Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'PHD'

This submission provides a commentary on thirteen of Richard Riddell's publications between 1999 and 2010. It explains the professional and policy contexts from the early 1990s onwards, when the author was a senior Local Authority officer, which gave rise to the thinking behind the first phase of his publications. These included the development of a bespoke school improvement process, deeply rooted in the context of the communities served by a school, and involving the development of an urban pedagogy and curricula. The centre piece of this phase was Schools for Our Cities (Riddell, 2003b). Attention then moved for phase 2 of the publications towards the social processes outside school that advantage middle class children within it. Research for this phase identified a managed model of social reproduction being operated by middle class families with children at independent schools, and an independent school/prestigious university nexus. Policy interventions of the 2000s might have begun to create analogous kinds of social processes for working class children, but they are no longer in place. The central piece for phase 2 was Aspiration, Identity and Self-Belief (Riddell, 2010).

The theme of the works in this portfolio is the creation of an original and distinctive personal language through the use of traditional methods of composition and means of performance. The works have therefore had to rely on their musical argument alone. There is a common strand running through the three works, which is the use of the organ as an essential part of the ensemble. This instrument is used in a variety of guises across the works, including as a largely accompanimental force, as part of an ensemble, and as a 'sound source'. The works show a variety of approaches to structure, including pure musical structure along traditional lines, dramatic structure in accordance with textural considerations, and a more rhapsodic approach to structure in which the piece must achieve its argument through use of the material and the strength of each musical moment. The works are as follows: Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon and Organ - a large-scale suite in three movements; Welcome All Wonders - A Christmas Cantata - a 78-minute work scored for Choir, Trumpet, and Organ; The Phoenix - a rhapsodic work for violin and organ, which features a much freer approach to ensemble, necessitated by considerations of instrumental placing. Within the parameters of conventional instrumental use, I have explored issues of harmony, rhythm, form, and layering, and worked on aspects of drama and musical narrative. Contents: v.1. Composition portfolio (Trio for bassoon, clarinet and organ, Welcome all wonders : a Christmas cantata, The pheonix) -- v.2. composition commentary.

The thesis explores the complex relationship between modern audio technologies and the art of popular music through close scrutiny specific artefacts, a largely neglected area of musicological research. The detailed analyses presented here reveal the ways in which particular analogue and digital audio technologies are used, and how these have tended to shape and inform the musical and sonic characteristics of popular music recordings and related artefacts.

In writing this autoethnography, I invite you to enter into my world. It is not a world that is easy, or altogether happy. In the end, though, it is a story of survival and of perseverance. Trauma touches almost every person in some way. War, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, death, and difficult life events color how we make sense of the world. Trauma may happen in one blinding moment or slowly eat away at us for years. Writing is often a way to cope with that trauma. This dissertation represents a small portion of my traumatic lived experiences that led me up to the doctoral process, and those that occurred in the ten years it took me to complete my dissertation.<br>Doctor of Philosophy<br>In writing this autoethnography, I invite you to enter into my world. It is not a world that is easy, or altogether happy. In the end, though, it is a story of survival and of perseverance. Trauma touches almost every person in some way. War, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, death, and difficult life events color how we make sense of the world. Trauma may happen in one blinding moment or slowly eat away at us for years. Writing is often a way to cope with that trauma. This dissertation represents a small portion of my traumatic lived experiences that led me up to the doctoral process, and those that occurred in the ten years it took me to complete my dissertation.

My portfolio of compositions comprises 13 original composition scores and accompanying CD and DVD media. This work spans a six year period from 2006- 2012 and is written for a variety of instruments from solo piano and vocal works through to large scale orchestral and choral. Nearly all the works have been commissioned and performed professionally and recordings of the performances are included. There are several arcs to the development of my composition that are displayed in this portfolio, and the commentary splits these into four main categories: mechanics of performance, exploring vocal technique, sonority as a structural mechanism and using ‘found material’ for tonal structure. My folio also covers areas of research involving the use of vocal multiphonics (such as traditional Mongolian throat-singing), and conveying poetic meaning through reference and musical discourse. My goal in composing these works is to create a flexible and meaningful compositional technique and, above all, to display a breadth of material and diversity of musical techniques that are equally balanced between experimentation and self-expression.

Bibliography: leaves 181-187.<br>Since its emergence in the 1800s in Germany, the 'modern' Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree has been one of the cornerstones of new knowledge production and research training. Over the past two decades, there has been a surge of debate and reform around doctoral eduction internationally as a result of significant changes in both the global and local contexts within which doctoral education takes place. At the macro level, globalisation and the global economy are redefining what constitutes knowledge, who produces it and for what purposes. At the same time, more than ever before, many governments are depending on doctoral graduates to contribute to achieving national goals. These developments have drawn into question the purpose and form of doctoral programmes and the knowledge products and training outcomes they produce.

The world in which we live is becoming more and more automated, exemplified by the numerous robots, or autonomous vehicles, that operate in air, on land, or in water. These robots perform a wide array of different tasks, ranging from the dangerous, such as underground mining, to the boring, such as vacuum cleaning. In common for all different robots is that they must possess a certain degree of awareness, both of themselves and of the world in which they operate. This thesis considers aspects of two research problems associated with this, more specifically the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) problem and the Multiple Target Tracking (MTT) problem. The SLAM problem consists of having the robot create a map of an environment and simultaneously localize itself in the same map. One way to reduce the effect of small errors that inevitably accumulate over time, and could significantly distort the SLAM result, is to detect loop closure. In this thesis loop closure detection is considered for robots equipped with laser range sensors. Machine learning is used to construct a loop closure detection classifier, and experiments show that the classifier compares well to related work. The resulting SLAM map should only contain stationary objects, however the world also contains moving objects, and to function well a robot should be able to handle both types of objects. The MTT problem consists of having the robot keep track of where the moving objects, called targets, are located, and how these targets are moving. This function has a wide range of applications, including tracking of pedestrians, bicycles and cars in urban environments. Solving the MTT problem can be decomposed into two parts: one part is finding out the number of targets, the other part is finding out what the states of the individual targets are. In this thesis the emphasis is on tracking of so called extended targets. An extended target is a target that can generate any number of measurements, as opposed to a point target that generates at most one measurement. More than one measurement per target raise interesting possibilities to estimate the size and the shape of the target. One way to model the number of targets and the target states is to use random finite sets, which leads to the Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filters. Two implementations of an extended target PHD filter are given, one using Gaussian mixtures and one using Gaussian inverse Wishart (GIW) mixtures. Two models for the size and shape of an extended target measured with laser range sensors are suggested. A framework for estimation of the number of measurements generated by the targets is presented, and reduction of GIW mixtures is addressed. Prediction, spawning and combination of extended targets modeled using GIW distributions is also presented. The extended target tracking functions are evaluated in simulations and in experiments with laser range data.<br>Den värld i vilken vi lever har med tiden blivit allt mer automatiserad. Ett av många tecken på detta är det stora antal robotar, eller autonoma farkoster, som verkar bland annat i luften, på land, eller i vatten. De här robotarna kan utföra ett brett spektrum av olika uppgifter, allt ifrån direkt farliga, som underjordisk gruvdrift och sanering av havererade kärnreaktorer, till alldagliga och tråkiga, som dammsugning och gräsklippning. På samma sätt som en människa behöver använda sina sinnen och sitt medvetande för att hantera vardagen, måste alla typer av robotar ha en viss medvetenhet för att kunna utföra sina uppgifter. Det krävs bland annat att robotarna kan uppfatta och förstå sin arbetsmiljö. I den här avhandlingen behandlas ett antal delar av två stycken övergripande forskningsproblem som är relaterade till detta. Det första forskningsproblemet kallas för samtidig positionering och kartering, vilket på engelska heter Simultaneous Localization and Mapping och förkortas SLAM. Det andra forskningsproblemet kallas för målföljning. SLAM-problemet går ut på att låta roboten skapa en karta av ett område, och samtidigt som kartan skapas positionera sig i den. Exakt vad som menas med karta i det här sammanhanget varierar beroende på robotens specifika arbetsuppgift. Exempelvis kan det, för en inomhusrobot, röra sig om en virtuell modell av var golv, väggar och möbler finns i ett hus. En oundviklig del av SLAM-problemet är att roboten hela tiden gör små fel, vilket påverkar kartan som skapas, samt hur väl roboten kan positionera sig. Enskilda fel har inte särskilt stor inverkan, men om felen ackumuleras under en längre tid kan det leda till att kartan förvrängs, eller att roboten helt enkelt inte kan finna sin position i kartan. Ett sätt att undvika att så sker är att utrusta roboten med en funktion vilken gör det möjligt för roboten att känna igen platser som den har besökt tidigare, vilket kallas platsigenkänning. När roboten känner igen en plats kan den jämföra med vad kartan och positionen säger. Om kartan och positionen inte säger att roboten är tillbaka på en plats som tidigare besökts kan denna diskrepans korrigeras. Resultatet är en karta och en position som bättre representerar verkligheten. I den här avhandlingen har platsigenkänning studerats för robotar som är utrustade med laserscanners, och en funktion för platsigenkänning har skapats. I en serie experiment har det visats att funktionen kan känna igen platser såväl inomhus i kontorsmiljö, som utomhus i stadsmiljö. Det har även visats att funktionens egenskaper jämför sig väl med tidigare arbete på området. Den resulterande SLAM-kartan bör av naturliga skäl endast innehålla stationära föremål. Vår värld innehåller dock även rörliga föremål, och för att en robot ska kunna arbeta på ett säkert sätt måste den även hålla reda på alla rörliga föremål som finns i dess närhet. Det andra forskningsproblemet som behandlats i avhandlingen, målföljning, går ut på att utrusta roboten med funktioner som gör det möjligt för den att hålla reda på var de rörliga målen är, samt vart de är på väg att röra sig. Exempelvis kan den här typen av funktioner användas till att hålla reda på fotgängare, cyklister och bilar i en stadsmiljö. Tidigare har forskningen inom målföljning varit fokuserad på så kallade punktmål. Vid följning av punktmål kan följningsproblemet sägas ha två delar: den ena är att räkna ut hur många rörliga mål det finns, den andra är att räkna ut var varje enskilt mål befinner sig, samt vart det är på väg. Här har fokus istället legat på följning av vad som kallas för utsträckta mål, en typ av mål som rönt ökande uppmärksamhet i forskningsvärlden de senaste fem till tio åren. Med utsträckta mål får följningsproblemet en tredje del: att för varje enskilt mål räkna ut storleken och formen på målet, det vill säga den spatiala utsträckningen. Att känna till utsträckningen på de rörliga målen är viktigt exempelvis för en robot som ska ta sig genom ett rum där många person befinner sig. För att göra det krävs att roboten rör sig nära personerna, utan att för den skull krocka med någon. Att lösa detta på ett bra sätt kräver att roboten har kunskap inte bara om var personerna befinner sig, utan även hur mycket plats de tar upp. I avhandlingen har ett antal aspekter av följning av utsträckta mål studerats. En viktig och komplicerande aspekt av följning av såväl punktmål, som utsträckta mål, är att roboten på förhand inte vet hur många mål som finns i dess närhet. En funktion för att hantera osäkerheterna kring antalet mål som finns, samt osäkerheterna kring var varje mål befinner sig, har implementerats. I många situationer är det nödvändigt att kunna prediktera, eller förutsäga, var de olika målen kommer att befinna sig i den närmaste framtiden. Det kan exempelvis röra sig om en robot som ska köra genom en vägkorsning, och då måste undvika att krocka med övrig trafik. För detta ändamål har en prediktionsfunktion tagits fram. När ett större antal mål rör sig i robotens närhet kan det bli svårt att följa varje enskilt mål. Istället kan roboten följa grupper av mål. Det blir då nödvändigt att hålla reda på vad som sker när mål lämnar gruppen, eller nya mål ansluter till gruppen. Fritt översatt från engelska till svenska kan dessa två händelser kallas för målproduktion och målkombination. Funktioner för att hantera produktion och kombination av utsträckta mål har tagits fram. För att roboten ska kunna beräkna ett måls spatiala utsträckning krävs modeller för formen på målen. När laserscanners används kan formen på en bil sägas vara approximativt rektangulär, och formen på en person kan sägas vara approximativt elliptisk. Beräkning av storleken på rektangulära och elliptiska mål har studerats för robotar utrustade med laserscanners. Målföljningsfunktionerna som nämnts ovan har utvärderats med hjälp av såväl simulerade data, som experimentella data insamlade med laserscanners. Resultaten visar att det arbete som har utförts jämför sig väl med tidigare arbete på området.<br>CADICS<br>ETT<br>CUAS

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1992.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-157).<br>by Deborah A. Wallach.<br>M.S.

The majority of research on academic procrastination has been conducted among undergraduate students, and there is relatively little research investigating procrastination among doctoral students. PhD students are different from undergraduates: they might need a higher level of self-regulatory ability to conduct research. The aim of this thesis was to fill the research gap in the investigation of academic procrastination among PhD students in the UK. More specifically, the current investigation combined different perspectives to examine the extent to which PhD students procrastinate, explores the relationships between a variety of psychological variables, doctoral satisfaction and academic procrastination, and identifies the antecedents and influence of procrastination in relation to PhD students’ own experience. This thesis comprises three studies. Firstly, a cross-sectional study (N=285) was conducted in order to assess the relationship between doctoral satisfaction, Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and academic procrastination. In Study 2, a longitudinal research design was employed to examine the stability of the identified relationships over a 12-month period (N=79). The results indicated that doctoral satisfaction and depression had long-term influence on PhD students’ procrastinatory behaviour. In addition, conscientiousness was found to have an effect on academic procrastination only in the cross-sectional study, while openness was found to predict procrastination longitudinally. Moreover, doctoral satisfaction also had meditional effect on the relationship between personality traits, self-efficacy, anxiety, and procrastination. In Study 3, the antecedents and consequences of academic procrastination in terms of UK PhD students’ own perspectives were explored in twenty-one in-depth interviews. Data were thematically analysed and a description of the themes concerning antecedents, positive and negative consequences of procrastination, and coping strategies used to help reduce procrastination, is provided. The findings indicates that PhD students’ procrastination is a multifaceted phenomenon with cognitive, affective, and behavioul factors influencing its likelihood. Causes and effects of academic procrastination among PhD students are discussed on the basis of findings from the quantitative and qualitative studies, by considering individual differences, psychological state, and contextual factors in a new conceptual model of academic procrastination. The findings point to a range of possible procrastination-reduction interventions focused on doctoral satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. The strengths and limitations of this work are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, 2004.<br>Chapter headings on separately inserted unnumbered cream coloured leaves. Bibliography: leaves 122-135.

This thesis consists of empirical and theoretical studies on the liquidity of bond markets. In the first study, we present an extended model for the estimation of the effective bid-ask spread that improves the existing models and offers a new direction of generalisation. The quoted bid-ask spread represents the prices available at a given time for transactions only up to some relatively small trade size. Trades can be executed inside or outside the quoted bid-ask spread. Thus, we extend Roll's model to include multiple spreads of different sizes and their associated probabilities. The extended model is estimated via a Bayesian approach, and the fit of the model to a time series of a year of corporate bond transaction data is assessed by a Bayesian model selection method. Results show that our extended model fits the data better. Our second study examines the relationships between different liquidity proxies and the non-default corporate yield spread as well as the effective bid-ask spread. We first separate the non-default component of bond spreads from the default one by using the information contained in credit default swaps. We then apply our state-space extension of the Roll model to disentangle the unobservable non-default yield spread from the effective bid-ask spread. The empirical results show that the non-default yield spread has a nonlinear relationship with time to maturity and a positive correlation with the bid-ask spread as well as with the default risk, and therefore may reflect the future expected liquidity. We find that the effective bid-ask spread is related to bond characteristics associated with illiquidity (e.g. timeto-maturity and issue amount) and trading activity measures (e.g. daily turnover, and daily average trade size), indicating that transactions costs are more likely to be associated with the current level of liquidity rather than the future expected liquidity. We also find that the non-default component accounted for a bigger proportion of the yield spread before the financial crisis 2007 - 2009, whereas during the crisis credit risk played a more influential role in determining the yield spread. Common factors such as the underlying volatility and CDS spread explain more of the variation in the non-default yield spread and the bid-ask spread than idiosyncratic factors such as timeto-maturity, issue size, and trading activity proxies do. The third study presents an equilibrium model in which the heterogeneity of liquidity among bonds is determined endogenously. In particular we show that bonds differ in their liquidity despite having identical cash flow, riskiness and issue amount. Under certain conditions, we show that investors have strong preference for concentrating trading on a small number of bonds. We conjecture that the identity of the ones which are traded may result from a `Sunspot' equilibrium where it is optimal for traders to randomly label a subset of the bonds as the `liquid' ones and concentrating trading on them. We also show that changing the model assumptions leads to different equilibrium configurations where trading is spread over the bonds. In addition, by utilising the concepts of stochastic dominance, utility indifference pricing, and some specific assumptions on asset value and order arrival rate, the equilibrium prices and bid-ask spreads can be quantified.

The plant homeodomain (PHD) is a protein domain of ~45�100 residues characterised by a Cys4-His-Cys3 zinc-binding motif. When we commenced our study of the PHD in 2000, it was clear that the domain was commonly found in proteins involved in transcription. Sequence alignments indicate that while the cysteines, histidine and a few other key residues are strictly conserved, the rest of the domain varies greatly in terms of both amino acid composition and length. However, no structural information was available on the PHD and little was known about its function. We were therefore interested in determining the structure of a PHD in the hope that this might shed some light on its function and molecular mechanism of action. Our work began with the structure determination of a representative PHD, Mi2b-P2, and this work is presented in Chapter 3. Through comparison of this structure with the two other PHD structures that were determined during the course of our work, it became clear that PHDs adopt a well-defined globular fold with a superimposable core region. In addition, PHDs contain two loop regions (termed L1 and L3) that display increased flexibility and overlay less well between the three PHD structures available. These L1 and L3 regions correspond to variable regions identified earlier in PHD sequence alignments, indicating that L1 and L3 are probably not crucial for the PHD fold, but are instead likely to be responsible for imparting function(s) to the PHD. Indeed, numerous recent functional studies of PHDs from different proteins have since demonstrated their ability in binding a range of other proteins. In order to ascertain whether or not L1 and L3 were in fact dispensable for folding, we made extensive mutations (including both insertions and substitutions) in the loop regions of Mi2b-P2 and showed that the structure was maintained. We then went on to illustrate that a new function could be imparted to Mi2b-P2 by inserting a five-residue CtBP-binding motif into the L1 region and showed this chimera could fold and bind CtBP. Having established that the PHD could adopt a new binding function, we next sought to use combinatorial methods to introduce other novel functions into the PHD scaffold. Phage display was selected for this purpose, because it is a well-established technique and has been used successfully to engineer zinc-binding domains by other researchers. However, in order to establish this technique in our laboratory, we first chose a control system in which two partner proteins were already known to interact in vitro. We chose the protein complex formed between the transcriptional regulators LMO2 and ldb1 as a test case. We have examined this interaction in detail in our laboratory, and determined its three-dimensional structure. Furthermore, inappropriate formation of this complex is implicated in the onset of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We therefore sought to use phage display to engineer ldb1 mimics that could potentially compete against wild-type ldb1 for LMO2, and this work is described in Chapter 4. Using a phage library containing ~3 x 10 7 variants of the LMO2-binding region of ldb1, we isolated mutants that were able to interact with LMO2 with higher affinity and specificity than wild-type ldb1. These ldb1 mutants represent a first step towards finding potential therapeutics for treating LMO-associated diseases. Having established phage display in our laboratory, we went on to search for PHD mutants that could bind selected target proteins. This work is described in Chapter 5. We created three PHD libraries with eight randomized residues in each of L1, L3 or in both loops of the PHD. These PHD libraries were then screened against four target proteins. After four rounds of selection, we were able to isolate a PHD mutant (dubbed L13-FH6) that could bind our test protein Fli-ets. This result demonstrates that a novel function can be imparted to the PHD using combinatorial methods and opens the way for further work in applying the PHD scaffold to other protein design work. In summary, the work detailed in Chapters 3 and 5 demonstrates that the PHD possesses many of the properties that are desirable for a protein scaffold for molecular recognition, including small size, stability, and a well-characterised structure. Moreover, the PHD motif possesses two loops (L1 and L3) of substantial size that can be remodeled for target binding. This may lead to an enhancement of binding affinities and specificities over other small scaffolds that have only one variable loop. In light of the fact that PHDs are mainly found in nuclear proteins, it is reasonable to expect that engineered PHDs could be expressed and function in an intracellular environment, unlike many other scaffolds that can only function in an oxidizing environment. Therefore, our results together with other currently available genomic and functional information indicate PHD is an excellent candidate for a scaffold that could be used to modify cellular processes. Appendices 1 and 2 describe completed bodies of work on unrelated projects that I have carried out during the course of my PhD candidature. The first comprises the invention and application of DNA sequences that contain all N-base sequences in the minimum possible length. This work is presented as a reprint of our recently published paper in Nucleic Acids Research. The second Appendix describes our structural analysis of an antifreeze protein from the shorthorn sculpin, a fish that lives in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. This work is presented as a manuscript that is currently under review at the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The plant homeodomain (PHD) is a protein domain of ~45�100 residues characterised by a Cys4-His-Cys3 zinc-binding motif. When we commenced our study of the PHD in 2000, it was clear that the domain was commonly found in proteins involved in transcription. Sequence alignments indicate that while the cysteines, histidine and a few other key residues are strictly conserved, the rest of the domain varies greatly in terms of both amino acid composition and length. However, no structural information was available on the PHD and little was known about its function. We were therefore interested in determining the structure of a PHD in the hope that this might shed some light on its function and molecular mechanism of action. Our work began with the structure determination of a representative PHD, Mi2b-P2, and this work is presented in Chapter 3. Through comparison of this structure with the two other PHD structures that were determined during the course of our work, it became clear that PHDs adopt a well-defined globular fold with a superimposable core region. In addition, PHDs contain two loop regions (termed L1 and L3) that display increased flexibility and overlay less well between the three PHD structures available. These L1 and L3 regions correspond to variable regions identified earlier in PHD sequence alignments, indicating that L1 and L3 are probably not crucial for the PHD fold, but are instead likely to be responsible for imparting function(s) to the PHD. Indeed, numerous recent functional studies of PHDs from different proteins have since demonstrated their ability in binding a range of other proteins. In order to ascertain whether or not L1 and L3 were in fact dispensable for folding, we made extensive mutations (including both insertions and substitutions) in the loop regions of Mi2b-P2 and showed that the structure was maintained. We then went on to illustrate that a new function could be imparted to Mi2b-P2 by inserting a five-residue CtBP-binding motif into the L1 region and showed this chimera could fold and bind CtBP. Having established that the PHD could adopt a new binding function, we next sought to use combinatorial methods to introduce other novel functions into the PHD scaffold. Phage display was selected for this purpose, because it is a well-established technique and has been used successfully to engineer zinc-binding domains by other researchers. However, in order to establish this technique in our laboratory, we first chose a control system in which two partner proteins were already known to interact in vitro. We chose the protein complex formed between the transcriptional regulators LMO2 and ldb1 as a test case. We have examined this interaction in detail in our laboratory, and determined its three-dimensional structure. Furthermore, inappropriate formation of this complex is implicated in the onset of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We therefore sought to use phage display to engineer ldb1 mimics that could potentially compete against wild-type ldb1 for LMO2, and this work is described in Chapter 4. Using a phage library containing ~3 x 10 7 variants of the LMO2-binding region of ldb1, we isolated mutants that were able to interact with LMO2 with higher affinity and specificity than wild-type ldb1. These ldb1 mutants represent a first step towards finding potential therapeutics for treating LMO-associated diseases. Having established phage display in our laboratory, we went on to search for PHD mutants that could bind selected target proteins. This work is described in Chapter 5. We created three PHD libraries with eight randomized residues in each of L1, L3 or in both loops of the PHD. These PHD libraries were then screened against four target proteins. After four rounds of selection, we were able to isolate a PHD mutant (dubbed L13-FH6) that could bind our test protein Fli-ets. This result demonstrates that a novel function can be imparted to the PHD using combinatorial methods and opens the way for further work in applying the PHD scaffold to other protein design work. In summary, the work detailed in Chapters 3 and 5 demonstrates that the PHD possesses many of the properties that are desirable for a protein scaffold for molecular recognition, including small size, stability, and a well-characterised structure. Moreover, the PHD motif possesses two loops (L1 and L3) of substantial size that can be remodeled for target binding. This may lead to an enhancement of binding affinities and specificities over other small scaffolds that have only one variable loop. In light of the fact that PHDs are mainly found in nuclear proteins, it is reasonable to expect that engineered PHDs could be expressed and function in an intracellular environment, unlike many other scaffolds that can only function in an oxidizing environment. Therefore, our results together with other currently available genomic and functional information indicate PHD is an excellent candidate for a scaffold that could be used to modify cellular processes. Appendices 1 and 2 describe completed bodies of work on unrelated projects that I have carried out during the course of my PhD candidature. The first comprises the invention and application of DNA sequences that contain all N-base sequences in the minimum possible length. This work is presented as a reprint of our recently published paper in Nucleic Acids Research. The second Appendix describes our structural analysis of an antifreeze protein from the shorthorn sculpin, a fish that lives in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. This work is presented as a manuscript that is currently under review at the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The body of research presented here represents an important contribution to knowledge in the field of the future of work with particular reference to work facilitated by Information and Communications Technology (ICTs). The work encompasses a number of levels of analysis: the macro level, the organisational level and the workforce level. It has explored previously neglected areas of self-employment, and has contributed to understanding of both corporate and self-employed telework. The submission document is organised as follows: following the list of submitted work the Introduction explores the background to the research area, and then provides a detailed commentary on each piece of submitted work, including clear information on the author's contribution to publications which are co-authored. The Conclusion outlines how the research has added to the existing body of knowledge in the subject fields, and this is followed by a Literature Review which sets the submitted work into the broader context of research on telework and the future of work and employment.

This work aimed to investigate the evolutionary origin of the involvement of the HIF Prolyl Hydroxylases (PHDs) in oxygen sensing. The &alpha;/&beta;-heterodimer HIF (<u>H</u>ypoxia <u>I</u>nducible <u>F</u>actor) is a master regulator of oxygen homoeostasis in metazoans. In the nucleus, HIF binds to the Hypoxia Responsive Elements and forms a transcriptional complex that activates the transcription of a multitude of downstream genes. Under normoxic conditions, the Fe(II)- and oxygen-dependent PHDs catalyse 4R-prolyl-hydroxylation of the HIF &alpha;-subunit, which subsequently leads to its degradation. It had previously been proposed that the evolution of the HIF-pathway, shared by all metazoans but not found in other organisms, is linked to the rapid diversification of multicellular life during the Cambrian Explosion. This work investigates the structural and biochemical properties of a PHD of the basal metazoan Trichoplax adhaerens (taPHD), and a PHD-like enzyme of the protist Monosiga brevicollis (mbP4H). Two crystal structures of taPHD were obtained (1.2-1.3 Å), one containing a Trichoplax adhaerens HIF&alpha; subunit peptide (taODD). Comparison with crystal structures of human PHD2 showed a high degree of conservation of structural features and enzyme-substrate interactions. The prolyl-residue of taODD, shown to be hydroxylated by taPHD, is occupying the C⁴-endo conformation in the crystal structure, supporting the previously proposed mechanism of HIF&alpha; hydroxylation by PHD2 in humans. A conservation of biochemical properties with human PHD2, such as the formation of a stable enzyme-Fe(II)-2OG complex, was observed and could therefore be key to oxygen sensing by the PHDs. mbP4H was shown to catalyse 4R-prolyl-hydroxylation of taODD. It was proposed that the native substrate of mbP4H is a protein containing a prolyl-hydroxylation site similar to taODD, possibly with a YXXLAP motif. The study of biochemical properties and substrate selectivity of mbP4H suggests that the precursor of PHDs may have had similar properties to mbP4H. Further work on mbP4H could therefore yield clues about the evolutionary origin of HIF-prolyl hydroxylases in oxygen sensing and probe the previously proposed connection between metazoan life and HIF–mediated oxygen sensing.

In commenting on the work of Kelly, Bannister and Fransella (1980: 53) note that research may be defined as the process whereby people try to make sense of things. In order to achieve this, the importance of working with rather than on subjects is stressed as is the need for researchers to explicitly state, as far as they are able, the constructs within which they believe themselves to be working. Cohen et al note that critical theory and critical educational research have a substantive agenda: for example, examining and interrogating: the relationships between school and society - how schools perpetuate or reduce inequality; the social construction of knowledge and curricula, who defines worthwhile knowledge, what ideological interests this serves, how power is produced and reproduced through education. (2007: 27) Underlying both of these assertions is the implication that in order effectively to look outwards, the researcher must be prepared to look inwards; in order to move forwards, one must critically assess the past. Such a project requires critical thinking, that is, thinking that embodies the attributes of `quality' thinking based on a sound knowledge of context and resulting in reasoned judgements regarding what to believe and how to act. (Bailin 1998: 145)

This dissertation focuses on the production of knowledge that contributes to economic growth through the accumulation of human capital and technological change. More specifically, I look at the proclivity and effectiveness of different types of universities and colleges to send individuals on to pursue a doctoral degree in science or engineering (S&E) and how PhD attainment relates to characteristics of students who attend these institutions and the faculty who teach at these institutions. A tobit estimation is employed to test for institution effects, the effect of student and faculty characteristics, and also the impact of economic factors. To partially control for selection, survey results from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) are used to determine students’ desire for a PhD when entering and exiting college. I find that student and faculty characteristics matter, as do economic variables. Unobservable and/or un-measureable characteristics affecting PhD output, which differ systematically by type of institution, however, remain even after controlling for the aforementioned variables. Based on the analysis in this dissertation, I conclude that much of what are typically regarded as tier effects on PhD output are in fact due to the selective matching between students and their undergraduate institutions. By adding measures for selective matching and proxies for individual opportunities, we see that ability, faculty characteristics and accomplishments, and peer effects maintain significant, positive effects on rates of PhD output. Finally, rates vary not only by institution type, but also by field.

This thesis presents an exploration of the "purpose and process" of doctoral education and has twin, equally valuable, purposes: to make an original theoretical contribution and to improve professional practice in this area. This work addresses the lack of pedagogical research into doctoral education at a time when changing perspectives are reshaping the doctoral education landscape. A number of alternatives to the traditional research PhD now exist and this has generated debate as to the specific differences between the various programmes. This research explores the purpose and process of doctoral education from the perspective of the traditional PhD and the professional doctorate and uses Northumbria University as the case study institution. This research is timely since at Northumbria new doctoral programmes are being established and existing professional doctorate programmes are undergoing significant revisions to try and provide distinctive alternatives to the PhD. The current debates regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the PhD and professional doctorates are presented and three key processes of doctoral study are critically reviewed; knowledge generation, supervision and assessment. A distinguishing feature of this research is my own position within the research setting: I am both a DBA student and a member of staff involved with the delivery of doctoral programmes. Furthermore, the product of the research itself is enmeshed with the research topic and I introduce the concept of "compounded insiderness" to describe this situation. Methodologically, this has lead to the adoption of a constructivist ontological stance coupled with an interpretivist theoretical perspective for analysis. The subjectivity of this research and my influence on the research process has been acknowledged as a central feature, demonstrated through reflexive behaviour. The research strategy is inductive in nature with data generated through twenty-two ethically conducted interviews with purposively selected participants in the doctoral research community at Northumbria University. Software has been used to store, organise and manipulate the data that were then analysed using a combination of concept driven and data driven coding structured using Nigel King's template analysis method. Student perceptions were analysed separately within PhD and professional doctorate subgroups and then compared across the two programmes whereas the staff interview data were analysed as a whole. I argue that this research is highly transparent and has the potential to be transferable to other higher education intuitions. This research makes an original theoretical contribution by concluding that, at a broad level of comparison, the taught stage of the professional doctorate separates the routes initially but once the research phase is underway, the PhD and professional doctorate at Northumbria University overlap considerably. Where differences exist, these are subtle and more likely to be related to the purpose of the programmes rather than any tangible differences that would be experienced by students in terms of process. Staff may see the programmes as "notionally different", but the interpretation of the purpose of a professional doctorate is subject to debate, particularly with regard to "making an original contribution to knowledge" and the role of theory. As a consequence, this raises serious questions regarding assessment. Professional doctorates are caught in a difficult position, since they desire to be different to a PhD and to attract different candidates, but must maintain a level of academic parity in order to be attractive. This research aims to improve professional practice at Northumbria University by raising awareness of similarities and differences between the programmes and it has already made an impact in this respect.

This thesis provides an analysis of supervisory interactions between PhD supervisors and their students within social science disciplines, using the Competing Values Framework (CVF). Traditionally, such work has been conducted using a supervisor-centred perspective, and this thesis adds to the literature by adopting a student-centred view to look at supervisor's behaviours during the interaction, from a role performance perspective in light of the CVF. Drawing primarily on semi-structured interpersonal process recall interview data, the thesis considers a number of interlinking analytical themes. These can be divided into three broad groups. The first focuses on investigating the CVF roles that are adopted by the supervisor during the interaction and recognized by the students as important component parts of the most helpful supervisory moments. In line with the previous literature, I note that the most effective supervisory behaviours reflect the performance of all the eight CVF roles with the producer and the director occupying the dominant position. The second group is closely linked with the first and investigates CVF managerial roles represented by the least helpful supervision moments selected by the student. I note how PhD supervisors inadequate use, including both overuse and underuse of the CVF roles are related to the least effective supervisory moments. The director and the producer are again the most represented ones which are reported as being mostly underused. The third group analyses students advice on further improvements . In conclusion, I relate my analysis to existing literature and examined the contributions of the thesis to three main areas of research. This research finds that instances of positive and negative supervisee feedback reflect an increased influence of marketorientation and manageralism on research students and correspondingly inadequate use of managerial roles by supervisors.

Video-based single human tracking has found wide application but multiple human tracking is more challenging and enhanced processing techniques are required to estimate the positions and number of targets in each frame. In this thesis, the particle probability hypothesis density (PHD) lter is therefore the focus due to its ability to estimate both localization and cardinality information related to multiple human targets. To improve the tracking performance of the particle PHD lter, a number of enhancements are proposed. The Student's-t distribution is employed within the state and measurement models of the PHD lter to replace the Gaussian distribution because of its heavier tails, and thereby better predict particles with larger amplitudes. Moreover, the variational Bayesian approach is utilized to estimate the relationship between the measurement noise covariance matrix and the state model, and a joint multi-dimensioned Student's-t distribution is exploited. In order to obtain more observable measurements, a backward retrodiction step is employed to increase the measurement set, building upon the concept of a smoothing algorithm. To make further improvement, an adaptive step is used to combine the forward ltering and backward retrodiction ltering operations through the similarities of measurements achieved over discrete time. As such, the errors in the delayed measurements generated by false alarms and environment noise are avoided. In the nal work, information describing human behaviour is employed iv Abstract v to aid particle sampling in the prediction step of the particle PHD lter, which is captured in a social force model. A novel social force model is proposed based on the exponential function. Furthermore, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) step is utilized to resample the predicted particles, and the acceptance ratio is calculated by the results from the social force model to achieve more robust prediction. Then, a one class support vector machine (OCSVM) is applied in the measurement model of the PHD lter, trained on human features, to mitigate noise from the environment and to achieve better tracking performance. The proposed improvements of the particle PHD lters are evaluated with benchmark datasets such as the CAVIAR, PETS2009 and TUD datasets and assessed with quantitative and global evaluation measures, and are compared with state-of-the-art techniques to con rm the improvement of multiple human tracking performance.

Monocytic leukaemia zinc-finger protein (MOZ) is a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) implicated in haematopoiesis and acute myeloid leukaemia, as well as embryonic and postnatal development. MOZ contains multiple domains, including a MYST HAT domain and a double PHD finger domain (DPF) suggesting it interacts with histones. This work has established for the first time that the MOZ DPF exhibits dual functionality in establishing and sensing post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones. Firstly, our data detected the direct interaction of MOZ with the N-terminal tails of histones H3 and H4 and shows that the MOZ DPF domain mediates such binding. Both PHD fingers are required and functionally cooperate to establish the DPF histone binding preference in terms of PTMs. We demonstrate that H3K4me3 prevents MOZ DPF association with H3, although H3K4me2 is tolerated. Similarly, H4Kac acts as a dominant exit signal that excludes MOZ from chromatin. This ability to sense H3K4 PTM status was confirmed in a collaborative effort establishing the crystal structure of MOZ DPF in complex with an unmodified H3 peptide. The H3 peptide adopted an α-helical conformation in the complex, which has not previously been observed. Secondly, we present novel data showing that the MOZ DPF domain exhibits a mild histone H3-specific acetyltransferase activity. This provides the first report of a possible enzymatic role in chromatin modification attributed to a PHD finger. Furthermore, the combined DPF and MYST domains were found to influence the reaction rate and substrate specificity of MOZ-induced histone acetylation. Our studies revealed that the MOZ DPF could associate with heterochromatic PTMs, namely H3K9me3. We report here that both the H3K9-specific methyltransferase SUV39H1 and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) form interactions with MOZ, implicating its function in both corepressor and coactivator complexes. Thus, our data suggest that like several other chromatin-associated proteins, MOZ is a multi-functional regulator of chromatin modification and gene expression.

Yn sail i'r astudiaeth hon y mae'r dyfyniad canlynol: 'The problems of language in drama were crystallised - as problems - in the early dramatic criticism of Eliot' (Kennedy, 1975, t.5). Y cwestiwn ymchwil yw: 'I ba raddau y bu heriau ieithyddol yn ffenomenon wrth ysgrifennu drama ar gyfer y theatr a'r teledu Cymraeg?' Eir ati i geisio ateb y cwestiwn ymchwil drwy gyfrwng astudiaeth feirniadol, ac ymatebir i'r canlyniadau drwy waith creadigol. Yn y rhan feirniadol (pennod 1 i 6), archwilir yn gyntaf i ba raddau y bu i ddramodwyr rhyngwladol wynebu heriau ieithyddol wrth ysgrifennu ar gyfer y theatr a'r teledu. Yna, edrychir ar y datblygiadau cynnar yn y theatr Gymraeg o 1880 hyd y 1950au, ac yna'r teledu Cymraeg o 1955 hyd at 1962. Dadansoddir wedyn i ba raddau y bu heriau ieithyddol yn ffenomenon i bum dramodydd unigol o gyfnodau gwahanol, sef Saunders Lewis, John Gwilym Jones, Gwenlyn Parry, Aled Jones Williams a Daf James. Ar ddiwedd yr astudiaeth feirniadol, ffocysir ar un mater neilltuol, sef y berthynas rhwng yr iaith Gymraeg a'r ddrama deledu realaidd. Er na ellir honni bod pob dramodydd Cymraeg wedi wynebu heriau ieithyddol, daw'n amlwg bod iaith fel her yn ystyriaeth gyson yng ngwaith y pum dramodydd dan sylw. Ymatebodd y dramodwyr i'r heriau ac esgorodd hyn ar gryn arbrofi, ac ar greadigrwydd aruthrol. Ym mhennod 7, ceir pontio rhwng yr adran feirniadol a'r creadigol; trafodaf yr heriau a wynebais i a hynny yng nghyd-destun y drafodaeth feirniadol. Mae penodau 8, 9 a 10 yn cynnwys y gwaith creadigol. Ceir dwy ddrama lwyfan wedi'u hysbrydoli gan gymeriadau Blodeuwedd a Branwen. Yma, archwilir heriau amryw-iaith, heriau hunan-iaith, a heriau cyfathrebu rhwng y cymeriadau. Cyfres deledu mewn tair rhan yw Pluen sydd yn defnyddio realaeth hudol a ffantasi i archwilio iaith y teledu; yma archwilir heriau cyfathrebu drwy iaith, y berthynas rhwng realaeth a'r iaith Gymraeg, ac arbrofi ieithyddol ar y teledu.

I start from the principle that composition is a historical lineage of techniques that have traditionally been applied to music but need not be. To illustrate this, I apply composition principles to the writing of this PhD thesis. In describing this process, I draw parallels between the music work I have composed during 2013-2017 and the process of thesis writing. Along the way, I show how quantization is not only central to my composition practice but fundamental to the act of composing; I rethink the basic epistemological principles of PhD research, using John Cage's ideology of chance and Arthur Koestler's idea of bisociation; I develop a new set of categories for classifying artworks that use combinatorics, under the umbrella neologism 'completism'; expand upon James Tenney's ideas to create a new typology of musical form based on completist principles; and finish by composing the bibliography, font, page-layout, semantics, word choice, and syntax of the Conclusion of this thesis.

Shortages of PhD graduates to fill CSD faculty positions have been a concern for over 15 years. The ASHA AAB (collaborating with CAPCSD) completed interviews of Coordinators of almost all 76 CSD PhD Programs. Results and successful aspects of the programs will be highlighted to stimulate discussion among participants.

This study takes a close look at the characteristics of the feedback received by PhD candidates and explores how they then interpret that feedback. Over 200 PhD candidates participated in the study by providing data over a six month period using a custom-built Internet-interfaced database. Each candidate completed a self-concept test both at the beginning and again at the end of this period. In between, they completed an 'e-diary' in which they recorded data about every feedback interaction that they experienced over the six months. From the data collected, the Researcher developed a model showing how feedback is processed and the effect that this process has on PhD candidates.

The Australian PhD is evolving, following a more global response to ensure the PhD structure reflects current employment pathways (Group of Eight, 2013). Aligned to this, is the argument that experiences of doctoral candidates could be greatly enriched by developing integrated (and individualised) programs (Kiley, 2014). A review of the current literature deliberating the contemporary PhD, focusing on industry engagement, informed this study from conception through to development of the analytical framework. The review identified that little is known about the first-hand experiences of the diverse stakeholders involved with PhD industry engagement, leading to several assumptions and myths being perpetuated on this important aspect of PhD education. Importantly, the review also found that no surveys have been undertaken to analyse the value of industry engagement in the Australian PhD from the perspectives of graduates, academic supervisors and industry representatives. Therefore, this research project addressed these gaps through qualitative questionnaires designed to capture detailed perspectives of these three stakeholder groups and address the overall research question - what is the perceived value of industry engagement in the PhD from different stakeholders? While the focus of this research is the Australian PhD, this research is relevant to doctoral education globally. The analysis comprised top-down and bottom-up theming and coding in Nvivo11. Emergent themes clustered around perceived challenges, benefits, concerns and recommended practice when engaging in collaborative PhD programs. Key findings indicate that individual perceptions of PhD industry engagement are influenced by existing internalised values and attitudes, external factors such as relationships and networks, as well as institutional or systematic requirements, structures and processes. This research has potential and actual implications for decision-making regarding investing in opportunities for PhD candidates that encourage industry engagement. Recommended practice might be aimed at increasing opportunities for collaboration with industry throughout PhD candidature and offering work placements in multiple environments to keep skills and professional identities current. This approach would also allow for unstructured and individualised experiences vital for student learning. Increasing awareness of all stakeholders around alternative sector definitions, requirements, motivations and potential contributions to the research and innovation endeavour will demystify roles and expectations, unify all sides, break down the barriers and shift perspectives on the forces that drive innovation.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2005.<br>Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 336 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-336). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Le filtrage multiobjet est une technique de résolution du problème de détection et/ou suivi dans un contexte multicible. Cette thèse s'intéresse au filtre PHD (Probability Hypothesis Density), une célèbre approximation du filtre RFS (Random Finite Set) adaptée au cas où les observations sont le fruit d'un seul capteur. La première partie propose une construction rigoureuse du filtre PHD multicapteur exact et son expression simplifiée, sans approximation, grâce à un partitionnement joint de l'espace d'état des cibles et des capteurs. Avec cette nouvelle méthode, la solution exacte du filtre PHD multicapteur peut être propagée dans des scénarios de surveillance simples. La deuxième partie aborde le problème de gestion des capteurs dans le cadre du PHD. A chaque itération, le BET (Balanced Explorer and Tracker) construit une prédiction du PHD multicapteur a posteriori grâce au PIMS (Predicted Ideal Measurement Set) et définit un contrôle multicapteur en respectant quelques critères opérationnels simples adaptés aux missions de surveillance.

Posterpresentation:  IFHE World Congress 2012 , 16-21 juli  Melbourne Australia International Federation for Home Economics Global Wellbeing Global creativity and innovation: Developing capacities for sustainable futures   Abstract “The Conscious Meal “– ideas for studies in a PhD-thesis PhD Student Cecilia M Sporre, Associate Professor Inger M Jonsson, The School of Hospitality, Culinary arts &amp; Meal Science, Örebro University, Sweden Aim The aim is to discuss ideas for a newly started PhD thesis. The focus is on a rather tacit concept -“The Conscious Meal”- that was the description of a meal consisting of taste, nutrition and aesthetic expressions in the 1980´s. This holds for the curriculum of Culinary Arts and Meal Science in Sweden. Is it possible to deepen, develop and consolidate this concept and use it in information about food and meals? Methods At The School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts &amp; Meal Science in Örebro University, Sweden, the basis of the education is Science, Practical skills and Aesthetics. These three forms of knowledge is the fundamental platform for the subject. The unique method used in education and research is named FAMM (Five Aspects Meal Model, i.e. the room, meeting, product, control management system giving the atmosphere). The method can be used as a planning and analysis tool for public and private meals. Another useful method is the original and the applied versions of the French Sapere method; an experimental method using raw materials from the food sector, studying and working with the individual components and sensory experiences in the meal. Possible methods to discuss the concept with key groups will be interviews, research circles, focus groups, observations, and maybe analysis on grounded theory etc. Results/findings To be discussed; Ideas of studies Study I:  Daily meals for people with intellectual disability in community living – results forthcoming Study II:  Culinary Success Factors – results forthcoming Study III:  The meal as a pedagogical tool Study IV:  Children’s meals Conclusions New skills and influences affect our approach to the meal of today. Developing the concept of “The Conscious Meal” could give tools for education and eating guidelines in a holistic way.  This may raise the awareness both in public and private meals.<br>Ideas for studies in a PhD-thesis

The purpose ofthis qualitative, multi-case, and longitudinal study was to examine how doctoral students’ experiences of the doctorate influence their emerging academic identities. The development of academic identities is often alluded to in higher education research as the heart of the doctoral pursuit. There is, however, little information on how the activities of the doctorate, particularly everyday student experiences, contribute to the emergence of academic identities. The guiding framework for this study was a social-psychological role identity perspective, blended with elements of Activity Theory. Through this combined view, identity is constructed through and embedded in interpersonal relationships, with identity emerging as a property of interactions with others. Data for the study were collected over a two year period. Nine Education doctoral students participated by tracking their experiences for a particular week every month across four academic semesters (15 months) and then discussed these in interviews at the end of each year. These students were selected from a larger sample based on their explicit aim to pursue academic careers upon completion of their degrees. [...]<br>Cette étude de cas multiples, à la fois qualitative et longitudinale, a permis d’examiner chez des doctorants comment l’expérience au quotidien de leur programme d’études influençait l’émergence d’une identité universitaire. Dans le domaine des recherches portant sur l’enseignement supérieur, on réfère souvent au développement d’une identité universitaire comme étant au coeur même de l’expérience doctorale. Il existe toutefois peu d’informations qui précisent comment les activités inhérentes au doctorat, notamment les expériences vécues au quotidien par les doctorants, contribuent à l’émergence de cette identité universitaire. Le cadre d’analyse de cette recherche s’est élaboré autour d’une perspective socio-psychologique du rôle identitaire amalgamée avec des éléments de la théorie de l’activité humaine. Examinée de ce double point de vue, l’identité se construit au fil des relations interpersonnelles et s’y intègre. L’identité se révèle ainsi comme une propriété des relations avec les autres personnes. Les données de cette étude ont été amassées sur une période de deux ans. Chaque mois, l’expérience quotidienne de neuf doctorants en éducation était documentée pendant une semaine complète. À la fin de chaque année scolaire, ces expériences ont été discutées dans le cadre d’entrevues. Ces doctorants ont été sélectionnés à partir d’un échantillon plus large d’étudiants au doctorat en raison de leur intention explicite de s’engager dans une carrière universitaire à la fin de leur programme d’études. [...]

During the adjustment process of a doctor of philosophy (PhD) education, it is understood that international PhD candidates are facing more obstacles than host nationalities, due to arriving to a new culture and without having a relational base in the appurtenant country. The research question to be addressed in this study is: How do international PhD candidates experience the adjustment process in their new research environment during the first semester? Also I will bring in the perspectives of what they expected before arrival. I have proposed a new model; "The Adjustment Process Relation Model", that includes important factors to consider during the adjustment process. The model is based on my own experiences when working at NTNU, Q2S1 and supported by the literature. Analysis on four international PhD candidates is used to show the applicability of the model. The model can be used to raise the awareness of interaction when working among international employees.

Stance has emerged in the literature on academic writing in a major way, and as an important and pervasive mechanism by which academic writers ‘inhabit’ their writing and give it distinctiveness (Baynham, 2011; 2014). In this study, I investigate what linguistic markers of stance accounting PhD authors are more frequently used in Bayero University Kano, Nigeria and what factors might constrain or influence their use. I draw primarily on a corpus-based textual analysis but complement this with a consideration of institutional and disciplinary factors which might explain why the writers investigated write as they do. I employ nine participants: six accounting PhD authors and three accounting PhD supervisors. I compile a corpus of six accounting PhD theses from Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria (BUK corpus), and an accounting sub-corpus: four accounting UK PhD theses (UK corpus) for comparative analysis with the BUK corpus. The result of comparative corpus-based textual analysis between BUK theses shows that there are certain similarities and differences in terms of using stance markers. For example, in terms of similarities all the six authors use higher frequencies of booster than the other categories of stance markers in their result sections; whereas in their conclusion section they all use higher frequencies of hedges than the other categories of stance markers. They also use few restricted typologies of each category of stance markers. On the other hand, there are certain differences in using stance markers, for example, only two out of the six authors use explicit self-mention features. Overall comparative results show that three authors use higher frequencies of hedge than the other categories of stance markers; whereas two authors use higher frequencies of booster than the other categories of stance markers; and one author use same frequency for both booster and hedge. The result of comparative corpus-based textual analysis between the BUK and UK corpora still shows there are certain similarities and differences that both corpora have higher frequencies of hedges than the other categories of stance markers. On the other hand, UK corpus has higher frequencies of attitude markers, neutral stance markers, explicit self-mention features; whereas BUK corpus has higher frequencies of hedge and booster. The contextual data however suggests that several factors might have constrained some of the accounting PhD authors (BUK) to use explicit self-mention features. Some of the factors are: the traditional practices of the University and Department discouraging the students to make themselves explicitly present through the use of personal pronouns; unequal power relationship between lecturers and students; a lack of explicit assumptions of academic writing, as well as absence of explicit statements or rules provided regarding the use of linguistic markers of stance in feedback provided during the supervision process. This study proposes an additional analytic category of stance into Hyland’s model, influenced by Mushin’s factual epistemological stance. The new category is neutral epistemic stance. Unlike previous studies which deal only in parts of theses, this study deals with theses as complete texts in order to add our understanding and knowledge on what linguistic markers of stance are more frequently used in the discipline of accounting across whole macrostructures of the theses particularly at BUK. On the basis of these findings, this study recommends a more broadly a genre-sensitive approach to the teaching of academic writing, including explicit teaching of linguistic markers of stance rather than traditional grammar only. It also recommends raising of awareness of the students on the institutional/social practices in relation to the construction of the PhD thesis, such as the norms and conventions of the discourse community.