pathogenic trajectory of the reference E. coli ST131 UTI isolate, strain EC958. RESULTS: We demonstrated that E. coli EC958 can invade bladder epithelial cells and form intracellular bacterial communities early during acute UTI. Moreover, E. coli EC958 persisted in the bladder and established chronic UTI. Prophylactic antibiotic administration …

20th Annual Meeting Of Pakistan Society Of Neurology Bhurban, Islamabad April 2013, Aftab Leghari, Hazim Brohi

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

: Stroke is a major preventable public health challenge. Diabetic patients constitute a fair percentage of patients with stroke. Numerous epidemiological studies in the United States and Europe suggest that one fifth of stroke patients have diabetes.We evaluate the risk factors leading to stroke in Diabetic patients

Constraints To School Decision Making Process: The Perceptions Of School Principals Of Alain Education Office, Rowaya Saeed Al Humaidi Shaheen Al Ghafli

Theses

The purposes of this study were to identify the constraint faced by the school principals of Al Ain Educational Office in the school decision-making process, examine the most important type of constraints (personal, organizational, or social) for school decision- making. Also, identify the impact of the following variables (gender, age, educational qualification, and the number of experience years) to make decision and suggest how to overcome the constraints from the point of view of the study sample. The researcher used the descriptive method. Data for the study were collected through the use of a questionnaire. The population of the study …

A Thomistic Understanding Of Happiness, Christian Stephens

Theses

Imagine that extra-terrestrial researchers land on Earth with the mission of studying humanity. As part of their expedition they wish to sit in on one University Degree, but are unsure of which degree to choose. So they decide to carry out a survey, asking each individual human what it is they want in life. Based on the results, the aliens will then study the appropriate field. After conducting the survey and processing the data, they come to the conclusion that humans highly regard this thing called happiness.1 The Head Researchers unanimously decide that a ‘degree in happiness’ is in order. …

Depression And Hopelessness In Secondary And Higher Education Students, Ali Haydar Şar

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Depression and hopelessness are emotional problems which should be taken into consideration for secondary and higher education students in terms of development and education. In the research, it was tried to determine if depression and hopelessness vary according to education grades, gender and different departments. Beck Depression Scale and Beck Hopelessness Scale were applied to 1050 students in order to collect data in the research. According to obtained results, it was concluded that secondary level students have higher depression and hopelessness scale than higher education students; girls have higher depression levels than boys and boys have higher hopelessness levels than …

Students’ Crisis In Nigerian Tertiary Educational Institutions: A Review Of The Causes And Management Style, Ajibade David

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Students’ crisis is one of the challenges confronting Nigerian educational system in the recent past. The level of disruption and closures that has bedeviled Nigerian tertiary institutions is unprecedented in the History/ Archaeology of higher education in Nigeria. However, realizing the importance of tertiary education in national development, this paper is conceived to identify the factors responsible for the occurrence of students’ crisis and the management style adopted by the individuals and groups involved in tertiary education system. Secondary source of data collection was used in the study. Data were generated from textbooks, published and unpublished materials, including the internet. …

A Community In Turmoil: The Iranians Of The Caucasus And The Russian Revolutions (1900-1920), Solmaz Rustamova Tohidi

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The History/ Archaeology of the formation of the Iranian Community in Azerbaijan traces back to the South Caucasian region’s inclusion as part of the Russian Empire in the beginning of the XIX century under the Gulistan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) treaties after the IranRussia Wars. The Iranian community in the Caucasus region was shaped by a long History/ Archaeology of political influences and resulting migrations to the Caucasus, twenty years of which are analyzed in this article. The 1880-1920 migrations promoted the development of IranianRussian relations, economies, trade, etc. On the other hand, an impetuous socio-political life in the Caucasus …

Valuers’ Liability In Mortgage Valuation, Gabriel K. Babawale

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Valuation is a profession; valuers’ clients are therefore justified in expecting valuations that meet the standards prescribed by relevant professional body(s).Failure to meet these standards constitute a source of breach of the duty that valuers owe their clients. The courts too have always looked up to the published standards of professional bodies for judgment guidelines in liability cases of contract, fraud and negligence. Drawing inferences from standards prescribed by valuers’ professional bodies and ensuing mortgage valuation case laws, this study sought to establish, among others, the nature and extent of the duty of care that valuers owe their clients; the …

Attar And The West: The Role Of Translation, Ailar Moghaddam Jahangiri, Amin Karimnia

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The present study investigated the influence of Attar Neishabouri, the 6th and the early 7th century Persian poet and the theoretician of Sufism, through translations done in the West. Here, the main works of Attar have been introduced and the available translations done of his work have been reviewed. "The Conference of the Birds", "The Ocean of the Soul", "The Muslim Saints and Mystics" and "The Birds’ Parliament"are among the translations done of his works. Although, French translators are among the first who introduced Attar to the Western society, the most important work in this field was done by the …

Language Policy In Azerbaijan Toward Sustainable Change, Jamala I. Mammadova

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been working towards a way to improve the Azerbaijani language as the sole state language of the country. The continuing war over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict slowed the speed of all these ameliorating processes. There are certain issues in the field of language policy in Azerbaijan. It will take several decades for the country to remove all the obstacles and to make its way to the peak in the field of language.