Ever since the notion of a sharing economy was highlighted by Time Magazine as one of the ten ideas that will one day change the world, there has been a significant increase in scholarly attention dedicated to investigating the impact sharing economies will have on individuals, organizations and society as a whole. Particularly, sharing economy has revolutionized the landscape of the tourism industry through Airbnb (Fang, Ye, & Law, 2016). Academic research has focused on studying consumption practices and behaviors from a recipient perspective, but relatively little attention has been given to understand what impacts sharing economy has, from a sharer point of view (Fagerstrøm, Pawar, Sigurdsson, Foxall, & Yani-de-Soriano, 2017). Specifically, the existing literature has yet to explore in what ways and to what extent sharers are engaged with sharing economy platforms, and explore what consequences accrue from engaging in sharing economy activities. As a result, this paper seeks to fill this gap by proposing a framework drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), in conjunction with a tourism well-being perspective to examine how sharers’ perception of extrinsic rewards indirectly influences their well-being through the mediating role of engagement in tourism sharing economy activities. Data from Airbnb hosts in London were analyzed through PLS. The findings show that hosts’ engagement with Airbnb fully mediates the relationship between extrinsic rewards and their wellbeing. In other words, extrinsic rewards from using the sharing platform have a positive effect on sharers’ engagement in sharing economy activities (Tussyadiah & Pesonen, 2016; Guttentag, 2015). In turn, engagement in sharing economy activities has been found to have a positive effect on the sharers’ well-being (Kim, Uysal, & Sirgy, 2013; Ganju, Pavlou, & Banker, 2016). The paper has some important managerial implications.

This paper examines the effects of narrowed social distance with celebrity endorsers (i.e., via close relationship categories) and their origin (i.e., local or international) on consumer evaluations towards their endorsed advertisements. It is proposed that employing a relational approach in celebrity endorsement where celebrities are framed as sociallyclose personae leads to increased attitudes toward the advertisement. A pilot test on actual advertisements and three laboratory studies show that the celebrity endorsement is more effective when the advertisement features the celebrities as socially-close personae than when they are more distant; and these effects are more pronounced when the celebrity is local than foreign. Finally, the study proposes that consumer self-referencing towards celebrities mediates these effects. Anchored on construal level and social identity theories, implications on relational approach in celebrity endorsements and on international marketing communications are discussed complementarily with Asian culture inherently subscribing to relational celebrity endorsements.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of walking on crural muscle tone and stiffness in individuals with bilateral pronated foot. This study consisted of 16 healthy male. Subjects were divided into a pronated foot group (n = 8) and a normal foot group (n = 8). The navicular drop test on both foot and muscle tone and stiffness in tibialis anterior muscle, medial gastrocnemius muscle, and peroneus longus muscle of both lower extremities were measured before and after 30 min of walking. In this study, the measured navicular drop test before walking was significantly different between pronated foot group and a normal group(p < .05). After 30 min of walking, significantly, increased medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness of the non-dominant leg was found in the pronated foot group (p < .05). However, there was no significant difference in medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness between the two groups (p > .05). Based on this study, pronated foot needs to be managed to prevent the abnormally increased medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness.

Subsurface cavities in the asphalt pavement which can cause road depression and cave-in accidents influence on the safety of pedestrians and vehicle drivers in the urban area. The existence of subsurface cavity can increase the tensile strain at the bottom of asphalt layer which is an indicator of fatigue cracking potential, and leads to the weakening of the pavement structural capacity. In this study, the finite element (FE) analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the critical pavement responses and influencing factors, such as cavity depth and size, asphalt layer thickness, and asphalt concrete modulus. The surface deflections and tensile strains calculated from the ABAQUS FE program were compared to those from ILLIPAVE. It is found from this comparison that there are a good relationship between two analysis results. A three dimensional finite element model which is essential to simulate the hexahedral cavity were used to generate the synthetic database of critical pavement responses. To validate the developed model, the deflection data obtained from field Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing in four different locations were compared to FE deflections. It is found that the center deflections obtained from the FWD testing and FE analysis are similar to each other with an error values of 2.7, 4.4, 5.5, and 11.9 % respectively. The FE model developed in this study seems to be acceptable in simulating actual field cavity condition. On the basis of the data in the database, various analyses were conducted to estimate the effect of influencing factors on the critical pavement responses. It was found that the tensile strain at the bottom of asphalt layer is affected by all the factors but the most affected by the cavity depth and asphalt concrete modulus. Further studies are recommended to properly account for the effect of cavity’s geometry to pavement response.

An electroless deposition method was used to modify the surface properties of rice husk ceramic particles (RHC) by depositing nano-nickel on the surface of the RHC (Ni-RHC). The dry tribological performances of aluminum matrix composite adobes containing different contents of RHC and Ni-RHC particles have been investigated using a micro-tribometer. Results showed that the Ni–RHC particles substantially improved both the friction and wear properties of the Ni-RHC/aluminum matrix adobes. The optimal concentration was determined to be 15 wt% for both the RHC and Ni–RHC particles. The improvements in the tribological properties of aluminum adobes including the Ni-RHC were ascribed to frictioninduced peeling off of Ni coating and formation of protection layer on the wear zone, both of which led to low friction and wear volume.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of combined respiratory physical therapy on respiratory function, spinal curve and spinal mobility for community-dwelling elderlies with restrictive lung diseases. In total, 10 patients participated in an 8-week intervention program of thoracic cage mobilization and breathing exercise in combination. The results of the study are as follows: for respiratory function, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity(FVC), and FEV1/FVC were significantly improved to .30±0.31ℓ, .46±.42ℓ, and 18.10±11.39%, respectively (p<.05). For spinal curve, the thoracic curve and the lumbar curve were improved significantly to -2.20±1.40° and -1.20±1.14°, respectively (p<.01). For spinal mobility, the thoracic flexion (3.40±2.99°), thoracic extension (3.50±1.43°), lumbar flexion (4.50±4.74°), and lumbar extension(- 1.50±1.84°) were all significantly improved (p<.05). These findings indicate that thoracic cage mobilization and breathing exercise in combination improve the respiratory function, spinal alignment, and spinal mobility in elderly people with restrictive lung diseases,

The purpose of this study was to measure the mean peak mobilization forces to the lumbar spine 1-3 with grade III and grade IV of posteroanterior (PA) mobilization. Twenty subjects with no history of Lumbar back pain (LBP) (10 female, 10 male) with a mean age of 24.1 years (SD = 6.0) were recruited for the study and PA mobilization were performed in each spine and the therapist took approximately 2.5s to complete mobilization. In the results, applied grade IV force showed no different according to each segment in LS1, LS2, LS3, however, there are distinct differences between LS1 and LS2, LS1 and LS3 during mobilization with grade III force. This study suggested that the mean peak force of the grade III and grade IV mobilization in the L1-L3 was almost similar each other.

Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has acceded to more than 300 multilateral treaties. Among them, China made reservations to 83 treaties, accounting for nearly 27.7 percent of the total. Evidently, for China, formulating reservations to multilateral treaties is an issue of vital importance in the process of concluding and executing multilateral treaties. This paper examines the three main reasons why China inclines to formulate reservations to the treaties, then argues that the reservations formulated by China, whether in procedure or in substance, are not only in full conformity with the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, but also full of Chinese characteristics. This paper also analyzes several specific reservations that China shall withdraw, and addresses the limitations of China’s existing treaty reservation system. Accordingly, this paper concludes that the Chinese government should improve and perfect its treaty reservation system with some suggestions.

Light is a necessary environmental factor for stroma formation and development of Cordyceps militaris, a well-known edible and medicinal fungus. In this study, photo morphogenesis and the blue-light receptor gene were studied using five representative strains of C. militaris. The results suggest that light was essential for colony pigmentation and could promote conidia production. Cmwc-1 gene inactivation results in thicker aerial hyphae, disordered fruit body development, a significant reduction in conidial formation, and carotenoid and cordycepin production. These characteristics were restored when the ΔCmwc-1 strains were hybridized with wild-type strains of the opposite mating type. A genomewide expression analysis revealed that there were 1042 light responsive genes in the wild-type strain and only 458 in the ΔCmwc-1 strain. Among five putative photoreceptors identified, Vivid, cryptochrome-1, and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase are strongly induced by light in a Cmwc-1- dependent manner, while phytochrome and cryptochrome-2 were not induced. The transcription factors involved in the fungal light reaction were mainly of the Zn2Cys6 type. CmWC-1 regulates adenylosuccinate synthase, an important enzyme for adenosine de novo synthesis, which could explain the reduction in cordycepin production. Some G proteincoupled receptors that control fungal fruit body formation and the sexual cycle were regulated by CmWC-1, and the cAMP pathway involved in light signal transduction in N. crassa was not critical for the photoreaction in the fungus here. A transcriptional analysis indicated that steroid biosynthesis was more active in the ΔCmwc-1 strain, suggesting that CmWC-1 might switch the vegetative growth state to primordia differentiation by suppressing the expression of related genes.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of unilateral shoulder bag weight and heel heights on trunk muscle activities. This study recruited 40 healthy women in their twenties. Electromyography activities of rectus abdominis muscle, external abdominal oblique muscle, internal abdominal oblique muscle and erector spinae muscle during standing position were measured using a surface electromyography system. The overall muscle activities of the trunk muscles were significantly increased in the contralateral trunk muscles (p<.05). Inaddition, the trunk muscles overall activities on the contralateral side without the shoulder bag was positive correlation with the heel height and unilateral shoulder bag weight (p<.05). Both high-heeled wear and unilateral shoulder bags are fashion items that cause asymmetry in the trunk muscles of women in their twenties. These findings suggest that the increase in the weight and heel height of the unilateral shoulder bag in women cause asymmetry of trunk muscle activities.

The purpose of this study was to identify the immediate effects of Maitland joint mobilization with kinematic taping in subacromial impingement syndrome patients. The Maitland joint mobilization was applied glenohumeral joint. The mobilization was performed at the end of rage to Grade IV. After that, kinematic tape was attached to shoulder joint (supraspinatis, infraspinatis, and trapezius muscles). The intervention period was four days. The measurement was done five times. The shoulder pain, range of motion (flexion, abduction, and rotation of the shoulder joint), muscle tone and stiffness (upper trapezius and deltoid muscle) were measured. The shoulder pain decreased. The range of motion (ROM) was increased all flexion, abduction, and rotation of the shoulder joint. Muscle tone and stiffness were decreased, especially upper trapezius of those was greatly decreased. The findings of present study suggest that Maitland joint mobilization with kinematic taping is effective in decreasing pain, muscle tone and stiffness, and in increasing shoulder ROM in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome.

To promote global trade governance, both central and peripheral reforms occur in multilateral and regional trade agreements. The central reforms are suggested to enhance the WTO’s efficiency in trade negotiations by engaging in ‘mini-multilateral’ negotiations and soft law-making or to expand its current advantage in dispute settlement by extending its dispute jurisdiction to investor-state disputes or trade disputes arising from PTAs. The peripheral reforms develop in two different routes; one is rule-based and is carried out by high-standard PTAs, and the other is relation-based and is exemplified by “the Belt and Road” Initiative proposed by China. While peripheral reform fragments international law, various methods of multilateralizing regionalism are suggested, such as the incorporation of the third-party most-favoured-nation clause, the simplification of the rules of origin, and the construction of multilateral agreements through the ‘building blocs’ of PTAs. Most of these reforms make achievements to some extent, although they also have deficiencies.

The judicial protection of IP is the most important and fundamental guarantee for the protection of IP in China. The judicial protection system of IP in China has experienced the development procedure of setting up a special pilot tribunal, "three-hearing-in-one" and a special court. The establishment and operation of IP courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou marks the establishment of the new hearing system for IP dispute in China. The founding and operation of IP courts have an in-depth background. With the rapid development of the economy in China, especially since the entrance of the WTO, there have been more IP cases and they constitute huge challenges for adjudication of IP disputes in China. In this regard, the IP courts is a good way to cope with. The establishment of IP courts will undoubtedly has deeper influence and significance in the judicial

The luxury branding industry thrives on creating products and services that are exclusive in nature. To achieve this, brands often control for pricing, quality, quantity and availability to create a perception of exclusiveness. The literature showcases a handful of concepts to explain how marketers can create exclusive products and services. However, the literature does not give a theoretical foundation to the creation of the Theory of Exclusivity. This study is the first to address this issue. A number of theories and concepts in marketing, psychology, sociology and other fields of sciences have been reviewed to conceptualise the Theory of Exclusivity. The conceptualisation of this theory gives marketers a better understanding of how they can create exclusive brands.

In the context of the consumption of luxury goods, WOM generation seems to be an important way for individuals to express their identity. It has long been implied that luxury goods should be “conspicuous” because, generally, individuals are motivated to consume particular goods to communicate their social identity (cf. Belk, 1988; Berger & Health 2007). However, once individuals send positive messages about a luxury good, that item may be adopted by others whom they dislike. Thus, individuals may use moderation in generating positive WOM and prevent use of their favorite luxury brands from trickling down (Berger & Ward, 2010). In this regard, recent research has examined the effects of need-for-uniqueness (NFU) on consumers’ intention to generate word-of-mouth (WOM) and suggested that high-NFU consumers are unwilling to generate (positive) WOM because WOM results in the adoption of the product and would harm the consumers’ unique image (Cheema & Kaikati, 2010). However, they have focused on only one (avoidance-of-similarity) of the three types of NFU: avoidance of similarity (AS), unpopular choice counter-conformity (UCC), and creative choice counter-conformity (CCC) (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001). The purpose of this study is to examine how different types of NFU affect consumers’ willingness to generate WOM, considering the moderating role of product domain in the relationship between NFU and WOM. We examined the effects of types of NFU and product domain on positive WOM generation using a 3 (WOM sender type: high-AS/high-UCC/high-CCC consumers) × 2 (product domain: more identity-relevant, luxury vs. less identity-relevant, ordinary goods) between-subjects experimental design. The participants were 80 university students. We selected a high-quality coat as a luxury item and a high-end flash drive as an ordinary product. The former was represented as more identity-related than the latter. The results of ANOVA showed that three types of NFU have different effects on consumer’ willingness to generate positive WOM. High-AS consumers, as well as high-UCC consumers, are more unwilling to generate positive WOM, whereas high-CCC consumers are more willing to generate WOM; moreover, these effects are more pronounced when the consumers were referencing a more identity-relevant, luxury good. The implications of this study may help firms understand the factors that elicit or prevent WOM generation.

Stress and fatigue are general physical aspects of our daily lives. It has been shown that physical therapists have different levels of job stress and fatigue according to the type A/B behavior patterns. This study collected data from 212 physical therapists between October 28 and November 23, 2016 using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The study results showed the proportion of physical therapists with the Type A behavior patterns(TABP) was 18% greater than that of physical therapists with the Type B behavior patterns(TBBP). In this study, physical therapists with TABP were compared with physical therapists with TBBP. The results indicated that physical therapists with TABP were more inclined to experience higher levels of overall job stress and fatigue from the following stress factors: physical environment, job requirement, and job autonomy. Therefore, the stronger the tendency toward TABP, the stronger the feeling of job stress and fatigue from physical environment, job requirement, and job autonomy. Those with a tendency toward TBBP showed positive correlations between job requirement and the total job stress score; thus, the stronger the tendency toward TBBP, the stronger the feeling of overall job stress and fatigue from job requirement. This study suggests that it is necessary to manage the job stress and fatigue of physical therapists with both TABP and TBBP and to manage the job stress and fatigue of physical therapists with the type A behavioral pattern.

Brexit represents a backlash against globalization and runs in parallel with Donald Trump’s presidential election. Both of these signal the rise of the nation-state and the rejection of the neoliberal vision of globalization in which national sovereignty has been increasingly dissolved. The article argues that it also has fundamental implications for Asia. In particular, China as the world’s second largest economy is playing a bigger role in the region. Furthermore, with the rise of China, Asia’s global order has become relatively fragile and multilayered in the sense that all big powers, such as the US and Japan, have their relative positions in the region simultaneously. In this regard, it would be more realistic for Asian countries to base their integration on their national sovereignty in a pragmatic way that they can maintain flexibility to the changing order of the world.