The antiquarian photography of Cosmo Innes

The article focuses on the photography of historian Cosmo Innes. The author provides a brief historical background on Innes, discusses his interest in photographing pre-Reformation Scottish churches, and contrasts his work depicting church architecture to his photographs of country mansions, including Cawdor Castle, Auldbar Castle, and Gordon Castle

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Application in Tourism Development in Ghana

In 1972 UNESCO recognized 1) the Elmina Castle alias St George’s Castle located in Elmina, 2) the Fort St Jago located in Elmina, and 3) the Cape Coast Castle alias Carolsburg Castle located in Cape Coast as World Heritage Sites (slave dungeons during transatlantic slave trade). Tourism was introduced in Elmina and Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, as a means to poverty reduction. However, almost fifteen years later this was not achieved. A participatory approach to research revealed that lack of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the government, tourism intermediaries and developmental institutions was the key factor behind this failure. So far within the tourism industry no tangible areas of responsibility for sustainable tourism development were found and not even the host governments expressed concern for it. However, it could be argued that the intelligent application of [C (SR)] can lead to poverty reduction if it is practiced in a holistic, responsible, transparent and accountable manner

Evolutionary relationships of the Castle Hill buttercup (Ranunculus crithmifolius subspecies paucifolius) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Plant Biology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The Castle Hill buttercup (Ranunculus crithmzfolius subsp. paucifolius) is a rare plant found only in a small area of limestone gravel at Castle Hill. Known as Kura Tawhiti in Maori, the region is renowned for an abundance of rare and endangered plants and has historically been an important area of Maori activity. The Castle Hill buttercup has a long conservation history, starting in 1948 and continuing to the present day. Recently the population of Ranunculus crithmifolius subsp. paucifolius has again declined to the point where further conservation effort is needed. Lockhart et al. (2001) found that the Castle Hill buttercup showed ambiguous phylogenetic results when chloroplast and nuclear DNA markers were sequenced. It was theorised that the Castle Hill buttercup was a product of one or more events of diploid hybridisation, which would account for these ambiguous phylogenetic results. The aims of this study were to investigate the Castle Hill buttercup and its closest relatives using phylogenetic methods. Data was gathered from nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast h-\ DNA marker sequencing and the multi-locus fingerprinting (MLF) methods ISSR and AFLP. No evidence was found in this study to support the hypothesis that the Castle Hill buttercup is a diploid hybrid, but both MLF techniques showed a level of genetic distinctiveness between R. crithmifolius subsp. paucifolius and its sister subspecies R. crithmifolius subsp. crithmifolius. Other alpine Ranunculus taxa studied showed genetic groupings related to geography. Most notably, the species R. enysii was divided into two separate genetic groups, one in the Waimakariri basin area, and one located in the southern South Island. This southern group was itself divided into two genetically distinct groups, located in the east and west of the southern South Island. Comparison of the different data gathering methods used in this study showed that MLF has a higher phylogenetic resolution than DNA marker sequencing was able to determine genetic differences between individual accessions. AFLP was found to be superior to ISSR for use in New Zealand alpine Ranunculus due to greater consistency between duplicate reactions

The Gothic Story of Courville Castle; or the Illegitimate Son, a Victim of Prejudice and Passion: Owing to the Early Impressions Inculcated with Unremitting Assiduity by an Implacable Mother Whose Resentment to Her Husband Excited Her Son to Envy, Usurpation, and Murder; but Retributive Justice at Length Restores the Right Heir to His Lawful Possessions. To Which is Added the English Earl: or the History of Robert Fitzwalter

The Gothic Story of Courville Castle begins with Alphonso de Courville returning to his ancestral castle after traveling through foreign lands. During Alphonso’s German travels, he had been attacked by banditti and fallen in love with Julia, a baron’s daughter. However, when Alphonso returns home to gain his uncle’s consent for his marriage, Alphonso is shocked to find Courville Castle entirely abandoned. Alphonso finds a note from his uncle explaining that Alphonso is the true owner of Courville Castle and that the uncle can no longer bear to reside there. Alphonso explores the castle and finds a decaying female corpse hidden in a chest, as well as a number of hidden rooms and passages. Alphonso leaves the castle to return to Julia to explain the situation. While at an inn, however, Alphonso discovers Julia tending to his dying uncle, who had just saved her from an attempted kidnapping. The uncle leaves Alphonso a letter detailing his crimes against Alphonso’s parents – the murder of his father and imprisonment of his mother. Alphonso inters his uncle’s remains at Courville Castle, and is attacked during the night by a man who was his uncle’s partner in the attempted murder of Alphonso’s father. This man reveals that Alphonso’s father escaped the fate intended for him. Soon thereafter, both of Alphonso’s parents are located and are reunited with Alphonso and Julia at Courville Castle. “The English Earl; or the History of Robert Fitzwalter” describes Robert Fitzwalter’s conflicts with his evil brother Edwin and repeated rescues of the fair Elfrida.https://epublications.marquette.edu/english_gothic/1023/thumbnail.jp

Guidelines for assessing pedestrian evacuation software applications

This paper serves to clearly identify and explain criteria to consider when evaluating the suitability of a pedestrian evacuation software application to assess the evacuation process of a building. Guidelines in the form of nine topic areas identify different modelling approaches adopted, as well as features / functionality provided by applications designed specifically for simulating the egress of pedestrians from inside a building. The paper concludes with a synopsis of these guidelines, identifying key questions (by topic area) to found an evaluation

Low empathising and high systemising tendencies in higher education computing students: the affordances of virtual worlds in their education

Background. The increasing societal reliance on emerging technologies is demanding much more from those planning a career in the computing industry than technical ability alone. Many contemporary job roles require business contact, increasing the relevance of soft skills to competent practice. However, the association between those who are inherently drawn to a career in computing and low empathising, high systemising tendencies may present a barrier to future professional success. It is therefore important that the needs of such students are considered as part of their higher education experience, in order to ensure that the development of essential soft skills can be addressed as early as possible. Aim. To evaluate the ability of virtual world (VW) technology, through its characteristics of immersion, identity and interaction, to foster the soft skills recognised as presenting the most difficulty for those with a low empathising, high systemising disposition. Method. A variety of bespoke scenarios were developed for a VW and introduced to an undergraduate Applied Computing programme. These were based on technical activities but with a focus on managing non-routine situations, improving communication, embracing play and imagination as well as developing social relationships. Associations were made between the students’ cognitive style and their scholastic performance, including their own perception of the intervention. Consideration was also given to the observations of others, such as higher education unit lecturers, support staff, volunteer VW scenario participants and employers. Result. Achievement for all students was generally found to be better in areas of the course incorporating VW activities. Those with low empathising, high systemising traits considered their communication to have improved the most, followed by their ability to tackle non-routine situations, albeit with some delay in their reaction to the latter. A positive, but less significant, impact was reported for the other skills. However, the contribution of VW activities appeared to be transformational in some students experiencing more severe difficulties in these areas. Discussion. The research provided evidence of the VW as an engaging environment for developing non-technical skills through technical experiences, but raised a number of adoption concerns. While these techniques, applicable to other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas or indeed any subject discipline that requires an emphasis on sought-after soft skills, could still be implemented by other methods in the real world, the activities may not be as effective as they are in avatar-based VWs

BOOK REVIEW OF LEAP OF FAITH BY DANIELLE STEEL

Leap of Faith is a novel by a famous novelist Danielle Steel. Leap of Faith debuted at the New York Times and is listed as the best-selling novel to fifty-two of Danielle Steel. This novel is about a girl from France, she is Marie-Ange Hawkins who lives in a magnificent castle name, Chateau de Marmouton. At the castle, she has childhood like everyone's dream. She has the freedom, security and abundant affection of both parents and her brother. But when Marie-Ange Hawkins is eleven years old, a tragic accident that befell his parents take her happiness. She becomes an orphan and is sent to America to live with a cruel aunt of her father. Alone in a foreign land, Marie-Ange Hawkins becomes slave of agricultural land by her aunt, only her friendship with Billy and her dream to return to the castle of her childhood memories that make Marie-Ange endures. But the magic happens when Marie-Ange is 21 years old. She makes it back to the castle Chateau de Marmouton again and even get a chance to be the hostess which is the new owner of the castle, Comte Bernard de Beauchamp proposed her. But behind his proposal, Comte Bernard de Beauchamp keeps his hidden bad intentions to Marie-Ange Hawkins. In desperation and uncertainty areas around her, Marie-Ange has to find the faith and courage to take her last step to save her love ones and herself. Danielle Steel packed this book with very interesting by a simple writing style and storyline in the 1800s which is different from the usual. This book is quite interesting and deserves to be read as entertainment by teenagers and adults