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Filming exile: An analysis of the making of colours of exile
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe last few decades have seen an astonishing increase in the number of people displaced
from their homelands due to wars, economic crises, political persecution, and or dictator-ran states.
People of all ages, economic status and occupations, have been forced out of their countries and
into new and paradoxical contexts where they are no longer in life-threatening situations, but at the
same time they meet new and difficult challenges. Some of them have dealt with these challenges
through their art.
As a filmmaker in exile myself, I feel compelled to use my craft to raise awareness about this
subject and its personal and social struggles. I am not the first nor the only one in my position, as I
have learned through my years in exile. Such was the genesis of Colours of Exile, a personal yet
choral documentary film dealing with the experiences and thoughts of a wide array of Iranian artists
in exile.
This thesis examines the making of Colours of Exile, while at the same time discussing the
deep implications of the important concepts and social processes the film addresses. I explore the
relationship between exile and the construction of identity, and also differentiate the several kinds
of population movements, in order to delineate the specificities of exiles as opposed to migrants,
refugees, and so on.
Moreover, I am interested in describing the effects and impact exile has on the creative work
of filmmakers, both from a ‘third person’ perspective and examining how some of them have dealt
with it in their lives and in their work. Finally, an important distinction will be made between what I
call ‘external’ and ‘internal’ exile, as the two situations can be compared in many aspects, while
carrying distinct connotations.
The conclusions will state the complex and paradoxical nature of exile, and summarise the
ways in which exiles have adapted to the new situations while attempting to deal with the pain and
tribulations it caused them
Optoelectronic shape sensing for flexible continuum robots
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe advancement of flexible continuum robots has enabled their use in complex environments such as minimally invasive surgery (MIS), industrial inspection, and aerospace maintenance. However, a key challenge remains in achieving real-time shape sensing for precise and stable control and navigation, due to the flexible and curvature-based nature of these robotic structures, as opposed to rigid robots. This research presents the use of optoelectronic sensors, more specifically, a photo-reflective sensing component, to develop a novel variation of shape sensing techniques, for integration into simple planar robot structures, as well as flexible tendon actuated robots.
The sensing principle is based on proximity detection of the optoelectronic sensor to a reflector, a number of which are integrated into the robotic structures. As the robot moves, the proximity changes to the sensor are recorded as a voltage varying signal, which is used to estimate the curvature, or shape, of the robot. Optoelectronic shape sensing overcomes some of the shortcomings of the standard shape sensing: The sensing is non-contact, and based purely on light intensity detection, meaning the sensors are not affected by material properties or load limitations, so that calibration remains intact in almost any scenario. Real time sensing can be achieved through the sensors high sampling rate, which do not require an amplifier. Development of the shape sensing technique is presented, including sensor characterisation, theoretical modelling based on gaussian light intensity, development of experimental rigs and novel calibration platforms for planar and tendon actuated robots integrating this shape sensing, as well as eventual development of a novel technique to target improved shape sensor performance using specialised reflector shapes. The results demonstrate significant improvements in accuracy, miniaturisation, simplicity of integration, adaptability, and robustness, making optoelectronic shape sensing a viable alternative for future applications using continuum robots.Engineering and Physical Science Research Council for making the outcomes of this project possible through their funding (grant number: EP/T518116/1
Reconceptualising Employee Voice in Times of Permacrisis: A Theoretical Analysis of the United Kingdom's Employment Relations Landscape
Get PDFThis paper synthesises early conceptualizations of employee voice and unionism in the United Kingdom, tracing the evolution of the term ‘voice’ from Albert Hirschman’s original definition to Freeman and Medoff’s focus on union representation. Employing conceptual data analysis, the study reviews theoretical frameworks and literature to explore patterns and insights, emphasizing the UK context while selectively incorporating global perspectives. It reveals that while employee voice remains relevant, it often serves managerial interests or is ignored by management, particularly during periods of permacrisis. The study highlights how modern scholars have reinvented the concept of voice, yet its practical impact remains limited. By analyzing historical and contemporary perspectives, this paper not only maps the trajectory of employee voice but also projects its future in the UK, offering critical reflections on its role in employment relations. The findings underscore the need for renewed attention to employee voice as a tool for meaningful organizational change
Characterization and Modelling of the Deformation and Failure of Engineering Metallic Materials
Get PDFMetallic materials are at the heart of modern industry and infrastructure, valued for their outstanding strength, ductility, and other excellent mechanical properties [...].L.S. acknowledges the financial support from the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) fellowship (No. DE180100124). H.W. was supported by the Large Instruments Open Foundation of Nantong University (KFJN2428), the Test Centre of Nantong University
Intelligent development of high strength and ductile heat treatment-free Al-Si-Mg alloys for integrated die casting through the machine learning of experimental big data
No full textData availability:
The data that has been used is confidential.Supplementary material is available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925838825013271?via=ihub#sec0125 .A group of twelve Al-xSi-yMg (x = 7–10, y = 0.3–0.6, in wt%) alloys were prepared by high pressure die casting, and the microstructure and tensile properties of the alloys were evaluated in the as-cast state and after natural ageing for 14 and 30 days, respectively. Based on the experimental big data, several machine learning (ML) models were applied for learning the relationship between the composition, natural ageing time and tensile properties of the die-cast alloys, and the performance of the ML models was evaluated by four parameters including mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE) and R-square (R2). Among the applied ML models, the adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) was found as the most accurate and intelligent prediction of the yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (EL) of the die-cast alloys because of the lowest MAE of 1.06, 0.72 and 0.38 and the highest R2 of 0.96, 0.98 and 0.84. A high strength and ductile heat treatment-free Al8Si0.45Mg die-cast alloy was intelligently predicted by the AdaBoost model. The experimental validation showed that the alloy delivered the YS, UTS and EL of 150.6 ± 2.8 MPa, 288.2 ± 3.1 MPa and 11.74 ± 0.94 % in the as-cast state, and 160 ± 2.4 MPa, 294.5 ± 2.8 MPa and 10.87 ± 0.91 % after natural ageing for 30 days. The errors between the prediction and the experimental results were < 0.5 % for the strength and < 3.9 % for the ductility. This work provides a pathway for the intelligent development of high strength and ductile Al-Si-Mg heat treatment-free die-cast alloys for integrated die casting.This work has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Outstanding Youth Science Foundation, the Jiangsu Specially-Appointed Professor project and Innovate UK (No. 113151)
Sensitivity analysis of high-dimensional models with correlated inputs
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Code available online: https://github.com/UCL-CCS/EasyVVUQ .A preprint version of the article is available at
arXiv:2306.00555v1 [stat.ME], https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.00555. It has not been certified by peer review.Sensitivity analysis is an important tool used in many domains of computational science to either gain insight into the mathematical model and interaction of its parameters or study the uncertainty propagation through the input–output interactions. In many applications, the inputs are stochastically dependent, which violates one of the essential assumptions in the state-of-the-art sensitivity analysis methods. Consequently, the results obtained ignoring the correlations provide values which do not reflect the true contributions of the input parameters. This study proposes an approach to address the parameter correlations using a polynomial chaos expansion method and Rosenblatt and Cholesky transformations to reflect the parameter dependencies. Treatment of the correlated variables is discussed in context of variance and derivative-based sensitivity analysis. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of the correlated parameters can not only differ in magnitude, but even the sign of the derivative-based index can be inverted, thus significantly altering the model behavior compared to the prediction of the analysis disregarding the correlations. Numerous experiments are conducted using workflow automation tools within the VECMA toolkit.This research is part of the activities of the Innosuisse project no 34394.1 entitled “High-Performance Data Analytics Framework for Power Markets Simulation” which is financially supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency. This work was supported by a grant from the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) under project ID d120. DS and DG have been supported by the SEAVEA ExCALIBUR project, which has received funding from EPSRC under grant agreement EP/W007711/1
FUMEplot: A Prototype Tool for Automated Visualisation of Uncertainties in Ensemble Modelling Outputs
No full textHere we present FUMEplot (Facilitated visualisation of Uncertainty in Model Ensemble outputs using plots), a general-purpose library which facilitates the automated visualisation of ensemble modelling outputs. We demonstrate the tool by applying it to three existing agent-based modelling tools, showcasing its ease of (automated) use and potential for wider application. We also describe how visualisations with FUMEplot can be generated automatically with minimal user configuration effort through its integration with the FabSim3 automation framework.This work has been supported by the SEAVEA ExCALIBUR project, which has received funding from EPSRC under grant agreement EP/W007711/1, as well as the UNHCR project RBE_001_2025. We are grateful to DoraHacks (https://www.dorahacks.com), which helped make the Hackathon possible where FUMEplot was first established
Enhancing the Energy Density of Zn-Ion Capacitors Using Redox-Active Choline Anthraquinone Electrolyte
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Data have been made available in Brunel University London's repository via Brunel Figshare database.Supporting Information is available online at: https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/batt.202500406#support-information-section .Owing to ease of recyclability, high theoretical capacity (820 mAh g−1), safety, facile manufacture, and high energy density, Zinc-ion capacitors (ZICs) are emerging as promising capacitors and have attracted substantial attention. However, aqueous ZICs frequently encounter several difficulties, comprising low coulombic efficiency, low Zn anode deposition/stripping efficiency, hydrogen evolution, fast capacity decay, and Zn dendrite formation. Hence, to inhibit the formation of Zn dendrites, it is important to tune the electrolyte and the electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, the key problems are tackled by using choline-based electrolytes. ZIC with ZnCl2 in the presence of choline chloride yields good capacity and inhibits Zn dendrite formation due to the adsorption of choline at the interface. To further increase the energy density of the device, redox-active choline anthraquinone sulphonate (ChAQS) additives are synthesized and incorporated into the ChCl/ZnCl2 system. The constructed graphene-based aqueous ZIC with the novel (ChCl/ ChAQS /ZnCl2) electrolyte system shows a high specific capacity of 460 F g−1 and a high energy density of 185 Wh kg−1 at 0.25 A g−1. These outcomes demonstrate an innovative pathway to fabricate biobased redox electrolytes for emerging sustainable energy storage devices.The authors thank the EPSRC (EP/W015129/1) for funding this project. E.K.U. thanks the Science and Technology Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for the support provided through the 2219 program (Project No: 1059B192301430)
Wellbeing in the wild: co-creating context-sensitive wellbeing dimensions with a community of young artists
Get PDFBackground:
This study addresses the challenge of developing context-sensitive measures of wellbeing for young people. In collaboration with a youth-led musical enterprise, researchers worked with 18 young artists (aged 14–25) engaged in an urban community arts programme to co-produce wellbeing dimensions reflective of their lived experiences.
Methods:
An adapted Nominal Group Technique was used alongside iterative inductive thematic analysis to identify and prioritise key wellbeing dimensions.
Results:
The study revealed ten discrete dimensions of wellbeing that reflect the experiences of young people engaged in community arts. These dimensions highlight the significance of creative expression, cultural appreciation, community experiences, and social responsibility, elements aligned with wellbeing but rarely considered in standardised wellbeing frameworks.
Conclusion:
The study highlights the value of youth-led, situated approaches to defining dimensions of wellbeing, offering a framework that captures the creative and social dimensions in community arts contexts.The project was funded by an accelerated knowledge transfer partnership fund provided by [UKRI, Ref:1629-AKT] Innovate UK
Journal of Macromarketing Special Issue: Healthy Ageing in Marketing
Get PDFSpecial Section: Embracing Healthy Ageing in Marketing - Special Section Editors: Yousra Asaad, Dorothy Yen, and Geraldine Cohen - Editorial.In this introductory editorial, we briefly discuss the need for a deeper understanding and more meaningful engagement with older adults in marketing research, viewed through the lenses of identity, vulnerability, resilience, and meaning making. We then introduce the nine peer-reviewed articles that comprise this special issue and conclude by outlining directions for future research.The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
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