The Affective Development Of Biology Students In Further Education. The Construction And Evaluation Of A Test Related To O- and A-level Courses In Biology, With Particular Reference To The Affective Domain. Use Of The Test To Obtain Diagnostic And Predictive Information.

The thesis is divided into three parts. In Part One, the literature relating to affective characteristics and science education is reviewed. In Part Two, the theory and measurement of effective characteristics are discussed. Part three describes the design and use of a questionnaire to measure the affective development of further education students in the biological sciences, A taxonomic model of affective development forms the basis of the instrument. The results provide evidence that supports the validity of a taxonomic model of affective development. Students studying for GCE A-level in the biological sciences are shorn to have reached higher states of affective development than GCE 0-level students. 'Affective Profiles' can provide a useful graphic representation of the level of affective development reached by individual students and such profiles can, in conjunction with cognitive data, aid in the prediction of academic success. The level of affective development reached by groups of students is found to be related to gender and vocational grouping. Females obtain higher scores at the lower levels of the taxonomy, but males are more likely to obtain high scores at the higher levels. Students tend to reach higher levels of affective development if they are following courses which are vocationally related to biology. The study has not identified any clear pattern of relationship between affective development and cognitive development, which would allow academic success to be predicted from a knowledge of affective development alone

A novel cellular automata based estuarine morphodynamic model

Estuaries are highly dynamic systems, subject to continuous morphological change, which results from complex interactions and feedbacks between the hydrodynamic processes, sediment transport processes and the ecology. The prediction of morphological change in estuaries is therefore difficult but is necessary to help protect a range of human interests and estuarine ecosystems. Existing methods use detailed process modelling (Bottom-Up methods) or rely on data analysis and the development simple equilibrium relationships (Top-Down methods). Bottom-Up methods are able to make accurate predictions of change over short timescales but suffer from long simulation times and an accumulation of errors when applied over medium and long timescales, while Top-Down methods are better suited for predicting long term trends in morphological behaviour. A need currently exists for new, improved methods to predict changes occurring over medium timescales (one year to several decades). This thesis presents a new, Cellular Automata based, estuarine morphodynamic model, which divides the estuary into an array of cells and uses simplified representations of the hydrodynamic and sediment transport processes together with empirical rules to represent salt marsh ecology. The model has been developed to focus on high level interaction and feedback effects between these processes in order to identify potential medium term morphological changes that may occur in response to environmental change or engineering works. The model has been tested using a series of sensitivity tests and idealised test scenarios for a simple generic estuary and was found to have successfully generated qualitatively realistic results. The model is robust and computationally very efficient. Further work is now needed to calibrate and verify the model using datasets from real estuaries. Future improvements may also include the addition of ocean waves, littoral wave driven sand transport and improvements to the methodology in order to further enhance the computational efficiency

Strategies to optimise sled towing and acceleration in semi-elite rugby league players

Sprint-specific training modalities may have a better transfer to performance compared to non-specific strength training. Resisted sprint training modalities such as sled towing (ST) are performed in a horizontal direction, and involve the relevant muscles, velocities and ranges of motion to those of uninhibited sprinting. Despite the widespread use of ST there is a lack of agreement in the optimal sled setup, loading strategies and programming variables. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were to provide new knowledge and practical applications for practitioners looking to incorporate ST into their training programme

Developing a conformance methodology for clinically-defined medical record headings:a preliminary report.

Background: The Professional Records Standards Body for health and social care (PRSB) was formed in 2013 to develop and assure professional standards for the content and structure of patient records across all care disciplines in the UK. Although the PRSB work is aimed at Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption and interoperability to support continuity of care, the current technical guidance is limited and ambiguous. Objectives: This project was initiated as a proof-ofconcept to demonstrate whether, and if so, how, conformance methods can be developed based on the professional standards. Methods: An expert group was convened, comprising clinical and technical representatives. A constrained data set was defined for an outpatient letter, using the subset of outpatient headings that are also present in the ep-SOS patient summary. A mind map was produced for the main sections and sub-sections. An openEHR archetype model was produced as the basis for creating HL7 and IHE implementation artefacts. Results: Several issues about data definition and representation were identified when attempting to map the outpatient headings to the epSOS patient summary, partly due to the difference between process and static viewpoints. Mind maps have been a simple and helpful way to visualize the logical information model and expose and resolve disagreements about which headings are purely for human navigation and which, if any, have intrinsic meaning. Conclusions: Conformance testing is feasible but nontrivial. In contrast to traditional standards-development timescales, PRSB needs an agile standards development process with EHR vendor and integrator collaboration to ensure implementability and widespread adoption. This will require significant clinical and technical resources

The efficacy of repetitions-in-reserve vs. traditional percentage-based resistance training: a 4-week pre-season randomized intervention in elite rugby league players.

PURPOSE: This two-experiment study aimed to examine 1. the accuracy and reliability of repetitions-in-reserve and 2. using a randomized trial, the efficacy of repetition-inreserve compared to traditional percentage-based training during a 4-week pre-season strength training block in elite rugby league players. METHODS: In experiment 1, participants performed deadlift, bench press and weighted pull up exercises for 3, 6, and 9 repetitions to failure using self-selected loads. This was undertaken on two occasions, separated by 8-weeks. In experiment 2, participants were randomly separated into either repetitions-in-reserve or percentage based training groups. They completed a 4-week pre-season training block with training prescribed based on the group to which they were assigned. Measures of body mass and 3 repetition max strength in the aforementioned exercises were measured pre and post intervention. RESULTS: Experiment 1 showed that repetitions-in-reserve exhibited generally acceptable levels of accuracy and moderate-good levels of reliability. However, the deadlift when the required number of repetitions was 6 and 9 and the bench press when number of repetitions was 9 were not associated with acceptable levels of accuracy and reliability respectively. Experiment 2 showed that there were no differences between repetitions-in-reserve or percentage-based training group for the strength outcomes, although there were significant increases in body mass in the percentage-based group (pre = 85.6 ± 10.6 kg, post = 86.4 ± 10.8 kg). CONCLUSION: Repetitions-in-reserve is generally associated with acceptable levels of accuracy and moderate-good levels of reliability, although there were some exceptions for the deadlift in relation to accuracy and bench press for reliability. Experiment 2 shows that although there were no differences between groups for the strength-based outcomes, significant increases in body mass in the percentage-based group may make this approach a more effective approach to prepare players for the rigors of the rugby league season

Determining phenological patterns associated with the onset of senescence in a wheat MAGIC mapping population

The appropriate timing of developmental transitions is critical for adapting many crops to their local climatic conditions. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of different aspects of phenology could be useful in highlighting mechanisms underpinning adaptation, with implications in breeding for climate change. For bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth, the start and rate of leaf senescence and the relative timing of different stages of flowering and grain filling all contribute to plant performance. In this study we screened under Smart house conditions a large, multi-founder “NIAB elite MAGIC” wheat population, to evaluate the genetic elements that influence the timing of developmental stages in European elite varieties. This panel of recombinant inbred lines was derived from eight parents that are or recently have been grown commercially in the UK and Northern Europe. We undertook a detailed temporal phenotypic analysis under Smart house conditions of the population and its parents, to try to identify known or novel Quantitative Trait Loci associated with variation in the timing of key phenological stages in senescence. This analysis resulted in the detection of QTL interactions with novel traits such the time between “half of ear emergence above flag leaf ligule” and the onset of senescence at the flag leaf as well as traits associated with plant morphology such as stem height. In addition, strong correlations between several traits and the onset of senescence of the flag leaf were identified. This work establishes the value of systematically phenotyping genetically unstructured populations to reveal the genetic architecture underlying morphological variation in commercial wheat

Multi-trait ensemble genomic prediction and simulations of recurrent selection highlight importance of complex trait genetic architecture for long-term genetic gains in wheat

Cereal crop breeders have achieved considerable genetic gain in genetically complex traits, such as grain yield, while maintaining genetic diversity. However, focus on selection for yield has negatively impacted other important traits. To better understand multi-trait selection within a breeding context, and how it might be optimized, we analysed genotypic and phenotypic data from a genetically diverse, 16-founder wheat multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross population. Compared to single-trait models, multi-trait ensemble genomic prediction models increased prediction accuracy for almost 90 % of traits, improving grain yield prediction accuracy by 3–52 %. For complex traits, non-parametric models (Random Forest) also outperformed simplified, additive models (LASSO), increasing grain yield prediction accuracy by 10–36 %. Simulations of recurrent genomic selection then showed that sustained greater forward prediction accuracy optimized long-term genetic gains. Simulations of selection on grain yield found indirect responses in related traits, involving optimized antagonistic trait relationships. We found multi-trait selection indices could effectively optimize undesirable relationships, such as the trade-off between grain yield and protein content, or combine traits of interest, such as yield and weed competitive ability. Simulations of phenotypic selection found that including Random Forest rather than LASSO genetic models, and multi-trait rather than single-trait models as the true genetic model accelerated and extended long-term genetic gain whilst maintaining genetic diversity. These results (i) suggest important roles of pleiotropy and epistasis in the wider context of wheat breeding programmes, and (ii) provide insights into mechanisms for continued genetic gain in a limited genepool and optimization of multiple traits for crop improvement