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Identifying therapeutic targets that could transform Rheumatoid Arthritis from disease remission to cure
No full textAbstract not currently available
Douyin short videos and Chinese rural youth: interpreting platformed rural youth cultural production in a shifting rural policy context
Get PDFThis thesis explores the role of Douyin short videos in shaping the cultural production practices of Chinese rural youth within the broader context of shifting rural policies. Since 2018, China has intensified its focus on digital rural development, which, coinciding with the rise of short-video platforms such as Douyin, has provided rural youth with unprecedented opportunities for self-expression, economic advancement, and social engagement. Against this backdrop, this research investigates how rural youth producers (RYPs) create and disseminate digital content; how their cultural production is influenced by national policies and platform mechanisms; and how their engagement with Douyin shapes public perceptions of rural life.
The study employs a multi-method qualitative approach, combining digital ethnography, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews with rural content producers. The findings reveal that rural short videos have transformed the representation of rural China, thereby shifting away from past stereotypes of marginalisation towards more empowered, digitally mediated narratives. However, this process is not solely driven by individual creators: rather, it is shaped by the interplay of state-led rural policies, platform governance, and the economic imperatives of digital labour. The research identifies three key dimensions in this dynamic: (1) the role of rural policies in shaping digital cultural production; (2) the evolving narrative strategies and themes in rural short videos; and (3) the challenges and opportunities faced by rural youth in the digital intermediation process.
By situating Douyin’s rural short-video culture within the broader framework of platformisation, digital intermediation, and state governance, this thesis contributes to contemporary discussions on digital labour, rural modernisation, and media regulation in China. It highlights how rural youth, despite structural constraints, are leveraging digital platforms to negotiate their identities, build new economic pathways, and engage in broader socio-political discourses. This research thus offers critical insights into the intersection of technology, policy, and youth culture, positioning rural short-video production as a key site of transformation in China’s digital rural landscape
Haptic animation: incorporating touch in expanded animation
No full textThis thesis explores the concept of ‘Haptic Animation’, a creative approach to expanding the sensory dimensions of animation beyond the traditional visual focus. Rooted in the exploration of touch, and space, this practice-led question challenges the ocular-centric norms of animation by foregrounding tactile experiences. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Laura U. Marks' concept of haptic visuality (2000), which emphasises the sensory experience of the viewer, the study redefines animation as a multisensory medium through both handcrafted and kinetic approaches. It categorises the practice into two key approaches: frame-based animation, which foregrounds touchable frames to explore the tactile qualities of materials, and kinetic-based animation, which incorporates physical motion through haptic devices and physical interaction. In this kinetic approach, haptic devices powered by Arduino and servo motors are used to simulate real-world movement, adding a layer of physical engagement to the animated experience. Through these combined approaches, the study reimagines animation as a meeting point between sight and touch, where the tactile dimension becomes integral to its creation and reception.
The research is structured around three core chapters: ‘Expanding Touch in Animation,’ ‘Touching Sound in Expanded Animation,’ and ‘Creating Space in Expanded Animation.’ Each chapter delves into the theoretical frameworks and practical methodologies that underpin the creation of haptic animation. The study emphasises the importance of haptics in animation, highlighting how tactile engagement can be integrated into animated forms to create embodied experiences. Similarly, the role of sound is investigated as a touchable element, with a focus on its ability to enhance the sensory richness of animation.
During the exploration, I produced expanded animations that I have shown in six exhibitions. Two were solo exhibitions shown at the University of Glasgow: Touch and Tell (2021) and Beyond the Screen (2024). The others were shown to the public as part of various collective exhibitions. Walking No.1 (2022) was exhibited in TouchScreen: Rethinking Perception through Sight and Skin at the Centre of Contemporary Art Glasgow in 2022; Walking No.2 (2022) was shown at the ARCadia festival at the Advanced Research Centre in 2022; Kinetic Apple No.1 (2023) was presented in the Tacky Fondue Exhibition at the Salt Space Gallery in 2023, and Kinetic Apple No.2 (2024) was exhibited in the Animation as Art exhibition at the Museum of Texas Tech University in 2024.
The thesis culminates in a reflection on the implications of haptic animation for both the practice and understanding of animation. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader discourse on sensory engagement in art, offering new perspectives on how animation can be experienced through alternative sensory pathways
Peak shaving potential using a novel flexible two-stage heat pump for heating and cooling
Get PDFDeveloping net-zero emission buildings is crucial, as the building sector is responsible for significant global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Governors have set a carbon-neutral target for 2050, mandating that all new constructions achieve net-zero emissions. This study introduces a thermal energy storage system integrated with a two-stage heat pump in a novel configuration, as heat pumps are considered a viable alternative to gas boilers.
The innovative, flexible two-stage heat pump has been analysed and compared with a baseline two-stage heat pump, as well as with both flexible and baseline single-stage heat pumps, under the same operating conditions. A control strategy was formulated based on heating duty, time of day, and storage tank status to enable the system to function in four different modes: 1) Normal operation, 2) Charging, 3) Discharging, and 4) Standby (Off). The weather data for heating systems in Glasgow and Birmingham, UK, were utilised to obtain variable hourly heating loads for a typical four-story residential building through IESVE software. A sinusoidal daily heating load profile was created to investigate the effect of heating load shape, maintaining the same maximum duty as the variable load derived from IESVE software. All proposed flexible cycles are named 1st configuration - config. 1, and the second flexible cycle in each model is named second configuration - config. 2.
Results indicate that the flexible two-stage system exhibits a 1.67% higher seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) with real variable loads and a 5.31% increase with sinusoidal loads. Furthermore, while the maximum price cut achieved was 2.1% with sinusoidal loads, the price reduction for real variable loads was less significant.
Additionally, this thesis introduces and thoroughly examines the novel configuration of the flexible two-stage heat pump system for cooling applications. Under identical operating conditions as far as possible, a baseline two-stage heat pump, a comparable flexible single-stage heat pump, and a second configuration of a flexible two-stage heat pump were compared and analysed alongside the newly proposed flexible two-stage heat pump. A control strategy was established to operate the system in four modes, normal operation, charging, discharging, and standby, based on cooling duty, time of day, and the status of storage tanks. Weather data for London/UK, and Rome/Italy, were used to acquire variable hourly cooling loads for a typical four-story residential building via IESVE software. The findings show that the flexible two-stage and single-stage systems achieved SCOP equal to 2.33% and 2.55% higher, respectively. Additionally, the heat pump demonstrated a higher SCOP and better flexibility in milder weather conditions, such as those in London, compared to Rome. Overall, the newly proposed system in this study shows superior performance compared to other similar heat pump systems.
In the third phase of this thesis, a techno-economic analysis was conducted on the two-stage flexible heat pump. An Al-extruded tube micro-channel evaporator and a corresponding condenser were designed for this system. The techno-economic analysis included calculating various economic parameters to assess the system's feasibility. Results indicate the system's economic viability, supported by calculated metrics such as Annual Profit (AP), Net Present Value (NPV), Period Payback (PP), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC). The Al-extruded tube micro-channel heat exchangers achieved heat transfer rates of 106.28 kW for condenser and 76.34 kW for evaporator, with overall heat transfer coefficients of 1,790.8 W/m²K and 1,011.8 W.m-2.K-1, respectively. The system demonstrates economic feasibility, with an NPV of £177,903, an IRR of 16.4%, and a payback period of 7.8 years. The total capital investment for 40 flats amounts to £163,880, yielding a MOIC of 2.08
Women in left-wing resistance movements in occupied France, Italy and Greece: between resistance, gender, and memory (1940-1945)
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Machine learning for analogue media damage restoration
Get PDFAnalogue media degradation presents a unique challenge for digital restoration, requiring the disentanglement of physical damage from intended content and style. This thesis investigates machine learning approaches for detecting and segmenting damage across diverse media types, addressing a critical bottleneck in restoration workflows.
We first focus on the constrained setting of a single type of analogue media, and develop a statistical framework for modeling film damage. Through perceptual studies, we demonstrate that our approach generates training data indistinguishable from authentic damage. Using this data to train supervised models yields significant improvements in damage detection performance, as validated on our benchmark dataset of professionally restored high-resolution film scans.
Expanding beyond film, we introduce ARTeFACT, the first comprehensive dataset for analogue media damage detection comprising over 11,000 pixel-accurate annotations across 15 damage categories and 10 diverse media types. Systematic evaluation reveals that state-of the-art supervised segmentation methods, including foundation models like Segment Anything, fail to generalize across different media and struggle to disambiguate damage from visually similar content features.
To address these limitations, we investigate the semantic understanding capabilities of text to-image diffusion models. We develop a novel unsupervised , zero-shot semantic segmentation framework leveraging self-attention mechanisms in Stable Diffusion, achieving state-of-the-art performance on standard benchmarks. Through matrix exponentiation of attention maps, we provide a principled control mechanism for segmentation granularity based on random walk theory. Such mechanism is crucial for enabling segmentation of artefacts at varying granularity.
Our findings demonstrate that effective analogue media damage detection requires moving beyond rudimentary pattern recognition toward semantic understanding of content-damage relationships. This work establishes a methodological foundation for automated restoration systems that can support heritage preservation at scale while respecting the unique characteristics of different analogue media. The challenges presented by damage detection further illuminate fundamental questions about representation learning and visual-semantic disentanglement that are significant for advancing machine learning beyond pattern recognition toward more meaningful visual understanding
The role of inflammatory chemokine receptors in hypertension and consequent target-organ damage
No full textAbstract not currently available
Postcolonization of university accounting education: case of Sri Lanka
Get PDFThis study addresses a notable research gap by offering an institutional-level analysis of how and why university accounting education in an ex-colony interacts with the global accountancy discourses and practices. Adopting a postcolonial lens, it examines how and why Sri Lanka's first accounting degree programme engages with global accountancy discourses and practices. Both the literature and my pre-understanding suggest that university accounting education in ex-colonies often reproduces global discourses and practices, as adopted by local professional accounting bodies (PABs). To provide a comprehensive understanding, the study explores the interaction between Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) and the global accountancy discourses and practices. The findings highlight a complex interplay of complicity and resistance (ambivalence) among key constituencies of CA Sri Lanka has led the local PAB to replicate global discourses and practices, including reproducing global curricula, implementing Mutual Recognition arrangements (MRAs), and adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and International Standards on Auditing (ISA). This has resulted in CA Sri Lanka developing a hybrid identity as a "globalised local institute," aimed at producing accountants aligned with global capital demands, thus enhancing their global mobility. Similarly, the study of B.Sc. Accounting (Hons.) degree programme reveals that ambivalence among its key constituencies has driven the programme to replicate global discourses and practices, including adopting PAB-based curricular, seeking exemptions and accreditations from PABs, and promoting global standards such as IFRSs and ISA. This has created a hybrid identity for the degree programme: a globally recognised, professionally oriented academic qualification. Through this, the degree programme aims to produce graduates who are prepared to serve global capital, thereby enhancing their employability in international markets, which resembles that of CA Sri Lanka. This thesis contributes to postcolonial studies in accounting by offering a nuanced institutional-level analysis of global-local interactions within accounting profession and education in an ex-colony, from the perspective of colonized
What are the power relations, exercised through educational discourses supporting the national curriculum, influencing the classroom practice of science teachers working in areas of high socio-economic disadvantage?
Get PDFThe current context of secondary education (age 11-16) in England, is a complex system of schools overseen by local authorities and schools run by multi-academy trusts. In addition, there are a range of key stakeholders, operating in the system, responsible for delivering continuing professional development and training for teachers at different stages in their career. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is one example of a stakeholder providing teachers and school leaders with information about evidence-based practice through a range of regular publications, including guidance reports on specific areas of educational practice. The aim of this study is to determine the discourses that surround secondary school science teachers’ practice and, from a Foucauldian perspective, the power relations that inform the actions of these teachers.
The assumption will be made that the educational context represents a version of neo-liberal capitalism, quasi markets, and managerialism with institutions conforming to the dictates from government, interpreting and translating these policies to staff. An adaptation of Codd’s (1988) approach of deconstructing educational policy texts will be used during the document analysis phase. These will include Educational Excellence Everywhere 2016 white paper, produced by the Department for Education, to represent government policy and EEF’s Improving Secondary Science: Guidance report (2018) to represent the influence of key stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with experienced secondary school teachers using the online platform, Zoom. Themes from the interviews were produced using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) Reflexive Thematic Analysis.
Findings from the document analysis and interviews were woven together and analysed using a Foucauldian theoretical framework to identify power relations enacted through governmentality, disciplinary power, technologies of the self, parrhesia and selftransformation. It is proposed that key discourses at work on teachers, identified from the documents, have contributed to the production of the ‘technicist teacher’ which results in experienced teachers’ feelings of being de-professionalised
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