The aim of this study is to examine whether search engine marketing may influence consumers’ brand awareness in terms of brand recall and brand recognition. The theoretical background derives from the definition and rationale of brand awareness. The study is further based on a theoretical outline of search engine marketing and its components. Furthermore, the Hierarchy of Effects Model is used in order to describe the steps a company may influence consumers in their purchase process. In order to capture consumers’ reasoning and behaviour in the search engine context, a two-way study approach was conducted. Firstly, by letting ten participants conduct a log related to their search engine behaviour, spanning for a period of ten days. Secondly, by conducting semi-structured interviews, using their logs as a base for further discussions. Results from this study show that search engine marketing can have an effect on consumers’ brand awareness by creating initial awareness or by building upon existing awareness. Secondly, in the context of unknown brands, the results show that it had a particular strong effect on brand recognition among the participants. Thirdly, it appeared that SEM can work as a gateway for brands and an enabler for building a brand attitude amongst its potential customers. Lastly, the website experience is a crucial step for brands in order to positively influence consumers in their purchase process.

The surface functionalisation of polyethylene and polypropylene by industrial and laboratory scale corona treatments and by laboratory flame treatment was studied. The surface sensitive techniques of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), contact angle measurement and electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) were employed. Corona and flame treatments resulted in incorporation of oxygen only into the surfaces of both polyethylene and polypropylene, resulting in improved surface wettabilities. A variety of oxygen functional groups were introduced by the two treatments. The industrial and laboratory scale treatments of both polymers were found to be similar in terms of the oxygen concentrations incorporated and surface wettabilities achieved. The presence of significant amounts of chain scission products were indicated on corona treated surfaces, while only minimal quantities were indicted on flame treated surfaces. This was attributed to their volatilisation during flame treatment. Introduction of sulfur dioxide into the flame and corona regions during treatment resulted in significant improvements in surface wettability. Incorporation of sulfur and nitrogen resulted from the presence of sulfur dioxide. A possible mechanism involving the formation of sulfonic acid groups and ammonium sulfonate groups was suggested. An oxidation depth model developed for use with variable take-off angle XPS showed that significantly deeper oxidation occurred in the presence of sulfur dioxide. Corona treatment was more effective in improving surface wettabilities than flame treatment, this being attributed to heat induced functional group reorientation during flame . treatment for polyethylene and to differences in surface chemistry resulting from the two treatments in the case of polypropylene. The surface wettability of poly ethylene was more readily improved than the surface wettability of polypropylene after all the treatments investigated. A method for estimating functional group concentrations using chemical derivatisation and contact angle measurement was developed. Functional group estimates for flame treated polyethylene were found to be in good agreement with chemical derivatisation used in conjunction with XPS measurements.

The ectoparasitic monogenean fluke, Gyrodactylus salaris, is a parasite known to be highly pathogenic to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Although present in the environment of several neighbouring European countries, the UK is thought to be G. salaris-free, but, if national contingency plans to control this parasite are to be effective, it is vital that we understand the factors underlying its transmission from host to host. This study demonstrates that the majority of parasites transferring to new hosts are mature parasites that have reproduced at least once. Since, exploration and host transfer strategies pose a risk to survival; the parasite will endeavour to pass on its genes before attempting to transfer from one host to another. This study has also shown that when pregnant parasites are forced to leave their hosts, their offspring are aborted prematurely to ensure the survival of the mature parasite. Gyrodactylids do not possess a free-swimming stage in their life cycle, which allows for their migration between hosts. In spite of this, they are able to rapidly colonise naïve hosts, even in non-shoaling populations of fish. This study investigates the transmission strategies employed by detached parasites in the colonisation of new hosts. Observations of gyrodactylids collected from 3-spine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus acuelatus, suggest that their activity increases as a stickleback approaches, alerting the host to its presence. The parasite is then ingested directly by the prospective host. A time series of experimental exposures and specimens prepared for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) suggest that once ingested, the parasites attach to the lining of the buccal cavity and then migrate out to their preferred colonisation site on the outer surface of the fish. It is proposed that this may be an alternative route for host infection. Similarly, direct ingestion by the scavenging on infected hosts by 3-spine sticklebacks suggests another route of infection of new hosts. Although these routes of transmission may be of lesser significance, infections in the buccal cavity may be an important indicator for detection of infection and those personnel involved in screening fish for gyrodactylids should be aware that this is an area in which infections can occur. This study also demonstrated that the use of the anaesthetic 2-phenoxyethanol does not affect the number of gyrodactylids which leave the host to colonise a new host. Additionally, observations of the transmission process suggest that turbulence produced by the movement of the fish’s fins may facilitate the transfer of detached parasites from the substrate. While this hypothesis appears to be supported by video evidence and photographic stills gathered throughout the duration of this study, further work should be conducted using particle tracking techniques to determine the efficacy of using a vortex effect as a means of colonising new hosts. Field sampling processes may have an effect on this type of research, giving rise to problems with the accurate diagnosis, management and control of gyrodactylids in a variety of fish. Gyrodactylus infected specimens of 3-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.), minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus L.) and stone loach (Barbatula barbatula L.) from one Scottish river were cohabited. The study found that small numbers of Gyrodactylus do transfer to atypical hosts. This study highlights that personnel involved in fish disease surveillance programmes should be aware of the consequences of transporting multiple species in the same transport vessel as gyrodactylids may infect species previously thought to be resistant. Equally, diagnosticians should be aware of the fact that atypical species may act as temporary hosts and that their gyrodactylid fauna should not be assumed. Non-feeding life-cycle stages, such as the dispersal stages of parasites, are dependant for survival upon finite energy reserves gathered during feeding phases. Thus, those individuals with more limited reserves will die sooner and consequently have less time available to find a new host once detached. At this stage, the principal energy reserves in gyrodactylids are stored as large lipids droplets. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) has been used to investigate the distribution of lipid droplets in Gyrodactylus, which have migrated off their fish host, testing the hypothesis that these droplets function as a proxy for the nutritional state. This study, demonstrated that the lipid droplets were particularly associated with the gut and that there is a significant variability in the volume of stored lipid carried out by each individual. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed that gyrodactylids carry lipid droplets at all stages of their life cycle, including at release from the birth pore. It is likely that transferring worms require stored energy reserves to survive in the event of failure to establish contact with a new host. These reserves could allow the parasite to survive without a host for several days. As gyrodactylids appear to respond to a range of stimuli including vibration and chemicals released from the host, the presence or absence of such cues may have consequences on the rates of Gyrodactylus transmission. If these chemical stimuli can be identified and then mimicked or blocked, then this may offer potential opportunities for the control of gyrodactylid behaviour and for disrupting their transmission to new hosts. Baseline gyrodactylid behaviour, in the absence of a host, was determined under white light and infrared. This was achieved using a specially constructed arena and purpose written image analysis software to analyse parasite movement under different lighting conditions. The study found that gyrodactylids were more active in the dark than in light conditions, typically displaying longer, more sinuous tracks under red light than under white light. To begin investigating the effect of chemical presence on gyrodactylid behaviour, the activity of octopaminergic agonists and antagonist which bind to muscle receptors and alter muscle activity, were assessed. The impact of octopamine hydrochloride, clonidine hydrochloride, amitraz and, a toxic reference, chlordimeform, over a range of concentrations (0.2 to 3.2µM/L) were assessed on gyrodactylid behaviour. All of the four chemicals affected Gyrodactylus and produced muscle tetanus, causing muscle spasms when extension was attempted. Prolonged exposure resulted in death. Only the highest concentration of chlordimeform, the toxic reference, affected 100% of Gyrodactylus after 24 hours. After 48 hours, all of the Gyrodactylus treated with chlordimeform were either affected, moribund or dead. Amitraz was more toxic than chlordimeform with 80% of Gyrodactylus being dead after 24 hours at the highest concentration. After 48 hours 100% of Gyrodactylus exposed to 3.2 µm/L amitraz were dead, and up to 80% were dead in those exposed to lower concentrations; with no parasites being left unaffected. Although these particular compounds are toxic to fish, the effect of these agonistic chemicals on Gyrodactylus behaviour and survival is interesting and suggests that a closely related compound that is safe for use against fish may offer a potential treatment for the control of G. salaris infections in rivers. An ultrastructure study was undertaken to contribute to the current understanding of gyrodactylid ultrastructure. The findings of this research require broad understanding of gyrodactylid behaviour for their interpretation. Photographic evidence was gathered using transmission and electron microscopy. From these results, it is clear that Gyrodactylus gasterostei on a three-spine stickleback host will respond to a range of stimuli (i.e. vibration or chemical cues released from the host) in their assessment of host suitability.

Graphene is a novel two dimensional material that is revolutionizing many areas of science and it is no surprise that a significant amount of effort is dedicated to its investigation. One of the major areas of graphene research is the development of procedures for large scale production. Among many recently developed methodologies, graphene oxide reduction stands out as a straightforward and scalable procedure for producing final material with properties similar to those of graphene. Laser reduction of graphite oxide is one of the novel approaches for producing multilayer graphene, and this work describes a viable approach in detail. It is determined that a material which is comprised of a combination of laser reduced graphite oxide-coupled to an unreduced graphite oxide layers beneath it, produces a broadband photosensitive material. The efficiency of light conversion into electrical current is greatly dependent upon the oxygen content of the underlying graphite oxide. Developing novel ways for reducing graphite oxide is an ongoing effort. This work also presents a new method for achieving complete reduction of graphite oxide for producing predominantly sp2 hybridized material. This approach is based on the irradiation of graphite oxide with a high flux 3 keV Ar ion beam in vacuum. It is determined that the angle of irradiation greatly influences the final surface morphology of reduced graphite oxide. Also, multilayer epitaxial graphene growth on silicon carbide in ultra-high vacuum was investigated with quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Subliming molecular and atomic species were monitored as a function of temperature and heating time. The grown films were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy coupled with Ar ion depth profiling.

Since the mid-1990s resin composite has been used for Class II restorations in stress-bearing areas as an alternative to amalgam. Reasons for this were the patients’ fear of mercury in dental amalgam and a growing demand for aesthetic restorations. During the last decades, the use of new resin composites with more optimized filler loading have resulted in reduced clinical wear. Improved and simplified amphiphilic bonding systems have been introduced. However, one of the main problems with resin composites, its polymerization shrinkage, has not been solved yet. During the polymerization of the resin composites, they shrink as a result of the conversion of the monomers into rigid polymers by a radical addition reaction. The resulting shrinkage stresses in the bonded resin composite restorations may cause adhesive failures at the resin composite/tooth structure interface and/or cohesive failures within the tooth or the resin composite. The interfacial failures may result in post-operative sensitivity, recurrent caries or pulpal injury. This thesis evaluates different restorative and light-curing techniques that are proposed to reduce the polymerization shrinkage and also the effect of new lightcuring units, light-emitting diodes (LED) and high-power quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) light on curing depth and degree of conversion of resin composites. Two restorative techniques using a polyacid-modified resin composite or a flowable resin composite in combination with conventional resin composite in sandwich restorations were evaluated in an intraindividual comparison with a conventional resin composite restoration. The durability of the polyacid-modified resin composite sandwich technique was investigated in a three year clinical follow-up study. A scanning electron microscope replica method was used for evaluation of the interfacial adaptation in vivo of both sandwich combinations. The depth of cure of the flowable resin composite was evaluated with the use of Wallace hardness testing. Degree of conversion for resin composite cured with the new LED units was evaluated with Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy. Major results and conclusions from the studies are: • Neither the sandwich restoration with polyacid-modified resin composite nor the flowable resin composite improved the interfacial adaptation of the restorations. • No difference in durability was found between the sandwich restorations with polyacidmodified resin composite or the resin composite restorations. A low failure rate was observed for both types of restorations after a clinical observation time of three years. • The depth of cure of the flowable resin composite was higher than the depth of cure of the resin composite. It was found that the curing time of the resin composite studied could be reduced or the increment layer thickness increased compared to earlier recommendations. • LED curing units of the latest generation were able to cure resin composites to a higher degree of conversion than the control QTH unit • The use of soft-start curing did not improve the interfacial adaptation of neither of resin composite restorations tested.

No description available.

The electroplating industries use soluble nickel salts in numerous applications. Over the past few years this has become problematic due to the reclassification of these salts from a harmful substance to now a toxic substance. The introduction of the legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of CHemicals) has meant the electroplating industry has had to use less harmful chemicals where possible, thus meaning companies are investing in research to find an alternative to the nickel deposit. In this study, alternative deposits under investigation as a potential replacement to the nickel deposit under the decorative chromium deposit has been characterised in terms of the appearance, surface topography and corrosion resistance by using spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), linear polarisation, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and accelerated corrosion salt spray methods. Spectrophotometry identified that a white Cu-Sn alloy gave a bluer appearance in comparison to the nickel deposit, when the chromium deposit was plated on top this modified the colour slightly giving the white Cu-Sn alloy with chromium a similar appearance to the nickel and chromium deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy was yellow in colour with a visibly dull appearance, but when chromium was plated on top of the yellow Cu-Sn alloy the colour was improved but still remained dull. The SEM and AFM results identified that the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit had similar nodulated topography to the nickel deposit and when the chromium was plated on top the topography changed only slightly. While the yellow Cu-Sn alloy deposits showed a more crystalline structure and increased roughness in comparison to the nickel deposit, the chromium deposit plated on top did not change the structure of the underlying deposit but it did reduce the roughness slightly. Electrochemical corrosion tests showed the white Cu-Sn alloy to have a higher polarisation resistance compared to the nickel deposit, thus suggesting it would provide similar corrosion protection to the nickel deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy proved to have a faster corrosion rate in comparison to the nickel deposit. Accelerated corrosion tests proved the white Cu-Sn alloy to be more corrosive than the nickel despite the electrochemical test results, it was concluded that the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit was porous and therefore provided less corrosion protection to the substrate in comparison to the nickel deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy had a lower corrosion protection than the nickel deposit and when combined as a duplex Cu-Sn alloy with the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit there was no improvement in corrosion performance. The plated chromium deposit did improve the corrosion protection for most deposits but none of the alternatives could match the corrosion protection offered by the standard nickel with chromium deposit. This study concluded that the white Cu-Sn alloy with chromium deposit was found to be a potential alternative to the nickel with chromium deposit for applications where appearance is primary, no alternative could be found to match the corrosion protection provided by the standard nickel and chromium process.

In this dissertation, I describe social, economic and political relations between Jews and Christians in medieval Europe before presenting the intellectual and religious context of Jewish life in Christian Spain. The purpose of this endeavor is to provide the framework for analyzing two works, one in Hebrew and one in Castilian, by the Spanish Jewish author Sem Tob de Carrión (1290- c.1370). Proverbios morales (1355-60), the Castilian text, is important to the Spanish literary canon because it is one of the first works of Semitic sapiential literature to be transmitted, in the vernacular, to a Christian public. However, it has generally been read by scholars of medieval Hispanic literature in isolation from his Hebrew writings. Given that Ma’aseh ha Rav (c. 1345) reveals essential aspects of his thought structure and intellectual milieu not found in Proverbios morales, it should be required reading for a thorough understanding of his worldview. In the Hebrew work, I draw parallels between the polemical language used by Sem Tob and historically documented ideological conflicts that took place among Jews in late medieval Spain and Provençe. Because it is written in a style that involves the weaving together of biblical quotations and allusions, the polemical language must be read in relation to the biblical contexts to which these allusions refer. When analyzed in this way, allegory pertaining to the ongoing dispute among Jews about philosophy and scriptural interpretation, and rebuttals of Christian truth claims, become apparent. Additionally, kabbalistic references and messianic allusions lend the work an esoteric character that sharply distinguishes it from Proverbios morales. This analysis of Ma’aseh ha Rav is used as a basis for comparing rabbinic and philosophical concepts that appear in both works. The general movement from opposition to unity that characterizes each text, and the ubiquitous “golden mean,” link the two works conceptually, and underscore Sem Tob’s preoccupation with harmonizing contradictions on both the spiritual and social levels of existence. This aspect of his thought reflects the general intellectual climate of his milieu, which is characterized by the blending, or intertwining, of the main doctrines of medieval Judaism--philosophy, mysticism, and Talmudic-traditionalism. / text

Politicians and social marketers considering whether, and how, to implement a national smoking ban in their countries require sound evidence regarding what the causes of support are amongst key stakeholders, how this support will develop over the short to medium term in which they seek to be re-elected, and how support relates to critical outcomes like enforcement. In response to this need, I use structural equation models to develop a model of the antecedents of support, based on theories of self interest and common sense justice, amongst hospitality industry managers. I show that support is determined more by fairness related constructs than self interest constructs, that support for national smoking bans increases consistently over time, and that the initial level of support, and the rate at which support increases, is positively related to subsequent enforcement behaviour by bar managers, in the year after implementation of such a ban, in New Zealand. I use growth mixture modeling to identify two subgroups of bar managers whose support changes at different rates. First, a class of bar managers with a high proportion of smokers who reported fewer instances of respiratory related health problems, showed low initial support, and whose support for the legislation slowly decreased. And second, a class of bar managers comprised of fewer smokers, but reporting more instances of respiratory related health problems. This class began with a high degree support, and steadily increased in support for the national smoking ban. I discuss the implications of these findings for social marketers, health educationalists, and politicians interested in introducing a similar ban in other countries.

Mineral Liberation Analyzer (MLA) is an automated mineralogical system originally developed to characterize ore and mill feeds for the metallurgical processing industry. Its ability to quantitatively characterize solid and particulate material, including whole rock thin sections, waste rock, tailings, soil, and sediments, has led to increasing applications in other industries. The software uses back-scatter electron imagery and energy dispersive X-ray analysis to analyze each particle’s shape, size, and mineralogical information. Energy dispersive X-ray data are compared to a user-generated Mineral Reference Library consisting of known phases and corresponding EDS spectra to classify each particle. MLA is used in this study to provide quantitative assessments of mining-related environmental samples to answer questions regarding mineralogical controls on bioaccessibility, metal leaching/acid rock drainage potential, and anthropogenic influence. Six tailings samples from the New Calumet Mine in Quebec, Canada, were analyzed using MLA. Gastric Pb bioaccessibility testing and total metal content performed on these samples indicated that Pb bioaccessibility in the <250 micron size fraction was not directly correlated with the total Pb concentration. This suggested that there were mineralogical and/or physical controls on bioaccessibility. MLA was used to quantify the relative proportions of cerussite, a highly bioaccessible Pb carbonate, and galena, a lower bioaccessibility Pb sulfide. Liberation and particle size were also analyzed as controls on bioaccessibility. Sample GD-VEG1 (highest bioaccessibility) has the highest ratio of cerussite to galena, the smallest particle size, and the most liberated Pb-bearing particles. The New Calumet tailings were also analyzed using static testing, a suite of laboratory tests used by environmental scientists and mine operators to operationally define acid rock drainage and metal leaching potential. Modal mineralogy obtained from MLA analysis was used to calculate neutralization potential (NP) and acid potential (AP), taking into account the presence of iron carbonate minerals and iron-bearing sulfides other than pyrite. Results are within several units of those obtained by static testing. Two Ni-impacted soil samples collected from the region of Kalgoorlie, Australia were characterized using MLA. Previous studies had focused on bioaccessibility and sequential extraction testing and minor mineralogical work. Preliminary XANES characterization conflicted with mineralogy predicted from sequential extraction and EMPA and MLA were used to quantitatively characterize major Ni-bearing phases and resolve previous discrepancies. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-08-24 08:13:18.722