673 research outputs found

    Finding an effective problem-solving heuristic instructional approach for circle geometry

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    Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and ZuluThis research study carried out an investigation into finding a contemporary problem- solving instructional approach that will be effective for teaching and learning of mathematics in South African schools, with specific focus on circle geometry. Prior to conducting this study, a retrospection was done into the mathematical practices implemented, in schools in South Africa, by researchers, educational practitioners and stakeholders such as Non-Governmental Organisations. The aforementioned unanimously identified the instructional approaches for teaching and learning of mathematics, particularly, the traditional teaching and learning approach, as problematic and counter-productive, and this might be contributing to poor learners’ performances. In a bid to replace the obsolete traditional approach, the researcher in this study recommended: “teaching thinking skills” and “teaching effective problem-solving instructional approaches” as more appropriate. With regards to teaching thinking skills, the infusion approach (teaching thinking skills, along with content instructions), was highlighted. For teaching effective problem-solving, Polya’s Problem-Solving Model, was investigated. To ensure an effective design and implementation of the proposed problem-solving instructional approach, the APOS theory (ACE teaching cycle) was adopted. Also, the teaching and learning of circle geometry was carried out in a collaborative classroom setting. This proposed instructional approach was tentatively, labelled as “IPAC mathematics problem-solving instructional model’’ or simply, the “IPAC model”. This was an acronym for the four elements of this new approach, namely - the infusion approach, Polya’s approach, and APOS theory in a collaborative learning classroom. Two groups of Grade 11 mathematics learners served as participants for this study: group 1 - 11A had 30 learners (the control group) and group 2- 11B had 32 learners (the experimental group). Data collected methods for this study were: observations of participants in their natural classroom settings, recorded videos, questionnaires, photograph of participants’ work (classwork/homework and standardized tests). This study followed a mixed-method research design, hence, both quantitative and qualitative data analyses procedures were implemented. The quantitative data was analysed by implementing inferential statistics and descriptive statistics, while the APOS theory analysis was used to analyse the qualitative facet of the collected data. During the APOS theory analysis, content analysis was done on participants’ written responses to each of the four standardized tests’ data. The content analysis was carried out on the written responses of participants, from both the control and the experimental groups. The research findings that emanated from this study were the following: that this new method of teaching and learning is valid, practical and effective; there was a statistically significant improvement in the test scores of participants who were taught by the new instructional approach; participants’ conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence and mathematical reasoning skills were enhanced; participants’ problem-solving competence improved, during and after the intervention; the IPAC model guided the majority of the participants to operate at the object and schema levels in relation to the APOS theory mental conceptions. Lastly, the ACE teaching instructional approach significantly guided and enhanced participants’ cognitive engagement and development, which ultimately, optimized their problem-solving competence. Based on these research findings, the researcher recommended among others, that the new instructional approach - the IPAC model, should be implemented for teaching and learning of circle geometry in South African schools. The researcher also recommended that cultivation of thinking skills and implementation of effective problem-solving instructional approaches should be prioritized in mathematics classrooms in South Africa. The researcher established from this study that the developed IPAC model will serve as an effective and a reliable pedagogical tool which can address some of the teaching and learning challenges teachers and learners encounter in mathematics classrooms.Hierdie navorsingstudie het 'n ondersoek gedoen na die vind van 'n kontemporĂȘre probleemoplossende onderrigbenadering wat effektief sal wees vir onderrig en leer van wiskunde in Suid-Afrikaanse skole, met spesifieke fokus op sirkelmeetkunde. Voor die uitvoering van hierdie studie is 'n terugblik gedoen na die wiskundige praktyke wat in skole in Suid-Afrika geĂŻmplementeer is deur navorsers, opvoedkundige praktisyns en belanghebbendes soos nie-regeringsorganisasies. Die instruksionele benaderings vir onderrig en leer van wiskunde, veral die tradisionele onderrig-en-leerbenadering, is eenparig geĂŻdentifiseer as problematies en teenproduktief, en dit kan dalk bydra tot swak leerders se prestasies. In 'n poging om die uitgediende tradisionele benadering te vervang, het die navorser in hierdie studie aanbeveel: "onderrig van denkvaardighede" en "onderrig van effektiewe probleemoplossende onderrigbenaderings" as meer gepas. Met betrekking tot die onderrig van denkvaardig hede, is die infusiebenadering (onderrig van denkvaardighede, tesame met inhoudsinstruksies), uitgelig. Vir die onderrig van effektiewe probleemoplossing is Polya se probleemoplossingsmodel ondersoek. Om 'n effektiewe ontwerp en implementering van die voorgestelde probleemoplossende onderrigbenadering te verseker, is die APOS-teorie (GOS-onderrigsiklus) aanvaar. Die onderrig en leer van sirkelmeetkunde is ook in 'n samewerkende klaskameropset uitgevoer. Hierdie voorgestelde onderrigbenadering is voorlopig, gemerk as "IPAC wiskunde probleemoplossing instruksionele model" of eenvoudig die "IPAC model". Dit was 'n akroniem vir die vier elemente van hierdie nuwe benadering, naamlik - die infusiebenadering, Polya se benadering en APOS-teorie in 'n samewerkende leerklaskamer. Twee groepe graad 11-wiskunde-leerders het as deelnemers vir hierdie studie gedien: groep 1 - 11A het 30 leerders (die kontrolegroep) en groep 2- 11B het 32 leerders (die eksperimentele groep). Data wat ingesamel is metodes vir hierdie studie was: waarnemings van deelnemers in hul natuurlike klaskamerinstellings, opgeneemde video's, vraelyste, foto van deelnemers se werk (klaswerk/huiswerk en gestandaardiseerde toetse). Hierdie studie het 'n gemengde-metode navorsingsontwerp gevolg, dus is beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data-ontledingsprosedures geĂŻmplementeer. Die kwantitatiewe data is ontleed deur inferensiĂ«le statistiek en beskrywende statistiek te implementeer, terwyl die APOS teorie-analise gebruik is om te analiseer die kwalitatiewe faset van die versamelde data. Tydens die APOS-teorie-analise is inhoudsontleding gedoen op deelnemers se geskrewe antwoorde op elk van die vier gestandaardiseerde toetse se data. Die inhoudsanalise is uitgevoer op die geskrewe reaksie van deelnemers, van beide die kontrole- en die eksperimentele groepe. Die navorsingsbevindinge wat uit hierdie studie voortgespruit het, was die volgende: dat hierdie nuwe metode van onderrig en leer geldig, prakties en effektief is; daar was 'n statisties beduidende verbetering in die toetstellings van deelnemers wat deur die nuwe onderrigbenadering onderrig is; deelnemers se konseptuele begrip, prosedurele vlotheid, strategiese bevoegdheid en wiskundige redenasievaardighede is verbeter; deelnemers se probleemoplossingsbevoegdheid het verbeter, tydens en na die intervensie; die IPAC-model het die meerderheid van die deelnemers gelei om op die objek- en skemavlakke te werk in verhouding tot die APOS-teorie se verstandelike opvattings. Laastens het die GOS-onderrigbenadering die deelnemers se kognitiewe betrokkenheid en ontwikkeling aansienlik gelei en verbeter, wat uiteindelik hul probleemoplossingsbevoegdheid geoptimaliseer het. Op grond van hierdie navorsingsbevindinge het die navorser onder andere aanbeveel dat die nuwe onderrigbenadering - die IPAC-model, geĂŻmplementeer moet word vir onderrig en leer van sirkelmeetkunde in Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Die navorser het ook aanbeveel dat die kweek van denkvaardighede en implementering van effektiewe probleemoplossende onderrigbenaderings in wiskundeklaskamers in Suid-Afrika geprioritiseer moet word. Die navorser het uit hierdie studie vasgestel dat die ontwikkelde IPAC-model sal dien as 'n effektiewe en betroubare pedagogiese hulpmiddel wat sommige van die onderrig- en leeruitdagings wat onderwysers en leerders in wiskundeklaskamers ondervind, kan aanspreek.Lolu cwaningo luqukethe uphenyo mayelana nokuthola ikhambi elingaxazulula ekutholeni indlela eqondile engaletha imiphumela ewusizo ekufundiseni nasekufundeni kwezibalo ezikoleni zaseMzansi Africa, ezophinde ibhekane ngqo ne circle Geometry. Ngaphambi kokuba kuqale lolu cwaningo, kube nolunye ucwaningo olunzulu olwenziwe ngezinye izindlela esezivele zikhona mayelana nezibalo, ezikoleni zaseMzansi Africa, lwenziwa ngabacwaningi, izifundiswa ezingo ncweti Kanye nezinhlangano ezizimele. Inhlangano ebizwa nge okushiwo ngenhla luhlonze indlela eqondile yokufundisa nokufunda izibalo, ikakhulukazi, indlela ejwayelekile yokwenza, njengezindlela eziyinkinga nezingahambisani, futhi lokhu ngungaba yimbangela ekungenzini kahle kwabafundi. Emkhankasweni wokushintsha lolu hlelo oludala lokwenza olungasasizi, uMhlaziyi kulolu cwaningo uncome ukuthi: “ikhono elufundisa ukuzicabangela” Kanye “nekhono lokufundisa elisebenzayo ukuzixazululela izinkinga” njengendlela okuyiyo efanele. Mayelana nekhono elifundisa ukuzicabangela, indlela eyiqophelo (ikhono elifundisa ukuzicabangela, elihambisana nemigomo equkethwe), luthintiwe. Mayelana nohlelo oluwusizo ekuxazululeni izinkinga, uhlelo luka Polya lokuxazulula izinkinga luphenyiwe. Ukuqinisekisa ukuthi uhlelo olusebenzayo futhi oluzosentsenziswa ekuphakamiseni indlela eqondile enemigomo ekuxazululeni izinkinga yokwenza, i APOS theory (ACE teaching cycle) iyona ekhethiwe. Okunye, uhlelo lokufundisa nokufunda i circle geometry lukhishiwe endleleni ehlanganisayo yokuhlala egunjini lokufunda. Okwamanje Lolu hlelo oluphakanyisiwe lokufundisa, lubekwe njenge “IPAC indlela yezibalo eqondile yokuxazulula izinkinga enemigomo” . Lokhu kuyigama elifinqiwe elakhiwe izinhlamvu ezine kule ndlela entsha ebizwa nge infusion approach, Polya’s approach, Kanye ne APOS theory egunjini lokufunda elihlanganisile. Amaqembu amabili ebanga le shuminanye labafundi bezibalo basentshenzisiwe ukubamba iqhaza kulolu cwaningo: iqembu lokuqala ibanga 11A ebelinabafundi abangu 30 (iqembu labaqondisi) bese iqembu lesibili ibanga 11B ebelinabafundi abangu 32 (iqembu elenzayo). Ucwaningo oluqoqiwe lwalendlela lube kanje: imibono yalaba ebekade bebambe iqhaza egunjini lokufunda obuhleliwe, baqophe amavidiyo, babhala imibuzo, bathatha izithombe zalaba ekade bembambe iqhaza lwalomsebenzi wokubamba iqhaza. (imisebenzi yasegunjini lokufunda/imisebenzi yasekhaya Kanye nokwenza uvivinyo). Lolu phenyo lulandele uhlelo oluxubile okuwuhlelo lokuphenya, yingakho zombili lezi zinhlelo zokuqukethwe nokuseZingeni zokuqoqa uphenyo olwenziwe zisentshenzisiwe. Uhlelo lokuqukethwe lemininingwane lusentshenzisiwe ukuhlaziya ngokusebenzisa uhlelo lokuqoqa okutholakele Kanye nohlelo lokwenza okutholakele, futhi kube kwenziwa ne APOS theory analysis ukuhlaziya okusezingeni eliphezulu zigxenye zonke lwemininingwane eqoqiwe. Ngesikhathi se APOS theory analysis, ukuhlaziywa kokuqukethwe okwenziwe ababambe iqhaza babhale okwenzekile ngesikhathi benza lezi zivivinyo ezine ezibekiwe. Uhlelo lokuhlaziya okuqukethwe lwenziwe labhalwa yilaba kade bebambe iqhaza, kuwo womabili amaqembu , elokuqondisa nelokwenza. Uphenyo olutholakele kulolu hlelo lunje: lolu hlelo lokufundisa nokufunda luyasebenza, luyenzeka, futhi lunomehluko: ngokwezibalo kube nomehluko omkhulu oncono ezibalweni zalabo ekade bebambe iqhaza besebenzisa indlela entsha yemigomo: bonke ekade bebambe iqhaza bathole ithuba lokuthi kuthuthuke amakhono abo ekwazini ukuqonda ukuzicabangela, ekwazini ukwenza izinto ezinomehluko eyinqubomgomo, ukumelana nezindlela eziningi eziphumelelisayo Kanye nekhono lokuqonda izibalo; ikhono lalabo ekade bebambe iqhaza ekuxazululeni izinkinga ngokusezingeni lithuthukile, ngesikhathi nangemuva kokwenza ucwaningo; I IPAC model ukwenzisa abaningi balaba ekade bebambe iqhaza kalula umsebenzi ngokuhlukana kwamazinga kusentsenziswa i APOS theory. Ekugcineni, indlela yokwenza ebizwa nge ACE teaching ikwazile okwenzisa kahle ngokusezingeni eliphezulu futhi yakhuphula labo ebekade bebambe iqhaza yaphinde yabathuthukisa, lokhu okwenze bakwazi ukuba sezingeni lokuphumelela ukuxazulula izinkinga. Ngenxa yalokhu okutholakale kucwaningo, umcwaningi uncome ukuthi kokunye, indlela entsha yokwenza ngemigomo – i-IPAC, kumele isentshenziswe ekufundiseni nasekufundeni i circle geometry ezikoleni zaseMzansi Africa. Umcwaningi uphinde waphakamisa ukuthi ukuthuthukisa ikhono lokuzicabangela nokwenziwa kwezindlela ezisebenzayo zokuxazulula izinkinga kumele zibekwe phambili emagunjini okufunda izibalo eMzansi Africa. Umcwaningi ubeke indlela eseqophelweni eliphezulu eyisisekelo kusukela kwisifundo esenziwe yokuthi i IPAC model iyona esebenza njenge ndlela eyithuluzi elibonakalayo futhi elinemiphumela emihle ethembekile, engakwazi ukubhekana nezinkinga futhi ixazulule izinqinamba zokufundisa nokufunda ezikoleni, lezi othisha nabafundi ababhekana nazo egunjini lokufundela izibaloEducational StudiesD. Phil. (Education

    Security Elites in Egypt and Jordan after the Arab Spring : A Case Study on Securocracies’ Role on National Security, Domestic Power Politics, Regional Order and Middle Eastern Alliance Making between 2011 and 2021

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    The doctoral dissertation studied changes in the balance of power, alliance making and the hegemonic struggles of security elites within a Middle Eastern regional context over a ten year reference period between 2011 and 2021. The study focused on two case study countries: Egypt and Jordan. The results were compared within a historical context to the pre-Arab Spring era. The theoretical approach combined the English School of Thought and Middle Eastern Studies with a conceptual model of securocracy developed by the author. The primary contribution of the research is the realization of the core importance of securocracy within autocratic state systems. Inside securocracies there exists rivalling groups and organisations that counterbalance each other. The study points to the fact that the power struggle between executive powers – either purely domestic one or supported by foreign involvement, is the main driver behind why case study countries were in varying degrees dragged into instability and turmoil in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Securocracies can be divided into two main types: centralised and decentralised. The centralised model occurs when different elites groups have the same ”distance” to the ruler while having equal privileges and equal access to political power. The model predicts durability and stability of the regime (status quo). In the de-centralised model, there is an ongoing struggle amongst elite groups and “distances” to ruler are not equal, neither are the privileges. In Egypt the hegemonic struggle amongst elites took precedence over the interests and stability of the state after the Arab Spring and has continued since then. The situation at the end of 2021 is a de-centralised model where all executive powers are concentrated within President al-Sisi’s family dynasty (palace) and the leadership of military intelligence. This de-centralised type of securocracy makes Egypt’s situation fragile. Any impact from the outside, such as the Biden administration’s decision to impose additional conditions on U.S. financial military aid, could lead to a new hegemonic struggle challenging al-Sisi’s power. The securocracy’s survival strategy found in the study was the use of vertical power at all levels of the state hierarchy (” the winner takes it all”). In the situation of a power struggle, the ruler uses omni-balancing i.e., alliance making with powerful foreign states in order to gain an advantage against domestic rivals and revisionist regional states. The Egyptian example is al-Sisi’s rapprochement with Russia’s President Putin and his distancing of Egypt from its previous role of being the United States’ loyal Middle Eastern ally. The Jordanian example however, is the opposite, resulting in even closer relations with the United States since January 2021 when the two countries signed an updated Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The study also highlights that decisions concerning ruler succession in authoritarian states take place behind-the-scenes amongst the securocracy as it, per rule, prefers to choose a member inside its own interest group or alternatively a political figurehead that commits to protect securocracy’s privileged interests in exchange of their own power position. Within the Middle East, the recent U.S. pivot to Asia-Pacific created an opportunity for Russia to make a come-back. Russia, however, does not have the resources to compensate for the loss of U.S. financial military aid to the security elites. This in turn, and with Russia’s consent, has given space for regional state actors, particularly, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi-Arabia, to increase their influence. Gulf support to the regional clients is not free of charge: they request their clients adopt their own threat perceptions, take sides in armed conflicts and contribute to military capabilities which support the sponsors’ regional foreign and security policy goals.VĂ€itöstutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin kymmenen vuoden ajanjaksolla voimatasapainon muutosta LĂ€hi-idĂ€n alueellisessa valtarakenteessa, liittolaissuhteiden muutoksia sekĂ€ turvallisuuseliittien roolia maan sisĂ€isessĂ€ valtataistelussa. Tuloksia verrattiin historiallisessa kontekstissa arabikevĂ€ttĂ€ edeltĂ€vÀÀn aikaan kahdessa tapaustutkimusmaassa: EgyptissĂ€ ja Jordaniassa. TeoriaviitekehyksenĂ€ sovellettiin Englantilaisen koulukunnan ja LĂ€hi-idĂ€n tutkimuksen teoriamalleja, sekĂ€ tutkijan kehittelemÀÀ sekurokratian konseptuaalista mallia. Tutkimuksen keskeinen tulos on havainto sekurokratian merkittĂ€vĂ€stĂ€ roolista osana autoritaarista valtiomallia. Sekurokratian sisĂ€lle on luotu useita toinen toistaan tasapainottavia ryhmittymiĂ€. Tapaustutkimusmaiden arabikevÀÀn jĂ€lkeisen turvallisuustilanteen muutoksia selittĂ€vien tekijöiden joukossa turvallisuuseliittien valtakamppailu nousi merkittĂ€vÀÀn rooliin. Valtakamppailua kĂ€ytiin eliittien kesken joko pelkĂ€stÀÀn maan sisĂ€llĂ€ tai vaihtoehtoisesti osin myös valtion ulkopuolisten voimien tukemana. Tutkimuksen perusteella sekurokratiat voidaan jakaa kahteen pÀÀtyyppiin: keskitettyyn ja hajautettuun malliin. Jos eri turvallisuuseliitti-ryhmien edut, vallankĂ€yttö ja etĂ€isyys vallan keskipisteeseen ovat tasapainossa puhutaan keskitetyn sekurokratian mallista, mikĂ€ ennustaa vallassa olevan regiimin pysyvyyttĂ€ ja vakautta. Jos taas sekurokratian rakenne on hajautetun mallin mukainen, sen valtakamppailu voi johtaa yhden osan pyrkimyksiin hegemonia-asemasta. Egyptin tapauksessa arabikevÀÀn jĂ€lkeinen turvallisuuseliittien valtakamppailu asetettiin maan vakauden edelle ja eliittien valtakamppailu on jatkunut tĂ€hĂ€n pĂ€ivÀÀn. Tilanteessa vuoden 2021 lopussa valta on al-Sisin perhedynastialla ja sotilastiedustelun eliitillĂ€ (hajautettu malli). Hajautettu malli ei ennusta pitkĂ€aikaista vallassa pysymistĂ€; vahva ulkopuolinen herĂ€te, esimerkiksi Bidenin hallinnon sotilaallisen talousavun lopettaminen voisi johtaa uuteen valtakamppailuun ja al-Sisin valta-aseman haastamiseen. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, ettĂ€ sekurokratoiden selviytymisstrategiana on vallanvertikaalin kĂ€yttö valtiohallinnon eri tasoilla. Valtakamppailun tilanteessa kĂ€ytetÀÀn tasapainotusstrategiaa (omni-balancing), missĂ€ alueellisia vahvoja valtioita ja suurvaltoja pyritÀÀn yhdistĂ€mÀÀn hallitsijan puolelle kilpailevia eliittiryhmittymiĂ€ tai revisionistisia ulkovaltoja vastaan. EgyptissĂ€ presidentti al-Sisin valtaannousu johti maan lĂ€hentymiseen presidentti Putinin VenĂ€jĂ€n kanssa sekĂ€ etÀÀntymiseen aiemmasta Yhdysvalloille uskollisen LĂ€hi-idĂ€n liittolaisen roolista. Jordaniassa puolestaan maa on nyt entistĂ€ tiiviimmin liittoutunut Yhdysvaltojen kanssa. EsimerkkinĂ€ tĂ€stĂ€ on tammikuussa 2021 maiden kesken solmittu sotilasyhteistyötĂ€ ja jordanialaisten tukikohtien kĂ€yttöÀ sÀÀtelevĂ€ isĂ€ntĂ€maatuki-sopimus. Tutkimustulosten valossa autoritaariselle vallanperimykselle tyypillistĂ€ on se, ettĂ€ julkisuuteen nĂ€kymĂ€ttömĂ€n sisĂ€isen valtakamppailun jĂ€lkeen uudeksi valtionpÀÀmieheksi pyritÀÀn nostamaan sekurokratian sisĂ€ltĂ€ sen oman intressiryhmĂ€n edustaja, tai vaihtoehtoisesti sekurokratian valitsema ulkopuolinen poliitikko, jonka vastuulle korporaation intressien vaaliminen lankeaa vastapalveluksena sekurokratian tuesta keulakuva-poliitikon vallassa pitĂ€miseksi. Alueellisen turvallisuusjĂ€rjestyksen osalta tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat sen, ettĂ€ Yhdysvaltojen painopisteen siirto Tyynellemerelle vii ja Aasiaan on antanut VenĂ€jĂ€lle mahdollisuuden palauttaa vaikutusvaltaansa LĂ€hiitÀÀn. VenĂ€jĂ€llĂ€ ei kuitenkaan ole resursseja kompensoida Yhdysvaltojen arabivaltioiden turvallisuuseliiteille allokoimaa taloudellista tukea. TĂ€mĂ€ on antanut tilaa alueellisten toimijoiden kuten Yhdistyneiden arabiemiirikuntien ja Saudi-Arabian vaikutusvallan kasvattamiselle - tosin VenĂ€jĂ€n hyvĂ€ksynnĂ€llĂ€. Tuki ei myöskÀÀn tule ilmaiseksi, sillĂ€ sponsorit edellyttĂ€vĂ€t, ettĂ€ niille alisteisessa asemassa olevat maat omaksuvat tukijavaltioidensa uhkakuvat, sekĂ€ konfliktitilanteissa kontribuoivat sotilaallisia kyvykkyyksiĂ€ nĂ€iden valtioiden ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittisten pÀÀmÀÀrien saavuttamiseksi

    The Material Culture of Freemasonry:A Part of Things not a Thing Apart

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    Freemasonry is often seen as 'a thing apart' rather than 'a part of things'. This thesis applies well-established anthropological and sociological theories to the material culture of freemasonry, in particular Actor Network Theory. It establishes for the first time that this method binds freemasonry into the broader world of material culture and also provides unexpected insights into freemasonry itself.Centering the examination on my personal experience as Curator at the Museum of Freemasonry in London I consider how the collecting and display or failure to display objects used by, created by and commercially produced for freemasons provides insights in the round on how the material is regarded by society. The perceived secrecy of freemasonry is considered and I show that this is a contested and variable boundary between concealment and revelation. Most of the information needed to study the material culture of freemasonry is accessible to external researchers.I establish the nature of these objects and the way in which the inanimate material culture of freemasonry has innate properties that generate affect and agency on the freemasons and wider society. I show how this material culture is bound into the development of capitalism and consumerism from the early eighteenth century onwards. It forms the first and only continuous example of identity supporting material culture to arise ex nihilo and develop in parallel with the consumer society from the early eighteenth century. This has strong parallels with later material cultures reinforcing identity but is the paradigm and key point for comparison.I view freemasonry's material culture from different viewpoints, firstly its development and relevance to freemasons then establishing its relationship with the broader non-masonic world. I then de-contextualise it by examining its role as collectable giving the material a new agency not always related to its intended function or meaning.The thesis establishes for the first time that masonic material culture has a meaning and significance beyond the specifics of freemasonry studies. I show that a wide range of theories can be brought to bear on this topic and argue that there are multiple significant additional routes to study that have yet to be investigated.I conclude that the material culture of freemasonry is indeed 'a part of things' and if as researchers we fail to investigate the 'things' that freemasonry creates we lose a significant tool to investigate and analyse freemasonry as part of the wider social and anthropological world

    Successful Public Policy in the Nordic Countries

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    This book presents 23 in-depth case studies of successful public policies and programmes in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Each chapter tells the story of the policy’s origins, aims, design, decision-making and implementation processes, and assesses in which respects—programmatically, process-wise, politically and over time—and to what extent it can be considered a policy success. It also points towards the driving forces of success, and the challenges that have had to be overcome to achieve it. Combined, the chapters provide a resource for policy evaluation researchers, educators and students of public policy and public administration, both within and beyond the Nordic region

    Safe Sink Tectonics:Towards a Metabolism of the Built Environment Within Planetary Capacities

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    Generations: Creative Computation, Community, and the Rhetorical Canon

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    “Generations: Creative Computation, Community, and the Rhetorical Canon” investigates how computational poets and artists use the intrinsic rhetoricity of generative computational processes for social critique and community-building, through a renewal of the classical rhetorical canon. Computer-generated poetry and art is often created using the same technological mechanisms (full-stack development, procurement and manipulations of ‘big data’) as the algorithms and social norms it sets out to critique. These conditions of production provide a unique rhetorical perspective for revisiting the classical rhetorical canons—invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. From this vantage point that views classical rhetorical theory in contemporary digital context, I detail ways that computer-generated texts relate to concerns of social critique and enable digital communities. “Generations” demonstrates the rhetorical possibilities and limitations of computer-generated creative texts as artistic correctives in response to specific harms (like neoliberal individualism and data colonialism) of contemporary digital life. It also demonstrates the ways that these texts are created in community with others, a salient feature of the genre that amplifies its capacity for social engagement.Doctor of Philosoph

    Arkansas Law Review - Volume 76 Issue 1

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    Structural Cheminformatics for Kinase-Centric Drug Design

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    Drug development is a long, expensive, and iterative process with a high failure rate, while patients wait impatiently for treatment. Kinases are one of the main drug targets studied for the last decades to combat cancer, the second leading cause of death worldwide. These efforts resulted in a plethora of structural, chemical, and pharmacological kinase data, which are collected in the KLIFS database. In this thesis, we apply ideas from structural cheminformatics to the rich KLIFS dataset, aiming to provide computational tools that speed up the complex drug discovery process. We focus on methods for target prediction and fragment-based drug design that study characteristics of kinase binding sites (also called pockets). First, we introduce the concept of computational target prediction, which is vital in the early stages of drug discovery. This approach identifies biological entities such as proteins that may (i) modulate a disease of interest (targets or on-targets) or (ii) cause unwanted side effects due to their similarity to on-targets (off-targets). We focus on the research field of binding site comparison, which lacked a freely available and efficient tool to determine similarities between the highly conserved kinase pockets. We fill this gap with the novel method KiSSim, which encodes and compares spatial and physicochemical pocket properties for all kinases (kinome) that are structurally resolved. We study kinase similarities in the form of kinome-wide phylogenetic trees and detect expected and unexpected off-targets. To allow multiple perspectives on kinase similarity, we propose an automated and production-ready pipeline; user-defined kinases can be inspected complementarily based on their pocket sequence and structure (KiSSim), pocket-ligand interactions, and ligand profiles. Second, we introduce the concept of fragment-based drug design, which is useful to identify and optimize active and promising molecules (hits and leads). This approach identifies low-molecular-weight molecules (fragments) that bind weakly to a target and are then grown into larger high-affinity drug-like molecules. With the novel method KinFragLib, we provide a fragment dataset for kinases (fragment library) by viewing kinase inhibitors as combinations of fragments. Kinases have a highly conserved pocket with well-defined regions (subpockets); based on the subpockets that they occupy, we fragment kinase inhibitors in experimentally resolved protein-ligand complexes. The resulting dataset is used to generate novel kinase-focused molecules that are recombinations of the previously fragmented kinase inhibitors while considering their subpockets. The KinFragLib and KiSSim methods are published as freely available Python tools. Third, we advocate for open and reproducible research that applies FAIR principles ---data and software shall be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable--- and software best practices. In this context, we present the TeachOpenCADD platform that contains pipelines for computer-aided drug design. We use open source software and data to demonstrate ligand-based applications from cheminformatics and structure-based applications from structural bioinformatics. To emphasize the importance of FAIR data, we dedicate several topics to accessing life science databases such as ChEMBL, PubChem, PDB, and KLIFS. These pipelines are not only useful to novices in the field to gain domain-specific skills but can also serve as a starting point to study research questions. Furthermore, we show an example of how to build a stand-alone tool that formalizes reoccurring project-overarching tasks: OpenCADD-KLIFS offers a clean and user-friendly Python API to interact with the KLIFS database and fetch different kinase data types. This tool has been used in this thesis and beyond to support kinase-focused projects. We believe that the FAIR-based methods, tools, and pipelines presented in this thesis (i) are valuable additions to the toolbox for kinase research, (ii) provide relevant material for scientists who seek to learn, teach, or answer questions in the realm of computer-aided drug design, and (iii) contribute to making drug discovery more efficient, reproducible, and reusable

    Programming class ideology in tween sitcoms: an analysis of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon

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    This thesis uses the lens of class to analyze tween sitcoms from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel. In recent decades, Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel have recently produced some of the most popular live action sitcoms for young people. In fact, these programs have helped define and popularize the concept of ‘tween’ in modern popular culture. In these sitcoms, the protagonists are tweens or teens who seem to have very comfortable lives in very comfortable homes. However, little research has looked at the concept of materialism or class ideology implicit throughout these networks that specifically target tween consumers. Recent studies have been written about how young people have become increasingly immersed in a culture of consumption and obsessed with the idealization of fame. At the same time, young people are instilled with an entrepreneurial spirit that is implicit from the American Dream. While culprits like advertising and reality television are often cited as ideological agents to idolize fame and conspicuous consumption, an examination of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel sitcoms also reveals an ideology of materialism and socioeconomic hegemony can be found throughout their programming. Through an analysis of six Disney and Nickelodeon programs, the representations and ideology of class are analyzed to reveal a clear socioeconomic hegemony present on these networks. By looking at these series as case studies that serves as representative signature series across multiple eras of tween television, I argue that argue that the tween sitcom has always been inextricably linked to class fantasy. While I argue that class ideology is inherent throughout tween sitcom programming, and part of the brand identity of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, there is a surprising lack of scholarship that examines social class within this genre, so this thesis calls attention to the need to examine class further within the tween sitcom genre
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