http://wlv.openrepository.com/wlv WIRE captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. Search the Channel search http://wlv.openrepository.com/wlv/simple-search http://hdl.handle.net/2436/94354 Title: The detection and role of human endogenous retroviruses in multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases<br/><br/>Authors: Smith, Richard G.<br/><br/>Abstract: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are estimated to form approximately 5% of thehuman genome. While the majority of sequences are defective, containing premature stopmutations and frameshift mutations, a number encode fully functional proteins. HERVs havebeen proposed as aetiological agents for a variety of autoimmune diseases, includingrheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis (MS), andhave been detected in a variety of tumours. The study aims to develop tools to detect andinvestigate human endogenous retroviruses in order to establish their roles in MS andanaplastic astrocytomas. A method of detecting and quantifying levels of HERV-W envmessenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and MSRV gag by reverse transcriptase polymerasechain (RT-PCR) reaction in a variety of cell lines was developed, with PCR products detectedin all cell lines tested, and in particular, high levels of transcription occurring in the BeWochoriocarcinoma cell line. In the astrocytoma cell lines, those with P53 mutation had higherlevels of HERV-W env. MSRV gag variants were also detected in these cell lines, butstimulation with interferon-γ, a proinflammatory cytokine, did not alter expression significantly.An antibody against an epitope of MSRV gag has been successfully developed, purified andtested to determine the expression of a predicted linear epitope. This epitope was recognisedin all cell lines tested, but unusually for a HERV showed nuclear expression. Further analysisis needed to confirm the identity of the protein detected. Finally a number of retroviralpeptides with homology to putative antigens were predicted using a novel bioinformaticsapproach, of which two, HERV-W env 412 and MSAV gag 274, were tested in an enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay of plasma samples from MS patients, patients with other neurologicaldiseases and normal healthy donors. No significant differences in antibody titres were foundbetween the sample groups for either peptide.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Master of Philosophy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/94259 Title: A grammar of sentiment thinking about sentimental jewellery towards making new art about love and loss.<br/><br/>Authors: Parmar, Bharti<br/><br/>Abstract: This practice-led research project explores English and French sentimentaljewellery of the Victorian period. ‘Sentimental jewellery’ or ‘message jewellery’denotes jewellery created to function as a tangible expression of feeling betweendonor and recipient, mediated through complex narratives relating to its exchange.These artefacts codify emotion through use of complex visual languages,employing the symbolic and coded use of gems, human hair, emblems, words andwordplay. The research has expanded to encompass memorial garments knownas ‘widows weeds’.The aims of the research have been threefold: firstly, to add to understanding andinterpretation of aspects of Victorian sentimental jewellery and associated craftpractices; secondly, to explore the metaphors and narratives inherent within them;thirdly, to test the visual and technical possibilities of knowledge thus gained toaddress human feeling through art.Outcomes take the form of a body of new artwork and a written thesis, which aredesigned to be mutually informing. Together, they articulate my response to theproject’s central question: can consideration of the ‘grammar of sentiment’ atwork in Victorian sentimental jewellery yield new possibilities, through fine artpractice, for communicating love and loss in the 21st century?The four artworks that are a main output of the research take the forms of:REGARD:LOVEME, an artist’s book exploring gem codes and wordplay;Plocacosmos, a set of hairworking trials; The Cyanotypes, which reflect upon themateriality and aesthetic of the amatory locket; and Widows Weeds, a large formatphotographic installation, which considers the materiality and lineage ofmourning cloth. Collectively, they explore the typology of the sentimentalartefact through development of text/image vocabularies that are conceived asproviding a ‘grammar of sentiment’ through which to articulate aspects of humanfeeling. It is this exploration that constitutes my main contribution to knowledge.<br/><br/>Description: Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/94223 Title: Development of high performance tribological coatings for application onto hip joint prostheses<br/><br/>Authors: Knox, Paul<br/><br/>Abstract: In this thesis Graphit-iC™, an amorphous carbon coating developed by Teer Coatings Ltd. was modified and deposited onto CoCr and WHMWPE substrates in order to improve the wear properties. It was identified that depositing a hard coating onto soft substrate would cause high stresses and lead to coating delamination. Consequently the polyethylene substrates were ion implanted with nitrogen to reduce the hardness differential at the substrate-coating boundary. The coating was characterised using a pin on disc method in order to determine wear and friction. Hardness and fatigue was characterised using nano-indentation and the coating adhesion was measured using scratch testing. Application of the coatings resulted in a significant reduction in wear. Wear factors as low as 3.65x10¯18m³/Nm were achieved for coated CoCr substrates compared to 3.53x10¯15m³/Nm reported in the literature for uncoated CoCr. The coating resulted in friction coefficients between 0.12 and 0.19 with hardness ranging from 6.65 and 15.63GPa. Similarly coating UHMWPE resulted in a reduction in the wear factor to less than 9.6x10¯17m³/Nm. It was concluded that the deposition of amorphous carbon coatings can improve wear of hip joint prostheses, although consideration must be made for the adhesion of the coating to the substrate so that it does not contribute to an early failure of the device. Improved adhesion can be achieved by reducing the hardness differential between the coating and adhesion, either through softening the coating or by using interlayers.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/94222 Title: Online social marketing: website factors in behavioural change<br/><br/>Authors: Cugelman, Brian<br/><br/>Abstract: A few scholars have argued that the Internet is a valuable channel for social marketing,and that practitioners need to rethink how they engage with target audiences online.However, there is little evidence that online social marketing interventions cansignificantly influence behaviours, while there are few evidence-based guidelines to aidonline intervention design. This thesis assesses the efficacy of online interventionssuitable for social marketing applications, presents a model to integrate behaviouralchange research, and examines psychological principles that may aid the design ofonline behavioural change interventions.The primary research project used meta-analytical techniques to assess the impact ofinterventions targeting voluntary behaviours, and examined psychological design andadherence correlations. The study found that many online interventions demonstratedthe capacity to help people achieve voluntary lifestyle changes. Compared to waitlistcontrol conditions, the interventions demonstrated advantages, while compared to printmaterials they offered similar impacts, but with the advantages of lower costs andbroader reach. A secondary research project surveyed users across an internationalpublic mobilization campaign and used structural equation modelling to assess therelationships between website credibility, active trust, and behavioural impacts. Thisstudy found that website credibility and active trust were factors in behaviouralinfluence, while active trust mediated the effects of website credibility on behaviour.The two research projects demonstrated that online interventions can influence anindividual’s offline behaviours. Effective interventions were primarily goal-orientated:they informed people about the consequences of their behaviour, encouraged them to setgoals, offered skills-building support, and tracked their progress. People who receivedmore exposure to interventions generally achieved greater behavioural outcomes. Manyof these interventions could be incorporated into social marketing campaigns, and offerindividually tailored support capable of scaling to massive public audiences.Communication theory was used to harmonize influence taxonomies and techniques;this proved to be an effective way to organize a diversity of persuasion, therapy, andbehavioural change research. Additionally, website credibility and users’ active trustcould offer a way to mitigate the negative impacts of online risks and competition.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/94221 Title: Online adaptation for autonomous agents in interactive environments<br/><br/>Authors: Hartley, Thomas<br/><br/>Abstract: Non-player characters (NPCs) in today’s computer games lack the ability to adapt tosituations that were not envisaged by the artificial intelligence (AI) programmer. This lack ofadaptation produces lifeless characters that are prone to repetitive and predictable behaviour.The focus of this research is to provide practical approaches to in-game learning and thusproduce NPCs that are more believable and responsive to the human player. This workpresents a multilayered online learning and adaptation architecture for autonomous agents invirtual environments. In particular the architecture has been developed to enhance thebehaviour of NPCs in first person shooter (FPS) computer games.The architecture design was influenced by commercial and theoretical approaches to theorganisation and control of NPC behaviour in FPS games. Each layer of the architecture,namely reactive, tactical and strategic, offers an online learning and adaptation approach thatis suited to its behaviour type and requirements. The system is applied to Unreal Tournamentusing the GameBots API and evaluated in FPS game scenarios. The major contributions ofthis work are: the development of a dual state representation to enhance case matching inaction prediction; the exploration of adaptive k-d tree based techniques to improve casestorage and retrieval; the development of an online tactic selection system suited to therequirements of interactive virtual environments; and the development of an online strategyadaptation system, which adapts NPC navigation through the use of environment propertiesand potential energy.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of therequirements of the University of Wolverhamptonfor the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/93942 Title: A genre analysis of the processes of professional document design<br/><br/>Authors: Wheatley, John<br/><br/>Description: Digitized version available at EThOS, British Library Electronic Theses Online Service Fri, 29 Oct 1993 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/93940 Title: High selectivity and affinity of Linde type F towards NH+4 on application as a soil amendment for maize growth<br/><br/>Authors: Jakkula,Vijay S.; Williams, Craig D.; Hocking, Trevor J.; Fullen, Michael A.<br/><br/>Abstract: Linde type F (LTF) the synthetic form of edingtonite (EDI) was synthesised in K form and ion exchanged with NH4NO3. Zeolite wasthen characterised before and after ion exchange by XRD, XRF, TGA and SEM. Ammonium exchanged LTF was introduced as a soilamendment (1%, 2% and 4% zeolite to soil loadings) to look at growth of maize plant (Zea mays) and compared with a control comprisingof NPK fertiliser added soil. Results showed LTF had a very high selectivity upon ion exchange and high affinity when introducedas a soil amendment towards NH+4. Results were promising for ion exchange reactions in a zeolite–soil system, whereby cations present insoil exchanged for K+ more freely than NH+4 present in the LTF framework. Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/93930 Title: A superior kind of hobby : women managers in the John Lewis Partnership 1918-1950<br/><br/>Authors: Faraday, Judith<br/><br/>Abstract: During the interwar period, a radical departure from earlier traditional management practices in British department stores can be identified. Increasing trade, combined with the introduction of new systems and stock, required a dramatic increase in the number and calibre of managers employed to run the shops. Using a case study approach, this thesis will identify the reasons for the implementation of a new recruitment and employment strategy. For the John Lewis Partnership, it considers how this translated into jobs and opportunities for middle-class educated women, a group of workers whose experience of the work place has previously received little academic attention. It assesses the contribution the women made to the overall development of the company. Addressing the social and practical issues which surrounded their employment, with specific reference to staff turnover, pay and conditions, the thesis considers how these recruits were perceived by their employer, their peers and by themselves. It presents a group of workers who entered and often left the workplace after achieving levels of managerial status. It identifies the influence these women were able to exert on their employers, creating and retaining their position within specialist fields of employment and dominating the middle management of the John Lewis Partnership during the period 1918 - 1950.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Master of Philosophy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/93918 Title: Summary of teaching and research activities on the Hilton experimental site, East Shropshire, 1976-2010<br/><br/>Authors: Fullen, Michael A.<br/><br/>Abstract: The Hilton Experimental Site is used for a range of studies on soil erosion and conservation and for studies on water, sediment and solute dynamics within the 40 km2 Claverley Brook Catchment. The site is located 15 km west of Wolverhampton and 8 km east of Bridgnorth at 52o33’05.7”N, 2o19’18.3”W (U.K. National Grid Reference SO778952). It covers 0.52 hectares (5,214 m2) and has an upper elevation of 67.46 metres O.D.. The soil is a loamy sand (Psammept) of the Bridgnorth series. The site was established in 1976 and possesses a meteorological station, 21 runoff plots and soil moisture measuring equipment, including lysimeters. Stream monitoring equipment includes an Ott stage recorder at a rated section, an automatic water sampler and bedload traps. The Hilton Site supports undergraduate, postgraduate and staff research programmes.<br/><br/>Description: First Version January 2000Updated July 2000, June 2001, January 2002, October 2002, January 2003, September 2003,November 2005, March 2006, June 2006, October 2006, March 2007, July 2007, October 2007, January 2009, June 2009, March 2010 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2436/93882 Title: Soil conservation in relation to maize productivity on sub-tropical red soils in Yunnan Province, China<br/><br/>Authors: Milne, Eleanor<br/><br/>Abstract: Agricultural land in China is being degraded, with soil erosion becoming anincreasing problem. In Yunnan Province, south-west China, there is a long history ofsoil erosion due to soil type, climate, anthropogenic influence and because 95% of theProvince is mountainous. Population pressure and lack of flat land necessitatecultivation of steep slopes. The Yunnan Government prohibits cultivation of slopes>25°, however policy enforcement would result in food shortages in the Province, dueto a lack of suitable land <25°. Therefore, the most appropriate way to curb soilerosion in Yunnan is to devise affordable agronomic means of reducing soil loss,which do not decrease crop productivity on sloping land currently under cultivation.At present, very little research has addressed these issues.A research project, building on existing work from 1993-1996, was initiated in 1998.The aim was to test the hypothesis that contour cultivation and contour cultivationplus straw mulch decrease runoff and soil erosion rates on sloping land in YunnanProvince under maize cultivation and to assess the impact of these conservationmeasures on maize productivity and soil nutrient status. Thirty runoff plots, located onthree different slope angles (I 3°, II 10° and III 27°), in three groups of 10, were usedto examine three cropping treatments in a replicated plot design in 1998 and 1999.Treatments were downslope cultivation (control), contour cultivation and contourcultivation plus straw mulch. In addition, there was an unreplicated bare plot in eachgroup. Runoff and soil loss were measured on a storm-by-storm basis. Soil nutrientstatus was measured at the beginning and end of each cropping season. Crop growthparameters and soil physical properties were measured throughout the croppingseasons (21/05–7/10 in 1998 and 22/05–2/10 in 1999).In 1998, seasonal rainfall was 1024 mm, ~28% greater than the 30-year mean. Soilloss was significantly reduced by contour cultivation on Slopes I and II. On Slope I,downslope cultivation produced 3.07 t ha-1 soil loss and contour cultivation reducedthis by 81.4 %. On Slope II, downslope cultivation produced 19.11 t ha-1 and contourcultivation reduced this by 58.0%. The addition of straw mulch gave a further, nonsignificant,reduction on both slopes. On Slope III, downslope cultivation and contourcultivation produced 6.92 and 6.29 t ha-1 of soil loss, respectively, with contour cultivation plus straw mulch having 99.4% less erosion than downslope cultivation. Inthe much drier 1999 season, no treatment significantly reduced soil loss on Slope I.Contour cultivation significantly reduced soil loss on Slopes II and III. On Slope II,downslope and contour cultivation produced 11.52 t ha-1 of soil loss and contourcultivation reduced this by 85.8%. On Slope III, downslope and contour cultivationproduced 8.62 and 0.23 t ha-1, respectively; a reduction of 97.3% by contourcultivation. The addition of straw mulch did not further decrease soil loss.Treatment effects on soil nutrient status varied between the two years. At the end ofthe 1998 season, there was significantly higher soil available N under contourcultivation plus straw mulch on all three slopes (Slopes I and II P <0.001, Slope IIIP <0.05), an effect that was not found in 1999. At the end of the 1999 season, soilavailable K was significantly (P <0.001) higher under contour cultivation plus strawmulch on Slope III. In both years, contour cultivation plus straw mulch significantlyreduced soil temperature. However, this did not result in yield reductions incomparison with the control. There was an increase in soil moisture content undercontour cultivation plus straw mulch during dry periods, which was particularlynoticeable in 1999. In 1998, there were no significant treatment effects on grain orshoot yield. In 1999, on Slope II, contour cultivation plus straw mulch significantlyincreased grain yield by 50.3% compared with the downslope treatment (P <0.05). In1999, contour cultivation plus straw mulch also significantly increased leaf plus stemyield on Slopes I and II by 12.4 and 36.8%, respectively. It is concluded that on ≤10° slopes, contour cultivation alone is a suitable soilconservation measure. However, use of straw mulch would benefit soil moisture andnutrient status and could, therefore, increase crop yield. On ≥27° slopes, it isrecommended that contour cultivation plus straw mulch be used as a soil conservationmeasure to ensure maximum soil conservation, even in extreme rainfall conditions.<br/><br/>Description: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy Sun, 29 Oct 2000 22:58:59 GMT