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Finding faith in fresh expressions of church: Implications for evangelism from a Methodist context
Get PDFWithin the context of general denominational decline, this thesis sets out to explore how and why people are connecting and finding faith in Jesus Christ in a selected small number of Methodist fresh expressions of church. The aim of this thesis is to find people within these churches who display significant measurable change using a form of Hoge’s Intrinsic Religious Scale. Once this is achieved, a number of key factors are considered, noting common and disparate themes across the four areas. Firstly, what is the nature of any Christian background prior to their involvement with the fresh expression of church? Secondly, what are the triggers for their engagement with the fresh expression? Thirdly, what significant triggers amount to their respective responses towards faith in Christ? Finally, what are the establishing factors that help them remain and grow in faith within that church community?
This research is explored through a methodology of practical theology and tests a working hypothesis that the four conduits of Behaviour, Belonging, Belief, and Experience of God through the Centred Set are being practiced within these new forms of church. This active dynamic is strongly confirmed by the research, showing the formation of an effective foundation where anyone is welcome and a non-judgmental value is an operant dynamic within the communities studied. Thus, new ecclesial communities are presenting a space for apt and relevant methods of evangelism to be inhabited by the divine action of God the Holy Spirit.
The people studied are as eclectic as the communities from which they come, adding integrity to the model used and the theological principle of true diversity within the Body of Christ. Based on these findings, a future pedagogy of evangelism that does not invest in all four conduits through the Centred Set of Behaviour, Belonging, Belief, and Experience of God as a cooperant whole risks disregarding a cache of valuable insights into the reasons why some are finding faith in fresh expressions of church
Three loop corrections to HQET Sum Rules for the Bag Parameter
Get PDFIn this thesis, we compute the bag parameters which parameterise non-perturbative hadronic matrix elements of 4-quark operators. These are required for studies of mixing and the inclusive decays of and mesons and they represent the largest source of uncertainty in corresponding theory predictions. In this work, the bag parameters are obtained using a HQET sum rule analysis of the 3-point correlator to 3 loops, including flavour breaking effects up to corrections. Besides reproducing the known HQET sum rule values for -mixing and the lifetimes of , , and mesons, we obtain for the first time results for -mixing and the lifetimes of and mesons. For -mixing, our results are highly competitive, while for the lifetimes no state of the art lattice evaluation is available. Furthermore, we consider the phenomenological implications of our results for mixing observables and the values of the CKM matrix elements. Finally, we give a thorough analysis of inclusive decay widths for charmed mesons, in an attempt to study the viability of the HQE in the charm sector
Complex Hyperbolic Triangle Groups
Get PDFConsider a group generated by
three complex hyperbolic reflections that braid with lengths (2,4,4). With even braidings, there can be a variety of different generators' orders. We show that the (2,4,4) groups can be identified with Pasquinelli's groups, and thus, are commensurable with Deligne-Mostow groups.
After we have the group structures, we consider a subgroup of the form (r,4,4;4) for the sake of geometric
construction as we want to apply Deraux-Parker-Paupert algorithm on this group to construct its fundamental domain
The 'Output' Legitimacy of Financial Stability in EU Law: Beyond Economic Functionalism
Get PDFThe objective of financial stability emerged as a core element of EU law following the financial crisis to guide unprecedented reform in financial regulation and supervision, bank recovery and resolution, fiscal policy, and other fields. This thesis explores the elusive concept of financial stability and the legitimacy of EU law measures pursued on this basis. With view to delineating the boundaries of the objective, a teleology is developed around the non-economic utility and the ideological underpinnings of financial stability as a shift away from laissez-faire liberalism in the European financial market. Owing to the lack of traditional democratic ‘inputs’ in financial stability policy, this teleology is used to assess the extent to which post-crisis reforms impact positively or negatively on the ‘output’ legitimacy of EU law. Accordingly, the concept of ‘output’ legitimacy is defined as extending beyond performance in the functionalist sense. Three case studies are presented: substantive tools in prudential and resolution policy (CRR II/CRD V and BRRD II), the institutional reforms of the European System of Financial Supervision and the Banking Union, and the special case of fiscal reform and financing assistance in the euro area. While the regulatory side is aligned with the teleology of financial stability, inconsistencies can be observed in relation to institutional and financing measures, which therefore threaten the output legitimacy of EU law. Finally, this thesis challenges the view that judicial review should remain deferential in expert policy fields and argues that review of financial stability could serve the purpose of minimising the social costs of policy
Three Essays on Corporate Cash Policy and Productivity
Get PDFIn this thesis, I study corporate cash policy and firm-level productivity through three papers. Specifically, the first paper studies the implications of financial hedging for corporate cash policy and the value of cash holdings, using a web crawler program to collect data on the use of financial derivatives between 1993 and 2016. The key finding is that firms with financial hedging programs have smaller cash reserves but a higher value of cash than firms without hedging contracts in place. In addition, financial hedging not only increases the investment sensitivity to internal cash, but also has a positive effect on investment efficiency.
The second paper examines the motive of holding cash by studying the empirical relationship between CEO ownership and corporate cash holdings, using a sample of US firms from 1992 to 2018. Using two proxies for CEO ownership, stock ownership and the ratio of a CEO's stock and option delta to a firm's stock and option delta, the finding shows a monotonic and positive relation between CEO ownership and cash holdings, which is theoretically supported by the precautionary motive for holding cash.
The third paper tests whether firm-specific investor sentiment (FSIS) in the financial markets affects firm-level productivity, using a sample of US public firms from 2010 to 2019. The results show a positive relation between FSIS and total factor productivity, and the positive impact of FSIS on productivity is more pronounced for firms with less exposure to automated production, more managerial ownership, tighter financial constraints, and higher innovative efficiency
Illuminating the past: A spectroscopic examination of the artwork in seven, thirteenth-century, French manuscripts
Get PDFIlluminated medieval manuscripts can be exquisitely decorated and extremely valuable. Whilst close investigation of the artwork contained is necessary for conservation, art-historical and historical information, only non-invasive and non-destructive techniques that can be carried out in situ are appropriate.
This thesis details the techniques employed at Durham University to analyse the pigments and dyes found in such manuscripts, along with the latest scholarship in the field and in the history of pigment production and use. An overview of the field of codicology, the study of the production of manuscripts, is provided, alongside an introduction to how scribes and illustrators prepared and produced illuminations.
The use of technology and the history of manuscript manufacture and illustration are combined in a series of case studies. The codicology and artwork of a group of seven thirteenth-century Bibles, mainly from Paris, are explored and their colourants identified. New data from the analysis of the pigments enhances and extends existing scholarship in the field of scientific manuscript analysis.
This research lies at the intersection of science, history, and artistic practice
Three Essays in International Macroeconomics: An Investigation of Macroeconomic Puzzles, International Trade and Financial Frictions
Get PDFIn this thesis I examine three aspects of international macroeconomics.
In the first chapter I re-examine four prominent puzzles of international macroeconomics in light of contemporary data, analysing whether the data patterns underlying these puzzles still exist today. As these data patterns are frequently used as validation mechanisms for models of international trade, this is important to ensure models yield output in line with up-to-date data. The key contributions of this chapter are as follows. First, I illustrate that greater awareness of the fact that stylised facts can change over time and differ across country groups is important. Second, to account for the heterogeneity of data patterns across country-groups, models need to include mechanisms that are appropriate for the countries that are being modelled.
The second chapter studies the role resource allocation plays for the dynamic response of labour productivity to various macroeconomic shocks in a DSGE model of international trade. Two main results emerge. First, capital introduces an element of persistence into the economy. Second, when firms can adjust their employment of labour and capital in response to macroeconomic shocks and enter and exit the domestic economy endogenously, the response of labour productivity is driven by the interaction of resource allocation and endogenous selection into domestic production. This reverses the initial response of labour productivity to an aggregate technology and a trade shock relative to the model with only labour as a factor of production.
In the third chapter I examine the effect of financial frictions in a two-country DSGE model of international trade, finding that they amplify the response of the model economy to macroeconomic shocks. I then analyse the extent to which trade affects the amplification effect of financial frictions and find that international trade dampens their effect
Lithium-Rich Anti-Perovskites: Understanding the Structure and its Influence on Ion Mobility
Get PDFThe rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is considered the technology of choice for energy storage in a wide range of portable electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptop computers. Despite the many advantages of the Li-ion battery, its application is limited by its use of liquid electrolytes, which are known to pose serious fire and safety risks. Hence, suitable alternatives are urgently required. In recent years there has been considerable interest in the development of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), with a particular focus on novel solid electrolyte materials.
Recent literature suggests that Li-rich anti-perovskites (LiRAPs) could be suitable solid electrolyte materials. LiRAPs have the general formula ABX\textsubscript{3}, where A is a monovalent anion, B is a divalent anion, and X is a strongly electropositive monovalent cation. The LiRAPs Li\textsubscript{3}OCl and Li\textsubscript{3}OBr have been reported to possess ionic conductivities on the order of 10\textsuperscript{3} S cm\textsuperscript{1}. However, the precise conduction mechanisms and pathways that lead to such conductivities are poorly understood. Hence, studies are needed that can probe ion mobility within these materials.
The work presented in this thesis focuses on the synthesis and structural characterisation of LiRAPs, including Li\textsubscript{3}OCl, Li\textsubscript{3}OBr and their hydrated analogues, Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl and Li\textsubscript{2}OHBr. The samples produced were analysed extensively via laboratory XRD, NPD and multinuclear SSNMR spectroscopy. Initial investigations focused on synthesising phase pure samples of Li\textsubscript{3}OCl and Li\textsubscript{3}OBr. Due to their extremely hygroscopic nature, air-sensitive techniques were required for their synthesis. Several synthetic methods were attempted, and reaction variables, including the time and temperature, were varied systematically to optimise the reaction conditions. Despite testing numerous synthetic conditions, producing phase pure samples of Li\textsubscript{3}OCl and Li\textsubscript{3}OBr remained a challenge.
The focus of the investigation then shifted towards the hydrated LiRAP Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl, which is considerably easier to synthesise. Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl was successfully synthesised via conventional solid-state and mechanical milling methods. Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl is reported to exist in two different phases; a room-temperature phase believed to be orthorhombic and a high-temperature cubic (\textit{Pm}\textit{m}) phase. Several structural suggestions have been made in the literature for the room-temperature phase of Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl, but a structural model is yet to be agreed upon. Hence, considerable effort was dedicated to evaluating the structures reported in the literature and determining an accurate structure for the room-temperature phase of Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl. Moreover, the phase transition in Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl and the associated structural changes were also explored.
As LiRAPs are proposed as candidate solid electrolyte materials, probing ion mobility within this system is of significant interest. Thus, Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl was extensively analysed via variable-temperature \textsuperscript{1/2}H and \textsuperscript{7}Li NMR spectroscopy to investigate the proton and lithium-ion mobility as a function of temperature. Additionally, AIMD simulations were completed by our collaborators to support our experimental findings. These complementary techniques led to an understanding of a highly correlated mechanism for proton and Li-ion movement in Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl. Furthermore, LiRAP samples were also analysed via VT \textsuperscript{35}Cl NMR spectroscopy to investigate the changes in the local environment of Cl as a function of temperature.
As with perovskites, the LiRAPs exhibit extreme structural flexibility. Hence, the composition of Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl was modified by varying the proton and, consequently, the lithium content to synthesise Li\textsubscript{3x}OH\textsubscript{x}Cl (x = 0.25 -- 1), and via fluorine doping and halide mixing to synthesise Li\textsubscript{2}(OH)\textsubscript{0.9}F\textsubscript{0.1}Cl and Li\textsubscript{2}OHCl\textsubscript{1x}Br\textsubscript{x} (x = 0 -- 1), respectively. The influence of compositional variation on the structure and ion mobility in the system was studied extensively via XRD and multinuclear SSNMR spectroscopy
Agur & the Theology of Wisdom: A Philological Approach to Reading Proverbs 30 as a Coherent Text
Get PDFProverbs 30 is a strange text. It is attributed to a sage named Agur Bin-Yaqeh, about whom we know nothing, and the text itself is filled with philological puzzles, obscure expressions, and confounding theological perspectives. Perhaps because of these curious features, the chapter has been read as everything from a devout confession to an atheistic debate. Few interpreters, however, have found literary or theological coherence in the chapter that goes deeper than its attribution or formal features. This dissertation presents a fresh interpretation of Proverbs 30 using techniques of philological analysis and close reading. By attending to tone and voice within the text, the author argues that MT Proverbs 30, “The Words of Agur,” is best read as a coherent collection, animated by the voice of Agur, which mocks pride and greed while it commends humility and contentment, thus deepening the presentation of wisdom in Proverbs by subverting its misappropriation and orienting it toward a proper relationship with God. This reading has broader implications for biblical studies, particularly wisdom literature. If the approach to Proverbs 30 developed here is convincing, it suggests that the division between “wisdom literature”—as a genre category with an accompanying worldview—and the priestly and prophetic traditions is not as clearly drawn as scholars have suggested over the last two centuries. Furthermore, the history of interpreting Proverbs 30 points to the wisdom literature genre category itself, in cahoots with form criticism, as largely responsible for the fragmented approach to Agur’s words in modern scholarship
Increased lifetime of Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs) and the impact of degradation, efficiency and costs in the LCOE of Emerging PVs
Get PDFEmerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and perovskites (PVKs) have the potential to disrupt the PV market due to their ease of fabrication (compatible with cheap roll-to-roll processing) and installation, as well as their significant efficiency improvements in recent years. However, rapid degradation is still an issue present in many emerging PVs, which must be addressed to enable their commercialisation. This thesis shows an OPV lifetime enhancing technique by adding the insulating polymer PMMA to the active layer, and a novel model for quantifying the impact of degradation (alongside efficiency and cost) upon levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in real world emerging PV installations.
The effect of PMMA morphology on the success of a ternary strategy was investigated, leading to device design guidelines. It was found that either increasing the weight percent (wt%) or molecular weight (MW) of PMMA resulted in an increase in the volume of PMMA-rich islands, which provided the OPV protection against water and oxygen ingress. It was also found that adding PMMA can be effective in enhancing the lifetime of different active material combinations, although not to the same extent, and that processing additives can have a negative impact in the devices lifetime.
A novel model was developed taking into account realistic degradation profile sourced from a literature review of state-of-the-art OPV and PVK devices. It was found that optimal strategies to improve LCOE depend on the present characteristics of a device, and that panels with a good balance of efficiency and degradation were better than panels with higher efficiency but higher degradation as well. Further, it was found that low-cost locations were more favoured from reductions in the degradation rate and module cost, whilst high-cost locations were more benefited from improvements in initial efficiency, lower discount rates and reductions in install costs
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