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 9991 - 10020 of 10977

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Sources And Structures Of Commonly Occurring Highly Branched Isoprenoid Alkenes, William Guy Allard Jan 2002

Sources And Structures Of Commonly Occurring Highly Branched Isoprenoid Alkenes, William Guy Allard

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes are ubiquitous lipids which have been identified in numerous geochemical samples, ranging from recent sediments to ancient oils. At the outset of the current investigation, the diatomaceous algae Haslea ostrearia (C25 alkenes) and Rhizosolenia setigera (C25 or C30 alkenes) were the only reported biological sources of these compounds. However, there remained a poor correlation between isomers found in diatoms and those commonly reported in sediments and water column particles. In the present study, the structures of fourteen novel C25 HBI trienes, tetraenes and pentaenes, and four C30 HBI pentaenes and hexaenes have been rigorously characterised …

Go to article

Observation And Modelling Of Fluid Transport Into Porous Paper Coating Structures, Joachim Schoelkopf Jan 2002

Observation And Modelling Of Fluid Transport Into Porous Paper Coating Structures, Joachim Schoelkopf

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In paper printing, one of the most important aspects for consideration is the control of ink setting rate. Ink setting, depending on ink and press type, is a function of evaporation, curing and removal of the liquid phase by capillary mechanisms steered by the porous substrate. In most cases, absorption by the substrate is the dominating mechanism. Many paper or board substrates are coated with a layer of pigment panicles and binders. It is recognised that the void network between these panicles has the most important influence on the absorption dynamics. Many aspects of liquid absorption into porous networks are …

Go to article

The Development Of A Methodology For The Identification Of Potential Wet Grassland Restoration Sites In South West England, Francien Van Soest Jan 2002

The Development Of A Methodology For The Identification Of Potential Wet Grassland Restoration Sites In South West England, Francien Van Soest

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Large scale drainage and pasture improvement in the past and present-day neglect of the floristically diverse wet grasslands in south west England have caused a significant decrease, approximately 92% since 1900. in the total area of this ecologically valuable semi-natural plant community. The plant community, which is locally called Culm grassland, consists of acid purple moor grassland, soft rush meadows and wet heaths. Conservation and restoration of these grasslands requires careful planning and efficient use of resources. This study was aimed at developing strategies for regional planning authorities and nature conservation agencies and developed a management tool for the selection …

Go to article

The Role Of Cellular Stress During Cold Ischaemic And Reperfusion Injury, Jonathan Richard Roberts Jan 2002

The Role Of Cellular Stress During Cold Ischaemic And Reperfusion Injury, Jonathan Richard Roberts

Peninsula Medical School Theses

The elemental physiology of the highly complex and regulated cellular response to stress remains poorly understood. Hypothermia and reperfusion are necessary and unavoidable stresses associated with the procurement, storage and transplantation of organs such as the kidney. Signal transduction pathways and transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved mediators of stress responses. This project has investigated the activation of the transcription factors Nuclear Factor kappa B (NFκB), Activator Protein 1 (AP1) and the Heat Shock Factor I (HSF1) as well as the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), p38, JNK and ERK 1 /2, during hypothermic and reperfusion stress in cultured endothelial cells …

Go to article

What Has Happened To Named Nursing? Perceptions Of The Named Nurse System, Ann Josephine Humphreys Jan 2002

What Has Happened To Named Nursing? Perceptions Of The Named Nurse System, Ann Josephine Humphreys

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the previously little researched area of the implementation of the Named Nurse Standard in hospital settings. The Standard formed part of the Government's programme of health service reforms that aimed to enhance the patient experience by having an identified nurse in charge of their care from admission to discharge. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify whether nursing work was organised to facilitate the named nurse concept and the patient's perception of who delivered their care. A case study approach in surgical wards in two NHS trusts enabled comparison of clinical …

Go to article

A Study Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor And Related Genes In Disease In Man, Karen Lynn Søndergaard Jan 2002

A Study Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor And Related Genes In Disease In Man, Karen Lynn Søndergaard

Other Faculty of Health Theses

In this study, the mRNA and protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1α), and a number of genes regulated by hypoxia (VEGF, GLUT-1, p53), were determined in four breast carcinoma cell lines, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with breast cancer and Type 1 diabetes (TIDM), and in human breast and brain tumour tissue. Breast carcinoma cells and PMBCs from both patients and normal controls were exposed to hypoxia (≤1% 0 2) and/or high glucose. Both up-regulated and down-regulated HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and p53 mRNA expression was observed in the breast carcinoma cell lines exposed to hypoxia and/or high …

Go to article

Generation Of In Vitro B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia- Specific T Cell Responses Using Dendritic Cells, Ruth Victoria Goddard Jan 2002

Generation Of In Vitro B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia- Specific T Cell Responses Using Dendritic Cells, Ruth Victoria Goddard

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Immunotherapy using dendritic cells has shown encouraging results in both haematological and non-haematological malignancies. In this study, monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia were generated by culture in Interleukin-4 and Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor. Lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells were used as antigen presenting cells in co-culture with autologous B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia T-cells. B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia T-cells stimulated with B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells showed a significant increase in cell surface expression of Interleukin-2 Receptor (CD25), Interferongamma secretion and cytotoxicity against autologous B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia B-cell targets hut not against targets …

Go to article

Genetic Analysis Of The Microvascular Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus, Deborah F Cross Jan 2002

Genetic Analysis Of The Microvascular Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus, Deborah F Cross

Other Faculty of Health Theses

There is increasing evidence to suggest that genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus. Recent studies have suggested that genetic variations in the aldose reductase (ALR2) gene may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to microvascular complications. Aldose reductase is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the polyol pathway and is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular disease (nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy). It has recently been shown that the three polymorphisms of the ALR2 gene are associated with susceptibility to microvascular complications in both TIDM and T2DM. The aim of this study was to …

Go to article

Port State Control And Its Implication On Ship Safety, Stephen Yiu Kwong Li Jan 2002

Port State Control And Its Implication On Ship Safety, Stephen Yiu Kwong Li

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Over the past twenty years a growth in sub-standard shipping has been observed. The thesis identifies the causes of this growth. It then identifies Port State Control (PSC) as a measure evolved by some states, with the purpose of removing sub-standard shipping from their waters, and thereby improving maritime safely and the protection of the environment. The purpose of this programme of research is to assess the effectiveness of PSC in achieving its purpose. An eclectic research methodology has been adopted which first considers, in depth, the global and regional context in which PSC functions. Taking the Port of Hong …

Go to article

Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills Jan 2002

Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This research seeks to contribute towards the understanding of economic linkage within the rural context by exploring the relationship between rurally located small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their purchase of producer (business) services. In addition, the work considers other inter-rural and intra-rural differences, in both firm (SME) behaviour and firm characteristics. Whilst the subject of linkages has been explored by other researchers, the market town and SME focus of this thesis provides a more spatially contained framework than is often encountered within this type of research. By using four towns of similar size and structure contained within two noticeably …

Go to article

The Influence Of Extracts Of Ascophvllum Nodosum On Plant And Soil-Borne Pathogen Interactions, Felisberta Maria Jesus Cunha Jan 2002

The Influence Of Extracts Of Ascophvllum Nodosum On Plant And Soil-Borne Pathogen Interactions, Felisberta Maria Jesus Cunha

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis presents an investigation into the responses to extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum (Maxicrop seaweed extracts - MSE) of two different plants species - wheat and strawberry, and their interactions with two soil-borne pathogens, Gaeumannomyces graminis and Phytophthora fragariae respectively, under various environmental conditions. The responses to MSE using hydroponic, glasshouse and field experiments showed that levels of Take-all infection in wheat were reduced by some of the treatments applied. Repeat experiments showed that consistency of results was poor but a positive trend for disease suppression followed MSE treatments. Studies of strawberry infection by Phytophthora fragariae revealed a significantly reduced …

Go to article

Controlling The Police: Local Autonomy In Policy And Practice, Richard John Applegate Jan 2002

Controlling The Police: Local Autonomy In Policy And Practice, Richard John Applegate

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis assesses the influence of The Home Office, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulaiy, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Audit Commission, the Local Police Authority, and the Chief Constable on local policy makers and impleinenters within the Devon & Cornwall Constabiilary. It is based on five policy areas: the structmre of the organisation. The Citizens' Charter, Annual Policing (now Performance) Plans, Domestic Violence Policy, and Equal Opportunities Policy. Unlike previous research, it brings together the issues of policy and practice at all levels of the organisation through interviews with senior managers in the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and …

Go to article

Dorothy Elmhirst And The Visual Arts At Dartington Hall 1925 - 1945, Rachel Harrison Jan 2002

Dorothy Elmhirst And The Visual Arts At Dartington Hall 1925 - 1945, Rachel Harrison

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis has been written with the intention of providing an account of the development of the visual arts at Dartington Hall in the inter-war period. Particular emphasis has been placed throughout on the role of Dorothy Elmhirst, the joint founder of the Dartington project, in the creation of one of Britain's most innovative experiments in rural regeneration in the twentieth century. Dorothy was a woman of considerable wealth, but her contribution to the Dartington enterprise extended beyond merely financial considerations. Her background as an American heiress enables, in the early stages of the thesis, an evaluation of her patronage …

Go to article

Spaces Of Appearance: Writings On Contemporary Theatre And Performance, Antony David C. Williams Jan 2002

Spaces Of Appearance: Writings On Contemporary Theatre And Performance, Antony David C. Williams

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis, a collection of previously published materials, reflects a plural and evolving engagement with theatre and performance over the past fifteen years or so: as researcher, writer, editor, teacher, practitioner, spectator. These have rarely been discreet categories for me, but rather different modalities of exploration and enquiry, interrelated spaces encouraging dynamic connectivities, flows and further questions. Section 1 offers critical accounts of the practices of four contemporary theatre directors: Jerzy Grotowski, Robert Wilson, Peter Brook and Ariane Mnouchkine. Section 2 draws on elements of contemporary philosophy and critical thinking to explore the mutable parameters of performance. lt proposes performative …

Go to article

From Here To Diversity : Ethnicity In The National Health Service, Nicholas Richard Johns Jan 2002

From Here To Diversity : Ethnicity In The National Health Service, Nicholas Richard Johns

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Nearly twenty years after the ground-breaking report by Brent Community Health Council (CHC) (1981) into the standard of health care provided to minority ethnic communities, there is continuing evidence of failure on the part of the National Health Service (NHS). One of the ways in which the New Labour government has sought to address such inadequacies in public services has been to increase the numbers of minority ethnic people in the workforce. The central argument of this thesis is that the notion of 'ethnic diversity' has not been adequately defined, and that the practical implications of diversity may be the …

Go to article

The Development Of A Transactional Analysis Psychometric Tool For Enhancing Functional Fluency, Susannah Fleur Temple Jan 2002

The Development Of A Transactional Analysis Psychometric Tool For Enhancing Functional Fluency, Susannah Fleur Temple

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Functional Fluency denotes efficacy of interpersonal functioning in terms of flexibility and balance of the behavioural modes a person uses. The aim of this project is to design and create a psychometric tool for mapping the patterns of such functioning. The intention is that feedback on the test results will stimulate the insights and understanding to support and encourage positive behavioural change. This process, involving the development of self-awareness, which is a key aspect of emotional intelligence, will thus promote emotional literacy. Transactional Analysis (TA) ego state theory provides the basis for the rational-theoretical strategy of instrument construction, which uses …

Go to article

Painting Silence, Graham Clucas Jan 2002

Painting Silence, Graham Clucas

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This research examines the history and theory o f silent' painting to discover why particular paintings were called silent, what the term was meant to signify, and how the quality of silence was discernible in the paintings it described. The imderstanding thus gauied is in tum the subject of further analysis through (documented) reflective practice, which recognises a broader context of contemporary theoretical and practical viewpoints. The purpose is to investigate, through practice, the characteristics and potentialities of silence. From the emergence of'silent' painting in America during the 1950s and 60s, the idea of silence is examined in terms of …

Go to article

Liminal Blankness : Mixing Race And Space In Monochrome's Psychic Surface, Angeline Dawn Morrison Jan 2002

Liminal Blankness : Mixing Race And Space In Monochrome's Psychic Surface, Angeline Dawn Morrison

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Blank space in western Art History and visual culture is something that has tended to be either explained away, or ignored. Pictures that do not depict challenge the visual basis of the ego and its others, confronting what I call the `Phallic reader' (who sees according to the logic and rules of the Phallogocentric system he inhabits) and potentially disturbing his sense of the visible. The Phallic reader, the visible and the seeing ego's sense of how to see, meet in what I call the `psychic surface'. Deploying this notion of a `psychic surface' allows for readings which move on …

Go to article

Development Of The Bill Of Lading : Its Future In The Maritime Industry, Samantha Peel Jan 2002

Development Of The Bill Of Lading : Its Future In The Maritime Industry, Samantha Peel

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This Thesis will consider the development of the traditional bill of lading from its origins, which appear to be much older than previously considered, up to the present day. The development of the bill of lading will be examined in order to answer basic questions: what is a traditional bill of lading, and what functions does it perform. In Part I of the Thesis the development of the three main functions of the traditional bill will be considered, namely receipt, contract, document of title. It will conclude with observations on the nature of the traditional bill of lading and how …

Go to article

The Role Of The Rov Within Integrated Geotechnical And Hydrographic Site Investigation, Rosemary Jayne Browning Gillon Jan 2002

The Role Of The Rov Within Integrated Geotechnical And Hydrographic Site Investigation, Rosemary Jayne Browning Gillon

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The acquisition of marine survey data is traditionally undertaken from surface vessels including boats and temporary rigs. Translation of these techniques to the nearshore zone is a complex task and requires equipment adaptation and. often the sacrifice of data coverage. The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) offers the potential for overcoming some of the standard nearshore survey Concems, providing remote intervention and data acquisition in areas of restricted access. In situ testing is the most efficient and reliable method of acquiring data with minimal sediment disturbance effects. Research has been undertaken into the viability of nearshore cone penetration testing (CPT) which …

Go to article

Studies Of The Response Of Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer To Radiotherapy, Zakaria Issa Saki Jan 2002

Studies Of The Response Of Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer To Radiotherapy, Zakaria Issa Saki

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate several biological markers that may predict the response of muscle invasive transitional cell carcinoma TCC of the bladder to radical radiotherapy. The specific markers chosen were tumour angiogenesis (CD31 &CD34), tumour cell proliferation (Ki-67) and apoptosis (bcl-2), intratumour macrophage infiltration (CD68) and p53. Archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded pre treatment bladder biopsies from 101 patients with muscle invasive TCC were obtained. All patients subsequently received radical radiotherapy as their only treatment for the disease. 4µm sections were graded according to the WHO grading system and staged by the TNM classification. Angiogenesis (CD31&CD34) …

Go to article

Quantification Of Marine Megafaunal Distribution Patterns Using A Remotely Operated Vehicle, David Matthew Parry Jan 2002

Quantification Of Marine Megafaunal Distribution Patterns Using A Remotely Operated Vehicle, David Matthew Parry

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis documents the development and application of the Automated Benthic Image Scaling System (ABISS), a novel structured lighting array for calculating image scale, accounting for perspective, to allow quantitative non-destructive megafaunal sampling using observations from a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Megafauna are important components of marine soft sediment assemblages that influence the composition of the associated assemblage and the flux of energy across the sediment-water interface, by altering the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediment during bioturbation. However, megafaunal species are not sampled adequately using traditional techniques. Megafaunal abundance estimates derived from ROV observations were validated against those …

Go to article

Measuring Efficiency Of Container Ports: An Analysis By Organisational And Ownership Structure, Vincent Francis Valentine Jan 2002

Measuring Efficiency Of Container Ports: An Analysis By Organisational And Ownership Structure, Vincent Francis Valentine

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Fundamental to any business is the concept of performance. This can be compared by using the competition as a benchmark for achievement or by comparing performance with previously defined goals and objectives. Stakeholders constantly demand to know whether their investmerit in a company is obtaining an adequate return and whilst there are established accounting techniques to calculate return on investment or capital employed, calculating efficiency can be rather a grey area in some industries. Ports are no exception and it is only by comparison that performance can be evaluated. Ports are, however, a complex business with many different sources of …

Go to article

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham & Margaret Mellis - The Gendered Construction Of 'St Ives' Display, Positioning And Displacement, Nedira Yakir Jan 2002

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham & Margaret Mellis - The Gendered Construction Of 'St Ives' Display, Positioning And Displacement, Nedira Yakir

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Compared to other avant-gardes of modernism the detailed analysis of what has come to be known as the 'St Ives School' is still in its infancy, and lags behind the detailed attention lavished on modernisms in Paris, New York and other western capitals. Most publications about St Ives are by English non-academic agents: The Tate, and popularist writers. Both groups are entrenched to varying degrees in monographic writing that privileges and enhances the masculine myth of the (male) artist as genius. This thesis examines the means and modes that brought about masculine reputation construction and aims to deconstruct much of …

Go to article

Micro-Affordances In Visual Mental Imagery And Visual Short-Term Memory, Noreen Derbyshire Jan 2002

Micro-Affordances In Visual Mental Imagery And Visual Short-Term Memory, Noreen Derbyshire

School of Psychology Theses

Micro-affordance effects have been reported for several different components of the reachto- grasp action during on-line visual processing (Tucker and Ellis, 1998; Ellis and Tucker, 2000; and Tucker and Ellis, 2001). One property of these effects is that they have been shown to terminate once an object is removed from view (Tucker and Ellis, 2001). This thesis describes eight experiments that examine the presence of micro-affordance effects during off-line visual processing. All eight experiments employ a stimulus-response compatibility paradigm. Three different experimental designs were employed to examine the presence of micro-affordance effects arising from the relationship between: (a) the power …

Go to article

The Role And Uses Of Market Research In Small And Medium Sized Exporting Companies, Jasmine Elizabeth Mary Williams Jan 2002

The Role And Uses Of Market Research In Small And Medium Sized Exporting Companies, Jasmine Elizabeth Mary Williams

Plymouth Business School Theses

Wise use of information leads to knowledge, and with that knowledge comes power (van der Vegt 1998). The importance of information to marketing success is well documented (Kohli and Jaworski 1990), and recent years have seen a burgeoning academic interest in the area of export market information and research (EMI/R) use (Diamantopoulos and Souchon 1999). This dissertation comprises the results of, and reflections on, an investigation into the EMIR activities of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in the UK. A review of the literature uncovers the unique, informal and personal nature of these activities. The fieldwork takes a grounded approach, …

Go to article

An Empirical Analysis Of Takeover Predictions In The Uk: Application Of Artificial Neural Networks And Logistic Regression, Asim Yuzbasioglu Jan 2002

An Empirical Analysis Of Takeover Predictions In The Uk: Application Of Artificial Neural Networks And Logistic Regression, Asim Yuzbasioglu

Plymouth Business School Theses

This study undertakes an empirical analysis of takeover predictions in the UK. The objectives of this research are twofold. First, whether it is possible to predict or identity takeover targets before they receive any takeover bid. Second, to test whether it is possible to improve prediction outcome by extending firm specific characteristics such as corporate governance variables as well as employing a different technique that has started becoming an established analytical tool by its extensive application in corporate finance field. In order to test the first objective, Logistic Regression (LR) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have been applied as modelling …

Go to article

Market Orientation, Competitive Strategy Type And Performance In Independent Retail Businesses : A Contingency Analysis In A Market Town Context, Philip Rhys Megicks Jan 2002

Market Orientation, Competitive Strategy Type And Performance In Independent Retail Businesses : A Contingency Analysis In A Market Town Context, Philip Rhys Megicks

Plymouth Business School Theses

In recent years there has been significant interest in the performance of independent retail businesses located in UK market towns as they face up to new patterns of competition and demand. However prior to this study there has been only a very limited understanding of the factors that contribute the success and failure of these individual small businesses. This thesis fills a gap in the literature relating to the performance of these small firms through empirical analysis and the application of management research methods in a contextual setting. Based upon a comprehensive review of relevant literature spanning the boundaries of …

Go to article

A Model-Based Definition Of The Generic Remanufacturing Business Process, Winifred Ijomah Jan 2002

A Model-Based Definition Of The Generic Remanufacturing Business Process, Winifred Ijomah

Plymouth Business School Theses

Remanufacturing is a process of bringing used products to a "like-new" functional state by rebuilding and replacing their component parts. The practice has a low profile in world economies, however, studies indicate that it obtains cost savings in the region of 20% to 80%, as well as quality similar to that of an equivalent "new" product. In fact, in excess of 73,000 firms are engaged in some sort of remanufacturing in the United States alone. The key remanufacturing issues are the ambiguity in its definition and the scarcity of its analytic models. The objective of the research was to address …

Go to article

Barriers To Creativity In The Conceptual Phase Of Engineering Design : Perceptions Of Designers At Rolls Royce Aerospace (Bristol) In New Projects Engineering, Rachel Amanda Jane Carkett Jan 2002

Barriers To Creativity In The Conceptual Phase Of Engineering Design : Perceptions Of Designers At Rolls Royce Aerospace (Bristol) In New Projects Engineering, Rachel Amanda Jane Carkett

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Anecdotal evidence from experienced engineers suggest that barriers to creativity are often due to the limitations of current technology, methods and support systems (Baird, Moore, & Jagodzinski, 2000). The aim of this research was to explore what the perceived barriers to creativity are and how they are circumvented by design engineers working in New Projects Engineering (NPE), Rolls-Royce Aerospace (Bristol). Semi-structured interviews with four employees working in engineering design comprised a Scoping Study. This provided a general overview of the major issues perceived by the design engineers regarding barriers to creativity and resulted in six themes being identified. These themes …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last