15 research outputs found
Fos expression in the trigeminocervical complex of the cat after stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus is reduced by l-NAME
No full text
Accounting and estate management in North-East England c.1700-1770 with particular reference to the Bowes estates
No full textThrough the accounts, the thesis examines estate accounting and management practice in the north-east of England, with special reference to the Bowes, in order to ascertain whether estates were managed efficiently as productive investments, and whether accounting aided managerial activity at this early stage of industrial development. George Bowes was the estate proprietor for most of the period in question. His active involvement in the day-to day operations of his estates, coupled with the geographical spread of his activities and his distance from events, necessitated a centralised organisational structure, that was capable of delegating responsibility to stewards in key areas, whilst, at the same time, retaining control at the centre. This was achieved through a unified reporting network, which ensured that management and accounting practices were highly integrated over different activities. Generally, the accounts were based on the bilateral recording of cash receipts and payments, with adjustments for opening and closing debtors, creditors and stocks as appropriate. Charge and discharge accounts did not predominate. Most of the accounts were prepared by the stewards. The majority of the estate accounts were designed to keep track of rights and obligations. There was a close linkage between the form of the accounts and the mode of organisational control, and the accounting procedures were flexible enough to respond to organisational changes. Written agreements underpinned the contractual obligations of third parties, and accounts were used to monitor compliance. Internal audit checks increased their effectiveness as a control mechanism. The survival of cost analysis, profit statements and planning data indicates that profit maximisation was also an important issue - the estates were not treated simply as units of consumption - and that the accounts played an important facilitating role. Colliery viewers were instrumental here. There are indications that a knowledge-power mechanism also existed within the estates, casting doubt on both the mutual- exclusivity of particular explanations of accounting activities, and on the notion that a relevant distinction exists between 'modern' and 'pre-modern' business organisation
Why do British Indian children have an apparent mental health advantage?
No full textThe British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys (B-CAMHS) of 1999 and 2004 found a substantially lower prevalence of any child mental disorder in Indians compared to the general population (3.4% vs. 9.4%, p<0.001). This PhD sought to understand this apparent Indian mental health advantage through secondary analyses comparing the 16 449 White and 419 Indian children aged 5-16 in B-CAMHS.
There was strong evidence (p<0.002) of an Indian advantage for externalising problems/disorders and little or no difference for internalising problems. This was consistently observed for clinical diagnosis and for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) administered separately to parents, teachers and children. Detailed psychometric analyses provided no evidence that measurement bias could account for this observed Indian advantage. There was likewise no evidence that the advantage could be explained by participation bias.
In multivariable analyses the unexplained difference between Indians and Whites for externalising problems decreased somewhat after adjusting for the fact that Indian children were more likely to live in two-parent families (92.2% vs. 65.4%) and less likely to have academic difficulties (e.g. 2.9% vs. 8.6% for parent-reported learning difficulties). In models adjusting for a larger number of child, family, school and area variables the difference reduced only by about a quarter (e.g. from 1.08 to 0.75 SDQ points on the parent SDQ) and remained highly significant (p<0.001). In both unadjusted and adjusted models, the unexplained Indian advantage for externalising problems was consistently larger in families of low SEP. There was little or no evidence of an ethnic difference for internalising problems/disorders in unadjusted or adjusted models.
In conclusion, the Indian mental health advantage is genuine and is specific to externalising problems/disorders. Family type and academic abilities mediate part of this advantage, but most of the advantage is not explained by major child mental health risk factors
Shelley’s idea of nature a study of the interrelationship of subject and object in the major poems
No full textThe thesis offers an interpretation of Shelley's poetry which focuses on his treatment of external nature. Its main argument is that a subject-object dialectic lies at the basis of his thought and style. Manifesting itself as a tension and oscillation between dualist and monist tendencies, this dialectic underlies the opposing strains of thought associated with his sceptical idealism; it informs the relationship between various contraries with which he is recurrently concerned, such as reason and feeling, necessity and freedom, language and thought; and it accounts for some major characteristics of his style--for example, its self-reflexiveness, indeterminacy, and restless forward momentum. Nature is found to play a complex dual function in this dialectical process: first, as the circumference to the circle of which mind is the centre, it provides the material of thought and poetry; secondly, through its cyclic processes, it serves as an emblem of the mind's dynamic relationship with that material. In finding the characteristic thought-pattern of his poetry to be constituted of a creative-destructive interplay of contraries, the thesis contends that Shelley is a significant exponent of Romantic irony. Such a reading of his work mediates between an earlier tradition of interpreting him as a Platonising poet of nature and the more recent emphasis that has been given to his philosophical scepticism and political radicalism. Throughout, attention is given to the interacting influences of his direct experience of nature (as recorded mainly in his letters) and the representations of nature he encounters in his reading. The following poems, chosen for their importance in Shelley's canon and as clear illustrations of his treatment of nature, are discussed chronologically in successive chapters: Queen Mab, Master, the 1816 odes, Prometheus Unbound, Adonais, and The Triumph of Life
'To Knowe a Gentilman': Men and Gentry Culture in Fifteenth Century Yorkshire
No full textThis is a study of gentry culture, specifically the culture of gentry males in fifteenth century Yorkshire. Its aim is to examine what it meant to be a gentleman in this period, looking at how gentry males defined themselves as gentlemen, what was expected of them and what they expected of others. A single county has been chosen to allow for more detailed examination of the evidence than would be possible in a wider study, with this county in particular chosen for the richness and variety of its sources. The range and quality of sources is important, for this is an interdisciplinary study which makes used of a varied collection of evidence in order to gain the fullest picture possible of gentry culture in this period. Through a series of case studies, each focusing on a particular piece, or collection of pieces, of evidence to include chancery documents, wills, letters, art and architecture, I will identify several themes integral to the construction of identity for gentry males. In looking specifically at gentlemen, rather than gentlewomen or the gentry in general, this thesis will consider questions not only of status but also of gender, a combination of factors that have seldom been considered in previous scholarship. It is hoped that this this new perspective, combined with the interdisciplinary nature of the study, something that has also seldom been been attempted, will prove useful in gaining a greater understanding of what it meant to be a gentleman in late medieval England. By extension, it is intended that this will contribute towards a greater understanding of late medieval society as a whole
Children's relationships with their physical school: Considerations of primary architecture and furniture design in a social and cultural context
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University on behalf of Buckinghamshire New University.In recent years substantial investment has been made to replace or refurbish state schools in England and Wales and, although research has unsuccessfully sought to prove its contribution, the discipline of Design continues to be identified as a facilitator of educational transformation.
Results to date, however, are mixed and there is an evident failing at the design briefing stage to understand how children interact with their educational settings and, notably, an avoidance of direct challenge to the primary school classroom and its practice. In response, this thesis asks how the social and cultural study of children’s relationships with their physical school can suggest a meaningful approach to primary school architecture and furniture design.
A model of well-being is developed to clarify misused terminology and to present a realistic expectation of design in which the contradictory goals of inclusion and the development of the individual are appraised. Sitting within a diverse grounded methodology, the concept of belonging is then explored as a basis for evaluating the contribution of different aspects of the physical school to children’s well-being.
The primary school environments studied were found to limit the possibilities of a child’s well-being. School architecture through to classroom wall displays were complicit in restricting physical and social expression in favour of school organisation and, furthermore, the central child-teacher relationship was found to be unnecessarily devalued by behavioural concerns derived from the setting.
By ethically interpreting the rich variety of children’s voices, priorities for what is coined here as child-teacher centred design are established and a clear relationship between architecture and furniture is offered. The thesis recommends that architecture continues to perform a protective classroom role to support objectives of inclusion whilst school furniture supports more affective, individualistic goals through less prescriptive and more varied settings for learning
Fachkatalog Neuguinea / Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
No full textAus Anlaß des Kongresses der "Deutsch-Pazifischen Gesellschaft" im Juni 1981 in Düsseldorf legt die Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek Frankfuxt am Main ein Verzeichnis ihrer Bestände zum Raum "Neuguinea" vor . Dabei umfaßt der Katalog sowohl die Literatur zu "Papua-Neuguinea" (Niugini)" als auch zur indonesischen Provinz "West-Irian (Irian Jaya)". Aus Gründen des geographischen Zusammenhangs werden in einem Anhang allgemeine Publikationen zum Raum Melanesien in den Katalog aufgenommen. Die gezielte Sammlung der Literatur zu diesem Raum ist ein Ergebnis der Zuweisung des Sondersarnmelgebietes "Ozeanian" durch die Deutsche Forschungagemeinschaft an die Frankfurter Stadt- und Univeraitätsbibliothek. Dabei liegt der Schwerpunkt auf der Sammlung historischer und ethnologischer Literatur. Grundlage des Katalogausdruckes ist der Länderteil des Sachkataloges der Bibliothek, der nach feststehenden Länderkennziffern, Fachgruppen und Schlüsselnummern gegliedert ist. Unter jeder Schlüsselnummer sind die Eintragungen chronologisch geordnet. Auf jeder Titelkarte befindet sich rechts oben die Signatur, unter der das Buch über Fernleihe bei der Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main bestellt werden kann
The impacts of public participation in area-based urban regeneration: a case study of the London Borough of Newham
No full textMPhilPublic participation is a key part of the urban regeneration policies in Britain strongly promoted by the New Labour government. The main aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of public participation in area-based urban regeneration where poverty and multiple deprivation are prevalent. The case study area is the London Borough of Newham, a borough that benefits from many of these policy initiatives for a variety of aspects of social, economic and environmental regeneration. Following the completion of their budgeted project life, however, the outcomes of many of the regeneration initia-tives in Newham and elsewhere are not always sustainable. One of the many possible explanations for the failure of initiatives to secure a long-term improvement in the qual-ity of life of the residents is the lack of ownership by local people which is a conse-quence of non- or little public participation in the regeneration process. This often re-flects the almost non-existence of social networks among communities undergoing re-generation and the lack of empowerment of residents from the outset and throughout the lifetime of projects.
The thesis argues that a good stock of social networks and well developed community empowerment will lead to a higher level of participation that could help regeneration initiatives to become more sustainable. It is based on a programme of research that used a range of mixed methods, including surveys, interviews and observation, to investigate the nature of participation in Newham regeneration settings. The findings explore the extent of participation and consider the views of a range of stakeholders on its role in the regeneration process. As well as critically evaluating current Newham regeneration initiatives in relation to the degree to which they meaningfully encourage public partici-pation, the study also sets out to develop ideal models of participation. It explores dif-ferent approaches to engaging with local people and social networks at neighbourhood level, and emphasises to the importance of evaluating regeneration in relation to its par-ticipatory goals. The thesis concludes by reiterating the importance of a meaningful public participation in the national and local policy regimes. It also sets out the signifi-cance of the research in understanding the role of participation in Britain’s area based urban regeneration strategies
On the advancement of science and technology among nations: the importance of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries in five countries
No full textThe aims of this study were to compare the importance of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries in five countries: France, West Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan. Three advanced technology industries were selected: microelectronics, machine tools and advanced materials. Data were collected from governments in the five countries, academia, independent research organizations, trade associations, industry and international organizations. The data were analyzed using statistical procedures and the results were related to classical and the "new" theories of comparative advantage determinants for the five countries. Critical analysis was also undertaken of the theories that postulate the role of government policies for industrial growth in the light of the rapid geographic diffusion of advanced technology sectors across national boundaries. As a result of these analyses the role of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries was identified in the five countries. Analyses were undertaken to determine government policies that were successful and those that were not and the reasons for the success or failure of these policies in the light of economic, social, political and geographic factors
