Exploring Well-being as a Tourism Product Resource

This study employs a qualitative research approach where focus groups (n ¼ 11) with key stakeholders were used to understand how tourism investors view the concept of well-being in relation to tourism and the potential to use it as a tourism product resource. Findings validated by a wider group (n ¼ 50) exposed the barriers and enablers of implementing well-being in this way. The potential for businesses and policymakers to transform these barriers into enablers was also identified. In addition, study findings were mapped onto a robust model extracted from the public health sector and applied in a tourism context using a systems theory approach. This further highlighted the potential offered to the fields of public health and tourism in the concept of well-being, and demonstrated the well-being value of tourism. Data from this research will aid tourism business practice and development by embedding a well-being philosophy for tourism destinations' strategies

Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards interlaboratory study on intensity calibration for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instruments using low-density polyethylene

We report the results of a Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards interlaboratory study on the intensity scale calibration of x-ray photoelectron spectrometers using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as an alternative material to gold, silver, and copper. An improved set of LDPE reference spectra, corrected for different instrument geometries using a quartz-monochromated Al Kα x-ray source, was developed using data provided by participants in this study. Using these new reference spectra, a transmission function was calculated for each dataset that participants provided. When compared to a similar calibration procedure using the NPL reference spectra for gold, the LDPE intensity calibration method achieves an absolute offset of ∼3.0% and a systematic deviation of ±6.5% on average across all participants. For spectra recorded at high pass energies (≥90 eV), values of absolute offset and systematic deviation are ∼5.8% and ±5.7%, respectively, whereas for spectra collected at lower pass energies (<90 eV), values of absolute offset and systematic deviation are ∼4.9% and ±8.8%, respectively; low pass energy spectra perform worse than the global average, in terms of systematic deviations, due to diminished count rates and signal-to-noise ratio. Differences in absolute offset are attributed to the surface roughness of the LDPE induced by sample preparation. We further assess the usability of LDPE as a secondary reference material and comment on its performance in the presence of issues such as variable dark noise, x-ray warm up times, inaccuracy at low count rates, and underlying spectrometer problems. In response to participant feedback and the results of the study, we provide an updated LDPE intensity calibration protocol to address the issues highlighted in the interlaboratory study. We also comment on the lack of implementation of a consistent and traceable intensity calibration method across the community of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) users and, therefore, propose a route to achieving this with the assistance of instrument manufacturers, metrology laboratories, and experts leading to an international standard for XPS intensity scale calibration

A multicentre, randomised controlled trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment versus standard NHS Speech and Language Therapy versus control in Parkinson’s disease: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects approximately 145,519 people in the UK. Speech impairments are common with a reported prevalence of 68%, which increase physical and mental demands during conversation, reliance on family and/or carers, and the likelihood of social withdrawal reducing quality of life. In the UK, two approaches to Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) intervention are commonly available: National Health Service (NHS) SLT or Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD®). NHS SLT is tailored to the individuals’ needs per local practice typically consisting of six to eight weekly sessions; LSVT LOUD® comprises 16 sessions of individual treatment with home-based practice over 4 weeks. The evidence-base for their effectiveness is inconclusive. Methods/design: PD COMM is a phase III, multicentre, three-arm, unblinded, randomised controlled trial. Five hundred and forty-six people with idiopathic PD, reporting speech or voice problems will be enrolled. We will exclude those with a diagnosis of dementia, laryngeal pathology or those who have received SLT for speech problems in the previous 2 years. Following informed consent and completion of baseline assessments, participants will be randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to no-intervention control, NHS SLT or LSVT LOUD® via a central computer-generated programme, using a minimisation procedure with a random element, to ensure allocation concealment. Participants randomised to the intervention groups will start treatment within 4 (NHS SLT) or 7 (LSVT LOUD®) weeks of randomisation. Primary outcome: Voice Handicap Index (VHI) total score at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include: VHI subscales, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39; Questionnaire on Acquired Speech Disorders; EuroQol-5D-5 L; ICECAP-O; resource utilisation; adverse events and carer quality of life. Mixed-methods process and health economic evaluations will take place alongside the trial. Assessments will be completed before randomisation and at 3, 6 and 12 months after randomisation. The trial started in December 2015 and will run for 77 months. Recruitment will take place in approximately 42 sites around the UK. Discussion: The trial will test the hypothesis that SLT is effective for the treatment of speech or voice problems in people with PD compared to no SLT. It will further test whether NHS SLT or LSVT LOUD® provide greater benefit and determine the cost-effectiveness of both interventions. Trial registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number (ISRCTN) Registry, ID: 12421382. Registered on 18 April 2016

A multicentre, randomised controlled trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment versus standard NHS Speech and Language Therapy versus control in Parkinson’s disease: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects approximately 145,519 people in the UK. Speech impairments are common with a reported prevalence of 68%, which increase physical and mental demands during conversation, reliance on family and/or carers, and the likelihood of social withdrawal reducing quality of life. In the UK, two approaches to Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) intervention are commonly available: National Health Service (NHS) SLT or Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD®). NHS SLT is tailored to the individuals’ needs per local practice typically consisting of six to eight weekly sessions; LSVT LOUD® comprises 16 sessions of individual treatment with home-based practice over 4 weeks. The evidence-base for their effectiveness is inconclusive. Methods/design: PD COMM is a phase III, multicentre, three-arm, unblinded, randomised controlled trial. Five hundred and forty-six people with idiopathic PD, reporting speech or voice problems will be enrolled. We will exclude those with a diagnosis of dementia, laryngeal pathology or those who have received SLT for speech problems in the previous 2 years. Following informed consent and completion of baseline assessments, participants will be randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to no-intervention control, NHS SLT or LSVT LOUD® via a central computer-generated programme, using a minimisation procedure with a random element, to ensure allocation concealment. Participants randomised to the intervention groups will start treatment within 4 (NHS SLT) or 7 (LSVT LOUD®) weeks of randomisation. Primary outcome: Voice Handicap Index (VHI) total score at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include: VHI subscales, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39; Questionnaire on Acquired Speech Disorders; EuroQol-5D-5 L; ICECAP-O; resource utilisation; adverse events and carer quality of life. Mixed-methods process and health economic evaluations will take place alongside the trial. Assessments will be completed before randomisation and at 3, 6 and 12 months after randomisation. The trial started in December 2015 and will run for 77 months. Recruitment will take place in approximately 42 sites around the UK. Discussion: The trial will test the hypothesis that SLT is effective for the treatment of speech or voice problems in people with PD compared to no SLT. It will further test whether NHS SLT or LSVT LOUD® provide greater benefit and determine the cost-effectiveness of both interventions. Trial registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number (ISRCTN) Registry, ID: 12421382. Registered on 18 April 2016

Utilization of hybrid plasmonic modes to investigate surface interactions between nanocubes and polymer substrates

Silver nanocube monolayers deposited on polymer films were heated past the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Surface interactions between the cubes and substrate dictate the depth and rate of incorporation into the polymer. Silver nanocubes support hybrid plasmonic modes that are spatially separated when there is anisotropy in the local refractive index. Using this measure, it becomes possible to monitor the position of the cubes relative to the surface and tune spectral features in the visible spectrum. These spatially resolved plasmonic modes were used to probe the local glass transition temperature of polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the glass transition temperature of PS, PMMA, PVC were 103 ± 2, 122 ± 12, 81 ± 2 °C, respectively

Tourism and indigenous peoples

Strategies stressing the urgent need for policies and practices to ensure tourism development be in line with principles of sustainable development have been recommended by a wide range of international agencies and instrumentalities. These include the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO), The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), regional UN commissions, international conservation bodies such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), many conservation NGOs and the international banks. In 2002, the International Year of Ecotourism brought together the largest gathering of all stakeholders involved in ecotourism, and interested in more sustainable forms of tourism. It focused much attention and interest on the ecological, social and cultural costs and benefits of tourism. This same year the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) drew attention to tourism and its potential to support the UN Millennium Development Goals. The following year the International Ecotourism Society and the Centre on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development prepared ‘Rights and Responsibilities’ a compilation of Codes of Conduct for Tourism and Indigenous Local Communities (Honey and Thullen, 2003) in recognition of the need for sustainable tourism to be ‘an instrument for the empowerment of local communities, for the maintenance of cultural diversity and for the alleviation of poverty’

LITAF mediation of increased TNF-α secretion from inflamed colonic lamina propria macrophages.

Dysregulation of TNF-α in lamina propria macrophages (LPM) is a feature of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). LPS-Induced-TNF-Alpha-Factor (LITAF) is a transcription factor that mediates TNF-α expression. To determine whether LITAF participates in the mediation of TNF-α expression in acutely inflamed colonic tissues, we first established the TNBS-induced colonic inflammation model in C57BL/6 mice. LPM were harvested from non-inflamed and inflamed colonic tissue and inflammatory parameters TNF-α and LITAF mRNA and protein levels were measured ex-vivo. LPM from TNBS-treated mice secreted significantly more TNF-α at basal state and in response to LPS than LPM from untreated mice (p<0.05). LITAF mRNA and protein levels were elevated in LPM from TNBS compared with untreated animals and LPS further increased LITAF protein levels in LPM from inflamed tissue (P<0.05). To further confirm the role of LITAF in acutely inflamed colonic tissues, TNBS-induced colonic inflammation was produced in LITAF macrophage specific knockout mice (LITAF mac -/- mice) and compared to wild type (WT) C57BL/6. Twenty four hours following TNBS administration, colonic tissue from LITAF mac -/- mice had less MPO activity and reduced colonic TNF-α mRNA then WT C57BL/6 mice (p<0.05). LPM harvested from LITAF mac -/- secreted significantly less TNF-α in response to LPS than wild type (WT) C57BL/6 (p<0.05). This study provides evidence that LITAF contributes to the regulation of TNF-α in LPM harvested following acute inflammation or LPS treatment paving the way for future work focusing on LITAF inhibitors in the treatment of TNF-α-mediated inflammatory conditions

LPM harvested from LITAF macrophage specific knockout mice (LITAF mac -/- mice) produce less TNF-α than LPM harvested from C57BL/6 mice.

<p><b><i>A</i></b>) Western blot of LITAF and Actin confirming the knockout of LITAF protein in peritoneal macrophages harvested from LITAF mac -/- and C57BL/6 mice. <b><i>B</i></b>) TNF-α secretion from inflamed LPM isolated from colonic tissues of LITAF mac -/- (N = 6) or wildtype C57BL/6 (N = 12) following LPS stimulation (24 hours). Data are expressed as % Inflamed C57BL/6 group ± SEM. * Statistical difference (p<0.05), # statistical difference (p<0.001).</p

LITAF protein levels are increased in LPM harvested from inflamed colonic tissue and further increased in inflamed LPM following LPS (1 ug/mL) stimulation (N = 5).

<p><b><i>A</i></b>) Western blot of LITAF levels and GAPDH levels in freshly harvested LPM from Non-Inflamed and Inflamed colonic tissue. The graph shows the optical density (OD) of LITAF levels normalized to GAPDH levels. * Statistical difference from Non-Inflamed group (p<0.05). B) Western blot of LITAF levels and β-Actin levels in LPM harvested from inflamed colonic tissue stimulated with LPS ex vivo compared to LPM harvested from inflamed colonic tissue, but not treated with LPS (Non-treated). The graph show OD of LITAF levels normalized to β-Actin levels. * Statistical difference (p<0.05).</p