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The Poetics of Matter and Form: Mid-Seventeenth-Century Women's Poetry and Natural Philosophy
No full textThis thesis traces the reciprocal relationship between natural philosophy and poetry in mid-seventeenth-century women’s poetry. It argues that Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672), Lucy Hutchinson (1620–1681), Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673) and Hester Pulter (1605–1678) build their poetics from the ubiquitous yet strange interactions of matter and form that can be natural philosophical, poetic, rhetorical, logical, theological and political.
Chapter 1 focuses on Bradstreet’s debate poem “The Four Elements” (1650). It argues that the four elements’ seventeenth-century ontological precarity catalyses Bradstreet’s deconstruction of traditional elemental hierarchies, and the social, gendered and theological hierarchies that elemental philosophy upholds. Chapter 2 turns to Hutchinson’s translation of Lucretius’ "De rerum natura". It argues that Hutchinson draws a liberating theory of translation as transformation from the recombinatorial theory of atomic-poetic form embedded in Lucretius’ atom-letter analogy which she then turns back on the "De rerum natura’s" atomic doctrines. In particular, Hutchinson recombines the poem’s atomism to interrogate the potential role(s) form might have to play in atomic physics and metaphysics, finding surprising continuities between atomic and hylomorphic understandings of form. Margaret Cavendish’s "Poems and Fancies" (1653) is the focus of chapter 3. It argues that her natural philosophical theory of fancy as the material, figurative motions of her mind, emerges in conversation with a seventeenth-century, royalist poetics that values free, easy and smooth couplets. By reemphasising the importance of motion to Cavendish’s natural philosophical theory of form (or figure), it suggests that fancy should be thought of as akin to rhythm, a material form that unfolds over time. The final chapter examines Hester Pulter’s breathy poetics, arguing that Pulter’s invocations of breath and sighs are informed by both scripture and a detailed understanding of seventeenth-century acoustics. Like many seventeenth-century theories of sound, Pulter makes matter do the unifying work of form
Enhancing Magnetic Endoscope Manoeuvrability Using Tip-Growing and Developable Roller Mechanisms for Deep Navigation and Virtual Biopsies
Get PDFEarly detection of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers significantly improves survival outcomes; however, current diagnostic pathways are limited by manual procedures that are time consuming, uncomfortable, and resource-intensive. In many health systems, especially those constrained by staff shortages or infrastructure, routine endoscopic screening remains inaccessible or inefficient. Colonoscopy, the gold standard for detecting colorectal cancer, is associated with discomfort, sedation requirements, and steep operator learning curves. The global push toward automation and patient-centric technologies has fueled interest in robotic solutions that can enhance the reach, dexterity, and diagnostic capability of endoscopic tools. This thesis is motivated by the clinical imperative to make GI cancer detection faster, safer, and more scalable using intelligent magnetically actuated robotic platforms. Chapter 2 introduces an oloid-shaped, magnetically actuated endoscope that restores rotational
dexterity and achieves stable contact with the GI wall during 74% of rolling motion in vivo. Building on this, Chapter 3 integrates closed-loop magnetic control and high resolution micro-ultrasound imaging, enabling autonomous three-dimensional subsurface lesion detection and mapping, validated in benchtop and porcine in vivo models. Chapter 4 presents a tip-growing, magnetically steered "vine robot" endoscope with a minimum bending radius of 3.85 cm and stable, shear-free navigation, along with promising initial results for magnetic retraction to support deeper GI tract navigation. My work is situated at the intersection of magnetic actuation, soft robotics, and minimally invasive diagnostic techniques
Transformer-based Semantic Similarity Exploration on the Holy Quran
No full textThis PhD research explores the application of modern Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to the study of the Holy Quran, with a focus on semantic understanding. It addresses the challenges of working with Classical Arabic and explores how Transformer-based Arabic language models can be used to better understand relationships between Quranic verses, answer questions, and retrieve relevant passages.
The thesis makes four key contributions. First, it evaluates QurSim, a semantic similarity corpus in the Quran, and produces a cleaner version of the QurSim dataset to support more reliable experiments. Second, it applies Arabic pre-trained language models to three semantically related tasks: semantic similarity, question answering and passage retrieval, to demonstrate their potential and limitations in handling religious text. Third, it outlines the methods and strategies for tackling the tasks, identifying the most effective approaches to understanding the Quranic text.
The findings of this PhD thesis demonstrate two main contributions. First, the Arabic pre-trained Transformer-based language models can be effectively applied to Quranic text semantic tasks, although their performance varies depending on the nature of the task. Second, the thesis highlights the need for a new semantic similarity corpus of the Holy Quran, grounded in a Quranic exegesis that interprets the Quran through the Quran itself. These contributions advance the field of NLP for the Holy Quran in particular and Classical Arabic in general, providing tools and resources that open new pathways for the computational linguistics of religious text
Physics-Based Multi-Object Tracking for Non-Prehensile Robotic Manipulation
Get PDFThis thesis presents an algorithm to track objects, particularly designed to address the challenge of “tracking objects in cluttered environments.” The key point is that the robot can continuously track the target objects, even when they are heavily occluded. This method can be used to retrieve an object from inside a fridge or a crowded shelf, where the robot needs to know the 6D pose of each object in the scene to decide how to move obstacles and then locate and pick up the target item. Accurately performing the task requires knowing the 6D pose of each object, which enables motion planning. However, obtaining such information in real-world environments is extremely difficult. Traditional motion planning usually assumes access to full 6D poses, often using tools like OptiTrack[1] with reflective markers attached to objects. Unfortunately, placing markers on every object and setting up an OptiTrack system is not feasible in practical situations. Another option is to use RGB-based 6D pose estimation systems, but these become failures when objects are heavily occluded—something very common in realworld cluttered scenes. This work addresses these challenges by proposing a tracking algorithm that combines physics predictions with vision information based on the particle filtering algorithm. The system uses the physics simulation and the robot’s joint states as
the motion model input and camera images as the observation model input. This setup helps recover the object’s pose even when it becomes temporarily occluded. Initially, the method used only RGB images to track a single object. Results showed that the physics-based approach worked well, outperforming baseline methods in tracking accuracy. However, using only RGB input struggled with occlusions and made it hard to handle multiple objects.
To overcome this, I proposed a new approach that uses depth images and a visibility score indicator. This enhanced method performs better than baseline systems when tracking multiple objects and dealing with heavy occlusions, while still maintaining good tracking accuracy
Comparative analysis of magnetic resonance imaging- and computed tomography-based finite element approaches in estimating bone strength in children
No full textA theoretical analysis of modern assumptions and international spillovers in new open economy macroeconomics
Get PDFThis thesis seeks to disentangle the impact of common assumptions in contemporary two-country NOEM models on macroeconomic outcomes. We introduce completeness of markets, a Taylor-type monetary policy rule, and Calvo-style price rigidities in the seminal Obstfeld & Rogoff (1995) paper (OR henceforth). Although not unique to our model, we emphasise analytical tractability by examining how these assumptions affect macroeconomic mechanics and spillover effects. First, in Chapter 1 we introduce market completeness by enforcing perfect risk-sharing across countries. Compared to OR’s results, a home money supply shock increases Home output while reducing Foreign output more than in OR. We also find that a monetary shock generates counter-intuitive welfare effects. Next, in Chapter 2 we introduce a Taylor rule for monetary policy, where the central bank adjusts interest rates in response to inflation deviations from target. Under complete markets, world consumption moves one-to-one with the monetary policy shock, while the sign of the output spillover is ambiguous and depends on the relative strength of price elasticity and central bank responsiveness. Under incomplete markets, the output spillover remains as under complete markets. The consumption spillover, while ambiguous, is still negative for a reasonable set of parameter values. We also show that the exchange rate solution can be determined independently from consumption and output. Finally, in Chapter 3 we introduce Calvo-style pricing. This generates persistence in the output differential between Home and Foreign countries and slower adjustment to monetary shocks, departing from OR’s instantaneous adjustment. With complete markets, the spillover effect on consumption follows world consumption, so that a contractionary policy shock yields a positive spillover sign. The spillover sign on output is again ambiguous, though positive for a set of plausible parameter values
Production and comprehension of verb morphology in Saudi Arabic-speaking Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder aged 4;0 to 6;11
No full textDevelopmental language disorder (DLD) manifests differently across languages, with grammatical deficits varying based on linguistic typology. However, research on the impact of DLD on the acquisition of morphology in languages spoken in the global south, such as Arabic, remains limited. This study investigates verb morphology difficulties in comprehension and production among Saudi Arabic-speaking children with DLD compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. Sixty-seven Saudi Arabic-speaking children participated in this study. Verb morphology was assessed through a picture-naming task for production and a picture-selection task for comprehension. Both tasks examined verb inflections for tense (past, present, future) and subject-verb gender agreement (feminine, masculine) and number (singular, plural). Children with DLD scored significantly lower than their TD peers in comprehension and production of verb morphology. Both groups scored higher in production than comprehension for number agreement. However, children with DLD demonstrated comparable performance across production and comprehension for gender agreement and tense. The findings revealed distinct patterns across linguistic features. In gender agreement, feminine verbs posed the greatest challenge in production, whereas masculine verbs were the most difficult in comprehension. For number agreement, plural verbs were the most challenging in production, while singular verbs were the most difficult in comprehension. Future tense presented the greatest difficulty across tasks, marking the first investigation of future tense morphology in Arabic DLD research. This study is the first to investigate verb morphology comprehension in Arabic-speaking children with DLD and compare it to production within the same sample. The findings extend our understanding of DLD mechanisms, suggesting that language difficulties of Arabic-speaking children with DLD stem from combined deficits in linguistic knowledge and processing capacity. By addressing key gaps in Arabic DLD research, this study lays a foundation for further investigations and provides insights for clinicians and educators in developing targeted assessments and interventions
Observer, dentist and family perceptions of shared decision-making consultations about compromised first permanent molars
Get PDFTreating compromised first permanent molars (cFPM) is complex and requires consideration of multiple factors to identify the different treatment options for each individual. Shared decision-making (SDM) is important to ensure dentists and patients work together to deliberate these options and reach a decision about which treatment right for the individual at the time.
Aim: To explore observer raters who are the researchers, dentist, and families’ perception of shared decision-making consultations for compromised first permanent molars.
Design: Cross-sectional observational study.
Population and setting: Young people (aged 7-11 years), their families and dentists involved in making decisions about cFPM in consultations in the paediatric dentistry clinic, orthodontic clinic and joint orthodontic-paediatric clinic in two NHS hospitals in Yorkshire, England.
Methods: Clinical consultations were observed and audio-recorded to allow three observers to independently score the consultation using a bespoke 14-item SDM measure then reach a consensus score. The family and dentist also scored the consultation using the same items. The scores for each of the 14 items were described from the three different perspectives (observer, family and dentist). Trends in scores across items, individuals and rater groups were described to identify areas of good practice and potential improvement. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability tests were performed for the observer scores.
Results: In total, 12 consultations were observed. Consultations were scored poorly by observers in key elements of SDM, such as identifying roles in decision-making, assessing understanding, and citing the source of information. Paediatric dentists were scored higher than orthodontists in explaining the clinical issue, treatment options, risks and benefits. Consultations showed similar trends in SDM ratings. Families rated the consultations the highest, while dentists fell in between observers and families in scoring.
Conclusion: Key elements of SDM were missing in consultations about cFPM with evident difference in perceptions of families, dentists, and observers in SDM
The Role of Boundary Work in the Prediction of Performance and Resilience: A Fuzzy Set Configurational Perspective
No full textAs organisations continue to adopt flat and boundary-less structures, work teams must increasingly direct attention to the management of cross-boundary relationships. Boundary work, defined as a collection of external team processes, is thus an important phenomenon because it reflects activities that facilitate effective cross-boundary interactions. However, a reliance on correlational research methods has contributed to a narrow perspective of the role of boundary work, which neglects the importance of how and when specific boundary work behaviours combine to achieve outcomes. Therefore, this study seeks to extend the understanding of the role of boundary work by demonstrating how and when boundary work behaviours combine to predict high (and low) performance and resilience at both the team- (i.e., performed collectively by all team members) and individual-level (i.e., performed by team members on behalf of the team) of analysis. The study also explores how different boundary work configurations predict performance and resilience under different conditions of team demographic diversity (i.e., average tenure and gender diversity) and work context information (i.e., resource scarcity, inter-team task interdependence, team task complexity, and requirements uncertainty). A configurational approach and Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) were employed to examine data from twelve software development teams (study 1) and one hundred and seventy-five software and product developers (study 2). The results indicate multiple configurations of boundary work behaviour that predict high (and low) team performance and team resilience, individual performance, but not individual resilience. Moreover, team boundary reinforcement is identified as the most important behaviour for the prediction of high team performance and team resilience. The findings also suggest that work context factors can help explain when boundary work configurations predict performance and resilience. Theoretical implications are discussed
Measuring pulmonary gas exchange with hyperpolarised 129Xe magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis was to develop hyperpolarised 129Xe magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI/S) methodology for the assessment of pulmonary gas
exchange and haemodynamics. This was accomplished through the following five subprojects:
1. Validation and development of models to estimate the transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (TLCO) from 129Xe metrics. Applying regression modelling on a voxel-wise level to create parametric TLCO maps provides a useful tool for regional visualisation and clinical interpretation of 129Xe gas exchange MRI.
2. Assessment of compressed sensing (CS)-accelerated dissolved-phase 129Xe imaging. CS reconstruction enabled acquisition time to be halved, and reduced background noise, whilst preserving key gas exchange metrics.
3. Development of a keyhole reconstruction technique to map the amplitude and phase of dissolved 129Xe red blood cell (RBC) signal oscillations in the lung vasculature from dissolved 129Xe MRI data. This may provide a means to probe the effects of the cardiac pulse wave in the pulmonary microvasculature.
4. Evaluation of RBC oscillation amplitude and phase mapping in post-COVID-19 and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients and initial attempts to validate against established imaging methods and a computational model. 129Xe RBC oscillation amplitude and phase mapping showed potential sensitivity to lung damage at the microvascular level, and agreement with dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and numerical modelling in a small number of CTEPH patients.
5. Development of chemical shift saturation recovery (CSSR) spectroscopy, imaging and analysis techniques to assess pulmonary gas exchange and measure alveolar septal thickness (h) in healthy volunteers and patients with systemic sclerosis and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension. h was significantly greater for the patients than the healthy volunteers. Dynamic CSSR gas uptake imaging allowed for regional quantification of alveolar septal thickness, which could help identify fibrosis in heterogeneous lung disease
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