Manchester Metropolitan University

About: Manchester Metropolitan University is a education organization based out in Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 5435 authors who have published 16202 publications receiving 442561 citations. The organization is also known as: Manchester Polytechnic & MMU.

The effect of business advisers on the performance of SMEs

Abstract: Purpose – Following on studies of the reported importance of a range of external advice and a study of the impact of marketing advice on small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) performance, this study seeks to examine the relationship between business performance (growth) and the nature and degree of a wide range of business advice used by a sample of owner/managers of SMEs in the Manchester City‐region of the UK.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted with 140 SMEs in the Manchester City region using an administered survey instrument.Findings – The degree of use of a range of external advice was positively related to the growth rate of the SME. In common with most previous research, the most sought‐after advisers were external accountants and network contacts. Academic advice was sought very rarely. This study extends previous research and examine the nature of the advice provided by external accountants, which was found to include business, emergency, and financial management support in ad...

Contextual reasoning distilled

Abstract: In this paper we provide a foundation of a theory of contextual reasoning from the perspective of a theory of knowledge representation. Starting from the so-called metaphor of the box, we firstly show that the mechanisms of contextual reasoning proposed in the literature can be classified into three general forms (called localized reasoning, push and pop, and shifting). Secondly, we provide a justification of this classification, by showing that each mechanism corresponds to operating on a fundamental dimension along which context dependent representations may vary (namely, partiality, approximation and perspective). From the previous analysis, we distill two general principles of a logic of contextual reasoning. Finally, we show that these two principles can be adequately formalized in the framework of MultiContext Systems. In the last part of the paper, we provide a practical illustration of the ideas discussed in the paper by formalising a simple scenario, called the Magic Box problem.

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

Abstract: The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate.

Are Tropical Streams Ecologically Different from Temperate Streams

Abstract: If tropical streams differ ecologically from temperate ones, we must be cautious in our extrapolation of ecosystem models developed in temperate-zone streams. Similarly, approaches and techniques used routinely in management of temperate streams may not be applicable in the tropics. Despite considerable variability in geological history, flow regime and geomorphology, streams in the tropics typically receive higher insolation and more intense rainfall, with warmer water and often relatively predictable floods. For many groups of aquatic taxa, tropical streams also harbour higher biodiversity than their temperate equivalents. Nonetheless, there is little published evidence for consistent differences in food-web structure, productivity, organic-matter processing and nutrient dynamics, or responses to disturbance which would indicate that the term 'tropical' has special significance when applied to stream ecology. Instead, ecological processes in tropical streams appear to be driven by the same variables that are important in temperate ones. For example, biotic responses to drought and flooding are similar to those in temperate streams while in-stream productivity is limited by the same factors: nutrients, shading, disturbance, and trophic structure. Shredders are reputed to be rare in many tropical streams but this also is the case in many southern temperate streams, implying that models of leaf breakdown developed in the north-temperate zone may not have the universal applicability often assumed. Biome comparisons among temperate and tropical streams are confounded by the immense inherent variability of streams within both these zones, and the wide range of climatic and hydrological conditions - even in the tropics. Valid extrapolation of models and management strategies may be less a matter of tropical versus temperate streams but, instead, of ensuring comparability at appropriate scales and fuller understanding of ecological mechanisms, plus recognition of the magnitude and complexity of spatial and temporal variation in stream ecosystems at all latitudes.

In vivo measurements of muscle specific tension in adults and children

Abstract: To better understand the effects of pubertal maturation on the contractile properties of skeletal muscle in vivo, the present study investigated whether there are any differences in the specific tension of the quadriceps muscle in 20 adults and 20 prepubertal children of both sexes. Specific tension was calculated as the ratio between the quadriceps tendon force and the sum of the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) multiplied by the cosine of the angle of pennation of each head within the quadriceps muscle. The maximal quadriceps tendon force was calculated from the knee extension maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) by accounting for EMG-based estimates of antagonist co-activation, incomplete quadriceps activation using the interpolation twitch technique and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measurements of the patellar tendon moment arm. The PCSA was calculated as the muscle volume, measured from MRI scans, divided by optimal fascicle length, measured from ultrasound images during MVC at the estimated angle of peak quadriceps muscle force. It was found that the quadriceps tendon force and PCSA of men (11.4 kN, 214 cm2) were significantly greater than those of the women (8.7 kN, 152 cm2; P 0.05) between groups: men, 55 ± 11 N cm−2; women, 57.3 ± 13 N cm−2; boys, 54 ± 14 N cm−2; and girls, 59.8 ± 15 N cm−2. These findings indicate that the increased muscle strength with maturation is not due to an increase in the specific tension of muscle; instead, it can be attributed to increases in muscle size, moment arm length and voluntary activation level.