Showing papers by "Northumbria University published in 1993"

Disabled people's self-organisation: a new social movement?

Abstract: This article will examine the ways in which disabled people, world-wide but especially in the USA and Britain, have emerged as a coherent political force in the last 20 years. Furthermore, in looking at disability from the perspective afforded by new social movement arguments, I wish to explore the implications of this development: the fact that disabled people in the 1990s are ‘doing it for themselves’, and to develop comparisons between the disabled people's movement and the movements of black people, women, and gays and lesbians, for autonomy, recognition and resources. I will suggest that new social movement theory, while useful in the analysis of environmentalism, post-materialism, and some varieties of nationalism, cannot fully grasp the essence of liberation politics.

The Mapping of Small-Area Census Data—A Consideration of the Role of Enumeration District Boundaries

Abstract: The author analyzes information available from recent British censuses for census enumeration districts (EDs). "A study of Newcastle upon Tyne EDs shows that ED boundaries do not, in fact, mark the boundaries of distinct areas. The presumption against the use of ED boundaries for cartographic representation is reinforced."

Fundholding in Northern region: The first year

Abstract: OBJECTIVE--To describe the experiences of 10 fundholding practices in the Northern region during 1991-2 and to elicit subjective assessments of the impact of their change in status on practice management and patient care. DESIGN--Semistructured interviews were conducted with clinicians and practice managers; other staff in the practices were asked to fill in questionnaires. Questions were asked about the preparatory year, the impact of fundholding on clinical practice and practice management, perceptions of the costs and benefits of fundholding, and views about the future of the scheme. SETTING--10 of the 28 first wave fundholding practices in the Northern region, March-July 1992. RESULTS--Two interviews were conducted in nine practices and one interview in the tenth practice. Replies to the questionnaire were received from 35 general practitioners (73%) and 89 (58%) nonmedical staff. Practices sought independence in applying for fundholding status and found the preparatory year challenging and time consuming. General practitioners thought that the greatest change had occurred in relationships with consultants and the least change in relationships with patients. Most respondents thought that fundholding had changed the way they worked. The perceived benefits of fundholding were mentioned more often than the perceived costs. CONCLUSIONS--The results offer some encouragement to the proponents of fundholding, but more longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the misgivings of critics of the scheme. Fundholders are uncertain about their ability to make savings year after year, particularly in an increasingly cost contained environment.

Fibre Types and End-uses: A Perceptual Study

Abstract: This study has used verbal descriptors generated by consumers in the form of semantic differential grids to study perceptions of different types of textile fibres as they are used for different purposes The fibres studied were silk, cotton, polyester and nylon; the end-uses were sportshirts and underslips No actual fabrics were used The study was concerned solely with perceived properties The study was carried out in both the United Kingdom and Australia, yielding remarkably close agreements in opinion among the two groups of consumers on most aspects of fibre perceptions — any differences could readily be explained as emanating from climatic differences experienced by the two cities of Newcastle and Sydney The fibres were clearly differentiated from each other — this was shown by the unique characteristics of the profile of each fibre relative to the attributes listed on the grid and also by principal component analysis The acceptability of the fibres for each indicated end-use was directly related

Speaker identification using radial basis functions

Abstract: This paper describes a text-independent speaker identification system based on Radial Basis Functions (RBF) networks. Both text-dependent and text-independent speaker identification experiments have been conducted. The database contains 7 sentences and 10 digits spoken by 20 speakers over a period of 9 months. LPC-derived cepstrum coefficients are used as the speaker specific features. The results show that RBF networks offer fast learning speed and good generalization even in text-independent mode. Moreover, a robustness test has been carried out which demonstrates that RBF networks provide sufficient information to produce a `no match' decision in speaker identification applications.

Axial cracks in pressurised eroded autofrettaged thick cylinders

Abstract: In this paper, the stress intensity factors associated with longitudinal axial cracks in pressurised autofrettaged thick cylinders are calculated using the Boundary Element (BE) method The effect on the stress intensity factors of the presence of a semi-circular erosion on the bore is investigated Two loading cases are considered; internal pressure and autofrettage residual stresses The residual stresses are incorporated by using a crack face loading based on the principle of superposition The effect of the erosions and cracks on the fatigue lifetimes is calculated using the Paris law

Analysis of white and blue pigments from watercolours by raman microscopy

Abstract: Summary The application of Raman microanalysis to the investigation of pigments taken from watercolours is described. The pigment samples identified include calcium carbonate (chalk), titanium dioxide in its anatase crystal form, zinc oxide, barium sulphate and ultramarine taken from a selection of watercolours. The Raman spectra of the white pigments and extenders barium carbonate, lead carbonate, lead sulphate and calcium sulphate (gypsum), and the blue pigments cerulean blue, Prussian blue, indigo, copper phthalocyanin and lapis lazuli, are also reported.

The relationship between semi‐professions in acute and long‐term care of elderly patients

Abstract: Summary • As part of a larger study into the assessment of patients' needs in care of the elderly wards, data were collected from observation and interviews with nurses and doctors, which demonstrated differences in the functioning of the multidisciplinary care team in acute and long-term care wards. • The nurses acted as gatekeepers to other non-medical members of the team, using a variety of strategies to exclude them from, or include them in patient care. • Interview data also revealed a difference in nurses' perceptions of these members in the different care settings. • The gatekeeping function of the nurses was not, however, an exercise of power and autonomy, it was rather a demonstration of their allegiance to medical models of care. The medical model, as it was interpreted by the nurses, dictated the perceived relevance of the other professions to patient care, in terms of whether they could contribute to the cure and discharge of patients. • The high value placed on cure in both settings was reinforced by consultants' behaviour and attitudes, and, whereas it could be argued that this enhanced the work of the multidisciplinary team in acute care, the impact in long-term care settings was problematic, leading to conflicts between nurses and physiotherapists. • This paper calls for a closer examination of how semi-professional groups in health care work together, as a strategy for developing alternatives to the medical model.

Patterns of stress-induced phase transformation in MgO-stabilized zirconia ceramic revealed using micro-Raman imaging

Abstract: An automated Raman microscope system has been used to collect mapped Raman data from a Goodfellow 3% MgO stabilized zirconia ceramic tile. The data have been transformed to produce images which show the relative concentrations and distributions of the monoclinic and tetragonal phases in the mapped areas. The images reveal concentrations of the monoclinic phase at grain boundaries. Regions surrounding indents in the tile created with a Vickers hardness tester, were also mapped to reveal the extent and pattern of stress-induced phase transformation. A Raman map was also generated from an area before and after indentation. Comparison of the Raman images with the optical white light images reveals a relationship between the pattern of grain boundaries on the sample and the distribution of transformed material.

Sulphidation of someMCrAlYX-type alloys

Abstract: The sulphidation behavior of a series ofMCrAlYX-type alloys, where M is Co or Co and Fe, and X is V, Nb, Mo, or W, added in combination at various levels, has been studied at 750°C in an atmosphere of\(p_{S_2 } \)∼ 10−1 Pa and\(p_{O_2 } \)∼10−18 Pa. Sulphidation kinetics followed a parabolic rate law for each alloy over prolonged periods of exposure (up to 240 hr). Inclusion of Mo in the alloy containing both V and Nb, and particularly the combined additions of Mo and W, greatly enhanced sulphidation resistance. Partial replacement of Co by Fe also provided superior sulphidation resistance. The scales formed on the Co-based alloys consisted of three subscale layers-an outer layer of Co9S8 and Co3S4, a mid-layer of Cr3S4 and an inner layer of chromium and refractory-metal sulphides. In the case of (Fe, Co)-based alloys, the scales were duplex in nature with an outer layer of Fe3S4, Co9S8 and Cr3S4 and a compact inner layer consisting of sulphides of chromium and refractory metals. For both categories of alloys, the inner layer of refractory-metal sulphides was decorated by an alumina film which inhibited the outward migration of the base elements.

Japanese Inward Investment in the Northeast of England: Reassessing ‘Japanisation’:

Abstract: The notion of ‘Japanisation’ is evaluated by examining the relationship between nationality and the adoption of particular kinds of managerial and work practices amongst inward investors in northeast England. Information is derived from an extensive postal questionnaire survey followed by a more intensive qualitative survey of inward investor plants. The postal survey shows that the new practices have been widely adopted in plants of all nationalities, although rates of adoption are higher for the Far Eastern group. The in-depth interviews reveal, however, that there are important variations in the ways in which these new practices are applied. It is argued that these variations cannot be understood in terms of ‘nationality’. Rather, they are associated with differences in production processes and the segmentation of labour based on gender, age, and skill. In the light of these findings, the significance of the term ‘Japanisation’ for regions and regional policy is considered.

Environmental costs of photovoltaics

Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) systems are almost entirely benign in operation, and potential environmental hazards occur at the production and disposal stages. There are well established methods of monitoring and controlling potential hazards caused by the semiconductor materials used in PV modules such as silicon, copper indium diselenide and cadmium telluride. The main environmental hazards of photovoltaics are connected to the production processes. These processes require an input of energy, and this energy is derived from the standard fuel mix of the nation in which production takes place. The production of PV systems therefore has associated with it, emissions of greenhouse and acidic gases. However, as the new thin film PV technologies come into production, and the scale of production increases, the energy input to PV systems will decrease considerably, with consequent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, to levels below that of other electricity generating technologies.

Enterprise Education and Part-Time Students.

Abstract: It was found through a student survey using questionnaires and group interviews at the University of Northumbria that an increased emphasis on skills development and active teaching and learning methods introduced through the Enterprise in Higher Education Initiative was more problematic for part‐time than for full‐time students. This seemed paradoxical since part‐time students have greater life experience to draw on and strong links with the world of work. This article aims to stimulate thinking about the particular needs of part‐time students. If enterprise education is to be successful for them, attention needs to be paid to their motivations for studying and their views of learning. Explicit recognition of their existing levels of knowledge and skills is helpful. Course activities which encourage students to link their working situation and their academic learning are of vital importance.

Suppression of shadows for improved object discrimination

Abstract: The ESPRIT PEDMON (PEDestrian MONitoring) project is focusing on the development of technologies to enable the automated counting of pedestrians in unconstrained areas. A number of mechanisms are being investigated within the project, and image processing is taking a leading role in the development of wide area monitoring and counting systems. Initially, a simple approach to the video processing has been adopted, where the camera is placed vertically above the counting region allowing a 2D approximation of the scene to be made. In this approach the early part of the image processing pipeline consists of a segmentation procedure to separate the pedestrians from the background. A basic philosophy has been adopted that, for the purposes of segmentation, the pedestrians constitute moving areas of the image and anything not moving is considered to be background. This allows the use of well-established approaches for segmentation. We develop a mechanism which compares the texture of a reference frame with the texture of the incoming image to determine whether a shadow is present and subsequently attempt to suppress it. We have shown that shadows can be detected and suppressed in a number of scenes, providing that the background is already known. >

Charitable Provision in Late Medieval York: 'To the Praise of God and the Use of the Poor'

Abstract: (1993) Charitable Provision in Late Medieval York: 'To the Praise of God and the Use of the Poor' Northern History: Vol 29, No 1, pp 24-39

Correct evaluation of ohmic contacts to p-CdTe thin films

Abstract: Sometimes it is very difficult to characterise the ohmicity of the metal-semiconductor contact using transmission line model (TLM) measurements, particularly for the semiconductor having a high workfunction. The TLM data are insufficient for polycrystalline films because of the presence of the grain boundary potential which scatters the carriers during their flow along the horizontal direction. Thus the measurement needs modifications in order to obtain the precise value of bulk resistivity rho /sub B/ ( Omega cm) specific contact rho /sub c/ ( Omega /cm/sup 2/) and end resistance R/sub E/( Omega ). In the Letter a method is prescribed for determining the exact value of rho /sub B/, rho /sub c/ and R/sub E/. This method is very simple and can be adopted by laboratories lacking high grade instrumentation. >

‘Normal’ Life in a Hazardous World: How Adults with Moderate Learning Difficulties and Their Carers Cope with Risks and Dangers

Abstract: Summary Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adults with moderate learning difficulties attending Adult Training Centres and with their informal carers. Interviews covered friendships, relationships with the opposite sex, leisure and independent living and were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Ways of dealing with hazards emerged as an important theme. Hazards could be seen as dangers to be avoided or as risks to be calculated and minimised. Adults and informal carers usually viewed hazards in a similar way but there were conflicts of view in some families. Treating hazards as dangers to be avoided appeared to be associated with professional or skilled manual social background and the presence of both parents in the household.

Relativistic hydrodynamics and gravitational instability revisited

Abstract: After some 90 years of effort, the phenomenon of gravitational instability elucidated by Jeans continues to attract much attention and to reveal an unexpected richness of structure. A unified and simplified treatment of recent development in this area is presented, and extended to give new, completely general, exact second-order acoustic propagation equations, governing the evolution of the comoving fractional spatial gradient of the density. Newtonian theory and general relativity are considered, and the unity of the two points of view is emphasized. The Einstein static universe and expanding homogeneous isotropic cosmological models are re-examined

Sex Education Programmes for Students with Severe Learning Difficulties in Further Education and the Problem of Evaluation

Abstract: This paper is based on a qualitative study of the evaluation of sex education programmes for young people with severe learning difficulties. In an area so fraught with dilemmas and controversies, any such research will be problematic and tentative. The approach to evaluation described here is one which attempts to realise the right of people with learning difficulties to make informed choices. The course aims both to provide students with information which has traditionally been denied to them and to promote greater self-confidence. The evaluation methodology which has been developed embodies principles which seek to empower young people with learning difficulties. The questions which arise reach not only into the lives, feelings and values of individuals, but also confront the oppression of people with learning difficulties in our society.