MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF CONSUMER CHOICE IN FASHION: POTENTIAL STUDENT PROJECTS

This paper suggests an unusual theme for undergraduate student projects. The future is now. Repackaging the past has historical value but it is not a preparation for the range and scope of the internet as a vast copying machine which can not only detect purchasing patterns but can adjust bargain prices to fit the buyer’s calculated financial power and target them through intermediary subsidiaries in a universal online market. Quantitative techniques can now penetrate disciplines which once eschewed them. This paper looks at three such approaches in the context of consumer choice in fashion.

Outdoor and indoor ozone level: A potential impact on human health

Background/Aim. Air pollution outside and inside is still one of the most sensitive issues. The aim of this study was to assess the ozone level in ambient air and working premises in terms of its possible influence on human health. Methods. The study was based on the results obtained in Lithuanian conditions. Continuous ozone measurement data from the rural monitoring station in Preila over the period 1995-2011 were analyzed. More than 180,000 hourly values were examined according to the requirements in the Directive 2008/50/EC. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union indicators the Sum of Ozone Means Over 35 ppb (SOMO 35), the maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration of ozone higher than 100 and 120 ?g/m3 were estimated. Indoor ozone concentrations in copying and welding rooms were evaluated. The ozone concentration was measured with the ozone analyzer O341M. Results. The frequency distribution of ozone hourly concentrations at the Preila station showed that less than 1% of the data were higher than 120 ?g/m3 and 6% of them higher than 100 ?g/m3, that could have the adverse effect on human health, during 1995-2011. The investigations made in working premises showed that near a copying machine the ozone concentration can reach 330 ?g/m3, however in the room, i.e. 0.5 m from the machine, the average ozone concentration during automatic copying was 165 ?g/m? and during manual copying it was 50 ?g/m?. Measurements in a welding room showed that the ozone concentration was in the range of 380-1,850 ?g/m3 at the distance of 25 cm from the electrode and at the distance of 1 m from the source the ozone concentration decreased 2.5 times. Conclusion. The danger of the ambient ozone level to human health practically was not observed in Lithuanian conditions. However, almost 6% of the data exceed the new WHO guideline of 100 ?g/m3 during the measurement time. Indoor ozone during welding reached a higher level than during copying that can cause human health problems.

Cultural, Legal, Technical, and Economic Perspectives on Copyright Online: The Case of the Music Industry

This chapter summarises the cultural, legal, technical, and economic approaches to enforcing copyright. It suggests that rights holders need to rethink their business models in the digital age, such as by concentrating on live performances, rather than simply trying to shore up old business models by criminalising copyright infringement. The link between pervasiveness and persuasiveness is complex and sometimes contradictory. It is noted that online sharing is not identity theft.The Pirate Baychose to embrace the term pirate despite disputing almost everything else being claimed by the recording and film industry lobbies about online sharing. The asymmetrical architecture of the Internet makes circulation easier than regulation. The Internet makes every computer an infinite copying machine and one hard to disconnect from every other. The music industry has been hit first and hardest by online sharing, and reveals the clearest signs of successful adaptation.