The Role of Tour Guides as Brokers in Tourism Industry (The Importance of Communication Capital in Shaping Structural Holes in Communication Network)

Tour guides as intermediaries or brokers in tourism industry, play important role in controlling the flow of information, forming structural holes in communication network. Thus a guide has to maximize his capital potentials, either those he possesses or those that he does not, especially communication capital. This paper is aimed at understanding the effect of utilizing the communication capital in order to form structural holes in communication network. This causal relationship will be developed into a new model of analysis of various concepts of capitals as elements forming communication capital, as well as its influence to structural hole theory. The data are obtained by conducting literature review of communication network analysis frameworks. It is concluded in a path analysis model which put financial capital, human capital, social capital, and communication capital as exogenous variables affecting the structural hole as endogenous variable. This model will help tour guides to manage information of tourism products in structural holes. However, this model should be examined deeper in the next researches.     Keywords: intermediaries, tourism industry, structural hole, communication network, communication capita

Public Attention and Financial Information as Determinants of Firms Performance in the Telecommunication Sector

The remarkable progress of information technology had driven every firm to publish their financial performanceby using internet. This circumstance resulted in the high public attention in order to generate the stockreturn. In addition, financial information such as financial ratio namely DER, LEV, NPM, ROI, and ROEwere supposed to influence the firm\u27s performance either in positive or negative effects. This study focused onthe investigation of public attention (PA) and financial information as determinants of financial performanceon four companies in Telecommunication sector, Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), within time period from2007 to 2012. Hereby, we pointed out that public attention and financial information considerably contributeto firm performance, in which the Pooled Least Square (EGLS) with cross section and period weight wasemployed. The results showed that Public Attention (PA) positively contributed towards stock return. Further,financial ratio such as debt-to-equity ratio (DER) negatively influenced the return. Leverage (LEV), net profitmargin (NPM) and return on investment (ROI) positively related to return. However, return on equity (ROE)showed the contrary sign, in which it negatively influenced the return but was statistically insignificant. Then,we reported that the stock price (LNSP) did not significantly contribute towards return (RET)

Brittle failure of inclined key-hole notches in isostatic graphite under in-plane mixed mode loading

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An Exploratory Study of Users’ Preference for Different Planting Combinations along Rural Greenways

The literature highlights the importance of vegetation to enhance the ecological and visual qualities of streets and paths; however, when studies specifically focus on rural greenways they do not consider users' assessments of the planting design. This exploratory study aims to contribute to this issue. It is hypothesized that planting combinations characterized by greater variety and aesthetic flow may be more preferred and restorative. To this end, four virtual scenarios simulating bikers moving along a greenway at 25 km/h were created to find out the following: first, what kind of planting combination is the most preferred, and second, which planting combination is perceived as the most restorative by bicycle riders. To assess the experience, subjects were administered a questionnaire made up of: (i) the Perceived Restorativeness Scale-11 with additional items to assess compatibility, familiarity, and preference; (ii) a list of physical and aesthetic attributes; and (iii) information on bicycle use. The results show that participants' preferences were a ffected by the perception of the scenario's restorative value, which was not given exclusively by the degree of naturalness, but by the opportunity the greenway o ffered to engage in social/physical activities. This study shows that preference and restorativeness are not a "simple" matter of quantity of vegetation, but of quality instead, i.e., planting variety. Designers have to consider that the restorative value of greenways is related to the opportunities they offer to engage in physical/social activities

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the western wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata Gould in Western Australia

A new coccidian species, Isospora lunulatae n. sp., from the western wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata Gould in Western Australia is described and characterised molecularly. Microscopic analysis of a faecal sample identified subspheroidal oöcysts measuring 27–34 × 26–31 (30.6 × 29.4) μm (n = 20), with a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.0–1.1 (1.0). Oöcysts have a bi-layered wall, 0.9–1.2 (1.0) μm thick; the outer layer is smooth, representing c.2/3 of total thickness. Micropyle and oöcyst residuum are both absent, but a polar granule is present. Sporocysts are ovoidal, 17–19 × 10–12 (18.3 × 10.7) μm, with a L/W ratio of 1.6–1.8 (1.7) and occupying about 21% of the area (each one) within the oöcyst. Stieda body is flattened to rounded, measuring on average 0.9 × 1.8 μm; sub-Stieda body is rounded to rectangular, measuring on average 1.5 × 2.6 μm; para-Stieda body is absent. Sporocyst residuum has an irregular shape consisting of numerous granules and appears membrane-bound. Sporozoites are vermiform 12.8 × 3.0 μm on average, with prominent striations at the more pointed end and two refractile bodies below striations. Segments of three gene loci (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and cox1) were sequenced and I. lunulatae n. sp. exhibited 99.6% genetic similarity to Isospora phylidonyrisae Yang, Brice, Berto & Ryan, 2021 at the 18S rRNA gene locus, 99.8% genetic similarity to Isospora anthochaerae Yang, Brice & Ryan, 2014 and shared a 98.1% genetic similarity with Isospora manorinae Yang, Brice, Jian & Ryan, 2016 at the cox1 gene locus. Morphological and molecular data support the distinct species status of the new species

A modified volumetric energy density–based approach for porosity assessment in additive manufacturing process design

Soundness of additively manufactured parts depends on a lot of process and geometrical parameters. A wrong process design leads to defects such as lack of fusion or keyhole porosity that have a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the printed parts. Process parameter optimization is thus a formidable challenge that requires in general a huge amount of experimental data. Among the others, heat source power and scan speed are the most defects-affecting parameters to be optimized. The energy density is used in literature to quantify their combination. Unfortunately, in different works it was demonstrated that it fails if used as design parameter mainly because it does not take into account the material properties and the interaction between heat source and the powder bed. In this contribution, a modified volumetric energy density equation that takes into account the powder-heat source interaction to optimize the combination of power-scan speed values for porosity assessment in powder bed fusion process design is proposed and verified on both AlSi10Mg alloy and Maraging steel 300

Fatigue behavior of hybrid and bonded single lap joints made of composite material

Joining of composite materials can be performed with different techniques and, in particular, trough mechanical fasteners, bonding, hybrid solutions. In last years, hybrid (bolted/bonded) joints are attracting the interest of several companies and scientific community, since the use of both techniques permit to overcome some critical aspects connected to the separate usage of adhesive and bolts, i.e., negative effects of the environmental conditions on adhesive, localized stresses at the notch. This paper aims to improve the knowledge about the fatigue behavior of hybrid CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) joints. For the purpose, experimental fatigue and static tests are performed on hybrid and bonded joints and the results herein discussed. Results are post-processed with the main goal to highlight the benefits led to the hybrid technique with respect to the bonding one