Internal migration of the Maltese population : an application of a mathematical model

This paper is an attempt at statistical modeling, based on the Rogers and Castro migration model. The data used which are derived from the 1995 Census of Population and Housing regarding internal migration provided a basis for analysis of parity of migration, computation of respective gross migraproduction rates as well as compilation of reports on the outcomes of statistical modeling. Seven parameters of the double exponential equation are estimated by means of non-linear regression analysis. The author demonstrates that internal migration needs to be further examined and the research findings need to be applied, since internal migration directly contributes to the processes of: (a) depopulation (the Inner Harbour Region), (b) aging (Gozo and Comino and the Inner Harbour Region) and (c) concentration and population increase (the Northern and the Western Region).peer-reviewe

Integration: A new design model for apparel and retail environments

As founder of Brinkworth, a London-based design consultancy, I am writing this thesis from a creative practitioner’s perspective. The main research question is: How has the role and the activity of an interior designer for apparel retail environments evolved since the intervention of digital platforms, including social media and online shopping? Pertaining to this lead research question are the following two questions: How have customer behaviour patterns changed due to the intervention of digital and social media platforms? And how has brand engagement and communication with their customer community evolved with respect to the development of digital technologies? The title of this PhD by public works, Integration, describes the key approach to my new model, which delivers appropriate physical retail spaces through a four-way system of integration: brand, space, location and community. A donor building is designed so as to successfully host the brand and facilitate the fusing of its customer community within the building’s own local culture. It theorises that the physical branded retail space is at the heart of a brand’s external facing retail activity. It is primarily the place that gives an invaluable opportunity for the development of a personal relationship between the customer community and the brand. This space is also the nucleus in which platforms of digital immersion, product fusion and narrative are integrated within a central, physical hub. This concept of integration seeks to replace the convention of outmoded, repetitive, traditional retail rollout methods. This thesis of public works outlines new models of thinking taken from Brinkworth’s portfolio. Utilising the research methodology of reflexivity, it contributes new knowledge to the field of professional practice and academic research in apparel retail design, both in terms of the design work carried out and the reflection on that work. The thesis starts by examining the academic context through an analysis of the limited published practitioners’ literature that it seeks to succeed. The research extends into broader and relevant academic areas of study. The specifics of apparel retail design will then be discussed, providing a blueprint by which Brinkworth implements its strategies and demonstrating why the process is significant. An assessment of how to structure and approach interior design for retail, as well as evidence and project planning information will be included within the thesis, something that has not been previously documented in this field of study. A recently formulated Model of Integration is theorised, demonstrated and disseminated through the case studies selected in order to exemplify each retail environment typology. This dynamic Model of Integration, driven by the evolving relationship between the brand and its customer community, is reflected in the communicative relationship between online and physical retail environments. This, in turn, drives the creation of a new type of outcome. In support of this, the resulting physical retail spaces produced are named Activation Retail Environments. These multipurpose retail environments host activities broader than retail, and include hospitality, brand/product education and events, where the customer is an active participant in a spatial and personal relationship with the brand. Following the Academic Context, a chapter entitled Typologies and Strategies seeks to identify the key individual types of physical retail stores. It also demonstrates the optimum approach to tackling each category of store. My Model of Integration is illustrated through examples from Brinkworth’s portfolio in the following chapter, and the thesis evidences the discussed retail typologies through a broad selection of completed projects

CSS091109:035759+102943 - a candidate polar

We report optical time-resolved photometry of the CRTS transient CSS091109:035759+102943. Pronounced orbital variability with a 114 min period, large X-ray variability and the IR to X-ray spectral energy distribution suggest a classification as a magnetic cataclysmic binary, a likely AM Herculis star or polar.Comment: Astronomische Nachrichten, in press (4 pages, 4 figures

Recent Results from Infrared Observations of White Dwarfs, their Companions, and the Dust that Surrounds Them

Although "traditionally" observed at short wavelengths, white dwarfs have displayed many surprising features when probed in the infrared. We present an overview of recent results from ground- and space-based near- to mid-infrared observations of white dwarfs. These include the discovery of many new candidate binary stars containing low mass stellar or sub-stellar companions from a sample of objects previously thought to be single white dwarfs, and Spitzer Space Telescope observations that suggest that dust is common in the environs of white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables

Supermarket savvy: An analysis of psychological exploitation within grocery stores

As obesity rates continue to climb around the world, an increased effort is needed to explore all means of prevention and intervention. Although previous research has examined the effectiveness of strategies like nutritional education, little research has been conducted surrounding the interplay of psychology and marketing within the context of grocery stores. As such, this paper examines the presence of psychological manipulation within grocery stores and the influence is has upon product choice, and ultimately consumption. Several key variables have been taken into account for this analysis, including store layout, location, product placement, packaging, and others, to provide a holistic understanding of the shopper’s experience. Although the marketing systems and displays within grocery stores were comparable between the United States (US) and Switzerland, the Swiss system was found to exhibit fewer profit-based marketing tactics. Moreover, strategies that are used in Switzerland were found to be less forceful. Further research should seek to examine why this is, how it relates to the profound difference in obesity rates, and also the average level of shopper’s awareness for these tactics

A Survey for Photometric Variability in Isolated Magnetic White Dwarfs—Measuring their Spin Periods

We present the initial findings of a photometric survey of isolated magnetic white dwarfs (MWDs) carried out with the 1.0m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope. Of our sample of 30 MWDs, we have observed variability in 17 (57%) over our observed timescales (minutes to years), with a further 11 requiring more data, and two that are non-variable at the 1% level. In total we have discovered possible variability in 15 targets that has not been reported before in the literature, and we have measured the spin period of five objects in our sample to within a few percent. We find no correlation between spin period, mass or temperature, but there may be a weak negative correlation between period and field strength for the short-period targets. We have identified 14 MWDs with low field strengths and low temperatures, which are candidates for having star spots on their surfaces and should be followed up with polarimetry. We have also found that three low-field, high temperature MWDs are unexpectedly variable, with no obvious mechanism to cause this

From Chilly Climate to Warm Reception: Experiences and Good Practices for Supporting LGBTQ Students in STEM

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning students (LGBTQ) face unique challenges during their university or college careers, and while society has generally become more accepting of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) over the past decade, students still often face chilly or outright hostile campus climates, as well as institutional and departmental policies and practices that create barriers to their learning and feeling of belonging in their classrooms and on their campuses. Research suggests that these issues are particularly pervasive in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and there is some evidence to suggest that LGBTQ individuals are underrepresented in these fields, at least in the STEM federal agency workforce (Cech, 2015). In this work, I review the research pertaining to LGBTQ university and community college students in STEM fields, including departmental and campus climate, departmental and institutional policies, and student outcomes. I investigate the evidence for policy and intervention options, and synthesize the recommendations from the literature that can help to support SGM students in classrooms, departments, and institutions of higher education

Infectious Disease and the Diversification of the Human Genome

The human immune system is under great pathogen-mediated selective pressure. A combination of divergent infectious disease pathogenesis across human populations, and the overrepresentation of “immune genes” in genomic regions with signatures of positive selection suggests that pathogens have significantly altered the human genome. However, important features of the human immune system can confound searches for and interpretations of signatures of pathogen-mediated evolution. Immune system redundancy, immune gene pleiotropy, host ability to acquire immunity and alter the immune repertoire of their offspring through “priming”, and host microbiome complicate evolutionary interpretations of host- pathogen interactions. The overall promiscuity and sensitivity of the immune system to local environments can also muddy assumptions about the origins of a selective pressure on a given set of genes. This review addresses how features of the immune system, the primary buffer between a pathogen and the human genome, affect evolutionary signal. Here, considerations that must be made when assessing how pathogens have contributed to human diversification are addressed

Gaseous Material Orbiting the Polluted, Dusty White Dwarf HE1349-2305

We present new spectroscopic observations of the polluted, dusty, helium-dominated atmosphere white dwarf star HE1349-2305. Optical spectroscopy reveals weak CaII infrared triplet emission indicating that metallic gas debris orbits and is accreted by the white dwarf. Atmospheric abundances are measured for magnesium and silicon while upper limits for iron and oxygen are derived from the available optical spectroscopy. HE1349-2305 is the first gas disk-hosting white dwarf star identified amongst previously known polluted white dwarfs. Further characterization of the parent body polluting this star will require ultraviolet spectroscopy.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter