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Ecology And Behaviour Of Postlarvae And Juveniles Of The Velvet Swimming Crab Necora Puber (L.), James Tony Lee Jan 2004

Ecology And Behaviour Of Postlarvae And Juveniles Of The Velvet Swimming Crab Necora Puber (L.), James Tony Lee

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Ecological studies of early benthic stages of brachyurans are rare for most of the species, leaving a gap in the understanding of processes regulating the recruitment to adult populations. The velvet swimming crab Necora puber (L. ) is a valuable commercial species where most of studies have been focused on the adult population. Little is known about the supply-side ecology and the post-settlement processes that affect the dynamics of the adult populations. The aims of the present study were to investigate the physical processes affecting the supply of recruits to the nearshore, to examine the processes associated with habitat selection …

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Analysis Of Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Breast Images, Francesco De Pasquale Jan 2004

Analysis Of Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Breast Images, Francesco De Pasquale

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-invasive technique that provides an image sequence based on dynamic information for locating lesions and investigating their structures. In this thesis we develop new methodology for analysing dynamic Magnetic Resonance image sequences of the breast. This methodology comprises an image restoration step that reduces random distortions affecting the data and an image classification step that identifies normal, benign or malignant tumoral tissues. In the first part of this thesis we present a non-parametric and a parametric approach for image restoration and classification. Both methods are developed within the Bayesian framework. A prior distribution modelling …

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An Intelligent Navigation System For An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Dedy Loebis Jan 2004

An Intelligent Navigation System For An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Dedy Loebis

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The work in this thesis concerns with the development of a novel multisensor data fusion (MSDF) technique, which combines synergistically Kalman filtering, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm approaches, aimed to enhance the accuracy of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) navigation system, formed by an integration of global positioning system and inertial navigation system (GPS/INS). The Kalman filter has been a popular method for integrating the data produced by the GPS and INS to provide optimal estimates of AUVs position and attitude. In this thesis, a sequential use of a linear Kalman filter and extended Kalman filter is proposed. The former …

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An Investigation For Genetic Susceptibility To Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus And Its Microvascular Complications, D.M. Hegazy Jan 2004

An Investigation For Genetic Susceptibility To Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus And Its Microvascular Complications, D.M. Hegazy

School of Biomedical Sciences Theses

Long-term exposure to diabetes mellitus is associated with metabolic abnormalities such as chronic hyperglycemia and redox imbalance. Uncontrolled hyperglycaemia and genetic factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular diseases. Genetic mutation through the genes coding for enzymes involved in glucose metabolism and immuno-regulatory mechanisms may contribute to the susceptibility to type I diabetes mellitus (TIDM) and its chronic microvascular diseases. Previous studies have shown that the transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa 8 (NFκB) and heat shock proteins (HSPs) are two redox-sensitive cellular responses of most immune and inflammatory diseases including diabetes and its late vascular complications. NFκB promotes …

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Dynamic Magnetic Effects In Amorphous Microwires For Sensors And Coding Applications, Serghei Sandacci Jan 2004

Dynamic Magnetic Effects In Amorphous Microwires For Sensors And Coding Applications, Serghei Sandacci

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This work is devoted to the study of the dynamic properties of magnetic amorphous wires, in particular, glass-coated microwires, which have small diameters (5-30 microns), outstanding soft magnetic behaviour with a high permeability and low coercivity, yet, possess a well-defined magnetic structure. First part of my PhD research has been devoted to the investigation of a bi-stable magnetisation reversal in glass-coated amorphous microwires. In contrast to traditional approaches, where characteristics of the magnetisation reversal are analysed as a consequence of the eddy current effect, l have applied stochastic methods for modelling the remagnetisation reversal in the microwires with axial anisotropy. …

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Does Collaboration Matter? A Paradigm For Practical Educational Research, David Philip White Jan 2004

Does Collaboration Matter? A Paradigm For Practical Educational Research, David Philip White

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

What is the virtue in collaboration among practitioners in practical educational research? And if collaboration as elaborated here matters enough for us to care, how will our lives as practitioner-researchers be different? This thesis argues that collaborative research is more than a way of distributing the research burden; it forms a paradigm of practice which requires new modes of conduct andthinking. I illustratethetransformation of my practice from a collaborative methodology to a collaborative ethics, in which changes in status and relationships between participants implied new forms and sources of knowledge. The context of the thesis is a police training college …

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Interactive Teaching In The National Numeracy Strategy: Tensions In A Supportive Framework, Nick Pratt Jan 2004

Interactive Teaching In The National Numeracy Strategy: Tensions In A Supportive Framework, Nick Pratt

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis is an exploratory study of teachers' and children's understandings of the National Numeracy Strategy, and of interactive whole class teaching in particular. It starts by identifying aspects of the Strategy that are of significance to teachers and develops these by detailing the challenges that face them in teaching in this way. Data are collected by means of interviews and classroom observations, progressively focusing the study. In particular, the way in which teachers and children understand the role of discourse in whole class discussion is examined. This understanding illuminates a tension between the rhetoric of the Strategy, which appears …

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Factors Influencing The Seawater Solubility Of Aerosol Associated Trace Metals, Angela Biscombe Jan 2004

Factors Influencing The Seawater Solubility Of Aerosol Associated Trace Metals, Angela Biscombe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Recent recognition of the importance of trace metals in oceanic biogeochemical cycling and of the significance o f atmospheric trace metals inputs to marine waters, highlights the need to assess the dissolved trace metals inputs from atmospheric sources. Atmospheric inputs are important to the surface waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, due to the reduction of riverine inputs. High-volume aerosol samples were collected from Haifa, Israel and Erdemli, Turkey in 1996. These samples were characterised by air mass back trajectories, because contrasting aerosol sources (urban and crustal) are apparent in this region. Trace metal (Cu, Pb and Zn) seawater solubility studies …

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Arsenic In The Pak Pa-Nang River Basin, Thailand, Saravuth Rattanachongkiat Jan 2004

Arsenic In The Pak Pa-Nang River Basin, Thailand, Saravuth Rattanachongkiat

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Pak Pa-Nang River Basin is located in southern Thailand. Its environmental degradation has been arising because its catchment is mineralized with substantial deposits of tin forming part of the SE Asian Tin Belt, with the presence of arsenopyrite gives rise to high arsenic concentrations, mobilized during past mining activity. Suitable techniques have been developed, for the extraction of arsenic species in a variety of environmental and biological samples. Trypsin and cellulase enzymatic extraction procedures were used to extract arsenic species from fish and plant samples, respectively. Arsenic species in sediments were determined following 1 M H3P04 extraction in an …

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New Strategies To Determine The Distribution Of Trace Elements In Soils And Sediments, Rebeca Santamaria-Fernandez Jan 2004

New Strategies To Determine The Distribution Of Trace Elements In Soils And Sediments, Rebeca Santamaria-Fernandez

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Sequential chemical extraction to fractionate metals in soils and sediments into different groups reflecting their "leachability" has been widely employed to determine distribution of metals in different physico-chemical phases. A large number of sequential extraction schemes have been reported, most of them modifications of Tessier's extraction protocol. Although this method has been widely accepted, it is important to highlight that sequential extraction procedures are often tedious and time consuming and that they also suffer from a number of limitations, such as the problem of achieving selective dissolution and the re-adsorption of trace metals during extraction. The objective of this study …

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Amino Acids As Diagnostics Of Soil And Soil Water Quality, Jane Madge Bobart Hawkins Jan 2004

Amino Acids As Diagnostics Of Soil And Soil Water Quality, Jane Madge Bobart Hawkins

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Information on the contribution of amino acids to dissolved organic nitrogen and carbon exported from grassland soil is scarce. Evidence from the literature for other environments, suggests that determination of amino acid patterns of distribution may be a useful method for improved understanding of the interaction of microbial synthesis and degradation of organic N in conjunction with soil physical states. A sample pre-concentration technique and an HPLC methodology were developed that enabled the determination of dissolved free (DFAA) and combined (DCAA) amino acids in natural waters at picomolar concentration. These methods were used to examine the content of amino acids …

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Holocene Palaeoclimate Reconstruction From New Zealand Peatlands, Zoe Jennifer Hazell Jan 2004

Holocene Palaeoclimate Reconstruction From New Zealand Peatlands, Zoe Jennifer Hazell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

A selection of palaeoecological proxies were tested on two raised, ombrotrophic, restiad peat bog sites from the North Island of New Zealand. With varying degrees of success, peat humification, testate amoebae, plant macrofossil and charcoal analyses contributed to determining the palaeomoisture records from three cores on each site. Climatic inferences have successfully been made for the Waikato region, mid North Island, over the period between the Tuhua (6,130±30 14C years BP; 6,800-7,150 cal. years BP) and Taupo (1,850±10 14C years BP; 1,650-1,800 cal. years BP) tephras. 47 AMS radiocarbon ages contributed to the production of age-depth models. The peat humification …

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Development Of Water Resources In Bahrain: A Combined Approach Of Supply-Demand Analysis, Mubarak Aman Al-Noaimi Jan 2004

Development Of Water Resources In Bahrain: A Combined Approach Of Supply-Demand Analysis, Mubarak Aman Al-Noaimi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Bahrain is an arid country with acute water shortage problems. The demand for water has increased substantially over the last four decades, leading to over-exploitation from the already scarce renewable groundwater resources. This has caused a significant decline in groundwater levels, a drastic storage depletion, and serious deterioration in groundwater quality. The imbalance between the available water supply and the projected water demand has been growing rapidly, imposing a major constraint on the country's socio-economic development. Resolving these problems or at least mitigating their adverse impacts primarily requires a major shift from the supply-oriented approach to water planning, which is …

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Aqueous & Non-Aqueous Phase Tracer Migration Through Differing Soil Textures, Anthony Johnson Jan 2004

Aqueous & Non-Aqueous Phase Tracer Migration Through Differing Soil Textures, Anthony Johnson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The National Grid Transco Company sponsored this project in order to promote the understanding of NAPL migration through b-horizon soils and retarding effects upon non aqueous species migration. Soil structure and texture was also studied using conservative (Bromide) and non-conservative (Phosphate) tracers. Experimental data was produced using a laboratory ½ metre scale automated lysimeter designed and constn1cted at Plymouth. The tracers were compared before oil injection, to calibrate differences in soil texture, and after oil injection to detect any changes in the flow patterns caused by the oil injection. It was found that the Crediton, Sollom and Conway soils respectively …

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The Mobility And Speciation Of Antimony In Contaminated Soils And Waters, Martin James Nash Jan 2004

The Mobility And Speciation Of Antimony In Contaminated Soils And Waters, Martin James Nash

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Total element concentrations, solid state partitioning and leaching characteristics of antimony are examined in surface soils at two contrasting field sites contaminated by former mining activities. These parameters are compared in each soil and related to selected soil properties and leachant solution pH to identify factors that influence the mobilisation of antimony in soils. Total element concentrations are determined in soils using an evaluated Mg(N03)2 ashing technique and highly elevated concentrations (up to 8202 mg kgˉ¹ antimony) are measured in soils formed on the surface of spoil heaps at these sites. A stream system bisects a spoil heap at one …

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Foraminiferal Distribution And Sequence Stratigraphy Of Oxfordian Successions In The Wessex/Anglo-Paris Basin, Melissa Jane Oxford Jan 2004

Foraminiferal Distribution And Sequence Stratigraphy Of Oxfordian Successions In The Wessex/Anglo-Paris Basin, Melissa Jane Oxford

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The use of micropalaeontology within a sequence stratigraphic context is rapidly emerging as a valuable tool for the recognition of ancient cycles and sequences. This study shows how micropalaeontology can be used to develop insights into sequence stratigraphic interpretations. A micropalaeontology study of two Upper Jurassic, Oxfordian successions from the South . Dorset Coast, U.K. and the Normandy Coast, France provide the basis for this study. A near continuous succession of the Oxfordian from South Dorset and Normandy were obtained, and foraminifera extracted. Examination of the fauna revealed representatives from 23 families, comprising 36 genera and 126 species. All species …

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Landslide Investigation In The Río Aguas Catchment, Southeast Spain, Andrew Barrie Hart Jan 2004

Landslide Investigation In The Río Aguas Catchment, Southeast Spain, Andrew Barrie Hart

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Many remote and/or rural communities Uve under the threat of major landslide activity. These remote areas are also increasingly the focus of development programmes which, without careful consideration of the ground conditions, will be at risk. The cost of mitigating against landslide activity can also be extremely high, possibly making prevention or avoidance the better long-term option. It is, therefore, of prime importance to assess the type and magnitude of the landslide activity affecting an area, particularly during the feasibility and planning stages of any project. The most straightforward approach to any landslide investigation is the compilation of a landslide …

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The Development Of Diatom-Nutrient Palaeolimnological Inference Models For Uk Lowland Reservoirs, Amy Burgess Jan 2004

The Development Of Diatom-Nutrient Palaeolimnological Inference Models For Uk Lowland Reservoirs, Amy Burgess

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Deterioration of UK lowland reservoir water quality through cultural eutrophication is of concern for both water supply and conservation. This study represents the first attempt to develop diatom-based palaeolimnological inference models for the assessment of eutrophication in UK lowland reservoirs. Models are developed from a 46-reservoir calibration set comprising surface sediment diatom assemblages and contemporary environmental data measured seasonally between May 1999 and October 2000. Following removal of outliers the dataset spans a total phosphorus (TP) gradient of 12-242 µgl ˉ¹ (mean = 63), a chlorophyll-α (Chla) gradient of 1.8-25.5 µgl ˉ¹ (mean = 63) and a conductivity (EC) gradient …

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High-Resolution Records Of Climate Change From Lacustrine Stable Isotopes Through The Last Two Millennia In Western Turkey, Matt Jones Jan 2004

High-Resolution Records Of Climate Change From Lacustrine Stable Isotopes Through The Last Two Millennia In Western Turkey, Matt Jones

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Knowledge of past chmate variability is vital if the causes of observed chmate changes since instrumental records began are to be fully understood, particularly those, post-1850 AD, possibly due to anthropogenic activity. The past two millennia provide a long enough background with which to compare post-r850 AD change, whilst errors on proxy records remain relatively small. In the Eastem Mediterranean changes in water balance are of particular interest as water is an important resource. Oxygen isotope records from lakes in the region record changes in water balance and are therefore an important archive for observing natural, and anthropogenicaly forced, variabiUty …

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Recovery Of The Mersey Estuary From Metal Contamination, Sarah Jane Watts Jan 2004

Recovery Of The Mersey Estuary From Metal Contamination, Sarah Jane Watts

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Mersey Estuary has received significant quantities of industrial wastes and sewage over several decades. Although contaminant loads are reducing and the estuary is showing signs of recovery, the sediment reservoir remains a repository of historical contamination and still contains high concentrations of trace metals and organic compounds. A combination of hydrodynamic, sedimentary and geochemical processes are responsible for maintaining trace metal concentrations at present-day levels. The distributions of trace metals in bed sediments reflect changes in granulometry, differences in POC content and the magnitude of past inputs rather than the locations of point sources in the estuary. The association …

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Specification Development For The Use Of Devon Cob In Earthen Construction, Kathryn Anne Coventry Jan 2004

Specification Development For The Use Of Devon Cob In Earthen Construction, Kathryn Anne Coventry

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The traditional earthen building practice of cob construction has been historically linked to Devon for many centuries. However no standards or specifications exist to facilitate a technical appraisal of the material. This thesis sets out to develop an appropriate test methodology for the classification and compressive strength determination of Devon cob. The absence of appropriate standards for cob construction is shown as a function of neglect for Devon cob as a potential construction material. National and international events that have re-kindled interest in earth as a building material are discussed, with particular reference to cob construction. A rationale is presented …

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The Interference Free Determination Of Selenium In Environmental And Clinical Samples By Icp-Ms, Justine Clare Turner Jan 2004

The Interference Free Determination Of Selenium In Environmental And Clinical Samples By Icp-Ms, Justine Clare Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The determination of selenium in environmental and clinical samples by ICP-MS is complicated by both poor sensitivity and severe interferences resulting from both the sample matrix and the argon plasma. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways of overcoming these problems thus enabling Se to be determined both accurately and precisely. A novel procedure for the accurate determination of selenium in serum using electrothermal vaporisation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP-MS) has been developed. A simple 1:20 dilution of the serum with 1% nitric acid negates the need for a lengthy sample digestion procedure. Several of the interferences …

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Conflict And Coastal Aquatic Sports: A Management Perspective, Karen Sumser-Lupson Jan 2004

Conflict And Coastal Aquatic Sports: A Management Perspective, Karen Sumser-Lupson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This comprehensive study of Coastal Aquatic Sports (CAS) has been undertaken because recorded evidence suggests that the growth of CAS is beginning to hinder the interconnectivity of dynamic coastal and estuarine systems. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Sustainable Development were selected as the framework for the development of this research. One of the main CAS related areas of concern was first exposed from a pilot study which indicated site saturation is occurring, causing conflict and confliction. Furthermore, evidence suggested that CAS is evolving in isolation from terrestrial sport and social recreational management procedures. Social change and government initiatives have …

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Holocene Sea-Level Changes Along The Channel Coast Of South-West England, Anthony Carl Massey Jan 2004

Holocene Sea-Level Changes Along The Channel Coast Of South-West England, Anthony Carl Massey

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

A Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) history for the south Devon coast is reconstructed through an analysis of twelve cores extracted from the coastal back-barrier environments of Bantham Sands, North Sands, Slapton Sands and Blackpool Sands. Foraminifera preserved in the sediments are assigned an indicative meaning based on the vertical distribution of their modem counterparts from contemporary salt marsh and mudflat environments in the Erme and Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuaries. The contemporary data provide the first inter-tidal (-2.6 to +2.6 m MTL) foraminifera-based transfer function for south-west England from which sea-level changes can be predicted with good precision (RMSEP = ±0.29 m). Sea-level …

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Biodegradation, Water Solubility And Characterisation Studies Of Unresolved Complex Mixtures (Ucms) Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Andrew Michael Booth Jan 2004

Biodegradation, Water Solubility And Characterisation Studies Of Unresolved Complex Mixtures (Ucms) Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Andrew Michael Booth

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Following release to the environment, crude oil becomes subject to weathering processes which remove the simple, volatile hydrocarbons leaving an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) comprising the more environmentally persistent components. Aromatic UCMs have been reported in a wide variety of environmental matrices. Recent studies indicate such material, particularly monoaromatic hydrocarbons, is sufficiently bioavailable to marine organisms (e. g. mussels) to elicit toxicological responses. However, little else is known about the environmental fate and composition of petroleum-derived aromatic UCMs. The overall aim of this work was to investigate aromatic UCMs with particular emphasis on their biodegradability, water solubility and composition. To …

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Particulate Phytochelatins As An Indication Of Metal Stress In Natural Waters, Silvia Keiko Kawakami Jan 2004

Particulate Phytochelatins As An Indication Of Metal Stress In Natural Waters, Silvia Keiko Kawakami

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The aim of this study was to investigate the metal stress response of phytoplankton in the Fal, Plym and Tamar Estuaries (SW England, UK) by field measurements of particulate phytochelatins (PCs) and glutathione (GSH) and their relationships with Cu speciation. A high performance liquid chromatographic method was optimised for the determination of particulate PCs and GSH from estuarine waters. Dissolved Cu speciation was determined using well established cathodic stripping voltammetric methods. Glutathione was found throughout the estuaries ranging from 0.6 to 274 µmol (g chl α)ˉ¹ , and PCs were detected mostly in the Fal samples at concentrations up to …

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Matching Provision To Needs : The Example Of Victim Support, Lesley Simmonds Jan 2004

Matching Provision To Needs : The Example Of Victim Support, Lesley Simmonds

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The current study is an evaluation of a voluntary sector service, Victim Support. The focal points of this work are the impact of crime upon victims and the extent to which they feel that Victim Support, as a service provider, has helped to restore their sense of equilibrium. In this way the success of a community response to crime is considered. The research was undertaken between 1998 and 2002 and was largely based upon the work of one local scheme; Victim Support, Plymouth. The study included the views of service users (victims of crime) and those of service providers (paid …

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Film And The Dartington Experience, David Edward Hilton Jan 2004

Film And The Dartington Experience, David Edward Hilton

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This project is a study of Dartington under the leading question "What is Dartington?' and comprises a number of interlinked methodological phases of enquiry. The first explores Dartington's use of film as a process of documenting its experimental activities, and as a commercial product in the form of the films made and distributed by the Dartington Hall Film Unit. The second strategy engages with archive film materials in the production of compilation videos, which were then developed into a series of Photoworks designed to facilitate a personal interpretation of its particular history. The third approach resulted in the production of …

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The Illustration Of Experience, Richard Jones Jan 2004

The Illustration Of Experience, Richard Jones

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis documents and describes a research project driven by the creative practice of an illustrator. It examines the proposition that the visual mark can act as a register of experience. The research comprises three bodies of work each of which address a specific issue within the broader context of the research proposition. Knowledge gained through practical exploration is discussed in the context of illustration as well as contemporary systems and models of aesthetic representation. Overview Chapter one discusses the origins of this research project and charts the establishment of a methodology. Working under the preliminary title The Illustration of …

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Moving Image - Still Life, Kiki Petratou Jan 2004

Moving Image - Still Life, Kiki Petratou

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

MOVEMENT AND TIME "Stasis was defined according to Schrader as the form that links the everyday in something unified and permanent".' Central to my research is the aim to create a still-life image from filmed scenes documenting the everyday actions in my living environment. In some cases however the scenes being staged function as allegories of the states and situations of daily life. I decided to mix staged and 'real' scenes because I did not want to create a documentary about the activities in my environment but to transform everydayness, as I perceive it, into the permanent and unified quality …

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