Elicitation of structured engineering judgement to inform a focussed FMEA

The practical use of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has been criticised because it is often implemented too late and in a manner that does not allow information to be fed-back to inform the product design. Lessons learnt from the use of elicitation methods to gather structured expert judgement about engineering concerns for a new product design has led to an enhancement of the approach for implementing design and process FMEA. We refer to this variant as a focussed FMEA since the goal is to enable relevant engineers to contribute to the analysis and to act upon the outcomes in such a way that all activities focus upon the design needs. The paper begins with a review of the proposed process to identify and quantify engineering concerns. The pros and cons of using elicitation methods, originally designed to support construction of a Bayesian prior, to inform a focussed FMEA are analysed and a comparison of the proposed process in relation to the existing standards is made. An industrial example is presented to illustrate customisation of the process and discuss the impact on the design process

Considering embodied energy and carbon in heritage buildings – a review

Approximately 20% of UK buildings can be defined as ‘heritage buildings’, offering unique values that should be preserved. They tend to use more energy than newer buildings, creating a strong case for energy retrofits to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and improve thermal comfort. However, few studies of heritage retrofits examine embodied impacts, which are the energy and carbon impacts required to manufacture, transport and construct materials and components. This study considers the whole life (embodied plus operational) impacts of retrofitting heritage buildings, through a systematic literature review and thematic analysis. It concludes that; both embodied and operational impacts should be considered in retrofitting projects, retrofitting is better than demolish and rebuild in lifecycle terms, there is a lack of policy mandating for the measurement of lifecycle impacts and low impact retrofitting can be better for conserving heritage values and reducing embodied carbon

Characterisation of a novel therapeutic peptide derived from Syndecan-2

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is a feature of a number of pathologies, including neovascular eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. A key pro-angiogenic signalling pathway is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) system and current therapeutic options for the treatment of pathological angiogenesis target VEGF, blocking its binding and subsequent activation of VEGF receptors to prevent downstream pro-angiogenic signalling. These therapies have significant drawbacks and so in this thesis, we propose an alternative treatment option, in the form of a therapeutic peptide derived from human syndecan-2 (SDC2). Previous work by our group has provided evidence of an inhibitory role for SDC2 in angiogenesis, a signalling pathway in which the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor (PTPR), CD148, has been implicated as a binding target of SDC2. Angiogenesis is inhibited upon SDC2 interaction with CD148. Building on this, I have produced a body of work that characterises our therapeutic peptide, regarding its stability and detectability, through novel in vitro stability assays. Furthermore, I have accumulated preliminary evidence for its inhibition of angiogenesis and, for the first time, provided insight into its mode of action. This was completed primarily through optimisation of solid phase binding assays, with miniaturisation of binding proteins to determine the specific site responsible for the interaction. In addition, we have explored the anti-angiogenic activity of CD148 short form (CD148SF), an endogenous protein translated from a CD148 splice variant. The data in this thesis provides evidence that CD148SF inhibits angiogenesis, demonstrated across a variety of in vitro and ex vivo angiogenesis models. As well as using established angiogenesis assays, I developed a novel angiogenesis model and used it to show CD148SF inhibitory effects. Together, the work contained in this thesis provides novel understanding into the activity of our therapeutic peptide, specifically regarding its binding and stability, and delivers preliminary insight into the role of CD148SF

Mediated identity problem: discursive unity and identity fragmentation in alternative media sources of feminist politics

This thesis explores the way in which political identities can be mediated through alternative media forms. Drawing on the body of literature that exists on alternative media, in addition to theories of discourse and narrative, this thesis develops a framework through which to analyse political identities in alternative media sources. Central to this is Barthes’ (2012) theory of myth and Haraway's (1991) theory of situated knowledges. 10 alternative media sources of feminist politics - five international, and five from Aotearoa-New Zealand – were chosen in order to conduct this analysis. By using theories of discourse and narrative, in relation to Barthes’ (2012) theory of myth and Haraway's (1991) theory of situated knowledges, an analysis of how the alternative media sources of feminist politics situate their identity in relation to mythic modes of knowledge was performed. In theory, the alternative media sources of feminist politics should challenge Barthesian (2012) myths of gender as they attempt to develop a feminist identity. This thesis argues that the political identity developed across the alternative media sources of feminist politics is fragmented and without a discursive unity or a fixed identity. The 10 sources analysed here all practiced discourse and narrative in differing ways in relation to how they situated knowledge and challenged Barthesian (2012) myths. The purpose of this argument is not to say that feminist politics is without purpose or meaning, far from it, rather that at present there are multiple discourses of feminist politics creating contestation around a feminist identity. This research provides a framework through which to explore the identity building function of alternative media. This framework could be extended to explore the identities of different political movements as mediated through alternative media, or the identities of alternative media developed around popular culture. Through this, a framework that can better understand the nature of these groups can be developed. The current project, however, focuses on the competing articulations of feminist discourse in order to critically assess the instability of meaning regarding the constitution of feminist identity and political practice. Keywords: feminism, alternative media, identity, political identity, media identity, myths, situated knowledges, discourse, narrative, counterpublics, Barthe

Mapping expert judgement within an adaptive elicitation process

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