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a b s t r a c tWith many Tidal Energy Conversion (TEC) devices at full scale prototype stage there are two distinct design groups for Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbines (HATTs). Devices with a yaw mechanism allowing the turbine to always face into the flow, and devices with blades that can rotate through 180 to harness a strongly bi-directional flow. As marine turbine technology verges on the realm of economic viability this paper reveals the performance of Cardiff University's concept tidal turbine with its support structure either upstream or downstream and with various proximities between the rotating plane of the turbine and its support stanchion. Through the use of validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling this work shows the optimal proximity between rotor plane and stanchion as well as establishing, in the given context, the use of a yaw mechanism to be superior to a bi-directional system from a performance perspective.

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This project aimed to explore staff and student opinions on the introduction of choice in assessment, drawing upon the principles of Inclusive Pedagogy, Disability Studies and Universal Design. The mixed methods research explored the possibility that students may feel more positively supported during the assessment and feedback process if a range of methods of assessment are available.There was overall support for the proposal, but with some reservations, for example, parity between the different modes of assessment, and student access to different forms of assessment to develop employability skills would need to be planned. Inclusive assessment and feedback processes in Higher Education are essential if the diversity of our students is to be recognised. However, this needs to be balanced with the need to develop a range of life skills. Therefore, choice in assessment methods needs to be designed with clear strategies for skills development, and targeted individualised support.

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Education involves the engagement of the full range of the senses in the accomplishment of tasks and the learning of knowledge and skills. However both in pedagogical practices and in the process of educational research, there has been a tendency to privilege the visual. To explore these issues, detailed sensory ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in further education colleges, investigating the experiences of visually impaired students who use their non-visual senses and embodied actions to achieve their learning. The study found that the full sensory schemas of the students were not always appreciated or accessed by tutors, resulting in lost learning opportunities. Whilst particularly relevant for visually impaired students, these findings have implications for pedagogy for all students. Further the study highlighted the significance of sensory ethnography as a tool to explore the processes of teaching and learning.

We have developed a novel test system for the quantitative assessment of gene transcription. The procedure involves the use of chemiluminescent-labeled oligonucleotide probes in a hybridization protection assay (HPA) format. We have used this technology to measure changes in vitellogenin mRNA to demonstrate the impact of estrogen exposure in the juvenile fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Marked changes in mRNA expression were observed in response to intraperitoneal injection of 17beta-estradiol demonstrating the utility of this technique for the identification and monitoring of toxic responses to xenobiotics.