Digital Commons Network^™

A Computational Method To Track The Evolution Of Business Models In The Digital Economy, Z Wood, D Walker, G Parry

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Companies within the Digital Economy are evolving their business models as they take advantage of the opportunities afforded by emerging digital technologies. There is a need to develop methods that will allow researchers and policy makers to understand the existence of, and relationships between, the different business models within the Digital Economy and track their evolution. Such methods could also help quantify the size and growth of the Digital Economy. This paper presents a computational method, which utilizes machine learning and web scraping, to identify new business models, and a taxonomy of organisations, through the analysis of a firm's webpage. …

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact On Psychotropic Prescribing For Adults With Intellectual Disability: An Observational Study In English Specialist Community Services, D Naqvi, B Perera, S Mitchell, R Sheehan, R Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a disproportionate impact on people with intellectual disability (PwID). PwID are at higher risk of mental illness and receive psychotropic prescribing ‘off licence' also, to manage distress behaviour. The lockdown and reduction of multidisciplinary face-to-face appointments had an impact on care delivery, the recourse possibly being psychotropic prescribing. It is imperative to comprehend the influence the pandemic had on psychotropic prescribing patterns to enable future planning. Aims The aim was to understand the impact of the pandemic by comparing psychotropic prescribing patterns during the England lockdown with the prescribing patterns before lockdown in …

Tackling Increased Risks In Older Adults With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy: Data From A National Multicentre Cohort Study, L. V. Watkins, W. Henley, J. J. Sun, B. Perera, H. Angus-Leppan, I. Sawhney, K. Purandare, M. Eyeoyibo, M. Scheepers, G. Lines, R. Winterhalder, R. Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Purpose People with intellectual disabilities (ID) suffer multimorbidity, polypharmacy and excess mortality at a younger age than general population. Those with ID and epilepsy are at higher risk of worse clinical outcomes than their peers without epilepsy. In the ID population the health profile of those aged ≥40 years can be compared to those aged over 65 in the general population. To date there is limited data available to identify clinical characteristics and risk factors in older adults (≥40 years) with ID and epilepsy. Methods The Epilepsy in ID National Audit (Epi-IDNA) identified 904 patients with ID and epilepsy from …

Exploring Scientists’ Perceptions Of Citizen Science For Public Engagement With Science, Stephanie A. Collins, Miriam Sullivan, Heather J. Bray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is often assumed that citizen science is inherently participatory in nature. However, citizen science projects exist along a continuum from data contribution to full co-creation. We invited 19 biologists to explore their conceptions of citizen science. Almost all participants defined citizen science as involving non-scientists in data collection. This definition acted as a barrier for scientists who did not see how citizen science could suit their research objectives. While interviewees perceived many societal and experiential benefits of contributory citizen science, deliberate design is needed to realise the full potential of citizen science for public engagement

Advancing Feminist Innovation In Sport Studies: A Transdisciplinary Dialogue On Gender, Health And Wellbeing, Holly Thorpe, Sheree Bekker, Simone Fullagar, Nonhlanhla Mkumbuzi, Sophia Nimphius, Madeleine Pape, Stacy T. Sims, A. Travers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Athlete health and wellbeing requires a holistic, multidimensional approach to understanding, supporting, and treating individual athletes. Building more supportive, inclusive, and equitable environments for the health and wellbeing of women and gender expansive people further requires gender-responsive approaches that promote broader cultural change. Feminist sport and exercise medicine practitioners, sports scientists, and social science researchers are increasingly coming together in their efforts to do this work. However, working across disciplines inevitably includes an array of ontological, epistemological, and political challenges. In this paper, we offer a curated ‘dialogue’ with a group of feminist scholars engaged in research and practice across …

Dosage, Intensity, And Frequency Of Language Therapy For Aphasia: A Systematic Review-Based, Individual Participant Data Network Meta-Analysis, The Rehabilitation And Recovery Of People With Aphasia After Stroke (Release) Collaborators

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background and Purpose: Optimizing speech and language therapy (SLT) regimens for maximal aphasia recovery is a clinical research priority. We examined associations between SLT intensity (hours/week), dosage (total hours), frequency (days/week), duration (weeks), delivery (face to face, computer supported, individual tailoring, and home practice), content, and language outcomes for people with aphasia.

Methods: Databases including MEDLINE and Embase were searched (inception to September 2015). Published, unpublished, and emerging trials including SLT and ≥ 10 individual participant data on aphasia, language outcomes, and time post-onset were selected. Patient-level data on stroke, language, SLT, and trial risk of bias were independently extracted. …

Standardized Multi-Omics Of Earth’S Microbiomes Reveals Microbial And Metabolite Diversity, The Earth Microbiome Project 500 (Emp500) Consortium, Justin P. Shaffer, Louis Félix Nothias, Luke R. Thompson, Jon G. Sanders, Rodolfo A. Salido, Sneha P. Couvillion, Asker D. Brejnrod, Franck Lejzerowicz, Niina Haiminen, Shi Huang, Holly L. Lutz, Qiyun Zhu, Cameron Martino, James T. Morton, Smruthi Karthikeyan, Mélissa Nothias-Esposito, Kai Dührkop, Sebastian Böcker, Hyun Woo Kim, Alexander A. Aksenov, Wout Bittremieux, Jeremiah J. Minich, Clarisse Marotz, Mackenzie K.M. Bryant, Karenina Sanders, Tara Schwartz, Greg Humphrey, Yoshiki Vásquez-Baeza, Anupriya Tripathi

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Despite advances in sequencing, lack of standardization makes comparisons across studies challenging and hampers insights into the structure and function of microbial communities across multiple habitats on a planetary scale. Here we present a multi-omics analysis of a diverse set of 880 microbial community samples collected for the Earth Microbiome Project. We include amplicon (16S, 18S, ITS) and shotgun metagenomic sequence data, and untargeted metabolomics data (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry). We used standardized protocols and analytical methods to characterize microbial communities, focusing on relationships and co-occurrences of microbially related metabolites and microbial taxa across environments, …

Messages In A Time Of Crisis Graphic Communication Design A Change Of Tack?, V Squire

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Simulation Of Heritage Buildings: The Duke Of Bedford's Cottages In West Devon, Jack Morewood, Pieter De Wilde

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Building performance simulation (BPS) is used to select and justify an energy-saving retrofit for the Duke of Bedford's cottages, aiming to improve performance sufficiently within the cottages' constraints, which include conservation concerns plus wider practical and economic constraints. Building data is passed from a building information model (BIM). Building energy simulation (BES) and hygrothermal modelling obtain results in the performance attributes of energy efficiency, thermal comfort and damp risk. Parametric analysis assesses performance ranges and sensitivity to long-term climate uncertainties. Moderate fabric upgrades, including window replacement and an insulating plaster, perform best within their constraints. Long-term, a heat pump is …

A Scenography Of Inscriptions And Intangibles In The Birthing Room, Johara Bellali

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Inscriptions on graph paper, on monitors and on various screensare ubiquitous in the birthing room; they reassure, worry, beep,light up and inform protocols. According to Latour (1985) theirpresence is not a result of a carefully planned logical choice, butof a legacy of mustering allies and convincing alignments. UsingBarad’s (2007) framework of agential realism, this paper explores thenotion of intra-actions between objects and agencies of observationin the phenomenon of birth, using a socio-political and historicalconfiguration. It presents some surprising accounts of obstetricsand gynaecology and showcases how historical inscriptions andinstruments materialized today’s birthing practices. It then presentshow, upon entering the birthing room, …

A Knowledge Mobilisation Framework For Lean Supply Chains In Agri-Food Industry, Huilan Chen

Plymouth Business School Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigating Employment In The Nigerian Offshore Oil And Gas Industry: Is Gender A Prerequisite?, Victor Olufunmilade Apiafi

Plymouth Business School Theses

This study evaluates the factors influencing the inclusion of females into the Nigerian offshore industry. After extensive literature reviews, it is concluded that there is a shortage of females employed in this industry due to the patriarchal nature of Nigerian society. Evidently, the patriarchal nature of this country influences the rate of inclusion of females into the Nigerian offshore industry. Patriarchy in the Nigerian society also influences gender roles, male domination and gender discrimination, resulting in the limited inclusion of females into the Nigerian offshore industry. In Nigeria, the social conception of females as naturally incommensurate to males has given …

Examining The Impact Of Personal Social Media Use At Work On Workplace Outcomes, Ardam Mohammad Islam Dodokh

Plymouth Business School Theses

A noticable shift is underway in today’s multi-generational workforce. As younger employees propel digital workforce transformation and embrace technology adoption in the workplace, organisations need to show they are forward-thinking in their digital transformation strategies, and the emergent integration of social media in organisations is reshaping internal communication strategies, in a bid to improve corporate reputations and foster employee engagement. However, the impact of personal social media use on psychological and behavioural workplace outcomes is still debatebale with contrasting results in the literature identifying both positive and negative effects on workplace outcomes among organisational employees. This study seeks to examine …

‘A Platform For Goodness, Not For Badness’: The Heuristics Of Hope In Patients' Evaluations Of Online Health Information, Alan Petersen, Allegra Schermuly, Alison Anderson

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Patient advocates and activists are increasingly relying on online health information that can assist them to manage their health condition. Yet once online, they will confront diverse information whose veracity and utility are difficult to determine. This article offers a sociological analysis of the practical methods, or heuristics, that patient advocates and activists use when making judgements about the credibility and utility of online information. Drawing on the findings from interviews with fifty Australian patient advocates and activists, it is argued that these individuals' use of these heuristics reflects their hopes that information can help them manage their condition which …

Water Table Depth Modulates Productivity And Biomass Across Amazonian Forests, Thaiane R. Sousa, Juliana Schietti, Io Ribeiro, Thaise Emílio, Rafael Herrera Fernández, Steege H Ter, Carolina V. Castilho, A Esquivel‐Muelbert, Timothy Baker, A Pontes‐Lopes, Cvj Silva, Jm Silveira, Géraldine Derroire, Wendeson Castro, Am Mendoza, Ademir Ruschel, Adriana Prieto, Adriano José Nogueira Lima, Agustín Rudas, A Araujo‐Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Ana Andrade, Anand Roopsind, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Fiore A Di, A Torres‐Lezama, Aurélie Dourdain, B Marimon, Bh Marimon, Benoit Burban

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Aim: Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts of climatic water supply on plants are likely to be modulated by soil water conditions. Location: Lowland Amazonian forests. Time period: 1971–2019. Methods: We used 344 long-term inventory plots distributed across Amazonia to analyse the effects of long-term climatic and edaphic water supply on forest …

The Application Of Precaution In Elasmobranch Conservation And Management In The Mediterranean Sea, Lydia Koehler, Ioannis Giovos, Jason Lowther

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Labouring Together: Women's Experiences Of “Getting The Care That I Want And Need” In Maternity Care, Vanessa Watkins, Cate Nagle, Bridie Kent, Maryann Street, Alison M. Hutchinson

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Poor interprofessional collaboration and lack of decision-making with women have been identified as being detrimental to the quality, safety, and experience of maternity care. The aim of the Labouring Together study was to explore childbearing women's preferences for and experiences of collaboration and control over decision-making in maternity care. Design A sequential, mixed-method, multi-site case study approach was used to explore the perceptions and experiences of childbearing women regarding collaboration and decision-making. Women's preferred role for decision-making compared to the actual experiences, and the influences upon their preferences and experiences of collaboration were explored using semi-structured interviews. An inductive approach …

Trauma In Transition - Lived Experiences Of Trauma Informed Approaches, Emma Taylor, Katie Mcbride

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Increasing numbers of organisations are seeking the contributions of people who haveexperienced trauma in order to develop their services and support. The aims of this piece ofresearch were to understand the lived experiences of trauma. In particular, how policy anddecision makers can best learn from people with lived experiences of trauma to improvetheir service design and delivery. The overall ambitions of the research team in relation tothis piece of work are to produce accessible knowledge that can be used to inform futureresearch, and the way in which trauma can be better accounted for and supported in boththe design and delivery …

Nursing Students' Attitudes Towards Climate Change And Sustainability: A Cross-Sectional Multisite Study, Carmen Álvarez-Nieto, Janet Richardson, M. Ángeles Navarro-Perán, Naomi Tutticci, Norma Huss, Marie Elf, Anna Anåker, Jennie Aronsson, Heather Baid, Isabel M. López-Medina

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Experiences Of Paediatric End-Of-Life Simulation In Undergraduate Children’S Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study, Nicola Fielding, Jos M. Latour, Janet Kelsey

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

The Abc Of Reproductive Intentions: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring The Spectrum Of Attitudes Towards Family Building, B. Grace, J. Shawe, S. Johnson, N. O. Usman, J. Stephenson

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Abstract STUDY QUESTION What are the intentions of men and women of reproductive age in the UK regarding reproduction and family building? SUMMARY ANSWER We identified six main categories of people; Avoiders, Betweeners, Completers, Desirers, Expectants and Flexers, for whom reproduction education strategies should be tailored differently to suit intentions. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Several studies have highlighted poor fertility awareness across men and women of reproductive age. As the average age of first-time parents continues to rise, there has been a concerted effort from educators, healthcare professionals, charities, reproductive health groups and government policymakers, to improve fertility awareness. In …

The Antecedents To Social Impact In Inter-Organizational Relationships – A Systematic Review And Future Research Agenda, Dariusz Siemieniako, Maciej Mitręga, Krzysztof Kubacki

Plymouth Business School

Although the social impact of businesses is not a new topic, more attention should be paid to the social impact of inter-organizational relationships, both in academia and in practice. This systematic literature review synthesizes current scholarly research, focusing on facilitators and barriers as antecedents to the social impact of inter-organizational relationships. It thus responds to calls in the business-to-business literature for state-of-the-art reviews. From the macro, mezzo, and micro perspectives, we show links between different types of interorganizational relationships and assign specific facilitators and barriers to three groups of countries by income level. We draw on our descriptive and thematic …

Becomebecome - A Transdisciplinary Methodology Based On Information About The Observer, Andrea T. R. Traldi

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

ABSTRACT Andrea T. R. Traldi BECOMEBECOME A Transdisciplinary Methodology Based on Information about the Observer The present research dissertation has been developed with the intention to provide practical strategies and discover new intellectual operations which can be used to generate Transdisciplinary insight. For this reason, this thesis creates access to new knowledge at different scales. Firstly, as it pertains to the scale of new knowledge generated by those who attend Becomebecome events. The open-source nature of the Becomebecome methodology makes it possible for participants in Becomebecome workshops, training programmes and residencies to generate new insight about the specific project they …

A Media Archaeology Of Technologies Of Enchantment, Jane Hutchinson

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis explores how an understanding of an immaterial dimension of human experience was expressed and experienced in the context of nineteenth century engagement with science and technology. Drawing upon methods of media archaeology, it presents examples of visual technologies where apparatus and images representative of scientific and technological objectivity appear to have been appropriated and modified for the purpose of experiencing this dimension, an experience this thesis calls enchantment. The thesis suggests that some period specific behaviours associated with these visual technologies are sophisticated and subtle mechanisms that contribute to the affective and cognitive experience of enchantment. The flickering …

Architectural Design For Dementia: Exploring Alternate Contemporary Cultures Of Residential Care Design, Ricky Burke

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Architectural Design for Dementia: exploring alternate contemporary cultures of residential care design. The Alzheimer's Association (2018) projected the number of people living with a dementia diagnosis to surpass 2 million, reaching 1 in 37.5 of the population of the United Kingdom by 2051: up from 1 in 79 in 2015. This growth in rate and number coincides with an ageing population and a decline in the relative number of people able to care for the needs of people suffering difficulties associated with the symptoms of their diagnosis. The move to a residential care home is not only a viable but …

The Disquieting Image, Retracing The Filmmaking Of Danièle Huillet And Jean-Marie Straub, Luisa Greenfield

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Luisa Greenfield The Disquieting Image, Retracing the filmmaking of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub The Disquieting Image is a practice-led research project that began in 2016, which prompted my work with analogue film materials and joining the LaborBerlin artist-run film collective. As part of the research process, I have taken part in analogue film workshops, film archive study, and essayistic scriptwriting. At its core, this project stems from making and presenting five 16mm/digital films in response to Geschichtsunterricht (History Lessons), the 1972 film by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub. By engaging with their “geological” approach to filmmaking, which involves taking …

An Interdisciplinary Study Of An Aesthetic Particularism: The ‘Split Representation In The Art Of Asia And America’, Benjamin Pothier

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

An interdisciplinary study of an aesthetic particularism: the ‘Split representation in the Art of Asia and America’. This thesis consists of an interdisciplinary research on an aesthetic particularism mentioned by anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss as “The split representation in the Art of Asia and America” in his 1944 eponymous essay. Most researchers include in this group the Ainu and Jōmon People from Japan, tribes from the Amur Basin, Haida people from the Northern West Coast, Ancient China (Yangshao and Shang Dynasty), Māori People from New Zealand and Kadiweu people from Brazil. I conducted this inquiry through an online study of academic …

Re-Imagining The Vernacular: Dwelling At The Thames Edge, Sally Sutton

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

For centuries, dwelling on the water has been a traditional way of life for many cultures around the world. Ironically, although these indigenous communities are now in decline, residing afloat is nonetheless a growing phenomenon in the West. The popularity of living on water is viewed by some as a solution to the problem of affordable housing, particularly in large urban centres. Recent reports have highlighted a range of issues associated with the rapid increase in demand, whilst simultaneously reinforcing the precarious nature of this lifestyle. Focusing on London’s iconic and multifunctional River Thames, this study presents a timely examination …

Interrupting Immersive Immediacy, Jamie Harper

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Immersive experiences in theatre and digital games are often characterized by immediacy in space and time, focusing on the imminent action of the here and now. Live action roleplay (larp) practices, by contrast, can encourage reflexivity. Such reflexive play can support the agential capacities of players in participatory performance works to visualize and pursue alternative futures.

Sense And The City: An Emotion Data Framework For Smart City Governance, Katharine S. Willis, Christian Nold

School of Art, Design and Architecture

In the smart city agenda, data plays a key role in shaping governance and participation around urban planning, and this data is increasingly derived from sensors of all kinds. These sensors increasingly include physiological and sentiment analysis to gauge the emotional states of urban citizens. In urban planning, emotional data has so far been conceptualised as ‘people as sensors’ where data is used to create an aggregated emotion layer for real-time urban planning. This paper argues this approach does not enable citizens any meaningful participation in urban planning. In contrast, this paper demonstrates what emotion can ‘do’ when citizen actively …