Challenges and potential of the Semantic Web for tourism

The paper explores tourism challenges and potential of the Semantic Web from a theoretical and industry perspective. It first examines tourism business networks and explores a main theme of network interoperability - data standards- followed by technology deficiencies of Web 1.0 and 2.0 and Semantic Web solutions. It then explicates Semantic opportunities and challenges for tourism, including an industry perspective through a qualitative approach. Industry leaders considered that the new Web era was imminent and heralded benefits for supply and demand side interoperability, although management and technical challenges could impede progress and delay realisation

GAMBLING WITH OUR TOURISM FUTURE: THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN DESTINATION AND ENTERPRISE STRATEGIES TO AVOID STRATEGIC DRIFT

The coming decade and a half should see major shifts in the leisure and tourism environment reflecting economic dynamics, changing consumer values, political forces, environmental changes and the explosive growth of information technology. This paper explores the way in which some key drivers could affect the global tourism industry to the year 2020. An exploration of these trends allows important change agents, on both the supply side and the demand side of tourism, to be highlighted and discussed. In response, strategies can be formulated by destination managers and tourism operators to avoid strategic drift for their organisations and to develop tourism in a sustainable way

Future eDestination Marketing: Perspective of an Australian Tourism Stakeholder Network.

Tourism destinations are difficult to manage because of the complex relationships of their diverse public and private stakeholders. At the same time, strategic marketing efforts are important for destinations to foster positive consequences of tourism, particularly given the range of opportunities and challenges created by the emergence of social media that destinations can use advantageously. This article aims to explore future eDestination marketing from Australian tourism stakeholder network perspectives. Workshops were convened in July 2012 in Melbourne, Australia, for select stakeholders invited to contribute to the futures national tourism technology strategy. They presented a stakeholder network approach to futures strategy development that aims to contribute to that used in recent national tourism plans and strategies for Australia developed by the government. Building on theories of stakeholder networks and futures, the article demonstrates the value of a futures stakeholder network method compared to traditional government approaches by critically analyzing outcomes of both

Evaluating Islatravir Administered Via Microneedle Array Patch for Long-Acting HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modelling

Background and objectivesTechnologies for long-acting administration of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for the prevention and treatment of HIV are at the forefront of research initiatives aiming to tackle issues surrounding drug adherence with the current standard of once-daily oral administration. Islatravir (ISL) is an emerging ARV that shows promising characteristics for long-acting prevention and treatment both orally as well as through alternative routes of administration. Microneedle array patches (MAPs) are a pain-free and discreet transdermal delivery technology that offer extended-release administration of nanoparticulate drugs. This study aimed to utilise physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling to predict the pharmacokinetics resulting from ISL administered via MAP and to identify key MAP characteristics required to sustain effective concentrations over extended dosing intervals.MethodsA PBPK model describing the conversion of ISL to ISL-triphosphate (ISL-TP) and its whole-body disposition was developed and verified against observed clinical data for orally administered ISL in healthy adults. An intradermal PBPK model was integrated with the ISL PBPK model to predict the dose and nanoparticle release rate required for MAP administration strategies capable of achieving a minimum ISL-TP target concentration of 0.05 pmol/106 PBMCs over extended dosing intervals. MAP design was limited to a maximum therapeutic area of 20 cm2 with a dose loading of 4.09 mg/cm2 and a minimum duration of 3 months. Due to the lack of available clinical data, a range of nanoparticle release rates and MAP bioavailability scenarios were simulated to provide an overview of potential clinical outcomes.ResultsThe ISL PBPK model was successfully verified, with predicted vs observed ratios falling within 0.5-2-fold. ISL MAP doses ranging from 15 to 80 mg were predicted to sustain ISL-TP concentrations above the minimum target concentration at 3, 6 and 12 months after administration. Nanoparticle release rate and MAP bioavailability were found to have a major impact on whether dosing strategies achieved the criteria. Minimum doses of 15 mg and 60 mg with a nanoparticle release rate of 0.0005 h-1 and bioavailability ranging from 25 to 100% were predicted to achieve effective ISL-TP concentrations up to 3 and 6 months, respectively. Doses of 15 mg and 30 mg with a nanoparticle release rate of 0.0005 h-1 were also able to attain the target concentration up to 6 months after MAP administration, albeit with a minimum bioavailability of 75% and 50%, respectively. Furthermore, when simulating a bioavailability of 100%, an 80 mg ISL MAP was predicted to sustain ISL-TP concentrations above the minimum target concentration up to 12 months after administration.ConclusionsThe ISL PBPK model successfully predicted ISL and ISL-TP pharmacokinetics across a range of orally administered regimens. The integrated intradermal PBPK model outlined optimal MAP dose and nanoparticle release rates for effective ISL-TP concentrations up to 12 months, providing justification for further investigation of ISL as a candidate for MAP administration

Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (Waldmann's disease)

Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (PIL) is a rare disorder characterized by dilated intestinal lacteals resulting in lymph leakage into the small bowel lumen and responsible for protein-losing enteropathy leading to lymphopenia, hypoalbuminemia and hypogammaglobulinemia. PIL is generally diagnosed before 3 years of age but may be diagnosed in older patients. Prevalence is unknown. The main symptom is predominantly bilateral lower limb edema. Edema may be moderate to severe with anasarca and includes pleural effusion, pericarditis or chylous ascites. Fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss, inability to gain weight, moderate diarrhea or fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies due to malabsorption may also be present. In some patients, limb lymphedema is associated with PIL and is difficult to distinguish lymphedema from edema. Exsudative enteropathy is confirmed by the elevated 24-h stool α1-antitrypsin clearance. Etiology remains unknown. Very rare familial cases of PIL have been reported. Diagnosis is confirmed by endoscopic observation of intestinal lymphangiectasia with the corresponding histology of intestinal biopsy specimens. Videocapsule endoscopy may be useful when endoscopic findings are not contributive. Differential diagnosis includes constrictive pericarditis, intestinal lymphoma, Whipple's disease, Crohn's disease, intestinal tuberculosis, sarcoidosis or systemic sclerosis. Several B-cell lymphomas confined to the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, jejunum, midgut, ileum) or with extra-intestinal localizations were reported in PIL patients. A low-fat diet associated with medium-chain triglyceride supplementation is the cornerstone of PIL medical management. The absence of fat in the diet prevents chyle engorgement of the intestinal lymphatic vessels thereby preventing their rupture with its ensuing lymph loss. Medium-chain triglycerides are absorbed directly into the portal venous circulation and avoid lacteal overloading. Other inconsistently effective treatments have been proposed for PIL patients, such as antiplasmin, octreotide or corticosteroids. Surgical small-bowel resection is useful in the rare cases with segmental and localized intestinal lymphangiectasia. The need for dietary control appears to be permanent, because clinical and biochemical findings reappear after low-fat diet withdrawal. PIL outcome may be severe even life-threatening when malignant complications or serous effusion(s) occur

Protein-losing gastroenteropathy: Concepts derived from lymphangiography

Lymphangiograms in 2 patients with protein-losing gastroenteropathy showed abnormalities of both abdominal and lower-extremity lymphatics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44359/1/10620_2005_Article_BF02237631.pd

Induction of broad immunity by thermostabilised vaccines incorporated in dissolvable microneedles using novel fabrication methods

Dissolvable microneedle (DMN) patches for immunization have multiple benefits, including vaccine stability and ease-of-use. However, conventional DMN fabrication methods have several drawbacks. Here we describe a novel, microfluidic, drop dispensing-based dissolvable microneedle production method that overcomes these issues. Uniquely, heterogeneous arrays, consisting of microneedles of diverse composition, can be easily produced on the same patch. Robustness of the process was demonstrated by incorporating and stabilizing adenovirus and MVA vaccines. Clinically-available trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in DMN patches is fully stable for greater than 6months at 40°C. Immunization using low dose TIV-loaded DMN patches induced significantly higher antibody responses compared to intramuscular-based immunization in mice. TIV-loaded patches also induced a broader, heterosubtypic neutralizing antibody response. By addressing issues that will be faced in large-scale fill-finish DMN fabrication processes and demonstrating superior thermostable characteristics and immunogenicity, this study progresses the translation of this microneedle platform to eventual clinical deployment

Visitor at-destination information search: a preliminary study

A pilot study involving 38 qualitative interviews of domestic and international visitors to New South Wales was conducted to gain preliminary, in-depth insights into the way visitors search for information when they are at the destination and the impact of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) on their search patterns, including their use of visitor information centres (VICs). The findings suggest that search patterns are very complex, combining many online and offline sources and much of the search indeed happens while at the destination. Visitors bring along a variety of technologies but still rely on printed materials, maps and VICs as they want unique, trustworthy and personalized information from local sources. VICs can play an important role in inspiring travellers and influencing their trip plans if they are conveniently located and provide knowledgeable, friendly staff who actively engages with the visitors

Degrees of sophistication in social media adoption for tourism operators in Australia - a preliminary analysis

Given that SM is one of the mega trends that has significantly impacted the tourism system, this paper aims to provide an initial analysis for tourism operators in Australia in terms of the degrees of sophistication of SM adoption. A survey of 2172 tourism operators in Australia across five industry sectors revealed that two thirds had a Social Media site presence. However, in terms of sophistication measured by number of sites on which they had a presence, their updating frequency of site contents and monitoring the number and level of consumer engagement, the results indicated the level of sophistication could be improved