Competitive Dynamics and Pricing Behavior in US Hotels: The Role of Co-location

Which hotels benefit from locating next to competitors? In this study of 14,995 hotels we provide evidence of both a price benefit and a detriment for specific hotels that co‐locate next to other hotels. Relying on the theoretical framework of agglomeration economics, the results reveal that hotels that co‐locate in the same geographic cluster with the highest quality segmented firms (luxury hotels) accrue a price premium compared to competitors in markets with larger proportions of lower‐segmented competitors. The strongest price premiums were obtained by midscale hotels without food and beverage in clusters with large proportions of luxury and upscale hotels. Similarly, high‐end hotels that pursue differentiation strategies experience price erosion when they are in the same geographic location as lower‐end hotels. Luxury hotels experienced the greatest price erosion when they operate in locations with large proportions of economy and midscale hotels. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for competitive dynamics and hotel location decisions

Using Tourist Travel Habits and Preferences to Assess Strategic Destination Positioning: The Case of Costa Rica

A study of 118 U.S. travelers to Costa Rica is analyzed to highlight how consumer preferences and patterns of consumption can be used to reveal the status of a particular destination in its life cycle. Using a model for destinations\u27 psychographics developed by S. C. Plog, the analysis shows that Costa Rica may be increasingly appealing to the middle of the psychographic distribution. While this trend is not inherently bad, it challenges Costa Rica\u27s destination managers to consider carefully what type of further development they will allow. This research illustrates the means by which other destinations can assess their own positioning to ensure that they are using strategies to attract the most profitable tourist segments

High Throughput Screen for Inhibitors of Rac1 GTPase by Flow Cytometry

High throughput (HT) screening is at the starting point for most drug discovery programs. As the range of targets being pursued widens new technologies have to be deployed to enable assays built to measure the activity of proteins previously deemed challenging. Flow cytometry is a technology providing multi-parametric analysis of single cells or other particles in suspension, such as beads. High throughput (HT) flow cytometry has become a very attractive screening platform for drug discovery. In this chapter we describe a 1536 well format high throughput screen of 500,000 compounds to find inhibitors of Rac1 GTPase to prevent allergic airway hyper-responsiveness in asthma. We discuss the assay development, miniaturization and validation carried out prior to the full screening campaign. We then describe how we have automated our iQue® HD screener instruments and how we proceed with the data analysis and explain why we chose to run this screen on a flow cytometer and how it enabled us to reduce cost and timelines for the project

Competitive Destination Planning: The Case of Costa Rica

Travelers\u27 attitudes and activities provide a strong indication of the status of a particular destination with regard to whether it is still being discovered or whether it is headed for decline. Using Stanley Plog\u27s long-established continuum of travelers\u27 psychographic types as matched to their preferred destinations, this study examines travelers\u27 habits and attitudes, using a sample of U.S. tourists to Costa Rica. An analysis of that information provides inferences about Costa Rica\u27s status on the continuum of tourism destinations. Although the respondent pool is relatively small and is self-selected, the results suggest that Costa Rica may be losing some of its cachet as a relatively unknown destination for venturesome travelers (known as Venturers, in Plog\u27s continuum). Instead, the results give strong indication that development in Costa Rica has reached the point that the nation appeals to the broad mid-market of travelers, whom Plog dubs Mid-Centrics. While destination planners may at first applaud the increased arrival numbers of the Mid-Centrics, it soon becomes apparent that they spend less than the intrepid Venturer-type visitors, and their presence encourages the kind of rampant development that leads to a destination\u27s decline

Advance on risk assessment methods of multiple chemicals combined exposure and its enlightenment to the construction of relevant systems in China

People in the real world are exposed to multiple chemicals via multiple routes and co-exposure to multiple agents may induce joint effects, which draws extensive attention from the international community. Regulations of many countries oblige risk assessors to conduct cumulative risk assessments based on their own guidelines, findings of which provide the basis for scientific decision-making. By analyzing the method and frameworks of international risk assessment models of multiple chemicals, this paper explores the establishment of a risk assessment framework of multiple chemicals combined exposure to in food in China

Optimal decisions of sharing rate and ticket price of different transportation modes in inter-city transportation corridor

Purpose: The paper concerns competition of different transportation modes coexist in intercity transportation corridor. The purpose of this paper is to express the competitive relationship by building mathematical model and obtain the best sharing rate and the optimal ticket price of different transportation modes. Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, analyzing influencing factors of passenger choice about transportation modes, we designed a utility function of transportation modes. Secondly, referring to the game theory and logit modle, a non-cooperative game model between railway and highway was built. Finally, the model was applied to Nanchang-Jiujiang transportation corridor in China for an empirical analysis. Findings: The results indicate that the proposed non-cooperative game model is rational and reliable, and it supplies a scientific method to determine the optimal ticket price and passenger sharing rate of different transportation modes, and can be applied to the competition study on different transportation modes in inter-city transportation corridor. Originality/value: The main contribution of this paper is to built the non-cooperative game model, which can consider the needs of different travelers, and achieve reasonable passenger divergence of different transportation modes and coordinated development of whole transport market.Peer Reviewe

Developing a Novel Multiplexed Immune Assay Platform to Screen Kinase Modulators of T Cell Activation

T cell activation plays a central role in inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Cancer immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitor, bi-specific antibody, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell, and adoptive tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies require the characterization and monitoring of T cell activation. Here we describe a novel, multiplex immune assay platform based on high-throughput flow cytometry technology and advanced computational algorithms for data analysis. The assay simultaneously measures T cell dynamics including phenotype, time-dependent expression of activation markers, secreted effector cytokines, and proliferation. The assay screened a kinase chemogenomic library and identified 25 kinase inhibitors with distinct inhibition profiles on early (CD69) and late (CD25) activation markers and the cytokines IFNγ and TNFα. We identified 5 kinase inhibitors with dissimilar effects on CD69 and CD25 expression, and a cluster of total 4 MEK1//2 inhibitors with similar activation profiles. The screening revealed 3 kinase inhibitors for PKC, IKK2, and MEK1/2 respectively, all with a phenotypic signature similar to ruxolitinib, a Jak1/2 inhibitor used to treat myelofibrosis disease. These results suggest this multiplexed assay platform, combined with a chemogenomic library screening, may be used as primary screen for phenotypic or target-based drug discovery, target identification, and potential drug repositioning