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Stratoanalysis of the Digital
Get PDFAs we shape them, our tools have the power to shape us too. By using digital instruments that enhance thought, however, we are ending up thinking through them and becoming increasingly dependent on their configuration.
Today ubiquitous on the web, recommendation algorithms and homeomorphic interfaces mediate the relation between the psychosphere and the infosphere, automatically regulating themselves on our behaviours to suggest to us always new connections between ideas or products. Addressing the disruptive psychological and socio-political effects of such instruments, this research revolves around two main questions: How is digital technology grafted onto human life? How do machines perceive and change the world?
To answer these interrogatives, this research mobilizes the philosophies of Deleuze, Guattari and Simondon, in conjunction with concepts borrowed from the natural sciences and complexity theory, to articulate a connection between biological and technological thought and provide the theoretical background for an investigation of the current exploitation of our co-evolutionary relation with technology, elaborating on Leroi-Gourhan’s definition of anthropogenesis as technogenesis and Stiegler’s analysis of hyperindustrial exosomatisation. Against this background, the dissertation provides a holistic and multi-level description of the transformations that involve and relate life and the digital by developing and employing the descriptive method I call stratoanalysis. This method outlines three intermeshing levels of reality (the physicochemical, the organic and the socio-political ones) by outlining their processes of emergence, and describes their relationship with the digital stratum, that is, with the algorithmically mediated process of emergence of a new hybrid subject of power I call the artisanal cyborg.
Describing this figure and the form of power it is subject to, this work proposes to update our understanding of contemporary modalities of domination in view of the relation between the digital and the virtual, as the ontological dimension of possibility targeted by pre-emptive computational power
Urban fluctuations in the north-central region of the Nile Delta: 4000 years of river and urban development in Egypt.
Get PDFThis research explored urban changes in the north-central region of the Nile Delta —from the beginning of the Dynastic period (ca. 3150 BCE) until the beginning of the Tulunid dynasty (868 CE)— using a multi-dimensional, long-term approach with different independent variables: Spatiotemporal, Cultural and Urbanistic, Hydrological or Geomorphological, Historical, and Contextual. To investigate the location, connectivity, and permanence of the known archaeological settlements in the Nile Delta, an extended version of the Egyptian Exploration Society’s Delta Survey database was created to analyse settlement patterns through time compared against an original reconstruction of a palimpsestual river network using remote sensing, historical sources, archaeological and geomorphological data, spatial and network analysis.
This investigation has studied the extent to which human agency and geomorphology are intertwined and shape urban patterns in the Nile Delta; against the long-lived idea that the Nile River has almost exclusively made Egypt and that the river fluctuations have shaped the Egyptian urban landscape. For some authors like Fernand Braudel, the Nile River has defined the Egyptian world to the point of accepting that Egypt was considered a gift from the Nile, whereas, by contrast, Mesopotamia was made by human hands. In this thesis, however, it is argued that humans and their politics have played a more important role in defining the Nilotic landscape. Hence, this research explored to what extent river shifts and human agency have impacted urban patterns and settlement locations from the Old Kingdom to the modern era with the construction of the High Aswan Dam.
Regardless of river fluctuations, settlements persisted, and disastrous events obliterating cities are exceptional events. Urban fluctuations, bliss or misery, heydays or collapse, are certainly political and social happenings intermingled with the omnipresent river Nile
Prejudice, Sense, Middle or Madding? Towards a Christian Ethical Framework for Heterosexual Dating in Contemporary Anglo-American Contexts
Get PDFThere are diverse forms of heterosexual dating practices in contemporary Anglo-American contexts intersecting with social and economic changes, medical advances and technological developments.
This thesis seeks to explore what dating approaches help realise or promote “happy flourishing lifelong monogamous” marriages. Its trajectory is towards establishing a Christian ethical framework for contemporary Anglo-American heterosexual dating. Its method is interdisciplinary, engaging, in successive chapters, with theology, history, sociology, psychology, people's lived experiences and Christian virtue ethics.
A four-fold typology of dating approaches is developed, based on two main directions of inquiry: criteria for selection of one's marriage partner (functional to non-functional approaches) and degree of openness to physical intimacy prior to or without monogamous marriage (non-permissive to permissive approaches). Data from an empirical study reveal that among ten long-term happily-married couples, the vast majority of dating approaches are “Moderate” or “Conservative”, indicating a possible association between long-term happy marriages and dating approaches combining both romantic and practical considerations for selecting marriage partners and adopting moderate openness to premarital physical intimacy, clearly correlated to commitment. Interview responses also include recurring themes of the centrality of mutual support and companionship for long-term marital stability.
Further, through investigating psychological research relating to romantic relationships and human personality and development, five "approaches that help" are proposed. It is argued these approaches may be regarded as a practical outworking of the application of prudence, along with other virtues proposed. Overall, a five-fold ethic, developed in relation to an integrated multifaceted model of interpretation of the imago Dei and comprising cardinal virtues of courage, justice, temperance, prudence and an over-arching, recalibrating, virtue of love and care, is offered as the core for better approaches to dating.
Together, these findings and proposals form the building blocks for a Christian ethical framework for heterosexual dating in contemporary Anglo-American contexts
Impact of Destructive Leadership and Corporate Governance on ethical practices in Financial Sector of Pakistan
Get PDFPakistan is one of the prominent developing countries and has gone through significant changes in the financial sector since its independence in 1947. The banking industry’s financial stabilisation, in Pakistan, has focused on financial institutions’ legitimacy, innovation, implementation and provision of high-quality services. It has widened the scope of financial markets, reduced the inefficiency levels in banks, and eliminated or decreased the corruption ratio. However, fraud and corrupt banking practices still prevail in Pakistan, which is mainly attributable to the organisational culture based on the norms and values of the people working in it; these norms and values are articulated by the leaders. The primary role of the leader is to enforce legitimate and transparent banking services. A leader with a destructive style of leadership will embed values that are not congruent with organisational goals and that rather may lead to the achievement of personal goals. A good leader, on the contrary, directs a bank towards its development and growth within the banking industry, as with great power comes great responsibility: it is leaders who can make breakthroughs. In other words, the success of management, employees and the organisation greatly depend on the leadership style. In Pakistan, the banking industry’s leadership style is a little biased by the attributes such as the character, ethics, beliefs and values of the leader, and all these traits make every leader unique and distinct. Leadership comprises of four main factors: the leader him- or herself, the follower, situations that arise, and communication. A good leader is important for any organisation for creative thinking, structural reasoning, innovation and creation of new procedures and processes, and for effective and efficient collaborative engagement. The organizations in Pakistan including the financial institutions are bound to follow the Code of Corporate Governance issued by Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) but the research suggests the otherwise.
In this research I have analysed the impact of Destructive leadership and defiance of Code of Corporate Governance on fraudulent activities and unethical practices in the banking industry of Pakistan. The focus has been Islamic banks in which interviews of top management (leaders) of Islamic banks and Auditor of Central Bank of Pakistan were conducted to enquire about their best practices and compliance with the Corporate Governance policies. The followers (middle managers have been surveyed using Destructive Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ) and inquired about the Leadership styles and practices of their supervisors and leaders. The research has highlighted both theoretical and practical aspects of this sensitive area in the banks. The analysis projects the destructive behaviours the leaders possess which brings toxicity in the banks. Not much has been researched with regard to destructive leadership and defiance of Code of Corporate Governance and its relationship. I found gap in theory and practical aspect of how both are being practiced in the financial sector. The research results depict that followers believe that there is toxicity in Leadership and noncompliance of corporate governance from their leaders which leads to demotivation and unethical practices. Finally, recommendation for enhancing the corporate governance code and strict vigilance and audit of compliance of same is given to implement a fool-proof system which doesn’t allow misappropriations of funds and other unethical practice by the leaders
Death, Darkness and the Holy Spirit in the Theology of Karl Rahner
Get PDFThis thesis is an attempt to hear the particularities of Rahner's theological arguments by reading Rahner both non-foundationally and non-consistently. By reading Rahner's theology of death in a non-consistent way, we are able to see the different ways in which he explores death as a moment of encounter and decision, and the ways in which the Spirit makes that encounter and decision present and real to us throughout our lives. By carefully exploring arguments Rahner makes in his explicitly theological and his more pastoral writing, and by not imposing our own hegemonic system, we can hear complexities and potential within Rahner's theological anthropology which we might otherwise miss. In Rahner's theology of death, every time of mortality can be a time for new life and growth in the life of the Spirit of God
Flippin' the Script: Student Perceptions of Race, Racism, and Racial Inclusion in Higher Education
Get PDFIn UK higher education, racial inequality is a predominant issue amongst students and staff. Analysing scholars’ work, the education system simultaneously creates and downplays the lack of opportunities given to resilient minority (ReM) groups, shown within six key processes: (i) pre-university educational attainment, (ii) university application choices, (iii) university admissions process, (iv) the racialised student experience, (v) degree completion and achievement, and (vi) graduate career prospects. Throughout these six stages, research suggests racism manifests in both overt and subtle ways historically and currently leading administrators to believe a colour-blind and meritocratic system is beneficial for students – in turn creating less opportunities and deficit thinking towards students of the ReM. Thus, in this thesis, I draw together the literature on race, racism, and racial inclusiveness within the educational system. Using critical race analysis and adopting a qualitative approach (e.g., Thematic analysis), this research was designed to explore racial inclusiveness through perceptions of students who are Black and White at a Russell Group institution, specifically Durham University, aiming to illustrate racial disparities and suggest methods to achieve a more inclusive university environment.
In my findings, race directly influenced students’ capabilities of fitting in and/or being excluded, racism was considered inescapable due to its widespread presence, and racial inclusion had multi-faceted barriers to overcome because of the widespread reality of racism. My inspiring tool emerging from this thesis is the Flippin’ the Script (FTS) framework, which prioritises reimagining normative racial discourse by analysing and challenging the mechanisms of racism being underpinned by White Insecurity. This is practiced through removing revictimization and empowering the racialised victims through alternative language and shifting the focus towards the perpetrators of racism. Thus, when applying the FTS framework, a level of rehumanisation occurs for both the victims and perpetrators of racism, and as a result racially reconciles the socially misconstructed Black-White binary percolating in the Wild Racist West and in this study’s case- Durham. Therefore, with increasing numbers of students of the ReM attending university, this thesis seeks to dismantle the racial inequity that persists in education by understanding the barriers students encounter and how students who are White view the influx of ReM groups gravitating towards “their” “elite” institutions
An investigation of the performance of a free-piston engine using Miller cycle and renewable fuels
Get PDFA dual-piston type two-stroke spark-ignition free-piston engine prototype has been developed. A comprehensive review on recent published researches and patent documents from academia and industrial organizations on free-piston engine, especially the application of renewable fuels such as hydrogen and ethanol, was conducted. Relevant parameters affecting the operating performance and a number of challenges had been identified as the common denominator for this technology. Modelling and simulations using one-dimensional tools were conducted in parallel with the development activities. Three main simulation models for the crankshaft engines were developed, validated and optimised before converted into the free-piston engine model. This was done by using imposed-piston motion sub-model. The two-stroke free-piston engine model had undergone parametric study for valve timing optimisation. By using similar methods, a two-stroke hydrogen free-piston engine was developed from the prototype and it was validated by experimental data. Emission performance, along with the relationship between equivalent ratio, in-cylinder temperature and NOx emission on the hydrogen FPE was investigated. Series of ethanol-gasoline blend free-piston engine were developed, essential parameters such as compression ratio, air/fuel ratio and valve timing, etc., were amended for each model and both engine performance and emission performance were analysed. Miller cycle has been applied on three types of free-piston engine models: gasoline FPE, hydrogen FPE and ethanol FPE. Two types of Miller cycle (LIVC and EIVC) were both applied and analysed, and different late/early intake valve closing angles (from 5°CA to 35°CA) have been converted to specific time to apply on the free-piston engine. Engine performance and emission performance of Miller cycle free-piston engines have been obtained and individually presented. It turns out that large late/early intake valve closing angles (time) are not suitable in renewable free-piston engines due to the efficiency reduction
Faith and Justice: A Platonic Reading of Pauline Justification
Get PDFAbstract
This dissertation is a broad work of philosophical theology that examines the Christian Doctrine of Justification by Faith in light of the Platonic framework for constructing ethics. Prescinding from specific Post-Reformation debates on justification, it seeks to position the philosophic problem of justification in terms of Platonism’s preoccupation with human assimilation to the Divine. It sets out the rich background of Platonism in the Christian tradition, including the heavily monotheistic Middle-Platonism. Relying much on the work of Lloyd Gerson, it lays down a schema of how understand Platonic ethics and Platonism more generally; and draws on the work of George Van Kooten in discerning Platonic motifs in Paul.
Through a reading of key Platonic dialogues, especially the Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic, the work discerns a schema of Platonic ethics as it relates to justification: the end of all human beings is likeness unto/harmonization with God, but this cannot happen without divine aid. Those who receive this divine aid, or ‘divine gift’ are philosophers, but the philosopher is no mere intellectual, but a lover of God, who lives by a kind of ‘faith that works by love’ (Gal 5:6). The philosopher is finally reconciled to God by the justification of his soul, which consists in the harmonization of his soul after the pattern of divine justice.
This schema for Platonic ethics is used as a heuristic tool for exegesis of Romans 1-6, and Galatians 2-3, 5. In Romans, the attempt is made to reconcile language in Romans 2, which speaks of every man being rewarded for his works, who ‘perseveres in doing good’ (2:7), and in Romans 3, which commends justification by faith ‘apart from the law’ (3:21). Platonic concepts concerning the nature of the just soul are used to help clarify the meaning of Christian justification. Paul’s critique of the Law in Galatians is understood against the background of Platonic themes on the inadequacy of written law to provide a complete moral guide. In Galatians, it is understood that Pauline justification is never through faith alone, but specifically by a faith, given by the Spirit, that works by Love (Gal 5-6). The primacy which Platonic ethics gives to divine gift, as the primary author of our love of God, and our striving to see Him, is therefore shown to prefigure the Pauline doctrine of Justification, which, nevertheless, can only be fully understood in light of Christian revelation
Graph Partitioning With Input Restrictions
Get PDFIn this thesis we study the computational complexity of a number of graph
partitioning problems under a variety of input restrictions. Predominantly,
we research problems related to Colouring in the case where the input
is limited to hereditary graph classes, graphs of bounded diameter or some
combination of the two.
In Chapter 2 we demonstrate the dramatic eect that restricting our
input to hereditary graph classes can have on the complexity of a decision
problem. To do this, we show extreme jumps in the complexity of three
problems related to graph colouring between the class of all graphs and every
other hereditary graph class.
We then consider the problems Colouring and k-Colouring for Hfree graphs of bounded diameter in Chapter 3. A graph class is said to be
H-free for some graph H if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to
H. Similarly, G is said to be H-free for some set of graphs H, if it does not
contain any graph in H as an induced subgraph. Here, the set H consists
usually of a single cycle or tree but may also contain a number of cycles, for
example we give results for graphs of bounded diameter and girth.
Chapter 4 is dedicated to three variants of the Colouring problem,
Acyclic Colouring, Star Colouring, and Injective Colouring.
We give complete or almost complete dichotomies for each of these decision
problems restricted to H-free graphs.
In Chapter 5 we study these problems, along with three further variants of
3-Colouring, Independent Odd Cycle Transversal, Independent
Feedback Vertex Set and Near-Bipartiteness, for H-free graphs of
bounded diameter.
Finally, Chapter 6 deals with a dierent variety of problems. We study
the problems Disjoint Paths and Disjoint Connected Subgraphs for
H-free graphs
Application of Diatom Analysis to Water Quality Assessment. Case Study: The Nakdong River in the Republic of Korea
Get PDFIt is important to maintain a good level of water quality and river health in ecosystems because water is of the essence for humans and any living organism. Thanks to the advantages of diatoms, diatom-based indices are used to assess river health but a short-term assessment using one year of monitoring duration and one to two samples per year in the frequency is dominant. As a result, a holistic understanding of river health on a long-term scale lacks and the changes in diatom assemblages have been poorly understood despite the amass of the government diatom datasets in South Korea.
The Nakdong river, one of the largest rivers in South Korea, has eight barrages, constructed during 2010--2012, which control the river flow using sluices. This project aims to understand the relations between water quality and diatom assemblages regarding the construction of the barrages in the Nakdong river and its tributaries over the period 2009--2018.
This research demonstrates a holistic understanding of river health by looking at changes in water quality and diatom assemblages over ten years using species composition and multivariate analyses. Findings show that the barrages have caused significant changes to the flow regime and thermal system in the main river through impoundment and increased water levels with worsening trends of water quality. The construction has also triggered the significant changes in diatom assemblages in the main river, while the tributaries remain similar. In these findings, diatoms are central to the link between hydrological change, water quality, and the construction of the barrages. This study is a prime example of river health assessment on a multiple-years scale by providing a whole picture of river health in time and space
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