The Effect of Food-Related Lifestyle on the Choices of Consumers of Five Food Products

The purpose of this study was to find out whether food-related lifestyle guides and explains product evaluations, specifically, consumer perceptions and choice evaluations of five different food product categories: lettuce, mincemeat, savoury sauce, goat cheese, and pudding. The opinions of consumers who shop in neighbourhood stores were considered most valuable. This study applies means-end chain (MEC) theory, according to which products are seen as means by which consumers attain meaningful goals. The food-related lifestyle (FRL) instrument was created to study lifestyles that reflect these goals. Further, this research has adopted the view that the FRL functions as a script which guides consumer behaviour. Two research methods were used in this study. The first was the laddering interview, the primary aim of which was to gather information for formulating the questionnaire of the main study. The survey consisted of two separate questionnaires. The first was the FRL questionnaire modified for this study. The aim of the other questionnaire was to determine the choice criteria for buying five different categories of food products. Before these analyses could be made, several data modifications were made following MEC analysis procedures. Beside forming FRL dimensions by counting sum-scores from the FRL statements, factor analysis was run in order to elicit latent factors underlying the dimensions. The lifestyle factors found were adventurous, conscientious, enthusiastic, snacking, moderate, and uninvolved lifestyles. The association analyses were done separately for each choice of product as well as for each attribute-consequence linkage with a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The testing variables were FRL dimensions and the FRL lifestyle factors. In addition, the relation between the attribute-consequence linkages and the demographic variables were analysed. Results from this study showed that the choice of product is sequential, so that consumers first categorize products into groups based on specific criteria like health or convenience. It was attested that the food-related lifestyles function as a script in food choice and that the FRL instrument can be used to predict consumer buying behaviour. Certain lifestyles were associated with the choice of each product category. The actual product choice within a product category then appeared to be a different matter. In addition, this study proposes a modification to the FRL instrument. The positive towards advertising FRL dimension was modified to examine many kinds of information search including the internet, TV, magazines, and other people. This new dimension, which was designated as being open to additional information, proved to be very robust and reliable in finding differences in consumer choice behaviour. Active additional information search was linked to adventurous and snacking food-related lifestyles. The results of this study support the previous knowledge that consumers expect to get many benefits simultaneously when they buy food products. This study brought detailed information about the benefits sought, the combination of benefits differing between products and between respondents. Household economy, pleasure and quality were emphasized with the choice of lettuce. Quality was the most significant benefit in choosing mincemeat, but health related benefits were often evaluated as well. The dominant benefits linked to savoury sauce were household economic benefits, expected pleasurable experiences, and a lift in self-respect. The choice of goat cheese appeared not to be an economic decision, self-respect, pleasure, and quality being included in the choice criteria. In choosing pudding, the respondents considered the well-being of family members, and indulged their family members or themselves.

An Analysis of the Concept of Citizenship: Legal, Political and Social Dimensions

The thesis aims at analyzing concept of citizenship in political philosophy. The concept of citizenship is a complex one: it does not have a definitive explication, but it nevertheless is a very important category in contemporary world. Citizenship is a powerful ideal, and often the way a person is treated depends on whether he or she has the status of a citizen. Citizenship includes protection of a person’s rights both at home and abroad. It entails legal, political and social dimension: the legal status as a full member of society, the recognition of that status by fellow citizens and acting as a member of society. The thesis discusses these three dimensions. Its objective is to show how all of them, despite being insufficient in some aspects, reach something important about the concept. The main sources of the thesis are Civic Republicanism by Iseult Honohan (Routledge 2002), Republicanism by Philip Pettit (Clarendon Press 1997), and Taking Rights Seriously by Ronald Dworkin (1997). In addition, the historical part of the thesis relies mainly on the works of Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, Quentin Skinner, James Pocock and James Tully. The writings of Will Kymlicka, John Rawls, Chantal Mouffe, and Shane Phelan are referred to in the presentation and critique of the liberal tradition of thought. Hannah Arendt and Seyla Benhabib’s analysis of Arendt’s philosophy both address the problematic relations between human rights and nation-states as the main guarantors of rights. The chapter on group rights relies on Peter Jones’ account of corporate and collective rights, after which I continue to Seumas Miller’s essay on the (liberal) account of group rights and their relation to the concept of citizenship. Republicanism and Political Theory (2002) edited by Cécile Laborde and John Maynor is also references. David Miller and Maurizio Viroli represent the more “rooted” version of republicanism. The thesis argues that the full concept of citizenship should be seen as containing legal, political and social dimensions. The concept can be viewed from all of these three angles. The first means that citizenship is connected with certain rights, like the right to vote or stand for election, the right to property and so on. In most societies, the law guarantees these rights to every citizen. Then there is also the social dimension, which can be said to be as important as the legal one: the recognition of equality and identities of others. Finally, there is the political dimension, meaning the importance of citizens’ participation in the society, which is discussed in connection with the contemporary account of republicanism. All these issues are discussed from the point of view of groups demanding for group-specific rights and equal recognition. The challenge with these three aspects of citizenship is, however, that they are difficult to discuss under one heading. Different theories or discourses of citizenship each approach the subject from different starting points, which make reconciling them sometimes hard. The fundamental questions theories try to answer may differ radically depending on the theory. Nevertheless, in order to get the whole image of what the citizenship discourses are about all the aspects deserve to be taken into account.

Phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau-like theory for superconductivity in the cuprates

We propose and develop here a phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau-like theory of cuprate high-temperature superconductivity. The free energy of a cuprate superconductor is expressed as a functional F of the complex spin-singlet pair amplitude psi(ij) equivalent to psi(m) = Delta(m) exp(i phi(m)), where i and j are nearest-neighbor sites of the square planar Cu lattice in which the superconductivity is believed to primarily reside, and m labels the site located at the center of the bond between i and j. The system is modeled as a weakly coupled stack of such planes. We hypothesize a simple form FDelta, phi] = Sigma(m)A Delta(2)(m) + (B/2)Delta(4)(m)] + C Sigma(< mn >) Delta(m) Delta(n) cos(phi(m) - phi(n)) for the functional, where m and n are nearest-neighbor sites on the bond-center lattice. This form is analogous to the original continuum Ginzburg-Landau free-energy functional; the coefficients A, B, and C are determined from comparison with experiments. A combination of analytic approximations, numerical minimization, and Monte Carlo simulations is used to work out a number of consequences of the proposed functional for specific choices of A, B, and C as functions of hole density x and temperature T. There can be a rapid crossover of from small to large values as A changes sign from positive to negative on lowering T; this crossover temperature T-ms(x) is identified with the observed pseudogap temperature T*(x). The thermodynamic superconducting phase-coherence transition occurs at a lower temperature T-c(x), and describes superconductivity with d-wave symmetry for positive C. The calculated T-c(x) curve has the observed parabolic shape. The results for the superfluid density rho(s)(x, T), the local gap magnitude , the specific heat C-v(x, T) (with and without a magnetic field), as well as vortex properties, all obtained using the proposed functional, are compared successfully with experiments. We also obtain the electron spectral density as influenced by the coupling between the electrons and the correlation function of the pair amplitude calculated from the functional, and compare the results successfully with the electronic spectrum measured through angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). For the specific heat, vortex structure, and electron spectral density, only some of the final results are reported here; the details are presented in subsequent papers.

Theory of the non-Fermi-liquid transition point in the two-impurity Kondo model

We present an explicit solution of the problem of two coupled spin-1/2 impurities, interacting with a band of conduction electrons. We obtain an exact effective bosonized Hamiltonian, which is then treated by two different methods (low-energy theory and mean-field approach). Scale invariance is explicitly shown at the quantum critical point. The staggered susceptibility behaves like ln(T(K)/T) at low T, whereas the magnetic susceptibility and [S1.S2] are well behaved at the transition. The divergence of C(T)/T when approaching the transition point is also studied. The non-Fermi-liquid (actually marginal-Fermi-liquid) critical point is shown to arise because of the existence of anomalous correlations, which lead to degeneracies between bosonic and fermionic states of the system. The methods developed in this paper are of interest for studying more physically relevant models, for instance, for high-T(c) cuprates.

Time-domain-finite-wave analysis of the engine exhaust system by means of the stationary-frame method of characteristics. Part I. Theory

Time-domain-finite-wave analysis of the engine exhaust system is usually done using the method of characteristics. This makes use of either the moving frame method, or the stationary frame method. The stationary frame method is more convenient than its counterpart inasmuch as it avoids the tedium of graphical computations. In this paper (part I), the stationary-frame computational scheme along with the boundary conditions has been implemented. The analysis of a uniform tube, cavity-pipe junction including the engine and the radiation ends, and also the simple area discontinuities has been presented. The analysis has been done accounting for wall friction and heat-transfer for a one-dimensional unsteady flow. In the process, a few inconsistencies in the formulations reported in the literature have been pointed out and corrected. In the accompanying paper (part II) results obtained from the simulation are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations.

Boxicity and Poset Dimension

Let G be a simple, undirected, finite graph with vertex set V(G) and edge set E(C). A k-dimensional box is a Cartesian product of closed intervals a(1), b(1)] x a(2), b(2)] x ... x a(k), b(k)]. The boxicity of G, box(G) is the minimum integer k such that G can be represented as the intersection graph of k-dimensional boxes, i.e. each vertex is mapped to a k-dimensional box and two vertices are adjacent in G if and only if their corresponding boxes intersect. Let P = (S, P) be a poset where S is the ground set and P is a reflexive, anti-symmetric and transitive binary relation on S. The dimension of P, dim(P) is the minimum integer l such that P can be expressed as the intersection of t total orders. Let G(P) be the underlying comparability graph of P. It is a well-known fact that posets with the same underlying comparability graph have the same dimension. The first result of this paper links the dimension of a poset to the boxicity of its underlying comparability graph. In particular, we show that for any poset P, box(G(P))/(chi(G(P)) - 1) <= dim(P) <= 2box(G(P)), where chi(G(P)) is the chromatic number of G(P) and chi(G(P)) not equal 1. The second result of the paper relates the boxicity of a graph G with a natural partial order associated with its extended double cover, denoted as G(c). Let P-c be the natural height-2 poset associated with G(c) by making A the set of minimal elements and B the set of maximal elements. We show that box(G)/2 <= dim(P-c) <= 2box(G) + 4. These results have some immediate and significant consequences. The upper bound dim(P) <= 2box(G(P)) allows us to derive hitherto unknown upper bounds for poset dimension. In the other direction, using the already known bounds for partial order dimension we get the following: (I) The boxicity of any graph with maximum degree Delta is O(Delta log(2) Delta) which is an improvement over the best known upper bound of Delta(2) + 2. (2) There exist graphs with boxicity Omega(Delta log Delta). This disproves a conjecture that the boxicity of a graph is O(Delta). (3) There exists no polynomial-time algorithm to approximate the boxicity of a bipartite graph on n vertices with a factor of O(n(0.5-epsilon)) for any epsilon > 0, unless NP=ZPP.

A Microscopic Theory of the f.c.c.-b.c.c. Interface .

We present a first-principles theory of the equilibrium b.c.c.-f.c.c. interface at coexistence using the density functional method. We assume that the interfacial region has local body-centred tetragonal (b.c.t.) symmetry and predict typical interfacial widths to be of order 2 to 3 lattice spacings with typical energies close to 0.05 J/m2. These quantities are in good agreement with laboratory measurements on coherent interfaces.

Glass Transition in the Density Functional Theory of Freezing

A mean-field description of the glass transition in the hard-sphere system is obtained by numerically locating "glassy" minima of a model free-energy functional. These minima, characterized by inhomogeneous but aperiodic density distributions, appear as the average density is increased above the value at which equilibrium crystallization takes place. Investigations of the density distribution and local bond-orientational order at these minima yield results similar to those obtained from simulations.

A new theory of gravitation with parity-violating propagating torsion

A new theory of gravitation has been proposed in a more general space-time than Riemannian. It is a generalization of the ECSK and Brans-Dicke (BD) theory of gravitation. It is found that, in contrast to the standard the ECSK theory, a parity-violating propagating torsion is generated by the BD scalar field. The interesting consequence of the theory is that it can successfully predict solar system experimental results to desired accuracy.

Barrier crossing in one and three dimensions by a long chain

We consider the Kramers problem for a long chain polymer trapped in a biased double-well potential. Initially the polymer is in the less stable well and it can escape from this well to the other well by the motion of its N beads across the barrier to attain the configuration having lower free energy. In one dimension we simulate the crossing and show that the results are in agreement with the kink mechanism suggested earlier. In three dimensions, it has not been possible to get an analytical `kink solution' for an arbitrary potential; however, one can assume the form of the solution of the nonlinear equation as a kink solution and then find a double-well potential in three dimensions. To verify the kink mechanism, simulations of the dynamics of a discrete Rouse polymer model in a double well in three dimensions are carried out. We find that the time of crossing is proportional to the chain length, which is in agreement with the results for the kink mechanism. The shape of the kink solution is also in agreement with the analytical solution in both one and three dimensions.

A Sub-Nyquist Sampling Method For Computing The Level-crossing-times Of An Analog Signal: Theory And Applications

We address the problem of computing the level-crossings of an analog signal from samples measured on a uniform grid. Such a problem is important, for example, in multilevel analog-to-digital (A/D) converters. The first operation in such sampling modalities is a comparator, which gives rise to a bilevel waveform. Since bilevel signals are not bandlimited, measuring the level-crossing times exactly becomes impractical within the conventional framework of Shannon sampling. In this paper, we propose a novel sub-Nyquist sampling technique for making measurements on a uniform grid and thereby for exactly computing the level-crossing times from those samples. The computational complexity of the technique is low and comprises simple arithmetic operations. We also present a finite-rate-of-innovation sampling perspective of the proposed approach and also show how exponential splines fit in naturally into the proposed sampling framework. We also discuss some concrete practical applications of the sampling technique.

Use of running fractal dimension for the analysis of changing patterns in electroencephalograms

Running fractal dimensions were measured on four channels of an electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded from a normal volunteer. The changes in the background activity due to eye closure were clearly differentiated by the fractal method. The compressed spectral array (CSA) and the running fractal dimensions of the EEG showed corresponding changes with respect to change in the background activity. The fractal method was also successful in detecting low amplitude spikes and the changes in the patterns in the EEG. The effects of different window lengths and shifts on the running fractal dimension have also been studied. The utility of fractal method for EEG data compression is highlighted.

Microscopic theory of vortex dynamics

An approach to vortex dynamics is outlined, a new form being obtained for the pair potential forces on a vortex. A microscopic calculation of the vortex inertial mass is presented. Quantum effects on vortex lattice melting are briefly discussed.

Microscopic theory of vortex dynamics

An approach to vortex dynamics is outlined, a new form being obtained for the pair potential forces on a vortex. A microscopic calculation of the vortex inertial mass is presented. Quantum effects on vortex lattice melting are briefly discussed.

Rudiments of complexity theory for scientists and engineers

Complexity theory is an important and growing area in computer science that has caught the imagination of many researchers in mathematics, physics and biology. In order to reach out to a large section of scientists and engineers, the paper introduces elementary concepts in complexity theory in a informal manner, motivating the reader with many examples.