Customer resistance to tourism innovations: entrepreneurs’ understanding and management strategies

Customer resistance is the greatest risk to innovation for the entrepreneur. The aim of this exploratory study is to provide insights into this underdeveloped area in the tourism innovation literature. A qualitative approach is adopted to understand the resistance experienced by 57 entrepreneurs when introducing their innovations into the market, the causes and the actions taken to minimise resistance. Findings indicate that most entrepreneurs often encounter resistance from sceptical customers, satisfied with their status quo and with no or low appetites for innovation. The analysis reveals two main sources of resistance: the association of the innovations with particular risks, and the customers' lack of understanding of the innovation value. Communication strategies are crucial to decrease the associated risks and for trust building. The paper provides a critical perspective on the challenges faced by innovators, challenges which are often overlooked given the near-iconic status of innovation in studies of economic development.This research has been supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme [grant agreement 700893]

El sentimiento de deuda de los estudiantes universitarios hacia sus padres y hacia la sociedad

El presente artículo tiene como principal objetivo contribuir a la investigación de la experiencia universitaria profundizando el sentimiento de deuda de los estudiantes hacia los padres y hacia la sociedad en general. Se analizan factores que pueden influir en la composición de dichos sentimientos y la relación con los resultados académicos, el sentimiento de culpa y las estrategias previstas en caso de mal rendimiento. Los datos analizados proceden de 857 cuestionarios realizados a estudiantes de tercer curso de 10 grados de 4 universidades del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona. Se concluye que el sentimiento de deuda hacia los padres y hacia la sociedad es muy generalizado entre los estudiantes universitarios. La combinación de clase social y sexo, y factores como el apoyo emocional por parte de los padres y el coste de estudiar en la universidad inciden en el desarrollo del sentimiento de deuda. En caso de obtención de malos resultados, se observan estrategias diversas con ligeras diferencias según la clase social

Mn3O4@CoMn2O4-CoxOy nanoparticles : partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced at low temperature and ambient atmosphere using a one -pot two-step synthesis protocol involving the cation exchange of Mn by Co in preformed Mn3O4 NPs. Selecting the proper cobalt precursor, the nucleation of CoxOy crystallites at the Mn3O4@a CoMn2O4 surface could be simultaneously promoted to form Mn3O4@CoMn2O4-CoxOy NPs. Such heterostructured NPs were investigated for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR, OER) in alkaline solution. Mn3O4@ CoMn2O4-Cox0y NPs with [Co]/[Mn] = 1 showed low overpotentials of 0.31 Vat(-3) mA.cm(-2) and a small Tafel slope of 52 mV.dec(-1) for ORR, and overpotentials of 0.31 V at 10 mAPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Stem girdling evidences a trade-off between cambial activity and sprouting and dramatically reduces plant transpiration due to feedback inhibition of photosynthesis and hormone signaling

The photosynthesis source-sink relationship in young Pinus canariensis seedlings was modified by stem girdling to investigate sprouting and cambial activity, feedback inhibition of photosynthesis, and stem and root hydraulic capacity. Removal of bark tissue showed a trade-off between sprouting and diameter growth. Above the girdle, growth was accelerated but the number of sprouts was almost negligible, whereas below the girdle the response was reversed. Girdling resulted in a sharp decrease in whole plant transpiration and root hydraulic conductance. The reduction of leaf area after girdling was strengthened by the high levels of abscisic acid found in buds which pointed to stronger bud dormancy, preventing a new needle flush. Accumulation of sugars in leaves led to a coordinated reduction in net photosynthesis (AN) and stomatal conductance (gS) in the short term, but later (gS below 0.07 mol m(-2) s(-1)) AN decreased faster. The decrease in maximal efficiency of photosystem II (FV/FM) and the operating quantum efficiency of photosystem II (?PSII) in girdled plants could suggest photoprotection of leaves, as shown by the vigorous recovery of AN and ?PSII after reconnection of the phloem. Stem girdling did not affect xylem embolism but increased stem hydraulic conductance above the girdle. This study shows that stem girdling affects not only the carbon balance, but also the water status of the plant

Relación entre actitudes y acciones de aprendizaje de los estudiantes universitarios

En este artículo se presentan los resultados de una investigación que tiene como objetivo analizar los factores que influyen en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes universitarios. En el marco del proceso de Bolonia y los cambios docentes que éste ha comportado se quiere constatar si realmente el paradigma de enseñanza/aprendizaje centrado en el estudiante ha implicado un aumento del aprendizaje profundo. A partir de un cuestionario contestado por 857 estudiantes de 10 titulaciones de 4 universidades públicas de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona, se analiza la relación entre motivación de elección de estudios, concepciones de aprendizaje y acciones de aprendizaje, y como estas últimas pueden estar condicionadas por el contexto educativo de las asignaturas. Se concluye que las acciones de aprendizaje están influidas tanto por el contexto como por la orientación profesional de los estudios. Así, los estudiantes llevan a cabo acciones más profundas en las asignaturas caracterizadas por la metodología impulsada con Bolonia, aunque es más beneficioso para un tipo de actitudes hacia el estudio que para otras

Drought early warning based on optimal risk forecasts in regulated river systems: Application to the Jucar River Basin (Spain)

[EN] Droughts are a major threat to water resources systems management. Timely anticipation results crucial to defining strategies and measures to minimise their effects. Water managers make use of monitoring systems in order to characterise and assess drought risk by means of indices and indicators. However, there are few systems currently in operation that are capable of providing early warning with regard to the occurrence of a drought episode. This paper proposes a novel methodology to support and complement drought monitoring and early warning in regulated water resources systems. It is based in the combined use of two models, a water resources optimization model and a stochastic streamflow generation model, to generate a series of results that allow evaluating the future state of the system. The results for the period 1998 2009 in the Jucar River Basin (Spain) show that accounting for scenario change risk can be beneficial for basin managers by providing them with information on the current and future drought situation at any given moment. Our results show that the combination of scenario change probabilities with the current drought monitoring system can represent a major advance towards improved drought management in the future, and add a significant value to the existing national State Index (SI) approach for early warning purposes.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (CGL2009-11798, CGL2012-34978, and CSD2009-00065), and the European Commission FP7 programme (FP7-ENV-2011-282769 and FP7-ENV-2012-308438).Haro Monteagudo, D.; Solera Solera, A.; Andreu Álvarez, J. (2017). Drought early warning based on optimal risk forecasts in regulated river systems: Application to the Jucar River Basin (Spain). Journal of Hydrology. 544:36-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.11.022S364554

Diminished fraction of blockable ATP-sensitive K+ channels in islets transplanted into diabetic mice

The reasons for the poor outcome of islet transplantation in diabetic patients are not well known; a better understanding of the pathophysiology of transplanted islets is needed. To study the mechanism coupling secretagogue stimuli with insulin release in transplanted islets, we determined the effects of glucose, tolbutamide, and carbamylcholine on the beta-cell membrane potential and cytosolic calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i) of islets syngeneically transplanted into normal and streptozocin-induced diabetic mice. In both groups, normoglycemia was maintained after transplantation. Islets transplanted into normal recipients showed similar changes in beta-cell membrane potential and [Ca2+]i oscillations to those in control islets. In contrast, when islets were transplanted into diabetic mice, bursts of electrical activity were triggered at lower glucose concentrations (5.6 mmol/l) than in control islets (11 mmol/l), and maximal electrical activity was achieved at lower glucose concentrations (11 mmol/l) than in control islets (22 mmol/l). When membrane potential was plotted as a function of glucose concentration, the dose-response curve was shifted to the left. Compared with control islets, glucose-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations were broader in duration (22.3 +/- 0.6 s vs. 118.1 +/- 12.6 s; P < 0.01) and higher in amplitude (135 +/- 36 nmol/l vs. 352 +/- 36 nmol/l; P < 0.01). Glucose supersensitivity was attributed to a resting decrease in the fraction of blockable ATP-sensitive K+ (K+(ATP)) channels in transplanted islets that maintained normoglycemia with a limited beta-cell mass

Blood cells as a source of transcriptional biomarkers of childhood obesity and its related metabolic alterations: results of the IDEFICS Study

Background: IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary-and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants Project) is a European multicenter study on childhood obesity. One of its goals is to define early biomarkers of risk associated with obesity and its comorbid conditions. Objective: We considered blood cells as a new potential source of transcriptional biomarkers for these metabolic disorders and examined whether blood cell mRNA levels of some selected genes (LEPR, INSR, CPT1A, SLC27A2, UCP2, FASN, and PPAR alpha) were altered in overweight children and whether their expression levels could be defined as markers of the insulin-resistant or dyslipidemic state associated with overweight. Design: Blood samples were obtained from 306 normal-weight and overweight children, aged 2-9 yr, from eight different European countries. Whole-blood mRNA levels were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Results: LEPR, INSR, and CPT1A mRNA levels were higher in overweight compared with normal-weight children (the two latter only in males), whereas SLC27A2 mRNA levels were lower in overweight children. Significant associations were also found between expression levels of LEPR, INSR, CPT1A, SLC27A2, FASN, PPAR alpha, and different parameters, including body mass index, homeostasis model assessment index, and plasma triglycerides and cholesterol levels. These associations showed that high expression levels of CPT1A, SLC27A2, INSR, FASN, or PPAR alpha may be indicative of a lower risk for the insulin-resistant or dyslipidemic state associated with obesity, whereas low LEPR mRNA levels appear as a marker of high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, independently of body mass index. Conclusions: These findings point toward the possibility of using the expression levels of these genes in blood cells as markers of metabolic status and can potentially provide an early warning of a future disorder

Aspiraciones ocupacionales y expectativas y elecciones educativas de los jóvenes en un contexto de crisis

En el presente artículo se hace una revisión de los conceptos de aspiración, expectativa y elección, para entender mejor los mecanismos que llevan a la construcción de los itinerarios juveniles. El contraste empírico se hace a partir de una encuesta a 2.056 jóvenes de la ciudad de Barcelona de 4º de ESO (nacidos en 1998) de tipo panel donde se contrastan las expectativas de los jóvenes y con sus elecciones en el año siguiente. Se han realizado análisis a través de tablas de contingencia y un Análisis de Correspondencias Múltiples (ACM) para presentar los resultados con mayor robustez. Los resultados muestran una notable diversidad de situaciones, pero sólo el 12% ha contestado que no tenía ninguna idea sobre su profesión/oficio a los 30 años, y el 52% ha contestado que querría una profesión que requiere estudios universitarios. De los que tienen una idea más o menos definida, el 50% realiza elecciones coherentes a corto plazo, el resto no. Tanto la aspiración como la coherencia con la elección están fuertemente relacionadas con el rendimiento académico y con el nivel educativo de los padres, pero también se dan situaciones de expectativas y elecciones no esperadas. Los resultados cuestionan la idea de que el presentismo sea una actitud mayoritaria, y se mantiene con suficiente robustez la expectativa asociada a la inversión educativa como palanca de movilidad social, aunque con diferencias significativas en función del origen social

Prehospital emergency care of patients with acute heart failure in Spain: the SEMICA study (Emergency Medical Response Systems for Patients with Acute Heart Failure)

Objectives. To study the means of emergency transport used to bring patients with acute heart failure (AHF) to hospital emergency departments (EDs) and explore associations between factors, type of transport, and prehospital care received. Methods. We gathered the following information on patients treated for AHF at 34 Spanish hospital EDs: means of transport used (medicalized ambulance [MA], nonmedicalized ambulance [NMA], or private vehicle) and treatments administered before arrival at the hospital. Twenty-seven independent variables potentially related to type of transport used were also studied. Indicators of AHF severity were triage level assigned in the ED, need for admission, need for intensive care, in-hospital mortality, and 30-day mortality. Results. A total of 6106 patients with a mean (SD) age of 80 years were included; 56.5% were women, 47.2% arrived in PVs, 37.8% in NMAs, and 15.0% in MAs. Use of an ambulance was associated with female sex, age over 80 years, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a history of AHF, functional dependency, New York Heart Association class III-IV, sphincteral incontinence, labored breathing, orthopnea, cold skin, and sensory depression or restlessness. Assignment of a MA was directly associated with living alone, a history of ischemic heart disease, cold skin, sensory depression or restlessness, and high temperature; it was inversely associated with a history of falls. The rates of receipt of prehospital treatments and AHF severity level increased with use of MAs vs. NMAs vs. PV. Seventy-three percent of patients transported in MAs received oxygen, 29% received a diuretic, 13.5% a vasodilator, and 4.7% noninvasive ventilation. Conclusions. Characteristics of the patient with AHF are associated with the assignment of type of transport to a hospital ED. Assignment appears to be related to severity. Treatment given during MA transport could be increased