The second half of the twentieth century saw a ‘Golden Age’ of castle restoration in Scotland. During this time over one hundred ruined or derelict castles and towers were rebuilt and reoccupied, mostly by private owners who purchased the building with a view to restoring it. This was a far greater number of restorations than at any time in the past, yet the literature on castles has largely by-passed this modern ‘renaissance’ of Renaissance buildings. The majority of the restorers bought a ruinous or derelict building with which they had no family connection - mostly from ‘old’ owners whose family had owned the building for generations - and were often prepared to take substantial financial risks, undergo physical hardships and face considerable uncertainty over planning applications. Clans, charitable trusts and public bodies, such as local councils, also carried out restoration projects, as did a small number of ‘old’ owners. What caused such a proliferation? Two research questions are posed: why were so many Scottish castles restored between 1945 and 2010, and who were the restorers? The question of why so much activity took place in this period is analyzed in terms of the developing ‘restoration climate’, which was increasingly championed by the media, and the interrelationships between social, political and economic factors which allowed it to flourish. At the heart of these relationships are the owners, whose demographic characteristics are surveyed. Their personal qualities and motivations are also examined through an analysis of first person narratives and published interviews with the owners of many of the restored buildings, both in Scotland and beyond its borders, alongside surveys of the architectural features of the castles themselves. It was concluded that the restorations represent a positive benefit to Scotland, through the rescue of an irreplaceable and iconic section of the country’s built heritage which would otherwise have been irretrievably lost. Scotland’s Castles: Rescued, Rebuilt and Reoccupied, 1945 - 2010 Abstract The second half of the twentieth century saw a ‘Golden Age’ of castle restoration in Scotland. During this time over one hundred ruined or derelict castles and towers were rebuilt and reoccupied, mostly by private owners who purchased the building with a view to restoring it. This was a far greater number of restorations than at any time in the past, yet the literature on castles has largely by-passed this modern ‘renaissance’ of Renaissance buildings. The majority of the restorers bought a ruinous or derelict building with which they had no family connection - mostly from ‘old’ owners whose family had owned the building for generations - and were often prepared to take substantial financial risks, undergo physical hardships and face considerable uncertainty over planning applications. Clans, charitable trusts and public bodies, such as local councils, also carried out restoration projects, as did a small number of ‘old’ owners. What caused such a proliferation? Two research questions are posed: why were so many Scottish castles restored between 1945 and 2010, and who were the restorers? The question of why so much activity took place in this period is analyzed in terms of the developing ‘restoration climate’, which was increasingly championed by the media, and the interrelationships between social, political and economic factors which allowed it to flourish. At the heart of these relationships are the owners, whose demographic characteristics are surveyed. Their personal qualities and motivations are also examined through an analysis of first person narratives and published interviews with the owners of many of the restored buildings, both in Scotland and beyond its borders, alongside surveys of the architectural features of the castles themselves. It was concluded that the restorations represent a positive benefit to Scotland, through the rescue of an irreplaceable and iconic section of the country’s built heritage which would otherwise have been irretrievably lost.

Yip Tak Kei Oskar. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2007-2008, design report." / 2 pages printed on 1 side of leaf only. / Buddha & Bodhi Tree --- p.3-26 / "Previous Studio Work_Master 2nd Semester, 2007 Jan-Apr" / Appreciating Nature from Structure to Space --- p.27-64 / "Submitted Design Project_Master 3rd & 4th Semester, 2007-08 Sep-Apr" / Collective Images --- p.65-78 / "Informal Record_Submitted Design Project_Master 3rd & 4th Semester, 2007-08 Sep-Apr"

In recent times, the concept of ‘intangible heritage’ has gained credence within the international heritage community, reflecting wider concerns relating to the cultural impact of global economic, technological and political forces. For many, intangible heritage represents a vital living mediation of the material past (i.e. tangible heritage) which deepens its significance and meaning-conferring qualities. This thesis explores how in recent times, the intangible heritage became ‘separated’ from the tangible heritage in such a way as to bring about ideological division within the field of heritage preservation and a sense of discontinuity with the past – particularly relating to the practice of restoration and its patrimony of expertise. The thesis argues that this has been attributable to an ‘institutionalised’ conception of heritage based essentially on a historiography of materials located in the ideological site of the museum – the repository where tangible heritage is housed, organised, interpreted, conserved, restored and displayed in such ways as to confer meaning upon the material world. By drawing extensively upon evidence from the literature and engaging the conservation-restoration field, the thesis develops discussion around the emergence (and subsequent institutionalisation) of a relatively recent scientific paradigm of practice – ‘scientific restoration’ – largely shaped by this ‘museological’ vision of heritage. It also considers how the work of Cesare Brandi came to be instrumental in the formulation of this vision but argues that such conceptions have been predicated upon a misappropriation of his ideas and a misreading of historical heritage preservation ideologies that has done much to contribute to tensions evident within the heritage community. To this end, the thesis aims to redress this historical impasse by reconsidering the function of restoration – especially in terms of what is added to the historical document – and reconciling the competing claims of the tangible and intangible by developing the concept of ‘authentic process’.

Ecosystem engineers can govern ecosystem dynamics, yet ecosystem consequences of trait variation within engineering species are often overlooked. Combining field and greenhouse experiments with mathematical modelling, this study aimed to assess the relative importance of heritable and non-heritable trait variation within the engineer species Spartina alterniflora in controlling salt marsh erosion. In the field experiment, plots along a devegetated shoreline were restored with wild and cultivated sources to test whether populations exerted different control on erosion. The greenhouse experiment investigated whether genotypic trait differences were conserved when genotypes were exposed to elevated nutrients. A modelling approach was used to extrapolate empirical findings to temporal and spatial scales involved in landform evolution, considering spatial patterns in trait variation. The field experiment revealed that erosion rates were higher in plots planted with a wild, non-local source population as compared to plots planted with cultivars or local genotypes. Differential erosion could not be explained by differences in biomass, suggesting that other traits and resource use are stronger determinants of erosion. In the greenhouse experiment, cultivars and wild genotypes exhibited trait-specific differences in phenotypic plasticity under changing nutrient availability. Nutrient regime and heritable trait differences explained 70% of observed variation in soil shear strength. Soil shear strength increased when plants received more nutrients, but plant genotype had an equal or larger influence on soil characteristics. Model simulations suggested that older marshes (with large clones) and genetically diverse marshes (with high spatial variance in soil shear strength) may experience higher mean erosion rates. However, simulations also showed that average erosion rates are easily underestimated if the observation period is short, as variability of annual erosion rates and the probability of mass failure events were also mediated by clone size and composition. These findings illustrate that heritable and non-heritable trait variation interact with environmental conditions and landform history, together driving geomorphological processes crucial to the persistence of coastal marshes. Consideration of these interacting factors is needed when deploying ecosystem engineers for habitat restoration. / 1 / Brittany Marie Bernik

Rapid urban growth of Austin, Texas, has resulted in significant alteration of the surface characteristics of the Colorado River Watershed. These changes have increased the runoff and accelerated erosion of the banks of stream channels. To minimize the threat of stream erosion to real estate and infrastructure, the City of Austin began restoring unstable channel reaches through the placement of rock armor on the banks, construction of rock grade controls, and planting of riparian vegetation. Since the late 1990s, approximately thirty channel reaches have been restored in the Austin area. Considerable discussion is taking place regarding the true impact of restoration on streams. Few studies have attempted to conduct post-project evaluation to assess the impact of restoration efforts. Because it has been several years since steps were taken to stabilize these streams, a sufficient time period for stabilization to occur has passed. Thus, we believe these projects now can be assessed for the temporal impact of restoration on these streams. We studied the restored and natural reaches of two of these streams. The natural reaches served as ergodic surrogates for temporal channel development of the restored reaches. We used Rosgen’s (2001) methodology of channel stability assessment and repeat ground photography (Graf, 1985) to evaluate the stability of Waller Creek and Tannehill Branch. Variables of channel morphology analyzed included riparian vegetation cover, vertical stability, scour/deposition potential, and bed sediment composition. From our analysis, restoration enlarged stream channels, decreased bank height ratios and reduced flood prone width. Bed sediment analysis revealed that pools contain a higher percentage of fines whereas riffles are coarser in restored reaches than pre-restoration reaches. Visual examination of ground photographs and scores from the Pfankuch channel stability evaluation indicate that restoration increased vegetative cover and deposition. Thus, restoration efforts worked on these two streams. Data from the assessments of stream channel stability provide the basis upon which longer-term monitoring and evaluation can be conducted. Knowledge gained from long-term monitoring can be used to improve the effectiveness of the current and future restoration projects in Texas and elsewhere.

Recently Kalman filter has been well applied to the problems of image restoration. In this thesis, we apply Kalman filter to estimate the optical transfer function for an imaging system. The signal model is the optical transfer function obtained from a ratio of the defected and clean pictures in frequency domain. There is thermal noise involved in sampling the optical image signal. We model this thermal noise as the additive measurement noise. We remove the thermal noise by Winner filtering. This filtered image is finally restored by the above estimated the optical transfer function. The experiments are set up by the instruments including the video camera, capture card, and personal computer. Experimental results, including the estimation of gamma and noise power, have demonstrated that the estimated optical transfer function is useful for image restoration.

Purpose: To determine microleakage and microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of composite restorations bonded with self-adhesive resin-cements. Methods: Six groups of molars were assigned to cements: RelyX-Unicem, Breeze, Monocem, PanaviaF-2.0, Filtek-LS, and Scotch-Bond-Multipurpose (adhesive). For microleakage, Class II preparations were made. Cements were applied onto all cavity walls. Preparations were restored, specimens themocycled and then immersed in red dye. Dye penetration was assessed according to 5-point scale. For µTBS test, 6 mm composite buildups were made over tooth surfaces. Rectangular rods were cut and subjected to tensile force. Mean µTBS and SDs were calculated. Results: RelyX-Unicem and Breeze showed low microleakage, however, they had lower µTBS values. Filtek-LS showed the least microleakage and the highest µTBS with dentin. Conclusion: RelyX-Unicem, Breeze and Filtek-LS will improve marginal seal when used in subgingival Class II composite restorations.

Purpose: To determine microleakage and microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of composite restorations bonded with self-adhesive resin-cements. Methods: Six groups of molars were assigned to cements: RelyX-Unicem, Breeze, Monocem, PanaviaF-2.0, Filtek-LS, and Scotch-Bond-Multipurpose (adhesive). For microleakage, Class II preparations were made. Cements were applied onto all cavity walls. Preparations were restored, specimens themocycled and then immersed in red dye. Dye penetration was assessed according to 5-point scale. For µTBS test, 6 mm composite buildups were made over tooth surfaces. Rectangular rods were cut and subjected to tensile force. Mean µTBS and SDs were calculated. Results: RelyX-Unicem and Breeze showed low microleakage, however, they had lower µTBS values. Filtek-LS showed the least microleakage and the highest µTBS with dentin. Conclusion: RelyX-Unicem, Breeze and Filtek-LS will improve marginal seal when used in subgingival Class II composite restorations.

In north-eastern North America, abandoned agricultural fields typically revert to forest after many decades of spontaneous succession. This process can be influenced in part by nearby available propagule sources and their natural patterns of dispersal. Ecological restoration encompasses understanding this natural process and how it may influence active or passive restoration efforts. This study attempts to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of establishing trees arising in an old field at 10 years post-cultivation and the implications of this process on restoration at rare and other similar sites. The 0.8 ha field is situated at rare, an ecological reserve in Cambridge, Ontario and is bordered by forest or hedgerow on all sides. Using Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) protocols, vegetation sampling was completed in the field and adjacent forest and hedgerow. A complete tree inventory was undertaken in the field, followed by a sampling of potential seed sources in the forest and hedgerow. ESRI ArcMap, a Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized for both spatial representation and spatial analysis. Research revealed that the application of geostatistics to ecological data here and elsewhere in the literature has some specific challenges which need to be overcome for analysis of spatial data. Currently, the old field shows early signs of woody plant invasion from the nearby forest. Both trees and shrubs have become established, though not yet dominant. The primary dispersal of these species follows spatial patterns based on method of dispersal (wind, nut, fruit and clonal) and there is a higher degree of clustering of all species closer to the forest edge. Invasive species such as Rhamnus cathartica and Rhamnus frangula have become established in the old field and may influence successional patterns. Implications for restoration include the creation of goals and objectives which incorporate these natural processes into a future management plan. Specific recommendations include: 1) Develop a management strategy for invasive species such as Rhamnus spp. which can detrimentally affect restoration goals; 2) Continue to monitor EMAN plots for the production of time-series data on the same site; 3) Identify sites with good regeneration potential based on spatial patterns identified in this research and collect additional information such as soil conditions, canopy cover, etc.; 4) Extend the current GIS database created for this thesis to become an inventory of natural and cultural features for the reserve. Advanced spatial analysis required a more extensive data set and/or custom programming.

In north-eastern North America, abandoned agricultural fields typically revert to forest after many decades of spontaneous succession. This process can be influenced in part by nearby available propagule sources and their natural patterns of dispersal. Ecological restoration encompasses understanding this natural process and how it may influence active or passive restoration efforts. This study attempts to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of establishing trees arising in an old field at 10 years post-cultivation and the implications of this process on restoration at rare and other similar sites. The 0.8 ha field is situated at rare, an ecological reserve in Cambridge, Ontario and is bordered by forest or hedgerow on all sides. Using Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) protocols, vegetation sampling was completed in the field and adjacent forest and hedgerow. A complete tree inventory was undertaken in the field, followed by a sampling of potential seed sources in the forest and hedgerow. ESRI ArcMap, a Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized for both spatial representation and spatial analysis. Research revealed that the application of geostatistics to ecological data here and elsewhere in the literature has some specific challenges which need to be overcome for analysis of spatial data. Currently, the old field shows early signs of woody plant invasion from the nearby forest. Both trees and shrubs have become established, though not yet dominant. The primary dispersal of these species follows spatial patterns based on method of dispersal (wind, nut, fruit and clonal) and there is a higher degree of clustering of all species closer to the forest edge. Invasive species such as Rhamnus cathartica and Rhamnus frangula have become established in the old field and may influence successional patterns. Implications for restoration include the creation of goals and objectives which incorporate these natural processes into a future management plan. Specific recommendations include: 1) Develop a management strategy for invasive species such as Rhamnus spp. which can detrimentally affect restoration goals; 2) Continue to monitor EMAN plots for the production of time-series data on the same site; 3) Identify sites with good regeneration potential based on spatial patterns identified in this research and collect additional information such as soil conditions, canopy cover, etc.; 4) Extend the current GIS database created for this thesis to become an inventory of natural and cultural features for the reserve. Advanced spatial analysis required a more extensive data set and/or custom programming.