RSS 1.0University of Bedfordshire e-theses
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Patchworks of practice: helping student counsellors develop coherence in personal and theoretical integrationThis thesis explores an area of my teaching practice with students on an integrative counselling course. Students work towards integrating differing counselling approaches with their personal values and beliefs. I devised a reflexive tool I refer to as Patchwork of Practice to facilitate this process. Patchwork aims to aid reflexivity around and within the interface between personal and professional experiences, thoughts and emotions. This raises awareness of values and beliefs and informs a counselling approach that is coherent with their way of being as a person (Anderson, 2001). The metaphor of Patchwork carries an idea of stitching together Patches of learning and experience to create an integrative approach that fits each student. Students create a Patch every few weeks, individually, then share this in small groups where other perspectives co-construct meaning and widen learning. A Patch can be in any media (writing, poetry, drawing, image) and represents an aspect of training or personal experience (past or present). To evaluate Patchwork of Practice, I explored student counsellors’ experience of using it over two years, through individual interviews and group discussions. In addition, interviews with qualified counsellors explored ongoing effects. To create congruence with the idea of stitching Patches together, I brought different research paradigms together in what I refer to as a Patchwork Methodology. Systemic Inquiry brought relational reflexivity, respect and curiosity in exploring participants’ stories, and attention to relational ethics of practitioner research. Themes were analysed using narrative portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot and Hoffman Davis, 1997) and informed teaching through ongoing Action Research reflexive cycles. The different stages of Heuristic research (Moustakas, 1990) provided a framework for these research activities. Additionally, Patchwork of Practice was adapted as autoethnography. I explored my integrating process, illustrated with examples of Patches. Here, Patchwork joined with ecology in a landscape metaphor — a rural landscape depicting how I see my life and practice. The structure of this thesis also evolved from the landscape metaphor. I found participants valued the freedom to use any media to create a Patch. This creative process, the Patch itself and sharing in a group, brought extended awareness of the influences that shaped their development as a person and as a counsellor. So, Patchwork of Practice was useful as a tool for reflexivity around personal and professional development. Other findings included benefits for self-care, for the participants as counsellors and for me as researcher. Patchwork of Practice was also used as self-supervision and adapted by participants to use with clients. One conclusion of this inquiry is to note the importance of connecting individual and group reflections focussed around a Patch. This combination opens a learning pathway that integrates individual and relational reflexivity. There is potential to use Patchwork of Practice as a reflexive tool in other professions and learning environments where awareness of personal influences on professional practice is important.
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The Hockliffe Collection: representations of punishment in nineteenth-century stories for childrenThis thesis records the findings of a large-scale enquiry into over four hundred individual stories for children that were published during the nineteenth century and held in the Hockliffe Collection at the University of Bedfordshire. It critically examines how punishments are deployed in early children’s literature, adopting a methodological approach that includes texts as they appear within the archive, regardless of authorship or perceptions of literary merit. Donated by the Hockliffe family, the texts generally complement the tradition that favoured didacticism and moral guidance. The primary corpus is dominated by instructional works from the pre-1850s, an area currently neglected in the existing critical field. The preference for fantasy, more imaginative and canonised works, and those produced in the Golden Age of Children’s literature at the Victorian fin de siècle, has resulted in tales with an explicit pedagogical agenda being side-lined, a shortcoming this thesis addresses. Where there are lessons, there are punishments, and their inclusion emphasises a range of tensions and fears. Interrogating these moments provides a valuable insight into the sort of issues that were prioritised in books for children during this period. The methodology combines close reading and literary analysis with qualitative data gathering, which produces a rich set of findings. The inclusion of a substantial body of texts allows a network of conflicting ideological views to emerge, that are nuanced and complex. The results of the primary stage have been examined within a theoretical framework that comprises intersectional theories of gender and class. Adopting a Foucauldian lens enriches the analysis of punishment and its relation to the distribution of power. The thesis begins with a critical examination of the Hockliffe archive itself and, through extensive research of the British Newspaper Archive, presents the rationale for its editing processes and positions the Collection as a unique resource for scholars. The second chapter explores changing attitudes towards punishment through a comprehensive study of the punishment of giants which transitioned from violent to non-violent across the century. From here, there is a detailed examination of tales that incorporate a critique of mothers who are held accountable for the failure of their sons. There follows a chapter that explores a female-specific punishment by which women and girls are stripped and ejected from the home, and the following chapter builds on the former by looking at the implications of social class on punishments that involve the demotion of middle-class characters. The final chapter explores how children, animals and punishment collide in these stories before ending with the analysis of stories that feature punitive metamorphosis. This thesis critically engages with authors, stories, issues and themes that have received minimal attention to date and enriches our understanding of children’s literature during this period. The punishments are located within their historical context, revealing some of the many ways in which children’s literature addressed socio-political concerns during this period. The literary landscape is a broad expanse and the study of these rare neglected texts fills some of the spaces in between.
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Collaborative teaching and learning of primary school physical education in England: a critical examination of the role and impact of external providersBackground: Reporting on the use of the Primary PE and Sport Premium in schools is often limited to ‘official’ reports produced for and by the government. The use of public funds to improve the opportunities for pupils in PE and School Sport is not a new concept, previously receiving funding under ‘PESSCL’ and ‘PESSYP’ two major PESS strategies introduced between 2003-2010. The Primary PE and Sport Premium was introduced into primary schools in 2013 and saw a doubling of this money in 2017 as a beneficiary of the UK Government imposed ‘Sugar Tax’. What is limited in this field however is research on ‘how’ schools use the money and the decision-making process of headteachers and schools when it comes to spending/investing this ring-fenced allocation of funding. Purpose: The aim of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of ‘how’ schools spend, or invest, the funding they receive via the Primary PE and Sport Premium and to what extend they are able to satisfy the conditions of this grant. Research Setting: This study was undertaken across three primary schools in the South of England. Involving school staff that included the headteacher, the lead for PE and any external providers that the school used in the delivery of PESS. Methods: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews supplemented with observations, documentary analysis and field diaries. Data was coded and analysed by Grounded Theory. Findings: Coaches had good skill knowledge but lack critical pedagogical understanding while teachers lack confidence to teach PE. Head teachers should be accountable for PE but did not have the time or knowledge to effectively manage the Primary PE and Sport Premium. There were issues with the use of the funding, and outside of the permitted use as per the Primary PE and Sport Premium Guidelines. Conclusion: Schools were superficially using the funding to increase physical activity as opposed to Physical Education. Schools were spending the money on a service rather than investing their money for the purpose of sustainability.
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Perceptions and experiences of children and young people in English Custodial Centres and Spanish Re-educational Centres: a comparative studyThis thesis examines countries that have not yet reached full compliance with international standards when it comes to children who offend. England and Wales’ youth justice system has been framed, even though it has not always been the case, within a ‘justice model’ where the protection of the public and a focus on reduction of offending take precedence over the welfare of the child. This sets it even further away from others in achieving some of the standards stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989; the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, 1985; the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation Rec. 20, 2003; the UN Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, 1990; and the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 1990. Research has argued that children experience a justice system that is more punitive and are treated more harshly than Spain. Although efforts are being made to comply with such standards and to promote children’s well-being, there is much work to be done. It requires a change and harmonisation of policies and practices, on a national, European and UN level. In order to demonstrate this, a comparison of the youth justice systems in England and Wales and Spain was performed. This thesis is drawing primarily on questionnaires completed at 20 Spanish Re-educational Centres during the summer of 2016, completed by 561 children. Eleven of those were interviewed alongside 10 members of staff. As the questionnaires are the same used in the custodial centres in England and Wales, it points out some differences between countries. The interviews offer a more in-depth understanding of the practices which could not be captured in the questionnaires. The impossibility of interviewing in England and Wales due to my role as CEO, justified change from a comparison to a case study. This has the advantage of allowing the data collected to be of great depth. The amount of participants involved in the questionnaires from Spanish custodial centres is a large sample difficult to achieve. Some amendments include the use of language and the culture among others illustrate the challenges associated with undertaking a comparative study between countries. Nevertheless the amount of data from Spanish centres represent a useful tool which gives the possibility of learning and improving practice. There appears to be no previous research in Spain involving such a large sample from different counties. And it is the first time a questionnaire is used in two different Justice System which allows a comparison of the different experiences. This study intended to open people´s minds to think beyond what each of us believes is the only truth about models of youth justice and the delivery of services.
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The impact of time allowances in an EAP reading-to-write argumentative essay assessmentThe aim of this study is to investigate the impact of time allowances on students’ source use, composing behaviour and performance, in a second language reading-to-write assessment context. Set within a language centre in a large Hong Kong university, this mixed-methods study incorporates quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative aspect focuses on an analysis of essay scores and lengths as well as reference types and uses, while the qualitative aspect incorporates retrospective questionnaires and discourse-based interviews to gain an understanding of students’ intentions, views and approach to composing. The synthesis of the countable data with students’ personal insights facilitated an understanding of the ways in which differences in source use and composing behaviour in the timed and extended conditions affected performance. The findings show that the majority of students preferred the extended condition as they valued the time to read the sources, think and reflect in a relaxed environment. Conversely, some students felt the time pressure elicited a heightened cognitive state, which enhanced their performance. Students tended to write over multiple sessions, engage more with the source texts and adopt a more recursive approach in the extended condition. In contrast, when composing under time pressure, students tended to reduce their engagement with the source texts in order to complete their essay. This rush to write the essay resulted in different reading strategies and a more knowledge-telling approach to composing. When students were given more time to write, mean word counts and mean essay scores were significantly higher. The top-performing students seemed to benefit most from the extra time. These writers experienced the biggest positive difference in essay length and scores, and displayed more instances of source-text use, but perhaps surprisingly they were more likely to embed their understanding of what they read into their own text without referencing the source material. The data suggest that, for higher-achieving students, the extra time resulted in an increased interaction with the source texts, which allowed them to take a more expert persona in their writing, impressing raters and leading to higher overall scores. The results have important implications for language teachers and test developers in EAP programmes. In particular, they demonstrate the paradox of implementing reading-to-write task types in an attempt to simulate the target language use context while failing to take account of the time required to engage in the appropriate academic literacy skills. Importantly, EAP curriculum and assessment designers should recognise that genuine academic writing requires time for students to engage with sources, to reflect and to construct new knowledge. This study suggests that essays produced in timed and extended conditions are two different manifestations of the dynamic reading-to-write construct and that, if both types of writing are indeed demanded in the wider university, EAP programmes should support students in acquiring the most appropriate and effective skills for achieving success in both contexts.
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Attitudes and perceptions of HIV-infected pregnant women towards the use of antiretroviral therapy in the Niger Delta region of NigeriaBackground Despite several initiatives, the number of HIV-infected pregnant women receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in Nigeria remains low. In 2016, only 32% of HIV-infected pregnant women received ART to prevent MTCT of HIV. Evidence suggests that attitudes and perceptions of pregnant women with HIV influence their use of ART. However, limited evidence exists about HIV-infected pregnant women’s attitudes and perceptions towards ART in Nigeria. Aim This study aims to improve the understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of HIV-infected pregnant women towards the use of antiretroviral therapy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Method The study utilises an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, consisting of qualitative and quantitative phases. In the first phase, 24 HIV-infected antenatal attendees were purposively selected. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted for all 24 participants. Interviews explored pregnant women’s attitudes and perceptions towards the use of ART for PMTCT. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. In the second phase, a sample size of 264 was statistically determined. Simple random sampling was used to select the 264 participants who attended antenatal clinics during the period the study was conducted. A survey questionnaire was administered, 260 participants responded to the questionnaire. The survey examined how pregnant women’s attitudes and perceptions influence their use of antiretroviral therapy, as well as the influence of socio-demographic factors on their attitudes towards ART. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS.
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Perceptions of Indian manufacturing SME employers on adopting green supply chain management practicesGreen supply chain management (GSCM) is an increasingly important aspect of today’s supply chain practices. Meeting environmental concerns in industrial operations has in recent year’s evoked interest among environmentalists, government bodies, academics and business organisations in recent years. However, current research indicates that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) globally, struggles on various grounds to implement GSCM and its practices in comparison to larger organisations and they often focus on making profits than saving the environment by adopting GSCM practices. For Indian SMEs to gain competitive advantage and succeed in the market it is essential to change their traditional practices and to adapt their strategies to the dynamic environment of today. A better understanding and application of GSCM and its practices by SMEs can help in improving their performance and succeed in their operations. This study is exploratory in nature it aims to explore the perceptions of Indian manufacturing (IM) SME employers on adopting green supply chain management practices (GSCM practices) in their organisations. In order to explore these aspects, this research will investigate various dimensions of GSCM such as GSCM practices, the motivational factors and challenges faced by IM SMEs and finally develop a conceptual framework based on, literature review and the empirical findings from this study. Qualitative research methodology is used in order to gather rich and rigorous information from experienced employers, from different geographical locations in India, namely, Kolkata, Bihar, Delhi and Punjab. To meet the proposed objectives semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected SME employers over the phone. The Semi-structured interview was used based on pre-established interview questions and the data was analysed using thematic analysis method. The procedure followed helped in determining useful results and underlined various dimensions of the GSCM practices under investigation. Based on the interviews with the target employers this study identified eight GSCM practices (namely, green purchasing, green manufacturing, green transportation, green distribution, green warehousing, green marketing, green operations and reverse logistics), sixteen motivational factors (such as, financial benefits, saving cost etc.) and twenty-four challenges (such as, lack of awareness among employers, expensive process, lack of skilled staff etc.) faced by them in adopting GSCM practices. The results further helped in determining the current status of GSCM in India and most importantly the perceptions of SME employers in regards to the adoption of GSCM practices in their firms. Hence, using the interview method allowed the researcher to capture much relevant factual information about GSCM and its practices among the IM SMEs. It can be concluded, that IM SME employers are not doing much in the adoption and implementation of GSCM practices. The employers had a lack of understanding of GSCM practices and they are reluctant to move away from their traditional business methods. This information enabled to assess the level of adoption of GSCM among the IM SMEs. It is believed this is one of the first studies that highlight the perceptions of SME employers and based on this to predict the adoption of GSCM within their organisations. Finally, it is hoped that the study will help increase awareness and importance among the Indian SME employers in adopting GSCM practices in their organisations. The evidence provided on various aspects of GSCM in India should also benefit researchers and scholars in terms of understanding the current status of GSCM in Indian SMEs and assess the adoption of GSCM practices in different settings and contexts.
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Investigating the influence of tape application on static assessments of foot posture (clinical biomechanics)The aim of this study is to investigate foot posture pre- and post-tape application using static assessments and pressure plate analysis. Fifteen healthy participants [male n= 9, female n= 6, 28.50 ± 11.00 years, 1.71 ± 0.10 m, 80.50 ± 18.00 kg] were conveniently sampled to take part in this study. Participants were assessed statically in a seated, bipedal and unipedal stance through pressure plate analysis and measurements of the navicular drop, medial longitudinal arch angle (MLA) and tibiocalcaneal angle (TCA). Measurements were taken pre- and post-tape applications which included no tape application, Sham, Zinc Oxide (Z/O), Elastic Adhesive Bandage (EAB) and two K-tape applications. There was a statistically significant difference between MLA and tape application [F (5,10) = 282.90, p=<.001, ηp2 = 0.122]. Significant increase in MLA was found between the following results; Zinc Oxide vs. K-tape 1 [p=<0.001], Zinc Oxide vs. K-tape 2 [p=<.001] and Sham vs K-tape 2 [p=0.022]. Whilst significant decrease in MLA was found between the following results; EAB vs. Zinc Oxide [p=<.001] and EAB vs Sham [p=0.025]. There were no statistically significant results found between MLA and change in body position [F (2,10) = 90.65, p=0.101, ηp2 = 0.016]. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference between TCA and position [H (2) = 37.21, p=<.001] as well as TCA and tape application [H (5) = 27.79, p=<.001]. Significant decrease in TCA was found between the following results; Bipedal vs. Unipedal [p=<.045], ε2 = -0.337], Bipedal vs. Seated [p=<.001], EAB vs. No Tape [p=<.035], EAB vs. Sham [p=<.001] and EAB vs. Zinc Oxide [p=<.001]. There was a significant increase in TCA in the following conditions; Sham vs. K-tape 1 [p=<.026] and Zinc Oxide vs. K-tape 1 [p=0.032]. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference between total contact area and position [H (2) = 207.269, p=<.001]. Significant decrease in total contact area were found in the following conditions; Seated vs. Unipedal [p=<.001] and Bipedal vs. Unipedal [p=<.001]. Significant increase in total contact area was observed when comparing Bipedal vs. Seated [p=<.001]. In conclusion, the MLA results suggests that clinicians could justify the use Zinc Oxide tape application over other taping conditions due to the results showing that application typically increased the angle, indicating a better postural support being given which could assist individuals with a pronated foot posture. In contrast, EAB and K-tape applications were seen to reduce the angle of the MLA which justifies a clinician in using these tape applications for an individual with supinated foot posture over other applications, in order to reduce the MLA. Furthermore, the TCA seen across all conditions provided values which indicated a hindfoot valgus/pronated position, it could be suggested that EAB tape application reduces the TCA result and therefore brings the hindfoot angle more towards a neutral position. Additionally, results have also shown how the change in body position influence total contact area of the foot. These results provide clinicians with a greater understanding as to how the foot posture changes under different loading conditions based on body position which hasn’t previously been reported in literature.
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The effects of deductive, inductive and a combination of both types of grammar instruction in pre-sessional classes in higher educationIn recent years, debates continue about the efficiency of using different types of grammar instruction in language teaching contexts (Alzu‟ bi, 2015; Mahjoob, 2015; Brown, 2000; Ellis, 1997; Celce-Murcia, 1991; Krashen, 1982). Existing research is rather controversial and inconclusive and furthermore there is not any general agreement on how to approach grammar instruction: one basic dichotomy is connected with the processes of teaching grammar inductively (Krashen, 1985; Ke, 2008; Kuder, 2009; Scheffler, 2010; Gorat and Prijambodo, 2013; Alzu‟bi, 2015; Anani, 2017) versus deductively (Younie, 1974; Selinger, 1975; Pienemann, 1988; Anderson, 1990; Lee and VanPatten, 1995; Schmidt, 2001; Mountone, 2004; Nazari, 2012; Mallia, 2014; Sik, 2015; Amirghassemi, 2016). Some educators are in favour of the inductive grammar approach whereas others prefer the deductive approach (Ibid). University L2 pre-sessional students need to develop their understanding of EAP grammar which is essential for producing academic texts required for their studies and improve their score in ELAS writing exam. Having said that, which type of grammar instruction works better for university L2 students enrolled in pre-sessional classes: deductive, inductive, or combination of both? This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using deductive and inductive teaching models in teaching grammar needed for academic writing in terms of L2 pre-sessional students‟ grammar academic achievement. The current study, also, investigates university L2 pre-sessional students‟ perceptions and attitudes towards teaching grammar deductively and inductively. A quasi-experimental design and an ethnographic approach were used to collect data through the use of interviews, observations, questionnaires and diaries. Data analysis was performed using t-tests in order to analyse the relationship between different types of grammar instruction based on pre-post-tests. The results indicated that there were significant differences among the performances of each group in favour of the deductive approach. The results, also, revealed that university L2 pre-sessional students who were taught deductively or through the combination of the two types of grammar instruction performed slightly better as compared to those who were taught inductively. The study also contributed to the fact that teaching grammar through the use of both cognitive and prescriptive grammar may be the best solution in teaching contexts in higher education in EAP contexts.
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Exploring the B. hominis TPI-GAPDH fusion enzyme glycolytic activity and stabilityProtist parasites cause deadly diseases and huge financial losses to crops. Eukaryotic organisms share similar cell structure and function. This makes novel drug targets difficult to find, and treating protist diseases very challenging. Studies have demonstrated a novel mitochondrial targeted glycolytically active TPI-GAPDH fusion enzyme as a potential drug target. This enzyme has been located in a variety of pathogenic Stramenopiles, including B. hominis and P. infestans. Additionally, the mitochondrial targeting of the enzyme suggests a retention of glycolysis originating from the mitochondrial precursor endosymbiont. This study explores the glycolytic function and enzyme stability of the TPI-GAPDH fusion protein when compared to its segregated subunits. Enzymatic assays demonstrated that GAPDH functions more effectively as a part of the intact fusion enzyme, and that GAPDH may compete for GAP with TPI. This is contrary to the canonical understanding that TPI is a perfect diffusion rate-controlled enzyme that is not rate-limiting. Additional assay data suggests that L-GAP may interact with GAPDH as a competitive inhibitor of glycolytic function. Higher initial rates of enzymatic activity were observed by GAPDH and TPI-GAPDH when isomerically pure D-GAP was used as substrate compared to DL-GAP. Lastly, thermal shift data suggests that the TPIGAPDH fusion enzyme may be far less stable than its subunits. TPI may have a destabilising effect on the GAPDH moiety of the fusion enzyme resulting in dissociation at approximately 25°C lower temperature than GAPDH by itself. Incubation of GAPDH and TPI subunits appeared to stabilise TPI and show potential evidence of protein-protein binding.
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Risk and relationship in mental health practice: a grounded theory of situational connection.This thesis reports the findings of a qualitative study that answers the question, ‘How do mental health practitioners working in adult community mental health settings respond emotionally to the assessment and management of risk in practice?’ Current research relating to risk assessment and management in mental health practice considers ways in which risk is understood and assessed, focusing primarily on definition, application and technical processes. Less is known about the emotional effect of the risk-related aspects of the mental health practitioners’ role. This aim of this study was to explore the experience of mental health professionals by considering: the ways in which they conceptualised risk, the emotional effect of assessing and managing risk and, the ways in which their relationships with professional colleagues and service users did, or did not, mitigate this effect. The study was undertaken using grounded theory and collected data via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, representing the range of disciplines usually present in multi-disciplinary teams in statutory adult mental health care. The main contribution of this study is that it provides evidence of the changing nature of mental health practice and how this is creating new organisational and personal contexts for practitioners. The current focus in mental health practice appears to be the efficiency of pathways for service users. This focus has led to organisational structures that reduce the space and time practitioners have for connection with each other. The remodelling of the organisational context is creating a new ethos in practice in which practitioners feel less attention is given to their experience of relationship, skill and therefore safety. This study has found that a consequence of professionals’ sense of lack of safety is to assess risk posed by service users as higher than they would if contained in their own practice. The evidence for this emerges from practitioners’ reflections on fragmenting teams, changing working spaces, sense of isolation and responsibility, particularly in relation to the care coordination role. Enabling practitioners to feel emotionally anchored in their work context in relation to the assessment and management of risk will facilitate the emotional management of the effect of their role. The benefit for service users will be a greater focus on recovery and less risk averse approaches. This study concludes with a model for situationally connected practice that is the emerging theory from the research. This theory was shaped by the analysis from participants for whom situational connection was both present and absent. The conclusion is that greater attention to facilitating situational connection for practitioners with regard to relationship-based practice with colleagues will contribute to the creation of safer conditions for practice.
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History assisted energy efficient spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networksThe ever-increasing wireless applications and services has generated a huge demand for the RF spectrum. The strict and rigid policy of spectrum management by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rendered spectrum a valuable resource. The disproportion in the usage of spectrum between the licensed primary users (PUs) and the enormous unlicensed secondary users (SUs) in the band has created spectrum scarcity. This imbalance can be alleviated by the Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) based on Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) paradigm by significantly improving the efficiency of spectrum utilisation of the wireless networking systems. DSA enables unlicensed secondary users (SUs) also known as cognitive radios (CRs) to sense the spectral environment and access the licensed spectrum opportunistically without causing any interference to the licensed primary users (PUs). Spectrum sensing is the most prominent capability of CRs to effectively detect the presence or absence of licensed primary users (PUs) in the band. Sensing provides protection to primary users (PUs) from interference and creates opportunities of spectrum access to secondary users (SUs). However, scanning the spectrum continuously is critical and power intensive. The high-power consumption in battery operated CR devices reduces device lifetime thereby affecting the network performance. Research is being carried out to improve energy efficiency and offer viable solutions for extending lifetime for wireless devices. In this thesis, the work focuses on the energy efficient spectrum sensing of CR networks. The main aim is to reduce the percentage of energy consumption in the CR system in possible ways. Primarily, the conventional energy detection (ED) and the cyclostationary feature detection (CFD) spectrum sensing mechanisms were employed to sense the spectrum. Aiming on energy efficiency, a novel history assisted spectrum sensing scheme has been proposed which utilises an analytical engine database (AED). It generates a rich data set of spectrum usage history that can be used by CRs to make efficient sensing decisions modelled using Markov chain model. The usage of sensing history in decision making, results in decreasing the frequency of spectrum scanning by the CRs thereby reducing the processing cost and the sensing related energy consumption. It shows 17% improvement in energy saving compared to the conventional sensing scheme. The key performance parameters such as probability of miss detection (PMD), probability of false alarm (PF) and probability of detection (PD) were investigated using ROC curves. Extensive performance analysis is carried out by implementing two traditional sensing schemes ED and CFD in terms of computational cost and energy consumption and shows 50% improvement in effective energy saved by using history assisted spectrum sensing mechanism. Further, to address the high energy consumption during communication between CRs / stations (STAs) and the base station (BS), a novel energy efficient Group Control Slot allocation (GCSA) mac protocol has been proposed. Publish/Subscribe (PUB-SUB) and point-to-point messaging models have been implemented for data communication between BS, STAs and AED. The proposed mac protocol increases the number of STAs to enter in to sleep mode thereby conserving the energy consumed during idle state. Furthermore, cluster based co-operative spectrum sensing (CSS) is considered for reducing the energy utilised for data communication between CRs and BS by electing a cluster head (CH) using fuzzy logic-based clustering algorithm. The cluster head (CH) collects, aggregates data from cluster members and it is only the CHs that communicate to the BS. Thus, there is no communication between individual non-CH CRs and BS, thereby significantly reducing the energy consumption and improving the network lifetime of the CR system. Extensive simulations were performed in MATLAB and results are presented for all the proposed schemes.
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Theorising marketing communications practices in the context of small businesses in emerging marketsAs part of the main research contribution this study raises the substantive theory on Marketing Communications (MCs) in the novel context of the Russian market and small ‘organic’ skincare businesses by this building the foundations for further research studies in this area of SMEs with intangible attributes and markets with emerging marketing practices. This research explores how small businesses in organic skincare industry in Russia practice MCs; and specifically focuses on what contextual factors impact on ‘inside-out’ and ‘outside-in’ approaches to marketing communications. While the ‘inside-out’ approach represents a more company-controlled and brand-informed marketing, the ‘outside-in’ approach mainly focuses on a customer-centric and considering that MCs have mostly been investigated in the context of large scale companies with advanced marketing practices, it is worthwhile to provide more insight into how small businesses with emerging marketing practices understand MCs and implement its core principles of customer and brand orientation. In this sense a salient example is the Russian market, where marketing as a discipline initiated its development only after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90-ies. MCs will be investigated in the context of organic skincare products. Local skincare companies in Russia extensively label their brand ‘organic’ to gain a competitive advantage on the market. Despite that, there is a lack of insight into how the ‘organic’ concept and its characteristics are communicated to the local audience and whether they are consistent with a customer’s locally constructed perception of ‘organic’. In response to that, this research aims to fill in this gap and to shed the light on whether and how local small companies in the industry manage to create a consistent customer-centric brand identity. The research consists of two sets of data collection methods: the analysis of online consumers’ discourses on organic skincare (netnography) and the interviews with the small organic skincare companies in Russia, which respectively provide insight into a customer’s local perception of ‘organic’ in skincare and the company’s communicated ‘organic’ brand identity. The present study is informed by the grounded theory methodology with the social constructivist and symbolic interactionism dimensions that guide and support the subsequent substantive theory on MCs in the defined context. As part of the main contribution the research introduces the concept of the business self (the owner-manager’s perception of the business) as the main constituent that defines MCs practices. In the case of the ‘restricted business self’ the company describes itself as a business with restricted resources and limited ability to invest into customer-informed marketing practices. The main focus of the company is on communicating a consistent brand identity, which is however hardly supported by a customer insight. Thus, this practice demonstrates more of the brand orientation and the ‘inside-out’ MCs. Conversely, in the case of the ‘desired business self’, where the company envisions itself in a favourable market situation, it expresses the ‘desire’ to invest into rigorous primary customer research and customer relationship management (CRM) to achieve a higher level of customer centricity to inform its brand identity. Thus, the case of the ‘desired business self’ demonstrates the shifts towards the customer orientation and the practice of ‘outside-in’ MCs.
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Prediction of a water quality index using online sensor dataSurface water quality is a dynamic quantity to deal with. There are factors which affect the surface water quality. These factors include weather changes, anthropogenic activities and urbanization. There is an underlying problem with water quality monitoring and management around the world especially in developing countries. Pollution outbreak in a Luton town lake in 2012 which killed a lot of fishes is one instance of such devastating outbreak and the underlying effects. This thesis is aimed at utilising measured data values for certain physico chemical parameters in the determination of surface water quality through analysis, indexing and model prediction. The physical parameters measured are temperature, conductivity and turbidity while the chemical parameters are dissolved oxygen, pH and ammonium. These parameters are measured at two locations on the Luton Hoo Lake which is used as our research study site to monitor the water quality and possible sources of contamination. Data with regards to the values of the different parameters is collected with the help of multi parameter probe sensors that were installed at the site in form of a remote monitoring station. Manual sampling of the water and collection of parameter value readings is also used to substantiate the values derived from the remote monitoring stations. A preliminary analysis is carried out using descriptive Statistics and correlation analysis to determine the dependencies between the various parameters measured for water quality monitoring. We evaluate the relationship of the measured parameters to contamination sources and its impact on the water quality as it affects aquatic life. With the correlation analysis, it is discovered that some of the parameters exhibited the expected relationship whereas some could not relatively show any dependence. This led to the need for further analysis to help in the parameter selection since the aim of this work is to use minimal parameters to establish the water quality status. It is determined that dissolved oxygen is the most important parameter compared to other measured parameters. This was actualized through the use of principal component analysis to identified the major components. Multiple linear regression is used to establish the relationship between Dissolved oxygen and the other measured parameters. The two locations being monitored exhibit the same trend from the results of the box plot analysis that was carried out. Dissolved oxygen is inversely proportional to Temperature which confirms the same trend pattern as exhibited by the correlation analysis. Principal component analysis helps in the establishment of the hierarchy of the parameters measured and the level of importance which determines the input parameters for the water quality index. This research work looked at various water quality indices developed by various researchers and discovered that most available indices were limited by the fact that the data collection was done manually. This work adopted the use of a tailored Water quality index with three parameters which are Dissolved oxygen, Conductivity and Turbidity. These parameters were selected based on the results derived from the Principal components analysis. Water quality index is a good way of uniquely rating the overall water quality status of a water body using a single term. In this research study, we utilised available water quality indices that have been developed through expert opinions and modified them to suit our requirements. The results obtained were satisfactory and proved that the use of minimal parameters can give a good indication of the water quality in same way as the use of many parameters. The minimal Water Quality Index is recommended where faster and more economical approach is needed in decision making with regards to water quality monitoring. A hybrid neural network is finally proposed for the prediction of parameters for water quality index which can be tailored based on the location of the surface water and the primary use of the surface water for the end users. The major problem of identifying a low cost way of monitoring surface waters for developing countries is achieved through the use of minimal parameters and the availability of the sensor probes in the market is of great importance to the work.
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Development and evaluation of a tailored workplace intervention to reduce and break up sitting time in office workersThere is a growing body of evidence linking high volumes of sitting with adverse health risks, including cardiovascular disease and mental health problems. The workplace is a major contributor to excessive sitting, particularly for desk-based workers who spend more than two-thirds of working time sitting. Although the workplace contributes to prolonged sitting, it has also been identified as an ideal setting to combat sedentary behaviour (SB). A wide range of studies have sought to break up and reduce sitting time in the workplace using strategies like prompts to stand, environmental restructuring such as walking meetings and the use of active workstations. Although some of these strategies have been successful in decreasing workplace sitting time, results are inconclusive, with problems of compliance in some interventions. One reason for low compliance could be that few studies take views of employees into consideration when designing interventions. In addition, management might be reluctant to implement interventions if productivity is negatively affected. Finally, there is evidence that interventions developed to change behaviour should be informed by theoretical, evidence-based frameworks. Accordingly, the aim of this thesis was to design an appropriate intervention to break up and reduce workplace sitting time in desk-based office workers, then to test the efficacy of the intervention on employees’ productivity, cardiometabolic risks, and wellbeing. A multi-phase mixed-method study was employed covering the first two stages of the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions. The first three phases covered the development of the subsequent intervention. Firstly, a systematic review found no acute effect of active workstations on productivity, although there were concerns regarding study designs and the tools used to assess productivity. Secondly, a cross-sectional study of self-reported sitting time found no differences between age, gender, and ethnic groups, suggesting that interventions to reduce workplace sitting should be targeted at all desk-based employees irrespective of age, gender, or ethnicity, although this need to be confirmed in a fully powered study. The final stage of the intervention development was a qualitative study of desk-based employees who had high volumes of sitting time. This study identified barriers and facilitators to breaking up sitting and reducing sitting time using the COM-B (Capability and Opportunity and Motivation) model, with Psychological Capability, Reflective Motivation, Automatic Motivation, Social Opportunity, and Physical Opportunity found to be predictors of workplace sitting behaviour. The Behaviour Change Wheel guide was followed, leading to the identification of 39 behaviour change techniques as active ingredients for intervention development. The final phase of the PhD was a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention including education, computer-prompt software and height-adjustable workstations, as well as managerial support. The intervention decreased sitting time and increased standing time in the workplace, with most participants meeting the two-hour minimum recommendation for standing up. The intervention also improved productivity but had no effect on cardiometabolic biomarkers or mental wellbeing outcomes. This study could serve as evidence for workplace managers on the benefits of such interventions and provides evidence to strengthen the need to tailor workplace interventions to employees’ needs to improve adherence.
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A model to offer reliable data transmissions in vehicular ad hoc networkVehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is one of the widely used networks across various intelligent transport applications in order to support the autonomous driving, reduce network congestion and overcome any kind of the accidents occurring on the road. This report involves in focusing on the safety applications where the vehicles involve in broadcasting the safety messages that are highly time critical and reliability sensitive. The importance of delivering the broadcasted safety messages of VANET in highly timely and reliable manner has resulted in undertaking this research work. In order to support the reliable delivery of the broadcasted safety messages, this research has developed a model called Reliable Vector Clustering (RVC) which involves in neighbour node identification, vehicle cluster formation and broadcasting the coded data using the network coding method. In order to evaluate this developed model, analytical model developed and simulation studies have been carried out in this report. The analytical model has developed a criterion that helps in choosing the best vehicle as the cluster head node and the simulation studies have compared the effectiveness of the developed method. These simulation studies have revealed the effectiveness of proposed RVC method in improving the packet error recovery probability and packet delivery ratio when compared to the existing methods.
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Smart cites forensics - evaluating the challenges of MK Smart City ForensicsThe purpose of this research identifies what challenges are associated with MK Smart Data Hub forensics. MK Smart project holds its place as one of the Smart Cities’ projects in the United Kingdom and central to this project is the MK Data Hub which holds a vast amount of data from various data sources. The first phase of the project involves looking at the MK Smart project ultimately emphasising on the projects aims, objectives, achievements and some of the trial projects that have been carried on. The second phase involves in-depth research into the MK Data Hub which is the integral of the project. There will be an evaluation of data received from the different data sources such as sensors on the Data Hub. This will also examine how data is stored, types of data stored, data structure and finally evaluate these data with current digital forensic tools and techniques to see the challenges associated with MK Smart forensics. The project objectives are to perform detailed research into the MK Smart project focusing on the aims, current achievement, detailed research into the MK Data Hub which is the central infrastructure of the MK Project, analysis of different types of datasets available on the Data Hub, evaluation of the existing digital forensics tools and techniques and its limitations to Smart city forensics, evaluation of the current challenges facing Smart city forensics and evaluation of the MK Data hub and detailed research into its forensic investigation challenges. Once the objectives are met, a result will be generated to determine the proposed solution to forensically collect evidence from the MK Data Hub.
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An examination of performance management in Nigeria’s public health sector through two case studiesExtant literature has called for contextual studies on performance management to maximise its effectiveness. Following this call is a study of performance management that considers the practice, its system and context. Scholar also presents that performance management researches conducted in less developed countries’ context loosely align their studies with a theoretical framework or use none within the study. This exploratory research study built upon Ferreira and Otley's (2009) framework as the theoretical underpinning to guide the research to address these problems and achieve its aim. This research aims to investigate performance management within the Nigerian public health sector. An interpretivist philosophy and abductive reasoning were the methodological choices employed while using a case study strategy. Data collected for this research include 40 semi-structured interviews and a document review across two Federal Hospitals in Nigeria. Thematic analysis was adopted to examine the data collected for this study using NVivo 11. The findings identified issues (such as union, godfather, organisational needs) that affect performance management. These issues elaborate the third level (contextual factors and culture) in Ferreira and Otley’s framework and pervade the organisational, sectoral and national level. Again, the findings also identified the informal activities (such as mentoring encouragement) used by managers in the study context. The findings further suggested that actors of performance management interpret the phenomenon as continuous and integrated and the practice within the context is at multi-level - departmental and organisational. The implication of the findings reinforces the significance of including the performance management practice, its system and context to fully again in-depth or insight into the contextual understanding of PM across different context. The originality of this study is the conceptualisation of performance management within the Nigeran Public Health Sector building upon Ferreira and Otley (2009). The contribution to knowledge includes the elaboration of the outer level in Ferreira and Otley’s framework with the identification of the v contextual factors challenging performance management within the Nigerian public health sector. The development of knowledge on performance management within the Nigerian public health sector is another contribution as there is a dearth in research studies. Again, the study contributes to the on-going debate by scholars on the relevance of understanding performance management within its context in order to maximise its effectiveness. The practical implication for hospitals managers is the awareness of the factors affecting performance management, which consequently will maximise its effectiveness within the Nigerian public health sector. Further studies on performance management should investigate and identify contextual factors and how these would affect its effectiveness within the different contexts.
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The transfer and diffusion of human resource (HR) policies and practices of European multinational companies (MNCS) to their Nigerian subsidiariesHuman resource (HR) practices diffusion within multinational companies (MNCs) is an imperative area of research for strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). The existing literature noted that there are critical factors that affect the transfer and diffusion process of human resource practices. This research seeks to address certain shortcomings in existing SIHRM literature, in particular the lack of work on human resource policies and practices adopted by multinationals operating in developing sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This research extends the focus of SIHRM literature beyond MNCs parent companies into the subsidiary’s context in developing SSA country. This work builds from broader analytical frameworks to examine and interpret the dynamic underlying process of human resource practices diffused. More precisely, drawing upon SIHRM literature and institutional theory to provide a comprehensive understanding of the transfer and diffusion of human resource practices. The empirical data was collected from international human resource managers (IHR), local management staff in the Nigerian subsidiaries including human resource managers, senior managers and line managers. The research involved forty-two semi-structured interviews, supplemented by company documents, from two European companies operating in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. This work used thematic analysis to evaluate and interpret the data. Analysis of the interviewers account showed that both company and country factors shape the adoption and diffusion of human resource practices in the Nigerian subsidiaries. The findings indicate that the strategic importance of each human resource practice is a driving force behind the transfer process. The two European MNCs utilised exportive and integrative SIHRM orientation to disperse a wide range of HR practices from the parent companies. Furthermore, the findings indicate that employment regulations and trade union effects alone do not influence MNCs’ choice of practices diffused in the Nigerian subsidiaries. Socio-cultural factors such as values and beliefs affect the workforce's personal actions and perceptions, and these are key factors to consider when transferring HR practices. The findings of this work thus make a valuable contribution to SIHRM literature and institutional theory literature with a focus on HRM in MNCs operations.
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A general practice intervention targeting registration on the NHS Organ Donor RegisterBackground: There is a shortage of organs for transplant in the UK. Family consent is a critical part of the organ donation pathway, and prior knowledge of a person’s wishes makes this decision easier for families. The most effective way to express organ donation wishes is through registration as an organ donor. General practice is an underutilised setting for organ donation interventions, and is the only NHS setting which can put people directly on the organ donor register. Therefore, interventions could be developed in this setting to maximise the opportunities for UK residents to register their request to donate their organs after death. This thesis aims to explore this by developing and evaluating the feasibility of a general practice intervention designed to increase organ donor register sign-up in the UK. Methods: A literature review, systematic review, and theoretical review were conducted to establish a basis for the intervention. Intervention Mapping was then used to develop it based on these empirical and theoretical findings. Based on the IIFF model of organ donation registration, the intervention consisted of three parts; staff training, asking patients in consultations if they wished to join the NHS Organ Donor Register (prompted choice) and the provision of leaflets and posters in the waiting room. A single practice feasibility study was conducted to assess five dimensions; recruitment, data collection materials, resources, acceptability, and intervention promise. Intervention mapping was revisited to refine the intervention based on the single practice study findings. Results: Staff conducted prompted choice on 12.4% of face to face consultations they had with patients over three months, with 214 patients joining the NHS ODR. Some staff found prompted choice both feasible and acceptable, with opinions dependent on staff professional role. Responses to the training sessions were positive; however, although leaflets and posters were found to be feasible and acceptable, the majority of patients did not notice them. Significant challenges to implementation were found with SystmONE the practice software, the NHS Ethics process (particularly the confidentiality advisory group) and recruitment of practices. These resulted in the ultimate abandonment of a planned multi-practice feasibility randomised controlled trial. Conclusion/Discussion: These findings were positive and indicated that general practice could be an acceptable location to provide the facility to join the NHS ODR in the UK verbally. However, due to implementation issues, consideration is required as to how best to test the intervention further for feasibility. Recommendations include conducting a larger feasibility randomised controlled trial with more resources (people and financial), to help aid recruitment and the implementation of the required SystmONE elements. Contribution to Knowledge: This is the first academically tested intervention allowing people to sign-up to the NHS ODR verbally, and one of the first organ donation interventions in UK general practice. It is also the second intervention internationally to use Intervention Mapping for organ donation behaviour, and this thesis adds to the evidence base in each of these areas.
