Digital Commons Network^™

Joint Determination Of The Choice Of Growing Season And Economic Efficiency Of Maize In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Ms Rahman, Mh Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The paper jointly evaluates the determinants of the choice of maize growing season (winter vs. summer maize) and economic efficiency of individual producers in Bangladesh using a sample selection framework applied to stochastic frontier models. Model diagnostics reveal that sample selection bias is significant, thereby justifying the use of this approach. Probit results reveal that the probability to choose winter maize are influenced positively by gross return, subsistence pressure and soil suitability, whereas extension contact influences choice negatively. Stochastic cost frontier results reveal that a rise in input prices and output level increases production cost as expected. Among the variables …

Evidence Of Microbial Activity From A Shallow Water Whale Fall (Voghera, Northern Italy), S Danise, B Cavalazzi, S Dominici, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The fossil bones, associated carbonate cements and enclosing concretion of a Miocene mysticete from inner shelf deposits (Monte Vallassa Formation, northern Italy) were analyzed for evidence of microbial activity. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and stable C and O isotope geochemistry were used for high spatial resolution microfacies and biosedimentological analyses. Whale cancellous bones were filled by different carbonate cements including microcrystalline dolomite, rhombohedral dolomite and sparry calcite. Biofabric and biominerals such as microbial peloids, clotted textures and pyrite framboids were associated with the dolomite cements. Dolomite inside cancellous bones and in the enclosing concretion showed similar isotopic …

An Unusual Case Of Chronic Suppurative Osteomyelitis Of The Mandible, K Ali, A Akram, Mu Akhtar

Peninsula Dental School

Osteomyelitis of the mandible, a serious complication of untreated odontogenic infection has been reported. This case report describes an interesting presentation of chronic suppurative osteomyelitis (CSO) of the mandible in a 13 years old anaemic male patient. Investigations revealed inversion of his permanent teeth leading to trans-cutaneous extra-oral eruption along with marked destruction of mandible on the affected side. The treatment included a pre surgical course of antibiotics followed by the removal of the retained second premolar tooth, surgical debridement of the affected bone, and resection of the cutaneous sinus tract. The post-operative healing was uneventful. A combination of antibiotic …

Electrophysiological Examination Of Embodiment In Vision And Action., Jeremy Goslin, Thomas Dixon, Martin H. Fischer, Angelo Cangelosi, Rob Ellis

School of Psychology

A wealth of behavioral data has shown that the visual properties of objects automatically potentiate motor actions linked with them, but how deeply are these affordances embedded in visual processing? In the study reported here, we used electrophysiological measures to examine the time course of affordance resulting from the leftward or rightward orientation of the handles of common objects. Participants were asked to categorize those objects using a left- or right-handed motor response. Lateralized readiness potentials showed rapid motor preparation in the hand congruent with the affordance provided by the object only 100 to 200 ms after stimulus presentation and …

Modelling The Delivery Of Supraglacial Meltwater To The Ice/Bed Interface: Application To Southwest Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada, C Clason, Dwf Mair, Do Burgess, Pw Nienow

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The transfer of surface-generated meltwater to the subglacial drainage system through full ice thickness crevassing may lead to accelerated glacier velocities, with implications for ice motion under future climatic scenarios. Accurate predictions of where surface meltwater accesses the ice/bed interface are therefore needed in fully coupled hydrodynamic ice-sheet models. We present a spatially distributed modelling routine for predicting the location and timing of delivery of surface-derived meltwater to the ice/bed interface through moulins and supraglacial lake drainage. The model is explained as it is applied to the Croker Bay glacial catchment of Devon Ice Cap, Canada. The formation of moulins, …

Numerical Simulations Of Dense Water Cascading On A Steep Slope, Fred Wobus, Georgy I. Shapiro, Miguel A.M. Maqueda, John M. Huthnance

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The sinking of dense shelfwaters down the continental slope (or “cascading”) contributes to oceanic water mass formation and carbon cycling. Cascading over steep bottom topography is studied here in numerical experiments using POLCOMS, a 3-D ocean circulation model using a terrain-following s-coordinate system. The model setup is based on a laboratory experiment of a continuous dense water flow from a central source on a conical slope in a rotating tank. The governing parameters of the experiments are the density difference between plume and ambient water, the flow rate, the speed of rotation and (in the model) diffusivity and viscosity. The …

Research Notes: Journal Of Tourism Consumption And Practice Volume 4 No.2 2012, Teun Den Dekker, Marcel Tabbers

Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice

From Creative Crowds to Creative Tourism: A search for creative tourism in small and medium sized cities. Teun den Dekker and Marcel Tabbers Barcelona Creative Tourism. Caroline Couret COLIN’s creative tourism experiences: The opportunities for the province of Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands. Kristel Zegers

Concept Design – An Innovative Approach To Learning: The Case Of Saint James’ Way As A Playground For Meaningful Learning Experiences, Florencia Cueto Pedrotti

Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice

Co-creation is increasingly being used as a tool for companies to position their products in the market. The aim is to enhance a dialogue with customers and enhance firm-customer value. In the experience industry co-creation is also increasingly linked with another major trend: storytelling. The aim of this narrative technique is to build a story around a business, a product or a destination. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and highlight the application of these techniques, together with experiential learning, in order to generate a new point of view on the learning process. These techniques are applied to …

Remimazolam: New Beginnings Or Just A Me-Too?, J. Robert Sneyd

More Faculty of Health Research

This edition of the journal includes two manuscripts describing the first human administration of remimazolam, a novel benzodiazepine. Not all such Phase 1 studies have a happy ending, the drop-out rate of development drugs is high and Phase 1 studies frequently represent the last outing for candidate compounds. Such investigations, together with early clinical studies also offer the editorialist an opportunity to pontificate (often wrongly) on the possible advantages of the new drug and to indulge in some speculation. Hence: “mivacurium may constitute a versatile new addition to anesthetic practice.” “minaxolone is a most promising induction agent…” and more accurately …

The Impact Of Language On The Expression And Assessment Of Pain In Children Aged 4-7 Years: A Mixed Methods Study, Pary Mohammad Azize

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

The assessment of pain in children has been an enduring theme in the research literature over many decades, with particular focus on how pain can be adequately measured and the extent of under-measurement of pain (American Academy of Pediatrics 2001; Coyne, 2006; McCaffery & Beebe 1989; Subhashini et al., 2009). Definitions of pain, and hence development of pain measurement tools, are often criticised for not addressing the influence of culture and ethnicity on pain (Bates et al., 1993; McCaffery & Beebe 1989; Zinke, 2007), in children, the perception and expression of pain is also affected by cognitive development (Hallström and …

Ocean Acidification And The Loss Of Phenolic Substances In Marine Plants., Thomas Arnold, Christopher Mealey, Hannah Leahey, A. Whitman Miller, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Marco Milazzo, Kelly Maers

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Rising atmospheric CO(2) often triggers the production of plant phenolics, including many that serve as herbivore deterrents, digestion reducers, antimicrobials, or ultraviolet sunscreens. Such responses are predicted by popular models of plant defense, especially resource availability models which link carbon availability to phenolic biosynthesis. CO(2) availability is also increasing in the oceans, where anthropogenic emissions cause ocean acidification, decreasing seawater pH and shifting the carbonate system towards further CO(2) enrichment. Such conditions tend to increase seagrass productivity but may also increase rates of grazing on these marine plants. Here we show that high CO(2) / low pH conditions of OA …

Editorial Of E-Book On Action And Language Integration, A Cangelosi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Increasing theoretical and experimental research on action and language processing in humans and animals clearly demonstrates the strict interaction and co-dependence between language and action. This has been extensively demonstrated in neuroscientific investigations (e.g., Rizzolatti and Arbib, 1998; Cappa and Perani, 2003; Pulvermuller, 2003), psychology experiments (e.g., Glenberg and Kaschak, 2002; Pecher and Zwaan, 2005; Barsalou, 2008), evolutionary psychology (e.g., Corballis, 2002), and computational modeling (e.g., Cangelosi and Parisi, 2004; Massera et al., 2007; Cangelosi, 2010). All these studies have important implication both for the understanding of the action basis of cognition in natural and artificial cognitive systems, as well …

Strong-Field Qed And High-Power Lasers, Thomas Heinzl

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Test Accuracy For Fetal Sex Using Cell-Free Dna A Review And Meta-Analysis, Caroline F. Wright, Yinghui Wei, Julian Pt Higgins, Gurdeep S. Sagoo

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

AbstractBackgroundCell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) can be detected in maternal blood during pregnancy, opening the possibility of early non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for a variety of genetic conditions. Since 1997, many studies have examined the accuracy of prenatal fetal sex determination using cffDNA, particularly for pregnancies at risk of an X-linked condition. Here we report a review and meta-analysis of the published literature to evaluate the use of cffDNA for prenatal determination (diagnosis) of fetal sex. We applied a sensitive search of multiple bibliographic databases including PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, the Cochrane library and Web of Science.ResultsNinety studies, incorporating 9,965 pregnancies and 10,587 …

Walking As A Meaningful Leisure Occupation: The Implications For Occupational Therapy, R Wensley, A Slade

School of Health Professions

Introduction: In response to growing interest in leisure in occupational therapy and the importance of understanding how occupations maintain, enhance and promote health and wellbeing, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the experiences of walking for leisure. Method: Six healthy student participants, identified as regular walkers, were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Data were analysed following interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology. Findings: Participants expressed how and why walking was meaningful to them; the four main themes were social connectedness, wellbeing, connection to nature and achievement from a challenge. Findings suggest that occupational therapists could use walking and leisure occupations …

Writing Retreat: The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning And Placement Learning: Impact And Evidence, S. Lea, Susan Eick, Lynne Callaghan

School of Health Professions

The aim of the writing retreat was for three previous members of the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning (Ceppl) to collaborate on three research papers which were initiated in November 2010 before the centre closed. The original objectives of the writing retreat were:

• To discuss the results and draft papers to be written by each of the three participants

• To finalise three draft REF standard papers for submission to the journal(s) Higher Education and Studies in Higher Education

Risk Management In Research-Informed Teaching, Karen Gresty, Troy Heffernan, Wei Pan, Andrew Edwards-Jones

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

The nature of the relationship between teaching and research is of crucial importance and it continues to be a source of controversy and concern in current literature. Interestingly, associated risks of the relationship have been largely overlooked by researchers. This project contributes a novel, epistemological approach to investigate Research-informed Teaching (RiT) by adopting the philosophy of risk management. This approach allows an exploration of both real and perceived risks of RiT from students’ and tutors’ perspectives, reflecting the analytical process of risk identification, assessment and management.1. What are the risks of incorporating Research-informed Teaching into distinct disciplines? Previous HEA-funded research …

Antimicrobial Peptides As Therapeutic Agents., Mathew Upton, Paul Cotter, John Tagg

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Increased Water Current Induces Micro-Architectural Changes To The Vertebral Bone Of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Mag Owen, B Eynon, S Woodgate, Sj Davies, S Fox

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Palaeolimnological Evidence For An East-West Climate See-Saw In The Mediterranean Since Ad 900, Neil Roberts, Ana Moreno, Bl Valero-Garces, Corella J Pablo, Matthew Jones, Samantha Allcock, Jessie Woodbridge, M Morellon, Juerg Luterbacher, Elena Xoplaki, M Turkes

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

No abstract provided.

The Feasibility Of Collecting Information From People With Multiple Sclerosis For The Uk Ms Register Via A Web Portal: Characterising A Cohort Of People With Ms, David V. Ford, Kerina H. Jones, Rod M. Middleton, Hazel Lockhart-Jones, Inocencio D.C. Maramba, Gareth J. Noble, Lisa A. Osborne, Ronan A. Lyons

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Abstract Background A UK Register of people with Multiple Sclerosis has been developed to address the need for an increased knowledge-base about MS. The Register is being populated via: a web-based portal; NHS neurology clinical systems; and administrative data sources. The data are de-identified and linked at the individual level. At the outset, it was not known whether people with MS would wish to participate in the UK MS Register by personally contributing their data to the Register via a web-based system. Therefore, the research aim of this work was to build an internet-mounted recruitment and consenting technology for people …

Underweight And Overweight Men Have Greater Exercise-Induced Dyspnoea Than Normal Weight Men, Mmf Subhan, Sa Ali, Ssi Bokhari, Mn Khan, Hr Ahmad

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Film Deposition And Microfabrication Of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions With An Mgo Barrier, Yuqing Du

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), which consist of a thin insulation layer sandwiched by two ferromagnetic (FM) layers, are among the key devices of spintronics that have promising technological applications for computer hard disk drives, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other future spintronic devices. The work presented here is related to the development of relevant techniques for the preparation and characterization of magnetic films, exchanged biased systems and MTJs. The fabrication and characterization of PtMn/CoFe exchange biased systems and MTJs with Al-O barriers were undertaken when the new Aviza StratIon fxP ion beam deposition tool was developed by the project …

Internship Design And Its Impact On Intrinsic Motivation And Student Career Choice., Paul Stansbie

Plymouth Business School Theses

This study examines the role experiential education, in the form of internships, plays in the professional development of Hospitality and Tourism Management students. Through an appraisal of the literature, it outlines the many benefits available to direct and indirect stakeholders through the facilitation of a structured, work based learning experience. In particular, it analyses the internship through an evaluation of job design by applying both Hackman and Oldham’s (1975a) Job Characteristics Model (JCM) and developing a proposed intern’s version of that model. The outcomes demonstrate that dimensions of the work undertaken do contribute significantly to an individual’s satisfaction and intrinsic …

Osteochondral Tissue Engineering: Scaffolds, Stem Cells And Applications., Patcharakamon Nooeaid, Vehid Salih, Justus P. Beier, Aldo R. Boccaccini

Peninsula Dental School

Osteochondral tissue engineering has shown an increasing development to provide suitable strategies for the regeneration of damaged cartilage and underlying subchondral bone tissue. For reasons of the limitation in the capacity of articular cartilage to self-repair, it is essential to develop approaches based on suitable scaffolds made of appropriate engineered biomaterials. The combination of biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics in a variety of composite structures is promising in this area, whereby the fabrication methods, associated cells and signalling factors determine the success of the strategies. The objective of this review is to present and discuss approaches being proposed in osteochondral …

Facilitated Physical Activity As A Treatment For Depressed Adults: Randomised Controlled Trial, Melanie Chalder, Nicola J. Wiles, John Campbell, Sandra P. Hollinghurst, Anne M. Haase, Adrian H. Taylor, Kenneth R. Fox, Ceire Costelloe, Aidan Searle, Helen Baxter, Rachel Winder, Christine Wright, Katrina M. Turner, Michael Calnan, Deborah A. Lawlor, Tim J. Peters, Deborah J. Sharp, Alan A. Montgomery, Glyn Lewis

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Control Of Interneuron Dendritic Growth Through Nrg1/Erbb4-Mediated Kalirin-7 Disinhibition., M. E. Cahill, K. A. Jones, I. Rafalovich, Z. Xie, C. S. Barros, U. Müller, P. Penzes

Peninsula Medical School

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a secreted trophic factor that activates the postsynaptic erbB4 receptor tyrosine kinase. Both NRG1 and erbB4 have been repeatedly associated with schizophrenia, but their downstream targets are not well characterized. ErbB4 is highly abundant in interneurons, and NRG1-mediated erbB4 activation has been shown to modulate interneuron function, but the role for NRG1-erbB4 signaling in regulating interneuron dendritic growth is not well understood. Here we show that NRG1/erbB4 promote the growth of dendrites in mature interneurons through kalirin, a major dendritic Rac1-GEF. Recent studies have shown associations of the KALRN gene with schizophrenia. Our data point to …

Feeling Good About Being Hungry: Food-Related Thoughts In Eating Disorder, Jf Blackburn, Ar Thomson, J May

School of Psychology

Objectives: This study explores the relationships to food and hunger in women living with anorexic type eating difficulties and asks how imagery-based elaborations of food and eating thoughts are involved in their eating restraint, and recovery. Design: The qualitative idiographic approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used. Four in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with women self-selected as having experienced anorexia or anorexic like behaviour. Methods: The data was analysed using IPA and an audit of the analysis was conducted to ensure that the process followed had been systematic and rigorous and appropriately considered reflexivity. Results: Hunger was perceived positively …

Development Of Mineral Particle Surfaces For The Adsorption Of Pitch From Wood Processing And Recycling Of Paper, Daniel Gantenbein

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

During the production of paper in paper mills, detrimental wood resin is released into the water circuit of the mill during the pulping process of the wood into fibres. This wood resin, termed pitch, can detrimentally deposit on the paper and on the paper machine equipment. The deposits mark the paper or can lead to a tear of the paper web involving a loss of output and a reduction in paper quality. Furthermore, the wood resinous compounds in paper mill effluents need to be reduced in order to minimise their toxic effects on water organisms. Talc has been the benchmark …

Parental Care And The Development Of The Parent Offspring Conflict In Discus Fish (Symphysodon Spp.), Jonathan Buckley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Parental care has evolved across the animal kingdom to increase the probability of offspring surviving in an environment fraught with danger. While parental care is common among mammals and birds, it is relatively rare in fish with the vast majority of fish showing no form of parental care at all, whilst those that do, often just provide parental care to developing eggs pre-hatch. The provision of parental care in discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) is, therefore, interesting in that parents provide mucus to offspring as a source of nutrition during the first few weeks of care. In mammals this post-birth provision …