In W. E. B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk there is a story entitled “Of the Coming of John” that features two boys named John, one black from a poor family, the other white from a wealthy family. As the two are away at college each family awaits ‘of the coming of John,’ the title is also a reference to maturity because black John becomes disillusioned with race relations as he is awakened to the injustices that seemed so normal. Like black John, I too went to college far away from my hometown, developed a heightened awareness of society’s racism, and retained a desire to return home to teach youth in my community. And like black John, I want to teach by implementing a pedagogy that promotes equity for black Americans amid inequitable conditions.<div><br></div><div>The research problem addressed in this study relates to the absence of sociopolitical teaching practices in K-12 engineering education, which I argue is necessary for equitable inclusion of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities in general, and black males in particular. Black Americans are plagued by racial inequities that transcend all domains of societal living (e.g., economics, education, health, etc.); this lamentable reality is the direct result of historical disenfranchisement of this racial group within the United States. Therefore, engineering must be taught with pertinence to the social, political, and cultural realities of the pupils. This self-study was an investigation into my story of living as a black male and studying engineering, and how my experience (along with my sociological understanding of other black males) shaped the way I taught engineering to black boys. Critical autoethnography was used to articulate the cultural and experiential knowledge that guided my instructional methods. Black Critical Theory, an offshoot of Critical Race Theory, served as one theoretical framework for this study because it centralizes the prevalence of anti-blackness as a lens to understand the experiences of black citizens. African American Male Theory is a complementary framework as it takes a broader ecological perspective to analyze the experiences of black male citizens. Taken together, these frameworks reveal the distinct features of American life negotiated by black males.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Resultantly, my life events led me to merge black racial identity, black politics, and the dynamics surrounding the education of black boys to teach K-12 engineering within a critical race pedagogical framework. I was socialized to be present and authentic among the people I want to lead and serve, hence, my devotion to community-engage scholarship. I grew tired of watching educators give-up on black students or become volatile, therefore, I spent time with the hyper-marginalized to build up the requisite resilience to avoid dysfunctional teaching and a cynical demeanor. I have felt undervalued and left-out in some classroom experiences, so I prioritize connecting with students over presenting content. I’ve witnessed engineering educators ostracize and belittle students unwilling to assimilate to its cultural norms, contrarily, I taught black boys with the goal of making engineering relatable to them, not vice versa.<br></div>

This thesis reports on design and performance studies of a prototype combined air source heat pump and storage system, retro fitted to heat occupied spaces subjected to high ventilation rates. The source of heat is from the air in the extract duct. Two limiting thermal conditions exist. The first is the thermal capacity of air passing over the ducted heat exchangers. The second is the dew and freezing points of the exhaust air, because of the insulating effect of ice on exchanger fins and tubes. Both are alleviated to a significant extent with high mass flow rates passing down the duct, since more heat can be extracted for a set decline in exhaust air temperatures. This study identifies reasons for ventilation and building strategies involving high ventilation rates, including the physiological and emotional needs of people and the various economic, climatic and Governmental polices (climate change levy, public health legislation) that impact upon heating and ventilation design. The study recognises the need for reduced carbon dioxide emissions and explores issues of indoor air quality and sick building syndrome and how increased ventilation rates can address them. The proposition investigated in this thesis is that air source recovery and heating by heat pump systems, combined with a heat storage system, can economically allow increases in ventilation rates to well above current standards without incurring great increases in energy use and carbon emissions; and in some circumstances reducing them. The thesis discusses in depth and detail, the advantages and disadvantages of possible alternative methods of heating a building and ventilation recovery, comparing their effectiveness and cost. A prototype system has been designed and field trials of a retrofit application have produced performance data that has subsequently been used in a long term cost comparison. The rig's design and construction are fully documented and its function over a full heating season is comprehensively explained (recording methods, types of calibration, control choices etc). A theoretical estimate of the energy requirements could have been attained using simulation and degree day information, however, a real like-for-like comparison using field trials prepared and a model was developed which allowed test data to be used to predict costs. The rig was tested over two heating seasons and compared with actual reading from alternative heating systems, degree day calculations are discussed but the reliance is on the actual live data gathered. (although summer cooling is achievable with the test rig no readings were recorded or comparison made). The work shows that heat pump heating and recovery systems and combined storage ability out-performed the other systems investigated. The crucial elements of its functionality are the high temperature of the heat source and the vast volume (and thermal capacity) of air being used, extracting at 24 °C and delivering at 35°C. The Coefficient of performance varies through the heating season but, synthesis of theory with test rig performance demonstrate that the longer term cost of the system is attractive; and its attraction shall probably grow with anticipated future trends in consumer demands for comfort and air quality coupled with fuel costs and a philanthropic social and political attitude to emissions control.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the western world, and the primary cause of adult disability. There is a great need for methods to identify patients at risk of stroke and decide appropriate treatment. The main criterion for identifying patients at risk of stroke is the percentage of the narrowing in the carotid arteries, which lead blood from the heart to the brain, which currently is quantified manually. This project is in collaboration with Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Christies Hospital in Manchester. The aim of this project is to develop software methods to improve computer-assisted carotid artery stenosis measurement based on Magnetic Resonance Images. A methodology is therefore presented, based on 3D geometry extracted from Contract-Enhanced MR Angiograms, to identify and segment the internal carotid arteries for stenosis quantification. The MRA data volume is initially automatically reduced, by locating the carotid arteries and creating two volumes of interest, each including a single set of carotids (either left or right). The artery of interest (Internal Carotid Artery - ICA) is identified in each sub-volume automatically, by tracking the carotid bifurcation and selecting the artery branch with no further arterial branches. The central axis of the ICA is consequently determined by calculating and connecting together the centres of gravity (centroids) of the 2D contours of the carotid in the axial plane. Segmentation of the ICA is carried out, perpendicular to the central axis, by applying adaptive thresholds along the ICA central axis based on local image characteristics. Hence, the cross-sectional area of the segmented ICA is then measured at different points along the vessel. The most stenotic area is identified, and a reference region is manually selected. The degree of stenosis is then quantified based on the reference and stenosed area measurements, according to the NASCET criterion. This provides a fully automated methodology to locate, identify, and measure the internal carotid stenosis. It is the first time that such complete methodology that covers the processing of the MRI data until the stenosis measurement is taken is developed and is fully automatic. The segmentation results are thoroughly evaluated against the manual delineations of two clinical experts (each performed the delineations twice), and against two popular segmentation techniques. The results were found successful and perform better than manual measurements and other current techniques. They present smaller variability than manual measurements and are able to deal with irregularities in the arterial structure, where other computerised techniques fail. The suggested methodologies seem promising and able to improve considerably both current clinical practice and other existing methodologies.

Drawing on theoretical insights from multidisciplinary research in the fields of Multimedia, Internet Marketing, Business Management and Information Systems, this research is set out to explore how video content characteristics affect brand video virality. In this way, this research attempts to address a well-documented gap in existing research on the contributing factors that make brand videos viral (West, 2011; Cashmore, 2009). More specifically, it investigates the effect that particular content characteristics (visual graphics, audio and plot) might have in driving large numbers of consumers/social media users to create online stories about the same brand video by sharing, commenting or liking it in social networks. To examine this, engagements of Social Media users with brand videos were analysed and monitored by using the method of netnography. Following Dobele et al (2007)’s sampling approach, four brand videos selected on the basis of three main criteria: being global, being viral and being examples of a recent viral marketing campaign, were examined. In addition, two online surveys of a total of 351 Social Media users were conducted. The online surveys included open-ended and closed-ended questions regarding the participants’ engagement with different video content characteristics that were included within the brand videos examined. The results of this research suggest that the separate characteristics/components constituting a brand video's content may have an independent effect on the virality of the brand video. More specifically, across the video content characteristics examined, plot was the most powerful in terms of its impact on a Social Media user's decision to create an online story about a brand video in social networks and consequently, enhance its virality. Moreover, the presence of a familiar character/actor within a brand video’s visuals can significantly increase the possibility of the brand video going viral. In respect to the audio, there was evidence that for a brand video to go viral, "music fit" is vital.

This study examines performance measurement in the oil and gas industry. The aim is to identify the prevalence of performance measures and to provide evidence of the potential impact in the usage of performance measures on organisational performance. The study investigates the links between organisational strategies, choice of performance measures, and organisational performance. The resource-based view (RBV) theory and Miles and Snow's organisational fit theory were, respectively, used to explain the research and as the basis for analysis of results. The organisational fit theory states that organisation's approach to competition can be classified into four main strategies. These strategies will influence the way they manage their organisations and lead to different performance outcomes. This may include the way they measure their supply chain performance. The resource-based view suggests that organisations can achieve superior performance through internal resources and competencies. Based on this theory, performance measurement framework is viewed as one of the important organisations’ resources. A literature review on supply chain performance measurement was carried out to identify performance measures that are relevant to the oil and gas industry. This resulted in an initial list of measures based on the review. Exploratory interviews were then conducted to confirm the measures, understand the contextual definitions of the measures, and to find out from practitioners what additional measures they consider important beyond those obtained from the literature. This resulted in a broader set of performance measures, which were then validated through a self-administered questionnaire survey. A total of 550 questionnaires were sent out to UK companies whilst 120 to Malaysian companies. A total of 100 responses were received from both countries, which accounts to 15% response rates. The outcomes of the survey clarify the prevalence of performance measures in the industry according to the level of importance. Correlation and regression analyses indicate that there is a link between the choice of performance measures and organisations’ strategies. Also, the results indicate a link between choice of performance measures and the actual performance of the organisations, suggesting that performance measures are critical resources of organisations used to support competitiveness in line with resource-based view theory. In addition, this study identifies the most influential strategy and performance measures in enhancing organisations’ performance within the oil and gas industry.

The occurrence of identity theft has increased dramatically in recent times, becoming one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. Major challenges associated with identity theft related offences include problems of consumers with credit, such as: aggravation by debt collectors; rejection of loans; disturbance in normal lives such as reputation damage; and the psychological disruption of providing personal data to organisations and banks during the investigation. For these reasons, and with the ready access of identity thieves to the retail industry, this problem is acute in the online retail industry, yet there has been insufficient research undertaken in this domain. This research investigated knowledge sharing processes for identity theft prevention within online retail organisations. An analysis of how individual staff and teams share their knowledge for identity theft prevention in organisations is presented, which includes the investigation of existing barriers in knowledge sharing for identity theft prevention in organisations. A qualitative case study research approach, using the guiding framework proposed by Salleh (2010), was adopted and extended to improve knowledge sharing processes for identity theft prevention in online retail organisations. Three case studies were conducted with leading online retailers in the UK. Data collection included one-to- one semi-structured interviews, internal documents from the researched companies and external documents from various secondary sources. The researcher used the thematic analysis approach using the NVivo software tool and a manual coding process. The total number of interviews was 34 across 3 case studies, with each interview lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. The participants were selected according to their experience, knowledge and involvement in solving identity theft issues and knowledge sharing. Investigation of internal documents included email conversations, policy documents and internal conversations such as emails and memos from the researched companies. This study found that knowledge of identity theft prevention is not being shared within online retail organisations. Individual staff members are learning from their experiences, which is time-consuming. Existing knowledge sharing barriers within the organisations were identified, and improvements in knowledge sharing processes in the online retail industry of the UK using the extended framework are proposed. This research contributes to existing research by providing new insights into knowledge sharing for identity theft prevention. It extends an existing framework proposed by Salleh (2010) in the new context of knowledge sharing processes for ID theft prevention in the retail industry by simplifying the model and combining elements into a more coherent framework. The present study also contributes by investigating the online retail sector for knowledge sharing for ID theft prevention. The empirical research identifies the barriers to knowledge sharing for ID theft prevention and the weaknesses of knowledge sharing in online retail organisations relevant to ID theft prevention. Finally, this study provides managers with useful guidelines for developing appropriate knowledge sharing processes for ID theft prevention in their organisation, and to educate staff in effective knowledge sharing.

Despite an array of research focusing on elite sport in the UK, less attention has been afforded towards academy football within these elite environments, particularly in relation to the educational programmes that the players aged 16-18 are required to undertake. Little is known about the perspectives of these players and therefore the aim of this thesis was to explore their attitudes towards education and identify the factors that influenced them. A relativist ontological position was adopted in fitting with the constructivist paradigm in an attempt to understand the phenomenon from the perspective of the scholars focusing on one specific Premier League club. A phenomenological case study approach was adopted to understand the shared meanings created by the scholars in relation to their educational programme at the club. After undertaking eight focus groups and a further six in-depth interviews six main themes emerged in relation to the scholars’ attitudes and the factors that influenced them. It was clear from this research that the scholars at this club were diverse by way of past educational attainment and levels of engagement, they had mixed views of their educational programme at the club and their attitudes towards education were influenced to varying degrees by parents, peers and experiences with teachers. The scholars were focused more on their football ambitions and their intentions were to pursue careers in elite football with education being perceived as a back-up. Staff changes at the club resulted in a renewed focus on education, yet this was still set against the backdrop of the ambiguous and uncertain world of professional football. Due to the methodological approach that underpins this study, the findings are not expected to be regarded as generalisations across all elite level football clubs. They are intended to serve as a starting point for practitioners in these settings to develop practice accordingly.

This research problematises the contemporary phenomenon of alternative arts education after art’s ‘Educational Turn’, encompassed by evidence of a critical discourse between 2006 and 2016. The thesis addresses the questions: what are the alternatives to models of the alternative art school having emerged through the Educational Turn? And, how might dialogic engagement with organisations outside of the Turn propose something other for the future of alternative arts education? Contemporary art’s capacity to instrumentalise education, through its reimagining by artists and the co-option of ‘the alternative’ by arts institutions, must be countered by considering organisational models that sit outside of the Educational Turn. The field is contextualised by a ‘crisis in education’ in the UK, contributing to an abundant manifestation of ‘alternative’ art schools. An often-overlooked plurality exists to ‘the alternative’ that, in its co-option by contemporary art, is rendered homogenised. Existing discourse considers artistic, self-organised and curatorial practices, framed by institutional and infrastructural critique, but neglects to step outside of the Turn to imagine other models for alternative arts education. ‘Knowledge mobility’, ‘the dialogic’ and ‘(trans)formation’ form a framework for the thesis, functioning according to a methodology of critique and proposition. The research derives ‘knowledge mobility’ to critique the Turn’s instrumentalisation of education, by examining existing discourse and practice that problematise the paradoxes of the Turn and frame knowledge as a form of social organisation. The research aligns ‘the dialogic’ from Mikhail Bakhtin and Paulo Freire, with Julia Kristeva and Roland Barthes’ ‘intertextuality’ and Maurice Blanchot’s ‘infinite conversation’. The function of ‘the dialogic’ is twofold: as a structural metaphor and conversational research practice. Four dialogues with organisations operating outside of the remit of the Turn consider the productive and transformative capacities of models not framed as alternative art schools. These are with: Leeds Creative Timebank, IF Project, THECUBE and Syllabus programme. Negotiating critical and applied interpretations of ‘knowledge mobility’, findings from these are reconciled with the research through a process of ‘(trans)formation’, resulting in the proposition of speculative principles to contribute to the field of alternative arts education. The research has been produced as part of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Creative Exchange knowledge exchange hub, providing the context for stepping outside of the domain of contemporary art. The value of this approach for the field of alternative arts education is in its capacity to have drawn together thinking from each organisation. This research makes its contribution to the field of alternative arts education by working dialogically with organisations where the practice of knowledge is central, establishing a connection between organisations outside of the Turn, which would otherwise be excluded from its discourse, with contemporary art. The research formulates and puts into practice methods of critique, conversation and proposition: producing a critical vocabulary, lens and through deriving speculative propositions towards a possible future for alternative arts education.

This thesis articulates a tropology of the line, when presented in the singular, across theory, literature and visual art. It articulates and tests the singular line’s rhetoric and associated values exhibited in these modes of cultural production, suggesting that they cross-refer in light of Agamben’s arguments put forth in his Signature of All Things (2009), using a discourse following Lyotard’s concept of ‘drift’ put forth in his Driftworks (1984), and addresses the question of how such a study might be written from within the locus of the subject matter itself.

Through practice-based research, I propose to reflect critically on my practicethrough a dialogue with the work of other artists and theorists that include Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Gilles Deleuze, Theaster Gates, Marine Hugonnier, and Claire Fontaine. I explore the possibility of self and collective emancipation from sedimented socio-historical and political violence. The forms of violence that concern me are those produced by legacies of war,colonialism, economic ideologies and religious practices. As an integral part of the methodology, I have selected examples of modern and contemporary artworks considered as being engaged with art's social significance. Through a dialogue with these artworks, I draw out significant pressures and develop a toolkit of concepts: dispositif-of-dissent,able-agent, and universim. The selected examples of artworks suggest potentially disseminable strategies of social, political, critical and ethical value. Socially engaged art has been a constant presence for over a century, the Wanderers in Russia, William Morris in the UK, and Oswald de Andrade in Brazil are great examples of its span. My thesis selects an aspect of current socially engaged practice that argues for a particular conceptual strength and socio-political agency. I assert the idea that small strategic gestures are of far greater critical significance than grand reactionary actions. I also focus on the idea that empowerment and emancipation can only come from an engagement with the structures of power already at play — and the social, political and economic conditions that these have produced. My approach foregrounds the construction of the aforementioned toolkit aiming to contribute to the widening of a field of inquiry, born of already existing practices. These practices produce encounters with others and suggest ways of discovering agency in everyday life and experience in ways that are potentially collective and social in orientation. The artists of interest to my research forge modes of production open to experimentation, and offer critical expressions of being and relating to others. This toolkit, its terms of use and the artworks I create in relation to it, aims to reflect and animate the development of this field of practice. Throughout this thesis I ask: how individuals become socially engaged, and how the strategies employed by these individuals inform the construction of tools of everyday emancipation? I address these questions through the creation of exploratory artworks, the developement of a toolkit of terms and an exposition of practices that pervade this field of production.