RSS 1.0University of Bedfordshire e-theses
Recent Submissions
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A privacy-preserving approach to effectively utilise distributed data for medical disease detectionPneumonia is one of the fatal diseases that causes the death of around 4 million people yearly. Previously, several researches have been done to detect pneumonia using state-of-the-art machine learning methods. However, the challenges involved in medical image detection are high in spatial resolution, heterogeneous in visuals, and complex in pattern. To overcome this challenge, a large number of datasets is needed that can be achieved by utilising data through collaborative sharing platforms from hospitals and medical institutes. But general data protection and regulation (GDPR) and data protection act (DPA) 2018 do not allow institutions to share customer data with third-party companies. With the restrictions imposed due to UK (EU) rules and regulations, the major challenge for researchers is the accessibility of data. As a result, a method to access the appropriate amount of data for machine learning models is needed to make an accurate prediction while maintaining privacy. In research, a hybrid approach of machine learning models and a federated learning framework has been proposed to use distributed data in a privacy-preserving manner. In the experiment, the chest radiographs is used to detect pneumonia disease by distributing the data to a different number of clients (simulation) and training the model individually. Data are trained locally on the client in the distributed system federated learning framework, and the trained model is shared with the central federated learning server. The benchmark of best performing models has been performed on malaria and brain tumor dataset. The research has also highlighted the significance test between the models performance in federated learning framework. The research contribution includes the hybrid framework of federated learning and the CNN based pre-trained models that allows access to the distributed data in a privacy preserving manner. The test analysis have been performed using machine learning algorithms that include convolutional neural network (CNN) based pretrained models of Alexnet, DenseNet, Residual Network (ResNet50), Inception, and Visual Geometry Group 19 (VGG19) in the pneumonia dataset. research will allow hospitals and medical institutes to collaborate while using data mutually. This thesis gives the clear pathway of the effective approaches that can be adopted to enhance diagnosis, improving the healthcare. It also gives state-of-the-art methods for different medical image detection, limitation and future potential. The benchmark analysis gives clear reflection of the potential effectiveness of findings and future scope. I have selected algorithms by performing experimental analysis for effective classification as they are state of the art methods. Due to the complexity of medical images (especially X-ray images), I need a vast number of datasets (images) to train the model correctly and precisely. Novel aspects of the research are to develop the hybrid framework for individual algorithms with federated learning while ensuring data privacy by using a secure aggregation encryption method that promises the privacy. The preliminary result showed that ResNet50 and desnenet perform well in contrast to others in the federated learning framework. It answers research questions of mutual data collaboration while keeping privacy intake and knowing what machine learning models can be used in medical image detection. I have also demonstrated the future scope of research that will allow hospitals and medical institutes (including national health services (NHS) bodies) to share live stream data for effective machine learning modelling in a privacy-preserving manner. This thesis reflects the hybrid approach of using CNN-based pre-trained models in a federated learning framework for medical image detection and is a novel contribution to the scientific knowledge, as best of information.
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Role of the α3 and α1α2α3 domains of zinc α2 glycoprotein in health and obesityZinc α2 glycoprotein (ZAG) is a 42kDa adipokine with a class I MHC fold containing three domains; α1, α2 and α3. Fatty acids bind to its α1α2 groove. ZAG expression is inversely related to body fat mass and ZAG regulates lipolysis through an unknown mechanism. The ZAG: fatty acid crystal structure revealed ZAG tetramers and an unexpected α3 fatty acid binding site. The first aim of this thesis was to express recombinant E. coli ZAG α3 to investigate fatty acid binding using fluorescence, and tetramer formation using microfluidic diffusional sizing (MDS) in physiological conditions. Attempts at expressing and purifying α3 protein were not successful. A pET23a-α3 construct inhibited E. coli growth. pGEX-2TK GST–α3 and pGEX-2TK GST-3–HIS constructs expressed soluble proteins in E. coli, but the proteins degraded. A pET16b construct containing ZAG with an engineered thrombin cleavage site between its α1α2 and α3 domains produced inclusion bodies but refolded incorrectly. A second aim of this thesis was to optimise the use of the new MDS based Fluidity One-M instrument by measuring the affinity of Zagy-1 antibody binding to recombinant E.coli ZAG. The Zagy-1: ZAG affinity (KD) was 12 pM. This affinity was unaffected by ZAG denaturation, ionic strength and presence of fatty acid. The Zagy-1 antibody was used to measure ZAG concentrations in human plasma from sixteen obese patients’ pre and 9-months post Roux-En-Y surgery by ELISA. Patients underwent significant weight loss (p=<0.0001) and the concentration of ZAG increased after Roux-En-Y surgery (p=0.0684), demonstrating its role in body mass regulation.
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Comparative genomics and secondary metabolite analysis to gain novel insights into the mycoparasiteThe main aims of this study were to gain genome level novel insights into the functional basis of the mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans, including the identification of novel genes/gene clusters associated with the biocontrol process. For this research, a set of seven C. minitans isolates were selected, representing geographical diversity, alongside two isolates of the fungal crop pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Two interaction types were utilised, 1. hyphal-hyphal and 2. spore-sclerotia, to decipher patterns and variations of mycoparasitism. Hyphal-hyphal interactions revealed that both C. minitans isolates were able to colonise and invade regions containing S. sclerotiorum, however, this did not lead to complete loss of viability of the host fungus hyphae or sclerotia. Spore-sclerotial interactions displayed distinct differences between the C. minitans isolates; with isolate Conio all sclerotia colonised were non-viable, whilst with isolate DPM01 despite colonisation all sclerotia were viable. These assays revealed that overall, isolate Conio had stronger mycoparasitic capabilities and S. sclerotiorum isolate DSS03 was less susceptible to both C. minitans isolates, particularly in hyphal-hyphal interactions. A high-quality reference genome (e.g., 34 scaffolds) has been established for C. minitans isolate Conio, alongside resequenced genome assemblies for an additional six C. minitans isolates representing diverse geographic locations. Comparative analysis highlighted new insights into genome-level variations in orthologous protein clusters among the isolates, and the overall conservation of secretory and effector-like proteins, CAZymes and GPCRs. Phylogenomic analysis based on single copy orthologs (~800 to ~1100) revealed a lack of clear geographic association; further analysis including sister-species of C. minitans and alongside Trichoderma species, including mycoparasites, presented that the C. minitans clade was genetically highly conserved. Four biosynthetic gene clusters were identified in this study, potentially associated with mycoparasitism. The complete ETP-type gene cluster has been annotated for all C. minitans isolates including isolate ZS-1. Additionally, this study is the first to present an annotated gene cluster of macrosphelide A in C. minitans, alongside two novel gene clusters, one of which is putatively annotated as involved in the biosynthesis of macrophorin A and is the first report of these gene clusters in C. minitans. The quantification of macrosphelide A carried out with the seven C. minitans isolates using LC-MS/MS analysis enabled categorisation as high producers including isolates Conio, DPM01 and DPM05, and low producers including isolates DPM02, DPM03, DPM04 and DPM06. This is the first report of the quantification of macrosphelide A using a range of geographically distinctive C. minitans isolates. Additionally, this study is the first to confirm the production of an ETP-type compound by C. minitans. Current results suggest that the compound is gliovirin and confirmed that it is not gliotoxin as previously hypothesised. The new knowledge and resources developed in this study will contribute to an advancement in the understanding of the functional basis of mycoparasitism by C. minitans providing a platform for further investigations into the production of secondary metabolites and their association with mycoparasitism by this fungus.
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Cloud native architecture middleware for 5G enhanced autonomous robotThis report presents the cloud-native design for a 5G Enhanced Robot Autonomy (5G-ERA) Middleware System. The system is built to integrate vertical applications e.g., autonomous robots handled by the Robot Operating System (ROS), with the 5G infrastructure handled by Open-Source Management and Orchestration (OSM) in the form of Cloud-native Network Applications (NetApps). The cloud-native architecture realised by the Middleware System is an additional layer of the virtual services to facilitate intent-based network and resource orchestration for large-scale deployment of robots under distributed environment. The 5G-ERA Middleware System, which runs on the cloud and edges, allows robots to send data to be processed by distributed robot services, subsequently utilising the computational power of the cloud and edges, and transmitting the outcome of the cloud/edges-based processing back to the robots. This paradigm reduces physical constraints imposed on the robots’ intelligence by local computing resources and simplifies the application development process of distributed robotics. To enable seamless integration, the Middleware System is built with containerised restful APIs, following the microservice and cloud-native paradigms, orchestrated with Kubernetes, and acts as a Kubernetes operator itself by deploying orchestrated applications on demand. The microservices synchronisation problem of the cloud-native design is optimised by introducing the Redis Cluster, a distributed key-value datastore. The contribution integrates local stateless services and a global stateful set for data persistence and paves the way for the Edge switchover required by the connected intelligence.
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An evaluation of the adequacy of safeguarding and inspection regimes in UK YOIs with regard to peer-on-peer sexually harmful behaviourFor a number of years, research has identified that sexual harm to children is often committed by other children and is an issue of concern in the UK. Responses have often focused on the perpetrator and the child’s home environment. More recent studies have shown that extra-familial harm is also commonplace in contexts outside the home and that understanding the environmental as well as personal factors which enable or hinder sexually harmful behaviour (SHB) can improve the response to peer-on-peer SHB. This thesis set out to explore peer-on-peer SHB in young offender institutions (YOIs) to understand the influence, if any, of the unique environment on adolescent SHB. The methods changed during the course of the study due to significant challenges in gaining access to YOIs. Primary data was based on 10 interviews with a participant group identified from among a range of professionals from youth justice, training, safeguarding, prison inspection, law, and prison design. Interviews with children were not conducted. Secondary data from reports of the prison inspectorates was used to supplement primary data. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to analyse the data, this study demonstrates there is little recognition of peer-on-peer SHB in YOIs. The risk to boys may be exacerbated by the chaotic environment and routinely violent interactions on the wing which hinders the development of close, trusting adult/child bonds. The evidence suggests that boys will rarely ‘snitch’ on another boy and just want to survive their time in the YOI. This thesis demonstrates that the turbulent environment and harmful norms within YOIs may provide the conditions which facilitate peer-on-peer SHB. The lack of transparency in these institutions, at a distance from the outside world, highlights that children who may be ‘out of sight and out of mind’ may be at greater risk than children in community settings. It is, therefore, imperative that institutional leaders, their regulators and partners understand the nature of the environment and are able to effectively respond to peer-on-peer SHB. This thesis advocates the continued development of a framework to assess the capability of responding to SHB in YOIs and other closed institutions which house children.
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The effects of emoji on cognition: evidence from eye movements, perception, and memory recallThe literature investigating emoji, as pictographic visual cues applied in online communication, has historically focused on sender applications and interpretations of receivers in social contexts, despite their increasing usage in other contexts. This thesis aims to address gaps in knowledge within the empirical research by investigating the cognitive impact of emoji on accompanying textual information. Specifically, the syntactic and semantic integration of emoji and sentences, the role of social presence in the text, and memory encoding of emoji-accompanied text were investigated. Experiment 1 aimed to establish baseline findings by investigating the syntactic and perceptual effects of emoji in emotionally neutral, third-person narrative sentences. A sample of native English readers were asked to read sentences, with emotive face emoji in sentence-initial and sentence-final positions, naturally with gaze recorded via eye-tracking. Participant perceptual judgements of sentence valence were then collected. Results of mixed-effects models showed that sentence-final emoji were fixated on for longer than sentence-initial emoji. Likewise, when emoji were in a sentence-final position, readers had longer total fixation durations and higher fixation counts on centre-position target words and total sentence reading durations, indicative of regressive movements in parsing. However, no significant effects of emoji valence were found on the perceived emotional valence of sentences, converse to hypotheses and the predominant literature. Experiment 2 aimed to replicate and extend the research design by including positively and negatively valent third-person narrative sentences in the stimulus sets, and introducing an emotionally ambiguous emoji (i.e., the winking face emoji). Emoji positioning effects were replicated, with longer fixations on emoji in sentence-final, compared to sentence-initial, positioning. Likewise, positioning emoji in sentence-final positions increased the probability of fixating on centre-position target words. A significant emoji position sentence valence interaction was also detected on probabilities of fixating on target words; there were significantly higher probabilities of fixating on target words when emoji were in sentence-final positions, but only when sentences were positively valent. However, failures to detect expected effects on perceived emotional valence were replicated in Experiment 2. The implications and conclusions drawn from Experiments 1 and 2 indicate that, while emoji instigate relevant semantic and syntactic processing in sentence reading, their perceptual impact on readers is minimal when they are used outside of their most typical context (i.e., communication). Experiment 3 was designed to evaluate the conclusions of Experiments 1 and 2 by reintroducing a basic characteristic of social communication. In addition to sentence valence and emoji valence, the sentence narrative point-of-view was experimentally manipulated to present readers with sentences in first-person or third-person narration. Likewise, control conditions (sentences with no emoji) were also presented to draw appropriate comparisons. Participants were asked to read sentences in an eye-tracking paradigm and then to rate sentences on their perceived emotional valence, believability, sincerity, and predictability. In gaze data, a significant main effect of emoji valence was found on target word probabilities of fixating, with higher probabilities when frowning emoji were included. An emoji valence sentence valence interaction was also found on emoji region regression path durations (RPDs): incongruent emoji-sentence combinations drew longer RPDs than congruent conditions. This interactive trend was observed in total sentence reading durations of positive and negative sentences, but only when fixations in emoji regions were excluded. For sentence perception ratings, converse to Experiments 1 and 2, a significant emoji valence sentence valence interaction was found on perceived emotional valence. Simple effect comparisons showed that the accompaniment of congruent smiling emoji in positive sentences elicited more positive valence ratings, compared to control sentences with lower ratings, and incongruent sentences (with a frowning emoji) which received the lowest rating scores on average. This is converse to negative sentences, in which the ratings across emoji conditions were comparatively equivalent. Likewise, a significant emoji valence sentence valence interaction showed that congruent emoji-sentence combinations were rated as more sincere, believable, and predictable than incongruent combinations, with varying differences in comparisons with control sentences. However, no significant differences in conditions of narrative point-of-view were found. Experiment 4 aimed to assess whether the attentional impact of emoji observed in Experiments 1, 2, and 3 would translate to potential effects on memory encoding and retrieval of information. In an online experiment set during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants were presented with positive and negative sentences, which were accompanied by grinning or frowning emoji, or no emoji as a control condition. Following a distraction task, participants were then asked to recall the affective centre-position target word of each sentence. Results demonstrated significant main effects of sentence and emoji valence on memory recall. Although the main effect of emoji valence was significant, with sentences containing frowning emoji eliciting higher levels of recall based on descriptive statistics, differences were not statistically significant in subsequent pairwise comparisons. Positive sentences had higher proportions of correct recall than control sentences, with negative sentences having the lowest levels of recall. However, the interaction of emoji and sentence valence was marginally non-significant. The shift in detection of the emoji valence sentence valence interactions between Experiments 1 and 2 compared to Experiment 3, in combination with the marginal effects observed in Experiment 4, contribute to the thesis’ overall conclusions. Firstly, the syntactic effects and integration of emoji are observed at a late stage in sentence processing but may not be the strong effects posited in the prior literature. Secondly, the perceptual impact of emoji on readers may be contingent on whether there are appropriate contextual cues concerning the social nature of text (i.e., whether it originates from an individual directly). Composite findings are discussed in reference to the prior scholarship, and theory and models relevant to syntactic processing, social-, and cyber-cognition.
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Identifying enablers of (individual and) collective flow in a theatre rehearsal processThis study investigates identifying enablers of (individual and) collective flow predominantly in a theatre rehearsal process. It is a culmination of over 25 years’ work creating new ensemble productions through the process of Collected Stories Theatre. The research incorporates discussions with a focus group of ten participants, semi-structured interviews with three participants and personal reflections over a two-month (CST) rehearsal process. Using thematic analysis the results show a strong correlation between elements of creative play, sustained energy and the variation of tasks and exercises to enable collective flow in a rehearsal-based setting. From this study I have Identified where and how collective flow is more likely to occur, which could aid actors, directors, choreographers and teachers to create an environment favourable to achieve optimal performance.
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Keeping the body in mind: inquiring into working with a reflexive, embodied approach in a relationship therapy practiceThis is a first person, practitioner-researcher inquiry, situated within a small, independent relationship therapy practice, in a culturally diverse northern city in the United Kingdom. It is a qualitative study, grounded in systemic theory and practice, in which I seek to widen the concept of embodied ways of engaging with those I meet in therapy to embrace the “more-than-human world”(Abram 2017, 9). The segueing of systemic thinking in the 1970s into a more deconstructionist, language-based way of looking for meaning in relationships, has been followed by a growing attention to the thinking of social constructionist, posthuman, and new materialist scholars. I explore recent thinking about embodied relationships alongside the writings of Gregory Bateson, who contends that we need to engage not just with each other, but as humans embedded physically and mentally in our ecosystem. first engage in research conversations with a peer supervision group to which I belong. I then explore the seven emergent themes or phenomena with client co-researchers. We consider together the mental and physical effects of Space, Place, Rhythm, Play, Touch, Taste and Time on their lives and relationships and I begin to consider how intersecting inequalities and oppressions in my clients’ lives can diminish access to space, place, play and time in particular. My study is situated within the Covid-19 pandemic, an embodied phenomenon in itself, affecting every aspect of practitioner research and bringing issues of social justice to the fore. I introduce two practices of poetic immediacy. I developed “Just Three Things” to encourage couples to share their feelings in a gentler way which allows each to be fully heard. I also begin to share poems “scribbled” in the moment from clients’ words. Both practices were conceived as ways of transmitting emotions and sensory experiences in the absence of bodily presence in the virtual world and both are now part of my face-to-face practice. Describing my study as an Embodied Narrative Inquiry. I draw on ethnographic and autoethnographic practices including dialogues reconstructed from contemporaneous notes or “scribbles”, and my research journal, to reflexively explore my ethical position and to bring into the light the stories of co-researchers. We consider together whether the ways in which we talk can lead to greater personal agency and new possibilities for relational change through an enhanced awareness of our embodied relationship with our environments. I focus in the writing on creating an affective experience which will resonate with both systemic practitioners and interested lay readers, as I seek to render the embodied ways of working in the virtual world which I propose memorable, and useful in therapeutic practice.
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The subjective experience of abrupt and pervasive social changes: living through the 2008 socioeconomic crisis in Greece and ItalyThe study sought to cast light on the conceptual 'black box' of the experiential interpretations and their enacted complex psychosocial processes in acknowledged unstable macro-changing social environments precipitated by dramatic social changes that potentially bear traumatic elements. The research contributes to knowledge by providing empirical evidence of qualitative aspects in the experiential cultural construction of a painful and potentially traumatic event in relative settings, joining the objective reality of social trauma to the subjective perception of participants as members of a specific social group. The work targeted the subjective experience, aiming to explore the perceived implications on the self's well-being, the possible mutations in identity and agency under threat, and the self's ability to enact coping mechanisms in societies that have outlived a series of abrupt and pervasive social changes embedded in a socio-economic crisis. Seeking a new perspective to link subjective experience to objective social reality through empirical qualitative research towards a psychology of social change, the study employed an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on sociological research on social and cultural trauma (Alexander et al., 2004) and on sociopsychological work performed in the emerging field of psychology of social change (de la Sablonnière, 2017). The study endeavoured to elicit the subjective social experience by recruiting participants in two Eurozone countries undergoing the 2008 financial crisis, Greece and Italy, employing a comparative methodological approach of two samples comprising 25 participants from each country. The semi-structured interviews were processed through a thematic analysis, producing findings and discussions for each sample separately. A concluding chapter encompassed the comparative analysis across samples, exploring possible differences in the participants' subjective experiential interpretations of the crisis. Analysis elicited that the participants' subjective sociopsychological experiences across samples in the context of the economic crisis were congruent with the respective countries' objective macro socioeconomic indices, illustrative of bankruptcy and harsh austerity in the Greek case, in contrast to a financial recession for Italy. As such, findings revealed significant qualitative differences in the subjective social experiences of the same event between the two samples' interpretations since participants attributed different importance to the perceived magnitude and intensity of the crisis, depending on each country's prevailing historical and socio-political contextual conditions. Consequently, the Greek sample perceived the crisis of a humanitarian and socio-cultural nature with potentially traumatic elements, whereas Italian participants experienced the event as a crunch of stressful, unpleasant, albeit not overthrowing, chained economic changes without traumatic stressors. Contrary to the Italian sample, battered Greek participants' interpretations bolstered the presence of traumatic elements in their insight of the crisis as a series of abrupt external events. The latter were experienced as violent, profound and comprehensive systemic transformations under overwhelming economic conditions that dramatically altered, disrupted and jeopardised participants’ socio-normative equilibrium with a complete breakdown without allowing them any time and space to assimilate the changes and adapt. Such perceptions unbolted overwhelming emotions of hopelessness and helplessness, fuelled by feelings of collective humiliation, shame, and unworthiness. This triggered a spiral of significant existential resonances and shattering effects on Greek participants' agency, identity and well-being, constraining them to live in a lingering agonising state of economic, psychosocial and cultural degradation, threatening their ontological security.
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Practices of hope: beginning never endsResearching practices of hope is a practice of hope. I conceptualise hope as a central life force, uncertain as life itself because the outcome is always unknown. I argue that Hope needs to be intertwined with action to become a practice of doable hope. Doable hope is crucial in resisting hopelessness and false hope. Hopelessness and false hope lead to passivity and depression. Practices and hope are interconnected in a circular process, hope generates action and hopeful action increases hope, which in turn drives more action. Practices of hope are affirmative actions and can deal with the eco-social-economic-cultural-health and political crises that mark our nowadays life all over the world. Hope is always relational because it is directed to some future in the world. I argue that the multiple crises we are in are related to breaking the connections and interdependency in our world through capitalism, colonialism, individualism, sexism and anthropocentrism. We have to search for ways to bring back together what has been broken and to stop creating categories and hierarchies. Indigenous knowledge can help us here. In indigenous knowledge the starting point is the interdependency of living and non-living material and that we are part of this whole and have to care for this in order to live and survive. In COVID times I wondered what helps people not to lose hope. I started to have very short conversations with many people in different situations and from different backgrounds. The big collections of responses made me critically think of our profession, systemic therapy, and the dominant role of language, narratives, dialogues and words. When asked what helps people in difficult days people often speak of actions, things they do, movements, walking in nature, being involved in projects, making music and listening to music. Shift your senses and not being there so much seems to be helpful. Of course language, and ‘inner- action’, play a role but not as much as psychology and our profession suggests. I call the method I used, wandering and wondering around and having these short conversations, my nomadic inquiry. Searching for a form for practices of hope, a structure, I got interested in Manifestos. Manifestos are plans of action that resist unjust situations, they have a dream for a better future and a plan of action towards that preferred future. Manifestos are hope in practice. I call manifestos that work for a more just life for living and non-living creatures ‘eco-manifestos’. I developed a five-point eco- manifesto as a research instrument and as an intervention. I worked with teams and individuals and co-created their own eco-manifesto and reflected together with the involved colleagues on the outcomes. The effect cannot be predicted and not be controlled. I give examples of co-created eco- manifestos and the accompanying co-reflections. My preliminary conclusions are that we need to expand our systemic practices with much more action-oriented material and interventions. We can only do so if we expand ourselves, filling our rooms with material, music instruments and digital music services, play, theatrical and dance props, art. And we can experiment with going outside the room, walking in the city or nature, going to and with people, doing something. As professionals that are aware of the influence of context, we need to find ways to involve the environment in our practices. We need a relational theory of body-mind-environment.
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The notion of nation in the centralised media systems and the challenges of new media: Oman’s media system as a case studyTo understand the challenges facing the centralised media systems in the current era, this thesis has been conducted to explore the challenges posed by new media on the mainstream media in Oman, which contend with developing solid national identities and minimising the potential risks that new media might cause. The study investigates the notion that in Oman, a strong sense of nationhood is maintained by controlling the mainstream media at the expense of creating greater openness in formulating national identity. This study develops an analytical framework based on theory and research analysing how the mainstream media constructs national identity. The study interviewed 11 media experts who hold different positions in the Omani media field, such as owners of media outlets, publishing houses and press institutions, editors-in-chief of newspapers and magazines, directors of radio channels, journalists in the traditional electronic press, TV directors and famous actors and international news agencies’ representatives in the Sultanate. In addition to these interviews, an online survey has been conducted on 517 randomly selected participants from all over Oman. The survey includes 37 questions to measure the impression of ordinary Omani citizens about the efforts made by the official media system about the concept of the Omani nation. The study explores the importance of mainstream media sources in Oman and their effectiveness in the development of national identity and societal development. Additionally, the extent to which controlling freedom of speech in this type of media system can significantly impact the development of the nationalism notion. The study also focuses on how digital media reproduces the nation’s sense of belonging to the global world. The study concludes by exploring possible avenues for future research in these areas.
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Investigating the spoken production of young learners aged 13-15More children are learning English as a foreign language whether at school or in extracurricular lessons. This has increased the demand for tests aimed at younger learners to assess their English language ability (Lee & Winke, 2018). Some of these tests (e.g., TOEFL Junior (ETS) and the ‘for Schools’ variants of the Cambridge Main Suite of tests) have made changes to the context of test tasks to make them suitable for the age group. However, there is a gap in understanding whether these changes are sufficient, given that little is known about the features of young learner spoken performance on such tasks. This mixed-methods study aims to bridge that gap by investigating the features of spoken production of teenagers (13-15) in comparison to adults (25+) on two B2 level test tasks, one aimed at adults (Task 4) and the other at teens (Task 5). Analytic and overall scores were assigned by raters to 460 candidate performances across the four groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed differences between groups on features which contributed most to the overall score. Notably pronunciation, cohesion, and task fulfilment (T5 only) for teens and grammar and lexis for adults. Complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) measures were examined on all performances. Differences were confirmed using Two-Way Mixed ANOVA and post-hoc multiple comparisons. This showed that means for most measures increased in T5 for both groups. Idea Units analysis revealed an over-reliance on the content provided in T5 by teens. Whilst all groups elaborated on the points, teens were less sophisticated and integrated these points less frequently. This is a difference which should be taken into account when considering the amount of input for such tasks for this age group. Finally, stimulated recall interviews confirmed some of the trends noticed around teen performances, such as repetition and lack of elaboration. It also highlighted some differences in application of the scales by the raters with regards to task fulfilment and lexis. The research findings offer suggestions of the characteristics of teen spoken production in comparison to adults and how those differences may be considered when designing test tasks and rating scales for this age group. This study also makes practical suggestions for further refinement of the task for teenagers and incorporation of the findings into rater training and future scale revisions.
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Developing speaking test tasks that elicit the construct of English language proficiency for employabilityEnglish being the global language of business, the corporate sector worldwide is keen to find more effective ways to assess the English language proficiency (ELP) of potential recruits. Testing ELP for employment purposes is therefore becoming increasingly important both for businesses and for test developers. Available language tests have been criticised as too expensive, too generic, or otherwise unfit-for-purpose (Lockwood, 2012a; Lockwood and Raquel, 2019). This study is specifically concerned with the business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry in Oman and investigates: (a) The speech functions (SFs) used by customer service representatives (CSRs) in the TLU domain of a call centre, (b) Whether the language used in the speaking test designed for this study or the job interview in current use better connects with that used in the TLU domain. Following a sequential mixed method research approach, a research design with three distinct stages is followed. Stage 1 analyses the TLU domain, identifying SFs used by CSRs. Sources of data include a collection of 73 authentic calls (i.e., 2663 interactional turns) between CSRs and clients, interviews with stakeholders, document analysis, and observation. Following Bachman and Palmer’s (2010) test development framework, Stage 2 involves the development of a speaking test based on the findings from Stage 1. Stage 3 involves audio recordings of performances by 29 CSR candidates in two speech events (speaking tests and job interviews). The SFs elicited through each speech event are compared using an observation checklist (OC) adapted from O’Sullivan, Weir, and Saville (2002) consisting of 28 SFs. This is followed up by the administration of two questionnaires eliciting CSR candidates’ and examiners’ views of the test. Qualitative data are analysed using thematic analysis and the quantitative data are analysed using descriptive statistics and functional analysis at two levels followed by a statistical test at each level. Wilcoxon’s Signed Rank Test is used to test the statistical significance of the difference in the overall number of SFs elicited by the two speech events. This indicates that the number of SFs employed by CSR candidates in the speaking test is greater (Md = 20) than the number of SFs employed by the same CSR candidates in the interview (Md = 12), Z = -4.603, and that this difference is statistically significant (p < .0001). McNemar’s Chi Square Test is used to test the statistical significance of the difference in the frequency of elicitation of individual SFs. McNemar’s test results show that the test elicits more instances of SF use than the job interview for 12 SFs while the job interview elicits more instances of SF use than the test for 4 SFs (p<.05). For the remaining 12 SFs, the difference is not statistically significant. Qualitative findings from interviews and questionnaires confirmed that the test provided sufficient opportunities for candidates to use SFs like those used in the TLU domain. Overall, the test elicits the SFs that it is designed to elicit. In short, the speaking test elicits a wider range of SFs than does the job interview, and better reflects the SFs used in the TLU domain. The study concludes by setting out limitations, implications, and recommendations for call centre, test developers/administrators, and future researchers.
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Exploring correlates of parental fear of crime: parents’ perceptions of their children, their neighbourhoods, and their use of social mediaThe aims of the MPhil project were first to investigate the main effects of and possible interactions between age and gender (of both parents and children) on fear of crime for their child and second to explore the parents’ perceptions of neighbourhoods, perceptions of the child and social media use to account for parents’ fear of crime for the child. Responses to an online survey from 447 parent participants were analysed. The results of a 2x2x2 MANOVA showed significant differences in overall parental fear of crime based on the age of the child V = .875, F(7, 438) = 4.770, p < .001, ηp2= .052 and the gender of the child V = .084, F(7, 438) = 8.001, p = .001, ηp2 = .084. There was no statistically significant main effect of parent’s gender or any significant interactions. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that parents’ perception of their neighbourhood was a statistically significant predictor, β = -.34, p<.001, after controlling for gender and age of parent and child. However, their perception of the child did not have a significant impact on parental fear of crime levels, nor did their use of social media. Further research is needed to understand why perceptions of the child and social media use did not have a more significant effect on parental fear of crime.
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Emotional and organisational resilience: a strategic leadership perspectiveAs a serving Director of Children’s Services with experience of leading in three quite different local authorities, I write from a strategic leadership perspective. This study develops a greater understanding of the challenges in recruiting and retaining social workers in Children’s Services and how frontline social workers and their leaders support their own and their organisation’s resilience. In addition, the study increases our understanding of the ways in which an organisation can support or undermine the resilience of its employees. As a serving Director of Children’s Services in a local authority, I was in a unique position to conduct insider research. I interviewed 41 social workers and senior leaders, around a third of the children’s social worker workforce, enquiring into any strategies they employed to support personal resilience and how they perceived the council influenced their development of personal resilience. I explore the informal and formal support structures created by social workers at all levels of leadership within the council, to create and sustain an environment which mitigates work pressures and enables social workers to thrive. I identify key themes arising from the data, for example how and why social workers ‘bend the rules’ and the importance of compassion and kindness in a resilient organisation. I explore how formal and informal support mechanisms influence both personal and organisational resilience. My research presents a new understanding of the ways in which individuals give and receive support in developing their resilience, alongside discussion of the relationship between individual resilience and the resilience of the organisation. I explore the power of the ‘unsung hero’ to support colleagues and influence their resilience outside formal support structures, alongside developing the concept of working in an ‘isolation bubble’ as a resilience support mechanism. This study confirms the importance of cultivating a learning culture within an organisation which recognises empathy, compassion, and kindness. My research led to the development of two theoretical models. The first illustrating the relationship between individual and organisational resilience, I termed the ‘Resilience Relationship model.’ The second illustrating the communication of information through a complex organisation I termed the ‘Resilience Web model.’ My research has led me to make recommendations from my perspective as a strategic leader.
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Impact of the global financial crisis on JordanIn the decade leading to the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, Jordan enjoyed substantial market capitalization and GDP growth. As the crisis swept through the world, Jordan seemed to be unaffected for almost a year, encouraging political leaders and officials as well as analysts to declare that Jordan was immune to the crisis and that it was an anomaly in the global context. A year later, market capitalization was suffering massive losses and the economy was in crisis. Fifteen years later, the economic struggle continued while market capitalization was nowhere near pre-crisis levels. Employing a qualitative exploratory research methodology and semi-structured interviews with senior political decision-makers as well as economic and market experts, the study reveals that despite the delay in the effects of the crisis, Jordan was not an anomaly, and in exploring the causes of the delay, the study uncovers the chronic impacts of serious and chronic structural weaknesses in the economy. The research methodology employed and the constructivist approach allowed for delving into the perceptions and subjective narratives of market stakeholders to develop a rounded understanding of dynamics in Jordan’s economy and money market. The study also concludes that limited liberalization in the 1990s and early 2000s triggered massive capital inflow into the country’s small economy and money market, resulting in the formation of massive bubbles that required time before they could burst. Moreover, the study also shows that the enormous capital inflows in the pre-crisis era played a role in discouraging consecutive Jordanian governments from introducing and implementing any real economic reforms. In the years following the crisis, the ability to introduce such necessary reforms was further frustrated by political bickering and the lack of political will at a time when the country was facing one crisis after the other, specifically as a result of the Arab Spring events and eventually Covid-19. The study contributes to the literature on the aftermath of the GFC in emerging markets. The research concludes by presenting recommendations for reform based on the findings and analysis.
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Affective consequences of non-profits becoming business-like: a systemic perspectiveThere is consensus among academics that business discourse in the non-profit sector is now commonplace. This trend, which began in the 1950s, is variously described as the commercialisation, managerialisation, and professionalisation of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs). For some, this has led to neoliberal market vocabulary becoming the dominant discourse. For others, hybrid cultures now combine for-profit ideation and practice with prosocial values. This thesis proposes that this interacting duality has affective consequences for organisational actors. Ludwig Wittgenstein used the phrase ‘language games’ to describe how realities are socially constructed and maintained in human systems. This research explores what is socially constructed when market and prosocial ideologies co-exist and/or clash in NPOs. While there is a significant body of research on the causes and corporate impact of NPOs becoming business-like, researchers lament the dearth of studies on the social consequences of business rhetoric. With this gap in mind, this is a dialogical inquiry into the lived experiences of ten participants (two each) from five Christian international NGOs who identify as faith-permeated. Despite the type of organisation chosen, insights from this inquiry can be applied to any NPO facing relational tensions between prosocial and business values. Participants were interviewed twice, the first time in a semi-structured appreciative inquiry-styled session. These interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis process. Taking an epistemological position that visceral, emotional, and other corporeal forms of knowing are legitimate forms of meaning-making, the second session was an art-based discussion designed to evoke stories of participants’ lived experiences of organisational life. These stories were then used to complement and make sense of the five themes foregrounded by the thematic analysis. As an insider researcher with 30 years of experience as an HR professional in the UK non-profit sector, this thesis also includes the researcher’s autoethnographic accounts as another resource for understanding the affective consequences of value-incongruence on NPO practitioners. Most participants of this study believed that for-profit practices would make their organisations more financially sustainable. Paradoxically, they also spoke to tensions arising from incongruence between prosocial and neoliberal market values. In many instances, these tensions have led to a loss of idealism, causing disillusionment, cynicism, and low morale. Stories told by participants suggest that tensions occur when practices they deem incongruent with their values are imposed. In response, NPO managers use human resource management techniques to create alignment and conformance. This reinforces the sense of incongruity and exacerbates inter-domain tensions. To break this deficit pattern, this thesis recommends that NPOs explore and, where appropriate, innovate forms of ‘organising’ that cohere with their unique ideology, philosophy, and values rather than uncritically adopting business practices. For organisations that regard diversity, equality, and inclusion as integral to their prosocial values, this thesis proposes using alternative forms of organising, such as systemic practice over market-informed managerialism. This requires making the paradigmatic shift from a top-down, diagnostic approach to organising towards a relationally responsive, ethically based, dialogical paradigm that views organisations as communication-based ecosystems consisting of multiple voices, perspectives, values, and experiences.
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Outcome measures in therapeutic settings within social care: perspectives from management, therapists, supervisors, and clientsThe importance of collecting client feedback in social service provision has been increasingly acknowledged over the years. Outcome measures were recently introduced in a therapeutic service in Malta. This thesis explores whether the introduction of outcome measures within a social care organisation helps towards increasing the client’s voice in therapy and during clinical case management supervision. It adopts a systemic framework to look at the interconnectedness between the various sub-systems. Data was collected by means of thirty interviews and two focus groups. Initially baseline data was collected via fifteen interviews with therapists, to gain insight into the use of outcome measures in practice. Over the following six-month period, outcome measures were administered more frequently with clients. The results were subsequently discussed during clinical case management supervision. Qualitative data at follow up stage was subsequently gathered from two focus groups which were held with thirteen therapists, as well as interviews with three leaders, with the manager, and with the Chief Executive Officer. Interviews were also held with ten clients in an effort to seek further understanding of their experience using outcome measures as part of service provision. The findings of the study demonstrate that using outcome measures as a therapeutic instrument helps to strengthen the client’s voice in therapy as the results of outcome measures helps generate new insight by therapists, by supervisors, and by clients. This study proposes a new tripartite supervision model, wherein the use of outcome measures supports the client’s construal to remain at the centre of the supervision process, acting as a triangulated common factor between the therapist, client, and the supervisor. It is recommended that decisions concerning the use of outcome measures should remain at operational level, to overcome resistance to the instruments when perceived as a control mechanism.
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A study on factors affecting eco-friendly tourism products purchase intention in the context of JordanTourism sector has developed over the years as one of the main contributors to the nation’s socio-economy. However, the irresponsible behavior of tourists is the leading cause of the natural environment’s depletion. Consumer behaviour to embrace eco-friendly consumption is an essential component of environmental protection, which finally benefits society. Consumers today are more likely to support environmental protection by embracing eco-friendly, sustainable consumption practices. Therefore, fostering and encouraging ecologically conscious behaviour among travellers is essential. In other words, to move towards a more sustainable future for tourism, changes in consumer behaviour are a crucial step. This research aims to identify and empirically validate the key factors influencing the purchase intention of eco-friendly tourism products in the context of Jordan. To achieve the research aim, a deductive approach was adopted to understand the relevance and influence of the variables and their significant relationships. Based on the extensive literature review and underpinned by the social impact theory and responsible environmental behaviour (REB), a research model was proposed to theorise the relationships between the identified factors that include social impact factors, Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) Credibility, Environmental Attitude, Altruism, Environmental Knowledge and the Eco-friendly Tourism Products Purchase Intention. To further enrich our understanding on the complex relationships and influences of the identified key factors, the study examined how Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) credibility and environmental attitude mediate the relationship between social impact factors (Source Strength, Source Immediacy, Number of Source) and the eco-friendly purchase intention; and how the environmental knowledge and altruism moderate the relationship between EWOM credibility and consumers’ environmental attitudes and between consumers’ environmental attitudes and customers’ intention to purchase eco-friendly tourism products. The quantitative method was employed to collect data using online surveys and to empirically validate the research model and associated hypotheses. Using purposive sampling strategy Eight hundred questionnaires were sent to this target population, Jordanian and international tourists who use social media for tourism-related purposes. Six hundred-eight responses were received. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used. The findings revealed that the source strength and IV the number of sources are significant factors that determine the behavioural intention to purchase eco-friendly tourism products, while source immediacy was found insignificant. Also, the resultant outcomes of this study revealed mediating effects of EWOM and environmental attitudes in the sequential positive relationship between Source Strength, Number of Source, and the Eco-friendly purchase intention. However, revealed non-significant mediating effects of EWOM and environmental attitudes in the sequential positive relationship between source immediacy and Eco-friendly purchase intention. Another key finding is that altruism and environmental knowledge significantly moderated the relationships between EWOM credibility and eco-friendly tourist attitude. However, altruism and environmental knowledge had non-significant moderating effects on the relationships between eco-friendly tourist attitudes and tourist eco-friendly purchase intention. Consequently, the present study might demonstrate that tourists with high altruism and environmental knowledge are more effective in evaluating a EWOM Credibility and affecting their attitude toward eco-friendly products.
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Pressure overload – using echocardiography to investigate left ventricular responses to resistance exercisePrevious research has highlighted significant cardiac alterations in individuals engaged in chronic physical training (Barbier et al., 2006b; Pluim et al., 2000) – a phenomenon known as the ‘Athlete’s Heart’. Whilst it has been hypothesised that these alterations may be training dependent specifically when examining the pattern of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy displayed (Morganroth et al., 1975), there is currently no clear consensus regarding cardiac alterations in individuals engaged in chronic resistance training. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate differences in cardiac structure and function in resistance-trained (RT) athletes and untrained (UT) individuals. Furthermore, as resistance exercise has been found to cause significant elevations in blood pressure (MacDougall et al., 1985; Lentini et al. 1993), it has been suggested that observed differences in cardiac structure between these individuals are a result of exposure to a significant ‘pressure overload’ like that experienced in pathological cardiac conditions (Grossman, Jones, and McLaurin, 1975; Haykowsky et al., 2001). With the use of echocardiography, continuous blood pressure monitoring and mouth pressure (MP) measurements, acute LV responses to resistance exercise – specifically left ventricular systolic wall stress (LV σ) were examined at various submaximal intensities to explore this possible explanation for the observed cardiac alterations previously seen in RT athletes. This thesis found significant differences in cardiac structure between RT athletes and UT individuals (Study 1-3). Specifically, RT athletes displayed significantly greater left ventricular mass (LVM) and interventricular septum (IVS), and posterior wall (PW) thickness compared to both the UT individuals and published upper normal limits (Lang et al., 2015). Additionally, despite evident structural adaptations, no significant impairments in cardiac function were found in the RT athletes (Studies 1-3). During submaximal lower-body resistance exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) was found to significantly increase - indicative of a pressure overload (Study 3). Consequently, LV σ was significantly higher during resistance exercise compared to rest (Study 3) – in contrast to previous research (Haykowsky et al., 2001), with differing acute responses between the RT and UT individuals with regards to MP noted. Significant differences in MP at 80% one-repetition max (1RM) suggested that whilst UT individuals involuntarily performed a breath holding technique known as a Valsalva Manoeuvre (VM) at high intensities, RT athletes did not. To examine these differences further, Study 4 investigated LV response to resistance exercise under different breathing conditions (No instruction, Instructed Steady Breathing, and a Modified VM). Performing a VM caused significant elevations in SBP and MP, although in contrast to previous research this manoeuvre was found to be avoidable during high intensities (Blazek et al., 2019). These elevations in SBP and MP did, however, cause a reduction in transmural pressure (TMP) and consequent LV σ. Overall this thesis indicates that whilst lower-body resistance exercise causes a significant pressure overload, only when a VM is avoided and LV σ is subsequently high, may this explain the significant wall thickening that is observed in RT athletes.
