Understanding consumer responses to special event entertainment (SEE) in shopping centres

This paper reviews the literature on the use of entertainment in shopping centres and outlines the constructs believed to impact upon consumer’s responses to special event entertainment. Special event entertainment (SEE) refers to entertainment events or activities that are offered on an occasional, temporary or discontinued basis in shopping centres. Examples of SEE include school holiday entertainment and fashion shows (Parsons, 2003; Sit, Merrilees, & Birch, 2003). Using SEE, shopping centre management seeks to entice consumer patronage, increase patron traffic or promote the shopping centre brand. Despite the popularity of SEE in shopping centres, very little academic research (e.g. Parsons, 2003; Sit, Merrilees, & Birch, 2003) has either conceptually or empirically examined how consumers perceive or respond to SEE. This research presents a conceptual model that examines the determinants and outcomes of consumer responses to SEE, In particular, consumer responses to SEE are represented by SEE proneness and overall appreciation of SEE. These SEE responses are proposed to be determined by sensation-seeking tendencies and perceived value of SEE. Eight propositions are presented to explain the relationships of SEE responses with their determinants and outcomes. These relationships will be empirically tested in future research. Research implications of the conceptual model are also presented

Implications of subduction rehydration for earth's deep water cycle

The “standard model” for the genesis of the oceans is that they are exhalations from Earth’s deep interior continually rinsed through surface rocks by the global hydrologic cycle. No general consensus exists, however, on the water distribution within the deeper mantle of the Earth. Recently Dixon et al. [2002] estimated water concentrations for some of the major mantle components and concluded that the most primitive (FOZO) are significantly wetter than the recycling associated EM or HIMU mantle components and the even drier depleted mantle source that melts to form MORB. These findings are in striking agreement with the results of numerical modeling of the global water cycle that are presented here. We find that the Dixon et al. [2002] results are consistent with a global water cycle model in which the oceans have formed by efficient outgassing of the mantle. Present-day depleted mantle will contain a small volume fraction of more primitive wet mantle in addition to drier recycling related enriched components. This scenario is consis-tent with the observation that hotspots with a FOZO-component in their source will make wetter basalts than hotspots whose mantle sources contain a larger fraction of EM and HIMU components

Venus Lander Design

The students designed an Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) system for a lander to reach the surface of Venus. The students used a combination of 3D modelling and programming to design the EDL within given constraints under specific tolerances. An EDL takes into consideration entry flight dynamics, aeroheating, and landing systems. The EDL was divided into three stages (see below). The separation of stages was designed to address unique challenges found at different points throughout the EDL. The primary objective of the first stage was to minimize the heat associated with the entry velocity to the payload. The second stage implemented a parachute to reduce velocity such that the descent time criteria could be met. The third stage involved landing design. Through the use of six simultaneous differential equations, the flight of the vehicle was determined. The system was optimized by modifying craft parameters and initial conditions to meet objectives. After optimization, the revised values of position and velocity were obtained at every time step during descent. The vehicle velocity was used to calculate the heat rate to the heat shield of the entry vehicle. Through the use of a parachute, drag was increased to extend the time of flight and to slow the vehicle for landing. Designs were implemented to minimize impact force to the lander and maintain proper orientation during landing.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1204/thumbnail.jp

Learning in the 21st century: Empowering student-centred practices through curriculum integration

The New Zealand Curriculum [NZC] provides a framework for schools to design and implement the curriculum at three levels: Nationally, school- wide, and in the classroom (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2007). Through a student-centred approach, which the NZC supports, a culturally-responsive curriculum that integrates subject matter from the learning areas with the ‘front-end’ values and key competencies is advocated, promoting the interests of students, their whānau and communities (Dowden, 2010; Fraser & Paraha, 2002). Curriculum integration [CI] is a curriculum design theory, which values students and the world they live in as the main source of curriculum, and as a result of the democratic teaching pedagogy that underpins this practice, acknowledges students as active collaborators throughout the learning process (Brough, 2008a). When students are positioned as curriculum decision-makers and have their voice heard and valued, equal power relationships can be established, enriching and positively influencing student motivation, achievement, and engagement (Brough, 2012). As Beane (1995) explains, CI is a fundamental realignment of thinking about the purpose of schools, and the sources and purposes of curriculum and knowledge. When students are actively encouraged to engage with learning experiences relevant to their lives, knowledge is acquired in an organic way and developed through meaningful, real-life purposes. When a school’s curriculum is designed to relate to both students’ and their communities’ needs and interests, students are no longer placed as consumers of information, but rather as producers of knowledge (Boyd, 2013). By integrating powerful learning environments in their classes which values students’ voice and supports active, autonomous and collaborative learning, teachers and students are engaged in open-ended, democratic decision- making around curriculum decisions. This can enable the fostering of confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners (Brough, 2008b; MoE, 2007). The aim of this thesis was to explore how teachers in the primary school, in particular the senior setting of primary schools, are integrating the curriculum to encourage student-centred practices. It is hoped that this study will illuminate potential ways classroom practice can empower student-centred pedagogy and position students at the centre of educational decision-making. It was anticipated this project would contribute to the limited research in this field in both the primary and New Zealand school contexts. A critical theoretical framework underpinned this study as it naturally aligned with the research question and the project’s aims. A case study methodology was adopted which used a variety of methods, including semi- structured interviews, naturalistic observations, photographs and documentation. Through this study it was found student-centred curriculum integration can provide a powerful and motivating curriculum framework and pedagogy for learning in the 21st century. Through a pedagogy that is underpinned by democratic principles and practices, students can develop critical and creative thinking skills. These skills empower students to ‘perform’ knowledge across authentic, real-life contexts. This not only prepares students to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives as active participants within society, but promotes emancipatory ideals leading to beneficial outcomes for communities. This study argues how through curriculum integration, teachers can find ways to empower student-centred practices

Study of Gas Diffusion Layers in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC)

An automated single-cell fuel cell system has been designed and fabricated in this work. The apparatus is capable of operating on both hydrogen and methanol fuels, and can control the mass flow rates and humidity of the inlet gases, and temperature and pressure of the cell with a LabVIEW program. A series of experiments are conducted to determine the optimum cell operating temperature (75°C), methanol concentration (4 molar), methanol flow rate (3 mL/min) and catalyst loading on Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs) (∼2.5 mg/cm2). A new anode GDL is fabricated by optimizing the hydrophobicity in the substrate and microporous layer (MPL), as well as the MPL loading. The key factors for improved cathode performance are found to be thickness and basis weight. One of the end results of this work is a new GDL system, which is manufactured continuously at low cost, providing improved cell performance compared to a commercial standard

Untying the Grotian Knot: How Tanaka Kōtarō’s Christian approach to international law disentangled the moral quandary of the South West Africa Cases

The South West Africa Cases presented the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with a seemingly intractable problem. The Petitioners in the Cases, Ethiopia and Liberia, alleged that the Respondent, the Union of South Africa, was failing to abide by the Mandate System under which South Africa had come into possession of the former German territory of South West Africa (today, Namibia). South Africa, however, argued that the way in which the mandate was governed was essentially no concern of other states. This argument presented a serious, and seemingly unresolvable, problem for the ICJ. South Africa displayed flagrant disregard for human dignity in planning and enforcing a system of racial segregation, apartheid, which relegated millions of people to lower social strata. However, the secularized international law paradigm on which the ICJ relied had no way to counter South Africa’s arguments. While it was clear that South Africa was acting unjustly, the deracinated natural law system of Hugo de Grotius (1583-1645) on which international law was premised had no way to untie this Grotian knot and permit of more substantive legal arguments on the grounds of the dignity of the human person or human rights. Procedure, in other words, trumped morality. The case seemed stuck. However, ICJ jurist Tanaka Kōtarō (1890-1974), a practicing Catholic, deployed strongly metaphysical—that is, Christian—natural law reasoning in his dissenting South West Africa Cases judgment to untie the Grotian knot and solve the moral dilemma of apartheid within an international law framework. In this paper, I examine Tanaka’s rulings (in particular his now-classic 1966 dissent) and show that his application of Catholic natural law in the South West Africa Cases not only solved the problem at hand, but also allowed for a much more robust vision of the moral law to prevail in international relations in the future