Transforming Tourism Destinations\u27 Marketing Strategies by Understanding Tourists\u27 Satisfaction

Tourism propels the growth of a country’s economy and gives rise to other service industries such as accommodation, food and beverages, retail trade, and transportation industries. With trends in travel and tourism pointing to tourists seeking novelty experience according to TripAdvisor, the objective of this paper is to identify factors influencing the intentions of tourists to a destination, taking into account the characteristics of tourists, by means of a systematic literature review (SLR). Collectively, 17 factors were identified from a total of 77 studies. Satisfaction, destination attraction, and loyalty are the three most investigated factors, while perceived behaviour control, psychological well-being, and religious are the three least investigated factors that affect the behavioural intentions of tourists to a destination. This SLR is instrumental in later part of the research in discovering whether there exist differences between a model developed based on factors identified via content analysis with a model discovered upon mining of data. The coalesced perspective of content analysis and data mining is essential in serving as a guide to practitioners or destination marketing organisation (DMO) in the formulation of marketing strategies to promote tourism destinations in accordance with their intended audience

CLOUD COMPUTING OPPORTUNITIES: ENHANCING INTERACTIVE VISUAL CONTENT USAGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION LEARNING

Visual content in learning material most commonly found in schools learning materials and less in higher education learning. Students in universities and colleges are dependent on wordy textbook and lecture notes to study. Use of visual contents depends on educator’s interests, needs and willingness to provide the material to students. Nowadays, learning started to emerge at a rapid pace in producing learners with excellent academic achievements. The role of cloud computing hence increases the capability of delivering education from educator’s perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to highlight important features of cloud computing in enhancing the use of interactive visual content in higher education learning and promotes interactive learning to students. Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method is used to obtain primary data from online databases Scopus and by using the coding procedure in Grounded Theory(Strauss & Corbin, 1990), research produces meta-model data of codes extractions from primary data. Findings shows there are four major abstractions of cloud features that lead to enhancing interactive visual content use in higher education

Neonatal Bladder Irritation Is Associated With Vanilloid Receptor TRPV1 Expression in Adult Rats

Purpose To evaluate whether mild chemical irritation of the bladder in neonatal rats is associated with persistent vanilloid receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily 1 (TRPV1) activity in adult rats. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Ten-day-old rat pups underwent bladder sensitization via intravesical infusion of 0.2% acetic acid in saline with or without prior bladder desensitization with capsaicin. After 8 weeks, 3 groups of rats (control [group 1], bladder sensitization [group 2], and bladder desensitization [group 3]) underwent cystometry. Inflammation of bladder tissue and the expression of TRPV1 in bladder tissue and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were also evaluated. Results The bladder sensitization group showed more frequent voiding contractions. TRPV1 expression in adult bladder tissue was elevated in group 2. TRPV1 mRNA levels in the bladder and DRG were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. Moreover, group 2 had significantly more DRG neurons (identified by uptake of the retrograde label Fast Blue) that exhibited TRPV1 immunoreactivity. Conclusions We found a significant association between neonatal bladder sensitization and persistent TRPV1 activity in adult rats. This is the first study to focus on the underlying pathogenesis of bladder overactivity from childhood to adulthood. Our findings could lead to the development of new strategies for the treatment and prevention of adult urinary symptoms arising from childhood urinary tract dysfunction

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism in patients with lung cancer in a Korean population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was designed to investigate an association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and the risk of lung cancer in a Korean population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a large-scale, case-control study involving 3938 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer and 1700 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed with peripheral blood DNA for MTHFR C677T polymorphisms. Statistical significance was estimated by logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The MTHFR C677T frequencies of CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 34.5%, 48.5%, and 17% among lung cancer patients, and 31.8%, 50.7%, and 17.5% in the controls, respectively. The MTHFR 677CT and TT genotype showed a weak protection against lung cancer compared with the homozygous CC genotype, although the results did not reach statistical significance. The age- and gender-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of overall lung cancer was 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-1.04) for MTHFR 677 CT and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.71-1.07) for MTHFR 677TT. However, after stratification analysis by histological type, the MTHFR 677CT genotype showed a significantly decreased risk for squamous cell carcinoma (age- and gender-adjusted OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.96). The combination of 677 TT homozygous with 677 CT heterozygous also appeared to have a protection effect on the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. We observed no significant interaction between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and age and gender or smoking habit.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first reported study focusing on the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphisms and the risk of lung cancer in a Korean population. The T allele was found to provide a weak protective association with lung squamous cell carcinoma.</p

Regulation of Adipose Tissue Stromal Cells Behaviors by Endogenic Oct4 Expression Control

BACKGROUND: To clarify the role of the POU domain transcription factor Oct4 in Adipose Tissue Stromal Cells (ATSCs), we investigated the regulation of Oct4 expression and other embryonic genes in fully differentiated cells, in addition to identifying expression at the gene and protein levels. The ATSCs and several immature cells were routinely expressing Oct4 protein before and after differentiating into specific lineages. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Here, we demonstrated the role of Oct4 in ATSCs on cell proliferation and differentiation. Exogenous Oct4 improves adult ATSCs cell proliferation and differentiation potencies through epigenetic reprogramming of stemness genes such as Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, and Rex1. Oct4 directly or indirectly induces ATSCs reprogramming along with the activation of JAK/STAT3 and ERK1/2. Exogenic Oct4 introduced a transdifferentiation priority into the neural lineage than mesodermal lineage. Global gene expression analysis results showed that Oct4 regulated target genes which could be characterized as differentially regulated genes such as pluripotency markers NANOG, SOX2, and KLF4 and markers of undifferentiated stem cells FOXD1, CDC2, and EPHB1. The negatively regulated genes included FAS, TNFR, COL6A1, JAM2, FOXQ1, FOXO1, NESTIN, SMAD3, SLIT3, DKK1, WNT5A, BMP1, and GLIS3 which are implicated in differentiation processes as well as a number of novel genes. Finally we have demonstrated the therapeutic utility of Oct4/ATSCs were introduced into the mouse traumatic brain, engrafted cells was more effectively induces regeneration activity with high therapeutic modality than that of control ATSCs. Engrafted Oct4/ATSCs efficiently migrated and transdifferentiated into action potential carrying, functionally neurons in the hippocampus and promoting the amelioration of lesion cavities

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Hubungan kepuasan pelajar terhadap perlaksanaan pendidikan jarak jauh dengan pencapaian akademik pelajar SPACE Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Laporan berkenaan hasil kajian yang dijalankan untuk mengukur tahap kepuasan terhadap teknologi pengajaran dan pembelajaran, interaksi pensyarah, penilaian pembelajaran dan perkhidmatan sokongan ; dan mengkaji hubungan kepuasan pelajar terhadap perlaksanaan pendidikan jarak jauh dengan pencapaian akademik pelajar SPACE Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Kajian ini melibatkan seramai 317 responden yang terdiri daripada pelajar Sarjana Muda Teknologi serta Pendidikan (Kemahiran Hidup), Sarjana Muda Sains serta Pendidikan (Pengajian Islam), Sarjana Muda Sains serta Pendidikan (Sains) dan Sarjana Muda Sains dan Komputer serta Pendidikan (Matematik), Fakulti Pendidikan menggunakan persampelan tidak rawak jenis bertujuan. Kajian ini berbentuk kajian tinjauan deskriptif menggunakan soal selidik jenis skala likert 5 mata bagi mengukur empat elemen yang tersebut diatas. Data dianalisis menggunakan perisian komputer Statistical Package for Sosial Science (SPSS) versi 14.0 menggunakan kekerapan, peratus, min dan korelasi pearson-r. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan kepuasan pelajar tinggi terhadap interaksi pensyarah, penilaian pembelajaran dan perkhidmatan sokongan, tetapi sederhana terhadap teknologi pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Tiada hubungan antara teknologi pengajaran dan pembelajaran, interaksi pensyarah, penilaian pembelajaran dan perkhidmatan sokongan dengan pencapaian akademik. Ini menunjukkan walaupun tahap kepuasan pelajar berada pada tahap tinggi, tahap kepuasan mereka tidak ada kaitan dengan pencapaian akademik. Laporan ini diakhiri dengan cadangan untuk mempertingkatkan mutu perlaksanaan pendidikan jarak jauh dan cadangan kajian lanjutan

An integrated student support framework for a Malaysian university

This thesis reports on an investigation at the University Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR), Malaysia focused on students&rsquo; needs for student support services. The research addressed a new problem in distance education concerning institutional practices and strategies for providing student support within blended learning contexts, such as at UNITAR. The thesis addresses important matters related to the use of forms of education to address Malaysia&rsquo;s social, political and economic development.The study had two main research purposes. The first purpose was to investigate what barriers UNITAR&rsquo;s students had to completing their study successfully. The second was to investigate students&rsquo; support services needs. The latter was divided into six subsidiary purposes. The first subsidiary purpose was to identify and compare the students&rsquo; needs intensity for the four categories of support services: administrative, academic, welfare and post-study services. The second subsidiary purpose was to investigate whether there is any correlation between students&rsquo; attributes of age, gender, marital status, number of children, enrollment status, distance from learning centre, academic abilities, course satisfaction and academic achievement, with their support needs. The other subsidiary purposes were to compare needs intensity for the four categories of services between men and women, younger and mature-age students, and lower and higher academic achievers.The research design employed mixed methods, involving both qualitative and quantitative techniques. A series of interviews was conducted with UNITAR staff members during an inventory study of the University. Then, the students were surveyed through a questionnaire that contained closed-ended and openended questions. After analysing and compiling the results of the survey, another cycle of surveys was conducted with selected staff members through email, to validate the findings and obtain their feedback to the students&rsquo; views and their suggestions for future improvement. The quantitative survey data were analysed using SPSS, whereas the qualitative data from interview, survey and email were analysed by using content analysis techniques.The findings of the study demonstrated that UNITAR&rsquo;s students have problems in their study, which are related to their demographic and institutional attributes, and these affect their needs for four categories of support services. Generally, students attached the highest priority to academic services, followed by post-study services, administrative services and, lastly, welfare services. Four patterns of associations between students&rsquo; attributes and support services needs were identified. In particular, support services needs differences were identified between men and women, younger and mature-age students, and lower achieving and higher achieving students.Drawing the findings of this study, relevant past studies, contemporary practices and constructive views of scholars from the relevant literature, the thesis concludes by proposing an integrated student support framework for UNITAR and suggest how this may be considered and applied more broadly in similar blended learning contexts in Malaysia and beyond.<br /

Hubungan Antara Tahap Motivasi Dengan Pencapaian Akademik Pelajar Pendidikan Jarak Jauh Universiti Sains Malaysia

Laporan ini berkenaan hasil kajian yang dijalankan untuk mengukur tahap motivasi tiga konstruk iaitu motivasi intrinsik, motivasi ekstrinsik dan regulasi kendiri; dan mengkaji hubungan antara tahap motivasi dengan pencapaian akademik pelajar pendidikan jarak jauh Universiti Sains Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan persampelan tidak rawak jenis bertujuan dan melibatkan seramai 116 responden yang terdiri daripada Fakulti Sains, program Biologi (N=54) dan Fakulti Ilmu Kemanusiaan, program Geografi (N=62). Kajian ini berbentuk kajian tinjauan deskriptif. Alatan kajian ini terdiri daripada soal selidik tertutup skala likert 5-mata untuk mengukur tiga konstruk motivasi tersebut di atas. Data dianalisis menggunakan Statistical Package for Social Science 15 (SPSS 15) menggunakan kekerapan, peratus, min dan korelasi pearson-r. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan motivasi intrinsik, motivasi ekstrinsik dan regulasi kendiri adalah tinggi. Hasil dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara motivasi intrinsik dan motivasi ekstrinsik dengan pencapaian akademik. Namun begitu, didapati terdapat hubungan yang lemah tetapi signifikan antara tahap regulasi kendiri dengan pencapaian akademik. Ini menunjukkan walaupun tahap motivasi pelajar berada pada tahap tinggi, tetapi tahap motivasi mereka tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan pencapaian akademik. Ini berlainan dengan tahap regulasi kendiri pelajar yang mempunyai hubungan dengan pencapaian akademik. Laporan ini diakhiri dengan cadangan untuk mempertingkatkan pencapaian akademik pelajar dan cadangan kajian lanjutan

A CRM adoption model for Malaysian telecommunication and financial companies

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) plays an important role in managing organization functions and processes in order to create a long-term relationship among customers and stockholders. A study of its adoption is essential to understand the factors influencing management’s decision in adopting it. This research studied the organizational characteristics, technology characteristics and environmental factors on telecommunication and finance companies that have both low and high intention to adopt CRM. A survey on the respondents from MSC companies and a large CRM provider in Malaysia was conducted. This was followed by an interview with the latter. Multiple regression method was used to calculate and to analyze the correlations between the independent variables and their intention to adopt CRM. Research shows that a set of organizational characteristics has the most influence on adoption, followed by a set of environmental factors which is significant only for companies that have lower intention to adopt CRM. Technology characteristics however, are not relevant to Malaysian companies