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Intangible assets and the productivity slowdown

Over recent decades, advanced economies have been characterised by reduced rates of productivity. In this article, we advance the hypothesis that one of the potential causes of this trend might be the new knowledge capitalisation practices. Capitalisation of intangible assets is justified by the limited exhaustibility of knowledge, which implies its slow obsolescence, and hence, having the potential of being capitalised to reflect its prolonged period of contribution to productivity. However, the capitalisation of an increasing proportion of the assets that initially were accounted for as labour or intermediate inputs is having a direct effect on increasing capital and theoretical output and reducing total factor productivity (TFP). Our empirical analysis based on US-listed firms shows that the capitalisation of knowledge strongly reduces both the levels of TFP, and because of its fast increase in the last two decades, its rates of growth.




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Enterprise E-Learning Success Factors: An Analysis of Practitioners’ Perspective (with a Downturn Addendum)




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Focused Crawling for Downloading Learning Objects




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Up and Down: Trends in Students’ Perceptions about Learning in a 1:1 Laptop Model – A Longitudinal Study

This is a five-year study conducted with junior high school students studying in a 1:1-laptop program in order to test the effects of the program on various measures related to the students: their attitudes, motivation, perceived school norms, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention towards learning with laptops, according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). These variables were tested at two dimensions: ‘duration of learning’ – the effect of learning in the program on the same students; ‘duration of program in school’ – the effect of the program on different students in different school years. Participants (N=770) answered a questionnaire structured according to motivational and TPB variables. Findings show that attitudes changed over time, but differently for each dimension. For the ‘duration of learning’, attitudes declined between 7th to 9th grade. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that students’ attitudes and self-efficacy explain part of their intention to learn with laptops, therefore ways of maintaining positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and strengthening school norms should be considered. However, for the ‘duration of program in school’, students’ attitudes increased over the years: The attitudes of students who started the program at a later stage were more positive than those who began earlier. This may indicate that students who experience the program at an advanced stage are better prepared, with more realistic expectations. Findings can assist teacher trainers and policymakers with the implementation of similar programs.




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Safety breakdown led to Greenock tug crew deaths

George Taft, 65, and Ian Catterson, 73, drowned in February last year when MV Biter capsized while assisting a cruise ship.




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Woman Jailed for Murder After Estranged Husband Threatens to Hurt Her Family and Burn Down House

LaToya claimed self-defense, but Manassas, Virginia Prosecutor D. Burke Walker had other ideas and charged the woman with second-degree murder.




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Federal Judge Strikes Down Illinois ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban: Major Win for Gun Owners’ Rights!

As if gun rights activists have not had enough winning for one week, with the landslide Trump election win.  Now, a major victory for gun rights advocates has unfolded in Illinois...




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In Wake of Trump Triumph, Anti-Gunners Vow to ‘Double Down’

The gun prohibition lobby is promising to double-down its efforts to push through more restrictive gun laws in the wake of Donald Trump's momentous election victory.




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Taiwan video taken down after reporter calls Trump ‘convicted felon’

TAIPEI: A state-funded English-language broadcaster in Taiwan removed a video of one of its journalists calling US President-elect Donald Trump a “convicted felon”, after the Taipei government said the incident was “very serious”.

Taiwan has publicly congratulated Trump on his victory, joining other governments around the world in trying to get onside with the next US administration.

Washington has long been Taipei’s most important supporter, but Trump raised concerns on the campaign trail by suggesting Taiwan should pay the United States for its defence and accusing it of stealing the US semiconductor industry.

TaiwanPlus correspondent Louise Watt was speaking on camera in the United States last week when she said “the US is either going to vote in its first female president or its first convicted felon”.

“Well America looks like it’s chosen the felon,“ Watt said, in a clip shared by Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS and seen by AFP.

Taiwan Culture Minister Li Yuan told local media on Saturday that TaiwanPlus took down the video after he told the broadcaster “that this issue is very serious”.

Public Television Service Foundation, which manages TaiwanPlus, said Monday the broadcaster had “humbly reviewed its operational procedures” following the report.

The foundation said it will convene a “self-discipline” committee this week to “discuss the matter”.

TaiwanPlus broadcasts videos on its website, YouTube and cable television.

More than 90 percent of its viewers are overseas, the foundation said.

In 2023, TaiwanPlus began showing in US hotels in “key cities frequented by political and economic elites, such as Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle”, the foundation said.

ALSO READ:

Trump makes new appointments including new ‘border czar’

Source says Trump told Putin not to escalate in Ukraine, Kremlin denies they spoke




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PAL profit down on spending spurt

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines sustained a 55-percent drop in its profit in the nine months to September, dragged by declining passenger revenues and spiking aviation costs.




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Philippine Airlines Q3 profit: P789M (down 82% y/y)

Philippine Airlines posted a Q3 net income of P789 million, down 82% y/y from its Q3/23 net income of P4,278 million, and down 70% q/q from its Q2/24 net income of P2,590 million.




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Xbox Live Down: Gamers Report Outages

Frustrating Xbox owners around the globe, reports are flooding in across the web that Xbox Live is currently down. Whether you're looking to jump into a game, stream your favorite shows, or navigate the dashboard, users are finding themselves locked out of any functionality. Users from Reddit to Twitter to my own living rooms are reporting that accessing any service is impossible. This includes playing games, accessing cloud saves, using apps, or even browsing the Xbox Store. The crux of the problem seems to be tied to the Xbox Live login. X...




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Hania Aamir tracks down 'Indian culprit' behind viral explicit deepfake video

After identifying the culprit, Hania Aamir urged fans to report the account, which has changed names multiple times.



  • Life & Style

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Lies, Panic, And Politics: The Targeted Takedown Of Backpage

The case against Backpage was built on lies, innuendo, and a willful misunderstanding of how the internet works. But that didn’t stop the government from destroying the company and its founders’ lives. Over the last few years, we’ve written about how the entire case against Backpage was a travesty of justice. The company actually worked […]




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Freed reporter criticises Afghan media crackdown

Afghan-French journalist recounts torture and fear in Afghan prison, calls for support for detained journalists




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India’s media crackdown

India is now ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index




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Pod Rods: Saab goes down, Jaguar C-X16 concept


Plus: Pink Camaro pace car, weekend car events.




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Braflix to Shut Down: Pirate Site Throws in the Towel Citing Legal Pressure

Pirate streaming site Braflix burst onto the scene last year, offering a vast library of movies and TV shows via a user-friendly interface. With millions of monthly visits the site was destined to profit from the demise of several large competitors. The opposite happened. Facing legal pressure, Braflix has decided to throw in the towel instead.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.




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Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open

She becomes the first woman since Kerber to capture both hardcourt majors in the same season




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Over 300,000 put under 1,291 smart lockdowns

Punjab, Sindh cross grim mark of 50,000 cases




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Pakistan stun Australia to win first ODI series Down Under in 22 years

Pakistan players pose with the trophy after winning the three-match ODI series against Australia in Perth on November 10, 2024. — Facebook@PakistanCricketBoard

Pacers book Kangaroos for meagre 140 runs in Perth ODI.Series victory is Green Shirts' first in Australia since...




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Former captain comes down hard on Cricket Australia over ODI series loss to Pakistan

Former Australia's captain Michael Clarke. — AFP/File

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke lambasted the national selectors for resting key players for the final match of the one-day international series against Pakistan, saying they did not care about losing the...




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Epps, Georgetown take down DePaul

Jayden Epps scored 33 points to lead Georgetown and made two free throws with eight seconds remaining for the go-ahead points as the Hoyas took down DePaul 77-76 on Saturday night.




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Gauff upsets Sabalenka and sets up showdown with Zheng for WTA Finals title

Coco Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 and set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals on Friday.




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Mayor downplays election unrest worries, but D.C. businesses, federal properties amp up security

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said there are "no credible threats" to the District ahead of Tuesday's presidential election, despite several downtown businesses boarding up their buildings and the White House and other federal properties erecting climb-proof fencing along their perimeters.




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Charleston, WV, West Side, part 1: History Laid Down Like Shellac

We take the show to Charleston West Virginia’s West Side neighborhood to visit a family barbecue joint, a country music jamboree, a faith-based after-school program, a women’s drug recovery house, and a bustling Goodwill headquarters. Plus, conversations with an activist preacher, a vacant-home rehabber, an open-eared neighborhood planner, and a retired theater technician who’s projected more than 50 years of movie history.

Special thanks this episode to Maryland State Folklorist Emily Hilliard, The West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.




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NASCAR Xfinity championship down to 4 drivers in season finale at Phoenix

All four NASCAR Xfinity championship drivers said the right things heading into the season finale.




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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby steps down amid sexual abuse scandal in Church of England

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation Tuesday, taking "personal and institutional responsibility" after an inquiry found he failed to promptly report abuse allegations against a Church of England volunteer.




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Steelers LB Alex Highsmith to miss showdown with Ravens because of ankle injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers will head into their AFC North showdown with rival Baltimore without outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.




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DraftKings revises revenue projections downward after string of customer wins on NFL games

The house doesn't always win.




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Russian Olympic Committee president to step down. Neutral athletes competed at Paris Games

The president of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee said Tuesday he plans to step down after six years in charge.




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EU BON research keeps flowing: Downscaling and the automation of species monitoring

Biodiversity data are sparse, biased and collected at many resolutions. So techniques are needed to combine these data and provide some clarity. This is where downscaling comes in. Downscaling predicts the occupancy of a species in a given area. That is, the number of grid squares a species is predicted to occupy in a standard grid of equally sized squares. Downscaling uses the intrinsic patterns in the spatial organization of an organism’s distributions to predict what the occupancy would be, given the occupancy at a coarser resolution.

Groom et al. (2018) tests different downscaling models on birds and plants in four countries and in different landscapes and shows which models work best. The results show that all models work similarly, irrespective of the type of organism and landscape. However, some models were biased, either under- or overestimating occupancy. However, a few models were both reliable and unbiased. This means we can automate calculation of species occupancy. Workflows can harvest data from many sources and calculate species metrics in a timely manner, potentially delivering warnings so that interventions can be made.

Species invasions, habitat degradation and mass extinctions are not a future threat, they are happening now. Understanding how we should react, and what policies we need should be underpinned by solid evidence. Imagine if we had systems where we could monitor biodiversity just like we monitor the climate in easy to understand numbers that are both accurate and sensitive to change.

Original Source: 

Groom QJ, Marsh CJ, Gavish Y, Kunin WE. (2018) How to predict fine resolution occupancy from coarse occupancy data. Methods Ecol Evol.;00:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13078

Figure 1: Comparison of downscaling performance of difference mathematical models with the percentage error from the known distribution of breeding birds of Flanders. Points above the zero line are overestimates of occupancy and under the line are underestimates. The x-axis is the prevalence of the species in Flanders.

 






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MS321 Finalized set of up and down-scaling methods for application development





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D3.1 Application software implementing remote sensing, distributional down- and biodiversity up-scaling





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Musicians’ network aims to clamp down on instrument thefts

Anipo, a French-based network of musicians, has launched an initiative aimed at cracking down on stolen instruments. Anipo encourages musicians to install a chip on ... Read more

The post Musicians’ network aims to clamp down on instrument thefts appeared first on CMUSE.





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Actor Timothée Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest after police shut down crowded event

Actor Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, a well-attended event that drew an order to disperse from police and at least one arrest

The post Actor Timothée Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest after police shut down crowded event appeared first on Boston.com.






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188 AAW: A Sit-Down with Hope Darst from The Belonging Co.

All About Worship talks with The Belonging Co. worship leader, Hope Darst about leading teams and showing true character through hard times.

She voices the story about writing the song “Peace Be Still”, as it evolved into one of the breakthrough worship songs of 2018.  Enjoy this week's sit down with Hope Darst!





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Watered-Down Worship

We have such a tendency to water down words. Lessening their impact through casual use: awesome, love, and worship were the three that came to mind. 

Worship? You might ask, “How has worship been watered down?” As I took time to think about the word, I began to realize something. Just as we have lessened the impact of words such as awesome and love through overuse, we have done much the same with the word worship through underuse.

We have so narrowed its scope until – in our current Christian culture – we often relegate it to just another music genre or a segment of time in our church services. Though from the first welcome to the benediction our services are designed to engage our congregations in worship; worship is so much more. Worship is an attitude, an action, a way of life.

As I reflected on the hundreds and hundreds of times I have had the privilege of leading congregations in worship through music, James 1:27 came to mind. 

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

I began to recall several settings in which I have lead worship; large churches, small churches, conferences, and festivals, in many states and denominational traditions. However, the two venues which most stood out were not of leading large congregations in worship, but they were found in the small church basement where I first lead worship with children from 2-10 years old, and the nursing homes where I, and often my family have lead these old dear saints in the singing of hymns and praise choruses. Each representing the opposite end of the age spectrum and both reflecting the childlike faith Jesus referred to in Matthew 18:3. 

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I believe we refuse to let the world corrupt us when we use our gifts to serve others including those who have nothing to give us in return – the children, the elderly, the sick. Yes, as I look back the most impactful worship experiences I have had are seeing these little children sing with reckless abandon, and the elderly – whom often could not even accurately communicate where they were or what day it was – with tears streaming down their face singing every word to every hymn along with me. 

For vocational artists it is certainly necessary that we are able to pay our bills. However, I am realizing more and more that our church salary or concert honorarium is not payment for services rendered, but rather an effort by those who write the checks to redeem the time we would otherwise need to use provide for ourselves and our families so that we can fully use our gift of music to freely serve the body, no matter whether it gathers in church basements, nursing homes, living rooms, soup kitchens, or auditoriums.




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Downtime

Due to issues our hosting company currently has, this night (or at least for me it was during the night) - we experienced our longest downtime ever - about 4 hours. I'll try and set it up so it'll automatically switch to a backup server in such events so this doesn't happen again. Apologies to everyone affected. All should be good now.




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Adventures in Drywall: Burning Down The House

The year was 1977 and yours' truly was trying desperately to hold the end of a 12-foot sheet up while trying to finger a nail into the edge of the board and hit the nail instead of my fingers with a roofing hatchet. If memory serves, back then we were using blue ring shank nails. The heads were barely larger than the circumference of the rings, so it was virtually impossible to drive one without ripping the face paper under ideal conditions, and these were not ideal conditions.




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On the Safe Side: Drill Down Safely

Portable power drills are some of the most useful tools in the construction industry, but without taking the proper safety precautions they can quickly become some of the most dangerous.




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Trowel Talk: Trickle Down Theory

Back in the 1980s, the term “Trickle Down Economics” was coined to describe a theory that if we gave incentives to business owners, they will in turn invest and expand their operations, thereby creating new jobs and greater opportunity for all. Economists and politicians are still debating if the policies of the ’80s helped or hurt the country.




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Adeela Warley: The ‘stay or go’ social media debate must ultimately come down to organisational purpose

Centring missions, creating space for discussion and continuing to test and learn will help every charity tailor their approach to online spaces




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Age UK's income down by almost £19m last year




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Albert Carrillo: Breaking Down the Misconceptions of Lath

It was a year or so ago when my article intimated to a result, to a given test, to a controversial subject, to confirm what us plasterers have known for years. When it comes to control joints in relation to cracking in stucco, let me boldly state: Lath cut or continuous performs the same.




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Downsizing with dignity

It's easy to botch the process and demoralise staff and supporters. So how do you make cuts well, asks John Plummer