262 research outputs found
Determining the ages of sub-fossil cetacean remains, found in the Carse of Stirling, Scotland
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, sub-fossil cetacean remains were often discovered in the Firth of Forth, Central Scotland. These bones and skeletons of "Whales" were excavated from a recent, estuarine deposit (named "carse clay") and, within the biological and geological sciences, were not judged to be important. That palaeontological evidence is re-evaluated in this thesis. These cetacean remains have been preserved in an unusual marine environment and form an exceptional fossil assemblage, with almost no geological precedents. Why is it there?
Whatever caused exceptional preservation in the Firth of Forth in the early Holocene (c. 9.5 – 2.5ka cal BP) can be best identified with chronological data. The ages of six sets of cetacean remains are determined in this thesis, by radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic inference. To reconstruct where a bone or skeleton had been found in the "carse" and then to identify any surviving elements in modern museum collections, archaic textual sources had to be thoroughly investigated. Radiocarbon dates from marine organisms require correction for "reservoir effects" and those applicable to mysticete cetaceans require careful consideration.
The absolute dating evidence shows that no two "Whales" are the same age and that each died, and was then preserved, over the period 9.5 – 7.0ka cal BP. Therefore, a "disaster" (e.g. tsunami) or mass mortality is unlikely to have caused these remains to accumulate. A combination of physical processes and stable environmental conditions are more likely responsible, and might still permit exceptional preservation in the modern Firth of Forth. Actualistic experiment (observing if, and how, a cetacean carcass is preserved or dispersed on a modern tidal foreshore) would allow further insights into this cryptic palaeontological assemblage
Bridging formalisation and expert judgement in searches for studies for systematic reviews
Systematic reviews aim to use pre-specified and explicitly described methods. This entails an element of formalisation in which methods are described according to a fixed structure. However, qualitative studies show that too much emphasis on formalisation can obscure how expert judgement is required even after clearly defined methods are established. Thus, there is a gap between how systematic review methods are formalised in guidance and reported in systematic reviews, and how they are carried out in practice using undisclosed expert judgement. The aim of this thesis is to describe and bridge the gap between formalisation and expert judgement with respect to searching for studies for systematic reviews, with a particular focus on forward citation searching and web searching. Forward citation searching and web searching are useful search methods to consider due to observed variability in both if and how they are used in systematic reviews, in contrast to searches of bibliographic databases which are routine in almost all systematic reviews. To this end, the thesis seeks to fulfil three objectives: first, to formalise the conduct and reporting of forward citation searching and web searching in systematic reviews; secondly, to describe and evaluate the conduct and reporting of forward citation searching and web searching in systematic reviews; thirdly, to explore the role of expert judgement when using forward citation searching and web searching. Both aggregative and configurative review types are considered throughout. The findings show that formalised approaches to searching are apparent in guidance to different degrees. However, systematic reviews do not always reflect formalised guidance. Qualitative investigation describes hitherto hidden practical knowledge which underpins searching decisions. The thesis draws these findings together and proposes that guidance on searching for studies should be framed in terms of the practical understanding which informs how searching is undertaken rather than limited to describing recommended processes
Designing similarity functions
The concept of similarity is important in many areas of cognitive science, computer science, and statistics. In machine learning, functions that measure similarity between two instances form the core of instance-based classifiers. Past similarity measures have been primarily based on simple Euclidean distance. As machine learning has matured, it has become obvious that a simple numeric instance representation is insufficient for most domains. Similarity functions for symbolic attributes have been developed, and simple methods for combining these functions with numeric similarity functions were devised. This sequence of events has revealed three important issues, which this thesis addresses.
The first issue is concerned with combining multiple measures of similarity. There is no equivalence between units of numeric similarity and units of symbolic similarity. Existing similarity functions for numeric and symbolic attributes have no common foundation, and so various schemes have been devised to avoid biasing the overall similarity towards one type of attribute. The similarity function design framework proposed by this thesis produces probability distributions that describe the likelihood of transforming between two attribute values. Because common units of probability are employed, similarities may be combined using standard methods. It is empirically shown that the resulting similarity functions treat different attribute types coherently.
The second issue relates to the instance representation itself. The current choice of numeric and symbolic attribute types is insufficient for many domains, in which more complicated representations are required. For example, a domain may require varying numbers of features, or features with structural information. The framework proposed by this thesis is sufficiently general to permit virtually any type of instance representation-all that is required is that a set of basic transformations that operate on the instances be defined. To illustrate the framework’s applicability to different instance representations, several example similarity functions are developed.
The third, and perhaps most important, issue concerns the ability to incorporate domain knowledge within similarity functions. Domain information plays an important part in choosing an instance representation. However, even given an adequate instance representation, domain information is often lost. For example, numeric features that are modulo (such as the time of day) can be perfectly represented as a numeric attribute, but simple linear similarity functions ignore the modulo nature of the attribute. Similarly, symbolic attributes may have inter-symbol relationships that should be captured in the similarity function. The design framework proposed by this thesis allows domain information to be captured in the similarity function, both in the transformation model and in the probability assigned to basic transformations. Empirical results indicate that such domain information improves classifier performance, particularly when training data is limited
A SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM STUDY ON THE MEANING OF CAPE AS FOUND FROM EASTERN AND WESTERN SUPERHEROES
Speech analysis and synthesis using an auditory model
Many traditional speech analysis/synthesis techniques are designed to produce speech with a spectrum that is as close as possible to the original. This may not be necessary because the auditory nerve is the only link from the auditory periphery to the brain, and all information that is processed by the higher auditory system must exist in the auditory nerve firing patterns. Rather than matching the synthesised speech spectra to the original representation, it should be sufficient that the representations of the synthetic and original speech be similar at the auditory nerve level.
This thesis develops a speech analysis system that incorporates a computationally efficient model of the auditory periphery. Timing-synchrony information is employed to exploit the in-synchrony phenomena observed in neuron firing patterns to form a nonlinear relative spectrum intensity measure. This measure is used to select specific dominant frequencies to reproduce the speech based on a synthesis-by-sinusoid approach.
The resulting speech is found to be intelligible even when only a fraction of the original frequencies are selected for synthesis. Additionally, the synthesised speech is highly noise immune, and exhibits noise reduction due to the coherence property of the frequency transform algorithm, and the dominance effect of the spectrum intensity measure.
This noise reduction and low bit rate potential of the speech analysis system is exploited to produce a highly noise immune synthesis that outperforms similar representations formed both by a more physiologically accurate model and a classical non-biological speech processing algorithm. Such a representation has potential application in low-bit rate systems, particularly as a front end to an automatic speech recogniser
Engineering science in Glasgow: W.J.M. Rankine and the motive power of air
This thesis analyses the construction of academic engineering education in Glasgow University during the tenure of the first two professors of civil engineering and mechanics, concentrating on the second, William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-72). His education, engineering activities, and involvement in societies (engineering, scientific, local or peripatetic) both enabled the establishment of supportive social networks and made available resources for the creation of an 'engineering science' which was perceived as academically acceptable and practically beneficial. University allies furthered academic integration. Societies and journals provided extensive opportunities to promote, publicize and legitimate academic engineering.
Chapter one demonstrates the diversity of academic engineering, with content contingent upon social pressures, personal inclinations of incumbent professors, and local justificatory frameworks. Chapters two and three analyse Rankine's interactions within educational, scientific and practical engineering contexts in Scotland and Ireland during the 1830s and 1840s as active publishing participant.
Chapters four and five present a study of the 'air-engine' which aroused phenomenal public interest in the late 1840s and early to mid 1850s. An example of a 'failed technology' often neglected by historians, its contemporary significance saw it annexed to the cause of energy physics: 'realized' in an 'improved' form by Rankine and James Robert Napier (1821-79) as the embodiment of a harmony between theory and practice; paraded as a new source of motive power usurping the steam-engine; adduced as evidence for the supremacy of dynamical theories of heat; and manipulated as propaganda for the re-vitalization of the Glasgow chair of civil engineering and mechanics.
Chapter six charts the career of Lewis Gordon, first professor of civil engineering and mechanics, demonstrating the manifold difficulties faced in establishing academic engineering in Glasgow in the 1840s. Chapter seven exhibits the intense campaign accompanying Rankine's re-establishment of engineering in the University, with the air-engine playing a major role.
Finally, chapter eight examines the synthesis of concepts central to scientific and engineering practice (measurement and economy) through efficiency to construct a coherent directive for academic engineering with 'engineering science' central
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One way to live : Orde Wingate and the adoption of ‘special forces’ tactics and strategies (1903-1944)
Winston Churchill declared Major-General Orde Wingate ‘a man of genius’ for developing what he considered low-cost, high-risk, and high-leverage operations in three theaters of the Second World War. One Way to Live: Orde Wingate and the adoption of 'special forces' tactics and strategies (1903-1944) tries to answer two questions: Why did Wingate and his superiors adopt 'special forces' strategies and tactics, and why did individuals choose to join his 'special forces' units? I use biography and comparative biography to help answer these two questions. I provide a narrative of Wingate's life, but I also construct biographical sketches of some of his peers, rivals, superiors, and followers during his campaigns in Sudan, Mandatory Palestine, Abyssinia, and Burma. I ultimately find that while Wingate's unusual upbringing contributed to his propensity for creating new military units, it was ultimately his aggressive competition with other British officers for scarce honor and prestige that spurred him to create the units he branded 'special forces.' His leaders, on the other hand, adopted Wingate's special forces strategies out of desperation, and only when they lacked the resources to win 'traditional' campaigns. Wingate's followers did not always volunteer to join his units (compulsion occurred in several instances), but many officers joined his ranks with the intention of obtaining a role in violent combat; like Wingate, they sought the prestige and role-fulfillment that some soldiers seek through war. Despite the inherent risks of special forces tactics, many soldiers paradoxically thought their odds of survival were higher with Wingate than in traditional military formations. In many instances, the competition between soldiers required more personal investment than any action against the ‘enemy.’
The extensive use of comparative biography encourages the examination of previously unused sources, including unpublished memoirs and oral histories. My writing, at times, examines stories that do not answer the central questions of the dissertation, but provide a rich understanding of the behavior of British soldiers in Palestine, Abyssinia, and elsewhere. As a social scientist, I attempt to understand the subject as a salient example of organized violence, and not just as a series of unique historical incidents.Governmen
A preliminary investigation of the archaeology of whaling stations on the Southern Coast
Shore whaling represents the earliest period of European settlement in the lower South Island. While the history of whaling has been well documented, little systematic work has been carried out on the archaeology of whaling. A site survey was undertaken in order to establish a basis for any further investigation of shore whaling in the area. This initial brief was extended to include analysing an 1844 survey that included the Otakou station and an excavation of the Wellers Rock try-works at Otakou.
Throughout this work both the data collected and the methods used to collect it have been analysed and assessed
Study of the South Carolina Department of Corrections
The purpose of this oversight study and investigation is to determine if agency laws and programs within the subject matter jurisdiction of a standing committee: are being implemented and carried out in accordance with the intent of the General Assembly; and should be continued, curtailed, or eliminated
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