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The use of relative price evaluation formulae in the UK housing sector and the extent to which these comply with English law
Get PDFDespite the importance of the price tendered to the contracting authority for a public goods, work or service contract, and its determinative impact on the ultimate outcome of a procurement process, how price is evaluated and, in particular, the problems caused by the use of relative price evaluation formulae have not thus far received comprehensive scrutiny in the field of public procurement law.
This thesis has researched the use of relative price evaluation formulae, focusing on price evaluation practice in the UK housing sector and whether such formulae enable the identification of the "Most Economically Advantageous Tender" (MEAT), the relevant test under English law, and as set out in Article 67 of the Directive 2014/24/EU on procurement (“the Public Contracts Directive”) which is the relevant Article in the EU Directive that has been transposed into English law via Regulation 67 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The research identifies a range of poor outcomes and behaviours driven by relative price evaluation practice, primarily enabled by the procurement professionals' misunderstanding of relative price evaluation formulae and their impact on tender pricing. Custom and practice in the UK housing sector helps obfuscate the nature and extent of the issues arising. Therefore the thesis seeks to unwind this complex area of evaluation practice: it explains what a “relative price evaluation formula” is; how it is used in combination with a quality evaluation method when the contracting authority adopts a MEAT approach; and makes some observations on how this combination satisfies procurement professionals’ concern that they do not award on a lowest price basis but nevertheless still creates a sub-optimal decision-making matrix, whereby bidders are encouraged to "race to the bottom" on price and submit bid prices that do not reflect the actual cost of the contract requirements.
It is concluded, inter alia, that this primary misconception leads to a perpetuation of the use and the subsequent acceptance of the mischief relative price evaluation formulae cause in procurement practice and contract delivery. To that end, it is argued that prima facie an overall prohibition on the use of relative price evaluation formulae is required
Cuba's constitutional history and the development of Cuban constitutionalism
No full textThis thesis examines Cuba’s long-neglected contemporary constitutional history as well as the political and societal implications arising therefrom. Despite the many political changes to the Cuban system over many decades, one factor that has remained constant is the lack of development of a fully independent and assertive judicial power that exercises control over constitutionality through the adoption, defense, and substantive utilization of strong judicial review during times of political crisis and social upheaval. This failure has led to the lack of development of constitutionalism as the rule of law, as well as to the predominance of the political or military sectors of government over the constitution and the law. In the end, this has resulted in governmental and political instability as well as the ineffectiveness of the law in actualizing and effectuating constitutional rights. Several key events in Cuba’s constitutional history are examined in order to demonstrate the tangible results of the Cuban Supreme Court’s failure to uphold the law and the constitution in times of crisis vis a vis the adoption and utilization of the doctrine of deconstitutionalization, as well as the ways that political and societal actors utilized those failures in order to gain control over the Cuban political system and achieve de jure status despite having usurped the Constitution in an extra-constitutional manner. Notwithstanding the many political and ideological changes to Cuban legal and political system since achieving independence, as well as the ideological paradigm shift following the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the legacy of political control over constitutionality and compromised constitutionalism persists even today
Essays on fintech adoption, cashless payments, and cashless sales: evidence from Saudi Arabia
Get PDFFinancial technology (Fintech) is reshaping global financial systems, offering opportunities for financial inclusion, economic growth, and cost reduction. Saudi Arabia presents a unique context for studying Fintech adoption due to its state-led financial transformation under Vision 2030. This thesis adopts an inductive (theory-building) approach to investigate the determinants of Fintech adoption, digital payment behaviours, and cashless transactions through three interconnected essays. The first essay examines the determinants of individual Fintech adoption, focusing on socio-demographic and financial factors. Using a survey of 1,666 respondents, the study finds that gender, age, employment status, and financial literacy significantly influence adoption. Younger, more educated individuals exhibit higher adoption rates, while financial well-being and inclusion emerge as key enablers of digital financial participation. The findings highlight the need for targeted financial literacy programs and consumer protection mechanisms. The second essay analyses digital payment behaviours using a dataset of 716 million transactions over 36 months. It differentiates between payment channels, including Chip-and-PIN, contactless, digital wallet, and E-commerce, revealing variations across demographic groups. Results show that females and expatriates conduct lower-value transactions, while unemployed individuals and younger users engage in higher-value digital payments. These findings challenge conventional assumptions and underscore the influence of demographic and socio-economic characteristics on financial behaviours. The third essay investigates macroeconomic and structural determinants of cashless sales and cash withdrawals using 30.42 billion cashless transactions and 28.30 billion cash withdrawals over 25 years. The study assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical risks, temperature variations, and cultural events such as Ramadan. It finds that the pandemic negatively impacted cashless sales in Saudi Arabia, contrasting with global trends. Geopolitical risks had limited sectoral or urban impacts, while infrastructure, particularly international airports and seaports, significantly enhanced urban cashless transactions. This thesis advances understanding of Fintech adoption and cashless financial behaviours in Saudi Arabia, contributing to Financial Inclusion Theory, Behavioural Finance, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It provides transaction-level insights and informs regulatory strategies to promote financial inclusion, offering valuable lessons for policymakers and financial institutions in emerging economies
Teacher professionalism in Greek primary schools
Get PDFThis study examines teacher professionalism in Greek primary schools, focusing on how cultural, national, school, and personal contexts shape teachers’ perceptions and practices of professionalism. It aligns with contemporary research advocating for more nuanced approaches to professionalism (Day et al., 2023), moving beyond its historical association with qualifications, a specialised knowledge base, a service ethic, and autonomy (Furlong et al., 2000; Sachs, 2003).
Employing an interpretive qualitative research design, this study explores the perspectives of 30 Greek primary school teachers from four schools through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The findings reveal considerable variation in how Greek teachers understand and enact professionalism. This variation stemmed partly from teachers’ personal interpretations of professionalism and partly from external factors, including the role of school principals, the indirect influence of national policy, and broader Greek cultural values.
This research extends the limited scholarship on teacher professionalism in Greek primary schools, offering deeper insights into how professionalism is both experienced and enacted in the Greek context. It also provides new evidence on how principals can influence the experience of professionalism, but they cannot dictate teachers’ professional perspectives or fully control their practices. Furthermore, this study contributes new evidence on autonomy as a component of teacher professionalism, highlighting its intricate relationship with agency and teacher identity.
This study challenges decontextualised and dichotomous views of teacher professionalism, emphasising the need for more nuanced, context-sensitive approaches. At the same time, the diverse interpretations of professionalism expressed by the Greek teachers in this study raise critical questions about the standards of pupils’ education in Greek primary schools. This holds significant implications for policymakers, school leaders, and teachers, at a time when many European and OECD countries are making increasing efforts to enhance the quality of teaching pupils receive
Whole-brain imaging in rodents using MRI and 3D microscopy: a cross-scale, multi-modal approach
Get PDFMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has transformed neuroscience by enabling the measurement of brain structure, function, physiology, chemical composition, and connectivity. Yet, despite its sensitivity to microscopic biophysical tissue changes (e.g., from development, ageing, plasticity, or pathology), MRI's macroscopic (millimetre-scale) resolution and indirect nature limit specificity and pose challenges to interpretation. To address this, prior studies have combined MRI with histology, which has microscopic resolution and higher specificity. However, classical histology is inherently two-dimensional and tissue sectioning introduces distortions, making data fusion with MRI challenging. In contrast, advanced 3D techniques like light sheet microscopy preserve the full complexity of brain architecture but are typically restricted to small optically transparent samples, such as the cleared mouse brain.
This thesis introduces a novel multiscale imaging framework for the larger rat brain, integrating whole-brain 3D light-sheet microscopy (10um isotropic) with 3D ex-vivo anatomical and diffusion MRI (100-200um). Due to the larger size and higher lipid content of the rat brain, new tissue processing techniques were developed, including advanced tissue clearing protocols and electric field-enhanced immunolabelling. These innovations enable high-resolution 3D imaging of cellular structures that would otherwise be compromised in histology. Furthermore, by preserving the 3D anatomy of the tissue, alignment of microscopy images with MRI becomes less challenging, enabling detailed characterisation of white and grey matter across scales and modalities.
The methods introduced in this thesis advance multiscale brain imaging, offering enhanced insights into neuroanatomy at the cellular level. This work also lays the foundation for improving the specificity of the MRI contrasts and developing novel in vivo imaging techniques to explore brain connectivity and microstructure
The impacts of endothelial cell senescence on ageing-related blood-brain barrier dysfunction and the potential therapeutic strategies
Get PDFBackground: Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) contributes to various agerelated neurological disorders. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) are the most critical components of the BBB, forming a tightly sealed yet selectively permeable monolayer to maintain central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. The accumulation of senescent cells in the CNS is thought to play a significant role in age related BBB dysfunction. A large number of recent pre-clinical and clinical studies have focused on the development of senotherapeutic interventions to prevent or delay BBB ageing and extend health span. However, the understanding of BMEC senescence and age-related BBB dysfunction remains limited, and studies illustrating the effects of potential interventions are urgently needed.
Methods: Replicative senescence (RS) in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) was induced by repetitive passage and confirmed to exist by a panel of senescent markers, including senescence-associated-β galactosidase staining (SA-βgal), γH2AX staining, telomere length measurement, WST-1 proliferation assay, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16 expression. BMECs were treated with a cocktail of senolytics (dasatinib and quercetin, D+Q), or senomorphics targeting p38MAPK (BIRB796) or NF-κB (QNZ) signalling pathways from passage 16 until passage 20 to explore the effects of senotherapeutics on cellular senescence. Premature senescence was induced by exposing HBMECs (passages 6-8) to 400 μM H2O2 for 48 hours, followed by 12 days of incubation under normal complete media for the development of senescence. BIRB796 or QNZ were added to the culture media of HBMECs along with H2O2 to inhibit the activation of p38MAPK or NF-κB, respectively. D+Q was added to the culture media of HBMECs on day 10 after the H2O2 exposure for 24 hours to eliminate senescent cells. Similar phenotypic assays as the replicative senescence experiments were conducted to evaluate the senescence-associated changes evoked by oxidative stress. Using an in vitro model of BBB, composed of BMECs, astrocytes and pericytes, this study explored the correlation between BMEC senescence and BBB dysfunction. Crucial factors of BBB function were analysed in young, RS and SIPS HBMECs in the presence or absence of senotherapeutics to explore the mechanism of age-related BBB dysfunction, including expression and localisation of tight junction proteins, levels and activity of MMPs, and the expressions of angiogenic factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Results: Replicative senescence was deemed present at passage ≥ 19, where HBMECs displayed enlarged morphology, shortened telomere length, reduced proliferative capacity and increased SA-β-gal activity, γH2AX staining, actin stress fibers and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16 expression. The angiogenesis capacity and migration capacity revealed a significant decline in RS BMECs, evidenced by diminished tubulogenic potentials and wound repair rate. Significant impairments observed in the integrity and function of BBB established with RS BMECs, ascertained successively by decreases in transendothelial electrical resistance and increases in paracellular flux, revealed a close correlation between BMEC senescence and BBB dysfunction. Disruptions in the localisation and decreased expression of tight junction proteins, zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1), occludin, and claudin-5, and increased activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) in RS BMECs may elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the BBB dysfunction. Stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) HBMECs exhibited a set of similar phenotypic changes and functional impairment to those induced by RS. However, in contrast to the 70% senescent rate induced by RS, oxidative stress induced approximately 30% of SA-βgal and γH2AX positively stained cells, yet it still caused significant disruption of the BBB. In addition, RS HBMECs exhibited markedly reduced overall expressions of tight junction proteins, including ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-5. Meanwhile, ZO-1 and occludin levels remained stable, whereas claudin-5 levels showed further elevation in SIPS HBMECs. Selectively elimination of senescent cells by D+Q, as well as the inhibition of the p38MAPK signalling pathway, attenuated the effects of both replicative stress and oxidative stress on senescent markers in HBMECs and preserved BBB function by restoring subcellular localisation of ZO-1 and inhibiting the activation of MMP2. NF-κB inhibitor (QNZ) delayed SIPS and protected BBB from oxidative stress, yet accelerating cellular senescence and induced cell death with RS HBMECs. Furthermore, inhibition of the p38MAPK/NF-κB pathway significantly suppressed the oxidative stress-evoked expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASPs), namely interleukin-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1.
Conclusion: This study supports the concept that BMECs enter senescence under replicative stress and enhanced oxidative stress during the ageing process, which ultimately damages the integrity of the BBB. The selective elimination of senescent cells by senolytics and the inhibition of p38MAPK effectively mitigate the accumulation of senescent BMECs in the cerebrovasculature and preserve BBB functions
Shared decision-making following anterior cruciate ligament rupture: a mixed methods feasibility study
Get PDFBACKGROUND
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are common, affecting over 20,000 people in the UK each year. Treatment may follow a surgical, non-surgical (rehabilitation) or combined pathway whereby patients engage with rehabilitation prior to surgical intervention. Most commonly, surgery is the treatment of choice. Not all patients receive rehabilitation prior to surgery, this may be due to a lack of evidence supporting its efficacy on improving post-operative treatment outcomes. Previous research has also identified that rehabilitation prior to surgery varies. However, all patients in the UK will routinely have rehabilitation after surgery.
Despite increasing rates of ACL surgical procedures over the past two decades (predominately ACL reconstruction, ACLR), only 28% of patients return to their preinjury physical activity levels (a typical goal for most patients) by 18-months. By comparison, 24% of those treated with rehabilitation alone (non-surgical treatment) have returned by the same timeframe. Understanding which patients are appropriate for which treatment pathway is challenging. The sequence of specific treatments also continues to be debated (i.e. when and whether to undergo rehabilitation prior to surgery). Patients’ lived experiences of the UK surgical pathway (both prior to and following surgery) are currently unknown.
Development of an evidence-based and theoretically-informed intervention to support decision-making about treatment following an ACL rupture may improve patient outcomes and satisfaction, ensuring the chosen care pathway meets their individual needs. Further, development of clinical recommendations to inform practice following an ACL rupture may address the uncertainty and inconsistency in practice.
AIMS
The primary aims of this research were to:
• Develop an intervention for use with patients post-injury to support decision-making around ACLR
• Understand the interventions acceptability and tolerability among patients and clinicians
• Explore indicators of the intervention’s effectiveness and implementation factors in clinical practice
OBJECTIVES
This research involved a three-phase approach to address the above aims.
Objective 1: To understand patients' lived experiences of the treatment pathway following a diagnosis of an ACL rupture and planned surgical management (Phase 1).
Objective 2: To work with patients and stakeholders to develop a novel intervention (Phase 2) to address the patients’ unmet needs identified in Phase 1.
Objective 3: To understand feasibility, acceptability and tolerability of the intervention with respect to participants and clinicians in an NHS setting (Phase 3).
METHODS
This project utilised a mixed-methods approach involving three phases of research.
Phase 1: Individual semi-structured interviews with patients at three time-points on the ACLR pathway: (1) up to 3-months before surgery, (2) 3-months post-surgery and (3) 12-months post-surgery.
Phase 2: Nominal group technique consensus study (online) with patients and key stakeholders.
Phase 3: Non-randomised single site feasibility study with embedded qualitative interviews with patients and clinicians.
The design, implementation and refinement of the intervention was underpinned by the Extended Normalisation Process Theory.
RESULTS
Interviews with 18 participants (Phase 1) offered novel insight into the lived experiences of the NHS ACL surgical treatment pathway, both prior to and after surgery. Several gaps in patient support were identified by participants who faced key challenges when: communicating with clinicians, navigating NHS systems and seeking support for a diagnosis and injury management; making decisions about treatment; receiving personalised care; coping independently in the preoperative period and managing conflicting sources of healthcare advice.
These key issues were combined with the current literature to form an evidence summary provided to participants (n=8) in Phase 2. This supported co-production of a shared decision-making intervention to support treatment decision-making following an ACL rupture and evidence-based recommendations to inform key components of care in the post-injury and/or pre-surgical period. This was achieved through an online nominal group consensus study with patients and key stakeholders including NHS healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, an orthopaedic surgeon and occupational therapist) and an NHS therapy manager.
The shared decision-making intervention was explored in a non-randomised feasibility study with 20 participants at one large acute NHS hospital trust. Feasibility data were collected on recruitment rate, acceptability, fidelity and follow-up questionnaire completion. 94%-100% was achieved across all four outcomes. Embedded qualitative interviews with patients (n=5) and physiotherapists (n=5) supported further exploration of feasibility, acceptability and an understanding of effectiveness and implementation factors. The intervention was acceptable to both patients and clinicians and appeared effective in supporting shared decision-making processes following an ACL rupture. Several implementation factors were identified, mapped to constructs of the Extended Normalisation Process Theory, to consider barriers and enablers to future implementation and normalisation within practice.
CONCLUSION
This mixed-methods study co-developed a shared decision-making intervention and evidence-based consensus recommendations supporting care following an ACL rupture. The shared decision-making intervention was demonstrated to be acceptable, and indicators of effectiveness were identified. Refinements were made to both the intervention and its logic model ready for evaluation in future research. Implementation factors were identified to support planning for a future trial and translation of knowledge into clinical practice, considering barriers and enablers to normalisation
Empty and entangled: developing an account of metaphysical anti-foundationalism and interdependence
Get PDFWestern metaphysics has been dominated by forms of foundationalism- views that commit to the existence of something fundamental. I contribute to the growing recent interest in challenging foundationalism, and enquiring into the possibility of alternatives. The alternative that I pursue and defend in this thesis, is a position that I call anti-foundationalist interdependence. This position refrains from commitment to fundamentalia, by holding that all existing things depend on something else for their existence and identity. I work towards developing an account of this kind, by searching for support amongst analytic metaphysics (especially amongst recent work on metaphysical coherentism), Buddhist philosophy (especially amongst the work of Nāgārjuna), and from current physics (especially from Rovelli’s relational interpretation of quantum mechanics). Using insight from these areas to produce a picture of the structure of reality which lacks foundations, serves to fill an important gap in the fundamentality debate
Driver prediction model for autonomous vehicle within a virtual testing platform tailored to Malaysia driving scenarios
Get PDFVirtual simulation is a vital tool for testing autonomous vehicle (AV) systems in hazardous scenarios due to its cost-effectiveness, reproducibility, and safety. The reliability of such simulations depends on the accuracy of vehicle dynamics, environmental models, and, critically, driver models, which must replicate human driving behaviour to ensure valid testing results. This study develops an artificial intelligence-based driver model tailored to the Malaysian driving environment, addressing significant differences in traffic behaviour between developing and developed countries. To achieve this, a non-linear 14 Degrees of Freedom (DOF) vehicle model was developed and validated through comparative analysis with experimental data to ensure accurate replication of vehicle handling characteristics. Real-world driving data were collected over 245 hours using an instrumented vehicle equipped with cost-effective off-the-shelf sensors, covering diverse road networks, including urban, rural, and highway scenarios. Additionally, a mixed-reality driving simulator, integrating IPG CarMaker with a 6-degree-of-freedom motion platform and virtual reality, was employed to capture realistic human driving behaviours. Thirty participants were invited, and their driving styles were classified into aggressive, normal, and slow categories. The model was trained using normal driver data to develop a baseline for human-like driving behaviour. A hybrid Convolutional Neural Network-Long Short-Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) model, incorporating attention mechanisms to capture spatial and temporal dependencies in driving behaviour, was implemented. The model achieved 84.63% accuracy in predicting steering, throttle, and braking inputs under simulated conditions. However, when tested with real-world data, accuracy declined to 67.23%, highlighting a generalization gap due to underrepresented road types, varying time-of-day conditions, and environmental factors such as weather variations. To mitigate this issue, further training was conducted using a combination of real-world and simulation data, improving the model’s adaptability. The proposed driver model was benchmarked against existing deep learning-based driver models, demonstrating superior performance in replicating human-like driving behaviour within the Malaysian driving context. Despite its contributions, the study acknowledges limitations in data collection, including the limited number of participants, relatively short driving durations per driver, and insufficient representation of extreme driving behaviours. These constraints impact the generalizability of the model to all traffic scenarios. Future work should focus on expanding the dataset with more diverse driving conditions and optimizing the model to enhance its robustness in real-world applications. This research advances driver modelling by leveraging deep learning to create a more contextually relevant model for Malaysia, bridging the gap between virtual simulation and real-world driving behaviour. The developed model has significant implications for AV testing, driver training systems, and intelligent transportation applications in developing countries with complex driving environments
Landslide: a memoir? and ‘From the mouth of babes’: Considering memoir’s validity solely from a child narrator (or, sans adult narrator)
Get PDFThis PhD thesis serves a dual purpose: a creative excerpt from Landslide, my (debated) ‘memoir’; alongside critical commentary on its specific writing process within the broader contexts of memoir, narratology, and child narration.
The memoir is an itinerant coming-of-age journey across continental United States at the turn of the twenty-first century, chronicling my experiences from (roughly) ages four to eighteen. It is set against the backdrop of a turbulent, maladjusted family dynamic marked by divorce, narcissistic abuse, and alienation—all of which hinder personal development. Landslide explores the tension between family loyalty and personal identity amid the constant cycle of ‘unsettlement’; cultural and political reflections on America’s landscape; the impact of a millennial’s particular education; and the resilience required to break generational cycles of habitual dysfunction. The excerpt provided presents ‘Part One: Texas’ and ‘Part Two: Utah’—though the narrative does extend to ‘Part Three: Midwest’, ‘Part Four: San Diego’, and ‘Part Five: Maryland’.
The critical commentary investigates the challenges of writing a childhood memoir with a child narrator only—‘erasing’ the adult narrator entirely. Through a practice-based approach that references Landslide, I address such questions as: can a child authentically narrate a memoir on their own? Would it still qualify as memoir? How can one ‘truthfully’ depict a child’s perspective and internal logic? I explore how ‘authenticity’ in memoir is subjective, tied to ‘emotional’ (rather than ‘absolute’) truth: traditional notions of ethical accountability in memoir-writing seem to stifle narratorial innovation particularly, preventing the genre from evolving. Through my advocation for a ‘cautious experimentation’, I propose re-approaching memoir in a manner that embraces unique approaches, valuing emotional resonance alongside factual precision. My research desires to further develop the borderlines of memoir by presenting its potentially ‘untapped’ potential to further provide fresh perspectives to personal history, and memory
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