Reflections on Learning from Domestic Travel

Matthew Stone is Assistant Professor in recreation, hospitality and parks management at California State University, Chico, where his research focuses on tourist consumer behavior and educational outcomes of travel. Matthew holds a PhD in recreation, park, and tourism sciences from Texas A&M University. Jim Petrick is a Full Professor, Research Fellow and the Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies in the Department of RPTS at Texas A&M University. His research interest focuses on applying marketing and psychology principles in the context of tourism services to assist tourism entities in better marketing to their clientele.</p

An Investigation of Selected Factors on Golfer Attachment

While little change has occurred in the total number of golfers in the United States, the total number of golf courses is rapidly increasing (3). This increase in market competition has made it vital for resort owners and managers to examine the variables which influence golfers to use and return to their facilities. A relationship that appears to form between golfers and golf courses which has been neglected is place attachment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not place attachment actually occurs on a golf course. A second purpose was to investigate the relationship between attachment and a golfer\u27s proximity to the course, gender, age, frequency of play, handicap and income. A third purpose was to examine the relationship between attachment to course and overall satisfaction and perceived value. Subjects (N=l,397) were randomly selected by tee times stratified by weekday and weekend and season of the year at six different Cleveland Metro Parks golf courses. Of the golfers that participated, the average age was 49.9, 70.2% were married, 79.9% were male, and the median household income was $50,000 to$59,999. Results show that a distinct variable of attachment emerged from golfers\u27 perceptions. Further, age, frequency of play, perceived value and overall satisfaction were all found to have strong relationships to attachment. Managerial implications and applicability are discussed

Millennials: America’s cash cow is not necessarily a herd

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the travel motivations, perceived benefits of travel, and the utility of travel mediums among US millennials. Design/methodology/approach – In order to further examine the homogeneity of millennial travelers, millennials were put into two subgroups based on their age and annual income. Data were collected in multiple phases, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. Findings – Results revealed that several significant differences exist between the proposed millennial subgroups, labeled “young and free millennials” and “professional millennials.” Research limitations/implications – Implications from this study include direction for both tourism marketers and destination suppliers based on the differences and perceptions of both groups and suggest millennials are not a homogeneous market. Originality/value – Millennials are far from being part of a homogenous cohort. Therefore, the current study sought to examine differences in the benefits received from travel and the primary reasons to travel among distinct millennial segments

Radiation Hardened 10BASE-T Ethernet Physical Layer (PHY)

Embodiments may provide a radiation hardened 10BASE-T Ethernet interface circuit suitable for space flight and in compliance with the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet. The various embodiments may provide a 10BASE-T Ethernet interface circuit, comprising a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a transmitter circuit connected to the FPGA, a receiver circuit connected to the FPGA, and a transformer connected to the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit. In the various embodiments, the FPGA, transmitter circuit, receiver circuit, and transformer may be radiation hardened

TONI - One for all? Participatory development of a transtheoretic and transdiagnostic online intervention for blended care

Background Internet-based interventions offer a way to meet the high demand for psychological support. However, this setting also has disadvantages, such as the lack of personal contact and the limited ability to respond to crises. Blended care combines Internet-based interventions with face-to-face psychotherapy and merges the benefits of both settings. To ensure the uptake of blended care in routine care, Internet-based interventions need to be suitable for different therapeutic approaches and mental disorders. Objective This paper describes the participatory development process of the Internet-based intervention “TONI” using a common therapeutic language and content on various transdiagnostic topics to be integrated into routine outpatient psychotherapy. Methods To develop this intervention in a participatory manner, we followed the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework. In a multilevel development process, we used a combination of interviews, focus groups, and proofreading to optimally tailor online modules to routine outpatient psychotherapy. Building on well-established cognitive-behavioral online content, we included expert interviews with psychodynamic (n = 20) and systemic psychotherapists (n = 9) as well as focus groups with psychotherapists of different approaches (n = 10) and persons with lived experience of mental illness (PWLE; n = 10). Results We describe the development process of TONI step-by-step, outlining the specific requirements that therapists from different therapeutic approaches as well as PWLE have and how we implemented them in our intervention. This includes the content and specific exercises in the online modules, aspects of data protection, language, design, and usability. Conclusion Internet-based interventions that use a common therapeutic language and address therapeutic principles across different approaches have the potential to advance digitalization in psychotherapy. Involving psychotherapists and PWLE in intervention development may positively impact acceptance and usage in practice. This study shows how participatory intervention development involving both psychotherapists and PWLE can be carried out

STIRAP transport of Bose-Einstein condensate in triple-well trap

The irreversible transport of multi-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is investigated within the Stimulated Adiabatic Raman Passage (STIRAP) scheme. A general formalism for a single BEC in M-well trap is derived and analogy between multi-photon and tunneling processes is demonstrated. STIRAP transport of BEC in a cyclic triple-well trap is explored for various values of detuning and interaction between BEC atoms. It is shown that STIRAP provides a complete population transfer at zero detuning and interaction and persists at their modest values. The detuning is found not to be obligatory. The possibility of non-adiabatic transport with intuitive order of couplings is demonstrated. Evolution of the condensate phases and generation of dynamical and geometric phases are inspected. It is shown that STIRAP allows to generate the unconventional geometrical phase which is now of a keen interest in quantum computing.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. To be published in Laser Physics (v. 19, n.4, 2009

Prevalence of human papillomavirus among oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) has been hypothesised as a risk factor for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but aetiological research has been limited by the varying methodology used for establishing HPV prevalence. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to estimate the prevalence of HPV DNA detected in OSCC tumours and the influence of study characteristics.Methods:Study-level estimates of overall and type-specific HPV prevalence were meta-analysed to obtain random-effects summary estimates.Results:This analysis included 124 studies with a total of 13 832 OSCC cases. The average HPV prevalence (95% confidence interval) among OSCC cases was 0.277 (0.234, 0.320) by polymerase chain reaction; 0.243 (0.159, 0.326) by in situ hybridisation; 0.304 (0.185, 0.423) by immunohistochemistry; 0.322 (0.154, 0.490) by L1 serology; and 0.176 (0.061, 0.292) by Southern/slot/dot blot. The highest HPV prevalence was found in Africa and Asia, notably among Chinese studies from provinces with high OSCC incidence rates.Conclusions:Future research should focus on quantifying HPV in OSCC cases using strict quality control measures, as well as determining the association between HPV and OSCC incidence by conducting large, population-based case–control studies. Such studies will provide a richer understanding of the role of HPV in OSCC aetiology

Advancing the use of noncoding RNA in regulatory toxicology: Report of an ECETOC workshop

The European Centre for the Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) organised a workshop to discuss the state-of-the-art research on noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as biomarkers in regulatory toxicology and as analytical and therapeutic agents. There was agreement that ncRNA expression profiling data requires careful evaluation to determine the utility of specific ncRNAs as biomarkers. To advance the use of ncRNA in regulatory toxicology, the following research priorities were identified: (1) Conduct comprehensive literature reviews to identify possibly suitable ncRNAs and areas of toxicology where ncRNA expression profiling could address prevailing scientific deficiencies. (2) Develop consensus on how to conduct ncRNA expression profiling in a toxicological context. (3) Conduct experimental projects, including, e.g., rat (90-day) oral toxicity studies, to evaluate the toxicological relevance of the expression profiles of selected ncRNAs. Thereby, physiological ncRNA expression profiles should be established, including the biological variability of healthy individuals. To substantiate the relevance of key ncRNAs for cell homeostasis or pathogenesis, molecular events should be dose-dependently linked with substance-induced apical effects. Applying a holistic approach, knowledge on ncRNAs, 'omics and epigenetics technologies should be integrated into adverse outcome pathways to improve the understanding of the functional roles of ncRNAs within a regulatory context