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"Industrial restructuring without parallel in recent British industrial history" is how the current Chairman of British Coal, Sir Robert Haslam, has described events in that industry. Since 1960 upwards of three quarters of a million jobs have gone in the deep coal mining industry alone. Numerous studies have analysed the underlying mechanisms behind the rapid decline of the nationalised coal industry, but hitherto little attention has been paid to the national linkage effects of that decline. This thesis is an attempt to analyse the consequences of industrial restructuring in coal mining on its UK engineering suppliers. In so doing, the thesis develops into much more than an empirical case study of industrial linkage and becomes a critical analysis of state capital-private capital relations. In particular, it focusses on the shifting boundaries of state ownership in the energy sector of the 'eighties. It considers what are the main processes involved and some of the consequences for those people and places most dependent on mining related jobs for their livelihoods.

Japan’s economic, political and societal recovery after World War II is arguably one of the most impressive recoveries of any nation after a war. This thesis refers to the works of scholars on Japanese constitutional studies, Japanese security studies, Japanese politics and Japanese education to identify the forces that helped generate the rise of Japan’s post war recovery national narrative. After Identifying the forces that gave rise to the anti-war Pacifist national narrative of Japan’s postwar recovery, this thesis highlights the role of Japan’s peace museums and memorials in helping to maintain and effectively communicate the nation’s postwar values of democracy and pacifism to future generations. This thesis will then discuss the challenge for Japan’s Peace memorials and museums in an era where anti-war Pacifism is less relevant and may eventually cease to exist. The Japanese people and their Prime Ministers are still divided in embracing national memorials and museums of war to represent their nation. This makes it difficult for peace and war memorials and museums to play a much more significant role in the future of Japan’s national narrative.

Recent neuropsychological research has stressed the sensitivity of the Prefrontal Cortex, mostly the Dorsolateral region, in relation to aging (Darowski et al., 2008). Prefrontal Cortex functions, such as Inhibitory Control (IC), are thought to wane steadily after the ages of 60-65 (Craik & Bialystok, 2006). Little is known about what changes occur between the stages of prefrontal optimal performance (i.e., ages 20-25), and the later periods of functional decline. The present study aimed to investigate performance differences between younger (ages 30-40; n=9), middle-aged (ages 50-60; n=10), and older adults (ages 70 and up; n=13), on five tasks of Executive Functions (EFs); specifically, assessing the abilities of problem representation, shifting, updating working memory, inhibition, and integrating valence and rewards into pursuing a goal. It was hypothesized that (a) quantitative age trends differentiating the three groups on the tasks would be found, (b) IC would be particularly targeted by the hypothesized age trends, and (c) the devolution of IC across the adult lifespan would be linear. MANOVA tests with all tasks of EFs representing the Dependent Variables and age serving as the Independent Variable revealed no significant main effect. Follow-up separate ANOVA tests however, suggested a statistically significant difference between the means of Groups 2 and 3 for the Updating Working Memory task, F(2,29)=5.374, p=.010, Scheffe (p=.012) and Bonferroni (p=.010). The contributions of interactions among EFs to the present results, recruitment challenges, and potential age effects are discussed. / Graduate / 0622 / emiliecq@uvic.ca

Microscopic charcoal analyses of sediment cores are used widely by palaeoecologists for reconstructing proxy records of past fire activity. Few studies, however, have reconstructed fire histories from UK and Irish moorland environments, a rather surprising situation considering the fact that much of the heather-dominated moorland in the UK and Ireland has been managed and maintained using fire for many centuries, and in some instances millennia. This thesis addresses the main issues regarding the use and applicability of microscopic charcoal analyses in moorland contexts. The literature pertaining to the theory and practical application of microscopic charcoal analyses is comprehensively reviewed, and all aspects of microscopic charcoal analysis, from charcoal production through to the interpretation of sediment charcoal profiles, are discussed and wherever possible related to their applicability in moorland contexts. An investigation of the taphonomy of microscopic charcoal around small moorland fires was conducted in order to provide an appreciation of the processes of charcoal production and the extent of charcoal particle dispersal. The results suggest that small moorland fires produce differential quantities of charcoal particles of different size ranges, smaller particles are produced in significantly greater quantities than progressively larger ones. The majority of charcoal particles produced by small muirburns are deposited locally, within approximately 70-100 m of parent fires, and the wind direction at the time of the fire may be a key factor determining the dispersal of microscopic charcoal particles, the majority being deposited down-wind of fires, few are dispersed laterally or into the wind. A microscopic charcoal quantification technique was developed to reconstruct extended (>50 year) fire histories from moorland soil profiles. A number of fire histories from mor humus-rich moorland soil cores of approximately several centuries duration were reconstructed. Fossil charcoal assemblages produced by in situ fires were distinguished from those produced by nearby ex situ fires on the basis of differences in gross charcoal abundance and charcoal size class distributions. Charcoal assemblages produced by in situ fires are determinable from those produced by ex situ fires because they generally contain a greater total abundance of charcoal particles and higher proportions of medium to large particles. Microscopic charcoal analyses of lake sediment cores from seven UK and Irish moorland catchments were used to reconstruct long-term (>100 year) fire histories. The reconstructed fire histories were used to assess whether changes in fire activity in the catchments may have been responsible for initiating past -episodes of peat erosion, inferred from loss on ignition measurements, and declines in Calluna cover, inferred from pollen analyses, evident at all of the sites. The results suggest that moorland burning may have been an influential factor contributing to the initiation of peat erosion at only one of the seven sites studied. Similarly, fire activity was only significantly related to the loss of Calluna at two of the seven sites studied.

In focusing on the influences of culture on urban regeneration, this research has attempted to show a broad perspective that looks beyond existing short-term urban policies. The history of Masjid-i-Soleyman, an Iranian oil-based economy city, which has passed its rich-oil days and is now suffering major social and economic problems, is used in this research as a suitable ground for a wider investigation into human capacity and urban life. Reviewing the dominant approaches in both theory and practice showed that the analysis of urban problems had two main gaps. First, current urban studies and initiatives have mostly focused on economic urban outcomes and improving standards of living rather than on quality of life and considering the moral and cultural values as a goal and also a driving force for sustainable development. The second gap was the lack of attention given to a competent role to people in producing plans and decision making, as in giving them a real voice and a way of contributing to an improvement in their quality of life. The whole structure of the study has been based upon a premise that solutions to mounting urban problems are incomplete and ineffective without a consideration of cultural and traditional values beneath the surface of the contemporary city. The "human capacity building" approach has been developed in this theses to emphasise that a unifying culture, in many societies, as in the case study area, acts as a human capital, can generate social mobilisation and cause environmental changes. "People " are at the centre of this concept. In the model of "the city as culture" we develop this idea in the context of the city, emphasising the role of people's culture in urban life, and underpinning the key elements (family, community, education, work and communication). Considering such a conceptual foundation, we re-consider the evolution of MIS and the existing problem. This showed that the socio-cultural changes in the citizens of MIS, during 50 years of domination by foreigners over their lives, dramatically decreased both the human capability and social mobilisation of the society. The people who had previously built their environment had been changed in a way which allowed the environment to build their lives. And the people with unified cultural values, social unity and strong social relations had been changed into individuals who sought their own preferences and maximised their own benefits. So, it has been emphasised that the decline of MIS had started many years before the exhaustion of oil; i.e., the decline had begun when the oil industry started to grow. Finally, with concentrating on "knowledge", "social relations" and "motivations" as the key elements which increase "social mobilisation" in the society, the research suggests a strategic policy approach to achieve quality of life and urban regeneration in MIS. This leads us to consider that economic regeneration alone will not bring prosperity to MIS, and similar cities; and sustainable development cannot be summarised in economic growth. Much greater attention must be paid to investing in human capital as an effective strategy for long-term socio-economic regeneration. Cultural factors such as traditions and social relations and family relationship must also be considered seriously. Such strategies should re-consider individuals, groups and communities, and be capable of providing an adequate sphere for people in order to enable them to feel confidence and self-esteem to be involved in building their future effectively, as active agencies rather than victims of the development and change.

Pollen and charcoal percentage and concentration analyses have been conducted upon several upland peat profiles of late Flandrian II and early Flandrian III age at North Gill, North York Moors, where earlier research had proven recurrent major pre Elm Decline woodland disturbance, supported in one profile by radiocarbon dating. Fine temporal resolution pollen analysis (FRPA) involving the use of contiguous millimetre sampling was applied to Flandrian II disturbance phases at five of the North Gill profiles. At North Gill 1A a further phase of disturbance near the end of Flandrian II was examined using FRPA to study evidence of pre Elm Decline agricultural activity, and at this profile both the horizontal and vertical resolution limits of the technique were tested by progressively finer sub-sampling. The millimetre level FRPA analyses showed that each of the examined pre Elm Decline disturbance phases was an aggregate feature, composed of a number of smaller sub-phases, the ecological effects of which in terms of spatially-precise woodland successions and community structures were assessed and contrasted. Inter-profile spatial comparison of the ecology of woodland disturbances has been made at both FRPA and conventional scales of temporal resolution. FRPA study of the late Flandrian II disturbance phase at North Gill 1A showed that cereal cultivation had occurred prior to the Elm Decline as part of a multi-phase period of agricultural land-use activity. The high resolution spatial and temporal data from North Gill have shown FRPA to be a most sensitive palaeoecological technique, and are discussed in relation to the effects of disturbance upon mire and woodland ecosystems, Mesolithic land-use, pre Elm Decline cereal cultivation and early Neolithic land-use.

The possibility of urban decline in metropolitan post-war inner suburbs is currently being examined in the planning literature, particularly in the United States. Inner suburbs are built between 1946 and 1971 and are therefore older and structurally different from the later suburbs. At the same time, they lack the amenities of the core and the inner cities. This thesis aims to examine whether inner suburban decline is occurring in Canada. 15 largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) are selected for the purpose of this study. All CMAs are then separated into five urban zones: the core, the inner suburbs, the outer suburbs, and the fringe/exurbs. All zones are then assessed for decline based on relative changes in median household income, average dwelling values, and average gross rent in the period between 1986 and 2006. Subsequently, nine of the largest CMAs are also assessed for declines in the prosperity factor and the exclusivity factor. These variables are extracted via a factor analysis which includes variables measuring demographic, socio-economic, and housing characteristics. Results indicate that inner suburbs declined in median household income, the average value of dwelling, and the prosperity factor measures. In contrast, average gross rent and the exclusivity factor showed less clear results. Overall, the results obtained in this study suggest that Canada’s inner suburbs are experiencing decline. The possible causes of inner suburban decline remain poorly understood. A number of possible explanations are offered, ranging from the lack of urban appeal of the inner suburbs, the decline of the industrial employment sector, to aging housing stock, the movement of displaced low-income immigrants, and the aging of seniors with limited income. More research is necessary in order to establish plausible mechanisms beyond preliminary speculation. A number of policy approaches to inner suburban decline are outlined. Emphasis is placed on the revitalization of housing, greater cooperation between metropolitan regions and implementation of smart growth strategies. Further research avenues include the confirmation of the phenomenon in Canada, as well as policy case studies examining the success of planning approaches in arresting inner suburban decline.

Thesis (M.S.) -- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2006. / Title from title page screen (viewed on June 12, 2006). Thesis advisor: Jennifer A. Franklin. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis studies the time evolution of a computer mediated community called FidoNet. The introduction explains what FidoNet is, briefly details its history and sociological significance and sets out research goals for the thesis as a whole. The second chapter-covering background and relevant literature-relates FidoNet to other social phenomena and reviews relevant sections of work on dynamic approaches to social systems. It also describes how FidoNet Nodelists were combined with geographic data on US telephone lines and 1990 Census data so that the geographic growth and decline of FidoNet could be mapped and analysed. The third through fifth chapters are substantive starting with an empirical analysis on the spatial growth of FidoNet in the United States, covering a variety of different ways in which distance could have mediated the contagiousness of FidoNet as a system. The fourth considers decline as a similarly contagious process, demonstrating that FidoNet's most obvious competitor-the internet-may in fact have discouraged its decline while the short-term influence of leaving events on current sysops fits the data far better as an explanation. The other explanatory variable of this section-long-term social influence-exhibits an unexpected sign, suggesting that perhaps there were incentives to maintain FidoNet that were most prevalent in the long-term. The fifth chapter attempts to tease out which different mechanisms may have been at work during decline, using an Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) approach and specifically considering individual rather than aggregated behaviour. The 6th and final chapter summarises the findings.