Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology to identify objects or people automatically and has received many applications recent years. An RFID tag is a small and low-priced device consisting of a microchip with limited functionality and data storage and antenna for wireless communication with the readers. RFID tags can be passive, active or semi-active depending on the powering technique. In general passive tags are inexpensive. They have no on-board power; they get power from the signal of the interrogating reader. Active tags contain batteries for their transmission. The low-cost passive RFID tags are expected to become pervasive device in commerce. Each RFID tag contains a unique identifier to serve as object identity so that this identity can be used as a link to relate information about the corresponding object. Due to this unique serial number in an RFID tag it is possible to track the tag uniquely. The challenge raised by the RFID systems for certain applications is that the information in it is vulnerable to an adversary. People who carry an object with an RFID tag could be tracked by an adversary without their knowledge. Also, implementation of conventional cryptography is not possible in a low-cost RFID tag due to its limited processing capability and memory limitations. There are various types of RFID authentication protocols for the privacy and security of RFID systems and a number of proposals for secure RFID systems using one-way hash functions and random number. Few researchers have proposed privacy and security protocols for RFID systems using varying identifiers. These are secured against most of the attacks. Due to varying identifiers they also include the recovery from desynchronization due to incomplete authentication process. However, due to the hash function of the identifier if one authentication process is unsuccessful, an adversary can use the responses in the subsequent phase to break the security. In this case the adversary can use the response for impersonation and replay attack and also can break the location privacy. Some protocols protect privacy and security using static tag identifier with varying responses so that they can work in pervasive computing environment. Most of these protocols work with computationally expensive hash functions and large storage. Since 2001 a number of lightweight protocols have been proposed by several researchers. This thesis proposes seven protocols for the privacy and security of the RFID systems. Five of them use a hash function and a static identifier such as SUAP1, SUAP2, SUAP3 and EMAP. These iii protocols are based on challenge-response method using one-way hash function, hash-address and randomized hash function. The protocols are operable in pervasive environment since the identifier of the tag is static. Another protocol named ESAP also works with static identifier but it updates the timestamp that is used with another random number to make the response unidentifiable. The protocol GAPVI uses varying identifier with hash function to ensure privacy and security of the tag. It is based on challenge-response method using one-way hash function and randomized hash function RFID system. Another proposed protocol EHB-MP is a lightweight encryption protocol which is more suitable for low-cost RFID tag because it does not require comparatively more computationally expensive hash function. Since 2001 Hopper and Blum developed the lightweight HB protocol for RFID systems, a number of lightweight protocols have been proposed by several researchers. This work investigates the possible attacks in the existing light weight protocols HB, HB+ and HB-MP of RFID systems and proposes a new lightweight authentication protocol that improves HB-MP protocol and provides the identified privacy and security in an efficient manner for pervasive computing environment. The validity and performance of the hash-based protocols are tested using analysis; simulation programs and some cases mathematical proofs have been given to prove the protection particularly from the special man-in-the attack in the EHB-MP protocol. Finally this research work investigates the privacy and security problems in few most potential application areas that are suitable for RFID implementation. The areas are e-passport, healthcare systems and baggage handling in airport. Suitable RFID authentication protocols are also proposed for these systems to ensure the privacy and security of the users. This thesis uses the symmetric cryptography for privacy and security protocols. In the future asymmetric protocols may be an important research consideration for this area together with ownership transfer of the tag could be a potential work area for research.

Activity recognition in monitored environments where the occupants are elderly or disabled is currently a popular research topic and is being proposed as a possible solution that may help maintain the independence of an aging population within their homes, where these homes are adapted as monitored environments. Current activity recognition systems implement ubiquitous sensing or video surveillance techniques which inherently, to varying degrees, impinge on the privacy of the occupants of these environments. The research presented in this thesis investigates the use of Ubiquitous sensors within a smart home setting with a view to establishing whether activity recognition is possible with a reduced, less intrusive subset of sensors that can be realised using utility meter disaggregation techniques. The thesis considers the selection of sensors as a feature selection problem and concludes that data produced from water, electricity and PIR sensors contribute significantly to the recognition of selected activities. With an established method of activity recognition that implements a reduced number of sensors it can be argued that occupants of the monitored environment maintain a greater level of privacy. This level of privacy, however, is dependent on such systems being practically implementable into homes that are designed to assist and monitor the residents, and as such configuration and maintenance of these systems are also considered here. The utility meter disaggregation technique presented proves to perform exceptionally well when trained with large quantities of data, but gathering and labelling this data is, in itself, an intrusive process that requires significant effort and could compromise the practicality of such promising systems. This thesis considers methods for implementing synthesised, labelled training data for both disaggregation and activity recognition systems and shows that such techniques can significantly reduce the quantity of labelled training data required. The work presented shows a significant contribution, in the areas of sensor selection and the use of utility meter disaggregation for activity recognition, and also the use of synthesised labelled training data to reduce significant system training times. The work is carried out using a combination of publicly available datasets and data collected from a purpose built smart home which includes water and electricity meter disaggregation. It is shown that a system for non-intrusive monitoring within an ambient environment, occupied by a single resident, is achievable using repurposed versions of the standard domestic infrastructure. More specifically it is demonstrated that a minimum baseline accuracy of 93.45% and F1-measure of 91.22 can be achieved using disaggregation at the water and electricity meters combined with locality context provided by home security PIR sensors. Methods of speeding up the deployment and commissioning process are proven to be viable, further demonstrating the potential practical application of the proposed system.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is 11th most common cancer among young women in the UK. Early detection through screening is thought to have resulted in a 75% decrease in cervical cancer and saves over 4,500 lives each year. However, recent years have seen a continuous decline in screening uptake, especially among young women. Scientific literature reviews show little research in this area. There is therefore a need for a qualitative exploration into the reasons and motives for low uptake of cervical cancer screening from service users’ viewpoints in England. This study explores factors that influence the participation and non-participation of young women aged 25-34 in the NHS cervical cancer screening programme in the Northeast. Findings are expected to inform age-specific interventions aimed at increasing participation. Methodology: Employing the qualitative approach of grounded theory (GT) enabled the development of an understanding of participants’ behaviours and factors affecting participation, including health beliefs and other associations that influence the decision to attend screening. Twenty-four research participants were recruited purposively and theoretically from universities in the Northeast and a community centre in Newcastle, as well as through the Northeast Call and Recall Centre in accordance with ethical approval. Data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and a focus group session. The analysis was done using the GT techniques of the constant comparative method and theoretical sampling, aided by individual sorting and use of Mind Genius software. Findings: Awareness of cervical cancer prior to receiving a screening invitation was found to be relatively low and there was an overall lack of understanding of what the screening entails. There was no direct correlation between health beliefs and participation, however, health beliefs were influenced by cultural, environmental and social factors. The findings from both the interviews and the focus group led to the creation of three contextual categories, which are: health views relative to self; knowledge/awareness; and health service influences and practicalities associated with participation in cervical cancer screening. The three main categories and their subcategories were further conceptualized to create a core category, ‘sexual association’, made up of four elements: awareness, human issues, emotional attribution, and acceptability. Decisions to participate in the cervical cancer screening were largely influenced by the elements within ‘sexual association’, showing the psychosocial or cognitive impact of the association between sex and the cervical cancer screening procedure. Sexual association seemed to be a key influence in participation, with factors from the three main categories feeding into it. Discussion: All participants, particularly in relation to health protection, viewed the screening positively. Within the sexual association and practicality issues, there are facilitators and potential barriers. The psychosocial impact (fear, embarrassment, intrusiveness and taboos) of sex being associated with cervical screening, as well as practical issues, tends to dissuade people from participating in the screening. An explanatory model was developed to understand the factors influencing participation and non-participation and this has commonalities with the health belief model and social cognitive theory, which are typically used to explain health behaviours. This is one of the few studies investigating factors that affect the uptake of cervical cancer in the Northeast of England. The results obtained in this study are likely to have high importance to policy and practice, as they represent user-focused perspectives. Recommendations and implications for further research, policy, practice and education are provided.

This thesis is based on a journey of practice undertaken by emerging theatre company, Massive Owl between 2012 and 2016. The thesis has been written by company member, Jenny Duffy but is reflective of the broader experience of the company as a whole. It exposes and discusses key trends, tactics, strategies and constraints of this journey, generating a unique contextual account of the experience and work of an emerging company working in the field of contemporary performance today. Through this the thesis responds to an identified gap in literature within the field of contemporary performance that examines the work of emerging artists. It analyses select frameworks currently available to and prolifically used by emerging artists including: Arts Council England’s funding programme, Grants for the Arts and ‘Scratch’ and Work-in-Progress events, from the perspective of an emerging company. Through examining the role of the arts within recent cultural policy and surrounding agendas of this policy, the thesis critiques the predominant instrumental and economic rationale for arts funding in relation to the neoliberal capitalist context and the impact this has on emerging artists’ development and their work. The thesis concludes with a call to arms from within the unstable and rapidly changing political climate of 2017, to value artists on their own merits and to not make claims for art within frameworks that place constraint on its wider role and value.

In different countries participation in the arts has become a significant theme of government policies which foster the instrumentalisation of culture; Yúdice (2003), Belfiore and Bennett (2010), Eagleton (2014). Increasingly it is claimed that the arts have positive effects on social, political and economic well-being. The emphasis on people changing the arts ― common in the political discourses of 1970s ― has been substituted by arguments about the power of the arts to transform people’s lives. This study tests these claims comparatively. The main questions asked are: what are the differences between instrumentalism from above or below in the political order; and how do the world of the arts and letters and the world of politics speak to each other today? Through extended interviews, life stories and discourse analysis, based on fieldwork in Britain and Venezuela, the study demonstrates the complex moral interdependency between European notions of aesthetic virtue and political or civic virtues. The political structuring of these virtuous relations is shown to be morally tenuous. It is argued they express the institutionalised but inadequate compensations associated with the ‘good-faith economy’ (Bourdieu 1977). Politically these relations are problematic; among other things they discursively separate the mind from the body which means that time and other basic needs tend to be neglected. It is argued that this complex relationship between aesthetic and political virtue is a significant factor in Statecraft, and in unmaking the militant role of the organised working class. It is suggested that these dynamics are a contributory factor in the ascendancy of the political far-right internationally. To counter the influence of the good-faith economy this study proposes greater public participation in the funding processes which support the arts.

The rising demand of teamwork during Design for Social Innovation (DfSI) projects has created a need for professional development to be able to work cordially within teams. Traditionally, reflective practices have been considered most effective for the development of professional practice in the field of Design. However, enactive cognitive science points to the practice of Awareness-based Meditative Techniques (AbMT) as an alternate way for such development. Such AbMTs have been extensively studied by different disciplines. This research borrows from: • Social science and positive psychology perspectives, where the act of becoming aware has been associated with an inner value system that guides behaviour. Theoretical perspective from many authors from various backgrounds in AbMT research have been reviewed to propose a model of inner values which could affect teamwork during DfSI project as well as be influenced positively by the practice of AbMT intervention. • A physiological perspective, to measure Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as an indicator of the physical stress which is known to e reduced by AbMT due to an improve ability to deal with such stress. • A psychological perspective, using the Mindful attention and awareness scale (MAAS) questionnaire for quantitative research on the practice of AbMT intervention by participants. Taking a post-positivist stance, this research focuses on creating a depth of information utilising these inter-disciplinary methods. Therefore, three teams working on three similar social innovation projects have been studied for eight weeks- one team populated with all meditators, another with all non-meditators and a third team with both. Analysis of reflections by team members on their own teamwork led to conclusion that- AbMT intervention could lead to improved teamwork during a DfSI project, especially with regard to the responsibilities perceived as the leadership of the team. This is because the meditators in this research reflected that, because of AbMT intervention they could • share responsibilities which they perceived as pertaining to leadership of their team not only with other members of their team but also with the wider community of stakeholders, • prioritise reflective action over unproductive debates for the better functioning of the team rather than satisfaction of own ego and • change their perception from ‘goal oriented’ to ‘people oriented’ approach. Further it was observed that, teams with meditators could use ‘framing’ and ‘reflecting’ activities to work in multi-disciplinary setting of their team and utilise strength of knowledge of their team. It was also observed that teams with meditators got overly focused on social innovation aspects while working with the community of stakeholders and users, and the team temporarily lost focus of financial viability until the client (sponsor) helped the team to regain their focus. However, the relationship between such findings and the effect of AbMT intervention could not be conclusively asserted, though the intervention is one of the key influences on the teams during their DfSI projects. Thus, the key contributions to knowledge from this research are: the model of inner values, the development of the inter-disciplinary hybrid research methodology and evidence of the positive influences that AbMT intervention can have on the teamwork during DfSI projects.

Much research has been done into the knowledge, skills and attributes that are important to legal practice; furthermore, many bodies have released reports on what they would like graduates to start practice with. As a result, clinical legal education has grown in popularity, with the use of live client clinics to educate future lawyers. However, little empirical research has been done into whether they work as educators intend, and develop the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes needed to start practice. This research investigated whether live client clinics develop students and which knowledge, skills and attributes are important to practice. This study used Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory as its conceptual framework, influential to clinical legal education. The study used the Diamond16, a visual method, as its main data collection tool and semistructured group interviews. Data was collected from a sample of students, tutors and lawyers, in four live client clinics, across three countries and two law firms. This study followed five firms in Northumbria’s SLO throughout the academic year, collecting comparative data from the other participants. Results show the live client clinics can develop certain knowledge, skills and attributes in law students, but we cannot create “practice ready” graduates. Some of the learning in the student law office appeared to be because of their tutor’s influence rather than experience. Lastly, the knowledge, skills and attributes which were perceived to be important to practice are presented, drawing on the distinction between “hard” and “soft” skills. This research produced important results for legal educator wishing to justify the establishment or sustainability of a clinic and for those within policy who are implementing changes to legal education and qualification.

This thesis demonstrates how literary and medical authors explored changing concepts of childbirth and reproductive medicine between the years 1737 and 1798. Considerable changes took place during this period that transformed birth from a social rite of passage into a medical event. Questions such as who and what was involved in reproduction, how childbirth was managed by individuals and communities, as well as how common understanding about these matters were reached, were brought to the fore in a way that they had never before been raised. A key means by which these ideas were communicated was through the rapidly developing print market with its overlapping interests in literature and medicine. Scholarship of medical humanities and medical history has grown exponentially in the last few decades, including that relating to the history of midwifery and the professionalization of what would become obstetric discourse, yet no study has brought together the theme of reproduction with trends in medical and literary publishing directly. The methodology employed here favours neither the literary nor historical, nor the feminist over the biographical, but rather brings these approaches together, drawing on medical theory of the period, trends in publishing, the rise of both women’s writing and the novel, as the texts considered require. The thesis widens the source pool consulted for purposes of developing a detailed understanding of the history of reproductive medicine. In doing so, the materials analysed reveal that both lay and professional authors found a range of creative ways of relating to changes in the medical management of pregnancy and childbirth, using personal stories and broader medical information, some of this illicit.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the theory on which professional practice of archivists and records managers drew was reviewed, in light of cultural and technological changes and of postmodernist philosophies. In particular, the theoretical narrative of the “neutral archives” was terminally disrupted, and more explicit responsibility attributed to the profession for actively seeking to redress the way that power imbalances in contemporary society were reflected in ‘the archive’. Professional archivists and records managers began to look for ways in which as professionals they could counteract these areas of neglect. There had not been any systematic analysis of “marginality” or “marginalised” as a concept, as opposed to particular instances thereof. In addition, the focus of attention in many of the responses had been those records related to situations or groups that already had been politicised. This combination seemed problematic, as a conceptualisation of marginality or exclusion was emerging and consolidating, one that focused primarily on situations of political instability or disenfranchisement or of conflict. While the disruption of the narrative of the neutral archive could in theory have resonance for all information professionals in all working environments, the particulars of the examples of exclusion and marginalisation were not applicable in every scenario. That is to say, those archivists and records managers who were not responsible for records that were in some clear way related to a politicised group or situation could assume on that basis that they were not, in their professional capacity, colluding in exclusion, marginalisation or neglect. By articulating the conceptualisation of marginality and seeking to focus on possible domestic and quotidian means by which power imbalances and exclusions are manifested, this research contributes to the extension of the relevance of the debate to politically stable environments and everyday activities, in addition to unstable or post-conflict situations. By focusing on the potentially dynamic relationship between the information curator and the records for which they were responsible – rather than the records creators or subjects – it also draws out additional opportunities for professional engagement with social and cultural imbalances.

This thesis explores the automated Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis and the feasibility of using a set of computationally inexpensive algorithms to process raw ECG signals for abnormality detection. The work is divided into three main stages which serve towards the main aim of this research, i.e. the abnormality detection from single channel raw ECG signals. In the first stage, a lightweight baseline correction algorithm is proposed along with a modified moving window average method for real-time noise reduction. Additionally, for further offline analysis, a wavelet transform and adaptive thresholding based method is proposed for noise reduction to improve signal-to-noise ratio. In the second stage, a sliding window based lightweight algorithm is proposed for real-time heartbeat detection on the raw ECG signals. It includes max-min curve and dynamic (adaptive) threshold generation, and error correction. The thresholds are adapted automatically. Moreover, a sliding window based search strategy is also proposed for real-time feature extraction. Subsequently, a hybrid classifier is proposed, which embeds multiple ensemble methods, for abnormality classification in the final stage. It works as a meta classifier which generates multiple instances of base models to improve the overall classification accuracy. The proposed hybrid classifier is superior in performance, however, it is dedicated to offline processing owing to high computational complexity. Especially, the proposed hybrid classifier is also further extended to conduct novel class detection (i.e. unknown newly appeared abnormality types). A modified firefly algorithm is also proposed for parameter optimization to further improve the performance for novel class detection. The overall proposed system is evaluated using benchmark ECG databases to prove its efficiency. To illustrate the advantage of each key component, the proposed feature extraction, classification and optimization algorithms are compared with diverse state-of-the-art techniques. The empirical results indicate that the proposed algorithms show great superiority over existing methods.