An analysis of the decision making processes and criteria applied by adolescents selecting A level subjects and place of study

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of LutonThe research was stimulated by involvement in leading elements of an Education Management programme. Developing part of the teaching material led to the realisation that while pupils' choice of school has been extensively researched it appeared that subject choice, particularly at A level had not. It also became apparent that ideas and models concerning decision making, extensively adopted within the Consumer Behaviour literature had not been applied in this context. Extensive reviews ofthe literature confirmed this position and indicated that the post sixteen school choice was also under researched and further that it was not possible to apply extant consumer behaviour models directly to the A level or School choice contexts. The research programme consisted of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Building on elements of theory, from the literature, exploratory research employing focus groups was used to develop an initial model of adolescent pupil decision making. Early in the exploratory research it was found that the decision for adolescents choosing where to study their A levels was inextricably linked to choice of subjects. Choice of A level subjects was added to the research programme. Based on the exploratory results a quantitative study, using questionnaires, was developed to test the model on both single (choosing a school) and multiple (choosing A level subjects) choice situations. The study investigated differences between single-choice and multiple-choice decision making, an area neglected by consumer research, which provides at least a partial explanation of the process used by the pupils when they choose schools/colleges and A level subjects. Findings identify that although some aspects ofthe choice process are similar, there are important differences between the two types of decision. Evoked set are larger for multiple-choice decisions, and multi-choice decisions are likely to involve more stages in the decision making process than single-choice decisions. The results also identified that the parents' role has changed from 'decider', when their children were younger, to 'influencer', with the adolescent pupils becoming the decision makers. Concomitantly, choice criteria are shown to have evolved with 'discipline' decreasing markedly in importance and subject range increasing. The pre-eminence of personal sources of information is confinued but co-orientation emphasised

Identity preservation & traceability: the state of the art - from a grain perspective (status of agricultural quality systems / traceability / certification systems)

A descriptive paper on the state of identity preservation and traceability (IPT) as it relates domestically and internationally to food safety and economics. While not exhaustive, it is illustrative of trends. Identity preservation and traceability (IPT) are not new concepts; however, the growth of public and business interest and concerns regarding them has grown tremendously during the past decade due to many events, which has resulted in these concepts joining together within a single concept (with the same title). This paper, while attempting to be thorough, will highlight the major systems of IPT from a US business perspective. Before and during the research of this study many companies and organizations have been created, bought out, or simply gone out of business. Government and non-government organizations have changed regulations and how they have adapted to current world events. Thus the state of IPT will be a sampling of the major players that are in existence during the research. Several of the examples of IPT programs will be of situations that affect the US grain industry, however, other examples will be provided.;Scope of this work; to provide an introduction to, and summary of, identity preservation and traceability (IPT) systems and programs presently available, develop a conceptual model of IPT at the farmer level, and interpretation of the overall art.;The purpose of this research is to provide a sampling of government, industry, and company approaches towards identity preservation and traceability (IPT) systems from the 1990s to early 2007. From this the audience should gain a better understanding of the complexity of IPT systems, rules that it functions under, how IPT is shaped and modified; primary, support, and ancillary components, and the diverse reasons why IPT is critical for food safety and the market.;The format of this work starts with IPT history followed by the theory, design, and general components of IPT, examples of IPT programs and standards, examples of auditing and laboratory firms, chapters that discuss domestic/foreign policy and advisory groups, software providers, process facilitators, food recalls/insurance, cost-benefit spreadsheet that focuses on farm level IP for comparison, farmer IP questionnaire, interpretation, conclusion, and appendixes, related products guide, glossary, directory of resources, and works cited

American hybrid corn history: a century of yields

To illustrate how early researchers established the foundation for today\u27s hybrid corn seed industry. Initially the foundation was built upon individuals, then later via tax-supported institutions, and then ultimately by the private commercial sector. Most early academic studies have independent accounts of corn\u27s origins. For example, distinguished academician, Paul C. Mangelsdorf, has compiled extensive data concerning the ancestry of corn. The purely scientific aspects of maize breeding and genetics were researched within university settings. However, businessmen, such as the esteemed statesman, Henry A. Wallace, have authored more modern-day hybrid com history. Few of the previous investigators have reorganized the contributions of the first historic scientific discoveries (farm experiments) or linked them to the status of modern research (gene manipulation). Furthermore, few published works have explored the background information required for successful multi-disciplined approaches to the academics of agriculture, business, and history. This work provides recognition of the accomplishments of early researchers (chapter 2), combined with the life cycle of corn (chapter 3), its anatomy (chapter 4), and is a basis for a better appreciation of the challenges modern breeders face today (chapter 5). Agricultural historians traditionally have overlooked the critical relationships and associations between business and agriculture. In the same way, business historians have been reluctant to examine the origins and development of agricultural practices. These shortcomings exist in both the United States and abroad. Each discipline seems to fear to cross the boundary into another\u27s territory or field of expertise. Agriculture historians intuitively tend to align with sociologists and economists and attribute agricultural practices to cultural, social, legislative, and political influences. Historically, the role of business in agriculture has been underrepresented. The practical applications and learned experiences of simple discoveries have often had tremendous business implications. The triangular relationship between agriculture, business, and historical research has rarely been analyzed. The scholarly bias of agricultural historians tends to view agriculture business history as a vocational study, which, like academic business studies, suffers from its immediate practical applications and businesslike subjectivity. This paper presents a clearer picture of modern hybrid corn by tying agriculture, business, and history together

CMB and Large Scale Structure as a test of Mixed Models with n>1

We compute CBR anisotropies in mixed models with different hot components, including neutrinos or volatile HDM arising from the decay of heavier particles. The CBR power spectra of these models exhibit a higher doppler peak than CDM, and the discrepancy is even stronger in volatile models when the decay gives rise also to a neutral scalar. CBR experiments, together with Large Scale Structure (LSS) data, are then used to constrain the space parameter of mixed models, when values of the primeval spectral index n > 1 are also considered. Even if n>1 is allowed, however, LSS alone prescribes that \Omega_h \mincir 0.30. LSS can be fitted by taking simultaneously a low derelativization redshift z_der (down to \simeq 600) and a high n, while CBR data from baloon--borne experiment cause a severe selection on this part of the parameter space. In fact, while late derelativization and $n>1$ have opposite effects on the fluctuation spectrum P(k), they sum their action on the angular spectrum C_l. Henceforth n \magcir 1.3 seems excluded by baloon--borne experiment outputs, while a good fit of almost all CBR and LSS data is found for Omega_h values between 0.11 and 0.16, n \sim 1.1 and z_der \sim 2000--5000. A smaller n is allowed, but z_der should never be smaller than \simeq 1200.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, uses mn.sty, submitted to MNRA

On the Rees-Sciama effect: maps and statistics

Small maps of the Rees-Sciama (RS) effect are simulated by using an appropriate N-body code and a certain ray-tracing procedure. A method designed for the statistical analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps is applied to study the resulting simulations. These techniques, recently proposed --by our team-- to consider lens deformations of the CMB, are adapted to deal with the RS effect. This effect and the deviations from Gaussianity associated to it seem to be too small to be detected in the near future. This conclusion follows from our estimation of both the RS angular power spectrum and the RS reduced n-direction correlation functions for n<7.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, to appear in MNRA

An investigation into closed-loop treatment of neurological disorders based on sensing mitochondrial dysfunction

Dynamic feedback based closed-loop medical devices offer a number of advantages for treatment of heterogeneous neurological conditions. Closed-loop devices integrate a level of neurobiological feedback, which allows for real-time adjustments to be made with the overarching aim of improving treatment efficacy and minimizing risks for adverse events. One target which has not been extensively explored as a potential feedback component in closed-loop therapies is mitochondrial function. Several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders including Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, Major Depressive disorder and Bipolar disorder have been linked to perturbations in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This paper investigates the potential to monitor this mitochondrial function as a method of feedback for closed-loop neuromodulation treatments. A generic model of the closed-loop treatment is developed to describe the high-level functions of any system designed to control neural function based on mitochondrial response to stimulation, simplifying comparison and future meta-analysis. This model has four key functional components including: a sensor, signal manipulator, controller and effector. Each of these components are described and several potential technologies for each are investigated. While some of these candidate technologies are quite mature, there are still technological gaps remaining. The field of closed-loop medical devices is rapidly evolving, and whilst there is a lot of interest in this area, widespread adoption has not yet been achieved due to several remaining technological hurdles. However, the significant therapeutic benefits offered by this technology mean that this will be an active area for research for years to come

Comparisons of dissolved organic matter and its optical characteristics in small low and high Arctic catchments

Climate change is affecting the rate of carbon cycling, particularly in the Arctic. Permafrost degradation through deeper thaw and physical disturbances results in the release of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere and to an increase in lateral dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluxes. Whereas riverine DOM fluxes of the large Arctic rivers are well assessed, knowledge is limited with regard to small catchments that cover more than 40 % of the Arctic drainage basin. Here, we use absorption measurements to characterize changes in DOM quantity and quality in a low Arctic (Herschel Island, Yukon, Canada) and a high Arctic (Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada) setting with regard to geographical differences, impacts of permafrost degradation, and rainfall events. We find that DOM quantity and quality is controlled by differences in vegetation cover and soil organic carbon content (SOCC). The low Arctic site has higher SOCC and greater abundance of plant material resulting in higher chromophoric dissolved organic matter (cDOM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than in the high Arctic. DOC concentration and cDOM in surface waters at both sites show strong linear relationships similar to the one for the great Arctic rivers. We used the optical characteristics of DOM such as cDOM absorption, specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), ultraviolet (UV) spectral slopes (S275–295), and slope ratio (SR) for assessing quality changes downstream, at base flow and storm flow conditions, and in relation to permafrost disturbance. DOM in streams at both sites demonstrated optical signatures indicative of photodegradation downstream processes, even over short distances of 2000 m. Flow pathways and the connected hydrological residence time control DOM quality. Deeper flow pathways allow the export of permafrost-derived DOM (i.e. from deeper in the active layer), whereas shallow pathways with shorter residence times lead to the export of fresh surface- and near-surface-derived DOM. Compared to the large Arctic rivers, DOM quality exported from the small catchments studied here is much fresher and therefore prone to degradation. Assessing optical properties of DOM and linking them to catchment properties will be a useful tool for understanding changing DOM fluxes and quality at a pan-Arctic scale

A Methodology for Successful University Graduate CubeSat Programs

The University of Colorado Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering has over a decade of success in designing, building, and operating student led CubeSat missions. The experience and lessons learned from building and operating the CSSWE, MinXSS-1, MinXSS-2, and QB50-Challenger missions have helped grow a knowledge base on the most effective and efficient ways to manage some of the “tall poles” when it comes to student run CubeSat missions. Among these “tall poles” we have seen student turnover, software, and documentation become some of the hardest to knock-down and we present our strategies for doing so. We use the MAXWELL mission (expected to launch in 2021) as a road-map to detail the methodology we have built over the last decade to ensure the greatest chance of mission success