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 2911 - 2940 of 2981

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

From Rivers To Oceans: A Comparison Of Contrasting Aquatic Ecosystems Using Benthic Size Spectra, Ahmed El-Sayed Ahmed Abada Jan 2000

From Rivers To Oceans: A Comparison Of Contrasting Aquatic Ecosystems Using Benthic Size Spectra, Ahmed El-Sayed Ahmed Abada

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

This thesis uses a range of different size spectra to compare contrasting benthic habitats in the aquatic realm. Temporal and spatial variation in benthic size spectra were investigated across a full salinity gradient (i.e. from freshwater, through estuarine to marine) in the River Yealm, south Devon, in order to gauge the influence of large differences in taxonomy and evolutionary history. Abundance and biomass size spectra showed a similar pattern among sites in all seasons but winter, suggesting that the size structure of benthic communities may be similar in sites with very different community compositions. A subsequent study comparing size spectra …

Go to article

Extending Literacy : Pupils' Interactions With Texts, With Particular Emphasis On The Use Of Non-Fiction Texts, Maureen Lewis Jan 2000

Extending Literacy : Pupils' Interactions With Texts, With Particular Emphasis On The Use Of Non-Fiction Texts, Maureen Lewis

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

The submitted works explore how children use texts in the classroom and how they can be supported in becoming more effective readers and writers. Most of the work is based around pupil's use of non-fiction texts and provides case study examples of what happens when children engage in tasks which require their use. I argue that we can elaborate a model to describe the processes involved in such encounters. This proposed model is described and compared to earlier attempts to create a model of the process of interacting with non-fiction texts. It is further argued that specific strategies can be …

Go to article

Metal Biogeochemistry Of A Mine Contaminated Estuarine-Coastal System In Sw Spain, Charlotte Braungardt Jan 2000

Metal Biogeochemistry Of A Mine Contaminated Estuarine-Coastal System In Sw Spain, Charlotte Braungardt

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The aim of this project was to investigate the biogeochemistry and transport of metals in a river/estuarine system contaminated by acid mine drainage. The Rio Tinto and Rio Odiel drain a metalliferous mining area in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in the south-west of Spain. The pH values in the rivers were low (< 3) and dissolved metal concentrations were . extremely high, up to 2.6 mM Zn, 860 \M Cu, 6.0 jaM Cd and 72 nM U . The seasonal cycle of low precipitation and flash floods was identified as an important factor in generating the more severe contamination of the rivers with Fe, A l , Mn, Zn, Cu, N i , Co and Cd observed during autumn and winter, compared to spring and summer. The estuarine behaviour of dissolved Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, N i , Co and Cd was primarily = controlled by pH. Apart from an addition of these metals from the sediment in the upper Tinto estuary, conservative mixing was observed up to pH ~ 5 (at S ~ 30), above which Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, N i and Co were removed from solution. Voltammetric speciation studies showed that Cu complexing organic ligands (logK'cuL ~ 11-5, CL = 32 - 199 nM) in the estuary were saturated, and thermodynamic calculations indicated that the concentration of Cu^"^ reached values (pCu^"^ < 9) that are toxic to some marine and estuarine organisms. The estimation of fluxes indicated that the dissolved metal export from this system to thecoastal zone averages 101 d'^ Zn, 2.3 t d"' Cu, 180 kg d"^ N i and 236 kg d"^ Co, with higher contributions during wet, compared to the dry seasons. On-line measurements of Zn, Cu and N i in the Gulf of Cadiz revealed metal plumes associated with the Tinto/Odiel system and the Guadiana and Guadalquivir rivers. As a result of entrainment by the Atlantic Ocean surface current flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, the metal contamination in waters of the Gulf of Cadiz is transported south and eastward.

Go to article

A Regional Coastal Zone Management System, Victor James Abbott Jan 2000

A Regional Coastal Zone Management System, Victor James Abbott

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis documents research undertaken to investigate the operation of coastal zone management in and around south Devon in the south west of the United Kingdom. The concept of coastal zone management has brought an integrated approach to the coastal zone in many placed around the world and examples of these are given (Chapter Two) to illustrate the mature nature of coastal zone management in these places. These are contrasted with the current UK use of a sectoral rather than a holistic approach.

Go to article

Analysis Of Marketing Strategies In Polish Ports, Aleksandra Urszula Pieczek Jan 2000

Analysis Of Marketing Strategies In Polish Ports, Aleksandra Urszula Pieczek

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The service sector of economy is a field of growing interest to marketing research and in particular such services as provided by seaports. However, these activities have rarely been considered to date. This project consists of three parts. Firstly a review of service marketing approaches, their status and development, the nature of marketing strategies and the marketing mix had to be provided. Also the development of marketing in seaports had to be examined. The focal elements discussed were the elements of the services provided by seaports, and competition between them in the context of Poland Secondly the situation in Eastern …

Go to article

The Thermal Properties Of Cob Buildings Of Devon, Steve Goodhew Jan 2000

The Thermal Properties Of Cob Buildings Of Devon, Steve Goodhew

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Little has been published concerning the thermal properties of existing unbaked earth walls. In order to model the thermal behaviour of a building constructed using traditional cob walls, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity need to be established. The Centre for Earthen Architecture (CEA), based at the University of Plymouth's School of Architecture has carried out research into various aspects of cob architecture typical to the Devon area. This study supplements other work concerning the moisture content, structure and pathology of cob as a building material. This research concentrates upon the development of a time dependent probe technique for the …

Go to article

Live Interpretation: An Asset, Or An Indulgence? In The Fields Of Education And Entertainment, How Valuable Is Live Interpretation As An Effective Tool Of Communication?, Dawn Helen Stevens Jan 2000

Live Interpretation: An Asset, Or An Indulgence? In The Fields Of Education And Entertainment, How Valuable Is Live Interpretation As An Effective Tool Of Communication?, Dawn Helen Stevens

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis aims to assess the value of live interpretation as a tool of communication, by treating it as a form of design, and by comparing examples of practice in the field with other contemporary design techniques. Chapter two lists a selection of active practitioners across the field of informal and formal education, and entertainment within the area of Britain's cultural heritage. It provides a taste of the professional industry, and includes information like how many interpreters are employed, what techniques they favour, and what educational programmes they run. Likewise in the voluntary /hobbyist sector, the chapter notes membership numbers, …

Go to article

Ecological Risk Assessment Of Endocrine Disruptors, Th Hutchinson, R Brown, Ke Brugger, Pm Campbell, M Holt, R Länge, P Mccahon, Lj Tattersfield, Egmond R Van Jan 2000

Ecological Risk Assessment Of Endocrine Disruptors, Th Hutchinson, R Brown, Ke Brugger, Pm Campbell, M Holt, R Länge, P Mccahon, Lj Tattersfield, Egmond R Van

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Performance Characteristics Of A Low-Cost, Field-Deployable Miniature Ccd Spectrometer., S. Coles, M. Nimmo, P. J. Worsfold Jan 2000

Performance Characteristics Of A Low-Cost, Field-Deployable Miniature Ccd Spectrometer., S. Coles, M. Nimmo, P. J. Worsfold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Miniature spectrometers incorporating array detectors are becoming a viable, low-cost option for field and process deployments. The performance characteristics of one such instrument are reported and compared with those of a conventional benchtop instrument. The parameters investigated were wavelength repeatability, photometric linearity, instrumental noise (photometric precision) and instrumental drift.

Go to article

Losing Ground : Locational Formulations In Argumentation Over New Travellers, Rebecca Barnes Jan 2000

Losing Ground : Locational Formulations In Argumentation Over New Travellers, Rebecca Barnes

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis is an exercise in discursive psychology. The body of discourse analysed concerns the defence of rural space against New Travellers. In contrast to previous sociological and human geographical work in this area, instead of newspaper articles and Parliamentary discourse, participants' talk and texts are the starting point for the - investigation. The data corpora have been generated from a variety of sources: Focus group discussions with police officers; interviews with landowners (or their representatives); letters to the editors of local newspapers; and private letters of complaint to a local council. The thesis focuses on the participants' selection of …

Go to article

Optimization Of An Automated Fi-Ft-Ir Procedure For The Determination Of O-Xylene, Toluene And Ethyl Benzene In N-Hexane, Ian Wells, Paul J. Worsfold Jul 1999

Optimization Of An Automated Fi-Ft-Ir Procedure For The Determination Of O-Xylene, Toluene And Ethyl Benzene In N-Hexane, Ian Wells, Paul J. Worsfold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The development and optimization of an automated flow injection (FI) manifold coupled with a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) detector for the determination of toluene, ethyl benzene and o-xylene in an n-hexane matrix is described. FT-IR parameters optimized were resolution and number of co-added scans; FI parameters optimized were type of pump tubing, carrier flow rate and sample volume. ATR and transmission flow cells were compared for the determination of o-xylene, the ATR cell was easier to use and gave better figures of merit, except for sensitivity, for which the transmission cell was twice as good. Multivariate calibration routines were applied …

Go to article

The Distribution And Reactivity Of Organochlorines In Estuaries, Andrew O. Tyler Jan 1999

The Distribution And Reactivity Of Organochlorines In Estuaries, Andrew O. Tyler

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In February 1997, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme initiated a protocol to reduce the risks to human health and the environment arising from persistent organic pollutants. The initial list of 12 families of organochlorine pollutants included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) selected for their persistence, bioaccumulation capacity and toxicity. The aim of this work was to further understanding of the behaviour of these organochlorines (OCs) in estuarine systems. Field surveys were conducted at UK estuarine (Humber, Clyde and Dee) and coastal locations. Sediments were analysed for OCs and a range of …

Go to article

Laminated Sediments Of Loch Ness, Scotland: Indicators Of Holocene Environmental Change, Michael Colin Cooper Jan 1999

Laminated Sediments Of Loch Ness, Scotland: Indicators Of Holocene Environmental Change, Michael Colin Cooper

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Sediment cores, two approximately 6 metres and one about 1 metre in length, were recovered from the profundal plain of the northern basin of Loch Ness, Scotland. Examination revealed that the sediment is composed of irregular sequences of pale and dark laminations, most sub-millimeter in thickness, some ca 5 mm thick. Enumeration of laminae, and determination of lamination thickness, was carried out using X-radiography and image analysis. A hypothesis was developed that the finer laminations represent varves. This was tested by means of lamination counting, and by radiocarbon dating of material from one 'long' core. Comparison of the two chronologies …

Go to article

Parental Choice In Secondary Education : Socio-Spatial Dynamics And Motivation, Edward Michael Parsons Jan 1999

Parental Choice In Secondary Education : Socio-Spatial Dynamics And Motivation, Edward Michael Parsons

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis has two main aims. First, to establish whether the strengthening in 1988 of the right of parents to choose a secondary school for their child has led to increased travel to out-of-catchment schools in a case study area. Second, to identify the extent of socio-spatial variation of patterns and trends in choice of school. Secondary school transfer data relating to over 16,000 children for 1991 and 1993 to 1995 was analysed in a Geographical Information System (GIS). One hundred and sixty two parents of children about to transfer to secondary school were interviewed with the objective of revealing …

Go to article

Privatising Britain's Passenger Railway : Expectations And Outcomes Of The 'Free' Market Approach, Jon Shaw Jan 1999

Privatising Britain's Passenger Railway : Expectations And Outcomes Of The 'Free' Market Approach, Jon Shaw

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The privatisation of the British railway industry was announced in 1992, and a central plank of the government's strategy was to liberalise British Rail's (BR's) passenger market at the time of its divestiture. Competition was to be introduced both for the market, through franchising, and in the market, by freeing up access to the rail network. This thesis examines the policy adopted to promote competition in the British passenger railway industry. Its central aim is to assess the extent to which the promotion of competition between passenger train operators was an appropriate policy goal. In pursuit of this aim, the …

Go to article

Soil Moisture Variability: Implications For The Hydrology, Erosion And Management Of Gullied Catchments In Central Spain, Christopher Fitzjohn Jan 1999

Soil Moisture Variability: Implications For The Hydrology, Erosion And Management Of Gullied Catchments In Central Spain, Christopher Fitzjohn

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In semi-arid environments, the combination of a non-uniform distribution of vegetation, an often highly irregular terrain and complex geological, pedological and management histories have frequently given rise to considerable spatial variability in the physical and hydrological properties of soils. Heterogeneity within the soil's physical and hydrological properties can result in pronounced differences in infiltration and soil moisture. The hydrological response of semi-arid landscapes to rainfall events may therefore be spatially non-uniform. Quantifying the spatial pattern of hydrological response is important for identifying those areas within the landscape which arc vulnerable to runoff and erosion. Since soil moisture is considered to …

Go to article

Made In The Gdr : The Changing Geographies Of Women In The Post-Socialist Rural Society In Mecklenburg-Westpommerania, Bettina Van Hoven-Iganski Jan 1999

Made In The Gdr : The Changing Geographies Of Women In The Post-Socialist Rural Society In Mecklenburg-Westpommerania, Bettina Van Hoven-Iganski

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis explores women's experiences in rural areas under state socialism in the GDR and in the New Germany since 1989. The study is located within feminist geographical thinking and draws on a variety of qualitative and quantitative sources. Data for the research were collated through various research methods both qualitative and quantitative including correspondence, focus group interviews, key informant interviews, and the consultation of documentary evidence and statistical sources. The thesis employs a modified grounded theory approach. Data were processed and analysed using the computer-assisted analysis programme NUD.IST Version 4.0. The thesis focuses on questions that emerge from a …

Go to article

Issues For Music And Education In West Africa, Trevor Wiggins Jan 1999

Issues For Music And Education In West Africa, Trevor Wiggins

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

My published output represents an ongoing engagement with the issues of studying, learning, understanding and transmitting music. More specifically, it has the music of Ghana in West Africa as its primary focus. This music is then considered from a number of points of view:- • as music, where the sonic events can be charted, documented and analysed • as 'ethnic' music where the function and meaning of this music for its culture can be considered • as a cultural artefact where the changing processes of transmission and preservation are observed • as pedagogical material where the nature of learning related …

Go to article

The Landscapes Of Richard Long: Perspectives On Prehistory, Space And Sculptural Form, Ian Wightman Jan 1999

The Landscapes Of Richard Long: Perspectives On Prehistory, Space And Sculptural Form, Ian Wightman

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between the work of Richard Long and prehistory. This is understood to operate at two levels. Firstly, Long's critical reception has repeatedly made connections between his work and prehistory, many of which are overly simplistic. Secondly, and underlying this response, it is proposed that we can point to a more productive understanding of Long's practice which frames his work within the concept of existential space. At this level of enquiry, more appropriate connections with prehistory can be made which help to explain both his working practice and the critical reactions to it. Chapter I, 'Introduction …

Go to article

A Submersible Battery-Powered Flow Injection (Fi) Sensor For The Determination Of Nitrate In Estuarine And Coastal Waters., Anthony R.J. David, Trevor Mccormack, Paul J. Worsfold Jan 1999

A Submersible Battery-Powered Flow Injection (Fi) Sensor For The Determination Of Nitrate In Estuarine And Coastal Waters., Anthony R.J. David, Trevor Mccormack, Paul J. Worsfold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The design, construction and performance of a remotely deployed submersible flow injection-based nutrient (total oxidized nitrogen) sensor are described. The sensor featured a custom-built microcomputer and a solid-state, flow-through spectrophotometric detector, and the derivatization chemistry was based on in-line copper-cadmium reduction of nitrate to nitrite, and diazotization with N1NED and sulphanilamide. The limit of detection was 0.0014 mg l(-1) NO3-N and the linear range was 0.0014- 0.77 mg l(-1) with a 260 microl sample volume and a 20 mm path length flow cell. Results from submersed deployments in the Tamar estuary and North Sea are also reported.

Go to article

Energy Demand Perspectives In Bangladesh, (1992/93 – 2019/20), S Rahman Jun 1998

Energy Demand Perspectives In Bangladesh, (1992/93 – 2019/20), S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The present paper attempted to forecast the demand for primary energy broadly categorized into: (a) commercial (coal, petroleum, natural gas, and hydropower), and (b) non-commercial energy (rice hull and straw, jute stick, firewoods, crop wastes, etc.) for the period 1992/93-2019/20 AD to facilitate in the energy sector planning and development. The demand forecast, based on past time series data (1972/73-1991/92), is made by utilizing two methods: (a) "Market Penetration Theory" that uses trend extrapolation and inter-fuel substitution priniciples, and (b) "Trend Extrapolation Model" taking into account the the exogenous variables, e.g., GDP and energy/GDP ratio. Results reveal that the fractional …

Go to article

Trace Metal-Particle Water Interactions In The Western North Sea, Joanna Dixon Jan 1998

Trace Metal-Particle Water Interactions In The Western North Sea, Joanna Dixon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The distribution of trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd and Pb) has been determined in dissolved and particulate phases, along with relevant hydrographic parameters, from the nearshore coastal zone of the western North Sea (between 52ON and 56ON) during four Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) surveys covering the seasonal cycle (autumn 1994 to summer 1995) The behaviour of the redox-sensitive metals, Fep and Mnp in the western North Sea were strongly correlated (r>0 44 for all seasons, P<0 05) in all surveys and exhibited maximum concentrations in winter (16 mg g -1 and 700 ug g-1 respectively) which progressively decreased throughout the year Distinct seasonal variations were also observed for particulate Cu, Cd and Pb For example, enhanced concentrations of Cup (36 ± 39 ug g-1) and Cdp (0.36 ± 0.42 ug g -1) in the Humber coastal zone during summer were attributed to preferential particulate organic/biogenic-metal interactions. In contrast enhanced, though diffuse, atmospheric inputs of Pb from continental winds were considered to have contributed to the elevated Pbp concentrations (82 ± 27 ug g -1) observed offshore during winter Results from radiotracer incubation experiments suggest that biological activity makes a significant contribution to the removal of dissolved Mn and Cd to the particulate phase. However, a phase lag of two to three months between maximum primary productivity and maximum particulate metal adsorption (KD=2 X 104 & 5 x 102 for Mn and Cd respectively) indicates a decoupling from the spring plankton bloom In general metal distributions in the Humber coastal zone were significantly influenced by freshwater discharge, tidal regime at the mouth of the estuary and prevailing wind conditions Total trace metal fluxes across the mouth of the Humber Estuary were highest during spring (311, 8 96 & 1045 kg day-1, for Cu, Cd and Pb respectively) and lowest during summer (25 7, 1 .12 & 33 4 kg day-1, for Cu, Cd and Pb respectively) They were dominated by variations in freshwater outflow and the tidal range during sampling On an annual basis comparison to estuarine inputs (rivers, industry and sewage sources) suggested retention of Cu (25%) and Cd (56%) Estimates of partitioning (KD) were derived from the dissolved and particulate data for Cu, Cd and Pb over the seasonal cycle Copper was dominated by the particulate phase (73-80%) in all seasons but summer, whilst Cd showed particulate phase dominance (54-70%) in autumn and winter only The Pb distributions were dominated by the particulate phase (94-99%) independent of season Trace metal settling velocities implied that the Humber Plume was acting as a sink for Cu, Cd and Pb in winter and spring However settling velocities calculated for Cd and Pb (flood tide) in summer were similar to background suspended particulate matter (SPM) suggesting long range transport with the residual circulation. Modelling of Pb isotopic ratios in the Humber Plume suggested that on average 32-39% of the extracted Pbp originated from anthropogenic sources The data from this study has given unique information concerning the concurrent seasonal distributions of particulate trace metals in the western North Sea and have yielded new insights into mechanisms affecting trace metal cycling and transport, essential in the development and refinement of coupled hydrodynamic-geochemical models.

Go to article

Technological Change And Women’S Participation In Crop Production In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Jk Routray Jan 1998

Technological Change And Women’S Participation In Crop Production In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Jk Routray

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

There is a dearth of information on the employment effects of modern agricultural tech nology on rural women in Bangladesh. The present study1 looks at women's participation in crop production activities, examines their influence in the diffusion of modern technol ogy and their participation in the hired labor market. Data for this study comes from two intensive surveys conducted in the crop years 1989 and 1996 in three agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. Findings suggest that the prevailing claim-that women are involved only in post- harvest processing of crops-underestimates their contribution to agricultural production. Women's share of total labor is 10-18 …

Go to article

The Gender Implications Of The European Community Free Movement Of Persons Provisions, Jane Elizabeth Sweeting Jan 1998

The Gender Implications Of The European Community Free Movement Of Persons Provisions, Jane Elizabeth Sweeting

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis was carried out as part of a wider comparative study that was funded by the University of Plymouth and the Equal Opportunities Unit of the European Commission. Researchers from Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden participated in this study. This thesis is based on the research that was earned out in London for which the author was solely responsible. The impetus for this research was to explore the implications for women of a largely unexplored aspect of European Community (EC) legislation. A lot of attention has focused on EC equal opportunities legislation but very little has been …

Go to article

Theatre Of Life: Rituals, Transition And Progression Among The Igbo, Mary-Blossom Chinyelum Okafor Jan 1998

Theatre Of Life: Rituals, Transition And Progression Among The Igbo, Mary-Blossom Chinyelum Okafor

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The Igbo are perpetual celebrants of life. Their need to celebrate life means that the Igbo will ceaselessly try to make the best of life, because they believe that although life may be full of uncertainties, such uncertainties are only temporary. So, the Igbo will celebrate whatever fortune brings in the knowledge that tomorrow will definitely be different. It is this insight into the transitory nature of things that makes the Igbo celebrate life, aware that time has the ability to obliterate uncelebrated memories. In the researcher's opinion, this work has succeeded in establishing the fact that the study and …

Go to article

A Reassessment Of The Hybrid Approach To The Construction Of Regional Input-Output Tables, Steven Brand Jan 1998

A Reassessment Of The Hybrid Approach To The Construction Of Regional Input-Output Tables, Steven Brand

Plymouth Business School Theses

This thesis lays the foundation for the creation of an economic database for the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the form of a regional input-output table. The thesis reconsiders the popular hybrid approach to the construction of such tables. In particular, the nonsurvey-to-survey ordering of procedure is questioned. The thesis attempts to restore a more logical preference-order which begins with first-best (survey) estimation methods and extends to second-best (survey-based-nonsurvey) methods. The third-best methods of estimation (pure nonsurvey i.e. location quotient) are excluded from the process altogether. The thesis is largely concerned with the development of the second-best method. The …

Go to article

An Investigation Into The Development Of Engineering Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Mathematics, Wendy Mary Maull Jan 1998

An Investigation Into The Development Of Engineering Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Mathematics, Wendy Mary Maull

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Following widespread concern over an apparent decline in the mathematical skills of engineering students, this study employed survey and observation methods to investigate the ways in which engineering students understand mathematical concepts, and to compare these with the concepts held-by students of mathematics. It was found that the engineering students employ a different vocabulary from mathematics students in discussing mathematics, and that their understanding of mathematical concepts develops differently from mathematics students both in response to teaching (which appears to be a transitory effect) and as their experience gives meaning to the ideas in life outside study. These findings are …

Go to article

Environmental Variables, Including Pollutants, Affecting Living Benthonic Foraminiferida, Catherine Jane Manley Jan 1997

Environmental Variables, Including Pollutants, Affecting Living Benthonic Foraminiferida, Catherine Jane Manley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Studies of living benthonic foraminiferal assemblages carried out by marine biologists are comparatively rare. This study of the changes in foraminiferal assemblages from three subtidal sites near Plymouth, U.K., has been carried out with the intention of determining the importance of various abiotic and biotic variables to the foraminiferal communities studied using statistical correlation. Temperature and salinity at depth and particle size characteristics together with organic content, bacterial abundance and type, and other meiofauna present were assessed monthly with samples taken for foraminiferal content, and for seasonal diatom analysis. Deformed specimens were very rare in the examined samples of natural …

Go to article

Geochemical And Palynological Signals For Palaeoenvironmental Change In South West England, Steven West Jan 1997

Geochemical And Palynological Signals For Palaeoenvironmental Change In South West England, Steven West

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis evaluates the utility of a geochemical technique for the investigation of palaeoenvironmental change in south west England. The method, EDMA (Energy Dispersive X-ray Micro Analysis), is a rapid, non-destructive analysis tool, capable of detecting a large range of geochemical elements. This research examines the most appropriate method of sample preparation for organic soils and peats, and investigates the reliability of results gained from EDMA with respect to conventional bulk geochemical techniques. A detailed study focused on a range of different sedimentary sites in south west England where a variety of palaeoenvironmental changes were thought to occur. Pollen analysis …

Go to article

The Palaeo-Ecology And Biostratigraphy Of The Foraminifera From The Oxfordian Of North Dorset, Andrew Scott Henderson Jan 1997

The Palaeo-Ecology And Biostratigraphy Of The Foraminifera From The Oxfordian Of North Dorset, Andrew Scott Henderson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Oxfordian rocks of north Dorset are poorly exposed at outcrop. A drilling operation was devised and implemented and the complete sequence of strata from the Weymouth Member of the Oxford Clay Formation through to the Ringstead Waxy Clay Formation was penetrated. Three boreholes were drilled; the Hallett's Farm Borehole, covering the strata from the stratigraphically youngest Ringstead Waxy Clay Formation down to the Cucklington Oolite; the Bowden Farm Borehole, continuing the sequence from the Cucklington Oolite into the lower part of the Hazelbury Bryan Formation and the Hartmoor Hill Borehole which continues downward into the Oxford Clay Formation. A …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last