Showing papers by "Nottingham Trent University published in 2001"
TL;DR: This paper used a range of analysis techniques to present validity evidence and explore the equivalence of two revised and expanded versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLST) for language assessment and vocabulary research.
Abstract: The Vocabulary Levels Test has been widely used in language assessment and vocabulary research despite never having been properly validated. This article reports on a study which uses a range of analysis techniques to present validity evidence, and to explore the equivalence of two revised and expanded versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test.
1,013 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that much of the discourse of PM's Question Time is composed of intentional and explicitly face-threatening (or face-enhancing) acts and that these can be analysed in terms of both propositional and interactional levels.
Abstract: This article attempts to extend politeness theory beyond informal situations to adversarial political discourse, using Prime Minister's Question Time in the British Parliament as data. Viewing the House of Commons as a `community of practice' (Lave and Wenger, 1991) provides a way of exploring concepts of politeness and impoliteness against a set of member expectations. The article argues three main propositions: (1) that much of the discourse of Prime Minister's Question Time is composed of intentional and explicitly face-threatening (or face-enhancing) acts and that these can be analysed in terms of both propositional and interactional levels: (2) that negative politeness features co-exist with the performance of intentional threats to the hearer's positive face and that these can only be understood and interpreted in relationship to Parliament as an institution and the wider political context; and (3) that systematic impoliteness is not only sanctioned but rewarded in accordance with the expectations o...
298 citations
TL;DR: The findings are the first demonstration that CML cells express HLA-associated leukemia-specific immunogenic peptides and provide a sound basis for immunization studies against BCR-ABL.
256 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors claim that social pathologies referred to as technological addictions are beginning to surface in cyberspace and one related area that deserves further examination is the concept of sex.
Abstract: Some academics claim that social pathologies referred to as technological addictions are beginning to surface in cyberspace. One related area that deserves further examination is the concept of sex...
240 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a corpus of men's talk on feminism and feminists was studied to identify the pervasive patterns in men's accounting and regularities in rhetorical organization, and two interpretative repertoires of feminism and women were identified.
Abstract: Research and commentary on men's responses to feminism have demonstrated the range of ways in which men have mobilized both for and against feminist principles. This article argues that further analyses of men's responses require a sophisticated theory of discourse acknowledging the fragmented and contradictory nature of representation. A corpus of men's talk on feminism and feminists was studied to identify the pervasive patterns in men's accounting and regularities in rhetorical organization. Material from two samples of men was included: a sample of white, middle-class 17-18-year-old school students and a sample of 60 interviews with a more diverse sample of older men aged 20 to 64. Two interpretative repertoires of feminism and feminists were identified. These set up a `Jekyll and Hyde' binary and positioned feminism along with feminists very differently as reasonable versus extreme and monstrous. Both repertoires tended to be deployed together and the article explores the ideological and interactiona...
184 citations
TL;DR: The gel permeation chromatography of chitosan with different degrees of acetylation (0 L p =110 A is found to be independent on DA in the range of 0 to 1) is found.
169 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that social constructionism is not best understood as a unitary paradigm and that one very important difference is between what Edwards (1997) calls its ontological and epistemic forms, and that an appreciation of this distinction not only exhausts many of the disputes that currently divide the constructionist community, but also takes away from the apparent radicalism of much of this work.
Abstract: Social constructionist research is an area of rapidly expanding influence that has brought together theorists from a range of different disciplines. At the same time, however, it has fuelled the development of a new set of divisions. There would appear to be an increasing uneasiness about the implications of a thoroughgoing constructionism, with some regarding it as both theoretically parasitic and politically paralysing. In this paper I review these debates and clarify some of the issues involved. My main argument is that social constructionism is not best understood as a unitary paradigm and that one very important difference is between what Edwards (1997) calls its ontological and epistemic forms. I argue that an appreciation of this distinction not only exhausts many of the disputes that currently divide the constructionist community, but also takes away from the apparent radicalism of much of this work.
157 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that adherence to a single, specialised theory of gambling is largely untenable and suggest that research and clinical interventions are best served by a biopsychosocial approach that incorporates the best strands of contemporary psychology, biology and sociology.
Abstract: Objective This paper argues that adherence to a single, specialised theory of gambling is largely untenable. It highlights limitations of existing theories of gambling at three increasingly specific levels of analysis; namely, the social, psychological and biological. Method An overview of each level of analysis (social, psychological and biological) is provided by critically evaluating the contemporary literature on gambling. This is followed by discussions of the limitations and interdependence of each theoretical approach and the implications for research and clinical interventions. Results While several recent critiques of gambling research have provided considerable insight into the methodological limitations of many gambling studies, another problem is seldom acknowledged - the inadequacy and insular nature of many research paradigms. It is argued that gambling is a multifaceted behaviour, strongly influenced by contextual factors that cannot be encompassed by any single theoretical perspective. Such contextual factors include variations in gambling involvement and motivation across different demographic groups, the structural characteristics of activities and the developmental or temporal nature of gambling behaviour. Conclusion This paper suggests that research and clinical interventions are best served by a biopsychosocial approach that incorporates the best strands of contemporary psychology, biology and sociology.
125 citations
TL;DR: This is the first report describing enantiomeric resolution within an MIP utilizing a single monomer-functional moiety interaction and it is envisaged that this technique could be employed to determine the concentration of terpenes in the atmosphere.
Abstract: A piezoelectric sensor coated with an artificial biomimetic recognition element has been developed for the determination of L-menthol in the liquid phase. A highly specific noncovalently imprinted polymer (MIP) was cast in situ on to the surface of a gold-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode as a thin permeable film. Selective rebinding of the target analyte was observed as a frequency shift quantified by piezoelectric microgravimetry with the QCM. The detectability of L-menthol was 200 ppb with a response range of 0-1.0 ppm. The response of the MIP-QCM to a range of monoterpenes was investigated with the sensor binding menthol in favor of analogous compounds. The sensor was able to distinguish between the D- and L-enantiomers of menthol owing to the enantioselectivity of the imprinted sites. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing enantiomeric resolution within an MIP utilizing a single monomer-functional moiety interaction. It is envisaged that this technique could be employed to determine the concentration of terpenes in the atmosphere.
119 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that communities are central to the social psychology of humankind and that they have not, to date, been given the attention they deserve in the academic discipline of social psychology, and suggest that the theory of social representations offers the tools to explore the concept of community as a source of social knowledge, as a basis of common identities, and as a means in marginalisation and social exclusion.
Abstract: Communities impinge into people's lives: they orient the social construction of knowledge; they ground the negotiation of common identities; they marginalise and stigmatise certain social groups; they provide the tools for empowerment and social inclusion. For these reasons, I argue that communities are central to the social psychology of humankind. They have not, to date, been given the attention they deserve in the academic discipline of social psychology. A short account of the history of this discipline demonstrates that need for a paradigmatic shift and for a dialectical approach to community. I suggest that the theory of social representations offers the tools to explore the concept of community as a source of social knowledge, as a basis of common identities, and as a means in marginalisation and social exclusion. This reveals the potential of social representations to construct, delimit and empower the everyday experience of community, highlighting the status of community as a social creation that has acquired reality.
117 citations
TL;DR: Work on a specific form of computer software, virtual environments is reviewed to illustrate the potential of this computer application in the education and rehabilitation of people with intellectual disabilities.
Abstract: Computer based learning has enjoyed an increasing role in mainstream education with the development of more powerful personal computers available at a lower price. This article reviews work on a specific form of computer software, virtual environments. It aims to illustrate the potential of this computer application in the education and rehabilitation of people with intellectual disabilities. Virtual environments appear to be a fruitful method of teaching skills for independent living to people with intellectual disabilities. Initial studies demonstrate that learning in this way transfers to the real life situation in which the skills are required. However, to effectively exploit their educational potential, interaction with virtual environments needs to be guided. This can be done using a human tutor and a software tutor and preliminary findings from current research suggest guidelines for the effective employment of both. Future directions involve ensuring the availability of the software, making the technology accessible to a wider range of users and researching staff support to ensure that use is facilitated and that this technology is appropriately exploited.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the role of children as a determinant of demand for zoos and found that the presence of children in a visiting group had a notable influence on the demand for this recreational experience.
Abstract: The family group is the predominant social unit within which people choose to spend their leisure time. In recreational contexts, there is a call for better understanding of the influence children have on family group decision making and behaviour. Based upon an empirical, national study of zoo visiting, and visitors’ and latent visitors’ images of traditional UK zoos, this paper explores the role of children as a determinant of demand. The available literature addressing the influence of children on leisure-related purchase decisions and behaviour is reviewed, together with an examination of research pertaining to the demand for zoos. The presence of children is found to have a notable influence on the demand for this recreational experience. Family life stage is a significant determinant of attraction choice and thus visiting status. Furthermore, the zoo is perceived as a place to take children, a factor that both encourages and deters zoo visiting. It seems the presence of children in a visiting group ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a new unconditionally stable implicit alternating direction implicit (ADI) scheme of O(k2 + h2) for the difference solution of linear hyperbolic equation is presented.
Abstract: We report a new unconditionally stable implicit alternating direction implicit (ADI) scheme of O(k2 + h2) for the difference solution of linear hyperbolic equation utt + 2αut + β2u = uxx + uyy + f(x, y, t), αβ ≥ 0, 0 0 subject to appropriate initial and Dirichlet boundary conditions, where α > 0 and β ≥ 0 are real numbers. The resulting system of algebraic equations is solved by split method. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the method. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 17: 684–688, 2001
TL;DR: In this article, a finite element approach to determining the possible shapes of a droplet on a fiber was proposed and numerical results for the clam-shell profile were given for several droplet volumes and equilibrium contact angles and the implications of this for droplet stability.
Abstract: The shape of a small liquid drop on a small diameter fiber may be either an axisymmetric barrel shape or it may be a non-axisymmetric clam-shell shape. Experiments show that when the reduced volume, given by the volume of droplet divided by the fiber radius, is large the barrel shape is the preferred conformation, but that as the volume reduces a transition to a clam-shell (pearl) shape occurs. The volume at which this stability transition occurs depends upon the equilibrium contact angle. In this work we review the known solution to Laplace's equation for the barrel shape and consider the link between the profile, the inflexion in the profile and the stability of the droplet. No known solution of Laplace's equation exists for the clam-shell shape droplet. We therefore consider a finite element approach to determining the possible shapes of a droplet on a fiber and give numerical results for the clam-shell profile. The surface free energies for the two types of droplet conformation on a fiber are computed for several droplet volumes and equilibrium contact angles and the implications of this for droplet stability are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of a large company implementing an HRIS integrated with other functional systems is presented to examine whether an e-greenfield site exists, defined as a break with the past in the design and use of a computerised HRIS at either new or old organisational locations, to facilitate a greenfield HR philosophy and enable a more strategic role for HR specialists.
Abstract: In examining attempts to move towards HRM‐style practices in organisations, the term “greenfield” helps to conceptualise the break with existing employee relations practices, either on new or on existing sites, or to undertake a philosophical break with the past. Focuses on one stimulus to such transformational change – the development of human resource information systems (HRIS) as an opportunity structure that can enable a break with the past. Considers a case study of a large company implementing an HRIS integrated with other functional systems, to examine whether an e‐greenfield site exists. This is defined as a break with the past in the design and use of a computerised HRIS at either new or old organisational locations, to facilitate a greenfield HR philosophy and enable a more strategic role for HR specialists.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how teachers can draw upon the language of stress to perform strategically important and often politically sensitive social acts, and suggest that employing stress as an individualized category not only suppresses its flexibility, but also encourages both teachers and their employers to offer token measures to manage it at a psychological level, rather than engaging in proper debate about the state of the profession.
Abstract: In this article we explore how teachers can draw upon the language of stress to perform strategically important and often politically sensitive social acts. Our aim will be to show that the description of teaching problems as a matter of ‘stress’ has important social and political implications for teachers. To do this we draw upon interviews with Scottish secondary school teachers; these interviews have been subjected to close textual analysis, informed by some of the basic principles of discursive psychology. The analysis shows teachers flexibly employing stress as a way of managing their own accountability, and of making sense of their institutional roles and relationships. To conclude, we suggest that employing stress as an individualized category not only suppresses its flexibility, but also encourages both teachers and their employers to offer token measures to manage it at a psychological level, rather than engaging in proper debate about the state of the profession.
TL;DR: A pragmatist conception of critical management education and learning is first set out in this article, which accepts a degree of 'functionality' between management study and management practice, which is a non-managerialist and non-technicist functionality.
Abstract: A pragmatist conception of critical management education and learning is first set out. This accepts a degree of 'functionality' between management study and management practice. It is, however, is a non-managerialist and non-technicist functionality. The criterion for judging critical management learning cannot be how well it reveals truths in any absolute or foundationalist sense. The only possible criterion is how well, relative to alternative types of learning, it informs the practices of people involved in managerial situations (regardless whether these are managers or not). Next, one way of applying pragmatist critical management principles is outlined. This works through negotiated narratives and stands as an alternative to orthodox management education approaches - ones to which the critical concept of scholarism is applied. The outline is then developed through an ethnographic style account of an instance of such a practice. Central to this piece of teaching and learning practice is the critical concept of managism. Managist discourse and its role in framing managerial thinking and practices is examined and debated by the management class in the process of attempting collectively to make sense of stories brought to the class by students, as managerial practitioners, and by the teacher, as an ethnographic researcher. The basic 'story' that the paper tells is rehearsed at the end in the form of a fairy tale. This is done as an alternative to concluding or 'closing' the paper. The story of critical management education and learning and what is done in its name continues to unfold.
TL;DR: The role of health perceptions (Health Belief Model; HBM) in young women's breast self-examination provides qualified support for the HBM, and perceived barriers was the most powerful predictor, although respondents assessed breast-cancer severity based on early detection through BSE.
Abstract: AIM: Young age at diagnosis of breast cancer is a negative prognostic factor, but early detection of breast pathology may improve prognosis. The present study examined the role of health perceptions (Health Belief Model; HBM) in young women's breast self-examination (BSE). It was hypothesized that cues to action, health motivation, and perceptions of threat (vulnerability, severity), benefits, and barriers, will predict BSE, but that threat perceptions will be more powerful predictors than benefits and barriers. METHOD: Questionnaire data from 178 asymptomatic women (aged 18-35 years) living in the northwestern region of England were analysed. RESULTS: Using hierarchical logistic regression controlling for demographic factors, only severity and barriers emerged as important predictors; lower perceived seriousness of breast cancer and fewer perceived obstacles to practising BSE predicted performance of BSE. For every unit increment on the severity and barrier scales, the odds of a respondent performing BSE decreased by approximately 8 and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide qualified support for the HBM. Perceived barriers was the most powerful predictor, although respondents assessed breast-cancer severity based on early detection through BSE. Implications for clinical interventions are considered.
TL;DR: A European view of loess history is presented in this paper, where the major events or "great moments" considered are (1) Karl Caesar von Leonhard names loess, (2) Charles Lyell popularises loess; (3) Richthofen solves the Loess Problem; (4) John Hardcastle relates loess to climate; (5) Pavel Tutkovskii makes clear the role of glaciers in loess genesis; (6) V.A. Obruchev makes the case for desert loess and (7) L.S.
TL;DR: In this article, the results of the first U.K. study of Internet gambling were reported, which indicated that only 1% of Internet users (n=495) had ever gambled on the Internet and that there was no evidence of problematic gambling behaviour associated with the Internet.
Abstract: Technology has always played a role in the development of gambling practices, and new technologies such as Internet gambling may provide many people with their first exposure to the world of gambling. Further to this, Internet gambling could be argued to be more psychologically enticing than previous non-technological incarnations of gambling because of anonymity, accessibility and interactivity. This paper reports on the results of the first U.K. study of Internet gambling; 2098 people were interviewed for their behaviour and attitudes. Results indicated that only 1% of Internet users (n=495) had ever gambled on the Internet and that there was no evidence of problematic gambling behaviour associated with the Internet.
TL;DR: This article examined the major factors in the psychology of lottery gambling, including instant scratchcard lotteries and video lottery terminals, and argued that success is due to a number of simple and inter-related factors.
Abstract: This paper examines the major factors in the psychology of lottery gambling (including instant scratchcard lotteries and video lottery terminals) and argues that success is due to a number of simple and inter‐related factors. Part of the popularity of lotteries is that they offer a low cost chance of winning a very large jackpot prize, i.e. without the huge jackpot very few people would play. However, there are other important maintenance factors including: (i) successful advertising and television coverage; (ii) a general ignorance of probability theory; (iii) entrapment; (iv) manufacturing credibility; and (v) use of heuristics (e.g. illusion of control, flexible attributions, hindsight bias, availability bias, representativeness bias). The paper also argues that some types of lottery game (i.e. instant scratchcards and video lottery terminals) can stimulate excessive and problematic Play.
TL;DR: In this paper, a liquid crystal calibration technique using true-colour image processing system has been developed to alleviate the effect of viewing angle on oblique/curved surfaces, and the overall uncertainty in heat transfer coefficient can be significantly reduced from the maximum value of 36.3% to within 11.1%.
TL;DR: The first study of the cellular distribution of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B in human heart, liver, duodenum, blood vessels and kidney shows that both enzymes have a widespread distribution in the human body with a matching pattern in many, but not all tissues, and with strong differences from the pattern of distribution in rodents.
Abstract: We studied the localization of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B in human heart, liver, duodenum, blood vessels and kidney by immunohistochemistry. The primary antibodies used were mouse monoclonal anti-human MAO-A (6G11/E1) and anti-human MAO-B (3F12/G10/2E3). Samples were obtained from six routine autopsy cases and fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde. All cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes showed MAO-A and MAO-B immunoreactivity. In the duodenum, both immunoreactivities were present in all cells of the villi, Lieberkuhn crypts, muscularis mucosae and muscular layers, whereas Brunner glands were devoid of MAO-A and MAO-B staining. Endothelial cells of lymphatic vessels showed MAO-A but no MAO-B immunoreactivity, whereas arteries and veins presented MAO-A and MAO-B staining in muscular layers and fibroblasts but not in endothelial cells. In the kidney, renal tubuli showed MAO-A and MAO-B immunoreactivities, whereas collecting ducts and the Bowman's capsule showed only MAO-A staining. These data represent the first study of the cellular distribution of MAO-A and MAO-B in these human tissues. They show that both enzymes have a widespread distribution in the human body with a matching pattern in many, but not all tissues, and with strong differences from the pattern of distribution in rodents.
TL;DR: A series of well-characterized chitosan samples spanning a wide range of molecular weights, having been homogeneously acetylated to produce varying degrees of linear charge density, were used to fl...
Abstract: A series of well-characterized chitosan samples spanning a wide range of molecular weights, having been homogeneously acetylated to produce varying degrees of linear charge density, were used to fl...
TL;DR: Detailed chemical analysis of two tree species growing on archaeologically important metalliferous spoil tips has indicated their ability to bioaccumulate heavy metals and sulfur primarily from the substratum; theBioaccumulation and biomagnification of lead and sulfur are particularly marked in both Acacia and Eucalyptus.
TL;DR: The results of a large questionnaire-based survey evaluating specialist design consultants' risk identification and management approaches are presented in this paper, which suggests that client education via briefing and wider use of confidence limits can help improve the management of risk.
Abstract: A literature review suggested that conservation refurbishment work was perceived by design professionals to be inherently more risky than new‐build projects. The objective assessment of risk items helps ameliorate its impact. The results of a large questionnaire‐based survey evaluating specialist design consultants’ risk identification and management approaches are presented. The risk management approaches of specialist design consultants are divergent, reflecting their professional philosophies, educational programmes and experience. Further differences emerge according to practice size and contract value. Particular attention is paid to the responses considering contingency pricing, project budget forecasts and extensions of time. Results suggest that client education via briefing and consultants’ wider use of confidence limits can help improve the management of risk.
TL;DR: A primary role for increased synthesis in producing the hyperfibrinogenaemia associated with smoking is suggested, and abstention from smoking for a period of only 2 weeks induces a significant decrease in the rate of fibr inogen synthesis by the liver, with a concomitant reduction in the plasma fibrInogen concentration.
Abstract: Cigarette smoking and hyperfibrinogenaemia are both significant risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Two studies are described here which aimed to establish the metabolic mechanism responsible for the raised plasma fibrinogen concentration observed in smokers. Chronic smokers had a significantly elevated absolute rate of fibrinogen synthesis (ASR) compared with non-smokers (22.7 +/- 1.3 mg/kg per day versus 16.0 +/- 1.3 mg/kg per day; means +/- S.E.M., P < 0.01), with plasma levels of fibrinogen significantly correlated with fibrinogen synthesis (r = 0.65, P = 0.04). Unlike fibrinogen, plasma albumin concentrations were lower in smokers than in non-smokers (45 +/- 0.4 versus 47 +/- 0.7 g/l, P < 0.05), but there was no difference in rates of albumin synthesis between the two groups. Two weeks cessation from smoking by previously chronic smokers was associated with a rapid and marked fall in plasma fibrinogen concentration (from 3.06 +/- 0.11 g/l to 2.49 +/- 0.14 g/l, P < 0.001), and a significant reduction in ASR (a 33% reduction, from 24.1 +/- 1.7 to 16.1 +/- 1.0 mg/kg per day, P < 0.001). These studies suggest a primary role for increased synthesis in producing the hyperfibrinogenaemia associated with smoking. Moreover, abstention from smoking for a period of only 2 weeks induces a significant decrease in the rate of fibrinogen synthesis by the liver, with a concomitant reduction in the plasma fibrinogen concentration.
TL;DR: Results of systematic studies on the formation of aluminium polycations at room temperature are reported and an alternative mechanism of aluminium ion polycondensation is proposed, based on the increased stability of monomeric and oligomeric species (dimer and trimer) in the presence of sulphate-ions.
TL;DR: Heavy metal pollutants generated by mining activities in the Jordanian desert c.
Abstract: Summary Heavy metal pollutants generated by mining activities in the Jordanian desert c. 2000 years ago will have had detrimental effects on the health of slaves, guards and expert overseers. The pollutants continue to persist and cycle in the modern environment and affect plants, animals and inevitably the humans who are dependent on both. These findings have implications in terms of the public health of human popula- tions living on or in the vicinity of ancient industrial sites around the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. Some effects of heavy metals on human health are examined; issues of bioaccumulation and partitioning are addressed. Industrial centres, exploited by powerful ancient empires, are found around the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. In arid and semi-arid environments, pollutants that were emitted in ancient times are not dissipated to any great extent. These ancient sites therefore remain a source of pollution in the pre- sent day and present unique problems in terms of modern human health. Wadi Faynan in southern Jordan is the site of the notorious Roman copper mining and smelting centre of Phaino, to which the worst criminals in the empire were condemned. Chemical analysis of the skeletons of copper miners, probably slaves, indicates a significant heavy metal load with values of copper at c. 55 mg/kg and lead at c. 375 mg/kg; a response to massive environmental pollution and a probable multi-source input. The area around Wadi Faynan, apparently a pristine and relatively untouched desert landscape, is in fact characterized by extensive deposits of ancient metalliferous metal processing by-products; a consequence of copper exploitation by regional and international powers including the Babylonian, Assyrian, Roman and Byzantine empires, and the Nabatean Kingdom (once based at nearby Petra). The processing sites range from metalliferous sands to mining spoil tips and slag heaps, which continue to dominate the landscape. These sites are rich in both copper and lead and it has been illustrated 1 that concentrations of copper and lead remain exceptionally high (copper 11 961 mg/kg and lead 15 204 mg/kg) despite some 2000 years of weath- ering by a diversity of agencies such as atmospheric, leaching, sheet and gully erosion. 2 The fate of eroded particulates is affected by factors including wind velocity and direction, pre- cipitation (where appropriate), reactivity, height of discharge and incidence of inversion conditions, etc. Pollution potentials are high, although it can be argued that, at the time of the ancient mining activities, the inhabitants of the area (e.g. slaves, guards and administrators) would have been exposed to even more severe occupational and general pollution. The research area lies in and adjacent to the Dana National Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature; the region is of interest from both ecological and archaeological perspectives. The authors consider that, with its resident Bedouin population and long-term metalliferous history, the area also provides ideal opportunities to investigate some implications of ancient pol- lution on human populations who have inhabited the area for over two millennia.