Research Note: Forecasting Macau\u27s Gaming Revenue and Its Seasonality

The gaming literature has identified a number of factors that have driven the growth of Macau\u27s casino industry. At the same time, however, questions remain as to future prospects for the growth of the enclave\u27s gaming revenue- and specifically, whether this type of growth can be sustained. A forecast of Macau gaming revenue and an examination of its seasonality can assist scholars and practitioners alike in developing a better understanding of seasonal variation (a significant consideration in the volatile world of gaming) and the future outlook of the world gambling capital. The objective of this article is to investigate these trends, and to provide macro-level insights into the future of the world\u27s new gambling capital

Student Satisfaction and School Reputation: The Moderating Role of Student Loyalty and School Image

Nowadays, education services play an important role in Hong Kong’s economic growth, such that 93% of Hong Kong’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was derived from the service sector in 2012.Due to the impact of globalization on higher education, the growth of higher education in Hong Kong has emerged as a business through the support from government and in response to financial needs around the world.As self-financed higher education institutions struggle to maintain their competitiveness, quality and reputation are crucial for distinguishing their competitive edge and superior quality. This research investigated the quality and reputation by studying the moderating effects of student loyalty and school image on the relationship between student satisfaction and school reputation. 297 responses from students in four self-financed higher education institutions, which gave a response rate of 92.81%, were collected. The results found that student loyalty and school image had full moderating influence on the relationship between student satisfaction and school reputation

The relationship between Institution Branding, Teaching Quality and Student Satisfaction in Higher Education in Hong Kong

The rapid expansion of Hong Kong’s higher education sector both in the government-funded and self-funded higher education in Hong Kong generated a high competition in this industry. In order to study how institutions increase their competitiveness, this study investigated the relationship between the institution branding, teaching quality and student satisfaction. A quantitative research was conducted to empirically test three hypotheses by employing a questionnaire survey.  As the primary customers of higher education, full-time students enrolled in post-secondary programs offered by government-funded and self-funded higher education institutions in Hong Kong were randomly selected as the targeted participants.  Two thousand students were sent questionnaires and 1,170 valid responses were received, representing a response rate of 58.5%. Results of the analysis show that the teaching quality has a positive and significant influence on institution branding, institution branding has a positive and significant influence on student satisfaction whilst the mediating effect of institution branding is only considered as a partial mediation between teaching quality and student satisfaction. The study contributes to the higher education debate and provides unique student-perceived insights into institution branding, student satisfaction and the quality of teaching in Hong Kong’s higher education sector.

Modified heptose synthesis in the Campylobacter jejuni capsule and its involvement in virulence

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of gastroenteritis.Infections are endemic in developing countries and the emergence of antibiotic resistant isolates in developed countries underline the requirement for new therapeutic targets. C. jejuni possesses a capsule, which is important in conferring virulence. The capsule of some C.jejuni species contains unusual modified heptoses. The genes cjl427c, cj1428c and cj1430c putatively encode enzymes involved in modifying heptose. We hypothesize that modified heptoses play a role in virulence in host- pathogen interactions, and have constructed and phenotypically characterized a . X ■\u27 cjl427::CAT disruption mutant to complete our panel of mutants. Complementation of the mutants was conducted to ensure that the observed phenotypes are gene specific. The capsular composition of our mutants has been elucidated via NMR, allowing us to correlate capsular structure and the observed phenotypes. This work will lead to a better understanding of the role of modified heptoses in host-pathogen interactions

How Did SCHIP Affect the Insurance Coverage of Immigrant Children?

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) significantly expanded public insurance eligibility and coverage for children in "working poor" families. Despite this success, it is estimated that over 6 million children who are eligible for public insurance remain uninsured. An important first step for designing strategies to increase enrollment of eligible but uninsured children is to determine how the take-up of public coverage varies within the population. Because of their low rates of insurance coverage and unique enrollment barriers, children of immigrants are an especially important group to consider. We compare the effect of SCHIP eligibility on the insurance coverage of children of foreign-born and native-born parents. In contrast to research on the earlier Medicaid expansions, we find similar take-up rates for the two groups. This suggests that state outreach strategies were not only effective at increasing take-up overall, but were successful in reducing disparities in access to coverage.

The Underlying Factors Driving the Push For Universal Suffrage in Hong Kong

This paper examines the current civil unrest in Hong Kong to determine the underlying causes that are driving Occupy Central and its affiliates to pressure the Central Government in Beijing and the Hong Kong government for universal suffrage. Drawing upon data from the 2003, 2007, and 2010 Asian Barometer, there has been a gradual decline in the level of trust in the Legislative Council and Hong Kong government as the majority of Hong Kong residents have expressed increasing uncertainty about their future economic situation along with their continual distrust in the abilities of government officials to serve the public. From these findings, this paper discovered that the systemic shortage of affordable and safe housing coupled with systemic deficiencies in employment and income, rather than the sole lack of universal suffrage, may be some of the more probable factors driving the push for universal suffrage in Hong Kong

Properties and Manipulation of Ionic Liquid-Solid Interfaces in Complex Oxide Materials

Ionic liquids are liquid salts that are bringing rapid changes to the field of solid electronic materials. The implementation of ionic liquids in conjunction with these solid materials produces interfacial effects, especially when a bias is applied across the ionic liquid, forming an electric double layer. Electric double layers in ionic liquids are unique in their formation and the interfacial charges that are orders of magnitude higher than conventional techniques they can impart, providing new techniques for device design and implementation. In chapter 1, the fundamentals of the solid state electronic and magnetic materials are introduced, along with ionic liquids, and their essential properties that make them appropriate for use with solid films. Chapter 2 discusses the geometric impacts that should be taken into consideration when designing electric double layer devices, determining that the gate area to device area ratio plays the greatest role. Chapter 3 explores the application of electric double layer interfacial effects on ferroelectric lead zirconate- titanate films. The demonstrated large area switching, coupled with the minimal changes to film quality, and use on low quality films make this ionic liquid-solid interface an exciting proposition for future study and applications. Chapter 4 uses the same electric double layer to interrogate the ability to produce stoichiometry induced crystallographic transformations in strontium cobaltite family of films. Chapter 5 evaluates an antiferromagnetic lanthanum-strontium manganite that shows an unprecedented anisotropic magnetoresistance. These materials are excellent candidates for future spin based devices. The work discussed in this dissertation demonstrates a wide range of possible applications that can be affected by the use of ionic liquid solid interfaces, while also showing diversity in the types of studies and measurements that can be conducted by ionic liquids. Combining the electrostatic and electrochemical capabilities of ionic liquids with complex oxide films, the manipulation oxide properties can lead to advances in future electronic and magnetic properties and applications