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This study develops and tests the strengths and weaknesses of an analytical framework entitled sociologies to examine students' responses to socioscientific issues. Sociologies (Latour, 1987) is defined as the unpredictable and heterogeneous networks of links and associations that constitute the construction, accumulation, and mobilization of knowledge in the face of controversy. Recognizing the asymmetry of knowledge production, sociologies looks at how some knowledge is rendered more credible, and more powerful, than others. The framework consists of five questions: a) how causes and effects are attributed; b) what points (ideas) are linked to which other; c) what size and strength these links have; d) who the most legitimate spokespersons are; and e) and how all these elements are modified during the controversy. Latour calls the answer to these five questions "sociologies". Under this rubric, the production of knowledge is contentious because knowledge is socially constructed in a world where discourse and politics and knowledge and power are inextricably related. I argue that the framework of sociologies is an improvement upon commonly used analytical frameworks in socioscientific research in education as, unlike previous forms of analysis, it foregrounds the social construction of knowledge (as evidenced in discourse) and highlights the contentious, complex, unpredictable, and dynamic nature of knowledge production prevalent in these issues.

Social influence in marketing has generally been conceptualized in terms of conformity, where the individual's attitudes and behaviour are influenced by real or imagined group pressure. This is a one-way influence process where the group (majority) influences the individual. This research extends this conceptualization of social influence to include the influence of minority or deviant opinions. A simultaneous social influence paradigm is adopted, in which individuals may not only experience conformity pressure from the majority, but may also be subject to persuasion by minority opinions in the group. Such situations may arise in consumer groups as such organizational buying committees or families. Several conditions that may determine the extent of conformity or minority influence were delineated. It was hypothesized that the extent of social identification with a minority or majority source, i.e., source-similarity, would determine the extent of its influence. It was proposed that issue-involvement would play an important role in determining conformity versus minority influence effects, as well as interact significantly with source-similarity. The role of other mediating variables in this social influence process, such as source credibility and source feelings, were also explicated. An empirical test of the theory was undertaken through a 2 (high/low similarity) X 2 (high/low involvement) factorial design. Subject were exposed to persuasive communication from both a majority and a minority source, who advocated contrary positions. The two sources always assumed opposite social identities, and thus when one source was similar to the subject, the other was dissimilar. As anticipated, the minority opinion was more persuasive when the minority was similar, rather than dissimilar. However, this effect was dependent on the level of involvement. The results were generally consistent with the proposed model, with both similarity and involvement playing a crucial role in determining the extent of minority influence. Source credibility and feelings towards the source were both significant mediators in the social influence process. This research indicates a further need to explore the role of involvement in such simultaneous influence contexts using other consumer contexts, and it opens several avenues for future research.

This study examines the effects of performance feedback on negotiator emotions, interpersonal influence, negotiator behavior, and negotiation outcomes. A model based on the role of emotions in dyadic negotiation is proposed that comprises relationships amongst variables before, during, and after negotiation. This model is based on four major elements: namely, cognitive appraisal, emotional specificity, emotional flux, and interpersonal influence, and their influence on negotiator behavior and negotiation outcomes. / A 2 x 4 x 4 (Negotiation Role x Feedback Conditions for the Negotiator x Feedback Conditions for the Counterpart) experimental study was designed to examine the effects of performance feedback during negotiation in a simulation based on an employment contract negotiation. The experiment consisted of two negotiation tasks that were completed sequentially. The emotions of the participants were manipulated after Task 1 by providing them four types of performance feedback in Task 1. These feedbacks were based on two valences (success or failure) and two agency attributes (other locus of responsibility or self locus of responsibility). / Four hundred and fourteen participants from executive and academic programs at a Pakistani university took part in this study. The data were analyzed using general linear models, linear multiple regressions, and Pearson correlational analysis to test: (1) the arousal of negotiator emotions after Task 1 as a result of appraisal of the performance feedback, (2) the influence of negotiator emotions on negotiator behavior during Task 2, (3) the interpersonal influence of counterpart emotions and behavior during Task 2 on negotiator behavior in Task 2, (4) the effect of negotiator behavior in Task 2 on negotiation outcomes, (5) the effect of negotiation outcomes on post-negotiation emotions and the desire for future interaction. / The results supported the hypothesized relationships in the proposed model. The treatment effect was successful in producing the four factors of emotions: namely, anger, guilt-shame, gratitude, and pride-achievement emotions, corresponding to the four types of performance feedback. The negotiator behavior was predicted by these emotions along with counterpart emotions and behavior according to the proposed model. The negotiation outcomes were related to negotiator and counterpart behaviors. Negotiator satisfaction was the main predictor of post-negotiation emotions and the desire for future interaction, although economic negotiation outcomes played some role as well.

Chlorine has been used extensively as an industrial compound for synthesis of innumerable commercial product, including bleaches, organic diluents, adhesives, dust reducing agents, cutting oils, disinfectants, and monomers for plastics, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides. Despite societal contribution of chlorinated chemicals, there have recent suggestion by some environmental associations and scientists to ban the industrial use of chlorine. After their release into environment, organochlorine pollutants are stable and resistant to chemical and biodegradation and preferentially accumulation in the sequence food chain. / As a detoxification hydrodechlorination (HDC) reactions change neither the thermodynamics of the reaction nor the equilibrium composition. Also, there is no possibility of producing hazard by-product such as polychlorodibenzodioxins and polychlorodibenzofuran. / Liquid phase hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenols was studied over the temperature range from room temperature (R.T) to 80°C using various Nickel catalysts and active hydrogen sources. Raney Nickel system converted 4-chlorophenol to ~49 mol% of phenol and ~34 mol% cyclohexanol at R.T. and proved to be more reactive than Ni0 and Ni-Fe. The HDC system with borohydrides as hydrogen source achieved hydrodechlorination at lower temperature than the system with molecular hydrogen. Ni-Al proved to be reactive for hydrogenolysis in the presence of borohydride at R.T. A somewhat surprising temperature dependence of Ni-Al mediated HDC in absence of H2 and borohydride was absented. Optimization with Ni-Al under mild condition was performed using central composite design (CCD). Optimal condition for maximum phenol production was predicted to be 80°C, for 11 h with 30 mg of catalyst. 98 mol% phenol is produced under this condition. / A continuous stream of pentachlorophenol (PCP, 0.5 mg/min) in mixture of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and hydrogen was hydrodechlorinated by a heated column of gamma-alumina supported palladium (5 % w/w). Dechlorination efficiencies and time to reach equilibrium were influenced appreciable by the temperature and substrate delivery rate. The product from reaction at 210°C, 2000 psi accounted for 92 mol% phenol and 2.3 mol% cyclohexanone. The temperature was maintained at 210°C while the pressure and content of H2 in the gas mixture was changed to 1000 ~ 2000 psi, 5 % and 16 % (v/v) H2/CO2. The production of phenol and cyclohexanone was greater at higher pressures (2000 psi.) with the formation of methoxy-cyclohexane. The content of H2 in the gas mixture was not appreciable influenced the product distribution.

Bovine mammary glands respond to infection by foreign pathogens such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) through changes in gene expression. Monitoring the gene expression profiles will contribute to better understanding of the pathology of mastitis, and provide important selective markers for future animal breeding programs. Using cultured bovine mammary duct epithelial cells and somatic cells from infected bovine mammary glands, this study first examined the existence of Toll Like Receptors in these two systems. In cultured duct epithelial cells stimulated with E. coli LPS, both TLR 4 and 2 mRNA up regulation was detected at 2h-72h and 12h-48h respectively. For S. aureus LTA TLR 2 mRNA was up regulated at 48 and 72h whereas for TLR 4 mRNA expression up regulation was detected at 24, 48, and 72h in comparison to the Oh (p<0.05). In the case of PGN, an abundant structural component of S. aureus, the expression of TLR 2 mRNA was significant (p<0.05) at 72h whereas TLR 4 mRNA expression increased at 24, 48, and 72h. The expression of these receptors was also monitored in milk cells from cows infected with either E. coli or S. aureus. However, results obtained from the milk cells were inconclusive due to the high individual variability. Afterwards, differential gene expression profiles were monitored by the Differential Display Polymerase Chain Reaction technique in the cultured duct epithelial cells in response to E. coli and S. aureus structural components. A total of 6 candidate fragments were identified for E. coli LPS induction, whereas only one fragment was identified for S. aureus LTA induction. After LTA induction, a specific band was found to be up regulated and confirmed to be GCP-2, a chemokine involved in neutrophil recruitment. In contrast, PGN induction resulted in no change in GCP-2 levels. In different preparations of cultured duct epithelial cells both GCP-2 and IL-8 were confirmed by real time PCR to be up regulated by LTA with a significance of (p<0.01) when compared to the control cells. In the case of the E. coli identified bands, a different approach is necessary to potentially confirm the origin of these fragments. Further large scale screening of the GCP-2 and IL-8 genes in dairy cattle is necessary to test for their potential use as targets to differentiate the mastitis resistant from the mastitis prone cows.

This thesis investigates implicit memory for music, as measured by repetition priming: a processing benefit for previously encountered items. Although repetition priming has been documented in many domains, including language, visual perception, and environmental sounds, it has not yet been demonstrated in music, a domain replete with pitch repetition. A novel methodology is presented in which participants sang back the final tone of a short melody. Experiments presented in Chapter 2 show that participants were faster to sing back a target tone when it was a repetition of a previous melodic tone than when it was not, and this effect was greatest when the repetition was closest to the target. These studies also showed a benefit for expected tonic tones, which were manipulated independently of the repetition effect. Chapter 3 presents a new analysis method for measuring response latencies in sung tones. A time-frequency representation that optimizes the tradeoff between time and frequency for each point in time yielded a measurement of singers' time to reach a target frequency, which takes into account both speed and accuracy of the vocal productions. The time-frequency measurement, applied to the data presented in Chapter 2, showed longer times to reach target frequency for higher pitches, as well as larger effects of tonal priming than were attained through traditional response latency measures. The experiments in Chapter 4 examine the time course of the effects of repetition and tonality. The singing-back paradigm used in Chapter 2 also was used with the additional manipulation of stimulus tempo. These studies implicated interference rather than decay as the cause of the decreased repetition priming effect. Stimulus tempo manipulations showed separate time courses for repetition and tonal priming. Together, these studies provide the first evidence of repetition priming in music, document its interaction with other factors including tonality and pitch height, and describe its time course. The findings are discussed in terms of sensory and cognitive theories of priming.