The benefits of short stay caravan travel based on the lived experiences of grey caravanners in Australia

Recently there has been an abundance of research on “grey nomad” travel in Australia and this subset of drive tourism is regarded as an expanding travel market segment. Grey nomads are older people, 55 years and older, who travel independently for extended periods of time. However, little attention has been given to short-stay travel by older adults who are members of a caravan club. Such membership involves attendance at monthly rallies over a weekend at a selected destination that is usually approximately 200 km from the club's base location. A total of 30 interviews were conducted to explore the benefits of short-stay caravanning to older people's lives. A number of motivations emerged from the interviews, such as friendship with like-minded travelers; discovering new places; and experiencing feelings of enjoyment. Overall, short-stay travel was strongly linked to the importance of making new friends and being part of a social group, as well as the enjoyment received from discovering new and exciting places to visit

Knowledge as contributing factor affecting residents’ support towards a sailing event

The aim of this research is to determine whether knowledge in sporting event would have impact upon the residents’ views and support towards the Monsoon Cup event. This study utilized social exchange theory and data where data were collected through one to one in-depth semi-structured interview. A total of 14 individuals from the organizing team and 36 local residents were chosen. A purposive sampling and a snowball sampling method was used to gain data from among the most ingenuous respondents. Residents were selected according to their demographic background (gender, age and length of residency) and socio-economic background (type of occupation and level of education). Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. The results of this study revealed that with knowledge in sporting event such as water sport, residents would view the overall benefits and costs more positively and support the event. The results also confirmed social exchange theory principles, where knowledge is an exchange element which influences residents’ evaluations of the event as bringing greater benefits than costs. As a reward from the exchange process, residents generally supported the future holding of the Monsoon Cup event

Community engagement in an international sailing event: the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore resident perceptions of, and engagement with a staged sport event, the Monsoon Cup. The Monsoon Cup is an international yachting regatta which is held annually in Terengganu, Malaysia and is strongly supported by their Federal Government to raise the country’s international profile as a popular sport tourism destination. Previous studies have reviewed residents’ attitudes towards tourism development and the factors that influence their perceptions. However, little research has been conducted on residents’ expectations, interests and needs in terms of a specific mega sport tourism event such as the Monsoon Cup. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews was the principal means of collecting data. The sample consisted of local residents living in Pulau Duyong, five kilometers from the capital of Terengganu. Thirty-six residents were interviewed with the majority being male (N = 28), with ages ranging from 20 to 73 years. A number of questions were developed and pilot tested before being posed to the study respondents about the annual staging of the Monsoon Cup. NVIVO 9.1 computer software package was used to code, compare and classify the major themes that recurred or were common in the data set. Findings: The findings provided strong support for the critical importance of actively engaging local residents in the staging of such a large-scale event. In the first year of operation, many of the local residents of Pulau Duyong had enthusiastically participated in MC-related activities; however, the level of engagement had declined significantly in the recent years. In the future, every effort must be taken to focus on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than is currently the case. Practical implications Community feedback suggested that key stakeholders involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup have a critical role to play in the future in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. Greater effort must be made on the part of event organisers to actively recruit local residents to assist with the event planning, promotion and staging of the regatta. In addition, the distribution of brochures on a periodic basis to convey information about event-related activities and opportunities for community engagement were suggested to be a highly desirable first step. Practical implications: Community feedback suggested that the event company involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup had a critical role to play in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. In particular, effort needed to be focussed initially on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than was currently the case. Originality/value: This research will be of great benefit to the key stakeholders involved in the staging of the event, which includes local government, the event organisers, tourism professionals and community residents, by providing deeper insights into matters that residents expressed as being important. This will help to ensure that in the future, all stakeholders will be empowered contributors to the ongoing planning and annual staging of this international event

Class C fly ash activated by low alkalinity activator with controlled setting

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Structural Behavior of Tc and I Ions in Nuclear Waste Glass

AbstractTechnetium-99 (Tc) and iodine-129 (I) are two long-lived fission products of high volatility, which makes their study in glass structure challenging. Both technetium and iodine have broad ranging multivalent chemistry and complex reactivity dependent on redox conditions; technetium and iodine redox may vary from Tc0 to Tc7+ and from I- to I7+. Relatively few studies have been done on their speciation in glass, in part because of their low retention at the temperatures required for glass melting. To better understand the redox and structural behavior of Tc and I in various nuclear waste glasses, a series of technetium- and iodine-containing borosilicate glasses of varied chemistry were prepared at scales ranging from a few grams to hundreds of kilograms. Technetium was included in both high-level and low-level nuclear waste glass formulations under a variety of redox conditions at concentrations ranging from 0.003 wt% to 0.06 wt%. Non-radioactive iodine glass samples were prepared in crucible melts using excess amounts of sodium or potassium iodide salts or ammonium iodate that resulted in concentrations ranging from 0.04 to 1.27 wt% iodine. These samples were also compared to glasses prepared in pilot-scale experiments in which the overall retentions reached 48% and 34% for technetium and iodine, respectively. Tc and I speciation in the resulting glasses were determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). While technetium was found as Tc0, Tc4+, and Tc7+, only I- was identified in these glasses. Previous studies of Tc local environment information inferred from K-edge XAS and Raman spectroscopy identified pertechnetate tetrahedra surrounded by network-modifying cations in oxidized glasses and octahedral TcO6 units in glasses prepared under reducing conditions. Conversely, iodine K-edge XAS of all glasses studied indicate iodide environments with lithium or sodium nearest-neighbors resembling disordered versions of octahedral sites in crystalline lithium or sodium iodide

Geopolymer waste forms for radioactive wastes

Geopolymer formulations, referred to as ‘DuraLith’, have been developed as candidate waste forms for near-surface disposal of a range of radioactive waste streams in the United States. Examples of these radioactive waste streams include Hanford Low-Activity Waste (LAW), Hanford Secondary Waste (HSW), Sodium Bearing Liquid Waste (SBW) at the Idaho site, and Tank 48H waste at the Savannah River Site. These waste streams exhibit an extremely wide variation in chemical composition and radionuclide content, which pose significant challenges for their solidification and stabilization. In this paper, we will review the development, characterization, and properties of DuraLith geopolymer waste forms for various radioactive waste streams. Metakaolin (MK), blast furnace slag (BFS), and Class F fly ash (FFA) were selected as reactive aluminosilicate materials to produce DuraLith waste forms for these wastes. Numerous composite geopolymers have been investigated, such as FFA/BFS, MK/BFS, and MK/BFS/FFA. The alkaline activator is a tailored solution of the simulated waste stream into which alkali hydroxide and silica fume are dissolved. The testing included key radionuclides such as Tc, I, and Cs, which dominate the risk to the environment. Various enhancers such as tin fluoride and Ag-modified zeolites were employed to improve fixation of radionuclides such has Tc and I. The process of solidification of these radioactive waste streams through geopolymerization was monitored by isothermal calorimetry, rheology, and Vicat needle penetration. Cured geopolymer waste forms were characterized for compressive strength and phase composition and microstructure by XRD and SEM/EDS. Selected samples were tested for leachability of heavy metals and radionuclides after 28 days of curing at ambient temperature according to the ANSI/ANS 16.1 and TCLP leach test procedures. Effects of BFS grades and FFA incorporation on the properties of fresh and hardened waste forms were investigated. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract