Assessing Differences in Word Use in Online User Generated Travel Reviews across Hotel Segments

The traditional hotel rating systems have largely been replaced by traveler comment systems found on travel related Internet sites. This study seeks to examine the words used in 60,648 online comments by travelers when rating hotels. This study differs from prior research in its focus on the differences in comments between hotel segments. Specifically this study stratifies the data by hotel segment, comparing and contrasting the word use in online travel rating comments. The study found differences in both word use between the hotel segments, and patterns across the hotel segments in the words used in traveler comments when rating hotels. The findings of this study can be used by hoteliers to better understand their market segment, and factors that drive online user generated travel ratings

Model Tractor Teaching Tool

A model tractor was developed to teach students about power consumption and wheel slip of farm tractors. The model was selected because of safety and resource issues. Using this model in the lab provided a safe and quiet atmosphere where the principals of power consumption and wheel slip could be demonstrated and learned. The students that participated in the lab appeared to grasp the concepts that were presented

Comparison of Some Approaches to Determine Spatial Dependence of Soil Properties

Knowledge of variability and spatial structure of soil properties is essential for optimal design for collecting soil samples and effectively applying management decisions in the field. The objective of this study is to compare some approaches for characterizing, and comparing spatial dependence of isotropic second-order stationary processes. The evaluated approaches are the nugget to sill ratio (NR), normalized (by fitted sill) semivariogram, correlograms, and two integral scales. Soil samples, collected at a regular 50 m × 50 m grid from 0-15 cm depths, were analyzed for sand and clay, bulk density (b), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), wilting point, available water content (AWC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3- N), and chloride (Cl) were determined. Geostatistical software (GS+, Gamma Design Software, Plainwell, MI) was used to estimate the variance structure of various measured soil properties. Analysis include using data on the spatial variability of various properties from four published studies. NR displayed spatial dependence ignoring the influence of range, normalized semivariogram and correlogram provided the visual comparison, and both integral scales incorporated the influence of range and provided single number spatial dependence summaries. Either of the integral scale formulations can be used to characterize the spatial dependence of soil properties from agricultural fields

Evaluation of Soil Compaction and Sealant Application for Compacted Earthen Liners

The open earthen pond system is a cost effective system for the production of microalgae and aquaculture products. Studies are required in the development of compacted earthen liners as cost-effective lining technologies to avoid negative impacts on water resources and human health. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different levels of compaction and application of a polyacrylamide polymer as a soil sealant on the hydraulic conductivity of soil. Three soils collected from the existing pond sites were packed into aluminum cores (5 cm diameter), proctor molds (10 cm diameter) and stock pots (60 cm diameter) prior to saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) determination using the constant head method. A negative relationship was obtained between Ks and compaction for sandy loam, sandy clay loam and loam soils. The application of the soil sealant to compacted soil cores, proctor molds and stock pots did not decrease the Ks to the value of 1 x 10-9 m/s or lower to meet the regulatory criteria of compacted clay liners. The dry bulk density versus Ks curves indicate that sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils should be compacted to 1.82 and 1.69 g/cm3, respectively in soil cores and 2.40 and 1.59 g/cm3 in soil molds respectively to meet the regulatory criteria. The puddling experiments with sandy loam and loam soils in the stock pot also showed decreases in soil hydraulic conductivity as finer particles settle out of suspension in the soil pores. These experiments showed that sandy clay loam and loam soil can be compacted to decrease the Ks below the regularity criteria for clay liners. More experiments particularly in small ponds are needed to validate the results of the laboratory experiments

How can I miss you if I don't know you're there?

How Can I Miss You if I Don’t Know You’re There? is an MFA thesis project that addresses the inevitable contradictions and tensions inherent in human/animal relationships. This work is a series of sculptural pieces installed using the tropes of museological methods of display and classification. Concentrating on invertebrates, I engage concepts like empathy, care and mothering in the context of these vilified subjects, contrary to the dominant dualisms characterized by Western, Christian, capitalist culture that hierarchize species. As I explore my entanglement with nonhuman others, attempts to convey affection blur with acts of unintentional subjugation as I implicate myself in the precarious balance between care and harm with respect to the use of living and dead organisms

Mapping hotel brand positioning and competitive landscapes by text-mining user-generated content

YesThis study uncovers hotel brand positioning and competitive landscape mapping by text-mining user-generated content (UGC). Rather than relying on a single dimension of consumer evaluation, the current study detects brand attributes by using both customer preferences as well as perceptual performance to develop meaningful insights. For this, the study combines content analysis and repertory grid analysis (RGA) to answer three key research issues. 111,986 hotel reviews from two biggest Chinese cities are used to explore and visualize the competitive landscape of six selected hotel brands across three hotel categories. Findings from the study will not only advance the existing literature on brand positioning and competitive landscape mapping but also help practitioners in developing brand positioning strategies to fight competitors within and across hotel categories

Twenty-Five Years of Word-of-Mouth Studies: A Critical Review of Tourism Research

It has been 25 years that the topic of word of mouth (WOM) related to the tourism industry has been addressed in top-level marketingjournals. However, there has not yet been a thorough synthesis of the articles, nor has there been an analysis of the approach and the directionthe research has taken. This article will try to address that deficiency, collecting and analysing 25 five years of research following thisstream, utilizing a literature review technique known as the paradigm funne