Modelling the effects of mall atmospherics on shoppers' approach behaviors [Brunel Business School Working Paper series: special issue on marketing, volume 2, 2005]

Despite previous work, researchers still do not fully understand the mechanisms by which environmental stimuli influence emotions and affect behavior. This paper attempts to address this knowledge gap by modelling the effects of a stimulus on emotions and behavior within the context of a shopping mall and retail stores. We evaluate a stimulus-response model based on the influence of perceptions on shoppers’ moods, which in turn influence approach behaviors. A structured questionnaire survey of actual shoppers in a real mall environment (n=315) was analysed by structural equation analysis. The exemplar stimulus consisted of a Captive Audience Network (CAN or private plasma screen network) – a topic that has been little researched to date. The influence of the CAN was small but significant. The findings have implications for practitioners as even small changes in image can have a substantial effect on profitability

Testing Conditional Factor Models

Using nonparametric techniques, we develop a methodology for estimating conditional alphas and betas and long-run alphas and betas, which are the averages of conditional alphas and betas, respectively, across time. The tests can be performed for a single asset or jointly across portfolios. The traditional Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken (1989) test arises as a special case of no time variation in the alphas and factor loadings and homoskedasticity. As applications of the methodology, we estimate conditional CAPM and multifactor models on book-to-market and momentum decile portfolios. We reject the null that long-run alphas are equal to zero even though there is substantial variation in the conditional factor loadings of these portfolios.

Granite State Poll for New Hampshire Estuaries Project

The University of New Hampshire Survey Center included a question on its July 2004 Granite State Poll for the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The major purposes of these questions were to assess the knowledge of New Hampshire residents concerning the meaning of an estuary. Five hundred and nine (509) New Hampshire adults were interviewed by telephone between July 6 and July 20, 2004

Public perceptions of unreliability in examination results in England: a new perspective

Presented at the 36th International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) Annual Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, 22-27 August 2010. This report is about a quantitative study on public perceptions of unreliability in examination results, using an online questionnaire survey

Effects of water on the strength of Zerodur

An experimental design matrix was constructed to determine the effects of time and temperature water soak on the strength of Zerodur glass-ceramic. It was found that strength does increase in a nonlinear manner which is consistent with existing theories of crack tip blunting and residual stress reduction

Pushing indium phosphide quantum dot emission deeper into the near infrared

Cadmium-free near infrared (NIR) emitting quantum dots (QDs) have significant potential for multiplexed tissue-depth imaging applications in the first optical tissue window (i.e., 650 – 900 nm). Indium phosphide (InP) chemistry provides one of the more promising cadmium-free options for biomedical imaging, but the full tunability of this material has not yet been achieved. Specifically, InP QD emission has been tuned from 480 – 730 nm in previous literature reports, but examples of samples emitting from 730 nm to the InP bulk bandgap limit of 925 nm are lacking. We hypothesize that by generating inverted structures comprising ZnSe/InP/ZnS in a core/shell/shell heterostructure, optical emission from the InP shell can be tuned by changing the InP shell thickness, including pushing deeper into the NIR than current InP QDs. Colloidal synthesis methods including hot injection precipitation of the ZnSe core and a modified successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method for stepwise shell deposition were used to promote growth of core/shell/shell materials with varying thicknesses of the InP shell. By controlling the number of injections of indium and phosphorous precursor material, the emission peak was tuned from 515 nm to 845 nm (2.41 – 1.47 eV) with consistent full width half maximum (FWHM) values of the emission peak ~0.32 eV. To confer water solubility, the nanoparticles were encapsulated in PEGylated phospholipid micelles, and multiplexing of NIR-emitting InP QDs was demonstrated using an IVIS imaging system. These materials show potential for multiplexed imaging of targeted QD contrast agents in the first optical tissue window

A case study of implementing response to intervention in high school

Many secondary schools pride themselves on having a rigorous academic program for all students. These same schools are excited to share how their students have become more socially responsible after graduation. In fact, many schools provide both ideologies in their mission statements and plaster it throughout their buildings, websites, publications, and letterhead. But what secondary schools should be asking and answering is: how do their teams respond when students do not master the material? Schools that successfully provide student intervention and support student mastery at every level of content attainment should celebrate and promote this product of student growth. Studies, mostly in elementary schools, highlight that well-implemented response to intervention, or RTI, processes include the following: formation of intervention teams, development of a universal screening process, continual monitoring of students for progress, and use of evidence-based interventions. Previous studies on RTI in secondary school settings have shown some success with reading and math interventions, but various barriers to implementation also existed and were minimally discussed. Seeking to add to the growing body of RTI literature in a high school setting, this qualitative case study explored to what degree the essential elements of response to intervention, or RTI, were implemented in Aspen Time, one high school's uniquely designed, daily, 30-minute, student intervention period. Data collection included document review, focus groups, interviews and observations of Aspen Time. Analyses found four barriers to implementation (scheduling/structure, curriculum issues, fidelity, and staff capacity/professional development) and offered recommendations for high schools on RTI implementation.Includes bibliographical reference