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Impact Of The Medical Library Assistance Act Of 1965 On Health Sciences Libraries In The Pacific Northwest: An Interorganizational Approach, Leonoor Swets Ingraham

Dissertations and Theses

Since the 1960's, the number of publications has increased at a phenomenal rate, and the introduction of the computer has resulted in greatly expanded technological advances in information processing and information access. The information delivery component of health sciences libraries has been transformed; and concomitantly, their interorganizational relations have been altered. This research investigates the impact of a federally mandated information program. The Medical Library Assistance Act was passed in 1965 to support the escalating information needs of health professionals. Also, a computerized access system for biomedical literature was introduced by the National Library of Medicine. This study focuses on …

Reference And Representation In Down's Syndrome, Lois Joy Kingsbury Moore

School of Psychology Theses

Previous research has highlighted a different pattern in the use of grammatical forms to successfully maintain coherent discourse by individuals with Down's syndrome. To maintain coherent discourse both linguistic and non-linguistic information must be integrated and maintained in a mental representation of current discourse. The ability of children with Down's syndrome to use such a mental representation has been assessed in this study. The ability of adults with Down's syndrome to comprehend and produce a range of grammatical forms was initially assessed, using a grammaticality judgement task, an imitation task, and a spontaneous speech sample. Results indicated that the production …

Characteristics Of Administrators' Leadership Style In Quality Child Care Centers, Katherine Ann Bobula

Dissertations and Theses

The utilization of center-based child care services by working and student parents has increased dramatically over the last two decades, and has been accompanied by an equally strong interest, among the public and researchers alike, in the establishment and maintenance of quality caregiving in center-based care. This study addresses the leadership characteristics of administrators of quality child care centers. The intent of the study is to add to the existing knowledge concerning the role that the child care center administrator has in maintaining the delivery of high quality child care by the teaching-caregiving staff. Two factors were investigated: the leadership …

A Continuum Rod Model Of Sequence-Dependent Dna Structure, Robert S. Manning, John H. Maddocks, Jason D. Kahn

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Information For Elderly People: A Vital But Missing Link In Community Care, Helen Phillips

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The aim of this thesis has been to explore the interrelationship between elderly people and information. A case-study approach was adopted which examined whether the information needs of elderly people (consumers) in relation to community care had, in their perception. been addressed by the Information Strategy developed by the Social Services Department of one shire county (providers) in response to the Community Care Act 1990 to provide information about its services and how to access them. Two key findings emerge from the research. Firstly, elderly people's information needs in relation to community care have not been addressed by the Information …

The In Vitro Manipulation Of Cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea L. Convar. Botrytis (L.) Alef. Var. Botrytis L.) Meristematic Tissues For Utilisation In Genetic Improvement Programmes, Martin Louis Kieffer

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Cauliflower curd meristem activity (organogenic, plastochronic, phyllotactic) was analysed biometrically and confirmed that the curd is the product of a constant process of meristem production and branch ramification with little if any dominance between branch apices. A growth model based on curd branching pattern was developed and its mathematical expression enabled the estimation of the number of meristems carried by a curd at maturity to be over ten million which was previously widely underestimated. Analysis of the response to the in vitro culture of this meristematic tissues revealed that meristems are not predetermined to produce flower and that their shoot …

The Effect Of Moisture Content And Composition On The Compressive Strength And Rigidity Of Cob Made From Soil Of The Breccia Measures Near Teignmouth, Devon, Matthew James Addison Greer

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Earth has been used as a reliable building material for many thousands of years. Recently there has been a world wide renaissance in the use of earth as a building material due to its architectural versatility and environmental sustainability. However, in the United Kingdom it is regarded by the majority of building professionals as either obsolete or a novel historical material. The utilisation of earth as a modern building material and the repair of historic earth building structures is retarded by the uncertainty of the knowledge of the properties of the material. This thesis considers earth building materials as composite …

An Analysis Of The Genetic Algorithm And Abstract Search Space Visualisation, Richard Alan Harris

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The Genetic Algorithm (Holland, 1975) is a powerful search technique based upon the principles of Darwinian evolution. In its simplest form the GA consists of three main operators - crossover, mutation and selection. The principal theoretical treatment of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is provided by the Schema Theorem and building block hypothesis (Holland, 1975). The building block hypothesis describes the GA search process as the combination, sampling and recombination of fragments of solutions known as building blocks. The crossover operator is responsible for the combination of building blocks, whilst the selection operator allocates increasing numbers of samples to good building …

International Collision Regulations For Automatic Collision Avoidance, Christopher James Perkins

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis considers the relationship between collision regulations and an automatic collision avoidance system (ACAS). Automation of ship operations is increasingly common. The automation of the collision avoidance task may have merit on grounds of reduced manual workload and the elimination of human error. Work to date by engineers and computer programmers has focused on modelling the requirements of the current collision regulations. This thesis takes a new approach and indicates that legislative change is a necessary precursor to the implementation of a fully automatic collision avoidance system. A descriptive analysis has been used to consider the nature of the …

Hugh Gaitskell, The Labour Party And Foreign Affairs 1955-63, Simon Rippingale

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Hugh Gaitskell was leader of the Labour Party between 1955-63. The Cold War was at a critical level and bi-partisanship in international affairs was expected. With Gaitskell's accession this appeared to end, marked in particular by the disputes over Suez, the independent nuclear deterrent and Britain's application to join the European Economic Community. Simultaneously, he was challenged by the Left over nearly every aspect of Labour's foreign and defence policy. Despite these major controversies, Gaitskell's influence over international affairs remains a neglected area of research, and he is remembered more for the domestic controversies over nationalisation, his ill-fated attempt to …

The Trade Manufacture And Design Of English Blacksmithing In The Post War Period, David James Hawkins

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Blacksmithing has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last twenty five years. This study examines the changes and the context within which they have taken place. The effects upon the products of the blacksmith are considered through empirical research and practical work. The working methods and philosophies of blacksmiths representative of a continuity of traditions and innovatory practice are investigated through interviews and other approaches. From its origins as a rural and industrial craft, blacksmithing has emerged in the form of art-blacksmithing. Institutional and government intervention, new technologies and markets provide the context in which the ideologies and practices are …

Sub-National Electoral Systems And Minority Parties In The European Community, Lisa Sheila Harrison

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis analyses the extent to which particular electoral system features and rules affect the opportunities for, and proportionality of, the representation of certain far right and regionalist at various sub-national levels in key European Community member states. The thesis employs data provided in a unique data base at the University of Plymouth. This data includes a wealth of information concerning shares of the votes and shares of the seats for as many identifiable parties as possible in a range of sub-national elections in the post World War Two period and measures the proportionality of elections using three indices of …

Bereavement And Moral And Spiritual Development : An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Children And Young People, Valerie Clark

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis, which is in two parts, attempts to interpret in moral and spiritual terms those responses to bereavement that are often described as psychological. In part one human development is considered comparing religious, philosophical, scientific and psychological theories and a model of the 'core self is proposed (body, mind and emotions) which responds to social and cultural influences in ways that can be considered moral and spiritual. Theories of duty, consequence and virtue are considered as well as Kohlberg's theory of justice reasoning and Gilligan's views about caring. Within spirituality notions of dualism and continuity-discontinuity are noted and a …

The Poetry Of Ronald Duncan, Daniel Charles Lane

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis is the first sustained critical analysis of the poetry of Ronald Duncan (1914-1982). As this is the first study of Duncan's poetry, a substantial part is exegesis and follows a chronological pattern. Duncan was a man of letters who wrote poetry, plays, librettos, songs, short stories, journals, autobiographies, biographies and novels. He was strongly influenced by T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Their poetics and personal advice enabled Duncan to produce a series of publications that pursued some basic modernist tenets, such as an adherence to a European poetic tradition and the belief that poetry could induce cultural …

Change And Implementation In A Social Services Department, Stuart Dennis Williams

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This work is an examination of contemporary public policy implementation. It seeks to isolate those features which need to be incorporated into implementation theory to assist in the analysis of the implementation of public policy The "new right" ideology requires that a particular organisational form be adopted by public implementing agencies. This form must reflect the need to introduce competition, the precepts of the "new managerialism" and to view the user of the public services as a "customer". These three elements will have a bearing on the process of the implementation. In particular, the need to regard the user of …

A Glimpse Of The Past: A Review Of Lawrence Friedman's Crime And Punishment In American History, Chris Hutton

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reconstructing Reality: Interpreting The Aeroplane Disaster News Story, Ana C. Garner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

At 9 a.m. on 31 August 1988, Delta Flight 1141 crashed on take‐off, killing 13 people and leaving 94 survivors. Existing research has furthered our insight into media coverage of disasters but it has not broadened our understanding of disaster narrative interpretations and disaster behaviour education. In total, 24 in‐depth interviews explore reader interpretations of print‐mediated disaster reality and the Delta 1141 disaster. Disaster news stories provide the frames people use to interpret aeroplane disaster behaviour. Concludes the media need to recognize that their pedagogical role extends beyond disaster reporting and includes disaster behaviour information.

A Rule-Based Approach To Animating Multi-Agent Environments, Victor Ye

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This dissertation describes ESCAPE (Expert Systems in Computer Animation Production Environments), a multi-agent animation system for building domain-oriented, rule-based visual programming environments. Much recent work in computer graphics has been concerned with producing behavioural animations of artificial life-forms mainly based on algorithmic approaches. This research indicates how, by adding an inference engine and rules that describe such behaviour, traditional computer animation environments can be enhanced. The comparison between using algorithmic approaches and using a rule-based approach for representing multi-agent worlds is not based upon their respective claims to completeness, but rather on the ease with which end users may express …

Nearbed Flows And Sediment Movement On The Continental Slope, Paul Gareth Chatwin

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The steep continental slopes of the southern Celtic shelf have long been thought to be a major export region for the flux of sediment from the south west approaches to the deep ocean (47-49°). Recent studies have suggested that the transfer of energy from the large barotropic tidal currents to internal tides, and higher frequency internal waves is locally enhanced, and provides a mechanism for the re-suspension and downslope transport of bed material on the upper slope region. This material is thought to be preferentially transported at the head of the many submarine canyons that exist along these ocean margins, …

Support For Post Start-Up Small Business Growth, Jonathan Lean

Plymouth Business School Theses

The objective of this thesis is to determine how small firm support provision might be improved in order to help post start-up businesses in Devon and Cornwall to grow. Interest in this issue stems from (a) previous research carried out in the region highlighting a possible need for continued business support after the initial 12 month start-up period and (b) the increasing emphasis upon stimulating business growth apparent in recent small firm policy. An examination of relevant literature demonstrates that current understanding of the critical influences upon young post start-up business growth and the extent to which existing support adequately …

Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome: An Ultrastructural And Epidemiological Investigation, Penelope Sargeant

School of Biomedical Sciences Theses

Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome (VVS) is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the vestibular epithelium of the vulva, which has been estimated to affect 15% of the female population (Goetsch, 1991 ). Many studies have attempted unsuccessfully, to elucidate the cause of this condition, and few advances have been made towards the understanding of the associated inflammatory response. The initial, and principal aim of this investigation was to characterise normal vestibular epithelium using electron microscopy. The ultrastructural characteristics of normal vestibular epithelium were compared with closely related epithelia, and with vestibular epithelia from VVS patients. Other aims included an investigation of the …

An Examination Of Georgia Middle School Teachers' And Principals' Beliefs About The Nctm Standards, Factors Influencing The Change Process, And The Role Of Identified Principals During The Mathematics Reform Effort In Georgia, Lynn Deal Futch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommended that schools implement its Standards because they believed that the Standards improved students' mathematical ability. Every mathematics teacher in the state of Georgia had the opportunity to attend or be a part of a workshop, conference, or project involving suggestions for implementing the Standards in the classroom The problem for Georgia educators was to determine if these Standards were being perceived by principals and teachers, the key change agents, as having merit enough to change their views of how mathematics should be taught. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to …

The Relationship Between Leadership Styles Of Georgia Elementary School Principals And Selected Biographic And Demographic Variables, Cynthia Cahill Lomonaco

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Research has shown that differences exist among leadership styles of school principals. These differences may be associated with selected biographic and demographic variables. This study surveyed principals of 243 Georgia public elementary schools to determine their leadership styles, based on the constructs of Structure and Consideration, and examine their biographic characteristics and the demographic characteristics of the schools they serve. Once leadership styles were identified, based on Structure and Consideration, relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variables were examined. Independent variables included: sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, administrative experience, teaching experience, educational level, school setting, school size, and …

The Effect Of Moisture Content And Composition On The Compressive Strength And Rigidity Of Cob Made From Soil Of The Breccia Measures Near Teignmouth, Devon, Matthew James Addison Greer

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Earth has been used as a reliable building material for many thousands of years. Recently there has been a world wide renaissance in the use of earth as a building material due to its architectural versatility and environmental sustainability. However, in the United Kingdom it is regarded by the majority of building professionals as either obsolete or a novel historical material. The utilisation of earth as a modern building material and the repair of historic earth building structures is retarded by the uncertainty of the knowledge of the properties of the material. This thesis considers earth building materials as composite …

Remote Sensing Of Suspended Sediment, Samantha Jane Lavender

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

A remote sensing near infrared suspended sediment algorithm is developed from first principles and applied to Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imagery (CASI) data flown over the Humber Estuary. Laboratory measurements were used as the basis for the algorithm development, with the resulting spectra indicating that the ideal wavelength for a suspended sediment algorithm is the near infrared. The resulting algorithm took the form of a waveband ratio which was subsequently validated with a semi-analytical water optics model based on the absorption/scattering properties of the optically active constituents. The model was then used to derive a global water-leaving radiance algorithm, which is …

The Structure And Dynamics Of A Convergent Estuarine Front, Lisa Jane Redbourn

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis considers the structure and dynamics of a convergent front, which forms at the confluence of the Tamar and Lynher rivers during the ebb tide, in the Tamar Estuary, South West England. Temperature, salinity and velocity were sampled at high frequency in the region of frontogenesis, and these data are used to assess the evolution and development of a front during the course of an ebb tide. The equation of continuity and the horizontal equations of motion are applied to the data set in order to evaluate the dynamic regime operating in the vicinity of the front, and its …

The Composite Scene: The Aesthetics Of Igbo Mask Theatre, Victor Ikechukwu Ukaegbu

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

An observation of mask performances in Igboland in South-Eastern Nigeria reveals distinctions among displays from various communities. This is the product of a democratic society which encourages individualism and at the same time, sustains collectivism. This feature of Igbo masking has enriched and populated the Igbo theatrical scene with thousands of diverse and seemingly unconnected masking displays. Though these peculiarities do not indicate conceptual differences or imperfections, the numerous Igbo dialects and sub-cultural differences have not helped matters. Earlier studies by social anthropologists and a few theatre practitioners followed these differentials by focusing on particular masking types and sections of …

Reproductive Ecology Of Pinckneya Bracteata (Bartram) Raflnesque (Rubiaceae), George H. Rountree

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Pinckneya bracteata is a small tree or large shrub that is indigenous to the coastal plain of extreme southern South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida. It in occurs in sunny, wet habitats and in small populations that are usually separated by distances of kilometers. This study examined the mating, dispersal, and germination systems of the species. Pinckneya bracteata was found to be protandrous and self incompatible. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and bumblebees ( Bombus spp. appear to be the primary pollinators. Seed fall velocity is important to the wind dispersal of seeds and decreases as seed size increases. Fall velocity is also …

Implementing Site-Based Management In The Rural South: The Process And The Challenge, Linda Gail Mcquaig

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

School systems across the United States have implemented various forms of site-based management (SBM) to restructure their schools and ultimately improve education. Educators have been disappointed with the results of SBM and some have related its failure to the way SBM was implemented in many school systems. Too often, SBM was implemented as a top-down decision and viewed as a goal to obtain rather than a continuous learning process.

This study was an ethnohistorical, single-case study of a small, rural elementary school in Southeast Georgia that implemented a form of site-based management, shared governance. Data collection consisted of a combination …

Asynchronous Multiuser Decorrelating Detector For Awgn Channel, Ashwini A. Borkar

Theses

Decorrelating detector is one of the sub-optimum detectors for CDMA applications that generally has better performance than the conventional detector and is near-far resistant. Synchronous decorrelating detector employing DPSK modulation is considered and its simulation results are presented.

Attention is focussed on one-shot decorrelating detector for a two user case for asynchronous transmission, where each symbol interval is considered seperately. Initially the performance of the detector with exact estimation of the relative delay is analyzed and then the effect of inaccurate estimation on the probability of error is discussed.