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Interactive Technologies For The Public Sphere Toward A Theory Of Critical Creative Technology, Pamela Lynnette Jennings Jan 2006

Interactive Technologies For The Public Sphere Toward A Theory Of Critical Creative Technology, Pamela Lynnette Jennings

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital media cultural practices continue to address the social, cultural and aesthetic contexts of the global information economy, perhaps better called ecology, by inventing new methods and genres that encourage interactive engagement, collaboration, exploration and learning. The theoretical framework for creative critical technology evolved from the confluence of the arts, human computer interaction, and critical theories of technology. Molding this nascent theoretical framework from these seemingly disparate disciplines was a reflexive process where the influence of each component on each other spiraled into the theory and practice as illustrated through the Constructed Narratives project. Research that evolves from an arts …

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Settling In, I Rae, J Lansley, J Tormey Jan 2006

Settling In, I Rae, J Lansley, J Tormey

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

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Devon-Wide Gypsy And Traveller Housing Needs Assessment, R Southern, Z James Jan 2006

Devon-Wide Gypsy And Traveller Housing Needs Assessment, R Southern, Z James

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

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A Collision Avoidance System For Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Chiew Seon Tan Jan 2006

A Collision Avoidance System For Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Chiew Seon Tan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The work in this thesis is concerned with the development of a novel and practical collision avoidance system for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Synergistically, advanced stochastic motion planning methods, dynamics quantisation approaches, multivariable tracking controller designs, sonar data processing and workspace representation, are combined to enhance significantly the survivability of modern AUVs. The recent proliferation of autonomous AUV deployments for various missions such as seafloor surveying, scientific data gathering and mine hunting has demanded a substantial increase in vehicle autonomy. One matching requirement of such missions is to allow all the AUV to navigate safely in a dynamic and unstructured …

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Convergence Improvement Of Iterative Decoders, Evangelos Papagiannis Jan 2006

Convergence Improvement Of Iterative Decoders, Evangelos Papagiannis

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Iterative decoding techniques shaked the waters of the error correction and communications field in general. Their amazing compromise between complexity and performance offered much more freedom in code design and made highly complex codes, that were being considered undecodable until recently, part of almost any communication system. Nevertheless, iterative decoding is a sub-optimum decoding method and as such, it has attracted huge research interest. But the iterative decoder still hides many of its secrets, as it has not been possible yet to fully describe its behaviour and its cost function. This work presents the convergence problem of iterative decoding from …

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Mobility Support Architectures For Next-Generation Wireless Networks, Ql Wang Jan 2006

Mobility Support Architectures For Next-Generation Wireless Networks, Ql Wang

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

With the convergence of the wireless networks and the Internet and the booming demand for multimedia applications, the next-generation (beyond the third generation, or B3G) wireless systems are expected to be all IP-based and provide real-time and non-real-time mobile services anywhere and anytime. Powerful and efficient mobility support is thus the key enabler to fulfil such an attractive vision by supporting various mobility scenarios. This thesis contributes to this interesting while challenging topic. After a literature review on mobility support architectures and protocols, the thesis starts presenting our contributions with a generic multi-layer mobility support framework, which provides a general …

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Antithesis: The Dialectics Of Software Art, Geoff Cox Jan 2006

Antithesis: The Dialectics Of Software Art, Geoff Cox

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Software art refers to the production of software as art rather than the use of software to produce art. This thesis situates software arts practice in relation to a dialectical materialist tradition that focusses attention on the site of production and the contradictions within the relations of production. By making reference to post-Marxist theories, it is argued that antagonisms associated with traditional forms of labour have been extended to include the labour of machines and software. Therefore any analysis of the labour involved in making art must recognise the ways in which labour has become more immaterial, collective and communicative. …

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Video Quality Measurement For 3g Handsets, Praveen Enjapuri Jan 2006

Video Quality Measurement For 3g Handsets, Praveen Enjapuri

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Internet provides many services. VOIP (Voice over IP) is one such service also known as Internet Telephony or IP Telephony. Using VOIP we can make voice telephony calls, participate in video conferences, etc over data networks (WAN'S and LAN'S) or internet. VOIP operates by first converting voice data into digital form, organizing them into packets, transmitting them through the most convenient route to their destination and finally reassembling them at the destination. Protocols like SIP/RTP, H.323, MGCP are designed which perform all the above steps. This project aims to make a video call from a 3G Mobile to an IP …

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Nonlinear Interactions Of Waves And Currents With Structures In Nearshore Environments, Baoxing Wang Jan 2006

Nonlinear Interactions Of Waves And Currents With Structures In Nearshore Environments, Baoxing Wang

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In this thesis, nonlinear interactions of waves and currents with structures in nearshore environments are investigated. The emphasis of the research is to model the encountered multiple scales of hydrodynamics (e. g. monochromatic waves and three-dimensional currents) in a numerically efficient and accurate way on a beach and around a structure in the shallow coastal region. The radiation stress and mass flux have been analytically derived by inclusion of higher-order surface elevations. The Boussinesq-type model COULWAVE is used to assess the fully nonlinear wave transformation on a beach. The research unveils the essential roles of the Ursell parameter, Irribarren number …

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Non-Intrusive Subscriber Authentication For Next Generation Mobile Communication Systems, Philip Maurice Rodwell Jan 2006

Non-Intrusive Subscriber Authentication For Next Generation Mobile Communication Systems, Philip Maurice Rodwell

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The last decade has witnessed massive growth in both the technological development, and the consumer adoption of mobile devices such as mobile handsets and PDAs. The recent introduction of wideband mobile networks has enabled the deployment of new services with access to traditionally well protected personal data, such as banking details or medical records. Secure user access to this data has however remained a function of the mobile device's authentication system, which is only protected from masquerade abuse by the traditional PIN, originally designed to protect against telephony abuse. This thesis presents novel research in relation to advanced subscriber authentication …

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Lung Nodule Detection In Screening Computed Tomography, I Gori, R Bellotti, P Cerello, Sc Cheran, Et Al Jan 2006

Lung Nodule Detection In Screening Computed Tomography, I Gori, R Bellotti, P Cerello, Sc Cheran, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of pulmonary nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical Computed Tomography (CT) images with 1.25 mm slice thickness is presented. The basic modules of our lung-CAD system, a dot-enhancement filter for nodule candidate selection and a neural classifier for false-positive finding reduction, are described. The results obtained on the collected database of lung CT scans are discussed.

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The Effect Of Cold-Acclimation On The Water Relations And Freezing Tolerance Of Hordeum Vulgare L, S Burchett, S Niven, Mp Fuller Jan 2006

The Effect Of Cold-Acclimation On The Water Relations And Freezing Tolerance Of Hordeum Vulgare L, S Burchett, S Niven, Mp Fuller

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

During a 5 degree C and a 5/-1 degree C cold acclimation (CA) regime there was a significant decline in the water potential of winter barley, and a concurrent decline in tissue water content of the 5/-1 degree C CA plants. Results of carbohydrate analysis illustrated a significant (P < 0.001) accumulation of sucrose, fructose and glucose in the 5/-1 degree C CA plants, which was inversely correlated to water potential. Using an infrared imaging radiometer during a convection frost test the water release time (WRT) of 5/-1 degree C CA was demonstrated to be significantly (P < 0.001) longer than that observed in non-cold acclimated plants. This observation is consistent with visual analysis of exotherm curves where the rate of cellular water release to extracellular ice is reduced in the 5/-1 degree C CA plants, compared to the non-cold acclimated plants. These biochemical and physiological changes were correlated to increased plant health following a non-lethal freezing test to -5 degree C, where non-cold acclimated plants produced 2.3 +/- 0.3 tillers and 5 degree C and 5/-1 degree C CA plants produced 2.4 +/- 0.3 and 4.7 +/- 0.7 tillers, respectively. Results from this study imply that cold acclimation leads to changes in the physical state of water that result in a less osmotically responsive cellular environment and subsequently significantly less damage to meristematic tissue.

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Screening And Testing For Endocrine Disruption In Fish—Biomarkers As “Signposts,” Not “Traffic Lights,” In Risk Assessment, Th Hutchinson, Gt Ankley, H Segner, Cr Tyler Jan 2006

Screening And Testing For Endocrine Disruption In Fish—Biomarkers As “Signposts,” Not “Traffic Lights,” In Risk Assessment, Th Hutchinson, Gt Ankley, H Segner, Cr Tyler

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Managing Fisheries Resources In Kaptai Reservoir, Bangladesh, Kku Ahmed, S Rahman, Su Ahammed Jan 2006

Managing Fisheries Resources In Kaptai Reservoir, Bangladesh, Kku Ahmed, S Rahman, Su Ahammed

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This paper examines the various challenges facing the development of fisheries resources in Kaptai reservoir, Bangladesh. The reservoir has undergone major changes in its catch composition since impoundment. Production records show a declining trend in the productivity of high-value fish. A host of managerial, socioeconomic and environmental factors are responsible for the underutilization of the reservoir's potential to provide high-value freshwater fish. These include deterioration of the natural breeding ground, environmental damage, poor implementation of regulations, inefficient fish farming technology and poor management practices. These constraints are discussed and possibilities for future improvements are suggested.

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The Role Of Technology Support Centres In Stimulating Entrepreneurship And Innovation In Sme Clusters, Aj Robotham, J Gatcha Jan 2006

The Role Of Technology Support Centres In Stimulating Entrepreneurship And Innovation In Sme Clusters, Aj Robotham, J Gatcha

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The Innovative Product Development Centre (IPDC) was established at the University of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region of the UK with a mission “to help small and medium sized companies improve their business, secure jobs and contribute to the economic regeneration of the West Midlands Region”. Since 2000, the IPDC has helped several hundred enterprises to develop their businesses through innovation and new product development. Demand for help is high, which reflects a healthy desire by the SMEs to innovate. The assistance given is time limited, but its impact on the business is extremely varied. This paper will discuss …

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The Effect Of Pre-Weaning Feeding Behaviour On Post-Weaning Feeding Behaviour In Pigs Weaned At 3, 4 And 5 Weeks Of Age, Christos Antonios Tsourgiannis Jan 2006

The Effect Of Pre-Weaning Feeding Behaviour On Post-Weaning Feeding Behaviour In Pigs Weaned At 3, 4 And 5 Weeks Of Age, Christos Antonios Tsourgiannis

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A program of study was undertaken to asses the effect of pre-weaning feeding behaviour on post-weaning feeding behaviour in pigs weaned at various ages (3, 4 and 5 weeks of age) and to identify ways of increasing their post-weaning feed intake. The studies were constructed using time extensive continuous recording methods in order to monitor the 'true' behaviour unbiased by sampling errors. Piglets weaned at 3 weeks of age had the ability to grow faster and became significantly heavier at six weeks of age (3W: 12.S06 ± 0.629 kg) than piglets that had to extent their stay for one (4W: …

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Structure Of Late Variscan Millevaches Leucogranite Massif In The French Massif Central: Ams And Gravity Modelling Results, A Gébelin, G Martelet, Y Chen, M Brunel, M Faure Jan 2006

Structure Of Late Variscan Millevaches Leucogranite Massif In The French Massif Central: Ams And Gravity Modelling Results, A Gébelin, G Martelet, Y Chen, M Brunel, M Faure

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

In the Limousin area, Variscan leucogranitic plutons are spatially associated with normal faults and major strike-slip shear zones that are a continuation of the South Armorican shear zone. Our study focuses on the large N-S-trending Millevaches granitic massif (Massif Central, France), and intends to highlight, through gravity modelling, structural and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), the massif structure at depth and to discuss the mode of emplacement of granites within a strike-slip tectonic context. The mica subfabric suggests that the magnetic foliations display a general NW-SE sub-horizontal pattern on both sides of the N-S Pradines dextral wrench fault zone that …

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The Potential Use Of (1→3, 1→4)-Β-D-Glucan From Barley As A Functional Food Ingredient For Cereal Foods, Louise Jane Cleary Jan 2006

The Potential Use Of (1→3, 1→4)-Β-D-Glucan From Barley As A Functional Food Ingredient For Cereal Foods, Louise Jane Cleary

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The health related importance of dietary fibre as part of a balanced diet is well known. More recently, soluble fibres, such as (1→3, 1→4)-β-D-glucan (β-glucan), have been shown to influence glycaemic, insulin and cholesterol responses to foods. Barley is a rich source of β-glucan; however, consumption of products containing barley grain or flour is often limited by their negative organoleptic quality. A potential solution lies in the use of barley as an extraction source for β-glucan fractions. One problem with regards to this is the lack of clarity on the use of barley β-glucan fractions in food systems, particularly their …

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Phenotypic And Genetic Effects Of Chernobyl-Derived Radionuclide Contamination On The Red-Eyed Damselfly Erythromma Najas (Odonata, Coenagrionidae), Claire Rebecca Cailes Jan 2006

Phenotypic And Genetic Effects Of Chernobyl-Derived Radionuclide Contamination On The Red-Eyed Damselfly Erythromma Najas (Odonata, Coenagrionidae), Claire Rebecca Cailes

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The 1986 Chernobyl accident released large amounts of radioactive contamination into the surrounding environment. As a result, the Chernobyl region provides a suitable site for investigations into the effects of ionising radiation on non-human biota. Studies of this type are important in order to establish whether or not current anthropocentric radiation protection guidelines are appropriate for the protection of the wider environment. Despite the presence of many freshwater habitats in the region, there have been few studies investigating the effects of radiation on aquatic invertebrates. In the present study, the effects of Chernobyl-derived radionuclide contamination on the red-eyed damselfly, Erythromma …

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Improving Abiotic Stress Resistance In Cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea Var. Botrytis L.) By Mutagenesis And Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation, Ehab Mohamed Rabei Metwali Gharieb Jan 2006

Improving Abiotic Stress Resistance In Cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea Var. Botrytis L.) By Mutagenesis And Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation, Ehab Mohamed Rabei Metwali Gharieb

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Abiotic environmental stress such as drought, salinity and low temperature are common conditions that adversely affect plant growth and crop production. Breeding for crop resistance to abiotic stress is difficult due to its multigenic nature. An alternative approach is through DNA mutation and DNA transfer. These approaches were employed and tested in this research and comparison between them was carried out. NEU and NMU induced mutant lines and control plants were sub-cultured many times on maintenance medium and stored at 5°c for 2 years and then tested for salt and hydroxyproline resistance as in-vitro and in-vivo plants and proline content …

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Multi-Scale Variability In Phytoplankton Populations Of The North Atlantic Basin: From Eddies To Global Change, Sophie C. Leterme Jan 2006

Multi-Scale Variability In Phytoplankton Populations Of The North Atlantic Basin: From Eddies To Global Change, Sophie C. Leterme

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey has been deployed since 1931 to describe and analyze plankton variability in the North Atlantic and North Sea. This survey measures the presence and abundance of 437 phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa and provides an assessment of phytoplankton biomass, the Phytoplankton Colour Index (VCI). The diatoms and dinoflagellates are the two main phytoplankton groups identified by the CPR survey. The first part of this work provides insights into the space-time dynamics of phytoplankton communities through an analysis of diatom and dinoflagellate populations in the whole North Atlantic basin. Because the North Atlantic Ocean includes many …

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Modulation Of The Health Status Of Ornamental Fish By Stress And Dietary Immuno-Stimulants, Stuart Maudling Jan 2006

Modulation Of The Health Status Of Ornamental Fish By Stress And Dietary Immuno-Stimulants, Stuart Maudling

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Three trials were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary immuno-stimulant supplementation on various physiological, haematological and immunological parameters of ornamental fish following stress and vaccination. The first series of experiments investigated the mucosal stress response of mirror carp, (Cyprinus carpio), using urinalysis strips and established stress indicators within peripheral blood. A netting stressor, which combined aerial exposure and confinement, of 6 minutes duration was applied and the response of fish was measured 1.5, 3, 5, 24 and 168 hours post-stress. Mucosal haemoglobin and protein were established as consistent indicators of stress and strong relationships could be drawn between them …

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Molecular Ecology Of Marine Algal Viruses, Joaquin Martinez Martinez Jan 2006

Molecular Ecology Of Marine Algal Viruses, Joaquin Martinez Martinez

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

In this study phytoplankton viruses were investigated from a point of view of their genotypic richness, ecology and role in controlling two microalgae species: Emiliania huxleyi and Phaeocystis pouchetii. Host specificity determined for Emiliania huxleyi-virus (EhV) isolates revealed a highly variable host range suggesting a relation between virus specificity and genetic or phenotypic variations within E. huxleyi strains and EhVs. Subsequently the dynamics and genetic richness of Emiliania huxleyi and EhVs were monitored in mesocosm experiments and during the progression of a natural bloom in the sea. The results confirmed the role of virus infection in regulating the intraspecific succession …

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The Development And Optimization Of Microbial Molecular Biomarkers For The In Situ Assessment Of Trace Metal Toxicity, Nicolas James Bouskill Jan 2006

The Development And Optimization Of Microbial Molecular Biomarkers For The In Situ Assessment Of Trace Metal Toxicity, Nicolas James Bouskill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Microorganisms are fundamental components of many geochemical transformations occurring in the aquatic environment. Microbial redox and methylation of metals within the environment can alter metal speciation, mobility and ultimately, toxicity to eukaryotes. It is therefore practical that any environmental monitoring framework advocating the application of `early-warning biomarker system' should incorporate a holistic view of the environment beginning with microbial activity. This thesis describes the development of protocols for assessing the in situ condition of microbial ecosystems within a gradient of metal contaminated sites radiating downstream of the Anaconda Smelter, a USEPA-designated superfund site and within two control sites. Experiments focus …

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Investigating The Processing Style Account Of The Effects Of Naval Processing On Face Recognition Performance, Nicola Jane Weston Jan 2006

Investigating The Processing Style Account Of The Effects Of Naval Processing On Face Recognition Performance, Nicola Jane Weston

School of Psychology Theses

Engaging in Navon processing prior to face recognition influences recognition performance (Macrae & Lewis, 2002; Perfect, 2003; Weston & Perfect, 2005). Past research has shown that global Navon processing can improve face recognition accuracy whereas local Navon processing impairs it. One explanation, and the dominant one in the literature, is that the Navon letter task elicits holistic and featural processing styles which map onto the holistic and featural processing used in face recognition. However, this theory has not been extensively tested in the literature. This thesis investigates whether processing style can explain the effects caused by the Navon letter task, …

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Teaching A Vocal Tract Simulation To Imitate Stop Consonants, M Huckvale, I Howard Dec 2005

Teaching A Vocal Tract Simulation To Imitate Stop Consonants, M Huckvale, I Howard

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The imitation of spoken stop consonants by an articulatory synthesizer using only general learning principles addresses significant issues in speech inversion and speech acquisition. Stop consonants are relatively large, complex acoustic events resulting from discrete articulations, so inversion based on the use of small time windows or based on the minimisation of average articulatory error across multiple places of articulation will not provide a satisfactory solution. This paper explores the effect of variation in inversion window size and the use of smoothing constraints on the quality of imitation of the stops [b], [d] and [g]. However good results are only …

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Notch Signaling From Tumor Cells: A New Mechanism Of Angiogenesis, J-L Li, Al Harris Jul 2005

Notch Signaling From Tumor Cells: A New Mechanism Of Angiogenesis, J-L Li, Al Harris

School of Biomedical Sciences

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved pathway and plays key roles in embryonic vascular development and angiogenesis. Multiple components of the Notch pathway are expressed in vasculature, and mice deficient for a variety of these components display embryonic lethality with vascular remodeling defects. Alteration of Notch signaling in various endothelial cells generates profound effects on angiogenesis in vitro. New evidence shows that Notch signaling from tumor cells is able to activate endothelial cells and trigger tumor angiogenesis in vitro and in a xenograft mouse tumor model. Selective interruption of Notch signaling within tumors may provide an antiangiogenic strategy.

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Doctoral Thesis Examination Defence Seminar, Tj Lynch Jun 2005

Doctoral Thesis Examination Defence Seminar, Tj Lynch

Plymouth Institute of Education

Lynch, T. (2005, June 7). An evaluation of school responses to the introduction of the Queensland 1999 health and physical education (HPE) syllabus and policy documents in three Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) primary schools. Doctoral Thesis Examination Defence Seminar, Faculty of Education, Australian Catholic University (Qld).

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Sharing Research In Health And Physical Education, Tj Lynch Mar 2005

Sharing Research In Health And Physical Education, Tj Lynch

Plymouth Institute of Education

Lynch, T. (2005, March 11). Sharing research in health and physical education. Abstract presented to the School of Human Movement Studies, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). ?

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Report Of The Working Group On Deep-Water Ecology (Wgdec), 8-11 March 2005, Jm Hall-Spencer Mar 2005

Report Of The Working Group On Deep-Water Ecology (Wgdec), 8-11 March 2005, Jm Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

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