China＇s capital market is different from that of the US in economic, political, and socio-cultural ways. China＇s dynamic and fast growing economy for the past decade entails some structural changes and weaknesses an...China＇s capital market is different from that of the US in economic, political, and socio-cultural ways. China＇s dynamic and fast growing economy for the past decade entails some structural changes and weaknesses and as a consequence, there are some business failures. We propose bankruptcy prediction models using Chinese firm data via several data mining tools and traditional logit analysis. We used Chinese firm data one year prior to bankruptcy and our results suggest that the financial variables developed by Altman （1968） and Ohlson （1980） perform reasonably well in determining business failures of Chinese firms, but the overall prediction rate is low compared with those of the US or other countries＇ studies. The reasons for this low prediction rate may be structural weaknesses resulting from China＇s fast growth and immature capital market.展开更多
Establishment of genetic databases has socio-cultural, ethical and legal implications particularly in developing countries. However, there are no available data in Oman about the community knowledge and understanding ...Establishment of genetic databases has socio-cultural, ethical and legal implications particularly in developing countries. However, there are no available data in Oman about the community knowledge and understanding of genetic database and gene banking. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating Omani public awareness on socio-cultural, ethical and legal aspects of gene studies （with consideration to regional variations） and to assess the public acceptance of initiating gene banking. This study was conducted using self-completed questionnaires by a sample of adult Omani population invited to participate in the study, from 14 health centers, a school and a university. For illiterate subjects, structured interviews were conducted. There were a total of 1,702 participants with nearly equal numbers of males and females. The mean age of respondents was 31 （＋ 12） years for males and 28 （＋ 10） years for females. In general, 9% of the studied population were illiterate and a total of 29% were preparatory school level and below, classified as the uneducated. While, 60% of the respondents were unemployed. The awareness on the genetic disposition of some common diseases was generally higher than 80% with the highest on sickle cell anemia. Only 17% of the participants had knowledge of genetic databases, 95% of whom were from the educated group. Public opinion on acceptance of gene banking, participation in genetic research and setting protection laws in those aware and non-aware, achieved good scores, indicating public acceptance of the above.展开更多
The purpose of this study is to highlight the positive effects that the attendance of preschool education has on the soclanzauon and on the learning level of children. They are related with the kind of preschool educa...The purpose of this study is to highlight the positive effects that the attendance of preschool education has on the soclanzauon and on the learning level of children. They are related with the kind of preschool education that the child attends, with the area where the child lives, with the education level of the parents, with the way how the learning process is realized in the kindergarten. Five hundred （500） first graders of the city of Durres are chosen. Parents and teachers will be part of the study only after taking the consent from RIE （Regional Institute of Education）. The completed surveys from the parents will create us an idea of the situation how they experience this and what their expectations regarding their children are. Surveillance will be another important method that will be used to give the conclusion of this study. Children will be watched during spontaneous and one-hour made situations. Statistical data from the two groups of children and parents tests will help us prove how visible the positive effects of attending the preschool education on the performance children show during first grade are. At the end of the study, it will be asked to prove that the attendance of preschool education in specialized institutions has positive effects on the development children show in the first grade in the two targets which we have chosen to study.展开更多
The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people＇s confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries： Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indica...The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people＇s confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries： Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indicators cannot explain the variation in political confidence between the five most dynamic new emerging economies, and that there is no substantial difference among young, middle-aged, and senior-agent groups. By combing data from the Asia Barometer Survey and the World Value Survey, the author provides two complementary approaches, one sociocultural and the other micropolitical, to reveal the factors that influence people＇s confidence in four major political institutions. The explanatory effects of these two approaches are mixed. Political identity and values, in most cases, have a significant impact on political confidence. On the other hand, high levels of interpersonal social trust, individual happiness, and satisfaction with living standards also show positive influences.展开更多
This paper reports on an ethnographic inquiry into the linguistic and sociocultural affordances available to English and Japanese foreign language learners through their engagement in a social learning space at a Japa...This paper reports on an ethnographic inquiry into the linguistic and sociocultural affordances available to English and Japanese foreign language learners through their engagement in a social learning space at a Japanese university. By social learning space we refer to a facility in which students come together in order to learn with and from each other in a non- formal setting. To explore the social learning dynamic in this environment, we carried out a longitudinal ethnographic inquiry. Data came primarily from interviews with learners and administrators, supported by participant-observations. A thematic analysis of the data, informed by ecological and community of practice perspectives, pointed to the emergence of a community of learners and revealed how closely the affordances were connected with the emergent community. In this paper we report on the findings related to the affordances which gave rise to language learning opportunities, the relationship of these affordances to the conditions which supported the development of a community of learners, and the role of learner autonomy in regard to these two interrelated phenomena.展开更多
文摘China＇s capital market is different from that of the US in economic, political, and socio-cultural ways. China＇s dynamic and fast growing economy for the past decade entails some structural changes and weaknesses and as a consequence, there are some business failures. We propose bankruptcy prediction models using Chinese firm data via several data mining tools and traditional logit analysis. We used Chinese firm data one year prior to bankruptcy and our results suggest that the financial variables developed by Altman （1968） and Ohlson （1980） perform reasonably well in determining business failures of Chinese firms, but the overall prediction rate is low compared with those of the US or other countries＇ studies. The reasons for this low prediction rate may be structural weaknesses resulting from China＇s fast growth and immature capital market.
文摘Establishment of genetic databases has socio-cultural, ethical and legal implications particularly in developing countries. However, there are no available data in Oman about the community knowledge and understanding of genetic database and gene banking. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating Omani public awareness on socio-cultural, ethical and legal aspects of gene studies （with consideration to regional variations） and to assess the public acceptance of initiating gene banking. This study was conducted using self-completed questionnaires by a sample of adult Omani population invited to participate in the study, from 14 health centers, a school and a university. For illiterate subjects, structured interviews were conducted. There were a total of 1,702 participants with nearly equal numbers of males and females. The mean age of respondents was 31 （＋ 12） years for males and 28 （＋ 10） years for females. In general, 9% of the studied population were illiterate and a total of 29% were preparatory school level and below, classified as the uneducated. While, 60% of the respondents were unemployed. The awareness on the genetic disposition of some common diseases was generally higher than 80% with the highest on sickle cell anemia. Only 17% of the participants had knowledge of genetic databases, 95% of whom were from the educated group. Public opinion on acceptance of gene banking, participation in genetic research and setting protection laws in those aware and non-aware, achieved good scores, indicating public acceptance of the above.
文摘The purpose of this study is to highlight the positive effects that the attendance of preschool education has on the soclanzauon and on the learning level of children. They are related with the kind of preschool education that the child attends, with the area where the child lives, with the education level of the parents, with the way how the learning process is realized in the kindergarten. Five hundred （500） first graders of the city of Durres are chosen. Parents and teachers will be part of the study only after taking the consent from RIE （Regional Institute of Education）. The completed surveys from the parents will create us an idea of the situation how they experience this and what their expectations regarding their children are. Surveillance will be another important method that will be used to give the conclusion of this study. Children will be watched during spontaneous and one-hour made situations. Statistical data from the two groups of children and parents tests will help us prove how visible the positive effects of attending the preschool education on the performance children show during first grade are. At the end of the study, it will be asked to prove that the attendance of preschool education in specialized institutions has positive effects on the development children show in the first grade in the two targets which we have chosen to study.
文摘The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people＇s confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries： Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indicators cannot explain the variation in political confidence between the five most dynamic new emerging economies, and that there is no substantial difference among young, middle-aged, and senior-agent groups. By combing data from the Asia Barometer Survey and the World Value Survey, the author provides two complementary approaches, one sociocultural and the other micropolitical, to reveal the factors that influence people＇s confidence in four major political institutions. The explanatory effects of these two approaches are mixed. Political identity and values, in most cases, have a significant impact on political confidence. On the other hand, high levels of interpersonal social trust, individual happiness, and satisfaction with living standards also show positive influences.
基金the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) [No.23520674] which has enabled us to extend this study for an additional four years
文摘This paper reports on an ethnographic inquiry into the linguistic and sociocultural affordances available to English and Japanese foreign language learners through their engagement in a social learning space at a Japanese university. By social learning space we refer to a facility in which students come together in order to learn with and from each other in a non- formal setting. To explore the social learning dynamic in this environment, we carried out a longitudinal ethnographic inquiry. Data came primarily from interviews with learners and administrators, supported by participant-observations. A thematic analysis of the data, informed by ecological and community of practice perspectives, pointed to the emergence of a community of learners and revealed how closely the affordances were connected with the emergent community. In this paper we report on the findings related to the affordances which gave rise to language learning opportunities, the relationship of these affordances to the conditions which supported the development of a community of learners, and the role of learner autonomy in regard to these two interrelated phenomena.
