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A Narrative Study of Technology-Oriented Academics’ Autonomy within the Context of Cloud Computing and Cloud-Based Services in Higher Education
Get PDFEd. D. ThesisThis study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of the intersections between academics’
technology-orientation, autonomy, and pedagogical practices with cloud computing and cloudbased services within higher education. Two purposes framed this study. The first is to understand
how technology-oriented academics conceptualise and utilise cloud computing platforms and
services in their pedagogical practices. The second is to explore how these experiences intersect
with academics’ autonomy within the context of higher education. This study’s motivation was the
current confluence on academics’ autonomy due to higher education structural changes and cloudbased services emergence.
Nine academics from a Gulf Cooperation Council higher education institution were recruited
using ‘criterion-based purposeful selection’ (Schensul & LeCompte, 2012). The selection process
considered their orientations towards using technology in their pedagogical practices. Using
qualitative narrative methodology (Moen, 2006; Willis, 2008; McAlpine, 2016), data sources
included a series of individual, paired depth and group interviews, participants’ reflections,
researcher’s notes, and relevant material. Triangulation of methods, ongoing iterative dialogue with
the participants, and thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2018) contributed to this study’s rigour.
The findings show that academics’ technology-orientations positively influence their critical
perspectives and decision-making towards utilising cloud-based services in their professional
development and pedagogical practices. Their orientations, backgrounds, capacities, roles, and
objectives influenced their autonomy to variable degrees. The participants’ technology orientation
aligned with their autonomous pedagogical practices with cloud-based services. CC and CBS’s
design and features within the participants’ work conditions seem to afford and equally constrain
their cloud-based pedagogic experiences. This paradox yielded three modes of academics’
autonomy, Constrained, Guided, and Self-Directed, intersecting four modes of cloud-based
pedagogies, Expanding the Curriculum, Redefining Pedagogy, Cautious Pedagogy, and Visionary
Pedagogy. These findings indicate bounded academics’ autonomy in the context of cloud-based
pedagogy. This thesis extends the field of intersectional studies between technology and higher
education. It contributes to understanding academics’ pedagogic experiences at a time of change
in higher education. It also raises important questions concerning the implications of academics’
autonomy and institutional autonomy impacts upon the ethical cloud-based practice
A longitudinal study of cultural identity shifts and social contact of Postgraduate student sojourners at a British university
Get PDFPhD ThesisThis study explores the cultural identity changes of student sojourners in cross-cultural transition and examines the relationship between cultural identities and social contact. A longitudinal mixed methods research design, using semi-structured interviews (N=18) and surveys (N=84), was employed. The study was conducted at a British higher education institution over 16 months, encompassing the re-entry phase, and participants were students enrolling in postgraduate taught programmes.
The research employed the Integrative Theory of Communication and Cross-cultural Adaptation of Kim (2001) and the Acculturation model of Berry (2005) to argue that cultural identities are bidimensional, consisting of home and host cultural identification. Furthermore, their construction are suggested to be based on two components: emotional attachment and the acknowledgement of cultural membership (Lustig and Koester, 2003; Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2005).
Findings showed that in addition to the two components mentioned above, the cultural identities of student sojourners were influenced by place attachment and the self-reflection of behaviours. After the sojourn, most participants became more aware of their identities. They developed a stronger sense of identification with home cultures and ‘foreign’ cultures, and usually referred to these as ‘mixed’ cultural identities. Shifts in cultural identities occurred in dynamic ways and were influenced by contact patterns, the ‘international’ contexts in higher education, adaptation and adjustment. Although student sojourners often regarded non-co-national internationals as the most popular contact source, grouping of students based on regions of origins and nationalities were frequently reported. Contact with host nationals remained limited throughout the sojourn.
Based on these findings, some modifications to the theories about cultural identities during cross-cultural transition, such as Acculturation model (Berry, 2005), were made to enhance their applicability to the case of student sojourners. A theoretical framework which integrates the cultural identification process, social contact and adaptation is introduced. Finally, some suggestions and practical implications for higher education institutions and educators to improve postgraduate students' overseas stay and reduce social grouping are also presented.
Overall, the study offers an enhanced understanding about the cultural identities of student sojourners and provides researchers in the intercultural communication field and higher
education educators with helpful information of the students’ adjustment and socialising experiences
Preparation and characterization of silica, reduced graphene oxide and composite aerogels
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.In this thesis, experimental results are reported on the synthesized of waterglass-based silica
aerogels monoliths by mixing graphene oxide. The new ambient pressure approach is used to
produce aerogels by using a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and water instead of low surface
tension solvent. Furthermore, to enhance mechanical properties graphene oxide as nanofillers
is added into silica matrix to synthesize composite aerogels based on sol-gel technology.
Furthermore, we report a simple method for obtaining reduced graphene oxide aerogels doped
with different metal oxide nanoparticles, germanium dioxide (GeO2), cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4),
and iron(III) oxide (Fe3O4) by using supercritical drying method. Firstly, all metal oxide
nanoparticles are synthesized. Then metal oxide nanoparticles are added into graphene oxide
solution and sodium bisulfide is utilised as a cheap reducing agent. Lastly, prepared aerogels’
properties such as surface area, morphology, the chemical composition, and electrochemical
measurements as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries are investigated.
Finally, ambient pressure dried graphene-based aerogels are produced with common devices
by rewording a partially reduced graphene oxide hydrogel with an ice-template method. This
work can be cost effective of high-performance graphene aerogels.
Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), uniaxial compression test,
fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), raman spectroscopy, Brunauer - Emmett -
Teller (BET) theory and Barret - Joyner - Halenda (BJH) method are utilised to characterise the
produced aerogels.Turkish Governmen
Building multilocal belongings : a comparative study of Somali postcolonial novels in English and Italian
Get PDFPhD ThesisThis thesis provides a comparative study of contemporary novels written in English and Italian by authors of the Somali diaspora, including Nuruddin Farah, Garane Garane, Ubax Cristina Ali Farah, Igiaba Scego, Afdhere Jama and Shirin Ramzanali Fazel. By reading them contrapuntally, this study offers an original framework for developing a multicultural and multilingual analysis, since it brings Anglophone and Italian literary studies together. The thesis demonstrates how the novels provide a more holistic understanding of Somali literature and an epistemological rethinking of the postcolonial paradigm. The first chapter analyses the representation of spatiality focusing on Mogadishu and Rome, as two fictionalised urbanscapes at the centre of Somali diasporic literature. The chapter shows how authors deconstruct Western narratives of Mogadishu as a failed city engulfed in tribal wars and, also, analyses the strategies of re-appropriation and reterritorialisation of Rome, namely one of the centres of the diaspora. The second chapter shifts the focus on language, investigating Nuruddin Farah’s late works. It claims that his use of Italian suggests a re-examination of the critical terminology employed to describe the relationship between colonisers and colonised; the chapter also proposes a new understanding of Somalia’s civil war period by providing an intertextual reading between Farah’s Links (2005) and Dante’s Divine Comedy. The following chapter, focused on Garane’s Il latte è buono (2005), proposes an innovative approach towards orature: instead of relating it to a generalised African affiliation, the analysis grounds orature within the specificity of the Somali context. Finally, the fourth chapter charts the critically neglected influences of the Italian literary tradition on Somali Italian writers. The chapter illustrates how Italo Calvino’s aesthetics, developed after fighting in the anti-fascist resistance movement (la Resistenza, 1943—45), offers fruitful parallels with that of Somali postcolonial writers. In doing so, the analysis moves away from the conventional reading of postcolonial novels in Italian as unrelated to the national culture and the literary canon. Accordingly, I show how their transnational features should be investigated according to their multiple literary networks, stretching from multilocal backgrounds to the Italian and English literary traditions. Taken together, these chapters propose an innovative multilingual and multicultural reading of Somali novels of the diaspora, inviting us to reassess the current critical approaches, mostly based on same-language analyses. Also, they show how the comparative investigation of Somali diasporic novels, from geographically and culturally distinct areas, advocates for a reassessment of the notion of literary tradition as based on the same nationality and language
Investigation of the kinase haspin and mitosis specific histone H3 threonine 3 phosphorylation
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Histones are subject to a wide range of modifications which are differentially regulated
throughout the cell cycle to modulate protein recruitment, chromatin structure, and gene
expression. During mitosis, several prominent histone phosphorylation events occur. One
such event is histone H3 threonine 3 phosphorylation (H3T3ph), which is enriched at
centromeres to recruit the chromosomal passenger complex, a key mitotic regulator. In
addition, deposition of H3T3ph on chromatin arms during mitosis is proposed to displace
transcription factors that recognise the adjacent histone modification, H3 lysine 4
trimethylation (H3K4me3). This mechanism is known as a phospho-methyl switch. However,
the exact localisation of H3T3ph is unclear and whether these two modifications actually
colocalise in vivo is unknown. Questions also remain regarding the H3T3 kinase, haspin, such
as how its kinase activity is regulated to act during mitosis and whether it may have other
functions during interphase. Haspin is also known to protect centromeric cohesion during
mitosis via an interaction with the cohesin regulator PDS5. However, whether both PDS5A
and PDS5B are equally important in this role is unclear. To address some of these questions
we defined the localisation of H3T3ph and other histone marks at the sequence level using
ChIP-seq. We show that H3T3ph and H3K4me3 do not colocalise, arguing against the
proposed phospho-methyl switch. We also use proximity-based labelling (BioID) to assess
the environment in which haspin is found both in interphase and mitosis. Our data suggest
that it may specifically be PDS5B which regulates haspin and that this also occurs during
interphase, implicating haspin in cohesin regulation throughout the cell cycle. We also
identify proteins involved in chromatin organisation and nuclear formation. Overall, our
results suggest that haspin is enriched in heterochromatic regions at centromeres and plays a
role in the regulation of these chromatin domains in both interphase and mitosis
Partisan budget cycles and electoral accountability in the European Union using Household Tax Rates, 1996-2016
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.There is good evidence that prior to a general election the government will seek to increase its
chance of being re-elected by lowering taxes or by increasing public expenditure, leading to a
politically-motivated cycle in fiscal policy. A potential difficulty with this literature is that few
existing studies consider the actual income tax paid by different household types. This thesis
uses the net Personal Average Tax Rate (PATR) for 13 different households (by marital status,
family size and income) to examine the political budget cycle for 26 European Union countries.
It considers the effect of the PATR on the government vote share to analyse the effect of fiscal
manipulations and electoral accountability. The data are collected for political and socioeconomic variables over 1996-2016, giving 143 observations on general elections. This is
regressed using techniques such as the Generalized Method of Moments and Quasi-Maximum
Likelihood estimators. The thesis makes three main contributions.
First, the thesis finds that there is opportunistic behaviour by all parties across the EU
as both right- and left-wing parties lower the PATR in the run-up to an election, but focusing
on married-coupled households with two children. Second, it finds that left-wing parties are
rewarded for lower income taxes prior to an election, which is for both for married-couple and
single households. However, on differentiating between the older democracies of the European
Union and the Central and Eastern European countries, only the right- [left] wing parties are
rewarded for an election-year cut in the PATRs in the former [latter] countries. Overall, the
thesis finds that a left-wing party is rewarded for opportunistic behaviour. Finally, by analysing
consecutive elections that are won by the same party, the thesis finds there is a smaller effect
of PATRs on votes in the second electoral term, and this supports rational voter behaviour
Feedback mechanisms between PAR polarity effectors and the actomyosin cytoskeleton
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.The Caenorhabditis elegans zygote is polarised into an anterior and a posterior domain thanks
to PAR proteins and the actomyosin cytoskeleton. These proteins are well conserved and play
a central role in polarising different animal cell types. In the C. elegans zygote cortex, the
actomyosin cytoskeleton organises into ‘foci’ structures, which depend on the RHO-1/
LET-502 pathway (orthologues of the human RHO-A and ROCK) and polarise the PAR
proteins thanks to actomyosin flow. Although this process has been well described, very little
is known so far about how PAR proteins could in turn regulate the actomyosin cytoskeleton.
In the anterior domain, PAR proteins organise in two distinct complexes: a PAR-3 dependent
complex, and the CDC-42 dependent complex. The kinase PKC-3 can bind both, and is active
when bound to CDC-42. In this thesis we explore the dynamics of the CDC-42/PKC-3
complex and identify PKC-3 as a positive regulator the actomyosin flow via regulation of the
RHO/LET-502 pathway, and via phoshoryation of CDC-42.
Furthermore, we identify two feedback mechanisms between LET-502 and anterior PARs:
LET-502 can regulate the organisation of anterior PARs and is required for recruitment of
phosphorylated CDC-42 to actomyosin foci.ICaM
Orientations, Spectra and Absolutes: An exploration of the attitudes towards assisted dying expressed by respiratory and palliative medicine physicians, and the influence of their professional organisations.
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Background: In the UK, public opinion is largely in favour of assisted dying as a legal right for
individuals that wish it, but their view is not mirrored by the medical profession. Amongst
doctors, there are varying attitudes, but palliative medicine physicians are the most strongly
opposed, compared with those from other medical specialties, including respiratory
medicine. Such differences might be explained by examining the characteristics of the
people entering each specialty, or by the doctors’ experiences within the specialty.
Study aims: (1) To explore and understand differences in opinions about good medical care
and assisted dying between palliative and respiratory physicians; (2) To understand the
influences that determine these opinions; (3) To conceptualise the relationship between
professional organisations and their members regarding the above.
Method: This thesis draws on qualitative interview data from specialists in palliative and
respiratory medicine, interpreted through thematic analysis. The results are presented in
terms of the themes identified through this analysis. In comparing the two specialties, I
identified both similarities and differences in their members’ attitudes towards both good
medical practice and assisted dying.
Findings: I described the similarities between them as absolutes, in that all the physicians
held the same view on a particular matter. The differences were identified as orientations,
because most of the members of each specialty tended to hold similar views on a particular
topic, which were different from those of the other specialty. At an individual level, the
orientation would lie on a spectrum which exists between the two most polarised views. This
analytical framework offers a new approach to the exploration and understanding of
professional values and moral practice in medicine, but it has the potential for a wider
application in the sociology of the professions
Better use of molluscicide pellets for improved management of slugs
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.The grey field slug, Deroceras reticulatum, is one of the most important pests of agriculture, with an estimated 59% and 22% of total planted oil seed rape and wheat respectively affected by slugs in the UK annually. It is estimated that without molluscicides, the cost to the UK’s agricultural industry from loss of crop yield due to slug damage could be in excess of £100 million per year. Metaldehyde is the most commonly used molluscicide in UK agriculture however it presents a large water pollution risk and threat to non-target organisms, in addition, control of slugs by metaldehyde is often inefficient.
Understanding how Deroceras reticulatum’s behaviour is affected by the presence of slug pellets with different molluscicide concentrations, and how these pellets affect locomotion, feeding and the health of a slug once a pellet is consumed will help develop more effective slug pellets. The pest-pellet interaction is a key process in successful slug control and can only be effective if slugs accept and consume a pellet when encountered. This research indicated that the concentration of metaldehyde in pellets does not impact on D. reticulatum’s foraging activity, however the presence of a molluscicide may impact on foraging behaviour compared to non-molluscicide pellets. D. reticulatum was more likely to accept and feed on a pellet of lower concentration (1%) compared to higher concentrations (3% and 5%).
Paralysis due to the effects of molluscicide is likely to be a key factor in successful slug control. Slugs poisoned with 1% or 3% metaldehyde were more likely to be paralysed after exposure to pellets when compared to higher concentrations, however, were more likely to recover after exposure to 1% pellets.
This research has demonstrated that slugs are highly sensitive to metaldehyde. D. reticulatum can detect metaldehyde that has been incorporated using inorganic Controlled Release Technology, with as little as 0.28% metaldehyde content. Controlled release technology involving molluscicides is still in its infancy, however, has potential as a future focus for improved pellet design.Institute for Agri-Food Research and Innovation (IAFRI
Developing English as a Foreign Language students’ critical thinking during the process of collaborative writing
Get PDFIntegrated PhDBased on a premise that critical thinking (CT) can be taught and assessed (Mason, 2008; Mehta
and Al-Mahrooqi, 2015), this study examined the Critical Thinking (CT) application of English
as Foreign Language (EFL) students. It focused, in particular, on the impact of mutual
interaction with CT instruction during Collaborative Writing (CW) activities.
In order to promote EFL university students’ understanding and application of CT, a
collaborative learning environment and explicit teaching of CT were encouraged in EFL classes
(Todd and Hudson, 2007; Jones, 2008; Lin, 2014). Within the CT instruction environment, this
study integrated CW practices with CT pedagogy to encourage negotiation and collaborative
interaction and to stimulate EFL students’ CT (Lowry et al., 2004; Storch, 2013; Storch, 2016).
An eight-week CW intervention integrated with CT instruction was conducted for 24 EFL
students in a Chinese university. Here, a mixed methods approach was employed, including pre- and post- tests of student argumentative writing and CT, classroom observation of peer
interaction and CT application, and semi-structured interviews to investigate participant attitudes
to CW and CT. In addition to examining writing and CT test outcomes after the intervention, this
study observed interactions to explore participants’ CT development during the CW process. In
this regard, the dyadic interaction patterns proposed by Storch (2002; 2013) and the taxonomy of
language functions adapted from Li and Kim (2016) were used to establish a comprehensive
analytical framework.
The findings demonstrated that participants gradually developed a collaborative interaction
pattern with high levels of mutuality and equality in task contribution. Through this, they
produced more CT-related language functions, such as arguing and justifying, at the end of the
eight-week intervention. Results from pre- and post- tests and participant interview responses
also suggested that embedding CT into the CW process could improve participants’ CT. As such,
these findings contribute to an understanding of EFL student CT and learning processes within
EFL teaching, and it can help to inform the design of EFL classes