These scams, which target victims through emotional manipulation and false promises of romance or investment opportunities...

Back when I heard Google was raising $4 billion more dollars in a second offering I thought one of the targets might be erstwhile viral phenom Skype in order to get into the VoIP space in a big enough way...

Thanks to savvy planning ahead on the part of Northwest Airlines (thank goodness I'm not traveling much in August) it would appear the mechanics strike is, not only, having minimal impact on operations, but causing significant enough dissent in...

Hurricane Katrina made landfall Monday but avoided a potential "Worst-Case Scenario" for the U.S. energy industry... and, as an extension, for the U.S. economy as a whole. As crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange reached $70.80 Sunday...

[Namibian] United States of America president-elect Donald Trump could cut down on development aid and other financial support to countries like Namibia.

[Dabanga] Washington D.C. -- With Donald Trump set to return to the White House following his vistory in the US elections on November 5, questions are being raised about how his administration will guide relations with Sudan, especially in light of his "America First" policy that he has pledged to his constituents to adopt.

Using social media platforms for long periods has little to no association with mental health indicators like depression, anxiety and stress, according to new research. However, another recently published study found that men risk developing unhealthy obsessions with physique if they place too much importance on likes and comments.

Continue Reading

Category: Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & Mind

Tags: mental health, Social media, Psychology, Curtin University, University of South Australia

Spotify breidt zijn aanbod uit met videocontent van Cineverse. Video podcasts, muziekvideo's, clips en videocursussen vormen al een behoorlijk logische uitbreiding van het aanbod. Het vergroot de lock-in en rechtvaardigt hogere tarieven. Het toevoegen van series gaat een stap verder en is te...

KPN rapporteert de resultaten over het derde kwartaal op 28 oktober. De markt verwacht een hogere omzet maar een lagere marge...

Two structures were ingeniously crafted in order to address the needs of the two most vulnerable segments of the population, urban slum children and senior citizens

The real estate industry in Mumbai has suffered the most as a result of the heavy rains and the numerous cases of waterlogging that have been reported. Real estate experts claim that between July and August, during the monsoon, walk-ins … Continue reading →

Learn how YouTube's ban on ad blockers will affect advertisers. Users aren't happy, but smart advertisers can use the change to their advantage.

The post How YouTube’s Crack Down on Ad Blockers Impacts Advertisers appeared first on Portent.

Ever noticed how your thoughts seem to impact your day in a big way? This week, Christian explores this phenomenon, pointing toward how our thoughts also impact other people.

Fr. Thomas Hopko calls the Reformation one of the most impactful periods of Church history on Orthodoxy. Learn about how the Orthodox were influenced by Roman Catholic and Protestant thinking.

Last time, Fr. Tom talked about the Ottoman Empire and its demise. Today he reflects on the impact of Turkish rule on Orthodox clergy and laity.

The Louhs speak with Dr. James Skedros, Michael G. and Anastasia Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies and Professor of Early Christianity at Holy Cross/Hellenic College and also Harvard professor. They discuss the spiritual, psychological, and emotional components of the pandemic in school settings, as well as the historical responses to such crises in the Church.

Fr. Philip LeMasters explains the impact of the resurrection of Christ through the story of the Samaritan Woman.

The planning inspector said the proposal would "overwhelm" the manor house the hotel is based in.

Dr Rebecca Harrison is looking at how the Andor series affected Winspit Quarry.

The controversy which surrounded Red Bull team principal Christian Horner earlier this year "had an impact" on their staff, according to a long-serving ex-F1 engineer.

These days, commodity-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software are used to build high-end and powerful workstations and servers to be deployed in today's local area networks of private homes and small- to medium-sized business. Typically, these servers are multipurpose and shared - running networking functionalities involving IP packet forwarding in addition to other CPU intensive applications. In this paper we study and investigate the impact of running CPU-bound applications on the performance of IP packet forwarding. We measure and compare the impact and performance for the two operating systems of choice for home and small-business users, namely Linux and Windows XP. The performance is studied in terms of key performance metrics which include throughput, packet loss, round-trip delay, and CPU availability. For our measurements, we consider today's typical home network hosts of modern processors and Gigabit network cards. We also consider different configuration setups and utilize open-source tools to generate relatively high traffic rates. Our empirical results show that Linux exhibits superior performance over Windows XP in terms of IP forwarding performance. Results also show that, unlike Windows XP, the IP forwarding performance of Linux is not significantly impacted by running CPU-bound applications.

Smart cities research is growing all over the world seeking to understand the effect of smart cities from different angles, domains and countries. The aim of this study is to analyse how the smart city ICTs (e.g., big data analytics, AI, IoT, cloud computing, smart grids, wireless communication, intelligent transportation system, smart building, e-governance, smart health, smart education and cyber security) are related to government. services and society welfare from the perspective of China. This research confirmed a positive correlation of smart city ICTs to e-Govt. Services (e-GS). On the other hand, the research showed a positive influence of smart city ICTs on society's welfare. These findings about smart cities and ICTs inform us how the thought paradigm to smart technologies can cause the improvement of e-GS through economic development, job creation and social welfare. The study offers different applications of the theoretical perspectives and the management perspective which are significant to building a society during recent technologised era.

The prevalence of social media transforms e-business into social commerce and facilitates consumers' engagement in cross-cultural social commerce. However, social commerce operations encounter unpredictable challenges in cross-cultural business environment. It is vital to further investigate how contextual elements affect consumers' trust and their engagement when they are exposed to the complexity of cross-cultural business environment. The stimuli-organism-response paradigm is employed to examine how the two dimensions of social media usage influence consumers' engagement in cross-cultural social commerce. The current study surveyed 2,058 samples from 135 countries, and the regression analysis results illustrate the mechanism whereby informational and socialising usage of social media positively influences consumers' engagement in social commerce through consumers' trust toward social commerce websites. Additionally, the associations between two aspects of social media usage and consumers' trust towards social commerce are negatively moderated by cultural distance. Both theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Based on a survey of 2548 American adults conducted by Pew Research Center in 2021, this study finds that trust in the accuracy of news circulated on X (former Twitter) is positively correlated with following news sites on X, underscoring the crucial role of trust in news accuracy in shaping news-seeking behaviour. Trust in news accuracy also positively relates to political participation via X. Those who trust in news accuracy are more likely to perceive X as an effective tool for raising public awareness about political and social issues, as well as a positive force for democracy. However, exposure to misinformation weakens the connection between trust in news accuracy and users' perception about X as an effective tool for raising public awareness about political or social issues and as a positive driver for democracy.

Physical and social aspects each make up a separate part of servicescape. Together, these make up the servicescape. Although previous research has frequently investigated these aspects separately, the purpose of this study is to simultaneously find out the impact of both aspects within the casual dining restaurants' context. In total, 462 customers in Delhi were polled for this study, and structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. According to the results, both the social and physical parts of the servicescape have the ability to affect how satisfied customers are, which in turn can affect how they behave in the future.

Many parents, educators, and policy makers see great potential for leveraging tools like laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones in the classrooms of the world. Although increasing students’ technology access may be associated with increased student achievement, there is little research directly investigating objective measures of student achievement. This study addresses the short-term and long-term quantitative impacts of one of the world’s first school efforts to provide Kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms with 1:1 iPad access and a range of English Language Arts (ELA) and math Apps. This report summarizes two investigations conducted during this iPad implementation. First, a 9-week pre/post randomized control trial was conducted in which 8 Kindergarten classes used literacy and numeracy apps while another 8 Kindergarten classes used their traditional (non-iPad) resources. At the end of this short implementation period, slightly stronger literacy performance gains were observed in the iPad settings. In a second longitudinal study, three years of assessment data were explored before and after the 1:1 iPad implementation in grades K to 2. Results from the longitudinal study provide emerging evidence of potential increases in ELA achievement, but no consistent results in math achievement. This paper adds to the sparse literature in this area and provides a springboard for further research.

Aim/Purpose: Over the past few years, new approaches to introducing young children to computational thinking have grown in popularity. This paper examines the role that user interfaces have on children’s mastery of computational thinking concepts and positive interpersonal behaviors. Background: There is a growing pressure to begin teaching computational thinking at a young age. This study explores the affordances of two very different programming interfaces for teaching computational thinking: a graphical coding application on the iPad (ScratchJr) and tangible programmable robotics kit (KIBO). Methodology : This study used a mixed-method approach to explore the learning experiences that young children have with tangible and graphical coding interfaces. A sample of children ages four to seven (N = 28) participated. Findings: Results suggest that type of user interface does have an impact on children’s learning, but is only one of many factors that affect positive academic and socio-emotional experiences. Tangible and graphical interfaces each have qualities that foster different types of learning

Aim/Purpose: To prepare students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of wireless communications. Background: Teaching wireless communications and networking is not an easy task because it involves broad subjects and abstract content. Methodology: A pedagogical method that combined lectures, labs, assignments, exams, and readings was applied in a course of wireless communications. Contribution: Five wireless networking labs, related to wireless local networks, wireless security, and wireless sensor networks, were developed for students to complete all of the required hands-on lab activities. Findings: Both development and implementation of the labs achieved a successful outcome and provided students with a very effective learning experience. Students expressed that they had a better understanding of different wireless network technologies after finishing the labs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Detailed instructional lab manuals should be developed so that students can carry out hands-on activities in a step-by-step fashion. Recommendation for Researchers: Hands-on lab exercises can not only help students understand the abstract technical terms in a meaningful way, but also provide them with hands-on learning experience in terms of wireless network configuration, implementation, and evaluation. Impact on Society: With the help of a wireless network simulator, students have successfully enhanced their practical skills and it would benefit them should they decide to pursue a career in wireless network design or implementation. Future Research: Continuous revision of the labs will be made according to the feedback from students. Based on the experience, more wireless networking labs and network issues could be studied in the future.

Aim/Purpose: The goal of this paper is to examine whether having female robotics teachers positively impacts girls’ performance on programming and robotics tasks Background: Women continue to be underrepresented in the technical STEM fields such as engineering and computer science. New programs and initiatives are needed to engage girls in STEM beginning in early childhood. The goal of this work is to explore the impact of teacher gender on young children’s mastery of programming concepts after completing an introductory robotics program. Methodology: A sample of N=105 children from six classrooms (2 Kindergarten, 2 first grade, and 2 second grade classes) from a public school in Somerville, Massachusetts, participated in this research. Children were taught the same robotics curriculum by either an all-male or all-female teaching team. Upon completion of the curriculum, they completed programming knowledge assessments called Solve-Its. Comparisons between the performance of boys and girls in each of the teaching groups were made. Findings: This paper provides preliminary evidence that having a female instructor may positively impact girls’ performance on certain programming tasks and reduce the number of gender differences between boys and girls in their mastery of programming concepts. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners should expose children to STEM role-models from a variety of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and experiences. Future Research: Researchers should conduct future studies with larger samples of teachers in order to replicate the findings here. Additionally, future research should focus on collecting data from teachers in the form of interviews and surveys in order to find out more about gender-based differences in teaching style and mentorship and the impact of this on girls' interest and performance in STEM.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of the study is to test whether the perception of self-regulated learning during text reading in online teacher education is improved by using a digital tool for the use of metacognitive strategies for planning, monitoring, and self-assessment. Background: The use of self-regulated learning is important in reading skills, and for students to develop self-regulated learning, their teachers must master it. Therefore, teaching strategies for self-regulated learning in teacher education is essential. Methodology: The sample size was 252 participants with the tool used by 42% or the participants. A quasi-experimental design was used in a pre-post study. ARATEX-R, a text-based scale, was used to evaluate self-regulated learning. The 5-point Likert scale includes the evaluation of five dimensions: planning strategies, cognition management, motivation management, comprehension assessment and context management. A Generalized Linear Model was used to analyse the results. Contribution: Using the tool to self-regulate learning has led to an improvement during text reading, especially in the dimensions of motivation management, planning management and comprehension assessment, key dimensions for text comprehension and learning. Findings: Participants who use the app perceive greater improvement, especially in the dimensions of motivation management (22,3%), planning management (19.9%) and comprehension assessment (24,6%), which are fundamental dimensions for self-regulation in text reading. Recommendations for Practitioners: This tool should be included in teacher training to enable reflection during the reading of texts, because it helps to improve three key types of strategies in self-regulation: (1) planning through planning management, (2) monitoring through motivation management and comprehension assessment, and (3) self-assessment through comprehension assessment. Recommendation for Researchers: The success of the tool suggests further study for its application in other use cases: other student profiles in higher education, other teaching modalities, and other educational stages. These studies will help to identify adaptations that will extend the tool’s use in education. Impact on Society: The use of Metadig facilitates reflection during the reading of texts in order to improve comprehension and thus self-regulate the learning of content. This reflection is crucial for students’ knowledge construction. Future Research: Future research will focus on enhancing the digital tool by adding features to support the development of cognition and context management. It will also focus on how on adapting the tool to help other types of learners.

Quality of work life (QWL) is a generic term that includes an employee's feeling about various aspects of their work including the compensation and rewards, job security, interpersonal relations and the intrinsic meaning of being satisfied in their workplace. This research paper was documented with an intention to understand the influence of the QWL on the productivity of employees working in the banking arena. The study examined the most clout able factors that contributed to the quality of work-life of employees and its correlation on their productivity. A multi-stage sampling method was used to draw a sizeable sample from ten major banks situated in the Karnataka state of India. A total of 756 personnel spread across various branches belonging to rural, semi-urban and urban were covered. The study was validated further by testing various hypotheses drawn based on a review of the literature. The study empirically identified eight major attributes that influence the QWL of bankers. The relationship between QWL and productivity was investigated with notable results using SEM approach.

Monetary policy is essential for sustainable growth where effective monetary policies can improve investment, employment, and consumption by fostering a balanced and resilient economy. However, sustainable development is vital for harmonising economic growth, social equity, and environmental preservation. A number of factors have been discussed in the literature that impact sustainable development. However, this study explicitly tries to investigate the nexus among the monetary policy (MP) toward sustainable development (SD) with the mediation of e-banking services (e-BS) and moderation of financial risk management (FRM) from China drawing on stakeholder theory. It discovered a significant connection between monetary policy and sustainable development along with sub-dimensions of SD. Likewise, this study confirmed a positive mediating influence of e-BS between monetary policy and sustainable development. Finally, the study additionally ensured a positive moderation of financial risk between monetary policy and sustainable development, respectively. These outcomes bestow several interesting insights into monetary policy, e-banking services, financial risk management, and sustainable development.

This research investigates the correlation between risk management and supply chain performance (SCP) along with moderation of AI-embedded technologies such as big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, and blockchain technologies. To calculate the results, this study utilised 644 questionnaires through the structural equation modelling (SEM) method. It is revealed using SmartPls that financial risk management (FRM) is positively linked with SCP. Second, it was observed that AI significantly moderates the connection between FRM and SCP. In addition, the study presents certain insights into supply chain and AI-enabled technologies and how these capabilities can beneficially advance SCP. Besides, certain implications, both managerial and theoretical are described for the supply chain managers along with limitations for future scholars of the world.

The phenomenon of cloud computing and related innovations such as Big Data have given rise to many fundamental changes that are evident in information and data. Managing, measuring and developing business value from the plethora of this new data has significant impact on many corporate agendas, particularly in relation to the successful implementation of business intelligence and analytics (BI&A). However, although the influence of Big Data has fundamentally changed the IT application landscape, the metrics for measuring success and in particular, the quality of information, have not evolved. The measurement of information quality and the antecedent factors that influence information has also been identified as an area that has suffered from a lack of research in recent decades. Given the rapid increase in data volume and the growth and ubiquitous use of BI&A systems in organisations, there is an urgent need for accurate metrics to identify information quality.

The study aims to analyse the impact of shopping applications on the shopping behaviour of the working women community in Bangalore, a city known as the IT hub. The research uses a quantitative analysis with SPSS version 23 software and a structured questionnaire survey technique to gather data from the working women community. The study uses descriptive statistics, ANOVA, regression, and Pearson correlation analysis to evaluate the perception of working women regarding the significance of online shopping applications. The results show that digital shopping applications are more prevalent among the working women community in Bangalore. The study also evaluates the socio-economic and psychological factors that influence their purchasing behaviour. The findings suggest that online marketers should enhance their strategies to improve their business on digital platforms. The research provides valuable insights into the shopping habits of the working women community in Bangalore.