http://hdl.handle.net/10023/73 2013-05-25T02:52:29Z http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3476 Abstract: As residential mobility recursively links individual life courses and the characteristics of places, it is unsurprising that geographers have long sought to understand how people make moving decisions. However, much of our knowledge of residential mobility processes derives from cross-sectional analyses of either mobility decision-making or moving events. Comparatively few studies have linked these separate literatures by analysing how residential (im)mobility decisions unfold over time within particular biographical, household and spatio-temporal contexts. This is problematic, as life course theories suggest that people frequently do not act in accordance with their underlying moving desires. To evaluate the extent to which residential (im)mobility is volitional or the product of constraints therefore requires a longitudinal approach linking moving desires to subsequent moving behaviour. This thesis develops this longitudinal perspective through four linked empirical studies, which each use British Household Panel Survey data to analyse how the life course context affects the expression and realisation of moving desires. The first study investigates how people make moving decisions in different ways in response to different motivations, triggers and life events. The second study harnesses the concept of ‘linked lives’, exploring the extent to which the likelihood of realising a desire to move is dependent upon the desires of a person’s partner. The third study analyses the biographical dimension of mobility decision-making, investigating how the long-term trajectories of life course careers are associated with particular mobility biographies. The final empirical chapter develops these insights, exploring the duration and abandonment of moving desires. Taken together, these studies test and extend conceptual models of mobility decision-making by empirically engaging with neglected facets of life course theories. Fundamentally, the thesis uncovers how aggregate mobility patterns are produced by the interactions between individual choices and multi-scalar constraints. 2013-06-01T00:00:00Z Coulter, Rory As residential mobility recursively links individual life courses and the characteristics of places, it is unsurprising that geographers have long sought to understand how people make moving decisions. However, much of our knowledge of residential mobility processes derives from cross-sectional analyses of either mobility decision-making or moving events. Comparatively few studies have linked these separate literatures by analysing how residential (im)mobility decisions unfold over time within particular biographical, household and spatio-temporal contexts. This is problematic, as life course theories suggest that people frequently do not act in accordance with their underlying moving desires. To evaluate the extent to which residential (im)mobility is volitional or the product of constraints therefore requires a longitudinal approach linking moving desires to subsequent moving behaviour. This thesis develops this longitudinal perspective through four linked empirical studies, which each use British Household Panel Survey data to analyse how the life course context affects the expression and realisation of moving desires. The first study investigates how people make moving decisions in different ways in response to different motivations, triggers and life events. The second study harnesses the concept of ‘linked lives’, exploring the extent to which the likelihood of realising a desire to move is dependent upon the desires of a person’s partner. The third study analyses the biographical dimension of mobility decision-making, investigating how the long-term trajectories of life course careers are associated with particular mobility biographies. The final empirical chapter develops these insights, exploring the duration and abandonment of moving desires. Taken together, these studies test and extend conceptual models of mobility decision-making by empirically engaging with neglected facets of life course theories. Fundamentally, the thesis uncovers how aggregate mobility patterns are produced by the interactions between individual choices and multi-scalar constraints. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3410 Abstract: It is now accepted that the last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) was highly dynamic and drained by numerous fast flowing ice streams. This dynamic nature combined with its maritime location made the BIIS sensitive to the rapid climate change that characterised the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition. Gaining an understanding of the behaviour of the BIIS at this time is important to explore the nature of forcing between ice sheets and climate. This thesis presents new chronological data relating to the deglaciation of the northwest sector of the BIIS (NW-BIIS) from onshore dating of moraines using cosmogenic exposure dating. This improved chronological framework is supported by offshore data in the form of a newly constructed Ice Rafted Detritus (IRD) record from the offshore sediment core MD95-2007. These data suggest that deglaciation commenced sometime after 18 ka and that the NW-BIIS was located close to the present day shoreline by 16 ka. Further provenance analysis of the IRD using U-Pb dating of detrital minerals demonstrates that during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition MD95-2007 was being supplied distal IRD from a source(s) to the west. The absence of diagnostic Scottish material suggests that after retreat to the coastline at 16 ka calving margins were not re-established during Greenland Interstadial 1. By combining these results with existing data relating to the deglaciation of the NW-BIIS it is possible to summarise the deglaciation history of the NW-BIIS from the continental shelf to mountainous source regions and compare this to numerical models of BIIS behaviour during this time. With a better understanding of the chronology of NW-BIIS retreat it is possible to relate the timing of initial deglaciation to possible forcing factors and gain a better understanding of the response of a marine based sector of an ice sheet to rapid climate change. 2013-06-15T00:00:00Z Small, David It is now accepted that the last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) was highly dynamic and drained by numerous fast flowing ice streams. This dynamic nature combined with its maritime location made the BIIS sensitive to the rapid climate change that characterised the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition. Gaining an understanding of the behaviour of the BIIS at this time is important to explore the nature of forcing between ice sheets and climate. This thesis presents new chronological data relating to the deglaciation of the northwest sector of the BIIS (NW-BIIS) from onshore dating of moraines using cosmogenic exposure dating. This improved chronological framework is supported by offshore data in the form of a newly constructed Ice Rafted Detritus (IRD) record from the offshore sediment core MD95-2007. These data suggest that deglaciation commenced sometime after 18 ka and that the NW-BIIS was located close to the present day shoreline by 16 ka. Further provenance analysis of the IRD using U-Pb dating of detrital minerals demonstrates that during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition MD95-2007 was being supplied distal IRD from a source(s) to the west. The absence of diagnostic Scottish material suggests that after retreat to the coastline at 16 ka calving margins were not re-established during Greenland Interstadial 1. By combining these results with existing data relating to the deglaciation of the NW-BIIS it is possible to summarise the deglaciation history of the NW-BIIS from the continental shelf to mountainous source regions and compare this to numerical models of BIIS behaviour during this time. With a better understanding of the chronology of NW-BIIS retreat it is possible to relate the timing of initial deglaciation to possible forcing factors and gain a better understanding of the response of a marine based sector of an ice sheet to rapid climate change. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3136 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Hibbert, Fiona Danielle http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2973 Abstract: The Serra da Freita region of north central Portugal was chosen for study as it displays the complex relationships between regional structure, plutonism, regional and contact metamorphism typical of this part of Iberia. The region was mapped on a scale of 1:10000. The Serra da Freita pluton, which intrudes the core of the Porto-Viseu metamorphic belt developed in the late Pre-Cambrian - Cambrian Beira Schists, is shown to lie in a sinistral transpressive shear zone, the Serra da Freita shear zone. Early structures are progressively modified over a protracted period by shear zone deformation, during which time metamorphism reached a peak and the granite was emplaced. Mapping of the intrusive contacts of the granite show that following initial intrusion of a steeply inclined sheet of magma into the zone of highest strain, magmas were injected into a region of progressively lower strain where the magma was acconunodated as a nearly flat sheet. The distal end of this mass ballooned upvards to form the small intrusion of Castanheira which has abundant biotite nodules which acted as near perfect strain markers. The main pluton is shown to intrude obliquely the core of a narrow metamorphic belt characterized by parageneses of biotite, andalusite/staurolite, sillimanite, which maps distinctly from a younger cordierite sillimanite contact aureole around an adjacent quartz diorite body. Several facies of granite within the pluton have been recognized; petrographical and structural studies allow the interpreted emplacemen~ mechanism of these units to be integrated within a more general model for the evolution of the shear zone. Geochemical analyses of major and trace elements show that certain compositional trends within these facies cannot be simply related as part of a fractionation sequence. A model is put forward in which repeated melting of a heterogeneous source is followed by sequential emplacement of discrete batches of magma as sheets and wedges wi thin the acti ve shear zone. A Rb-Sr whole rock isochron age of 324 Ma was obtained and this dates not only the emplacement age of the syn-tectonic granite, but also constrains the time of movement along the shear zone. Radiogenic and stable isotope data strongly point to the local high grade Beira Schists as being sui table source rocks for generation of magmas wi th marked S-type characteristics which now form the Serra da Freita pluton. 180 values for the granites of 10.64 ± 0.24 - 13.00 ± 0.12 overlap those of the schists which lie in the range 12.38 ± 0.24 - 14.15 ± 0.4. The whole rock Rb-Sr isochron for the granite has an initial ratio of 0.7136 ± 0.0008 (MSWD = 3.2). A regional and tectonothennal model is put forward in which end-Palaeozoic oblique strike slip collision took place in the Ibero-Armorican Arc. The resulting peturbation in continental heat flow, coupled with the possible effects of shear heating, fluid concentration and local high ductility contrasts in the heterogeneous metasediments, are invoked as being responsible for causing anatexis of the Beira Schists at a depth of 10-12 km, and the generation of granitic melts. Emplacement of these bodies gave rise to the Porto-Viseu metamorphic belt, into which later smaller higher-level melts were injected. It is argued that some of these later magmas which reached higher levels are now exposed as the constituent facies of the Serra da Freita pluton. The Serra cia Freita shear zone, active throughout metamorphism, anatexis and magma emplacement was a dominant feature of the geological history of the region. 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z Reavy, Reginald John The Serra da Freita region of north central Portugal was chosen for study as it displays the complex relationships between regional structure, plutonism, regional and contact metamorphism typical of this part of Iberia. The region was mapped on a scale of 1:10000. The Serra da Freita pluton, which intrudes the core of the Porto-Viseu metamorphic belt developed in the late Pre-Cambrian - Cambrian Beira Schists, is shown to lie in a sinistral transpressive shear zone, the Serra da Freita shear zone. Early structures are progressively modified over a protracted period by shear zone deformation, during which time metamorphism reached a peak and the granite was emplaced. Mapping of the intrusive contacts of the granite show that following initial intrusion of a steeply inclined sheet of magma into the zone of highest strain, magmas were injected into a region of progressively lower strain where the magma was acconunodated as a nearly flat sheet. The distal end of this mass ballooned upvards to form the small intrusion of Castanheira which has abundant biotite nodules which acted as near perfect strain markers. The main pluton is shown to intrude obliquely the core of a narrow metamorphic belt characterized by parageneses of biotite, andalusite/staurolite, sillimanite, which maps distinctly from a younger cordierite sillimanite contact aureole around an adjacent quartz diorite body. Several facies of granite within the pluton have been recognized; petrographical and structural studies allow the interpreted emplacemen~ mechanism of these units to be integrated within a more general model for the evolution of the shear zone. Geochemical analyses of major and trace elements show that certain compositional trends within these facies cannot be simply related as part of a fractionation sequence. A model is put forward in which repeated melting of a heterogeneous source is followed by sequential emplacement of discrete batches of magma as sheets and wedges wi thin the acti ve shear zone. A Rb-Sr whole rock isochron age of 324 Ma was obtained and this dates not only the emplacement age of the syn-tectonic granite, but also constrains the time of movement along the shear zone. Radiogenic and stable isotope data strongly point to the local high grade Beira Schists as being sui table source rocks for generation of magmas wi th marked S-type characteristics which now form the Serra da Freita pluton. 180 values for the granites of 10.64 ± 0.24 - 13.00 ± 0.12 overlap those of the schists which lie in the range 12.38 ± 0.24 - 14.15 ± 0.4. The whole rock Rb-Sr isochron for the granite has an initial ratio of 0.7136 ± 0.0008 (MSWD = 3.2). A regional and tectonothennal model is put forward in which end-Palaeozoic oblique strike slip collision took place in the Ibero-Armorican Arc. The resulting peturbation in continental heat flow, coupled with the possible effects of shear heating, fluid concentration and local high ductility contrasts in the heterogeneous metasediments, are invoked as being responsible for causing anatexis of the Beira Schists at a depth of 10-12 km, and the generation of granitic melts. Emplacement of these bodies gave rise to the Porto-Viseu metamorphic belt, into which later smaller higher-level melts were injected. It is argued that some of these later magmas which reached higher levels are now exposed as the constituent facies of the Serra da Freita pluton. The Serra cia Freita shear zone, active throughout metamorphism, anatexis and magma emplacement was a dominant feature of the geological history of the region. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2957 Abstract: Rates of river channel change in three contrasting Scottish upland environments have been studied within the context of Climatic fluctuation and landuse changes over the last 250 years. The object of the research was to assess the spatial and temporal variation in channel types, the main controls on channel pattern and the dominant modes of channel adjustment. This was undertaken in a hierarchic framework with sites being investigated at three spatial scales. At a macro-scale, the spatial and temporal variation in channel pattern was evaluated through a random sample of river channel segments for each study area, derived from the first and second editions of the 1:10,560 0.S. maps plus the 1:10,000 third edition. Each channel segment was classified within a map-based channel system typology, specifically constructed for upland Scotland. Measures of activity collected for each sample incorporated sinuosity, braiding and lateral shift indices. Flood histories were reconstructed for each study area on the basis of discharge records, long rainfall records and contemporary accounts, to assess if there was any evidence for climatic change, fluctuation or periodicities. Estimates of the recurrence interval of rainfall and runoff events of differing magnitude, frequency and duration were assessed. Data, mainly of a qualitative nature, were derived from contemporary sources and estate plans to evaluate whether any landuse changes could have changed the runoff regime and sediment mobility within each catchment. At a meso-scale, 7 to 9 channel segments (already identified as "active" within the macro-scale study) were subject to a more detailed process-response analysis, using sequential aerial photographs. Finally at a micro-scale, the unit stream powers at these sites were studied in relation to specific runoff rates thereby relating channel process to channel form. The strength of the controls on channel planform type varied in degree with the area studied. The glacial legacy, the positioning of local baselevels and sediment size were found to be dominant controls. In terms of channel dynamics, the position of the Channel planform in relation to process thresholds and the existence of a quasi-equilibrium condition were both very important. In terms of process-response, the following general observations hold true. An extreme event of high RI (>100 years) will have a major disruptive impact if there is room for expansion of the channel system and providing thresholds for sediment transport are exceeded. If these thresholds are high, the fact that the channel has not recently been disrupted may also be important. The modes of expansion across the active area depend on the type of channel involved. Different study areas have different types of Channel pattern present and thus a greater likelihood of certain types of planform adjustment. The role of more moderate events (10-50 years) varies principally with sediment size and Channel slope. Small-scale modification may take place where stream powers associated with more moderate events exceed competence thresholds. It was found that process rates were highly variable in both time and space and that present rates were not necessarily representative of the past 250 years. Even within this timespan, there have been periods of increased activity in response to increased discharges of moderate magnitude (eg. 1870s-1880s within the Dee study area) and random extreme magnitude floods (eg. between 1948-1956 in the Tweed study area). The impact of landuse change, especially in relation to sediment mobilisation (Dee and Spey study areas), and speed of runoff (Tweed study area) also appeared to be important. 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z McEwen, Lindsey Jo Rates of river channel change in three contrasting Scottish upland environments have been studied within the context of Climatic fluctuation and landuse changes over the last 250 years. The object of the research was to assess the spatial and temporal variation in channel types, the main controls on channel pattern and the dominant modes of channel adjustment. This was undertaken in a hierarchic framework with sites being investigated at three spatial scales. At a macro-scale, the spatial and temporal variation in channel pattern was evaluated through a random sample of river channel segments for each study area, derived from the first and second editions of the 1:10,560 0.S. maps plus the 1:10,000 third edition. Each channel segment was classified within a map-based channel system typology, specifically constructed for upland Scotland. Measures of activity collected for each sample incorporated sinuosity, braiding and lateral shift indices. Flood histories were reconstructed for each study area on the basis of discharge records, long rainfall records and contemporary accounts, to assess if there was any evidence for climatic change, fluctuation or periodicities. Estimates of the recurrence interval of rainfall and runoff events of differing magnitude, frequency and duration were assessed. Data, mainly of a qualitative nature, were derived from contemporary sources and estate plans to evaluate whether any landuse changes could have changed the runoff regime and sediment mobility within each catchment. At a meso-scale, 7 to 9 channel segments (already identified as "active" within the macro-scale study) were subject to a more detailed process-response analysis, using sequential aerial photographs. Finally at a micro-scale, the unit stream powers at these sites were studied in relation to specific runoff rates thereby relating channel process to channel form. The strength of the controls on channel planform type varied in degree with the area studied. The glacial legacy, the positioning of local baselevels and sediment size were found to be dominant controls. In terms of channel dynamics, the position of the Channel planform in relation to process thresholds and the existence of a quasi-equilibrium condition were both very important. In terms of process-response, the following general observations hold true. An extreme event of high RI (>100 years) will have a major disruptive impact if there is room for expansion of the channel system and providing thresholds for sediment transport are exceeded. If these thresholds are high, the fact that the channel has not recently been disrupted may also be important. The modes of expansion across the active area depend on the type of channel involved. Different study areas have different types of Channel pattern present and thus a greater likelihood of certain types of planform adjustment. The role of more moderate events (10-50 years) varies principally with sediment size and Channel slope. Small-scale modification may take place where stream powers associated with more moderate events exceed competence thresholds. It was found that process rates were highly variable in both time and space and that present rates were not necessarily representative of the past 250 years. Even within this timespan, there have been periods of increased activity in response to increased discharges of moderate magnitude (eg. 1870s-1880s within the Dee study area) and random extreme magnitude floods (eg. between 1948-1956 in the Tweed study area). The impact of landuse change, especially in relation to sediment mobilisation (Dee and Spey study areas), and speed of runoff (Tweed study area) also appeared to be important. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2943 Abstract: High recovery magnetic tracing techniques have been utilised to record the 3- dimensional downstream transport of individual clasts within two Scottish Highland gravel-bed streams over a period of 16 months. The results provide the basis for a conceptual model of bedload transport and storage involving the interaction of multiple variables. Above a threshold level of discharge, determined by local morphology and sedimentology, flow (in terms of magnitude and duration) remains the principal control of transport parameters (occurrence, vertical exchange, depth of scour, and transport distance). Three phases of transport based on increasing discharge are identified; discrete surficial transport, shallow exchange transport and deep exchange transport. Variations in apparent flow and transport relationships are explored in relation to individual clast characteristics and contrasts in bed sedimentology between streams. The results suggest a large degree of equal mobility in terms of clast size. However, a tendency exists for material approximating the median bed surface grain size to show maximum mobility, indicating the importance of hiding effects on gravel entrainment. In terms of clast form, flattened shapes are the least mobile. This reflects a greater stability at entrainment, and increased occurrence of capping, for clasts with small c/b axial ratios. A high percentage of angular material leads to bed strengthening through interlock. Two clast location variables, morphological position (bar, riffle, pool or undifferentiated channel), and burial state (top, within or buried), are considered in relation to the occurrence and distance of transport. The importance of temporary bar and subsurface storage is highlighted. Residence periods for bed material in both such locations are determined principally by flow conditions, particularly peak discharge. Powerful floods are associated with increased submergence of high bars, and erosion to great depth. Material deposited in high bar positions, or at the base of deep scour zones, is effectively locked in storage until the next flow of equal or greater discharge. Although the model presented is based on work at just two sites, it is suggested that the range of morphological and sedimentological conditions encountered make the general principles applicable across a broad range of similar environments. Given consideration of the variables discussed, a specific variation of the model should apply in most river reaches. 1993-01-01T00:00:00Z Drew, Ian B. High recovery magnetic tracing techniques have been utilised to record the 3- dimensional downstream transport of individual clasts within two Scottish Highland gravel-bed streams over a period of 16 months. The results provide the basis for a conceptual model of bedload transport and storage involving the interaction of multiple variables. Above a threshold level of discharge, determined by local morphology and sedimentology, flow (in terms of magnitude and duration) remains the principal control of transport parameters (occurrence, vertical exchange, depth of scour, and transport distance). Three phases of transport based on increasing discharge are identified; discrete surficial transport, shallow exchange transport and deep exchange transport. Variations in apparent flow and transport relationships are explored in relation to individual clast characteristics and contrasts in bed sedimentology between streams. The results suggest a large degree of equal mobility in terms of clast size. However, a tendency exists for material approximating the median bed surface grain size to show maximum mobility, indicating the importance of hiding effects on gravel entrainment. In terms of clast form, flattened shapes are the least mobile. This reflects a greater stability at entrainment, and increased occurrence of capping, for clasts with small c/b axial ratios. A high percentage of angular material leads to bed strengthening through interlock. Two clast location variables, morphological position (bar, riffle, pool or undifferentiated channel), and burial state (top, within or buried), are considered in relation to the occurrence and distance of transport. The importance of temporary bar and subsurface storage is highlighted. Residence periods for bed material in both such locations are determined principally by flow conditions, particularly peak discharge. Powerful floods are associated with increased submergence of high bars, and erosion to great depth. Material deposited in high bar positions, or at the base of deep scour zones, is effectively locked in storage until the next flow of equal or greater discharge. Although the model presented is based on work at just two sites, it is suggested that the range of morphological and sedimentological conditions encountered make the general principles applicable across a broad range of similar environments. Given consideration of the variables discussed, a specific variation of the model should apply in most river reaches. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2941 Abstract: Alluvial fans, debris cones and rockfall talus cones are widespread in upland Britain, but remarkably little is known about their characteristics, development and significance. This research project has three main objectives: 1. to establish the morphological and surface sedimentary characteristics of alluvial fans, debris cones and talus cones in the Grampian Highlands of Scotland; 2. to identify the factors that have controlled their formation and distribution; and 3. to determine the timing, nature and rate of fan- and cone-forming processes. On the basis of previous literature, an Orioni model that describes a continuum of fan and cone morphological and surface sedimentary properties was devised. The applicability of this model was tested using data for six variables (long profile gradient, slope form, downslope changes in clast size, roundness and form, and a scale ratio of maximum clast size to total fan or cone length) obtained for fans and cones in the Grampian Highlands and the Lyngen Peninsula in Northern Norway. The results of these tests were then used to produce a modified model appropriate to fans and cones in upland Britain. Using a combination of map, field and aerial photograph data, several environmental and morphometric controls on the distribution and type of fan and cone development were investigated. The dimensions of different types of fan and cone are shown to be determined by basin morphometry, lithology and glacial history. Discriminant analysis identified basin gradient, basin width and basin height as the principal catchment properties that influence the dominant type of fan- or cone-forming process. Stratigraphic and radiocarbon evidence suggests that many debris cones are essentially paraglacial landforms that formed in the earlier part of the Flandrian. Many of these cones have subsequently been modified in the late Flandrian by fluvial processes, in some cases in response to anthropogenic interference. However, evidence from one site has also revealed that substantial debris cone aggradation has occurred since c 300 BP, implying high rates of denudation in the recent past at this site. The volumes of other debris cones imply that as much as 1-3m of surface lowering has occurred in gullies upslope since deglaciation. Much lower values of surface lowering are associated with alluvial fan development, suggesting that, locally at least, denudation by fluvial processes has been less significant than denudation resulting from debris flow. 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z Brazier, Vanessa Alluvial fans, debris cones and rockfall talus cones are widespread in upland Britain, but remarkably little is known about their characteristics, development and significance. This research project has three main objectives: 1. to establish the morphological and surface sedimentary characteristics of alluvial fans, debris cones and talus cones in the Grampian Highlands of Scotland; 2. to identify the factors that have controlled their formation and distribution; and 3. to determine the timing, nature and rate of fan- and cone-forming processes. On the basis of previous literature, an Orioni model that describes a continuum of fan and cone morphological and surface sedimentary properties was devised. The applicability of this model was tested using data for six variables (long profile gradient, slope form, downslope changes in clast size, roundness and form, and a scale ratio of maximum clast size to total fan or cone length) obtained for fans and cones in the Grampian Highlands and the Lyngen Peninsula in Northern Norway. The results of these tests were then used to produce a modified model appropriate to fans and cones in upland Britain. Using a combination of map, field and aerial photograph data, several environmental and morphometric controls on the distribution and type of fan and cone development were investigated. The dimensions of different types of fan and cone are shown to be determined by basin morphometry, lithology and glacial history. Discriminant analysis identified basin gradient, basin width and basin height as the principal catchment properties that influence the dominant type of fan- or cone-forming process. Stratigraphic and radiocarbon evidence suggests that many debris cones are essentially paraglacial landforms that formed in the earlier part of the Flandrian. Many of these cones have subsequently been modified in the late Flandrian by fluvial processes, in some cases in response to anthropogenic interference. However, evidence from one site has also revealed that substantial debris cone aggradation has occurred since c 300 BP, implying high rates of denudation in the recent past at this site. The volumes of other debris cones imply that as much as 1-3m of surface lowering has occurred in gullies upslope since deglaciation. Much lower values of surface lowering are associated with alluvial fan development, suggesting that, locally at least, denudation by fluvial processes has been less significant than denudation resulting from debris flow. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2888 Abstract: Estimation of the probability of occurrence of future flood events at a site is frequently required for the design of bridges, culverts, dams and other river engineering works. This study considers a method for estimating the flood frequency distribution from the physical characteristics of the drainage basin for use in Scotland when adequate records of river discharge are not available. The data base collated includes 3071 station years of annual maximum flood peaks for 168 high quality gauging stations and 12 physical characteristics for each drainage basin. A linear regression model is derived which explains 91% of the variation in the average magnitude of floods using five physical characteristics indexing drainage area, rainfall, stream density, soil type and lake storage. This model appears robust over the range of basin types and shows no improvement when shrinkage or ridge regression is employed. Five physically homogeneous subsets of basins are derived using a clustering algorithm (NORMIX) and the same five characteristics, with the addition of an index of channel slope. For each of subsets 1, 3, 4 and 5, the individual dimensionless flood frequency distributions for each station are not significantly different from a single GEV distribution derived for that subset. Consequently these subsets are considered to be hydrologically homogeneous in addition to their physical homogeneity. Dimensionless regional flood frequency distributions are produced for each subset which allow the estimated average flood magnitude to be scaled to estimate floods of less frequent occurrence. These regional 'growth curves' imply a larger return period for a given magnitude flood than those from the Natural Environment Research Council Flood Studies Report (NERC, 1975). When the floods are described by a lognormal model which allows for cross-correlation between stations the respective return periods are smaller. 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z Acreman, Michael Charles Estimation of the probability of occurrence of future flood events at a site is frequently required for the design of bridges, culverts, dams and other river engineering works. This study considers a method for estimating the flood frequency distribution from the physical characteristics of the drainage basin for use in Scotland when adequate records of river discharge are not available. The data base collated includes 3071 station years of annual maximum flood peaks for 168 high quality gauging stations and 12 physical characteristics for each drainage basin. A linear regression model is derived which explains 91% of the variation in the average magnitude of floods using five physical characteristics indexing drainage area, rainfall, stream density, soil type and lake storage. This model appears robust over the range of basin types and shows no improvement when shrinkage or ridge regression is employed. Five physically homogeneous subsets of basins are derived using a clustering algorithm (NORMIX) and the same five characteristics, with the addition of an index of channel slope. For each of subsets 1, 3, 4 and 5, the individual dimensionless flood frequency distributions for each station are not significantly different from a single GEV distribution derived for that subset. Consequently these subsets are considered to be hydrologically homogeneous in addition to their physical homogeneity. Dimensionless regional flood frequency distributions are produced for each subset which allow the estimated average flood magnitude to be scaled to estimate floods of less frequent occurrence. These regional 'growth curves' imply a larger return period for a given magnitude flood than those from the Natural Environment Research Council Flood Studies Report (NERC, 1975). When the floods are described by a lognormal model which allows for cross-correlation between stations the respective return periods are smaller. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2797 Abstract: In recent years, the study of rock glaciers has increased remarkably. Substantive progress has been made, particularly in understanding the formation of rock glaciers that have developed adjacent to existing or former valley or cirque glaciers, However, our understanding of valley-wall rock glaciers that are located at the base of talus slopes remains scant. Published work exhibits little consensus on the formation of valley-wall rock glaciers and several hypotheses remain under vigorous debate. The major objective of the research reported in this thesis has been to test the generality and feasibility of seven major models of valley-wall rock glacier formation using both empirical and theoretical evidence. The primary conclusion is that only one of these models, the segregation ice model, emerges as a general model of valley-wall rock glacier genesis. The model assumes that a thin layer or several thin layers of segregated ice are overlain by interstitially frozen sediments and an unfrozen mantle of coarse debris. A wide range of empirical and theoretical findings are shown to be consistent with the implications of the segregation ice model. Detailed observations on the morphology, sedimentology and distribution of active, inactive and relict valley-wall rock glaciers studied in Switzerland, northern Norway and Scotland provided a range of findings that support this model. Theoretical evidence was obtained by modelling a number of different density models that reflect different distribution of internal ice by applying a simple laminar flow equation to field measurements. Although only the segregation ice model appears to be valid at a general level, the possibility cannot be excluded of alternative modes of valley-wall rock glacier formation under particular circumstances. Snow avalanching, deformation of snowbank or matrix ice, and basal sliding under conditions of high hydrostatic pressure all constitute possible contributing mechanisms of formation and movement in particular cases. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z Maclean, Alison F. In recent years, the study of rock glaciers has increased remarkably. Substantive progress has been made, particularly in understanding the formation of rock glaciers that have developed adjacent to existing or former valley or cirque glaciers, However, our understanding of valley-wall rock glaciers that are located at the base of talus slopes remains scant. Published work exhibits little consensus on the formation of valley-wall rock glaciers and several hypotheses remain under vigorous debate. The major objective of the research reported in this thesis has been to test the generality and feasibility of seven major models of valley-wall rock glacier formation using both empirical and theoretical evidence. The primary conclusion is that only one of these models, the segregation ice model, emerges as a general model of valley-wall rock glacier genesis. The model assumes that a thin layer or several thin layers of segregated ice are overlain by interstitially frozen sediments and an unfrozen mantle of coarse debris. A wide range of empirical and theoretical findings are shown to be consistent with the implications of the segregation ice model. Detailed observations on the morphology, sedimentology and distribution of active, inactive and relict valley-wall rock glaciers studied in Switzerland, northern Norway and Scotland provided a range of findings that support this model. Theoretical evidence was obtained by modelling a number of different density models that reflect different distribution of internal ice by applying a simple laminar flow equation to field measurements. Although only the segregation ice model appears to be valid at a general level, the possibility cannot be excluded of alternative modes of valley-wall rock glacier formation under particular circumstances. Snow avalanching, deformation of snowbank or matrix ice, and basal sliding under conditions of high hydrostatic pressure all constitute possible contributing mechanisms of formation and movement in particular cases. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2793 Abstract: Iceberg calving is an efficient ablation process which introduces mechanical instability to glacier systems and can cause non-linear climatic response. This thesis uses glaciological and limnological data to examine the relative contributions of calving and melting to mass loss at glacier termini, and the interplay between glaciological and limnological processes. Calving dynamics are investigated at two lake-terminating glaciers; Glaciar Leon in Chile and Fjallsjokull in Iceland. Glaciar Leon, a temperate, grounded outlet of the North Patagonian Icefield, terminates at an active but stable calving margin in Lago Leones. The calving rate of 880 m a-1 in a mean water depth of 65 m is high for lake-calving glaciers. Detailed survey of the physical limnology of Lago Leones, important for considering heat transfer to the subaqueous ice face, revealed thermocline development towards the terminus between spring and summer. Melting at the waterline along the glacier terminus facilitates calving by undercutting the subaerial calving cliff, and accounts for around a quarter of mass loss at the terminus. Waterline melting is also an important rate-controlling process for calving at Fjallsjokull. Precise quantification of melt rates (subaerial, waterline and subaqueous) at the termini of calving glaciers is difficult and hazardous, but this study has demonstrated the value of two techniques: (1) detailed survey of melt notch growth, and (2) use of a radiocontrolled boat to record water temperatures at the ice-water interface. Continuous automated monitoring showed that lake-level fluctuations are integral to calving behaviour, influencing calving event timing and size over diurnal and hourly timescales. Fjallsjokull is sensitive to climatic forcing whereas Glaciar Leon, which exhibits larger seasonal than annual fluctuations, is less sensitive. Additional controls on calving at both sites are (1) buoyancy, (2) longitudinal stretching, and (3) the force balance at the ice-water interface. Calving operates along a continuum defined by the relative importance of interacting calving mechanisms, to which the climatic response of calving glaciers is sensitive. 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z Haresign, Eleanor C. Iceberg calving is an efficient ablation process which introduces mechanical instability to glacier systems and can cause non-linear climatic response. This thesis uses glaciological and limnological data to examine the relative contributions of calving and melting to mass loss at glacier termini, and the interplay between glaciological and limnological processes. Calving dynamics are investigated at two lake-terminating glaciers; Glaciar Leon in Chile and Fjallsjokull in Iceland. Glaciar Leon, a temperate, grounded outlet of the North Patagonian Icefield, terminates at an active but stable calving margin in Lago Leones. The calving rate of 880 m a-1 in a mean water depth of 65 m is high for lake-calving glaciers. Detailed survey of the physical limnology of Lago Leones, important for considering heat transfer to the subaqueous ice face, revealed thermocline development towards the terminus between spring and summer. Melting at the waterline along the glacier terminus facilitates calving by undercutting the subaerial calving cliff, and accounts for around a quarter of mass loss at the terminus. Waterline melting is also an important rate-controlling process for calving at Fjallsjokull. Precise quantification of melt rates (subaerial, waterline and subaqueous) at the termini of calving glaciers is difficult and hazardous, but this study has demonstrated the value of two techniques: (1) detailed survey of melt notch growth, and (2) use of a radiocontrolled boat to record water temperatures at the ice-water interface. Continuous automated monitoring showed that lake-level fluctuations are integral to calving behaviour, influencing calving event timing and size over diurnal and hourly timescales. Fjallsjokull is sensitive to climatic forcing whereas Glaciar Leon, which exhibits larger seasonal than annual fluctuations, is less sensitive. Additional controls on calving at both sites are (1) buoyancy, (2) longitudinal stretching, and (3) the force balance at the ice-water interface. Calving operates along a continuum defined by the relative importance of interacting calving mechanisms, to which the climatic response of calving glaciers is sensitive. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2782 Abstract: Heinrich Events (HEs) define intervals of major ice rafting from the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) into the North Atlantic during that last glacial period. The discovery of potential European-sourced precursors to HEs suggest that the smaller, but climactically sensitive, European ice sheets (EIS) may have played a role in the triggering of HEs and their impact on global climates. Environmental magnetism has proved itself to be a useful, rapid and non-destructive tool in the identification and quantification of provenance in sediments from various depositional environments. In this work, environmental magnetic analyses are applied to marine sediment records from the European margin of the NE Atlantic and known to contain ice-rafted debris (IRD) from both LIS and EIS sources. The primary aim in the work of this thesis is to evaluate the methodology as a means of distinguishing IRD provenance. From the data obtained here it is possible to identify several magnetic events that correspond to the HEs and other layers of detrital material and which correlate well to previous standard petrological analyses performed on the same core materials. Magnetic signatures differ within the HEs, suggesting a changing balance of input from multiple sources as opposed to a single LIS source. The data suggest a phasing of these compositional differences through individual HEs. The potential of using environmental magnetic techniques in the identification of IRD provenance within marine sediments is discussed, as is the significance of the observed provenance variations within the cores studied. 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z Wadsworth, Emilie R. Heinrich Events (HEs) define intervals of major ice rafting from the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) into the North Atlantic during that last glacial period. The discovery of potential European-sourced precursors to HEs suggest that the smaller, but climactically sensitive, European ice sheets (EIS) may have played a role in the triggering of HEs and their impact on global climates. Environmental magnetism has proved itself to be a useful, rapid and non-destructive tool in the identification and quantification of provenance in sediments from various depositional environments. In this work, environmental magnetic analyses are applied to marine sediment records from the European margin of the NE Atlantic and known to contain ice-rafted debris (IRD) from both LIS and EIS sources. The primary aim in the work of this thesis is to evaluate the methodology as a means of distinguishing IRD provenance. From the data obtained here it is possible to identify several magnetic events that correspond to the HEs and other layers of detrital material and which correlate well to previous standard petrological analyses performed on the same core materials. Magnetic signatures differ within the HEs, suggesting a changing balance of input from multiple sources as opposed to a single LIS source. The data suggest a phasing of these compositional differences through individual HEs. The potential of using environmental magnetic techniques in the identification of IRD provenance within marine sediments is discussed, as is the significance of the observed provenance variations within the cores studied. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2750 Abstract: The thesis begins by discussing the process of urbanisation in nineteenth-century Scotland, the nature of urban social problems and housing as an urban issue. However, the major concern of the research has been to examine how most people consumed housing in Dundee between 1868 and 1919, a period when the dominant form of provision - private landlordism - underwent crisis. A major time-slice has been taken for Dundee in 1911, using the valuation rolls, allowing the tenure pattern to be mapped and the pattern of ownership and management to be analysed. Tensions arising from the landlord-tenant relationship and tenure distinctions are highlighted, including the missive system, evictions and the rent crises of 1912 and 1915. Local government activity has been examined, especially the powers vested in local officials and the actions they took, particularly in the way this affected landlords, factors and tenants. The nature and form of slum crusades as a response to the perceived, failure of the urban environment is discussed. The changes in policy, which led to the first state-aided council, housing scheme in Scotland, have been researched. Finally the thesis turns to living space and examines the connections between women, planning and the home. Overall the thesis is intended to be a major contribution to the social history and social geography of Dundee. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z Young, Jean Kay The thesis begins by discussing the process of urbanisation in nineteenth-century Scotland, the nature of urban social problems and housing as an urban issue. However, the major concern of the research has been to examine how most people consumed housing in Dundee between 1868 and 1919, a period when the dominant form of provision - private landlordism - underwent crisis. A major time-slice has been taken for Dundee in 1911, using the valuation rolls, allowing the tenure pattern to be mapped and the pattern of ownership and management to be analysed. Tensions arising from the landlord-tenant relationship and tenure distinctions are highlighted, including the missive system, evictions and the rent crises of 1912 and 1915. Local government activity has been examined, especially the powers vested in local officials and the actions they took, particularly in the way this affected landlords, factors and tenants. The nature and form of slum crusades as a response to the perceived, failure of the urban environment is discussed. The changes in policy, which led to the first state-aided council, housing scheme in Scotland, have been researched. Finally the thesis turns to living space and examines the connections between women, planning and the home. Overall the thesis is intended to be a major contribution to the social history and social geography of Dundee. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2722 Abstract: The thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of wheelchair users living in different types and tenures of housing in the City of Dundee. The interrelationships between space, society and the body are examined in the empirical context of housing, ableism and the disabled body. The voices of wheelchair users, gleaned from in-depth, semi-structured interviews, are used throughout the thesis to illustrate how the geographies of people with disabilities are delineated and constrained by socio-cultural representations of disability. Conceptually the study has been guided by the social model of disability, but insights from postmodernism and feminist literature are drawn on to add a further dimension to the interpretation of the data and the study's methodology. The social construction of difference, social exclusion and definitions of the normal and aberrant body emerge as key concepts linking analysis of the data at the spatial scales of the neighbourhood, home and the body. Spatial metaphors of 'out of place', 'marginalised' or 'socio-spatially excluded' capture the essence of the impressions people with disabilities hold of their interactions with their living spaces and service providers. The study suggests that greater reciprocal dialogue is required between service users and service providers to broaden the knowledge base from which disability related housing decisions are made. 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Levy, Susan L. The thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of wheelchair users living in different types and tenures of housing in the City of Dundee. The interrelationships between space, society and the body are examined in the empirical context of housing, ableism and the disabled body. The voices of wheelchair users, gleaned from in-depth, semi-structured interviews, are used throughout the thesis to illustrate how the geographies of people with disabilities are delineated and constrained by socio-cultural representations of disability. Conceptually the study has been guided by the social model of disability, but insights from postmodernism and feminist literature are drawn on to add a further dimension to the interpretation of the data and the study's methodology. The social construction of difference, social exclusion and definitions of the normal and aberrant body emerge as key concepts linking analysis of the data at the spatial scales of the neighbourhood, home and the body. Spatial metaphors of 'out of place', 'marginalised' or 'socio-spatially excluded' capture the essence of the impressions people with disabilities hold of their interactions with their living spaces and service providers. The study suggests that greater reciprocal dialogue is required between service users and service providers to broaden the knowledge base from which disability related housing decisions are made. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2721 1953-01-01T00:00:00Z Murray, Ransom James http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2692 Abstract: Little attention has previously boon given to the sediments of the Eden estuary, Fife, Scotland. This research was performed in order to identify, delineate and account for the observed sedimentary facies in the superficial sediments of the intertidal zone. 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z Eastwood, Keith Melvyn Little attention has previously boon given to the sediments of the Eden estuary, Fife, Scotland. This research was performed in order to identify, delineate and account for the observed sedimentary facies in the superficial sediments of the intertidal zone. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2676 Abstract: A variety of moraine forms were deposited by glaciers during the Loch Lomond Stadial. Study of such moraines and related landforms provides a valuable source of data on patterns of landscape evolution and climatic change. This thesis presents detailed case-studies of moraines in geologically and topographically contrasting areas on the Island of Skye, Scotland. Geomorphological mapping, sedimentological analyses and mathematical modelling techniques were employed to determine the principal controls on moraine morphology, composition and distribution. Particular emphasis was placed on the provenance, transport and deposition of debris, and their spatial variation. The results were used to construct a summary model of glacial landform evolution, which relates different sediment-landform associations to spatial and temporal controls, particularly basin lithology and structure, topography, position of deposition and ice-margin activity. The initial stage of deglaciation in the study area was marked by a series of readvances and/or stillstands. During this stage, the lower-lying glaciers were more sensitive to climatic amelioration than the higher glaciers. The subsequent phase was characterised by more rapid deglaciation. Evidence for one instance of late-stage in situ glacier stagnation is described. The results indicate that landforms hitherto grouped as 'hummocky -moraine' formed by a variety of processes. Such moraines formed by (a) uneven deposition of supraglacially and/or -subglacially-derived debris at active ice margins, (b) deposition at the stagnant margins of otherwise active glaciers, and (c) deposition during uninterrupted glacier retreat or areal stagnation. Differentiation and analysis of so-called 'hummocky moraine' enables glacier behaviour, during the Lateglacial to be interpreted in great detail. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z Benn, Douglas Iain A variety of moraine forms were deposited by glaciers during the Loch Lomond Stadial. Study of such moraines and related landforms provides a valuable source of data on patterns of landscape evolution and climatic change. This thesis presents detailed case-studies of moraines in geologically and topographically contrasting areas on the Island of Skye, Scotland. Geomorphological mapping, sedimentological analyses and mathematical modelling techniques were employed to determine the principal controls on moraine morphology, composition and distribution. Particular emphasis was placed on the provenance, transport and deposition of debris, and their spatial variation. The results were used to construct a summary model of glacial landform evolution, which relates different sediment-landform associations to spatial and temporal controls, particularly basin lithology and structure, topography, position of deposition and ice-margin activity. The initial stage of deglaciation in the study area was marked by a series of readvances and/or stillstands. During this stage, the lower-lying glaciers were more sensitive to climatic amelioration than the higher glaciers. The subsequent phase was characterised by more rapid deglaciation. Evidence for one instance of late-stage in situ glacier stagnation is described. The results indicate that landforms hitherto grouped as 'hummocky -moraine' formed by a variety of processes. Such moraines formed by (a) uneven deposition of supraglacially and/or -subglacially-derived debris at active ice margins, (b) deposition at the stagnant margins of otherwise active glaciers, and (c) deposition during uninterrupted glacier retreat or areal stagnation. Differentiation and analysis of so-called 'hummocky moraine' enables glacier behaviour, during the Lateglacial to be interpreted in great detail. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2623 Abstract: During the first half of the eighteenth century the political and social climate of Scotland was becoming increasingly favourable for the expansion of agricultural output and mineral exploitation. These activities generated extra traffic and the growing number of wheeled vehicles created a demand for soundly constructed roads. In contrast with the English parish system, responsibility for road management in Scotland lay with landowners, accountable to their county meetings. A tax on rent financed a selective programme of improvement, and when parish labour was converted to a monetary payment a considerable increase in road works became possible. In Fife, the influence of farmers and coal owners is seen in the planning of roads to distribute lime and coal, while leading landowners were concerned with the national highways which crossed the peninsula. Although one of these became a toll road in 1753, the turnpike system was adopted for the county only at the end of the century. It is the hitherto underestimated activity among road authorities before the imposition of tolls which forms the main theme of this study. The basic pattern of overland connections existing around 1700 is derived from the evidence of settlement distribution and known physiographic constraints. This pattern is checked against the earliest available maps and road records to deduce a putative network. A sequence of maps illustrates the subsequent changes, including the extent of postal and coach services and control of roads by the turnpike trusts. The abandonment of hillside routes, the dominance of the link between the Forth and Tay ferries, and the influence of individual landowners on schemes of improvement are illustrated by more localised studies which emphasise the multiplicity of factors operating during a crucial phase in the development of the modern road network. 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z Silver, Owen Bayliss During the first half of the eighteenth century the political and social climate of Scotland was becoming increasingly favourable for the expansion of agricultural output and mineral exploitation. These activities generated extra traffic and the growing number of wheeled vehicles created a demand for soundly constructed roads. In contrast with the English parish system, responsibility for road management in Scotland lay with landowners, accountable to their county meetings. A tax on rent financed a selective programme of improvement, and when parish labour was converted to a monetary payment a considerable increase in road works became possible. In Fife, the influence of farmers and coal owners is seen in the planning of roads to distribute lime and coal, while leading landowners were concerned with the national highways which crossed the peninsula. Although one of these became a toll road in 1753, the turnpike system was adopted for the county only at the end of the century. It is the hitherto underestimated activity among road authorities before the imposition of tolls which forms the main theme of this study. The basic pattern of overland connections existing around 1700 is derived from the evidence of settlement distribution and known physiographic constraints. This pattern is checked against the earliest available maps and road records to deduce a putative network. A sequence of maps illustrates the subsequent changes, including the extent of postal and coach services and control of roads by the turnpike trusts. The abandonment of hillside routes, the dominance of the link between the Forth and Tay ferries, and the influence of individual landowners on schemes of improvement are illustrated by more localised studies which emphasise the multiplicity of factors operating during a crucial phase in the development of the modern road network. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2135 Abstract: Millions of people are infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) worldwide. In the UK, many individuals continue to live with undiagnosed HCV infection and are increasingly at risk of developing life-threatening cirrhosis and liver cancer. Of those that are diagnosed, only some are referred to an HCV specialist centre where vital treatment could cure their infection. Of those that are referred, only a proportion have actually attended and stayed in follow-up with a specialist centre. Geographic access to healthcare may be an important factor in these trends, but has so far received little attention in the context of HCV. This thesis examines the influence of geographic access to primary and specialist healthcare on HCV detection, trends of referral, chances of specialist centre utilisation and the odds of staying in follow-up. It also explores association between geographic access and the type of location in which diagnoses were made with the risk of mortality from liver-related causes. HCV detection was lower amongst those with poorer geographic access to primary healthcare, but further analyses suggest this trend is due to selection, not causation. Individuals with the furthest to travel were less likely to be referred to an HCV specialist centre, compared to those who lived closer. Travel-time was not a significant predictor of utilisation of HCV specialist centres, but with patients in more remote areas less likely to be referred, it is probable that the utilisation result is biased due to selection. Liver-related mortality was higher for patients diagnosed in hospitals, but the risk of death was not associated with a lack of geographic access to healthcare. 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z Astell-Burt, Thomas Millions of people are infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) worldwide. In the UK, many individuals continue to live with undiagnosed HCV infection and are increasingly at risk of developing life-threatening cirrhosis and liver cancer. Of those that are diagnosed, only some are referred to an HCV specialist centre where vital treatment could cure their infection. Of those that are referred, only a proportion have actually attended and stayed in follow-up with a specialist centre. Geographic access to healthcare may be an important factor in these trends, but has so far received little attention in the context of HCV. This thesis examines the influence of geographic access to primary and specialist healthcare on HCV detection, trends of referral, chances of specialist centre utilisation and the odds of staying in follow-up. It also explores association between geographic access and the type of location in which diagnoses were made with the risk of mortality from liver-related causes. HCV detection was lower amongst those with poorer geographic access to primary healthcare, but further analyses suggest this trend is due to selection, not causation. Individuals with the furthest to travel were less likely to be referred to an HCV specialist centre, compared to those who lived closer. Travel-time was not a significant predictor of utilisation of HCV specialist centres, but with patients in more remote areas less likely to be referred, it is probable that the utilisation result is biased due to selection. Liver-related mortality was higher for patients diagnosed in hospitals, but the risk of death was not associated with a lack of geographic access to healthcare. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1697 Abstract: Paradigms of housing policies in developing countries have undergone significant changes since the 1940s in the post-colonial era. The involvement of international development agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations with their substantial financial and technical resources have engendered a conventional narrative of the hegemony of paradigms sponsored by these agencies. It is in this light that the “enabling principles” of housing policy emerged as the dominant policy discourse from the 1980s. This housing paradigm -“enabling shelter policies” –was actively promoted by the World Bank and the United Nations, acting through its housing agency the UN-Habitat, for adoption by developing countries to reform their housing sectors from the 1980s. One of the main instruments of the enabling principles was the withdrawal or contraction of the state from direct housing development in preference for private sector-led and community initiatives in housing development. Government involvement in direct development of housing was conceived to be an ineffective policy choice which had little geographic impact and therefore had to give way to a systematised approach to housing delivery. Ghana was one of the first African countries to adopt these principles for the reform of the housing sector in the country. Two decades later, it has been observed that the government was making housing policy choices that contradicted the ethos of the enabling principles. In particular it was observed that the state was re-engaging in direct housing development. In the light of the past conception of these activities as being defective policies, their re-emergence was characteristic of policy “reversionism”. This concept of policy reversionism is adopted from theories of theology and criminal justice (where it is known as recidivism) in which processes of reform or progression are reversed. The question explored by the thesis is why housing policy reversionism was emerging and what were the generating factors. The thesis draws on a critical realist perspective to deconstruct the conventional narratives about the homogenous state and the hegemony of international agencies such as the World Bank and the UN in the advancement of “unproblematic” enabling principles through which the housing sector reforms were designed and implemented. In doing so the thesis established the heterogeneity of the state driven by competition for domination by sectoral, intra-state as well as supra-state interests. In this process, hegemony becomes vulnerable to manipulation as these principles were translated or “indigenised”. Furthermore it is established that this nuanced perspective is further complicated by a dialectical relationship between the contexts of events and prevailing material conditions and the actions taken by policy agents. These complexities layered the housing policy sphere in ways that masked the primary motivations of class interests and political legitimisation underpinning the incidence of reversionism. 2010-11-30T00:00:00Z Sarfoh, Kwadwo Ohene Paradigms of housing policies in developing countries have undergone significant changes since the 1940s in the post-colonial era. The involvement of international development agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations with their substantial financial and technical resources have engendered a conventional narrative of the hegemony of paradigms sponsored by these agencies. It is in this light that the “enabling principles” of housing policy emerged as the dominant policy discourse from the 1980s. This housing paradigm -“enabling shelter policies” –was actively promoted by the World Bank and the United Nations, acting through its housing agency the UN-Habitat, for adoption by developing countries to reform their housing sectors from the 1980s. One of the main instruments of the enabling principles was the withdrawal or contraction of the state from direct housing development in preference for private sector-led and community initiatives in housing development. Government involvement in direct development of housing was conceived to be an ineffective policy choice which had little geographic impact and therefore had to give way to a systematised approach to housing delivery. Ghana was one of the first African countries to adopt these principles for the reform of the housing sector in the country. Two decades later, it has been observed that the government was making housing policy choices that contradicted the ethos of the enabling principles. In particular it was observed that the state was re-engaging in direct housing development. In the light of the past conception of these activities as being defective policies, their re-emergence was characteristic of policy “reversionism”. This concept of policy reversionism is adopted from theories of theology and criminal justice (where it is known as recidivism) in which processes of reform or progression are reversed. The question explored by the thesis is why housing policy reversionism was emerging and what were the generating factors. The thesis draws on a critical realist perspective to deconstruct the conventional narratives about the homogenous state and the hegemony of international agencies such as the World Bank and the UN in the advancement of “unproblematic” enabling principles through which the housing sector reforms were designed and implemented. In doing so the thesis established the heterogeneity of the state driven by competition for domination by sectoral, intra-state as well as supra-state interests. In this process, hegemony becomes vulnerable to manipulation as these principles were translated or “indigenised”. Furthermore it is established that this nuanced perspective is further complicated by a dialectical relationship between the contexts of events and prevailing material conditions and the actions taken by policy agents. These complexities layered the housing policy sphere in ways that masked the primary motivations of class interests and political legitimisation underpinning the incidence of reversionism. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1681 Abstract: This thesis examines the shifting relationship between the state and its subjects with regard to responsibility for and entitlement to care. Using Malaysia as a case study the research engages with international medical travel (IMT) as an outcome of the neoliberal retrenchment of the welfare state. I offer a critical reading of postcolonial development strategies that negotiate the benefits and challenges of extending care to non-national subjects. The research draws from relevant media, private-sector and governmental documents and 49 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with IMT proponents and critics representing federal, state and urban governmental authorities, professional associations, civil society, private medical facilities and medical travel agencies in Malaysia’s principal IMT regions (Klang Valley, Penang and Malacca). Across four empirical chapters, the thesis demonstrates how ‘Malaysia’ gets positioned as a destination within a range of imagined geographies of care through a strategic-relational logic of care and hospitality. I argue that this positioning places ‘Malaysian’ subjects and spaces into lucrative global networks in ways that underscore particular narratives of postcolonial hybridity that draw from Malaysia’s ‘developing country’, ‘progressive, moderate Islamic’ and ‘multiethnic’ credentials. In considering the political logics of care-giving, I explore how the extension of care can serve as a place-making technology to re-imagine the state as a provider and protector within a globalising marketplace in which care, increasingly commodified, is tied to the production of new political, social, cultural and economic geographies. Description: Electronic version excludes material for which permission has not been granted by the rights holder 2011-06-24T00:00:00Z Ormond, Meghann E. This thesis examines the shifting relationship between the state and its subjects with regard to responsibility for and entitlement to care. Using Malaysia as a case study the research engages with international medical travel (IMT) as an outcome of the neoliberal retrenchment of the welfare state. I offer a critical reading of postcolonial development strategies that negotiate the benefits and challenges of extending care to non-national subjects. The research draws from relevant media, private-sector and governmental documents and 49 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with IMT proponents and critics representing federal, state and urban governmental authorities, professional associations, civil society, private medical facilities and medical travel agencies in Malaysia’s principal IMT regions (Klang Valley, Penang and Malacca). Across four empirical chapters, the thesis demonstrates how ‘Malaysia’ gets positioned as a destination within a range of imagined geographies of care through a strategic-relational logic of care and hospitality. I argue that this positioning places ‘Malaysian’ subjects and spaces into lucrative global networks in ways that underscore particular narratives of postcolonial hybridity that draw from Malaysia’s ‘developing country’, ‘progressive, moderate Islamic’ and ‘multiethnic’ credentials. In considering the political logics of care-giving, I explore how the extension of care can serve as a place-making technology to re-imagine the state as a provider and protector within a globalising marketplace in which care, increasingly commodified, is tied to the production of new political, social, cultural and economic geographies. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/999 Abstract: This study seeks to address a gap in the literature with regard to the Christian Palestinians. As members of a very small minority, they are often overlooked by the media and the academic community. While this is changing to some extent for Christian Palestinians in the Middle East, there is scant literature that considers their lives in the ‘West’ and almost none on their experiences in Britain. This thesis considers how Christian Palestinians have adapted to life in London, including an analysis of the individual experiences of both Christian Palestinians and Muslim Palestinians. Interviews with respondents focused on their English language abilities, educational achievements, attitudes to intermarriage, and their sense of belonging. These aspects were chosen because they offer an insight into respondents’ private and public lives, a distinction that is particularly important in the study of integration and assimilation. Through the assessment of these attributes, this research seeks to redefine the way that assimilation has been viewed and argues that a more comprehensive study of assimilation must include not only an analysis of whether migrants have adopted a characteristic of the host nation’s population, but also an analysis of whether they have adopted the sentiments their native born counterparts have attached to them. 2010-06-26T00:00:00Z Shakkour, Suha This study seeks to address a gap in the literature with regard to the Christian Palestinians. As members of a very small minority, they are often overlooked by the media and the academic community. While this is changing to some extent for Christian Palestinians in the Middle East, there is scant literature that considers their lives in the ‘West’ and almost none on their experiences in Britain. This thesis considers how Christian Palestinians have adapted to life in London, including an analysis of the individual experiences of both Christian Palestinians and Muslim Palestinians. Interviews with respondents focused on their English language abilities, educational achievements, attitudes to intermarriage, and their sense of belonging. These aspects were chosen because they offer an insight into respondents’ private and public lives, a distinction that is particularly important in the study of integration and assimilation. Through the assessment of these attributes, this research seeks to redefine the way that assimilation has been viewed and argues that a more comprehensive study of assimilation must include not only an analysis of whether migrants have adopted a characteristic of the host nation’s population, but also an analysis of whether they have adopted the sentiments their native born counterparts have attached to them. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/845 Abstract: The Motzfeldt centre is one of four major alkaline centres belonging to the Igaliko complex of South Greenland. The melts parental to the Motzfeldt centre are interpreted from Hf isotopes to be derived form a common mantle source which experienced subsequent isotopic contamination from older crustal components during the interval between segregation and emplacement. Magmatism within the centre commenced with the emplacement of the Motzfeldt Sø Formation at 1273 ± 8 Ma. This unit is unique within the Motzfeldt intrusion as it is characterised by a high degree of textural and mineralogical variability and hosts localised Nb, Ta, U, Th, Zr and REE mineralisation associated with pyrochlore and late-stage REE bearing carbonate phases. Biotite halogen contents show that in addition to enrichment of incompatible elements the MSF and Motzfeldt centre in general is particularly rich in F. The elevated F content is inferred to have extended the crystallisation interval of the melt and facilitated fractionation down to relatively low temperatures. The unusual enrichment of F and incompatible elements in the MSF is suggested to represent the first and most evolved melts extracted from the top of a stratified storage chamber at depth. The MSF is also characterised by pervasive subsolidus alteration, giving the rock and region a striking brick red colour. Pb-Pb pyrochlore studies indicate that alteration in the formation was effectively synchronous (1267 ± 6 Ma), with the magmatic age of emplacement. Fluid inclusion studies suggest that contemporaneous to the exsolution of juvenile, high salinity, F-rich fluids was the wholesale influx of hydrothermally convected low salinity groundwaters through the formation. The presence of pervasive late-stage hematite and calcite throughout the MSF suggests that the oxidation potential of the bulk fluid increased above the hematite-magnetite buffer during the waning stages of the hydrothermal phase. Mineralisation was promoted by this shift in fluid composition, reducing the complexing potential of fluid ligands and facilitating mineralisation within the high-levels units of the intrusion where alteration is most intense. Economic mineralisation associated with the centre is inferred to be largely sourced from the parental melts, however the role the hydrothermal phase played was particularly important in locally mobilising and concentrating incompatible elements within the high-level units of the formation. 2009-06-25T00:00:00Z McCreath, Jamie Alan The Motzfeldt centre is one of four major alkaline centres belonging to the Igaliko complex of South Greenland. The melts parental to the Motzfeldt centre are interpreted from Hf isotopes to be derived form a common mantle source which experienced subsequent isotopic contamination from older crustal components during the interval between segregation and emplacement. Magmatism within the centre commenced with the emplacement of the Motzfeldt Sø Formation at 1273 ± 8 Ma. This unit is unique within the Motzfeldt intrusion as it is characterised by a high degree of textural and mineralogical variability and hosts localised Nb, Ta, U, Th, Zr and REE mineralisation associated with pyrochlore and late-stage REE bearing carbonate phases. Biotite halogen contents show that in addition to enrichment of incompatible elements the MSF and Motzfeldt centre in general is particularly rich in F. The elevated F content is inferred to have extended the crystallisation interval of the melt and facilitated fractionation down to relatively low temperatures. The unusual enrichment of F and incompatible elements in the MSF is suggested to represent the first and most evolved melts extracted from the top of a stratified storage chamber at depth. The MSF is also characterised by pervasive subsolidus alteration, giving the rock and region a striking brick red colour. Pb-Pb pyrochlore studies indicate that alteration in the formation was effectively synchronous (1267 ± 6 Ma), with the magmatic age of emplacement. Fluid inclusion studies suggest that contemporaneous to the exsolution of juvenile, high salinity, F-rich fluids was the wholesale influx of hydrothermally convected low salinity groundwaters through the formation. The presence of pervasive late-stage hematite and calcite throughout the MSF suggests that the oxidation potential of the bulk fluid increased above the hematite-magnetite buffer during the waning stages of the hydrothermal phase. Mineralisation was promoted by this shift in fluid composition, reducing the complexing potential of fluid ligands and facilitating mineralisation within the high-levels units of the intrusion where alteration is most intense. Economic mineralisation associated with the centre is inferred to be largely sourced from the parental melts, however the role the hydrothermal phase played was particularly important in locally mobilising and concentrating incompatible elements within the high-level units of the formation. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/825 Abstract: The central hypothesis of this study was that the allocation system for NHS hospital and community health services between 1997 and 2003 was not meeting key principles of compensating for differences in the need for services and unavoidable costs. The review and analyses in this study indicate that the underpinning assumptions used when formulating the need adjustment were not robust and that this led to the selection of inappropriate proxies for need. In addition it is concluded that the age adjustment underestimated the costs of elderly care. This study has concluded that the pay adjustment, which was the largest in the formula, did not reflect actual unavoidable differences in cost because the Warwick studies that were used to set the adjustment ignored the monopsonistic nature of the NHS. As a consequence the pay adjustment was based on the assumption that NHS salaries should be related to local salaries. This study identified unavoidable additional costs of providing healthcare in rural areas. These findings were consistent with other comprehensive studies on healthcare costs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This study concludes that the exclusion of a market forces adjustment for rurality was inconsistent with all other comparable allocation formulae in the Home Countries. The absence of a rurality adjustment resulted in rural areas receiving a lower proportion of NHS funding than was justified and this is referred to as the Inverse Share Law. This study concludes that the central hypothesis was correct and that a rurality adjustment was justified, but that the principal determinant of service quality was an adequate focus on efficiency. 2009-11-30T00:00:00Z White, Christopher P. The central hypothesis of this study was that the allocation system for NHS hospital and community health services between 1997 and 2003 was not meeting key principles of compensating for differences in the need for services and unavoidable costs. The review and analyses in this study indicate that the underpinning assumptions used when formulating the need adjustment were not robust and that this led to the selection of inappropriate proxies for need. In addition it is concluded that the age adjustment underestimated the costs of elderly care. This study has concluded that the pay adjustment, which was the largest in the formula, did not reflect actual unavoidable differences in cost because the Warwick studies that were used to set the adjustment ignored the monopsonistic nature of the NHS. As a consequence the pay adjustment was based on the assumption that NHS salaries should be related to local salaries. This study identified unavoidable additional costs of providing healthcare in rural areas. These findings were consistent with other comprehensive studies on healthcare costs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This study concludes that the exclusion of a market forces adjustment for rurality was inconsistent with all other comparable allocation formulae in the Home Countries. The absence of a rurality adjustment resulted in rural areas receiving a lower proportion of NHS funding than was justified and this is referred to as the Inverse Share Law. This study concludes that the central hypothesis was correct and that a rurality adjustment was justified, but that the principal determinant of service quality was an adequate focus on efficiency. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/819 Abstract: This thesis is based on a population study conducted to explore ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease using Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The Hospital Episode Statistics have significant potential for health studies for ethnic groups, due to the large number of events from minority ethnic groups, comprehensive clinical information, full England coverage and fine geographical scale. However, the percentage of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) with invalid ethnicity codes is at a high level. This thesis starts by developing a record linkage method and a coding rate method to improve the data quality of ethnicity codes in the HES. This thesis then further examines ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease incidence in England at both national and local geographical scales. The patterns of ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease appear to have changed little in the last ten years. However, large variations of geographical relative risk of cardiovascular disease were observed for ethnicity-sex groups. The relationships between areal socioeconomic status measured at different geographical scales and ethnic inequalities in different types of cardiovascular disease were also explored. As there are very limited data on the mortality of minority ethnic groups in the UK, few studies have compared the incidence and outcome of cardiovascular disease from the same population. This thesis came up with some novel findings, for example, that people from minority ethnic groups, who generally have increased risk of cardiovascular disease incidence, have better cardiovascular disease survival than white people. The contribution of areal socioeconomic status, distance to treatment sites and cardiovascular disease severity and treatment to the ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular survival was examined. The relationships between socioeconomic status measured at different geographical scales and ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease severity and treatment were investigated in this thesis as well. 2009-06-11T00:00:00Z Liu, Lixun This thesis is based on a population study conducted to explore ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease using Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The Hospital Episode Statistics have significant potential for health studies for ethnic groups, due to the large number of events from minority ethnic groups, comprehensive clinical information, full England coverage and fine geographical scale. However, the percentage of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) with invalid ethnicity codes is at a high level. This thesis starts by developing a record linkage method and a coding rate method to improve the data quality of ethnicity codes in the HES. This thesis then further examines ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease incidence in England at both national and local geographical scales. The patterns of ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease appear to have changed little in the last ten years. However, large variations of geographical relative risk of cardiovascular disease were observed for ethnicity-sex groups. The relationships between areal socioeconomic status measured at different geographical scales and ethnic inequalities in different types of cardiovascular disease were also explored. As there are very limited data on the mortality of minority ethnic groups in the UK, few studies have compared the incidence and outcome of cardiovascular disease from the same population. This thesis came up with some novel findings, for example, that people from minority ethnic groups, who generally have increased risk of cardiovascular disease incidence, have better cardiovascular disease survival than white people. The contribution of areal socioeconomic status, distance to treatment sites and cardiovascular disease severity and treatment to the ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular survival was examined. The relationships between socioeconomic status measured at different geographical scales and ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease severity and treatment were investigated in this thesis as well. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/775 Abstract: A new model proposed by Benn et al. (2006, 2007) explains the dynamics of calving glaciers based on a new sliding law and a calving criterion modified from a crevasse depth model. In this thesis three key elements of this model are tested: 1) the role of longitudinal stretching as a result of velocity gradients, which pre-conditions ice at the glacier terminus for calving failure; 2) the accurate prediction of crevasse depths from strain rates, for inclusion within a calving model as a calving criterion; 3) the role of dynamically induced thinning (as a result of longitudinal stretching at an accelerating glacier) in causing further acceleration and calving retreat and the onset of a dynamic thinning feedback through reduced basal pressure. Field results show that longitudinal strain rates are important controls on calving glaciers, controlling both dynamic thinning and crevasse depths. Crevasse-depth models proposed by Van der Veen (1998a, 1998b) and Nye (1957) work well in predicting crevasse depths based on measured strain rates. The latter in particular is suitable for inclusion as a calving criterion when modified with a yield criterion. The importance of water in enhancing propagation of crevasses is demonstrated through modelling studies, and is implicitly included in the calving model. Measured rates of dynamic thinning at Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacier in South East Iceland, confirm the importance of this process within a calving model and results from a simple 1-D model show that the new sliding law not only predicts velocities effectively, but can also predict the position of a calving terminus based on strain rates and the calving criterion. Suggestions are made for further more detailed modelling, including time evolution and longitudinal stress gradients, to apply the model to a range of glaciers and to predict the response of calving glaciers to climatic and environmental changes. 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Mottram, Ruth A new model proposed by Benn et al. (2006, 2007) explains the dynamics of calving glaciers based on a new sliding law and a calving criterion modified from a crevasse depth model. In this thesis three key elements of this model are tested: 1) the role of longitudinal stretching as a result of velocity gradients, which pre-conditions ice at the glacier terminus for calving failure; 2) the accurate prediction of crevasse depths from strain rates, for inclusion within a calving model as a calving criterion; 3) the role of dynamically induced thinning (as a result of longitudinal stretching at an accelerating glacier) in causing further acceleration and calving retreat and the onset of a dynamic thinning feedback through reduced basal pressure. Field results show that longitudinal strain rates are important controls on calving glaciers, controlling both dynamic thinning and crevasse depths. Crevasse-depth models proposed by Van der Veen (1998a, 1998b) and Nye (1957) work well in predicting crevasse depths based on measured strain rates. The latter in particular is suitable for inclusion as a calving criterion when modified with a yield criterion. The importance of water in enhancing propagation of crevasses is demonstrated through modelling studies, and is implicitly included in the calving model. Measured rates of dynamic thinning at Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacier in South East Iceland, confirm the importance of this process within a calving model and results from a simple 1-D model show that the new sliding law not only predicts velocities effectively, but can also predict the position of a calving terminus based on strain rates and the calving criterion. Suggestions are made for further more detailed modelling, including time evolution and longitudinal stress gradients, to apply the model to a range of glaciers and to predict the response of calving glaciers to climatic and environmental changes. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/756 Abstract: This study investigates the photoluminescence (PL), cathodoluminescence (CL), radioluminescence (RL) and ionoluminescence (IL) of natural and synthetic minerals. The natural minerals (fluorapatite, leucophanite, meliphanite and zircon) are mostly from Ilímaussaq Alkaline Complex in South Greenland, Langesundsfjord in Norway and from different localities within Scotland. Synthetic fluorapatite (manufactured as part of the present study) and zircon doped with rare earth elements (REE) were used to compare single and multidoped materials. This study has shown that many of the generally accepted applications of luminescence are not as straightforward as often suggested by the current literature. For example, the study demonstrates how site distribution of REE, based on luminescence, is greatly affected by the dopant level and structural changes, and that different conclusions can be drawn on the same sample depending on method applied. Furthermore, it is clearly demonstrated that using luminescence as a tool for quantitative trace element determination is not going to be a standard technique in the near future if ever. The two main findings supporting this conclusion are the non-linear intensity decrease between different REE activators in the same sample and a large variation between activators at the concentration at which self-quenching starts. In contrast to the general perception that luminescence related to REE is mostly independent of the host, this study has shown a strong interaction between host and REE activators. This conclusion is supported by the change in the activator’s coordination polyhedron observed with single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction combined with full chemical characterisation. When combining the weak interaction between some REE with the strong host interaction this study has shown the potential for designing new types of colour tuneable and “white light” LEDs based on natural minerals. This study also reveals that zircon doped with Gd³⁺ and Eu³⁺ can potentially have quantum-cutting properties. 2009-06-25T00:00:00Z Friis, Henrik This study investigates the photoluminescence (PL), cathodoluminescence (CL), radioluminescence (RL) and ionoluminescence (IL) of natural and synthetic minerals. The natural minerals (fluorapatite, leucophanite, meliphanite and zircon) are mostly from Ilímaussaq Alkaline Complex in South Greenland, Langesundsfjord in Norway and from different localities within Scotland. Synthetic fluorapatite (manufactured as part of the present study) and zircon doped with rare earth elements (REE) were used to compare single and multidoped materials. This study has shown that many of the generally accepted applications of luminescence are not as straightforward as often suggested by the current literature. For example, the study demonstrates how site distribution of REE, based on luminescence, is greatly affected by the dopant level and structural changes, and that different conclusions can be drawn on the same sample depending on method applied. Furthermore, it is clearly demonstrated that using luminescence as a tool for quantitative trace element determination is not going to be a standard technique in the near future if ever. The two main findings supporting this conclusion are the non-linear intensity decrease between different REE activators in the same sample and a large variation between activators at the concentration at which self-quenching starts. In contrast to the general perception that luminescence related to REE is mostly independent of the host, this study has shown a strong interaction between host and REE activators. This conclusion is supported by the change in the activator’s coordination polyhedron observed with single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction combined with full chemical characterisation. When combining the weak interaction between some REE with the strong host interaction this study has shown the potential for designing new types of colour tuneable and “white light” LEDs based on natural minerals. This study also reveals that zircon doped with Gd³⁺ and Eu³⁺ can potentially have quantum-cutting properties. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/726 Abstract: This thesis presents a new template for multidisciplinary habitat mapping that combines the analyses of seafloor geomorphology, oceanographic proxies and modelling of associated biologic features. High resolution swath bathymetry of the Faial and western Pico shelves is used to present the first state-of-the-art geomorphologic assessment of submerged island shelves in the Azores. Solid seafloor structures are described in previously unreported detail together with associated volcanic, tectonic and erosion processes. The large sedimentary expanses identified in the area are also investigated and the large bedforms identified are discussed in view of new data on the local hydrodynamic conditions. Coarse-sediment zones of types hitherto unreported for volcanic island shelves are described using swath data and in situ imagery together with sub-bottom profiles and grainsize information. The hydrodynamic and geological processes producing these features are discussed. New oceanographic information extracted from satellite imagery is presented including yearly and seasonal sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration fields. These are used as proxies to understand the spatio-temporal variability of water temperature and primary productivity in the immediate island vicinity. The patterns observed are discussed, including onshore-offshore gradients and the prevalence of colder/more productive waters in the Faial-Pico passage and shelf areas in general. Furthermore, oceanographic proxies for swell exposure and tidal currents are derived from GIS analyses and shallow-water hydrographic modelling. Finally, environmental variables that potentially regulate the distribution of benthic organisms (seafloor nature, depth, slope, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, swell exposure and maximum tidal currents) are brought together and used to develop innovative statistical models of the distribution of six macroalgae taxa dominant in the infralittoral (articulated Corallinaceae, Codium elisabethae, Dictyota spp., Halopteris filicina, Padina pavonica and Zonaria tournefortii). Predictive distributions of these macroalgae are spatialized around Faial island using ordered logistic regression equations and raster fields of the explanatory variables found to be statistically significant. This new approach represents a potentially highly significant step forward in modelling benthic communities not only in the Azores but also in other oceanic island shelves where the management of benthic species and biotopes is critical to preserve ecosystem health. 2009-06-23T00:00:00Z Tempera, Fernando This thesis presents a new template for multidisciplinary habitat mapping that combines the analyses of seafloor geomorphology, oceanographic proxies and modelling of associated biologic features. High resolution swath bathymetry of the Faial and western Pico shelves is used to present the first state-of-the-art geomorphologic assessment of submerged island shelves in the Azores. Solid seafloor structures are described in previously unreported detail together with associated volcanic, tectonic and erosion processes. The large sedimentary expanses identified in the area are also investigated and the large bedforms identified are discussed in view of new data on the local hydrodynamic conditions. Coarse-sediment zones of types hitherto unreported for volcanic island shelves are described using swath data and in situ imagery together with sub-bottom profiles and grainsize information. The hydrodynamic and geological processes producing these features are discussed. New oceanographic information extracted from satellite imagery is presented including yearly and seasonal sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration fields. These are used as proxies to understand the spatio-temporal variability of water temperature and primary productivity in the immediate island vicinity. The patterns observed are discussed, including onshore-offshore gradients and the prevalence of colder/more productive waters in the Faial-Pico passage and shelf areas in general. Furthermore, oceanographic proxies for swell exposure and tidal currents are derived from GIS analyses and shallow-water hydrographic modelling. Finally, environmental variables that potentially regulate the distribution of benthic organisms (seafloor nature, depth, slope, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, swell exposure and maximum tidal currents) are brought together and used to develop innovative statistical models of the distribution of six macroalgae taxa dominant in the infralittoral (articulated Corallinaceae, Codium elisabethae, Dictyota spp., Halopteris filicina, Padina pavonica and Zonaria tournefortii). Predictive distributions of these macroalgae are spatialized around Faial island using ordered logistic regression equations and raster fields of the explanatory variables found to be statistically significant. This new approach represents a potentially highly significant step forward in modelling benthic communities not only in the Azores but also in other oceanic island shelves where the management of benthic species and biotopes is critical to preserve ecosystem health. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/693 Abstract: For many years, educators, psychologists and parents have expressed concern about the apparent deterioration of pupil motivation and performance after children move to secondary school. This study used a longitudinal design to examine the transfer process from the perspective of a group of 393 children (195 boys, 198 girls) as they moved from 19 primary schools to four secondary schools in Fife. Children’s self-perceptions of school commitment, school belonging, school participation, self-esteem and global wellbeing were evaluated four times over a 13 month period, twice before transfer in the final year of primary school and twice after transfer in the first year of secondary school. Information was also collected about family and home life, emotions, lifestyle and school on each occasion. The data was analysed using multilevel modelling in order to examine how each of the five outcome variables changed over the time of the study, and how they related to a series of independent variables. It was anticipated that changes in these outcomes may have occurred immediately after the move to secondary school, perhaps followed by an improvement six months later after they had adapted to changes and settled in to their new schools. The results showed that, contrary to expectations, all outcomes except school participation recorded an improvement at wave 3, immediately after the transfer to secondary school. However, there was some evidence that after an initial ‘honeymoon period’, children perceived certain aspects of school in a less positive light and by wave 4 there was a decline in all outcomes except for the perception of self-esteem, which continued to improve. Since wave 4 was only a few months after transition, a significant change in children’s views is seen quite quickly after transfer. It is not clear whether this represents a return to a more realistic level or if this signals the beginning of a more prolonged negative attitude towards school and education in general. The general conclusion is that the process of transfer to secondary schools is well managed, but it might be helpful for induction programmes to prepare children for the changes in teaching and learning methods that might be encountered, and perhaps other types of programme might be beneficial during the first year. 2009-06-25T00:00:00Z Horobin, M. Vivienne For many years, educators, psychologists and parents have expressed concern about the apparent deterioration of pupil motivation and performance after children move to secondary school. This study used a longitudinal design to examine the transfer process from the perspective of a group of 393 children (195 boys, 198 girls) as they moved from 19 primary schools to four secondary schools in Fife. Children’s self-perceptions of school commitment, school belonging, school participation, self-esteem and global wellbeing were evaluated four times over a 13 month period, twice before transfer in the final year of primary school and twice after transfer in the first year of secondary school. Information was also collected about family and home life, emotions, lifestyle and school on each occasion. The data was analysed using multilevel modelling in order to examine how each of the five outcome variables changed over the time of the study, and how they related to a series of independent variables. It was anticipated that changes in these outcomes may have occurred immediately after the move to secondary school, perhaps followed by an improvement six months later after they had adapted to changes and settled in to their new schools. The results showed that, contrary to expectations, all outcomes except school participation recorded an improvement at wave 3, immediately after the transfer to secondary school. However, there was some evidence that after an initial ‘honeymoon period’, children perceived certain aspects of school in a less positive light and by wave 4 there was a decline in all outcomes except for the perception of self-esteem, which continued to improve. Since wave 4 was only a few months after transition, a significant change in children’s views is seen quite quickly after transfer. It is not clear whether this represents a return to a more realistic level or if this signals the beginning of a more prolonged negative attitude towards school and education in general. The general conclusion is that the process of transfer to secondary schools is well managed, but it might be helpful for induction programmes to prepare children for the changes in teaching and learning methods that might be encountered, and perhaps other types of programme might be beneficial during the first year. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/630 Abstract: This thesis examines the role of primary health care delivery in rural India but specifically focuses on aspects from Karnataka state. It broadly reflects on the differences that exist between urban and rural populations' access to healthcare. The concept of primary health care appears to have lost its lustre at present, it was once enthusiastically promoted in the late 1970s and 1980s but as chronic problems appeared to affect the smooth delivery of healthcare and nowadays major global bodies like the WHO and IMF have relegated primary health concept to a lower level. However in countries like India, which adopted this concept although its implementation has been riddled with complex ongoing problems, there are not sufficient grounds to abandon it completely. These problems are mainly due to the slow implementation, which has left a vast rural population with little or no access to healthcare. Primary health care strongly promotes equity of access hence is vital in many developing nations. Recruiting highly skilled personnel to work in rural health centres has been an ongoing problem, which hinders the effective delivery of healthcare. A policy followed by Karnataka state tries to rectify this problem by offering postgraduate positions to junior doctors who are willing to work in rural areas. The efficacy of this policy is closely examined from two perspectives. Those who consume healthcare in rural areas are given an opportunity to voice their concerns and also the doctors who work there represent the views of the providers of healthcare. This study was conducted in Bidar district, which lies in the north of Karnataka. Bidar is identified comparatively as a less developed district that has many problems associated with poverty and poor health status. In the process of conducting research a variety of interesting aspects have been highlighted. My hope is that relevant authorities identify with the problems and take measures that could benefit many people's lives. Interestingly it transpires from the views expressed by the rural population that they have a good grasp of what they think they will need to access a better form of healthcare from the existing system. However it appears that there is almost a universal fatalistic acceptance of them being helpless and voiceless about making any to change by their suggestions nor did most of them have a hope of influencing future prospects. The studies also indicated that where there is a better level of provision there the people tend to access healthcare from authentic sources as opposed to unregistered and unqualified personnel. The doctors suggested that the policy is very useful provide certain intrinsic changes are made. On the one hand they did accept that their cost benefit and academic value of this policy is great. On the other hand they suggested the hurdles put in the course of achieving the postgraduate position are arduous and often vague sets of guidelines are imposed, making it very hard to make a straightforward transition from working in rural areas to getting a postgraduate position of choice. The doctors working on temporary contracts appeared to suffer genuine discrimination especially due to number of years they spent trying to get permanent position, years which were not counted towards their ambition of further education. Where it appears there is very little difference in the roles and responsibility between permanent and temporary contract doctors the question of why it does not occur to the authorities to redress this issue is discussed. 2008-11-15T00:00:00Z Salins, Swarthick E This thesis examines the role of primary health care delivery in rural India but specifically focuses on aspects from Karnataka state. It broadly reflects on the differences that exist between urban and rural populations' access to healthcare. The concept of primary health care appears to have lost its lustre at present, it was once enthusiastically promoted in the late 1970s and 1980s but as chronic problems appeared to affect the smooth delivery of healthcare and nowadays major global bodies like the WHO and IMF have relegated primary health concept to a lower level. However in countries like India, which adopted this concept although its implementation has been riddled with complex ongoing problems, there are not sufficient grounds to abandon it completely. These problems are mainly due to the slow implementation, which has left a vast rural population with little or no access to healthcare. Primary health care strongly promotes equity of access hence is vital in many developing nations. Recruiting highly skilled personnel to work in rural health centres has been an ongoing problem, which hinders the effective delivery of healthcare. A policy followed by Karnataka state tries to rectify this problem by offering postgraduate positions to junior doctors who are willing to work in rural areas. The efficacy of this policy is closely examined from two perspectives. Those who consume healthcare in rural areas are given an opportunity to voice their concerns and also the doctors who work there represent the views of the providers of healthcare. This study was conducted in Bidar district, which lies in the north of Karnataka. Bidar is identified comparatively as a less developed district that has many problems associated with poverty and poor health status. In the process of conducting research a variety of interesting aspects have been highlighted. My hope is that relevant authorities identify with the problems and take measures that could benefit many people's lives. Interestingly it transpires from the views expressed by the rural population that they have a good grasp of what they think they will need to access a better form of healthcare from the existing system. However it appears that there is almost a universal fatalistic acceptance of them being helpless and voiceless about making any to change by their suggestions nor did most of them have a hope of influencing future prospects. The studies also indicated that where there is a better level of provision there the people tend to access healthcare from authentic sources as opposed to unregistered and unqualified personnel. The doctors suggested that the policy is very useful provide certain intrinsic changes are made. On the one hand they did accept that their cost benefit and academic value of this policy is great. On the other hand they suggested the hurdles put in the course of achieving the postgraduate position are arduous and often vague sets of guidelines are imposed, making it very hard to make a straightforward transition from working in rural areas to getting a postgraduate position of choice. The doctors working on temporary contracts appeared to suffer genuine discrimination especially due to number of years they spent trying to get permanent position, years which were not counted towards their ambition of further education. Where it appears there is very little difference in the roles and responsibility between permanent and temporary contract doctors the question of why it does not occur to the authorities to redress this issue is discussed. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/525 Abstract: A high-resolution investigation into the stratigraphy of core MD95-2006 from the Barra fan, NW Scottish continental slope has been carried out. The study focuses on key palaeoceanographic proxies (percentage Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s), planktonic foraminiferal stable isotopes, planktonic foraminiferal and ice-rafted debris concentrations) throughout the interval between and including Heinrich Event 4 and Heinrich Event 2. A newly constructed age model produced through ties to the GRIP Greenland ice core record places this interval at approximately 20-48 ka BP. The interval covers the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the start of Marine Isotope Stage 2, dating the MIS3/2 transition at 25.34-26.57 ka BP. Results reveal novel information on the dynamics of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) through this period and their relationship with other circum-North Atlantic ice sheets through a particular focus on the structure and provenance of Heinrich Events 2 and 4 within MD95-2006. The study reveals that at the time of Heinrich Event 4, placed at 36.2-36.7 ka BP, the BIS was of limited extent and significant ice sheet expansion only occurred after ca. 26.5 ka BP, coinciding with the MIS3/2 transition in the MD95-2006 record. It appears that the margin of the BIS reached the continental slope around 25 ka BP and it is likely that the period between 21.5 and 25 ka BP, represents the maximum extent of the NW Scottish ice sheet. At the time of H4, the BIS was of limited extent whereas the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) was already significantly expanded, thus the dominant radioisotopic signal seen in H4 sediment in MD95-2006 is that of LIS icebergs, overcoming the BIS contribution. In contrast, H2 (21.56-21.72 ka BP) occurs at a time of increased delivery of icebergs from all North Atlantic ice sheets however the MD95-2006 record dominated by the influence of the proximal BIS. This is revealed in both the increased background level of IRD delivery and the correspondence of background and peak IRD radioisotopic ratios tending towards British provenance. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Leigh, Sasha Naomi Bharier A high-resolution investigation into the stratigraphy of core MD95-2006 from the Barra fan, NW Scottish continental slope has been carried out. The study focuses on key palaeoceanographic proxies (percentage Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s), planktonic foraminiferal stable isotopes, planktonic foraminiferal and ice-rafted debris concentrations) throughout the interval between and including Heinrich Event 4 and Heinrich Event 2. A newly constructed age model produced through ties to the GRIP Greenland ice core record places this interval at approximately 20-48 ka BP. The interval covers the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the start of Marine Isotope Stage 2, dating the MIS3/2 transition at 25.34-26.57 ka BP. Results reveal novel information on the dynamics of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) through this period and their relationship with other circum-North Atlantic ice sheets through a particular focus on the structure and provenance of Heinrich Events 2 and 4 within MD95-2006. The study reveals that at the time of Heinrich Event 4, placed at 36.2-36.7 ka BP, the BIS was of limited extent and significant ice sheet expansion only occurred after ca. 26.5 ka BP, coinciding with the MIS3/2 transition in the MD95-2006 record. It appears that the margin of the BIS reached the continental slope around 25 ka BP and it is likely that the period between 21.5 and 25 ka BP, represents the maximum extent of the NW Scottish ice sheet. At the time of H4, the BIS was of limited extent whereas the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) was already significantly expanded, thus the dominant radioisotopic signal seen in H4 sediment in MD95-2006 is that of LIS icebergs, overcoming the BIS contribution. In contrast, H2 (21.56-21.72 ka BP) occurs at a time of increased delivery of icebergs from all North Atlantic ice sheets however the MD95-2006 record dominated by the influence of the proximal BIS. This is revealed in both the increased background level of IRD delivery and the correspondence of background and peak IRD radioisotopic ratios tending towards British provenance. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/465 Abstract: The Modifiable Areal Unit Phenomenon (MAUP) has traditionally been regarded as a problem in the analysis of spatial data organised in areal units. However, the approach adopted here is that the MAUP provides an opportunity to gain information about the data under investigation. Crucially, attempts to remove the MAUP from spatial data are regarded as an attempt to remove the geography. Therefore, the work seeks to provide an insight to the causes of, and information behind, the MAUP. The data used is from the 1991 Census of Great Britain. This was chosen over 2001 data due to the availability of individual level data. These data are of key importance to the methods employed. The methods seek to provide evidence of the magnitude of the MAUP, and more specifically the scale effect in the GB Census. This evidence is built on using correlation analysis to demonstrate the statistical significance of the MAUP. Having established the relevance of the MAUP in the context of current geographical research, the factors that contribute to the incidence of the MAUP are considered, and it is noted that a wide range of influences are important. These include the population size and density of an area, along with proportion of a variable. This discussion also recognises the importance of homogeneity as an influential factor, something that is referenced throughout the work. Finally, a search is made for spatial processes. This uses spatial autocorrelation and multilevel modelling to investigate the impact spatial processes have in a range of SAR Districts, like Glasgow, Reigate and Huntingdonshire, on the scale effect. The research is brought together, not to solve the MAUP but to provide an insight into the factors that cause the MAUP, and demonstrate the usefulness of the MAUP as a concept rather than a problem. 2006-06-20T00:00:00Z Manley, David J The Modifiable Areal Unit Phenomenon (MAUP) has traditionally been regarded as a problem in the analysis of spatial data organised in areal units. However, the approach adopted here is that the MAUP provides an opportunity to gain information about the data under investigation. Crucially, attempts to remove the MAUP from spatial data are regarded as an attempt to remove the geography. Therefore, the work seeks to provide an insight to the causes of, and information behind, the MAUP. The data used is from the 1991 Census of Great Britain. This was chosen over 2001 data due to the availability of individual level data. These data are of key importance to the methods employed. The methods seek to provide evidence of the magnitude of the MAUP, and more specifically the scale effect in the GB Census. This evidence is built on using correlation analysis to demonstrate the statistical significance of the MAUP. Having established the relevance of the MAUP in the context of current geographical research, the factors that contribute to the incidence of the MAUP are considered, and it is noted that a wide range of influences are important. These include the population size and density of an area, along with proportion of a variable. This discussion also recognises the importance of homogeneity as an influential factor, something that is referenced throughout the work. Finally, a search is made for spatial processes. This uses spatial autocorrelation and multilevel modelling to investigate the impact spatial processes have in a range of SAR Districts, like Glasgow, Reigate and Huntingdonshire, on the scale effect. The research is brought together, not to solve the MAUP but to provide an insight into the factors that cause the MAUP, and demonstrate the usefulness of the MAUP as a concept rather than a problem. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/454 Abstract: This thesis focuses on children who have lost both parents and are currently living on their own as child headed households (CHHs) in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Children heading households and taking care of siblings is a very “un-childlike” behaviour yet these are growing phenomena. Through an exploration of how CHHs are constituted and evolve the thesis aims to examine whether local constructions of childhood are being (re) conceptualised as a result of Zimbabwe’s escalating HIV/AIDS crisis. In particular it examines whether the socialisation of children within ‘child only’ units is leading to social transformation and/or whether children are in some way attempting to mimic ‘normal’ family/gender relations. It also looks at CHH’s interactions with adults and explores how these affect survival strategies, socialisation and conceptualisations of childhood. This thesis draws on an intensive ethnographic research project with five CHHs and their siblings in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Participant observation, narratives, drama, essays, focus groups, conversations and participatory techniques were employed to gain an in-depth insight into household evolution, the socialisation of family members, gender roles and survival strategies. The thesis shows that while children living in CHHs are vulnerable, they exhibited considerable competence and capabilities to sustain themselves. However, state and non-governmental organisations’ definition of childhood and orphanhood on the other hand, and cultural and local understanding of childhood and orphanhood produce new conceptual struggles of childhood that impacts negatively on the CHHs’ integration into society and their capacity to function fully. The ambivalent position of orphaned children in CHHs needs to be addressed if CHHs are to be recognised as an alternative orphan care arrangement. 2008-06-24T00:00:00Z Francis-Chizororo, Monica This thesis focuses on children who have lost both parents and are currently living on their own as child headed households (CHHs) in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Children heading households and taking care of siblings is a very “un-childlike” behaviour yet these are growing phenomena. Through an exploration of how CHHs are constituted and evolve the thesis aims to examine whether local constructions of childhood are being (re) conceptualised as a result of Zimbabwe’s escalating HIV/AIDS crisis. In particular it examines whether the socialisation of children within ‘child only’ units is leading to social transformation and/or whether children are in some way attempting to mimic ‘normal’ family/gender relations. It also looks at CHH’s interactions with adults and explores how these affect survival strategies, socialisation and conceptualisations of childhood. This thesis draws on an intensive ethnographic research project with five CHHs and their siblings in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Participant observation, narratives, drama, essays, focus groups, conversations and participatory techniques were employed to gain an in-depth insight into household evolution, the socialisation of family members, gender roles and survival strategies. The thesis shows that while children living in CHHs are vulnerable, they exhibited considerable competence and capabilities to sustain themselves. However, state and non-governmental organisations’ definition of childhood and orphanhood on the other hand, and cultural and local understanding of childhood and orphanhood produce new conceptual struggles of childhood that impacts negatively on the CHHs’ integration into society and their capacity to function fully. The ambivalent position of orphaned children in CHHs needs to be addressed if CHHs are to be recognised as an alternative orphan care arrangement. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/411 Abstract: The potential of Arctica islandica, a long lived marine bivalve with a lifespan of over 300 years, to reconstruct a high resolution (sub-annual) climate record is explored in this thesis. Fluctuations in trace element and isotopic data from live-collected specimens from Irvine Bay, NW Scotland are compared to instrumental (particularly temperature) data. X-ray absorption spectroscopy data demonstrate the coordination state of Sr and Mg within the shell. These are consistent with models in which Sr substitutes ideally for Ca in aragonite, and Mg is bound predominantly to organic molecules. Sr/Ca incorporation may be influenced by changes in the crystal nucleation, propagation and growth rate as well as vital effects. However any effect of seawater temperature on Sr/Ca incorporation was obscured by these other factors. Mg concentration is not a linear function of a single environmental variable or organic content within the shell, indicating that Mg uptake is biologically mediated. Ba variation shows sporadic increases (of >500% above baseline) in both shells, the timing of which is similar between the prismatic layer and umbo region. The maxima are, however, not synchronous between the two shells analysed. The controls on Ba uptake require further research, but low Ba/Ca may reflect Ba/Ca concentrations within the seawater. Aliquots taken from cod otoliths show that micromilling has negligible effect on δ¹⁸O. The range of reconstructed temperature from δ¹⁸O profiles Arctica islandica shows good agreement with the sea surface temperature data from the nearby Millport marine station to within 2.1 °C. However, both the interannual and intra-annual variation appears to be sensitive to changes in temporal resolution resulting from changes in growth rates. Modelling of δ¹⁸O highlights dependence on changes in temporal resolution of the sampling, in addition to temperature and salinity. Results from the radiocarbon pilot study show that Arctica islandica is a suitable archive for changes in radiocarbon associated with anthropogenic ¹⁴C fluxes. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Foster, Laura The potential of Arctica islandica, a long lived marine bivalve with a lifespan of over 300 years, to reconstruct a high resolution (sub-annual) climate record is explored in this thesis. Fluctuations in trace element and isotopic data from live-collected specimens from Irvine Bay, NW Scotland are compared to instrumental (particularly temperature) data. X-ray absorption spectroscopy data demonstrate the coordination state of Sr and Mg within the shell. These are consistent with models in which Sr substitutes ideally for Ca in aragonite, and Mg is bound predominantly to organic molecules. Sr/Ca incorporation may be influenced by changes in the crystal nucleation, propagation and growth rate as well as vital effects. However any effect of seawater temperature on Sr/Ca incorporation was obscured by these other factors. Mg concentration is not a linear function of a single environmental variable or organic content within the shell, indicating that Mg uptake is biologically mediated. Ba variation shows sporadic increases (of >500% above baseline) in both shells, the timing of which is similar between the prismatic layer and umbo region. The maxima are, however, not synchronous between the two shells analysed. The controls on Ba uptake require further research, but low Ba/Ca may reflect Ba/Ca concentrations within the seawater. Aliquots taken from cod otoliths show that micromilling has negligible effect on δ¹⁸O. The range of reconstructed temperature from δ¹⁸O profiles Arctica islandica shows good agreement with the sea surface temperature data from the nearby Millport marine station to within 2.1 °C. However, both the interannual and intra-annual variation appears to be sensitive to changes in temporal resolution resulting from changes in growth rates. Modelling of δ¹⁸O highlights dependence on changes in temporal resolution of the sampling, in addition to temperature and salinity. Results from the radiocarbon pilot study show that Arctica islandica is a suitable archive for changes in radiocarbon associated with anthropogenic ¹⁴C fluxes. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/161 Abstract: This thesis investigates the effects of national patterns of migration on informal support for older adults in contemporary Scotland. It argues that geography matters, and develops a multi-scale conceptual framework to analyse the relationships among population mobility, contrasting local contexts in which older people live, and care and support from the intergenerational family and the community. 130 older persons from three locales with different migration patterns are recruited to the study and a mixed-method approach is adopted, using data from the census, a questionnaire survey and a set of in-depth interviews with both older people and formal service providers. The findings demonstrate significant differences between the three study locales in terms of the geography of the intergenerational family and the extent and nature of informal support received. Daughters provide more support than sons, suggesting the continuation of traditional gender norms. Local community is important, especially in the rural locale, but friends and neighbours are not providing a substitute for adult children living at a distance. It appears that non-kin respond to need where physical health is compromised but not where the older person suffers from depression. This raises serious questions about the future of family support in an increasingly mobile society with declining fertility and growing numbers of adult daughters in full-time employment. The relationships demonstrated confirm and extend many previous findings, but the discussion concludes that there are some grounds for optimism. The intergenerational family remains important to its members who can and do overcome geographical separation at times of crisis. Further, slowly changing gender norms, combined with contemporary demographic trends, may effect changes in the pattern of intergenerational support, which will, to some extent, offset the worsening older-age dependency ratios predicted for Scotland and other European countries over the next few decades. 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Atherton, Iain Maitland This thesis investigates the effects of national patterns of migration on informal support for older adults in contemporary Scotland. It argues that geography matters, and develops a multi-scale conceptual framework to analyse the relationships among population mobility, contrasting local contexts in which older people live, and care and support from the intergenerational family and the community. 130 older persons from three locales with different migration patterns are recruited to the study and a mixed-method approach is adopted, using data from the census, a questionnaire survey and a set of in-depth interviews with both older people and formal service providers. The findings demonstrate significant differences between the three study locales in terms of the geography of the intergenerational family and the extent and nature of informal support received. Daughters provide more support than sons, suggesting the continuation of traditional gender norms. Local community is important, especially in the rural locale, but friends and neighbours are not providing a substitute for adult children living at a distance. It appears that non-kin respond to need where physical health is compromised but not where the older person suffers from depression. This raises serious questions about the future of family support in an increasingly mobile society with declining fertility and growing numbers of adult daughters in full-time employment. The relationships demonstrated confirm and extend many previous findings, but the discussion concludes that there are some grounds for optimism. The intergenerational family remains important to its members who can and do overcome geographical separation at times of crisis. Further, slowly changing gender norms, combined with contemporary demographic trends, may effect changes in the pattern of intergenerational support, which will, to some extent, offset the worsening older-age dependency ratios predicted for Scotland and other European countries over the next few decades.