Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Plymouth

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 10021 - 10050 of 10977

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Adaptive Advantage Of Symbolic Theft Over Sensorimotor Toil: Grounding Language In Perceptual Categories, A Cangelosi, S Harnad Jan 2002

The Adaptive Advantage Of Symbolic Theft Over Sensorimotor Toil: Grounding Language In Perceptual Categories, A Cangelosi, S Harnad

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Using neural nets to simulate learning and the genetic algorithm to simulate evolution in a toy world of mushrooms and mushroom-foragers, we place two ways of acquiring categories into direct competition with one another: In (1) "sensorimotor toil,” new categories are acquired through real-time, feedbackcorrected, trial and error experience in sorting them. In (2) "symbolic theft,” new categories are acquired by hearsay from propositions – boolean combinations of symbols describing them. In competition, symbolic theft always beats sensorimotor toil. We hypothesize that this is the basis of the adaptive advantage of language. Entry-level categories must still be learned by toil, …

Go to article

Investigation Into The Control Of An Upper-Limb Myoelectric Prosthesis, Steven Michael Roberts Jan 2002

Investigation Into The Control Of An Upper-Limb Myoelectric Prosthesis, Steven Michael Roberts

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents research that extends current knowledge in the area of upper-limb prosthesis design and control. A study of myoelectric signals (MES)'s using both NHS and other equipment has resulted in identification of the signal source and transmission/detection issues. A globally comprehensive and up to date survey of myoelectric research has revealed new and long-term research paths. This thesis challenges the old model in interpreting the MES signals by providing and collecting evidence to suggest a new approach to future investigation. The historical description of a stochastic, non-deterministic MES has been shown by this research to be incomplete. An …

Go to article

Dynamic Characterisation Of The Head-Media Interface In Hard Disk Drives Using Novel Sensor Systems, Glen Alan Tunstall Jan 2002

Dynamic Characterisation Of The Head-Media Interface In Hard Disk Drives Using Novel Sensor Systems, Glen Alan Tunstall

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Hard disk drives function perfectly satisfactorily when used in a stable environment, but in certain applications they are subjected to shock and vibration. During the work reported in this thesis it has been found that when typical hard disk drives are subjected lo vibration, data transfer failure is found to be significant at frequencies between 440Hz and 700Hz, at an extreme, failing at only Ig of sinusoidal vibration. These failures can largely be attributed to two key components: the suspension arm and the hard disk. At non-critical frequencies of vibration the typical hard disk drive can reliably transfer data whilst …

Go to article

Pitch Estimation For Noisy Speech, Azar Khurshid Jan 2002

Pitch Estimation For Noisy Speech, Azar Khurshid

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In this dissertation a biologically plausible system of pitch estimation is proposed. The system is designed from the bottom up to be robust to challenging noise conditions. This robustness to the presence of noise in the signal is achieved by developing a new representation of the speech signal, based on the operation of damped harmonic oscillators, and temporal mode analysis of their output. This resulting representation is shown to possess qualities which are not degraded in presence of noise. A harmonic grouping based system is used to estimate the pitch frequency. A detailed statistical analysis is performed on the system, …

Go to article

Digital Watermarking For Compact Discs And Their Effect On The Error Correction System, Kay Rydyger Jan 2002

Digital Watermarking For Compact Discs And Their Effect On The Error Correction System, Kay Rydyger

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A new technique, based on current compact disc technology, to image the transparent surface of a compact disc, or additionally the reflective information layer, has been designed, implemented and evaluated. This technique (image capture technique) has been tested and successfully applied to the detection of mechanically introduced compact disc watermarks and biometrical information with a resolution of 1.6um x l4um. Software has been written which, when used with the image capture technique, recognises a compact disc based on its error distribution. The software detects digital watermarks which cause either laser signal distortions or decoding error events. Watermarks serve as secure …

Go to article

Application Of Stiffness/Strength Corrector And Cellular Automata In Predicting Response Of Laterally Loaded Masonry Panels, Guang Chun Zhou Jan 2002

Application Of Stiffness/Strength Corrector And Cellular Automata In Predicting Response Of Laterally Loaded Masonry Panels, Guang Chun Zhou

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This research has introduced a new concept, "stiffness/strength corrector", which more accurately models variation in masonry properties at various locations (zones) within a masonry wall panel. Derivation of these correctors was based on a closer mapping of the laboratory experimental results to those obtained from a non-linear finite element analysis of full-scale masonry panels subjected to a uniformly distributed lateral load. In this research only one panel, which was tested in a previous research, was used as the "base panel" and correctors for new panels with and without openings with various boundary conditions were derived by matching similar regions and …

Go to article

A Pre-Transfer Assessment Framework For International Technology Transfer, Stephen Hobbs Jan 2002

A Pre-Transfer Assessment Framework For International Technology Transfer, Stephen Hobbs

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The demands off managing in an international operating environment has changed considerably over the past 20 years due to developments in global markets. Multinational enterprises face fierce international competition and are now tasked not only with developing effective competitive capabilities but also with maximising the knowledge and expertise developed in one part of the organisation by transferring it to another. This work has investigated the position of multinational enterprises in the developing global market and through a broad and thorough review of current literature, identified a gap in the knowledge -a tool for helping the assessment of the transfer of …

Go to article

A Generic Network And System Management Framework, Martin Hans Knahl Jan 2002

A Generic Network And System Management Framework, Martin Hans Knahl

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Networks and distributed systems have formed the basis of an ongoing communications revolution that has led to the genesis of a wide variety of services. The constantly increasing size and complexity of these systems does not come without problems. In some organisations, the deployment of Information Technology has reached a state where the benefits from downsizing and rightsizing by adding new services are undermined by the effort required to keep the system running. Management of networks and distributed systems in general has a straightforward goal: to provide a productive environment in which work can be performed effectively. The work required …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Lntelligent Medical Systems, Julian Bernard Tilbury Jan 2002

Evaluation Of Lntelligent Medical Systems, Julian Bernard Tilbury

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents novel, robust, analytic and algorithmic methods for calculating Bayesian posterior intervals of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and confusion matrices used for the evaluation of intelligent medical systems tested with small amounts of data. Intelligent medical systems are potentially important in encapsulating rare and valuable medical expertise and making it more widely available. The evaluation of intelligent medical systems must make sure that such systems are safe and cost effective. To ensure systems are safe and perform at expert level they must be tested against human experts. Human experts are rare and busy which often severely restricts …

Go to article

The Development Of A Novel Suspension Arm With 2-Dimensional Actuation, For Use In Advanced Hard Disk Drives, Chibesa Chilumbu Jan 2002

The Development Of A Novel Suspension Arm With 2-Dimensional Actuation, For Use In Advanced Hard Disk Drives, Chibesa Chilumbu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

As magnetic computer disks are developed to ever-greater data storage densities, the accuracy required for head positioning is moving beyond the accuracy provided by present technology using single-stage voice-coil motors in hard disk drives. This thesis details work to develop a novel active suspension arm with 2-dimensional actuation for use in advanced hard disk drives. The arm developed is capable of high-bandwidth data tracking as well as precision head flying height control motion. High-bandwidth data tracking is facilitated by the use of piezoelectric stack actuator, positioned closer to the head. The suspension arm is also capable of motion in the …

Go to article

The Development Of A Novel Electro-Magnetic Force Microscope, James Frederick Charles Windmill Jan 2002

The Development Of A Novel Electro-Magnetic Force Microscope, James Frederick Charles Windmill

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis describes the development of a new type of Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) probe based on a unique electromagnetic design. In addition the design, construction and testing of a new MFM system, complete in both hardware and software, is also described. The MFM allowed initial tests on prototypes of the new probe, and is to provide a base for future new probe integration. The microscope uses standard MFM micro-cantilever probes in static modes of imaging. A new computer hosted DSP control system, software, and its various interfaces with the MFM have been integrated into the system. The system has …

Go to article

Development Of Improved Head-Disk Spacing Measurement Methods For Magnetic Disk Drives, Xinqun Liu Jan 2002

Development Of Improved Head-Disk Spacing Measurement Methods For Magnetic Disk Drives, Xinqun Liu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A detailed review of existing flying height or head disk spacing testing techniques has been made, and in-depth analyses of the working principles of the currently popular optical interferometry flying height testing methods are presented with simulation results. A new dual-beam normal incidence polarisation inteferometry method is then proposed. One advantage of this dual-beam polarisation interferometry is that it can be used for both the direct spacing measurement (DSM) method and relative displacement measuring (RDM) method. The RDM method is a good way to measure the head-disk spacing and the slider pitch or roll when a real magnetic disk is …

Go to article

Spread Spectrum-Based Video Watermarking Algorithms For Copyright Protection, Cristian Vasile Serdean Jan 2002

Spread Spectrum-Based Video Watermarking Algorithms For Copyright Protection, Cristian Vasile Serdean

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital technologies know an unprecedented expansion in the last years. The consumer can now benefit from hardware and software which was considered state-of-the-art several years ago. The advantages offered by the digital technologies are major but the same digital technology opens the door for unlimited piracy. Copying an analogue VCR tape was certainly possible and relatively easy, in spite of various forms of protection, but due to the analogue environment, the subsequent copies had an inherent loss in quality. This was a natural way of limiting the multiple copying of a video material. With digital technology, this barrier disappears, being …

Go to article

Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood Jan 2002

Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents research that extends current knowledge in the area of business process re-design, with a specific focus on the 'Make Product' process within manufacturing organisations. Current business process re-design approaches offer only limited guidance on the specific changes that can be made to a process when re-designing it to achieve the desired performance improvements and often overlook any strategically derived performance requirements when re-designing the process. Case experience suggests that practitioners do not consider the performance requirements of their business processes when re-designing them and that the actions they take to achieve performance improvements are not selected with …

Go to article

A Meeting Of Minds Across The Workspace: Common Ground In Collaborative Design, Susan Elizabeth Reed Jan 2002

A Meeting Of Minds Across The Workspace: Common Ground In Collaborative Design, Susan Elizabeth Reed

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis reports an exploration of how the use and construction of external representations through methods of signalling and conversational grounding, support the sharing of ideas for spatial design tasks and how that support changes as a function of access to a shared works pace, external representations and memory support. Further aims of the study were to develop a coding scheme to identify the use of language in establishing and maintaining mutual understanding between collaborators. Pilot studies identified appropriate tasks relating to visual problem-solving design tasks for use in the main studies. For the main studies, video recordings were obtained, …

Go to article

Cytokine Regulation In Ra Synovial Tissue: Role Of T Cell/Macrophage Contact-Dependent Interactions., Fionula Brennan, Andrew Foey Jan 2002

Cytokine Regulation In Ra Synovial Tissue: Role Of T Cell/Macrophage Contact-Dependent Interactions., Fionula Brennan, Andrew Foey

School of Biomedical Sciences

Several groups have documented the expression of cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue over the past 15 years or so. These studies have indicated that most cytokines examined are expressed at the mRNA levels at least, and many other cytokines are found in abundance as proteins. Our attention has recently focused on the mechanisms that induce and regulate tumour necrosis factor and IL-10. Other workers and ourselves have found that cell-cell contact is an important signal for the induction of cytokines, and our work has demonstrated that tumour necrosis factor and IL-10 production in rheumatoid arthritis synovial joint cells cultures …

Go to article

The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford Jan 2002

The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the issue of cataloguing traditional earthen architecture. It proposes a methodology that will permit the systematic collection and analysis of objective and quantifiable data relating to historic earthen, or cob, buildings in a parish in mid Devon. The brief given for this project requhes a multi-disciplinary approach to be taken, one that considers the topographical surroundings and the historic context of the buildings as well as the architectural characteristics. A triangular concept is expounded, with the three elements providing a sound basis for the development of an holistic methodology for creating an earthen building inventory. To comply …

Go to article

Postive Consequences Of Illness, Samantha Claire Sodergren Jan 2002

Postive Consequences Of Illness, Samantha Claire Sodergren

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis identifies systematically the domains of positive consequences of illness and details the development of a measure of the positive consequences of illness- the Silver Lining Questionnaire (SLQ). Further aims of the thesis include the use of the SLQ as a predictor of health outcome and an investigation of the prevalence and correlates of positivity in illness. The first study questioned 55 people about their positive experiences of illness and uncovered 17 themes. In the second study a pilot questionnaire based on these themes was administered to the participants of the first study and an additional sample of cancer …

Go to article

Individual Differences In Secretory Immunoglobulin A (S-Iga) Reactivity To Acute Stress, Mark Anthony Wetherell Jan 2002

Individual Differences In Secretory Immunoglobulin A (S-Iga) Reactivity To Acute Stress, Mark Anthony Wetherell

School of Psychology Theses

Secretory immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA) is an antibody found on all surfaces of the common mucosa and serves as a first line of defence against pathogens. S-IgA is the predominant antibody in human secretions and unlike many other immune parameters, can be measured non-invasively in saliva. In addition to being an efficient indicator of health status, S-IgA levels are sensitive to variations in subjective and objective levels of stress, both of which are also influenced by state and trait factors. Stress is known to play an important role in susceptibility to infections of the common mucosa, and as such, the role of …

Go to article

Performance Of Fisheries Sector Planning In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Kk Ahmed Jan 2002

Performance Of Fisheries Sector Planning In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Kk Ahmed

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The overall planning performance of the fisheries sector in Bangladesh over the past three decades was evaluated. Performance has been unsatisfactory largely due to contiguous overestimation of the planning targets and the existence of serious financial, technological, institutional and social constraints. Despite the remarkable growth in export earnings and a stable GDP contribution of 3.2–5.6%, budget allocations remained extremely low (0.7–1.4% of total outlay) in subsequent plan periods. Production from marine fisheries performed satisfactorily with slow growth in recent years, while inland fisheries with initial poor performance showed improvements from the mid-1980s owing to increased productivity in culture fisheries, particularly …

Go to article

The Development Of Party Systems And The Determinants Of Partisan Voting In English Local Government Elections 1973-1998, Lawrence Ware Jan 2002

The Development Of Party Systems And The Determinants Of Partisan Voting In English Local Government Elections 1973-1998, Lawrence Ware

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis takes a quantitative approach to the study of the development of party systems in English local government following its reorganisation in the early 1970s. Aggregate data, including local election results and census information, are used to identify the determinants of partisan support and the subsequent effects upon variations in local party systems. The study develops the first major classification of local party systems between 1973 and 1998, focussing principally upon factors accounting for variations in the evolution of such systems. This study provides the first clear evidence that the operation of local electoral systems contributes towards the production …

Go to article

Locating Moral Responsibility For War Crimes : The New Justiciability Of 'System Criminality' And Its Implications For The Development Of An International Polity, Samantha Jane King Jan 2002

Locating Moral Responsibility For War Crimes : The New Justiciability Of 'System Criminality' And Its Implications For The Development Of An International Polity, Samantha Jane King

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis examines the question of international responses to system criminality. It argues that the assignation of moral responsibility, expressed in the act of prosecuting individuals, expresses a fundamental conceptual shift towards an international polity. Although political rhetoric, the media and international legislation express the moral dimension of system criminality, the character of humanitarian law and the contingency of its operation is the most concrete indicator of such a development. The status of an embryonic international polity becomes particularly evident- with `individual responsibility' being a criminally liable offence, as set against `collective responsibility' which entails `civil', (non-penal) liabilities. However, the …

Go to article

'Consuming Children' : A Sociological Analysis Of Children's Relationship With Contempory Consumer Culture, Julie Marianne Evans Jan 2002

'Consuming Children' : A Sociological Analysis Of Children's Relationship With Contempory Consumer Culture, Julie Marianne Evans

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis is to identify and understand children's relationships with the world of consumption. Through the children's own narratives a picture emerges of the mediating properties of consumer goods in their wider social and personal friendships. Living in what could be described as a materially divided society this project explores how children make sense of those inequalities and what their experiences are in understanding their own socio-economic position compared to others and how it impacts on their relationships to consumer culture. A particular concern is that such relationships may be more complicated than they seem on the …

Go to article

Non - Legitimate Illness, Embodied Experience And The Moral Career: The Case Of Me/Cfs, Tracey Collett Jan 2002

Non - Legitimate Illness, Embodied Experience And The Moral Career: The Case Of Me/Cfs, Tracey Collett

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The condition known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is an illness of unknown aetiology which affects over 150 000 persons in the UK. Whilst the cause of the condition is the subject of intense medical debate, the official view is that it is a form of atypical depression or somatisation disorder. This view is at odds with the views of many sufferers who claim that ME/CFS is a pathological disease that renders them severely incapacitated. Sufferers' maintain that, because their condition is regarded as a minor, psychological illness, its' severity is not recognised. Thus, rather than being …

Go to article

Contrast Effects In Stereotype Formation And Change: The Role Of Comparative Context, Na Wyer, Ms Sadler, Cm Judd Jan 2002

Contrast Effects In Stereotype Formation And Change: The Role Of Comparative Context, Na Wyer, Ms Sadler, Cm Judd

School of Psychology

Two experiments investigated the way in which the presence of a comparative or inter-group context during stereotype formation affects stereotype change, induced by subsequent disconfirming information. Participants learned about a focal group, after learning about one of the two context groups. After reporting their stereotypes about both groups, participants learned additional information about the focal group. This information described new group members who either confirmed or disconfirmed the group stereotype. Consistent with previous research, participants formed more extreme stereotypes about the focal group on dimensions that distinguished it from the context group (i.e., a contrast effect). In response to the …

Go to article

Inhibition Of The Bloom's And Werner's Syndrome Helicases By G-Quadruplex Interacting Ligands, J-L Li, Rj Harrison, Ap Reszka, Rm Brosh, Et Al Dec 2001

Inhibition Of The Bloom's And Werner's Syndrome Helicases By G-Quadruplex Interacting Ligands, J-L Li, Rj Harrison, Ap Reszka, Rm Brosh, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

G-Quadruplex DNAs are folded, non-Watson-Crick structures that can form within guanine-rich DNA sequences such as telomeric repeats. Previous studies have identified a series of trisubstituted acridine derivatives that are potent and selective ligands for G-quadruplex DNA. These ligands have been shown previously to inhibit the activity of telomerase, the specialized reverse transcriptase that regulates telomere length. The RecQ family of DNA helicases, which includes the Bloom's (BLM) and Werner's (WRN) syndrome gene products, are apparently unique among cellular helicases in their ability to efficiently disrupt G-quadruplex DNA. This property may be relevant to telomere maintenance, since it is known that …

Go to article

Identification Of An Mcm4 Homologue Expressed Specifically In The Sexual Stage Of Plasmodium Falciparum, J-L Li, Ls Cox Sep 2001

Identification Of An Mcm4 Homologue Expressed Specifically In The Sexual Stage Of Plasmodium Falciparum, J-L Li, Ls Cox

School of Biomedical Sciences

Mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins play an essential role in DNA replication initiation. We have isolated a novel gene encoding an MCM-like protein from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum using the vectorette technique. The gene has no introns and comprises an open reading frame encoding 1005 amino acid residues with a predicted Mr of 115 kDa. The encoded protein, termed PfMCM4, contains all conserved sequences in the MCM family and displays the highest homology to the Cdc54 (MCM4) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, PfMCM4 possesses five unique amino acid inserts with sizes ranging from seven to 75 residues. Southern blotting of …

Go to article

Role Of The Bloom's Syndrome Helicase In Maintenance Of Genome Stability, Id Hickson, Sl Davies, J-L Li, Nc Levitt, Et Al May 2001

Role Of The Bloom's Syndrome Helicase In Maintenance Of Genome Stability, Id Hickson, Sl Davies, J-L Li, Nc Levitt, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

The RecQ family of DNA helicases has members in all organisms analysed. In humans, defects in three family members are associated with disease conditions: BLM is defective in Bloom's syndrome, WRN in Werner's syndrome and RTS in Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. In each case, cells from affected individuals show inherent genomic instability. The focus of our work is the Bloom's syndrome gene and its product, BLM. Here, we review the latest information concerning the roles of BLM in the maintenance of genome integrity.

Go to article

Primary Structure And Sexual Stage-Specific Expression Of A Lammer Protein Kinase Of Plasmodium Falciparum, J-L Li, Gat Targett, Da Baker Apr 2001

Primary Structure And Sexual Stage-Specific Expression Of A Lammer Protein Kinase Of Plasmodium Falciparum, J-L Li, Gat Targett, Da Baker

School of Biomedical Sciences

We have isolated a LAMMER-like gene from Plasmodium falciparum by vectorette technique. The gene consists of 3316 bp encoding a protein 881 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of approximately 106.7 kDa. The encoded protein, termed PfLAMMER, is composed of two distinct domains. The N-terminal domain is not related to any previously described protein kinases and has several interesting features including multiple consensus phosphorylation sites for a range of protein kinases, a number of RS/SR dipeptides, a large proportion of charged amino acids, two putative nuclear localisation signals and 14 copies of a tetramer DKYD repeats. The C-terminal domain …

Go to article

Management In The Financial Services : Emotional Labour And Gender, Sarah Watson Jan 2001

Management In The Financial Services : Emotional Labour And Gender, Sarah Watson

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis examines the development of management in financial services and its implications on managers' activities and socialisation. The thesis uses gender and emotional labour as the main themes for the discussion of management in the financial services. The thesis reports on two ethnographic case studies within two UK retail banks. Analyses are based on data derived from interviews, observations and documents. Both the literature and data suggest that management in the service sector centres around the management of organisational cultures. Managers must disseminate the organisational values in order to extract excellent customer service from the front-line staff. Managers themselves …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last