The impact of national culture on the adoption of e-tourism in Egyptian tourism companies

Many previous studies shed light on the importance of studying the factors that preclude effective adoption of technology in the tourism industry. Prior studies also affirmed the presence of a relationship between the national culture, the acceptance of technology, and the effective adoption thereof. However, those studies differ in the cultural variables used and in results on their influence on technology adoption. This study used the national culture theory of Hofstede (2010) and the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) to measure the impact of national culture and normative beliefs of marketing managers on the adoption of e-tourism. Data analysis was carried out using multiple linear regressions and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the culture of uncertainty avoidance had a significant positive impact on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Each of the last two elements also affected the attitudes of marketing managers in tourism companies towards e-tourism and their intention to use it. Also, the results affirmed that long-term orientation culture has no significant impact on the perceived usefulness, ease of use or actual use of e-tourism for Egyptian tourism companies. It however seems to affect quality or/and effective adoption of e-tourism business

Aspects of the composition, pigments and carbon fixation of marine phytoplankton

The seasonal variation of phytoplankton biomass in terms of total number of algal cells, chlorophyll a levels and phytoplankton productivity was investigated in the years 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987 for samples collected from the photic zone (surface and 5 metres depth) at stations 11 and 9, at the Fairlie Channel in relation to the changes in nutrient levels and weather conditions. The seasonal variation in the phytoplankton composition was assessed using microscopic examination of the samples and the qualitative analysis of the different algal pigments. Also investigated was the contribution of the different phytoplankton size fractions to the total photosynthetic activity, including that of net -, nano - and picophytoplankton. Although there is a year to year slight variability in weather conditions and nutrient concentrations during the course of this investigation, certain features recurred annually: 1) The spring diatom increase (spring bloom) occurred in March or early April. 2) The phytoplankton biomass during the summer fluctuated about intermediate levels, althoughon certain occasions they were comparable or higher than those observed during the spring diatom increase and during this period the minimum nutrient levels were recorded. The maximum photosynthetic activities were found during the summer period (1986) in reflection of the favourable weather conditions marking this period. 3) Small to relatively high standing crop levels were recorded during the autumn period with photosynthetic activities comparable to those found during the summer. Relatively high nutrient levels were recorded during the autumn. 4) Low phytoplankton biomass (representing the year minimum) and high nutrient concentrations (representing the year maximum) were found during winter. There was no regular recurring autumnal bloom. With the exception of the findings on 25 May and 6 June, 1984 when the benthic organisms represented a large part of the total population, these organisms were found to be most numerous during autumn and winter months, coinciding with the prevailing conditions. Diatoms were the most dominant fraction of the population mainly during the spring diatom increase of which Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira nordenskioldii were the most dominant species; also observed in considerable numbers was Navicula spp. The largest levels of contribution by dinoflagellates to the total phytoplankton biomass were recorded during the autumn months; the dinoflagellate fraction was predominantly composed of the genus Ceratium. Green flagellates were found in considerable numbers during the summer months although they were common in the autumn and winter months of 1986. The seasonal variations of the total phytoplankton biomass and nutrient levels were similar to those observed in the past in the Fairlie Channel. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Litho-structure of the Oltrepo Pavese, Northern Apennines (Italy)

In this article we present a detailed litho-structural map of the Oltrepo Pavese, a sector of the Northern Apennines, Southern Lombardy, Italy. Lithology and geological structures are an important basis for different disciplines of Earth Sciences. In particular, for the assessment of earth surface processes such as soil erosion, mass movements, flooding, etc. The Oltrepo Pavese is characterised by a complex geology and related tectonic settings. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive lithological mapping approach considering existing geological maps, and detailed field surveys. The lithotypes have been subdivided into 11 classes based on the dominant outcropping lithologies. Integrating bibliographic data and a detailed Digital Terrain Analysis of a high-resolution DTM (5 m) we detected faults, folds and tectonic lineaments in the study area. The final result is represented by a litho-structural map of the Oltrepo Pavese-area, consisting in two shape files elaborated in an open source GIS environment

A method to predict change propagation within building information model

 This study examines problem of the management of design changes caused by the complexity of the design process and the lack of knowledge of all aspects of the design dependencies. This paper addresses the subject of design changes management in the context of a multidisciplinary collaborative environment of Building Information Modelling (BIM). Due to evolving role of BIM in designing of building projects and the increasing complexity of the design process a need to develop change management based on BIM methodology aroused. The application of BIM to construction projects has the potential to enhance the quality of information provided for making critical design decisions. Trusted change propagation is the key for successful change management. Paper describes developed method to predict the propagation of change through the building information model and provides the concept of visual technology to help designers to predict the change in the construction industry. The developed method includes the use of parameter-based Design Structure Matrix (DSM) as a tool for predicting change propagation. The novelty of research is the proposed integration of DSM with BIM to support the visual representation of predicting change within BIM. Case study demonstrates the possibilities of method in BIM environment

Geomorphology of the upper Mkhomazi River basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with emphasis on late Pleistocene colluvial deposits

We present a 1:50 000 scale geomorphological map of the upper Mkhomazi River basin, located in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The sub-horizontal strata of the Permo-Triassic Beaufort Group forms plateau interfluves with a concave valley slope morphology. Locally, thick sequences of late Pleistocene colluvial deposits and associated buried paleosols (Masotcheni Formation) infill first-order tributary stream valleys and extend across the adjacent lower slopes. Surface runoff processes preferentially incise into the poorly consolidated, highly erodible sediments causing severe gully erosion that is responsible for widespread land degradation and desertification phenomena. The main purpose of this work is to derive a geomorphological map of the study area focussing on the erosional landforms to understand their spatial distribution and their relation to the colluvial deposits. Finally, a local and regional stratigraphic correlation of colluvial deposits and associated buried palaeosol profiles is proposed

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors 2017 includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. METHODS: We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 359 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

How long one lives, how many years of life are spent in good and poor health, and how the population's state of health and leading causes of disability change over time all have implications for policy, planning, and provision of services. We comparatively assessed the patterns and trends of healthy life expectancy (HALE), which quantifies the number of years of life expected to be lived in good health, and the complementary measure of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), a composite measure of disease burden capturing both premature mortality and prevalence and severity of ill health, for 359 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories over the past 28 years. Methods We used data for age-specific mortality rates, years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature mortality, and years lived with disability (YLDs) from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 to calculate HALE and DALYs from 1990 to 2017. We calculated HALE using age-specific mortality rates and YLDs per capita for each location, age, sex, and year. We calculated DALYs for 359 causes as the sum of YLLs and YLDs. We assessed how observed HALE and DALYs differed by country and sex from expected trends based on Socio-demographic Index (SDI). We also analysed HALE by decomposing years of life gained into years spent in good health and in poor health, between 1990 and 2017, and extra years lived by females compared with males. Findings Globally, from 1990 to 2017, life expectancy at birth increased by 7·4 years (95% uncertainty interval 7·1-7·8), from 65·6 years (65·3-65·8) in 1990 to 73·0 years (72·7-73·3) in 2017. The increase in years of life varied from 5·1 years (5·0-5·3) in high SDI countries to 12·0 years (11·3-12·8) in low SDI countries. Of the additional years of life expected at birth, 26·3% (20·1-33·1) were expected to be spent in poor health in high SDI countries compared with 11·7% (8·8-15·1) in low-middle SDI countries. HALE at birth increased by 6·3 years (5·9-6·7), from 57·0 years (54·6-59·1) in 1990 to 63·3 years (60·5-65·7) in 2017. The increase varied from 3·8 years (3·4-4·1) in high SDI countries to 10·5 years (9·8-11·2) in low SDI countries. Even larger variations in HALE than these were observed between countries, ranging from 1·0 year (0·4-1·7) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (62·4 years [59·9-64·7] in 1990 to 63·5 years [60·9-65·8] in 2017) to 23·7 years (21·9-25·6) in Eritrea (30·7 years [28·9-32·2] in 1990 to 54·4 years [51·5-57·1] in 2017). In most countries, the increase in HALE was smaller than the increase in overall life expectancy, indicating more years lived in poor health. In 180 of 195 countries and territories, females were expected to live longer than males in 2017, with extra years lived varying from 1·4 years (0·6-2·3) in Algeria to 11·9 years (10·9-12·9) in Ukraine. Of the extra years gained, the proportion spent in poor health varied largely across countries, with less than 20% of additional years spent in poor health in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, and Slovakia, whereas in Bahrain all the extra years were spent in poor health. In 2017, the highest estimate of HALE at birth was in Singapore for both females (75·8 years [72·4-78·7]) and males (72·6 years [69·8-75·0]) and the lowest estimates were in Central African Republic (47·0 years [43·7-50·2] for females and 42·8 years [40·1-45·6] for males). Globally, in 2017, the five leading causes of DALYs were neonatal disorders, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Between 1990 and 2017, age-standardised DALY rates decreased by 41·3% (38·8-43·5) for communicable diseases and by 49·8% (47·9-51·6) for neonatal disorders. For non-communicable diseases, global DALYs increased by 40·1% (36·8-43·0), although age-standardised DALY rates decreased by 18·1% (16·0-20·2)

Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning