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Glory, judgement and the Divine in 4Qinstruction and the gospel of John: a comparative analysis
Get PDFWithin the newly discovered data from Qumran Cave IV is the largest and subsistent of the Qumran wisdom texts which was originally designated Musar le Mevin and is known today as 4QInstruction. In this thesis, we aim to show that when 4QInstruction is brought into dialogue with the Gospel of John fresh insights, mutual illumination, and a better understanding from text to text takes place in both directions in ways previously unexplored.
This study aims to explore three themes and their texts that are prominent in both texts: glory, judgment, and the divine plan. With the key evidence provided by these texts, we aim to demonstrate the relationship of these two texts to each other by the themes that they promote in both directions of glory, judgment, and the divine plan.
In this study we articulate two significant research questions: First, “what do the texts of 4QInstruction and the Gospel of John have to say that glory, judgment, and the divine plan?” The second question is: “when 4QInstruction and the Gospel of John are set side by side, how do they mutually illumine each other’s thought worlds in the areas of glory, judgment, and the divine plan?”
The contribution of this thesis aims to demonstrate the mutual illumination we anticipate that the textual evidence will bring forth in the thought worlds of 4QInstruction and the Gospel of John that a pattern of conceptual dissimilarity giving birth to the wider implications between the two texts and issues the need for a continual search for new evidence for a broader contextual background to the Gospel of John in the milieu of Second Temple Judaism.
In addition, the mutual illumination which we anticipate will be brought forth is that what each author’s intends or assumes about salvation is the critical dividing factor in understanding in both directions between 4QInstruction and the Gospel of John. His intentions about salvation functions as the Johannine author’s building block to construct his theological understandings of glory, judgment, and the divine plan in the cases we present, while the author of 4QInstr. appeals to one’s predetermined destiny within the fufillment of divine plan to build his case
Improving stratification and management of patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure using novel technology
Get PDFAtrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) commonly co-exist, and exhibit higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Treatment remain unclear due to the lack of robust data regarding treatment efficacy in this specific population, and current ones have unpredictable responses. The use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) based analysis has allowed us to find better ways to identify and sub-categorise this cohort of patients based on treatment response, that can improve outcomes and quality of life.
This PhD looked at the use of big data and machine learning to improve phenotyping and prognoses in patients with AF and HF. A systematic review and meta-analysis of novel screening techniques for AF detection found smartphone photoplethysmography had a high sensitivity and specificity for AF detection when compared to an ECG (n=28 studies). A meta-analysis of 20 comparisons (n=17 studies; n=6,891; 2,299 with AF) found a pooled sensitivity of 94% (95% CI 92-95%) and specificity of 97% (CI 96-98%), with significant heterogeneity (p<0.01). Studies were found to be small, of poor quality and biased.
Following this, a consumer wearable Fitbit device measuring PPG heart rate and physical activity (step count), was embedded within an on-going randomised clinical trial (RATE-AF) to compare the effectiveness of beta blockers and low-dose digoxin in AF rate control. Over 143 million heart rate recordings and 23 million corresponding physical activity intervals were collected over a mean of 20 weeks. No significant difference was seen in heart rate control with beta-blockers or low-dose digoxin, the regression coefficient was 1.22 (95% CI -2.82 to 5.27; p=0.55). There remained no difference in heart rate after adjusting for clinical variables (p=0.75), and individual physical activity (p=0.74). Conventional trial assessments and a wearable neural network trained on sensor data, were used to predict future trial outcomes. The wearable neural network showed a similar performance for predicting future New York Heart Association class: F1 score 0.55 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.70), versus 0.59 for electrocardiogram and 6-minute walk test (95% CI 0.44 to 0.74; p=0.72 for comparison).
The limitations of conventional statistical analysis in the presence of multi-morbidity were highlighted in the meta-analysis, assessing beta-blocker efficacy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and renal dysfunction. This was only able to detect a weak interaction between beta blocker efficacy and renal function, with low power (p=0.021). An AI based clustering technique was evaluated to overcome this. The clustering technique identified clusters of HFrEF patients with different beta-blocker efficacy in sinus rhythm and AF. A cluster of older patients in sinus rhythm were found to have no benefit from beta-blockers, and a cluster of younger patients with AF were found to have a significant benefit.
These studies have highlighted the potential wearable devices and AI-based analysis can offer in terms of improving patient care
Tomorrow's harvest: exploring English agriculture's vegetal futures
Get PDFThis thesis explores how agriculture in England is affected by the future in the present. It analyses imaginaries and discourses about the future of farming, as well as the ways in which the materialities of agriculture, particularly its ecologies and technologies, shape future possibilities. This interest in materialities leads to an interrogation of how expectations and trajectories of agricultural change shape and are shaped by people’s relationships with plants in agricultural systems.
Accordingly, this thesis draws on a range of disciplinary traditions and theoretical approaches. Although rooted in human geography it also borrows from political economy, Science and Technology Studies, environmental sociology, philosophy, and history. In bringing together these disciplinary traditions it builds bridges between old and new materialisms by engaging with post-structuralist thought and more-than- human geographies from a Marxian perspective. This combination of disciplinary and theoretical aspects leads to what I call a ‘political ecological approach to the future’. Via this paradigm I offer a novel intervention into contemporary debates regarding both how to understand the future in the present and the relations between humans and ‘nature’.
Further originality is offered by the way this approach informed the semi-structured interviews, participant observation and critical discourse analysis which form this research’s methodology. These methods facilitated the collection of a wide range of empirical data over the course of 2022. This data shapes the three interrelated empirical chapters at the the heart of this thesis. The first concerns regulation and practices associated with novel forms of plant breeding, particularly gene editing. The second examines the emergent field of vertical farming. The third explores the contemporary politics of agricultural scale and how such politics affect and are affected by historically- shaped relationships with different agricultural plants and technologies.
Together, these empirical chapters and the preceding theoretical framework make several key arguments. Centrally, this thesis shows how the future is produced in the present via not just ideas and talk, but also by material practices within agricultural systems. In considering these practices the influence of plants is also explored. I argue that the materialities and capacities of plants shape even the most advanced and intensified forms of contemporary farming in a way that should not be overlooked. Nevertheless, I argue that this does not mean that undue agency should be attributed to plants’ capacity to dictate English farming futures. Rather I look to historicise current relations with plants and how these relations are expressed through novel technologies and discourses which are already influencing the future of English farming. These technologies and their related discourses continue to intensify and stretch an instrumental, alienated, and accelerated way of relating with plants in capitalist agricultural systems. Importantly, I argue that these are realities with deep historical roots, which serve as a reminder of the extent to which the future is shaped and constrained by diverse forms of power in the present, over both people and plants
The role of altered neurodynamics in patients with cervical radiculopathy
Get PDFCervical radiculopathy (CR) is a clinical condition associated with symptoms of neck, shoulder, and upper limb pain as well as upper limb paraesthesia and weakness, which are attributed to cervical nerve root irritation. There is a paucity of evidence on the diagnosis and management of patients with CR. This thesis investigated (1) the validity of neurodynamic and other physical tests in diagnosing patients with CR, (2) the effect of neurodynamic mobilisation on longitudinal nerve movement in patients with CR compared to healthy matched controls, (3) the effectiveness of neurodynamic mobilisation in patients with CR and (4) the optimal timing of neurodynamic mobilisation and other conservative treatment modalities for patients with CR considering the evolution of the disorder.
A systematic review of the literature concluded that, when consistent with the patient’s history and other physical findings, a combination of a positive Spurling’s test and at least one positive upper limb neural tension test (ULNT) in a cluster of all four ULNTs may be used to increase the likelihood of the presence of CR.
A case-controlled study concluded that longitudinal median nerve movement at the wrist and the elbow is significantly less in patients with CR compared to healthy matched volunteers. But after 3 months of multi-modal conservative management, this difference is no longer present. Monitoring of the improvement in median nerve movement using ultrasound imaging has the potential to assist clinical decision making with regards to either continuing or suspending conservative management. This study also reported that an increase in nerve movement is strongly correlated with improvement in functional disability assessed by the Patient Specific Functional Scale, Neck Disability Index and Global Perceived Effect.
A systematic review of the literature concluded that there is low to very low-level evidence that neurodynamic mobilisation is effective on pain, disability and physical function in patients with CR.
Finally, an E-Delphi study was conducted which concluded that some of the previously reported generally effective conservative treatment modalities are more clinically useful than others across the different stages of CR.
The overall conclusions of the research presented in this thesis is that neurodynamics play an important role in both the diagnosis and conservative management of CR
The effectiveness of online language learning: a case study of Italian as a foreign language
Get PDFThe use of technology and the Internet have spread rapidly in the last decades and have made it possible for people to learn foreign languages online. More recently, the unexpected shift from face-to-face (F2F) to emergency remote learning (ERL) during COVID-19 has increased attention on online and distance learning.
In this thesis, I aim to investigate the effectiveness of online foreign language (FL) learning, in particular of the Italian language. It was initially based on three research I posed to gain an understanding of students’ perceptions of, and satisfaction with the effectiveness of learning Italian through the Internet and also to what extent they perceived they had acquired or improved their Italian. The investigation has been carried out through the analysis of some crucial factors involved in language learning, namely motivation, personality and autonomy, in order to outline the profile of a successful and satisfied potential online FL learner. My thesis covers the chronological period that started in 2018 and continued until 2022 and represented a time of change for humanity: the COVID-19 crisis. The sudden shift to ERL encouraged a reassessment of online learning and its effectiveness as a way to improve, rather than limit, education. Because the sudden pandemic situation turned learners from individuals who freely chose online learning to students who had to switch to distance education during the COVID-19 emergency, the study was divided into two sections: one “before COVID-19” and one “during/after COVID-19”.
Consequently, in this investigation I explored a variety of methodological paths: from questionnaires and interviews with students and staff members in order to explore their perception of and satisfaction with their online learning experience and build an ideal profile of a successful online FL learner; to the writing of two literature reviews, one before and the other on COVID-19 and education in order to capture and explore all the challenges and opportunities which came with the pandemic, and to prove that the move to online learning in time of crisis was considered emergency remote teaching/learning (Bozkurt et al., 2020; Hodges et al., 2020), a separated concept from conventional online learning in terms of issues and challenges; finally, social media-based research around certain hashtags and tweets, in order to examine people’s perception and feelings about the difference between online learning and ERL. Such a combination of multiple methods attempts to achieve a complete picture of a situation which might need a thorough investigation in terms of the elements which can serve as points of reference in the development of potential new learning and teaching models for the post COVID-19 era.
The results showed that all students who engaged in learning Italian online, both before and during/after COVID-19, perceived they had acquired the language and found the overall online FL process to have been satisfactory. However, students who experienced ERL and had promptly adapted to the online learning environment due to extenuating circumstances, would not repeat their online experience in the future. Instead, they would rather opt for F2F classes because they missed the on-campus experience. The results contribute to the related body of research by showing that the concept of effectiveness is intertwined with feelings that depend on extrinsic parameters, and a learner’s satisfaction with the process of online FL learning might lie in needs and expectations other than academic achievements or learning outcomes, such as the need to experience on-campus life and feel a sense of academic community.
My findings also show that my initial speculations that online learning is not appropriate for everyone, and that students interested in learning an FL through technology would tend to be more positive and satisfied about their online experience than others, have been backed by the evidence of this study.
This study is grounded on the premise that online learning, particularly in FL, makes education more accessible to learners around the world. In fact, even before the pandemic, an increasing number of universities and institutions were turning to blended and distance learning in order to increase participation. My findings and evidence can contribute to the development of possible models to enhance teaching in the post-pandemic era, helping institutions in the design of quality and more effective online FL courses to meet students’ and teachers’ needs and expectations.
Finally, my thesis fills a research gap in the area of online learning of Italian as an FL, as very little research about the effectiveness of online language learning, and particularly of Italian, currently exists
Investigating the lifestyle of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using chemical genomics.
Get PDFChemical genomics is a powerful tool for functionally linking genotype to phenotype on a genome wide level, elucidating unknown gene function, potential drug targets and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Antimicrobial resistance is threatening the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Therefore, research is required to evaluate the lifestyle of this bacterium and develop new therapies for treatment. This study utilised chemical genomics to evaluate and compare two P. aeruginosa strains, PAO1 and PA14. Due to the limited analysis software within the field, this study produced ChemGAPP, a comprehensive software for the analysis of chemical genomic screening data. Tested against real-world data, ChemGAPP showed success in revealing biologically relevant phenotypes. Following testing, ChemGAPP was employed on the PAO1 and PA14 chemical genomic screening data. Analysis revealed clear differences in the phenotypic responses of PAO1 and PA14, despite their genetic similarity. One major phenotype present in both screens was biotin mediated resistance against the diabetes drug metformin. A TraDIS library within a biotin deficient PA14 mutant was produced to reveal insights into the function of metformin. Genes highlighted within the TraDIS screen suggest that metformin disrupts energy production. This led to the hypothesis that biotin-dependent carboxylases are vital for compensation via alternative forms of energy production. Crucially, further research into the connection between metformin and biotin could lead to the development of a new therapy for P. aeruginosa infections. Specifically, a combination therapy of metformin with a biotin synthesis inhibitor
Female Exempla and Exemplary Feminae: The Socio-Political dimensions of exemplary discourse in Roman Culture
Get PDFThis study re-examines the purpose and functions of exempla in Latin literature from the Late Republic to early Empire. With particular focus upon the exemplification of contemporary women in Latin letters, speeches, essays, and other such texts that engage with contemporaries, it will argue that exemplary discourse is not only situationally dependent upon the context of the exemplum’s citation, but it is also impacted by the relationship between the author and the individual who is posited as an exemplum. While Latin authors are well known for using exempla typically to offer illustrative examples, precedents and paradigmatic models for the purposes of moral instruction, when they exemplify certain women within their social circle, they can also be seen to instrumentalise exemplification as a strategy for achieving certain social or political objectives. As this study will show, Roman authors often adopt exemplification to negotiate personal and political relationships, exploiting its complimentary potential to flatter the individual. Alongside this, they also capitalise on its capacity to immortalise individuals and create a lasting legacy, to incentivise friends and family members to fulfil their various requests, or as a means of gift exchange. In other ways, exemplifying the women within their family, or their wider social circle, works to manipulate perceptions of their character and establish a positive public persona. By proclaiming affinity with, or proximity to, these exemplary women within their world, authors are able to enhance their social prestige, rehabilitate a tarnished reputation, or even revise a personal history. This study will advance our understanding of exemplarity in Roman culture by exploring these dimensions, and by highlighting how the introduction of this temporal variable transforms the nature of the discourse
Intervention for cognitive difficulties in Functional Cognitive Disorder
Get PDFFunctional neurological disorders (FND) are conditions that present as neurobehavioural functional alterations in the central nervous system despite no known organic cause. Cognitive difficulties are one of many varied presentations of the condition, collectively termed functional cognitive disorders (FCD). These may present as difficulties with attention, memory, processing speed and executive functioning, without evidence of brain injury or neurodegeneration.
The purpose of the systematic literature review was to a) understand the context around FND presentations and the neuropsychosocial mechanisms behind FCD, and b) formulate hypotheses of the most effective treatment components for managing symptoms of FCD. A systematic search of empirical literature revealed that interventions are in their infancy, meaning that no conclusions could be established. Nevertheless, the review provided a framework for future research.
The empirical research paper investigated the efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention for managing the experiences of FCD, designed to address the emotion regulation, behavioural activation, metacognitive evaluations, and executive control elements underpinning FCD, as hypothesised from the systematic literature review. The mindful awareness, psychological wellbeing, and cognitive performance of thirteen people with FCD were measured before and after mindfulness training. Statistical analyses showed that trait-mindful abilities improved, as well as correlational associations between mindful awareness and psychological wellbeing and attentional performance. These findings support the hypothesised treatment components as well as the use of mindfulness-based interventions in the management of FCD, supporting both clinical application in healthcare settings and the empirical literature. Future research should focus on the development of treatment guidelines
Travail de mémoire : Années noires, image, intergénérationnalité
Get PDFLa présente étude porte sur les efforts français utilisant l’image en mouvement pour transmettre la mémoire traumatique des années noires (1940-1944) et répond à une tendance courante des études de mémoire. Elle argumente pour traiter le travail de mémoire dans son intégralité en accordant une plus grande place à l’image cinématographique, les générations variées et l’imbrication de la mémoire collective et la mémoire personnelle. Indicateur temporel et affectif des progrès du travail de mémoire, l’intergénérationnalité de l’image des années noires examine dans une optique « générationnelle » l’engagement créatif avec l’image cinématographique dans dix films français d’Occupation réalisés entre 1941 et 2011. Des tropes de familles intergénérationnelles, exposés par l’analyse de l’image cinématographique, facilite cet engagement créatif. Au fil des décennies, la mixité multigénérationnelle changeante des réalisateurs, des publics et des critiques impliqués dans l’engagement fait converger la mémoire collective de l’époque de la production des films et les mémoires personnelles de ces personnes. Comme exprimé à travers les documents de production et de réception, cet engagement conjugué avec les dix films résulte en représentations qui signalent ainsi des points temporels et affectifs des progrès du travail de mémoire. Ensemble, les représentations tracent la trajectoire du travail de mémoire et son arc affectif. Au cœur de cet engagement se trouve le potentiel spatio-temporel de l’image cinématographique qui conjugue expérience, passé et présent. Centrée sur l’image cinématographique et son potentiel pour engager les générations dans le travail de mémoire, la présente étude remet en question la tendance à minimiser l’image cinématographique, à limiter les générations et à subordonner la mémoire personnelle. Cela faisant, elle s’appuie sur d’importantes œuvres théoriques, philosophiques et pratiques dans les études de film, de mémoire et d’histoire pour considérer les « possibles » de l’image cinématographique pour accéder à la convergence des mémoires collective et personnelle tout en engageant des générations variées dans le travail de mémoire. La présente étude rejoint donc l’avant-garde du champ interdisciplinaire des études de mémoire, où des études de pointe explorent les relations mnémoniques aux dimensions transcendantes
Experimental investigation on conventional and non-conventional machining of Sintered Advanced Ceramics using CVD diamond coated end mills and electroplated diamond grinding points
Get PDFThe superior properties of advanced ceramics of ZrO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC, such as high hardness, strength, functioning under hightemperatures of up to 2500°C, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, have made them good alternative for metallic materials. Due to better
durability and functionality that could exhibit compared to metals, in several applications, such as dental implants, hip joint replacement, body armours, and break discs. However, machining advanced ceramics to its final shape with high dimension precision and without defects is a challenging process, because of their brittleness and high hardness that makes them difficult to cut. Therefore, ceramic components are often machined before sintering, but this remains challenging because sintering causes unpredictable volume shrinkage of up to 5%.
This study investigated the machinability of the four commonly used advanced ceramics, using two different tooling. The assessment criteria included the tool life, surface roughness, material removal mechanism, and cutting forces. In addition, the effect of cutting fluid was investigated, where in phase 1, Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC were benchmarked against ZrO2 using a 4-mm-diameter chemical vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond-coated (15µm thick) end mill at the following parameters: cutting speed V, 60 m/min; feed fz, 0.5 µm/tooth; cutting depth, 0.25 mm; and cutting
width, 0.5 mm. In phase 2, for benchmarking, 4-mm-diameter D126 diamond grinding point to machine slot was used at the following parameters: V, 1 m/s; F, 1 mm/ min; and cutting depth,0.1 mm. Moreover, the machinability was investigated using a non-conventional machining technique: ultrasonic assisted milling/grinding that referred improving the machinability of hard materials. This study is the first to benchmark the four advanced ceramics using CVD diamond�coated end mills and diamond grinding points by conventional and non-conventional machining technique.
The findings from phase 1 show that end milling in a wet environment increased the tool life five times. Among the four ceramics, ZrO2 showed the best machinability, where the cutter machined for 1500 mm. For Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC, the tool lives were 100, 40, and 10 mm, respectively. The average surface roughness Ra achieved for the four ceramics were 0.33, 0.47, 0.24, and 0.28 µm, respectively. Compared with those of the other ceramics, the resulting surface of ZrO2 was dominated by ductile fractures. The cutting forces were proportional to the tool life, as the forces increased as the tool life decreased, where the obtained Euclidean norm F values of ZrO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC were 51, 61, 96, and 118 N, respectively. Tool life was markedly improved using the ultrasonic assisted machining method. The tool life of used cutters that machined Al2O3,
Si3N4, and SiC were improved by 1900%, 25%, and 900%, respectively. However, the cutter that machined ZrO2 did not show any improvement in tool life, as it was reduced from 1500 mm to 1300 mm, because of what believed thermal softening of the cutter.
In phase 2, the findings show that a lower cutting speed is better for grinding ZrO2. Also, the benchmarking showed that the grinding points markedly reduced the influence of hardness on the grinding forces. SiC, the hardest ceramic, obtained the lowest grinding force, with Euclidean norm F value of 31.5 N, whereas ZrO2, Al2O3, and Si3N4 obtained F values of 107, 63, and 339 N, respectively. These were clearly reflected on the tool wear of the four diamond points, where the SiC cutter showed the lowest wear rate. The obtained Ra values of ZrO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC were 0.33, 0.53, 0.16, and 0.08 µm, respectively. None of the resulting surfaces of the four ceramics were dominated by ductile fractures. However, the reduction in grinding force caused by the use of a non-conventional method (ultrasonic assisted grinding [UAG]) was noticeable. The F values for ZrO2, Al2O3, and Si3N4 were reduced by 30%, 26%, and 24%, respectively. However, the F value for SiC was almost similar to that with the conventional method. However, grinding using the UAG method resulted in a shorter tool life
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