The Impact of Change on the Hong Kong Convention and Exposition Business

The primary objective of this paper was to look into the future of the Hong Kong Convention Center. The July 97 hand-over has generated many speculations regarding Hong Kong\u27s future as a business center and as a tourist destination. The newly expanded Convention Center in the city has hosted many conventions and exhibitions in the past but its future is still uncertain. A wide scope of opinions is cited, predicting various scenarios regarding the future of the city. Based on these opinions and on statistical figures provided by the Hong Kong Tourist Association an attempt to predict the city\u27s future was made

Las Vegas Locals as Gamblers and Hosts to Visiting Friends and Family: Characteristics and Gaming Behavior

Local gamblers are an important market segment for casino marketers providing a reliable source of revenue during slow periods. This paper presents selected gaming behavior of local residents in the Las Vegas area, linking socio-demographic characteristics with gaming behavior. In addition, this article examines the relationships of Las Vegas area locals and their visiting friends and family members in two aspects. First, we identified the influence local residents have on visiting friends and family in terms of recommendations made regarding gambling in general and specific gaming locations. Second, this article describes how visiting friends and family influence local residents in terms of gaming behavior and additional spending

Polychronicity, Decision-making and Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy of Venture Team Founders: An Exploratory Study

Purpose - This study explores the role of polychronic temporal orientation and decision-making decentralization on founders\u27 perceptions of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE). Design/methodology/approach - Longitudinal survey data were collected from 141 business founders in China. Findings - Findings suggest that decision-making decentralization is positively associated with founders\u27 ESE. In addition, a polychronic temporal orientation is positively related to ESE, and this relationship is mediated by decision-making decentralization. Originality/value - This study adds to existing knowledge on ESE and temporal related issues by presenting empirical evidence that explains how and why the temporal orientation context and the practice of decision-making decentralization can shape ESE perceptions among venture founders

Stable Distributions in Stochastic Fragmentation

We investigate a class of stochastic fragmentation processes involving stable and unstable fragments. We solve analytically for the fragment length density and find that a generic algebraic divergence characterizes its small-size tail. Furthermore, the entire range of acceptable values of decay exponent consistent with the length conservation can be realized. We show that the stochastic fragmentation process is non-self-averaging as moments exhibit significant sample-to-sample fluctuations. Additionally, we find that the distributions of the moments and of extremal characteristics possess an infinite set of progressively weaker singularities.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Regression, developmental trajectory and associated problems in disorders in the autism spectrum: the SNAP study

We report rates of regression and associated findings in a population derived group of 255 children aged 9-14 years, participating in a prevalence study of autism spectrum disorders (ASD); 53 with narrowly defined autism, 105 with broader ASD and 97 with non-ASD neurodevelopmental problems, drawn from those with special educational needs within a population of 56,946 children. Language regression was reported in 30% with narrowly defined autism, 8% with broader ASD and less than 3% with developmental problems without ASD. A smaller group of children were identified who underwent a less clear setback. Regression was associated with higher rates of autistic symptoms and a deviation in developmental trajectory. Regression was not associated with epilepsy or gastrointestinal problems

Cerebrospinal metastases in malignant childhood astrocytomas

Over a period of five years, antemortem diagnosis of leptomeningeal spread was made in six of thirteen children with high grade astrocytomas. These included four of seven children with hemispheral tumors and two of six children with malignant brainstem gliomas. Leptomeningeal spread was diagnosed by the clinical picture and CSF profile. Meningeal spread occurred an average of 5 months (range 0–16) after initial diagnosis of tumor was made. Several patients responded well to local radiation and/ or chemotherapy. Mean survival after evidence of meningeal spread was 7 months (range 2–16) with one patient still alive.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45379/1/11060_2004_Article_BF00177897.pd

Kinetics of fragmentation-annihilation processes

We investigate the kinetics of systems in which particles of one species undergo binary fragmentation and pair annihilation. In the latter, nonlinear process, fragments react at collision to produce an inert species, causing loss of mass. We analyse these systems in the reaction-limited regime by solving a continuous model within the mean-field approximation. The rate of fragmentation, for a particle of mass $x$ to break into fragments of masses $y$ and $x-y$, has the form $x^{\lambda-1}$ ($\lambda>0$), and the annihilation rate is constant and independent of the masses of the reactants. We find that the asymptotic regime is characterized by the annihilation of small-mass clusters. The results are compared with those for a model with linear mass-loss (i.e.\ with a sink). We also study more complex models, in which the processes of fragmentation and annihilation are controlled by mutually-reacting catalysts. Both pair- and linear-annihilation are considered. Depending on the specific model and initial densities of the catalysts, the time-decay of the cluster-density can now be very unconventional and even non-universal. The interplay between the intervening processes and the existence of a scaling regime are determined by the asymptotic behaviour of the average-mass and of the mass-density, which may either decay indefinitely or tend to a constant value. We discuss further developments of this class of models and their potential applications.Comment: 16 pages(LaTeX), submitted to Phys. Rev.

Neurocognitive, Social-Behavioral, and Adaptive Functioning in Preschool Children with Mild to Moderate Kidney Disease

The negative impact of End Stage Kidney Disease on cognitive function in children is well established, but no studies have examined the neurocognitive, social-behavioral, and adaptive behavior skills of preschool children with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD)