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Process-Property-Fabric Architecture Relationships In Fibre-Reinforced Composites, Neil Robert Lewarne Pearce Jan 2001

Process-Property-Fabric Architecture Relationships In Fibre-Reinforced Composites, Neil Robert Lewarne Pearce

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The use of fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composite materials is growing at a faster rate than GDP in many countries. An improved understanding of their processing and mechanical behaviour would extend the potential applications of these materials. For unidirectional composites, it is predicted that localised absence of fibres is related to longitudinal compression failure. The use of woven reinforcements permits more effective manufacture than for unidirectional fibres. It has been demonstrated experimentally that compression strengths of woven composites are reduced when fibres are clustered. Summerscales predicted that clustering of fibres would increase the permeability of the reinforcement and hence expedite the …

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Team Player Styles, Team Design Variables And Team Work Effectiveness In Egypt, Ghada Awed Hassan El-Kot Jan 2001

Team Player Styles, Team Design Variables And Team Work Effectiveness In Egypt, Ghada Awed Hassan El-Kot

Plymouth Business School Theses

The literature has revealed few studies of management in Arab countries in general and particularly in Egypt. Many Egyptian organisations implemented the team concept a number of years ago, however, there do not appear to be any studies investigating team work effectiveness in Egypt. The literature review and the findings of a pilot study emphasised the need for empirical research in team work in Egypt. Team effectiveness models are examined in order to identify the factors that may enhance team effectiveness in Egypt. Team behavioural models are also examined to identify the importance of balanced team membership and its relationship …

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Team Player Styles, Team Design Variables And Team Work Effectiveness In Egypt, Ghada Awed Hassan El-Kot Jan 2001

Team Player Styles, Team Design Variables And Team Work Effectiveness In Egypt, Ghada Awed Hassan El-Kot

Plymouth Business School Theses

The literature has revealed few studies of management in Arab countries in general and particularly in Egypt. Many Egyptian organisations implemented the team concept a number of years ago, however, there do not appear to be any studies investicitaýt inc",D team work effectiveness in Egypt. The literature review and the findings of a pilot study emphasised the need for empirical research in team work in Egypt. Team effectiveness models are examined in order to identify the factors that may enhance team effectiveness in Egypt. Team behavioural models are also examined to identify the importance of balanced team membership and its …

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Introducing Integrated Performance Measurement Into Small And Medium Sized Enterprises, Melanie Hudson Jan 2001

Introducing Integrated Performance Measurement Into Small And Medium Sized Enterprises, Melanie Hudson

Plymouth Business School Theses

The thesis extends current knowledge and understanding of integrated performance measurement (PM) development into the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The research builds on existing knowledge of integrated PM development approaches and identifies the context-specific factors which affect its introduction into SMEs. These are used to design, develop and validate a new, continuous improvement based approach for the development of integrated PM systems, which is specifically designed for use in SMEs. First, a conceptual model of criteria for integrated PM development is synthesised from the literature and the characteristics of SMEs are established. An evaluation of current …

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Investigation Into Digital Audio Equaliser Systems And The Effects Of Arithmetic And Transform Errors On Performance, Robin John Clark Jan 2001

Investigation Into Digital Audio Equaliser Systems And The Effects Of Arithmetic And Transform Errors On Performance, Robin John Clark

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Discrete-time audio equalisers introduce a variety of undesirable artefacts into audio mixing systems, namely, distortions caused by finite wordlength constraints, frequency response distortion due to coefficient calculation and signal disturbances that arise from real-time coefficient update. An understanding of these artefacts is important in the design of computationally affordable, good quality equalisers. A detailed investigation into these artefacts using various forms of arithmetic, filter frequency response, input excitation and sampling frequencies is described in this thesis. Novel coefficient calculation techniques, based on the matched z-transform (MZT) were developed to minimise filter response distortion and computation for on-line implementation. It was …

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Modelling The Hydrodynamics Of The Patos Lagoon, Brazil, Elisa Helena Fernandes Jan 2001

Modelling The Hydrodynamics Of The Patos Lagoon, Brazil, Elisa Helena Fernandes

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The Patos Lagoon, the largest choked coastal lagoon in the world, is a typical centre of population, commerce, industry and recreation, and consequently it is also a site for disposal of industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes. Important questions concerning beneficial uses of and potential changes to the lagoon and its estuary are left unanswered without a good understanding of hydrodynamic processes. The current study involves the choice, calibration and application of a numerical model which can be used in future hydrodynamic. sediment transport and water quality studies in the area. The two- and three-dimensional modes of the TELEMAC System were …

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The Bioenergetics And Behaviour Of The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) When Feeding On A Copper Contaminated Diet, Hamish Alistair Campbell Jan 2001

The Bioenergetics And Behaviour Of The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) When Feeding On A Copper Contaminated Diet, Hamish Alistair Campbell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The long-term effects of sub-lethal dietary Cu-exposure were investigated in relation to consequential energy shifts and resultant locomotory adaptation in 0. mykiss. This study represents the first to attempt to quantify the physiological cost of dietary heavy-metal exposure, the timing and extent of daily behavioural adaptation and resultant significance, in terms of ecologically important behaviours to the fish. Two long-term (2 & 3 months) dietary exposures of 730 mg Cu kgˉ¹ mg d.w. feed showed exposed fish to have a 3-fold increase in liver [Cu] and 10-fold increase in intestinal [Cu] compared to control fish. Consequently exposed fish elicited a …

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Physiological And Biochemical Factors Affecting Carotenoid Utilization In Salmonid Fish, Gregory Ian Page Jan 2001

Physiological And Biochemical Factors Affecting Carotenoid Utilization In Salmonid Fish, Gregory Ian Page

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Carotenoid utilization in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) has been investigated with respect to tissue distribution of carotenoids and the role of the liver on the bioavailability of the lipid soluble carotenoids, astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Species-specific and tissue-specific accumulations were noted for astaxanthin and canthaxanthin in the rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, possibly indicating fundamental differences in their utilization in these species. The liver and the kidney were revealed to be the major tissues involved in carotenoid metabolism in both rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. Apparent digestibilities (-96% and -30% for rainbow trout and …

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Natural Algorithms In Digital Filter Design, Stephen Penberthy Harris Jan 2001

Natural Algorithms In Digital Filter Design, Stephen Penberthy Harris

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital filters are an important part of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), which plays vital roles within the modern world, but their design is a complex task requiring a great deal of specialised knowledge. An analysis of this design process is presented, which identifies opportunities for the application of optimisation. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Simulated Annealing are problem-independent and increasingly popular optimisation techniques. They do not require detailed prior knowledge of the nature of a problem, and are unaffected by a discontinuous search space, unlike traditional methods such as calculus and hill-climbing. Potential applications of these techniques to the filter …

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The Uptake And Flux Of Dissolved Nitrogen In Marine Waters, Andrew Paul Rees Jan 2001

The Uptake And Flux Of Dissolved Nitrogen In Marine Waters, Andrew Paul Rees

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The biological uptake and transformation of inorganic nitrogen species is described for contrasting marine environments which include a sea loch, riverine plume, polar marginal ice-zone, continental shelf break, oligotrophic ocean and a mesoscale eddy. Uptake of nitrate and ammonium by phytoplankton has been determined using the stable isotope as a tracer and continuous flow stable isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. The analysis of dissolved and atmospheric nitrous oxide was made using electron capture detector gas chromatography in a novel configuration which also allowed for the simultaneous analysis of methane from a single sample. Significant advances in the study of the marine nitrogen …

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Dose-Banding Of Cytotoxic Drugs: A New Concept In Cancer Chemotherapy, Gj Sewell, Rj Plumridge Jan 2001

Dose-Banding Of Cytotoxic Drugs: A New Concept In Cancer Chemotherapy, Gj Sewell, Rj Plumridge

School of Health Professions

Doses of cytotoxic drugs have traditionally been calculated on the basis of body surface area (BSA), the only exception being carboplatin, for which the dose is calculated on the basis of renal function and targeted area under the plasma concentration–time curve. The use of BSA for dosage calculation arises from Phase I drug development, when animal doses are recalculated for humans on the basis of BSA. This practice has continued into the later drug development phases and, after marketing approval, into clinical practice.1,2 As a result, each dose of cytotoxic drug is individualized for each patient in accordance with current …

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Cancer Treatment And Safety: Occupational Exposure-Risks And Remedies, Gj Sewell Jan 2001

Cancer Treatment And Safety: Occupational Exposure-Risks And Remedies, Gj Sewell

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

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Anabolic Effect Of Estrogen Replacement On Bone In Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis: Histomorphometric Evidence In A Longitudinal Study., G Khastgir, J Studd, N Holland, J Alaghband-Zadeh, S Fox, J Chow Jan 2001

Anabolic Effect Of Estrogen Replacement On Bone In Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis: Histomorphometric Evidence In A Longitudinal Study., G Khastgir, J Studd, N Holland, J Alaghband-Zadeh, S Fox, J Chow

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Voronoi Cells, Fractal Dimensions And Fibre Composites, J. Summerscales, F. J. Guild, N. R.L. Pearce, P. M. Russell Jan 2001

Voronoi Cells, Fractal Dimensions And Fibre Composites, J. Summerscales, F. J. Guild, N. R.L. Pearce, P. M. Russell

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Women's Employment In Bangladesh Agriculture: Composition, Determinants And Scope, S Rahman Oct 2000

Women's Employment In Bangladesh Agriculture: Composition, Determinants And Scope, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Gender composition of labour use and factors determining demand and supply of female labour in crop production is examined using survey data from 14 villages in two agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh. The share of women in labour use ranges between 11-18% in foodgrain (rice and wheat) and 14-48% in non-cereal (highest for vegetables) production. Incidence of female labour hire is very low and varies directly with land size classes while supply from family varies inversely. Cultivation of diverse crops (local and modern varieties of rice, jute, oilseeds and vegetables), education as well as women's ownership of land increases demand for …

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A Holistic Approach To The Evaluation Of Socio-Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Technological Change In Agriculture: An Application In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Jk Routray Jul 2000

A Holistic Approach To The Evaluation Of Socio-Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Technological Change In Agriculture: An Application In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Jk Routray

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Guanylyl Cyclase Activity Associated With Putative Bifunctional Integral Membrane Proteins In Plasmodium Falciparum, Dj Carucci, Aa Witney, Dk Muhia, Dc Warhurst, Et Al Jul 2000

Guanylyl Cyclase Activity Associated With Putative Bifunctional Integral Membrane Proteins In Plasmodium Falciparum, Dj Carucci, Aa Witney, Dk Muhia, Dc Warhurst, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

We report here that guanylyl cyclase activity is associated with two large integral membrane proteins (PfGCalpha and PfGCbeta) in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Unusually, the proteins appear to be bifunctional; their amino-terminal regions have strong similarity with P-type ATPases, and the sequence and structure of the carboxyl-terminal regions conform to that of G protein-dependent adenylyl cyclases, with two sets of six transmembrane sequences, each followed by a catalytic domain (C1 and C2). However, amino acids that are enzymatically important and present in the C2 domain of mammalian adenylyl cyclases are located in the C1 domain of the P. …

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Effects Of Towed Demersal Fishing Gear On Biogenic Sediments: A 5-Year-Study, Jm Hall-Spencer Jun 2000

Effects Of Towed Demersal Fishing Gear On Biogenic Sediments: A 5-Year-Study, Jm Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Experimental scallop fishing was carried out using towed commercial dredges on sediments deposited by unattached coralline algae in order to quantify their sensitivity to damage from current fishing practices. These biogenic sediments are patchily distributed in European coastal waters (to -30 m depth around the UK and to -120 m in the Mediterranean) and are of international conservation importance. This paper describes the short and long-term effects of scallop dredging on previously unfished and fished areas of biogenic algal sediment in SW Scotland. Sediment cores taken biannually from 1994-99 were used to assess live coralline abundance on marked test and …

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Pesticide Demand Among Hybrid Vegetable And Cereal Seed Producers In Bangladesh: A Simultaneous Equation Analysis, S Rahman, Mz Hossain Jun 2000

Pesticide Demand Among Hybrid Vegetable And Cereal Seed Producers In Bangladesh: A Simultaneous Equation Analysis, S Rahman, Mz Hossain

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Demand for pesticides, inorganic and organic fertilizers were jointly estimated using survey data from a randomly selected 81 BRAC ‘contract hybrid vegetables and cereal seed growers’ in northwestern Bangladesh applying a simultaneous equation framework. Pesticide cost accounts for 6.9% of the gross value of output in hybrid seeds of vegetables and 3.2% in cereals. About 87% of farmers used pesticides at least once with mean number of application of 4.4 times. Twenty-seven brands of pesticides were used including a substantial number of banned pesticides. Price elasticity of demand for pesticides, fertilizers and biofertilizers were estimated at –0.83, –0.21 and –1.13, …

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From Robotic Toil To Symbolic Theft: Grounding Transfer From Entry-Level To Higher-Level Categories1, A Cangelosi, A Greco, S Harnad Jun 2000

From Robotic Toil To Symbolic Theft: Grounding Transfer From Entry-Level To Higher-Level Categories1, A Cangelosi, A Greco, S Harnad

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Neural network models of categorical perception (compression of within-category similarity and dilation of between-category differences) are applied to the symbol-grounding problem (of how to connect symbols with meanings) by connecting analogue sensorimotor projections to arbitrary symbolic representations via learned category-invariance detectors in a hybrid symbolic/non-symbolic system. Our nets are trained to categorize and name 50 × 50 pixel images (e.g. circles, ellipses, squares and rectangles) projected on to the receptive field of a 7 × 7 retina. They first learn to do prototype matching and then entry-level naming for the four kinds of stimuli, grounding their names directly in the …

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Molecular Cloning Of A Gene Encoding A 20s Proteasome Β Subunit From Plasmodium Falciparum, G-D Li, J-L Li, M Mugthin, Sa Ward May 2000

Molecular Cloning Of A Gene Encoding A 20s Proteasome Β Subunit From Plasmodium Falciparum, G-D Li, J-L Li, M Mugthin, Sa Ward

School of Biomedical Sciences

A novel gene was cloned from Plasmodium falciparum. Database searches indicated this gene to be a member of the 20S proteasome beta-subunit family. Comparison of the gene's genomic DNA sequence with cDNA sequence revealed a 156-bp intron 85 bp downstream from the start codon. The nucleotide sequence of the gene contains one open reading frame encoding 265 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 30.9 kDa and a pI of 6.2. Northern blot analysis showed the transcript size to be approximately 1.6 kb indicating that some 800 bp of the transcript is non-coding.

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Managerial Decisions: A Discursive Analysis, Teresa Ann Mcconville Apr 2000

Managerial Decisions: A Discursive Analysis, Teresa Ann Mcconville

Plymouth Business School Theses

Decision making activity is at the heart of organisations and, as an essential managerial function, it has been the subject of an immense body of literature. As the majority of research has been undertaken within the disciplines of economics and psychology, studies have tended to emphasise economic rationality as the basis for cognitive reasoning, decision processes and judgement and as the analytic paradigm. However, in the face of new problems, and in times of profound change, conventional forms of thought may be problematic in themselves. This project suggests and assesses a Foucaultian framework as an alternative approach to the study …

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Multi-Board Concept - A Scenario Based Approach For Supporting Product Quality And Life Cycle Oriented Design, Aj Robotham, M Hertzum Jan 2000

Multi-Board Concept - A Scenario Based Approach For Supporting Product Quality And Life Cycle Oriented Design, Aj Robotham, M Hertzum

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper will describe the multi-board concept, which is a working approach for supporting life cycle oriented design and product quality. Aspects of this concept include construction of a common working environment where multiple display boards depict scenarios of the product life cycle, creating a shared quality mindset amongst designers, and developing creativity and synthesis in product design. The appropriateness of scenarios for supporting life cycle oriented design will be ar-gued and preliminary results from early experimentation will be presented. Initial results lead us to believe that the multi-board concept promises to be a useful means of communication amongst the …

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The Chain Of Quality Through Integrated Product Development, Aj Robotham Jan 2000

The Chain Of Quality Through Integrated Product Development, Aj Robotham

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Today, it is almost impossible to find a manufacturer who has not been significantly influenced by the quality culture, but it is evident that some are doing more to improve their product quality than others are. The so-called "Chain of Quality" through integrated product development is a useful metaphor since it recognises that quality is a continuing topic of attention throughout the product development process and that discrete, quality related activities in the process are inter-linked. Depending upon how the product development process is modelled, the chain can be viewed as open or closed with single or parallel threads. In …

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Investigation Into The Feasibilty Of Providing Intelligent Support For Computer Mediation Decision Making Groups, Andrew Martyn Morley Jan 2000

Investigation Into The Feasibilty Of Providing Intelligent Support For Computer Mediation Decision Making Groups, Andrew Martyn Morley

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis investigated the claim that the adaptation to the keyboard interface of a computer-mediated (CM) decision making group leads to differences in the style of communication when compared to that of a face-to-face (FTF) group. More importantly it examined the possibility that changes in satisfaction with the process and the decision outcome are determined not by the mode of communication, but rather the style of communication the decision makers employed in response to the keyboard interface. The decision processes of CM and FTF groups were examined using a simulated panel of enquiry presented via computer databases and containing inconsistent …

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Sub-Surface Migration Of An Oil Pollutant Into Aquifers, Louise Ann Macdonald Jan 2000

Sub-Surface Migration Of An Oil Pollutant Into Aquifers, Louise Ann Macdonald

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The risk to groundwater quality following a sub-surface spillage of immiscible pollutants such as oil, petroleum and other organic chemicals is an increasingly potent threat, through escalating industrial application of such pollutants. This study significantly enhances the understanding of the flow of immiscible pollutants within soil, through field scale investigations to define the spatial variability and extent of a contaminated area and the development of a comprehensive framework for the analysis of oil pollutant migration. This study represents a first attempt by researchers to analyse oil pollutant migration on a wide range of scales, from pore- to field-level. The research …

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Implementation Of European Union Environmental Policy : The Case Of The Packaging Waste Directive, Ian Bailey Jan 2000

Implementation Of European Union Environmental Policy : The Case Of The Packaging Waste Directive, Ian Bailey

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis provides a critical review of the processes shaping the implementation of European Union (EU) environmental policy. It focuses on two aspects of this dynamic, the interpretation of EU law by Member States and the use of legislative and price-based policy instruments to achieve policy objectives. The overall aim of the study is to examine the extent to which price-based regulation can contribute to the EU's policy objective of sustainable development. The focus for the research is the formulation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and its implementation in two Member States, Britain and Germany. A variety of …

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Nature And Justifiability Of The Act Of Collective Worship In Schools, Jeanette Gill Jan 2000

Nature And Justifiability Of The Act Of Collective Worship In Schools, Jeanette Gill

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis, which moves through three stages, asks whether the compulsory provision of a daily act of collective worship can be justified in the schools of a liberal society. It begins with an analysis of the public debate which has surrounded its presence since legislation in 1944 formalised existing practice, and notes that its arguments are based on differing perceptions of the value of religious practice, the needs of the child, the relationship between religion and morality, and the nature of society. Because this public debate is often distanced from actual practice, research was undertaken in primary and secondary schools …

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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 …

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Small Towns And The Rural Economy : A Study Of Their Contemporary Functions And Potential Role In Rural Development, Paul Richard Courtney Jan 2000

Small Towns And The Rural Economy : A Study Of Their Contemporary Functions And Potential Role In Rural Development, Paul Richard Courtney

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

As Rural Development assumes a greater importance in European policy, one strategy to stimulate economic activity across a broad range of sectors is to use small towns as a focal point for economic development. This may be particularly relevant in the UK where there is increasing concern over the future vitality and viability of these towns. However, such a strategy rests on the assumption that there is a strong level of interdependence between small towns and their surrounding areas. While their historical legacy suggests close integration, developments in the wider economy and resultant socio-economic restructuring have undermined the traditional functions …

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