Online Tourist Behaviour: An Evaluation of the Tourism Industry of India

A review of literature pertaining to online travel behaviour shows that most travel purchases in India are done online. In India, 68% of the population book flight tickets directly. India has an urban adult population of 240 million out of which 27% or 65 million go on holidays. India has 205 million internet users and 110 million Smartphone users. Online Travel bookings are expected to grow rapidly as India’s online travel penetration is expected to increase It is not only restricted to online product purchases. This paper is an attempt to discuss online tourist behaviour in the burgeoning Tourism Industry. The paper also looks into some key aspects such as the performance of the service sector, E-commerce and development of internet which are majorly responsible for developing customer expectation. It also throws light on online tourist behaviour and means of delivering a good experience to the tourists through an array of online services

Chick PTPσ regulates the targeting of retinal axons within the optic tectum

Chick PTP (cPTP), also known as CRYP, is a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase found on axons and growth cones. Putative ligands for cPTP are distributed within basement membranes and on glial end feet of the retina, optic nerve, and optic tectum, suggesting that cPTP signaling is occurring along the whole retinotectal pathway. We have shown previously that cPTP plays a role in supporting the retinal phase of axon outgrowth. Here we have now addressed the role of cPTP within retinal axons as they undergo growth and topographic targeting in the optic tectum. With the use of retroviruses, a secretable cPTP ectodomain was ectopically expressed in ovo in the developing chick optic tectum, with the aim of directly disrupting the function of endogenous cPTP. In ovo, the secreted ectodomains accumulated at tectal sites in which cPTP ligands are also specifically found, suggesting that they are binding to these endogenous ligands. Anterograde labeling of retinal axons entering these optic tecta revealed abnormal axonal phenotypes. These included the premature stalling and arborization of fibers,excessive pretectal arbor formation, and diffuse termination zones. Most of the defects were rostral of the predicted termination zone, indicating that cPTP function is necessary for sustaining the growth of retinal axons over the optic tectum and for directing axons to their correct sites of termination. This demonstrates that regulation of cPTP signaling in retinal axons is required for their topographic mapping, the first evidence of this function for a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase in the retinotectal projection

SourcererCC: Scaling Code Clone Detection to Big Code

Despite a decade of active research, there is a marked lack in clone detectors that scale to very large repositories of source code, in particular for detecting near-miss clones where significant editing activities may take place in the cloned code. We present SourcererCC, a token-based clone detector that targets three clone types, and exploits an index to achieve scalability to large inter-project repositories using a standard workstation. SourcererCC uses an optimized inverted-index to quickly query the potential clones of a given code block. Filtering heuristics based on token ordering are used to significantly reduce the size of the index, the number of code-block comparisons needed to detect the clones, as well as the number of required token-comparisons needed to judge a potential clone. We evaluate the scalability, execution time, recall and precision of SourcererCC, and compare it to four publicly available and state-of-the-art tools. To measure recall, we use two recent benchmarks, (1) a large benchmark of real clones, BigCloneBench, and (2) a Mutation/Injection-based framework of thousands of fine-grained artificial clones. We find SourcererCC has both high recall and precision, and is able to scale to a large inter-project repository (250MLOC) using a standard workstation.Comment: Accepted for publication at ICSE'16 (preprint, unrevised

Knowledge and attitude related to use of electronic cigarettes among undergraduate nursing students in an urban university setting in Philippines

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitude toward electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among undergraduate nursing students in the Philippines. Methods: The participants of the study were 122 level four nursing students of West Visayas State University, Iloilo city, Philippines. A standardized self – administered questionnaire was used to collect the data and statistical analyses were performed. Results: Majority of the participants were female, were never smokers and were aware or conscious of the existence of the e-cigarettes. The participants as an entire group and when grouped according to sex, socioeconomic status (Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program - STFAP), smoking status and awareness status had poor knowledge. Furthermore, in terms of attitude the students as an entire group had attitude opposing e-cigarette use. However, when grouped according to socioeconomic status (STFAP), participants belonging to Bracket 5,6 and 8 had attitude opposing e-cigarette use, while Bracket 7 and 9 had attitude supporting e-cigarette use. Never and former smokers had attitude opposing e-cigarette use while current smokers had attitude supporting e-cigarette use. There was no significant relationship between knowledge and attitude of nursing students towards e-cigarettes. Conclusion: Nursing students did not have adequate knowledge regarding e-cigarettes but maintained an attitude opposing e-cigarette use. Poor knowledge did not influence the attitude of participants towards e-cigarettes

Impact of Social Media Platforms on Tourist’s Perception for the Selection of Food Outlets: A Case of Delhi NCR (India)

Purpose: The aim of the study is to examine the impact of social media platforms on food tourist’s perception towards selection of food outlets.   Theoretical framework: Social-media is plethora of information. When information is provided through social media, it also affects the choices and perception of the people. As customers are tend to influence through information, word of mouth, experiences, reviews and of course marketing technique which push the customer to buy the product. The marketing technique of social media promotion for tourist’s products gains a wide range of customers as pictures and videos creates a presumption of the services they will get in future.   Design/methodology/ approach: The study is an exploratory study for which researcher used a sample size of 90 tourists visiting Delhi NCR, India whose prime motive for travelling to Delhi is food tourism. T-Test has been used for the purpose of analysis.   Findings: It has been observed that choices of tourist’s are widely dependent on social media these days, thus, affecting the perception of the tourists towards the selection of food outlets.   Research, practical, social implication: Being the relatively new topic in research academia, the research conducted would help researchers for understanding the choices based on the perception of the food tourists, to widen the food tourism market and help the local community understand how their authentic food can be an attraction for a tourist while providing them with social, cultural and economic benefits.   Originality/value: The study is one of its kind which focuses on food tourism linking the relationship between the impact of social media on perception of food tourist while selecting the food outlet.

Unlocking the Benefits of Outbound Incentive Travel: A Comprehensive Review Study

Purpose The objective of this research was to contribute to the literature on incentive travel programs and provide a foundation for future research in this area. To highlight the social implications of outbound incentive travel programs, including their potential impact on employee well-being, customer relationships, tourism, economic development, and the environment. Theoretical Framework A framework for knowledge generation and theory development in incentive travel is attempted through the literature review.   Design/ Method / approach A chronological analysis of the literature on incentive travel and event tourism is the focal point of this study. With reference to seminal contributions, key terms and concepts are underlined. Journals, publications, and research pertaining to this topic have been reviewed using content analysis. Each article was subjected to a series of content analyses, where the type of content, nature of the research, theme and sub-theme, publication year, type of journals, area or city focus, type of data and analysis tool used, respondent and author profile were all taken into consideration. A total of 45 papers were categorized according to the year they were published and then analyzed using the descriptive analysis approach. Findings The findings of the study are likely to provide a comprehensive understanding of outbound incentive travel programs and their potential benefits and challenges, and offer practical guidance for organizations looking to implement these programs in a responsible and effective manner.   Research, Practical & Social implications The study may identify gaps in the existing literature on outbound incentive travel programs, highlighting areas for future research and exploration.   Originality/ value the study has the potential to contribute to both academic research and practical applications related to outbound incentive travel programs, and may have broader implications for organizational culture, values, and social responsibility

The embodied mandala method as an assessment tool in drama therapy

The Embodied Mandala method evolved out of the Mandala method proposed by Dr. Sue Jennings as a viable structure to explore the self. This research is an exploration of the connection between embodiment, projection and role to the mandala structure and is intended as an integrated mind/body approach to understanding the self. The proposed methodology has been explored with adolescents seen individually and in a group format. Applications of this method for assessment within drama therapy as well as cross-cultural adaptability are discussed