The policy impacts of public participation

The democratic world is facing crises in representation, participation, and political legitimacy. An increasing number of governments and scholars are moving away from traditional conceptions of democracies, which revolve around regular elections and representative politicians, and hoping solutions can be found in the promise of democratic innovations in public participation. However, this field is novel, and little is known about when democratic innovations are successful at ameliorating these crises and the reasons as to why. Even seemingly simple concepts such as what ‘success’ ought to constitute are far from agreed upon. Focussing on cases in the UK and Ireland, this thesis uses cases drawn from the Participedia dataset, validated through comparison to official evaluator documentation, to determine what conditions facilitate policy-impacting success and which do not. Through a comparative analysis of 35 cases, this research argues that there is no one singular condition which makes or breaks a DI’s success, but rather a combination of conditions. The results show that successful policy-impacting is largely down to the preferences of target politicians, and that facilitating conditions merely act to attract or maintain these relationships. This suggests that DIs are still reliant on the elite political actors and institutions who have suffered from the losses of democratic trust and legitimacy. However, this need not be the case, and lessons from this thesis can be used to better design DIs and their political environment in the future.<br/

Teacher and Teacher Assistant profession. A critical study of an urban primary school in England

This thesis delves into the perspectives on two intertwined concepts, professionalism, and professionalisation, within primary teachers in England. Motivated by a desire to comprehend the intricate relationship between these concepts and to assess the impact of education reform on this relationship, the research investigates how contemporary teachers and teacher assistants navigate the convergence of discourses surrounding professionalism and professionalisation. The primary research questions explore how these individuals adapt to this synergy and how their perspectives on professionalism and professionalisation differ. These inquiries lead to a subsidiary question: how do these differences contribute to shaping the culture in an urban school in England?The thesis critically evaluates deep-seated theoretical discrepancies, revealing interlinked forces shaping individual experiences within their respective contexts. The fieldwork provides a vivid and compelling portrayal of this relationship.Contributing on three main fronts, the thesis first offers a conceptual contribution by presenting a framework that transcends semantic barriers, providing a holistic approach that considers individual competencies alongside social hierarchies defining occupations. Secondly, at the policy-making level, it identifies a crisis between the enhancement of individual capabilities and the pursuit of public trust and status, emphasising the need for intervention at three distinct levels: individual, school, and socio-political. Lastly, on a sociological dimension, the study sheds light on an often-neglected occupational group, Teacher Assistants (TAs), demonstrating that their perspectives on professionalism are intricately linked to their professionalisation circumstances. Despite playing a pivotal role in the relationship between the school and the community, TAs are frequently excluded from discourses around professionalism.<br/

Joint angle and velocity-estimation for target localization in bistatic mmWave MIMO radar in the presence of clutter

Sparse Bayesian learning (SBL)-aided target localization is conceived for a bistatic mmWave MIMO radar systemin the presence of unknown clutter, followed by the development of an angle-Doppler (AD)-domain representation of the target plus-clutter echo model for accurate target parameter estimation. The proposed algorithm exploits the three-dimensional (3D)sparsity arising in the AD domain of the scattering scene and employs the powerful SBL framework for the estimation of target parameters, such as the angle-of-departure (AoD), angle of-arrival (AoA) and velocity. To handle a practical scenario where the actual target parameters typically deviate from their finite-resolution grid, a super-resolution-based improved off grid SBL framework is developed for recursively updating the parameter grid, thereby progressively refining the estimates. We also determine the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) and Bayesian CRB for target parameter estimation in order to benchmark the estimation performance. Our simulation results corroborate the superior performance of the proposed approach in comparison to the existing algorithms, and also their ability to approach the bounds derived

Understanding the association between pressure ulcers and sitting in adults: what does it mean for all of us?

This third version of the seating guidelines aims to deliver a practical guide, using the most up to date research and evidence on pressure ulcer prevention and management. This guide can be applied to adults who remain seated for extended periods of time across health and social care settings. In the UK, over 700,000 patients are affected by pressure ulcers each year; 180,000 of those are newly acquired and their treatment is estimated to cost the NHS £3.8 million every day. Therefore, guidelines that have been written for people living or working in health and social care are essential. Within the guidelines the authors explore how and where pressure ulcers develop when seated, the potential risk factors, the best possible seated position, ideal seating assessment, and who might be involved and what interventions can one expect after a seating assessment. The guidelines then go on to examine cushion and static chair selection, cushion covers, wheelchairs, and the use of tilt, recline, and elevating leg rests. Finally there is an examination of self-help strategies to prevent pressure ulcers, the key outcomes for those who remain seated for long periods and standards for procuring and testing cushions and static chairs.</p

Models for the cohomology of certain polyhedral products

For a commutative ring k with unit, we describe and study various differential graded k-modules and k-algebras as models for the cohomology of polyhedral products (CX, X)K. Along the way, we prove that the integral cohomology H∗((D1, S0)K; Z) of the real moment–angle complex is a Tor module, one that does not come from a geometric setting. As an application, this work sets the stage for studying the based loop space of Σ(CX, X)K

Single-cell impedance spectroscopy of bacteria

Bacteria are the causative agents of many diseases, and understanding biophysical changes in bacteria following physical or chemical treatment is of considerable interest. In this thesis, different bacteria were measured using single-cell impedance cytometry in order to understand changes in electrical properties following exposure to different perturbations. Traditionally, alternating current (AC) electrokinetic methods are used to measure the electrical properties of cells. However, the throughput of these techniques is low. To overcome this limitation single-cell impedance cytometry measures the impedance of individual cells at hundreds per second.In this study, the electrical properties of single cells were measured across a broad range of frequencies at the rate of tens of thousands of cells in a few minutes. The complex impedance spectrum was modelled using Maxwell’s mixture equation together with the multi-shell model to extract dielectric parameters for each bacterium.Two model organisms were used for experiments: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Impedance cytometry was used to characterise the effect of heat treatment (including pasteurisation and autoclaving) on bacteria and results showed that the dielectric properties of the cells were in agreement with AC electrokinetic methods. Bacteria were also exposed to three classes of antibiotics, namely β-lactam, polymyxin and aminoglycoside. Dielectric characterisation demonstrated that bacteria respond differently following exposure to different antibiotics. Their phenotypic response changes their dielectric parameters in a way that is consistent with the mode of action of antibiotics.Single-cell impedance cytometry was also used to follow bacterial-phage interaction. Experiments showed that the phenotypic response of bacteria can be followed during the phage infection cycle, and that the technique can rapidly identify bacterial susceptibility to phages. The data also helps explain the complex bacterial defence mechanisms against phages from a dielectric perspective.In summary, this thesis describes an electrical method for probing bacteria, linking measured biophysical changes to biological responses, furthering our understanding of the action of antibiotics and phage therapies

The freedom to become: Henri Bergson’s recovery of the unquantified self

This chapter argues that Henri Bergson—whose philosophy is in large part devoted to locating human freedom outside not only the laws of causality, but the mechanical modes of thinking and habitual modes of acting that define our usual conduct—should be considered a crucial figure in the tradition of modernist self-optimization and in the intellectual history of media theory. Although Bergson regards such freedom as a fundamental and originary characteristic of our being, he equally posits it as able to be realized only through an ongoing inner labor whereby we work to distinguish our true self from the repetition and similitude encrusted upon it. And whilst his account of freedom is often utilized today as an antidote to rampant quantification of ourselves and our experience, it is very much grounded in an ethos of heroic productivism and transgressive spontaneity reflective of and responsive to the industrial culture within which it was formulated

Training needs for (UK) professional standards authority accredited register and regulated traditional, complementary and integrative medicine professions for supporting patients to make lifestyle and health behaviour changes: a rapid narrative review

Introduction: improving healthy lifestyles is a public health priority. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative medicine (TCIM) providers, and certain professions on the UK Professional Standards Authority (PSA) Accredited Registers (AR) may be well-placed to contribute - some TCIM professions already support patients to make behaviour changes. We aimed to map the landscape of training for PSA AR and regulated TCIM practitioners working with individuals to support lifestyle changes, including current provision, gaps and training needs.Methods: we conducted a rapid narrative review of training within PSA AR and regulated TCIM professions. We searched research databases for articles exploring perceptions, experiences and responses to training (for supporting behaviour change) and searched websites of UK professional bodies for educational guidelines for pre-qualification education. We conducted systematic data searching and extraction, quality appraisal and produced a narrative synthesis of research and guidelines which identified patterns across professions.Results: we identified 24 education guidelines (4 were unlocated). A total of 548 research studies were identified from database searches, and we identified 5 further studies. A total of 20 full-text articles were retrieved, 7 were excluded, leaving 13 in the review. While 22 of 24 guidelines mentioned lifestyle or health behaviour, only 4 (chiropractic, nutritional therapy, osteopathy and acupuncture) provided any detailed recommendations about how to support patients to make health behaviour changes (e.g. providing written information or recording/monitoring progress). Eight of the 13 research studies focussed on chiropractic; most studies focussed on physical activity, two on smoking cessation, and several looked at training in broad techniques including motivational interviewing. Practitioners in research studies were generally positive about training in lifestyle and health behaviour change and there was some evidence that such training enhances practitioner self-efficacy or skills.Conclusions: most evidence of engagement with supporting lifestyle/behaviour change is within four professions: chiropractic, osteopathy, nutritional therapy and acupuncture. To build on existing knowledge and practice, future training for chiropractors, osteopaths, nutritional therapists and acupuncturists could target the capabilities (e.g. knowledge, skills, decision-making), opportunities (e.g. resources) and motivations (e.g. social/professional role) of practitioners. Future research should also evaluate the impact of practitioner training on patients’ lifestyle and health behaviours

Legionella pneumophila response to shifts in biofilm structure mediated by hydrodynamics

Preventing legionellosis in water systems demands effective hydrodynamic management and biofilm mitigation. This study investigates the complex relationship between hydrodynamics (80 RPM and stagnation), biofilm mesoscale structure and Legionella pneumophila colonization, by addressing three key questions: (1) How do low flow vs stagnation conditions affect biofilm response to L. pneumophila colonization?, (2) How do biofilm structural variations mediate L. pneumophila migration across the biofilm?, and (3) Can specific hydrodynamic conditions trigger L. pneumophila entrance in a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state? It was found that Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms exhibit different responses to L. pneumophila based on the prevailing hydrodynamic conditions. While biofilm thickness and porosity decreased under shear (80 RPM), thickness tends to significantly increase when pre-established 80 RPM-grown biofilms are set to stagnation upon L. pneumophila spiking. Imposing stagnation after the spiking also seemed to accelerate Legionella migration towards the bottom of the biofilm. Water structures in the biofilm seem to be key to Legionella migration across the biofilm. Finally, shear conditions favoured the transition of L. pneumophila to VBNC states (∼94 %), despite the high viable cell counts (∼8 log10 CFU/cm2) found throughout the experiments. This research highlights the increased risk posed by biofilms and stagnation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the mechanisms that govern Legionella behaviour in diverse biofilm environments. These insights are crucial for developing more effective monitoring and prevention strategies in water systems.</p

Energy harvesting technologies on high-speed railway infrastructure: review and comparative analysis of the potential and practicality

A comprehensive quantitative analysis is provided of the potential applications of energy harvesting (EH) technologies tailored to high-speed railway infrastructure. The study compares the various energy sources within railway infrastructure and identifies suitable EH technologies. Feasible designs and scales of EH are assessed based on the installation location; the overall power availability and energy yield are compared for a notional high-speed railway. For resonant EH devices an assessment is also given of the optimal tuning frequency. Vibration-based EH, when applied to the track or bridge structures, can provide sufficient power for individual low-power sensors; however, its output is insufficient for higher-power applications or for data transmission unless energy storage devices are incorporated. Despite the elevated noise levels generated by high-speed trains, the energy available from this acoustic source is negligible and impractical for EH. Small vertical axis wind turbines installed close to the track and driven by passing trains show great potential, capable of harvesting several orders of magnitude more energy than vibration-based EH. Solar photovoltaic panels can generate significantly more energy than other methods, although their output is confined to daylight conditions and is contingent upon weather conditions