Measuring the degree of spatial correlation between histological features in thin sections of brain tissue

Histological features visible in thin sections of brain tissue, such as neuronal perikarya, blood vessels, or pathological lesions may exhibit a degree of spatial association or correlation. In neurodegenerative disorders such as AD, Pick's disease, and CJD, information on whether different types of pathological lesion are spatially correlated may be useful in elucidating disease pathogenesis. In the present article the statistical methods available for studying spatial association in histological sections are reviewed. These include tests of interspecific association between two or more histological features using χ2 contingency tables, measurement of 'complete' and 'absolute' association, and more complex methods that use grids of contiguous samples. In addition, the use of correlation matrices and stepwise multiple regression methods are described. The advantages and limitations of each method are reviewed and possible future developments discussed.

Measuring the degree of spatial correlation between pathological lesions in Alzheimer's disease

The pathological lesions characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD), viz., senile plaques (SP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) may not be randomly distributed with reference to each other but exhibit a degree of sptial association or correlation, information on the degree of association between SP and NFT or between the lesions and normal histological features, such as neuronal perikarya and blood vessels, may be valuable in elucidating the pathogenesis of AD. This article reviews the statistical methods available for studying the degree of spatial association in histological sections of AD tissue. These include tests of interspecific association between two or more histological features using chi-square contingency tables, measurement of 'complete' and 'absolute' association, and more complex methods that use grids of contiguous samples. In addition, analyses of association using correlation matrices and stepwise multiple regression methods are described. The advantages and limitations of each method are reviewed and possible future developments discussed.

Submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by published work at Aston University

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A re-evaluation of the use of glyceryl trinitrate to assess the degree of adrenergic beta receptor blockade

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Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science in the University of Aston in Birmingham

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Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science

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Papers submitted for the degree of D.Sc

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Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science

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Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Science. Book by G.F.A Harding; P.M. Jeavons, Photosensitive Epilepsy also included.

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Analysis of the degree of compliance with the EU Machinery Directive.

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Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science at Aston University

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Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science at Aston University

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Bound volume of work submitted for the degree of Doctor of Science (also one book and five paper-back reports included)

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The use of maturity models in improving project management performance:an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of the paper was to conduct an empirical investigation to explore the impact of project management maturity models (PMMMs) on improving project performance. Design/methodology/approach – The investigation used a cross-case analysis involving over 90 individuals in seven organisations. Findings – The findings of the empirical investigation indicate that PMMMs demonstrate very high levels of variability in individual's assessment of project management maturity. Furthermore, at higher levels of maturity, the type of performance improvement adopted following their application is related to the type of PMMM used in the assessment. The paradox of the unreliability of PMMMs and their widespread acceptance is resolved by calling upon the “wisdom of crowds” phenomenon which has implications for the use of maturity model assessments in other arena. Research limitations/implications – The investigation does have the usual issues associated with case research, but the steps that have been taken in the cross-case construction and analysis have improved the overall robustness and extendibility of the findings. Practical implications – The tendency for PMMMs to shape improvements based on their own inherent structure needs further understanding. Originality/value – The use of empirical methods to investigate the link between project maturity models and extant changes in project management performance is highly novel and the findings that result from this have added resonance.

Degree of vertical integration and its buffering effects on political uncertainty

The focus of this study is on the governance decisions in a concurrent channels context, in the case of uncertainty. The study examines how a firm chooses to deploy its sales force in times of uncertainty, and the subsequent performance outcome of those deployment choices. The theoretical framework is based on multiple theories of governance, including transaction cost analysis (TCA), agency theory, and institutional economics. Three uncertainty variables are investigated in this study. The first two are demand and competitive uncertainty which are considered to be industry-level market uncertainty forms. The third uncertainty, political uncertainty, is chosen as it is an important dimension of institutional environments, capturing non-economic circumstances such as regulations and political systemic issues. The study employs longitudinal secondary data from a Thai hotel chain, comprising monthly observations from January 2007 – December 2012. This hotel chain has its operations in 4 countries, Thailand, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates – Dubai, and Egypt, all of which experienced substantial demand, competitive, and political uncertainty during the study period. This makes them ideal contexts for this study. Two econometric models, both deploying Newey-West estimations, are employed to test 13 hypotheses. The first model considers the relationship between uncertainty and governance. The second model is a version of Newey-West, using an Instrumental Variables (IV) estimator and a Two-Stage Least Squares model (2SLS), to test the direct effect of uncertainty on performance and the moderating effect of governance on the relationship between uncertainty and performance. The observed relationship between uncertainty and governance observed follows a core prediction of TCA; that vertical integration is the preferred choice of governance when uncertainty rises. As for the subsequent performance outcomes, the results corroborate that uncertainty has a negative effect on performance. Importantly, the findings show that becoming more vertically integrated cannot help moderate the effect of demand and competitive uncertainty, but can significantly moderate the effect of political uncertainty. These findings have significant theoretical and practical implications, and extend our knowledge of the impact on uncertainty significantly, as well as bringing an institutional perspective to TCA. Further, they offer managers novel insight into the nature of different types of uncertainty, their impact on performance, and how channel decisions can mitigate these impacts.