Behavioural Psychology as a Social Project: From Social Engineering to the Cultivation of Competence

The starting point of this project is an interest in the social influence of psychology during the twentieth century. It differs from other analyses in that it focuses on behavioural psychology, examining its contribution to new ways of thinking about people and new ways of intervening in their lives in the name of social as well as individual improvement. Despite the demise of behaviourism and the controversy surrounding behaviour modification techniques, the last twenty years has seen a widespread increase in their use in non-clinical settings for non-clinical problems, most controversially in residential institutions. However, over the last two decades their use has extended into the "well community" as solutions to a range of individual and family problems and it is these that form the focus of the thesis. Drawing conceptually and methodologically on Foucauldian analyses of the human sciences and "government", the study aims to account for these expansions by examining the formation and conditions of existence of behavioural discourses on social improvement, by documenting the recent and current uses of behavioural approaches in the field of child and family welfare, and considering the implications of these for the government of the social. Analysing textual and interview sources, I show how changing internal and external conditions of behavioural discourse and practice have made possible these expansions. In particular I trace the contribution of behavioural discourses on locus of control to current emphases on empowerment. In conclusion, I argue that behavioural approaches have a number of characteristics that enable them to fit reciprocally with changing economic, organisational and ethical conditions and that recent deployments of behavioural approaches point not so much to the decline of the social as a domain to be governed, but to transformations in the way that is it is configured, which continue to connect the improvement of society with the improvement of the individual

Co-design and hyper-consumerism : technology, participation and ceramics

This study argues that recent design approaches that aim to mitigate hyper-consumerism have not developed a sufficient desire in consumers for environmental stewardship. The research examines historical, recent and current design approaches to environmental care. Drawing on both new-craft and co-design, the study explores the hypothesis that co-designing new-craft provides opportunities for the development of greater stewardship of the local environment. The research draws on the definition of new-craft as a combination of technology and craft and on the work of the research collective A. Telier to define co-design as a reframing of design through an assembly of human and non-human actors that shifts a designer-centred model to a participatory framework. The study describes my practice-based research and the development of a co-design game that includes new-craft technologies and locates it in relation to recent European research into co-design and new-craft. The practical component of the research, titled Play Pot Print - A New-Craft Co-Design Workshop, employed a new combination of technology, participation and ceramics. The study critically examines the insights into environmental stewardship gathered from the documentation participants’ experiences of design, sustainability and consumerism, and a series of co-designed 3D printed ceramic objects created in the workshop. The accounts participants’ experiences of local hyper-consumerism issues and their recalling of previous experiences of care for the local environment suggested a developing environmental stewardship. The conclusion accounts for the opportunities and pitfalls of a participatory 3D printing experience, as an amalgamation of new-craft and co-design, in the development of a greater awareness of environmental stewardship

'It's grim up north' : a comparative study of the subjectivities of gay HIV positive men in an urban and rural area

This comparative study of the experiences of gay HIV positive men living in urban and rural areas explores the dynamic interrelationship between lived experience and service provision. The literature in this field has drawn on a familiar stereotype - the urban, sexually active, gay man. This man - and his community - does not exist in a rural environment in the way it is assumed nor does it necessarily fit the experience of gay men in London. By creating a link between the questions of subjectivity and the question of how we improve services, I argue that a mechanistic construction of need may follow an assumed urban model which may not hold for all men in an urban setting, nor for men in rural areas. Gay HIV positive men are faced with new psycho-social dilemmas in relation to the virus, including unpredictability of outcome, as well as the complexity and burden of the current treatment. They engage in a constant process of renegotiating their sense of themselves in space, time and relationships. Through the use of narrative methodology, my research builds a new perspective on the experience of these individuals which can help to shape the services and policies of the future. The stories of 21 gay HIV positive men were gathered and analysed in relation to five areas of focus: community/space, relationships, identity, health and services. Rural participants were less able to build and maintain a politically strong identity and rural services need to create strategies to enable gay men to draw on the strength of a collective voice. 'Doing for' services, prevalent in rural areas, may be appropriate for the very ill but can perpetuate a culture of helplessness. The healthist discourse adopted by London services promotes individualism and responsibility. Services for HIV positive men in all areas need to hold the dynamic between 'doing for' services for the sick and dying and a healthist discourse for those who can look to their future.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A New Concept for a Low-Dose Stationary Tomographic Molecular Breast Imaging Camera Using 3D Position Sensitive CZT Detectors

Pixelated CZT detectors have been used in a variety of molecular imaging applications for many years. The interplay of gamma camera and collimator geometric design, gantry motion, and image reconstruction determines the image quality and dose-time-FOV trade-offs. In particular, Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) has been shown to provide excellent diagnostic results in patients with dense breast tissue, but higher than mammography patient dose and long imaging time impede its wide adoption. We propose a new transformative system concept combining the advantages of CZT detectors (superior energy and position resolution and depth of interaction sensing), multi-pinhole collimation and novel image reconstruction to mitigate those drawbacks without compromising diagnostic content. The closely spaced pinholes allow tomographic image reconstruction, improve sensitivity and angular sampling, but result in significant multiplexing. Novel de-multiplexing algorithms have been developed to mitigate the adverse multiplexing artefacts using the DOI. GATE simulations of the new camera demonstrate a potential to reduce the patient dose by at least a factor of 5 in comparison to planar MBI, thus reducing the dose to the level of an average mammography scan. The first prototype has been built at Kromek with 3D position sensitive CZT detectors and is being evaluated using an "activity-painting"setup with a point 57Co source. Initial results demonstrate the expected performance improvement with the use of sub-pixelisation and DOI. The next steps of the development will include accurate evaluation of the image quality and the dose reduction followed by building a larger scale clinical prototype using optimised detector design

Design of an Ultra-low-dose, Stationary, Tomographic Molecular Breast Imaging System

Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) has been shown to have high sensitivity in detection of cancer, even in patients with dense breasts where conventional mammography has issues. However the technique has limited acceptance due to the relatively high radiation dose and long imaging time. Improved lesion detection can be achieved using tomography, however this normally involves detector motion and complex mechanics. Our goal is to develop a low-dose stationary tomographic MBI system with similar or better sensitivity for lesion detection to conventional planar MBI. The proposed system utilizes state-of-the-art cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors based on 2mm pixels, with sub-pixelization and depth of interaction (DOI) capability, combined with densely packed multi-pinhole collimators. Use of closely-spaced pinholes improves efficiency and angular sampling, but results in significant multiplexing. De-multiplexing algorithms have been developed that take advantage of the DOI acquisition to achieve tomographic reconstruction using two opposing planar detectors which apply mild compression to the breast. Simulation studies of multiple lesions with clinically realistic contrast have been used to demonstrate the feasibility of the design and to characterize the expected performance. Reconstruction without de-multiplexing resulted in significant artefacts. De-multiplexing without DOI had limited success but with DOI resulted in artefact-free images, with good contrast and axial plane definition. Lesion detectability was preserved even with reduction of acquisition time (or radiation dose) by a factor of 4. Further optimization has potential for even greater dose reduction. A prototype system is currently being constructed to validate these findings

Design of a low-dose, stationary, tomographic Molecular Breast Imaging system using 3D position sensitive CZT detectors

Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) has been shown to have high sensitivity for lesion detection, particularly in patients with dense breasts where conventional mammography is limited. However, relatively high radiation dose and long imaging time are limiting factors. Most current MBI systems are based on planar imaging. Improved performance can be achieved using tomographic techniques, which normally involve detector motion. Our goal is to develop a low-dose stationary tomographic MBI system with similar or better performance in terms of lesion detection compared to planar MBI. The proposed system utilizes two opposing CZT detectors with high intrinsic resolution and depth of interaction (DOI) capability, combined with densely packed multi-pinhole collimators. This leads to improved efficiency and adequate angular sampling, but also to significant multiplexing (MX), which can result in artefacts. We have developed de-MX algorithms that take advantage of the DOI information. We have performed both analytic and Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate the feasibility, optimize the design and investigate the expected performance of the proposed system. Lesion detectability was preserved with reduction of acquisition time (or radiation dose) by a factor of 2 compared to planar images at the lowest reported dose. The first prototype is under evaluation at Kromek

Challenges in Optimization of a Stationary Tomographic Molecular Breast Imaging System

A prototype Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) system is currently under development, motivated by the need of a practical low-dose system for use in patients with dense breast tissue, where conventional mammography is limited. The system is based on dual opposing CZT detector arrays and multi-pinhole collimators which allow for multiplexing in the projection data. We have performed optimization of various design parameters based on either contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the reconstructed images or area under the localization receiver operating characteristics curve (LROC-AUC) obtained using the scan statistic model. The optimizations were based on simulated data, and the parameters investigated were pinhole size and opening angle, pinhole separation and collimator-to-detector separation. The two optimization approaches resulted in similar design parameters, allowing for reconstruction of tomographic images with high CNR and lesion detectability, which can lead to a reduced dose or scan time as compared to planar MBI

Towards improved cover glasses for photovoltaic devices

For the solar energy industry to increase its competitiveness there is a global drive to lower the cost of solar generated electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) module assembly is material-demanding and the cover glass constitutes a significant proportion of the cost. Currently, 3 mm thick glass is the predominant cover material for PV modules, accounting for 10-25% of the total cost. Here we review the state-of-the-art of cover glasses for PV modules and present our recent results for improvement of the glass. These improvements were demonstrated in terms of mechanical, chemical and optical properties by optimizing the glass composition, including addition of novel dopants, to produce cover glasses that can provide: (i) enhanced UV protection of polymeric PV module components, potentially increasing module service lifetimes; (ii) re-emission of a proportion of the absorbed UV photon energy as visible photons capable of being absorbed by the solar cells, thereby increasing PV module efficiencies; (iii) Successful laboratory-scale demonstration of proof-of-concept, with increases of 1-6% in Isc and 1-8% Ipm. Improvements in both chemical and crack resistance of the cover glass were also achieved through modest chemical reformulation, highlighting what may be achievable within existing manufacturing technology constraints