Showing papers by "Northumbria University published in 1995"
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of non-conventional exams, oral presentations, group projects and peer assessment on student learning is investigated via a series of case studies at the University of Northumbria.
Abstract: SUMMARY Assessment methods such as non‐conventional exams, oral presentations, group projects and peer assessment are increasingly being used in HE in an attempt to introduce more realistic and meaningful tasks and provide broader and more reliable indicators of students’ achievements. The impact of such assessment on student learning is being investigated via a series of case studies at the University of Northumbria. A number of positive effects on learning have been identified and students strongly support new methods of assessment. Problems do arise, particularly since the often unchallenged ‘level playing field’ of exam room must be replaced by new means of establishing fairness, reliability and validity. Innovative assessment is limited in its developments within the HE context; eg the weightings given to the process and products of learning can be of issue. It is also difficult to accotnodate individual learner needs and acknowledge individual progress.
170 citations
TL;DR: Electrical stimulation for 4 weeks at only twice motor threshold improves oxidative capacity, but different stimulus parameters are probably needed for significant fibre type conversion.
Abstract: Influence of electrical stimulation of the tibialis anterior muscle in paraplegic subjects. 2. Morphological and histochemical properties
140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a native soil and compared a 20 min microwave extraction with a 6 h conventional Soxhlet extraction (both using dichloromethane) with comparable results.
Abstract: Microwave energy, generated in a commercial microwave system designed for extraction of organic samples, has been used for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from highly contaminated land samples. Initial studies used a native soil and compared a 20 min microwave extraction with a 6 h conventional Soxhlet extraction (both using dichloromethane) with comparable results. The low concentration of PAHs found in the soil resulted in large relative standard deviation (sr) values for the individual PAHs (maximum of 60.9% for microwave extraction). A second soil, with higher PAH levels, was microwave extracted using both dichloromethane and different compositions of an acetone–hexane mixture and compared with Soxhlet extraction. The results indicate that microwave extraction using pure acetone is a more efficient procedure than other combinations studied. A repeatability study gave an sr value for the total PAHs extracted of 2.4%(n= 6). A central composite experimental design was used to elucidate optimum operating parameters but variations in temperature, extraction time and solvent volume were found to have little effect on recovery. The over-all sr for the design was 5.34% illustrating no statistical significance in recovery. A third, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, test soil was used which indicated that the soil matrix was the greatest factor affecting PAH recovery.
122 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a project aiming to improve students' essay writing performance on a first year geography course was described, where students were prepared for this role in a preparatory workshop in which they helped to generate criteria and self and peer assessment were carefully supervised and regulated.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper reports on a project aiming to improve students’ essay writing performance on a first year geography course. The intention was that through self and peer assessment as well as tutor assessment of essays, students would learn about assessment criteria and ways of meeting these. Students were prepared for this role in a preparatory workshop in which they helped to generate criteria, and self and peer assessment were carefully supervised and regulated. The success of the project is evaluated based upon analysis of marks, student feedback and the opinion of the staff who led the project. Self and peer marks were considered less reliable than tutor marks, perhaps because of the subjective nature of this type of assessment and the relative inexperience of the students, but this risk is considered to be outweighed by the benefits to student learning.
112 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assesses existing explanations of the relationship between the risk and fear of crime among elderly people and argue that the significance of gender has previously been understated, and that the temporal and spatial parameters to conceptualizations of 'risk' have been unduly narrow.
Abstract: This article assesses existing explanations of the relationship between the risk and fear of crime amongst elderly people. These have tended to assume an incongruity between levels of fear and the chances of victimization. It is argued that the significance of gender has previously been understated, and that the temporal and spatial parameters to conceptualizations of 'risk' have been unduly narrow. In a recent study, elderly women were no more concerned about violent crime than younger women, and the nature of their concerns bore closer relation to risk. .Moreover, it is contended that domestic violence against elderly people is considerably more prevalent than is generally acknowledged. It is argued that age structured relationships be retained in analyses of fear of crime as a determinant of actual rather than perceived risk. (Abstract Adapted from Source: British Journal of Criminology, 1995. Copyright © 1995 by Oxford University Press) Elder Adult Female Adult Female Adult Victim Elder Adult Fear Elder Adult Perceptions Fear of Crime Fear of Victimization Fear of Violence Female Fear Female Perceptions Female Victim 06-05
106 citations
TL;DR: In adult paraplegic subjects one tibialis anterior muscle received daily electrical stimulation for 4 weeks at twice motor threshold to determine changes of its contractile properties and its morphological and histochemical profiles and new parameters for force measurement proposed.
Abstract: In adult paraplegic subjects one tibialis anterior muscle received daily electrical stimulation for 4 weeks at twice motor threshold to determine changes of its contractile properties (this paper) and its morphological and histochemical profiles (following paper). Force, speed of contraction and fatigue resistance were assessed by percutaneous electrical stimulation of the muscle with torque measured about the ankle. Comparative contractile tests were performed on 51 normal adult subjects and new parameters for force measurement proposed, particularly where maximum voluntary contraction cannot be obtained. In paraplegic subjects before stimulation the tibialis anterior muscle showed evidence of disuse with decreased force, faster contraction and relaxation, and reduced fatigue resistance. The effects of two stimulus patterns were compared: 10 Hz, and 10 Hz with 100 Hz bursts. After stimulation contraction was slower, fatigue resistance increased and there was a tendency for force to increase. No differences occurred using the different stimulus patterns. Four weeks later fatigue resistance was partially maintained, while speed of contraction reverted to pre-stimulus levels.
80 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that more attention should be paid to tourism's past in non-western societies and cultures and to the more ordinary and routine practices of a wider cross-section of the population.
77 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of desorption temperature and on-column focusing temperatures on peak response was investigated using 7-μm and 100-mm film thicknesses. But the results showed that the effectiveness of the desorbing process was reduced at temperatures below 140°C.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a critique of the traditional geographical approach to the study of leisure and recreation is followed by a brief review of the geography of gender and humanistic geography literature, indicating the possible contribution that some of the perspectives contained in this material can make to our understanding of women's leisure.
Abstract: A growing interest in the role of place in social processes has led to a recognition of the need to incorporate these ideas into the study of leisure and recreation. A critique of the traditional geographical approach to the study of leisure and recreation is followed by a brief review of the geography of gender and humanistic geography literature, indicating the possible contribution that some of the perspectives contained in this material can make to our understanding of women's leisure. In conclusion, it is argued that it is only through developing a deeper understanding of the way individuals and groups perceive different places, with their complex mosaics of gender and class relations, that a more complete, more contextual representation of women's leisure can emerge.
53 citations
TL;DR: The present adaptive mesh refinement strategy significantly improves adaptivity performance and has higher error convergence rates than those usually used.
Abstract: A new mesh refinement formulation for h-adaptive solutions of linear elliptic problems is presented. The reliability of the methods employed for estimating errors and the convergence rate of the errors during an adaptive process are investigated by means of an asymptotic analysis method. The present adaptive mesh refinement strategy significantly improves adaptivity performance and has higher error convergence rates than those usually used. Numerical examples are shown to illustrate the efficiency of the method shown.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Macfarlane argued that hundreds of words in the historian's vocabulary are ambiguous constructs created to meet the unconsciously felt need for adequate expression and the meaning of which is only concretely felt but not clearly thought-out.
Abstract: In his first foray into the question as to whether there had ever been a peasant society in England Alan Macfarlane distinguished between on the one hand the common-sense or dictionary definition of peasant (‘countryman, rustic, worker on the land’) and on the other the technical meaning of the term. In order to facilitate comparative study and in particular to answer the question whether England was in fact a peasant society, Macfarlane attempted to construct an ‘ideal-type’ model in the Weberian sense. In his defence of his methodology he repeats Weber's advice: ‘Hundreds of words in the historian's vocabulary are ambiguous constructs created to meet the unconsciously felt need for adequate expression and the meaning of which is only concretely felt but not clearly thought-out.’ And again, ‘If the historian … rejects an attempt to construct such ideal types as a “theoretical construction”, i.e. as useless or dispensable for his concrete heuristic purposes, the inevitable consequence is either that he consciously or unconsciously uses other similar concepts, without formulating them verbally and elaborating them logically or that he remains stuck in the realm of the vaguely “felt”.’ Despite such warnings, historians are often suspicious of model-building, suspecting that it may fail to locate the dynamics of a specific society and that it may cause the observer to distort his analysis in order to remain within his given framework.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated how the Ouseburn is a part-urban and partrural catchment of varied land-use and includes a tributary which drains the Newcastle International Airport, which had a disproportionately adverse impact upon the river's water quality and ecology.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss new management techniques associated with ''lean production'' such as teamworking, just-in-time (JIT) systems, continuous improvement (kaizen), zero defects and so on.
Abstract: New management techniques (NMTs) associated with `lean production' - teamworking; just-in-time (JIT) systems; continuous improvement (kaizen); zero defects and so on - have become increasingly infl...
TL;DR: In this paper, the formation of CuInSe2 thin films from stacked elemental layers was performed to evaluate the reaction mechanism involved using the Stacked Elemental Layers (SEL) technique.
TL;DR: Diaries have been used for hundreds of years to record the events of people's everyday lives, but more recently, they have gained popularity with health and social researchers as a data collection method.
Abstract: Diaries have been used for hundreds of years to record the events of people's everyday lives, hut more recently, they have gained popularity with health and social researchers as a data collection method. Diaries allow the researcher an unobtrusive way of tapping into the intimate areas of people's lives that may otherwise be closed. Much of health research can be of a sensitive nature and nurse researchers could make more use of diaries in the collection of data.
TL;DR: A number of 4-aminoazobenzene dye units have been synthesised and subjected to thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage optical microscopy as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: How the identification of specific roles and responsibilities within academic teams can provide one way of successfully establishing the link between quality control, assurance and assessment and the process of continuous quality improvement in the provision of higher education is described.
Abstract: Discusses the different forms of external enquiry into the operations of HEIs that constitute existing quality control, assurance and assessment processes and procedures. Proposes that external scrutiny of operations should adopt an approach that ensures accountability, enhances quality, is practical, efficient, effective and offers a degree of autonomy. Asserts that putting continuous quality improvement into practice in higher education requires the implementation of key principles of procedure and practical team approaches which are currently far from endemic across institutions. Describes and explains how the identification of specific roles and responsibilities within academic teams can provide one way of successfully establishing the link between quality control, assurance and assessment and the process of continuous quality improvement in the provision of higher education.
TL;DR: existing methods for the visualization of the shapes of cloth materials when suspended at given points or draped over a rigid surface are extended by employing a more efficient energy minimization technique and by reducing directional errors of the relaxation process.
TL;DR: In this paper, the Nb-coated Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy were studied at 750 °C in an atmosphere of pS2 ∼ 10−1 Pa and pO2 ∼ 14 −18 Pa.
Abstract: The environmental response of Nb-coated Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy was studied at 750 °C in an atmosphere of pS2 ∼ 10−1 Pa and pO2 ∼ 10 −18 Pa. By acting as a diffusion barrier and through the formation of a Nb1−xS scale the Nb coating deposited enhanced the corrosion resistance of both Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The corrosion products generated on uncoated titanium in the same environment and temperature were characterized by a double layered oxide scale of TiO2 beneath which a TiS2 layer was formed. For the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, α-Al2O3 was precipitated in the external portion of the outer-layer of TiO2 whilst a layer containing Al2S3, TiS2 and vanadium sulphide (possibly V2S3) was idenitified underlying the inner TiO2 layer. After prolonged exposure (168 h), the Nb coating deposited on Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy was consumed. A scale following the sequence of TiO2/TiO2+NbO2+Nb2O5/Nb1−xS/TiO2/ TiS2/(substrate) was observed on the surface of the Nb-coated Ti, whilst a scale with sequence of TiO2/V2S3/TiO2+NbO2+Nb2O5/Nb1−xS/TiO2/Al2S3+TiS2/(substrate) characterized the corrosion products formed on the Nb-coated Ti-6Al-4V alloy.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present qualitative and survey evidence on the implementation of managed competition in the NHS, focusing on the way key actors conceptualized market relations and the way market imperfections were addressed.
Abstract: This article presents qualitative and survey evidence on the implementation of managed competition in the NHS. After outlining the economic analysis of quasi-markets made by Le Grand and Bartlett, Part I argues that a framework derived from organization theory is a more fruitful way of analysing and understanding behaviour at local level. Part II describes the experience of implementation in four district health authorities, concentrating on the way key actors conceptualized market relations and the way market imperfections were addressed. Part III discusses the main reasons why implementation took the form it did and the factors shaping similar or dissimilar responses.
TL;DR: Research carried out since the implementation of the Children Act 1989 indicates that previous estimates of the numbers who have no contact with parents may have underestimated the extent of the problem, and that despite the emphasis placed on contact by the children Act there is still much work to be done to improve practice.
Abstract: Summary: Research carried out since the implementation of the Children Act 1989 based on a sample of 848 children looked after by local authorities indicates that previous estimates of the numbers who have no contact with parents may have underestimated the extent of the problem, and that despite the emphasis placed on contact by the Children Act there is still much work to be done to improve practice. The research not only confirms earlier findings about the instability of placements in care but also shows differences in face to face contact which depend on the length of time in care or accommodation and the reason for entry, as well as differences between children placed in residential and foster care. Finally it was found that where children have spent long periods in care they tend to have little contact with fieldworkers, and it is suggested that there is a need to redefine the social work agenda for this vulnerable group of children.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored recent attempts to promote sustainable tourism in the city of Malaga, southern Spain and examined the ways in which the activity of tourism is being more closely integrated with other facets of the city's economy and life.
Abstract: The term ‘sustainable tourism’ is rarely used within a specifically urban context yet the concept is as equally applicable to city‐based tourism as it is to rural areas. This paper explores recent attempts to promote sustainable tourism in the city of Malaga, southern Spain and examines the ways in which the activity of tourism is being more closely integrated with other facets of the city's economy and life. Rather than seeing tourism as a ‘separate’ and ‘exotic’ activity, the city authorities are attempting to use tourism in a creative way. It is argued that it is this very integration which constitutes one of the main features of ‘sustainability’ within an urban context. Specific examples of the kinds of strategies being pursued are examined and the paper concludes with a critique of these initiatives from the perspective of the debate on sustainability.
TL;DR: In this paper, the binding constants for 22 para-substituted aryl alkyl sulfides, sulfoxides and sulfones have been determined spectrophotometrically.
Abstract: Binding constants for 22 para-substituted aryl alkyl sulfides, sulfoxides and sulfones have been determined spectrophotometrically. It was found that the presence of sulfur containing substituents generally results in destabilisation of complex formation, and it is postulated that the angle of the sulfur bond in these compounds results in steric hindrance with the 5-H protons at the rear of the cyclodextrin cavity, causing it to be displaced from its optimal position or orientation. Additionally, the observation, for several sulfides, of cooperativity in the binding of a second molecule of cyclodextrin is discussed in terms of binding induced changes in electrical potential within the cyclodextrin cavity.
TL;DR: Four search engines and two subject collections with a search facility are compared in terms of their content, interface, search features, output and performance for comprehensive searches of Web material.
Abstract: Many tools exist to provide subject access to information stored on the Web. These include both automatic search engines such as ‘crawler’ programs and manually‐created subject indexes. In this article, four search engines and two subject collections with a search facility are compared in terms of their content, interface, search features, output and performance. For comprehensive searches of Web material, no single tool was found to be satisfactorily effective, and doubts remain as to whether such tools can yet be incorporated in the mainstream of online searching.
TL;DR: In this article, quantum mechanical molecular descriptors and physical properties have been used to estimate log Kow values for a range of substituted phenols using multilinear regression, and the equations were derived using a set of 14 reference phenolic compounds with their log kow values being the average of several experimental values reported in the literature.
16 May 1995
TL;DR: This report describes the video image processing work, hardware and network development performed by the authors in fulfilment of the ESPRIT PEDMON (PEDestrian MONitoring) project, which was funded through the Central European Commission.
Abstract: Recent developments in automated building management and road traffic monitoring systems have highlighted a need for accurate real time data relating to occupancy and flow of pedestrians in relatively unconstrained physical areas. The ESPRIT PEDMON (PEDestrian MONitoring) project, which was funded through the Central European Commission, focused on the development of technologies to enable the automated counting of pedestrians in unconstrained areas and making that information available to users on a real time basis. The principal threads of the project involved research and development of the following: a suitable human computer interface, a simple low cost communications network, non-video sensing nodes and video based sensing nodes. This report describes the video image processing work, hardware and network development performed by the authors in fulfilment of the project. In the first section aspects of the image processing algorithms are discussed. In the second section the hardware and network developed for the intelligent sensors are detailed. In the third section the system performance is discussed based on real data taken from the installation at St Lazare Railway Station in Paris.
TL;DR: The legitimacy of certain uses of the data is questioned; the reliability of theData is considered; and certain tentative findings are presented based on the data published in the (hard copy) reports.
Abstract: For the first time since a question on religion was first included in the Census of Population (in 1861), the recently published results of the 1991 Census show that less than half of the population of Northern Ireland declared themselves as belonging to a Protestant Christian denomination. Discussions surrounding the future political and constitutional arrangements for Northern Ireland frequently include evidence adduced about the relative size of the two ‘tribes’ widely identified by the labels ‘Protestant’ and ‘Catholic’. The major source of that evidence comes from the question on religion contained in the Northern Ireland Census, and this paper is concerned with the nature and use of that data. The legitimacy of certain uses of the data is questioned; the reliability of the data is considered; and certain tentative findings are presented based on the data published in the (hard copy) reports. Ways are indicated by which the data may be of use in analysing structural inequality in Northern Ireland soc...
TL;DR: It is concluded that a massive rethink of policy is required, with a much greater emphasis on research, development and independent evaluation in information management and technology.
Abstract: Discusses the NHS Executive's information management and technology (IMT the strategy is poorly aligned with other policy initiatives; the legacy of discrete, proprietary information systems within hospitals makes the creation of an integrative information environment difficult to accomplish without massive investment in new systems; and there are implicit contradictions between the following: the absence of a comprehensive post-implementation evaluation of the economic, technological and cultural feasibility of HISS at any of the three HISS pilot sites; the strategy's advocacy of HISS as the way forward for large acute hospitals; the requirement for a comprehensive business case to support any substantial investment in IM&T. Concludes that a massive rethink of policy is required, with a much greater emphasis on research, development and independent evaluation.
TL;DR: This paper briefly surveys current work in the emerging area of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and describes how the technology can be extended to exploit communication between computers.
Abstract: This paper briefly surveys current work in the emerging area of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and describes how the technology can be extended to exploit communication between computers. A number of applications which might make use of network support, distributed CSCL, are reviewed and a simple prototype distributed CSCL application is described and evaluated. The work has highlighted issues concerning the value, viability and development of distributed CSCL software. It would appear that valuable opportunities for the development of such software exist but it is unclear how these applications might be developed using existing hardware. Conclusions are presented regarding the future of network supported CSCL.