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During the digital media era with an explosion of messages, the prevalence of what is known as “message fatigue” has grown. However, there is a lack of understanding toward message fatigue in using instant messengers. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome framework, this study provides a theoretical model to explore possible predictors and consequences of instant messaging fatigue.

The hypothesized model includes communication overload, social overload, instant messaging fatigue, technology and behavioral intention to use instant messaging. Three hundred and eleven responses are collected using an online survey. The authors conduct structural equation modeling to evaluate the hypothesized model and test the hypotheses.

This study reveals that (1) communication overload and social overload are positively associated with instant messaging fatigue and technostress; (2) higher levels of instant messaging fatigue and technostress are also related to a higher level of intention to discontinue usage; (3) technostress significantly mediates the relationship between instant messaging fatigue and intention to discontinue usage of instant messaging.

This study is limited to collect data from one university in the United States with a cross-sectional design. Future research should include other countries, different age groups and longitudinal methods to examine instant messaging fatigue.

This study extends existing findings on fatigue in using mobile communication by applying the stressor-strain-outcome framework to IM fatigue and improves the understanding of the potential negative aspects of instant messaging.

As there are many Arab students seek to earn an international degree, this research article aims to explore the factors that influence Arab students' adaptation to the foreign cross-culture of the USA and how it is related to their academic achievement. Exploring these factors will introduce different insights into the effectiveness of adaptation and studying in a foreign country and earning an international degree. Besides, this study contributes to the body of knowledge of international higher education by including Arab students as a less-researched group. Arab students' adaptation process is explained in terms of the Cross-cultural Adaptation Theory (Kim, 2001).

This qualitative research study was conducted using a focus group discussion (FGD). Multiple face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain data from the participants. Participants were divided into four groups, each female group contained nine participants and each male group contained seven participants. The researcher explained to each group independently about their perception, beliefs and attitude toward earning international degrees, the adaptation to the host culture and their academic achievement. The researcher carried out five FGDs for each group. Each interview continued for 60 minutes in length. All participants received a consent form. The discussions were audio-recorded and then transcribed.

Arab students are a group of enthusiastic learners; however, their feelings of homesickness enable them to develop overwhelming sorrowful emotions, howbeit their communication with their ethnic group facilitates the adaption and acceptance of the host cultures, which requires quite some time to adjust to new surroundings. Arab students are recognized with high academic achievements; nevertheless, they require prolonged periods to complete course assignments. American society gives international students a warm welcome; this may encourage other Arab students to consider earning an American degree and prepare themselves for this intercultural transition.

This is subjective qualitative data; some limitations need to be addressed when interpreting the findings. Participants are English as a Second Language (ESL)learners, which may influence their word choice during the discussion. Interesting future research could be related to designing an assessment model to evaluate the academic achievement of ESL in different methods that focus on their achievement motivations and communication skills.

Based on the findings, professors can integrate the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help multi-cultural students to learn and earn an international higher education degree.

Higher education institutions can offer more social multi-cultural opportunities to include multi-cultural students and develop their social skills to facilitate the adaptation process to the new host culture.

This qualitative research study represents an original work of the researcher, and it has not submitted elsewhere. All research ethical codes were followed by the researcher and participants. There is no fund for this research project.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of two intervention strategies – identifying the global letter of Navon letters and verbally describing a face – in improving face recognition abilities of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A total of 15 adolescents with ASD and 15 typically developing (TD) adolescents participated in this study, which consisted of three experimental conditions: verbalization, Navon and control. Participants were presented with a target face for a short period of time, then completed a task specific to the condition in a counterbalanced order, followed by a face recognition task.

The results of this study showed no significant interaction effects between groups and conditions, either in accuracy or reaction time. However, TD adolescents performed better than ASD adolescents in terms of accuracy. In addition, the verbalization condition resulted in better performance with slower response times compared to the control condition.

These findings suggest that verbalization may be a useful strategy to enhance face recognition abilities in ASD and TD individuals.

Drawing on symbolic interaction theory (SIT), this study aims to identify what makes corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication more favorable to customers in the chain restaurants context. Specifically, this study examines the direct relationships between the interactivity of CSR communication, brand trust and brand sincerity. In addition, the mediating role of brand trust (i.e. separate dimensions of brand reliability and intentions) and the moderated mediating role of self-congruity are explored.

A total of 418 US consumers with past experiences of participating in CSR campaigns organized by chain restaurants on social media were recruited using the online survey method of nonprobability sampling through Amazon Mechanical Turk in December 2021.

The results of this study revealed that the interactivity of CSR communication on social media affects brand sincerity; brand reliability and brand intentions mediate the positive effect of interactivity of CSR communication on brand sincerity; and customer’s self-congruity moderated the positive mediation effect via brand reliability.

Chain restaurant marketers need to understand the important role of interactivity as a key element of CSR communication on social media to help develop brand trust and brand sincerity in chain restaurants.

This study expands on SIT to support the symbolic benefits of interactive CSR communication on social media.

From 1953 to 1961, the South Korean economy grew slowly; the average per capita GNP growth was a mere percent, amounting to less than $100 in 1961. Few people, therefore, look for the sources of later dynamism in this period. As Kyung Cho Chung (1956:225) wrote in the mid‐1950s: “[South Korea] faces grave economic difficulties. The limitations imposed by the Japanese have been succeeded by the division of the country, the general destruction incurred by the Korean War, and the attendant dislocation of the population, which has further disorganized the economy” (see also McCune 1956:191–192). T.R. Fehrenbach (1963:37), in his widely read book on the Korean War, prognosticated: “By themselves, the two halves [of Korea] might possibly build a viable economy by the year 2000, certainly not sooner.”

The paper seeks to provide an adaptive fuzzy logic controller for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) under direct torque control (DTC) algorithm to minimize the torque ripple.

The design methodology is based on vector control analysis. MATLAB simulations supported with experimental study under C++ are used to execute the proposed work.

The results show that considerable torque ripple reduction as well as considerable current ripple reduction can be achieved by utilizing adaptive fuzzy switching algorithm to fire the inverter supplying the PMSM.

This research is limited to PMSM, however the research can be extended to include other AC motors as well. In addition, the following points can be studied, the effects of harmonics in control signals on the torque ripple. Digital and active filters as solution to these harmonics can be also addressed. The actual mathematical relation between the torque ripple and flux ripple can be studied to set the flux and torque bands width in reasonable value.

Based on existence DTC control system, it is only required to change the software‐switching algorithm, to provide smooth torque, given that the switching frequency of the inverter module is more than or equal to 15 kHz and the system is supplied with timers. In addition, a relatively higher DC voltage may be required to achieve higher speed compared with the traditional DTC.

In this paper, the stator flux position, and errors due to deviations from reference values of the torque and stator flux are used to select two active vectors while at the same time the absolute value of the torque error and the stator flux position are fuzzified to adapt the switching of the inverter in order to control the applied average voltage level in such a way as to minimize the torque ripple, so instead of fixed time table structure, a fuzzy logic is used to calculate the switching time for the selected vectors and no PI controller is used as the case in the traditional‐space vector modulation. This work is directed to motor drive system designers who seek highly smooth torque performance with fast response.

Except the physiological comfort, the design aesthetic of plaid shirts is the decisive factor affecting the purchase decision making of consumers. However, as there is subjectivity and indeterminacy in evaluation of the aesthetic, current research in the literature has little information about the appearance design of checks. The purpose of this paper is to extract the check design features, which influence consumer evaluation, and determine the preferences of men of different ages for the check designs, and the preference differences between them.

Through cluster and preference experiments, the perception and evaluation of the subjects were gained. By cluster analysis, typical classifications of check designs were fixed. With Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) algorithm, users’ perceptual space was revealed as to the plaid samples. In the PREFMAP analysis, results of the ideal vectors of men of different ages were drawn.

The study results revealed four typical classifications of check designs, identified three design dimensions that had effects on users’ evaluation, and built the relationship between design features of checks and consumer evaluation. Besides, in the study, the differences in preference for check designs between men of different ages were also explored. It was found that young men liked modern check designs, but disliked “small and complex” check patterns. Middle aged men preferred dark and cool colors, with dislike for “youthful vigor style.” While they cared more about check colors, young men attached more importance to the design style.

Currently, there is little information in the literature about the evaluation of pattern design. In this study, the use of MDS and PREFMAP analysis reveals visualized complex statistical results. The visualization approach is also applicable to design and positioning of other apparel, and can help designers better understand and position design styles and effects, given their consumer groups and design samples.

The purpose is to bring together all bibliographic references of the published literature on electronic books (e‐books) and related technologies in one source so that it will save time for others in conducting literature searches and reviewing the developments.

The information included in this bibliography is collected systematically from all the published sources in the world such as journal articles, conference papers, conference proceedings, books, reports and PhD theses on e‐books until the last quarter of 2004. Mainly it covers e‐books, e‐books publishing, the impact of e‐books on different types of users, e‐book publishing techniques and trends, e‐book user interfaces and other technologies related to e‐publications.

As computer usage continues to grow exponentially, the desire of users to use electronic publications (e‐publications) has also increased tremendously. This has led to the publication of materials in electronic form as e‐publications on both CD‐ROMs and web. The e‐book is one of the several forms of e‐publications and its popularity has been growing steadily for the past decade.

This bibliography will be useful to all researchers conducting research in any areas related to e‐books and e‐book publishing.

Through a survey of 200 employees working in five of the thirty establishments analysed in previous research about the microeconomic effects of reducing the working time (Cahier 25), the consequences on employees of such a reduction can be assessed; and relevant attitudes and aspirations better known.