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In today's globalized society, opportunities to hold leadership roles are increasing for many women. However, in countries where women's political rights have only recently and partially been recognised, women's representation in senior positions remains low compared to men. This is notably true in the Arabic world, specifically in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study aims to assess and analyse the experiences of Saudi women leaders to determine how their family dynamics, socio-cultural, policy-making environment, country and workplace experience may impact their leadership journeys and develop recommendations for encouraging women's aspirations toward leadership positions in Saudi Arabia's public sector through an examination of female's perspectives. It attempts to do so infect to accomplish the following objectives: • To examine from the perspective of the female leaders the aspects associated with family dynamics that may have impacted their journey to arrive at senior leadership roles. • To discover from the viewpoint of female leaders the cultural, social factors and policy framework that may have enhanced or inhibited their core capability to obtain leadership positions in Saudi Arabia. • To assess the female leaders' opinion on the influence of a decisive workplace environment and policies that may have impacted their leadership aspirations. • To develop suggestions for encouraging women's aspirations toward leadership positions in the public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia. The study employed a pragmatic paradigm and a hybrid methodology, which included semi-structured qualitative interviews with nine selected women leaders, a quantitative survey with 134 randomly selected participants, and a thematic content analysis of 25 media articles. The findings indicate that while a supportive early childhood and home environment helped shape leadership qualities and aspirations, post-marriage, assistance for managing household responsibilities and work aided women leaders in career progression. Discrimination based on gender stereotypes was shown to be a product of the traditional socio-cultural and religious based gender stereotypes, segregation, and missed opportunities. At the same time, the patriarchal work culture continued to deny women leaders equal compensation, credit training and growth opportunities. The research proposed that vision 2030 policy adjustments be implemented with greater rigour and precision.

Adaptations that allow for greater discrimination of low intensity sounds may be important in the echolocation behavior of bats. In this dissertation, we used the pallid bat, Antrozous pallidus, a gleaning bat of the western United States, as a model to study the adaptations for intensity selectivity present in the auditory cortex. We performed in-vivo extracellular recordings in the auditory cortex of the pallid bat, to determine the cortical organization and mechanisms of intensity selectivity. Downward frequency modulated (DFM) sweeps that approximated echolocation calls were used to study intensity selectivity using a behaviorally relevant sound. We also examined the distribution of Parvalbumin (PV) and Calbindin (CB) expressing cells in cortical regions and thalamic nuclei in the auditory pathway. Immunohistochemical staining was used to determine if the distribution of these calcium binding proteins in cortical and thalamic regions that have been implicated in processing of echolocation calls and how that distribution is different from non-echolocating regions. Lastly we examined the thalamocortical projections to intensity selective neurons in the echolocation region of the auditory cortex. Retrograde tracing from intensity selective and non-selective neurons was used to identify the thalamic nuclei that provided input to those neurons. We show that the region of the auditory cortex that is selective for echolocation calls contains a majority of neurons that are highly selective for low intensity sounds. We discovered that in the pallid bat intensity selectivity is enhanced by using behaviorally relevant stimuli and that high-frequency inhibition in the bat's echolocation call is responsible for this increased selectivity. This suggested a spectrotemporal integration mechanism that can shape intensity selectivity. Cortical mapping, in this study, revealed a systematic organization of intensity selectivity measures. We also discovered a differential staining pattern of calcium binding protein in the cortex as higher percentage of PV+ cells compared to CB+ cells was found in both echolocation call- and non-call regions. CB+ neurons where found in all of the regions of the medial geniculate body of the auditory thalamus, while PV staining was limited to the suprageniculate (SG), a region known to project to echolocation selective regions of the cortex. This study also confirmed previous results showing that echolocation selective regions of the cortex receive projections from all nuclei of the MGB except the lemniscal ventral nucleus, however an organization related to intensity selectivity was not able to be determined in the projections. The results from this dissertation highlight the special adaptations that are present in the auditory cortex of the pallid bat that may be important for processing the low-intensity echolocation call. Deviations from a general mammalian plan or even from other bat species in the properties that lead to these adaptations may strengthen the notion that general patterns of cortical processing and organization may be altered through evolution to support the unique behavioral needs of a species.

The findings are reported of a 4-year (1995-1998) longitudinal study, conducted in three primary schools (Years 5 and 6) and a single comprehensive school (Years 7 and 8) in Oxfordshire, of pupils' (n=71) attitudes towards various aspects of school-based science. The objectives were to investigate whether the pupils', especially the girls', attitudes to school science had changed (particularly in the early secondary years) from those reported in the pre-National Curriculum research literature. Data on various aspects of school science, including attitudes to the individual biological and physical science topics in Years 5 to 7, were collected from the pupils via annual questionnaires and, for 36 pupils, from annual, semi-structured tape-recorded interviews. Year 6 pupils also provided some "mini-essays". The cohort pupils' attitudes varied little from those reported in the pre-national Curriculum literature - science was regarded as a 'favourite' subject by very few pupils. The girls' lack of enthusiasm for the physical sciences, and the boys' disinterest in the biological sciences, were demonstrated. Some tentative links were suggested between the type of "out-of-school" activities, hobbies and interests recorded by the pupils and the pupils' attitudes to school science. Data were also collected on the parental experiences of, and attitudes towards, science as well as the parents' involvement in science-orientated and 'tinkering' activities. There was a positive correlation between the Year 7 pupils' attitudes to the physical sciences and the fathers' attitudes to their secondary science education. Fathers still appeared to be the main 'tinkerers' - they were more likely to be involved with their sons (rather than their daughters) in joint science-orientated activities. Using multiple regression procedures on the "in-school" and "out-of-school" data, the types of "out-of-school" activities enjoyed by the primary pupils, together with the maternal involvement in such activities, were shown to be predictors of the pupils' attitudes to science. The importance of the pupils' perceived performance in science, together with gender (especially with the respect to the physical sciences) were identified as two of the main predictors of pupils' attitudes at the end of the study. Finally, suggestions are made on how pupils' attitudes to school science might be improved by changes in the nature and delivery of the science curriculum.

Michael Dummett has proposed a means of characterising a range of traditional philosophical disputes. This method is intended to highlight the similarities which exist between these disputes and by this means to facilitate their solution. Within the characterisation each dispute is regarded as a conflict between proponents of different theories of meaning. This proposed characterisation, its validity and usefulness, form the main topic of consideration within this thesis. An exposition of the realist/anti-realist characterisation is presented which attempts to summarise the important features of Dummett's writings on this' topic. Subsequently attention is given over to a critical appraisal of this approach. The appraisal falls into two phases. The first of these is parochial in the sense that the topics discussed are internal to the framework of the characterisation. In the second phase the characterisation is viewed from further back and the relationship between it and its Wittgensteinian origins are examined. The first phase of the appraisal initially centres around issues which have arisen within the literature. One feature which emerges at this stage is that certain concepts which are central to the characterisation are in need of more precise specification. Further concerns regarding the specification are uncovered as the assessment extends beyond the published literature. In the second phase Wittgenstein's work on privacy is reviewed in some detail. It is concluded from this phase that some of the main disputes intended to be covered by the characterisation are in fact forestalled by Wittgenstein's work. Also it is suggested that the intended adoption of Wittgenstein's approach to meaning, within the characterisation, runs counter to Wittgenstein's intent. Overall it is concluded that the proposed characterisation is in need of better specification but that even if this is achieved, the approach to meaning which is being advocated is one which may not be sustainable.