Digital Commons Network^™

Thermal Efficiency Of Courtyards For Residential Buildings In Iraq, Omar Al-Hafith

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates adopting the courtyard pattern in Iraq to provide a thermally efficient architectural solution that contributes towards solving the housing challenges in the country. As a result of more than three decades of wars and instability, the country suffers from having a large housing shortage and a major production shortfall. This shortage is estimated at around 1.0 million housing units, which is equivalent to one-quarter of the total housing stock in the country. The current housing production is around 30000 housing units per annum only, which, therefore, does not alleviate the housing needs in the country. The country …

Application Of Business Process Management For Corporate Sustainability, Felicitas Johanna Breitenbach

Plymouth Business School Theses

In the light of the current debate on climate change and its ever-growing impact on the corporate world this thesis deals with the integration of sustainability into corporations. Its focus lies on the integration of sustainability through business process management (BPM). A comprehensive literature review on both corporate sustainability and BPM has been carried out. Research still fails to establish a link between sustainability and the strategic and operational management. Even though the integration of sustainability into business process management is explicitly recommended, no framework has yet realized this goal. In the light of the identified research gap one main …

Black Male Representations In Non-Urban Settings In The Uk, Nathaniel Turner

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Inspired by Frantz Fanon’s assertion ‘the Black man has no ontological resistance in the eyes of the White man’ (Fanon,1982:110) this research project analyses the ways in which representation has affected the performativity of Black masculinity in non-urban settings in the UK. Framed by a Practice as Research methodology, this project utilises auto-biographic as well as auto-ethnographic methods aiming to construct alternative Black masculinity narratives which can counter hegemonic approaches in both academic and digital platforms. This work examines my own lived experience in a city with a low ethnic diversity in order to explore the ways in which Black …

To The Wall: London's Murals And 'The Left', 1975-1986, Ben Wiedel-Kaufmann

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between Left-wing politics and a body of exterior murals made in London between 1975 and 1986. Across this period approximately three hundred murals were made on the walls of London’s streets. Funded by a complex amalgam of predominantly state patronage, many of these murals gave form to the politics of the radical and oppositional Left. While murals featured briefly in art critical debates of the late 1970s and have since been included within broader histories of community and public art, this is the first extended study centred upon this remarkable moment of cultural production. Applying …

Bone Painting, A Novel, With Critical Dissertation On The Ekphrastic Practices Of Natsume Sōseki And Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Jamie Edgecombe

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This novel and critical dissertation explore one of the central characteristics of Japanese aesthetics, that of suggestion and how suggestion can interconnect with ekphrasis. Although Bone Painting is a complex work, one with two distinct view point characters – the doctor, Seichiro, and the artist, Kasumi – my writing of it was very much influenced by my understanding of the Japanese aesthetic category of yūgen. Yūgen, the kanji of which can be directly translated as dark and dim, is often considered one of the most recondite and ineffable categories of Japanese aesthetics. Often translated as ‘subtlety and depth,’ or ‘mystery …

The Festival In The Meta-System Of Culture, Nadezhda Krasteva

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Crossing the borders of various disciplines – anthropology, cultural studies, cultural theory, sociology of culture, sociology of art, art history, art criticism, events management and tourism – festival studies are slowly attracting academic attention in their search for independent status among the social sciences. Culture, defined by Juri Lotman as a self-descriptive mechanism, is the structure from which perspective I approach the contemporary artistic festival in an attempt to determine its position as an element in the meta-system of culture. The semantic notion of culture proposed by the scholar refers to a dynamic system of signs organising and preserving information …

Imagining And Remembering The Soldier At The Imperial War Museum (1980-1995), Jayne Buchanan

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This research addresses the contemporary representation of the soldier in art by focusing on the work commissioned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) over the period 1980-1995, which includes Linda Kitson (b. 1945), for the Falklands War in 1982, John Keane (b.1954) in the Gulf War in 1991, and Peter Howson's (b. 1958) work in Bosnia between 1992–1994. From a foundation of existing academic research on the representation of the soldier in art, which has informed a framework of investigation into imagery of the soldier as hero, as masculine ideal and as a symbol of nationalism, I examine how the …

Social Work Students Managing Emotions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Utilising Poetry And Prose As An Autoethnographic Turn, Beth Moran

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis reports on research exploring how student social workers experience, express and manage the emotional content of practice learning in a relational context. It considers how social/supervisory support promotes emotional management for student social workers. Student respondents reflect on a variety of placement experiences ranging from a third-sector advice centre; a service supporting people who are homeless; local authority child protection services; a hospital discharge team and statutory adult mental health teams. Their responses reveal organisational interventions with a wide range of people from children and families to adults engaging with health and social care services. New knowledge is …

Exploring Enablers And Barriers To Accessing Health Services After A Fall Among People With Intellectual Disability, Portia Ho, Caroline Bulsara, Shane Patman, Jenny Downs, Anne-Marie Hill

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Adults with intellectual disability experience high rates of falls making falls prevention an important health need. The purpose of the study was to seek perspectives of older adults with intellectual disability and their caregivers to (a) explore the experiences of older adults with intellectual disability when seeking healthcare services after a fall and (b) identify enablers and barriers when taking up evidence-based falls recommendations.

Method: A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken as part of a prospective observational cohort study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample. Data were analysed thematically using Colaizzi's method.

Results: Seventeen interviews were conducted …

Delirium Point Prevalence Studies In Inpatient Settings: A Systematic Review, Binu Koirala, Bryan R. Hansen, Annmarie Hosie, Chakra Budhathoki, Stella Seal, Adam Beaman, Patricia M. Davidson

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Aims: To examine the delirium point prevalence studies conducted in different inpatient settings and to discuss the implication of the findings for delirium screening, assessment, prevention and management.

Background: Delirium—a common and distressing condition manifesting as an acute decline of attention and cognition—is frequently overlooked, misdiagnosed or treated inappropriately. This neuropsychiatric syndrome manifests as changes in attention, cognition and awareness, with resultant impact on behaviour, function and emotions. Delirium is recognised as a patient management challenge in the inpatient setting, and there is a need to understand the current point prevalence and assessment practices of delirium.

Design: A systematic review …

Development And Content Validation Of A Questionnaire Measuring Patient Empowerment In Cancer Follow-Up, Nanna Bjerg Eskildsen, Lone Ross, Caroline Bulsara, Susanne Malchau Dietz, Thora Grothe Thomsen, Mogens Groenvold, Susanne S. Pedersen, Clara Rubner Jorgensen, Anna Thit Johnsen

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and ensure the content validity of a new patient-reported outcome measure, the Cancer Patient Empowerment Questionnaire (CPEQ), to measure the level of, desire for, and enablement of empowerment among cancer patients in follow-up.

Methods: An iterative process based on: (i) empowerment theories by Zimmerman and Tengland, (ii) a systematic review of questionnaires measuring empowerment or related concepts among cancer patients, (iii) qualitative data from 18 semi-structured interviews with Danish cancer patients in follow-up, (iv) input from a group of eight cancer patients involved as co-researchers and from an expert steering group, …

Enhancing Access To Parenting Services Using Digital Technology Supported Practices, Elaine Bennett, Wendy Simpson, Cathrine Fowler, Ailsa Munns, Jane Kohlhoff

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Early parenting services (EPS) in Australia provide a range of expanding and rapidly changing services, including innovative digital technologies to improve service access for metropolitan and rural families.

Aim: This research aims to provide comprehensive information required for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the use of digital technologies for service delivery with parenting/child and family services in Australia and New Zealand in metropolitan and rural settings.

Methods: An interpretive descriptive approach was applied using semi-structured interviews from 23 EPS practitioners and managers in five sites.

Findings: These are presented as five main themes – preparing the way, practitioner …

Older Persons’ And Their Caregivers’ Perspectives And Experiences Of Research Participation With Impaired Decision-Making Capacity: A Scoping Review, Annmarie Hosie, Slavica Kochovska, Nola Ries, Imelda Gilmore, Deborah Parker, Craig Sinclair, Caitlin Sheehan, Aileen Collier, Gideon A. Caplan, Mandy Visser, Xiaoyue Xu, Elizabeth Lobb, Linda Sheahan, Linda Brown, Wai Lee, Christine R. Sanderson, Ingrid Amgarth-Duff, Anna Green, Layla Edwards, Meera R. Agar

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Background and Objectives: Human research ethics statements support equitable inclusion of diverse groups. Yet older people are under-represented in clinical research, especially those with impaired decision-making capacity. The aim of this study was to identify perspectives and experiences of older persons and their caregivers of research participation with impaired decision-making capacity.

Research Design and Methods: Scoping review of literature and online sources in January-February 2019 (updated June 2020) according to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. English-language peer-reviewed research articles and Australian online narratives were included. Data were tabulated and narratively synthesized.

Results: From 4171 database …

The Leading Role Of The Language Phenomenon In Brain Activity, Minaxanum Hajiyeva

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

One of the most prime examples of a multidisciplinary field, Cogntive Lingusitics explores language as a cognitive mechanism in the coding and transformation of information. On the other hand, Neurolinguistics, combining two major sciences and studying the functional course of consciousness, deals with cognitive processes and the relationship between the brain and them. In the scientific development of its History/ Archaeology, a number of different research areas related to the study of the functionality of the brain hemispheres are noteworthy. The different functions in the brain mechanism benefit from cognition, concepts, conceptsphers, and other necessary elements. Cognitive linguistics dealing with …

The Characterization Of Inflammatory Extracellular Vesicles, Barak Balva

Master's Theses

One of the driving factors behind innate immunity is the early response of inflammation. While beneficial in controlling infections, when uncontrolled it can lead to a plethora of disorders. Thus, it is essential to understand the driving factors behind inflammation. a cell's ability to recycle, discard, or transfer proteins is integral for survival and intercellular communication. It has been appreciated that inflammatory components, such as caspase-1, play a huge role in driving protein secretion. Thus, inflammation also plays a role in the distribution of proteins released from cells. These proteins are released via non-conventional secretory pathways, and our lab is …

The Creation And Evolution Of Introductory Courses In Women's Studies Programs, Tori Kay Olson

Master's Theses

This study seeks to understand what affects knowledge production in introductory women's studies courses. Using critical discourse analysis, the study looks at the archives of two very different programs within the Chicago area. the two programs studied, Loyola University Chicago and University of Illinois€”Chicago, offer two different examples of how women's studies programs were created and evolved, and how this influenced the knowledge production in their introductory courses. in addition to the archival materials of these two universities, this study relies on various reports and accounts written by women's studies scholars during the same timeframe as the documented archival material …

Trajectories Of Adaptive Functioning Among Youth With Spina Bifida: The Influence Of Neurocognitive Functioning And Parental Scaffolding, Adrien Winning

Master's Theses

Youth with spina bifida (SB), a congenital birth defect affecting the central nervous system, are at risk of experiencing an array of psychosocial and functional deficits (Copp et al., 2015; Holmbeck et al., 2003). Indeed, previous research has documented difficulties across the three adaptive functioning domains outlined by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD): conceptual (e.g., communication, self-direction, functional academics), social (e.g., interpersonal skills), and practical (e.g., self-care, navigating health-care; Copp et al., 2015). Despite this evidence, whether or not children with SB typically acquire skills across development is largely unknown. Additionally, little is known about risk …

Wayfinder Application For Autistic Occupational Assistance, Nathaniel Edward Hishon

Master's Theses

Employment among autistic individuals is an area of noted difficulty, with an employment rate well below the general population [1]. Several barriers attributed to autistic unemployment, including difficulties communicating with employers and social interactions with coworkers, obsessive adherence to routine, and trouble organizing and completing workplace tasks, are also attributed to challenges in maintaining employment [2]. Several studies have concluded that long-term employment support is necessary to acquire and maintain autistic employment [3]. The noted benefit of intensive job training, such as access to job coaches, indicates the need for further support to help autistic individuals complete workplace tasks and …

Reducing Reperfusion Injury In An Adult Rat Stroke Model With St-115 Treatment, Morgan Rae Lenz

Master's Theses

The restoration of blood flow to ischemic cerebral tissue can result in reperfusion injury, and blocking reperfusion injury can significantly aid in recovery of ischemic tissue. Bradykinin has been shown to exhibit protective effects, but does not reach protective levels during reperfusion due to inactivation by aminopeptidase P2 (APP2). Therefore, inhibiting APP2 during reperfusion is a potential therapeutic strategy to aid in the reduction of reperfusion injury, leading to the development of ST-115, an APP2 inhibitor. It was hypothesized that administration of ST-115 during ischemic stroke, and just prior to reperfusion, will result in reduced neurological injury and increased functional …

Semi-Structured Interviews: A Team-Based Approach To Design, Implementation, And Analysis, Rachel Wishkoski

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This chapter explores semi-structured interviewing as a research method in the context of a study investigating the impact of a library workshop on faculty teaching practices. In addition to covering interview guide design, strategies for conducting interviews, and qualitative coding, the chapter shares lessons learned by a novice practitioner-researcher and suggestions for team-based qualitative research.

Repairing A Nation: A Visual Exploration Into The American Debate On Reparations, Desi Jeseve Lapoole

Senior Independent Study Theses

The debate on reparations for slavery in the United States of America has persisted for generations, capturing the attention and imagination of America in waves before falling out of public consciousness over the decades. Throughout its longevity, the debate on reparations has had many arguments in support of and opposition towards the idea and has inspired many different proposals which seek to solve many different problems. Today, reparations have found new mainstream attention, thanks in part Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, “The Case for Reparations,” published in The Atlantic, and to two new reparations bills in Congress. My research explores the …

A Theory Of Fire Service Provision: With An Empirical Analysis Of Response Time, Suppression Time, And Service Output, Hyong-Gu Hwang

Senior Independent Study Theses

We introduce a two-stage theoretical framework of fire services that justifies the status of response time as a factor input. In the first stage, the provincial government distributes a budget to its cities, resulting in varied numbers of firefighters and fire engines in each city. In the second stage, each city fire department places its fire stations at spatially optimal locations that minimize expected response times. When a fire occurs, the outputs from these two stages are actualized into dispatch level, response time, and suppression time. These intermediate outputs are then transformed into inputs for producing service output, which is …

The Continuation Of Violence: Analyzing The Retraumatization Of Incarcerated Survivors Of Domestic Violence And Evaluating The Potential Of A “Trauma-Informed” Prison Model, Eliana Kahn

Senior Independent Study Theses

The United States criminal justice system emphasizes punishment, in the form of incarceration, over the rehabilitation of individuals convicted of criminal activity. While confinement is harmful to many inmates, incarcerated women are even more vulnerable to the extent that they are disproportionately survivors of domestic violence and abuse. Given this vulnerability, the primary purpose of this study is to explore the impact of incarceration on survivors of domestic violence and abuse. I aim first to analyze the ways in which punitive institutions replicate dynamics of abuse, often retraumatizing female survivors of domestic violence. I then evaluate the policies and procedures …

Greenbean Comics: An Independent Study!!!, Samantha Green

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Mother Nature And Menvironmental Politics: Analyzing How Gendered Frames Affect Support For The Clean Air Act, Grace Montgomery

Senior Independent Study Theses

While environmental issues are becoming more significant and frequent, concern for the environment varies. Research has shown a gender gap in environmental concern, particularly in that males see helping the environment as compromising their masculinity (Brough et al. 2016, 568). My I.S. examines whether and how gendered frames shape public support for the United States’ environmental air pollution policy, the Clean Air Act. In order to connect an issue to a frame, an individual will draw upon a relevant schema and apply elements from that schema in order to understand the issue. Gender is an accessible schema that strongly shapes …

Computer Vision Gesture Recognition For Rock Paper Scissors, Nicholas Hunter

Senior Independent Study Theses

This project implements a human versus computer game of rock-paper-scissors using machine learning and computer vision. Player’s hand gestures are detected using single images with the YOLOv3 object detection system. This provides a generalized detection method which can recognize player moves without the need for a special background or lighting setup. Additionally, past moves are examined in context to predict the most probable next move of the system’s opponent. In this way, the system achieves higher win rates against human opponents than by using a purely random strategy.

Developing A Web-Based Application For Finding Meeting Places, Aedan D. Pettit

Senior Independent Study Theses

Midway: Meeting Place Finder is a web application which allows users to supply three or more locations and provides them with a place to meet that minimizes their total driving time. Using techniques from graph theory, an algorithm is developed in order to make this service possible. Then, using Python, this algorithm is implemented into the backend of the web application along with a simple, user-friendly interface. This application has exciting potential to be continually expanded and improved in the future beyond this initial version.

Talking About Eu: The Impact Of Leaders' Discourse On Public Support For The European Union, Marco Roccato

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study asks how do changes in national political leaders’ (NPLs) discourse about the European Union affect public support for the EU? To develop an answer to this question, the research is situated in the tradition of discourse analysis, as it is better suited to understand the nuances in the discourse being presented to the population. In the literature reviewed for this project, EU-related discourse is presented as holding particular power in affecting people’s perceptions of European issues due to the historical low engagement and knowledge levels. The lack of a shared European public sphere and international conversations on topics …

Delete Your Account: A Methodological Investigation Of Leadership Trait Analysis And Its Ability To Utilize Twitter As Spontaneous Material, Jimmy Hinton

Senior Independent Study Theses

Given the important roles political leaders occupy within the international arena, it is vital that we understand the way they behave. In order to better understand a political leader, it is imperative that we analyze their personality traits. This study investigates the methodological applicability of Leadership Trait Analysis by asking the following research question: Is an analysis of social media an effective way to measure the Leadership Trait Analysis personality traits of international leaders? In order to answer this question, the study utilizes Leadership Trait Analysis to analyze the personality traits portrayed within the traditional spontaneous media (interviews/press conferences) for …

You Think You Do, But You Don’T: An Investigation Of Fandom And Nostalgic Media Through An Analysis Of World Of Warcraft Classic, David Andrew Schulz

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the fan culture of the video game, World of Warcraft, to analyze the motivations, reactions, and reasons of play, to examine World of Warcraft: Classic as a form of nostalgic media, and to study its fandom through an ethnographic lens. This study utilized a fusion of the following methodologies: cyberethnography, ethnography, and visual ethnography. The author recorded gameplay footage of World of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft Classic. After this, an ethnography was conducted at the 2019 Blizzcon convention, in which observation shots and interviews took place. This footage was edited …