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An Evaluation Of Crest, A Night Hospital For Elderly People Suffering From Dementia, Mary Watkins Jan 1994

An Evaluation Of Crest, A Night Hospital For Elderly People Suffering From Dementia, Mary Watkins

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a night hospital nursing service for elderly people suffering from dementia; in particular, to establish the appropriateness of night support for this group and their carers. The study developed as a result of previous work that demonstrated that some carers requested "inpatient" admission for their relative/friend because of the stress of providing support and supervision at night. The research methods involved an evaluative structure - process -outcome, quality assurance and case study approach. An operational policy for the service was drawn up, as were nursing standards(process) . The service …

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Attachment And Affect Motivated Eating Behavior In An Obese Population: Maintenance Versus Relapse, Mary Jean Celec Jan 1994

Attachment And Affect Motivated Eating Behavior In An Obese Population: Maintenance Versus Relapse, Mary Jean Celec

Other Faculty of Health Theses

This dissertation explored object relations characteristics in an obese population by comparing those who relapse following treatment with those who maintain their weight losses following treatment. The impetus for this study came from the proliferation, in recent years, of weight loss programs whose long-term results have been dismal. This all-too-common trend of relapse only serves to perpetuate the negative physical and psychological concominants of obesity. This dissertation presented a psychodynamic approach to conceptualizing relapse in weight loss and conducted a preliminary exploration in an effort to glean same information to confirm or disconfirm the usefulness of this approach. Theoretically, disruptions …

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Marine Traffic Engineering In Korean Coastal Waters, Jin-Soo Park Jan 1994

Marine Traffic Engineering In Korean Coastal Waters, Jin-Soo Park

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This study describes and discusses the marine casualties, the effectiveness of existing traffic services, and marine safety and Vessel Traffic Service(VTS) in Korean coastal waters. Marine traffic is comprehensively assessed in Korean waters, an analysis of casualties is undertaken by block scheme. Marine environmental parameters are identified relating to marine casualties as appropriate. Various statistical techniques are employed to evaluate the inter-relationships between individual causal factors, and for the first time effect level is instituted to quantify the relative importance of the causal factors in Korean waters. A further innovation is the examination of the adequacy of existing Korean traffic …

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Young People And Leisure In A Deprived Urban Area, Colin Michael Dawson Jan 1994

Young People And Leisure In A Deprived Urban Area, Colin Michael Dawson

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis reports on a study of the leisure activities of a group of young people aged eleven to sixteen, growing up in a particularly deprived urban area of Plymouth. The analyses are based on data derived from secondary sources, a questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interviews. The fieldwork was conducted between November 1991, and June 1992. Much sociological research into the transition to adulthood has concentrated on the years from sixteen to twenty-one as the years when the most important life changes occur. Thus, the transition to adulthood is seen as part of a process of social and cultural reproduction, …

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Navigational Efficiency In Marine Traffic Operations In The Port Of Keelung, Bin Lin Jan 1994

Navigational Efficiency In Marine Traffic Operations In The Port Of Keelung, Bin Lin

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The rapid economic growth of Taiwan has been paralleled by an increase in marine. traffic in the port of Keelung. The increase has been evolutionary and, prior to this study, has lacked the benefit of supporting research necessary to ensure no loss in navigational efficiency. The study uses eclectic methodologies to: identify the nature of marine traffic at Keelung; assess the associated risks; and identify measures needed to reduce risk and increase navigational efficiency. For contextual purposes the study reviews current marine traffic operations at Keelung against the background of geographical constraint and environmental conditions. Radar survey and extensive sampling …

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Discourse, Care And Control : An Ethnography Of Residential And Nursing Home Elder Care Work, Geraldine Anne Lee-Treweek Jan 1994

Discourse, Care And Control : An Ethnography Of Residential And Nursing Home Elder Care Work, Geraldine Anne Lee-Treweek

School of Health Professions Theses

This thesis presents the notion that paid elder care work is often more involved with ordering individuals, than caring for them. It discusses this issue via ethnographic data about care assistant and nursing auxiliary work, which was collected in two elder care homes: Hazelford Lodge residential home and Bracken Court nursing home. The thesis uses care, control, and knowledge as the main themes for the discussion of work in both homes. The first chapter sites the thesis within the context of the academic literature on the discourses of the body, the nature of care work and residential care. It focuses …

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Physiological Factors Regulating Appetite In The Lesser Spotted Dogfish Shark, Scyliorhinus Canicula (L.), David William Sims Jan 1994

Physiological Factors Regulating Appetite In The Lesser Spotted Dogfish Shark, Scyliorhinus Canicula (L.), David William Sims

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Some aspects of digestive and systemic function were investigated in relation to their role in the peripheral regulation of appetite in juvenile and adult, S. canicula. This study represents the first evaluation of the physiological factors that contribute to the control of shark appetite. Daily food intake trials on both juvenile and adult dogfish showed repeatable, self-regulated feeding rhythms indicating the existence of an endogenous component to food intake control. After dogfish consumed satiation meals of 7% wet body weight (wbw) the appetite return increased at constant rates as deprivation time increased. The relative rate of food processing was 50% …

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Environmental Management In Devon And Cornwall's Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector, Michael Andrew Hutchinson Jan 1994

Environmental Management In Devon And Cornwall's Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector, Michael Andrew Hutchinson

Plymouth Business School Theses

The challenge of sustainable development has become one of the most important strategic, economic and social concerns facing global society today. Although literature on environmental management theory and sustainable development philosophy has increased apace throughout the 1980s and 1990s, very few of these writings have documented the case of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The objectives of this research are: i) to determine the level of awareness and perception of environmental issues within the SME sector and to assess prevailing attitudes of owner/managers to the importance they attach to managing this aspect of their business operations; ii) to gain …

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The Strategic Response Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector Firms To The Single European Market - A Comparative Study, Ralf Alexander Brickau Jan 1994

The Strategic Response Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector Firms To The Single European Market - A Comparative Study, Ralf Alexander Brickau

Plymouth Business School Theses

The creation of the post-1992 European Single Market represents a significant change in the business environment confronting firms throughout Europe. Although there is an extensive source of literature available on appropriate strategic responses to the Single Market, very few of these writings contain guidance specifically related to the situation facing small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs). The objectives of this study are i) to determine important veu-iables which might influence SME competitiveness, ii) how these may influence SME competitiveness and iii) to identiiy the formal or informal strategic approaches of SME firms responding to the challenge of the Single Market. …

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U.K. And U.S. Multinational Capital Budgeting And Financing Decisions, Vincent James Hooper Jan 1994

U.K. And U.S. Multinational Capital Budgeting And Financing Decisions, Vincent James Hooper

Plymouth Business School Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the capital budgeting and financing decisions of UK and US multinational enterprises. Following a survey approach, this study examines the impact that the general equilibrium and the disequilibrium schools of reasoning have upon international investment and financing decisions of the multinational. Further, the degree of centralisation in financial policy is investigated in the light of the two schools of thought which partition corporate finance theory. A conjoint methodology is utilised in order to evaluate the gravity of various environmental issues upon the foreign direct investment decision as well as the utilities for …

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Design Practice In The Uk Car Industry: How Coventry University Is Addressing The Needs, Aj Robotham, R Perks, Rm Jones, Gn Blount Jan 1994

Design Practice In The Uk Car Industry: How Coventry University Is Addressing The Needs, Aj Robotham, R Perks, Rm Jones, Gn Blount

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper considers the needs of the UK car industry and identifies specific situations that have serious implications upon design practice. The response at Coventry University to these needs and how Design plays a major role in our programmes of study is discussed. The undergraduate course in Automotive Engineering Design is highlighted as an example of our approach to Design Education. We introduce our PAKTS model for Design Education. This model is a convenient means of expressing our aspirations and reflects our dedication to the development of professionally trained engineering designers. The model recognises the importance of the University and …

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Studies Into Amphetamine-Induced Unconditioned Behaviour In The Rat., Susan Lesley Mchale Jan 1994

Studies Into Amphetamine-Induced Unconditioned Behaviour In The Rat., Susan Lesley Mchale

School of Psychology Theses

Previous work on the unconditioned effects of amphetamine in rats has examined qualitative changes in behaviours which become stereotyped and quantitative changes in locomotion. Stereotyped behaviours have been adopted as a model of raised caudate-putameri function whilst locomotion has been adopted as a model of raised mesolimbic dopamine function. These models have been used to study drugs which are effective in the treatment of schizophrenia. Only locomotion is reliably antagonised by all classes of antipsychotic drugs, although it has been hypothesised that, under some doses of amphetamine, locomotion may also become stereotyped. The Lyon-Robbins hypothesis of the behavioural effects of …

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Channel Coding Techniques For A Multiple Track Digital Magnetic Recording System, Paul Davey Jan 1994

Channel Coding Techniques For A Multiple Track Digital Magnetic Recording System, Paul Davey

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In magnetic recording greater area) bit packing densities are achieved through increasing track density by reducing space between and width of the recording tracks, and/or reducing the wavelength of the recorded information. This leads to the requirement of higher precision tape transport mechanisms and dedicated coding circuitry. A TMS320 10 digital signal processor is applied to a standard low-cost, low precision, multiple-track, compact cassette tape recording system. Advanced signal processing and coding techniques are employed to maximise recording density and to compensate for the mechanical deficiencies of this system. Parallel software encoding/decoding algorithms have been developed for several Run-Length Limited …

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A Self-Organising Fuzzy Logic Autopilot For Small Vessels, Martyn Neal Polkinghorne Jan 1994

A Self-Organising Fuzzy Logic Autopilot For Small Vessels, Martyn Neal Polkinghorne

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Currently small vessels use autopilots based on the Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative (PID) algorithm which utilises fixed gain values. This type of autopilot is known to often cause performance difficulties, a survey is therefore carried out to identify the alternative autopilot methods that have been previously investigated. It is shown that to date, all published work in this area has been based on large ships, however, there are specific difficulties applicable to the small vessel which have therefore not been considered. After the recognition of artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic as being the two most suitable techniques for …

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An Adaptable Mathematical Model For Integrated Navigation Systems, John Chudley Jan 1994

An Adaptable Mathematical Model For Integrated Navigation Systems, John Chudley

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The project has been directed towards improving the accuracy and safety of marine navigation and ship handling, whilst contributing to reduced manning and improved fuel costs. Thus, the aim of the work was to investigate, design and develop an adaptable mathematical model that could be used in an integrated navigation system (INS) and an automatic collision avoidance system (ACAS) for use in marine vehicles. A general overview of automatic navigation is undertaken and consideration is given to the use of microprocessors on the bridge. Many of these systems now require the use of mathematical models to predict the vessels' manoeuvring …

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Structural Integrity Assessment Using Vibration Data, Olusegun Saheed Salawu Jan 1994

Structural Integrity Assessment Using Vibration Data, Olusegun Saheed Salawu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Engineering structures need to be assessed as part of activities to ensure their continued serviceability. Global methods of assessment which also give an indication of local conditions are most attractive since they are cost effective and flexible. A suitable method with these attributes is vibration monitoring which involves relating dynamic properties, or changes in them, to the integrity of the assessed structure. The present study investigates the application of vibration testing to structural integrity assessment of civil engineering structures. A survey of existing methods of damage detection, location and quantification in structures using vibration testing was conducted. Evaluation of the …

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A Neural Network Based Approach To Fault Detection In Industrial Processes, Edward James Williams Jan 1994

A Neural Network Based Approach To Fault Detection In Industrial Processes, Edward James Williams

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The need for automated fault detection methods has increased in line with the complexity of processing plant technology and their control systems. Fast and accurate fault detection and isolation (FDI) is essential if a controller is to be effective in a supervisory role. This thesis is concerned with developing an FDI system based upon artificial neural network techniques. The artificial neural network (ANN) is a mechanism based upon the concepts of information processing within the brain, and consequently has the ability to self adjust, or learn about a given problem domain. It can thus be utilised in currently favoured model-based …

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The Development Of A Methodology For The Cost Justification Of New Manufacturing Investments, Povl Christian Vestergaard Larsen Jan 1994

The Development Of A Methodology For The Cost Justification Of New Manufacturing Investments, Povl Christian Vestergaard Larsen

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This work addresses the problems faced by small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SME's) in cost justifying new investments in tools, techniques and technologies, and presents a methodology which significantly improves on current cost justification techniques. The methodology provides a structured approach which leads a company through a series of workshops, which assist a company in establishing the full company wide benefits and costs associated with new manufacturing investment. A model, in the form of a workbook and the specification for a prototype computer based tool, of the tasks necessary in cost justification is presented. The model is used to structure …

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Wind Turbines In The Landscape: Final Report & Script, Aj Robotham, T Cook Jan 1994

Wind Turbines In The Landscape: Final Report & Script, Aj Robotham, T Cook

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Computer Assisted Learning And Learning Disability: An Evaluation, Sarah Baldrey Jan 1994

Computer Assisted Learning And Learning Disability: An Evaluation, Sarah Baldrey

School of Psychology Theses

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the use of computer-assisted learning with people who have severe and profound learning disabilities. Theories of learning are central to our understanding of learning disability and contributions from the cognitive and behavioural schools are reviewed and related to methods of education and training for people with learning disabilities. This framework provides a rationale for understanding the premises of computer-assisted learning. A review of the literature reveals a lack of evidence for the efficacy of computer-assisted learning. Evaluation studies to date appear to be characterised by a lack of a methodologically sound framework. …

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An Adaptive Partial Response Data Channel For Hard Disk Magnetic Recording, Neil Darragh Jan 1994

An Adaptive Partial Response Data Channel For Hard Disk Magnetic Recording, Neil Darragh

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

An adaptive data channel is proposed which is better able to deal with the variations in performance typically found in the recording components of a hard disk drive. Three such categories of variation were investigated in order to gain an understanding of their relative and absolute significance; variations over radius, along the track length, and between different head / media pairs. The variations were characterised in terms of their effects on the step-response pulse width and signal-to-noise ratio. It was found that in each of the categories investigated, significant variations could be found in both longitudinal and perpendicular recording systems …

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Serum-Free Medium For Long-Term Growth, Freezing, Cloning And Fusion Of Myelomas And Hybridomas, J-L Li, Y-J Li, S Chao, M-H Ouyang, Y-B Peng Feb 1993

Serum-Free Medium For Long-Term Growth, Freezing, Cloning And Fusion Of Myelomas And Hybridomas, J-L Li, Y-J Li, S Chao, M-H Ouyang, Y-B Peng

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Respiratory Development Of Two Teleost Fish, Oncorhynchus Mykiss And Scophthalmus Maximus During Their Early Life History, Mark Christopher Burdass Jan 1993

Respiratory Development Of Two Teleost Fish, Oncorhynchus Mykiss And Scophthalmus Maximus During Their Early Life History, Mark Christopher Burdass

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The respiratory development of two species of teleost, Oncorhynchus mykiss and Scophthalmus maximus was investigated to identify any possible periods of reduced respiratory fitness during early development. The two species were selected because of their different development strategies to allow any common factors in respiratory development to be identified. The study included determination of the respiratory oxygen demand and the critical oxygen tension (Pc) through early development for both species. Respiratory oxygen demand was measured as a routine rate (rVO2) with individual and weight specific values being determined. The main respiratory surface areas for both species were measured, this included …

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Variation In Pod Wettability And Permeability And Its Implications For Improving Spoilage Characteristics In The Dried Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) Crop, Simon Nicholas Miles Jan 1993

Variation In Pod Wettability And Permeability And Its Implications For Improving Spoilage Characteristics In The Dried Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) Crop, Simon Nicholas Miles

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

This investigation was designed to determine some of the causes of spoilage in the pea crop. It was found that physiological and morphological characteristics of the pods were related to degrees of spoilage experienced by a range of varieties. This included the amount and configuration of epicuticular waxes affecting pod surface wettabilities which, together with total pod wall and parchment layer thicknesses, all contributed to high rates of water uptake and water contents in pod tissues. Water content was determined to be closely correlated to the degree of pod spoilage observed in the field. Pod phenotypes which were badly affected …

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The Burrowing Mud Shrimp Callianassa Subterranea (Decapoda) And Bioturbation In The North Sea, Ashley Alun Rowden Jan 1993

The Burrowing Mud Shrimp Callianassa Subterranea (Decapoda) And Bioturbation In The North Sea, Ashley Alun Rowden

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A muddy-sand site in the North Sea was studied to identify the role of the benthic macrofauna in the resuspension of sediment. The macrobenthic community contained species capable of significant bioturbation. In particular, the presence and the temporal occurrence of the brittle star Amphiura filiformis was correlated with seasonal geotechnical and geophysical properties of the seabed. In addition, the extensive burrowing habit of the mud shrimp, Callianassa subterranea (Montagu), make this species potentially the most important contributor to the degree of bioturbation experienced at the site. Mud shrimps were an abundant and stable member of the study site's macrobenthic community …

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Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of Potential Vaccine Antigens From Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Thomas Hilton Grayson Jan 1993

Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of Potential Vaccine Antigens From Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Thomas Hilton Grayson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A number of R.salmoninarum gene libraries were constructed in E.coli host-vector systems and screened for the production of molecules which may provide material for the immunisation of salmonid fish. One immunopositiye clone was isolated from a EcoRI gene bank constructed in the plasmid vector pUC18 and another clone, which possessed membrane-active properties, was isolated from a HindIII gene bank constructed in the plasmid vector pBR328. The immuno positive clone was found to contain the major portion of gene msa encoding the major secretory antigen of R. salmoninarum, known as P57. The membrane-active clone possessed a broad activity against erythrocytes …

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Metallic Pollution In Estuaries, With Special Reference To The Effects Of Tributyltin (Tbt) And Copper On The Early Life Stages Of Scrobicularia Plana (Mollusca: Bivalvia), Jose Miguel Ruiz Jan 1993

Metallic Pollution In Estuaries, With Special Reference To The Effects Of Tributyltin (Tbt) And Copper On The Early Life Stages Of Scrobicularia Plana (Mollusca: Bivalvia), Jose Miguel Ruiz

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

During the 1980s a decline in populations of the bivalve Scrobicularia plana was noted in several U.K. estuaries: tributyltin (TBT) was suspected of being the cause although its toxicity to adults could not be demonstrated except at elevated concentrations; disappearance of clam populations has been also observed in other European countries. Laboratory tests have revealed that: i) D-larvae hatching from embryos after 48 hours in TBT concentrations of 188 ngSn/l amounted to < 50% of control values, and doses of 364 ngSn/l or 20 µgCu/l prevented normal development in = 90% of embryos. ii) planktonic veliger larvae exposed for 10 days to nominal TBT doses ≥ 50 ngSn/l grew at rates which, at maximum, were one third of that exhibited by controls. iii) settling pediveligers subjected for 30 days to levels of TBT ≥70 ngSn/l suffered significant mortalities, and postlarvae kept at 23 ngSn/l displayed some shell growth which was both substantially reduced and grossly abnormal. iv) exposure for 30 days to 2! 300 ngSn/l or ≥20 µgCu/l impaired the burying activity in sand of small spat, and juveniles reared in TBT solutions at ≥ 28 ngSn/l grew significantly less than those in the control treatment. v) while small spat held in heavy metal polluted sediment suffered massive mortalities in 12 days, juveniles exposed for 36 days to butyltin contaminated sediment (0.4 µgSn/g) did not display any limited survival, but both their growth and burying activity were significantly reduced relative to those of juveniles kept in control sediments. It is concluded that in U.K. coastal areas where TBT in water during the summer-autumn months ranged from = 20 ngSn/l to = 200 ngSn/1 (i.e. = 50-500 ngTBT/l) and Scrobicularia plana populations disappeared or declined markedly, a cause-effect relationship is most likely to exist between the former and the latter through the deleterious effects of the chemical on the early life stages of the clam; in addition, the continued presence of sediment-bound TBT may render mudflats unsuitable for the development of larval and juvenile bivalves.

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Eco-Physiology Of The Endosymbiont-Bearing Lucinid Bivalve, Codakia Orbiculata, Penelope Anne Gee Barnes Jan 1993

Eco-Physiology Of The Endosymbiont-Bearing Lucinid Bivalve, Codakia Orbiculata, Penelope Anne Gee Barnes

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The lucinid bivalve Codakia orbiculata, whose gills contain sulphur-oxidizing symbiotic bacteria, occurs in high densities (500/m2) in the rhizosphere of shallow-water Thalassia testudinum sediments in Bermuda. Both sulphide and thiosulphate stimulate aerobic respiration in the isolated bacterial symbionts of C. orbiculata. Sulphide and thiosulphate stimulate anaerobic ^^COa fixation in bacteria isolated from sulphur-starved bivalves. Interstitial water sulphide concentrations in the bivalves' habitat reach 300 pM, and sulphate-reduction rates are high, but thiosulphate concentrations are low (0.66-32.27 pM) . Thiosulphate supplied to the symbionts in vivo must be produced by sulphide oxidation, possibly by the host bivalve. Isolated symbionts also respire …

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The Use Of Gene Cloning Techniques In The Study Of The Fish Pathogen Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Andy Evenden Jan 1993

The Use Of Gene Cloning Techniques In The Study Of The Fish Pathogen Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Andy Evenden

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A programme of research was undertaken to assess the feasibility of the application of gene cloning techniques to Renibacteriun salmoninarum, an important, but as yet poorly characterized pathogen of salmonid fish. Difficulties encountered during in vitro culture, have restricted our knowledge of the bacterium, especially with respect to ita mechanisms and molecules of pathogenicity. A collection of R.salmoninarum isolates was made, and an initial study conducted to determine target molecules for cloning. All strains tested were found to have uniform protein profiles when analysed with SOS-PAGE, and uniform antigenic profiles when subject to immunoblotting experiments utilizing rabbit antisera raised against …

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Expressed Emotion In Parents Of Behaviourally Disturbed Learning Disabled Children, Catherine Ellen Sturt Jan 1993

Expressed Emotion In Parents Of Behaviourally Disturbed Learning Disabled Children, Catherine Ellen Sturt

School of Psychology Theses

Expressed emotion (EE) represents a measure of the emotional quality of the relationship between a key caregiver and relative, where the latter is experiencing a psychiatric or medical condition, and with implications for the course of this condition. To the author's knowledge, despite the salience of behavioural disturbance for families with learning disabled children, no published study has specifically investigated the relationship between parental EE and child behavioural disturbance. The current study focused on a comparison of high and low EE households with regards to child behavioural disturbance, parental stress and coping, and service and respite care usage. Forty parents …

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