Motivational Patterns Of Enrollees In University-Based Executive And Professional Education Courses

The purpose of this paper is to begin an exploration into high-skills lifelong learning in the field of business and management, referred to as executive and professional education (EPE).  Several additional undertakings were necessary, including: discovering methods of valuing knowledge to a region, state or country, and establishing why participants in EPE programs enroll in them. To support this inquiry two research questions were developed, as follows:  1. What are the components of relevant EPE? 2. What motivates participants to take part in EPE? An exploratory case study was written exploring the intricacies of developing a successful EPE department.  This exploratory case study served as a basis for developing a survey, administered to participants in EPE to determine reasons for their participation.  This final survey was conducted in the classroom. The researchers believe that the findings and conclusions will be of value to practitioners involved in EPE, as well as to academics studying this area of business education.  This research exercise has assisted the researchers in being more effective in managing and developing EPE within their own university.  As professions and skills are made obsolete in the knowledge economy the need for continued high level lifelong learning becomes increasing important to the sustainability and viability of local, regional, state and national economies

A note on light velocity anisotropy

It is proved that in experiments on or near the Earth, no anisotropy in the one-way velocity of light may be detected. The very accurate experiments which have been performed to detect such an effect are to be considered significant tests of both special relativity and the equivalence principleComment: 8 pages, LaTex, Gen. Relat. Grav. accepte

Microfluidic mixing of low viscosity Boger fluids

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.This study is focused on the development of low viscosity Boger fluids and on the investigation of their elasticity on emulsion formation. Non-Newtonian continuous phases (Boger fluids) made of two different molecular weight Polyacrylamide in water plus glycerol solutions were used. While, as Newtonian continuous phase, a water plus glycerol solution showing the same viscosity as the non-Newtonian one was prepared and as dispersed phase silicon oil was used. Visualization of these emulsions flowing through a micromixer was useful in order to extract quantitative informations of their behavior, such as the velocity profile and droplets’ size distribution. Then the formation of vortex upstream of a divergent-convergent configuration has been shown as the wall migration effect, which drives droplets away from the walls and toward the center of the microcapillary investigated

On the Variables to be Considered in Assessing the Impact of Climate Change to Alluvial Aquifers: A Case Study in Central Italy

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Ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity in epitaxial BiMnO3 ultra-thin films

We studied the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties of compressive strained and unstrained BiMnO3 thin films grown by rf-magnetron sputtering. BiMnO3 samples exhibit a two-dimensional cube-on-cube growth mode and a pseudo-cubic structure up to a thickness of 15 nm and of 25 nm when deposited on (001) SrTiO3 and (110) DyScO3, respectively. Above these thicknesses, we observe a switching to a three-dimensional island growth mode and a simultaneous structural change to a (00l) oriented monoclinic unit cell. While ferromagnetism is observed below a T-C approximate to 100K for all samples, signatures of room temperature ferroelectricity were found only in the pseudo-cubic ultra-thin films, indicating a correlation between electronic and structural orders

Stallion Sperm Freezing with Different Extenders: Role of Antioxidant Activity and Nitric Oxide Production

: Sensitivity to freezing remains a critical issue in stallion semen cryopreservation procedures. To explore this topic in-depth, semen was collected from ten stallions, diluted with three different extenders, transported to the laboratory, and then centrifuged and frozen with four different extenders. We conducted analyses of sperm kinetics, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and hydrogen peroxide content both before and after freezing. Additionally, we assessed antioxidant activity using the ABTS and FRAP methods and measured nitric oxide stable metabolites (NOx) in the blank extenders, seminal plasma, and extenders conditioned by spermatozoa before and after freezing. We found significant variability in the antioxidant activity and NOx content of the blank extenders and the seminal plasma. In the seminal plasma, ABTS-based antioxidant activity and NOx values were correlated with some sperm kinematic parameters and MMP in refrigerated semen, while no correlation was observed in frozen sperm parameters. Sperm function varied significantly between stallions but not between extenders, either before or after freezing. However, significant differences in antioxidant activities and NOx values were found among extenders conditioned following freezing. These results provide new insights into the factors contributing to the variability in individual stallions' tolerance to sperm freezing

Co-Occurrence Patterns of Common and Rare Leaf-Litter Frogs, Epiphytic Ferns and Dung Beetles across a Gradient of Human Disturbance

Indicator taxa are commonly used to identify priority areas for conservation or to measure biological responses to environmental change. Despite their widespread use, there is no general consensus about the ability of indicator taxa to predict wider trends in biodiversity. Many studies have focused on large-scale patterns of species co-occurrence to identify areas of high biodiversity, threat or endemism, but there is much less information about patterns of species co-occurrence at local scales. In this study, we assess fine-scale co-occurrence patterns of three indicator taxa (epiphytic ferns, leaf litter frogs and dung beetles) across a remotely sensed gradient of human disturbance in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We measure the relative contribution of rare and common species to patterns of total richness in each taxon and determine the ability of common and rare species to act as surrogate measures of human disturbance and each other. We find that the species richness of indicator taxa changed across the human disturbance gradient but that the response differed among taxa, and between rare and common species. Although we find several patterns of co-occurrence, these patterns differed between common and rare species. Despite showing complex patterns of species co-occurrence, our results suggest that species or taxa can act as reliable indicators of each other but that this relationship must be established and not assumed

Fabrication and characterization of thin piezoelectric β-poly(vinylidene fluoride) films

The polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has four phases, each characterized by different molecular configurations of the polymer chains. In its beta phase it arranges in an all-trans configuration with dipolar symmetry, exhibiting piezoelectric effects. During the production of thin PVDF films by spin-coating, the polymer chains are not aligned and the dipoles are not oriented. To achieve the desired piezoelectric behavior, it is necessary to optimize both the chain alignment and the dipole orientation processes. We here present an easy procedure to maximize the percentage of the beta phase in the polymer production. The efficiency and reliability of such method has been assessed through Fourier-Transform Infra-Red and Raman spectroscopies, while the morphological differences of the two phases have been analyzed through Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results confirm the efficiency of this method