cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Design models for multimedia learning environments based on interactive drama
Creators: name: Rogers, Thomas John
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2000

description: Interactive multimedia offers a degree of richness that lies outside the scope of conventional design methods for computer based learning. This research seeks to develop an interdisciplinary approach to design, that recognises the ways in which the combination and integration of different media forms can be exploited to stimulate experiential, intuitive, perceptual, and social/communicative aspects of learning. The goal of the project has been to develop a conceptual design model for the development of multimedia learning environments (MLEs), for humanistic learning applications, by using interactive drama. The models and methods developed though a practical design project have been founded upon theory from the realms of psychology, social sciences, learning and education, the arts and media, and software design. They address the cognitive and social aspects of learning, the use and interpretation of interactive media, the creation of learning environments, and the activities involved in design. As a vehicle to test the theoretical perspective, a design project has been undertaken, that has involved: 0 learning needs analysis and subject matter development; 9 development of a structural model for the MLE; 9 information structure, navigation and interface design; scripting, design and development of media materials for the development of interactive drama; formative evaluation. The subject area chosen for the design project is that of pregnancy and childbirth. The primary reasons for this choice was a desire to address the issues of design for informal learning experiences (that do not fit in the remit of institutional curricula) and an interest in finding ways to represent the social and interpersonal dimension to learning. Such learning processes have been described as `humanistic learning' for the purposes of this research project. To help fulfil these goals, it was decided to work with playwright Simon Turley to develop a number of interactive drama scenes. Not only did this enable some of the more sensitive and personal issues of pregnancy to be addressed, but it also gave an opportunity to explore the world of drama, film and theatre as a means to create interactive learning experiences. The research has shown the benefits of interdisciplinary design practice, produced a framework of the theoretical issues that inform designers, and developed an approach to the design of MLEs for humanistic learning applications. These elements have been brought together to form the conceptual design model.
Total Quality Management and Construction Project Management in Libya
Creators: name: Sherif, Khaled F.
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2010

description: Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/647 on 14.03.2017 by CS (TIS)
description: This thesis sought to explore Total quality management (TQM) implementation and barriers that need to be overcome due to differences between societal cultures, which have become a subject of intense discussion in the wake of the globalisation of the world economy. lnter-societal cultural barriers to TQM implementation were contrasted against the accepted organisational cultural barriers, which are well documented in established literature on this topic. A case study for the analysis was taken from the Libyan construction sector, where TQM is increasingly being reported as being adopted by companies keen to solve quality problems in their industry. This research explored the barriers that exist and that have acted to hinder the adoption of TQM practices using an in-depth survey of two Libyan construction companies (A&B). The findings of this research are presented as a conceptual framework upon which proactive measure may be planned to improve TQM adoption and which may also act as a guide for further research. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to obtain primary and secondary data for the research and the TQM model framework was successfully used in a self assessment case study of companies (A&B) in Libya. The survey was able to identify critical barriers that were assessed in relation to other published data on inter-societal and intra-organisational barriers so as to identity a number of barriers unique to the Libyan case study. The overall results indicated that the case study companies were in the early stages of TQM initiatives and that there were large areas for improvement to overcome the barriers.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FORCE MICROSCOPE
Creators: name: WINDMILL, JAMES FREDERICK CHARLES
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2002

description: This thesis describes the development of a new type of Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) probe based on a unique electromagnetic design. In addition the design, construction and testing of a new MFM system, complete in both hardware and software, is also described. The MFM allowed initial tests on prototypes of the new probe, and is to provide a base for future new probe integration. The microscope uses standard MFM micro-cantilever probes in static modes of imaging. A new computer hosted DSP control system, software, and its various interfaces with the MFM have been integrated into the system. The system has been tested using standard probes with various specimens and satisfactory results have been produced. A novel probe has been designed to replace the standard MFM magnetic coated tip with a field generated about a sub-micron aperture in a conducting film. The field from the new probe is modelled and its imaging capability investigated, with iterative designs analysed in this way. The practical construction and potential problems therein, of the probe are also considered. Test apertures have been manufactured, and an image of the field produced when operating is provided as support to the theoretical designs. Future methods of using the new probe are also discussed, including the examination of the probe as a magnetic write mechanism. This probe, integrated into the MFM, can provide a new method of microscopic magnetic imaging, and in addition opens a new potential method of magnetic storage that will require further research.
Abarenicola Wells 1959
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Arenicolidae
Abarenicola

description: Genus Abarenicola Wells, 1959
Abarenicola claparedi (Levinsen, 1884)
DISTRIBUTION: SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Gherardi et al. 1993; Castelli et al. 2008. OTHER REPORTED NAMES: Arenicola claparedi Levinsen, 1884.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 19, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
A Predictive Fuzzy-Neural Autopilot for the Guidance of Small Motorised Marine Craft
Creators: name: Richter, Ralph
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2000

description: This thesis investigates the design and evaluation of a control system, that is able to adapt quickly to changes in environment and steering characteristics. This type of controller is particularly suited for applications with wide-ranging working conditions such as those experienced by small motorised craft. A small motorised craft is assumed to be highly agile and prone to disturbances, being thrown off-course very easily when travelling at high speed 'but rather heavy and sluggish at low speeds. Unlike large vessels, the steering characteristics of the craft will change tremendously with a change in forward speed. Any new design of autopilot needs to be to compensate for these changes in dynamic characteristics to maintain near optimal levels of performance. This study identities the problems that need to be overcome and the variables involved. A self-organising fuzzy logic controller is developed and tested in simulation. This type of controller learns on-line but has certain performance limitations. The major original contribution of this research investigation is the development of an improved self-adaptive and predictive control concept, the Predictive Self-organising Fuzzy Logic Controller (PSoFLC). The novel feature of the control algorithm is that is uses a neural network as a predictive simulator of the boat's future response and this network is then incorporated into the control loop to improve the course changing, as well as course keeping capabilities of the autopilot investigated. The autopilot is tested in simulation to validate the working principle of the concept and to demonstrate the self-tuning of the control parameters. Further work is required to establish the suitability of the proposed novel concept to other control.
Mentzelia aspera Linnaeus 1753
Creators: name: Jarvis, Charlie
Publisher: name: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Cornales
Loasaceae
Mentzelia
Mentzelia aspera

description: Mentzelia aspera Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 516. 1753.
"Habitat in America." RCN: 3879.
 Lectotype (Weigend in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 118: 235. 1996): [icon] " Mentzelia " in Plumier in Burman, Pl. Amer.: 167, t. 174, f. 1. 1758.
 Generitype of Mentzelia Linnaeus.
 Current name:  Mentzelia aspera  L. (Loasaceae).
 Note: Weigend (l.c.) noted that Plumier’s plate was poor, and that designation of an epitype would be desirable should suitable material from Hispaniola become available.
description: Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part M), pp. 651-689 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on pages 666-667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971
An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Video and the Formulation of Hierarchical Models of Student Understanding in Mechanics
Creators: name: Graham, Edward
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1991

description: This thesis reports on research into two areas. Firstly the evaluation of the effectiveness of video as a resource for the teaching of mechanics and secondly investigations into student understanding of mechanics concepts. The first of these two areas has been based on a controlled experiment, used to determine whether the use of video can lead to improved levels of student understanding among sixth form mathematics students. The data that has been collected from this experiment has revealed that there are virtually no statistically significant differences between the understanding of the control and experimental groups involved in the experiment. However, student reactions to the videos, recorded on questionnaires, have provided much valuable information. From this it has been possible to identify the most effective way to use video in mechanics. This approach has been applied to the production of two videos, which have been used to validate and refine this approach to video production. The second area of research developed from the first as the responses of the students to the questions used to test understanding in the experiment became available. The results from the pre-tests produced a wealth of information about the intuitive reasoning used by many students. Their intuitive ideas include many misconceptions, or ideas that are at considerable variance with scientific thought. In addition the responses to the post-tests yielded information about the state of students understanding and the ways in which it had developed from the intuitive levels observed in the pre-tests. The data gathered from the post-tests allowed a small scale pilot study to take place, which investigated the feasibility of modelling the development of student understanding using a set of hierarchies. This technique was then applied to the two concept areas of force and momentum on a much larger scale. This thesis provides details of the models developed in this way and the intuitive reasoning used by students.
Enhanced coding, clock recovery and detection for a magnetic credit card
Creators: name: Smith, Daniel Felix
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1998

description: Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2299 on 03.04.2017 by CS (TIS)
description: This thesis describes the background, investigation and construction of a system for storing data on the magnetic stripe of a standard three-inch plastic credit in: inch card. Investigation shows that the information storage limit within a 3.375 in by 0.11 in rectangle of the stripe is bounded to about 20 kBytes. Practical issues limit the data storage to around 300 Bytes with a low raw error rate: a four-fold density increase over the standard. Removal of the timing jitter (that is prob-' ably caused by the magnetic medium particle size) would increase the limit to 1500 Bytes with no other system changes. This is enough capacity for either a small digital passport photograph or a digitized signature: making it possible to remove printed versions from the surface of the card. To achieve even these modest gains has required the development of a new variable rate code that is more resilient to timing errors than other codes in its efficiency class. The tabulation of the effects of timing errors required the construction of a new code metric and self-recovering decoders. In addition, a new method of timing recovery, based on the signal 'snatches' has been invented to increase the rapidity with which a Bayesian decoder can track the changing velocity of a hand-swiped card. The timing recovery and Bayesian detector have been integrated into one computation (software) unit that is self-contained and can decode a general class of (d, k) constrained codes. Additionally, the unit has a signal truncation mechanism to alleviate some of the effects of non-linear distortion that are present when a magnetic card is read with a magneto-resistive magnetic sensor that has been driven beyond its bias magnetization. While the storage density is low and the total storage capacity is meagre in comparison with contemporary storage devices, the high density card may still have a niche role to play in society. Nevertheless, in the face of the Smart card its long term outlook is uncertain. However, several areas of coding and detection under short-duration extreme conditions have brought new decoding methods to light. The scope of these methods is not limited just to the credit card.
Arenicolides Mesnil 1898
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Arenicolidae
Arenicolides

description: Genus Arenicolides Mesnil, 1898
Arenicolides branchialis (Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1833) DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Lorenz 1863; Meštrov 1957; Zavodnik 1967b; Požar-Domac 1994; Zavodnik & Kovačić 2000; Castelli et al. 2008.
OTHER REPORTED NAMES: Arenicola branchialis (Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1833); Arenicola grubii Claparède, 1869.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
PREDICTION OF STRUCTURAL EFFECTS IN CONCRETE AFFECTED BY ALKALI-AGGREGATE REACTION
Creators: name: Wen, Hong Xing
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1993

description: Alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) is a chemical reaction between alkalis in concrete and certain alkali-reactive substances which are occasionally present in the aggregate. AAR produces a gel, which absorbs water, swells, inserts local stresses, and causes internal and external cracking in the concrete. Research on the reaction has been extensive. However, little research into the structural effects of AAR has been carried out and the effects are not yet adequately understood. The present research is to investigate the structural effects of AAR and to develop a numerical method for the analysis of the affected members. AAR affects the structural performance of reinforced concrete members in the following ways. • The expansion of AAR induces stresses in concrete and reinforcement and alters the bond stresses between the reinforcement and concrete. • AAR changes the material properties of the concrete. • AAR changes the bond properties between reinforcement and the concrete. To analyse an AAR affected member, the expansions within the member due to AAR have to be known. The main feature of AAR expansion is its stress dependency. This necessitates an expansion analysis to take into account the expansion and stress history of the concrete. A model for AAR expansion analysis is proposed, in which the basic variable is the free expansion and the restrained expansion of a concrete is governed by an instantaneous stress-expansion relationship. This model has been proved to yield good results. Experimental work to verify the assumptions made in the expansion model and also provide information on the deterioration of material properties of the affected concrete is described Material models are proposed based on the test results. The expansion model and the material models have been incorporated into a non-linear finite element computer program. Analytical results show good agreement with test data. The results of numerical studies carried out on singly reinforced beams conditioned with and without loading are given. The characteristics of structural performance of the beams found in the numerical studies are in general agreement with those found in laboratory and field testing. The numerical studies have helped to improve understanding of the effects of AAR on structural members. The method developed could be used to assist the future research and the appraisal of in-situ affected structures.
Arenicola Lamarck 1801
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Arenicolidae
Arenicola

description: Genus Arenicola Lamarck, 1801
Arenicola marina (Linnaeus, 1758)
DISTRIBUTION: NA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Grube 1864; Karl 1871; Stossich 1883; Carus 1884; Graeffe 1905; Banse 1970; Marcuzzi 1972; Požar-Domac 1994; Castelli et al. 2008.
OTHER REPORTED NAMES: Arenicola piscatorum Lamarck, 1801.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 19, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
THE ORIGINS OF THE ORGANIC FRACTION IN DIESEL EXHAUST EMISSIONS
Creators: name: TRIER, COLIN JAMES
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1988

description: Diesel exhaust particulates are the subject of increasingly severe legislation controlling mass emissions throughout the world. Other emissions, which are currently unregulated, are also receiving closer scrutiny. In particular, polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), some of which are known carcinogens, are being studied. A total exhaust solvent scrubbing apparatus (TESSA) has been constructed to sample diesel exhaust hydrocarbons, using a solvent mixture to strip organic compounds from exhaust gases. This avoided adsorption of hydrocarbons onto particulates, when fitted close to the exhaust port, and minimised the formation of sampling artifacts. TESSA yielded new information, enabling lighter more volatile organics such as 2- and 3-ringed PAC to be characterised, these could not be collected by a dilution tunnel filter, which trapped particulates effectively but did not sample the hydrocarbons which had remained in the gas-phase. TESSA has proved itself to be uniquely suitable for the sampling of gaseous hydrocarbons with which there is currently an increased interest. Experiments using TESSA have confirmed that there is a contribution to the exhaust from small amounts of fuel passing through the combustion chamber substantially unchanged, as well as from partially burnt or pyrolysed products of combustion. New techniques have been developed to aid the interpretation of data obtained from high resolution gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, in order to assess the origin of specific groups of compounds within the highly complex samples obtained from diesel exhaust. Naphthalene and phenanthrene were shown to increase their concentration relative to their alkylated derivatives in an exhaust sample when compared to the relative concentrations found in the fuel. These parent compounds were being formed within the combustion chamber, as well as surviving in unburnt fuel. Nitro-PAC were detected only at considerably lower concentrations than had previously been found on dilution tunnel filter samples. Two new methods for assessing the contribution of lubricating oil to diesel exhaust emissions have been developed, and involved matching common peaks in a sample and a lubricating oil standard. The results demonstrated that lubricating oil makes a significant contribution to the total particulates. Increased control of lubricating oil leakage to the exhaust would help to reduce particulate emissions to below the new stringent limits.
Nymphoides indica Kuntze
Creators: name: Jarvis, Charlie
Publisher: name: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Menyanthaceae
Nymphoides
Nymphoides indica

description: Menyanthes indica Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 145. 1753.
"Habitat in Malabariae, Zeylonae fossis." RCN: 1163.
 Lectotype (Marais & Verdoorn in Dyer & al., Fl. Southern Africa 26: 243. 1963): [icon] " Nedel ambel " in Rheede, Hort. Malab. 11: 55, t. 28. 1692.
 Current name:  Nymphoides indica  (L.) Kuntze (Menyanthaceae).
description: Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part M), pp. 651-689 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971
Development of Cognitive Capabilities in Humanoid Robots
Creators: name: Tikhanoff, Vadim
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2009

description: Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/645 on 03.04.2017 by CS (TIS)
description: Building intelligent systems with human level of competence is the ultimate grand challenge for science and technology in general, and especially for the computational intelligence community. Recent theories in autonomous cognitive systems have focused on the close integration (grounding) of communication with perception, categorisation and action. Cognitive systems are essential for integrated multi-platform systems that are capable of sensing and communicating. This thesis presents a cognitive system for a humanoid robot that integrates abilities such as object detection and recognition, which are merged with natural language understanding and refined motor controls. The work includes three studies; (1) the use of generic manipulation of objects using the NMFT algorithm, by successfully testing the extension of the NMFT to control robot behaviour; (2) a study of the development of a robotic simulator; (3) robotic simulation experiments showing that a humanoid robot is able to acquire complex behavioural, cognitive, and linguistic skills through individual and social learning. The robot is able to learn to handle and manipulate objects autonomously, to cooperate with human users, and to adapt its abilities to changes in internal and environmental conditions. The model and the experimental results reported in this thesis, emphasise the importance of embodied cognition, i.e. the humanoid robot's physical interaction between its body and the environment.
Branchiomaldane Langerhans 1881
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Arenicolidae
Branchiomaldane

description: Genus Branchiomaldane Langerhans, 1881
Branchiomaldane vincenti Langerhans, 1881
DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA, SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Amoureux 1983c; Gravina & Somaschini 1991; Požar-Domac 1994; Zavodnik & Kovačić 2000; Castelli et al. 2008.
NEW RECORDS: BM1, BM4.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
IMAGE ANALYSIS AND PRENATAL SCREENING
Creators: name: LUAN, JIAN'AN
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1998

description: Information obtained from ultrasound images of fetal heads is often used to screen for various types of physical abnormality. In particular, at around 16 to 23 weeks' gestation two-dimensional cross-sections are examined to assess whether a fetus is affected by Neural Tube Defects, a class of disorders that includes Spina Bifida. Unfortunately, ultrasound images are of relatively poor quality and considerable expertise is required to extract meaningful information from them. Developing an ultrasound image recognition method that does not rely upon an experienced sonographer is of interest. In the course of this work we review standard statistical image analysis techniques, and explain why they are not appropriate for the ultrasound image data that we have. A new iterative method for edge detection based on a kernel function is developed and discussed. We then consider ways of improving existing techniques that have been applied to ultrasound Images. Storvik (1994)'s algorithm is based on the minimisation of a certain energy function by simulated annealing. We apply a cascade type blocking method to speed up this minimisation and to improve the performance of the algorithm when the noise level is high. Kass, Witkin and Terzopoulos (1988)'s method is based on an active contour or 'snake' which is deformed in such a way as to minimise a certain energy function. We suggest modifications to this energy function and use simulated annealing plus iterated conditional modes to perform the associated minimisation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the new edge detection method, and of the improvements to the existing techniques by means of simulation studies.
INVESTIGATION OF THE MULTI-SCALE VARIABILITY OF BEACH PROFILES
Creators: name: LI, YING
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2005

description: This work focuses on the multi-scale variability of beach profiles. This includes the spatial variability over a range of scales of surveyed beach profiles and the complex temporal variability of beach elevation at given positions along the profile. The aims of this work are to characterize the variability of beach profiles in both time and space, to identify the predominant spatial and temporal patterns of beach profile changes, to identify the extreme profile changes due to infrequent storms/storm groups, to understand the nature of beach profile change in depth, to quantify the non-stationarity of beach profile and to provide insight into the prediction of beach profiles. This thesis includes a critical literature review of the existing profile models, such as numerical and data-driven models, to predict beach profiles. Particular focus is on the data-driven models since they characterize the beach in a site-dependent manner. The main weakness of the existing data-driven approaches is that many of the techniques assume stationarity and yet the processes in question are non-stationary, which necessitates more advanced techniques for investigating the variability of beach profiles. Hence in this thesis the wavelet technique is introduced, which is a relatively new technique. It is also shown how the use of a wavelet basis for decomposing the profile signals spatially allows a more satisfactory value for the depth of closure associated with a data set to be defined. Particular interests are in the beach profile data from the Field Research Facility (FRF) at Duck, North Carolina, USA. The field data and previous works by other researchers are introduced and preliminary studies are conducted including the interpolation of data and the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. A connection is established between EOF and wavelet analysis. In addition to the identification of basic patterns of beach profile changes, emphasis is given to the non-stationary investigation of beach profile changes in both time and space locally. In this way, the infrequent events are identified at different temporal scales. The responses of beach profile changes to different wave/storm conditions are discussed. The intermittent character of beach profile change is displayed in both time and space, providing much insight to the argument by Southgate and Moller (2000). Also, the depth of closure is presented by analysing the local components of wavelet variance in space, which is scale-dependent. The results agree with Larson and Kraus(1994). The wavelet analysis is validated on the beach profile data at the Coastal Research Station (CRS), Lubiatowo, Poland. Focus is on the spatial variability across the beach profile. Due to the multi-bar system, the spatial scale contents of beach profile changes at Lubiatowo are more complicated than Duck. The predominant spatial scales indicate that wave breaking may be the major factor of bar formation at this site. This is consistent with Pruszak et al. (1997).
THE TECHNIQUE OF DETERMINATION OF STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS FROM FORCED VIBRATION TESTING
Creators: name: TSANG, WAI FAN
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1994

description: This thesis details the results of an investigation into a technique for determination of "useful" structural parameters from forced vibration testing. The implementation of this technique to full scale civil engineering structures was achieved by several developments in the experimental and computational fronts: a vibration generator and a computer-aided-testing system for the former and two computational algorithms for the latter. The experimental developments are instrumental to exciting large structures and acquisition of large quantities of useful data in digital format. These data serve as inputs to the computational algorithms whose outputs are structural parameters. These parameters are in either modal or spatial forms which cannot be measured directly but have to be extracted from the raw data. The modal-parameter-extraction method is based on direct Least-Square fitting technique and is simple to implement. The technique can yield good accuracy if the residual effects from out-of-range modes are removed from the raw data before fitting. The spatial-parameter- extraction method distinguishes itself from other conventional methods in the way that the orthogonality property is not explicitly used. This method is applicable to situations where conventional methods are not; i.e. in cases if modal matrices are not square. Some success was achieved in cases in which computer synthesized or good quality laboratory test data were used. Full scale field tests of a tall office block and a slender tower were carried out and their modal models obtained. Attempts to obtain spatial models of these structures were not carried out, however, as this task can be a separate research topic in its own right. Further research in such application is still required.
PROGNOSIS - Historical Pattern Matching for Economic Forecasting and Trading
Creators: name: BANAVAS, GEORGIOS NIKOLAOS
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2000

description: In recent years financial markets have become complex environments that continuously change and they change quickly. The strong link between the continuous change in the markets and the danger of losing money when trading in them, has made financial studies a domain that concentrates increasing scientific and business attention. In this context, the development of computational techniques that can monitor recent financial events can process them according to their similarity with historical data recordings, and can support financial decision making, is a challenging problem. In this work, the principal idea for tackling this problem is the integration of 'current' market information as derived from the market's recent past and historical information. A robust technique which is based on flexible pattern matching, segmented data representations, time warping, and time series embedding dimension measures is proposed. Complementary time series derived features, concerning trend structures, temporal considerations and statistical measures are systematically combined in this technique. All these components have been integrated into a software package, which I called PROGNOSIS, that can selectively monitor its application and allows systematic evaluation in terms of financial forecasting and trading performance. In addition, two other topics are discussed in this thesis. Firstly, in chapter 3, a neural network, that is known as the Growing Neural Gas network, is employed for financial forecasting and trading. To my knowledge, this network has never been applied before to financial problems. Based on this a neural network forecasting and trading benchmark was constructed for comparison purposes. Secondly, a novel method of approaching the well established co-integraton theory is proposed in the last chapter of the thesis. This method enhances the co-integration theory by integrating into it local time relations between two time series. These local time dependencies are identified using dynamic time warping. The hypothesis that is tested is that local time shifts, delays, shrinks or stretches, if identified, may help to reveal co-integrating movement between the two time series. I called this type of co-integration time-warped co-integration. To this end, the time-warped co-integration framework is presented as an error correction model and it is tested on arbitrage trading opportunities within PROGNOSIS.
Nymphoides peltata Kuntze
Creators: name: Jarvis, Charlie
Publisher: name: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Menyanthaceae
Nymphoides
Nymphoides peltata

description: Menyanthes nymphoides Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 145. 1753.
"Habitat in Belgii, Dantisci fossis majoribus." RCN: 1162.
Type not designated.
Original material: Herb. Burser X: (between 131 & 132) (UPS).
 Current name:  Nymphoides peltata  (S.G. Gmel.) Kuntze (Menyanthaceae).
description: Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part M), pp. 651-689 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971
Capitella Blainville 1828
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Capitellidae
Capitella

description: Genus Capitella Blainville, 1828
Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780)
DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA, SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Fauvel 1938; Laubier 1962; Banse 1970; Katzmann 1972; Avčin et al. 1974; Gamulin- Brida 1974; Giordani-Soika & Perin 1974; Matjašić & Štirn 1975; Vrišer 1979; Vrišer et al. 1981; Amoureux 1983c; Bedulli et al. 1983; Vrišer 1984; Parisi et al. 1985; Zavodnik et al. 1985; Zavodnik & Zavodnik 1986; Ambrogi et al. 1987; Castelli & Prevedelli 1993; Gherardi et al. 1993; Ceccherelli et al. 1994; Giangrande & Rubino 1994; Požar-Domac 1994; Fornasari et al. 1995; Zahtila 1995; Zitelli et al. 1995; Fraschetti 1996; Tagliapietra et al. 1998; Crema et al. 2000, Rossi et al. 2000; Crema et al. 2001; Fabi et al. 2001; Mistri et al. 2001; Piscitelli et al. 2001; Rossi et al. 2001; Sfriso et al. 2001; Mistri et al. 2002a, 2002b, 2002c; Spagnolo et al. 2002; Ponti & Abbiati 2004; Solis-Weiss et al. 2004; Munari et al. 2005; Occhipinti-Ambrogi et al. 2005; Simonini et al. 2005b; Bertasi et al. 2007; Colosio et al. 2007; Gerino et al. 2007; Maggiore & Keppel 2007; Ponti et al. 2007; Prevedelli et al. 2007; Castelli et al. 2008; Ponti et al. 2008, 2009.
NEW RECORDS: BM11, BM12, BM13, BM14, BM15, BM16, BM19, BM21, BM22, BM23, BM24, BM25, BM26, BM27, BM28, BM29, BM30, BM31, BM32, BM33, BM34, BM35, BM36, BM37, BM56, BM57, BM59.
Capitella giardi (Mesnil, 1897)
DISTRIBUTION: NA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Casellato & Stefanon 2008.
Capitella minima Langerhans, 1881
DISTRIBUTION: NA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Ambrogi et al. 1987; Crema et al. 2001; Bertasi et al. 2007; Colosio et al. 2007; Castelli et al. 2008.
NEW RECORDS: BM53, BM67, BM69, BM68, BM74, BM53. OTHER REPORTED NAMES: Capitomastus minimus (Langerhans, 1881).
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
Menyanthes trifoliata Linnaeus 1753
Creators: name: Jarvis, Charlie
Publisher: name: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Menyanthaceae
Menyanthes
Menyanthes trifoliata

description: Menyanthes trifoliata Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 145. 1753.
"Habitat in Europae paludibus." RCN: 1164.
 Lectotype (Qaiser in Nasir & Ali, Fl. W. Pakistan 111: 3. 1977): Herb. Linn. No. 203.4 (LINN).
 Generitype of Menyanthes Linnaeus (vide Steudel, Nom., ed. 2, 2: 128. 1841).
 Current name:  Menyanthes trifoliata  L. (Menyanthaceae).
description: Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part M), pp. 651-689 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971
Dasybranchus Grube 1850
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Capitellidae
Dasybranchus

description: Genus Dasybranchus Grube, 1850
Dasybranchus caducus (Grube, 1846) DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA, SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Grube 1861; Lorenz 1863; Grube; 1864; Stossich 1883; Carus 1884; Fauvel 1934; Vatova 1934; Vatova 1935; Fauvel 1938, 1940; Vatova 1940a, 1942, 1943, 1949a; Gamulin-Brida 1967; Scaccini 1967; Banse 1970; Katzmann 1972; Marcuzzi 1972; Matjašić & Štirn 1975; Avčin & Vrišer 1983; Požar-Domac 1983, 1994; Zavodnik & Kovačić 2000; Cantone & Di Pietro 2002; Aleffi et al. 2003; Simonini et al. 2005a, 2007; Solis- Weiss et al. 2007; Castelli et al. 2008.
NEW RECORDS: BM54, BM66.
OTHER REPORTED NAMES: Dasymallus caducus Grube, 1846.
Dasybranchus gajolae Eisig, 1887
DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA, SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Fauvel 1934; Vatova 1935; Gamulin-Brida et al. 1968; Bellan 1969; Zavodnik 1971; Katzmann 1972; Marcuzzi 1972; Bellan 1976; Amoureux 1983a; Požar-Domac 1986, 1994; Zahtila 1995; Castelli et al. 2008;
NEW RECORDS: BM53, BM54, BM99.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on pages 20-21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
Centella villosa Linnaeus 1763
Creators: name: Jarvis, Charlie
Publisher: name: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Apiales
Apiaceae
Centella
Centella villosa

description: Mercurialis afra Linnaeus, Mantissa Plantarum Altera: 298. 1771.
"Habitat in Cap. b. spei juxta latera montis Leonis. Koenig." RCN: 7473.
 Lectotype (Schubert & Van Wyk in Jarvis & al. in Taxon 55: 213. 2006): Herb. Linn. No. 332.8 (LINN).
 Current name:  Centella villosa  L. (Apiaceae).
description: Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part M), pp. 651-689 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971
Forests Are Us, research project update April 2024
Creators: name: Ussenaliyeva, Aizhan
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 370201
subject: Climate change processes
classificationCode: 370202
subject: Climatology
classificationCode: 380302
subject: Macroeconomic theory
classificationCode: 380304
subject: Microeconomic theory
classificationCode: 320604
subject: Nanomedicine
classificationCode: 320601
subject: Gene and molecular therapy
classificationCode: 410302
subject: Biological control
classificationCode: 410301
subject: Biodiscovery
classificationCode: 410401
subject: Conservation and biodiversity
classificationCode: 410404
subject: Environmental management
classificationCode: 410405
subject: Environmental rehabilitation and restoration

description: Forests Are Us research update April, 2024.
Beach development behind detached breakwater.
Creators: name: Axe, Philip George
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 2000

description: Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2650 on 06.20.2017 by CS (TIS)
description: Concurrent wave and morphology data were collected around a coastal protection scheme on the U. K. south coast. The scheme consists of eight detached breakwaters protecting a renourished sand and shingle beach, and is situated in a strongly macro-tidal environment. The development of the beach morphology is described. The beach trapped sand and shingle moving eastwards into it, and lost material from the eastern end. While the beach was designed to maintain a shingle beach, it was found that the scheme was most effective at trapping sand, which led to tombolo formation behind the updrift breakwaters. Current engineering design methods for describing beach development were applied to the scheme. Empirical techniques were found to be poor predictors of the salient length, although the simplest methods were reasonable guides to the scheme response over a variety of tidal levels. The US Army Corps of Engineers one-line model GENESIS (Hanson, 1989) was applied to the scheme. Using observed values of beach, structure and wave conditions, it was necessary to exaggerate transport due to longshore gradients in wave height relative to transport due to oblique wave approach to correctly describe salient formation. While it was possible to reduce model calibration errors, model validation was not successful. This was due to the inability of the model to allow tombolo formation, and also due to the lack of a 'constant! beach profile, due to the different behaviour of the sand and shingle. Empiricalo rthogonafl unctiona nalysisw as carriedo ut on the beachs urveyd ata.F rom the limited records available, it was clear that the scheme reduced profile variance behind it, compared to the updrift and downdrift shorelinesT. he schemea lso led to morec omplex3 D seasonaml ovementso f beachm aterial,i n contrastto the predominantly2 D responseu pdrift.
Heteromastus Eisig 1887
Creators: name: Mikac, Barbara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Capitellidae
Heteromastus

description: Genus Heteromastus Eisig, 1887
Heteromastus filiformis (Claparède, 1864)
DISTRIBUTION: NA, CA, SA.
LITERATURE RECORDS: Cognetti-Varriale & Zunarelli-Vandini 1978; Bedulli & Peretti 1979; Požar-Domac 1982; Amoureux 1983c; Avčin & Vrišer 1983; Bedulli et al. 1983; Požar-Domac 1983; Bedulli et al. 1984; Parisi et al. 1985; Gillet 1986; Požar-Domac 1986; Zavodnik & Zavodnik 1986; Ambrogi et al. 1987; Aleffi et al. 1988; Parisi et al. 1990; Požar-Domac 1994; Crema et al. 2000, 2001; Mistri et al. 2001; Piscitelli et al. 2001; Rossi et al. 2001; Sfriso et al. 2001; Mistri et al. 2002a, 2002b, 2002c; Aleffi et al. 2003; Munari et al. 2003; Solis-Weiss et al. 2004; Munari et al. 2005; Occhipinti-Ambrogi et al. 2005; Simonini et al. 2005b; Keppel & Maggiore 2006; Munari et al. 2006; Bertasi et al. 2007; Colosio et al. 2007; Maggiore & Keppel 2007; Prevedelli et al. 2007; Castelli et al. 2008; Schirosi et al. 2010; La Porta et al. 2011.
NEW RECORDS: BM92, BM96, BM97, BM101.
description: Published as part of Mikac, Barbara, 2015, A sea of worms: polychaete checklist of the Adriatic Sea, pp. 1-172 in Zootaxa 3943 (1) on page 21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3943.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/244663
STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF MATRIX FRACTION DESCRIPTIONS AND APPLICATIONS IN LINEAR SYSTEMS
Creators: name: Ratcliffe, Pauleen Ann
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1982

description: The finite pole s and zeros of a rational matrix G(s) are defined to be the zeros of the polynomial denominator and numerator matrices respectively taken from any relatively prime matrix fraction description of G(s). The infinite poles and zeros of G(s) are then defined as the poles and zeros at w = O of G (1/w). This new definition is the central result of the thesis. From it various results for the theory of rational matrices are derived, many of which are analagous to results in the complex variable theory of rational functions. The infinite pole s and zeros of a rational matrix are investigated in particular and the definition and results obtained are compared and contrasted with alternative definitions of the infinite poles and zero s as described by other authors.
AN APPROACH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTER BASED BEST PRACTICE DELIVERY MECHANISMS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES
Creators: name: SMART, PHILIP ANDREW
Publisher: name: University of Plymouth
Year: 1996

description: Changes in the competitive environment have strongly influenced manufacturing companies to adopt and develop best practice. Best practice is usually imported into companies using the services of consultancy organisations. The use of consultancy services does not guarantee success however, and inadequate results have been obtained by practitioners who have engaged in client-consultant relationships. The inadequacy of these results may be explained by the installation of pre-defined solutions by consultants as opposed to the adaptation and implementation of solutions to meet the specific requirements of practitioners. Tills may in part be explained by a lack of understanding of 'best practice'. Tills work presented in this thesis investigated the feasibility of computer based mechanisms for intervention in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) for the delivery of best practice. The research was undertaken using a prototyping approach. Three prototype computer based tools (CBTs) were developed by the author and tested by practitioners. The prototypes were designed based on a set of objectives and a framework of features which was developed. These frameworks were constructed from a synthesis of the research findings which included a study of best practice, the identification of characteristics of types of intervention, the identification of SME characteristics, and inhibitors of change in SMEs. The research has indicated that an approach using computer based tools is appropriate for intervention in SMEs and for adapting best practice to meet specific requirements. A structured project management approach is required with identifiable goals and benefits. An exploratory learning environment should be used to deliver complex best practice concepts and to support the goal oriented approach. Tools and techniques provided by the CBT enable the achievement of methodological tasks and facilitate experimentation and learning. The approach should not prescribe solutions, but should provide information through computer generated analyses to support decision making. The research suggests that the proposed approach may support a workbook based methodology, or may encapsulate a process methodology. The originality of this work is in the provision of a definition of best practice, an explanation of the deficiencies of existing mechanisms for the transfer of best practice to SMEs, and the specification of the features required by a new computer-based approach. Tills provides new knowledge for the field of production and operations management.