Fissures and related studies in selected cretaceous rocks of S.E. England

Imperial Users onl

Coral thermal microclimate : investigating the effects of irradiance, flow and coral thermophysical properties

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science.Understanding the processes that drive the variability in thermal tolerance among scleractinian corals is key to predicting the impacts of rising worldwide temperatures on coral reefs. This thesis explores the thermal microclimate of corals, and specifically examines the thermal effects of environmental conditions of flow and irradiance, combined with the optical, thermal and morphological characteristics of individual coral colonies. The temperature of branching (Porites cylindrica) and hemispherical (Porites lobata and Cyphastrea serailia) coral species was monitored on a shallow reef flat in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. This revealed a strong diurnal and tidal pattern in solar heating of corals, whereby maximum coral surface warming of ~+0.6 °C occurred during low Spring tides, under conditions of high irradiance and low water flow. Microsensor temperature measurements were used to demonstrate for the first time that at flow velocities <5 cm s-1 heat transfer at the surface of corals was controlled by a thermal boundary layer (TBL). Dimensionless analysis of heat transfer (Nusselt-Reynolds number plots) confirmed that convective heat transfer at the surface of hemispherical Porites lobata and branching colonies (Stylophora pistillata occurred through a laminar boundary layer, consistent with predictions from engineering theory for simple geometrical objects. For topographically more complex corals (Favia and Platygyra sp.) both the TBL thickness and the surface temperature was spatially heterogeneous. Temperature and spectral reflectance measurements were used to investigate close links between the thermal and optical properties of corals. Coral surface temperature could be expressed as a linear function of the tissue's absorptivity, but this relationship was species-specific, and highlighted the thermal importance of the skeleton. The spectral composition of light was important in determining the magnitude of coral surface warming, and short wavelengths (<500 nm) had the greatest heating efficiency. Finally, a mechanistic thermal model of corals identified both irradiance absorption and convective heat loss as the major controlling parameters of coral surface warming. Conductive heat transfer into the skeleton was a negligible portion of the overall heat budget, except for small coral diameters (~1 cm). Experimental and theoretical results throughout this thesis revealed that the surface warming of hemispherical coral species was greater than that of branching species, and indicates that massive species may tolerate temperatures greater than previously thought. In light of the greater bleaching resistance of massive compared to branching species, this warrants further investigation into the effects of small temperature differences on the physiological response of morphologically distinct, bleaching sensitive and resistant coral species

“A question which affects our prestige as a nation”: the history of British civilian internment, 1899-1945

This thesis offers a comparative analysis of British wartime civilian internment policies, focusing on three key case studies: the South African War (1899-1902), the First World War and the Second World War. It seeks to determine the place of the ‗concentration camps‘ of the South African War within the history of internment and the extent to which world war internment episodes were shaped by both historical and contemporary experiences. It suggests that reactions to internment, at both state and popular levels, are revealing about Britain‘s self-image in relation to civil rights, justice and the treatment of minorities. In particular, the thesis argues that gender ideologies were highly significant in determining the development of internment policies, playing a central role in shaping popular images of the enemy and underpinning official assumptions about the treatment of women by the state. The debates and discussions which emerged around internment policy also provide insight into the ways in which the experience of war can accentuate the exclusion of minorities and the reinforcement of racial stereotypes. The thesis examines the ways in which racialized and gendered discourses converged during each conflict to create particular understandings of the enemy, which in turn had a discernible impact on the development of internment policies

Section 15 and 16 of the Criminal Law (sexual offences and related matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007; lessons from the teddy bear clinic case.

Master of Law. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.Abstract not available

The influence of light and tidal exposure on primary production in the tropical seagrass Zostera capricorni and Halophila ovalis

The growth, survival and depth penetration of seagrass is directly related to light availability, which drives photosynthesis. The amount of light reaching seagrass beds is highly variable and can be easily disrupted by human activities, such as dredging. Dredging results in increased turbidity and decreased light penetration to the seagrass beds, invariably influencing overall productivity and seagrass health. To better understand seagrass light requirements and resilience to environmental stressors such as dredging requires knowledge on seagrass photophysiology and the impact air exposure during a tidal cycle has on photosynthesis. Oxygen, fluorescence and bio-optical properties were measured over a tidal cycle in seagrass beds of Zostera capricorni and Halophila ovalis in Gladstone Harbour to provide insight into the variability in carbon production in intertidal seagrass meadows. Both species showed an increase in photosynthetic activity with increased irradiance as the tide receded. However, sensitivity to desiccation was observed during air-exposure with a significant decline in photosynthesis irrespective of increased light availability. Understanding the complex dynamics of seagrass photosynthesis over a tidal cycle will help in the mitigation of dredging-related light loss to Gladstone seagrass meadows

Can health trainers make a difference with difficult-to-engage clients? A multisite case study

A political attempt in the United Kingdom to address health inequalities in the past decade has been the government’s initiative to employ local health trainers (HTs) or health trainer champions (HTCs) to support disadvantaged individuals with aspects of their health-related behaviors. HT/HTCs provide health-related information and support to individuals with healthy eating, physical activity, and smoking cessation. They undertake community engagement and direct individuals to relevant health services. They differ in that HTs are trained to provide health interventions to individuals or groups and to make referrals to specialist health care services when necessary. This article provides an evaluation of HT/HTCs interventions across three sites, including one prison, one probation service (three teams), and one mental health center. An evaluation framework combining process and outcome measures was employed that used mixed methods to capture data relating to the implementation of the service, including the context of the HT/HTCs interventions, the reactions of their clients, and the outcomes reported. It was found that HT/HTCs interventions were more effective in the prison and mental health center compared with the probation site largely as a result of contextual factors

Instrumentos financieros: un uso más inteligente de los recursos de la Unión Europea

El ISSN corresponde a la versión electrónica del documentoJohnathan Denness, el nuevo responsable de la Unidad de Instrumentos Financieros y Relaciones con las Instituciones Financieras de la Dirección General de Política Regional y Urbana explica a la revista Panorama la importancia de los instrumentos financieros para complementar el apoyo financiero tradicional

Household waste prevention activity in Dorset

The research project spanned the period May 2005 to March 2008. Its key purpose was to evaluate methods for monitoring and evaluating waste prevention as detailed in the National Resource and Waste Forum (NRWF) Household Waste Prevention Toolkit, i.e. the use of control and pilot areas supported by specific research techniques - using weight-based monitoring, measuring campaign activities, and using surveys and focus groups. During this time there were significant changes in waste policy that have significantly raised the profile of waste management issues to the general public. Understanding waste prevention and how to measure it, therefore, has become of primary importance in meeting the challenge of sustainable waste management