Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining social influence factors affecting consumer continuous usage intention for mobile social networking applications

Due to the rapid increase in the use of mobile devices, mobile social-networking applications MSNAs have proliferated during recent years. MSNAs can provide social groups with a means to communicate among group members. Although studies have shown that social influence is relevant to individual and group collective behaviour, few studies have investigated the predictive relationships between multiple integrated social influence factors and the behavioural intention for the use of MSNAs. Therefore, we examined the effects of social influence factors injunctive norms, descriptive norms, social identity, and group norms on the continued intentions to use MSNAs. Data collected though the website of an online survey company yielded 830 usable questionnaires. We used structural equation modelling SEM to test the hypothesised relationships. The results indicate that injunctive norms, descriptive norms, and social identity were positively related to continued usage intention, whereas group norms were unrelated to continued usage intention. Understanding consumer decisions regarding the repeated use of an MSNA is necessary for mobile application M-app developers to design programs that ensure user retention.
Foreign Portfolio Investment In Some Developing Countries: A Study of Determinants and Macroeconomic Impact

The present study examines the determinants of foreign portfolio investment (FPI) and its impact on the national economy in six developing Asian countries. Regression results show that inflation rate, real exchange rate, index of economic activity and the share of domestic capital market in the world stock market capitalization are four statistically significant determinants of FPI. The first variable has a negative coefficient while the last three variables possess positive coefficients. Foreign direct investment, total foreign trade and current account deficit variables are found to be statistically insignificant. Regarding the impact of FPI on the national economies, it is found that the index of economic activities and inflation rate show an upward trend. Volatility in portfolio flows has not increased overtime. Ratio of foreign debt and debt-servicing to GDP has declined. But the rule of thumb regarding the issue of sustainability of FPI suggests that India and Indonesia have crossed the upper bounds of permissible debt ratios.
Consumer exposures to laser printer-emitted engineered nanoparticles: A case study of life-cycle implications from nano-enabled products

Abstract It is well established that printers emit nanoparticles during their operation. To-date, however, the physicochemical and toxicological characterization of “real world” printer-emitted nanoparticles (PEPs) remains incomplete, hampering proper risk assessment efforts. Here, we investigate our earlier hypothesis that engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are used in toners and ENMs are released during printing (consumer use). Furthermore, we conduct a detailed physicochemical and morphological characterization of PEPs in support of ongoing toxicological assessment. A comprehensive suite of state of the art analytical methods and tools was employed for the physicochemical and morphological characterization of 11 toners widely utilized in printers from major printer manufacturers and their PEPs. We confirmed that a number of ENMs incorporated into toner formulations (e.g. silica, alumina, titania, iron oxide, zinc oxide, copper oxide, cerium oxide, carbon black among others) and released into the air during printing. All evaluated toners contained large amounts of organic carbon (OC, 42–89%), metals/metal oxides (1–33%), and some elemental carbon (EC, 0.33–12%). The PEPs possess a composition similar to that of toner and contained 50–90% OC, 0.001–0.5% EC and 1–3% metals. While the chemistry of the PEPs generally reflected that of their toners, considerable differences are documented indicative of potential transformations taking place during consumer use (printing). We conclude that: (i) Routine incorporation of ENMs in toners classifies them as nano-enabled products (NEPs); (ii) These ENMs become airborne during printing; (iii) The chemistry of PEPs is complex and it reflects that of the toner and paper. This work highlights the importance of understanding life-cycle (LC) nano-EHS implications of NEPs and assessing real world exposures and associated toxicological properties rather than focusing on “raw” materials used in the synthesis of an NEP.
Labour‐Market Institutions and Their Impact on Trade Partners: A Quantitative Analysis

Recent theoretical literature studies how labour market reforms in one country can affect labour market outcomes in other countries, thereby rationalizing widely held policy beliefs and empirical evidence. But what is the quantitative relevance of such spillover effects? This paper combines two recent workhorse models: the canonical search-and-matching framework and the heterogeneous firms international trade model. Qualitatively, the framework confirms that labour market reforms in one country benefit its trading partners, replicating the stylized facts. However, when wages are bargained flexibly, the model quantitatively underestimates the correlation of structural unemployment rates across countries. Introducing some degree of real wage rigidity remedies this problem.
Resilience Planning, Economic Change and The Politics of Post-recession Development in London and Hong Kong

For much of the 1990s and 2000s, the emphasis of urban policy in many global cities was on managing and mitigating the social and environmental effects of rapid economic growth. The credit crunch of 2008 and the subsequent recession have undermined some of the core assumptions on which such policies were based. It is in this context that the concept of resilience planning has taken on a new significance. Drawing on contemporary research in London and Hong Kong, the paper shows how resilience and recovery planning has become a key area of political debate. It examines what is meant by conservative and radical interpretations of resilience and how conservative views have come to dominate ‘recovery’ thinking, with élite groups unwilling to accept the limits to the neo-liberal orthodoxies that helped to precipitate the economic crisis. The paper explores the implications of such thinking for the politics of urban development.
Functional anatomy of articular cartilage under compressive loading Quantitative aspects of global, local and zonal reactions of the collagenous network with respect to the surface integrity.

OBJECTIVE To assess the influence of local compressive loading on the arrangement of the collagenous fibers in intact articular cartilage. To quantitate the zonal deformation of intact cartilage under load. To analyse the influence of removal of the tangential zone on the load-induced changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS 380 cylinder shaped cartilage-on-bone samples (d=7 mm) were harvested from 20 bovine femoral heads. In 120 of them the tangential zone was removed. All samples were loaded for 20 min by 0.42 MPa or 0.98 MPa. After proteoglycan extraction, fixation in 4% formalin, dehydration by increasing concentrations of acetone, critical point drying, freeze-fracturing and gold-coating the samples were analysed by scanning-electron-microscopy. RESULTS Fiber bulging away from the center of load occurred in an area larger than the directly loaded one and its extent increased parallel to loading (P< 0.01). Crimp was seen only under the indenter and spread with increasing load from the intermediate zone into the tangential zone and radial zone. The absolute height of tangential zone and intermediate zone together remained constant under all loading situations at the costs of the radial zone. All changes due to loading were fully reversible. Removal of the tangential zone reduced the area of bulging (P< 0.01) but markedly increased the amount of crimp. Overall radial strain was not altered, but overall superficial tangential strain was increased by up to 20% (P< 0.01) and high peaks in the local distribution of superficial tensile strain developed. CONCLUSIONS The collagenous architecture is a dynamic property of the articular cartilage adapting to its respective loading situation. Crimp reflects local compressive strain. Under compressive loading larger portions of cartilage than the directly loaded areas are functionally included in the process of load transmission. During this process the tangential zone and the intermediate zone form a common functional unit providing a high degree of fiber cross-linkage as a possible mechanism to increase zonal compressive stiffness. Removal of the tangential zone seems to impair distribution of a locally applied compressive load sideways and leads to a reduced cartilage volume included in the process of load transmission. An intact tangential zone contributes to prevent peaks of surface tensile strain.
A post‐fordist reworking of Australian education: the Finn, Mayer and Carmichael reports in the context of labour reprocessing

Abstract Like its counterparts overseas, Australian education has recently been the subject of scrutiny and review, particularly in respect to its relationship to the economy and work. Concern about an economy in decline and a labour force with limited skills and educational capacity prompted an examination into the direction of its education. To offset Australia's alleged poor performance in these areas, a number of policy options have been adopted which would bring schools into a closer relationship with the demands of the workplace. In effect we are witnessing a resurgence of human capital Imperatives in educational policy. But unlike its manifestations in the past, which contained Fordist and Taylorist elements, the new nexus which is now being forged between school and work is post‐Fordist in character.
EIA effectiveness and mechanisms of control

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA) in Kenya performed environmental impact assessments (EIAs) on four major water resources development projects between 1974 and 1988. These projects are analysed to evaluate relationships between EIA effectiveness and mechanisms of control (eg national EIA requirements). Procedural controls imposed by the National Environment Secretariat were consistently ignored by TARDA. The Authority responded to ‘instrumental controls’, ie EIA requirements imposed by foreign donors as a condition of support. However, because of a lack of donor supervision or the availability of funds from other donors, EIAs conducted in response to instrumental controls did not substantially influence TARDA's projects. The case studies also show that TARDA's EIA activity on some projects can be interpreted as a means of legitimizing previously held positions.
Achieving Balanced Regional Development in China: Is Domestic or International Tourism More Efficacious?

Many developing countries are now suffering from rather large regional development gaps. Can tourism promote balanced regional development (BRD) and so narrow such gaps? This study empirically examines and compares the impact of both international and domestic tourism on China's regional development using the Gini coefficient method and the Granger causality test. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of the total tourism industry is more unbalanced than that of the regional economy. However, the imbalance in the spatial distribution is decreasing more rapidly than the imbalance in the regional economy. The Gini coefficient decomposition analysis shows that declining tourism spatial distribution imbalances are mainly and increasingly caused by domestic tourism. Granger causality tests show that tourism development will promote BRD through domestic tourism rather than international tourism. Finally, the authors draw out the policy implications for China's tourism industry and BRD.
Domestic and foreign competitor identification and firm performance

Strategic management scholars agree firms need to know who they compete with in order to establish and maintain a competitive advantage. Yet we know little about the link between competitor identification and firm performance or the added value of identifying foreign competitors. In this paper, we develop and test a theory to explain how identifying domestic and foreign competitors can each lead to improved firm performance. Using a unique dataset of Taiwanese manufacturers, we find that firms identifying more domestic competitors perform better. Additionally, our results indicate that firms identifying high levels of both domestic and foreign competitors have even better firm performance. Thus, we contribute to the literature by exploring the importance of identifying domestic and foreign competitors for a firm's success.
ECONOMETRICS OF FIRST-PRICE AUCTIONS

This paper proposes a convenient estimation method for the empirical study of auction models. The authors focus on first-price sealed-bid and descending auctions within the private value paradigm. The method relies upon a simulated nonlinear least squares objective function appropriately adjusted. Asymptotic properties are established and some extensions are discussed. The method is applied to a market of agricultural products. The structural modeling takes into account the heterogeneity of the auctioned objects and the fact that only the winning bid is observed. Estimates of the parameters characterizing the distribution of the unobserved private values are provided. Copyright 1995 by The Econometric Society.
The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change

This article responds to a generation of techno-criticism in education. It contains a review of the key themes of that criticism. The context of previous efforts to reform education reframes that criticism. Within that context, the question is raised about what schools need to look and be like in order to take advantage of laptop computers and other technology. In doing so, the article presents a vision for self-organizing schools.
Multiple Credit Ratings, Cost of Debt and Self-Selection

In a world where firms pay for credit ratings and (because of regulatory requirements) where some investors must pay attention to the ratings of some specified set of raters, it may well be in the interests of a firm to seek a third 'optional' rating, beyond the standard 'mandatory' two ratings from Moody's and Standard and Poor's. The firm may get a better rating from the third major rater Fitch, which could save substantially on future debt issuance costs. In this paper I specify and estimate a structural self-selection model of the demand for optional credit ratings derived from their expected reduction effect on borrowing cost compared with the optional ratings' cost. Attention is focused on specifying the role of expected cost of debt savings in the derived demand for optional ratings; these are found to be empirically important determinants of the decision to request Fitch ratings. Copyright (c) 2009 The Author Journal compilation (c) 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Consumer Choice: A Study of Insurance Buying Intention, Attitudes and Beliefs

This article continues the theme, introduced in a previous article, of testing the validity and relevance of Fishbein's Theory of Reasoned Action to the purchase of life assurance. In this, the second stage, empirical analysis of the data is conducted and its meaning and relevance considered. Conclusions are then drawn as to the dimensions which seem to be important to the purchasing of life assurance.
Susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, pristinamycin and other antibiotics.

BACKGROUND Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a major nosocomial pathogen worldwide. Vancomycin is the traditional drug of choice, but decreasing susceptibility to vancomycin and other glycopeptides has been reported since 1996. OBJECTIVES To test the in vitro activity of linezolid (oxazolidinone) and other antimicrobial agents against MRSA isolates recovered from hospitalized patients. METHODS We tested 150 MRSA isolates recovered from hospitalized patients. The minimal inhibitory concentration of vancomycin, teicoplanin, pristinamycin (quinupristin-dalforistin) and linezolid was determined by the Etest method. Susceptibility to other antibiotics was tested by the disk diffusion method. RESULTS All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin, teicoplanin, pristinamycin, and linezolid. The MIC90 was 2.0 microg/ml for vancomycin and teicoplanin (range 0.5-2.0 microg/ml and 0.125-2.0 microg/ml, respectively), and 0.5 microg/ml for pristinamycin and linezolid (range 0.125-0.75 microg/ml and 0.125-0.5 microg/ml, respectively). Of the other antibiotics, fusidic acid showed the best in vitro activity, with 96.7% susceptibility, associated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (85.8%) and minocycline (84%). Penicillin was associated with the lowest susceptibility (1.3%), associated with ofloxacin (3%) and erythromycin (14%). An increase in the minimal inhibitory concentration value of vancomycin was associated with a significant decrease in resistance to TMP-SMZ (P < 0.01) and an apparent increase in resistance to other antibiotics. CONCLUSION The excellent in vitro activity of linezolid and its reported in vivo effectiveness renders it an important therapeutic alternative to vancomycin in the treatment of MRSA infection.
Bad News Sells: The Demand for News Magazines and the Tone of Their Covers

News media are often believed to focus on negative events as a means to increase their audience and profits. This study evaluates whether this conjecture applies in the case of the 3 German news magazines Der Spiegel, Stern, and Focus in the period from 1997 to 2009. Based on detailed content analyses of issues with political and economic cover stories, the results indicate significant, positive correlations between explicitly negative cover pages and the magazines' sales, after controlling for a comprehensive set of other success drivers and influences.
The role of breakfast in diet adequacy of the U.S. adult population.

Breakfast consumption patterns of the U.S. adult population were examined by using the U.S.D.A. Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. Results indicated that approximately one-quarter of the adult population skipped breakfast regularly. For those adults who consumed breakfast, the four most commonly consumed breakfasts were eggs, bread, and coffee; ready-to-eat cereal with milk; coffee and bread; and eggs, bread, and milk. The sample was partitioned by six age/sex classes and by four breakfast consumption patterns. Assessments of average intakes of seven frequently underconsumed nutrients showed that omission of the breakfast meal had a significant negative impact, particularly among adult females, on the diet quality. Findings indicated that for all age/sex classes, consumption of ready-to-eat cereal at breakfast, whether frequently or on a more limited basis, increased the average daily intake levels of the underconsumed nutrients. Further, groups of adults who regularly consumed ready-to-eat cereal at breakfast had, on average, lower average daily intakes of fat and cholesterol. It was concluded that regular breakfast consumption greatly enhanced the overall diet quality of the U.S. adult population.
Managing whale-watching as a non-lethal consumptive activity

Marine tourism is a new frontier of late-capitalist transformation, generating more global revenue than aquaculture and fisheries combined. This transformation created whale-watching, a commercial tourism form that, despite recent critiques, has been accepted as non-consumptive activity. This paper uses four academic discourses to critique whale-watching as a form of capitalist exploitation: (1) commercial whale-watching and global capitalist transformation, (2) global capitalist politics and the promoted belief that whale-watching is non-consumptive, (3) the inherent contradictions of non-consumptive capitalist exploitation, and (4) whale-watching as a common-pool resource. These discourses lead us to critique whale-watching practices in relation to the common capitalist sequence of resource diversification, exploitation, depletion and collapse. Using specific impact studies, we conclude that a sustainability paradigm shift is required, whereby whale-watching (and other forms of wildlife tourism) is recognized as a form of non-lethal consumptive exploitation, understood in terms of sub-lethal anthropogenic stress and energetic impacts. We argue the need for a paradigm shift in the regulation and management of commercial whale-watching, and present the case for a unified, international framework for managing the negative externalities of whale-watching. The relevance of the issues raised about neoliberal policy-making extends beyond whale-watching to all forms of wildlife and nature-based tourism.
Analysing language classrooms through classroom interaction

This research study focuses on teacher-student and student-student interaction, which are considered very important aspects of classroom life. There has been a growth of interest in the analysis of teacher language and interaction in language classrooms and many (e.g. Ellis, 1994; Tsui, 2001) believe that classroom interaction is one of the major variables affecting SLA in formal settings. This study aims to give some insight into classroom interaction and how this interaction shapes L2 learning and teaching in Turkey and England. Systematic classroom observation along with the field notes taken to record observations is the main research method in this study used to describe and examine interaction patterns and to measure learner production in secondary classes in Turkey and England. The participants are foreign language teachers and non-native speaking students. Over a month, more than 50 lessons were observed in the secondary schools in both Turkey and England at two levels (13-14 and 14-15 year age group). In Turkey, English classes were observed whereas in England, the observation was conducted in German and French classes. English is taught as a foreign language in Turkey; German and French are also taught as a foreign language in England. The findings of this research study are expected to provide a better understanding of instructional practices and procedures in L2 classrooms. The results of this research study, however, should be seen as suggestive rather than conclusive since they are derived from a relatively small sample.
Primary Amelanotic Malignant Melanoma of the Parotid Gland: A Case Report

Amelanotic malignant melanoma in the oral region is extremely rare and has not previously been reported in the parotid gland. This present case report describes an amelanotic malignant melanoma in the parotid gland, with no other primary lesion detectable. The medical history, pathology and immunohistochemical analysis of the case are described and the relevant literature is reviewed in order to help in the recognition of this uncommon tumour. Amelanotic malignant melanoma is a melanoma subtype with little or no pigmentation and, because of this lack of pigmentation and its wide-ranging clinical appearance, it often defies clinical diagnosis. A high level of vigilance is, therefore, necessary in diagnosing such a tumour in the parotid gland. Where it is suspected, positive expression of S-100 protein and human melanoma black 45 (HMB45) using immunohistochemical analysis can be considered reliable methods of confirming diagnosis.