Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions

The dense concentration of stars and high velocity dispersions in the Galactic centre imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions and find its dependence on the present-day mass function of stars. We find that the total mass loss rate in the Galactic centre due to stellar collisions is sensitive to the present-day mass function adopted. We use the observed x-ray luminosity in the Galactic centre to preclude any present-day mass functions that result in mass loss rates $> 10^{-5} \mathrm{M_{\odot} yr^{-1}}$ in the vicinity of $\sim 1"$. For present-day mass functions of the form, $dN/dM \propto M^{-\alpha}$, we constrain the present-day mass function to have a minimum stellar mass $\lesssim 7\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ and a power law slope $\gtrsim 1.25$. We also use this result to constrain the initial mass function in the Galactic centre by considering different star formation scenarios

Constant versus varied serial order in paired-associate learning as a function of intralist similarity

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1966 R896Master of Scienc

Financial advisor ethics: how institutional logics and self-determination influence advisors and their fiduciary duty

In the United States, Registered Investment Advisor firms have a legal and arguably moral duty to provide advice in the best interest of their clients. However, advisors sometimes fall short of their responsibility leading to clients receiving suboptimal advice, paying for services they do not need, or willingly paying for needed advisory services but are underserved. To find solutions, the researcher begins by determining what gives rise to ethical failures among financial advisors. For this purpose, the researcher investigates competing intra-institutional logics at a large U.S.-based financial advisory firm utilizing a Q methodology study and semi-structured interviews. Institutional logics theory and self-determination theory constitute the theoretical lenses used in the thesis. The current state of the literature is robust insofar as works relating to various forms of institutional logics and self-determination theory. However, the institutional logics literature is not so well developed regarding intra-institutional logics, which is the relevant issue here. Regarding self-determination theory, where the availability of relevant literature is deep, the researcher finds room to fill a gap by proposing a novel theoretical contribution to update the current self-determination theory framework model. At its essence, the thesis is a work about professional ethics with financial advisors as the focus. Within works found in the popular press, one can discover many articles dealing with financial advisor ethics. However, based on a systematic literature review, the same cannot be said for peer-reviewed academic works. This PhD research project is intended to help fill this along with the aforementioned gaps. The researcher also touches on agency theory and why it was not chosen as a theoretical lens to examine the organization, even though some might assume it would have been an obvious choice. The emperical contribution derives from findings suggesting that although advisors are intrinsically motivated and care about client wellbeing, they lack sufficient autonomy, are unduly influenced by sales pressure, and are uneasy working in a sales culture that undermines executing their fiduciary responsibilities. The researcher concludes that it is necessary to change the standards for advisor performance evaluations and compensation plans for which recommendations are provided

Properties of Dark Matter Halos and Novel Signatures of Baryons in Them

This thesis investigates the properties of dark matter halos and places constraints on the baryons within them by utilizing observational data. In Chapter 2, we use spherical collapse dynamics to calculate the non-linear over-density of a dark matter halo at virialization given realistic initial and final density profiles in an Einstein-de Sitter cosmology and cosmologies with matter, dark energy and possible curvature. We find that the non-linear over-density at virialization can be reduced by as much as a factor of 10 as compared to the standard value.Physic

The academic outcomes of first-in-family in an Australian university: an exploratory study.

Although the first-generation and first-in-family status (FIF) of university students has been of intense interest in the USA, it has received very little consideration in Australia. The present research redressed this imbalance by investigating the academic outcomes of FIF undergraduate students at a large, public, Australian university. Undergraduate students (N = 227) who were enrolled in education, nursing and liberal arts degrees completed an online survey. Data are representative of typical gender enrolment patterns for these degrees. In contrast to US research, there was no clear relationship between socioeconomic status and FIF status in this sample. Consistent with US research, FIF students had poorer academic outcomes than non-FIF students. However, this difference was only significant after the first-year of study when students were less likely to receive scaffolded learning support within courses. FIF students were more likely than non-FIF students to seek support from university services. The implications of these results for Australian universities are considered

Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions

The dense concentration of stars and high-velocity dispersions in the Galactic center imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions and find its dependence on the present-day mass function of stars. We find that the total mass loss rate in the Galactic center due to stellar collisions is sensitive to the present-day mass function adopted. We use the observed diffuse X-ray luminosity in the Galactic center to preclude any present-day mass functions that result in mass loss rates > 10 −5 M yr −1 in the vicinity of ∼ 1 . For present-day mass functions of the form, dN/dM ∝ M −α , we constrain the present-day mass function to have a minimum stellar mass 7M and a power-law slope 1.25. We also use this result to constrain the initial mass function in the Galactic center by considering different star formation scenarios