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An investigation into the cultural and legal factors influencing the differential prosecution rate for female genital mutilation in England and France
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a problem that both England and France face. Both countries agree that FGM is a criminal offence and that it constitutes child abuse. Accordingly, each nation has taken its own distinct measures in law and policy against the practice. These approaches have produced significantly divergent outcomes, particularly in the prosecution rates of offenders, with France leading in that regard.
This thesis seeks to understand why criminal justice outcomes differ so significantly between the two nations, despite many parallels between the historical and contemporary contexts of these two Western European neighbours. In order to do this, it seeks to explore the overarching, systemic forces at play within both paradigms, what the author has termed âthe Mediumâ. Furthermore, given that FGM within both France and England is a product of migrant communities having transported cultural practices into their new context, particular attention is paid to approaches to multiculturalism as a key aspect of the Medium for the purposes of this study. However, alongside this examination of the Medium, the study also explores the role of individual activism, and the agency of particular campaigners, termed âthe Human Catalystâ. It addresses the complex interplay between the Medium and the Human Catalyst, as a means of understanding their combined influence on the divergent pictures in respect of prosecuting FGM
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Knowledge Graph Building Blocks: An easy-to-use Framework for developing FAIREr Knowledge Graphs
Knowledge graphs and ontologies provide promising technical solutions for
implementing the FAIR Principles for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and
Reusable data and metadata. However, they also come with their own challenges.
Nine such challenges are discussed and associated with the criterion of
cognitive interoperability and specific FAIREr principles (FAIR + Explorability
raised) that they fail to meet. We introduce an easy-to-use, open source
knowledge graph framework that is based on knowledge graph building blocks
(KGBBs). KGBBs are small information modules for knowledge-processing, each
based on a specific type of semantic unit. By interrelating several KGBBs, one
can specify a KGBB-driven FAIREr knowledge graph. Besides implementing semantic
units, the KGBB Framework clearly distinguishes and decouples an internal
in-memory data model from data storage, data display, and data access/export
models. We argue that this decoupling is essential for solving many problems of
knowledge management systems. We discuss the architecture of the KGBB Framework
as we envision it, comprising (i) an openly accessible KGBB-Repository for
different types of KGBBs, (ii) a KGBB-Engine for managing and operating FAIREr
knowledge graphs (including automatic provenance tracking, editing changelog,
and versioning of semantic units); (iii) a repository for KGBB-Functions; (iv)
a low-code KGBB-Editor with which domain experts can create new KGBBs and
specify their own FAIREr knowledge graph without having to think about semantic
modelling. We conclude with discussing the nine challenges and how the KGBB
Framework provides solutions for the issues they raise. While most of what we
discuss here is entirely conceptual, we can point to two prototypes that
demonstrate the principle feasibility of using semantic units and KGBBs to
manage and structure knowledge graphs
Endogenous measures for contextualising large-scale social phenomena: a corpus-based method for mediated public discourse
This work presents an interdisciplinary methodology for developing endogenous measures of group membership through analysis of pervasive linguistic patterns in public discourse. Focusing on political discourse, this work critiques the conventional approach to the study of political participation, which is premised on decontextualised, exogenous measures to characterise groups. Considering the theoretical and empirical weaknesses of decontextualised approaches to large-scale social phenomena, this work suggests that contextualisation using endogenous measures might provide a complementary perspective to mitigate such weaknesses.
This work develops a sociomaterial perspective on political participation in mediated discourse as affiliatory action performed through language. While the affiliatory function of language is often performed consciously (such as statements of identity), this work is concerned with unconscious features (such as patterns in lexis and grammar). This work argues that pervasive patterns in such features that emerge through socialisation are resistant to change and manipulation, and thus might serve as endogenous measures of sociopolitical contexts, and thus of groups.
In terms of method, the work takes a corpus-based approach to the analysis of data from the Twitter messaging service whereby patterns in usersâ speech are examined statistically in order to trace potential community membership. The method is applied in the US state of Michigan during the second half of 2018â6 November having been the date of midterm (i.e. non-Presidential) elections in the United States. The corpus is assembled from the original posts of 5,889 users, who are nominally geolocalised to 417 municipalities. These users are clustered according to pervasive language features. Comparing the linguistic clusters according to the municipalities they represent finds that there are regular sociodemographic differentials across clusters. This is understood as an indication of social structure, suggesting that endogenous measures derived from pervasive patterns in language may indeed offer a complementary, contextualised perspective on large-scale social phenomena
A Decision Support System for Economic Viability and Environmental Impact Assessment of Vertical Farms
Vertical farming (VF) is the practice of growing crops or animals using the vertical dimension via multi-tier racks or vertically inclined surfaces. In this thesis, I focus on the emerging industry of plant-specific VF. Vertical plant farming (VPF) is a promising and relatively novel practice that can be conducted in buildings with environmental control and artificial lighting. However, the nascent sector has experienced challenges in economic viability, standardisation, and environmental sustainability. Practitioners and academics call for a comprehensive financial analysis of VPF, but efforts are stifled by a lack of valid and available data.
A review of economic estimation and horticultural software identifies a need for a decision support system (DSS) that facilitates risk-empowered business planning for vertical farmers. This thesis proposes an open-source DSS framework to evaluate business sustainability through financial risk and environmental impact assessments. Data from the literature, alongside lessons learned from industry practitioners, would be centralised in the proposed DSS using imprecise data techniques. These techniques have been applied in engineering but are seldom used in financial forecasting. This could benefit complex sectors which only have scarce data to predict business viability.
To begin the execution of the DSS framework, VPF practitioners were interviewed using a mixed-methods approach. Learnings from over 19 shuttered and operational VPF projects provide insights into the barriers inhibiting scalability and identifying risks to form a risk taxonomy. Labour was the most commonly reported top challenge. Therefore, research was conducted to explore lean principles to improve productivity.
A probabilistic model representing a spectrum of variables and their associated uncertainty was built according to the DSS framework to evaluate the financial risk for VF projects. This enabled flexible computation without precise production or financial data to improve economic estimation accuracy. The model assessed two VPF cases (one in the UK and another in Japan), demonstrating the first risk and uncertainty quantification of VPF business models in the literature. The results highlighted measures to improve economic viability and the viability of the UK and Japan case.
The environmental impact assessment model was developed, allowing VPF operators to evaluate their carbon footprint compared to traditional agriculture using life-cycle assessment. I explore strategies for net-zero carbon production through sensitivity analysis. Renewable energies, especially solar, geothermal, and tidal power, show promise for reducing the carbon emissions of indoor VPF. Results show that renewably-powered VPF can reduce carbon emissions compared to field-based agriculture when considering the land-use change.
The drivers for DSS adoption have been researched, showing a pathway of compliance and design thinking to overcome the âproblem of implementationâ and enable commercialisation. Further work is suggested to standardise VF equipment, collect benchmarking data, and characterise risks. This work will reduce risk and uncertainty and accelerate the sectorâs emergence
Anticholinergic use in the UK: longitudinal trends and associations with cognitive outcomes
Observational studies have shown an association between the use of anticholinergic drugs and various negative health outcomes. However, when studying cognitive outcomes, there is great heterogeneity in previous results. The objectives of the present thesis are threefold. First, to explore the longitudinal patterns of anticholinergic prescribing in the UK. Second, to examine the association between anticholinergic burden and dementia. Third, to probe the relationship between anticholinergic burden, general cognitive ability, and brain structural MRI in relatively healthy participants.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the role of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter in the human body. It begins with a description of its molecular characteristics and continues with a summary of anatomical and cellular features of cholinergic pathways in the brain. The chapter concludes with a description of the relevance of cholinergic processing in cognition and Alzheimerâs disease.
Chapter 2 gives a summary of anticholinergic drugs. It describes the history of anticholinergic compounds and their present use in medicine. It then appraises the tools used to gauge the anticholinergic potency of drugs. I conclude the Chapter by evaluating the available evidence on the effects of anticholinergic drugs on various important health outcomes.
Chapter 3 focuses on UK Biobank, the sample used in all analyses presented in this thesis. The chapter briefly describes the conception of the study, the timeline of assessments, and the available variables. I focus in my descriptions on the variables that were used in the present thesis, especially cognitive tests, brain imaging, and linked health data.
Chapters 4 to 6 present the empirical work conducted as part of this thesis. Chapter 4 presents an analysis of anticholinergic prescribing trends in UK primary care from the year 1990 to 2015. I first calculate an anticholinergic burden (AChB) according to 13 different anticholinergic scales and an average to derive a âMeta-scaleâ. I then describe the prevalence of anticholinergic prescribing and its longitudinal trend for all scales. I use different plots of age-, period- and cohort effects on the AChB according to the Meta-scale to evaluate the contributions of these effects to the linear longitudinal trend. The study finds AChB to have increased 9-fold over 25 years and that this effect was attributable to both age- and cohort/period-related changes. In other words, ageing of the sample is not sufficient to explain the increase in anticholinergic prescribing; cohort- or period-effects must have contributed to the observed changes.
Chapter 5 explores the relationship between anticholinergic prescribing and dementia. Previous studies on this topic had provided varied results. One of the goals of the present study was to probe potential factors for this heterogeneity. We find that greater AChB according to most of the studied anticholinergic scales (standardised HRs range: 1.027-1.125), as well as the slope of anticholinergic change (HR=1.094; 95% CI: 1.068-1.119), are associated with dementia. However, we find that not all drug classes are associated with dementia. Antidepressants (HR=1.11, 95% CI=1.07-1.17), antiepileptics (HR=1.07, 95% CI=1.04-1.11), and the antidiuretic furosemide (HR=1.06, 95% CI=1.02-1.10) exhibit the strongest effects. Interestingly, when exploring the effects of groups of anticholinergic drugs with different anticholinergic potencies, only the moderate potency group shows significant associations with dementia (HR=1.10, 95% CI=1.05-1.15).
Chapter 6 examines the association between AChB, general cognitive ability, and brain structural MRI. It aims both to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity in previous work, as well as to expand on it by studying relatively healthy community-dwelling adults. We study brain structural MRI in a much bigger sample (at least 5x bigger) and use many more outcomes than previous studies. We find weak, but significant associations between AChB and general cognitive ability, and with 7/9 individual cognitive tests (standardised betas (β) range: -0.039, -0.003). Again, AChB in only some drug classes is associated with lower general cognitive ability, especially β-lactam antibiotics (β=-0.035, pFDR.
Finally, chapter 7 summarizes the findings presented in chapters 4 to 6. The chapter also provides a critique of the sample and of my approach when conducting the analyses presented in the present thesis. The chapter concludes by discussing suggestions for future work on this topic
Program and Proceedings: The Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1880-2023. 142th Anniversary Year. One Hundred-Thirty-Third Annual Meeting April 21, 2023. Hybrid Meeting: Nebraska Wesleyan University & Online, Lincoln, Nebraska
AERONAUTICS & SPACE SCIENCE Chairperson(s): Dr. Scott Tarry & Michaela Lucas
HUMANS PAST AND PRESENT Chairperson(s): Phil R. Geib & Allegra Ward
APPLIED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SECTION Chairperson(s): Mary Ettel
BIOLOGY Chairpersons: Lauren Gillespie, Steve Heinisch, and Paul Davis
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES Chairperson(s): Annemarie Shibata, Kimberly Carlson, Joseph Dolence, Alexis Hobbs, James Fletcher, Paul Denton
CHEM Section Chairperson(s): Nathanael Fackler
EARTH SCIENCES Chairpersons: Irina Filina, Jon Schueth, Ross Dixon, Michael Leite
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Chairperson: Mark Hammer
PHYSICS Chairperson(s): Dr. Adam Davis
SCIENCE EDUCATION Chairperson: Christine Gustafson
2023 Maiben Lecturer: Jason Bartz
2023 FRIEND OF SCIENCE AWARD TO: Ray Ward and Jim Lewi
2023-2024 Lynn University Academic Catalog
The 2023-2024 Academic Catalog initially published as a web-only document.
The Department of Marketing and Communication created a PDF version, which is available for download here.https://spiral.lynn.edu/accatalogs/1052/thumbnail.jp
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