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Privatisation, Rural Railways And Community Development, Theresa Maria Lowndes Jan 1997

Privatisation, Rural Railways And Community Development, Theresa Maria Lowndes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis examines two separate, but interrelated, issues, namely rail privatisation and rural dependency on the availability of rail transport. The thesis was based on the proposition that rural accessibility permits the development and sustainability of the social and economic lives of a community and that this interrelationship is currently threatened by rail privatisation and the associated risks of line closures or service cutbacks. To test this proposition a thorough investigation into the theory and practice of privatisation was completed, together with a comprehensive survey of the travel arrangements of people living in rural communities served by branch line railways. …

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Plio-Pleistocene Drainage Evolution Of The Vera Basin, Se Spain, Martin Stokes Jan 1997

Plio-Pleistocene Drainage Evolution Of The Vera Basin, Se Spain, Martin Stokes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Vera Basin is used as a case study to examine the structural evolution and sedimentary response of a basin undergoing uplift and inversion during the Plio-Pleistocene. Particular emphasis is placed on the drainage evolution during that period. Located within the Internal zone of the Betic Cordilleras, the Vera Basin is defined within a large left-lateral shear zone and has evolved as a reponse to isostatic uplift from nappe emplacement during the Oligocene, and by regional compressive tectonics. Since basin formation during the Seravallian, sedimentary fill has been dominantly marine. During the Plio-Pleistocene a switch from marine to continental conditions …

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Recession As An Agent In The Restructuring Of Tourist Accommodation, Andrew John Clegg Jan 1997

Recession As An Agent In The Restructuring Of Tourist Accommodation, Andrew John Clegg

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Academic research into economic restructuring in the tourist industry has solely focused on the strategies adopted by large chain hotel companies and little attention has been paid to the strategies adopted by small scale, family-run accommodation establishments. This sector is particularly significant for traditional resort areas in the UK. For example, in Torbay, Devon (as in most seaside resorts), there is an absence of large chain hotels and small-scale accommodation establishment pl ay an integral role in the local tourism economy.Consequently, an understanding of the competitive pressures and restructuring strategies in this sector is essential in maintaining the long-term health …

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Late-Glacial And Holocene Variations In Fire Frequency In The Central Plateau And Yellowstone-Lamar Provinces Of Yellowstone National Park, Sarah Hooper Millspaugh Jan 1997

Late-Glacial And Holocene Variations In Fire Frequency In The Central Plateau And Yellowstone-Lamar Provinces Of Yellowstone National Park, Sarah Hooper Millspaugh

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The fire history in two geovegetation provinces in Yellowstone National Park was reconstructed to determine relations between postglacial climate change, fire frequency, and vegetation. Fire reconstructions were based on charcoal preserved in lake-sediment cores from the Central Plateau and Yellowstone-Lamar Provinces, and fire-related erosional events were inferred from changes in sediment magnetism. The fire records were compared with pollen data and paleoclimatic reconstructions for the past 17,000 years. In the Central Plateau Province, infertile soils restricted the vegetation response to Holocene climate changes, but fire frequency changed continuously as a result of variations in the intensity of summer drought. Fire …

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Comparative Analysis Of The Turkish And European Union Passenger Ferry Market In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hatice Funda Yercan Jan 1997

Comparative Analysis Of The Turkish And European Union Passenger Ferry Market In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hatice Funda Yercan

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis covers Turkish and EU maritime policies for the passenger ferry industries. It concentrateso n the positioning of ferry operatorsi n the passengefre rry market in the Eastern Mediterranean. A general background to Turkey and to its maritime industry is drawn before developing a model. A positioning model is developed in a quantitative approach to this research. Furthermore, it is operationalised by using the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Technique within multivariate analysis. A specific programme, MDPREF, from the MDS(X) Series of MDS Programmes is used for the calculation and illustration of the analysis. The Positionso f the Turkish and EU …

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Counter-Urbanisation, Housing And Households In Cornwall, Carol Williams Jan 1997

Counter-Urbanisation, Housing And Households In Cornwall, Carol Williams

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Over the last thirty years Cornwall has experienced a dramatic population expansion. Population growth has had effects in many areas, but particularly in housing. The increased demand for housing from those migrating into the area has inflated house prices, yet the Cornish economy is afflicted by low wage levels and high unemployment rates, creating a `mortgage gap' for long term residents. This coupled with the decline in availability of both publicly and privately rented accommodation has resulted in what has been termed a housing `crisis' (George 1987, Deacon et al. 1988, Lennon 1991, Williams 1993). It has been suggested that …

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Iran's Potential As A Landbridge For Former Ussr Republics: A Scenario Approach, Parviz Bavarsad-Ahmadi Jan 1997

Iran's Potential As A Landbridge For Former Ussr Republics: A Scenario Approach, Parviz Bavarsad-Ahmadi

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The concept of a landbridge refers to different types of integrated origin-destination international movements of shipments (in various combinations of sea, land and air) under a single waybill. There are different examples of landbridges with different characteristics related to transport supply facilities, organisational structure and managerial skills. Certain limitations of existing landbridge studies are discussed. They include the failure of a comprehensive academic study to account jointly for both demand and supply of landbridge services. Most articles on landbridges discuss the Trans-Siberian Railway or east-west coast landbridges of the United States of America. No comprehensive academic studies of landbridges in …

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The Location And Restructuring Of The Uk Defence Industry: The Case Of The South West, Timothy Neil Williams Jan 1997

The Location And Restructuring Of The Uk Defence Industry: The Case Of The South West, Timothy Neil Williams

Plymouth Business School Theses

The objective of this thesis is to determine the factors influencing the location of the defence industry in the UK and assess the impact of recent changes at the regional level. Such changes include cuts in defence expenditure and a re-evaluation of the methods of military procurement. The thesis begins with a descriptive analysis of defence markets and an explanation of the way in which the post-war UK defence sector has been supported by a relatively large and stable defence equipment budget. A review of the relevant literature suggests that defence markets are characterised by a number of unique features. …

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Growth And Performance Of Small And Medium Sized Enterprises In Rural Peripheral Locations, Matthew John Gorton Jan 1997

Growth And Performance Of Small And Medium Sized Enterprises In Rural Peripheral Locations, Matthew John Gorton

Plymouth Business School Theses

Since the 1970s the number of small firms in the UK has risen, but at temporally and spatially uneven rates. These trends have heightened interest in the role of local economies in shaping small firm growth and performance. This thesis considers the growth and performance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in rural peripheral locations in the UK. In measuring this, quantitative survey work was undertaken in rural core as well as rural peripheral localities, with the former acting as a benchmark for comparison. lJtilising returns from standardised postal questiormaires both the performance of the agricultural and non-agricultural …

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Rurality, Locality And Industrial Change: A Micro-Scale Investigation Of Manufacturing Growth In The District Of Leominster, Richard Yarwood Jan 1996

Rurality, Locality And Industrial Change: A Micro-Scale Investigation Of Manufacturing Growth In The District Of Leominster, Richard Yarwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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The Spatial Characterisation Of Transitional Areas Between Plant Communities: A Case Study From Upland Britain, Wendy Jane Gill Jan 1996

The Spatial Characterisation Of Transitional Areas Between Plant Communities: A Case Study From Upland Britain, Wendy Jane Gill

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The concept of the ecotone was formalised by Clements (1 905) as a boundary zone between plant communities. Little research exists on the ecological importance or the geographical variability of these zones. Two types of boundaries are acknowledged: the ecotone and the ecocline. The ecotone is a sharp boundary; the ecocline a gradual boundary. The term 'transitional area' is proposed here to more accurately describe these areas as this research demonstrates that a complex continuum exists between the two end points. Additionally, mosaics often complicate the nature of the transition and may form a boundary type in their own right. …

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Industrial Restructuring And Revitalisation In The Uk Coastal Zone, Sarah Jane Harcombe Jan 1996

Industrial Restructuring And Revitalisation In The Uk Coastal Zone, Sarah Jane Harcombe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis provides an analysis of the social, economic and environmental consequences of oil refinery closures in the coastal zone of the UK. It assesses the subsequent economic regeneration of the sites affected, and discusses in particular the redevelopment processes that have occurred at two of the sites. Despite recent calls for a more integrated approach to the coastal zone, much work that is done still takes place within single disciplines. In contrast this work adopts an holistic approach and therefore also contributes to the growing body of interdisciplinary coastal studies.

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Socioeconomic Processes Of Land Degradation In Guadalajara Province (Spain), Jose Domingo Garcia Perez Jan 1996

Socioeconomic Processes Of Land Degradation In Guadalajara Province (Spain), Jose Domingo Garcia Perez

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Despite the great growth and interest in the study of socioeconomic processes of land degradation in many parts of the world, relatively little attention has been paid to these in Spain. Foresters play an important part in the national strategy to solve the problems of land degradation. It might be expected that after the changes which restored political democracy in Spain in the late 1970s, a reorganization of the way the planning and implementation of soil and water conservation projects through reforestation would be effected. The reforestation agencies of the Government could have improved the effectiveness of conservation by acknowledging …

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Human-Environmental Relations On Bodmin Moor During The Holocene, Benjamin Richard Gearey Jan 1996

Human-Environmental Relations On Bodmin Moor During The Holocene, Benjamin Richard Gearey

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis describes palaeoenvironmental investigations on Bodmin Moor aimed at determining the timing, nature and extent of human induced environmental change on the moor. Pollen, charcoal and loss-on-ignition investigations were carried out at two main areas with chronological control provided by radiocarbon dating. The first area investigated was Rough Tor where five sequences were examined.

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Remote Sensing Of Suspended Sediment, Samantha Jane Lavender Jan 1996

Remote Sensing Of Suspended Sediment, Samantha Jane Lavender

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

A remote sensing near infrared suspended sediment algorithm is developed from first principles and applied to Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imagery (CASI) data flown over the Humber Estuary. Laboratory measurements were used as the basis for the algorithm development, with the resulting spectra indicating that the ideal wavelength for a suspended sediment algorithm is the near infrared. The resulting algorithm took the form of a waveband ratio which was subsequently validated with a semi-analytical water optics model based on the absorption/scattering properties of the optically active constituents. The model was then used to derive a global water-leaving radiance algorithm, which is …

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Joint Determination Of Demand For Inputs And Choice Of Rice Varieties In Northern Thailand, S Rahman, S Sriboonchitta Jun 1995

Joint Determination Of Demand For Inputs And Choice Of Rice Varieties In Northern Thailand, S Rahman, S Sriboonchitta

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The paper explores the potential of Khao Dawk Mali expansion in Northern Thailand as well as presents estimation of demand for variable inputs and choice of rice varieties as jointly determined by the profit-maximizing farmers. Results reveal that, Khao Dawk Mali provides economic advantage over glutinous varieties and can be conceived as a better alternative crop particularly in areas with inadequate irrigation and water control facilities. Consideration of the possibility of rice variety switching, that is, allowing the movement along a meta-production function, improved the elasticity estimates. A two-stage switching regression procedure which adjusts for selectivity bias is used to …

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Development Of A Tracer Technique For The Study Of Suspended Sediment Dynamics In Aquatic Environments, Jonathan K. Marsh Jan 1995

Development Of A Tracer Technique For The Study Of Suspended Sediment Dynamics In Aquatic Environments, Jonathan K. Marsh

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The development and field testing of a particle tracing technique for the prediction and monitoring of cohesive sediment transport is described. Natural, chemical and water soluble dye tracers have been used for many years to determine water circulation in order to predict sediment transport. Radioactive and fluorescent particles have been used widely to predict sediment particle transport, but have been restricted mainly to non-cohesive sand and gravel transport studies due to the difficulties of preparation, handling, disassociation of the label from the particle and labour-intensive analysis. The development of a fine cohesive tracing technique therefore offered a significant advancement for …

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Stakeholder Approach To The Segmentation Of The Short Haul Business Air Travel Market, Keith John Mason Jan 1995

Stakeholder Approach To The Segmentation Of The Short Haul Business Air Travel Market, Keith John Mason

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The marketing literature deals inadequately with markets which show characteristics of both consumer and industrial markets. In this work such markets are called hybrid markets. The research attempts to find an appropriate research approach for the short haul business related air travel market, which has hybrid market characteristics. Recent studies of the business travel market (Stephenson and Fox, 1987, Toh and Hu. 1988 and 1990) have investigated corporate and traveller attitude towards frequent flier programmes (see Glossary). However, as yet the airline marketing literature has not investigated the role the purchasing organisation (the employer of the traveller) has to play …

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Occupational Commitment Under Conditions Of Social Change: The Case Of Professional Marine Engineering In Taiwan, Yan-Nan Chiang Jan 1995

Occupational Commitment Under Conditions Of Social Change: The Case Of Professional Marine Engineering In Taiwan, Yan-Nan Chiang

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The thesis is concerned with investigating the area of occupational commitment to marine engineering of students from various levels of higher education in maritime institutions. From a general description of socioeconomic change and its relationship to the seafaring profession, the study focuses on the case of Taiwan. A review of literature on commitment demonstrates that commitment may vary as the social-economy changes over time. As technology changes, ships' officers, more specifically marine engineers, are required by shipowners to be educated to degree level. The emphasis in this study is upon the commitment to the shipping industry of young engineering students …

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The Learn To Travel Project: A Case Study Of Curriculum Innovation In Primary Schools, Peter Mason Jan 1995

The Learn To Travel Project: A Case Study Of Curriculum Innovation In Primary Schools, Peter Mason

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis is a case study of curriculum innovation in the primary school at a time of major change during the introduction of the National Curriculum. It involved a small number of primary schools, teachers and children. In particular the processes and impacts of the innovation were investigated. Action research methodology (Carr and Kemmis, 1986 McNiff, 1988) was employed and teachers' plans, classroom activities and children's responses were analysed. The research informs us about the nature and effects of opportunities created and constraints imposed by the National Curriculum. The case study indicates that teachers responded to the innovation as if …

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Bracken (Pteridium Aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) Stand Characterisation On The North York Moors: A Study Of The Rhizome And Frond System With Regard To A Large Scale Control Programme, Stephen Mark Holloway Jan 1994

Bracken (Pteridium Aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) Stand Characterisation On The North York Moors: A Study Of The Rhizome And Frond System With Regard To A Large Scale Control Programme, Stephen Mark Holloway

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Large-scale rhizome sampling on the North York Moors together with an assessment of published bracken sampling protocols concluded that small-scale sampling of the rhizome system is inadequate to describe upland bracken stands accurately. It is also concluded that the frond cannot be used as an indicator of the rhizome system before or after treatment to achieve bracken control. An improved sampling strategy is proposed which increases the reliability of data collected and the validity of any conclusions drawn form such data. The structure of bracken rhizome systems, from separate stands on the North York Moors, were found to be distinct …

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

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

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

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

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The Role Of Ice Nucleation Active Bacteria In Frost Damage To Early Sown Solanum Tuberosum Var. Jersey Royal, Philip Le Grice Jan 1993

The Role Of Ice Nucleation Active Bacteria In Frost Damage To Early Sown Solanum Tuberosum Var. Jersey Royal, Philip Le Grice

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The present study indicated that S. tuberosum var. Jersey Royal could supercool to temperatures as low as -6ºC during in-vitro frost tests, whereas in the field freezing occurred at immediate sub-zero temperatures (between 0 and -1ºC). The microbial flora upon the early. sown S. tuberosum var. Jersey Royal did not contain INA bacterial species active at warm sub-zero temperatures. Plants inoculated with a strain of Ps. syringae (84:27) containing type 1 active nuclei readily froze at -2 to -3ºC. Applications of leaf surface water applied to plants during in-vitro frost tests resulted in nucleation temperatures comparable to those measured in …

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A Portable Battery-Powered Flow Injection Monitor For The In Situ Analysis Of Nitrate In Natural Waters., N. J. Blundell, A. Hopkins, P. J. Worsfold, H. Casey Jan 1993

A Portable Battery-Powered Flow Injection Monitor For The In Situ Analysis Of Nitrate In Natural Waters., N. J. Blundell, A. Hopkins, P. J. Worsfold, H. Casey

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The design and performance of a portable, automated flow injection (FI)-based photometric monitor are described. The system is controlled by an in-house microcomputer system that enables the monitor (including a solid state detector) to operate from a 12 V battery supply. The monitor uses the cadmium reduction/diazotization method to analyse for nitrate with a linear range of 0 to 12 mg l(-1) and a limit of detection of 0.05 mg l(-1) (NO(3)-N). The hardware and software design, monitor performance and results obtained during unattended operation are presented.

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Horizons: A Vocational Approach To The National Curriculum, Ka Howgill, A Harris Dec 1992

Horizons: A Vocational Approach To The National Curriculum, Ka Howgill, A Harris

Plymouth Institute of Education

No abstract provided.

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Automated Cold Vapour Flow-Injection Analysis Of Mercury At High Concentrations., W. T. Corns, L. C. Ebdon, S. J. Hill, P. B. Stockwell Jan 1991

Automated Cold Vapour Flow-Injection Analysis Of Mercury At High Concentrations., W. T. Corns, L. C. Ebdon, S. J. Hill, P. B. Stockwell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Continuous-flow cold vapour- atomic fluorescence spectrometry is shown to be an extremely sensitive technique for the determination of mercury with detection limits typically below 0.01 mug l(-1). Linear calibration ranges were found to be at least four orders of magnitude (i.e. up to 0.1 mg l(-1)). Samples with concentrations exceeding the linear range are susceptible to self-absorption, and may, in severe cases, cause carry-over problems between samples. The flow-injection approach has been utilized to extend the upper limit of the linear calibration range allowing determinations up to 10 mg l(-1) of mercury. A range of certified reference materials and zinc …

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On-Line Analyte Preconcentration With Atomic Spectrometric Detection., L. Ebdon, A. S. Fisher, S. J. Hill, P. J. Worsfold Jan 1991

On-Line Analyte Preconcentration With Atomic Spectrometric Detection., L. Ebdon, A. S. Fisher, S. J. Hill, P. J. Worsfold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Pre-concentration of analytes, or matrix removal to overcome interferences using mini- or micro-columns of exchange media prior to atomic spectrometric detection is becoming increasingly more common. This paper is a review of some of the more recent applications of chelating, ion exchange and other resins and gels that have been used to accomplish this.

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The Late Quaternary History Of The River Erme, South Devon, Susan Creak Jan 1991

The Late Quaternary History Of The River Erme, South Devon, Susan Creak

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis examines a typical 'drowned* river valley of south-west England. The River Erme drains southern Dartmoor and, in common, with other rivers of the region, has a buried channel graded to c. -50m OD. The channel has been infilled with a variety of sediments, of which the top 6-7m have been analysed for this study. Augered cores have been collected from the modern floodplain and salt marsh areas in the lower part of the valley and have been studied using particle size, diatom, molluscan and radiocarbon analyses. The main sediment types recovered include a fine silt unit representing the …

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Geographical Perspectives On Residential Provision For The Elderly: With Special Reference To The Voluntary Sector, Margaret Bochel Jan 1990

Geographical Perspectives On Residential Provision For The Elderly: With Special Reference To The Voluntary Sector, Margaret Bochel

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

At a time of increasing concern as to how best to care for the growing elderly population in Britain, this thesis examines the spatial distribution of residential care and sheltered housing for this group of the population. With the present government policies of reducing public expenditure and reliance on State welfare services, the main focus of the thesis is on the changing role of the voluntary sector and in particular on its geographical distribution. Little is known about the size and scope of the voluntary sector in Britain, still less about the operation of such organisations in service provision.

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Optimal Weather Routeing Procedures For Vessels On Trans-Oceanic Voyages, Simon Calvert Jan 1990

Optimal Weather Routeing Procedures For Vessels On Trans-Oceanic Voyages, Simon Calvert

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Three sets of algorithms are formulated for use in a variety of models :- * Ship performance algorithms. * Optimisation algorithms. * Environmental data. Optimisation models are constructed for deterministic minima, with time, fuel and cost objective functions. Models are constructed for an actual ship, (M. V. DART ATLANTIC), and realistic working solutions are obtained based on real-time weather information, simulating an actual on-board, computer based system, using dynamic programming. Several combinations of algorithm types are used in the the models, enabling comparisons of effectiveness. Thus, the ship performance algorithms incorporate severally; simple ship speed loss curves, ship resistance, ship …

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