Search

This empirical research into the iconic evangelical artefact and object of faith in the form of the tract Journey Into Life offers a new angle of perception in the study of late twentieth-century evangelicalism in the United Kingdom between 1963 and 1989. As part of the ethnographic turn in contemporary ecclesiology, this research employs a material culture research methodology that provides a distinctive new gaze upon the formation of British evangelical identity. This study engages in depth with the everyday theology and practice of evangelism by focussing on the signifying practice of tract usage amongst evangelical Christians. A significant theological disclosure was identified as taking place within the details of practice and belief that surrounded the gifting of the tract Journey Into Life, a small booklet that dominated the Christian book market for over three decades. This research subjected the iconic road sign tract and signature artefact of the British evangelical movement to critical analysis in a threefold strategy that employed the tools of material culture gift exchange theory, the discipline of contemporary practical theology, and the techniques of qualitative social research. The findings of this study offer a unique and fresh insight into the lived and embodied faith of evangelicals, demonstrating the way in which the exchange of this humble evangelical article of faith played a previously unrecognised but significant role in the construction and development of an influential evangelical identity in the United Kingdom. The research concluded with its findings being offered for innovative engagement with contemporary evangelical communication through the development of digital media for evangelism in the rapidly changing social context of Britain today.

Cardiovascular diseases are a significant health risk worldwide, being the largest contributor to deaths in most developed and developing countries. For physical testing of new medical devices, diseased tissue specimens are desirable. However, these are difficult to obtain in quantity. The first phase of the work therefore focused on emulating effects of disease on artery mechanical response, using enzyme and chemical treatment of healthy tissue. Porcine aorta was partially digested by elastase and collagenase treatments to remove constituent proteins, and exposed to low concentration glutaraldehdye to partially cross-link proteins. Uniaxial tension testing and controlled peel testing were then performed in the artery axial and circumferential directions to assess the changes in mechanical and failure behaviour. The treatments successfully altered the wall tensile and peeling response with effects varying by the loading type and direction. Multiphoton microscopy was also performed to allow visualisation of the changes to fibre structure and density. Finally, tensile test results were fitted to the Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel constitutive model and a continuum damage model, and the fitted curves were best matched with the circumferential direction results. The latter phase of the work focused on development of methods for characterising and simulating catheter-induced dissection processes. An experimental procedure was developed, wherein a catheter was forced between layers of arterial media, propagating a dissection, while reaction force was measured. The various approaches utilised to model this process within FEA are presented and the subsequent difficulties explored. The inherent complexity of the process being modelled resulted in difficulty drawing out the underlying problems. To rectify this, the experiment was simplified such that a metal wedge with a rounded front was used to dissect the tissue. This was successfully modelled and insights from this were considered with regard to numerical difficulties in the catheter dissection model.

This thesis is a compilation of three long-term studies of on-demand feeding in Atlantic salmon parr and post-smolts in an aquacultural cage environment. The feeding rhythm studies are concerned with whether fish show a daily rhythm of appetite in cage culture. The feeding regime chapters evaluate the effect of an on-demand feeding regime upon growth performance and production when compared with existing fixed ration regimes. Two studies assess the impact of feeding regime upon social interactions around meal times, examining aggression and competition in relation to food presentation. My aim was to show how feeding systems that preferentially distribute feed in relation to changes in appetite could affect fish production and welfare in a cage rearing facility. The AKVAsmart AQ1 adaptive feeding system is the on-demand feeder used throughout this thesis. It is a system that has been designed principally for cage culture and can manage several feeding programs, depending upon farmers' requirements. Chapter 2 reports on the general configuration of the on-demand feeders for each of cage trials in this thesis, outlining the behavioural and production implications of the parameters chosen. Chapter 3 is split into two parts: 3a reports upon the feeding rhythms of Atlantic salmon post- smolts in sea cages; 3b examines the effect of an on-demand feeding regime upon growth performance and social interactions between conspecifics. Chapter 4 is divided into three sections: 4a provides information on feeding rhythms in freshwater production cages under ambient conditions from autumn until spring; 4b evaluates the effects of an on-demand feeding regime on growth performance and production of parr in comparison with an existing fixed ration regime; and 4c examines how a feeding regime can affect the prevalence of fin damage and behavioural interactions between conspecifics around meal times. The final experimental chapter was split into two segments: 5a investigated the feeding rhythms of cage held Atlantic salmon parr in production cages under an artificial photoperiod (as part of an accelerated smoltification strategy); 5b examines the effect of an on-demand feeding regime on growth and production in comparison with an in-house fixed ration regime. Chapter 6 reviews the main conclusions and findings of the previous chapters, outlining their implications for aquacultural feed management strategies.