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 5911 - 5940 of 6794

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Labrador Sea Water Formation In The Irminger Basin And Its Dependence On The North Atlantic Oscillation, Philip Garner Dec 2009

Labrador Sea Water Formation In The Irminger Basin And Its Dependence On The North Atlantic Oscillation, Philip Garner

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Historical temperature and salinity data from the Irminger basin were analysed to determine if Labrador Sea Water forms in the Irminger Basin and if deep convection in the region is dependent on the North Atlantic Oscillation. This was undertaken by analysing the Surface Mixed Layer depth during the Boreal winter (December-March) and comparing it to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index. We find there is evidence of LSW formation in the region and there is a weak to moderate correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation Index.

Go to article

Patterns Of Abundance And Diversity In Epiphytic Orchids On Parashorea Malaanonan Trees In Danum Valley, Sabah, Kiki O'Malley Dec 2009

Patterns Of Abundance And Diversity In Epiphytic Orchids On Parashorea Malaanonan Trees In Danum Valley, Sabah, Kiki O'Malley

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Research in forest canopies has been restricted by access difficulties for a long time, however in the last 20 years techniques to provide access into tree canopies have been developed, now opening a field of biology to more scientists. This study uses rope techniques for accessing the canopy in a primary rainforest system in Borneo, Malaysia, to study the occurrence and patterns of orchid distribution in Parashorea malaanonan dipterocarp trees. Five trees were sampled, a total of 42 orchids from 8 genera were present. Data on branch height, distance from bole, position of the orchid on branch, substrate and associations …

Go to article

Nitric Oxide And The Immune System: A Literature Review, Hannah Hosking Dec 2009

Nitric Oxide And The Immune System: A Literature Review, Hannah Hosking

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Nitric oxide (NO) was discovered as a biologically active molecule over two decades ago and it has since been recognised as one of the most versatile components of the immune system, with involvement in both cytotoxic and regulatory functions. It is a readily diffusible gas that has been established as a universal messenger, capable of mediating cell-cell communication throughout the body. It is involved in the pathogenesis and also the control of infectious diseases, autoimmunity, chronic degenerative diseases and tumours. This review will collate, contrast and compare recently published literature, to provide an up-to-date and contemporary overview of the substantial …

Go to article

The Experience And Perception Of Concurrent Versus Retrospective Chocolate Cravings, Harriet Taylor Dec 2009

The Experience And Perception Of Concurrent Versus Retrospective Chocolate Cravings, Harriet Taylor

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Seventy undergraduate students participated in a self-report study to investigate the perception of concurrent versus retrospective chocolate-related cravings. This study was interested in exploring whether retrospective cravings were reported as more intense than concurrent cravings due to cognitive distortions over time. Results showed that retrospective chocolate cravings were reported as significantly stronger and more urgent (p< .001), and were characterised by more vivid gustatory imagery (p< .025), than concurrent cravings. All other aspects of chocolate craving were reported similarly across groups. This indicates that retrospective measures of chocolate cravings may provide inaccurate representations of the craving experience. This difference may potentially be found with other types of cravings, and for that reason, where possible, concurrent measures of craving should be given priority.

Go to article

Involving Students In Researching Learning And Teaching Approaches: An Additional Focus For Undergraduate Student Publications?, Sue Berkill Dec 2009

Involving Students In Researching Learning And Teaching Approaches: An Additional Focus For Undergraduate Student Publications?, Sue Berkill

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Sue Burkill, Head of Education Enhancement, University of Exeter

Go to article

Applying Palaeoecology To Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective For Informed Management Of A Fynbos Nature Reserve, James Macpherson Dec 2009

Applying Palaeoecology To Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective For Informed Management Of A Fynbos Nature Reserve, James Macpherson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This investigation proposes that long-term perspectives are essential in ecological conservation/restoration. Such a perspective is particularly important for fynbos, which has been substantially altered by an unspecified level of anthropogenic disturbance. Fossil pollen and micro-charcoal deposits are used to establish a proxy record for ecosystem state that can be applied to conservation. This is carried out at a nature reserve in the Langeberg Range, Western Cape, South Africa. Modern pollen-vegetation relationships are also examined to reduce inaccuracies in the fossil record. Three distinct phases are identified for the reserve over a period extending up to ~1000 years before present (BP). …

Go to article

Can Children Use Similarity Between Actions To Learn Grammar?, Fiona Anning Dec 2009

Can Children Use Similarity Between Actions To Learn Grammar?, Fiona Anning

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The present study was a replication and extension of Casenhiser and Goldberg (2005). Children aged 5;0 to 7;6 were assigned to one of two training conditions, either they were only taught novel verbs in a novel construction paired with appearance scenes or they were additionally trained on novel verbs in the transitive construction. All participants were assessed on both word orders with new novel verbs using a forced-choice comprehension test. The children in both conditions performed significantly worse on the appearance items than the causative trials, which fails to replicate the original study. The translation post-test responses suggest that poor …

Go to article

Youth And Crime: Centennial Reflections On The Children Act 1908, Kate Bradley Nov 2009

Youth And Crime: Centennial Reflections On The Children Act 1908, Kate Bradley

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Crime Violence And The Modern State Ii May 2009, Herzen State Pedagogical University, St Petersburg, ' Blame, Shame And Culpability', Judith Rowbotham Nov 2009

Crime Violence And The Modern State Ii May 2009, Herzen State Pedagogical University, St Petersburg, ' Blame, Shame And Culpability', Judith Rowbotham

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

More Ignorant And Stupid Than Wilfully Cruel: Homicide Trials And 'Baby-Farming' In England And Wales In The Wake Of The Children Act 1908, Daniel Grey Nov 2009

More Ignorant And Stupid Than Wilfully Cruel: Homicide Trials And 'Baby-Farming' In England And Wales In The Wake Of The Children Act 1908, Daniel Grey

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

This article examines the impact of the Children Act 1908 on longstanding concerns that foster or informally 'adoptive' parents were uniquely likely to murder the children in their care. Making particular reference to the last two high-profile cases of 'baby-farmers' tried for homicide on the Welsh and English Assize circuits (in 1907 and 1919, respectively) it argues that the infant life protection provisions in the 1908 Act had a dramatic and immediate impact on such prosecutions, removing the automatic presumption of malice in cases where fostered or adopted children died in suspicious circumstances.

Go to article

Quantification Of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviour In Captive European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), Bo Brilot, L Asher, G Feenders, M Bateson Nov 2009

Quantification Of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviour In Captive European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), Bo Brilot, L Asher, G Feenders, M Bateson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Stereotypies are repetitive, unvarying and goalless behaviour patterns that are often considered indicative of poor welfare in captive animals. Quantifying stereotypies can be difficult, particularly during the early stages of their development when behaviour is still flexible. We compared two methods for objectively quantifying the development of route-tracing stereotypies in caged starlings. We used Markov chains and T-pattern analysis (implemented by the software package, Theme) to identify patterns in the sequence of locations a bird occupied within its cage. Pattern metrics produced by both methods correlated with the frequency of established measures of stereotypic behaviour and abnormal behaviour patterns counted …

Go to article

Background Document For Carbonate Mounds, Jm Hall-Spencer, Km Stehfest, Aj Wheeler Oct 2009

Background Document For Carbonate Mounds, Jm Hall-Spencer, Km Stehfest, Aj Wheeler

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Role Of Hypoxia‐Inducible Factors In Epigenetic Regulation Via Histone Demethylases, J Yang, I Ledaki, H Turley, Kc Gatter, Et Al Oct 2009

Role Of Hypoxia‐Inducible Factors In Epigenetic Regulation Via Histone Demethylases, J Yang, I Ledaki, H Turley, Kc Gatter, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Eukaryotic chromatin is subject to multiple posttranslational histone modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. These various covalent modifications have been proposed to constitute a “histone code,” playing important roles in the establishment of global chromatin environments, transcription, DNA repair, and DNA replication. Among these modifications, histone methylation specifies regulatory marks that delineate transcriptionally active and inactive chromatin. These histone methyl marks were considered irreversible; however, recent identification of site-specific histone demethylases demonstrates that histone methylation is dynamically regulated, which may allow cells to rapidly change chromatin conformation to adapt to environmental stresses or intrinsic stimuli. Of major interest …

Go to article

Water Bathing Alters The Speed–Accuracy Trade-Off Of Escape Flights In European Starlings, Bo Brilot, L Asher, M Bateson Oct 2009

Water Bathing Alters The Speed–Accuracy Trade-Off Of Escape Flights In European Starlings, Bo Brilot, L Asher, M Bateson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Birds of most species regularly bathe in water, but the function of this behaviour is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that water bathing is important in feather maintenance, and hence should enhance flight performance. We manipulated European starlings', Sturnus vulgaris, access to bathing water in a 2 × 2 design: birds were housed in aviaries either with or without water baths for a minimum of 3 days (long-term access) before being caught and placed in individual cages either with or without water baths for a further 24 h (short-term access). We subsequently assessed the speed and accuracy of escape flights …

Go to article

Klair: A Virtual Infant For Spoken Language Acquisition Research, M Huckvale, Is Howard, S Fagel Sep 2009

Klair: A Virtual Infant For Spoken Language Acquisition Research, M Huckvale, Is Howard, S Fagel

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Go to article

A Novel Cre Recombinase Imaging System For Tracking Lymphotropic Virus Infection In Vivo, Bernadette M. Dutia, Stuart J. Reid, Derek D. Drummond, Yvonne Ligertwood, Ian Bennet, Willard Rietberg, Ondine Silvia, Michael A. Jarvis, Anthony A. Nash Aug 2009

A Novel Cre Recombinase Imaging System For Tracking Lymphotropic Virus Infection In Vivo, Bernadette M. Dutia, Stuart J. Reid, Derek D. Drummond, Yvonne Ligertwood, Ian Bennet, Willard Rietberg, Ondine Silvia, Michael A. Jarvis, Anthony A. Nash

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Measures To Control Harmful Algal Blooms, Sofie Secher Jul 2009

Measures To Control Harmful Algal Blooms, Sofie Secher

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur globally and are caused by different species of microalgae. They can be harmful by producing toxins or by the rapid increase in biomass often leading to discoloration and hypoxic conditions. Toxins accumulating in shellfish and fish can cause shellfish poisoning in humans, major economical losses, especially damage to aquaculture, and affects on marine life. Bloom events are natural phenomena and have been reported for centuries but the recent increase in blooms and their global spread, which are often discussed in relation to human influences, has caused concern. In the absence of reducing such factors, controlling …

Go to article

Environmental Enrichment For Mammals In Captivity Focusing Primarily On Primates, Caroline Dawson Jul 2009

Environmental Enrichment For Mammals In Captivity Focusing Primarily On Primates, Caroline Dawson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Injuries Inflicted As A Predictor Of Winning In Contests Between Beadlet Anemones, Actinia Equina, Laura Robinson, Ben Porter, Jennifer Grocott, Kendal Harrison Jul 2009

Injuries Inflicted As A Predictor Of Winning In Contests Between Beadlet Anemones, Actinia Equina, Laura Robinson, Ben Porter, Jennifer Grocott, Kendal Harrison

The Plymouth Student Scientist

If the number of individuals in a population oversubscribes a resource then competition can occur and may lead to injurious fighting, if the cost of fighting is lower than the value of the resource. Here we consider how weapon size (nematocyst length), body size (pedal disc diameter, wet weight) and number of injuries inflicted are related to fighting ability in the common intertidal beadlet anemone, Actinia equina. 160 anemones were utilised from two sites, within two size classes, to engage in contest behaviour. There was no significant effect on pedal disc diameter, wet weight or nematocyst length of the outcome …

Go to article

Hemispheric Interaction In Simple Reaction Time As A Function Of Handedness, Emily Howe Jul 2009

Hemispheric Interaction In Simple Reaction Time As A Function Of Handedness, Emily Howe

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Efficiency of hemispheric interactions in simple reaction time as a function of hand preference was investigated. Research suggests that left-handed individuals have more efficient hemispheric interactions. This is possibly due to their need to transfer information between hemispheres more frequently than right-handed individuals, a result of differing patterns of cerebral dominance explained by Annett’s (1998) right shift theory. Forty-eight right-handers and 48 non-right-handers, assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971) completed the study. Mean reaction times for the Poffenberger paradigm (Poffenberger, 1912) were used to calculate the crossed-uncrossed-difference (CUD); a measure of inter-hemispheric transfer time. Analyses revealed a non-significant …

Go to article

Deep-Sea Coral Reefs: Distribution, Ecology And Anthropogenic Impacts, Victoria Oakham Jul 2009

Deep-Sea Coral Reefs: Distribution, Ecology And Anthropogenic Impacts, Victoria Oakham

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The introduction of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and manned submersibles has meant scientists can finally begin study deep-water scleractinian coral reefs, making valuable first-hand observations of the reefs themselves and their associated fauna. Known influences of deepwater coral reef distribution include the topography of the seabed, presence of currents, high nutrient levels and low sedimentation levels. Chemical tolerances (such as salinity, temperature range and calcium carbonate availability) are mostly known for only Lophelia pertusa corals. Debates exist within literature over the possible influence of hydrocarbon seeps from the seabed on coral reef growth and distribution. Studies show the importance of …

Go to article

The Effects Of Bisphenol A On In-Vitro Cell Viability Of Mammalian Cell Line By Neutral Red Assay, Aidan J. Mcglinchey Jul 2009

The Effects Of Bisphenol A On In-Vitro Cell Viability Of Mammalian Cell Line By Neutral Red Assay, Aidan J. Mcglinchey

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a known oestrogenic endocrine disruptor, has many effects in-vivo. However, most studies on its effects concentrate on this oestrogenic property and not on direct cytotoxicity. An in-vitro approach was taken here, showing that BPA has a dose-dependent effect on the viability of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. Concentrations at which BPA directly generates cytotoxic effects were investigated by exposing CHO-K1 to BPA for 48 hours at 37oC and their viability assessed by their ability to take up and retain the neutral red staining agent. Cells were exposed to tenfold dilutions of BPA from 1x10-4M to 1x10-9M and viability …

Go to article

Meadow Brown (Maniola Jurtina) And Marbled White (Melanargia Galathea) Butterfly Populations On Two Managed Grasslands In Devon, Uk: Implications For Conservation, Paul G. Winney Jul 2009

Meadow Brown (Maniola Jurtina) And Marbled White (Melanargia Galathea) Butterfly Populations On Two Managed Grasslands In Devon, Uk: Implications For Conservation, Paul G. Winney

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This paper reports on the effects of a management regime on two grassland sites in an agricultural landscape by using butterflies as indicators over a six-year period. This paper investigates what effects the management has had on two groups of phytophagous butterflies; habitat generalists (polyphagous) and habitat specialists (oligophagous). It identifies two species to study, the meadow brown Maniola jurtina and marbled white Melanargia galathea. The study was conducted in Devon, UK in 2007. Butterfly and plant communities were studied by transect counts on two differently managed grassland sites (Site A: 8 ha and Site B: 4.04 ha). A total …

Go to article

The Importance Of Being Creative And Innovative In Science Research, Wendy Purcell Jul 2009

The Importance Of Being Creative And Innovative In Science Research, Wendy Purcell

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Guest editorial from the Vice Chancellor (University of Plymouth)

Go to article

Influences On The Cleaning Activity And Distribution Of Cleaner Fish, Katherine Gray Jul 2009

Influences On The Cleaning Activity And Distribution Of Cleaner Fish, Katherine Gray

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Cleaning interactions involve the removal of ectoparasites, mucus and dead tissue, by a cleaner from the skin of a cooperating fish – the client. These interactions generally benefit both the cleaner and the client, although this balance can shift if either party cheats, leading to antagonistic or exploitative behaviour. The activity of cleaner fish is affected by a variety of both physical and ecological factors. Ectoparasites make up a large portion of the diet of cleaner fish, thus ectoparasite availability is the major influence on cleaner activity, and so variations in ectoparasite densities tend to lead to variations in cleaner …

Go to article

Champagne Seas—Foretelling The Ocean’S Future?, J Hall-Spencer, E Rauer Jun 2009

Champagne Seas—Foretelling The Ocean’S Future?, J Hall-Spencer, E Rauer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Imagine you are an ocean researcher and you want to study the ecological impacts of ocean acidification. You know from studies carried out under controlled laboratory conditions that lowered pH can impact the physiology, growth, and development of certain organisms. What you want to know next is how these changes in individual species translate into the direct and indirect ecological changes that occur in the open ocean. Here we summarize the results from a new approach to understanding the ecological implications of ocean acidification: observational studies and IN SITU experimentation at ocean sites with low pH and high CO2.

Go to article

Production Efficiency Of Jasmine Rice Producers In Northern And North‐Eastern Thailand, S Rahman, A Wiboonpongse, S Sriboonchitta, Y Chaovanapoonphol Jun 2009

Production Efficiency Of Jasmine Rice Producers In Northern And North‐Eastern Thailand, S Rahman, A Wiboonpongse, S Sriboonchitta, Y Chaovanapoonphol

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The paper jointly evaluates the determinants of switching to Jasmine rice and its productivity while allowing for production inefficiency at the level of individual producers. Model diagnostics reveal that serious selection bias exists, justifying use of a sample selection framework in stochastic frontier models. Results from the probit variety selection equation reveal that gross return (mainly powered by significantly higher Jasmine rice price), access to irrigation and education are the important determinants of choosing Jasmine rice. Results from the stochastic production frontier reveal that land, irrigation and fertilisers are the significant determinants of Jasmine rice productivity. Significantly lower productivity in …

Go to article

Scientific Divers Quantify First Known Outbreaks Of Cold-Water Coral Disease, J Hall-Spencer, C Munn, K Hiscock May 2009

Scientific Divers Quantify First Known Outbreaks Of Cold-Water Coral Disease, J Hall-Spencer, C Munn, K Hiscock

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Coral diseases are widely reported in the tropics but the first incidence of cold-water coral disease was not noted until 2002 when divers recorded an outbreak at 10-28 m depth off Lundy in a NE Atlantic marine protected area. The seafan Eunicella verrucosa exhibited coenchyme necrosis and subsequent diving surveys of >600 colonies at 13 sites since revealed that disease outbreaks were widespread in SW England to depths of 50 m from 2003-2008, possibly caused by infection by Vibrio bacteria at high temperatures.

Go to article

Using Scientific Diving To Investigate The Long-Term Effects Of Ocean Acidification At Co2 Vents, Jm Hall-Spencer, R Rodolfo-Metalpa May 2009

Using Scientific Diving To Investigate The Long-Term Effects Of Ocean Acidification At Co2 Vents, Jm Hall-Spencer, R Rodolfo-Metalpa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Can We Use Starlings’ Aversion To Eyespots As The Basis For A Novel ‘Cognitive Bias’ Task?, Bo Brilot, Cl Normandale, A Parkin, M Bateson May 2009

Can We Use Starlings’ Aversion To Eyespots As The Basis For A Novel ‘Cognitive Bias’ Task?, Bo Brilot, Cl Normandale, A Parkin, M Bateson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Experiments in humans have shown that changes in emotional (affective) state cause adaptive changes in the processing of incoming information, termed "cognitive bias". For instance, the states of anxiety and depression have been shown to be associated with "pessimistic" judgements of ambiguous stimuli intermediate between stimuli associated with positive and negative outcomes. This phenomenon provides a promising method for objectively assessing animal emotional states and has been successfully demonstrated in preliminary studies. However, the experiments yielding these results required extensive training to establish the necessary positive and negative associations. Here we present an experiment using responses to eyespot stimuli that …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last