Disclosure practices of funded and non-funded religious non-profit organizations: A comparison

Social responsibility performs by religious nonprofit organizations (RNPOs) typically depend on the availability of various sources of funds available. The most basic sources of funds available are from donations, corporate giving and grants. The main objective of this study is to analyze the disclosure practices of funded and non-funded RNPOs. Through content analysis on the sample of 83 RNPOs annual returns for the year 2010, results of independent sample T-test indicated that funded RNPOs are more likely to disclose information. In addition, ANOVA findings confirmed the differences in the disclosure practices among funded organizations of government, private and non-funded RNPOs. The results of this study provide empirical evidence to the government and other resource providers in scrutinizing the decision to distribute their funds to these RNPOs

E-learning User Interface Acceptance Based on Analysis of User's Style, USAbility and User Benefits

E-learning does not function properly if the system is not in accordance with user needs. This study aims to establish an evaluation model for e-learning user interface according to user acceptance. The model is designed based on three categories: user learning style, USAbility and user benefits. Results of measurements of the three categories will determine the level of user acceptance of the e-learning interface. The data were taken using a questionnaire which was distributed to 125 ELS students from various countries. Then processed using SEM and Lisrel v8.80. This paper presents experimental set up for the general research and some results for technology acceptance theories

Eccentric connectivity index of some chemical trees

Let G = (V, E) be a simple connected molecular graph. In such a simple molecular graph, vertices represent atoms and edges represent chemical bonds, we denoted the sets of vertices and edges by V(G) and E(G), respectively. If d(u, v) be the notation of distance between vertices u, v ε V(G) and is defined as the length of a shortest path connecting them. Then, the eccentricity connectivity index of a molecular graph G is defined as ζ(G) = Σ vεv(G) deg(v)ec(v), where deg(v) is degree of a vertex v ε V(G), and is defined as the number of adjacent vertices with v. ec(v) is eccentricity of a vertex v ε V(G), and is defined as the length of a maximal path connecting to another vertex of v. In this paper, we establish the general formulas for the eccentricity connectivity index of some classes of chemical trees

Combined effect of nitric acid and sodium hydroxide pretreatments on enzymatic saccharification of rubber wood (Heavea brasiliensis)

A combinatorial nitric acid and sodium hydroxide pretreatment for improving the enzymatic saccharification of rubber wood was proposed in this study. Effects of pretreatment time, temperature as well as nitric acid and sodium hydroxide concentrations on glucose yield were investigated. Rubber wood sawdust was sequentially pretreated with dilute nitric acid and dilute sodium hydroxide, respectively. The pretreated samples were hydrolyzed using cellulase together with β-glucosidase at enzyme loadings of 25 FPU and 60 CBUg/cellulose, respectively. Results from the enzymatic hydrolysis experiments showed that a glucose yield of 95% was achieved (within 24 h of hydrolysis) with rubber wood sample pretreated using 6% HNO3, at 100°C for 60 min followed by 1%NaOH at 90°C for 30 min. Comparison of these results with those reported in literature demonstrated that combining nitric acid and sodium hydroxide pretreatments resulted in higher rate of hydrolysis and better cellulose digestibility

Complete Break Up of Ortho Positronium (Ps)- Hydrogenic ion System

The dynamics of the complete breakup process in an Ortho Ps - He+ system including electron loss to the continuum (ELC) is studied where both the projectile and the target get ionized. The process is essentially a four body problem and the present model takes account of the two centre effect on the electron ejected from the Ps atom which is crucial for a proper description of the ELC phenomena. The calculations are performed in the framework of Coulomb Distorted Eikonal Approximation. The exchange effect between the target and the projectile electron is taken into account in a consistent manner. The proper asymptotic 3-body boundary condition for this ionization process is also satisfied in the present model. A distinct broad ELC peak is noted in the fully differential cross sections (5DCS) for the Ps electron corroborating qualitatively the experiment for the Ps - He system. Both the dynamics of the ELC from the Ps and the ejected electron from the target He+ in the FDCS are studied using coplanar geometry. Interesting features are noted in the FDCS for both the electrons belonging to the target and the projectile.Comment: 14 pages,7 figure

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory mechanisms in uveitis

The eye, as currently viewed, is neither immunologically ignorant nor sequestered from the systemic environment. The eye utilises distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms to preserve tissue and cellular function in the face of immune-mediated insult; clinically, inflammation following such an insult is termed uveitis. The intra-ocular inflammation in uveitis may be clinically obvious as a result of infection (e.g. toxoplasma, herpes), but in the main infection, if any, remains covert. We now recognise that healthy tissues including the retina have regulatory mechanisms imparted by control of myeloid cells through receptors (e.g. CD200R) and soluble inhibitory factors (e.g. alpha-MSH), regulation of the blood retinal barrier, and active immune surveillance. Once homoeostasis has been disrupted and inflammation ensues, the mechanisms to regulate inflammation, including T cell apoptosis, generation of Treg cells, and myeloid cell suppression in situ, are less successful. Why inflammation becomes persistent remains unknown, but extrapolating from animal models, possibilities include differential trafficking of T cells from the retina, residency of CD8(+) T cells, and alterations of myeloid cell phenotype and function. Translating lessons learned from animal models to humans has been helped by system biology approaches and informatics, which suggest that diseased animals and people share similar changes in T cell phenotypes and monocyte function to date. Together the data infer a possible cryptic infectious drive in uveitis that unlocks and drives persistent autoimmune responses, or promotes further innate immune responses. Thus there may be many mechanisms in common with those observed in autoinflammatory disorders

Harmonic Suppression Dual-band Dipole Antenna with Parasitic Elements and a Stub

A dual-band harmonic suppression dipole antenna suitable for energy harvesting system is presented in this paper. A linear dipole with two parasitic elements is designed and fabricated with a capability to eliminate the harmonic of higher order modes. At first, the antenna resonates at 900 MHz and 2.7 GHz. Therefore, a parasitic element is added into each of the dipole’s arm to tune the second frequency band to 2.4 GHz to fit into wireless application. However, the presence of two parasitic elements has generated an unwanted harmonic at 4.0 GHz. Thus, a stub has been integrated into the antenna’s terminal (feed line) to suppress the 4.0 GHz frequency. This technique is suitable for developing a multiband antenna with harmonic suppression. The antenna is fabricated on a FR-4 board with the size of 72×152 mm2 which operates efficiently at 0.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz which is suitable for wireless communication applications. The prototype can suppress the undesired harmful harmonics present within the frequency range of 3 to 5 GHz. The antenna has a good potential to be used in a rectenna system with a dual-band frequency operation but with better performance. Simulation and measurement results obtained are in a good agreement, which have confirmed the proposed design concept