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The volumetric technique is a widely used macroscopic method to measure gas adsorption kinetics in nanoporous materials, however, there are some common pitfalls in measurement practices which can lead to significant deviation in the diffusivity. Apart from this, the traditional single-branch volumetric systems show severe limitations for accurate kinetic measurements at different pressure levels. This work aims to contribute to the use of the volumetric technique for reliable and accurate pure gas adsorption kinetic studies. The main objective of the work is to develop a novel adsorption differential volumetric apparatus (ADVA-1) which can achieve accurate kinetic measurements over the pressure range from vacuum to atmospheric pressure. The thesis comprises review, modelling, and experimental studies. A review of common practices in volumetric kinetic experiments over the past 20 years was conducted to identify the major pitfalls. The main findings include the dominant use of inappropriate experimental conditions and inappropriate theoretical models, as well as the lack of information on the experimental conditions and the fitting of the data. The good practices of volumetric kinetic measurements were demonstrated. These results will be used to provide guidelines on diffusion measurements in porous solids through the IUPAC work group. While the theoretical model for studying isothermal diffusion systems with volumetric experiments had been well established, two models for the interpretation of more complex rate limiting mechanisms were developed in this work. Firstly, a non-isothermal diffusion model was developed by considering the heat transfer resistance on the surface of the adsorbent solid and the temperature dependence of the adsorption equilibrium. Both numerical and analytical solutions were derived. The conditions under which useful diffusion information can be extracted were identified. Secondly, the biporous diffusion model for a finite volume system developed by Lee in 1978 was restored and adapted to volumetric experiments. For both models, the forms of the response curves, including the limiting cases, were demonstrated. As the focus of this work, the ADVA-1 was designed, built, and commissioned. The key features of the ADVA-1 are: 1. The differential configuration allows the use of a small-scale differential pressure transducer (±3.5 kPa) to measure adsorption kinetics. A high signal-to-noise ratio can therefore be achieved in the whole pressure range (from vacuum to 130 kPa). 2. Small cell volumes lead to the high sensitivity of the system, which enables the use of a small amount of sample for the kinetic tests. 3. Fast data acquisition modules allow the determination of time constants of a few seconds. The protocol for volume calibration, adsorption kinetic measurements, and equilibrium determination were established. To demonstrate the new system, it was employed to study the adsorption kinetics on two commercial adsorbents, zeolite 4A and 5A pellets. The campaign started with relatively simple isothermal diffusion systems and then moved on to more complex systems. The adsorption kinetics of N2 and Ar on zeolite 4A pellets were firstly investigated to validate the apparatus and the approach. The N2-4A system was studied between 5 to 35 ℃, while the Ar-4A system was studied between -10 to 35℃. These systems were chosen for their weak adsorption feature to demonstrate the sensitivity of the ADVA-1, which gives a good signal-to-noise ratio even with a single pellet in the entire pressure range. The study confirmed the dominance of micropore diffusional resistance, and an isothermal diffusion model was shown to reproduce accurately the observed kinetics using reduced pressure plots. The results were validated with literature values. A collaborative diffusion mechanism study of CO₂ and N₂ on zeolite 5A pellets was conducted using the ADVA-1 and a zero-length column (ZLC) system. The CO₂-5A isotherms were determined between 20 and 100℃, and kinetic tests were performed between 0 and 60℃. N2-5A adsorption experiments were performed between -15 and 15℃. The dominance of macropore diffusional resistance for the CO₂-5A system was confirmed by ZLC experiments using different carrier gases and different pellet sizes. ADVA-1 experiments further confirmed the macropore diffusion control at different pressures and temperatures for both CO₂ and N₂. Despite only ~25mg samples and inert metal beads were used, heat effects were identified for high pressure experiments by changing the sample configuration. The low-pressure CO₂-5A isothermal data were combined with the ZLC data to obtain the effective macropore diameter and the effective tortuosity, which are physical properties of the sample. Then a systematic analysis of the ADVA-1 CO₂ and N₂ data at all pressures was conducted using the non-isothermal diffusion model, and satisfactory fittings were obtained using consistent heat transfer related parameters. The analysis revealed that, with increasing pressure, the system moved from isothermal diffusion control to combined diffusion and heat transfer control, and finally to complete heat limit. With the macropore diffusion control correlation and the effective macropore diameter obtained, the ADVA-1 and ZLC experiments at different conditions yielded consistent values of the effective tortuosity, thus validating the approach. The non-isothermal analysis of 5A systems also highlighted the importance of experimental checks for isothermal condition and the use of an appropriate model. It was shown that CO₂-5A non-isothermal kinetic curves exhibited similar shapes as the isothermal curves. The isothermal model was able to provide reasonable fittings, but the error in the diffusional time constant saw dramatic increase with pressure. In addition, a case study for the non-isothermal model demonstrated that, to get closer to isothermal behaviour, the experiments should be performed at lower pressure and lower temperature. The ADVA-1 was proven to be a useful tool for accurate diffusion mechanism study and the approaches for studying different cases were demonstrated.

This thesis contributes to arts branding theory by developing a conceptual framework for understanding and managing branding procedure in a contemporary visual arts organisation with particular reference to an artist-led organisation. The aim of the study is to examine to what extent commercial branding theory is applicable for a contemporary visual arts organisation, whether and how much theory extension might be required. The research seeks theory extension for current branding theory in order to facilitate visual arts organisations. The theoretical framework is based upon communication theory and branding theory, special attention is paid to brand positioning theory and the cultural branding inquiry. The author spent two and a half years conducting an ethnographic inquiry within a visual arts organisation in the North East of England. The study generates data from interviews, extensive participant observation, and the examination of organisational documents and artefacts. Iterative analysis is employed as the major data-analysis method, supported by discourse analysis and visual analysis. The study finds that stakeholders' identity significantly influences branding for an arts organisation, especially an artist-led organisation in the North East, therefore current commercial branding theory is to be adjusted. To remediate this unsuitability, a theory extension is developed for the branding in the arts sector, so that better understanding and brand management can be achieved.

This thesis conducts an empirical analysis which explores the impact of parental investment, birth control policy and higher education expansion reform on individuals’ education attainments and labour market outcomes in China. The thesis includes three substantive chapters. Firstly, Chapter 3 presents new evidence on the child quantity-quality (Q-Q) trade-off in China. The primary contribution is the use of a new instrumental variable (IV) for fertility, i.e., local policy relaxation regarding Chinese birth control, in order to establish the causal effect of family size on child educational attainments and health outcomes. The aim is to examine whether having more children in a family has a negative impact on child quality and if the higher education of parents and a larger household income have a positive impact on child outcomes. Additionally, this estimation can check the effectiveness of the one-child policy. The findings indicate that there is a negative effect of fertility on education outcome, and support the prediction made by the Becker and Lewis’ model regarding the Q-Q trade-off for children. However, there is no evidence for health outcome. Secondly, Chapter 4 studies the role of higher education expansion policy in increasing the equality of higher education opportunities. In 1999, government rapidly expanded the number of higher education places available. The goal of this chapter is to explore the impact of family background and gender on access to higher education, prior to and following the higher education expansion policy. The analysis is based on nationally representative data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS), collected in 2010. Cohort-level analysis and a difference-in-difference model were used to estimate how the benefits of the education expansion were distributed. The results show that higher education expansion has not been equally distributed among people from richer and poorer backgrounds. The education of parents remains a strong determinant of educational outcomes among children following education reform. Despite the benefits brought on by the expansion system, such as more opportunities for accessing tertiary education, these benefits have not been distributed evenly among families, geographies or gender. The equality of higher education opportunities remains a difficult task. Finally, Chapter 5 examines the causal impact of higher education expansion policy on labour market outcomes for young college graduates. Large pooled cross-sectional datasets were used from the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) between 1995 and 2013. First, the Mincer-style of returns to education for young cohorts were estimated in the 1995, 2002, 2007 and 2013 survey years. The aim was to compare the extent of returns to education among the pre-expansion cohort and the post-expansion cohort, and evidence is found a significant decrease in the returns to higher education of young cohorts. Second, another approach quantifies the effects of educational expansion on labour market outcomes and identifies the distribution of returns to education by exploring a natural experiment. This study exploited variation in the intensity of expansion in college numbers across provinces and applied a difference-in-difference model to estimate the effect of the education reform. The results of the study also illustrate expansion has a negative effect on college graduates’ returns and labour market outcomes.

This dissertation consists of three essays on incentives and Chinese economic reform. In the first essay, I collect a unique dataset of Chinese municipalities from 1978 to 2007 to evaluate the impact of a Special Economic Zone experiment with incentives including property rights protection, tax breaks and a preferential land policy for foreign investors. Guided by a theoretical model, I find the SEZ policy: 1) increases per capita foreign direct investment by 58%; 2) does not crowd out domestic investment and 3) increases TFP growth rate by 0.6 percentage points. The results suggest that SEZs not only bring capital, but also more advanced technology. In the second essay, I evaluate the fiscal incentive - the marginal sharing rate of fiscal revenue faced by Chinese provincial governments. In 1994, China engaged in a fiscal reform which set marginal sharing rates of budgetary taxes across provinces to a uniform level. Exploiting heterogeneity in the pre-reform budgetary sharing rate, I find that provinces with lower pre-existing rates collect more budgetary taxes; at the same time less extra-budgetary revenue after 1994 relative to those with higher starting level. The results suggest that Chinese provincial governments treat the budgetary tax and extra-budgetary revenue as substitutes. The third essay studies the impact of Chinese municipal governments' fiscal sharing rate on the local economy. The fiscal regime change in 2002 largely reduced the local sharing rate of enterprise income tax. I find that municipal governments respond to this change by allocating more resources including land and capital into the real estate sector, leading to social conflicts between local governments and farmers whose lands were taken with low compensation. The results imply that regional decentralization has to be matched with well-designed incentives to benefit the majority of the population within the jurisdictions.

In this thesis, we apply EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts for analysing iterative decoding and detection schemes. We first consider a two-stage iterative source/channel decoding scheme, which is then extended to a three-stage serially concatenated turbo equalisation scheme. As a result, useful design guidelines are obtained for optimising the system's performance. More explicitly, in Chapter 2 various source codes such as Huffman codes, Reversible Variable-Length Codes (RVLCs) and Variable-Length Error-Correcting (VLEC) codes are introduced and a novel algorithm is proposed for the construction of efficient RVLCs and VLEC codes. In Chapter 3, various iterative source decoding, channel decoding and channel equalisation schemes are investigated and their convergence behaviour is analysed by using EXIT charts. The effects of different source codes and channel precoders are also considered. In Chapter 4, a three-stage serially concatenated turbo equalisation scheme consisting of an inner channel equaliser, an intermediate channel code and an outer channel code separated by interleavers is proposed. With the aid of the novel concept of EXIT modules, conventional 3D EXIT chart analysis may be simplified to 2D EXIT chart analysis. Interestingly, it is observed that for the three-stage scheme relatively weak convolutional codes having short memories result in lower convergence thresholds than strong codes having long memories. Additionally, it is found that by invoking the outer and the intermediate decoder more frequently the total number of decoder activations is reduced, resulting in a relatively lower decoding complexity. Furthermore, the three-stage turbo equalisation schemes employing non-unity rate intermediate codes or IRregular Convolutional Codes (IRCCs) as the outer constituent codes are investigated. The performance of the resultant schemes is found to become gradually closer to the channel's capacity at the expense of the increase of decoding complexity.

The work described in this thesis is concerned with formal safety analysis methods and their application to the "design for safety" process of marine and other large Made-To- Order (MTO) products with particular reference to the incorporation of safety aspects into the design process from the initial stages. Large MTO products are complex assemblies of components for which building and testing of prototypes is not usually possible. This thesis proposes a "design for safety" methodology for large MTO products based upon the general spirit of the recommendations from recent government reports including the Cullen and Carver reports. Such a methodology, consisting of five phases, namely problem definition, risk identification, risk estimation, risk evaluation and design review, is used as the basis for the development of more scientific and objective safety analysis methods and techno-economic modelling techniques applicable to the control of major accidents of large MTO products. An analysis of the input requirements and the outcomes of the typical safety analysis methods is conducted to identify their possible inter-relationships within the "design for safety" process in order to make full use of the advantages of each method. The selection of these safety analysis methods is discussed in the context of large MTO products. Problems concerned with failure and repair data collection programmes are studied and some typical failure and repair data sources are described. In order to systematically and effectively identify and estimate risks of large MTO products, an inductive bottom-up Modified Boolean Representation Method (MBRM) is developed to directly make use of the information produced using Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) to identify and estimate all possible system failure events and respective causes. Such a method can be used to analyse any engineering system which is capable of being broken down into subsystems and components. The overall model and the algorithms are described and tested in association with appropriate computer software. A modified qualitative reasoning method is developed to describe the behaviour of a large complex system. Such a modelling method can be used for failure propagation analysis. The proposed qualitative modelling method is further combined with the MBRM to form a flexible mixed safety modelling methodology. In this methodology, the MBRM is used to process the information produced from the qualitative reasoning analysis at the component level to obtain a description of the total system behaviour. This methodology allows a bottom-up safety analysis approach to be taken even in those cases where it is difficult to obtain complete input-output relations for all the components of the system. Two general simulation models are developed to process the information produced using FMECA and the MBRM. Such simulation models can be used as a quantitative safety analysis tool to simulate system availability, component/subsystem failures, and the probability of occurrence of each identified system failure event. These two models are developed in an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) environment. This thesis also presents a new safety analysis and synthesis methodology involving the use of fuzzy Set modelling and evidential reasoning, where fuzzy set modelling is used to describe each failure event and an evidential reasoning approach is then employed to synthesise the information produced to assess the safety of the whole system. This subjective reasoning methodology can be used as an alternative approach by safety analysts to carry out analysis particularly in those situations where mostly nonnumerical safety data is available or where there is a lack of information regarding distributions of variables for use in probabilistic risk studies. A techno-economic modelling methodology is also developed to determine where reasonably practicable design actions are required. The proposed methodology brings together risk and cost objectives into the decision making process for the improvement of design aspects and maintenance policies. Information produced using the safety analysis approaches developed in this thesis can be utilised to construct a technoeconomic model. Multiple Objective Decision Making (MODM) techniques are then employed to process the constructed model. The results produced can assist designers in developing good compromise designs that take into account risks, their possible consequences, maintenance cost, repair cost and design review cost. A hydraulic transmission system of an offshore pedestal crane is used to demonstrate the methodologies developed in this thesis. Finally, the results of the research project are generally summarised and the areas where further effort is seen to be required to improve the developed methodologies are outlined.

A large number of benefits achieved through the successful implementation of Six Sigma programmes in different industries have been documented. However, very little research has been conducted on their applications in the shipping sector, especially in the Onshore Service Functions (OSFs) of shipping companies. Literature shows that heavy human involvement in the service industries such as shipping leads to a high volume of uncertainties which are difficult to be correctly and effectively measured or managed by simply using the traditional data analysis and statistical methods in Six Sigma. The aim of this study is to develop new quantitative analytical methodologies to enable the application and implementation of Six Sigma to improve the service quality of OSFs in shipping companies. Intensive investigations on the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed new methods and models through case studies in world leading container ship lines and shipping management companies have been carried out to ensure the achievement of the aim. This study firstly reviews the evolvement of quality control and some typical methods in the area, the development of Six Sigma, its tools and current applications, especially in the service industries. It is followed by a new framework of the Six Sigma implementation in the OSFs of shipping companies which is supported by a few real process excellence projects carried out in a world-leading ship line. In the process of the framework development, various issues and challenges appear largely due to the existence of uncertainties in data such as ambiguity and incompleteness caused by extensive subjective judgements. Advanced methods and models are developed to tackle the above challenges as well as complement the traditional Six Sigma tools so that the new Six Sigma methodologies can be confidently applied in situations where uncertainties in data exist at different levels. A new fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution ii(TOPSIS) method is developed by combining the traditional TOPSIS, fuzzy numbers and interval approximation sets to facilitate the effective selection of Six Sigma projects and achieve the optimal use of resources towards the company objectives. A revised Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) model is proposed in the “Analyse” step in Six Sigma to improve the capability of classical FMEA in failure identification in service industries. The new FMEA model uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Bayesian Reasoning (FBR) approaches to increase the accuracy of failure identification while not compromising the easiness and visibility of the Risk Priority Number (RPN) method. Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) methods are incorporated with Fuzzy logic and Evidential Reasoning (ER), for the very first time to generate a Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) management method where the weights of indicators are rationally assigned by considering the interdependency among the indicators. Incomplete and fuzzy evaluations of the KPIs are synthesised in a rational way to achieve a compatible and comparable result. It is concluded that the newly developed Six Sigma framework together with its supporting quantitative analytical models has made significant contribution to facilitate the quality control and process improvement in shipping companies. It has been strongly evidenced by the success of the applications of the new models in real cases. The financial gains and continuous benefits produced in the investigated shipping companies have attracted a wider range of interests from different service industries. It is therefore believed that this work will have a high potential to be tailored for a wide range of applications across sectors and industries when the uncertainties in data exceed the ability that the classical Six Sigma tools and methods possess.

Natural oil and gas has become one of mankind’s most fundamental resources. Hence, the performance of mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) under various conditions has received considerable attention. MODUs are designed, constructed, operated, and managed for harsh geographical environments, thus they are unavoidably exposed to a wide range of uncertain threats and hazards. Ensuring the operational safety of an MODU’s system is often a complex problem. The system faces hazards from many different sources which dynamically threaten its integrity and can cause catastrophic consequences at time of failure. The main purpose of this thesis is to propose a methodology to improve the current procedures used in the risk assessment of MODUs. The aim is to prevent a critical event from occurring during drilling rather than on measures that mitigate the consequences once the undesirable event has occurred. A conceptual framework has been developed in this thesis to identify a range of hazards associated with normal operational activities and rank them in order to reduce the risks of the MODU. The proposed methodology provides a rational and systematic approach to an MODU’s risk assessment; a comprehensive model is suggested to take into consideration different influences of each hazard group (HG) of an offshore system. The Fuzzy- analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine the weights of each HG. Fault tree analysis (FTA) is used to identify basic causes and their logical relationships leading to the undesired events and to calculate the probability of occurrence of each undesirable event in an MODU system. The BBN technique is used to express the causal relationships between variables in order to predict and update the occurrence probability of each undesirable event when any new evidence becomes available. Finally, an integrated Fuzzy multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model based on the Fuzzy-AHP and a Fuzzy techniques for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) is developed to offer decision support that can help the Decision maker to set priorities for controlling the risk and improving the MODU’s safety level. All the developed models have been tested and demonstrated with case studies. An MODU’s drilling failure due to its operational scenario has been investigated and focus has been on the mud circulation system including the blowout preventer (BOP).

This research aims to propose an integrated method, which combines all the aspects required to reduce environmental impact from waste packaging and to increase knowledge on the best way to enhance reusable packaging. Through a review of the extant literature, a conceptual framework was designed of the most important dimensions to enhance reusable packaging amongst society and industries The main contributions in the research are the development of a Social Behaviour Aspect Model (SBAM) and the creation of reusable packaging attributes checklist. The SBAM can help industries focus on having high knowledge about reuse of packaging and to cooperate with communities to develop personal and social values and norms during the designing of reusable packaging. SBAM is the output from the first phase, which showed the importance of making an effort to develop packaging for consumers to reuse. The reusable packaging attributes checklist can provide a guideline for manufacturers/designers who intend to develop packaging sustainability performance through designing reusable packaging, and contribute to meet and interpret the reuse of packaging requirements and procedures. It also determines the environmental impact of reusable packaging attributes, which many industries are concerned about. The reusable packaging attributes checklist is the output from the second and third phases. The System Dynamic (SD) method was the approach used to determinate the interaction between social aspects and reusable packaging. The Normal Average, Codes and Coding and factor analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approaches were used to determine the reusable packaging attributes checklist. The last phase of the research was the conduction of a case study of a real company which needs to increase the amount of reusable packaging it uses and which seeks to reduce its environmental impact. All methods used in this research have both a quantitative and a qualitative nature. Data was collected by evaluation of consumers' responses and experts' experiences, as provided in the questionnaires. This research opens up opportunities for improving packaging and meeting sustainable profits and provides valuable information based on social, economic and environmental benefits of reusable packaging. The novelty of this research can help industries to investigate the most important areas for development within communities to enhance the use of reusable packaging and also facilitate the process-based change from one-way packaging to reusable packaging effectively with reduction of environmental impact.