Geometry–aware finite element framework for multi–physics simulations: an algorithmic and software-centric perspective

In finite element simulations, the handling of geometrical objects and their discrete representation is a critical aspect in both serial and parallel scientific software environments. The development of codes targeting such envinronments is subject to great development effort and man-hours invested. In this thesis we approach these issues from three fronts. First, stable and efficient techniques for the transfer of discrete fields between non matching volume or surface meshes are an essential ingredient for the discretization and numerical solution of coupled multi-physics and multi-scale problems. In particular L2-projections allows for the transfer of discrete fields between unstructured meshes, both in the volume and on the surface. We present an algorithm for parallelizing the assembly of the L2-transfer operator for unstructured meshes which are arbitrarily distributed among different processes. The algorithm requires no a priori information on the geometrical relationship between the different meshes. Second, the geometric representation is often a limiting factor which imposes a trade-off between how accurately the shape is described, and what methods can be employed for solving a system of differential equations. Parametric finite-elements and bijective mappings between polygons or polyhedra allow us to flexibly construct finite element discretizations with arbitrary resolutions without sacrificing the accuracy of the shape description. Such flexibility allows employing state-of-the-art techniques, such as geometric multigrid methods, on meshes with almost any shape.t, the way numerical techniques are represented in software libraries and approached from a development perspective, affect both usability and maintainability of such libraries. Completely separating the intent of high-level routines from the actual implementation and technologies allows for portable and maintainable performance. We provide an overview on current trends in the development of scientific software and showcase our open-source library utopia

Health Information Technology and Caregiver Interaction: Building Healthy Ecosystems

This qualitative study explores the widely recognized role of the informal caregivers (ICGs) as key co-producers in the delivery of effective and sustainable healthcare systems. The central argument is that to enhance the quality of care in non-clinical settings and the healthcare ecosystem as a whole, developers of Health Information Technology (HIT) need to harness the knowledge and experiences of the ICGs to better align their products to practice. The paper has two aims: to improve the understandability of informal caregivers\u2019 role in non-traditional healthcare settings, and to identify and formulate valuable guidelines for the development of \u201cfit-for-use\u201d HIT solutions that acknowledge the needs of the ICGs

Work experiences of Polish women in the Scottish hospitality industry – an intersectional study

A growing body of research examines the experiences of women and migrants in the workplace; however, the academic literature offers a limited insight into migrant women’s experiences of both privilege and disadvantage. The purpose of this study is to reveal the roles of intersecting social identities in migrant women’s work experiences, specifically (hetero)gender, migratory status and whiteness. To achieve its aim, the study investigates the case of Polish women in the Scottish hospitality industry, with the use of life history interviews with 20 women and 14 semi-structured follow-up interviews. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach providing an in-depth exploration of work experiences of the largest non-UK born group of women in Scotland and furthering our understanding of gender inequality in the hospitality industry. The findings indicate that while research participants experienced a combination of privilege and disadvantage, disadvantage significantly outweighed the partial advantageous treatment which Polish women received. The data also provided an account of Polish women’s reflections on episodes which can be recognised as instances of inequality. Through an intersectional lens the relationships between (hetero)gender, migration status and whiteness can be seen. By presenting new findings on Polish women’s working experiences the thesis helps hospitality employers to understand and identify discriminating and privileging practices targeting a group of employees that is valuable for the industry. The study brings practitioners’ attention to inequality forming practices between Polish women and other groups of employees but also within the studied population. The thesis contributes to the intersectional understanding of work inequality in a twofold manner. Firstly, it demonstrates the importance of incorporating (hetero)gender in intersectional studies of organisations. Drawing on Ingraham’s call for the exposure of the “heterosexual imaginary” the study incorporates (hetero)gender along with other vectors of social categorisation to explain the roots of migrant women’s disadvantage and privilege. Secondly, the thesis identifies contextual factors shaping migrant women’s experiences of inequality. Situational influences catalysing migrant women’s privilege and disadvantage were revealed at individual, organisational and international levels

Vividness, Consciousness, and Mental Imagery

Today in many studies, mental images are still either treated as conscious by definition, or as empirical operations implicit to completing some type of task, such as the measurement of reaction time in mental rotation, an underlying mental image is assumed, but there is no direct determination of whether it is conscious or not. The vividness of mental images is a potentially helpful construct which may be suitable, as it may correspond to consciousness or aspects of the consciousness of images. In this context, a complicating factor seems to be the surprising variety in what is meant by the term vividness or how it is used or theorized. To fill some of the gaps, the goal of the present Special Issue is to create a publication outlet where authors can fully explore through sound research the missing theoretical and empirical links between vividness, consciousness and mental imagery across disciplines, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, cognitive science, to mention the most obvious ones, as well as transdisciplinary methodological (single, combined, or multiple) approaches

Dumb Hillbillies? Media Portrayal in the Age of Trump A Critical Discourse Analysis

Appalachia is a place of mystery rarely examined with a systematic methodological lens (Van Leeuwen; 2008; Carbó et al. 2016). The term “Appalachian” has remained a synonym for “backward” or “ignorant” or “hillbillies” for much of modern history. Do media outlet framings of Appalachians, who primarily supported Donald Trump over two U.S. election periods (2015-2021) reinforce the national understanding of Appalachians as uneducated whites? To answer the question, I used Critical Discourse Analysis to interpret 51 news articles from The New York Times, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Charleston Gazette-Mail, The Daily Yonder, and The Roanoke Times from the announcement of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in July 2015 to the inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021. A comparison of articles written in responses posted by Appalachian sources reveals themes from reporting within and outside the region during this timeframe. In my analysis, I found five major themes demonstrating that media framings do indeed support the status quo understandings of white Appalachians as ignorant hillbillies. The stereotypes of Appalachians are like the caricatures of many other marginalized groups -- criminalized and demonized. Stereotypes lead to implicit bias, impacting services, policies, and individual interactions