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Essays on greening global value chains
Get PDFThis thesis comprises four studies that investigate the green transition within global value chains, with particular emphasis on the significant role played by eco-innovation. After an overview in Chapter one, Chapter two presents an examination of the prevailing worldwide trends in eco-innovation and collaborative innovation, revealing a significant expansion of eco-innovation, particularly within specific technological areas. The efficiency of eco-innovation depends on its fast international diffusion, with collaborative efforts between economies serving as an opportunity to encourage green transition. This collaboration has the potential to accelerate the pace at which economies may effectively shift towards green transition. Chapter three focuses on the study of the relationship between Global Value Chains (GVCs) and international technological collaboration, specifically emphasising collaborative eco-inventions at the country level. In the fourth chapter, a comparative analysis is conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of eco-innovation and non-eco innovation with respect to their technological support of future inventions and subsequent diffusion of knowledge. Furthermore, we aim to examine the differences in quality between global collaborative innovation and non-collaborative innovation, along the variations in international knowledge spillover effects. Chapter five of our study presents our findings about the relationship between eco-innovations in exporting countries and the carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity of their exports. The findings of our research demonstrate a U-shaped association between eco-innovations and the carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity associated with trade
Characterisation and development of advanced structural alloys for nuclear fusion reactors
Get PDFThe breeder blanket fulfils a crucial function in the design of future magnetically confined fusion reactors, allowing for harvest of energy emitted from the fusion reaction and production of tritium fuel. Several designs are considered for the breeder blanket, which employ different structural materials as supports for the breeding material. As a result of the breeder blanket’s proximity to the fusion plasma and bombardment by high energy fusion neutrons, candidate materials must exhibit resistance to high temperature and irradiation degradation, and easy component recycling after appreciably long lifetimes.
Front-runner candidate structural materials include the reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel EUROFER97, an oxide dispersion strengthened variant of EUROFER97, and the vanadium alloy, V-4Cr-4Ti. In this work high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction during tensile testing is employed to characterise the microstructural evolution of these candidate structural materials at elevated temperature by way of the changing X-ray diffraction patterns collected during testing. Such characterisation allows for the determination of fundamental elastic properties (single crystal elastic constants, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, etc) and evaluation of the dislocation density behaviour during deformation. Experimental characterisation of the high temperature elastic properties supplements and supports modelling work necessary in the development of breeder blanket structures, and dislocation density evolution shows the cause of temperature dependency in the EUROFER97/ODS EUROFER97 steels during tensile and cyclic testing through consideration of the constitutive flow stress and dislocation recovery mechanisms. The final experimental chapter looks beyond the currently considered candidate structural materials, considering the effect of tantalum addition on the mechanical properties of vanadium-based alloys, given tantalum’s excellent high temperature properties and low activation. A pilot scheme of laboratory scale V-Ti-(Cr)-Ta alloys were arc melted and heat treated – their mechanical properties assessed relative to V-4Cr-4Ti by means of micro- and macro- indentation hardness testing.
The 2020-2050 period is anticipated to be an important period for the development of fusion as an energy source, with several key fusion projects slated for fulfilment within this window. The results presented in this work can be used to contrast the high temperature performance of current candidate structural materials, and the basic mechanical properties of a proposed next generation structural material class against the existing
Conflicting governance traditions and street-level bureaucrat’s practices: policy dilemmas and blame games in Indonesia’s CCT programme
Get PDFStreet-level bureaucrats (SLBs) are recognised as pivotal actors in policy implementation, particularly within the context of social welfare programmes. While SLBs play a crucial role in the success of policy implementation, they are also acknowledged for facing complex working situations and encountering dilemmas. Especially with the evolution and shifting of governance arrangements and reforms, SLBs operate in a day-to-day practice within a context where different governance paradigms and their logics clash, making the work of SLBs more challenging. This shift in governance structures is not confined to Western contexts; it also extends to non-Western settings where countries often uncritically introduce Western governance ideas into their bureaucracy. In Global South contexts, SLBs may experience an even more intricate working environment, where they have to negotiate cultural expectations ingrained in society with demands from diverse governance paradigms rooted in
Western ideas. Such challenging situations create the possibility for SLBs to be blamed by different actors when they fail to meet diverse expectations. It is also argued that the public administration theory espouses a false universalism that often fails to elucidate the significance of context, the specificities of which in a Global South context are limitedly understood.
This study focuses on analysing street-level dilemmas in the face of conflicting governance paradigms, and of street-level discretion and relationality in response to these dilemmas in Indonesia’s context. The topic of this study will be investigated through a case study of street-level practices in Indonesia’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme and the data was collected through unstructured interview with 45 participants, shadowing 5 participants, and 54 documents analysis. This study identifies four governance traditions; bureaucratic, performance-target, collaborative and Indonesia’s cultural traditions and finds that the conflicting governance traditions shape street-level practices by creating dilemmas for SLBs. Six distinct dilemmas emerged between the four traditions. In response to these dilemmas, the study identifies three original narratives of front-line work: 'stamp and sign,' 'changing mindsets,' and 'asset mapping.' This study also finds that clashing governance traditions not only give rise to dilemmas but also lead to blame games during CCT implementation. Therefore, in the face of conflicting governance traditions where blame games emerge, SLBs strategically use their discretion and relationality to mitigate the risk of blame. Importantly, the study uncovers implications related to how SLBs employ discretion and relationality when confronting dilemmas within the context of conflicting governance traditions during policy implementation. These implications extend to aspects concerning recipients, the
policy implementation process, and the ultimate policy outcomes.
This study contributes to the existing literature on street-level bureaucracy in three significant ways. Firstly, it addresses a crucial gap by providing insights into the practices of SLBs within contexts where different governance paradigms clash. Secondly, it presents a broader and distinct perspective by exploring street-level bureaucracy concepts and practices in a Global South context. Lastly, it establishes a connection between the street-level bureaucracy theory and the blame games theory, thereby reframing our understanding of analysing SLBs' discretionary practices and relational dynamics
Authorship of computer-generated works in copyright: a new materialist perspective
Get PDFAuthorship of computer-generated works (CGWs) under s9(3) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) remains largely unexplored by the judiciary except for few cases such as the seminal ruling in Nova Productions Ltd and Mazooma Games Ltd and Others Nova Productions Ltd and Bell Fruit Games Ltd [2006] EWHC 24. Questions emerge in academic literature on the meaning and scope of the arrangements that will be deemed necessary for authorship under the provision.
It is contended that copyright law needs to better understand the meaning of CGWs. It is suggested that the current understanding of how copyright matter is formed corresponds with the Newtonian and Cartesian theory on matter. This results in a reductionist approach to copyright works, where works are interpreted as static ‘things or an objects’; evidenced in the very narrow judicial interpretations of the categorisation system within the CDPA. This has the potential for the judiciary to erroneously abstract material as an idea rather than as copyrightable expression, which may have future implications for the authorship of CGWs. Further, once matter is understood as a static thing or an object, it creates a dualist understanding of matter, where differences become essential in determining legal conceptualisation. Arguably, this creates a distraction from fully understanding CGWs.
This thesis posits that the ontological theory of new materialism should be adopted to better understand CGWs. This can be done by focusing on the materials and material effects of a CGW, so the processes involved in such a work become more visible. It should be noted that computer-generated materials may include computer programs. This thesis takes a forensic gaze into the legal materials that attempts to give meaning to computer materials. An examination of the legal texts and statutory interpretive tools is conducted, providing an ontological understanding of computer matter, including CGWs, for copyright purposes
Exploring neurodivergent students’ lived experience of the GCSE exam period: A focus on ADHD.
Get PDFThis research aimed to explore how neurodivergent students with a diagnosis of ADHD perceive their lived experience of the GCSE exam period. Three research questions guided the study, with an aim to investigate how GCSEs were experienced by four ADHD students, what factors students perceived as influential to their outcomes, and the impact of the available provision. The methodology adopted a critical realist approach, collecting qualitative data through individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data, focusing on an in-depth exploration of individual lived experiences. Through the analysis, several common themes were identified across the individual accounts. Participants highlighted the significant impact of emotions on their exam preparation and performance, including feelings of exam stress and pressure. The value of acceptance, agency and relationships was also emphasised, with participants sharing that feeling safe, understood, and respected in school was crucial to their wellbeing and attainment. Additionally, the findings indicated that exam preparation for ADHD students extends beyond traditional revision, encompassing factors such as executive functioning, motivation, procrastination, and self-awareness. By placing emphasis on pupil voice, this study provides a rich insight into the experiences of ADHD students, offering implications for practice and provision, in support of wellbeing, preparation, and performance during the GCSE exam period.
Volume Two has been completed during the second and third years of the Applied Educational and Child Psychology Doctorate training programme at the University of Birmingham. It forms the second part of a two-part thesis. The first part (Volume One) presents an original research study. Volume Two includes three professional practice reports (PPRs), which are introduced below
Advancing high-recovery desalination with free-piston batch reverse osmosis (RO) technology
Get PDFReverse osmosis (RO) dominates desalination industry, yet achieving high recovery is energy-intensive and costly. Batch RO represents a promising approach to desalination, theoretically capable of achieving minimum thermodynamic specific energy consumption (SEC) at high recovery rates. Its applicability covers various domains including brackish and seawater desalination, brine mining, solute recovery, and industrial effluent treatment. Nonetheless, rigorous pilot-scale experimental studies on batch RO performance are currently lacking. This thesis bridges this gap by conducting seven research studies using two free-piston batch RO systems in the laboratory. Each system utilizes an 8-inch spiral wound membrane module: one operates at pressures up to 25 bar, while the other reaches up to 120 bar. The research programme encompassed various feed solutions, including sodium chloride, sparingly soluble salts representative of groundwater, seawater, and metal plating wastewater. The system was adopted to operate in batch, semi-batch, and hybrid modes, allowing comparisons to be made among these modes. Experimental data were used to develop analytical models capturing key factors such as membrane characteristics, pump efficiencies, salt retention, and concentration gradient effects. The modelling was used to design systems at larger scale and using improved membrane and pump properties, demonstrating favourable performance compared to state-of-the-art semi-batch RO systems
Designing colloidal open crystals & empty liquids
Get PDFBecause their shape and interactions can be readily controlled, colloidal particles are particularly well suited to act as building blocks for the bottom-up fabrication of complex three-dimensional structures. The self-assembly of sub-micrometre colloidal particles has long been recognised as a promising approach to fabricate photonic materials that operate at visible wavelengths. Cubic diamond-structured colloidal photonic crystals are particularly sought after for their applications in visible light management because of their ability to support a complete photonic band gap at low refractive-index contrasts; however, their realisation via self-assembly pathways has proved to be a long-standing challenge.
In this context, this thesis presents a body of computational studies that devise self- assembly routes for designer triblock patchy colloidal rods and tetrahedral patchy particles to yield colloidal diamond crystals by encoding ring selection rules to circumvent kinetic traps. We show that the photonic band gap of the resulting crystals assembled from the triblock patchy rods is robust to stacking faults, thus circumventing the requirement of polymorph selection in a scalable fabrication method. Additionally, using patterning sym- metry concepts, we present a bottom-up route to an enantiomorphic pair of single gyroid crystals comprising colloidal spheres, and demonstrate their assembly from rationally designed patchy spheres. We show that the single colloidal gyroid, and its inverse structure, supports a wide complete photonic band gap in addition to exhibiting rich chiroptical properties, making them attractive chiral photonic crystals.
Colloids, traditionally seen as “big atoms” and more recently with the development of the concept of “colloidal molecules”, are also perfectly suited to act as model systems for atomic and molecular systems, and provide a window through which we can glean new insight into a number of fundamental problems in condensed matter physics. One such problem is the liquid-liquid phase transition – hypothesised to underpin the anomalous thermodynamic properties of water. We rationally design a colloidal analogue of water using triblock patchy particles, showcasing that this model displays the well-known water thermodynamic anomalies, as well as a liquid-liquid critical point. Using this model, we reveal that the liquid-liquid phase transition of tetrahedral networks can be described as a topological transition between an unentangled low-density liquid and an entangled high-density liquid, the latter containing an ensemble of topologically complex motifs. We show that this topological distinction between the low-density and high-density liquids also holds for molecular water in connection with the liquid-liquid phase transition
Dinuclear Lanthanide(III) complexes for light emitting surfaces and plasmonic nanomaterials
Get PDFLanthanide(III) luminescence is extremely valuable for the development of optical devices. The long luminescence lifetimes, high photostability and narrow and characteristic emission peaks of lanthanides(III) are accompanied by low molar absorption coefficients, demanding sensitisation from light harvesting units via the antenna effect. In addition to careful ligand design, nanostructured plasmonic materials can enhance lanthanide(III) luminescence and overcome some of the most common limitations of luminescent materials and particularly near infrared (NIR) emission, such as poor signal to noise ratios and low quantum yields and brightness. Here, we present novel surface active bis β-diketonatelanthanide(III) complexes for the fabrication of visible and NIR emitting materials. The incorporation of thioacetate units in the ligand scaffold enables the complexes to be anchored on metallic substrates. The characteristic visible and NIR luminescence is retained upon coating on gold (Au) surfaces, and the preparation of a handheld sensing device is demonstrated as a response of the Eu(III) surfaces to F- coordination. Incorporation of the complexes to plasmonic substrates is determined to be an excellent approach for the enhancement of both visible and NIR luminescence. Plasmonic Au (pGold) surfaces, in particular, lead to exceptional resolution and intensity of NIR Nd(III) and Yb(III) emission, driving the progress of lanthanide(III) NIR light to advanced applications. Finally, the complexes are anchored on Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), producing highly emissive H2O dispersed nanomaterials. An alternative approach for the preparation of surface active bis β-diketonates is demonstrated by coordination of functionalised 1,10-phenanthroline units, also optimising the luminescent output of both the complex in solution and on AuNPs
The pseudo-Oecumenian catena on Ephesians: text, translation, and commentary
Get PDFThis thesis seeks to advance the understanding of the production and purpose of the Ps. Oecumenian catena on Ephesians through the creation of a critical edition, its translation, and theological commentary. The edition is created through the full transcription and collation of seventeen catena manuscripts, drawn from all known catena manuscripts containing the Ps.-Oecumenian catena on Ephesians. The selected manuscripts were chosen on the basis of a test passage applied to all manuscript witnesses of this catenae tradition and they represent three of the main catena types established by Karl Staab and indicative of the development of the catena from its earliest recoverable period containing the Urkatena and Corpus Extravagantium to the addition of the Scholia Photiana. An analysis of the seventeen manuscripts selected for the edition is provided alongside a stemma codicum representing a conceptualisation of textual relationships between the manuscripts and the process of the transmission of the catena. The presence of author attributions in the manuscript tradition and the source material of unattributed scholia are examined with discussions related to their reliability. The identification of Oecumenius as a source for select scholia within the catena is paralleled with similar material in the commentary on the Apocalypse produced by Oecumenius, concluding that the same source is likely responsible for both. The editorial text of the critical edition is presented alongside its English translation with an accompanying theological commentary. The commentary analyses the content of each scholion in light of patristic exegesis from the second to seventh centuries. A critical edition with apparatus is provided for the entire catena of Ephesians with a separate edition and apparatus, with English translation, included for the Scholia
Photiana
Resolving the liver sinusoidal endothelial phenotype in health and disease
Get PDFThe burden of liver disease is continuously increasing globally, and this emphasises the need for the development of therapeutics. In order for this to be achieved, potential cellular and molecular targets need to be identified. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) play a key role in maintaining liver homeostasis and their dysfunction drives liver disease pathophysiology and this role needs to be further elucidated.
In order to identify phenotypic differences in LSECs in health and disease, a combination of analytical techniques such as immunohistochemistry and qPCR was applied on human tissue specimens. To confirm whether these changes are recapitulated in vitro, I isolated LSECs from human healthy and cirrhotic tissue specimens for the establishment of culture model of human LSECs. Validation of functional and phenotypic characteristics of LSECs in vitro was carried out using immunocytochemistry and qPCR. Furthermore, the development and optimisation of a super-resolution imaging protocol for the visualisation of LSEC fenestrations was performed.
Altered expression and downregulation of scavenger receptors in LSECs was identified in diseased human tissue specimens compared to healthy specimens and this confirmed capillarisation of sinusoidal endothelial cells in liver disease. Expression of scavenger receptors and key regulatory molecules was maintained in LSECs in vitro. The phenotypic changes in LSECs identified in liver tissue specimens were partially recapitulated in LSECs in vitro. The application of pharmaceutical molecules for the enhancement of nitric oxide (NO) signalling in LSECs revealed an altered genotype in healthy and cirrhotic LSECs. Finally, fenestrations were visualised on the LSEC membrane using the developed super-resolution imaging protocol and improvement in LSEC porosity following the application of sildenafil citrate.
Hence these findings emphasise the relevance of appropriate culture models and imaging approaches to study phenotypic changes in LSECs in relation to disease and highlight the therapeutic potential of sildenafil citrate in improving LSECs porosity
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