PhD Work Research Articles

The supportive nature of Classroom Codeswitching functions in a Mexican EFL higher education language center: Does Codeswitching remain inadequately misunderstood?

Classroom codeswitching continues to be a debatable topic in current education practice as some teachers believe that the alternate codes of two languages in the classroom can conflictive as others view it as positive. Currently, in multilingual societies of the 21st century, codeswitching (CS) is an everyday occurrence where both teachers and learners’ resort to their L1 in order to achieve a specific communicative purpose. From an interactional point of view, this case study deriving from my PhD work, examines how EFL university students are using CS functions for diverse classroom purposes such as equivalence, reiteration, and socializing in a predominantly “only in English” context. Specifically, observation sessions were carried out as these depictions demonstrated what was taking place in the classroom. Field notes are used to triangulate data; therefore, a more in-depth and solid analysis is brought forth as to how these resources are used. Consequently, classroom data was analyzed using an applied CA approach as it yields an explanation of the practices at hand that enable the participants of a conversation to negotiate meaning. Findings support Macaro´s (2014) argument that for CS discourse to be authenticated, it has to be accepted by both parties (teachers and students) in the classroom context. Meaning that CS is utilized for the purpose of learning as well as communication if and only if the participants in the discourse agree that the interaction involving CS is appropriate for the purpose it was intended. This classroom data evidences whether the L1 should be present is a matter, which needs reasoned discussion among policy makers and specifically educators to fully understand the supportive nature of CS in the language classroom. Key words: Code-switching, only in English, code- switching functions, Conversation Analysis Approach, English as a foreign language

Insights on the contribution of doctoral research findings from a school in a South African University towards policy formulation

Translation of health research findings into policy contributes to improvement of health systems. Generally, in sub-Saharan Africa policymakers rarely use research evidence and hence policies are often not informed by research evidence. Unless published or in the case of commissioned research, doctoral health research is often not used for health policy formulation. This paper analysed the potential and utilization of doctoral research from the School of Nursing and Public Health by KwaZulu-Natal Health Department of Health. The study adopted a mixed methods approach that combined elements of qualitative and quantitative research aspects. Qualitative data was collected through content analysis of 29 theses produced in the School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal between 2014 and 2021 and interviews held with four Department of Health personnel as policymakers. When researchers could not get information on how research questions were formulated from content analysis, they checked the student questionnaire for answers. Quantitative data was collected from 79 participants through structured questionnaires. Participants included 47 PhD graduates, 11 final year PhD students and 21 PhD supervisors. Data from content analysis and interviews was analyzed thematically while data from questionnaires was analyzed quantitatively. Eleven (52%) PhD supervisors reported that findings from 22 studies were being considered for policy development and adoption while some had resulted in policy guidelines and frameworks that can be used to formulate policies. Factors such as failure to involve the Department of Health during the formulation of research questions, inappropriate packaging of research findings, policymakers not aware of the availability of research findings, lack of commitment to the dissemination of research results by students and poor demand for research evidence by policymakers hindered the translation of PhD research findings into policy. From the 29 theses reviewed, sixteen (28%) of PhD respondents highlighted that they involved the Department of Health to formulate research questions while forty-two (72%) did not. The theses review also revealed limited identifiable information related to policy formulation. The study confirms the use of PhD research findings for policy formulation. Additionally, it highlights the factors that hinder utilization of PhD work by policymakers. Further research to understand the perspectives of policymakers on factors that contribute to utilization of PhD work as well as how the findings have contributed to policy formulation is recommended since there was not sufficient data collected from policymakers due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Learning how to develop a research question throughout the PhD process: training challenges, objectives, and scaffolds drawn from doctoral programs for students and their supervisors

AbstractWith the higher education reform putting forward the professionalization of doctoral students, doctoral education has been strongly focused on generic transferable skills to ensure employability. However, doctoral training should not forget core skills of research and especially the ability to formulate research questions, which are the key to original research and difficult to develop at the same time. Learning how to develop a research question is traditionally seen as a one-to-one learning process and an informal daily transmission between a novice and a senior researcher. The objective of this paper is to offer a framework to design doctoral programs aimed at supporting the process of development of research questions for doctoral candidates guided by their supervisors. We base our proposal on two doctoral training programs designed with a pedagogical strategy based on dialogs with peers, whether they be students, supervisors, or trainers from a diversity of scientific backgrounds. The resulting framework combines three learning challenges faced by doctoral students and their supervisors when developing their research question, as well as training objectives corresponding to what they should learn and that are illustrated by the scaffolds we have used in our training programs. Finally, we discuss the conditions and originality of our pedagogical strategy based on the acquisition of argumentation skills, taking both the subjective dimensions of PhD work and the added value of interactions with a diversity and heterogeneity of peers into account.

Handling Syntactic Complex Predicates of Maithili in English Classes

This article attempts to explore the causativized syntactic complex predicates in the southern Saptarian Maithili analysing them within Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) and also pinpoint show English teachers/learners with Maithili background are facing difficulties for expressing such concepts in English. The data were mostly based on the researcher's own PhD work, his own intuition and experiences and also from the secondary level students/teachers, and presented them using Leipzing glossing rules analyzing under the four interacting structures of LFG. It is found that this variety uses the predicative item lǝga 'cause/force' with another predicative polar to form the causative syntactic complex predicates and such a construction is causing problems for the students learning English. Thus, English teachers in particular area to be conscious about the students' difficulties in learning English, especially while dealing with the concepts of Maithili complex predicates.

The Nicolai-map approach to supersymmetry

In 1980 Hermann Nicolai proposed a characterization of supersymmetric theories that became known as the Nicolai map. This is a particular nonlocal and nonlinear field transformation, whose perturbative expansion is given by fermion-line trees with bosonic leaves. Quantum correlation functions can by evaluated using the inversely transformed fields in the free theory. After initial promise and excitement (fuelling the author’s PhD work!), the subject all but fell dormant for 35 years. Recently however, technical progress in the construction as well as a deeper insight into the nature of the map have been achieved, from quantum mechanics to super Yang–Mills in various dimensions. I will present the Nicolai map from this modern perspective and touch on some of the current developments.

Developing as a writer: PhD researchers’ evolving perspectives within a writing program

ABSTRACT Writing is central to PhD work, though often a source of challenge, given the dissertation is the basis for the award of the degree. Universities may offer writing workshops, but these frequently take a remedial, skills-based approach: writing as something to fix rather than a developmental life-learning process of gaining confidence and fluency as a writer. In this study, we report the design of an eight-month writing program premised on a developmental approach and the longitudinal assessment of participants’ journeys. Participants incorporated many elements of the developmental approach, including goal setting and review, metacognitive talk about their writing, valuing others’ perspectives, and viewing writing challenges as shared. Most, but not all, developed a broader understanding of learning to write as an exploratory learning process. Finally, the data collection and analysis structure proved productive, not just for the inquiry, but also formatively during the program – both for the participants and facilitators.

AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

Having recently published an article in AWWA Water Science, Rain Richard answered questions from the publication's editor-in-chief, Kenneth L. Mercer, about the research. Pre- and Post-Flushing of Three Schools in Arizona Due to COVID-19 Shutdown Rain Richard and Trevor H. Boyer I currently work at NCS Engineers as a consultant, and my focus is on wastewater treatment design. My goal has always been to bridge the gap between research and industry. I use my research and analytical skills to model treatment plant options for clients and solve issues that occur at wastewater treatment plants, and I am slowly moving into direct potable reuse. Each wastewater treatment plant design for a client is like its own research project. There are so many factors and limitations associated with a design, from policies to budgets. Having patience, thinking outside the box, and presenting the atypical are what make me successful at my job. During the early part of my PhD work, I had been struggling for a week with cross-contamination of my cell cultures, and I couldn’t figure out why. I was really frustrated. The best thing I ever heard was when a professor told me, “Science does not have emotion. Therefore, you should not show it any emotion.” That changed everything for me. A light turned on and I felt like I gained control of my situation again. After that, regardless of how difficult a task was in the lab, I wasn’t bothered by failures or outcomes I wasn’t expecting. It is all a part of science. Rain and her family have just finished a mountain-bike ride in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Rain is measuring dissolved oxygen in the various reactors at a wastewater treatment facility. In my opinion, getting direct potable reuse (DPR) to be accepted and practiced in the United States is a major hurdle that we should be implementing right now. The biggest challenge we face will be if we try to implement DPR when it is too little, too late. There are two major areas of resistance that I come across often: public acceptance and cost of implementation, and I think cost outweighs public acceptance. Maybe we aren’t thirsty enough yet, but I really hope we don’t get to that point before we begin to implement DPR. It is an area in which everyone should band together instead of working in silos. Rain takes a leisurely horseback ride at MacDonald's Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. I was born in Afghanistan but moved to the United States as a refugee when I was a toddler. Afghanistan is a country that does not have a reliable source of clean water. I think about how fortunate I am to live in such a wonderful country. There are so many opportunities in the United States. Rain is studying a retrofit of a wastewater treatment plant and reading a permit to confirm that the treatment plant can begin construction on a new phase of design. I enjoy the small things. Every night we sit as a family and eat dinner. My kids are active in sports, and I love attending their events. I really enjoy being on the trails near my house. The sunsets are gorgeous, and I enjoy walking my rambunctious dogs. I like to crochet every night before bed to turn my mind off. And of course, I love our family vacations. To learn more about Rain's research, visit the article, available online at https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1239.

Meet the First Authors.

Meet the First Authors.

Complex of Facilities for Studying Interaction of Hydrogen Isotopes with Materials

In the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute,” a complex of laboratory facilities was created for studying experimentally the interaction of hydrogen isotopes with materials. The complex includes equipment for sample preparation, facilities for plasma irradiation using distributed electron cyclotron resonance and helicon discharges, facilities for plasma-driven and gas-driven permeation measurements, a setup for thermal desorption analysis, and a multipurpose laboratory facility for solving a variety of short-term tasks. The teams of each experimental facility include students. Students of the third and fourth years from several technical universities come to the laboratory complex as interns. Depending on their personal abilities and preferences, the students are involved in different engineering, experimental, and theoretical tasks. After getting master’s degrees, the most motivated and gifted students continue their education as PhD students and work in experimental teams.

Fred J Boyd Oration 2021

Fred J Boyd Oration 2021

AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

Having recently published an article in AWWA Water Science, Martin Earle answered questions from the publication's editor-in-chief, Kenneth L. Mercer, about the research. Predicting Manganese and Iron Precipitation in Drinking Water Biofilters Martin R. Earle, Inês L. Breda, Amina K. Stoddart, and Graham A. Gagnon On a recent trip to Hawaii, Martin relaxes during a sunset sail. I went into civil engineering expecting to specialize in infrastructure, without knowing that water treatment fell under the civil engineering umbrella at Dalhousie. My first exposure to water treatment was in my third year, when I took Dr. Graham Gagnon's water quality class. The first assignment for that class was a literature review, which opened my eyes to both water treatment and graduate studies. I found that assignment and the class in general fascinating, and I quickly realized that water science was something important and worth committing my efforts to. I have had many mentors already in my career and have been fortunate to get a lot of great advice. However, I want to highlight my coauthor, Dr. Inês Breda, who was generous enough to share her data with me and help me write this paper at a time when I had no access to research facilities because of COVID-19. She helped me understand that failure is a normal part of graduate school, and that the key to producing quality research is to not let those failures derail you. Martin and his fiancée, Genevieve, enjoy kayaking on Kejimkujik Lake, the largest lake in Nova Scotia's Kejimkujik National Park. I believe that the future of manganese control is biological treatment; however, our understanding of how manganese is removed across biological systems is limited, which has prevented widespread adoption of the technology in North America. To improve our understanding of these systems, we focused on one potential removal mechanism that is often ignored by researchers: homogeneous oxidation. The article investigates this mechanism using full-scale data and generates a framework for future investigations into manganese removal. I grew up enjoying the beautiful lakes, parks, and campgrounds in Nova Scotia, especially Kejimkujik National Park, which I still visit every year. It is very important to me that we protect the natural environment so that future generations can continue to enjoy it. After seeing the destruction left by Hurricane Fiona, which tore through the Atlantic provinces in late September 2022, it has never been clearer that we need to push everything we do to be sustainable, especially water treatment. Replacing the chemical treatments typically used to control manganese with sustainable biological treatments will be a great step toward a cleaner future. Climate change is going to cause more and more problems for the water industry, especially in Canada, where we tend to rely on surface waters. Even if we could stop polluting today, we will still face the consequences of what has already happened. The wilderness of Nova Scotia has always been an integral part of Martin's life and pastimes. Biological manganese treatments have been shown to be robust and sustainable. By continuing to develop this technology, we can help protect the public from health risks associated with manganese and the environmental pollution resulting from chemical treatments. Martin and Genevieve's cat, Apollo, helps bring balance to the stresses of Martin's PhD work. Hiking in Diamond Head State Monument, Hawaii.

In Memoriam Tribute to Jeffrey Robbins, PhD (1950-2022).

In Memoriam Tribute to Jeffrey Robbins, PhD (1950-2022).

An exploratory study of university librarians’ perceptions on causes and deterrents of plagiarism: a Pakistani perspective

Purpose The role of academic libraries in dissemination of information and facilitating research of academic community is well-established world over. However, a significant role of libraries in ensuring fair use of information to promote an ethical research culture at the higher education institutes is also flourishing. This study aims to explore the perceived causes of unethical use of literature by university scholars and deterrents to plagiarism in universities of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The design of the study was qualitative, and interviews were conducted on nine university library heads in Pakistan who were officially administrating anti-plagiarism (Turnitin) software service at their universities and were providing “similarity index certification” of PhD and MPhil research work through the software. They were purposively selected for the interviews because of their direct interaction with the researchers and faculty on matters of information searching as well as its ethical use. The study is based on PhD thesis work of the first author. Findings The findings of the study depicted that conceptual unawareness of plagiarism, lack of information skills, socio-cultural factors and weak policies were the prime reasons for unethical research practices among graduate scholars. Participants were positive that a role of university library in combating plagiarism through provision of anti-plagiarism software and guidance could prove more beneficial for both the researchers and libraries. Originality/value Multiple studies have been conducted, in and out of south Asian region, to gather the views of the students and faculty on the matters of academic misconduct. However, no study was found presenting the views of the other stakeholders in promotion of academic integrity. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind in South Asian context and provided observation-based views of a group of university library heads who are also administrating anti-plagiarism service in their universities on the causes and deterrents to plagiarism.

Leveraging the power of AI to design the best performing iPSC culture media

You will learn how to automatically create custom and optimized media formulations based on peer-reviewed research for induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based therapyIndependent of the cell type used in your process, learn how you can improve key critical quality attributes related to your therapy by having a customized media formulationLearn how to maintain IP ownership of the formulations you create and easily order them in the preferred format, size, and packaging to reduce cost and mitigate supply chain risksInstantly canvas publicly accessible scientific content and extract component and concentration level information to dramatically reduce the time to research and design custom formulationsDr Asma Ayari is Nucleus Biologics' Head of R&D, running Formulation Services & Product Development and has extensive experience in media analysis, testing and formulation for Cell and Gene Therapy. Asma did her PhD work in virology and immunology and brings a deep understanding of how complex cellular systems are affected by small changes in the chemical composition of the microenvironment. Dr Ayari holds a MSc. in Microbiology from University of Tunis and a PhD in Virology, Immunology and Metabolism from University of Lille in France.

Digital Twin for Underground Stations : Improving Decision Making for Construction Lifecycle

Challenges in the extraction and use of earth resources and spaces are encountered given a growing worldwide population, rising infrastructures development, and widespread climate change. In Australia, mining and construction are two major bases for economic growth while both being traditional hazardous and heavy industries. A nation-wide infrastructure upgrade featuring large-scale underground development is underway, the geological uncertainties and localisation difficulties of already laid infrastructure are associated with challenges not seen in building construction. A safer and competent subterranean transport solution is yet proposed in the context of sustainable developments. In light of this, geotechnical analysis as a fundamental subject for developing and maintaining safe and sustainable use of underground space has huge potential to be undertaken more intuitively considering the advancements in information management and visualisation. The PhD work examines the state-of-the-art applications, limitations and future opportunities of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other computational techniques in the digitisation of tunnelling and underground construction. The visualisation and interoperability facilitated by data-driven processes are especially important to underground construction that engages interdisciplinary and multi-environment interaction.

Creating Interactive Crowds with Reinforcement Learning

The entertainment industry, as well as the field of Computer Graphics, frequently faces the issue of creating large virtual crowds that would populate a scene. One of the ways to achieve that, particularly with modern rendering techniques, is by using simulation -- this, however, is nontrivial to design and control. The main goal of my PhD work is working towards the creation of a tool enabling the creation of virtual crowds that one can interact with, and we believe the best way to that is through Multiagent Reinforcement Learning techniques. These animated crowds can then be used both in movies and video games. Especially for the latter, it is highly desirable that both the crowd as a whole, as well as the individual characters, can react to the user's input in real time.

Humain Lens: The Disruptive Impact of AI and Precision Lung Data on Respiratory Trials

Humain Lens: The Disruptive Impact of AI and Precision Lung Data on Respiratory Trials

Behavioural Biases in Investor’s Stock Market Participation in Post Pandemic Phase: A Literature Review Approach

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the literature on the role of biases in shaping the decision-based anomalies in investor's stock market participation. The paper reviews the literature across a wider spectrum of biases involving heuristic perspective, prospect theory, herding, market, overconfidence, anchoring, and other representative aspects. The study embeds the sources of biases as critical to the understanding of consequences for investment decision making and respective stock market participation. The study evaluates the literature on the investor's self-dispositions, optimism, and other irrational mistakes as possessing consequences for investment decision making. The study presents the literature in post COVID pandemic times to assess the possible implication of financial uncertainty as shaping the investor's stock market participation. The study especially figures out the implications of faltering financial literacy and contingent financial inconsistency as shaping biases and resultant participation. The paper reviewed the existing literature especially in midst of COVID-19 pandemic and publications on the changes in financial behaviour. The PhD work will contribute towards understanding of changes in the biases in financial decision making and investor’s stock market participation in post COVID times.

One-year push-off specimens using cocktail and polymeric fibres at elevated temperatures

Purpose This study aims to test push-off specimens at elevated temperatures. This research work is part of the author’s PhD work. The author has published several of the significant findings that were remarkably cited in short time. This research is a continuation of that work, yet it has new findings as well. The author hopes this to be accepted and published.Design/methodology/approachThe approach that was used herein is widely used in the field i.e., the push-off specimen testing. The author has used this approach to investigate the shear performance of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures. In addition, the author has used means of Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs) to record the displacements of the loading.FindingsResults showed that, at ambient temperature, shear capacity is significantly increased by the virtue of using cocktail fibres, while insignificant increase is noticed using polymeric fibres only. However, significant decrease is noticed when elevated temperatures are included for both mixes.Originality/valueMany of the research findings here were accepted as New Scientific Results in my PhD Thesis. The novelty is remarkable and was appreciated by the committee.

Tribute to Scientifc Contributions of Vladimir Cermak

Dr. Vladimír Čermák is currently one of the well-known research scientists in the field of global Geothermics. Initiated his early works measuring terresttial heat flow, first in Czechoslovakia but later extemnding into various other European countries. At the Geophysical Institute (Prague) he defended his PhD work (1967) and his DrSc thesis (1981). Under broad international cooperation these activities lead to the construction of the first continental scale heat flow map of Europe. Later, he become the Director of the Institute of Geophysics (1990-1998), now of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, where at present serves as Emeritus Professor of Sciences. He is author of more than 300 publications in Geothermics. He is well known for the pioneering works on long-term monitoring of subsurface temperatures in the famous geothermal borehole of Prague since 1990. Systematic monitoring of temperatures in this borehole continues to the present day. He was honoured at the 2015 International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) meeting. The prposed 2022 meeting of the Internatioanl Heat flow Commission – IHFC is named after Vladimir Cermak.