Digital Commons Network^™

Studies Of The Synthesis, Environmental Occurrence And Toxicity Of Unresolved Complex Mixtures (Ucms) Of Hydrocarbons, Emma Jane Wraige

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The occurrence of unresolved complex mixtures of hydrocarbons (UCMs) in the aliphatic fraction of marine sediments and organisms from areas impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons is well documented and widely accepted as an indication of fossil fuel contamination. In contrast, the presence of an aromatic UCM is often ignored and environmental concentrations of aromatic UCM hydrocarbons in marine biota and sediments are rarely reported. The aims of this study were to establish the quantitative significance of aromatic UCMs in environmental samples and to assess the toxicological significance of both aliphatic and aromatic UCMs. A reproducible method was developed and validated for …

The Palaeo-Ecology And Biostratigraphy Of The Foraminifera From The Oxfordian Of North Dorset, Andrew Scott Henderson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Oxfordian rocks of north Dorset are poorly exposed at outcrop. A drilling operation was devised and implemented and the complete sequence of strata from the Weymouth Member of the Oxford Clay Formation through to the Ringstead Waxy Clay Formation was penetrated. Three boreholes were drilled; the Hallett's Farm Borehole, covering the strata from the stratigraphically youngest Ringstead Waxy Clay Formation down to the Cucklington Oolite; the Bowden Farm Borehole, continuing the sequence from the Cucklington Oolite into the lower part of the Hazelbury Bryan Formation and the Hartmoor Hill Borehole which continues downward into the Oxford Clay Formation. A …

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. …

Plio-Pleistocene Drainage Evolution Of The Vera Basin, Se Spain, Martin Stokes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Vera Basin is used as a case study to examine the structural evolution and sedimentary response of a basin undergoing uplift and inversion during the Plio-Pleistocene. Particular emphasis is placed on the drainage evolution during that period. Located within the Internal zone of the Betic Cordilleras, the Vera Basin is defined within a large left-lateral shear zone and has evolved as a reponse to isostatic uplift from nappe emplacement during the Oligocene, and by regional compressive tectonics. Since basin formation during the Seravallian, sedimentary fill has been dominantly marine. During the Plio-Pleistocene a switch from marine to continental conditions …

Recession As An Agent In The Restructuring Of Tourist Accommodation, Andrew John Clegg

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Academic research into economic restructuring in the tourist industry has solely focused on the strategies adopted by large chain hotel companies and little attention has been paid to the strategies adopted by small scale, family-run accommodation establishments. This sector is particularly significant for traditional resort areas in the UK. For example, in Torbay, Devon (as in most seaside resorts), there is an absence of large chain hotels and small-scale accommodation establishment pl ay an integral role in the local tourism economy.Consequently, an understanding of the competitive pressures and restructuring strategies in this sector is essential in maintaining the long-term health …

The Interpretation And Characterisation Of Lineaments Identified From Landsat Tm Imagery Of Sw England, John David Rogers

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Two Landsat TM scenes of SW England and a sub-scene of North Cornwall have been analysed visually in order to examine the effect of resolution on lineament interpretation. Images were viewed at several different scales as a result of varying image resolution whilst maintaining a fixed screen pixel size. Lineament analysis at each scale utilised GIS techniques and involved several stages: initial lineament identification and digitisation; removal of lineaments related to anthropogenic features to produce cleansed lineament maps; compilation of lineament attributes using ARC/INFO; cluster analysis for identification of lineament directional families; and line sampling of lineament maps in order …

Particle-Water Interactions Of Ni And Zn In Coastal Waters, Tonia Karen Sands

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Samples of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment were collected from the Humber coastal zone during six seasonal and inter-annual surveys (November 1993 - July 1995) on board RRS Challenger as part of the NERC Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) initiative. Concentrations of Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn, extracted using a 1M HCl digest, were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry techniques. Particulate Ni and Zn both exhibited a pronounced seasonal distribution in the Humber coastal zone. Significant metal-salinity relationships were obtained for both metals indicating the Humber Estuary to be a significant source of Nip and Znp to the region. …

High-Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy And Diagenesis Of Mixed Carbonate/Siliciclastic Successions., Guy Mark Oliver

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The aims of this thesis are to evaluate whether the distribution of diagenetic features in nearshore successions can be explained within a sequence stratigraphic concept; to assess whether the identification and analysis of these features can be used to aid in making sequence stratigraphic interpretations; and to evaluate whether sequence stratigraphy can be used to predict the distribution of diagenetic heterogeneities at the field and inter-well scale. High resolution sequence stratigraphic frameworks have been established for two nearshore mixed carbonate/siliciclastic successions, using facies and early diagenetic analyses. These are the Upper Jurassic Corallian Group of south Dorset and the Lower …

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 …

International Relations And International Law, Mortimer N.S. Sellers

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Republicanism, Liberalism, And The Law, Mortimer N.S. Sellers

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Through Civil Litigation: A Symposium, Eric Easton

All Faculty Scholarship

On September 30, 1996, nineteen lawyers, law professors and judges from the People's Republic of China began a six-week program of classroom study, practical experience, and scholarly exchange that focused on the American system of protecting intellectual property rights through civil litigation. The program was funded by a $107,000 grant from the United States Information Agency's Office of Citizen Exchange Programs to the University of Baltimore's Center for International and Comparative Law, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

The initial, two-week phase of the program included field trips to the U.S. Copyright Office, the Patent …

Two Wrongs Mock A Right: Overcoming The Cohen Maledicta That Bar First Amendment Protection For Newsgathering, Eric Easton

All Faculty Scholarship

In Cohen v. Cowles Media Co., Justice Byron R. White wrote that the First Amendment offers no protection from the enforcement of "generally applicable laws" against newsgatherers and that First Amendment protection applies only to information that has been "lawfully acquired." This Article shows that these doctrines are not only false, but have already done serious damage to First Amendment interests. It surveys lower court decisions from around the country to demonstrate the doctrines' pernicious influence, then it evaluates alternative solutions to the problem. The article concludes that the most effective, if least likely, solution would be a rule that …

Synergy And Friction – Cra, Bhcs, Sba And Community Development Lending, Cassandra Jones Havard

All Faculty Scholarship

The era of federal funding retrenchment makes acute the need for community businesses to have access to capital. The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides small businesses with access to low-cost loans funds. The existing SBA regulatory scheme fosters an approach which allows a private mechanism, lenders, to make public policy decisions about the socio-economic character of communities. Implicit in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and its recent reforms are a recognition of the complex interdependence among policy objectives. The reform statute specifically recognizes that geographical disinvestment has an equally deleterious effect on small business lending as it does on residential …

Reconciling The Dormant Conflict: Crafting A Banking Exception To The Fraudulent Conveyance Provision Of The Bankruptcy Code For Bank Holding Company Asset Transfers, Cassandra Jones Havard

All Faculty Scholarship

Banking law and bankruptcy law clash. This is most evident when a bank holding company (parent company) becomes insolvent after it has made an asset transfer to its financially troubled bank subsidiary.

The Bankruptcy Code (Code) governs the insolvency proceedings of the bank holding company. Predictably, the parent company's trustee, appointed for the protection of all the creditors of the bankrupt entity, uses the fraudulent conveyance provision of the Code to have any asset transfers that were made to the bank subsidiary returned to the debtor's estate. The good faith exception to that provision will protect the asset transfer only …

Consumer Sovereignty: A Unified Theory Of Antitrust And Consumer Protection Law, Neil W. Averitt, Robert H. Lande

All Faculty Scholarship

This article is about the relationship between antitrust and consumer protection law. Its purpose is to define each area of law, to delineate the boundary between them, to show how they interact with each other, and to show how they ultimately support one another as the two component parts of an overarching unity: effective consumer choice (also called consumer sovereignty).

Consumer choice only is effective when two fundamental conditions are present. There must be a range of consumer options made possible through competition, and consumers must be able to choose effectively among these options. The antitrust laws are intended to …

Trace Metals In Blood And Urine As Potential Markers Of Bone Breakdown In Patients With Bone Metastases, Fiona Jane Roberts

Other Faculty of Health Theses

In the western world cancer is the second most important cause of death, after heart disease, accounting for 20-25% of all mortalities, and is today probably one of the most feared diseases. Approximately one third of all cancer patients will develop skeletal metastases (secondary bone cancer). Early diagnosis and effective monitoring during treatment is therefore essential in terms of making any impact on survival rates and developing new cancer therapies. Unfortunately, the current methods for diagnosing and measuring bone metastases, such as bone scans and urinary hydroxyproline determinations, lack sensitivity and specificity. The urinary pyridinium crosslinks, pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline …

Factors Affecting Collision & Grounding Losses In The Uk Fishing Fleet, Malcolm Findlay

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Examination of the literature reveals a paucity of dedicated research into collisions and groundings involving UK fishing vessels. The aim of this research was to provide answers to fundamental questions regarding the factors that contribute to fishing vessel traffic losses. Data for this study were gathered from a broad range of sources and an eclectic range of techniques employed in their analysis. The recent development of the UK fishing fleet and the pattern of losses from all causes is investigated for the period 1975 to 1994. Fishing vessel collision and grounding losses are then set in relative perspective by comparison …

The Integration Of Cloud Satellite Images With Prediction Of Icy Conditions On Devon's Roads, Robin Tristan Clark

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The need for improved cloud parameterisations in a road surface temperature model is demonstrated. Case studies from early 1994 are used to investigate methods of tracking cloud cover using satellite imagery and upper level geostrophic flow. Two of these studies are included in this thesis. Errors encountered in cloud tracking methods were investigated as well as relationships between cloud height and pixel brightness in satellite imagery. For the first time, a one dimensional energy balance model is developed to investigate the effects of erroneous cloud forecasts on surface temperature. The model is used to determine detailed dependency of surface freezing …

Comparative Analysis Of The Turkish And European Union Passenger Ferry Market In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hatice Funda Yercan

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis covers Turkish and EU maritime policies for the passenger ferry industries. It concentrateso n the positioning of ferry operatorsi n the passengefre rry market in the Eastern Mediterranean. A general background to Turkey and to its maritime industry is drawn before developing a model. A positioning model is developed in a quantitative approach to this research. Furthermore, it is operationalised by using the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Technique within multivariate analysis. A specific programme, MDPREF, from the MDS(X) Series of MDS Programmes is used for the calculation and illustration of the analysis. The Positionso f the Turkish and EU …

Road Freight Privatisation In Egypt : A Comparative Analysis With Great Britain And Hungary, Nabil Abdel-Fattah

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Egypt, along with other countries in the world, is going through an economic transition from state control to a more market orientated economy. As part of this process, road freight transport is undergoing a process of privatisation and deregulation. There are many possible approaches which can be adopted, depending somewhat on the desired outcome of the process and economic philosophy of the country. Many countries have already gone through the processes of road freight privatisation and deregulation; some much more recently (Hungary) than others (the UK). At this early stage of road freight privatisation in Egypt, it is important and …

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 …

Counter-Urbanisation, Housing And Households In Cornwall, Carol Williams

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Over the last thirty years Cornwall has experienced a dramatic population expansion. Population growth has had effects in many areas, but particularly in housing. The increased demand for housing from those migrating into the area has inflated house prices, yet the Cornish economy is afflicted by low wage levels and high unemployment rates, creating a `mortgage gap' for long term residents. This coupled with the decline in availability of both publicly and privately rented accommodation has resulted in what has been termed a housing `crisis' (George 1987, Deacon et al. 1988, Lennon 1991, Williams 1993). It has been suggested that …

Performing The Self : An Examination Of The Relationships Between Concepts Of Identity And Performance, Matthew Thomas Wellings

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis sets out to examine the idea that self-identity can be coherently viewed as a performance event. If such a proposition is supportable, it would seem to argue for attention to be paid to the nature of the activity of performing as a means to better understanding the processes of human identity. Beginning with an analysis of an early example of such a theoretical position, this thesis examines some of the central issues involved in viewing the self as performative. The agenda dictating the direction of this analysis can be summarised as an effort to provide a model of …

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

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

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

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 …

The Social Location Of Widows, Mary Barnaby

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis draws critically upon the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu to develop a theory of the social location of widows. The thesis presents widowhood as a set of objective social relations regulated by the objective structures of marriage, gender and death. In the course of the discussion a critical analysis of Bourdieu's theorization of gender is advanced. The potential of Bourdieu's work for feminist theory is identified, particularly in his explanation of the mechanism of gender relations, however, the analysis also demonstrates that the phallocentric presuppositions embedded within Bourdieu's theorization of gender have to be addressed before the theory's potential …

The Impact Of A Silvopastoral Agroforestry System, Maria Penn

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

There is increasing pressure in the UK to adopt alternative, sustainable uses for agricultural land. New schemes indicate a trend towards lowland afforestation schemes which are a very new concept in Britain. One such scheme is agroforestry whereby trees and a crop are grown together on the same unit of land. Very little is known about the impact of agroforestry on soil hydrology and soil water nitrate distribution of trees planted at a regular spacing into grazed grassland. In this case a lowland grazed silvopastoral agroforestry system in Devon, UK, was monitored to determine the impact upon the soil by …