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Gods Behind Glass: Exploring Lived Religious Experiences in Museum Displays of Roman Britain
Get PDFThe archaeology of Roman Britain is commonly encountered in museums. Religion forms a significant element of not only those displays, but popular perceptions of life in the period. Though the scholarship of religion in Roman Britain has been vibrant, this research represents the first holistic study of its display and interpretation in museums, focussing on the lived religious experiences of ancient individuals and communities. This is achieved through a multidisciplinary study, centred upon a unique application of the Lived Ancient Religion rubric to museums alongside complementary theoretical approaches to material culture, museology, contemporary religion, and post-colonial Roman archaeologies. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of displays at 23 museums across Britain are presented, supported by curatorial interviews and an online survey.
This study challenges paradigms of archaeological presentations of religious material culture which forefront description and categorisation, instead promoting approaches based upon the situational needs, actions and multisensory experiences of ancient individuals and communities. I argue that material culture should be presented as not merely demonstrative of beliefs and practices but constitutive of them, and for the recentring of individuals as sensing, embodied, emotive and agentic religious actors operating within local and provincial social, economic and political networks. Moving beyond the detached, art-historical museum gaze requires new approaches to be embedded in documentation and display planning processes. More complex and culturally-specific definitions of ‘religion’ require greater recognition of the significance of non-overtly religious material culture and non-temple-based acts such as structured deposition.
Religious experiences can serve as a powerful catalyst for challenging popular perceptions of Roman Britain and the legacy of the Roman empire. This research explores the potential of creative ‘storytelling’ language, materiality, and multisensory experiences in the construction of engaging, emotive and ontologically challenging displays, culminating in 12 principles for museums wishing to revitalise their approaches to ancient religion
“It’s like living in a house with constant tremors, and every so often, there’s an earthquake” A Glaserian Grounded Theory study into harm to parents, caused by the explosive and controlling impulses of their pre-adolescent children
Get PDFChildren instigating harms, particularly in pre-adolescence, contradict our conceptualisations of what children ‘should’ be and how they ‘should’ behave. This creates further dissonance when the harm is inflicted upon parents and is often shrouded in silence and shame. As such, there is little known about the earliest indicators of child-to-parent violence, and this research was an attempt to improve this knowledge. Using a Glaserian Grounded Theory approach,
underpinned by participatory principles, I worked alongside individuals from families who were living with child-to-parent violence. Through exploring their everyday experiences, I sought to identify the main concern of the substantive population (families living with childto-parent violence) and identify how they attempted to resolve this main concern.
34 parents living with child-to-parent violence engaged in diary-based methods and interactive interviews; whilst 21 pre-adolescent children instigating these harms were
involved in weekly arts-based workshops. These two methods assisted in the generation of the ‘rescaling Grounded Theory’. A Delphi method with experts-by-experience and expert practitioners, alongside extant literature, was used to test the boundaries of the theory and its respective framework. This thesis presents rescaling in a ‘nested’ way with all chapters revolving around the respective chapter, rather than as a ‘big book’.
The rescaling process involves the social space in which each family member takes up, and how they adapt to one another whilst attempting to achieve the idealised ‘good parent’ or ‘good child’ identity. Furthermore, ‘child-to-parent violence and abuse’ was identified as an umbrella term which captures all forms of harm to a parent caused by their child; whereas ‘explosive and controlling impulses’ is introduced as a new term for harms instigated by children which does not involve an effort to control a parent but are an attempt to meet a specific need in the child but result in harm to others
Muriel Spark and the Political Warfare Executive: The Legacies of Covert Propaganda in Post-War Fiction
Get PDFFrom May to October 1944, Muriel Spark was employed by the Political Warfare Executive (PWE), a secret service created by the British government during the Second World War with the mission of spreading propaganda to enemy and enemy-occupied countries. Drawing on untapped archival materials from the Political Warfare Executive Papers (The National Archives, UK), the Imperial War Museum Archive (UK) and the Muriel Spark Papers (McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa, USA), this PhD thesis provides the first major consideration of the legacies of Spark’s covert propaganda work in her post-war fiction. It argues that Spark’s fiction exposes the workings of PWE propaganda techniques to teach us how not to fall victim to them. This PhD thesis is divided into five main chapters, framed by an introduction and conclusion. The introduction describes Spark’s PWE work, explains the methodology and key contributions, and signposts the structure of the chapters that follow. Chapter 1 examines Spark’s adoption of the methods of PWE black propaganda to reveal how plausible narratives and myths are fabricated in her novels. Chapter 2 considers Spark’s use and moral justification of an ethics of deception in the context of historical states of exception such as the Second World War and the Holocaust. Chapter 3 explores Spark’s embrace of the scrambler telephone and the wireless to develop an aesthetics of interruption which seeks to foreground hitherto concealed aspects of experience. Chapter 4 analyses Spark’s representation of textual forgery as a source of anarchic creativity capable of sabotaging the authority of the social and political establishment. Chapter 5 investigates Spark’s fictional deployment of rumour as both a strategy for collective problem-solving and a weapon for subversion. The conclusion connects Spark’s PWE work to contemporary propaganda and makes the case for Spark as an excellent guide to our age of fake news
With Sighs Too Deep for Words: Edward Schillebeeckx and the Holy Spirit
Get PDFThe Holy Spirit is notably absent in the theology of Edward Schillebeeckx. This absence has led some to question whether the Spirit even has a place in Schillebeeckx’s theology. Through a close reading of Schillebeeckx’s published works, this thesis explores the place of the Spirit in Schillebeeckx’s theology. It argues that while the Spirit is not a focus for Schillebeeckx, there is a distinctive but underdeveloped account of the Spirit in his work. The reasons for this lack of development are multifaceted but can ultimately be traced back to the dominant model of the Trinity in Western Christianity. In addition to identifying the place of the Spirit in Schillebeeckx’s theology, this thesis also responds to the ongoing recovery of the Spirit in Western theology by identifying places of constructive pneumatological potential in Schillebeeckx’s work. By thinking through these areas of constructive interest, this thesis concludes by suggesting an image of the Spirit as the movement of God in creation of whom Christ is the concentrated or definitive form
Leader attributes, behavior, and leadership outcomes: An enrichment of implicit leadership theories
Get PDFThis thesis enriches the understanding of implicit leadership and followership theories (ILTs and IFTs) by revealing the benefits of persons holding the leader role as being perceived as matching with certain attributes that are more commonly associated with followership prototypes. Specifically, quantitative results from Studies 1-3 of show that attributes previously associated with ILTs and IFTs can usefully be categorized into three groups: (1) leader-specific prototypical attributes (LSP; i.e., attributes that are commonly specifically used to describe a typical leader in the organization), (2) follower-specific prototypical attributes (FSP; i.e., attributes that are commonly specifically used to describe a typical follower), and (3) role-common prototypical attributes (CP; i.e., attributes that are viewed to be possessed by both leaders and followers). Using these empirically derived categories of attributes, I examined the unique contributions of leaders’ FSP to leadership outcomes in two additional studies. Results from a follower-only, cross-sectional dataset (Study 4) demonstrated the unique value of FSP in predicting followers’ perceptions of their leader’s consideration behavior, which was further related to those followers’ affective commitment towards the leader and organizational citizenship behavior. These findings were further supported by a multi-wave, leader-follower matched design (Study 5). Moreover, the relationship between leader self-views on the three sets of attributes and that from followers’ eyes were investigated, as well as the direct effects of leader self-views on FSP and their structural and considerate behaviors (Study 5). Overall, this thesis has important implications for the current literature
Between security, law enforcement and harm reduction: drug policing at commercial music festivals in England
Get PDFIn this thesis, I use an ethnographic methodology to explore the implementation of drug policing at commercial music festivals in England. I argue that festival drug policing is primarily concerned with the anticipation and mitigation of drug-related risk, and festivals adopt an array of security, enforcement and harm reduction approaches under the ‘3: Ps’ (Prevent, Pursue and Protect) in pursuit of this. With an lens on the in-situ decision making of policing, security and management actors on the ground, I illustrate how drug policies are negotiated between agencies, in order to satisfy their sometimes competing risk-perceptions and interests in their pursuit of drug security
From Binary to Ternary Fluid Systems
Get PDFThis thesis focuses on key interfacial phenomena where the presence of three fluid phases or components lead to new effects which are absent in their binary system equivalents. We study three ternary fluid phenomena related to the formation of capillary bridges, de-wetting of droplets and phase separation of mixtures.
Firstly, we numerically study two-component capillary bridges formed when a liquid droplet is placed in between two liquid-infused surfaces (LIS). Two-component liquid bridges can exhibit a range of different morphologies where the liquid droplet is directly in contact with two, one, or none of the LIS substrates. We also characterize the capillary force, maximum separation, and effective spring constant and find that they are influenced by the shape and size of the lubricant ridge. Importantly, we argue that LIS are not only “slippery” parallel to the surface, but they are also “sticky” perpendicular to the surface.
Secondly, we investigate a novel de-wetting phenomenon whereby droplet lift-off is driven by an incoming film of another immiscible liquid. This mechanism exploits the lifting force arising from the triple contact line between the droplet, film and surrounding air. We find droplet detachment from the substrate can occur with film thickness that is comparable to the droplet size. As such, we believe this mechanism is potentially interesting for developing a sustainable and more environmentally friendly way to clean.
Thirdly, we explore the spontaneous phase separation of ternary fluid mixtures, both when all the surface tensions are equal and when they have different values. By combining systematic computer simulations over the full range of the composition space and theoretical analysis on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the unstable modes, here we identify four fundamental phase separation pathways. In particular, we highlight a dominant but so-far overlooked mechanism involving enrichment and instability of the minor component at the fluid-fluid interface.
Another key contribution of the thesis is the development of suitable computational schemes for modelling ternary fluids, required to pursue the phenomena described above. Here, we employ a combination of Surface Evolver and Lattice Boltzmann Method
Electron Compton scattering and its application to condensed matter phenomena
Get PDFInvestigation of electron Compton scattering using electron energy loss spectroscopy has been carried out to study projected electron momentum density distributions in amorphous carbon films, as well as two technologically important materials: few-layer WS films, which undergo indirect-to-direct band gap transition in the monolayer limit, and VO flakes which exhibit a metal-to-insulator transition upon cooling to below ≈67 °C.
An important concept underlying the Compton scattering measurements is the so-called impulse approximation, the validity of which is crucial for the interpretation of the Compton scattering data in terms of electron momenta in the sample. Hence, a simple material – amorphous carbon film – has been selected to test the impulse approximation at low electron scattering angles, which provides the possibility for a faster, more efficient data collection and eliminates the need for the core electron background subtraction from the acquired electron momentum density profiles via complex computational methods. Further, plasmon background subtraction has been investigated in the context of electron beam damage-resistant materials, as well as options to carry out high spatial resolution (sub-nm) Compton measurements using scanning-transmission electron microscopy.
As for electron Compton measurements in monolayer and bilayer WS, suitable experimental conditions have been first established in order to avoid any sample damage associated with the electron beam irradiation. Here, Compton scattering experiments were carried out in order to study the differences in the projected electron momentum densities in the two structures resulting from the changes in the band gap type. The results were also verified via CASTEP density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, considering that the WS samples contained quite significant amorphous surface carbon contamination, theoretical calculations were appropriately adjusted for an improved match to the experimental measurements.
Finally, Compton scattering measurements were carried out on VO flakes to study the properties of electrons in the metallic and insulating phases. Just as in the measurements of WS films, optimisation of experimental conditions which minimise electron beam damage and maximise electron count rate has been of high importance. The measured data was then compared to the theoretical predictions found in the literature, which combine both density functional theory and quantum Monte Carlo calculations to obtain the difference Compton profiles
An Examination of Contextual and Temporal Contributions to Rodent Episodic Memory Processes
Get PDFThis thesis explored how the environmental context in which an event is encoded impacts later recall on the WWWhich task of rodent episodic memory. In study 1, as presented in chapter 3 in experiments 1, 2, and 3, rats completed the WWWhich task in a new maze design that was being validated for use in behavioural memory tasks. The results of this pilot study indicated that rats performed the WWWhich task when contextual cues were available but could not when contextual cues were made to be identical. Various methodological considerations led to the conclusion that this maze was an appropriate and valid tool that could be used to explore behavioural tasks of memory. Study 2, as presented in chapter 4 in experiments 4 and 5, used the validated corridor maze in an experimental design that compared behavioural results on the WWWhich task of episodic memory to a previous study by Spiers et al., (2015) who used a similarly configured maze to record place cells in freely-moving rats. Task demands were varied along two dimensions: access to extra maze cues and contextual richness. When access to extra maze cues in visually and tactually rich unique chambers was available (Ex 4), rats could indeed complete the WWWhich task. When the task demands were changed to be maximally difficult (Ex 5), rats could not identify the novel configuration on the continuous trials version of the WWWhich task. These results followed the pattern of place cell results reported by Spiers et al., (2015) where place cells remapped in the presence of distinct environmental context changes, but not when the local environmental context of the adjacent chambers were identical contextually. These findings show that episodic memory performance is not only dependent on the local contextual environment, but that the results follow the pattern of results found in hippocampal place cells. These data show the importance of context in how events are encoded in episodic memory processes, and how behaviour on a memory task is later impacted on a recall, test phase that requires discrimination. In study 3, experiments 6, 7, and 8, explored if temporally spacing trials would lead to increased memory performance on the identical chambers version of the WWWhich task. To this end, performance was compared along two factors: context (unique versus identical chambers) and cognitive load (trial presentation as continuous (massed) or spaced (alternating short (4 hr) and long (20 hr) delays) to determine if the episodic memory deficits previously observed under identical contextual conditions were overcome and maintained after experiencing temporally spaced trials between events. When rats were presented with contextually rich and uniquely decorated chambers in experiment 6, they easily identified the novel configuration on the WWWhich task. Experiencing spaced trials had no effect on performance when continuous trials were presented again. In Experiment 7, experiencing spaced trials had a significant effect on performance. In identical chambers, rats showed an increased preference for the novel configuration when trials were spaced over time, but most interestingly, this preference was maintained when rats later completed the same task but with trials again presented continuously. These data confirm that context is a critical factor in rats’ ability to separate events and identify the novel configuration on the WWWhich task, but also implicates temporal spacing as being a means of potentially overcoming deficits produced by contextual similarity between events. Chapter 6 (Ex 9), presents electrophysiological data whilst the rat performed the WWWh task to examine how spatial and episodic aspects of memory are represented in the hippocampus. Neural representations reflected behavioural data with field repetition present where rats could not task discriminate.
These data show the importance of context in how events are encoded in episodic memory processes, how encoding context impacts behaviour on a discrimination memory task, and how context drives neural representations of events
Bioactivity of Substituted Copper Pyrithione Complexes
Get PDFOver the last century, metal complexes have been popularised in therapeutic drug design. Copper complexes have been particularly interesting due to their high stability constants and unique redox chemistry. Simple copper salts, such as CuCl2 have little cytotoxicity, but ligands have been designed that lead to therapeutically activity copper complexes. The copper complex of pyrithione, a well-known ionophore, has recently been identified as a potent antibacterial and anticancer agent. Copper pyrithione has been shown to inactivate β-lactamase enzymes (such as NDM-1), a key enzyme in the mechanism of antibiotic resistance of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance being a great threat to human health around the world, copper pyrithione has potential in the development of new drug molecules. Key issues of this complex remain, including its low bacterial selectivity and poor aqueous solubility. This thesis focuses on structural modifications of the copper pyrithione complex with an aim to improve aqueous solubility, as well as optimise bioactivity as antibacterial and anticancer agents.
The synthesis and characterisation are described of series of novel copper pyrithione complexes with functional groups variation in the pyrithione ligand. Derivatives include electron donating and electron withdrawing groups, aromatic substituents, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains. These complexes are subjected to physiochemical property analysis. Binding constant (log K), lipophilicity (log P) and solubility of some selected complexes are determined, and structure-property correlations are established in some cases. PEG-substituted complexes are highly soluble in water and possess a good balance of solubility and lipophilicity.
All complexes are screened against various multidrug-resistant bacterial species and the majority show good activity against Gram-positive bacterial species. One complex, [Cu(5-Me-PT)2], shows good selectivity towards bacterial cells over healthy mammalian Vero cells, which augurs well for their use as novel antibiotics. Antibiotic synergy studies of copper pyrithione complexes alongside β-lactam antibiotics are performed, which shows that copper pyrithione complexes can act in combination with known antibiotics (meropenem and ertapenem) to overcome resistance in β-lactam resistant bacterial strains. Furthermore, cytotoxicity studies are performed with pancreatic carcinoma, bone osteosarcoma and healthy retinal epithelial cells, leading to structure-activity relationships to be proposed. Many novel complexes show high anticancer activity, with one complex [Cu(3-OMe-PT)2] showing particularly notable activity, with nanomolar inhibitory concentration (IC50 value) against pancreatic cancer.
In next part of this project, the synthesis and characterisation of a fluorescent tagged copper pyrithione derivative using an alkyne-azide ‘click’ reaction is described. Photoluminescence properties of this complex are determined utilising UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Copper conjugation quenches the fluorescence emission of the fluorescent tag to some extent. Fluorescence microscopy study reveals this complex can enter and be visible inside live cells, showing specific localisation around the endoplasmic reticulum.
Finally, some non-pyrithione copper complexes are described with an oxygen analogue of pyrithione showing particularly good bioactivity against both bacteria and cancer cells
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