Digital Commons Network^™

A Scale Development Study For Evaluating The Competency Perception Of Air Traffic Controllers, Arif Tuncal, Ertan Çinar

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Ensuring the competencies that influence the performance of air traffic controllers is a key priority for the aviation sector in terms of flight safety. Notwithstanding the efforts of international organizations, the absence of a statistically valid and reliable scale in the academic literature for the measurement of air traffic controllers’ competency perceptions signifies a notable gap. The aim of the study was to develop a scale for measuring air traffic controller competency. The study sample comprised 482 air traffic controllers. Following semi-structured interviews and document analysis, an item pool was established, ensuring content validity through expert input, with a CVR …

Brittle-Viscous Deformation Cycles At The Base Of The Seismogenic Zone In The Continental Crust, Francesca Prando

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The main goal of the study was to determine the dynamical cycle of ductile-brittle deformation and to characterise the fluid pathways at different scales of a brittle-viscous fault zone active at the base of the seismogenic crust. Object of analysis are samples from the sinistral strike-slip fault zone BFZ045 from Olkiluoto (SW Finland), located at the site of a deep geological repository for nuclear waste. Combined microstructural analysis, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and mineral chemistry were applied to reconstruct the variations in pressure, temperature, fluid pressure, and differential stress that mediated deformation and strain localization along BFZ045 across the BDTZ. …

Sofa-Surfing: The Cartographies Of Young People Utilising Host-Dependent Shelter., Kieran Green

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In 2016, 35% of UK young people (16-25 years) reported having sofa-surfed in the past. Past research highlights that spaces where people sofa-surfing stay are often tenuous, short-lived and worsen over time, reducing mental health, educational attainment, and the ability to find work (McLoughlin, 2013; Albanese et al., 2018). However, a study has not elucidated how young people’s preferences, identities, experiences, and access to support create highly varied sofa-surfing geographies and outcomes. This study examined young people's different geographical experiences and outcomes of sofa-surfing. Specifically, I outline key sofa-surfing experiences centred on uses of space, mobility, and identity (cartographies) and …

Success Factors Facilitating Care During Escalation (The Suffice Study), Jody Ede

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom, there continues to be preventable National Health Service (NHS) patient deaths. Contributory factors include inadequate recognition of deterioration, poor monitoring, or delayed escalation to a higher level of care. Strategies to improve care escalation, such as vital sign scoring systems and specialist teams who manage deterioration events, have shown variable impact on patient mortality. The need for greater care improvements has consistently been identified in NHS care reviews as well as patient stories. Furthermore, current research informing escalation improvements predominantly comes from examining failure to rescue events, neglecting what can be learned from rescue or …

An Exploration Of Preconception Care For People With Health Conditions Using Realist Methodology: What Works, For Whom, And In What Circumstances?, Heather Hopper

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Background: People living with pre-existing physical or mental health conditions are over-represented in audits and confidential enquiries regarding maternal morbidity and mortality and thus often advised to stabilise or optimise their health prior to becoming pregnant. Preconception care may include medication or behaviour change, which can be effective but not always accessed by those who need it, and there is a lack of evidence demonstrating how this can be achieved. The aim of this study was therefore to explore what form of preconception care for people living with health conditions works, for whom, how do these approaches work, and in …

Navigating A Complex Transition: From Qualifying As A Nurse To Becoming A Confident Practitioner., Rachel Pascoe

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

This thesis explores the complexities of transition to professional practice of newly qualified nurses following an undergraduate professional preparation programme. Transition to professional practice from student to qualified nurse and then to confident practitioner has been explored since the late 1960s and is recognised as a complex and multi-faceted issue for the newly qualified nurses. They can feel unprepared for clinical practice and for the organisational demands who require competent and confident personnel to join the workforce. Adopting a social constructionist approach, this study utilises a combination of diaries and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and …

Development And Validation Of A Patient-Reported Experience Measure For Older Adults Attending The Emergency Department: The Prem-Ed 65 Study, Blair Graham

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Emergency Department (ED) care traditionally focuses on resolving single-organ pathology, emphasising rapid patient flow. As such, ED care may fall short of addressing the holistic needs of older adults, where atypical and complex presentations exacerbated by frailty, comorbidity, polypharmacy, and sensory deficits are much more prevalent than in the general population. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ED crowding and prolonged length of ED stay and suffer increased in-hospital mortality as a result.Patient experience is a central determinant of quality of care and is positively associated with improved outcomes for acute conditions, including pneumonia, asthma, and acute …

The Reconstruction Of Climate In Beringia By Analysis Of Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraether (Gdgt) Distributions Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (Hplc-Ms)., Lauren Beth Pankhurst

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The reconstruction of past environments, including temperatures, aids in the production of climate models which predict how the Earth will respond to future climatic changes that are occurring at an accelerated rate, due to global warming. High-latitude seas, including the Bering Sea, are sensitive to changes in global climate, across both glacial and interglacial timescales. Membrane lipids synthesised by archaea and bacteria are retained within the sediment and when extracted give evidence to the environmental conditions present during the organism’s lifetime. The membrane lipids are structured in a way that is chemically favourable to their environment, and calibrations derived in …

Using Remote Sensing To Track Complex Sinuous Ripple Migration On A Barchan Dune In Herschel Crater, Mars, Elizabeth Visick

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Dunes on Mars are known to migrate, in particular ripples have also been found to migrate. This is known to have occurred in eastern, western and southern Herschel Crater, but it was not known if this was true for Central Herschel Crater. Central Herschel Crater is of particular interest as the dunes found there were deemed indurated. However, since the release of HiRISE (2023) satellite images it is clear that these dunes are in fact very much the opposite. These dunes were actively migrating and presented some unique superimposed ripples. With this, we set out to measure the migration of …

Volcanic Debris Avalanche Propagation And Emplacement Mechanisms: Sedimentological Field Evidence And Bidisperse Granular Flow Experiments, Symeon Makris

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Volcanic debris avalanches mobilise large volumes and achieve long runouts with high destructive potential. Although many theories have been proposed regarding the mechanisms that enable their long runouts, the processes remain unknown. Theoretical and numerical models are unable to account for their long runout while being consistent with deposit observations. Therefore, evaluation of their dynamics in reference to deposit structure and sedimentology is fundamental for constraining such models. This thesis explores volcanic debris avalanche propagation dynamics and evaluates potential factors contributing to their long runouts. A systematic comparison of volcanic debris avalanches and lahars allows the evaluation of water as …

Resilience Thinking And The Influence Of Street-Level Bureaucrats On The Implementation Of Eu Environmental Policies In Overseas Territories: Lessons From Gibraltar., Jaime Sanchez-Garcia

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The policy implementation literature has provided important insights on how policy formulation processes affect the achievement of policy goals and how street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) involved in policy implementation utilise coping mechanisms to overcome shortages in resources, expertise and other local constraints. However, it has struggled to provide a systematic analysis of how contextual factors influence the work of SLBs or the implications of their coping mechanisms for the functioning of implementation systems, particularly in smaller countries and non-states territories, where mismatches between policy requirements and resources are more acute. This thesis addresses these knowledge gaps by examining the implementation of …

Andean Sediment Response To Natural And Anthropogenic Changes At The Catchment Scale, Jessica Kitch

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Changing climate and population growth poses a challenge for the water, food and energy security nexus, particularly in glacier-fed mountainous catchments. Soil erosion, driven by both natural and anthropogenic activities, further exacerbates the challenge for resource security. Soil erosion is contributing to increased levels of sediment in river systems threatening crucial river functions, including crop irrigation, drinking water, and hydroelectricity. Past studies in the Andes regarding soil erosion have indicated that human activities have accelerated soil erosion and rates often exceed natural soil production. To date, the majority of Andean studies have primarily focused on larger eastern catchments, with fewer …

Technology Impacts, Justice, Place, And Worldviews: An Integrated Framework For Understanding Perceptions Of And Attitudes Towards Shale-Gas Fracking In English Host Communities, Kechagia Magdalini

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Despite growing national opposition, local resistance, and moratoriums in Scotland and Wales, successive UK governments have supported the use of fracking to exploit oil and gas from shale formations in England in response to declining North Sea reserves and concerns about geopolitical instabilities affecting energy security. Although scholars have examined technological, justice, and socio-psychological drivers of social attitudes to fracking in order to challenge ‘Not-In-My-Back-Yard’ explanations of perceptions and attitudes, existing studies have rarely examined these factors in an integrated way. The aim of this research is to investigate whether and how an integrated approach, combining insights from the factors …

Considerations And Challenges In Support Of Science And Communication Of Fish Consumption Advisories For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Jonathan Michael Petali, Erin L. Pulster, Christopher Mccarthy, Heidi M. Pickard, Elsie M. Sunderland, Jacqueline Bangma, Courtney C. Carignan, Anna Robuck, Kathryn A. Crawford, Megan E. Romano, Rainer Lohmann, Katherine Von Stackelburg

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Federal, state, tribal, or local entities in the United States issue fish consumption advisories (FCAs) as guidance for safer consumption of locally caught fish containing contaminants. Fish consumption advisories have been developed for commonly detected compounds such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. The existing national guidance does not specifically address the unique challenges associated with bioaccumulation and consumption risk related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As a result, several states have derived their own PFAS-related consumption guidelines, many of which focus on one frequently detected PFAS, known as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). However, there can be significant variation between …

Electrophysiological Investigation Of Active-Assisted Vs Recumbent Cycling: A Pilot Study In Healthy Older Adults, Vanessa Harwood, Nicole E. Logan, Alisa Baron, Skye Richards, Raphael Dias, Alex Seng, Emily Jelfs, Christine Marie Clarkin, Christie L. Ward-Ritacco

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

There is a relationship between acute bouts of aerobic exercise and cognition in adults, yet the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear. The current pilot study aims to investigate how different modes of cycling (active-assisted cycling vs recumbent cycling) at different moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) intensity levels (prescribed 65–70% Heart Rate Max and self-selected 12–13 Rate of Perceived Exertion) modulate neurocognitive, and behavioral markers of cognition in healthy older adults. A sample of 10 adults (aged 50–74 years) participated in baseline (no exercise), active-assisted, and recumbent cycling interventions at different intensity levels. The P3 event-related potential (ERP), a neural …

Opportunities Out Of Challenges In Dental Education: Two Deans’ Perspectives, Clark M. Stanford Dds, Phd, Mha, David Johnsen Dds, Ms

Journal of the American College of Dentists

Addressing the challenges and creating opportunities in dental education requires a multifaceted approach involving curriculum innovation, technological integration, financial support, and mental health resources. Educational institutions must continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders, including government bodies, private sectors, and professional organizations, to develop sustainable solutions. We recognize this will take a multiprong approach. Dentists are great at problem-solving, and we are confident dental education will remain relevant, accessible, and of the highest quality, ultimately leading to a well-prepared dental workforce capable of meeting the rapidly evolving needs of our society.

Prioritizing Well-Being To Advance Dental Education, Sophia G. Saeed Dmd, Mba, Facd, Hubert K. Chan Dds, Facd, Carlos Smith, Romesh P. Nalliah Dds, Mhcm, Facd

Journal of the American College of Dentists

Picture this: robots restoring your teeth and placing implants, digitally created orthodontic treatment plans, 3D-printed dentures, nanohydroxyapatite remineralization of early carious lesions, artificial intelligence (AI) calculating bone loss and identifying potential caries on radiographs, wearable technology providing large amounts of health-related data. It is an exciting time for dentistry and dental education!

Now consider this: the greatest number of faculty vacancies ever in the modern history of dental education, fewer tenured positions than ever before, below-market salaries for dental educators, continually declining reimbursement rates from third-party payers, growing health inequities among the richest and poorest patients, and an increasingly medically …

Analysing M. Avium-Macrophage Interactions And Establishing A Long-Term Infection In A Novel And Realistic Model Of Lung Alveolar Macrophages, Max Planck Institute Cells, Sanduni Avishka Thantri Hewage Peiris

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) are species of the non-tuberculous branch of the Mycobacteria family that is responsible for the development of pulmonary lung disease in immunocompromised individuals. One of the first lines of defence from the host involve a specialised group of tissue macrophages that reside in the lung alveolar space called alveolar macrophages (AM). They have specialised functions that are suitable for recognition of foreign invaders and the ability to tackle these threats though means of a robust immune response. Alternatively, they also feature as key components in a fairly destructive uncontrolled inflammatory response which is the root cause …

Silence In Market Reaction To Annual Reports, Magdalena Kochanowicz

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Research problem - The literature suggests that the market either does not react or reacts with a delay to the content of annual reports, concerning notion given their importance for investment decisions due to the value relevance of the information they convey. According to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, the market should exhibit a prompt reaction to their release. Rationale - This study aims to uncover the underlying reasons for investors' lack of response to annual report filings. It predicts that the reaction depends, among other factors, on the release of preliminary disclosures of financial results, the method of distribution of …

Rhythmical And Balanced Education – A Matter Of Trust And Boundaries. – A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study About Pedagogic Practice In Swedish Waldorf-Steiner Schools, Helena Selsfors

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Helena Selsfors, School of Society and Culture, Faculty of Education, Plymouth University Title of the study: Rhythmical and Balanced Education – a Matter of Trust and Boundaries; a Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study about Pedagogic Practice in Swedish Waldorf-Steiner Schools. This study investigates pedagogic practice in Swedish Waldorf-Steiner schools by using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Focus is on lived experiences of rhythms and balance, interpersonal processes, interaction and trust between teachers and students – connected to the mechanisms of power and control. It also investigates the experience of being part of a strong pedagogic tradition. In this study, cognition and experience are …

Integrating Natural Light For Wellbeing, Performance, And Quality Care Delivery In Healthcare Environments, Ademola Adebayo Akinbami

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The global challenge of addressing human ill-health demands a re-evaluation of the multifaceted factors impacting health outcomes. Rising health issues in society impose significant burdens on healthcare professionals, affecting their comfort, overall well-being, and performance. While issues like inadequate funding and medical equipment shortages are frequently discussed, a growing recognition centres on the pivotal role that architecture and the built environment play in shaping health outcomes. Poorly designed healthcare facilities contribute to staff shortages and poor care outcomes. Consequently, architecture's transformative potential within the built environment becomes essential in advancing human health, well-being, and productivity. Interestingly, the impact of a …

Knowledge Construction And Multiple Realities: Global Health Collaborations, Development Practices, And Face Masks In The Context Of Covid-19, Linan Zhang

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis is inspired by a global health collaborative programme named GRASPIT and by my own desire to do something good which can benefit the people in need as well as reduce suffering. The GRASPIT collaboration intended to improve post-operative outcomes, but the programme failed to deliver the expected result. Preliminary analysis by the GRASPIT team identified issues with knowledge sharing as one of the contributory causes of its failure. This prompted the reflection in this thesis upon apparent asymmetries when knowledge is shared. Quite soon after the research began, the global pandemic COVID-19 revealed the issue of having inconsistent …

Life Still: A Sequence Of Paintings Reimagining Dutch Golden Age Still Life, Christopher Cook

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Abstract This research project refers to a sequence of forty-nine monochrome paintings, made between 2016 and 2020, which took as starting point Dutch 17th century still life painting. The works use an idiosyncratic graphite medium to interpret, appropriate and reposition the genre, resulting in a sequence of common focus. The sequence is illustrated in full, and is accompanied by a chronology of individual works presented in the public domain. The reflective essay studies the progress of the sequence from early experimental beginnings to later works made in full awareness of their theoretical contexts. A background to the making process considers …

Transmission+Interference: A New Materialist And Machine-Oriented Approach To Collectively Make-With Noise, David Strang

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the materiality at play within installation and performance artworks from across the interdisciplinary fields of media arts, digital arts and contemporary technological arts and is positioned at the noisier end of the artistic spectrum of these disciplines. The practice-led research presented here deals with the shift away from clean digital media environments of production in order to embrace a more material focused approach that has emerged within recent years (see the emergence of physical computing and electronics practices), especially across sonic arts practices (see also the re-emergence of modular synthesis). The aim is to unfold an understanding …

Bridging The Gap: Technological Mediation And The Development Of Humanistic Skills In Medical Simulation: Lessons From Covid-19 And The Impact Of Immersive Media And Minimal Viable Simulation (Mvs), Nicholas Peres

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis provides a chronological account of the integration of innovation and technology within medical simulation and training from 2014 to 2023 at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT). Responding to the backdrop of a constantly changing technological and clinical (epidemiological) landscape, it seeks to develop a methodology for assessing the role of technology in improving medical simulation and training. The research critically challenges the current trend towards high-fidelity simulations, driven by manufacturers' technology-centric marketing strategies that frequently impose cost constraints and limit perceived educational outcomes. Motivated by the Francis Report's (2013) findings, this practice-based study explores the …

Mapping A Lived Experience In Landscape: An Artist’S Analysis Of Gps And Gis Data, Becalelis Brodskis

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis involves a critical analysis of data types and digital interfaces used in a socially engaged arts practice aligned with the concerns of participatory mapping. The research identifies a problem which occurs when the development and use of technologies begins to conflate data with its visual representation or, conversely, reduces the experience of reality to what can be documented. The thesis aligns with a concern that this impacts the perception of, and sensitivity to, available qualities or indeed possibilities of experience. Responding to this concern questions are raised relating to how and why qualities of objectivity or subjectivity are …

An Evolutionary Algorithms Approach To Physical Modelling Of Vocal Synthesis, Jared Drayton

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis documents the application of Evolutionary Algorithms to the Acoustic Articulatory Inversion of vowels using the Praat physical model. Speech synthesis by computational means has been a field for many decades, giving rise to several differing approaches. While the physical modelling approach has been a continually active area of research, it has yet to prove a viable solution to applied TTS systems partly due to the complexity of the model parameters, hence why an efficient and robust method of Acoustic-Articulatory Inversion of parameters for these models would benefit the field. To do so, the use of Evolutionary Algorithms as …

Before Sensing Becomes A Some-Thing: Writing With The Bodily Experience Of Liminality In Processes Of Social Organising, Juliana Schneider

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The research addresses organisational practitioners’ capacity for noticing and responding to fleeting, small gestures and indeterminate impressions that register as bodily sensations in the midst of dynamic circumstances. The thesis explores such experience as occurring in the realm of the liminal - liminality taken up as a quality of experience when vague perceptions are sensed and felt viscerally at the very edge of articulation.The research asks how this domain of experience, here discussed as liminal perceptive sensibility, may be brought further into articulation while retaining the quality of the experience. This involves experimenting with a combination of first person reflexive …

#Instafood: A Speculative Design Exploration Of The Eating Experience, Perception, Fabrication, And Consumption., Jie Yan

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The discussion of dietary nutrition and the pursuit of satisfaction in eating experience has consistently attracted significant attention. While advanced technologies have been dedicated to providing solutions in these fields, the challenge of increasingly complex and diverse dietary needs requires more innovative approaches. Grounded in speculative design, this study introduces InstaFood, an approach to personalized eating for well-being. It speculates a future possibility of influencing intake by manipulating food-related visual cues, through a combination of perceptual impacts, social media image-based investigations, and digital fabrication.Research on crossmodal perception in psychology establishes a theoretical framework that links visual characteristics to food perception, …

What Role Do Metrics Of Value Play In Translating Policy Into Action In Partnership Management Of Landscape Restoration?, Adam Guy

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Accelerating decline in the quality and extent of natural habitats has led to biodiversity loss characterised as an unprecedented global crisis. The emerging explanatory paradigm is that nature has been systematically undervalued economically.The response has been a (moral) demand for environmental restoration. This call to action, driven by the hegemonic sustainability discourse, proposes interventions driven by partnerships of local and state agents, empowered to act immediately despite pervading uncertainty around appropriate restoration techniques, and unpredictable outcomes. In the context of the delegislating neoliberal state, funding is problematic, engagement in partnerships is comparatively unsuccessful, and the policy context is muddled by …