Digital Commons Network^™

The Politics Of The Digital Single Market: Culture Vs. Competition Vs. Copyright, Simone Schroff, John Street

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper examines the implications for European music culture of the European Union’s (EU) Digital Single Market strategy. It focuses on the regulatory framework being created for the management of copyright policy, and in particular the role played by collective management organisations (CMOs or collecting societies). One of the many new opportunities created by digitalisation has been the music streaming services. These depend on consumers being able to access music wherever they are, but such a system runs counter to the management of rights on a national basis and through collecting organisations which act as monopolies within their own territories. …

Ethical, Cultural, Social And Individual Considerations Prior To Transition To Limitation Or Withdrawal Of Life-Sustaining Therapies, Re Kirsch, Cr Balit, Fa Carnevale, Jm Latour, V Larcher

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Mhealth Resources For Asthma And Pregnancy Care: Methodological Issues And Social Media Recruitment. A Discussion Paper, Graham R. Williamson, Anita O'Connor, Chervonne Chamberlain, David Halpin

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Preconception Care For Infertile Couples: Nurses' And Midwives' Roles In Promoting Better Maternal And Birth Outcomes., Helen T. Allan, Ginny Mounce, Esther Crespo, Jill Shawe

School of Nursing and Midwifery

INTRODUCTION: Preconception care promotes better maternal outcomes, may assist in preventing birth defects and improves fertility awareness among healthy childbearing couples. Yet, the significance of preconception care for infertile couples is undeveloped area of practice in Europe. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To discuss the importance of nurses and midwives in providing preconception care to infertile couples in the United Kingdom and Spain. DESIGN: Discursive paper. METHOD: A comparison of different midwifery and nursing approaches to preconception care for infertile couples in two European countries. FINDINGS: At present, infertile couples' needs for preconception care are not routinely identified or understood. There is …

Mobile Wallet Inhibitors: Developing A Comprehensive Theory Using An Integrated Model, Sk Sharma, Sk Mangla, S Luthra, Z Al-Salti

Plymouth Business School

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The concept of the mobile wallet is increasingly adopted in developed and developing countries for improving the scale, productivity, and excellence of banking services. Oman is one of the most growing countries of the Middle Eastern economies. Acceptance of mobile wallets in Oman is being hindered by various inhibitors. There is no study in the Middle Eastern countries that addressed the concerns of probable inhibitors influencing mobile wallet acceptance from expert's perspective. In this study, eleven key inhibitors to mobile wallet adoption are identified from the literature and expert's feedback. This study employed Interpretive Structural Modelling …

‘University Must Be Saved’ Genealogy As A Knowledge Approach., Patrizia Moschella

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The research offers an elaboration of genealogy as an approach to knowledge from Friedrich Nietzsche's original work on method (1887) processed by Michel Foucault (1971). It provides an interdisciplinary version that integrates theoretical and analytical contributions from the philosophy of knowledge, from exact and social sciences to artistic research. This work also takes into account those who have most explicitly enhanced the potentialities of geneaalogy such as Gilles Deleuze (1962) and, more recently, Carlo Sini (2007) and Giorgio Agamben (2010), but also embraces the reflections of researchers, from the past or present, whom I dare associate with the genealogy approach …

Turbo Film As Artistic Apparatus And As Manifesto For The Uncertain Future Of Moving Images, Paololuca Barbieri Marchi

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The following research is a practice-based Ph.D. in filmmaking that proposes to define an unclassified film genre and its specific artistic practice. This practice, at the intersection of experimental films, art-cinema and Youtube user- generated videos, I refer to as “Turbo Films.” Beginning with a critical perspective on video art and experimental film history, as it relates to today’s public approach towards the production of moving images, the concept of “Turbo Films” is proposed as an opportunity to understand new trajectories in the production of image-culture, and as holistic modus operandi for the current cross-media environment. Turbo Films have been …

Programming Gate-Based Hardware Quantum Computers For Music, A Kirke

School of Art, Design and Architecture

There have been significant attempts previously to use the equations of quantum mechanics for generating sound, and to sonify simulated quantum processes. For new forms of computation to be utilized in computer music, eventually hardware must be utilized. This has rarely happened with quantum computer music. One reason for this is that it is currently not easy to get access to such hardware. A second is that the hardware available requires some understanding of quantum computing theory. This paper moves forward the process by utilizing two hardware quantum computation systems: IBMQASM v1.1 and a D-Wave 2X. It also introduces the …

A Framework For The Consideration Of Narrative In Creative Arts Practice, Paul Green

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This research project is aimed at creative practitioners in art and design who choose to engage in postgraduate research and who recognise narrative to be an important aspect of their work. While the goal of narratology has been explicitly declared as an interest in understanding narrative in all its forms, this project responded to a perceived absence of art and design centred perspectives in the general literature on narrative. A general attitude has developed throughout the course of the twentieth century resulting in a view that narrative has become a dead issue for contemporary practitioners. Findings from the investigations conducted …

The Heart Of Cities Seen Through The Making Of Objects, P Davis

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Building Resistance To Brand Switching During Disruptions In A Competitive Market: An Identity Theory Perspective, Dominic Appiah

Plymouth Business School Theses

The impact of identity on brand loyalty has taken precedence as an area of focus in recent marketing research. This has taken place in an era defined by technological revolution, which has created market disruptions and there are implications for customer–brand relationships. Nonetheless, the extant literature on brand loyalty does not extensively acknowledge the impact of socio-psychological attributes but rather functional utility maximisation. The brand loyalty literature has the notion that the perceived value of a brand is conceptualised and operationalised as a functional utilitarian value. Knowledge that illuminates how firms can reposition themselves to sustain brand loyalty when disruptions …

Communication Technology And Governance: The Case Of Nigeria, Kosmos Ebenezer Akande-Alasoka

Plymouth Business School Theses

Considering its level of sophistication and complexity communication can be understood as a fundamental characteristic of humankind. Since early times humanity has continued to devise novel techniques and tools to enhance the process of communication and governance procedures. This study explores and analyses developments in internet and communication technology (ICT) in relation to governance procedures in Nigeria. It looks at the rapid expansion of ICT and examines levels of assimilation by the population. This study includes an investigation of the challenges and impediments encountered in the process of the integration of ICT into the fabric of Nigeria’s governance. The data …

An Evaluation Of Online Service Failures And Recovery Strategies In The Uk Fashion Industry, Samuel Ayertey

Plymouth Business School Theses

The emerging digital economy has brought about new paradigms for retailing. Consumers across the world face new opportunities and challenges as the Internet, the driving force of the new economy, has given rise to online fashion retailing as a new and increasingly popular way for retailers to sell clothing in the twenty-first century. Along with this opportunity comes the challenge of identifying and rectifying service failures. In spite of a proliferation of the number of studies on service failure and recovery in e-service settings, there is a paucity of knowledge in terms of how service failure and recovery practices are …

Protestantism In Macedonia Today, Ruzhica Cacanoska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Protestantism arrived in Macedonia in the second half of the nineteenth century. Since then, a number of Protestant communities were established and their current membership is relatively small. The United Methodist Church in the Republic of Macedonia is considered to be traditional and is listed as such in the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. The contemporary Protestant structure is composed of 12 Evangelical-Protestant churches. The subject matter of this paper is a sociological research on the Protestant communities in Macedonia and it will focus on key issues related to the structure and functioning of their communities, their mutual cooperation, …

The Theological And Geographical Origins Of Protestantism In Albania, David Hosaflook

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The Albanian Protestant Movement has both a theological and a geographical origin. Theologically, the movement could only begin after parts of the Bible were translated into Albanian, because the Protestant doctrine of “Sola Scriptura” demands that believers understand the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, in Protestant missions to the Ottoman Empire, Bible translators usually preceded evangelists and the founding of churches. In 1827, the publication of the first Albanian New Testament was a significant achievement, but it was practically useless to most Albanians, who were illiterate (especially in their mother tongue). Hence, the Protestant missionary endeavor included linguistic and educational efforts to …

Performance Pedagogy: Utilizing Alternative Methods In The Classroom, Alexander Paez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Teaching methods and styles at the collegiate level have not changed all that much: Professors still generally give lectures from the lectern or stand in the front of the class, while writing on the board or pointing to a slide projected on a screen. Some questions and answers can occur with the occasional group activity; however, the focus seems always to come back to the text. Students read the required textbook, listen to a lecture and take tests. There are however alternative methods that engage the students as well as the professor in the learning process. Active learning is one …

Trini To De Bone: The Impact Of Migration On The Cultural Identities Of Trinidadian Immigrants In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stephanie Zukerman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of migration and the resulting intercultural interactions on the cultural identities of first-generation immigrant Trinidadians living in the Philadelphia area of the United States. It focused on four identities: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and nationality. The goal of the study was to determine how Trinidadian immigrants define and reconceptualize these four dimensions of their identities as they make new lives in American society. Another goal was to determine whether identities shift and, if so, how, for Trinidadian immigrants when they move across cultures to a society where they are no longer in the racial, ethnic, …

College Students’ Dual-Screening, Political Habits, And Attitudes: A Survey Analysis, Jonathan Weskey Bruce

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

With the rise of technology, the way people may communicate is becoming infinitely more creative and complex. Dual-screening, or second screening, is one way in which people may now engage with live television events. Dual-screening occurs when an individual uses their phone, while watching television, in such a way that aids them in their viewing of television: this is called hybrid media. Previous research has been done that has indicated people who dual-screen typically are more politically active. According to Hybrid Media System Theory, as dual-screening rises in relevance, the political power of normal citizens increases. Therefore, this study uses …

Creating A Climate To Realize Institutional Diversification Goals: A Phenomenological Study Of Campus Diversification Best Practices, S. N. Ross Canning

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the diversification plans and goals of four university or college campuses in California examining the insight and perspectives of their respective administrators. Diversification of the institution has been adopted as a strategic plan or mission goal. The investigation analyzes the strides made toward the goal by investigating the efforts of the institutions in the intercultural training of current staff and faculty. Where best practices for diversification of the institution at every level exist, I will review what is being done and contrast those findings with institutions where a diversification goal exists, but training programs for staff members …

Urban Scrawl: Satire As Subversion In Banksy's Graphic Discourse, Joshua Carlisle Harzman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the ways in which Banksy’s street art installations are used to critique sociopolitical injustices. The street has long existed as a platform for social and political movements. In particular, street art offers unique opportunities for voicing criticisms in pioneering ways that have been proven successful in upsetting normative power structures. Anne Theresa Demo’s analysis on the Guerilla Girls’ comic politics of subversion offers an appropriate conceptual lens to analyze Banksy’s employment of perspectives by incongruity as strategies for subversion. Therefore, this thesis analyzes how Banksy’s subversive satire is rhetorical by examining three techniques that have successfully exposed …

In The Eye Of The Beholder: How Women Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired Define And Navigate Beauty, Bernice Marie Nisbett

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Beauty defined by nonvisual means is an area of exploration long overdue. The question on what or whom is considered beautiful or attractive is often left up to each individual, and dependent on the culture in which said beauty is visually seen. This research identified the physical characteristics of Western standards of beauty among women who are visually impaired. The main objective was to explore how women who are visually impaired or blind defined both physical and non-physical beauty, in addition to how they navigated ocularcentric standards of beauty. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 women who are visually …

An Exploratory Study Of Mexican American Perceptions Of The American Automobile Association, Manon Prevost-Mullane

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to better understand the needs of the Mexican American community in relation to the services offered and what their perception was of the American Automobile Association (AAA). At the time of the study, the AAA membership rate for the Hispanic/Latino community was 5% (American Automobile Association, 2014) while this same population in the United States was approximately 17.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). White/Caucasian members in the AAA accounted for 87% of total memberships yet was estimated at 77% of the U.S. population. With a steady population growth of the Latino community, the AAA seeks …

Affect And Political Satire: How Political Tv Satire Implicates Internal Political Efficacy And Political Participation, Reed Ramsey

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that political satire programs offer both important information about contemporary politics and offer very humorous, entertaining content. This study seeks to understand how these satire programs bolster both internal political efficacy and political

participation. 400 college students at two Northern California universities participated in this research. The study found that affinity for political humor can predict levels of internal political efficacy. Exposure to liberal satire was negatively correlated with affinity for political humor and political participation, and exposure to conservative satire was significantly correlated with internal political efficacy. Internal political efficacy was also positively correlated with political …

Evidence That A Partner-Switching Regulatory System Modulates Hormogonium Motility In The Filamentous Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme, Kelsey Wynne Riley

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Partner-switching regulatory systems (PSRSs) are utilized by many different bacteria to regulate a wide array of cellular responses, from stress response to expression of virulence factors. The filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme can transiently differentiate motile filaments, called hormogonia, in response to various changes in the environment. Hormogonia utilize a Type IV pilus (T4P) complex in conjunction with a secreted polysaccharide for gliding motility along solid surfaces. This study identified three genes, designated hmpU, hmpW, and hmpV, encoding the protein components of a PSRS involved in regulation of hormogonium motility in N. punctiforme. Although mutant strains with in-frame deletions in hmpU, …

Orlando’S Pulse: Diversity And Inclusion In Higher Education After A Tragedy, Jennifer C. Sands

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Pulse Nightclub Tragedy in Orlando shocked the nation, after a gunman who identified as being Muslim walked in to a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 people and injured 53 more. In addition to the LGBTQ+ community being targeted, the Latinx community had been targeted as well, considering it was Latin night. With many of those affected being of traditional college age, local colleges and universities took action to offer support. Focusing on the Pulse shooting, I explored the ways in which higher education institutions offered support after this tragedy occurred, while reviewing other tragedies and the responses by …

The Influences Of A Mariachi Education On Student Perceptions Of Academic Achievement, Academic Attainment, And Student Engagement, Victoria Lynn Smith

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to examine the influences of mariachi education on student perceptions of their academic achievement, academic attainment, and student engagement. The study involved students attending schools in California, Oregon, and Texas with mariachi programs that consented to be a part of the study, whose districts approved their participation. The students were approached to participate in this study, as they are a part of their school’s mariachi program in middle or high school throughout the Western half of the United States. A convergent parallel (mixed-methods) design and descriptive statistical analyses were used to investigate the …

Rational Design Of Peptides Binding Towards Human Pd-L1 Using Knob-Socket Model, Xingchen Zha

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a type 1 transmembrane protein that has been reported to play a vital role in mediating suppressed immunity. The interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1 delivers a negative signal that reduces the proliferation of these T cells and induces apoptosis at the same time. Antibodies that can block the Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells have been shown to alleviate cancer-induced immunosuppression. While antibodies have a great potential in various therapeutic uses, many drawbacks such as the high cost of production, huge molecular size, and poor permeability impose restrictions on the extensive use of full-length …

Computational Methods In Biomolecules:Study Of Hydrophilic Interactions In Protein Folding & Constant-Ph Molecular Simulation Of Ph Sensitive Lipid Morc16, Wei Zhang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Water molecules play a significant role in biological process and are directly involved with bio-molecules and organic compounds and ions. Recent research has focused on the thermal dynamics and kinetics of water molecules in solution, including experimental (infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) and computational (Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Dynamics) approaches. The reason that water molecules are so unique, why they have such a profound influence on bio-activity, why water molecules show some anomalies compared to other small molecules, and where and how water molecules exert their influence on solutes are some of the areas under study. We studied some properties …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Complex Environments Drive The Developmental Plasticity Of Flight Capacity And Flight-Related Tradeoffs, Jordan R. Glass

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Animals must balance multiple, fitness-related traits in environments that are complex and characterized by co-varying factors, such as co-variation in temperature and food availability. Thus, experiments manipulating multiple environmental factors provide valuable insight into the role of the environment in shaping not only important traits (e.g., dispersal capacity or reproduction), but also trait-trait interactions (e.g., trade-offs between traits). We employed a multi-factorial design to manipulate variation in temperature (constant 28°C vs. 28±5°C daily cycle) and food availability (unlimited vs. intermittent access) throughout development in the sand field cricket, Gryllus firmus. We found that fitness-related, life-history traits and trait trade-offs can …

Investigations On Cancer Cell Biological Effects Of Cdk8 Inhibitor Q-12, Zhixin Lu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, protein kinases have been intensively investigated as targets to treat neoplastic diseases. Many protein kinase inhibitors not only have therapeutic potential but are becoming invaluable reagents for the study of cell signaling.

We aspired to use our Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 inhibitor, Q-12, as a probe for biomarker discovery for CDK8 inhibitor sensitive tumor types. Q-12 shows potent inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis process in some triple-negative breast cancer and colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro. Western blot results indicate that the reduction of STAT1 phosphorylation could be a robust indicator of CDK8 …