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The purpose of this study is to investigate how the US-based First-Year Composition (FYC) instructors understand and facilitate metacognition in their classes and assess students' metacognition through exploratory, mixed methods approaches. I argue that even if we understand the importance of metacognition generally for student populations, we need to understand the FYC instructors' understanding of metacognition and the metacognitive strategies they use in teaching composition. I argue that FYC composition courses are not merely about developing writing but also it is about enabling students to reflect on their writing knowledge, skills, and strategies. Thus, the dissertation examines not only the FYC instructors' understanding of metacognition but also how they meaningfully incorporate metacognitive strategies in teaching composition. As metacognitive is commonly known as thinking for or about thinking, instructors' understanding of metacognitive strategies and the ways those strategies are incorporated into teaching composition not only helps them monitor and evaluate their own teaching practices but also has direct effects on students' metacognitive development in writing. That is, metacognitive teaching of composition enables students to monitor their level of understanding and develops students' reflection on their own writing processes. Therefore, writing to learn functions as a teaching tool to develop students' self-regulated learning. The quantitative analysis of my data from the online survey revealed that there is a significant correlation between the First-Year Composition (FYC) instructors' metacognitive knowledge, skills, experiences, and assessment. This suggests that teaching the FYC based on metacognition requires an objective understanding related to various aspects of metacognition. The quantitative findings are profoundly supported by the qualitative results descended from the analysis of two-open ended questions in the online survey in conjunction with insights received from interviews and analysis of teaching artifacts. In the same vein, after the qualitative analysis of the two open-ended questions, it is revealed that FYC instructors recognize metacognition as integral to their teaching. The results show that the participants identified 11 key premises through which they apply 15 major metacognitive strategies for developing students' metacognitive awareness in composition. Similarly, the interview analysis that includes 98 salient themes confirms that FYC instructors possess all four aspects of metacognition: metacognitive knowledge (N=36), metacognitive skill (N=33), metacognitive experience (N=16), and metacognitive assessment (N=13).In addition, the analysis of teaching artifacts revealed the FYC instructors' metacognitive knowledge, skills, experience, and assessment in teaching composition through five salient themes: preassessments, the muddiest point, retrospective post-assessments, integrating reflection into students' learning goals, and reflective journals. The participants' metacognitive knowledge emerged from the integration of reflective practices into student learning objectives. Also, their metacognitive skills and experience are embodied in providing students with tools to identify confusions and assigning reflective journals. In addition, the FYC instructors' metacognitive assessment was analyzed and observed the use of preassessments and retrospective post-assessments. This dissertation greatly contributes to the field of FYC teaching in five particular ways: First, it discovers and examines 11 metacognitive strategies in teaching writing pertaining to the FYC instructors' metacognitive perceptions and 15 metacognitive strategies in teaching writing pertaining to effective metacognitive pedagogical strategies emerging from the online surveys. Second, it constructs five strategies under each metacognitive component: knowledge, skills, experience, and assessment, which are 20 strategies in general emerging from the interviews of the participants. Third, this study provides theoretical venues for infusing metacognitive strategies through teaching artifacts. In addition, it formulates pedagogical implications through constructing four metacognitive pedagogical approaches for teaching the FYC courses. Lastly, this study highlights a number of possible future directions for metacognitive research in the FYC context. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As a means to nurture innovation and better prepare students for the world of tomorrow, schools are establishing makerspaces. Consequently, school makerspaces are gaining momentum in recent years. While makerspaces have been studied mostly in museums and libraries, little research has been conducted inside K-12 school makerspaces. The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods case study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and students concerning learning in a standalone school makerspace, how the identifiable indicators of learners' learning differ by station and to identify how such learning may assist students in being future-ready. Data collection is performed using mixed methods. The sample included 79 high school students and seven teachers who worked at five makerspace stations on different projects. Data were collected via online surveys, reflective journals, and observational notes. The tinkering learning dimensions framework, 21st-century skills framework, Gibbs's reflective cycle, and the makerspace quadrant guided the design of data collection tools and discussion of the findings. This study contributes to the field by demonstrating how this school makerspace facilitated learning during a crisis through long-term projects using a novel blended projects model developed in this study. The cross-case analysis revealed that social and emotional engagement was the most visible learning dimension across all stations. The study results reveal that school makerspaces offer a context to develop 21st-century skills, becoming a hub for exploring many career pathways and providing real-life connections. The evidence also shows there to be a potential relationship between the makerspace stations and the learning dimensions. For example, while students at the technology station with no hands-on work had the lowest level of learning indicators, those at the 3D printing station had higher levels of learning indicators. The findings contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversations about the educational values of school makerspaces, and the discussion culminates in recommendations for practice and research.

The purpose of this paper is to seek the impact and relationship of TQM and Innovation techniques on organisational performance in Bangladesh garment manufacturing organisations. This paper presents a conceptual approach for investigating different research hypotheses where multiple models are tested under structural equation modelling (SEM). The survey data were obtained following purposive sample questionnaires from 25 garment manufacturing organisations with a response of 371 participants. In addition, fifteen 'face-to-face' semi-structured interviews were collected, and a thematic framework matrix approach was used to analyse. Therefore, the research was conducted using mixed-method concurrent triangulation. The analysis of the qualitative research on the RMG indicates all aspects of TQM and innovation substantially impact on organisational financial and non-financial performance. The quantitative data output demonstrated that administrative Innovation had no significant impact on organisational financial and non-financial performance, but technological Innovation significantly impacted. Conversely, the quantitative data output showed only mechanistic TQM significantly impacts on organisational performance. In addition, organic TQM uses mechanistic TQM as a mediator to significantly impact on organisational performance while having no direct impact on administrative or technological Innovation. The mechanistic TQM significantly impacts on administrative Innovation but is insignificant on technological innovation. In addition, organic TQM mediates mechanistic TQM to significantly impact on financial and non-financial performance. Therefore, quantitative analysis showed a complex relationship between quality management and Innovation. So, two different models have emerged following qualitative and quantitative data analysis, which may help the RMG organisation to identify how quality and innovation impacts on RMG organisations. Furthermore, from the perspective of RMG manufacturing, this study contributes a novel theoretical, managerial, and empirical contribution to the global subject of TQM and Innovation.

The development of multivariate models with parsimonious dependence is of great interest in a wide range of applications. Two broad frameworks have been considered for parsimonious dependence modelling, namely the latent variable (factor) and copula frameworks. Within these two broad frameworks, we propose several factor models based on copulas for modelling parsimonious dependence structures in multivariate social science data. We develop factor copula models for mixed continuous and discrete responses where the dependence among the observed variables is explained via a few factors. These are conditional independence models; the observed variables are conditionally independent given the factors. We also propose the bi-factor and second-order copula models for item response data that can be split into non-overlapping groups, where each group of items has homogeneous dependence. These proposed models fall under the structured factor copula class. Our general models subsume the Gaussian bi-factor and second-order models as special cases and are suitable for capturing different dependencies between and within different groups of observed variables. Using the vine copula framework, we extend the factor copula models in order to capture any residual dependence. We propose combined factor/truncated vine copula models for item response data. These are conditional dependence models given very few factors. The proposed models can be viewed as a truncated regular vine copula models that involve both observed and latent variables. They allow for flexible construction based on a sequence of bivariate copulas that can provide different tail, asymmetric and non-linear dependence properties. All the proposed copula models are applied to real datasets and are compared with other relevant benchmark models showing substantial improvement and performance both conceptually and in fit to data.

Health risks associated with ionising radiation is a growing concern. Fluoroscopically guided interventions such as endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) is associated with radiation exposure, particularly thoracoabdominal repairs using branched and/or fenestrated stent grafts. Conventional methods of measuring radiation exposure such as personal dosimeters or dose area product (DAP) do not give a true reflection of the biological effect of radiation exposure. In contrast, bio-dosimetry directly measures the effects of radiation exposure in biological specimens such as circulating lymphocytes, which are sensitive to radiation exposure and exhibit upregulation of DNA damage biomarkers such as γ-H2AX when exposed to ionising radiation (Beels, et. al., 2009) This study aimed to measure DNA damage/repair biomarkers in patients and operators after radiation exposure associated with EVAR. The expression of DNA damage/repair markers, γ-H2AX and phosphorylated ataxia telangiectasia mutated (pATM), was quantified in circulating lymphocytes in patients and operators during the peri-operative period of endovascular repair and compared with open aortic repair using flow cytometry. The role of leg shielding in radiation protection was assessed separately measuring these markers in the same operators wearing leg lead shielding and compared with those operating with unprotected legs. Susceptibility to radiation damage was determined by irradiating operators' blood in vitro. γ-H2AX and pATM levels increased significantly in patients and operators immediately after EVAR and recovered after 24 hrs. There was no change in γ-H2AX or pATM expression after open repair. Leg protection abrogated γ-H2AX and pATM response after branched endovascular aortic repair/fenestrated endovascular aortic repair. The expression of γ-H2AX varied significantly when operators' blood was exposed to the same radiation dose in vitro. This is the first study to measure the acute DNA damage response in patients and operators after fluoroscopically guided aortic procedures and highlights the protective effect of leg shielding. Defining the relationship between this response and cancer risk may better inform safe levels of chronic low-dose radiation exposure and help to tailor individualised radiation protection strategies.

Poetic language can make an epistemological contribution. It is the purpose of this thesis to argue that the poetic language employed by Nahj al-Balāghah makes such a contribution, through its uses of the "imaginary context". While poetic imagery is described by some schools of thought as mere ornamentation within a text, it has been recognised by philosophers of language, such as Al-Fārābī (d.339/950) and his followers, as having an effect on the soul. This idea is part of Al-Fārābī's logical system in which demonstration - intended to bring about assent - is the highest practice for the tools of logical thought, such as syllogism. Yet, takhyīl [the imaginary] which affects the soul is a result of the poetic syllogism; a syllogism appearing at the lowest level of logic. Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d.406/1016) was a well-known poet and Shīʿī exegete in tenth-century Baghdad. He compiled Nahj al-Balāghah, which consists of sermons, letters and aphorisms of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d.40/661), the first imam and fourth caliph. The time of Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī was one in which intellectual contributions in different fields reached their peak. Social gatherings, disputation and the emergence and development of different sects contributed to the enrichment of cultural and intellectual life in the Islamic world. The Muʿtazilite school was known for its rational approach, rather than reliance on the interpretation of revelation transmitted through generations; as such, the Muʿtazilī approach has had a profound and long-lasting impact on some major schools of Islamic thought. Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī was a scholar who followed this approach and utilised his own forms of interpretation based upon his linguistic and poetic knowledge. Through understanding Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī's poetic approach, and via a reading of Al-Fārābī's linguistic philosophy and thoughts on logic, I argue that Nahj al-Balāghah utilises the rational tools that were considered valid, not only to influence the soul by the power of language, but also to educate people through poetic language. This can only be proved through a recognition of the "imaginary context" present within the texts I discuss, a term I develop from Al-Fārābī's takhyīl. This context, as this thesis attempts to show, has its own logic, constructed by building images upon each other, and by establishing poetic relationships between elements, which depend on predicative propositions that are also, in their essence, poetic.

Khaleeji women are currently the least represented and utilised in the current socio-political and economic development process. Hence, the Gulf States deferment to achieve tangible successes in development and equality for women is the main topic this thesis examines. Using a decolonising approach, this PhD thesis investigates the role development discourse had in shaping these States' political, economic, and social structures. Mainly how Global/International Political Economy, influenced by oil wealth, impacts National Visions and Strategies. By exploring the theoretical significance of the decolonial development discourse as an overarching constructed system- rather than a methodology-, the thesis presents a historical analysis of the colonial systems influencing women's status in the Gulf. The Gulf regions' failure to achieve tangible development and social reforms may be summarised in two main points. Firstly, the region is held in a triangle formed by constitutive colonial political systems that own vast oil-based fortunes, are governed by an outdated social contract free of public accountability, and finally, the regions' reliance on Western powers for protection. Secondly, women's status in this evolving paradigm of governmentality defines and hinders her righteous role in development strategies. The lack of thorough, inclusive, and authentic examination into the relationship between development discourse, political economy, and inclusion of women is what this thesis investigates. The Gulf States development process and social reform policies are imperative to successful transformations. Not just because they challenge the most influential theories of decolonial development, women equality, and economic sustainability, but examining these reforms allows for understanding the complex adjustments required between politics and economics underlie these regimes' endurance.

Background: Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a rare, heterogeneous inflammatory disorder of the mouth, in which 20-40% of patients also present with, or subsequently develop, intestinal Crohn's disease (CD). Patients are typically categorised into two phenotypic sub-groups; those with isolated oral findings, 'OFG only' or OFG with concurrent intestinal CD, 'OFG/CD'. There is disagreement about whether OFG is a rare disorder in its own right, or whether it is a part of the complicated phenotypic spectrum of Crohn's disease, a common genetic disorder. There is a high prevalence of allergy/atopy in OFG and identification of novel immunoglobulin E (IgE) expressing subepithelial dendritic B cells in the oral mucosa in OFG patients, giving evidence for the important role of IgE in OFG. Oral granulomas are also seen in other immune co-morbidities of OFG, particularly CD, and sarcoidosis and their etiology remain largely unknown. However, mutations in the NOD2 gene, which are known to cause CD, have been identified in OFG patients and are particularly enriched in those patients with associated CD (OFG/CD). The NOD2 protein has an important role in innate immunity. The COOH-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain recognizes and reacts to the bacterial peptidoglycan fragment muramyl dipeptide (MDP) in the innate immune response, triggering a signalling cascade that leads to the activation of the transcription nuclear factor (NF)-κB mediated pro-inflammatory signalling. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying genetic etiology of OFG and determine whether there is a shared genetic etiology with CD; ascertain the functional effects of rare novel NOD2 mutations implicated in OFG; and finally, to determine the role of allergy (IgE) in the oral immune response in OFG. Methods: Genotyping via Human Core Infinium (Illumina) SNP microarray and genome wide association study (GWAS) of genotyped and imputed SNPs was performed on 248 OFG patients and 9460 population controls to identify high risk common variants that might be associated with OFG. This data was then analysed alongside two different CD GWAS datasets to calculate the polygenic risk scores (PRS) for CD in the OFG cohort and to allow a comparison of genetic risk profiles between CD and OFG. In addition, whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on DNA samples from 163 OFG patients to identify potentially pathogenic novel, or rare coding variants in OFG. Next, NF-κB activation assays were optimised to carry out functional analysis of seven rare genetic variants in the NOD2 gene that had been identified in OFG patients (p.A181G, p.A616E, p.L1007insC, p.G908C, p.V793M, p.L1018F, p.A976T). Lastly, serum and salivary IgE levels were measured in OFG patients, CD patients and healthy controls with and without atopy, to determine the role of allergy in OFG. Results and discussion: GWAS revealed a single most significant association on chromosome 5 at the imputed SNP rs75300841 (Chromosome 5: 40551045 bp) that reached genome-wide significance (p = 1.98 x10-08, OR = 2.324). This SNP is also in LD with a known CD associated SNP rs4613763 (Chromosome 5: 40392728 bp, p = 1.81 x 10-07, OR = 2.02), which showed the highest signal for a genotyped SNP, and rs7720838 (Chromosome 5: 40486896 bp, p = 4.23 X 10-06, OR = 0.59) as the second highest genotyped signal. Validation re-genotyping of SNPs rs4613763 and rs7720838 using Taqman assays in an expanded cohort of OFG patients, which included 47 newly recruited patients, followed by sub-phenotype analysis revealed that SNP rs4613763 was significantly associated with an increased disease risk in the OFG/CD group (p = 1.11 x 10-05, OR = 1.98) but less so with the OFG only group (p = 1.03 x 10-02, OR = 1.46). Similarly, SNP rs7720838 was significantly associated with OFG/CD group (p = 1.19 x 10-06, OR = 2.2) but less so with the OFG only group (p = 4.90 x 10-02, OR = 1.27). Calculations of polygenic risk scores for CD in a cohort that included all OFG patients (n = 256) and controls (n = 992) when using Jostins et al (2012) CD GWAS meta-analysis dataset as base data, showed that all PRS models were highly significantly predictive of the OFG phenotype (p = 4.2 x 10-08), with the best model based on 397 SNPs, all of which have been previously significantly associated with CD, (P < 0.01) and explain 3.8% of the phenotypic variance in CD. Similarly, sub-phenotype analysis using just the OFG/CD cohort (n = 107) and controls (n = 992) showed that all PRS models were highly significantly predictive of the OFG/CD phenotype (p = 1.69 x 10-8), with the best model based on 230 CD associated SNPs, explaining the 6.36% of the phenotypic variance in CD. However, sub-phenotype analysis using just the OFG only patients (n = 144) and controls (n = 992) showed a more conservative significance across all models with the best model based on 397 SNPs (p = 0.011), explaining only 1.08% of the phenotypic variance. Nevertheless, all PRS model p values for both sub-phenotypes and the combined dataset remained significant after 100,000 permutations, suggesting a significant overlap between the genetic architecture of all OFG phenotypes and CD. PRS calculations using a second base dataset that encompassed genome wide SNPs from a European GWAS (Liu et al., 2015) showed that all PRS models were highly significantly predictive of the OFG phenotype (p = 9.75 x 10-05), with the best model based on 3681 SNPs explaining 1.9% variance in CD. Sub-phenotype analysis using the OFG/CD cohort (n = 107) and controls (n = 992) showed that all PRS models were highly significantly predictive of the OFG/CD phenotype (p = 1.69 x 10-08), with the best model based on 21 CD associated SNPs, explaining 3.71% of the phenotypic variance in CD. However, PRS models were not predictive of the OFG only phenotype (p = 0.1). The frequency of self-reported atopy was highest in the OFG/CD group (55.56%) compared to OFG only (47.83%) and CD (26.32%). Sub-phenotypic analyses showed that mean total salivary IgE was significantly elevated in CD patients compared to OFG/CD patients (p = 0.02240), OFG only patients (p = 0.0102) and healthy controls (p = 0.02240). However, there was no statistical difference between OFG only, OFG/CD and healthy controls. Although mean total salivary IgE was more pronounced in all atopic OFG patients (13.63 ng/ml) compared to non-atopic OFG patients (7.88 ng/ml), it was not statistically significant. Moreover, mean total serum IgE was significantly elevated in all atopic OFG patients (470.73 ng/ml) compared to non-atopic OFG patients (7.30 ng/ml) (p = 0.0283). Exome sequencing of OFG patients (n = 163) identified 465 variants in 198 genes including NCF4, TGFB1 and LAMB1. Moreover, the sequencing identified five CD associated NOD2 variants as well as 9 potentially pathogenic rare variants. Analysis of the NOD2 pathogenic variant's frequencies in the OFG only cohort (n = 147) and OFG/CD cohort (n = 120) showed that there is a significant enrichment of pathogenic NOD2 variants in OFG/CD patients compared to OFG only (p = 0.00007). Finally, it was demonstrated that all seven NOD2 variants, and the control p.P268S variant, previously identified in OFG, led to significantly reduced NF-κB activation in MDP stimulated HEK 293 cells. Conclusions: GWAS, PRS, WES data and differences in the oral immune responses of OFG patients and CD patients suggests that OFG and CD could possibly be distinct disease entities. There is evidence for overlapping genetic etiology between CD and the OFG/CD group as CD associated variants in NOD2 and newly identified loss-of-function variants in NOD2 were significantly enriched in OFG/CD cases. Likewise, the OFG GWAS data has shown significant association with a previously reported CD associated locus on chromosome 5 in the OFG/CD cohort. CD PRS calculations have shown that CD associated SNPs account for a higher genetic variance in OFG/CD patients compared to the OFG only group. However, these calculations still suggest there may be a much smaller genetic overlap between OFG only and CD which could be due to the inclusion of OFG/CD patients that have not yet developed intestinal CD. Moreover, there was a difference in the incidence of atopy between OFG only and OFG/CD, which indicates that prevalence of atopy is further elevated by presence of CD. Though it was not possible to determine a significant difference in salivary IgE levels between the two sub-phenotypes of OFG, there was however a significant difference between CD and OFG. Altogether, this could suggest that OFG/CD patients may be true CD patients, or part of the spectrum of CD, and that OFG only with no gut involvement is a different entity with a phenotypic overlap with CD that presents with oral involvement, i.e., OFG/CD group. As well as the CD associated NOD2 gene, whole exome sequencing in OFG has identified a possible role for genes that have previously been associated with other phenotypically similar inflammatory diseases such as chronic granulomatous disorder and infantile IBD. However, this could be due to the pleotropic nature of these mutations in these genes, or due to the misdiagnosis of the phenotypically similar inflammatory disease as OFG. Finally, findings in this study have shed more light on the pathogenesis of OFG sub-phenotypes and their relationship to CD which, in turn, could lead to better future understanding of OFG and its diagnosis, or potential misdiagnosis, and consequently, management or treatment. For instance, salivary and serum IgE could be used to monitor IgE-mediated atopy in OFG sub-phenotypes as well as CD. Additionally, evaluation of individual PRS scores may have the potential to identify OFG only patients that are at elevated risk of developing intestinal CD later in life. Thus, facilitating earlier diagnosis of gastrointestinal signs and symptoms and better management of the disease.

You Must Believe in Spring is a bildungsroman that follows three days of Shahed's life in Egypt. Set in the near-future - early 2030's - it deals with themes of revolution, alienation and privilege. Being a disciple of the national Sufi institute, and a swimmer representing the Armed Forces, Shahed toes the line between the two major factions in Egypt. He traverses a country under lockdown to find Nizam - a revered Sufi sheikh - who's been imprisoned. Shahed is there to deliver him to an army barracks in the Sinai, where Nizam is meant to give a sermon. Along with his official mission, Shahed is carrying a bottle of ethanol disguised as drinking water that he's planning on using to self-immolate in the barracks to protest the Armed Forces' continued oppression of people in the country. On Shahed's journey, the issue of rebelliousness, and the effectiveness of it, becomes increasingly muddled. His grandmother's mythologised stories of the 2011 Revolution fall apart amidst the horrifying reality of life in the city and Nizam's prison. Once Shahed delivers Nizam to the barracks, and finds himself close to fulfilling his plan, Nizam escapes, leaving Shahed alone, grappling for both life and freedom. Besides being a tale of one person's idea of revolt, this manuscript deals with how people portray their narratives to reach their own personal ends. This research discusses the role of repetition in the interaction between text and reader in the cases of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Driver's Seat. In both texts the interaction is invoked through Spark's use of repetition throughout the narrative. Spark produces a state of constant return to various spaces in the narrative that function as narrative anchors. This constant repetition of spaces - as defined by Michel de Certeau in Spatial Stories - allows Spark to subvert traditional narrative forms, and challenge the issue of causality within the chosen works. Both works handle the issue of repetition in a way that's directly influenced by the content of the narrative. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie relies on the repetition of words, while The Driver's Seat relies on relational aspects between words that goes beyond the semantic structure, which Wolfgang Iser discusses in The Phenomenology of Reading. There have been previous attempts to derive a definitive Cartesian structure for Spark's narratives, but the temporal complexity of both novels make such efforts impossible. Cartesian closed form structural analyses of the narratives neglect the fact that any semblance of structure is only implied for works of fiction. The reader constructs the framework through the reading process. The narrative anchors that turns narrative units and places into spaces allow the reader to orient themselves and measure the changes that have occurred in the narrative, without compromising the subversive aspect of the novels' style. Iser's theories on phenomenology, repetition, absences in texts elaborate on the relationship between the text and the reader. Repetition cements the 'virtual reality' of the narrative, which allows the reader to inhabit the text and witness the changes the spaces experience when exploring the narrative, resulting in a constantly evolving narrative structure.

In Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), the implanted biosensor collects various physiological data and wirelessly transmits the information to external medical devices in real time. The antenna design for this application faces great challenges as the microwave propagation medium is not the free space as the human tissues constitute part of the transmission channel. The effects of the human body should be taken into consideration during the antenna design. The present thesis aims to arrive at the optimum design of the on-body antenna to operate as a central antenna for WBAN. Five types of helical antennas are proposed in the present thesis having a dual-frequency operation at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz. The proposed antennas are optimized to maximize the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) and, hence, to minimize the BER and the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the human tissues. In this thesis, a semi-analytic rigorous technique for the assessment of microwave propagation on the medium equivalent to the human body is developed and the radiated fields from the proposed on-body antennas in the near zone are evaluated. The commercially available CST® simulator is used and experimental measurements are done for the five fabricated prototypes. The near-field distribution over the surface of human body is evaluated at 2.45 GHz using a Matlab® program, while the far-field radiation patterns obtained by experimental measurements showing good agreement with those obtained by the CST® simulator. It is shown that the radiation patterns produced by the more compact antennas; the conical-helix monopole and the monopole-spiral antennas show better performance and more appropriate for the intended application. It is clear from the obtained results that the conical-helix/monopole and the monopole-spiral antennas have the highest performance. These antennas are shown to achieve the minimum BER of 5.3 × 10-5 and 6× 10-8 for both antennas respectively. In addition, the minimum average of the SAR that does not exceed 0.3 W/Kg in the human tissues while consuming the minimum value of the input power when compared with the other antenna types.

Objective: to quantitatively measure and analyse the different types of daily clinical pharmacy services and develop an appropriate skill mix model for the clinical pharmacy workforce. Method: Data was collected from 8 medical and surgical wards for two weeks each in addition to 129 days for the analysis of in-patient clinical pharmacist interventions. The duties were compared between different staff grades and ward specialties. Also, daily in-patient clinical pharmacists' interventions over 129 days, were collected, analysed and compared. Two potential elements were identified to develop a skill mix model. The first was relocation of two senior clinical pharmacy technicians CPTs to complete the medication histories for newly admitted patients. The second was assigning another senior CPT to complete any final check requests from hospital wards. Main results: Clinical Pharmacy Technicians (CPTs) undertaken seven different clinical pharmacy related activities throughout the day while completing medicines reconciliation by ward pharmacists was the main activity provided during hospital admission and discharge which required more than half of pharmacist daily time and supported only 30% of the patients within each ward. Also, eight daily interventions were made by each ward pharmacist during in-patient stay. These equated to an estimated reduction in daily costs between £520 and £1200 in each ward. Four accurate and complete medicines histories were completed by each senior CPTs during the afternoon with similar accuracy and amount of time as junior pharmacist. Also, a reallocated CPT was able to complete 96.83% of all final check requested from 8 wards during afternoon. Conclusion: Different clinical pharmacy services were delivered by pharmacists and CPTs throughout the patient hospital journey. CPTs roles can be enhanced to release more time allowing pharmacists to focus on more therapeutic issues. Reallocation of numbers, staff grades and competency will ensure best use of staff resources and improve the provided clinical pharmacy services, patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Despite the importance of promoting socially responsible citizenship in Internet age with the global massive spread of IT consumption, there is a paucity of research for scrutinizing the impact of ICT tools such as Social Networking Sites on citizens of the Middle East and North Africa region and/or investigating their tendency toward digital transformation. In the information age, Internet and its applications are creating a 'network state' due to the continuous interaction of SNS by people on their daily personal and professional lives; which made it a rich data bank for researchers to analyze and predict people's behavioral, cultural and societal change. This research focused on the digital impact of SNS on various aspects of life in the society of Egypt and the forecast of its subsequent normal progression over time. The research questions were; what are the factors affecting the usage of SNS and its impact on the society of Egypt? In addition to, How SNS usage and IT developments are likely to affect future changes in Egypt's culture and societal behaviors in the arena of human computer interaction and information communication technology? Hence, the research investigated those questions on recent years where there is still not enough complete specialized analysis nor mature socio-technological researches have been developed about the online society of Egypt. In specific, it concerned with studying the interaction of human practices with information network applications and the latter role in changing human cultures and societal behaviors from personal, governmental and business perspectives. This study is an example of interdisciplinary research, linking cultural theories and social networking phenomena with human-mediated informational technology and communication studies contributing to the emerging field of Internet studies. Therefore, this research's best matching philosophy is interpretivism, the research approach is inductive and the utilized research strategy was grounded theory and surveys through four employed quantitative and qualitative research methods over two phases. Phase one implemented observational study, survey questionnaire and focus group sessions; while interviews were accomplished in phase two. Outcomes are reached through applying descriptive statistics of structural equation modeling via using SPSS 20.0, AMOS 20.0.0, Tableau 10.4, and MS 2010 Excel; in addition to, qualitative content analysis using NVivo 11. Findings of interweaved data collection methods supported in investigating the research questions and testing the hypotheses of the research proposed SDR model. Consequently, these research findings deduced that the Egyptian online society is affected by SNS forming a pre-digitalization stage. In addition to the research's major offering of the SDR model, there were four others emerged contributions to knowledge base. One of the main challenges of research in this domain is the dynamic pace of both technological developments and users' preferences. Hence, this research study impacts the growing knowledge repository with five contributions about the significant role of SNS in transforming people's daily activities which can shed lights of more novel questions for other neighboring countries as well as regarding other ICT tools for future studies.

Immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by isolated low platelet count and a skewed proinflammatory Th1/Th17 profile. However, little is known about the involvement of CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells in ITP pathophysiology in peripheral blood and bone marrow(BM) and how this involvement is regulated. Thrombopoietin-receptor agonists (TPO­RA); eltrombopag(Elt) and romiplostim(Romi), which stimulate the BM to produce more platelets, are increasingly used. However, it is not clear how can these agents induce complete remission in patients. Polychromatic flow cytometric panels were designed to characterize and functionally assess peripheral blood T-cells. Platelet reactivity has been addressed using an IFNγ ELISpot assay. Sixty patients with ITP were included who were on Elt, Romi or on no treatment at the time of analysis. BM trephines were stained for CD4+, CD8+ T cells and CD42b+megakaryocytes(MK), and slides were analysed automatically. MK were generated in vitro to assess their interaction with T-cells. In peripheral blood, CD8+T-cells displayed an effector phenotype characterised by reduced CD4/CD8 T cell ratio and Treg/effector CD8+ T-cell ratio and increased effector CD8+ T-cell, which were associated with disease activity. This polyfunctional population expressed significantly higher intracellular TNFα, IFNγ and Granzyme B compared to HC. Elt seemed to significantly lower effector CD8+T cells and reduced their functionality in vitro in a dose dependent manner. In the BM, MK-T cell interaction and clustering was higher in patients, more prominently in chronic cases. MK demonstrated features of professional antigen-presenting-cells including the surface expression of functional MHC-I, MHC-II, PD-L1 and PD-L2, which controlled MK-T-cell interaction. CD8+ T cells are involved in ITP pathology contributing the inflammatory milieu. These potentially autoreactive cells could target both platelets and MK. MK seems to govern the immune response in the BM; by its direct interaction with either CD4+ or CD8+T-cells, and via its immunomodulation mainly by PD-L1 and PD-L2.

The construction industry is a complex, dynamic, fragmented environment that involves many stakeholders and, by being based on team collaboration, integrates various groups through the use of a range of systems. One of the major difficulties in the construction industry is to ensure that the correct information is available on site at the point of application. The global shift from paper-based documents and drawings to electronic-based files has tended to overload project teams with information. Currently, the work of site operatives still depends on the timely ability to access documents, paperwork, drawings and personal data together with the retrieval of relevant information. This creates a divergence between proven construction information and information on the building site itself, which can result in contradictions and misinformation. The volume of information increases in parallel with the development of technology and this complexity puts the construction industry under pressure to keep pace with other industries. This is particularly evident at the construction stage, when actual construction activities are carried out and a huge amount of information needs to be exchanged. However, most research into, and development of, IT usage to support construction industry collaboration is largely technology driven (Wikforss & Löfgren, 2007). This has resulted in the failure of information communication technology (ICT) systems to adequately support construction operations (UKCES, 2015). Inadequately configured construction processes have, very often, resulted in the misalignment of technological deployment and construction processes (Martínez-Rojas, 2015). Moreover, the inappropriate use of technology could result in the creation of extra work for other on-site stakeholders. Therefore, an improved alignment between information, communicators and technologies through enhanced communication techniques for the profession should be considered in order to overcome the challenges of complex projects. Studies have focused on effective and successful communication, and found that inefficient communication throughout the lifecycle of a project is one of the major causes of project failure in the construction industry. Many previous studies have addressed poor communication in construction; however, this study aims to: • Identify the impact information and communications technology (ICT) on on-site construction operations • Critically evaluate site office communication in order to identify which features have the most impact on construction site management; and • Assess how the effective use of ICT can enhance site management efficiency. Understanding the challenges that take place from the main contractor perspective helps to establish a set of recommendations that can improve the exchange of information between stakeholders, ease communication, and consider the use of technology to improve site office information flow. In other words, the purpose of this research is to understand how to improve site information management using technology through the perspective of effective communication.

Myelin injury plays a role in many devastating conditions, including multiple sclerosis, and neuromyelitis optica. Previous work in understanding myelin injury has utilised a combination of high-resolution static imaging modalities, such as electron microscopy, and ensemble-averaged imaging, such as immunohistochemistry. Within the work presented in this thesis the behaviour of myelin basic protein was addressed, during various stages of differentiation and injury. In order to explore this several reporters for myelin basic protein were designed and encoded within Semliki forest constructs in order to induce protein transduction in oligodendroglial cells. Reporters utilised several fluorescent tags including Dendra2, mCherry, and GFP. These viral vectors were characterised to determine the expression kinetics and toxicity within cells. Following the production of the MBP reporters, a complement injury modality was optimised to induce myelin/oligodendrocyte specific injury with little injury within axons/neurones. This myelin injury was utilised for live imaging of myelin using the MBP reporters produced previously. The reporters produced were utilised to explore the change in particle dynamics following myelin injury, using single molecule TIRF imaging. Responses to injury were compared over various stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation, where it was found that MBP dynamics following injury varied most when mature oligodendrocytes were injured.

The oil and gas industry faces increasing pressure to remove people from dangerous offshore environments for health and safety reasons, and to look for more cost-effective and safer methods for inspection, repair and maintenance of their offshore energy platforms. Robots are seen as key enablers in this regard, as they present a safer, cheaper, and more efficient way to inspect and monitor offshore infrastructure. In this thesis, I develop a new multi-sensing robotic platform, the Limpet, which is designed to be lowcost and highly manufacturable, and thus can be deployed in large collectives for monitoring offshore energy platforms. The Limpet is developed as part of the flagship ORCA (Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets) Hub in the United Kingdom. The Limpet is designed to be one part of a heterogeneous collection of field robots (drones, UAVs, mobile legged robots etc.) that together with the offshore assets comprise the ORCA Hub System for asset certification and management. The Limpet comprises the sensing aspect of the ORCA Hub System, where sensing is a key element in asset monitoring, fault detection, mapping, environmental monitoring and helping other robots navigate around the platform. The Limpet has nine different sensing modalities, which are: temperature; pressure; humidity; optical; distance; sound; magnetic field; accelerometer; gyroscope. I have integrated the Limpet with Robot Operating System (ROS) to allow it to communicate with other robots within the ORCA Hub System, where the interaction between the different robots results in more complex and useful behavior. The Limpet was designed to have robust communication, where it can use one of multiple communication systems for data transmission or communication with other agents. In this thesis, I demonstrate how the Limpet could be used for real-time condition monitoring of offshore structures, by combining remote sensing with signal processing techniques. I show an example of the condition monitoring approach by using the system to monitor the condition of a wind turbine. I also show how the processing and analysis of the data from the sensors in the condition monitoring approach can be done on-board using the microcontroller, which can improve the communication requirements of the system. In this thesis, I also show a few examples of how the Limpet can be deployed in offshore environments using other robotic systems. To allow the Limpet to navigate the unstructured offshore environment efficiently after deployment and increase its accessible areas to be useful for monitoring and inspection tasks, I have developed an adhesion and locomotion mechanism for the Limpet based on electromagnetic modules (EMMs). These capabilities allows it to adhere to and climb surfaces at different angles, which makes it a more useful tool for monitoring offshore environments. The adhesion and locomotion systems are designed in a modular fashion, as modular systems can be easily reconfigured, giving the robot more robustness and capability for achieving new tasks. Finally, due to the lack of accuracy that usually results from using single sensors for monitoring the condition of different structures, I have developed a multi-sensor fusion technique in this thesis that combines sensing modalities on different Limpets to achieve structural integrity monitoring.

The future of health and care services in the EU faces the three challenges of the aging population, fiscal restriction, and social inclusion. Co-production offers ways to manage informal care resources to enable them to better cater to the growing needs of elderly people. Social Media (SM) are seen as a critical enabler of co-production. This study investigates SM as an enabler of co-production in health and care for elderly people and develops a typology of opportunities and limitations of SM in relation to health and care. The study considers how SM acts as an enabler of co-production in health and care by facilitating its four underlying principles: equality, diversity, accessibility, and reciprocity. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides the theoretical framework for this qualitative study. Eighteen semi-structured interviews and observation of the activities of 10 online groups and individuals provide the data for the thematically-analysed findings. The study findings show how different SM are used to enable co-production through coordination and communication across boundaries. SM connects carers, disseminates information and engages volunteers. However, many types of SM are only rarely used in this sector due to their limitations. Nevertheless, carers of elderly patients demonstrated interest in using systems to engage people in the shaping of services, the sharing of experiences and encouraging activities. The study findings point to distinct patterns of feature use by different people involved in the care of elderly people. This diversity makes possible the principles of co-production by offering equality among users, enabling diversity of use, making experiences accessible, and encouraging reciprocity in the sharing of knowledge and mutual support. Exploitation of common resources also may lead to new forms of competition and conflicts. These conflicts require better management to enhance the coordination of the common pool of resources. The study finds that SM can facilitate co-production by offering mechanisms for coordination of the common pool of carer resources. It also enables better management of activities amongst other actors (professionals, patients, voluntary organisations, etc.). The study also demonstrates that, despite the capabilities of SM in achieving coproduction, many applications (both general and healthcare-specific) are not used to their full potential. The study also explores new innovations in this field and why they have failed to deliver their intended services.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is characterised by a progressive accumulation of mature CD5+CD20+CD23+ lymphocytes. Despite the remarkable progress in our understanding of the immunobiology of CLL, the aetiology of the disease remains unknown. The consensus is that CLL cells are driven by (auto)antigen(s) through the B cell receptor (BCR) and are regulated by a variety of signals received from the microenvironment, including toll-like receptors (TLR).Our group has previously shown that engagement of the CD180 orphan TLR expressed by approximately 60% of CLL cells, can re-wire the sIgM-mediated signalling from a pro-survival pathway, involving phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) to the potentially pro-apoptotic pathway through mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). However, little is known about the function of the other BCR - sIgD in CLL and its possible interaction with CD180. Here we studied intracellular signalling and apoptosis of CLL cells following sole or sequential ligation of CD180 and sIgD. Our data indicated that following sequential ligation of CD180 and sIgD, CLL samples demonstrated enhanced p38MAPK phosphorylation leading to increased apoptosis of CLL cells indicating synergistic relationship between CD180 and sIgD. To better understand the prognostic importance of CD180 expression we sought to determine whether CD180 and other prognostic markers such as CD38 and ZAP70 displayed any correlation with the known cytogenetic aberrations:TP53 and DLEU1. Our results suggested that CLL cells with DLEU1 deletion are characterised by the negative expression of both, CD180 and CD38, and this might have a significance for CLL prognosis. To explain this correlation, we hypothesised that interaction of CLL cells with their microenvironment through TLRs leads to the expansion of leukaemic clones, in vivo, in lymph nodes. Our results indicated that CD180 is heterogeneously expressed in the paraffin tissue sections of the lymph nodes of CLL patients and its expression positively correlates with the expression of Ki-67. Our data demonstrated, that although CD180 expression and signaling might have negative prognostic importance in CLL due to the enhanced proliferation of leukaemic cells, its interaction with sIgD would re-direct leukaemic cells towards apoptosis thus opening new opportunities for the disease immunotherapy.

The aim of this research is to examine how the Lebanese Sunni political actors frame intra-Sunni political division in Lebanon. The research draws on Max Weber's "interpretivist" approach of understanding (Verstehen), which denotes that reality is socially constructed. The research does not offer a causal explanation of the Sunni politics. Rather, it seeks to interpret the subjective understandings and socially constructed ideas articulated by the Lebanese political actors on the political contestations of Sunnis. The operationalisation of framing theory in this research aided an understanding of how intra-Sunni political divides are constructed, manifested and narrated by the Lebanese political actors. The research used a single case study research design with a qualitative approach. The data were collected from Lebanon using semi-structured interviews and analysis of documents. A purposive sampling was employed to select twenty-three respondents including party and religious leaders, rank-and-file members, ministers and MPs. The findings of this research suggest the interconnectivity between external and internal factors in shaping the framing construction of Sunnis. Externally, the rivalry between Saudi Arabia on the one hand and Syria and Iran on the other hand is essential for shaping Sunni narratives on intra-Sunni contestations. Regional players namely (Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia) have been able to break through Sunnis either through financial or political support or through propagation of slogans such as resisting Israel and defending Palestine. Internally, the research reveals that Sunnis differ in their frames of identity politics, Lebanon's confessional politics, Islamisation of Lebanon, the stance on Hezbollah and the leadership of Sunnis. This research is the first theoretical-based study involving framing theory on intra-Sunni political contestations in Lebanon. The thesis concludes with some recommendations that collective national efforts are needed to enact laws that strengthen state institutions, prevent foreign funding and abolish confessionalism in order to reduce political tensions.

In this study the thermal-oxidative degradation of the polyolefins: polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (PE-HD), and linear low-density polyethylene (PE-LLD) have been evaluated after melt processing and multiple extrusion passes. Recent literature on the initiation of autoxidation in polyolefins suggests that oxygen-containing radicals that are already present in polyolefin reactor powders (ROO•, •OH) can abstract hydrogen, trigger -scission reactions and oxidative propagation. An overview of the literature also supports the premise that, at least in the first instance, abstraction of hydrogen occurs preferentially from allylic sites, since this process is thermodynamically more favoured. Chemiluminescence (CL) has been used to characterise the nature of species arising in the melt at 180oC in the range of 350-680 nm as expected, characteristic changes do occur in the CL spectra as a function of residence time in the melt and in air. Data points under the integral CL curve have been related to the formation of a transition-state cage cited by other workers1. Unlike the Russell mechanism, this follows the decomposition of primary, secondary and tertiary peroxides via a tetroxide that cleaves in an asymmetric manner. The CL results support this premise, suggesting that luminescence arises from cage recombination of peroxyl radicals and explains why some antioxidants are more effective than others in their participation in Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT). The CL data also questions the roles of secondary antioxidants as peroxide decomposers, suggesting instead that they scavenge alkoxyl radicals from cage decomposition. Because primary and secondary peroxyl from cage termination reactions give non-radical products (alcohols, ketones and aldehydes), whilst tertiary peroxyl cannot undergo this asymmetric cage reaction (instead escaping the cage as alkoxyl radicals) this has been used to explain the range of volatiles and extractables observed during polyolefin oxidation. The polyolefins investigated contain different amounts of chain branching and the data shows that although the types of volatiles are similar regardless of polyolefin type (hydrocarbons (branched, cyclic linear); aldehydes; carbon dioxide; ketone; carboxylic acids; esters; ethers and furans) the rate of thermal oxidation is faster for polyolefins with higher levels of branching. The results emphasise the fact that the Basic Auto-oxidation Scheme (BAS) which has been the accepted standard cycle for thermo-oxidative degradation, is not as simple as depicted. Therefore, revisions to the BAS of polymer thermal oxidation have been proposed based on this information.

Since the 1940s, researchers have envisioned lifelogging as the systematic capture and utilization of lived experiences for augmenting learning, performance, and community. Unfortunately, this vision was never actualized since few, if any, systems support lifelogging in the term's original sense. Technologies that emerged through the Quantified-Self (QS) movement allowed users to monitor and track almost every life aspect. However, the decontextualized self-tracking data QS systems produced are unsuitable for supporting learning and community engagement, and therefore have not made lifelogging a reality yet. Central to this dissertation is understanding how to augment learning and community through lifelogging. This is particularly a problem in learning in collaborative physical-recreation communities (CPRC) (e.g., regional volleyball communities, college campus-based dance communities) because CPRC members must work together in performance and learning. This dissertation addresses this motivating problem by proposing Collaborative Lifelogging (CLL), a conceptual framework of lifelogging systems inspired by Collective Computing. By facilitating collaborative procedural learning in CPRC, CLL solutions could support participation in collaborative physical recreation, leading to physical and mental health benefits such as physical fitness improvements, disease prevention, and stress relief. CLL solutions could also bring members together and improve social connectivity in the communities. This dissertation answers the following research questions. (i) Why do individuals engage with CPRC? (ii) What types of intrinsic or extrinsic feedback do community members use for procedural learning? (iii) How do community members use current technologies to gain extrinsic feedback and support procedural learning? (iv) What community-based processes support collaborative procedural learning in CPRC? (v) What do individuals identify as teachable moments? (vi) What is the perceived utility of viewing videos of teachable moments? (vii) What are the perceived benefits of CLL solutions compared to QS systems among community members? The above research questions are addressed through a series of empirical studies of recreational volleyball and dance communities in New Jersey, USA. Study I is a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews (n=32) and qualitative diaries (n=13) focusing on self-reported participation in community activities. The study findings show that individuals have multiple reasons for their engagement with CPRC, and they rely on various forms of intrinsic feedback for their procedural learning. However, they do not view QS systems as an effective way to support their procedural learning. While they do see value in using cameras (e.g., GoPros) for their learning, they face significant challenges in effectively using them. The study highlights the enormous potential of showing individuals' teachable moments through video snippets to support their procedural learning. Study II is an observational study of how members collaboratively perform and learn during community activities. Findings show that community-based processes in CPRC, such as feedback exchange among members, depend on the roles of teammates, skills levels, and personal connections in the communities. These findings inform how to incorporate these factors in the design of CLL processes for supporting feedback exchange among individuals. Study III is a contextual inquiry of teachable moments (n=15). In the study, community members identify moments during their matches and discuss them in collaborative video viewing sessions. Findings show that individuals identify moments of their successes, unsuccessful attempts and long rallies as teachable moments. These moments are also associated with improvement areas in their individual and team performance. These insights inform how to create CLL processes for identifying, contextualizing, and categorizing video snippets of teachable moments. Using a research-through-design approach, this dissertation translates the insights from studies I, II, and III into representations of CLL solutions by defining personas and pre-intervention scenarios, ideating post-intervention scenarios, and iterative user-interface prototyping. The final study, Study IV, uses a video-prototyping research method (n=11) examining the comparative utility of CLL solutions and QS systems. Findings show the perceived benefits of CLL solutions over QS systems for their support of collaborative procedural learning. The insights also highlight that integrated CLL-QS solutions are desired among high-skilled individuals. Collectively, these studies advance the understanding of the requirements for lifelogging systems supporting collaborative procedural learning in CPRC. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

BACKGROUND: Amyloidosis is a disorder arising from the variable physiological effects of dysregulated, extracellular protein deposition. There are >30 different subtypes, all possessing the same histological characteristics and the two major organs affected are the kidneys and the heart. AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate current UK histological practices leading to a misdiagnosis of amyloidosis; To establish proteomics as a new diagnostic technique for identifying amyloid, in the UK; To investigate the usefulness of a relatively new biomarker i.e. Retinol Binding Protein (RBP), across amyloid subtypes and correlate values with biopsy findings, which has not previously been done; To identify the cause of death in patients with Stage III/ IV cardiac amyloidosis using, for the first time, Implantable Loop Recorders; To present the first comprehensive review of Light Chain Deposition Disease highlighting the relationship between haematological response and overall prognosis. RESULTS: In 65% of cases where renal amyloidosis was misdiagnosed as minimal change disease, Congo red staining was not undertaken and in 35% of cases neither Congo red staining, with cross-polarised light visualisation, nor electron microscopy was undertaken. Proteomics has now been established as a specific and sensitive technique by which to diagnose amyloid and the subtype, demonstrated by distinguishing Fibrinogen Aα-Chain (AFib) renal biopsies from other subtypes. Urinary RBP/Creatinine (RCR) correlated with the: degree of tubular atrophy, number of light chains, eGFR, presence of glycosuria and degree of tubular phosphate reabsorption. RCR values were especially high in AFib and AA amyloidosis. Pulseless Electrical Activity was identified as the terminal rhythm in patients with Stage III/IV cardiac amyloidosis and this was preceded by a high degree AV block. Deep clonal responses to chemotherapy are associated with improved renal and overall outcomes in LCDD and should be pursued even in advanced chronic kidney disease.

The existence of temporal scaling in hydrological time series has been acknowledged for decades but seldom rigorously investigated in terms of the effect of various catchment-scale forcings on the scaling behaviour of local series. The aim of this work is to establish the relationship between these forcings, such as a catchment's physical properties or scaling behaviour of local series, on the scaling behaviour of groundwater levels (GWL) in the catchment. The benefit from performing this exercise is that it sheds light onto the local processes governing the fluctuation of GWL. The study site selected for this work is in Wallingford, United Kingdom. GWL and river stage - monitored at 1-minute intervals - and corresponding rainfall, temperature and other hydrometeorological series - monitored at 15-minute intervals - are available for a period of 4 years. The site is formed of a riparian aquifer that drains into River Thames and the GWL are highly responsive and fluctuate over a wide range of temporal sales. To rigorously investigate local forcings on Wallingford's GWL scaling behaviour, a physically-based coupled recharge-groundwater flow model is developed and calibrated using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms to simulate GWL scaling behaviour. The scaling behaviour of all series is analysed using a newly developed robust detrended fluctuation analysis procedure (r-DFAn) to reliably and objectively quantify and identify the different scaling regimes that may exist in hydrological variables (Habib, Sorensen et al. 2017). By varying the various inputs and parameters of the model to study their effect on GWL scaling behaviour, it was found that only changes to rainfall scaling behaviour produced statistically significant changes to GWL scaling behaviour. Other inputs and parameters tested were the aquifer's physical properties, parameters affecting the recharge process, potential evapotranspiration's scaling properties, river stage's scaling properties and distance of the GW borehole from the river. This implies that the fluctuation structure of GWLs at the Wallingford site is dictated by the fluctuation structure of the rainfall as opposed to local geology or parameters controlling the recharge process. An additional finding is that the scaling behaviour of a simulated hydrological variable can be used as a metric to ensure that a hydrological model correctly replicates the variable's fluctuation structure across all studied scales.

In recent years, a global movement towards a knowledge-based economy through the provision of adequate and appropriate infrastructure and development programs for leveraging the potential of human capital has started. There has been tremendous cognitive development in the developed countries including the Arab countries, but in the developing countries, things are still slowly progressing towards a level of knowledge capture, creation, and dissemination that will allow them to rise to the level of developed countries. The central administration derived from the authoritative patriarchal structure of the Arab society significantly affects the motives of their qualified workforce in their quest to utilize their knowledge for the desired development towards a knowledge society. The research investigates the influence of national culture on the progress of knowledge economy four pillars ranked by World Bank Knowledge Economy index, education, information and communication technology infrastructure, innovation, and adequacy of supporting institutional framework. The research adopts Nonaka & Takeuchi's SECI knowledge management model to study the impact of national culture upon knowledge acquisition, transfer, creation, and dissemination as facilitated through Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) cyclical knowledge management model by People, Process, and Technology. Furthermore, the research introduces a conceptual framework and detailed analytical framework illustrating relationships and mapping governing principles to the research aim and objective. The research keeps a specific focus on the influence of Qatar's national culture on the knowledge management process prevalent in the country as the research aims to explore elements that may affect Qatar's transition towards a knowledge-based economy. The research surveys a sample of Qatari nationals community to profiles Qatar National culture, interviews a sample of Qatari professionals to investigate the impact of cultural dimensions on knowledge management process, and validate the concluded analysis by identifying Qatar's ranking in relevant Knowledge Economy global indexes. The research assert the possible influence of national culture on knowledge conversion processes as critical to the success of country's economic transition to knowledge economy.

Aims and Rationale: Individuals suffering from mental health difficulties and disorders experience stigma and discrimination in various areas of their lives. Mental illness stigma results in diminished self-esteem, increased risk of suicide, feelings of shame and a decrease in their desire to seek support from mental health professionals. This study aimed to assess changes in attitudes following a brief informative talk on mental health. Moreover, the study aimed to explore the attitudes and beliefs of Arab high school students in Kuwait towards people suffering from mental illness. The findings aim to broaden an understanding of the subject area within the Arab population in order to inform future approaches to decrease stigmatizing beliefs and increase more accepting attitudes and help-seeking behaviors. Method: A mixed-method approach was used to examine attitudes towards individuals suffering from mental disorders in 111 Arab high school students. Firstly, the quantitative part of the study explored changes in attitudes following an informative talk using a survey questionnaire. 105 Arab high school students took part in the study and were divided into two groups, one group received a talk on 'Myths and Facts' around mental illness while the second group received a talk on 'Education and Career' paths one could take in the field of psychology. The qualitative part of the study explored 6 Arab high school students' beliefs around mental illness as well as their personal experiences in dealing with mental health difficulties and discrimination using semi-structured interviews. Results: The findings of the quantitative study demonstrated an overall increase in benevolence and an overall decrease in social restrictiveness following the talks. Students in the 'Myths and Facts' group displayed a significant improvement in social restrictiveness attitudes following their talk, the 'Education and Career' group did not show this improvement. Findings from the qualitative study represented a juxtaposition between participants' expressed positive and supportive views towards individuals with mental illness and their expectations of negative behaviors and attitudes from the public towards those suffering from mental health difficulties. Conclusion: The findings provide an understanding of existing beliefs around mental illness in the Arab youth which in turn provides mental health professionals with the required knowledge to tackle the issue of stigma within this specific population. Educational approaches offer adolescents insight on mental illness and positively impact their opinions and views towards people suffering from mental disorders. This is crucial in promoting more accepting attitudes and encouraging help-seeking behaviors.

Egypt’s 2011 revolution led to debates about Salafis’ entry into politics for the first time. The socio-political vision and character of Salafi groups were relatively understudied. As such, the primary question of this thesis is what is the Salafis’ vision for social and political change in post-revolution Egypt? The vision is traced through Salafis’ discourse concerning change. The texts analyzed were collected from Al-Da’awa Al-Salafyya (DS), and its political arm the Al-Nor party: the latter is the only surviving Islamist party, following the toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013. The texts were gathered through field research, and analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis. This analysis enabled what is the first mapping of DS’ vision for change. Based on this, the thesis argues that following its entry into politics, DS reproduced its long-held discourse of social and political change. It achieved this by introducing changes to the form of its discourse, while preserving its core content. The thesis demonstrates that “continuity and consistency” of DS’ key discourse for change (Manhaj), was central to its framing processes towards mobilizing political participation. More broadly, the thesis concludes that the wider movement and the specific political party are both intellectually and structurally connected.

Large industrial accidents attract attention due to their catastrophic effects on human lives, economic growth, and the environment. Early studies on accident causations have concluded that 98% of all industrial accidents are preventable, and 88% can be prevented through the enforcement of a proper control system. There have been relentless efforts to develop models of accidents to understand this phenomenon and minimise the catastrophic outcomes of mishap events. These efforts have led to the development of systematic models of accident causations; in which accidents causations are viewed as dynamic processes that interact in a non-linear fashion. One of these systematic models is Resilience Engineering (RE), which takes a holistic view of the organisation and its natural abilities to maintain the system in a dynamically stable state under either stresses or normal operations. This research attempts to explore safety of industrial corporations by evaluating resilience in the Saudi Arabian process industry. The Saudi Arabia context is substantially different from the Western cultures where resilience concepts were developed and studied. The rapid expansion of the petroleum industries has had a major impact on the development of the Saudi socio-economic dynamics. The unique national culture dimensions of the Saudi Arabian society (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism) will help in understanding cultural influences on resilience and safety in general. Therefore, this research is conducted to identify the main contributing factors to resilience in the Saudi Arabian context. The outcomes of the research help engineers and administrators in industrial organisations to engineer resilient systems that minimize the risks of mishaps and recover quickly to a normal state of operations. The findings support the influence of the national culture in different countries on organisational safety culture, which is extended to individuals' behaviour towards safety. Evidence has shown that collectivism, on the contrary to the common belief, has a positive impact on both resilience potential and safety culture in the process industry. In addition, the process industry in Saudi Arabia is characterised by resilience of the second type, where there is good ability to respond and monitor but a low ability to learn or anticipate. The main contributing factors to this resilience are: effective communication, information availability, control over work tasks, and dealing with external pressure. Lastly, the findings suggest an association between management commitment to safety and both resilience optimisation and organisational safety culture.

The retina of the human eye has the potential to reveal crucial information about several diseases such as diabetes. Several signs such as microaneurysms (MA) manifest themselves as early indicators of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Detection of these early signs is important from a clinical perspective in order to suggest appropriate treatment for DR patients. This work aims to improve the detection accuracy of MAs in colour fundus images. While it is expected that multiple images per eye are available in a clinical setup, proposed segmentation algorithms in the literature do not make use of these multiple images. This work introduces a novel MA detection algorithm and a framework for combining spatial and temporal images. A new MA detection method has been proposed which uses a Gaussian matched filter and an ensemble classifier with 70 features for the detection of candidates. The proposed method was evaluated on three public datasets (171 images in total) and has shown improvement in performance for two of the sets when compared to a state-of-the-art method. For lesion-based performance, the proposed method has achieved Retinopathy Online Challenge (ROC) scores of 0.3923, 2109 and 0.1523 in the MESSIDOR, DIARETDB1 and ROC datasets respectively. Based on the ensemble algorithm, a framework for the information combination is developed and consists of image alignment, detecting candidates with likelihood scores, matching candidates from aligned images, and finally fusing the scores from the aligned image pairs. This framework is used to combine information both spatially and temporally. A dataset of 320 images that consists of both spatial and temporal pairs was used for the evaluation. An improvement of performance by 2% is shown after combining spatial information. The framework is applied to temporal image pairs and the results of combining temporal information are analyzed and discussed.

Globalisation has always been researchers' main concern and interest over a long period of the time. One effect of globalisation is that the composition of project teams had become increasingly diverse. The differing national cultural backgrounds of members increases the complexity of team composition, which regulates the success of the project performance. Research has shown that diverse teams outperform homogenous ones. Other studies have investigated the impact of national culture on projects. But our knowledge of how effectively companies can manage a complex, multicultural team project is inadequate and limited. Furthermore, theoretical and empirical studies concerning how the national cultural diversity of teams can impact project performance are limited. Most of the studies are qualitative, either focusing on one country or discussing one aspect of culture, and mainly considering team performance. To fill this gap, this study investigates the national cultural factors that influence multicultural project teams and determine the cultural dimensions that impact on project performance. In particular, it examines the influence of five national culture dimensions developed by Hofstede on multicultural team complexity variables including integration, communication, trust and knowledge-sharing, and to recognise how these factors are related to project performance. The territory chosen for this study was the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as all of these nations rely intensely upon an expat workforce because of the lack of both skilled and unskilled manpower in the local market. A survey instrument was extracted and developed from previously validated questionnaire scales. Pilot testing was conducted to ensure the scales, format and contents of the survey instrument were appropriate. A range of project team members were targeted, and 329 valid questionnaires were returned. The data obtained was analysed by using two widely used statistical software tools, SPSS and AMOS. The data analysis steps included reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and validity (Confirmatory Factor) analysis. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the entire model. By using SEM, it was possible to test the parsimonious nature of the model, identify the model, determine whether it makes theoretical sense, and examine its fit to the data. The relationship between national culture, team performance and project performance was analysed using path analysis as part of the SEM. The research outcome showed that national culture has a significant impact on the team performance, especially on integration, communication, trust and knowledge sharing, which will also moderate the relationship between national culture and project performance. The finding of this research study confirmed that there is a relationship between national cultural differences and project success. Understanding the cultural differences among team members, who are from different national cultural backgrounds, is an essential aspect of managing projects successfully. Moreover, mismanaging or ignoring cultural differences of the team members may lead to project failures. Furthermore, the outcomes have obviously shown that the optimal project performance is accomplished when the entire project team is thoroughly integrated and incorporated with the project purpose. This study contributes to the literature by delivering a deeper understanding of the cultural issues that influence the performance of multicultural project teams in GCC countries. In addition, it provides greater insight into national culture within projects context, in particular providing empirical evidence that different nationalities have different cultural orientations and that these different cultural orientations are associated with different levels of performance. In practice, the findings will assist project directors and managers in similar countries to further recognise the role of national culture in the context of enhancing project performance. In particular, project directors and managers can undertake an assessment of their teams' national cultural background and based on that, forecast the probable team and project performance. Where necessary, action can be taken to manage or even change the cultural orientation in terms of the attitudes and behaviours of project teams. This research expressed the views of professionals who work in a multicultural environment on the extent to which national cultural dimensions may affect the outcome of a project.

In this thesis a novel approach in generating 3D IGP is applied using shape grammar, an effective pattern generation method. The particular emphasis here is to generate the motifs (repeat unit) in 3D using parameterization, which can then be manipulated within 3D space to construct architectural structures. Three unique distinctive shape grammar algorithms were developed in 3D; Parameterized Shape Grammar (PSG), Auto-Parameterized Shape Grammar (APSG) and Volumetric Shell Shape Grammar (VSSG). Firstly, the PSG generates the motifs in 3D. It allows one to use a single changeable regular 3D polygon, and forms a motif by given grammar rules including, Euclidean transformations and Boolean operations. Next, APSG was used to construct the architectural structures that manipulates the motif by automating the grammar rules. The APSG forms a wall, a column, a self-similarity star and a dome, the main features of Islamic architecture. However, applying Euclidean transformations to create non-Euclidean surfaces resulted in gaps and or overlaps which does not form a perfect tessellation. This is improved upon by the VSSM, which integrates two key methods, shell mapping and coherent point drift, to map an aesthetically accurate 3D IGM on a given surface. This work has successfully presented methods for creating complex intricate 3D Islamic Geometric Motifs (IGM), and provided an efficient mapping technique to form visually appealing decorated structures.

This thesis proposes an outline for a framework for an evaluation method that takes as an input a model of an artificial hand, which claims to be anthropomorphic, and produces as output the set of tasks that the hand can perform. The framework is based on studying the literature on the anatomy and functionalities of the human hand and methods of implementing these functionalities in artificial systems. The thesis also presents a partial implementation of the framework which focuses on tasks of gesturing and grasping using anthropomorphic postures. This thesis focuses on the evaluation of the intrinsic hardware of robot hands from technical and functional perspectives, including kinematics of the mechanical structure, geometry of the contact surface, and functional force conditions for successful grasps. This thesis does not consider topics related to control or elements of aesthetics of the design of robot hands. The thesis reviews the literature on the anatomy, motion and sensory capabilities, and functionalities of the human hand to define a reference to evaluate artificial hands. It distinguishes between the hand's construction and functionalities and presents a discussion of anthropomorphism that reflects this distinction. It reviews key theory related to artificial hands and notable solutions and existing methods of evaluating artificial hands. The thesis outlines the evaluation framework by defining the action manifold of the anthropomorphic hand, defined as the set of all tasks that a hypothetical ideal anthropomorphic hand should be able to do, and analysing the manifold tasks to determine the hand capabilities involved in the tasks and how to simulate them. A syntax is defined to describe hand tasks and anthropomorphic postures. The action manifold is defined to be used as a. functional reference to evaluate artificial hands' performance. A method to evaluate anthropomorphic postures using Fuzzy logic and a method to evaluate anthropomorphic grasping abilities are proposed and applied on models of the human hand and the InMoov robot hand. The results show the methods' ability to detect successful postures and grasps. Future work towards a full implementation of the framework is suggested.

Both organisations and customers are becoming more aware of the current economic, environmental and social challenges that the world faces today. In this context, it can be argued that universities are amongst the most important organisations that could contribute effectively in sustainability development in any society through producing and teaching sustainability related knowledge. This puts an ethical obligation upon these organisations to introduce and implement sustainability within their premises and operations. The procurement function is one of the main functions that can contribute effectively in the overall sustainability agenda of any university due to the large variety of products and services that this type of organisation procures and the related supply chain issues that they manage. However, the extant literature on Sustainability in Higher Education (SHE) suffers from a significant dearth of studies that specifically address Sustainable Procurement (SP) and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) in universities. Thus, this thesis contributes to filling this particular gap through conducting exploratory research in order to investigate the implementation of SP initiatives in the current buying practices of UK based HE Institutions (Universities) and their supply chains, with a particular focus on the food and catering procurement area. This thesis, therefore, has two main overarching research questions, which are: “How are sustainability issues incorporated into the current food and catering procurement practices of UK based HE Institutions?” and “How are food and catering SP practices extended to multiple actors and multiple tiers across the existing supply chains of UK based HE Institutions?”. These two questions have been answered through three inter-related papers that tackle the following three topics: the implementation of SP initiatives through different implementation modes employed by universities (i.e., in-house catering vs outsourced catering); local sourcing as one of the main sustainability initiatives within universities’ sustainability agendas; and the impact of institutional pluralism on the implementation of sustainability initiatives within the university food and catering supply chain. The thesis uses three well-established theoretical lenses, (i.e., Transaction Cost Economics, Legitimacy Theory, and Institutional Theory), in the three papers respectively. Beside their own findings and contributions, the three papers collectively provide important contributions to both the SHE literature and the SSCM literature. In terms of the SHE literature, they: provide insights into the implementation of SP in HE institutions and their food supply chains; compensate for the dearth of studies on SSCM in HE; and enhance the theoretical authentication of the SHE literature. In terms of the SSCM literature, they: provide a new context for three theories; include a real supply chain perspective by including multiple tiers in the data collection and analysis; include the TBL in studying SSCM; and provided a theoretical generalisation of the results for the wider SSCM context.

The present study focuses on emotion discourses in early modern travel books. It attempts a close textual, intertextual, and contextual analysis of several embedded narratives on emotions in three late sixteenth- and seventeenth-century travel books: Kitāb Nāṣir al-Dīn 'ala 'l-Qawm al-Kāfirīn: Mukhtaṣar Riḥlat al-Shihāb 'ila Liqā´ al-Aḥbāb by Andalusian traveller Ahmed bin Qāsim al-Ḥajarī (1570- c.1641), The Diary of Master Thomas Dallam by an English craftsman, Thomas Dallam (1575-1630), and Seyahâtnâme (The Book of Travels) by Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi (1611-1685). In these travel books, al-Ḥajarī, Dallam, and Evliya narrate their journeys as emotionally protean experiences. They associate emotions with the contexts of their journeys, their volition to travel, and their authorial motives to write about their journeys. They display their emotions in their dreams, humour, and other subjective experiences. Their narratives yield uncommon notions of emotions, namely the emotions of encounter. A love story between a Muslim traveller and a Catholic girl, an English craftsman's anxiety at the court of an Ottoman Sultan, a disgusting meal in a foreign land, are just a few examples of emotionally freighted situations which are unlikely to be found in any genre but a travel book. The close textual analysis aims to identify the role of the writers' cultures in shaping and regulating their discourses on emotions. The intertextual and contextual analysis of these narratives reveals that the meaning and function of these displayed emotions revolve around the traveller's community affiliation, religion, ideology, and other culture-specific discourses and practices such as Sufism, folk medicine, myths, folk traditions, natural and geographical phenomena, cultural scripts, social norms, and power relations. In a nutshell, reading the travellers' discourses on emotions means reading many cultural and historical aspects of the early modern world. To approach discourses on emotions in texts of the past, the present study draws on the theory of culture-construction of emotions. It uses three analytical notions from the fields of language, anthropology and history of emotions: 'emotional communities', 'emotional styles' and 'emotional self-fashioning'. The present study uses a theoretical framework defined by a recent wave of studies on self-narratives as sources for the history and cultural diversity of emotions in the medieval and early modern periods. Within this approach, travel writing is seen as a self-narrative, a communicative act, and a social practice. This approach to emotion discourses in Riḥla, travel journals and Seyahat genres allows us to project the transcultural and entangled history of the early modern Mediterranean, which as much it was a contested frontier between Islam and Christianity, was also a space of religious conversion and hybrid identities, the articulation of diplomacy and cultural exchange, mysticism and religious pluralism. This approach also pinpoints the diverse forms of cosmopolitanism, or rather cosmopolitanisms, in the plural.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are molecules formed through the nonenzymaticglycation of proteins and are central to the development of cardiovascularcomplications of diabetes including heart failure. AGEs influence cellular function throughthe cross-linking of cellular proteins as well as through actions on cell surface receptors,the most common of which is (RAGE). However, it is still unclear whether AGEs contributeto myocardial abnormalities observed in diabetes through direct myocardial actionsmediated through the RAGE receptor and if so, their underlying mechanisms of action. Wehave therefore investigated the effects of AGEs on calcium handling in isolated adultmouse cardiomyocytes and cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM) andcharacterised their underlying mechanisms of action in NRCM.Standard molecular techniques were used. Western blot showed expression of RAGEreceptor in mouse whole heart tissue and in both NRCM and adult mouse cardiomyocytes. Incubation of NRCM for 24 hours with AGEs showed a dose dependant reduction ofcalcium transient amplitude with a maximum of 50% at 1 g/l (P<0.01) accompanied with32% reduction in SR calcium content with no detectable changes in calcium handlingproteins expression. We demonstrated a 24% increase (P<0.01) in the production ofreactive oxygen species (ROS) in AGE treated cardiomyocytes induced by enhancedNADPH oxidase activity (P<0.05) with subsequent activation and translocation of NF-kB, atranscriptional factor from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Activation of NF-kB induced a56% increase in iNOS gene protein expression (P<0.01), a downstream target of NF-kBwhich was accompanied by a significant increase in NO production (P<0.05). Wedemonstrated nitrosylation of several key cellular proteins involved in excitationcontractioncoupling including the Ryanodine receptor and SERCA2a as detected byimmunofluorescence. In conclusion, our work provides insights into novel pathophysiological mechanisms thatunderlie the development of heart failure in diabetes. We demonstrate the presence andfunctionality of AGE receptors in myocardium and show that AGEs inhibit excitationcontractioncoupling through increased ROS production leading to activation andtranslocation of NF-kB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus resulting in increase in NOproduction. Concomitant increases in intracellular levels of ROS and NO favours theproduction of peroxynitrite with subsequent nitrosylation of key cellular proteins involved inthe process of excitation-contraction coupling such as the Ryanodine receptor andSERCA2a. This study provides novel insights into the role of AGEs in inducing myocardialdamage in diabetes mediated through RAGE receptor and independent from the vascular effects.

In the field of formal semantics, it has become increasingly difficult to ignore that Montague grammar does well enough in formally interpreting certain features of natural languages. However, the question of 'adequacy' of this grammatical approach to the formal semantic paradigm is still one of the most significant current discussions in philosophy of language and linguistics alike. Within the formal semantic paradigm, the test of adequacy for Montague grammar (with respect to Arabic) is to demonstrate syntactic compositionality at a level which guarantees semantic compositionality via a formal interpretation. The main aim of my thesis has been to examine the adequacy of Montague grammar to discharge the requirements of the formal semantic paradigm. The central focus of the thesis has been an attempt to apply Montague grammar to Arabic quantification as a case study. The method adopted for this investigation is to use a 'fragment' of Arabic quantification. In my fragment, random expressions of Arabic quantification have been selected from Arabic textbooks. One of the more significant findings is that Montague grammar 'succeeds' in providing a compositional interpretation of a fragment of Arabic quantification. On this basis, I argue that Montague grammar is adequate to the local requirements of formal semantic paradigm. I argue that, since Montague grammar is shown to be applicable to another significant kind of case (i.e., Arabic, as an example from another language group), this increases the evidence for the hypothesis that Montague grammar is universally applicable. I argue that, because we have increased evidence for the claim that there is a universal compositional grammar, we have increased evidence for the hypothesis that all natural languages are compositional, and share a common compositional core. The most interesting non-philosophical implication of the study is that the extended Montagovian approach strengthens its position among the varieties of semantic theory for having proved applicable in another language group. I conclude by arguing that the applicability of Montague grammar merits consideration in new cases.

This study aimed at determining the effectiveness of using reflection in developing Tourism and Hospitality students' oracy in English. Two modes of reflection (i.e., "active reflection" and "proactive reflection") were used for developing two aspects of oracy: language awareness of some features of spoken language (i.e., "phonology," "vocabulary," "grammar," and "pragmatics") and some oral performance criteria (i.e., "active listening," "turn-taking," "questioning," "responding," and "overall performance quality"). To investigate the problem of the study, two sections from third-year, Tourism students--Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Suez Canal University--were randomly assigned to be either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG). Both groups studied six spoken texts; the former had the chance to practice reflection with its two modes while the latter had not that chance. They were pre-tested and post-tested on their oracy. A "t" test for independent samples demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean score of the EG and that of the CG on the post OT favoring the EG in language awareness including vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics and oral performance including "active listening," "turn-taking," "questioning," "responding," and "overall performance quality." Therefore, it was concluded that using reflection is effective in developing Tourism and Hospitality students' oracy in English. The following are appended: (1) Pilot Study; (2) Manuscript Submitted for Validation; (3) Oracy Test (OT); (4) A Scoring Rubric (SR) for Part II of the OT; (5) Spoken Journal (SJ); (6) Student Questionnaire (SQ); (7) Sessions Plans; and (8) Jury Members. An Arabic summary is included.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Casein kinase 1 (Hhp1) is a dual-specific kinase phosphorylating serine and threonine residues as well as tyrosine side chains. S. pombe Hhp1 kinase is homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hrr25, Drosophila double-time (dbt), and mammalian Casein kinase 1-epsilon (CKIε). CK1 enzymes regulate the circadian clock, Wnt (wingless) signalling, cell death, cell cycle progression and DNA repair. How one group of enzymes is able to execute so many functions is still poorly understood, especially because of the large number of isoforms and splice varinants in mammalian cells. This study uses the fission yeast as a model to research the roles of CK1 in the response to broken DNA replication forks. S.pombe Hhp1 is closely related to human CKIε and was previously implicated in DNA repair. A combination of genetic, biochemical and cell biological technologies revealed a novel role of Hhp1 kinase in the regulation of the DNA structure-specific endonuclease Mus81-Eme1. When DNA replication forks break in the presence of the topoisomerase 1 inhibitor camptothecin (CPT), Mus81-Eme1 acts on the broken chromosomes. Hhp1 is predicted to phosphorylate the regulatory subunit Eme1 jointly with the cell cycle regulator Cdc2 and the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Chk1. Genetic tests showed that all three kinases act in the same CPT-response pathway. The recreation of CK1 mutations of the circadian clock (hhp1.R180C, hhp1.P49S, and hhp1.M82I) and of CK1 mutations found in human breast cancers (hhp1.L51Q) in S.pombe Hhp1 revealed that different kinase activity levels are crucial for the regulation of DNA repair and cell cycle progression. While a limited drop in Hhp1 kinase activity, for example by widening its ATP binding site (methionine-84 to glycine), considerably delays the exit from a G2 arrest in the presence of damaged replication forks (CPT), it does not significantly impair DNA repair and cell survival. Only a dramatic drop in kinase activity, for example by replacing the active site residue lysine-40 with an arginine side chain, affects DNA repair and cell survival. How different kinase activity levels can have distinct biological outputs is discussed in the context of how CK1 recognises primed and acidic phosphorylation motifs. Taken together, the outcomes of this work imply that the complex phenotypes of CK1 mutations in the circadian clock or in cancer cells are caused by mutations which impact differently on its kinases activity.

This thesis focuses on the atomistic modelling of electron trapping sites in silicon dioxide (SiO2) and interactions of hydrogen with the SiO2 network and the resulting defects they produce. They are discussed in the context of electronic device reliability issues. The results presented here were calculated in both crystalline (c-) and amorphous (a-) SiO2. Due to its disordered nature, modelling a-SiO2 is challenging and required the use of a melt-and-quench technique using a classical interatomic potential. All models were evaluated against experimental data to ensure that they are indeed representative of a-SiO2. Using density functional theory (DFT) and the models described above, extra electrons were shown to trap in pure c- and a- SiO2 in deep band gap states for the first time. They can trap spontaneously on pre-existing structural precursors in a-SiO2. The optical absorption spectrum of the intrinsic electron traps was calculated using time-dependent DFT and shows a peak at 3.7 eV, which is in good agreement with a previously unidentified experimental absorption peak measured at low temperatures. Electronic device fabrication processes widely employ hydrogen due to its perceived ability to improve their reliability. The results in this thesis show that both atomic and molecular hydrogen are involved in defect generation processes. Atomic hydrogen was found to interact strongly with strained Si-O bonds to form a stable defect. The barriers to create and annihilate this defect as well as the distribution of its properties were calculated. Hydrogen molecules were found to generate Si-H bonds which can trap holes to form a similar defect and release a proton which can modulate the defect's properties. These results provide insight into the atomistic nature of defects that can be involved in electronic device reliability issues and help guide the design of reliable fabrication processes.

This research looks at how the shift in the status of Egyptian bloggers from underground dissident voices to mainstream political and media players affected the plurality they add to the public space for discourse in Egypt’s authoritarian settings. The role of the internet – and more recently social media and bloggers – in democratic transition has been studied by various media scholars since the introduction of the worldwide web and especially after the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings of 2011. But no work has been done to study how bringing those once-underground bloggers into the public and media spotlight affected the nature of the blogosphere and the bloggers themselves. Star bloggers were not only covered by the media after January 25th, 2011, they also started joining the media as column writers; a move that had various effects on them and the blogosphere but was never examined in media studies. The plurality the blogosphere adds to the Egyptian public space for discourse in light of those changes as well as in light of the financial and practical sustainability of blogging was hence never looked at in a context similar to Egypt’s. Guided by modified theories of the public sphere and theories of hegemony and manufacturing consent, I look at whether bloggers have been co-opted into the historical bloc in the process of renewing the social order and how this affects them and the online sphere. Also, guided by theories of power and media elites, I look at bloggers’ backgrounds to assess whether they come from power elites and are transforming into media elites, thus limiting the plurality of the online sphere. Finally, guided by theoretical works on institutionalizing and commercializing the internet, I look at how those shifts into mainstream affect the independence and freedom of the blogs and microblogs. The research uses a comparative study to assess how those changes affect prominent versus less prominent bloggers and compare their backgrounds. The study uses quantitative content analysis and framing analysis of chosen media outlets and interviews with bloggers, marketeers and media professionals. The findings trace an increase in media coverage of bloggers post January 25th, 2011, especially in the prominent bloggers category, and an overall positive framing of bloggers post the uprising. This led to the mainstreaming of bloggers into the media as well as public work, which had various implications on the freedom they had over their content and voice, both online and offline. It also points to a dramatic decrease in bloggers’ activity on their blogs in favour of mainstream and social media and due to star bloggers becoming more career-oriented and their failure to make blogs financially sustainable. The findings also indicate that more prominent bloggers seem to come from more elite backgrounds than others and enjoy luxuries that allow them the time, technology and security to post online. This research concludes that the shifts in bloggers’ status post-January 25th have limited the plurality they add to the discourse in Egypt.

There is a growing body of research on turnaround management due to adverse global economic circumstances. Research on turnaround management aims to reduce/eliminate business decline. Reviewing the turnaround management literature revealed that it has not yet been able to provide managers and practitioners with reliable guidance, or a step-by-step guide to assist them through the turnaround process. This research aims to identify the key stages of the turnaround process and to select appropriate turnaround strategies in relation to particular factors, e.g. causes of decline. A phenomenological perspective was adopted in this study to investigate the key turnaround management issues in two multiple case studies, followed by a feedback analysis from interviews with a panel of experts. The first case study comprised of 14 large and medium sized UK food manufacturing companies and used secondary sources of evidence. The second in depth case study involved three companies, using primary evidence through semi-structured interviews. Interviews with turnaround and insolvency practitioners were conducted, to investigate the key issues of the revised model of successful turnarounds in the light of their daily practices and models. A general model and step-by-step guide on how to manage a successful turnaround was developed. The model identifies four key stages (i.e. first, decline; second, analysis of decline; third, formulation, implementation and stabilisation of the turnaround plan and fourth, recovery and return to growth). Once decline is recognised, a leadership decision is made to initiate the turnaround process, identify major obstacles/problems and select the best actions to stop decline and return to full recovery. The turnaround model can assist turnaround managers in evaluating the viability of a company. It also helps analyse a company’s weaknesses and develop strategies: in the short-term to stop decline and stabilise the situation; in the longer-term, to identify a company’s strengths and enhance its competitive advantage to achieve recovery and return to growth.

In many countries, new towns are viewed as an alternative to the congestion and socioeconomic problems associated with overcrowding in the traditional urban centres. In Egypt, it is thought desirable to consider new towns as an instrument for the furthering of a national urban development policy. The present research is an attempt to discuss a critical question as "How successful has been the establishment of new towns in the desert land of Egypt". It also tries to highlight the constraints and potentials of such settlements within the Egyptian context and in the light of the national urban policy documents and socio-economic development.

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of using some dramatic activities on developing the oral performance skills of second year prep school students in English. The dramatic activities included storytelling, story-acting, pantomime, puppetry, role-playing, reader's theater and choral reading. The oral performance skills were "pronunciation", "vocabulary", "word-formation", "grammar" and language functions. To investigate the problem of the study, the experimental design was adopted. Seventy-eight girls of second year prep students in two classes from Sammanoud Prep School for Girls were chosen as the subjects of the study. The two classes were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. The experimental group was taught the first term units including stories of Hello! 4 using the dramatic activities. On the other hand, the control group studied these units as recommended by the Ministry of Education. The two groups were pretested and posttested on their oral performance skills. For investigating the differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and those of the control group on the oral performance pre- and post-test, the t-test for independent samples was applied. The results demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the mean score of the experimental group and those of the control group on the oral performance post-test favoring the experimental group in the oral performance in general and in the skills of "pronunciation", "word-formation", "grammar" and "language functions". Based upon these findings and in the light of the t-values of the pre- and post-testing for each skill of both the experimental and control groups, it was concluded that using the dramatic activities is highly effective in developing the oral performance skills of second year prep students in English.

The last few decades witnessed the development of key theories on urban form; some centred on understanding city growth by examining the synchronic representation of urban structures in frozen time frames (Space Syntax), while others focused on modelling cities as adaptive complex systems, testing priori assumptions in simulation models. Where research diverges to take either approach, we seek to bridge them in a comprehensive modelling framework, seeking for empirical evidence in the temporal patterns that mark growth and differentiation in urban structures. At the heart of this research is a thesis on how universal patterns emerge in cities and persist to change throughout the process of growth and across different cultures and geographies. The natural process that gives rise to these patterns appears to be reinforced despite large scale planning interventions. In search for an explanatory theory on why such patterns came to be, we trace and model local transformations of street configurations in Manhattan and Barcelona over six and nine centuries respectively. The investigation reveals self-regulatory processes of preferential attachment, pruning and reaction-diffusion that appear to govern growth and differentiation in street structures. To elaborate on the chronology of dependencies that couple these processes, we map historical changes on urban form and function. The mapping is to make explicit the temporal patterns that characterise the generative behaviour of the grid and how it historically shaped the processes of land subdivisions and high-rise development. For an empirical description of these processes, we build descriptive models to capture the relationships between street network configurations, street width, block density, building height, land values and land uses. We validate and test the outlined models to devise them in forecasting and design. With such framework, an analytical description of urban growth was transformed into a synthetic model to support urban design and planning.

This PhD thesis is structured in two phases. The first phase looks to an enhancement of the current operations in the development of quality through creating a systematisation of quality of higher education in the world. The second phase theorises this systematisation using systems analysis and design methodology based on seven levels of analysis: individual; programme; department/faculty; institutional; national; regional; and the world level. This analytical approach generates theories about systems and applications. The investigation reaches the conclusion that establishing a United Nations Organisation for Systematisation of Quality would constitute a final stage in the systematisation process of international quality and accreditation of higher education in the world. However, the proposed organisation would not be a substitute organisation for national and/or regional agencies and networks of quality but would complement them by creating systematic understanding of quality in the world. The thesis offers a practical contribution to the international improvement of higher education institutions across the globe.

Phonological and morphological awareness are shown to be predictors of hearing and deaf children's literacy achievements in various languages, and Arabic is assumed to be no different. However, this might not be the case for two reasons. Firstly, the linguistic context of the Arab world is characterised by diglossia, i.e. the use of two different varieties of the same language in different settings. Hearing and orally educated deaf children will therefore encounter the vernacular variety of Arabic outside school, but are introduced to literacy in the more prestigious variety of Standard Arabic during instruction in school. Secondly, Arabic orthography has two forms: a fully vowelised script, which is typically taught in the first two years of school, and a non-vowelised script, which is the form of the written language widely used in society. This study specifically aims to investigate whether phonological and morphological awareness are independent predictors of the emergent literacy achievement of hearing and orally educated deaf Kuwaiti children. This is in addition to the question of whether children's awareness of the two language forms, i.e. their dialect awareness, contributes to their literacy achievement and to their levels of phonological and morphological awareness. This investigation was carried out longitudinally through a number of phonological, morphological and dialect awareness measures utilised as predictors of literacy outcome skills of word reading, word spelling, pseudo-word decoding and reading comprehension. Variances of age and general cognitive ability were controlled for throughout all the analyses undertaken. The results for the first target group of hearing children (N = 78, aged 6; 2 years) indicated a significant superiority of phonological awareness as the predominant predictor of all literacy skills across grade levels one and two. Morphological awareness was a predictor of first- graders' spelling ability, and was subsequently implemented to predict all the literacy skills of second-graders. Dialect awareness was a predictor of the word reading and reading comprehension ability only for second-graders, and its mediational effect was revealed when it was seen to significantly reduce the effect of phonological and morphological awareness on second-graders' reading skills after being examined as a control measure. The results for the second target group of orally educated deaf children (N = 34, aged 7; 6 years) indicated that phonological, morphological and dialect awareness were varyingly significant independent predictors of the subjects' literacy skills. A mediational effect of dialect awareness on the predictive link between morphological awareness and word spelling outcome was also evident. Although the prediction association between literacy predictor and outcome measures was mostly consistent and similar across both groups, exceptions in the predictive pattern revealed that the deaf children were at a disadvantage in developing language awareness skills that facilitate efficient mapping of speech into the written form. These findings are discussed in terms of language-general and language-specific properties. The outcomes offered by the current study cannot imply a cause-and-effect association, but allow for constructive identification of literacy predictors and assist in clarifying possible implications for children's literacy capabilities. As the strengths and needs of the examined groups have been clearly recognised, future investigations of causal and mediational analyses will validate the current findings about the Arabic diglossic phenomenon, and additionally specify an appropriate response in terms of practical educational plans.

The elderly population worldwide has an increasing expectation of wellbeing and life expectancy. The monitoring of the majority of elderly people on an individual basis, in a medical sense, will not be a viable proposition in the future due to the projected numbers of individuals requiring such activity. The expectation is that the infrastructure available will not be adequate to meet all the anticipated requirements and subsequently people will have to live at home with inadequate care. A new global objective that aims towards enhancing the quality of life of the elderly is being supported by extensive research. This research has been taking place in the field of ambient intelligence (AmI), considering factors including more comfort, improved health, enhanced security for the elderly, and facilitating the living in their homes longer. Prior research has shown a need for accelerated expansion in the ambient intelligence domain. To that end this work presents a novel learning technique for intelligent agents that can be used in Ambient Intelligent Environments (AIEs). The main objective of this work is to add knowledge to the AmI domain and to explore the practical applications within this research field. The added knowledge is accomplished through the development of an ambient intelligent health care environment that allows a practical assessment of the human well-being to take place. This is achieved by transforming the elderly living environment into an intelligent pseudo robot within which they reside to better understand the human wellbeing. The system developed aims to provide evidence that a level of automated care is both possible and practical. This care is for those with chronic physical or mental disabilities who have difficulty in their interactions with standardised living spaces. The novel integrated hardware and software architecture provides personalised environmental monitoring. It also provides control facilities based on the patient‘s physical and emotional wellness in their home. Entitled Health Adaptive Online Emotion Fuzzy Agent (HAOEFA), the system provides a non-invasive, self-learning, intelligent controlling system that constantly adapts to the requirements of an individual. The system has the ability to model and learn the user behaviour in order to control the environment on their behalf. This is achieved with respect to the changing environmental conditions as well as the user‘s health and emotional states being detected. A change of emotion can have a direct impact on the system‘s control taking place in the environment. Thus HAOEFA combines an emotion recognition system within a fuzzy logic learning and adaptation based controller. The emotion recogniser detects the occupant‘s emotions upon the changes of the physiological data being monitored. In addition to acting as an output to the occupant‘s physiological changes, the detected emotion also acts as input to the whole situation being observed by HAOEFA. This allows HAOEFA to control the Glam i-HomeCare on the user‘s behalf with respect to their emotional status. The system developed incorporates real-time, continuous adaptations to facilitate any changes to the occupant‘s behaviour within the environment. It also allows the rules to be adapted and extended online, assisting a life-long learning technique as the environmental conditions change and the user behaviour adjusts with it. HAOEFA uses the fuzzy c-means clustering methodology for extracting membership functions (MFs) before building its set of fuzzy rules. These MFs together with the rules base constitute a major part of the proposed system. It has the ability to learn and model the individual human behaviour with respect to their emotional status. Following the provided literature review and the presentation of Fuzzy logic MFs (see section 3.3). The thesis presents two chosen unobtrusive self-learning techniques that are used in the development of the intelligent fuzzy system. Each approach combines an emotion recogniser with a fuzzy logic learning and adaptation based technique for systems that can be used in AIEs. A comparison of two different MFs designs is contrasted showing the impact they have on the system learning ability. A number of carefully designed experiments were performed by volunteers in the Glam i-HomeCare test-bed at the University of South Wales to examine the system‘s ability to learn the occupant‘s behaviour with respect to their health and emotional states. The experimental procedures were performed twice by each volunteer, while maintaining the same behavioural actions to compare how much the design of fuzzy membership functions can impact the learning process and the number of rules created by the system. Besides evaluating both systems‘ emotion recognition accuracies and comparing them to one another for each occupant, the empirical outcomes show the potential of the approach in assisting the extension of independent living. The results demonstrate how the type-1 fuzzy system both learnt and adapted to each occupant‘s behaviour with respect to their health and emotional state whilst assessing multiple environmental conditions.

The examination of the topic of market risk management in Islamic finance is a complex endeavour. At a basic level, the subject matter, being multifarious in a manner that mixes religion and economics, requires the conjoining of religious faith with scientific objectivity in order to ascertain the truth contained in the scripture as it pertains to the Mua’amalat (dealings between individuals) matter of entering into financial contracts with others to manage market risk exposures. Moreover, the complexity is compounded due to the need to disentangle the ambiguity that has beset the discourse on the topic due to historically being mostly legal-centric with a focus on debating the contractual elements rather than attempting to comprehensively address the myriad issues that relate to market risk management in contemporary contexts. These issues, for the most part, revolve around the reliance on market risk transfer as a strategy and derivative contracts, with monetary underlying variables, as tools to implement that strategy. Thus, the journey of investigating the rationale, permissibility, and usage of derivative hedging instruments for market risk management in Islamic finance is, essentially, an undertaking that seeks to engage in a wide-ranging and multi-layered examination of the subject matter as well as the exploration of new areas of relative significance. This, in turn, and subsequent to the analysis of data generated from documentary sources and forty-one interviews which were collected from numerous sources within four locations, led to the elaboration of the contention that market risk management through derivative instruments for legitimate hedging purposes should not be prohibited in the Shari’a, albeit with certain conditions that limit unproductive behaviour. The basis for the aforementioned contention is built on the fact that market risk management has undergone a paradigm shift in how exposures are identified and measured as well as in the emergence of innovative tools which can result in a better ability to address the opportunities and challenges facing institutions that provide value to society (i.e., the real sector). Moreover, there is little substantive evidence that proves that the utilization of derivative instruments for hedging purposes leads its users to partaking in transactions that circumvent the prohibition of Riba (usury), Gharar (excessive uncertainty), and Maysir (gambling). In effect, the derivative instruments used for the management of market risks are not only disassociated from usurious debt transactions, they are also transacted in the financial markets in a manner that is transparent to all the parties involved. Along the same lines, the prohibition of Maysir, which is apparently an overarching concern, should be conceptualized with the focus on the proscription of the act of gambling, not necessarily the instruments (e.g., derivatives) and/or any particular framework (e.g., zero-sum arrangements). Ultimately, one should be cognizant of the fact that the true intentions of Islamic jurisprudence in Mua’amalat (as a manifestation of divine guidance) always centre on human well-being. Accordingly, the religious prohibitions are, in essence, within the realm of acts that adversely affect human well-being. This is a constant theme that is present throughout the thesis; and is one that exists at the heart of a wider aspiration of its adoption to a greater extent than is currently present in the Islamic finance discourse.

The impact of genomic structural variation on the human phenotype and the degree to which it contributes to the unexplained heritability of complex disease is of considerable interest, particularly as rapidly rising rates of metabolic disorders have placed increased impetus on identification of genetic factors influencing individual susceptibility to obesity. The work presented in this thesis focusses on the role of genomic structural variants (GSVs) in the modulation of adiposity and pathogenesis of obesity. Common CNVs were investigated in two severe obesity case-control study samples. Eight intragenic and five intergenic CNVs were significantly associated with increased susceptibility to obesity (P < 2.0??10-6), eight of which were located within variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs). Investigation of a complex copy number variable region on 8p21.2 encompassing the dedicator of cytokinesis 5 (DOCK5) gene revealed the presence of two complex VNTRs flanking a common deletion. We have developed a novel VNTR association algorithm, VNTRtest, which we employed to show significant association of the DOCK5 VNTRs with childhood and adult obesity (P=3.7??10-9 and P=3.1??10-3, respectively), as well as independent association between the 3,975bp deletion and obesity (P=1.6??10-3). We have also shown copy number at the multi-allelic salivary amylase gene (AMY1) to be strongly associated with both adiposity and obesity susceptibility, replicating this finding in six Caucasian study samples. Carriers of low versus high copy numbers at AMY1 showed increased risk of obesity (OR [95%CI]=10.50 [5.19-22.53]; P=2.71??10-10). Copy-numbers at this locus were also correlated with serum amylase levels, which also showed inverse correlation with body mass index. Additionally, rare duplications above 500kb were significantly enriched in child and adult obesity (P=8.89??10-3 and P=9.78??10-3, respectively). Functional annotation analysis also revealed enrichment for genes associated with schizophrenia within GSVs identified in obese subjects (P=2.2??10-5). In summary, this thesis presents multiple novel GSV associations with obesity as well as methodology for GSV genotyping and association testing. It is hoped that the work described in this thesis may contribute towards elucidation of the role of genomic structural variation in complex disease.