Understanding the impact of privacy concerns and trust on social networking sites: Analysing user intentions towards willingness to share digital identities

Participation in social networking sites (SNS) has dramatically increased in recent years. SNS focus on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. This study examines the experiences of SNS users, and explores how the depth of their experience and knowledge of the Internet, trust and privacy concerns impact upon their individual willingness to share information about their own identity with other users on social networking websites. An acceptance model is proposed that incorporates cognitive, as well as affective, attitudes as primary influencing factors on user attitudes and behaviour which, in turn, are driven by underlying beliefs, perceived levels of privacy and trust, attitudinal experiences and knowledge, as well as a willingness to share. The proposed conceptual model for this study is derived from the literature review and Theory of Planned Behaviour. This model explains how people experience different levels of motivation about sharing knowledge and seeking information from other members which, in turn, leads to a divergence in both intentions and behaviours within virtual communities. The model shows excellent measurement properties and establishes two distinct constructs—specifically, the need for perceived levels of privacy, and the need for established levels of trust within SNS. This study is based on quantitative methodology and uses a structural equation model to test the construction of the model and its hypothesis. The data for this study were collected from a Facebook forum, with a sample size of 155 SNS users. The main theoretical contribution of this study is to provide greater understanding and new insights into privacy concerns and trust, in so far as these factors impact upon SNS users‘ willingness to readily share information regarding their digital identities. Secondly, this study will enrich the existing literature regarding the inter-relationship between the extent of SNS users‘ length and depth of experience as Internet users, as this impact upon their willingness to share identity-based information

Work fluctuations for a harmonic oscillator driven by an external random force

The fluctuations of the work done by an external Gaussian random force on a harmonic oscillator that is also in contact with a thermal bath is studied. We have obtained the exact large deviation function as well as the complete asymptotic forms of the probability density function. The distribution of the work done are found to be non-Gaussian. The steady state fluctuation theorem holds only if the ratio of the variances, of the external random forcing and the thermal noise respectively, is less than 1/3. On the other hand, the transient fluctuation theorem holds (asymptotically) for all the values of that ratio. The theoretical asymptotic forms of the probability density function are in very good agreement with the numerics as well as with an experiment.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Record Statistics of Continuous Time Random Walk

The statistics of records for a time series generated by a continuous time random walk is studied, and found to be independent of the details of the jump length distribution, as long as the latter is continuous and symmetric. However, the statistics depend crucially on the nature of the waiting time distribution. The probability of finding M records within a given time duration t, for large t, has a scaling form, and the exact scaling function is obtained in terms of the one-sided Levy stable law. The mean of the ages of the records, defined as , differs from t/. The asymptotic behaviour of the shortest and the longest ages of the records are also studied.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; EPL published versio

Statistical properties of single-file diffusion front

Statistical properties of the front of a semi-infinite system of single-file diffusion (one dimensional system where particles cannot pass each other, but in-between collisions each one independently follow diffusive motion) are investigated. Exact as well as asymptotic results are provided for the probability density function of (a) the front-position, (b) the maximum of the front-positions, and (c) the first-passage time to a given position. The asymptotic laws for the front-position and the maximum front-position are found to be governed by the Fisher-Tippett-Gumbel extreme value statistics. The asymptotic properties of the first-passage time is dominated by a stretched-exponential tail in the distribution. The farness of the front with the rest of the system is investigated by considering (i) the gap from the front to the closest particle, and (ii) the density profile with respect to the front-position, and analytical results are provided for late time behaviors.Comment: 4 revtex page

Physics Potential of Long-Baseline Experiments

The discovery of neutrino mixing and oscillations over the past decade provides firm evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Recently, theta13 has been determined to be moderately large, quite close to its previous upper bound. This represents a significant milestone in establishing the three-flavor oscillation picture of neutrinos. It has opened up exciting prospects for current and future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments towards addressing the remaining fundamental questions, in particular the type of the neutrino mass hierarchy and the possible presence of a CP-violating phase. Another recent and crucial development is the indication of non-maximal 2-3 mixing angle, causing the octant ambiguity of theta23. In this paper, I will review the phenomenology of long-baseline neutrino oscillations with a special emphasis on sub-leading three-flavor effects, which will play a crucial role in resolving these unknowns. First, I will give a brief description of neutrino oscillation phenomenon. Then, I will discuss our present global understanding of the neutrino mass-mixing parameters and will identify the major unknowns in this sector. After that, I will present the physics reach of current generation long-baseline experiments. Finally, I will conclude with a discussion on the physics capabilities of accelerator-driven possible future long-baseline precision oscillation facilities.Comment: 44 pages, 37 pdf figures, 5 tables. Review article to appear in Advances in High Energy Physic

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR SHARED-SERVICES COOPERATIVES IN NORTH DAKOTA

The principal goal of shared-services cooperatives is to capture savings through lower administrative costs, quantity purchasing discounts, sharing fixed costs, and assured levels of business with vendors and suppliers. Although the idea of cooperation is not new in North Dakota, the question raised here is whether there is potential applications for non-agricultural shared-services cooperatives that provide services that are absent or inadequate in rural communities in the state. It is concluded that there is potential application for shared-services cooperatives in both public and private sectors in North Dakota based on opportunities to share fixed costs and to capitalize on pecuniary economies of size.shared-services cooperatives, non-agricultural cooperatives, North Dakota, Agribusiness,

AN ANALYSIS OF CONSUMERS' AWARENESS AND WILLINGNESS TOWARD ON-LINE FOOD SHOPPING IN AN URBAN AREA

Consumer/Household Economics,