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The aim of this study was to characterise modern and historic barley varieties for agronomic and growth characteristics and to assess their resistance to Fusarium and mildew diseases. Barley is a major agricultural crop cultivated throughout the world providing an important source of energy and protein for humans and animals. To achieve its potential, however, it must be carefully managed to avoid diseases particularly those caused by fungi which can cause serious economic losses and affect food safety and quality. Contemporary barley varieties have been selected for yield and disease resistance. However, long term resistance to disease is increasingly difficult to achieve as microorganisms mutate and maintain their virulence. Investigating the potential of historic barley varieties as a genetic resource for future developments is one approach to obtaining novel attributes which may have been overlooked when breeding focused on yield rather than character of barley and on disease resistance. To examine the characteristics and disease resistance of historic barley varieties a series of investigations was conducted. Initially a screening was initiated by growing thirteen historic barley varieties and two modern barley varieties in a field trial in 2009. Growth features, yield and symptoms of mildew and Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) were scored and compared. This field experiment was repeated in 2010 with six of these varieties at the John Innes Centre by deliberately exposing the plants to F. culmorum Fu 42. A further experiment was conducted at the same time by growing seven varieties in glasshouse conditions at the University of Sunderland under inoculated and uninoculated conditions. From both growing seasons clear differences were found for the level of F. culmorum infection between the different barley cultivars with infection levels in heads ranging from 16% for Chevalier and 86.4% for Tipple barley varieties respectively. Nitrogen increased the level of FHB in all varieties possibly because ii of increased plant leaf number, tillers and humidity within the environment around the plant. Mycotoxin analysis showed that F. culmorum infection resulted in mycotoxin contamination of all varieties. However, levels of mycotoxin were significantly lower in Chevalier barley compared to other barley varieties including the two modern varieties, Tipple and Westminster. Observations using scanning electron microscopy indicated a different pattern of fungal growth in Chevalier barley with limited fungal development on both external and internal surfaces compared to other susceptible varieties. In general resistance against FHB disease depends on variable responses including plant physiology and morphology, antifungal compounds or resistance genes. Different flowering dates or flowering periods could be also considered reasons for different infection levels. However, in this study the duration of anthesis was not assessed and could be an important factor. Further experiments to identify the flowering times of different varieties could be considered for further research. The lower levels of disease associated with lower levels of mycotoxins and a reduced fungal development in Chevalier barley indicated that this variety has a strong resistance against FHB disease. This may be because of its late flowering and its tall height minimising colonisation from the soil. However, Chevalier barley was found to be very susceptible to powdery mildew disease, particularly in glasshouse studies. The potential of Chevalier barley to produce good malt was indicated when compared to modern varieties suggesting that Chevalier may be a valuable breeding stock for future developments.

This thesis outlines the experiences of the author in conducting various research and development, projects addressing different means of representing the urban environment. These projects all fall within a fifteen year period that has been characterised by the most rapid growth and diversification of any technology in history. The document steps through four eras in the progress of these projects and, while addressing only a single viewpoint, attempts to follow the developmental thread that has linked all these activities over the years. As with all retrospective treatments of a single technology there is always a time period when a single snapshot represents the expensive state-of-the-art which, some time later, becomes derided as worthless and outdated before finally entering a phase where it may be regarded with nostalgia and perhaps new found worth. This cycle is true to all aspects of computing technology, hardware, software and applications. The rapid pace of progress with the computing industry has distorted this time frame allowing ground breaking applications of only a few years of age to be treated with derision by some of those who have only experienced the latest cutting edge of the technology. Unfortunately this temporal distortion has forced much of our computing history towards an early grave without providing a sufficient period within which fond memories might grow. This is lamentable not just for emotional reasons but mainly because many of today's techniques and technologies are based on yesterday's precedents. In order to appreciate the reasoning behind any one developmental phase of the project it is necessary to place it in its context of the available computing infrastructure both in terms of hardware and software. To this end each chapter seeks to identify the key enabling technological foundations on which the work is constructed.

Purpose: The aim of this research is to develop a conceptual framework that incorporatesa new understanding of key elements that address and realign the roles of a school as a community hub in promoting community cohesion. Findings: The final finding is a new conceptual framework for the understanding of local community perspectives on the role of the school as a community hub. This framework enhances significant values and leads to the creation of guidance to promote community cohesion and to sustain opportunities for existing and future development of schools. Detailed themes in the findings demonstrate a need to propose significant strategies to address the key challenges of the role of school as a community hub. Research limitations/implications: This study looks at the relationships that underlie the visions to see the capabilities of school roles as community hub which then highlights significant ways of delivering efforts to promote cohesion in the community. The implementation of the research will depend upon the extent to which stakeholders discern and accept the new inter-relationships and community cohesion principles proposed. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded Theory Methods (GTM) and Rich Picture Diagrams (RPD) were the approaches taken to collecting and analysing the data from two case studies, one situated in the United Kingdom and the other in Malaysia. Practical implications: Promoting community cohesion requires the role of school to be rediscovered as a concept of a community hub that potentially meets current social needs and those of future generations. Practitioners and policy makers need to be aligned with the new conceptual framework as its represent the engagement of the local communities with the strategies and agendas of sustainable communities. Originality/value: In the world of social and culture diversity, this study lays out new understanding and strategies on the conceptual framework of a school as a community hub facility on promoting community cohesion.

Environmental issues surrounding railway operation and construction have become more prominent in recent years, increasing the need for administrators and researchers to understand how residents living around railways respond to the noise and vibration generated by them. Within this context, the University of Salford, within the project funded by Defra “Human response to vibration in residential environments” (NANR209), has derived exposure response relationships for railway traffic and construction for a population sample of 1281 people: 931 for railway traffic and 350 for railway construction. Vibration measurements within residences have been used for assessing human exposure to vibration alongside a social study questionnaire based on face-to-face interviews for quantifying the human response. The first part of this work is concerned with the exposure side of NANR209. The design and implementation of measurement methodologies are presented and discussed, which provide exposure data suitable for building an exposure response relationship for vibration caused by the sources mentioned above. In light of the large amount of vibration data gathered during the project, the analysis of vibration signals is considered in the second part of the dissertation. Two aspects connected with the assessment of the human exposure to vibration are investigated: wave field assessment and ground to building transmissibility analysis.

The purpose of this research is to define a framework for the enhancement and commitment of public participation in the context of river basin management (RBM) in Portugal based on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to achieve good water governance. In Portugal, public participation is often scarce, in spite of stakeholders being invited to participate by water management companies, as later referred to in this research. The WFD also maintains that stakeholders should be involved in RBM decisions. Based on an interpretivist research philosophy the research adopted case studies and expert interviews to provide multiple sources of evidence on the nature and complexity of River Basin Management and Public Participation The main case study interviews were carried with the case study managers. Additional expert interviews were carried with other case study stakeholders and general stakeholders (from industry and agriculture sectors). Data was analysed using content analysis. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) application produced “rich pictures” to identify the level of engagement and commitment by stakeholders to participation in national water resources management. Cross case analysis was performed using the outcomes of case studies and interviews. Following this, the final framework was developed to meet the aim and objectives of the research. This research provided the identification of gaps in stakeholders’ participation in RBM. A final conceptual model is presented aiming to guide decision makers to solve this problem. It is proposed that two types of partnering groups are created to fulfil the aim and objectives which were pursued. The importance of this research relies on RBM improvement and the enhancement of the body of knowledge in Public Participation, to minimize the gaps on good water governance in Portugal. This research provides a framework which may guide some of the policy makers in RBM on how to optimise the participation of the stakeholders, assessing multi-stakeholder viewpoints in parallel. It aims to support the achievement of a major societal goal which is to gain trust among all groups of stakeholders and the community served by the river basin, which can lead to improved contribution and commitment to reach good water governance.

The project has been concerned with the study of radon and other natural radionuclides in the U-238 decay series in the environment. The contribution made by radon and its daughter radionuclides to population radiation dose both in the air and in water supplies has been investigated. The natural radioactivity of the river water, stream water, sediments and freshwater mussels have been measured using a thick source alpha counting technique and γ-spectrometry (water samples were preconcentrated by manganese dioxide precipitation method). The ^226Ra activity ranged from 10-20 Bq m^-3 in the river and 4-30 Bq m^-3 in stream water. The highest values were found close to the source of the river where the water flowed through an area of igneous rocks. Such granite type rocks are enriched in uranium and thorium. Concentrations of radon and its daughters were measured, indoors and outdoors, using a grab sample technique. Outdoor concentrations were 10-30 Bq m^-3 depending on underlying rocks, meteorological condition (pressure, temperature, snow, rain), while indoor values ranged between 20 and 600 Bq m^-3 depending on radon input rate (source strength, ventilation rate and pressure inside the building). The relationship between the indoor ^222Rn concentration and ventilation rate was investigated. The radiation dose and the consequent risk due to inhalation of radon and its daughters were estimated. The annual effective dose equivalent ranged from 0.12 to 11 mSv. The radon concentrations in well waters were measured and were found to range between 3 and 76 Bq ℓ-1. This variation can be associated with different bedrock. A model predicting average indoor increments due to this source is presented and supported by a series of measurements made in the houses which were supplied by well water. The maximum annual effective dose equivalent from inhalation and ingestion was found to be 0.27 and 0.054 mSv respectively.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1993 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Highly reliable data storage for satellites and spacecraft is a challenging technology. The space environment is a unique combination of many environmental factors which impact the reliability and even the very survival of electronic systems. The need for space qualified memory is becoming even more important with the advent of on-board data processing which requires rapid access to large data bases. This paper describes the unique environmental and design considerations that must be taken into account for a magnetic disk that is designed to operate for years in the space environment.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, assists our building industry to become more sustainable. This paper examines three case studies of existing buildings which have evolved to become LEED certified through the rating system of LEED: Operations and Maintenance. Understanding how older generation buildings may still rejuvenate and become sustainable will provide benefits for the people, planet, and profit. As with many things, there are some drawbacks when it comes to LEED certification such as their fees and universal approach for credits acquired.