Thesis Structure. The remainder of the thesis is structured as follows. Chapter 2 presents background material and theories that are necessary for the development of our imaging algorithms and its validation and testing. Chapter 3 presents our novel microwave breast imaging algorithm based on an optimised two-step iterative shrinkage/thresholding method. Following that Chapter 4 presents an implementation of the multiple-frequency approach for MWI in various resolutions. Moreover, several improvement strategies based on the multiple-frequency DBIM-TwIST algorithm are presented in Chapter 5. Finally, Chapter 6 presents initial results from the application of the algorithm to data from a MWI experimental prototype. Chapter 2
Thesis Structure. Chapters 2 to 6 of this thesis present a broad range of issues that are relevant to the thesis. Their relevance and relationship to other aspects of this thesis is discussed and the scope of the thesis is outlined. Chapter 7 presents the methods of the qualitative and quantitative components and the mixed methods approach. Chapter 8 describes the results and Chapter 9 contains the discussion and conclusion.
Thesis Structure. Chapter two focuses on the research methodology, in particular, the epistemological and ontological approaches of this research; methods of data collection; sampling; questionnaire design; and research strategy. Chapter three discusses the theoretical framework. There are six sections: The first two sections review the literature on the relationship between disaster and development and disaster and urbanisation. The third section, divided into seven sub- sections, explores the concept of vulnerability through different approaches. The concepts of social resilience and a sense of belonging are also discussed in this section. Section four provides a framework of the relevant literature examining the notion of social capital. The ideas on this issue from prominent scholars are discussed. Section five explores the role of civil society and non-governmental- organisations (NGOs) in reducing social vulnerability. In this section, the weaknesses of state-centred development projects will be highlighted and an examination of how these projects can improve through implementing participatory approaches by means of social capital will be presented. The final section considers existing literature on post-disaster reconstruction, in particular, highlighting the importance of reconstruction in shaping the social resilience of the affected community and reshaping local power structures. Chapter four gives an introduction to the institutional context of disaster management and reconstruction in Iran. In particular the state structure in Iran after the revolution, urban governance, the situation of NGOs, the system of disaster management in Iran, and experiences of post-war and post-earthquake reconstructions. Chapter five contextualises Bam before and after the earthquake with a historical introduction before moving on to: The sources of livelihoods which shaped the structure of power, examining landownership and entitlement, the effects of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, citizenship and entitlement, pre-earthquake Bam, the earthquake, and the designed structure of reconstruction management and governance. The thesis then follows three empirical chapters. Chapter six studies the resilience of residents of six of the most affected districts of Bam. This chapter is the outcome of field work and a questionnaire survey which took place in 2008. It explores the changes these districts experienced since the earthquake, notably in relation to family bonding ties, dependency rates, ...
Thesis Structure. This thesis is organised into nine chapters, the first of which introduces the study topic, discusses the personal interests of the researcher concerning the research topic and how these interests shape the direction of the study, and finally, the chapter sets out the research objectives and overarching research aim. Chapter 2 consists of a background and context discussion in relation to fertility treatment in Ireland. The religious, political, social, and medical history and background concerning treatment accessibility and policy in the country are discussed, including key fertility treatment policies and policy approaches which are identified and examined. This chapter shapes a context and basis for the study. Chapter 3 of this research consists of a literature review which identifies and examines key literature concerning fertility treatment access, including theoretical approaches and concepts, from across the aforementioned disciplines. Topics discussed within this review include the concept of access, including accessibility and affordability, along with barriers to fertility treatment access and navigating the fertility treatment landscape. This section also discusses fertility and treatment as a human right. Furthermore, the chapter examines the creation and dissemination of fertility-related knowledge and awareness, including methods of social communication, along with discussing and analysing lay expertise. This chapter also analyses uneven landscapes of care, including power structures and agency, along with feminist approaches to the topic. In addition, the section examines emotional geographies and health care, therapeutic landscapes, agency, and decision making. This review also includes an infertility and fertility treatment self-help literature critique, within which six key self-help books are examined and key themes and concepts, including emotional geographies, relationships, treatment as a human right, knowledge, awareness, and agency, are discussed and analysed in the context of the research objectives and aim. The literature review concludes by identifying the interdisciplinary significance of this research.
Thesis Structure. This thesis is structured to allow the reader to develop an understanding of the methodology used, and why, before giving an overview of UCAS potential. Technical capabilities and tactical doctrine are explained, in order that the reader has a basic understanding of the requirements of air power, in particular, counter-air capabilities. These are referenced appropriately to allow further examination. Ultimately, two potential future conflict points, centred on the US and its allies, and China and Iran, are examined; these allow the use of UCAS to be put into context.
Thesis Structure. The thesis explores the shaping of officers’ perceived psychological contracts through the HR practices of appraisal, career management and compensation. This research contributes to the extant literature and the unique nature of the exchange relationships experienced by military officers. The research was conducted using a case study approach involving documentary analysis and a series of interviews with officers and practitioners within the ADF over several years. Chapter 2 will describe these methods in detail as well as the analytical framework used and will justify this approach to data gathering and analysis. In Chapter 3 , the literature on the psychological contract and relevant research in the HRM field is reviewed. In critically reviewing the development of the psychological contract concept and empirical research, the chapter will identify the four key issues to be explored in the thesis: (1) type, (2) employer agent, (3) employer obligations and breach, and (4) reciprocity. The thesis also explores the concept of balanced psychological contracts (Xxxxxxx 2007). The review will then address the debates within the literature specific to performance appraisal, careers and career management, and compensation, posing relevant research sub- questions for each. Chapter 4 , provides the context for the thesis. It outlines relevant aspects of the employment relationship for officers and how this has developed over recent years. This will reveal the ways in which organisational reforms in the ADF have signalled a shift from a more relational psychological contract to a more transactional contract. It introduces the broad HRM system operating in the ADF. Chapters 5 and 6 outline the empirical findings in relation to the performance appraisal practices. Chapter 5 examines how goal setting, feedback and performance assessment processes operate in the ADF. The extent to which social networks and status influence performance outcomes will also be addressed. Chapter 6 explores how these practices were perceived by the officers in terms of the exchange relationship within their psychological contracts and the impact on their attitudes and behaviours. Chapters 7 and 8 provide the findings in relation to careers and career management practices for officers. Chapter 7 explores how career management agencies have assisted officers in managing their careers and the activities engaged in by officers themselves to advance their careers in their Service. The matter of ...
Thesis Structure. In Chapter 2, four Dutch environmental certification schemes for agricultural food crops are compared by analysing their methodology and the completeness of their criteria for different aspects of farming.
Thesis Structure. The remainder of this thesis is structured as follows. • Chapter 2, Background Introduces the necessary technical background for the following chapters. We review the background literature. • Chapter 3 Demonstrates a relationship between the domain and the performance of dialogue systems. Specifically, we investigate how the similarity of agents’ beliefs (e.g., the way in which arguments in an argumentation framework are dis- tributed between agents) correlates with the likelihood that the agents are able to reach an agreement by engaging in a deliberation dialogue. The content of this chapter has been published in [78]. • Chapter 4 Reinforces the existence of the relationship evidenced in the previous chapter by considering how the the low-level properties of a framework can af- fect the performance of an argumentation system. Specifically, we consider the effect of structures of generalised argumentation frameworks on key properties which are known to affect argumentation systems. We investigate structures of Xxxx-style frameworks, as well as two generalisations: extended argumentation frameworks that allow arguments to attack attack relations in order to express pref- erences, and collective-attack frameworks that allow sets of attacking arguments. We consider two case-studies based on existing argumentation systems, relating to statistical-model selection and clinical trials. The content of this chapter has been published in [81]. • Chapter 5 Recent works consider mechanisms for determining an optimal strat- egy for persuading an agent of some particular goal argument. However, comput- ing such optimal strategies is expensive, swiftly becoming impractical as the num- ber of arguments increases. In response, we present a strategy that uses heuristic information of the domain arguments and can be computed with high numbers of arguments. Our results show that not only is the heuristic strategy fast to compute, it also performs significantly better than a random strategy. The content of this chapter has been published in [79]. • Chapter 6 We explore a one-to-many persuasion setting, where a persuader presents arguments to a multi-party audience, aiming to convince them of some particular goal argument. The individual audience members each have differing personal knowledge, which they use, together with the arguments presented by the per- suader, to determine whether they are convinced of the goal. The persuader must, therefore, carefully consider which a...
Thesis Structure. The remainder of this thesis is organised as follows. Chapter 2 introduces the basic structure of NQR systems, the principles of NQR, and the overview of ML. Chapter 3 is the literature survey of the current status of landmine clearance, and landmine detection techniques currently in use or being researched, NQR applications including landmine detection, and NQR signal processing techniques that have been developed so far. Chapter 4 describes a compact NQR device that we have developed to replace conventional NQR devices for outdoor landmine detection. The device can excite a magnetic field with high efficiency by building the low impedance circuitry. The receiver amplifier was also designed to match RDX explosives. Chapter 5 shows the results of experiments carried out indoors and outdoors using the developed NQR device to acquire NQR signals. Chapter 6 discusses the application of machine learning to improve the accuracy of the NQR device in determining the presence of targets. Initially, various ML methods are compared in Matlab, and then the possibility of applying ML to the NQR device is discussed. Chapter 7 presents the conclusions of this thesis and future work.
Thesis Structure. In chapter 2, the literature review introduces theories/ideas from Western sociologists of religion about religious recruitment/conversion and (semi-) official LDS writers and independent scholars about LDS recruitment/conversion. All these theories/ideas shed light on my four main research issues: how the wider Polish social world; a person’s pre-LDS background; LDS religious training; and LDS interaction may help or hinder Polish LDS recruitment/conversion. In chapter 3, I discuss the qualitative research methods/techniques that I used to investigate and interpret how Polish converts move towards LDS baptism and become different types of LDS converts, and how LTIs refrain from becoming LDS. Regarding the Warsaw LDS field where I did my research, in chapter 4, I mainly describe events that take place and different participants who co-exist inside the two Warsaw branches. During chapters 5-8, I report on themes/topics relating to my four main research issues which emerged from my data; relate these findings back to theories/ideas from chapters 1-2; and discuss how my findings illuminated my understanding of the main issues. I start weaving things together in chapter 9 through comparing/contrasting the opinions of the different Polish LDS convert and LTI groups on the most significant findings from my research. Here, my data interpretation moves away from describing many themes/topics to more strictly defining central principles at play during Polish LDS recruitment/conversion. In chapter 10, I increasingly refer to my own insights gained from working inside the Warsaw LDS field and living in Warsaw, which helps me to build up a final overview/interpretation of Polish LDS recruitment/conversion.
