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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 …


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.


Undergraduate Nurses’ And Midwives’ Participation And Satisfaction With Live Interactive Webcasts., Gr Williamson, I Maramba, Rb Jones, J Morris Apr 2009

Undergraduate Nurses’ And Midwives’ Participation And Satisfaction With Live Interactive Webcasts., Gr Williamson, I Maramba, Rb Jones, J Morris

School of Nursing and Midwifery

INTRODUCTION: E-Learning methods such as webcasting are being used increasingly in healthcare education, including that of nurses and midwives. Webcasting means live synchronous broadcasting over the internet, where students participate simultaneously in text 'chat room' interactive discussions when logged on to a webpage where they can see and hear a presentation such as a PowerPoint lecture, a list of other participants, and access 'chat rooms'. AIMS: This paper reports student participation and satisfaction with the use of webcasting in a third year undergraduate nursing and midwifery research methods module in one higher education institution faculty of health and social work …


Bias For Consonantal Information Over Vocalic Information In 30-Month-Olds: Cross-Linguistic Evidence From French And English., Thierry Nazzi, Caroline Floccia, Bérangère Moquet, Joseph Butler Apr 2009

Bias For Consonantal Information Over Vocalic Information In 30-Month-Olds: Cross-Linguistic Evidence From French And English., Thierry Nazzi, Caroline Floccia, Bérangère Moquet, Joseph Butler

School of Psychology

Using a name-based categorization task, Nazzi found in 2005 that French-learning 20-month-olds can make use of one-feature consonantal contrasts between new labels but fail to do so with one-feature vocalic contrasts. This asymmetry was interpreted as developmental evidence for the proposal that consonants play a more important role than vowels at the lexical level. In the current study using the same task, we first show that by 30 months French-learning infants can make use of one-feature vocalic contrasts (e.g., /pize/-/pyze/). Second, we show that in a situation where infants must neglect either a consonantal one-feature change or a vocalic one-feature …


Understanding Pitch Perception As A Hierarchical Process With Top-Down Modulation., E Balaguer-Ballester, Nr Clark, M Coath, K Krumbholz, Sl Denham Mar 2009

Understanding Pitch Perception As A Hierarchical Process With Top-Down Modulation., E Balaguer-Ballester, Nr Clark, M Coath, K Krumbholz, Sl Denham

School of Psychology

Pitch is one of the most important features of natural sounds, underlying the perception of melody in music and prosody in speech. However, the temporal dynamics of pitch processing are still poorly understood. Previous studies suggest that the auditory system uses a wide range of time scales to integrate pitch-related information and that the effective integration time is both task- and stimulus-dependent. None of the existing models of pitch processing can account for such task- and stimulus-dependent variations in processing time scales. This study presents an idealized neurocomputational model, which provides a unified account of the multiple time scales observed …


Samuel Holberry: Chartist Conspirator Or Victim Of A State Conspiracy, Catherine Lewis Mar 2009

Samuel Holberry: Chartist Conspirator Or Victim Of A State Conspiracy, Catherine Lewis

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

In January 1840, Samuel Holberry a Sheffield Chartist, was committed to trial at Sheffield Assizes for seditious conspiracy. A critical examination of the evidence presented at the committal hearing and subsequent Assize trial demonstrates that the court process was entirely one-sided. The quality of the evidence used to secure a conviction was, at the very least, suspect, and the prosecution appear to have withheld evidence that could have vindicated Holberry. An in-depth analysis of the case seeks to lay bare the workings of the coercive and judicial powers of the nineteenth century state.


Ethics And Vulnerability In Street Prostitution; An Argument In Favour Of Managed Zones, Anna Carline Mar 2009

Ethics And Vulnerability In Street Prostitution; An Argument In Favour Of Managed Zones, Anna Carline

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

This article draws upon the work of Judith Butler, in particular her approach to ethics and the concepts of vulnerability and 'liveable lives,' in order to provide a critical analysis of reform proposals contained in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (now Act 2008) in relation to street prostitution. The article will argue that the proposals presented in the Bill problematically use the vulnerability of street sex workers in order to promote a moralistic agenda. In contrast it will be argued that managed zones, as proposed by Liverpool City Council, provide a potentially more ethical approach to the issue of …


Resolution Through Devolution: Policing, Youth Justice And Imprisonment In Wales, Gavin Dingwall Mar 2009

Resolution Through Devolution: Policing, Youth Justice And Imprisonment In Wales, Gavin Dingwall

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

Criminal justice was not devolved to the Welsh Assembly but the process of devolution has resulted in de facto differences emerging between England and Wales. In the previous edition of this journal, Jackie Jones argued that these differences would lead to the eventual devolution of criminal justice to the Assembly. This response article concentrates on three distinct areas of criminal justice policy – policing, youth justice and imprisonment – and seeks to situate the Welsh concerns in a broader context. The conclusion draws together what I see as the two central themes of Jones‘ paper: the inevitability of a Welsh …


Profits, Supply And Hyv Adoption In Bangladesh, S Rahman, B Shankar Feb 2009

Profits, Supply And Hyv Adoption In Bangladesh, S Rahman, B Shankar

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The adoption of HYVs (High Yielding Varieties), for increased farm profitability, and the accelerated supply of cereals are important objectives for Bangladesh agriculture. In this paper, we have investigated the manner in which price and non-price factor affect these three criteria, based upon a model of rational variety choice. The model is empirically implemented using translog profit functions and a switching regression framework, and applied to a cross-sectional farm-level dataset of Bangladeshi farms for the 1996 crop year. Results indicate that rice prices, land availability, irrigation, rural infrastructure, labour wages and prices of animal power services are important factors, while …


Momentum Equity Strategies: Are Certain Firm-Specific Variables Crucial In Achieving Superior Performance In Short Term Holding Periods?, P Tziogkidis, P Zachouris Feb 2009

Momentum Equity Strategies: Are Certain Firm-Specific Variables Crucial In Achieving Superior Performance In Short Term Holding Periods?, P Tziogkidis, P Zachouris

Plymouth Business School

In this study we analyze the performance of variable-oriented momentum strategies, in order to detect alternatives which offer higher returns, compared to the simple price momentum strategies, for no significantly extra risk, in the very short run. Portfolios are constructed using twenty firm specific variables, of U.S. stocks traded in NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX for a full six year period starting on March of 2002. We calculate a volatilityreward (VR) ratio for each observation, treated as a performance measure, and we apply Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on their series in order to detect the variables which contribute mostly in enhancing …


Predicting Global Habitat Suitability For Stony Corals On Seamounts, Derek P. Tittensor, Amy R. Baco, Paul E. Brewin, Malcolm R. Clark, Mireille Consalvey, Jason Hall-Spencer, Ashley A. Rowden, Thomas Schlacher, Karen I. Stocks, Alex D. Rogers Jan 2009

Predicting Global Habitat Suitability For Stony Corals On Seamounts, Derek P. Tittensor, Amy R. Baco, Paul E. Brewin, Malcolm R. Clark, Mireille Consalvey, Jason Hall-Spencer, Ashley A. Rowden, Thomas Schlacher, Karen I. Stocks, Alex D. Rogers

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Change In Refractive Status Of The Patients Undergoing Phacoemulsification Surgery., Mr Joshi, S Shakya Jan 2009

Change In Refractive Status Of The Patients Undergoing Phacoemulsification Surgery., Mr Joshi, S Shakya

School of Health Professions

This study was carried out with the objective of finding refractive status of patients undergoing phacoemulsification surgery for cataract extraction. Success of cataract surgery can be quantified with the improvement in visual acuity with least amount of refractive error. Prospective study of 44 patients was done pre operatively and with subsequent follow up in the first, third and eighth week post operatively. Pre and post operative evaluation was carried out in terms of visual acuity, refractive error and corneal curvature. Among patients undergoing surgery, 91.0% achieved visual acuity of 6/9 or better at eighth week follow up 73.3% of patients …


Measurement And Modelling Of Structure And Pore Level Processes In Filters And Wicks, John Charles Price Jan 2009

Measurement And Modelling Of Structure And Pore Level Processes In Filters And Wicks, John Charles Price

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Characterisation of new filtration and wicking materials through a 'wet-bench" testing process is a requirement for many filtration companies before new products can be released to market. A reduction in this testing commitment through the application of successful computational based models, requiring minimal empirical input, would undoubtedly result in huge financial savings and reductions in testing lead times. Such models could offer total media characterisation and could also aid further insights into many filtration and wicking processes which before would have required an expensive combination of different testing procedures. In this research, a depth filtration model has been developed, based …


Can Health Visitors Assist Clients To Optimise Health-Determining Aspects Of The Indoor Environment Through Provision Of Evidence-Informed Messages?, George Richardson Jan 2009

Can Health Visitors Assist Clients To Optimise Health-Determining Aspects Of The Indoor Environment Through Provision Of Evidence-Informed Messages?, George Richardson

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The aim of the research was to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of health visitors working with their clients to assess health-determining aspects of their clients' home environments and to provide evidence-informed messages about the indoor environment. The research was conducted within a Soft Systems Methodology framework. Following a pilot study in 2003, a proof of concept, feasibility study was implemented (2004 to 2007) with a convenience sample of eight health visitors conducting 29 environmental assessments in clients' homes, using a dedicated, cost effective tool kit. The health visitors were trained to monitor and provide evidence-based messages on Indoor environmental …


Exploring The Provision Of High Dependency Care In Children's Wards, Margaret Jane Doman Jan 2009

Exploring The Provision Of High Dependency Care In Children's Wards, Margaret Jane Doman

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Aim The aim of this qualitative research study was to explore the provision of high dependency care in children's wards in SW England and to identify and evaluate individual and organisational factors influencing this care. Background Concerns about paediatric intensive care have been reported, leading to the implementation of many changes in practice. High dependency care, which is usually provided on children's wards, is included in the organisational framework for critical care, but has received far less attention. Definitions and recommendations lack clarity, which could lead to difficulties in determining the most appropriate environment, staffing and equipment for care provision. …


The Effectiveness Of Privately Managed Marine Reserves In Sustaining Nearshore Fisheries In The Tropical Coastal Zone, Bjorn Patrik Mikael Svensson Jan 2009

The Effectiveness Of Privately Managed Marine Reserves In Sustaining Nearshore Fisheries In The Tropical Coastal Zone, Bjorn Patrik Mikael Svensson

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

There is an emergent need to increase protection of nearshore resources from a growing human population, which is deteriorating coral reef ecosystems through coastal development, overfishing and destructive fishing practices. A possible solution involves increasing the number of smaller Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), creating a network of reserves with greater fisheries potential, while locally remaining small enough not to overly impinge on fishers available fishing grounds. Coral reefs are often found in developing countries, where governments financially struggle to establish successfully managed MPAs. A growing number of Hotel Managed Marine Reserves (HMMRs) have partly therefore, recently been established. Hotels arguably …


Statistical Techniques For Extreme Wave Condition Analysis In Coastal Design, Paul Thompson Jan 2009

Statistical Techniques For Extreme Wave Condition Analysis In Coastal Design, Paul Thompson

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The study of the behaviour of the extreme values of a variable such as wave height is very important in engineering applications such as flood risk assessment and coastal design. Storm wave modelling usually adopts a univariate extreme value theory approach, essentially identifying the extreme observations of one variable and fitting a standard extreme value distribution to these values. Often it is of interest to understand how extremes of a variable such as wave height depend on a covariate such as wave direction. An important associated concept is that of return level, a value that is expected to be exceeded …


Selection Of A Chicken Lactobacillus Strain With Probiotic Properties And Its Application In Poultry Production, Soumela Sawidou Jan 2009

Selection Of A Chicken Lactobacillus Strain With Probiotic Properties And Its Application In Poultry Production, Soumela Sawidou

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

One hundred and eleven lactic acid bacteria, of chicken origin, were tested for possible probiotic properties. One organism, Lactobacillus salivarius Salivarius NCIMB 41606 {Lact. "Salivarius) showed rapid autoaggregation ability, maximum co-aggregation ability with enteropathogens, tolerance to acidic pH and bile salts of the chicken Gl-tract, very good antagonistic activity against several enteropathogens and good adhesive capacity to chicken epithelial cells. It was also found to survive in water for 24h and produce fermented feed, of low pH (150 mmol L-1 lactic acid after 24h fermentation at 30°C. This organism was selected as a candidate that could be used in vivo …


Beach Morphodynamics Behind A Series Of Detached Breakwaters In A Mesotidal Environment, Iain Alastair Fairley Jan 2009

Beach Morphodynamics Behind A Series Of Detached Breakwaters In A Mesotidal Environment, Iain Alastair Fairley

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Morphodynamics of beaches protected by detached breakwaters have been investigated in this thesis at timescales ranging from days to years. A site consisting of nine breakwaters on a coast open to energetic wave conditions in a meso-tidal environment is studied. Two phases of breakwaters were built at the site: phase one comprising of four fully emergent, 200m long structures, which have caused the formation of tidal tombolos; and phase two, five 160m long breakwaters, submerged at high tide, behind which salients have formed. The site allows for comparison of response at beaches protected by different breakwater designs under similar wave …


A Large-Scale Model Of Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Excitation And Inhibition Evoked By The Horizontal Network In Layer 2/3 Of The Visual Cortex, Andrew John Symes Jan 2009

A Large-Scale Model Of Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Excitation And Inhibition Evoked By The Horizontal Network In Layer 2/3 Of The Visual Cortex, Andrew John Symes

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Cortical processing of even the most elementary visual stimuli can result in the propagation of information over significant spatiotemporal scales. To fully understand the impact of such phenomena it is essential to consider the influence of both the neural circuitry beyond the immediate retinotopic location of the stimulus, including pre-cortical areas, and the temporal components of stimulus driven activity that may persist over significant periods. Two computational modelling studies have been performed to explore these phenomena and are reported in this thesis. I) The plexus of long and short range lateral connections is a prominent feature of the layer 2/3 …


'Making Whoopee'? : An Exploration Of Understandings And Responses Around Women's Alcohol Use, Patricia Staddon Jan 2009

'Making Whoopee'? : An Exploration Of Understandings And Responses Around Women's Alcohol Use, Patricia Staddon

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In this thesis, I explore the different meanings women's drinking may have for them, and the ways in which these may differ from those of the public, the medical profession, and alcohol treatment providers. I consider the sociological factors involved, such as marginalisation by medical diagnosis as a method of social control, involving particularly the disempowerment of women (Ettorre 1997). I challenge conventional views of 'alcoholism' as a 'relapsing condition' .(Szumlinski et al. 2008 p.24) and present an alternative, competing discourse. This recognises how women's social dissonance may be both response and resistance to gendered constraints, drawing upon understandings of …


Time Well Spent: Modelling Education And Service Activities Of Junior Doctors Under The European Working Time Directive, Sonja Anna Derrick Jan 2009

Time Well Spent: Modelling Education And Service Activities Of Junior Doctors Under The European Working Time Directive, Sonja Anna Derrick

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

A number of professional groups face the conflict of providing a service to their organisation as a whole, and wider to its clients, while continuing to develop their skills and knowledge professionally, in order to be able to perform effectively in their current role as well as future ones, within a certain amount of time available to them. The introduction of reduced-hours legislation under the European Working Time Directive for junior doctors has posed an organisational problem for NHS Trusts in the UK, who need to reconcile the training and service needs of the profession and the service within the …


Brynmawr Experiment 1928-1940 : Quaker Values And Arts And Crafts Principles, Pamela Manasseh Jan 2009

Brynmawr Experiment 1928-1940 : Quaker Values And Arts And Crafts Principles, Pamela Manasseh

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This is a study of the social work of Quakers in the town of Brynmawr in South Wales during the depressions of the 1920s and 1930s. The work, which took place during the years 1928 to 1940, has become known as the Brynmawr Experiment. The initial provision of practical and financial relief for a town suffering severely from the effects of unemployment, was developed with the establishment of craft workshops to provide employment. Special reference is made to the furniture making workshop and the personnel involved with it. The thesis attempts to trace links between the moral and aesthetic values …


Involvement Of Looked After Children In Making Decisions About Their Present And Future Care Needs, Caroline Leeson Jan 2009

Involvement Of Looked After Children In Making Decisions About Their Present And Future Care Needs, Caroline Leeson

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The provision of services for looked after children is an arena, like no other, where agents of the state, rather than parents or the children themselves are making decisions about children's lives. Such decisions include where and with whom looked after children live, what school they attend and the regularity and quality of their contact with their families and friends. The extent to which looked after children are involved in these decision-making processes appears to depend on the assumptions and perceptions of social work practitioners about the ability of children to participate. These assumptions are usually based on age-related concepts …


Homing Place: Towards A Participatory, Ambulant And Conversive Methodology, Misha Myers Jan 2009

Homing Place: Towards A Participatory, Ambulant And Conversive Methodology, Misha Myers

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The practice-as-research project Homing Place proposes a transferable percipient-led methodology of performance and research activated by ambulant and conversive mechanisms as the culmination of this research. The thesis is comprised of a range of activity that represents a moment and way of writing practice. Three artworks that comprise part of the practical component of this thesis--- way from home, Take me to a place and Yodel Rodeo-- each involved participation and contribution from particular audiences and social groups in spatial and conversational modes of performance executed through processes of wayfinding, mapping and walking. One of the primary contributions of knowledge …


Beach Morphodynamics And Associated Hazards In The Uk, Tim Scott Jan 2009

Beach Morphodynamics And Associated Hazards In The Uk, Tim Scott

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

In this thesis the relationship between beach morphodynamics and recreational hazards was investigated for the first time within the United Kingdom (UK). Four field experiments, conducted during 2006-2008 provided new insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of UK beach types and their associated hazard signatures. The extent of data collection ranged from national (UK beach classification) to regional (temporal morphologic variation) to site specific (macrotidal rip current dynamics). Detailed morphodynamic characteristics of 98 beaches within the UK were collected. Twelve distinct beach groups were identified through cluster analysis, each having a unique morphodynamic signature. Conceptualisation within a relative two-dimensional framework using …


The Roles Of Organic And Inorganic Zinc And Selenium Sources In The Nutrition And Promotion Of Health In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Sebastien A. B. Rider Jan 2009

The Roles Of Organic And Inorganic Zinc And Selenium Sources In The Nutrition And Promotion Of Health In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Sebastien A. B. Rider

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Three nutritional feeding trials were undertaken to investigate the nutritional role of zinc (Zn) ands elenium (Se) in the promotion of health in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum). Organic and inorganic sources of both elements were assessed by determining bioavailability, effects on growth, feed utilisation, immuno-competence, oxidative status, fillet quality and interactions with other trace elements. A focus was made on the use of practical diets throughout the study. The first experiment assessed the bioavailability of residual Se and Zn from a white fishmeal based practical diet during a 10-week trial in comparison to diets containing either supplemental …


Estimating Population Change And Dispersal Activity Of Spiders In An Agricultural Landscape, Christopher Woolley Jan 2009

Estimating Population Change And Dispersal Activity Of Spiders In An Agricultural Landscape, Christopher Woolley

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The principal aims of this work were to investigate dispersal activity of spiders commonly found in agricultural crops, and to study the influence of both crop type and farm operations on spider assemblages and populations. Work was also conducted to develop and test an improved trapping method for samplmg aerially dispersing (ballooning) spiders. Objectives were to determine whether common farmland species exhibited species-specific differences in dispersal activity. Behavioural data from wind chamber studies were also related to field data to establish i f seasonality in dispersal was related to seasonal changes in dispersal motivation or variation in ground population densities. …


The Varieties Of User Experience Bridging Embodied Methodologies From Somatics And Performance To Human Computer Interaction, Thecia Henrietta Helena Maria Schiphorst Jan 2009

The Varieties Of User Experience Bridging Embodied Methodologies From Somatics And Performance To Human Computer Interaction, Thecia Henrietta Helena Maria Schiphorst

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Embodied Interaction continues to gain significance within the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Its growing recognition and value is evidenced in part by a remarkable increase in systems design and publication focusing on various aspects of Embodiment. The enduring need to interact through experience has spawned a variety of interdisciplinary bridging strategies in the hope of gaining deeper understanding of human experience. Along with phenomenology, cognitive science, psychology and the arts, recent interdisciplinary contributions to HCI include the knowledge-rich domains of Somatics and Performance that carry long-standing traditions of embodied practice. The common ground between HCI and the fields …


Eco-Visualisation: Combining Art And Technology To Reduce Energy Consumption, Tiffany Holmes Jan 2009

Eco-Visualisation: Combining Art And Technology To Reduce Energy Consumption, Tiffany Holmes

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Artworks that display the real time usage of key resources such as electricity offer new strategies to conserve energy. These eco-visualisations-or artworks that creatively visualise ecologically significant data in real time-represent a substantial contribution to new knowledge about dynamic feedback as a tool to promote energy conservation and environmental site-based learning in this interdisciplinary project that expands and builds on prior findings from the fields of art, design, environmental psychology, and human computer interaction (HCI). The aims of this research endeavor were to locate answers to the following questions related to energy conservation in various public contexts. Might dynamic feedback …