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Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, and Facilitating Conditions as Factors Influencing Smart Phones Use for Mobile Learning by Postgraduate Students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Aim/Purpose: This study examines the influence of Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), and Facilitating Conditions (FC) on the use of smart phones for mobile learning by postgraduate students in University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Background: Due to the low level of mobile learning adoption by students in Nigeria, three base constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model were used as factors to determine smart phone use for mobile learning by the postgraduate students in the University of Ibadan. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey research design of the correlational type, the two-stage random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 217 respondents, and a questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages, mean, and standard deviation), test of norm, and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis) were used to analyze the data collected. Contribution: The study empirically validated the UTAUT model as a model useful in predicting smart phone use for mobile learning by postgraduate students in developing countries. Findings: The study revealed that a significant number of postgraduate students used their smart phones for mobile learning on a weekly basis. Findings also revealed a moderate level of Performance Expectancy (???? =16.97), Effort Expectancy (???? =12.57) and Facilitating Conditions (???? =15.39) towards the use of smart phones for mobile learning. Results showed a significant positive relationship between all the independent variables and use of smart phones for mobile learning (PE, r=.527*; EE, r=.724*; and FCs, r=.514*). Out of the independent variables, PE was the strongest predictor of smart phone use for mobile learning (β =.189). Recommendations for Practitioners: Librarians in the university library should organize periodic workshops for postgraduate students in order to expose them to the various ways of using their smart phones to access electronic databases. Recommendation for Researchers: There is a need for extensive studies on the factors influencing mobile technologies adoption and use in learning in developing countries. Impact on Society: Nowadays, mobile learning is increasingly being adopted over conventional learning systems due to its numerous benefits. Thus, this study provides an insight into the issues influencing the use of smart phones for mobile learning by postgraduate students from developing countries. Future Research: This study utilized the base constructs of the UTAUT model to determine smart phone use for mobile learning by postgraduate students in a Nigerian university. Subsequent research should focus on other theories to ascertain factors influencing Information Technology adoption and usage by students in developing countries.




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Positive vs. Negative Framing of Scientific Information on Facebook Using Peripheral Cues: An Eye-Tracking Study of the Credibility Assessment Process

Aim/Purpose: To examine how positive/negative message framing – based on peripheral cues (regarding popularity, source, visuals, and hyperlink) – affects perceptions of credibility of scientific information posted on social networking sites (in this case, Facebook), while exploring the mechanisms of viewing the different components. Background: Credibility assessment of information is a key skill in today's information society. However, it is a demanding cognitive task, which is impossible to perform for every piece of online information. Additionally, message framing — that is, the context and approach used to construct information— may impact perceptions of credibility. In practice, people rely on various cues and cognitive heuristics to determine whether they think a piece of content is true or not. In social networking sites, content is usually enriched by additional information (e.g., popularity), which may impact the users' perceived credibility of the content. Methodology: A quantitative controlled experiment was designed (N=19 undergraduate students), collecting fine grained data with an eye tracking camera, while analyzing it using transition graphs. Contribution: The findings on the mechanisms of that process, enabled by the use of eye tracking data, point to the different roles of specific peripheral cues, when the message is overall peripherally positive or negative. It also contributes to the theoretical literature on framing effects in science communication, as it highlights the peripheral cues that make a strong frame. Findings: The positively framed status was perceived, as expected from the Elaboration Likelihood Model, more credible than the negatively framed status, demonstrating the effects of the visual framing. Differences in participants' mechanisms of assessing credibility between the two scenarios were evident in the specific ways the participants examined the various status components. Recommendations for Practitioners: As part of digital literacy education, major focus should be given to the role of peripheral cues on credibility assessment in social networking sites. Educators should emphasize the mechanisms by which these cues interact with message framing, so Internet users would be encouraged to reflect upon their own credibility assessment skills, and eventually improve them. Recommendation for Researchers: The use of eye tracking data may help in collecting and analyzing fine grained data on credibility assessment processes, and on Internet behavior at large. The data shown here may shed new light on previously studied phenomena, enabling a more nuanced understanding of them. Impact on Society: In an era when Internet users are flooded with information that can be created by virtually anyone, credibility assessment skills have become ever more important, hence the prominence of this skill. Improving citizens' assessment of information credibility — to which we believe this study contributes — results on a greater impact on society. Future Research: The role of peripheral cues and of message framing should be studied in other contexts (not just scientific news) and in other platforms. Additional peripheral cues not tested here should be also taken into consideration (e.g., connections between the information consumer and the information sharer, or the type of the leading image).




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Practical Liability Issues of Information Technology Education: Internship and Consulting Engagements




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Detecting Data Errors in Organizational Settings: Examining the Generalizability of Experimental Findings




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WebSpy: An Architecture for Monitoring Web Server Availability in a Multi-Platform Environment




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Expanding the Concept of Usability




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Diagnostic and Functional Dependencies of Credibility




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Using IT to Inform and Rehabilitate Aphasic Patients




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Using the ASSIST Short Form for Evaluating an Information Technology Application: Validity and Reliability Issues




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Condition of Web Accessibility in Practice and Suggestions for Its Improvement




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Senior Citizens and E-commerce Websites: The Role of Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and Web Site Usability




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A Deliberation Theory-Based Approach to the Management of Usability Guidelines




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Assessment of Project Website Sustainability: Case of the Arctic EIA Project

In many cases, temporary websites may be simple, accessible solutions for knowledge management and dissemination of information. However, such sites may become outdated as the funding ends, but yet in many cases, still publicly available through the Internet. The issue of website sustainability is a relevant topic for all organizations that have websites. Website lifecycle, knowledge management, and website sustainability issues are discussed through a theoretical-based literature review. These issues are then summarized and used as lessons learned for the case study approach of this paper. The aim is to identify a solution to address a website’s life and longevity, post project. A practical case study assessment of the issue of project website sustainability is needed to address the website’s longevity—post project—as creation is often made through temporary endeavors. Recommendations for future project websites are made as the outcomes and results of this study and are expressed in the form of suggested practices for project website sustainability in future projects.




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Ladies First: The Influence of Mobile Dating Applications on the Psychological Empowerment of Female Users

Aim/Purpose: This study was undertaken to shed light on how the use of a heteronormative mobile dating application creates an environment to promote psychological empowerment among female users within the online dating scene. The study focused on a mobile dating application which specifically challenges traditional gender roles, namely Bumble. Background: Mobile dating applications have become an increasingly popular medium for people to meet potential partners. However, users’ pre-existing social norms and biases inform how they communicate on these platforms, and stereotyped judgment about women perpetuates ideologies which continue to oppress them within the cyber world. Despite this, very little research has investigated the experiences of female users of mobile dating applications. Methodology: The study was qualitative in nature, and 10 semi-structured interviews of female Bumble users were conducted. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Contribution: The study contributes to knowledge by highlighting how key features of mobile dating applications influence various aspects of psychological empowerment as articulated in the findings. Findings: The findings show that the Bumble application supports Intrapersonal variables of Psychological Empowerment of female users relative to Domain Specific Perceived Control and Self-Efficacy, Motivation to Control and Perceived Competence. However, Domain Specific Perceived Control can also be negatively impacted due to self-doubt when female users receive little to no matches. Interactional variables of psychological empowerment are also supported, as Bumble allows female users to be critically aware of the need to screen potential partners, understand relevant causal agents, develop skills relative to initiating conversations and mobilize resources. However, Bumble is not effective in supporting behavioral variables of psychological empowerment because of limitations in the tool’s functionality and the behavior of the people interacting on the platform. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings are important as they suggest the need to enhance the features available to female users in order to better suit their needs and desire to take control of their lives in the context of dating and/or friendship. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings reveal the need for a change of perceptions and attitudes on the part of some users to create a safer and more considerate virtual dating space, to truly achieve psychological empowerment. Future Research: More research is required on how male and female users domesticate mobile dating applications and how the use of these applications influence their daily lives from a socio-cultural point of view.




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Race, Disability, and Section 230

This article is part of the 2024 BCLT-BTLJ-CMTL Symposium.  Blake E. Reid I am grateful to the BTLJ and BCLT for the opportunity to participate in this symposium’s panel on race, Internet platforms and Section 230. It’s a fortunate and timely opportunity to discuss Spencer Overton’s and Catherine Powell’s critical ...

The post Race, Disability, and Section 230 appeared first on Berkeley Technology Law Journal.




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Expanding TikTok’s Liability for the “For You Page”

By Barbara Rasin, J.D. Candidate, 2027 In Anderson v. TikTok, decided in in late summer 2024, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that TikTok’s “For You Page” algorithm was sufficiently creative to bar its protection under §230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). This is a significant step towards ...

The post Expanding TikTok’s Liability for the “For You Page” appeared first on Berkeley Technology Law Journal.




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Early prediction of mental health using SqueezeR_MobileNet

Mental illnesses are common among college students as well as their non-student peers, and the number and severity of these problems are increasing. It can be difficult to identify people suffering from mental illness and get the help they need early. So in this paper, the SqueezeR_MobileNet method is proposed. It performs feature fusion and early mental health prediction. Initially, outliers in the input data are detected and removed. After that, using missing data imputation and Z-score normalisation the pre-processing phase is executed. Next to this, for feature fusion, a combination of the Soergel metric and deep Kronecker network (DKN) is used. By utilising bootstrapping data augmentation is performed. Finally, early mental health prediction is done using SqueezeR_MobileNet, which is the incorporation of residual SqueezeNet and MobileNet. The devised approach has reached the highest specificity of 0.937, accuracy of 0.911 and sensitivity of 0.907.




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A fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective mathematical model for integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management

An optimisation-based decision-making support is proposed in this study in the form of fuzzy-probabilistic programming, which can be used to solve integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management problems in fuzzy and probabilistic uncertain environments. The problem was modelled in an uncertain mathematical optimisation model with two objectives: maximising the expectation of production volume and minimising the expectation of total operational cost subject to demand and other constraints. The model belongs to fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective integer linear programming, and the generalised reduced gradient method combined with the branch-and-bound algorithm was utilised to solve the derived model. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate how the optimal decision was formulated. The results showed that the proposed decision-making support was successful in providing the optimal decision with the maximum expectation of the production volume and minimum expectation of the total operational cost. Therefore, the approach can be implemented by decision-makers in manufacturing companies.




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Ontology Matching and Repair Based on Semantic Association and Probabilistic Logic

Nan WU,Xiaocong LAI,Mei CHEN,Ying PAN, Vol.E107-D, No.11, pp.1433-1443
With the development of the Semantic Web, an increasing number of researchers are utilizing ontology technology to construct domain ontology. Since there is no unified construction standard, ontology heterogeneity occurs. The ontology matching method can fuse heterogeneous ontologies, which realizes the interoperability between knowledge and associates to more relevant semantic information. In the case of differences between ontologies, how to reduce false matching and unsuccessful matching is a critical problem to be solved. Moreover, as the number of ontologies increases, the semantic relationship between ontologies becomes increasingly complex. Nevertheless, the current methods that solely find the similarity of names between concepts are no longer sufficient. Consequently, this paper proposes an ontology matching method based on semantic association. Accurate matching pairs are discovered by existing semantic knowledge, and then the potential semantic associations between concepts are mined according to the characteristics of the contextual structure. The matching method can better carry out matching work based on reliable knowledge. In addition, this paper introduces a probabilistic logic repair method, which can detect and repair the conflict of matching results, to enhance the availability and reliability of matching results. The experimental results show that the proposed method effectively improves the quality of matching between ontologies and saves time on repairing incorrect matching pairs. Besides, compared with the existing ontology matching systems, the proposed method has better stability.
Publication Date: 2024/11/01




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BiConvNet: Integrating Spatial Details and Deep Semantic Features in a Bilateral-Branch Image Segmentation Network

Zhigang WU,Yaohui ZHU, Vol.E107-D, No.11, pp.1385-1395
This article focuses on improving the BiSeNet v2 bilateral branch image segmentation network structure, enhancing its learning ability for spatial details and overall image segmentation accuracy. A modified network called “BiconvNet” is proposed. Firstly, to extract shallow spatial details more effectively, a parallel concatenated strip and dilated (PCSD) convolution module is proposed and used to extract local features and surrounding contextual features in the detail branch. Continuing on, the semantic branch is reconstructed using the lightweight capability of depth separable convolution and high performance of ConvNet, in order to enable more efficient learning of deep advanced semantic features. Finally, fine-tuning is performed on the bilateral guidance aggregation layer of BiSeNet v2, enabling better fusion of the feature maps output by the detail branch and semantic branch. The experimental part discusses the contribution of stripe convolution and different sizes of empty convolution to image segmentation accuracy, and compares them with common convolutions such as Conv2d convolution, CG convolution and CCA convolution. The experiment proves that the PCSD convolution module proposed in this paper has the highest segmentation accuracy in all categories of the Cityscapes dataset compared with common convolutions. BiConvNet achieved a 9.39% accuracy improvement over the BiSeNet v2 network, with only a slight increase of 1.18M in model parameters. A mIoU accuracy of 68.75% was achieved on the validation set. Furthermore, through comparative experiments with commonly used autonomous driving image segmentation algorithms in recent years, BiConvNet demonstrates strong competitive advantages in segmentation accuracy on the Cityscapes and BDD100K datasets.
Publication Date: 2024/11/01




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The limits and possibilities of history: How a wider, deeper and more engaged understanding of business history can foster innovative thinking

Calls for greater diversity in management research, education and practice have increased in recent years, driven by a sense of fairness and ethical responsibility, but also because research shows that greater diversity of inputs into management processes can lead to greater innovation. But how can greater diversity of thought be encouraged when educating management students, beyond the advocacy of affirmative action and relating the research on the link between multiplicity and creativity? One way is to think again about how we introduce the subject. Introductory textbooks often begin by relaying the history of management. What is presented is a very limited mono-cultural and linear view of how management emerged. This article highlights the limits this view outlines for initiates in contrast to the histories of other comparable fields (medicine and architecture), and discusses how a wider, deeper and more engaged understanding of history can foster thinking differently.




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When Experts Become Liabilities: Domain Experts on Boards and Organizational Failure

How does the presence of domain experts on a corporate board—directors whose primary professional experience is within the focal firm's industry—affect organizational outcomes? We argue that under conditions of significant decision uncertainty, a higher proportion of domain experts on a board may detract from effective decision making and thus increase the probability of organizational failure. Building on exploratory interviews with board members and CEOs, we derive hypotheses from this argument in the context of local banks in the United States. We predict that the greater the level of decision uncertainty—due to rapid asset growth or operation in less predictable markets—the stronger the relationship between the proportion of banking expert directors and the probability of bank failure. Longitudinal analyses of 1,307 banks between 1996 and 2012 support this prediction, even after accounting for both the overall level of professional diversity among directors and banks' different propensities to have an expert-heavy board. We discuss implications for the key dimensions of board composition, the conditions under which the professional background of directors is more or less consequential, and the mechanisms whereby board composition affects organizational outcomes.




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Misfit and Milestones: Structural Elaboration and Capability Reinforcement in the Evolution of Entrepreneurial Top Management Teams

We examine how top management team (TMT) misfit, defined as discrepancies between the TMT's functional roles and the qualifications of the managers who fill those roles, affects the evolution of TMT composition and structure in a longitudinal study of entrepreneurial ventures. We distinguish two types of misfit - overqualification and underqualification - and study how each is associated with TMT changes. We further consider the moderating effect of firm development. Results reveal that underqualified TMTs hire new managers to reinforce existing capabilities whereas overqualified TMTs elaborate their role structures. However, achieving developmental milestones (i.e., obtaining venture capital funding and staging an initial public offering) is a critical contingency to TMT change: absent these milestones, firms neither hire new managers nor add roles, even when they seemingly need to do so. These findings contribute to knowledge of how TMTs and new ventures evolve by underscoring the importance of simultaneously attending to TMT composition and structure.




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STATUS MATTERS: THE ASYMMETRIC EFFECTS OF SUPERVISOR-SUBORDINATE DISABILITY INCONGRUENCE AND CLIMATE FOR INCLUSION

Growing workforce diversity increases the likelihood that supervisors and subordinates will differ along demographic lines, a situation that has important implications for their relationship quality and individual outcomes. In a sample of 1,253 employees from 54 work-units, we investigate the effects of differences in disability status between supervisors and subordinates on leader-member-exchange (LMX) quality and subsequent performance ratings, and find that incongruence in general is related to lower LMX quality and lower performance. In addition, we propose and find an asymmetrical effect of disability incongruence, such that LMX quality is worse in dyads in which the supervisor has a disability than in dyads in which the subordinate has a disability. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating role of unit-level climate for inclusion on this relationship and find support for a buffering effect of inclusive climates on the negative incongruence-LMX relationship for scenarios in which the supervisor, but not the subordinate, has a disability. We build relevant theory for the relational demography, disability, LMX, and organizational climate literatures by predicting these effects on the basis of status mechanisms. These findings have important practical implications, as they provide companies with a feasible way to manage their diverse workforce.




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Review: Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders, Globalization, and Sustainable Value Creation

In Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (3rd edition) (SCSR), David Chandler and William B. Werther Jr. advance the view that the ability of firms to create value for a range of stakeholders over the medium- and long-term requires that they embed CSR into their strategies and operations. Its focus on the integration of CSR into strategic planning and implementation distinguishes SCSR from competing business and society textbooks, which tend to survey the field or focus on the management of the firm's relationships with stakeholders and society.




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On the Forgetting of Corporate Irresponsibility

Why are some serious cases of corporate irresponsibility collectively forgotten? Drawing on social memory studies, we examine how this collective forgetting process can occur. We propose that a major instance of corporate irresponsibility leads to the emergence of a stakeholder mnemonic community that shares a common recollection of the past incident. This community generates and then draws upon mnemonic traces to sustain a collective memory of the past event over time. In addition to the natural entropic tendencies toward forgetting, collective memory is also undermined by instrumental 'forgetting work', which we conceptualize in this paper. Forgetting work involves manipulating short-term conditions of the event, silencing vocal 'rememberers' and undermining collective mnemonic traces that sustain a version of the past. This process can result in a reconfigured collective memory and collective forgetting of corporate irresponsibility events. Collective forgetting can have positive and negative consequences for the firm, stakeholders and society.




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Mobile robot programming: adventures in Python and C (2nd ed.)

This book serves as a comprehensive guide for individuals interested in mobile robotics, including: (i) novices interested in programming simple simulated robots; (ii) individuals with basic knowledge of robotics, that is, intermediate learners, who seek to know




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Sara Sharif’s father tells court he takes 'full responsibility' for her death

Under cross-examination on Wednesday, Urfan Sharif unexpectedly said: “She died because of me.”




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“Learning from Our Allied Health” series: Physiotherapist Physiotherapy to complement management in cardiac rehabilitation




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Visibility drops in parts of Delhi as pollution surges

NEW DELHI: A toxic haze enveloped India’s national capital on Wednesday morning as temperatures dropped and pollution surged, reducing visibility in some parts and prompting a warning from airport authorities that flights may be affected.

Delhi overtook Pakistan’s Lahore as the world’s most polluted city in Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings, with an air quality index (AQI) score of more than 1,000, considered “hazardous”, but India’s pollution authority said the AQI was around 350.

Officials were not immediately available to explain the variation.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the pollution had reduced visibility to 100 metres (328 feet) in some places by around 8 a.m. (0230 GMT).

“Low visibility procedures” were initiated at the city’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, operator Delhi International Airport Limited said in a post on social media platform X.

“While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected,“ the authority said.

CAT III is a navigation system that enables aircraft to land even when visibility is low.

The IMD said the city’s temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday morning from 17.9C on Tuesday, and may fall further as sunlight remains cut off due to the smog.

Delhi battles severe pollution every winter as cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from farm fires set off illegally in the adjoining, farming states of Punjab and Haryana.

Previously, authorities have closed schools, placed restrictions on private vehicles, and stopped some building work to curb the problem.

The city’s environment minister said last week that the government was keen to use artificial rain to cut the smog.

Pakistan’s Punjab province, which shares a border with India, has also banned outdoor activities, closed schools, and ordered shops, markets and malls to close early in some parts in an effort to protect its citizens from the toxic air.




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Anwar’s Egypt visit unlocks RM4.8 billion in export potential - MITI

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Egypt has bolstered Malaysia-Egypt bilateral relations, unlocking RM4.8 billion (US$1.1 billion) in potential export opportunities for Malaysia, according to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).

MITI stated that this export potential was largely generated through a roundtable meeting attended by 60 industry and business leaders from 47 Egyptian firms and key business associations, as well as 40 representatives from 20 Malaysian companies.

“During the session, productive discussions between Malaysian and Egyptian companies identified export potential worth RM4.8 billion (US$1.1 billion), particularly in high-value sectors such as automotive, chemicals, oleochemicals and renewable energy,” MITI said in a statement.

Egyptian companies also expressed interest in investment opportunities in Malaysia, particularly in medical devices and pharmaceuticals, MITI added.

The official visit took place from Nov 10-12, 2024.

In a bilateral meeting during the visit, MITI Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Egypt’s Minister of Investment and International Trade Hassan El Khatib agreed to reactivate the Malaysia-Egypt Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC).

Malaysia will host the second JTIC Meeting in early 2025, focusing on collaboration in the semiconductor sector, renewable energy, the halal industry and digital transformation.

The two ministers further agreed that Malaysia’s Investment Development Board (MIDA) and Egypt’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) should sign a memorandum of understanding to enhance bilateral investment relations.

To support Malaysian exporters’ access to North African and Arab markets, MITI noted that Malaysia’s trade office in Cairo, managed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), was upgraded in January 2024, offering improved market access and export support services.

Meanwhile, national carmaker Proton has expanded into the Egyptian market with a local assembly plant.

Assembly activities began with the first delivery of Proton’s completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles in September 2024, and sales are expected to start in January 2025, with a target of 16,000 units for the period 2024–2026, MITI reported.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Egypt from January to September 2024 rose 21.4% year-on-year to RM3.0 billion (US$648 million), compared to RM2.4 billion (US$545.5 million) in the same period last year.

Egypt was Malaysia’s fifth-largest trading partner in Africa in 2023.

Tengku Zafrul said MITI is confident this bilateral relationship will continue to grow, positively impacting the economy and supporting the objectives of the New Malaysian Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) by 2030.

“MITI and its agencies will take prompt follow-up action to ensure that all agreed initiatives are implemented efficiently,” he added.




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East West One Group planters request fund release for rehabilitation exercise

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of planters and stakeholders in the East West One Group (EWOG) schemes urgently calls on Pacific Trustees Bhd (PTB) to release the funds necessary for the company’s approved rehabilitation and restructuring (R&R) exercise.

The majority of EWOG’s investors, represented by Thirunavukarasu Illamurugan, Yong Chin Koi, and Mahadevan Kathirgamathamby, are concerned that PTB’s continued withholding of these funds could further damage the company’s financial health, potentially leading to irreversible losses.

To recap, EWOG obtained planters’ approval of the company’s R&R exercise across all three schemes: East West One Planter’s Scheme (EWOP), East West Horizon Planter’s Scheme, and East-West Planter Scheme 1.

EWOG, in a statement, said the past few years have seen significant challenges that have severely impacted plantation operations, including the global Covid-19 pandemic, La Niña weather phenomena, industry-wide labour shortages, land disputes with landowners, and repeated injunctions that prevented timely convening of planters’ meetings from addressing these issues.

These cumulative challenges have compounded the company’s cash flow problems, resulting in an inability to meet payment obligations.

According to a statement by EWOG, despite the overwhelming support for the R&R plan from planters and stakeholders at the August 12 Planters’ Meeting, critical rehabilitation work on EWOG’s plantation assets remains stalled due to this delay.

For over a year, the plantation palms have relied solely on natural soil fertility, with no structured fertilisation or agronomic practices.

Prompt initiation of the R&R program is essential to restoring the plantation’s productivity.

This program leverages enhanced agronomic practices and inputs to increase fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production.

With crude palm oil (CPO) prices currently above RM4,000 per ton and projected to hold through 2025, the company has a unique window to capitalise on these favourable market conditions.

Proceeds from FFB sales could also partially offset ongoing rehabilitation costs, creating a sustainable pathway to recovery.

“Every day of delay further impacts our ability to restore the plantation and diminishes potential returns for all investors,” said Thirunavukarasu in the statement.

“These funds, specifically held in trust for the plantation’s rehabilitation, need to be released without further delay,“ he said in the statement.

According to a recent court filing by East West Horizon Plantation Bhd, the management continues to face challenges due to PTB’s reluctance to finalise necessary trust deeds despite ongoing efforts from EWOG’s management and legal team.

This impasse prevents the release of funds crucial for the R&R efforts, posing increased risks to the plantation assets and investor returns.

The investors’ representatives stressed that “a swift resolution is essential to launch the rehabilitation efforts and generate returns for all stakeholders.”

“It is time to move past the standstill and allow the EWOG group to implement the R&R plan for the benefit of all involved.”




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Comment on New Creative Commons image search – back to the drawing board I’m afraid by Neue CC-Bildersuche (Beta) | digithek blog

[…] Update vom 10.2.2017, Karen Blakeman’s Blog: New Creative Commons image search – back to the drawing board I’m afraid […]




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SMC earnings climb 19% to P37 billion

Earnings of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. rose by nearly a fifth in the nine months ending September on the back of strong revenue growth across its businesses.




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Pag-IBIG savings soar to almost P100 billion

Member savings collections of the Home Development Mutual Fund, commonly known as Pag-IBIG, reached almost P100 billion as of the third quarter, allowing the agency to finance the higher demand for home loans.




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URC nets P8.02 billion in 9 months

Lower profits in its sugar and renewables business weighed down the performance of Gokongwei-led food and beverage firm Universal Robina Corp. in the nine months ending September.




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Banks’ earnings up 6.4% to P290 billion in 9 months

Earnings of Philippine banks rose by 6.4 percent to P290 billion from January to September compared to last year’s P273 billion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.




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BOC collects P90 billion in October

The Bureau of Customs saw its collections rise to P90 billion in October as it ramped up proper tax verification on various imported goods.




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Antetokounmpo to Nets for Simmons, plethora of picks? Expert brings up possibility

Australian NBA star Ben Simmons’ expiring salary was floated by veteran sports journalist Bill Simmons of The Ringer as one of the trade chips for the Brooklyn Nets in the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.







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Immediate Availability of Cluster-O-Matic version 1.5




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Immediate Availability of Morph ToolKit version 1.5




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Immediate Availability of Morph-O-Matic version 1.5




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Immediate Availability of Voice-O-Matic version 1.1




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Immediate Availability of Facial Studio version 1.5




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Immediate Availability of Hercules




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Immediate Availability of the VIP Membership




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Immediate Availability of Facial Studio for Windows