Theses: Recent submissions
Now showing items 41-60 of 1558
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Countering Terrorism in the North West Pakistan - Exploring local and global perspectivesThis thesis investigates global fight against terrorism in North West Pakistan and Afghanistan from a 21st century perspective in 2018. It focuses on local attitudes towards the War on Terror and their interplay with geo-strategic, regional, international and Pakistan’s domestic landscapes. In doing so, it questions the efficacy of existing academic and policy approaches towards achieving sustainable peace in North West Pakistan in particular and South Asia in general. It also evaluates the impact of regional rivalries especially in between Pakistan and India on the achievement of US foreign policy interests. Part-1 reviews existing literature on terrorism especially in post 9/11 setting. It examines the international discord of agreeing on a single definition of terrorism and its ramifications. It sequentially focuses on character of security in North West Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan since colonial times. It also identifies various traditional, religious and societal angles of Pashtun tribes; which always inspired them to fight against external powers. Part-2 combines academic investigations with empirical evidence. The results are correlated with current discussions on modern terrorism, geopolitical pulls and regional rivalries to create a holistic picture. It identifies local attitudes and regional rivalries as major impediments towards achievement of sustainable peace. Research findings indicated that predominant Western academic debates on the conflict were foreign policy inspired with little local and veteran input. By adapting a pragmatic approach the terrorism challenge can be addressed and the region can contribute towards the continuation of ‘Rules Based Order’ within the current phase of Great Power Rivalry.
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Simulation, Design and Implementation of Antenna for 5G and beyond Wave Communication. Simulation, Design, and Measurement of New and Compact Antennas for 5G and beyond and Investigation of Their Fundamental CharacteristicsThe fifth generation (5G) has developed a lot of interest, and there have been many reported initiatives in both industry and academics. Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) is the most promising wireless access technique for next-generation networks in terms of spectral and energy efficiency (MIMO). In 4G systems, 2-Element MIMO antennas are already used, while 5G mobile terminals for smartphone hand-held devices are projected to use a bigger number of elements. The placement of many antennas in the restricted space of a smartphone PCB is one of the most critical challenges. As a result, for sub-6 GHz 5G applications, a new design technique based on dual-polarised antenna resonators for 6-Element, 8-Element MIMO configuration is proposed. The proposed MIMO design could improve the smartphone antenna system's chan-nel capacity, diversity function, and multiplexing gain, making it appropriate for 5G applica-tions. For distinct prospective bands of the sub-6 GHz spectrum, such as 2.6, 3.6, and 5.8 GHz, different types of novel and compact diversity MIMO antennas using Patch, Slot, and Planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) resonators are examined. Unlike previously reported MIMO antennas, the proposed designs provide full radiation coverage and polarisation diversity, as well as adequate gain and efficiency values to support several mainboard sides. Apart from sub-6 GHz frequencies, 5G devices are projected to support the centimetre/milli-metre wave spectrum's higher bands. To create linear phased arrays, small antennas can be placed at various locations on a smartphone board. For 5G smartphones, we propose novel linear phased arrays with tiny parts like Dipole and Quasi-Yagi resonators. In comparison to previously published designs, the suggested phased arrays have desirable qualities such as compact size, wide beam-steering, broad bandwidth, end-fire radiation, high gain, and efficiency. With a reduced mutual coupling function, the suggested 5G antennas can provide single-band, multi-band, and broad-band characteristics. Both models and measurements are used to an-alyse the fundamental features of 5G antennas, and good agreement is found. Furthermore, in the presence of the user and the smartphone components, good features are seen due to the small size and superior arrangement of elements. Because of these benefits, the sug-gested antennas are well-suited for usage in 5G smartphone applications.
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A strategic typology for UK small and medium sized enterprises. An investigation of influential factors and the development of a predictive typologyThe success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is critical to Europe’s economic health, however, our understanding of SME strategic behaviour is predominantly based on large enterprise theory. This study uses the Miles and Snow (1978) typology to examine the strategic behaviour of 150 UK SMEs. It also investigates whether strategy type, environment adaptation and organisational performance can be predicted by several contingency factors: organisation size, age, industry type, and management style. The findings confirm that the typology is not well suited for categorising SMEs; organisations that rarely develop through all three domains of the adaptive cycle to be sufficiently eligible for categorisation by one of the four pure archetypes. However, similar patterns of strategic behaviour were observed for certain dimensions, largely independent of the industry type or size of the SME, suggesting that an optimal configuration of mixed strategies may exist. Furthermore, Reactors, or those with mixed strategies, were found to perform similarly as Analysers and better than Defenders. The study also found that by fitting nominal logistic regression models to organisation age and size data, it was possible to predict strategic behaviour and environment adaptation, and to a lesser degree, financial performance. Surprisingly, the industry type and management style data were observed to exert minimal influence on the outcome variables. Finally, this research provides important insight relating to the validity concerns of the Miles and Snow typology and categorisation method employed, and demonstrates how these can be avoided.
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Just Philosophy, Just Practice? An Exploration of Enrique Dussel's Ethics of Liberation in Relation to the Normative Dimension of Two Movements Against Globalisation and ExclusionThe Ethics of Liberation in the Age of Globalisation and Exclusion by the Latin American philosopher Enrique Dussel aims to be 'a day to day ethics, starting from and in favour of the immense majorities of humanity excluded from globalisation, in the historic 'nonnality' that is presently prevalent' 1 • Dussel's Ethics is based around the material principle of 'the production, reproduction and development of life', the formal discursive principle that decision-making processes should be open to all those affected by them, and the principle of (ethical and empirical) feasibility. Ethical critique and liberatory practice, Dussel argues, should start from and be carried out by the 'victims' of the partial or non-realisation of these principles. Nevertheless, the discussion of Dussel's philosophy has tended to stay at the philosophical level. This thesis moves beyond this discussion by relating the universal principles Dussel proposes to the concrete experiences of two movements that are insisting on universalistic normative ideas in the context of globalisation and eicclusion: The Zapatistas in Mexico and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement - NBA) in India. My study of these concrete struggles to challenge victimisation reveals both the similarities between their nonnative content and Dussel's principles and the complex questions that arise in attempts to realise these normative principles precisely in the situations of domination and exclusion that Dussel takes as his starting-point. While some of these questions constitute a challenge to rethink aspects of the philosophical debate, others can only legitimately be answered by those who participate in practical attempts to challenge material and discursive exclusion. From this background, the relationship between philosophy and practice becomes an important question in itself.
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Development of dry powder Inhaler and nebulised nanoparticles formulations of chrysin for the potential treatment of asthma. Development of dry powder inhaler of chrysin and nebulised nanoemulsion combination of chrysin and budesonide; Evaluating the anti-inflammatory activity of the combination formulation of chrysin and budesonide for asthmaChrysin is a flavonoid that can be used as a medication for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to its anti-inflammatory activities. However, no studies have investigated the effectiveness of an inhaled formulation of chrysin on its own or in combination with corticosteroids. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the aerosol performance of chrysin formulations as well as the performance of combined formulations of chrysin and budesonide. Dry powder inhaler formulations were used first, where chrysin was processed using three different techniques, namely ball-milling, sonocrystallisation, and spray drying, to obtain a suitable particle size for inhalation. The highest fine particle fraction was 27% when the sonocrystallised samples were used. As the lung deposition was relatively low, budesonide was not added to the formulations. Next, liquid formulations of chrysin and budesonide were prepared in two concentrations using limonene and oleic acid as the oil phase. In a comparison of low and high drug concentrations of the formulations, the FPF of the formulations prepared with limonene ranged from 45% to 53.3% and from 49.3% to 53.9% for chrysin and budesonide, respectively; by contrast, the FPF of the formulations prepared with oleic acid oil ranged from 41% to 50.4% and from 46% to 53.3% for chrysin and budesonide, respectively. A genotoxicity study confirmed the safety of these combined formulations, and an anti-inflammatory study confirmed the potential for chrysin to be used with budesonide in a combined formulation; thus, chrysin’s anti-inflammatory efficacy can be improved and the required inhaled dose can be reduced.
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Design, Investigation and Implementation of Hetrogenous Antennas for Diverse Wireless Applications. Simulation and Measurement of Heterogeneous Antennas for Outdoor/indoor Applications, including the Design of Dielectric Resonators, Reconfigurable and multiband DR antennas, and Investigation of Antenna Radiation Performance and Design OptimizationThe main goals of this thesis are to design and examine heterogeneous antennas for different wireless applications of a wide variety of EM spectrum requirements: which includes WLAN 5.0 GHz, WLAN (2.45 GHz), UMTS (1.92-2.17 GHz), 2G, UMTS, LTE, ultra-wideband (UWB) applications, and MBAN applications (2.4 GHz). Various techniques for expanding bandwidth, enhancing performance, and balancing the operation have been examined through comprehensive simulated and physically fabricated models. Thereafter, a compact DRA, for UWB applications is examined. The combined resultant effects of asymmetric positioning of DRs (2, 3 and 4 Cylindrical elements), defected ground technique, dimensions, and profile of the aperture give RF designers detailed scope of the optimization process. More resonances are achieved, and the bandwidth is improved. The obtained results show that, an impedance bandwidth of 133.0%, which covers the Ultra Wideband band (3.6GHz - 18.0GHz), with a maximum power gain of 9dBi attained. In addition, a compact conformal wearable CPW antenna using EBG-FSS for MBAN applications at 2.4GHz is proposed. They are designed using fabric materials suitable for daily clothing. The performance of the antenna is investigated in free space, on a layered biological tissue model, and on a real human body to evaluate SAR. When the antenna is combined with an EBG-FSS structure, isolation between the antenna and the human body is introduced. The results show that the FBR is enhanced by 13 dB, the gain by 6.55dBi, and the SAR is lowered by more than 94%. The CPW antenna demonstrated here is appropriate for future MBAN wearable systems. The design, investigation, and application of water level monitoring utilizing subsurface wireless sensor are covered in this thesis. A wideband double inverted-F antenna is designed and examined to overcome signal attenuation issues. The obtained result is feasible, which has an operating bandwidth of 0.8 to 2.17GHz, with a reflection coefficient better than 10 dB. Moreover, a field trial is conducted to evaluate the robustness of the antenna under extreme conditions. A very good efficiency was also demonstrated, with losses of under 20%. Further, the results from the field experiment established that the antenna is a reliable contender for wireless communication in such challenging environments.
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Automatic Burns Analysis Using Machine LearningBurn injuries are a significant global health concern, causing high mortality and morbidity rates. Clinical assessment is the current standard for diagnosing burn injuries, but it suffers from interobserver variability and is not suitable for intermediate burn depths. To address these challenges, machine learning-based techniques were proposed to evaluate burn wounds in a thesis. The study utilized image-based networks to analyze two medical image databases of burn injuries from Caucasian and Black-African cohorts. The deep learning-based model, called BurnsNet, was developed and used for real-time processing, achieving high accuracy rates in discriminating between different burn depths and pressure ulcer wounds. The multiracial data representation approach was also used to address data representation bias in burn analysis, resulting in promising performance. The ML approach proved its objectivity and cost-effectiveness in assessing burn depths, providing an effective adjunct for clinical assessment. The study's findings suggest that the use of machine learning-based techniques can reduce the workflow burden for burn surgeons and significantly reduce errors in burn diagnosis. It also highlights the potential of automation to improve burn care and enhance patients' quality of life.
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Study of Linkage between Indoor Air Quality along with Indoor Activities and the Severity of Asthma Symptoms in Asthma PatientsAsthma, a chronic respiratory disease affecting millions of people worldwide, can vary in severity depending on individual triggers such as Carbon Dioxide, Particulate Matter, dust mites, tobacco smoke, and indoor household activities such as cooking, cleaning, use of heating, and window opening, which can have a negative impact on indoor air quality (IAQ) and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Investigating the relationship between IAQ and asthma severity, a case study was conducted on five asthmatic participants from Bradford, UK. IAQ was measured using IoT indoor air quality monitoring devices. Indoor activities were recorded using a daily household activities questionnaire, and asthma severity was assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). Machine learning prediction models were used to analyse various IAQ parameters, such as particulate matter, carbon dioxide, and humidity levels, to identify the most significant predictors of asthma severity with IAQ. The study aimed to develop targeted interventions to improve IAQ and reduce the burden of asthma. Results showed that higher asthma severity scores were associated with increased indoor activity and higher levels of indoor air pollution. Some interventions were implemented to improve ventilation hours, significantly improving IAQ and reducing asthma symptoms, particularly those with more severe asthma. The findings indicate that interventions targeting IAQ, and indoor activities can effectively reduce asthma severity, with up to a 60% reduction in symptoms for asthma patients.
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Contributions to Engineering Big Data Transformation, Visualisation and Analytics. Adapted Knowledge Discovery Techniques for Multiple Inconsistent Heterogeneous Data in the Domain of Engine TestingIn the automotive sector, engine testing generates vast data volumes that are mainly beneficial to requesting engineers. However, these tests are often not revisited for further analysis due to inconsistent data quality and a lack of structured assessment methods. Moreover, the absence of a tailored knowledge discovery process hinders effective preprocessing, transformation, analytics, and visualization of data, restricting the potential for historical data insights. Another challenge arises from the heterogeneous nature of test structures, resulting in varying measurements, data types, and contextual requirements across different engine test datasets. This thesis aims to overcome these obstacles by introducing a specialized knowledge discovery approach for the distinctive Multiple Inconsistent Heterogeneous Data (MIHData) format characteristic of engine testing. The proposed methods include adapting data quality assessment and reporting, classifying engine types through compositional features, employing modified dendrogram similarity measures for classification, performing customized feature extraction, transformation, and structuring, generating and manipulating synthetic images to enhance data visualization, and applying adapted list-based indexing for multivariate engine test summary data searches. The thesis demonstrates how these techniques enable exploratory analysis, visualization, and classification, presenting a practical framework to extract meaningful insights from historical data within the engineering domain. The ultimate objective is to facilitate the reuse of past data resources, contributing to informed decision-making processes and enhancing comprehension within the automotive industry. Through its focus on data quality, heterogeneity, and knowledge discovery, this research establishes a foundation for optimized utilization of historical Engine Test Data (ETD) for improved insights.
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Assessment of Thermally Enhanced Geo-Energy Piles and WallsGeo-energy piles and walls have long been recognized as a promising way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while providing renewable energy. However, enhancing the thermal performance of these structures has remained a signif-icant challenge. This thesis evaluated five different approaches to improving the thermal performance of geo-energy piles and walls, through a series of experiments using a fully instrumented testing rig. The first approach involved adding graphTHERM powder to concrete to double its thermal conductivity, boosting heat transfer efficiency by an impressive 50% to 66%. The second approach tested slag-based geopolymer concrete as a sustainable construc-tion material for geo-energy piles and walls, reducing CO2 emissions by 44.5% while improving thermal performance by 14% to 21%. The third approach in-volved testing thermally enhanced soils at the geo-energy structures/soil inter-face, resulting in an 81% improvement in heat transfer efficiency. The fourth approach utilized innovative phase change material (PCM) heat exchangers that increased heat transfer efficiency by 75% and 43% in heating and cooling operations, respectively. Finally, incorporated PCM-impregnated light weight aggregates at the interface of the structure soil, significantly increasing tem-perature difference and reducing thermal deformation of geo-energy struc-tures.Overall, these innovative approaches made a significant contribution to enhancing the thermal performance of geo-energy piles and walls. However, approaches four and five, which involve utilizing PCM heat exchangers and PCM-impregnated LWA's, respectively, showed extra benefits in dropping the thermal effect on soils and reducing the thermal damage on those structures. These techniques offer great promise for improving the thermal performance of geo-energy structures.
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The role of Ten Eleven Translocation enzymes in the hair follicle mesenchymeEpigenetic mechanisms play an important role during the morphogenesis of the hair follicle and the hair cycle. Work on hair regeneration is of importance as no products are available which can provide complete reversal of hair loss. Tet2 promotes DNA demethylation by the hydroxylation of 5mC to 5hmC which in turn causes gene transcription activation. Dermal papilla (DP) cells located within the hair follicle are responsible for the regulation of development and the growth of hair follicles. Fgf20 signalling controls commitment of the mesenchymal precursor cells to the DP progenitor lineage. An immature DP cells is then formed during maturation by Shh signalling which then stimulates these to differentiate into a DP cell by BMP and Wnt signalling. Methylated DNA can be bound by the proteins recruiting transcription corepressors. DNA methyltransferases (DNMT’s) can be degraded by decitabine which reverses gene silencing. Conditional knockout of Tet2 in mouse DP cells results in a delay in anagen initiation, suggesting Tet2 is involved in the telogen-anagen transition. Additionally, by using dermal fibroblasts and RA-DPAC (Dermal Papilla activating medium supplemented with retinoic acid), it was found that decitabine can increase plasticity in dermal fibroblasts and RA-DPAC can be used to accelerate a lineage change to DP cells which is supported by the significant increase in the DP specific gene expression. Examples include AlPl, LEF1, BMP4/6/7, FGF10, BMPR1A and PDGFA. Additionally, by way of siRNA and conditional Tet2 knockout data in dermal fibroblasts, it was found Tet2 regulates signature DP genes such as Bmpr1a, ALPL, Tcf4 and SOX2.
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Design and Implementation of Reconfigurable and MIMO Antennas for Future Heterogeneous Wireless SystemsThe recent progress in electronics and communication technologies has driven the unprecedented demand for multi-functional wireless communication in most single wireless devices. However, employing the limited spectrum effectively on communication equipment poses a key design challenge, as most antennas often suffer from bandwidth limitations and restricted frequency rarge. Onekey approach to overcome this problem without significantly affecting the antenna size is to apply antenna tuneability and reconfigurability. This is achieved by electronically changing some properties of the antenna usually by loading the reactive loading of the resonator by means of active electronic elements including varactor diode or PIN diode with extra circuitry. The main objective of this research is to design and investigate low-profile antennas for heterogeneous wireless systems using the antenna reconfigurability concept through tuning and/or using the MIMO antenna techniques. The research focuses on antenna design and implementation to cover various wireless standards and applications within the electromagnetic spectrum including UMTS (1.92-2.17 GHz), Cognitive Radio such as WLAN and WiMAX (2.4GHz), Wi-Fi (5.2GHz), 5G (600MHz - 6GHz) and MBAN applications. A family of compact microstrip printed reconfigurable antennas for various cognitive radio applications is presented. Effects of various slots on the antenna performance are also investigated, and the final version was reconfigured across a broad frequency range (1.5 - 2.4 GHz) Furthermore, four new variants of the miniaturised hexagonal-shaped monopole printed antennas for different UWB applications are proposed. Prototypes of the four versions are fabricated and compared to establish their results. Two reconfigurable rejection bands are introduced to avoid anticipated interference with other systems working within the UWB range. Finally, a novel low-profile four-element MIMO antenna was designed and fabricated to operate at the 2.4 GHz ISM band. both measurements and simulation results revealed strong agreement. Furthermore, the designed antenna was also tested on human tissues, with acceptable results when compared to its performance in free space. it is proved to be a good fit for wireless, mobile communications, medical systems and WBAN applications.
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Planning and Operation of Hybrid AC-DC Microgird with High Penetration of Renewable Energy SourcesA hybrid ac/dc microgrid is a more complex but practical network that combines the advantages of an AC and a DC system. The main advantage of this network is that it connects both alternating current and direct current networks via an interlinking converter (IC) to form a unified distribution grid. The hybrid microgrid (HMG) will enable the direct integration of both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) distributed generators (DGs), energy storage systems (ESS), and alternating current and direct current (DC) loads into the grid. The alternating current and direct current sources, loads, and ESS are separated and connected to their respective subgrids primarily to reduce power conversion and thus increase overall system efficiency. As a result, the HMG architecture improves power quality and system reliability. Planning a hybrid microgrid entails estimating the capacities of DGs while taking technical, economic, and environmental factors into account. The hybrid ac-dc microgrid is regarded as the distribution network of the future, as it will benefit from both ac and dc microgrids. This thesis presents a general architecture of a hybrid ac-dc microgrid, which includes both planning and design. The goal of the Hybrid ac-dc microgrid planning problem is to maximise social welfare while minimising total planning costs such as investment, maintenance, and operation costs. This configuration will assist Hybrid microgrid planners in estimating planning costs while allowing them to consider any type of load ac/dc and DER type. Finally, this thesis identifies the research questions and proposes a future research plan.
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Characterisation of Cutaneous Wound Healing Process in Naked Mole RatsBeing the longest-lived rodent, naked mole-rats (NMR; Heterocephalus glaber) are an exceptional model for biogerontological research. However, unlike other rodents, not much is known about their wound healing process. To investigate that, full-thickness wounds were created in the back skin of naked mole rats. Our initial data confirmed that wound closure in NMR skin was achieved primarily by reepithelialization and granulation tissue formation, with only ~26% wound contraction, making them an excellent model to study human cutaneous wound healing. Similar to mice and human skin, changes in wound epithelial tongue included progressive enlargement of wound epithelium, increased proliferation and changes in the expression pattern of epidermal markers including K14, K17, integrin α6 and E-cadherin. Further analysis revealed characteristics of reduced scarring in NMR wounds including low collagen I to III ratio, increased HA expression (HMW) and increased fibronectin expression. Transcriptional profiling of TGFβ isoforms and different pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines revealed a balance in the expression and repression of different cytokines, potentially contributing into reduced scarring. Comparison of RNA-seq data from NMR and human fullthickness wounds revealed a delay in the activation of important biological processes and pathways in NMR skin in response to injury. Further analysis based on cultured human and NMR cells revealed differential regulation of TGFβ signalling pathway between both species. 3-D collagen gel contraction assay revealed that NMR fibroblast showed noticeable contraction but independently of TGFβ treatment, while human fibroblast showed marked increased in gel contraction in the presence of TGFβ. In conclusion, NMR can serve as a very useful model to study human cutaneous wound healing. The reduced scarring in NMR could be a result of multiple factors including HMW-HA, balanced cytokine expression and differential regulation of different TGFβ cytokines as observed in the in vitro studies.
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Designing and Building a Novel Magnetic Heating System to Investigate the Dependence of the Magnetic System and the Optical Emission from NanoparticlesA Magnetic Heating Coil (MHC) has been designed, which has the potential to interact with magnetic Nanoparticles (NPs) to produce local temperature changes. The aim is to design a device capable of studying medically targeted magnetic-fluorescent core-shell NPs (with potential applications in cancer therapy via hyperthermia). Very little is known about how the magnetic-fluorescent NPs respond to magnetic fields and the effect this would have on their optical properties, therefore, considerable work is still required in order to understand the detailed interactions. Several modelling and simulations of the MHC were conducted besides developing the MHC that was designed and built for small samples of NPs (1-10ml volumes). Two different heating coil geometries were examined (coil A and coil B), where the former operates at 83 kHz and the latter operates at 125 kHz. Several tests for fluorescent emission, lifetime and anisotropy with several different NPs samples were conducted. We found that as the temperature increased from 5 °C to 45 °C, the fluorescence lifetime dropped from 3.8 ns to 3.6 ns. Also, the correlation time of the fluorescence in dilute solutions with varying temperatures from 20 °C to 40 °C was investigated, and it was found that decreased from 0.9 ns to 0.6 ns showing that the rotational diffusion of the dye increased and the molecules become more mobile. The MNPs were found to quench the fluorescent emission at high concentrations. Also, the MNPs induce only a small change in a lifetime from 3.9 ns to 3.4 ns.
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A Strategic Public Diplomacy Framework for Enhancing Implementation of Public Diplomacy Practice in the Diplomatic Field of QatarThe role of Public Diplomacy (PD) in conducting foreign relations has emerged as a critical component for modern statecraft, foreign policy and arguably for the state’s global existence. With the world now more interconnected than ever before, public diplomacy has taken on new meaning and new importance. However, despite these marked shifts, public diplomacy remains under-researched and under-utilised both as a concept and as a vital activity. The complexities that underscore the development and evolution of public diplomacy within a dynamic international milieu therefore warrant renewed attention. The benefits and opportunities that accompany public diplomacy are equally complicated by a number of challenges to its practice. This research identifies and advances a critical understanding of public diplomacy through a theoretically rigorous perspective that accounts for the fluid environment in which it operates, the evolving nature of stakeholders and audiences involved in shaping it, the sweeping impact of global information and communications development, the persistence of cultural divides and conflicts of interests and how they contribute to the lack of strategic frameworks in place to advance public diplomacy practice. This thesis investigates Qatar as a case study due to its international stature and influence despite it being a small geographical state. Renowned for its international role as a leading actor in conflict reconciliation and commended for its contributions to international humanitarianism, the ambitious, forward-looking and steadfast foreign policy of Qatar has faced increased pressure in recent years. Qatar has encountered significant challenges in the form of the Nepali workers’ crisis that ensued following its selection as host for FIFA World Cup 2022 and with the diplomatic siege against it by a number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. This study critically analyses Qatar’s public diplomacy practice considering these pressing developments and advances an original strategic public diplomacy framework that can assist Qatar in managing and mitigating the effect of these crises on its global image and reputation. This research contributes to enhancing public diplomacy practice within the diplomatic context of statecraft and foreign policy by developing a nuanced and original framework that can be utilised by Qatar and other states to manage and mitigate modern public diplomacy challenges. The thesis utilises a mixed-methods research approach that includes literature reviews, media analyses, interviews and questionnaires. The study contributes to knowledge and practice by advancing research in an understudied field and by developing and implementing an original strategic PD empowerment framework.