Coins, monetisation and re-use in medieval England and Wales: new interpretations made possible by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Coins are a vital source of evidence for many aspects of the medieval past. In this thesis a large volume of provenanced coin records collected and published online by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) are analysed to look for patterns of monetization and coin use in medieval England and Wales. While the approach used here will make full use of numismatic methods it also seeks to evolve an interdisciplinary perspective to the data. As well as providing the first national study of this kind the research also aims to draw out evidence for alternative, non-monetary uses of coins, including the adaption of coinage for other purposes, for example jewellery. Additionally the impact and various roles played by imported foreign coins will be assessed to provide a new perspective on England’s links with its near Continental neighbours and beyond. The results demonstrate a long and complex story of coin use and monetisation over the study period. The spread of coin use was intimately linked to coin production which was itself a geographically contingent phenomenon absorbing metals through trade with the Continent. Coin distributions were also subject to dynamics such as levels of population and other demographic factors. Foreign coins played an important role at times in English currency, if not always a welcome one. The political contacts of the English crown is borne out in the appearance of many imported coins but direct trading links, for example with Venice, mutually beneficial currency agreements, as arranged with the Burgundians in the fifteenth century, or coins as the simple souvenirs of pilgrims also played a part. By exploring the re-use of coins this thesis significantly expands current understandings of how medieval people viewed coinage and how they attributed new meanings to them

The invention of isolation: a study of experimentalism in the works of David Markson and Don DeLillo

Portrayals of human isolation in fiction have traditionally been examined using conventional literary forms. Some authors, however, have approached it using innovative literary techniques. The aim of this thesisis to analyse how two of those authors, David Markson and Don DeLillo, have done so and to extrapolate from a selection of their works how literary experimentation can be utilised for the examination of isolation. The critical methodology used for this study is three-pronged. Firstly, the textual analyses are directed by close readings predicated on the theory that literary form and content are indivisible. Secondly, existing experimental literature research will be utilised for the purpose of wider discussion and context. Thirdly, psychological studies will be incorporated to provide context and insights into the causes and impacts of isolation. The core of this thesis will focus on seven formally experimental novels. The first chapter will focus on a selection of David Markson’s works: Wittgenstein’s Mistress (1988), and the novels that comprise his ‘Notecard Quartet’: Reader’s Block (1996), This Is Not a Novel (2001), Vanishing Point and The Last Novel (2007). The second chapter will focus on two works by Don DeLillo: The Body Artist (2001) and Point Omega (2010). This study reveals that versatility displayed in formal experimentation leads to unexpectedly realistic and insightful portrayals of isolation. A concluding chapter shows just a few examples of the continuing relevance of experimental portrayals of isolation, outlining the links between the works of Markson, DeLillo and three contemporary authors: Alicia Kopf, David Shields and Rebecca Watson

Stereoscopic Avatar Interfaces : A study to Determine what Effect, if any, 3d Technology has at Increasing the Interpretability of an Avatar\u27s Gaze into the Real-World

An approach to displaying avatar interfaces monoscopically such as the Turning, Stretching and Boxing (TSB) technique (a combination of three graphical processes) has been shown to improve the communication efficiency of avatars by increasing a user\u27s ability to interpret an avatar\u27s gaze direction through the delivery of a sustained 3D illusion of the avatar on a standard 2D display. A reasonable question to ask about this approach is whether or not the improvement in interpretability can be matched or surpassed by using a standard 3D display technology (stereoscopic) with or without the fore-mentioned approach? This paper presents an experiment that pits the TSB technique against a standard 2D display using 3D technology in order to answer this question. An analysis of these results shows that, by itself, 3D display technology does not have any influence on the ability of viewers to accurately interpret an avatar\u27s gaze direction. Furthermore, the combination of 3D display technology with the TSB technique does not result in any noticeable improvement

Examining the relationships between attendance, online engagement and summative examinations performance

Background: Non-attendance correlates with poor performance, but manual recording of attendance is problematic. Online activity reports may be a more efficient method of identifying at-risk students. Summary of work: This research is part of a prospective study examining physical attendance, online activity reports (Moodle), continuous assessments and summative examination performance. Ethical approval was granted by RCSI Ethics Committee. Two modules within the first year of the undergraduate medical program were identified for inclusion. Results: Data from 2 RCSI modules are presented (NM and AS). A single cohort of 365 students undertook both modules, 30 of whom were repeating. Comparison of medians showed significant reductions in all parameters within the repeat student group. In NM, regression analysis showed continuous assessment had the largest effect size on summative examinations for both first-time and repeat student groups (R2 = 0.545; R2 = 0.289). Among repeat students, online access of lecture notes had a larger effect size than physical attendance at small group tutorials, while both these indices were less contributory (R2 \u3c 0.1) for first-time students. In AS, continuous assessment showed the largest effect size for first-time students (R2 = 0.585), while online access of lecture notes was most contributory among repeat students (R2 = 0.35). Conclusions: Effect sizes are most notable for continuous assessment, but online activity correlates with summative performance and is more predictive for outcomes among repeat students than physical attendance. These indices may be useful to screen at-risk students for individual intervention and support

Re-placing place in marketing: A resource-exchange place perspective

This study clarifies the marketing discipline's conceptualization of place by presenting a revised perspective and conceptual framework of place, referred to as REPLACE. Drawing from resource exchange theory and attention restoration theory, the framework problematizes the assumption that places are merely physical locales by foregrounding how places can become inseparable aspects of consumers' lives. We present an alternative resource-based perspective of place, namely as a repository of resources that are potentially available to consumers through exchange processes. These exchange processes, and the complexity of the offered resources, influence consumers' relationship with a locale as well as their sense of well-being. With this alternative perspective, we bridge the place concept to public health and extend the understanding of attachment in service settings

Lessons from the Field: Teaching a Completely Online Global Business Course to African Refugees in Northern Kenya and Malawi

The six authors of this paper taught a completely online “Global Business” course to African refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya and the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi. The paper summarizes twelve lessons learned by the instructors while teaching the course and offers suggestions for adaptations in future courses delivered in the “Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins” diploma program

Dairy Ingredients for Chocolate and Confectionery Products.

End of Project ReportHigh free-fat, spray-dried powders were successfully produced at a lower fat content (40% rather than 56%) using ultrafiltration. Chocolates made from these powders had improved flow properties and superior quality. The stability, viscosity and firmness of toffees were improved by optimising the casein, whey protein and lactose levels of skim milk powders used in their manufacture.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Reusing Distance Courseware to Enable Blended Delivery: A New Zealand Case Study

Digital distance course materials can be used across different forms of education delivery. In particular, courseware designed for asynchronous digital distance education can serve as the basis for blended learning, which features a different teaching role and fuller interpersonal experience. Blended learning can be used to extend programme opportunities across population regions where a full, lecture-based model might not be viable. This case study explores the experiences of three regional polytechnics in New Zealand that adopted and modified courseware created for digital distance learners studying asynchronously. The courseware was used to provide local students with more flexible study options, drawing on high quality courseware that had been centrally created by a team of experienced courseware designers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

Metabolic requirements for cancer cell proliferation

Background: The study of cancer metabolism has been largely dedicated to exploring the hypothesis that oncogenic transformation rewires cellular metabolism to sustain elevated rates of growth and division. Intense examination of tumors and cancer cell lines has confirmed that many cancer-associated metabolic phenotypes allow robust growth and survival; however, little attention has been given to explicitly identifying the biochemical requirements for cell proliferation in a rigorous manner in the context of cancer metabolism. Results: Using a well-studied hybridoma line as a model, we comprehensively and quantitatively enumerate the metabolic requirements for generating new biomass in mammalian cells; this indicated a large biosynthetic requirement for ATP, NADPH, NAD+, acetyl-CoA, and amino acids. Extension of this approach to serine/glycine and glutamine metabolic pathways suggested lower limits on serine and glycine catabolism to supply one-carbon unit synthesis and significant availability of glutamine-derived carbon for biosynthesis resulting from nitrogen demands alone, respectively. We integrated our biomass composition results into a flux balance analysis model, placing upper bounds on mitochondrial NADH oxidation to simulate metformin treatment; these simulations reproduced several empirically observed metabolic phenotypes, including increased reductive isocitrate dehydrogenase flux. Conclusions: Our analysis clarifies the differential needs for central carbon metabolism precursors, glutamine-derived nitrogen, and cofactors such as ATP, NADPH, and NAD+, while also providing justification for various extracellular nutrient uptake behaviors observed in tumors. Collectively, these results demonstrate how stoichiometric considerations alone can successfully predict empirically observed phenotypes and provide insight into biochemical dynamics that underlie responses to metabolic perturbations.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01DK075850-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01CA160458-01A1