275 research outputs found
Methods of historical river channel change reconstruction and their application to applied geomorphological research
No full textThis thesis examines the geomorphological significance of scale in space and time to provide a conceptual basis for understanding river channel change. This allows the investigator to evaluate the demands required in seeking answers to river channel change questions that are appropriate to the nature of the geomorphological enquiry. To achieve these requirements, the thesis considers the nature and magnitude of errors associated with a range of historical sources of information. Methodologies are presented which demonstrate how planform, cross-sectional and ground-based historical photographic information may be used to extrapolate river channel change for three morphologically different river channels in England and Wales (the rivers Towy, Sence and Tillingbourne respectively). The type of historical information is demonstrated to be appropriate to the nature of the channel adjustment in order to yield valuable information to aid the interpolation of patterns of past channel behaviour.The contribution of historical geomorphological techniques to aid river channel management is considered The example of the River Wey is used to demonstrate how a suite of historical sources of information may be used in conjunction with contemporary field observations to address specific river channel management challenges. A GIS-based method of compiling and manipulating multi-type historical information is demonstrated an effective aid to the interpolation of river channel change. Historical information is demonstrated to be effective in providing a historical context for understanding contemporary patterns of river channel behaviour and developing appropriate recommendations for management. The successful application of applied geomorphological expertise is demonstrated to be as much a reward of effective communication as geomorphological interpolation.The wider implications for the research is considered through the considerations of the practical challenges for the effective integration of historical geomorphology with river channel management and proposes a series of recommendations based on the findings of this research.</p
Redemption in the work of Francis Stuart
No full textThe idea of redemption is central to an understanding of the work
of Francis Stuart. Through an examination of its development and
expression, it is possible to demonstrate the integrity of his work and
its distinctive qualities. Such a demonstration is necessary because
Stuart's writing has been subjected to comparatively little scholarly
inquiry, although reviews of his work, especially that produced since
1949, suggest that it is impressive and important.
First, a general background to Stuart's work, a discussion of the
special problems associated with reading it, and a summary of his corpus
is provided. This indicates that the idea of redemption is important to
his earliest writing. The state of redemption is shown to be a
necessary apotheosis for Stuart's outcast heroes; it involves spiritual
suffering through which may be found a sense of reintegration and a
higher reality. This is expressed through interrelated themes such as
those of gambler, artist and ordinary man; mystic and criminal; sacred
and profane love; and spirituality and the mundane. The nature of the
redemptive experience is further elaborated by distinctive, complex
motifs, especially the hare, the ark and the woman-Christ. Their
recurrence provides an important element in the unity of Stuart's work.
Because Stuart's idea of the outcast raises important biographical
questions, an examination of the relationship between Stuart's life and
his work is made. Finally, the way in which the idea of redemption
exists in the language structures of Stuart's novels is examined, with
especial reference to his most recent work, The High Consistory. The
thesis shows that the development of the these of redemption
demonstrates the integrity of Stuart's work
Satellite to Seafloor - The Global Biogeography of the Elasipodid Holothurians
No full textKnowledge of the environmental factors driving species distributions in the deep-sea is essential for a better understanding of the biogeography of the abyssal benthos. Differences in the niches of elasipodid holothurians appear to exist at the level of species, genera and family. This study analysed the global distributions of elasipodid holothurians from records collected from online Natural History Collection databases, cruise reports and published literature.A comparison of the distribution of four families of elasipodid holothurians, in relation to seven abiotic environmental factors found the families Psychropotidae and Elpidiidae to have the most different environmental distributions. POC flux, intra-annual seasonality and inter-annual variability in POC flux were the best explanatory factors for differences between the families. The Elpidiidae were generally found in areas with greater temporal variability. The potential for biogeographic schemes based upon the ecology of the upper ocean to inform management decisions for the deep sea was also investigated. Results suggest that Longhurst’s ‘case models’ are more closely linked to the distribution of species and genera than Longhurst’s biomes. Results also confirmed that provinces from the same ocean and latitude were more similar in terms of species composition, but that historical factors were equally capable of explaining the observed patterns and must be taken into account.Population genetic studies of two species of Elasipodida; Psychropotes longicauda and Oneirophanta mutabilis were conducted using CO1 and 16S molecular markers. Multiple sympatric lineages were found in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in both species. Differences between sympatric lineages were greater than geographic differences within lineages. The potential for speciation in the Antarctic or Southern Ocean before multiple northwards dispersal events is considered the most plausible explanation for the observed patterns. Oceanic gyres therefore do not appear to be barriers to dispersal in these species.The distributions of the elasipodid holothurians are therefore thought to be controlled by a combination of life-history, dispersal ability, temporal and quantitative variations in food supply and competitive interactions as well as historical processes relating to centres of origin for particular genera
The role of decision-maker preferences in tenancy selection of CBD office accommodation - preliminary literature review
No full textThe literature and anecdotal evidence suggests that that there is more to tenancy selection (firm location) than the profit maximisation drive that traditional neo-classical economic location theory suggests.
In the first instance these models assume property markets are rational and perfectly competitive; the CBD office market is clearly neither rational nor perfectly competitive. This fact alone relegates such models to the margins of usefulness for an industry that seeks to satisfy tenant demand in order to optimise returns on capital invested.
Acknowledgment of property market imperfections are universally accepted to the extent that all contemporary texts discuss the lack of a coherent centralised market place and incomplete and poorly disseminated information processes as fundamental inadequacies which characterise the property market inefficiencies. Less well researched are the facets of the market which allow the observer to determine market activity to be significantly irrational.
One such facet is that of ‘decision maker preferences’. The decision to locate a business operation at one location as opposed to another seems ostensibly a routine choice based on short, medium and long term business objectives. These objectives are derived from a process of strategic planning by one or more individuals whose goal is held to be to optimise outcomes which benefit the business (and presumably those employed within it). However the decision making processes appear bounded by how firms function, the institutional context in which they operate, as well as by opportunistic behaviour by individual decision makers who allow personal preferences to infiltrate and ‘corrupt’ the process. In this way, history, culture, geography, as well as institutions all become significant to the extent that these influence and shape individual behaviour which in turn determine the morphology of individual preferences, as well as providing a conduit for them to take effect.
This paper exams historical and current literature on the impact of individual behaviour in the decision making process within organisations as a precursor to an investigation of the tenancy decision making process within the CBD office market. Literature on the topic falls within a number of research disciplines, philosophy, psychology and economics to name a few. Here, the
author limits the review to writings which fall within the remit of strategic management and strategic leadership theory. Subsequent reviews will explore other areas to complete the picture
Central and peripheral determinants of fatigue in acute hypoxia
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Docter of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University on 24th March 2011.Fatigue is defined as an exercise-induced decrease in maximal voluntary force produced by a muscle. Fatigue may arise from central and/or peripheral mechanisms. Supraspinal fatigue (a component of central fatigue) is defined as a suboptimal output from the motor cortex and measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Reductions in O2 supply (hypoxia) exacerbate fatigue and as the severity of hypoxia increases, central mechanisms of fatigue are thought to contribute more to exercise intolerance. In study 1, the feasibility of TMS to measure cortical voluntary activation and supraspinal fatigue of human knee-extensors was determined. TMS produced reliable measurements of cortical voluntary activation within- and between-days, and enabled the assessment of supraspinal fatigue. In study 2, the mechanisms of fatigue during single-limb exercise in normoxia (arterial O2 saturation [SaO2] ~98%), and mild to severe hypoxia (SaO2 93-80%) were determined. Hypoxia did not alter neuromuscular function or cortical voluntary activation of the knee-extensors at rest, despite large reductions in cerebral oxygenation. Maximal force declined by ~30% after single-limb exercise in all conditions, despite reduced exercise time in severe-hypoxia compared to normoxia (15.9 ± 5.4 vs. 24.7 ± 5.5 min; p < 0.05). Peripheral mechanisms of fatigue contributed more to the reduction in force generating capacity of the knee-extensors following single-limb exercise in normoxia and mild- to moderate-hypoxia, whereas supraspinal fatigue played a greater role in severe-hypoxia. In study 3, the effect of constant-load cycling exercise to the limit of tolerance in hypoxia (SaO2 ~80%) and normoxia was investigated. Time to the limit of tolerance was significantly shorter in hypoxia compared to normoxia (3.6 ± 1.3 vs. 8.1 ± 2.9 min; p < 0.001). The reductions in maximal voluntary force and knee-extensor twitch force at task-failure were not different in hypoxia compared to normoxia. However, the level of supraspinal fatigue was exacerbated in hypoxia, and occurred in parallel with reductions in cerebral oxygenation and O2 delivery. Supraspinal fatigue contributes to the decrease in whole-body exercise tolerance in hypoxia, presumably as a consequence of inadequate O2 delivery to the brain
Birds : A City, Some Rain
No full text"In fables, animals speak and act like humans and this device allows the author to speak more candidly about human society than realism would allow. In her art world fables, Toni Latour looks with a similar candour at the pecking order in her field of operations. From medieval Bestiaries to Disneyworld, animals are invested with human foibles, vices, virtues and motivations and used to stand in for the most idealized and debased human characteristics. Latour reflects this cultural history back upon itself by imitating animal behaviour as an allegory of that curious human habit of art-making." -- Publisher's website
A necessary fiction: The ritualisation of stakeholder practices in New Zealand cinema
No full textThis thesis argues that stability of the concept ‘national cinema’ is located in the discursive positioning of individual films in such a way that they are connected to a national ‘common ground’, one which is ritually accessed via engagement with media such as cinema. This positioning, however, is not quantifiable and may not be identified as arising from any particular production practice, dimension of popularity, theme, style, characteristic of production personnel, and so on. By synthesising the work of several theorists and applying this synthesis to a selection of films, a framework of ideas (around the ritualised ‘flagging’ of the national via the expression of stakeholder interests) is applied to cinema in New Zealand. In particular, an ideoscape is ultimately mapped as a result of applying this framework of ideas. The normative assumptions of national cinema are examined in this way and found to be lacking despite the weight that the term ‘national cinema’ continues to have
Aspects of the history of the Catholic gentry of Yorkshire from the Pilgrimage of Grace to the First Civil War
No full textThis study looks at the responses of the Yorkshire Catholic gentry to the immense
changes to their religious landscape in the early modem period, between 1536 and
1642. It examines how they continued to adhere to the Catholic religion, despite all
attempts first to induce and then compel conformity and highlights the ways in which
they managed to survive and prosper throughout the period, demonstrating that
previously neglected groups such as women and younger sons had a crucial role to
play in this process. The overwhelming theme to their actions was one of pragmatism,
rather than the heroic and self-destructive behaviour that was much admired by earlier
historians who wanted to identify martyrs to the Catholic cause.
The areas that are to be examined reflect both public and private gentry activities. In
the public sphere the Yorkshire gentry's part in the rebellions of the Tudor and Stuart
eras are studied along with their rejection of plots. The importance of marriage as an
early modem tool for building alliances and social advancement is acknowledged and
the impact that a continuing adherence to Catholicism had on this is considered. The
gentry and the church are examined through a study of the Catholic gentry's
involvement with their local parishes, their reaction to the dissolution and their
continuing adherence to monasticism, as shown through their devotion to English
orders on the continent. To reflect the changes that were occurring in this period
Catholic involvement in education, the law and medicine are also explored showing
that the Catholic community was not isolated from the wider society. Lastly the role
of Catholic women is given specific consideration in order both to redress the
imbalance in previous studies and due to the crucial role that women played in the
continuation of the Catholic community within Yorkshire
The English Catholic issue, 1640-1662: factionalism, perceptions and exploitation
No full textPhDThis thesis explores the responses of different groups within the English Catholic
community to the civil war, interregnum and restoration, with close attention to Catholic
political theory. The English Catholic community were not mere observers of the
constitutional and religious changes made during this period but manoeuvred within
shifting political frameworks, continually adjusting their politics to meet new
requirements. After the defeat and the execution of Charles I, members of the
community made a series of compromises with political parties to secure toleration.
Until the Restoration these were almost all to the exclusion of the Stuarts. Catholic
political theorists engaged with the pro-sectarian, tolerationist principles of the
parliamentary Independents during the first part of the Interregnum, but after the failure
of the Cromwellian Church settlement in 1655 began to interact with anti-sectarian proepiscopal
groups during the decline of the Protectorate. Further, the community’s
membership of an international church, their ideological assumptions and patronage
from, and allegiances to, European courts meant that English Catholics had to be an
integral part of Cromwellian foreign policy. The 1650s did not signify a break in the
politics and ambition of the community but instead saw a continuation of the divisions,
back-biting and intolerance that Catholics had shown during the 1620s and 1630s. Due
to the factional nature of both the politics of the interregnum and the community itself
however, English Catholics stood to gain more from the Protectorate than they did from
the Stuart monarchy. This thesis therefore reintegrates English Catholicism into the
existing historiography of mid-seventeenth century British history
Affine Processes and Application in Finance
No full textWe provide the definition and a complete characterization of regular affine processes. This type of process unifies the concepts of continuousstate branching processes with immigration and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type processes. We show, and provide foundations for, a wide range of financial applications for regular affine processes.
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