Digital Commons Network^™

Forming Of Economies Of Wellbeing Through Responsive Practice In Everyday Life, Julie Richardson

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

In recent years, most Western economies have increasingly focused on the narrow pursuit of economic growth with its unintended and undesirable impacts on the wellbeing of people and planet being well-documented. This has led to the growth in ‘alternative economics’ that addresses these critiques and proposes new economic models. However, alongside these critiques, there is another that questions the modern scientific approach underpinning economics, arguing that it overlooks the importance of lived experience, creating feelings of detachment in the economic practitioner as well as undermining the relevance and effectiveness of economics and policy making. The research develops a more responsive …

And The Skylarks Called Out Your Name: Posthuman Encounters With Loss Through Embracing The More-Than-Human World., Jennifer-Anne Bradbury-Crowther

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Howling at the sea, tears in damp morning air, songs on the wind, syrup-thick summer warmth, dawn before midnight, red moon, humming, whispers. Meet me where the sky meets the sea. This thesis proposes that immersion in the more-than-human world offers possibilities for an exploration of loss and its transformative potential. Loss here not only relates to personal bereavement, but also to a lack of connection with the natural world; in these post-Covid days many are feeling overwhelmed by feelings of isolation and alienation and a sense that something intrinsic has been lost in the modern world.Posthumanism creates a supportive …

Visual Thinking Informed By Repetition: A Practice-Based Methodology, Julia Heurling

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This artistic research proceeds from the idea that visual thinking is thinking about images through images. It explores how ideas are instigated, developed, and articulated exclusively through visual elements from a practice-based perspective. The use of repetition as a method of thinking is rooted in my previous practice as a pattern designer. I consider this a cognitive process based on the assumption that repetition is a tool for abstraction, as it changes one’s perspective from the particular to the general. Abstraction, in this context, becomes a method for processing information (i.e. to think visually).My artistic practice is engaged in combining …

Creative Psychotherapy, Including Art. A Module For Pluralistic Identities And A Case Study From An Artist's Perspective., Amani Alsaad

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates the complexities of pluralistic identities, focusing on Arab Muslims in non-Muslim countries and Westerners residing in the Arabian Gulf. Grounded in the author’s dual heritage as an Arab Muslim artist and psychological practitioner, this study offers a distinctive perspective informed by lived experience. The author’s unique background, shaped by a Saudi Arabian birthplace and upbringing in the United Kingdom, serves as a foundation for this multidisciplinary research.The study aims to develop a creative psychotherapy module integrating art-making as a therapeutic technique to address the mental health challenges faced by individuals with pluralistic identities. These challenges, arising from …

Ontological Machines: Subjectivity And Relational Desire In Immersive And Interactive Environments, Toby Chanter

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This practice-based artistic research focuses on two contemporary spaces; namely the pedagogical spaces of healthcare Simulation Based Education (SBE), and the exhibition spaces of installation art. These seemingly unrelated activities share a range of technological and operational similarities that render their combined study under the banner of ‘immersive and interactive environments’ both novel and necessary. The lack of broad engagement with questions of representation, aesthetics, and affect is conspicuous in an educational practice that is reliant on, and implemented through, a network of overtly visual mediums, material technologies, and sensory modalities. In healthcare SBE, clinical skills are acquired, and medical …

Grassroots Playwriting : Practice-Led Research Exploring The Impact Of Producing Historical Verse Drama For A Local Community, Chris Savery

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Christ SaveryGrassroots Playwriting: Practice-led research exploring the Impact of Producing Historical Verse Drama for a local CommunityOver the past thirty years, Practice as Research has contributed to a deeper understanding of theatre ecology, particularly in relation to the complexities and nuances of grassroots community theatre. This study builds upon this body of knowledge by addressing the question: How can the creation and performance of a historical verse drama by a self-producing grassroots playwright serve as a catalyst for community engagement? Central to this thesis is the investigation into my role as a self-producing playwright within the context of grassroots theatre, …

Above And Below The Horizon: A Practice-Led Investigation Into Liminal Thresholds Of Bodies Of Water, Rachael Allain

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis contributes to the debate on the interactions between art, science, and phenomenological experience, whilst offering new possibilities for investigation in this interdisciplinary field. The research investigated thresholds of the aquatic horizon; the outline in the distance where sky and water appear to coalesce. Artistic practice and critical discourse challenged and interrogated the intersection between analogue and digital, still and moving technologies, revealing aspects of the physical and conceptual horizons within and beyond the visible light spectrum. A range of theoretical concepts reconfigured my readings and interpretations of the phases of experience, through liminality and phenomenology. This provided a …

The Problem Of Being The Problem: Creating Practice-Based Fieldworking Along Climate Vulnerable Coastlines, Kate Paxman

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Focused on multisensory encounter with local semi-flooded sea caves and their communities in the crowded shores of Torbay’s Marine Conservation Zone, South West UK, this thesis questions how art and writing, made out of art-based practices of fieldworking (Crone et al., 2022), can respond to the threats posed to climate vulnerable coastal habitats from the global phenomenon of sea level rise. It asks, what is response, and how does an approach emerge from bodily encounters with fragile marine cave ecologies . Enquiring how acts of prolonged noticing can bear witness, the research considers what it means to be human in …

Artist Designed Systems In Community Radio, Lucinda Guy

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Skylark is a full-time licensed radio station, founded by the author of this thesis. Since 2020 it has broadcast a continuous and ever-changing sound installation, rejecting the conventional radio schedules of presenters, programmes, music tracks, adverts etc. Its content is drawn from contributors within Dartmoor National Park, and includes oral histories, music, poems, field recordings, archive material and fragments of bespoke music. Skylark is also a public service and research project that intends to offer an innovative way forward for community radio in the UK. Such stations are intended to respond to their locations, include multiple voices, and be not-for-profit. …

Interleukin-1 Type I Receptor Implicated In Emergence And Severity Of Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures In A Transgenic Mouse Model Of Adult-Onset, Progressive Epilepsy:, Tashi Dillon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin-1 β (IL- 1β) is a proinflammatory cytokine with proconvulsive properties that is elevated in epilepsy. The hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) buffers hyperexcitability, and deficits in granule neuron gating contribute to epileptogenesis. Excess brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may drive hyperexcitable circuit assembly, promoting a seizure-producing breakdown of the gating function. We use a transgenic mouse model of forebrain BDNF (TgBDNF) overexpression that exhibit spontaneous generalized tonic/ clonic seizures (GTCSs) at ~3 months, which progress as evidenced by prolonged periods of post-generalized EEG suppression (PGES). This is accompanied by hippocampal hypertrophy and brainstem cell loss. A strain globally lacking IL-1 …

Investigation Of Multiple Factors Influencing The Vector-Borne Transmission Of Salmonella Typhimurium Via Blattella Germanica, Landen Sean Van Hulzen

Dissertations and Theses

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is a common urban pest that lives ubiquitously in human structures around the world. German cockroaches are a severe public health threat as they are known carriers and vectors of human pathogens including Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Shigella spp, and more. German cockroach infestations have been associated with Salmonellosis outbreaks. While mechanical transmission by the German cockroach vector is well known, new research suggests that more nuanced biological transmission has a role in maintaining and transmitting Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Despite this recent finding, many biological variables influencing vector-borne transmission of S. Typhimurium …

Convergence In Cancer: Integrative Multi-Modal Modeling For Pan-Cancer Drug Response Prediction, Jessica Zylla

Dissertations and Theses

Heterogeneity and rarity can make cancer difficult to study and treat. Cancer's heterogeneity, evident in tumor locations, tumor cell types, subtypes, and microbiota within the tumor microenvironment, complicates diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Research into the tumor microenvironment and its microbiota is an evolving area of oncology that may advance cancer drug-patient response. Cancer-omics signatures are crucial to drug response, yet there is no tool that physicians use as a gold standard. Research indicates that microbial presence can alter drug metabolism and immune response, affecting cancer-drug efficacy on a patient-specific basis. This work highlights the need for training readiness in transdisciplinary …

An Exploration Of The Experiences And Factors Influencing Physical Activity In People With Parkinsons, Heather Hunter

School of Health Professions Theses

Abstract:Background: Physical activity plays a crucial role in enhancing the well-being and quality of life of people with Parkinsons. Despite substantial evidence supporting its benefits, people with Parkinson’s struggle to maintain an active lifestyle. This thesis explored the perspective of people with Parkinsons on their engagement in physical activity.Methodology: This research employed a person-centred approach, comprised of three sequential phases. Phase One: A systematic review utilising the JBI approach of meta-aggregation synthesised the best available qualitative evidence of people with Parkinson's' views and preferences regarding physical activity interventions. Phase Two: Constructive Grounded Theory was used to explore the beliefs, attitudes, …

Home-Based High-Intensity Interval Training For People With Parkinson’S : The Hiit-Home4parkinson’S Study, Conrad Harpham

School of Health Professions Theses

BackgroundExercise, particularly of high intensity, is considered to be important for people with Parkinson’s (PwP). However, PwP are less active than healthy individuals, and face disease specific and logistical barriers to exercise participation such as lack of outcome expectation, symptom exacerbation, travel logistics due to motor symptoms, expense and perceived lack of time. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a low volume exercise modality, evinced to be beneficial and time efficient for people within various healthy and clinical populations. HIIT therefore, particularly undertaken in the home could be apposite for PwP, although evidence is currently limited. Therefore, this study aimed to …

The Role Of Oral Nitrate Reducing Bacteria In Cardiovascular Health: Impacts Of Diet And Exercise, Craig Clarke

School of Health Professions Theses

This thesis investigated the important role of oral bacteria in blood pressure regulation and vascular function through the NO3--NO2--NO pathway following exercise or dietary interventions. Study 1 examined the effect of antibacterial mouthwash on the oral microbiome and nitrate metabolism in vegetarians and omnivores. Notable alterations in bacterial composition were observed after mouthwash administration, including reductions in the Prevotella genus (from 27.7% to 9.6%, P = 0.001) and Actinomyces genus (from 9.5% to 5.7%, P = 0.001), along with decreases in Prevotella melaninogenica (from 18.1% to 6.2%, P = 0.001) and Rothia dentocariosa (from 0.09% to 0.04%, P = 0.001). …

Factors Affecting Metabolism And Metabolic Control In Phenylketonuria, Alex Amorim Pinto

School of Health Professions Theses

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited metabolic disorder treated by a phenylalanine restricted diet in order to avoid neurocognitive impairment. Blood phenylalanine is the main outcome marker which is modulated by many dietary factors. Traditionally, L-amino acid-based protein substitutes are the main nitrogen source but more recently glycomacropeptide-based protein substitutes (GMP) have been introduced and are associated with several health benefits. The following aspects were studied in this thesis: 1) metabolic control achieved in patients with PKU compared with the European PKU guidelines; 2) life-long change in natural protein tolerance; 3) impact on metabolic control of different natural protein sources (animal …

Extracting The Future: An Analysis Of Petroculture In Apocalyptic Works, Cailey Poirier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the critique of petroculture seen in mid- and post-apocalyptic literature. Chapter One, “Parable of the Sower: A Pre-Apocalyptic World Planting Petrocultures Destiny” argues Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower critiques American petroculture by demonstrating the destruction and devastation society is heading for under current societal structures. Chapter Two, “The Road: The Crumbling Remains of Petroculture” argues Cormac McCarthy’s The Road critiques American petroculture through its infrastructural collapse. Chapter Three, “‘Covehithe’: A Weird, Post-Apocalyptic Story Birthing the Future of Petroculture” explores how China Miéville’s “Covehithe” employs magical realism to communicate a different view …

Gender And The ‘Natural’ Environment In The Middle Ages, Edited By Theresa L. Tyers And Patricia Skinner, Danielle Allor

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Achieving Urban Resilience Strategies For Cities, Rehab Abdelfatah Abdel Aziz. Mahmoud

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The concept of the Resilient City is a relatively recent addition to urban planning discussions, gaining global attention due to the increasing need for cities to withstand urban, social, and environmental challenges. Urban resilience, alongside adaptability, plays a vital role in addressing these dynamic transformations. This research investigates how to implement urban resilience strategies to effectively respond to ongoing changes and sudden crises, such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The research identifies a critical gap in the absence of a comprehensive theoretical framework for evaluating the success of urban resilience strategies within cities’ planning …

Merging Biophilic Design Approach Into University Learning Interior Spaces: An Applied Experience, Sara M. Atwa

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Incorporating living elements into educational environments is a crucial matter, as many educational spaces are deprived of natural features. Designers should incubate this way of thinking to generate healthy and inspiring spaces for students. The biophilia hypothesis reveals that humankind has a genuine connection with the natural environment which makes us happier and healthier. Biophilic design has motivated architects to merge nature within the interior spaces using plants, reclaimed wood, water features, and daylight. Thereby, this manuscript debates that educational spaces – particularly in universities – requisite a sincere interaction with the nature environment by embracing biophilic design as an …

The Meaning Of Spiritual Practices For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer In Thailand: A Heideggerian Phenomenological Study, Wipawee Ponkaew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caring for children with cancer may bring short and long-term challenges to families due to added healthcare activities focused on the ill child or adolescent. Among available resources and support strategies, religiosity/ spirituality (R/S) have been increasingly identified as a source of comfort.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience and interpret the findings of spiritual practices for caregivers of children with cancer in Thailand. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants, with semi-structured interviews. Swanson’s Theory of Caring provided the theoretical underpinning of the study, and Deikelmann’s seven-stage process was adapted for …

Investigating The Portrayal Of Native Americans In Florida’S K-12 Social Studies/History Textbooks: A Critical Content Analysis, Marisa Miceli Schnirman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Textbook bias is an enduring and contentious issue in the United States. U.S. textbooks have long been criticized for perpetuating bias and reinforcing dominant narratives that marginalize minority groups, such as members of Indigenous nations. This study confirms that biases continue to exist in textbooks and promote the harmful narrative that Indigenous peoples are people of the past. This narrative undermines the survivance (Vizenor, 1998), contributions, and very existence of Indigenous peoples. Using a critical lens, this content analysis examines the portrayal of Indigenous peoples in select fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and high school social studies and history texts used in Florida …

Catholic School Teaching As Participation In The Common Good, John L. Beltramo

Journal of Catholic Education

Increasing rates of teacher attrition have exacerbated the shortage of teachers in regions of the United States. In response, some scholars have proposed initiatives that promote the professionalization of teaching, hoping to attract and retain new teachers through greater classroom autonomy and stronger professional development. Others have advocated for a vision of teaching as a vocation, through which teachers can find deeper meaning and thereby better tolerate challenging working conditions. While both conceptualizations of teaching hold compelling implications for the field, their lack of grounding in a broader conception of community ultimately limit the extent to which they can respond …

Skinned Worlds: Virtual Reality And The Postbiological, Alicia Corts

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This paper explores the concept of “skinning” in educational virtual reality (VR) environments, reframing it as a dramaturgical and pedagogical act rather than a mere visual overlay. Through comparative analysis of The World of Hugo Simberg and C!ao: Piazza Navona Experience, the study investigates how design decisions shape user identity, agency, and the performance of learning. Drawing on performance theory, it examines how avatars – or their absence – guide learners through curated paths, subtly influencing perception and interaction. While both applications strip away overt self-representation, they open space for subversion, reflection, and imaginative engagement. The paper argues that skinning …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Based Assessment Of Animal Borne Data Logger Impact, Christopher Pass

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Animal borne data loggers are powerful tools that provide researchers with valuable insight into the behaviour and ecology of free-ranging marine animals. Despite their usefulness, the addition of a tag inevitably alters the forces acting on a swimming body and can increase the energetic cost of swimming. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools offer a powerful means of assessing tag impact and a number of previous works have employed CFD to this end but have typically been based on a range of simplifying assumptions. Chief amongst these simplifications is that animals can be modelled as rigid bodies with a simple tag …

Upregulation Of Delta Opioid Receptor By Meningeal Interleukin-10 Prevents Relapsing Pain, Kufreobong E Inyang, Jaewon Sim, Kimberly B Clark, Matan Geron, Karli Monahan, Christine Evans, Patrick O'Connell, Sophie Laumet, Bo Peng, Jiacheng Ma, Cobi J Heijnen, Robert Dantzer, Grégory Scherrer, Annemieke Kavelaars, Matthew Bernard, Yasser A Aldhamen, Joseph K Folger, Alexis Bavencoffe, Geoffroy Laumet

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic pain often includes periods of transient amelioration and even remission that alternate with severe relapsing pain. While most research on chronic pain has focused on pain development and maintenance, there is a critical unmet need to better understand the mechanisms that underlie pain remission and relapse. We found that interleukin (IL)-10, a pain resolving cytokine, is produced by resident macrophages in the spinal meninges during remission from pain and signaled to IL-10 receptor-expressing sensory neurons. Using unbiased RNA-sequencing, we identified that IL-10 upregulated expression and antinociceptive activity of δ-opioid receptor (δOR) in the dorsal root ganglion. Genetic or pharmacological …

Oral Microbiome Brain Axis And Cognitive Performance In Older Adults, Darbaz Adnan, Phillip A Engen, Michelle Villanueva, Shohreh Raeisi, Vivian Ramirez, Ankur Naqib, Stefan J Green, Faraz Bishehsari, Lisa L Barnes, Ali Keshavarzian, Klodian Dhana, Robin M Voigt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The human oral microbiota is a community of microorganisms that reside in the oral cavity, including lingual, buccal, and saliva, each niche with a distinct microbial composition. Alterations in oral microbiota have been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study used data from 143 older adults in the MIND trial to evaluate the association between oral microbiome and cognitive function. Oral niche-specific differences (saliva, buccal, and lingual), as well as the microbiome composition differences (α and β diversity), were associated with cognitive function. A lower abundance of Gemella and a higher abundance of anaerobic pro-inflammatory bacteria …

Use Of Hookah And Age Of Asthma Onset Among Us Adults, Adriana Pérez, Sarah Valencia, Pushan P Jani, Melissa B Harrell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To explore the association of hookah use on the age of asthma onset among adults who were asthma/COPD free and who did not use cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes or smokeless tobacco prior to asthma onset.

Methods: Secondary data analyses were conducted of the waves 1-6 (2013-2021) of the US nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study among adults (>18 years). The four hookahs use exposures evaluated were (1) past 30-day (P30D) hookah use at the first wave of participation, (2) total number of waves before asthma onset in which adults reported P30D hookah use, (3) total …

Esomeprazole Inhibits Proliferation Of Scleroderma Fibroblasts Via Cell Cycle Regulation, Mohammad A Khan, Shaheer Koniyan, Manisha Ahir, Anil G Jegga, Maureen D Mayes, David Gius, Justin Leung, Mark D Bonnen, Sydney B Montesi, Yohannes T Ghebre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Scleroderma is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal fibroblast proliferation and excessive collagen deposits in the skin and internal organs. We previously showed that esomeprazole, an FDA-approved drug for gastric disorders, may prevent dermal fibrosis.

Methods: To test this, we evaluated the antiproliferative effect of esomeprazole and the underlying molecular mechanisms using primary fibroblasts derived from patients with scleroderma. BrdU incorporation, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, Western blot analysis, RNA sequencing, and functional enrichment analysis were performed.

Results: Esomeprazole inhibited the proliferation of scleroderma fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner, as measured by BrdU incorporation and Ki-67 marker. Intriguingly, esomeprazole arrested …

Long-Term Dynamic Profiles Of Cognitive Kinases Induced By Different Learning Protocols, Yili Zhang, Rong-Yu Liu, Paul Smolen, John H Byrne

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Learning is associated with activation of multiple protein kinases, but few details are known about the activation dynamics in response to different learning protocols. We addressed this issue by examining the long-term dynamics of kinases critical for long term synaptic facilitation (LTF) of the Aplysia sensorimotor synapse. Three serotonin (5-HT) protocols have been found to induce LTF with distinct effectiveness: the five-pulse regular-spaced Standard protocol; the five-pulse irregular-spaced Enhanced protocol; and the two-pulse protocol with an interval of 45 min. We previously compared long-term dynamics of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoform ERK after these protocols. Here we examined the …