The moderation of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention: A study of potential Chinese visitors to Australia

The overall purpose of this study is to examine the moderating roles of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention among Chinese potential tourists to Australia. Australia is one of the preferred destinations to Chinese tourists, and the China market emerges to be increasingly important to destination marketing organizations in Australia. Echoing the call for more gender studies in the tourism literature and also based on the generation theory, this study employed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey design and used structural equation modelling in its analysis. Survey data were collected through convenience sampling in the Chinese city Harbin at various public venues where urban residents can be found. The study identified Services and Tourism Provisions, Natural Environment and Quality of Life as three destination image dimensions perceived by Chinese urban residents towards Australia. Services and Tourism Provisions and Natural Environment both positively affected tourist attitude, which in turn levered up visit intention. The study found that the effect of Services and Tourism Provisions on attitude was stronger for men than for women, while the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was stronger for women than for men; for the post-1980s/1990s generation, the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was significantly stronger than that for the post-1960s/1970s generation. Implications for tourism marketers and managers are discussed

In Vivo Optical Measurements for Diagnostics and Monitoring of Treatment

The interaction of light with tissue and its use for medical purposes has been under investigation for centuries. Since the early nineteen sixties, the development of novel optical technology and advances in laser design/technology allowed a wide range of innovative applications in many fields of medicine. For the majority of light applications in medicine the distribution of light within tissue is of fundamental importance. The light distribution is determined by the optical properties of the tissue; scattering and absorption. This thesis focuses on two applications of light in medicine, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and optical diagnostics. For each application the effect of differences in and changes of tissue optical properties are investigated. The distribution of light within tissue is of vital importance in PDT and is strongly dependent on the in vivo optical properties. In vivo differences and variations in optical properties are also critically important for optical diagnostics. The hypothesis presented is that the underlying cause of the current limitations in clinical PDT and low sensitivity in optical diagnosis are due to the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of tissue optical properties. This thesis tests this hypothesis by investigating the spatial distribution, inter patient differences, and temporal behaviour of in vivo optical properties by means of in vivo light measurement

The moderation of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention: A study of potential Chinese visitors to Australia

The overall purpose of this study is to examine the moderating roles of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention among Chinese potential tourists to Australia. Australia is one of the preferred destinations to Chinese tourists and the China market emerges to be increasingly important to destination marketing organisations in Australia. Echoing the call for more gender studies in the tourism literature and also based on the generation theory, this study employed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey design and used structural equation modelling in its analysis. Survey data were collected through convenience sampling in the Chinese city Harbin at various public venues where urban residents can be found. The study identified Services and Tourism Provisions, Natural Environment, and Quality of Life as three destination image dimensions perceived by Chinese urban residents toward Australia. Services and Tourism Provisions, Natural Environment both positively affected tourist attitude, which in turn levered up visit intention. The study found that the effect of Services and Tourism Provisions on attitude was stronger for men than for women, while the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was stronger for women than for men; for the Post-80s/90s generation, the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was significantly stronger than that for the Post-60s/70s generation. Implications for tourism marketers and managers are discussed

Generating insights in uncharted territories:Real-time learning from data in critically ill patients-an implementer report

Introduction In the current situation, clinical patient data are often siloed in multiple hospital information systems. Especially in the intensive care unit (ICU), large volumes of clinical data are routinely collected through continuous patient monitoring. Although these data often contain useful information for clinical decision making, they are not frequently used to improve quality of care. During, but also after, pressing times, data-driven methods can be used to mine treatment patterns from clinical data to determine the best treatment options from a hospitals own clinical data. Methods In this implementer report, we describe how we implemented a data infrastructure that enabled us to learn in real time from consecutive COVID-19 ICU admissions. In addition, we explain our step-by-step multidisciplinary approach to establish such a data infrastructure. Conclusion By sharing our steps and approach, we aim to inspire others, in and outside ICU walls, to make more efficient use of data at hand, now and in the future

Using person-specific networks in psychotherapy:challenges, limitations, and how we could use them anyway

Background The complexity of psychopathology is evident from its multifactorial etiology and diversity of symptom profiles and hampers effective treatment. In psychotherapy, therapists approach this complexity by using case conceptualization. During this process, patients and therapists closely collaborate on a personalized working theory of the patient’s psychopathology. This is a challenging process and shows low reliability between therapists. With the experience sampling method (ESM), time-series data—valuable for case conceptualization—can be systematically gathered in a patient’s normal daily life. These data can be analyzed and visualized in person-specific networks (PSNs). PSNs may support case conceptualization by providing a schematic representation of association patterns between affective, cognitive, behavioral, and context variables. Main text We adopt a clinical perspective in considering how PSNs might be implemented to serve case conceptualization and what their role could be in psychotherapy. We suggest PSNs to be based on personalized ESM assessment to capture the unique constellation of variables in each patient. We reflect on the lack of a gold standard for creating PSNs, which may result in substantially different PSNs and thereby disparate information for case conceptualization. Moreover, even if PSNs are created in a consistent manner, results remain ambiguous as they are subject to multiple interpretations. Therefore, associations in PSNs do not allow for firm conclusions about a patient’s psychopathology, but they may nevertheless be valuable in the process of case conceptualization. PSNs are based on systematically gathered, ecologically valid ESM data and provide a unique personalized perspective. When used responsibly, PSNs may be able to support case conceptualization by generating questions that serve as a starting point for a dialog between therapists and patients. Well-targeted questions are an essential tool for therapists to gain insight into the patients’ psychopathology patterns and improve the quality of case conceptualization. Conclusions PSNs have limitations in terms of the reliability of the insights they provide directly. However, taking these challenges into account, we believe they have potential as a tool to help therapists and patients in their collaborative exploration of a patient’s psychopathology. Clearly, this would need to be validated in future clinical research

Ultrasound Doppler Flow in Patients With Chronic Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy

OBJECTIVES: Ultrasound assessments of patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy include determining the degree of neovascularization using Doppler flow. A frequently used measure to quantify neovascularization is the modified Öhberg score. It is unknown whether the semiquantitative modified Öhberg score (0-4+) has higher reliability than a quantified measure of Doppler flow (0-100%). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the interobserver reliability of the modified Öhberg score and a surface area quantification (SAQ) method for Doppler flow in patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy. METHODS: Two observers examined the degree of Doppler flow independently using SAQ and the modified Öhberg score during a single consultation. The intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable difference were determined to evaluate the reliability and measurement properties of the SAQ method and the modified Öhberg score. RESULTS: In total, 28 consecutive patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy participated. The intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver reliability of the SAQ method was 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.91), compared to 0.64 (95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.81) for the modified Öhberg score. The standard error of measurement and minimal detectable difference values for the SAQ method were 2.9% and 8.0%, respectively, and for the modified Öhberg score, they were 0.55 and 1.53 points. CONCLUSIONS: The SAQ method shows good reliability to evaluate the degree of Doppler flow in patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy, and it overcome

Unlocking the talents-in-waiting: Case study analysis of Chinese and Indian high-skilled migrants in South Australia

Nations across the world and through time have used skilled migration mechanisms to boost economic growth and workforce competitiveness. However, effectively using these talents from abroad and transforming this collective human capital into valuable social capital is an on-going challenge. This study applies a case study analysis of skilled migrants from China and India in South Australia and finds that there are multiple barriers to the successful integration of skilled migrants. These barriers tend to block the effective utilisation of migrants’ skills and reduce the ability to advance social capital in the community. The study concludes by putting forward various policy recommendations to overcome these obstacles and outlines ideas for an effective application of a skilled migrant programme