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Investigation Into The Materials And Manufacturing Of A New Thin Film Magnetoresistive Sensor, Yong Qing Ma Jan 1998

Investigation Into The Materials And Manufacturing Of A New Thin Film Magnetoresistive Sensor, Yong Qing Ma

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

There is increasing interest in utilising very thin anisotropic magnetoresistive films (typically in the range of a few nano-metres) to make magnetic sensors which can be made very small and with a high signal-to-noise ratio. In this thesis, a new type of sensor is investigated which has a pair of thin film MR stripes whose magnetisation is switched alternately in opposite directions using bias fields from currents in overlay conductor films. The investigation considers in particular the Barkhausen noise in these sensors and its relationship with factors such as sensor film thickness. The effect of thickness and grain size on …


Investigation Into Submicron Track Positioning And Following Technology For Computer Magnetic Disks, Baolin Tan Jan 1998

Investigation Into Submicron Track Positioning And Following Technology For Computer Magnetic Disks, Baolin Tan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In the recent past some magnetic heads with submicron trackwidth have been developed in order to increase track density of computer magnetic disks, however a servo control system for a submicron trackwidth head has not been investigated. The main objectives of this work are to investigate and develop a new servo pattern recording model, a new position sensor, actuator, servo controller used for submicron track positioning and following on a computer hard disk with ultrahigh track density, to increase its capacity. In this position sensor study, new modes of reading and writing servo information for longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic recording …


Intelligent Pattern Analysis Of The Foetal Electrocardiogram, Nicholas John Outram Jan 1998

Intelligent Pattern Analysis Of The Foetal Electrocardiogram, Nicholas John Outram

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The aim of the project on which this thesis is based is to develop reliable techniques for foetal electrocardiogram (ECG) based monitoring, to reduce incidents of unnecessary medical intervention and foetal injury during labour. World-wide electronic foetal monitoring is based almost entirely on the cardiotocogram (CTG), which is a continuous display of the foetal heart rate (FHR) pattern together with the contraction of the womb. Despite the widespread use of the CTG, there is no significant improvement in foetal outcome. In the UK alone it is estimated that birth related negligence claims cost the health authorities over £400M per-annum. An …


The Modes Of Action Of Toxicants On The Cardiac Physiology Of The Blue Mussel, Mytilus Edulis, And The Common Shore Crab, Carcinus Maenas, Timothy Mark Curtis Jan 1998

The Modes Of Action Of Toxicants On The Cardiac Physiology Of The Blue Mussel, Mytilus Edulis, And The Common Shore Crab, Carcinus Maenas, Timothy Mark Curtis

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The primary aim of this thesis was to establish the mode of action of the heavy metal, copper, on the cardiac physiology of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Exposure of specimens of M.edulis to dissolved copper led to a decrease in heart rate and an increase in heart rate variability (HRV). The concentration of copper causing a 50% reduction in heart rate was found to be 0.8µM, while the concentration causing a 50% increase in HRV was 0.06µM (48 h EC50s). Simultaneous measurements of valve activity indicated that the observed bradycardia was not caused by valve closure. Subsequently, it was …


Stability And Compatibility Of Four Cytotoxic Drug Infusions In The Graseby 9000 Ambulatory Pump, Gj Sewell, Mj Priston Jan 1998

Stability And Compatibility Of Four Cytotoxic Drug Infusions In The Graseby 9000 Ambulatory Pump, Gj Sewell, Mj Priston

School of Health Professions

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the stability of three cytotoxic infusions in the Graseby 9000 ambulatory pump (Graseby Medical, Watford, UK) under both refrigerated storage and in-use conditions. The infusions studied were: (a) doxorubicin (2 mg/mL) plus vincristine (0.2 mg/mL) and (b) ifosfamide (20 mg/mL) plus mesna (20 mg/mL) and etoposide (0.5 mg/mL). In each case, the diluent was water for injection. Methods. Graseby 9000 medication cassettes, each containing one of three infusions studied, were incubated at either 8°C or 37°C to represent refrigerated storage or 'in-use' temperatures, respectively. Samples were withdrawn for chemical and physical …


The Balance Between Activation And Inhibition In Stereotype Use, Na Wyer, Dl Hamilton Jan 1998

The Balance Between Activation And Inhibition In Stereotype Use, Na Wyer, Dl Hamilton

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.


Measurement Of Suspended Sediment Transport Processes Off The Holderness Coast - Southern North Sea, England, Joanna Catherine Blewett Jan 1998

Measurement Of Suspended Sediment Transport Processes Off The Holderness Coast - Southern North Sea, England, Joanna Catherine Blewett

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A field campaign was set up as part of the LOIS-RACS coastal program (1994-1996), to identify the near-bed physical processes responsible for suspended sediment movement in shallow water (10-20m depth) off the Holdemess coast, NE England. A new benthic tripod system Boundary Layer Intelligent Sensor System (BLISS) has been developed and deployed along a transect at three sites, normal to the coastline at Tunstall. Measurements of current velocity, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), pressure and CTD were recorded at 5 Hz for 17 minutes every hour, on the same data acquisition system. Results are presented for the summer, July 1995 and …


Patriarchy And Discordant Discourses In The Contemporary Roman Catholic Church : The Voices Of Priests And Women In Parish Settings, Geraldine Sharp Jan 1998

Patriarchy And Discordant Discourses In The Contemporary Roman Catholic Church : The Voices Of Priests And Women In Parish Settings, Geraldine Sharp

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis explores the sexual theology and contemporary teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and considers their implications for women and priests. It examines the salience and relevance of traditional teaching in the everyday lives of priests and women. It questions the link between a traditionally formed priesthood and the customary beliefs and practices of 'ordinary' English Catholics. Feminist scholarship has produced powerful insights into the ways in which organised religion has subordinated women through patriarchal structures and organisation, although there has been little exploration of the gendered nature of Catholic sexual theology. This thesis suggests that the negative construction …


Protein Phosphatase Β, A Putative Type‐2a Protein Phosphatase From The Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum, J Li, Da Baker Oct 1997

Protein Phosphatase Β, A Putative Type‐2a Protein Phosphatase From The Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum, J Li, Da Baker

Peninsula Medical School

Protein phosphatases play a critical role in the regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle and signal transduction. A putative protein serine/threonine phosphatase gene has been isolated from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The gene has an unusual intron that contains four repeats of 32 nucleotides and displays a high degree of size polymorphism among different strains of P. falciparum. The open reading frame reconstituted by removal of the intron encodes a protein of 466 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of approximately 53.7 kDa. The encoded protein, termed protein phosphatase β (PP-β), is composed of two distinct domains. …


The Potentiation Of Actions By Visual Objects, Michael Richard Edwin Tucker Jan 1997

The Potentiation Of Actions By Visual Objects, Michael Richard Edwin Tucker

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis examines the relation between visual objects and the actions they afford. It is proposed that viewing an object results in the potentiation of the actions that can be made towards it. The proposal is consistent with neurophysiological evidence that suggests that no clear divide exists between visual and motor representation in the dorsal visual pathway, a processing stream that neuropsychological evidence strongly implicates in the visual control of actions. The experimental work presented examines motor system involvement in visual representation when no intention to perform a particular action is present. It is argued that the representation of action-relevant …


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

Privatisation, Rural Railways And Community Development, Theresa Maria Lowndes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

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


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

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

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

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


Racism And Racial Categorization., J Blascovich, Na Wyer, La Swart, Jl Kibler Jan 1997

Racism And Racial Categorization., J Blascovich, Na Wyer, La Swart, Jl Kibler

School of Psychology

Social identity theory predicts that perceivers strongly identified with an in-group will maximize the distinction and maintain a clear boundary between their own and other groups by categorizing others' membership accurately. Two experiments tested the prediction that racially prejudiced individuals, who presumably identify highly with their racial in-group, are more motivated to make accurate racial categorizations than nonprejudiced individuals. Results indicated that prejudiced participants not only took longer to categorize race-ambiguous targets (Experiments 1 and 2), but also made more nonverbal vocalizations when presented with them (Experiment 1), suggesting response hesitation. The results support the hypothesis that, compared to nonprejudiced …


Life-Cycle Parameters Of Tisbe Battagliai (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) As Indicators Of Chronic Toxicity, Timothy Dorian Williams Jan 1997

Life-Cycle Parameters Of Tisbe Battagliai (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) As Indicators Of Chronic Toxicity, Timothy Dorian Williams

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

There is growing concern about the fate and biological effects of chemical contaminants in the marine environment. In the United Kingdom, the present ability to detect the potential long-term effects of contaminants is limited by the lack of suitable laboratory methods for measuring chronic toxicity. The harpacticoid copepod Tisbe battagliai was selected as a candidate test organism and a suite of chronic toxicity test methods was developed for measuring the effect of chemical contaminants on individual copepods (postembryonic development, reproduction and life-table analysis) and populations of T. battagliai. The development of chronic test methods proceeded alongside investigations of the influence …


Design With Attitude: A Key World Class Method, Aj Robotham, Gn Blount Jan 1997

Design With Attitude: A Key World Class Method, Aj Robotham, Gn Blount

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

World Class Design by implication can best be achieved by adopting world class methods. ICED conferences continue to disseminate methodologies to help make designers and design teams more effective and efficient. At ICED 95 we introduced our PAKTS model (Figure 1.) which identified the total educational needs of young engineering designers [Robotham 1995]. The five key elements of the model are Processes, Attitudes, Knowledge, Tools and Skills. Of these elements, the least developed in terms of methodologies is that of “Attitude”. This paper will give further consideration to this element and identify the qualities that a designer must develop to …


Ambulatory Infusion Of Dacarbazine For Metastatic Malignant Melanoma: A Clinical, Pharmaceutical And Pharmacokinetic Case Report, Gj Sewell, A Hong Jan 1997

Ambulatory Infusion Of Dacarbazine For Metastatic Malignant Melanoma: A Clinical, Pharmaceutical And Pharmacokinetic Case Report, Gj Sewell, A Hong

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.


Mathematical Modelling Of The Dynamic Response, In Six Degrees Of Freedom, Of Small Vessels In A Seaway, Barbara Diana Wallis Jan 1997

Mathematical Modelling Of The Dynamic Response, In Six Degrees Of Freedom, Of Small Vessels In A Seaway, Barbara Diana Wallis

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis treats the motion of a small vessel described in six degrees of freedom. There are three are translation equations of motion and the other three are equations of angular motion. The aim is to develop a model with a sound mathematical base and use experimentation to find forces to aid the completion of the model, with the intention of use in an auto pilot, by the following means: 1) By solving the equations of motion for large movements, with given sea and wind conditions and also with given control forces and moments. 2) Deduce the forces and moments …


Structure-Activity Relationships In Glucosinolates As Oviposition Stimulants Of The Cabbage Root Fly, Delia Radicum (L.), Neil Patrick Chilcott Jan 1997

Structure-Activity Relationships In Glucosinolates As Oviposition Stimulants Of The Cabbage Root Fly, Delia Radicum (L.), Neil Patrick Chilcott

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

A statistically sound and quantifiable bioassay procedure was developed for determining the response of adult Delia radicum to oviposition stimulants. The method was based on the use of surrogate leaves coated with test compounds. All of the test compounds were of purity 99% or greater. Twelve of the tested compounds were synthesised the remaining twenty four were either donated or available commercially. Attempts to follow literature methods to synthesise glucosinolates were unsatisfactory and an investigation of the procedures led to a number of synthetic modifications. Despite various attempts, the failure to sulphate a thiohydroximate to produce a glucosinolate was not …


Improving The Performance Of Weaner Pigs Through Developments In Liquid Feeding, Tina Maria Geary Jan 1997

Improving The Performance Of Weaner Pigs Through Developments In Liquid Feeding, Tina Maria Geary

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

A programme of work was undertaken to assess the efficacy of a new automated ad libitum feed delivery system for newly weaned pigs; to investigate the effects of liquid feeding on their performance and to explore the possibilities for reducing diet cost by using lower cost liquid components. A series of 28 day feeding trials was conducted using pigs weaned at 24 ± 4 days and fed ad libitum on liquid diets. Compared with pigs fed dry diets, liquid feeding increased feed intake by 109 ± 10 g dˉ¹ (P<0.001) and daily gain by 57± 14 g dˉ¹ (P<0.001). Pig growth and feed conversion ratio was not significantly influenced by dry matter content over the range of 255 - 149 g DM kgˉ¹. However, diets containing less than 220 g DM kgˉ¹ increased effluent output per kg of liveweight gain. Within the liquid feed system a natural lactic acid fermentation occurred which reduced diet pH ≤ 4.0 and inhibited the growth of coliform bacteria. Pigs fed diets in which pH was reduced to ≤ 4.0 by acidification with either lactic acid or Pediococcus acidilactici had daily gains of 496 and 474 ± 17 g dˉ¹ and feed conversion ratios of 1.11 and 1.15 ± 0.06 respectively. A series of laboratory studies was conducted with the aim of upgrading and controlling fermentation of food industry liquid residues for use in liquid diets for weaners. Steeping was investigated as a method for reducing glycoalkaloid levels in reject raw potatoes. A combination of natural fermentation and hydrolysis reduced the levels of α-solanine by 16.6 mg kgˉ¹ (35%) and α-chaconine by 28.7 mg kgˉ¹ (51%) respectively. Diets based on the food industry liquid residues (Whey, 'C'-Starch and Greenwich Gold), were either allowed to ferment naturally or inoculated with Enterococcus faecium or Pediococcus acidilactici. Inoculation with either Enterococcus faecium or Pediococcus acidilactici did not result in a significant difference in the final pH of the diets or in the final populations of microorganisms examined compared with the control. The series of studies demonstrated the potential for improving weaner pigs performance using fermented liquid diets. However, it highlighted the need for further studies to obtain a greater degree of control over fermentation patterns.


A Strategic Choice Model For Asia-Pacific Shipping, Jeffrey Edward Hawkins Jan 1997

A Strategic Choice Model For Asia-Pacific Shipping, Jeffrey Edward Hawkins

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The importance of strategy to an organisation's competitiveness is widely acknowledged in the strategic management literature. However, although strategy research has become substantial in other areas, the same cannot be said with the shipping industry. Very littie is known about how shipowners choose competitive strategies or what strategies they pursue under certain environmental conditions. Of what is available, most focus on Northern Europe and Northem America, with scant regard for the Asia-Pacific, which has become a major shipping power in recent decades. This study was, therefore, conducted to address these gaps in the literature. It analysed the strategic choices made …


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

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

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

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


Developments In Oncology Research At The Pharmacy Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Gj Sewell Jan 1997

Developments In Oncology Research At The Pharmacy Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Gj Sewell

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.


Capture And Release Of Lagrangian Floats By Eddies In Shear Flow, G. I. Shapiro, E. D. Barton, S. L. Meschanov Jan 1997

Capture And Release Of Lagrangian Floats By Eddies In Shear Flow, G. I. Shapiro, E. D. Barton, S. L. Meschanov

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Study Of The Barriers To The Implementation Of Computerised Information Systems In The National Health Service, Gloria Lankshear Jan 1997

Study Of The Barriers To The Implementation Of Computerised Information Systems In The National Health Service, Gloria Lankshear

Plymouth Business School Theses

In order for computerised information systems (CIS) to be utilised to their full potential they must first be successfully implemented. The acquisition and implementation process continues to be an area which is reported by the media to present problems for both public and private sector organisations (Keen, 1994; Collins, 1996). The process was originally considered to be a technical process only, but more recently there has been acknowledgement that there are human implications. The process of acquisition and implementation of CIS in the NHS has, therefore, been studied in order to identify the barriers which might be present. The research …


The Use Of Concept Questions To Improve Student Understanding Of Mechanics, And The Formulation Of A Hierarchical Model Of Student Understanding Of Moments Of Forces, Stuart Rowlands Jan 1997

The Use Of Concept Questions To Improve Student Understanding Of Mechanics, And The Formulation Of A Hierarchical Model Of Student Understanding Of Moments Of Forces, Stuart Rowlands

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The aims and objectives of the first part of the thesis are to create and evaluate a teaching package that would enable the teacher to facilitate student conceptual understanding of mechanics. The second part is to create a hierarchical model of student conceptual understanding of moments of forces. The thesis reports on the various conflicting theories and recommended teaching strategies from the research into student misconceptions, and examines the various underlying philosophical trends (for example, radical and social constructivism, the Vygotskian perspective and positivism) that have influenced the research into misconceptions in mechanics. As a result, the philosophical perspective of …


Intelligent Techniques For Handling Uncertainty In The Assessment Of Neonatal Outcome, Jonathan Mark Garibaldi Jan 1997

Intelligent Techniques For Handling Uncertainty In The Assessment Of Neonatal Outcome, Jonathan Mark Garibaldi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Objective assessment of the neonatal outcome of labour is important, but it is a difficult and challenging problem. It is an invaluable source of information which can be used to provide feedback to clinicians, to audit a unit's overall performance, and can guide subsequent neonatal care. Current methods are inadequate as they fail to distinguish damage that occurred during labour from damage that occurred before or after labour. Analysis of the chemical acid-base status of blood taken from the umbilical cord of an infant immediately after delivery provides information on any damage suffered by the infant due to lack of …


System Identification Theory Approach To Cohesive Sediment Transport Modelling, Huixin Chen Jan 1997

System Identification Theory Approach To Cohesive Sediment Transport Modelling, Huixin Chen

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Two aspects of the modelling sediment transport are investigated. One is the univariate time series modelling the current velocity dynamics. The other is the multivariate time series modelling the suspended sediment concentration dynamics. Cohesive sediment dynamics and numerical sediment transport model are reviewed and investigated. The system identification theory and time series analysis method are developed and applied to set up the time series model for current velocity and suspended sediment dynamics. In this thesis, the cohesive sediment dynamics is considered as an unknown stochastic system to be identified. The study includes the model structure determination, system order estimation and …


Environmental Variables, Including Pollutants, Affecting Living Benthonic Foraminiferida, Catherine Jane Manley Jan 1997

Environmental Variables, Including Pollutants, Affecting Living Benthonic Foraminiferida, Catherine Jane Manley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Studies of living benthonic foraminiferal assemblages carried out by marine biologists are comparatively rare. This study of the changes in foraminiferal assemblages from three subtidal sites near Plymouth, U.K., has been carried out with the intention of determining the importance of various abiotic and biotic variables to the foraminiferal communities studied using statistical correlation. Temperature and salinity at depth and particle size characteristics together with organic content, bacterial abundance and type, and other meiofauna present were assessed monthly with samples taken for foraminiferal content, and for seasonal diatom analysis. Deformed specimens were very rare in the examined samples of natural …


Reversal Of Parkinsonian Symptoms In Primates By Antagonism Of Excitatory Amino Acid Transmission: Potential Mechanisms Of Action., I. J. Mitchell, C. B. Carroll Jan 1997

Reversal Of Parkinsonian Symptoms In Primates By Antagonism Of Excitatory Amino Acid Transmission: Potential Mechanisms Of Action., I. J. Mitchell, C. B. Carroll

Peninsula Medical School

Parkinsonism is characterised by overactive glutamatergic transmission in the cortico-striatal and subthalamo-medial pallidal pathways. Local blockade of glutamatergic transmission in these pathways can alleviate parkinsonian symptoms. The effectiveness of the treatment, however, is often limited by the simultaneous appearance of unwanted side-effects. These side-effects, including ataxia and dissociative anaesthesia, are particularly problematic when N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists are used. In an attempt to overcome these problems we have attempted to manipulate excitatory amino acid (EAA)-mediated neurotransmission indirectly by targeting the NMDA receptor associated modulatory sites. We review evidence which demonstrates that antagonists for both the NMDA associated glycine and polyamine sites …


Oxygen-Dependent Metabolism Of Organic Xenobiotics In Marine Fish And Mussel, Laurence David Peters Jan 1997

Oxygen-Dependent Metabolism Of Organic Xenobiotics In Marine Fish And Mussel, Laurence David Peters

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Studies were undertaken to examine the processes of oxygen-dependent organic xenobiotic metabolism in fish and mussel. The antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1 ), catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (SeGPX; EC 1.11.1.9) glutathione reducate (EC 1.6.4.2), DT Diaphorase (quinone oxidoreductase; EC 1.6.99.2), total GPX activity (sum of SeGPX and Se-independent GPX activities) and levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) were determined in 13 500g supernatants of embryos, 3- day and 11-day post-hatch larvae of turbot Scophthalmus maximus. The early life stages of S. maximus demonstrated the potential to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS), organic peroxides and redox cycling compounds. The …