A study to determine if learning experiences on night duty are meeting the objectives for this experience

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

The micro-politics of micro-management: exploring the role of programme leader in English universities

This study is based on interviews with 25 programme leaders at two universities in England. Programme leadership is ubiquitous and essential to effective university operations, yet there is surprisingly little research on the role. It is an ambiguous and complex form of leadership, existing as it does in the space between standard academic and manager profiles. Existing literature on other leadership roles highlights such ambiguity as a major source of stress and cause of inefficiency. Drawing from the perspectives of current programme leaders, four main areas of difficulty are identified: role confusion, the management of others, the status and demands of leadership, and bureaucratic burdens. The paper suggests that the role of programme leader should be taken more seriously at both a research and institutional level, and that sufficient support should be implemented in relation to the four challenges mentioned above. Any real engagement with leadership at programme level, however, should also take into account the micro-politics of institutional management, a politics that combines issues of values, status and identity with more prosaic concerns over role definition, workload and student support

Effects of argon ion injections in the plasmasphere

In lifting massive space power system payloads from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous Earth orbit, Cargo Orbit Transfer (COTV) using ion propulsion will inject energetic beams of argon ions into the plasmasphere. The relationship of the beam velocity to Alfven and thermal velocities as a function of radial distance in the plasmasphere is given for positions near the Earth's equatorial plane. A beam sheath loss model is used which results in a deposition of argon ions and hence energy in the plasmasphere which is much less than that in models calling for clouds or plasma instabilities to rapidly stop the beam. A comparison is given of the cumulative fractional mass loss of an ion beam injected at 1.5 R for the ion cloud and the ion beam sheath loss process. The integrated difference of these two deposition models is shown for the construction of one SPS

A study of radiation environment in space and its biological effects

Biological effects on man in space resulting from galactic and solar cosmic radiation are discussed. Importance of secondary ions which contribute to galactic cosmic radiation hazards is analyzed. Mathematical model to show rate of production of secondary ions of given atomic number at various points in absorber is presented

Propagation of fronts in the Fisher-Kolmogorov equation with spatially varying diffusion

The propagation of fronts in the Fisher-Kolmogorov equation with spatially varying diffusion coefficients is studied. Using coordinate changes, WKB approximations, and multiple scales analysis, we provide an analytic framework that describes propagation of the front up to the minimum of the diffusion coefficient. We also present results showing the behavior of the front after it passes the minimum. In each case, we show that standard traveling coordinate frames do not properly describe front propagation. Lastly, we provide numerical simulations to support our analysis and to show, that around the minimum, the motion of the front is arrested on asymptotically significant timescales.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Heterodon nasicus

Number of Pages: 10Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Electrostatic depletion forces between planar surfaces

The interaction between two dielectric plates immersed in an electrolyte solution is examined by using a variational perturbation approximation for the grand partition function. This approach differs from previous treatments in that the screening length between the plates is treated as a variational parameter. A key finding is that adjacent to each plate is a layer of ion depletion with thickness given by about one-half of a Bjerrum length. Consequently, for plate-plate separations less than the Bjerrum length, nearly all the electrolyte is excluded from between the plates, and the interaction is given by the sum of a van der Waals interaction and an attractive osmotic depletion force. In contrast to the predictions of previous theories, the interaction between the plates at short range increases with increasing electrolyte concentration and may provide an important contribution to the salt-induced attraction, commonly referred to as salting out. Because the range of the osmotic depletion force is roughly equal to the Bjerrum length, it increases with the square of the valency of the electrolyte. At larger plate-plate separations, the van der Waals interaction is screened as electrolyte enters the space between the plates, leading to an exponential decay of the interactions, as has been previously observed. However, this interaction is slightly stronger than that previously predicted, due to ion depletion from the surface of the interface, also this effect increases with increasing electrolyte concentration

Environmental Perceptions and Behavioral Change of Hillside Farmers: The Case of Haiti

Land degradation is one of the most serious problems facing resource-poor tropical hillside farmers. Studies examining determinants of farmers’ decisions to invest in land improvement technologies have focused on economic and financial factors, neglecting individuals’ perceptions and awareness of the problems and how they affect land use and behavioral change that enhance environmental sustainability. This study examines Haitian peasants’ environmental behavior structure using a structural equation modeling approach. Specifically, the study examines the effects of perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers to change on attitude, and the causal effect of attitude on behavior. The influence of the level of resources extracted from the land per capita on perceptions, attitude, and behavior is examined. Results show that Haitian peasants’ attitudes toward the environment are significantly affected by their perceived susceptibility and severity of land degradation. The path coefficients linking perceived susceptibility, severity, and benefits to attitude are 0.49 (t=5.43) and 0.21 (t=3.78), respectively. A positive attitude toward the environment seems to cause a greater inclination to behavioral change. The coefficient from attitude to behavior is 0.21 (t=3.81). The results indicate that agricultural productivity significantly shapes hillside farmers’ perceptions of susceptibility to and severity of land degradation. Per capita resource extraction significantly affects people’s perceptions of the benefits of good environmental quality and the barriers to behavioral change.Farmers, environment, perception, behaviour and degradation, agricultural productivity, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Seafood Import Demand in the Caribbean Region

Cointegration analysis and an Error Correction Model are used to estimate aggregate seafood import demand functions for selected Caribbean countries. The results show that seafood import demand is price elastic. Exchange rate has a negative effect on seafood import quantity. Income and tourist arrivals have positive impacts on seafood imports. Seafood import negatively affects domestic fishery production. Tariff and production support policies reduce seafood imports, and enhance domestic production. Both policies increase producer surplus, but a tariff reduces consumer surplus, and a production expansion policy increases consumer surplus. A production expansion subsidy is a more appropriate policy instrument than a tariff for small open economies, like the Caribbean States, to increase domestic production and generate net economic surplus.Seafood, import demand, cointegration, economic surplus, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Q17, Q22, C32,