Digital Commons Network^™

Inhabiting The Uninhabitable: Interdisciplinary Strategies For Creating Other Worlds, Jane Grant

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis for PhD by Publication presents artworks and writing that propose and create ‘other worlds’. Many of the artworks and writing engage scientific concepts, both historical and contemporary, however it is the phenomenological aspects of these ideas that are engaged. The research mostly deals with the infinitesimal and the distant, neuroscience, astrophysics and sometimes both. It also deals with boundaries as porous and indefinite thresholds, a reoccurring concept in my research. The artworks are mainly participatory as it is my aim to develop a strategy for ‘inhabitation’. I introduce three forms of intuition as methodologies with which to engage …

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 …

Positive Approaches To Overcoming The Stigma Of Disability, Noel A. Ysasi, Roy K. Chen, Megan E. Jones

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

People with disabilities often face prejudice and discrimination because of their physical and/or mental deviance from norms subjectively defined by society. The stigma associated with having a disability can have a negative impact on the quality of life among this population. The purpose of this paper is to discuss theory-based strategies and approaches that people with disabilities can adopt to overcome and mitigate the adverse effects of a stigmatizing disability. Specifically, the paper uses the hope theory and positive psychology theory as foundations to pave way for weaving spiritual well-being, resilience, and optimism into psychoeducation efforts to help people with …

Analyzing Metabolomics Data For Association With Genotypes Using Two-Component Gaussian Mixture Distributions, Jason Westra, Nicholas Hartman, Bethany Lake, Gregory Shearer, Nathan L. Tintle

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Standard approaches to evaluate the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on quantitative phenotypes use linear models. However, these normal-based approaches may not optimally model phenotypes which are better represented by Gaussian mixture distributions (e.g., some metabolomics data). We develop a likelihood ratio test on the mixing proportions of two-component Gaussian mixture distributions and consider more restrictive models to increase power in light of a priori biological knowledge. Data were simulated to validate the improved power of the likelihood ratio test and the restricted likelihood ratio test over a linear model and a log transformed linear model. Then, using real …

The Impact Of E-Mentoring On Information Technology Professionals, John L. Cotton, Monica Adya

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Our research examines the impact of virtual mentoring, or E-mentoring. We surveyed 133 IT professionals as to their experiences as protégés. We asked them about their mentoring relationships, as well as job and career outcomes, and the extent to which they interacted with the mentor virtually. We predicted that E-mentoring would lead to less effective mentoring relationships, less mentoring satisfaction, and lower career outcomes, and that these effects would be moderated by age (millennial protégés versus older protégés). We found few effects, other than lower satisfaction with E-mentoring relationships. The results suggest that E-mentoring can be as effective as face-to-face …

An Investigation Of Computer Vision Syndrome With Smart Devices, Muhammad Afzam Shah Bin Abdul Rahim

School of Health Professions Theses

The overarching theme of the thesis was to investigate the association between smart device use and computer vision syndrome. The initial study designed and developed the Open Field Tear film Analyser (OFTA) enabling a continuous, real-time assessment of the tear film and blink characteristics during smart device use. The monocular OFTA prototype was validated and showed good intra- and inter-observer repeatability relative to the Oculus Keratograph 5M and Bausch and Lomb one position keratometer. Subsequently, tear osmolarity following engagement with reading and gaming tasks on smart device and paper platforms was investigated. Discrete measures of osmolarity pre- and post-engagement with …

Analysis Of Embodied And Situated Systems From An Antireductionist Perspective, Federico Da Rold

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The analysis of embodied and situated agents form a dynamical system perspective is often limited to a geometrical and qualitative description. However, a quantitative analysis is necessary to achieve a deep understanding of cognitive facts. The field of embodied cognition is multifaceted, and the first part of this thesis is devoted to exploring the diverse meanings proposed in the existing literature. This is a preliminary fundamental step as the creation of synthetic models requires well-founded theoretical and foundational boundaries for operationalising the concept of embodied and situated cognition in a concrete neuro-robotic model. By accepting the dynamical system view the …

Developing An Artificial Colour-Sound Association For Musical Composition, Richard Abbott

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Some great composers - Messiaen, Scriabin, Liszt in exemplum - have been found to have an internal colour world that responds to music and characterises the way they experience and express music. Many of these artists, it could be strongly argued, had the neurological trait synaesthesia. The author, a non-synaesthete, creates a logical correspondence between colour and sound and uses it to explore the tonality of aesthetic colour combinations in nature and modern life. He argues that if the colour-sound practitioner is consistent in their colour-sound association, they can benefit in harmonic discoveries as the synaesthete does. It was found …

Economic Resilience In Great Britain: An Examination Of The Determinants Of The 2008 Crisis Impact On Gb's Local Authority Districts, Anastasios Kitsos

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In 2008, a severe economic crisis hit economies around the world. Its effects included a significant loss of GDP and employment which led to several social ills associated with recessions. However, the crisis did not impact all places with the same severity. This thesis investigates the crisis impact across GB Local Authority Districts during 2008-2014 within a framework that utilises the concept of economic resilience. However, this concept does not have a universally accepted definition or methodology of investigation. Hence, the study adopts an operational definition, comparing the conditions in local labour markets before and after the start of the …

Curating A Gentleman's Library: Practices Of Acquisition, Display And Disposal In The Cottonian Collection, 1791-1816, Susan Leedham

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the book and archival holdings of the Cottonian Collection – a national designated eighteenth-century collection of fine art and books – between 1791 and 1816, the period of William Cotton II’s custodianship. Prior to this thesis, the Cottonian Collection has not been the subject of a full-length academic study. Whilst the art holdings have received some attention, the book and archival contents have not been examined. This thesis addresses this imbalance by conducting a thorough examination of the archival holdings and the history of the book collection. Taking the actions of the collection’s penultimate private owner, William …

‘I Have Never Mattered Less In This World Than During My Children’S Adoption’: A Socio-Legal Study Of Birth Mothers’ Experiences Of Adoption Law, Lisa Deblasio

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis explores the experiences that birth mothers face in adoption proceedings within a socio-legal context. With analysis of data from interviews with 32 birth mothers synthesised with the relevant provisions of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, it is argued that ingrained unfairness and a lack of accountability exists in the legal and administrative system where birth mothers’ rights are concerned. The requirement for fairness in adoption practice is an underlying principle of jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights, with emphasis on the right to family life under Article 8 of the Convention. Analysis extends to the …

The Development And Application Of Computational Multi-Agent Models For Investigating The Cultural Transmission And Cultural Evolution Of Humpback Whale Song, Michael Mcloughlin

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Three different multi-agent models are presented in this thesis, each with a different goal. The first model investigates the possible role migratory routes may have on song evolution and revolution. The second model investigates what social networks could theoretically facilitate song sharing in a population of whales. The third model implements a formal grammar algorithm in order to investigate how the hierarchal structure of the song may affect song evolution. Finally, the thesis attempts to reconnect the models with their origins and discusses how these models could potentially be adapted for composing music. Through the development of these different models, …

Character On Trial: Reading And Judgement In Henry Fielding's Works, Rachel Kathryn Mace

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

To be placed above the Reach of Deceit is to be placed above the Rank of a human Being - Henry Fielding, A Clear State of the Case of Elizabeth Canning, 1753. Throughout his literary and legal careers, Fielding was concerned with the difficulties of reading and judging character accurately. He saw society as being rife with deceptive and duplicitous individuals and articulated his concerns in his writing, offering various advices to his readers. This thesis examines Fielding’s changing approaches to characterization and his proposed methods for judging character. There is a strong tradition within Fielding criticism, particularly prevalent in …

Exploring Privilege Through The Creation And Live/Digital Performance Of An Alter Ego, Gemma Nicole Chatwin

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Through the creation of my own alter ego, called Gemella, this Practice-as-Research project interrogates the relationship between ‘self’ and ‘ego’, and how this relationship is performed on social media sites such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Using psychoanalytic theory, it considers how concepts such as the ‘shadow’ and ‘mask’ can work alongside creative performance strategies. Grounded in the experiences of my teenage years living in an expat community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the thesis explores concepts such as ‘privilege’ and ‘cosmopolitanism’ – underpinned by scholars such as Jen Harvie, Urlich Beck and Peggy McIntosh – and how these …

The Significance Of The Field Of Practice ‘Learning Development’ In Uk Higher Education, John Hilsdon

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis analyses Learning Development (LD), a field of practice designed to support students’ learning, and explores what this relatively new field can tell us about certain aspects of higher education in the UK. Theoretical work deriving from Foucault underpins the research. The empirical data is constructed from interviews, observation and reflexive autoethnographic sources, and the analytical thrust employs sociolinguistic tools from critical discourse analysis. The result is a case study of identity, offering unique insights into the field of LD itself and, through the ‘lens’ of LD, an original focus upon the production of relationships and their effects, as …

Illusio In Lesson Observation: Making Policy Work By Playing The Game, Sasha Pleasance

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

Abstract Illusio in lesson observation: making policy work by playing the game by Sasha Pleasance Lesson observation is an established part of teachers’ professional lives within a rational policy discourse which problematises teaching. The problematisation of teaching in official documentation and pronouncements has shaped understanding and experience of teachers’ professional work. By approaching this study from a constructionist perspective, and employing the What’s the Problem Represented to be? (WPR) approach developed by Bacchi (2009) to examine policy-as-discourse, it is possible interrogate the role of policy in making problems, and their solutions, in very specific ways. The innovative combining of the …

Graduate Catalog 2018-2019, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Analysis On The Influence Factors Of Accident Severity: Evidence From Urban River-Crossing Tunnels In Shanghai Of China, Wan He, Zhuoye Zhang, Linjun Lu, Zhenyu Wang

CUTR Faculty Journal Publications

To analyze various factors influencing the accident severity of urban river-crossing tunnels, 12 influence factors were selected according to the three traffic elements of vehicle, road, and environment, including accident-involved vehicle type, tunnel length, tunnel speed limit, accident occurrence time, and weather. These factors were based on the historical data of 14 urban river-crossing tunnels in Shanghai. A binary logistic regression model was also utilized to identify significant influence factors and analyze the influence degrees of their accident severity. Significance analysis reveals that accident occurrence place, accident-involved vehicle type, tunnel speed limit, number of vehicles involved, and accident type are …

Revue De La Littérature Sur Les Liens Entre La Surdité Professionnelle Et La Presbyacousie, Tony Leroux, Alexis Pinsonnault-Skvarenina

États de la question, rapports d’expertise et revues de littérature

À la demande de la Présidence-direction générale de l’Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), une revue de la littérature a été réalisée pour répondre à une série de questions concernant le processus d’acquisition de la surdité professionnelle. L'objectif général du projet visait à documenter comment s'acquiert la surdité professionnelle en relation, plus particulièrement, avec la presbyacousie.

Cette revue de la littérature visait plus spécifiquement à 1) déterminer si l'exposition au bruit peut accélérer le processus de la presbyacousie; 2) établir si l'utilisation de facteurs de correction peut permettre de discriminer la surdité professionnelle …

Review Of The Literature On The Links Between Occupational Hearing Loss And Presbycusis, Tony Leroux, Alexis Pinsonnault-Skvarenina

États de la question, rapports d’expertise et revues de littérature

À la demande de la Présidence-direction générale de l’Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), une revue de la littérature a été réalisée pour répondre à une série de questions concernant le processus d’acquisition de la surdité professionnelle. L'objectif général du projet visait à documenter comment s'acquiert la surdité professionnelle en relation, plus particulièrement, avec la presbyacousie.

Cette revue de la littérature visait plus spécifiquement à 1) déterminer si l'exposition au bruit peut accélérer le processus de la presbyacousie; 2) établir si l'utilisation de facteurs de correction peut permettre de discriminer la surdité professionnelle …

Pour Quelles Raisons La Formation Aux Techniques Sécuritaires De Manutention Ne Fonctionne-T-Elle Pas? Revue Critique De La Littérature, Denys Denis, Maud Gonella, Marie Comeau, Martin Lauzier

États de la question, rapports d’expertise et revues de littérature

Mise en contexte et objectif

La formation en manutention fait l’objet de nombreuses demandes de la part des milieux de travail. Or, malgré leur abondante diffusion, ces formations voient leur efficacité remise en cause par cinq méta-analyses publiées entre 2007 et 2014. La consultation de ces revues de la littérature ne permet pas de comprendre les raisons pour lesquelles il en est ainsi puisque les formations recensées – et dont on tente d’évaluer l’efficacité – n’y sont pas décrites, ou alors elles ne le sont que sommairement. Le fait de disposer de plus d’informations sur les caractéristiques des formations en …

Advanced Clearing Methods And Imaging Techniques For Optimized Three- Dimensional Reconstruction Of Dense Tissues, Caleb A. Padgett

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in tissue clearing have allowed biological and biomedical researchers to image entire segments of tissue and generate three-dimensional reconstructions, allowing for a better understanding of the structural and morphological characteristics of large tissues. This study compared three commonly utilized clearing methods and analyzed their effectiveness in increasing imaging depth for three-dimensional reconstruction of large tissue segments. Mouse heart, mouse brain, mouse colon, and embryonic chick tissues were cut into thick sections, cleared and immunolabeled with an antibody specific to each tissue type, and imaged using a confocal microscope. The results of this study concluded that most tissues cleared by …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Monometallic And Bimetallic Catalysts, Sonia Eskandari

Theses and Dissertations

Supported catalysts are used extensively in a variety of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions for industrial processes. Techniques for preparing supported noble metal catalysts are typically chosen to achieve high metal dispersions in order to obtain high activity for a given metal loading. Enhancing the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts can be done by increasing active site count as well as modification of the physico-chemical characteristics of the catalyst material. For supported metal nanoparticles this can be achieved by decreasing particle size, thus increasing dispersion or metal utilization on the surface of the particles, while modification of metal properties can be attained …

Internal Gravity Wave Detection During The 21 August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, Michael J.W. Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Total solar eclipses supply both visual captivation and a controlled meteorological experiment through a sudden decrease in solar radiation. However, along with commonly expected changes in weather conditions, prior research suggests an adjustment of atmospheric dynamics caused by both a decrease in local incident solar radiation and the Moon’s sweeping shadow across the Earth at supersonic speed. The result is the potential production of internal gravity waves, which transfer both energy and momentum vertically to and from the upper levels of the atmosphere. A series of radiosondes were launched before, during, and after the 21 August 2017 eclipse in Batesburg, …

“As The Occasion Demands”: Constraint-Based Practice In Rhetoric And Composition, Erica Kerstin Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

In their 2010 Composition Studies article, Laurie Gries and Collin Brooke observe, “constrained writing has been underappreciated” in the composition classroom (21). Taking seriously the potential value of constraints in pedagogical practice, this project executes a cross-disciplinary examination (drawing from design theory, experimental poetry, literary theory, composition, and rhetorical theory) of the various occurrences of, and approaches to, constraints and their influences on the ways we think and write. This investigation reveals that constraints create the conditions under which students can become productively defamiliarized to their thinking and writing habits, encouraging them to encounter alternatives otherwise left unnoticed.

I suggest …

Milkfish, Emylisa Warrick

Theses and Dissertations

Milkfish is a collection of poems that explores familial and generational trauma in a Filipino-American family. Primarily written in first person narrative, it gives voice to a Filipina-American who has experienced controlling behavior, verbal abuse, silencing, and colorist attitudes and behaviors from her father and mother. The collection seeks to understand why the speaker’s parents raised her this way by investigating how the parents were raised in the Philippines. These poems were constructed with the help of interviews between the author and her parents. Additionally, it explores the patriarchal structure of Filipino families and shines a light on “women’s work,” …

Collaborating With Teachers To Create Peer Observations As A Means Of Effective Professional Development, Angela K. Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological, action research study engaged a sample of teachers from a large middle school in northern South Carolina in developing a protocol and recommendations for the use of peer observations that would provide meaningful professional development for teachers at this school. Data collection methods consisted of interviews, focus groups and trial observations. The study addressed two key research questions, what factors do the teachers see as important when completing a peer observation, and do they perceive the peer observation method as meaningful professional development that promotes teacher growth. The findings confirmed that, among this sample of teachers, peer observation …

Semiparametric Statistical Estimation And Inference With Latent Information, Qianqian Wang

Theses and Dissertations

In Chapter 1, we predicted disease risk by transformation models in the presence of missing subgroup identifiers. When a discrete covariate defining subgroup membership is missing for some of the subjects in a study, the distribution of the outcome follows a mixture distribution of the subgroup-specific distributions. Taking into account the uncertain distribution of the group membership and the covariates, we model the relation between the disease onset time and the covariates through transformation models in each sub-population, and develop a nonparametric maximum likelihood based estimation implemented through EM algorithm along with its inference procedure. We further propose methods to …

Construction Of Supramolecular And Coordination Compounds From Pyridyl Bis-Urea Macrocycles, Bozumeh Som

Theses and Dissertations

The self-assembly of macrocyclic molecules in solution and in the solid state modulates and in many cases enhances their properties for applications in sensing, catalysis and optoelectronics. The self-assembled structures are typically organized by non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking and dipole-dipole interactions. Our group has focused on the design and synthesis of bis-urea macrocycles that can self-assemble into solid cylinders or tubular structures affording crystalline materials. These macrocycles consist of two urea groups and two rigid C-shaped spacers. Easy functionalization of this system enables access to bis-urea macrocycle structures that could serve as molecular reactors, coordinating ligands …

Analysis Of Evacuation Behaviors And Departure Timing For October 2016’S Hurricane Matthew, Erika O. Pham

Theses and Dissertations

During a hurricane, an individual’s risk perception does not remain static. Spatial and temporal variations of a hurricane will shift perceptions of risk, and complicating this dynamic are information-seeking processes increasingly reliant on the individual’s self-motivated interpretation of information sources. Initial evacuation resistance or willingness could change even after evacuations are ordered, affecting evacuation preferences and departure times. Because Hurricane Matthew’s continually shifting track had virtually nonstop coverage, evacuation decisions were also being modified as residents either grew more or less certain of their safety.

This research investigates the evacuation behaviors associated with Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. It …