Audio Versus Guided Tours at a National Historic Site: What’s the Difference?

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in audio and guided tour participants’ tour experience at a Canadian National Historic Site. Specifically this paper discusses how the type of tour (audio or guided) in which visitors participate during their visit impacts visitors cognitive load. Cognitive load refers to the burden placed on working memory when extraneous material must be processed. This paper posits that when visitors use a personal media device to take a tour their working memory is overburden thereby reducing their overall learning during their tour. Findings reveal that audio tour participants do experience greater cognitive load than guided tour participants and that this does impact their learning experience. The implications of these findings for site managers are discussed

VISITOR\u27S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR OWN IMPACTS AT A SPECIAL EVENT

Within the special events literature limited research exists exploring the impacts that result from special event visitation. No studies exist that examine special event attendees’ perception of their contribution to impacts. This needed perspective is valuable because management may want to develop communication material to minimize the negative outcomes of the festival and maximize the benefits. Attribution theory was used as the theoretical framework to better understand festival visitors’ perceptions of their own contribution to impacts (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Tetlock, 1981). During a two-week period in July 2005, self-administered surveys were distributed to Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival visitors in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Two questions were designed to better understand visitors’ perceptions of their own impacts. In total 307 visitors returned a completed survey resulting in a 53% response rate. Simple regression was used to examine the relationship between the direction of the impact (positive or negative) and visitors’ perceptions of their contribution to the impact item. The results indicated a positive significant relationship between direction of the impact and perception of contribution to impact item for each of the 8 impact items included in this study. Specifically, the more positively visitors rated an item the more they felt they contributed to an impact item. The results of this study provide support for the existence of self-serving biases in visitors’ attributions

Local Stakeholders’ Perspectives of WHS Status: A Case Study

World Heritage Site (WHS) status is a strong brand with exceptional quality and an excellent reputation that attracts tourists to visit. This study applies and adapts the brand knowledge model to examine local stakeholders’ understanding of the WHS status as a brand (Keller, 1998). A case study approach was applied and a WHS in China was selected as the case. In total, 13 interviewees including local government employees, private business owners and residents, participated in the study. The study showed that the three local stakeholder groups were familiar with the WHS status and shared the importance of the WHS status as intended by the WHS program with tourists. However, local stakeholders emphasized the economic importance of the WHS status, and conservation was perceived as a tool to fulfill economic benefits. The results of this research suggested that the WHS status may not be a strong brand and challenges the standpoint of the WHS program

USING VALUES TO PREDICT TOURIST MOTIVATION: AN APPLICATION TO SPECIAL EVENTS IN CULTURAL TOURISM AT THE WINNIPEG FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL

Using the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival in Manitoba, Canada as the context, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between personal values and motivations for attending a festival. More specifically the work had two primary research questions. First, what are the dominant tourist values and tourist motivations for visitors to the Winnipeg Fringe Festival? Second, what is the relationship between visitors’ values and their motivations for attending the festival? Visitors rated self-respect (M = 6.30), fun and enjoyment in life (M = 6.26), warm relationship with others (M = 6.19), and self-fulfillment (M = 6.15) as the top personal values based on Kahle’s (1983) LOV scale. Strongest motivations for attending the festival were: to be entertained (M = 6.45), to learn something new (M = 5.31), to go to the Fringe to be with others who enjoy the same thing (M = 5.19), to spend time with friends (M = 5.03), and to attend a cultural event not normally having an opportunity to go to (M = 4.93). Treating the top five motivation items as separate dependent variables, a series of stepwise regression analyses were conducted. The nine personal value items explained between 8% and 13% of the variance in the five motivation items. Belonging explained the most variance across the five regression analyses. Implications for the festival as well as future research endeavors are highlighted in the closing of the paper

Short versus long silver nanowires: a comparison of in vivo pulmonary effects post instillation.

BackgroundSilver nanowires (Ag NWs) are increasingly being used to produce touchscreens for smart phones and computers. When applied in a thin film over a plastic substrate, Ag NWs create a transparent, highly-conductive network of fibers enabling the touch interface between consumers and their electronics. Large-scale application methods utilize techniques whereby Ag NW suspensions are deposited onto substrates via droplets. Aerosolized droplets increase risk of occupational Ag NW exposure. Currently, there are few published studies on Ag NW exposure-related health effects. Concerns have risen about the potential for greater toxicity from exposure to high-aspect ratio nanomaterials compared to their non-fibrous counterparts. This study examines whether Ag NWs of varying lengths affect biological responses and silver distribution within the lungs at different time-points.MethodsTwo different sizes of Ag NWs (2 μm [S-Ag NWs] and 20 μm [L-Ag NWs]) were tested. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were intratracheally instilled with Ag NWs (0, 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 mg/kg). Broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues were obtained at 1, 7, and 21 days post exposure for analysis of BAL total cells, cell differentials, and total protein as well as tissue pathology and silver distribution.Results and conclusionsThe two highest doses produced significant increases in BAL endpoints. At Day 1, Ag NWs increased total cells, inflammatory polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), and total protein. PMNs persisted for both Ag NW types at Day 7, though not significantly so, and by Day 21, PMNs appeared in line with sham control values. Striking histopathological features associated with Ag NWs included 1) a strong influx of eosinophils at Days 1 and 7; and 2) formation of Langhans and foreign body giant cells at Days 7 and 21. Epithelial sloughing in the terminal bronchioles (TB) and cellular exudate in alveolar regions were also common. By Day 21, Ag NWs were primarily enclosed in granulomas or surrounded by numerous macrophages in the TB-alveolar duct junction. These findings suggest short and long Ag NWs produce pulmonary toxicity; thus, further research into exposure-related health effects and possible exposure scenarios are necessary to ensure human safety as Ag NW demand increases

Integration of Animal-Assisted Therapy Standards in Pediatric Occupational Therapy

The primary purpose of this study was to describe how the best practice recommendations and standards of practice related to animal-assisted therapy (AAT) are being incorporated into pediatric occupational therapy (OT). The study design was a nonexperimental survey that identified the qualifications of pediatric occupational therapists that are incorporating AAT, the AAT standards of practice that are or are not used in practice, and the barriers and facilitators to being an AAT qualified occupational therapist. There were 21 respondents to the survey. The majority of respondents had a master’s degree, more than 10 years working as an occupational therapist, less than 10 years of experience with AAT, and practiced in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. The data collected indicated that 2 out of the 13 standards of practice and none of the best practice recommendations are being implemented by 50% or more of respondents. The lack of education and awareness of the AAT standards of practice according to the professional organization Animal Assisted Intervention International and the actual role of volunteer organizations may be impacting the best practice implementations in pediatric occupational therapy practice

Size-Dependent Deposition, Translocation, and Microglial Activation of Inhaled Silver Nanoparticles in the Rodent Nose and Brain.

BackgroundSilver nanoparticles (AgNP) are present in personal, commercial, and industrial products, which are often aerosolized. Current understanding of the deposition, translocation, and health-related impacts of AgNP inhalation is limited.ObjectivesWe determined a) the deposition and retention of inhaled Ag in the nasal cavity from nose-only exposure; b) the timing for Ag translocation to and retention/clearance in the olfactory bulb (OB); and c) whether the presence of Ag in the OB affects microglial activity.MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed nose-only to citrate-buffered 20- or 110-nm AgNP (C20 or C110, respectively) or citrate buffer alone for 6 hr. The nasal cavity and OB were examined for the presence of Ag and for biological responses up to 56 days post-exposure (8 weeks).ResultsThe highest nasal Ag deposition was observed on Day 0 for both AgNP sizes. Inhalation of aerosolized C20 resulted in rapid translocation of Ag to the OB and in microglial activation at Days 0, 1, and 7. In contrast, inhalation of C110 resulted in a gradual but progressive transport of Ag to and retention in the OB, with a trend for microglial activation to variably be above control.ConclusionsThe results of this study show that after rats experienced a 6-hr inhalation exposure to 20- and 110-nm AgNP at a single point in time, Ag deposition in the nose, the rate of translocation to the brain, and subsequent microglial activation in the OB differed depending on AgNP size and time since exposure. Citation: Patchin ES, Anderson DS, Silva RM, Uyeminami DL, Scott GM, Guo T, Van Winkle LS, Pinkerton KE. 2016. Size-dependent deposition, translocation, and microglial activation of inhaled silver nanoparticles in the rodent nose and brain. Environ Health Perspect 124:1870-1875; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP234

Is residents’ satisfaction with life a precursor to experiencing emotional solidarity with tourists?

In an effort to explore additional variables as antecedents of emotional solidarity, satisfaction with life (SWL) was considered in this study. More specifically, the research question posed in this paper is, can Deiner et al.’s (1985) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) significantly predict the three factors of the Emotional Solidarity Scale (ESS): welcoming nature, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding? Reliabilities were strong for all four measures. SWLS significantly predicted all three emotional solidarity factors, albeit only explaining a modest degree of variance in each of the dependent variables. Practical implications are discussed

Light-Scattering, Intrinsic Viscosity, and Gold Number Relationships for Some Dextran Fractions

Author Institution: Departments of Bacteriology and Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohi