Thesis (M.S.)--Middle East Technical University, 2004. / Keywords: Play, play space, child₂s needs, child₂s rights, traditional playground, residential street.

Mixtures of the two minerals huntite and hydromagnesite have been successfully used as a fire retardant additive in polymers for many years. The onset of decomposition of hydromagnesite is at a higher temperature than that of aluminium hydroxide but lower than that of magnesium hydroxide, the two most commonly used mineral fire retardants. This makes it an ideal addition to the range of materials available to polymer compounders for improving fire retardant properties. In comparison to the better known mineral fire retardants there has been little published research on the fire retardant properties of huntite and hydromagnesite. What has been published has often been commercially orientated and the limited quantity of scientific literature does not fully explain the fire retardant mechanism of these blends of minerals, often dismissing huntite as having no useful fire retardant action other than diluting the solid phase fuel. Standard thermal analysis techniques (thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infra-red analysis) have been used to characterise the thermal decomposition of huntite and hydromagnesite from a source in Turkey. This has lead to an understanding of the decomposition mechanism of the minerals in terms of mass loss, enthalpy of decomposition, and evolved gases between room temperature and 1000°C. Hydromagnesite endothermically decomposes between about 220°C and 500°C, initially releasing water followed by carbon dioxide. The rate of heating and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can influence the mechanism of carbon dioxide release. Huntite endothermically decomposes between about 450°C and 800°C releasing carbon dioxide in two stages. The use of the cone calorimeter to study the rate of heat release during combustion of ethylene vinyl acetate based polymer compounds has lead to an understanding of how both huntite and hydromagnesite affect the burning processes at different stages of the fire. By varying the ratio of the two minerals, hydromagnesite has been shown to increase the time to ignition and reduce the initial peak in rate of heat release, while huntite has been shown to reduce the rate of heat release later in the fire. It has been shown that huntite is far from being an inactive diluent filler. The endothermic decomposition of huntite in the later stages of the fire reduces the heat reaching underlying polymer and continues to dilute the flame with inert carbon dioxide. The platy huntite particles have been shown to align themselves in such a way that they can hinder the escape of volatiles from the decomposing polymer and also physically reinforce the inorganic ash residue.

Dysphagia, a common clinical corollary following stroke, may contribute to aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration which may significantly impair patient rehabilitation. Survey Aim: Establish current clinical practice regarding nurse dysphagia screening. Method: A cross-sectional regional postal survey was undertaken with 60 nurses and 45 Speech and Language Therapists. Results: Nurses were taught to use water swallow screening tools but, in reality, used a variety of testing materials. Conclusion: This demonstrated the need for a clinically useful bedside swallow screening tool. Pilot Study Aim: Develop and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new BEdside Swallow Screening Tool (BESST), for use by nurses with acute stroke patients. Method: A literature search was undertaken to inform the BESST. Face validity was established using an iterative process of semi-structured interviews with eight specialist SLTs and eight nurses. The tool was piloted on 12 purposefully selected stroke patients by comparing the management options chosen by two nurses using the BESST with those of the Specialist SLT using their bedside assessment (gold standard). Results: The BESST demonstrated excellent sensitivity (100%) but specificity demonstrated by both nurses was poor (< 45% for both). Conclusion: A larger validation study of a modified BEEST would be appropriate. Main Study Aim: Establish the diagnostic accuracy and utility of the BESST. Method: Ratings by nurses using the BESST were compared with experienced SLT bedside assessment in 124 consecutively admitted stroke patients. Results: The BESST demonstrated good agreement between nurses (81%) and within nurses (87% nurse 1, 86% nurse 2), 93% sensitivity, 82% specificity; 71% positive iii predictive value, 95% negative predictive value; and overall efficiency was 84%. The BESST dictated the same management as the SLT in 75% of cases, and safely allowed 92% of patients modified oral intake when compared to the water swallow screening tool. Conclusion: The BESST has potential use in clinical practice, but further research is needed.

The ability to impart topspin to the ball when playing forehand and backhand groundstrokes can give a tennis player a tactical advantage in a rally. Recent developments in racket technology and tactical approaches to the game have increased the prevalence of topspin strokes. However, there is a limited scientific knowledge base for players and coaches to draw upon when seeking to improve this aspect of the game. Many of the kinematic analyses into tennis groundstrokes were conducted more than ten years ago, with measurement techniques that may not have accurately measured the anatomical rotations important for generating racket velocity. It has only recently been possible to measure the spin rate of a ball, and this has not been investigated in relation to the kinematics of a player. This study aimed to make an important contribution to the knowledge of tennis professionals by establishing which kinematic variables are related to the production of high ball spin rates resulting from topspin strokes. In order to achieve this aim, consideration was given to the accurate measurement of the joint rotations of the player in all planes of movement and the quantification of the ball spin rate. This information was used to answer three further questions; what are the kinematic differences between flat and topspin groundstrokes, how do these differences relate to the spin rate of the ball and how do these findings relate to individual players? Joint rotations were calculated based on three-dimensional data captured from twenty participants playing flat and topspin forehand and backhand strokes. The resulting ball spin rate was captured using a high-speed camera. The participants produced larger ball spin rates when playing the topspin strokes, indicating that they were able to produce spin if required. Analysis of the joint rotations revealed that there were adaptations in the stroke in order to achieve the higher spin rates. The adaptations were not uniform among participants, but did produce similar alterations in racket trajectory, inclination and velocity for the topspin strokes. It was these measures that were found to be the strongest predictors of ball spin rates, accounting for over 60 % of the variation in ball spin rate in the forehand stroke and over 70% in the backhand. Case study analyses confirmed the importance of the optimal racket kinematics at impact and provided models of technique throughout the forward swing of each stroke. This study has made a contribution to the knowledge of generating topspin in the tennis groundstrokes by establishing the parameters that predict high spin rates and applying them to analyses of individual players. In doing so, this investigation has also demonstrated methodology that is capable of accurately measuring the joint rotations associated with tennis strokes, and suggested a method by which the spin rate of the ball can be calculated.

Since the mid-1980s, authorship has become an increasingly prominent component in the promotional, extratextual and critical discourse surrounding independent and indie film. During the same period, independent and indie film has become more lucrative and increasingly drawn attention and investment from Hollywood studios and other vertically and/or horizontally integrated media institutions seeking to further expand their businesses. In a context of sectoral media convergence, therefore, the thesis explores the management of indie-auteurism, defined as a discursive construct conveying authenticity, autonomy, artistry, natural talent, innovation and quality attached to authorial figures associated loosely with American independent or indie film. It explores especially the role played by producers and talent managers, two types of talent intermediaries, in constructing and managing indie-auteurism, the industrial and economic functions it serves, as well as its cultural repercussions. The thesis begins by analysing the Coen brothers' collaboration with various producers to explore the construction and management of indie-auteurism across three periods of contemporary independent film outlined by Yannis Tzioumakis (2013): independent, indie and indiewood. The thesis goes on to expand this periodization, however, by exploring the strategies and operations of two highly diversified talent management and media production companies, Propaganda Films and Anonymous Content, in using indie-auteurism to sell and/or market their film, television, music video and commercial spot projects and productions. In doing so, the thesis helps to develop understandings of independent and indie film in two interrelated ways. First, it sheds light on the role that producers and talent managers, figures who have been under researched in the study of independent film (and in media studies generally), have played in constructing and disseminating indie-auteurism and in shaping independent and indie film. Second, it expands the history of independent and indie film by tracing talent management strategies across media and reconfiguring indie-auteurism within an era of media convergence.

Healthcare providers throughout the world are facing unprecedented change. In rising to social, demographic and economic pressures, the National Health Service is mobilising hospital treatments into patient’s homes (Darzi, 2006). The black nursing bag, the universal transportation tool of the district nurse has remained impervious to design change for over 100 years. The goal of the PhD is to equip newly formed neighbourhood care teams working in this emergent healthcare setting with a 21st century nursing bag. The design practice seeks to optimise the efficient delivery of patient care, standardize patient experiences in an inconsistent setting and enhances patient safety performances through design. The PhD by practice is sponsored by the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and supported by NHS East Riding of Yorkshire (NHS ERY). The PhD is participatory and proposes a refined theoretical model to achieve its objectives: a strategy- system- experience- product continuum. Qualitative and quantitative methods have: identified variance in the nursing bags used in practice; captured the presence of MRSA inside and on bags; applied Lego Serious Play to envision aspirational products; analogous case studies determining the discrete attributes of world-class services delivered in confined spaces and luxury travel products; captured workflow using link analysis of simulated treatments; determined the efficacy of hand-cleaning techniques; evaluated of design forms using UV analysis to enhance the effectiveness hand-cleaning; heuristic evaluations informing design decisions: stakeholder presentations, international design competitions and industry opinion. Analytical, creative and experimental collaborative practices have contributed to the co-creation of a world-class nursing bag fit for the challenges of the 21st century. Validation workshops have verified that the new bag reshapes the way home healthcare is delivered, experienced and accepted: increases clinical efficiency through modularity, standardises the patient’s service experience and delivers economic benefits to the commissioners of home healthcare services.

Multilayer paint is a significant fire hazard particularly concerning rapid spread of flame,smoke and toxic species production. Fire protective coatings are often employed to protect this unpredictably flammable substrate from ignition (for example resulting from arson attacks in the communal areas of multi- occupancy buildings). Literature shows a gap in the understanding of this problem,a lack of suitable flammability tests,and methods for screening new fire protective coatings required to address this problem. This work investigates the factors affecting coating performance and develops screening test methods to estimate protection performance in standard fire tests. The dependence of these tests has been investigated with regard to substrate, coating thickness,composition of coating, thermal conductivity and rheological properties, to inform the development of modified coating formulations with enhanced fire safety.Coating materials have been investigated using thermogravimetric ana lysis (TGA) in both air and inert atmospheres and their burning behaviour using the cone calorimeter (ISO 5660). Novel screening test methods also include a test adapted from BS EN 367 for measurement of thermal conductivity, a thermocouple embedded in cone samples to assess the temperature profile at the substrate-coating interface and BS 476: Part 6 (adapted) as a scaled down version of the standard fire test. The chemical changes occurring during burning of current coatings formulations were investigated using CHN analysis, pyrolysis gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (pyGC-MS),inductively coupled plasma coupled with mass spectrometry (ICP-MS),diamond attenuated total reflectance coupled with fourier transform infra-red (dATR-FTIR),nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR} and scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX} to inform the development of novel formulations. Generally,intumescent formulations tend to exhibit lower fire propagation indexes when assessed in the BS 476: Part 6,longer time to ignition and lower peak heat release rates in the cone calorimeter, as well as reduced thermal conductivity recorded in the BS EN 367. Results report mixed performance,suggesting that it is not only char residue formation that ensures a pass in the standard fire tests. Rheological properties of the coatings are crucial to performance,with softening temperature and reduction in viscosity coinciding with gas release of the fire retardant additive. Each screening test method assesses one particular aspect of flammability, they are dependent on the controlled conditions under which results are collected,and the limited correlation observed with the performance in the standard fire tests, do not conclusively predict performance in a real fire situation.

Cluster is not a new phenomenon, having existed in different forms for a long time. Although a large amount of work has been dedicated to cluster research (Marshall, 1920; Krugman, 1995; Schmitz 1997; Porter, 1998; Wilson and Popp, 2003), there is still a lack of convincing explanations as to how and why clusters are created. Reviewing the different definitions of ‘cluster’ from previous studies, produces the interesting finding that most of the cluster definitions neglect one key element – the ‘actor’ – that is, the individuals who are involved in the process of founding new businesses that give rise to cluster formation. Recognising the values and shortcomings of the extant studies on clusters, this thesis aims to establish a conceptual framework and attempt to advance the understanding of the cluster formation process from an alternative view. The purpose is to answer the research questions of how and why cluster are formed, how different actors interact with key institutional factors relevant to cluster creation and how these actors themselves make sense of the cluster creation process, particularly in the Chinese context. This research employs a qualitative approach comprising semi-structured in-depth interviews, which seek to uncover the depth and richness of the living experiences of different actors with the SME clusters. Fieldwork was completed in multi-phases involving a preliminary data collection in phase one, followed by a further data collection in the second and subsequent phases through re-interviewing the key informants. The findings of the three empirical case studies echoed the claims that the very notion of a cluster is a dynamic, and for some a ‘Chaotic’ one (Martin and Sunley, 2003). This highlights the importance of a comprehensive framework to address the complex web of elements that are involved in cluster formation. The result of the thesis also indicates that individual (entrepreneurs & social relations), and the social interactions among individuals and their institutional context are the key ingredients for forming clusters. It is suggested that the established conceptual framework, based upon the theories of institutionalisation, social embeddedness and sensemaking, can help to fill the gap in the extant cluster research and pave the way for future research.

This thesis presents a narrative that connects discussion of a number of my papers submitted for consideration of the award of PhD by published work with reflections on methods and theory within a critical sociological context. This analysis of my publications is extended by a critical engagement with communicative action theory to consider its relevance for thinking about service user involvement activity in university settings. The thesis explores methodological and theoretical ideas by first narrating the thematic consistency of the portfolio of published work presented for consideration and, second, considering analytic connections with wider critical social theory and emancipatory goals. In part this is accomplished by exploring a scholarly interest in the subjective: tracing in my own papers a development of thought from an affinity for critical post-structuralist concepts of a de-centred subject, as illustrated in my use of Q-methodology as a particular means of accessing forms of subjective expression, through to a current interest in forms of critical social theory, aligned to the Frankfurt School. Despite some acknowledged philosophical tensions, it is argued that there is a consistency of theoretical exposition whereby a line of reasoning via Habermas’s theory of communicative action, focuses on a radical subjectivity which is not antithetical to the aforementioned post-structural accounts. A contribution to original knowledge is demonstrated with respect to theorising social constructions of difference and identity in a mental health context and critical analyses and commentary on the mental health service user/survivor movement. Themes of radicalism and emancipation in research methods and praxis, and their critique, connect with a concluding focus on academic alliances with user movement activists including an analytic reflection on the university as a particular social space which may be amenable to forging effective solidarity.

The current research examined gaming within a leisure context to examine the motivational and experiential value of the activity, to better understand the range of outcomes of playing videogames. Flow theory was used as a theoretical framework for examining positive gaming experiences, and how these were associated with gaming motivations, and potential positive psychological and affective outcomes. The research utilised a mixed-methodological approach with samples of gamers. These included focus groups, an experiment and online questionnaires. The findings showed that immersion and achievement-orientated gaming motivations predicted flow in gaming, and could also predict some dimensions of psychological well-being. Flow in gameplay interacted with increases in positive mood and activation. This suggests that the processes involved in gaming are influential to positive gaming outcomes. Specific game aspects were influential to the nature of gaming experiences, although these were largely dependent on game-type. The findings also showed that social gaming contexts were influential towards gaming experiences, and the associated affective outcomes. This suggests the dynamic nature of gaming experiences, and the importance of acknowledging the wider social contexts in which gaming occurs. Aspects of personality (i.e. trait aggression and competitiveness) influenced negative mood after gameplay, suggesting the importance of considering internal factors when examining gaming outcomes. Further, because gaming motivations, experiences and the associated effects were largely individual and game-specific, this highlights the need for future research to adopt more idiographic approaches. Based on the findings, the research presents a Process Model of Gameplay to examine the dynamic nature of gameplay processes for a range of outcomes. The current research highlights the effectiveness of considering gaming within the wider context of leisure, to identify gaming processes as a way of examining the influence of gaming motivations and experiences on positive outcomes of the activity.