Virtual software in reality

Software visualisation is an important weapon in the program comprehension armoury. It is a technique that can, when designed and used effectively, aid in understanding existing program code. It can achieve this by displaying information in new and different forms, which may make obvious something missed in reading the code. It can also be used to present many aspects of the data at once. Software, despite many software engineering advances in requirements, design and implementation techniques, continues to be complex and large and if anything seems to be growing in these respects. This means that techniques that failed to aid comprehension and maintenance are certainly not going to be able to deal with the current software. Therefore this area requires research to be able to suggest solutions to deal with the information overload that is sure to occur. There are several issues that this thesis addresses; all of them related to the creation of software visualisation systems that are capable of being used and useful well into the next generation of software systems. The scale and complexity of software are pressing issues, as is the associated information overload problem that this brings. In an attempt to address this problem the following are considered to be important: abstractions, representations, mappings, metaphors, and visualisations. These areas are interrelated and the first four enable the final one, visualisations. These problems are not the only ones that face software visualisation systems. There are many that are based on the general theory of the applicability of the technique to such tasks as program comprehension, rather than the detail of how a particular code fragment is shown. These problems are also related to the enabling technology of three- dimensional visualisations; virtual reality. In summary the areas of interest are: automation, evolution, scalability, navigation and interaction, correlation, and visual complexity. This thesis provides an exploration of these identified areas in the context of software visualisation. Relationships that describe, and distinguish between, existing and future software visualisations are presented, with examples based on recent software visualisation research. Two real world metaphors (and their associated mappings and representations) are defined for the purpose of visualising software as an aid to program comprehension. These metaphors also provide a vehicle for the exploration of the areas identified above. Finally, an evaluation of the visualisations is presented using a framework developed for the comparative evaluation of three-dimensional, comprehension oriented, software visualisations. This thesis has shown the viability of using three-dimensional software visualisations. The important issues of automation, evolution, scalability, and navigation have been presented and discussed, and their relationship to real world metaphors examined. This has been done in conjunction with an investigation into the use of such real world metaphors for software visualisation. The thesis as a whole has provided an important examination of many of the issues related to these types of visualisation in the context of software and is therefore a valuable basis for future work in this area

Audience engagement and immersion: the expanded narrative from the early works of La Monte Young and Terry Riley to the digital era

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.This investigation interprets the praxis of La Monte Young and Terry Riley’s early work during the 1960s to present both composers as pioneers of what we now consider immersive artistic practice. Through a consideration of multidisciplinary fields, and both composers’ innovative and engaging early works – which borrow much from the experimental, performative, and participative arts of the period – the subversion of the roles of audience and performer are placed within the concept of the ‘expanded narrative’. This expanded narrative is shown to demonstrate the relationship between an audience and an immersive artwork, which extends from the Wagnerian gesamtkunstwerk, and can be broken down into three elements – the active space, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the active audience. Consideration is given to how advances in technology towards the end of the twentieth century led to new affordances in immersive experiences through the creation of new forms of active space, such as virtual reality, and collaborations at the intersection of art, design and technology. Through the analysis of three early works by both composers, this thesis evidences an investigation into two discrete areas within Minimalist music: the compositions themselves and their presentation/performance (the latter drawing parallels with the Minimalist artistic movement of the same time) – to contribute new knowledge on how the expanded narrative both facilitates an immersive experience and remains relevant today

Beneficiaries' satisfaction with the Cooperative Health Insurance System (CHIS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia : a case study of Riyadh City

In 2005, Saudi Arabia implemented the Cooperative Health Insurance System (CHIS) for the purpose of shifting the financial burden of running health care services from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to the private sector. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the year 2007, beneficiaries' satisfaction with the CHIS in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, since no study had, as yet, been conducted. The current study uses a sequential explanatory design, a mixed methods approach, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The Canadian Common Measurement Tool (CMT) was used. In addition to service delivery, access and availability of facilities, communication and the cost dimensions, two new dimensions were added to the original instrument, namely, the employer role and the insurance company role. The results obtained showed the instrument was reliable and valid to be used to measure satisfaction with the CHIS. Using a five point Likert scale, 462 participants completed the questionnaires. Following analysis, 21 interviews contextualised by participant observation were conducted to assist in interpreting the findings of the primarily quantitative study. NVivo was employed for qualitative data analysis. Study findings revealed that 59% of respondents were moderately satisfied with the CHIS and that it has improved access to the health care system. However, beneficiaries were not satisfied with waiting times to receive the service under the CHIS. The comprehensiveness of covered health services was also a major concern. Beneficiaries were highly satisfied with their employer's role and moderately satisfied with the role of the insurance company in their coverage with health insurance. The most frequent problem reported by respondents was that some services were refused. The cost of health insurance and non-covered health care services was a common misconception. In addition, beneficiaries' awareness towards health insurance is still limited. The finding revealed that satisfaction with the insurance company role, service delivery, type of coverage and inclusion of family members were most important in explaining beneficiaries' satisfaction. Finally, the study provides insight into service improvement priorities which could inform future planning initiatives for health insurance development. The practical implications of the findings for health care providers, insurance companies and health care policymakers were highlighted, as were recommendations for improving the implementation of the CHIS in Riyadh city and suggestions for future research