Rosen Library and STARS: Shining a Light on the Past and Illuminating the Future of Hospitality & Tourism Industry Research

The Rosen College Library\u27s print and electronic collections are rich and tailored to the college’s unique programs and degrees, but that’s just the start of what makes it unique. From access to materials both old and new, to reference support for researchers, to partnerships with industry organizations, to conducive spaces for work and study, the Rosen College Library is an integral part of the Rosen College\u27s research mission and success

The global spatial distribution of economic activity:nature, history and the role of trade

We study the distribution of economic activity, as proxied by lights at night, across 250,000 grid cells of average area 560 square kilometres. We first document that nearly half of the variation can be explained by a parsimonious set of physical geography attributes. A full set of country indicators only explains a further 10%. When we divide geographic characteristics into two groups, those primarily important for agriculture and those primarily important for trade, we find that the agriculture variables have relatively more explanatory power in countries that developed early and the trade variables have relatively more in countries that developed late, despite the fact that the latter group of countries are far more dependent on agriculture today. We explain this apparent puzzle in a model in which two technological shocks occur, one increasing agricultural productivity and the other decreasing transportation costs, and in which agglomeration economies lead to persistence in urban locations. In countries that developed early, structural transformation due to rising agricultural productivity began at a time when transport costs were still relatively high, so urban agglomerations were localized in agricultural regions. When transport costs fell, these local agglomerations persisted. In late developing countries, transport costs fell well before structural transformation. To exploit urban scale economies, manufacturing agglomerated in relatively few, often coastal, locations. With structural transformation, these initial coastal locations grew, without formation of more cities in the agricultural interior

Preliminary evidence for the treatment of performance blocks in sport: The efficacy of EMDR With Graded Exposure

Sport psychologists are increasingly confronted with performance problems in sport where athletes suddenly lose the ability to execute automatic movements (Rotheram, Maynard, Thomas, Bawden, & Francis, 2012). Described as performance blocks (Bennett, Hays, Lindsay, Olusoga, & Maynard, 2015), these problems manifest as locked, stuck, and frozen movements and are underpinned by an aggressive anxiety component. This research used both qualitative and quantitative methods in a single case study design to investigate the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with graded exposure as a treatment method. The participant was a 58-year-old professional male golfer who had been suffering a performance block for 11 years. Specifically, the participant was experiencing involuntary spasms, shaking, muscle tension, and jerking in the lower left forearm while executing a putting stroke. Physical symptoms were coupled with extreme anxiety, panic, and frustration. The study tested the hypothesis that reprocessing related significant life events and attending to dysfunctional emotional symptoms would eliminate the performance block and related symptoms and that the individual would regain his ability to execute the affected skill. Pre-, mid-, and postintervention performance success, using the Impact of Event scale, subjective units of distress (SUD; Wolpe, 1973), and kinematic testing revealed improvements in all associated symptoms in training and competition. These findings suggest that previous life experiences might be associated with the onset of performance blocks and that EMDR with graded exposure might offer an effective treatment method

Performance and Thermal Perceptions of Runners Competing in the London Marathon: Impact of Environmental Conditions

The 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon (2018 VMLM) was the hottest in the race’s 37-year history. The aims of this research were to (1) survey novice mass participation marathoners to examine the perceptual thermal demands of this extreme weather event and (2) investigate the effect of the air temperature on finish times. A mixed-methods design involving the collection of survey data (n = 364; male = 63, female = 294) and secondary analysis of environmental and marathon performance (676,456 finishers) between 2001 and 2019 was used. The 2018 VMLM mean finishing time was slower than the mean of all other London marathons; there were positive correlations between maximum race day temperature and finish time for mass-start participants, and the difference in maximum race day temperature and mean maximum daily temperature for the 60 days before the London Marathon (p 0.05). Of the surveyed participants, 23% classified their thermal sensation as ‘warm’, ‘hot’ or ‘very hot’ and 68% ‘thermally comfortable’ during training, compared with a peak of 95% feeling ‘warm’, ‘hot’ or ‘very hot’ and 77% ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘very uncomfortable’ during the 2018VMLM. Organisers should use temperature forecasting and plan countermeasures such as adjusting the start time of the event to avoid high temperatures, help runners predict finish time and adjust pacing strategies accordingly and provide safety recommendations for participants at high-risk time points as well as cooling strategies

The global distribution of economic activity: nature, history, and the role of trade

We explore the role of natural characteristics in determining the worldwide spatial distribution of economic activity, as proxied by lights at night, observed across 240,000 grid cells. A parsimonious set of 24 physical geography attributes explains 47% of worldwide variation and 35% of within-country variation in lights. We divide geographic characteristics into two groups, those primarily important for agriculture and those primarily important for trade, and confront a puzzle. In examining within-country variation in lights, among countries that developed early, agricultural variables incrementally explain over 6 times as much variation in lights as do trade variables, while among late developing countries the ratio is only about 1.5, even though the latter group is far more dependent on agriculture. Correspondingly, the marginal effects of agricultural variables as a group on lights are larger in absolute value, and those for trade smaller, for early developers than for late developers. We show that this apparent puzzle is explained by persistence and the differential timing of technological shocks in the two sets of countries. For early developers, structural transformation due to rising agricultural productivity began when transport costs were still high, so cities were localized in agricultural regions. When transport costs fell, these agglomerations persisted. In late-developing countries, transport costs fell before structural transformation. To exploit urban scale economies, manufacturing agglomerated in relatively few, often coastal, locations. Consistent with this explanation, countries that developed earlier are more spatially equal in their distribution of education and economic activity than late developers

Facilitators and barriers to physical activity among English adolescents in secondary schools: a mixed method study.

Background: It is evident that physical activity (PA) programmes implemented in schools were not effective in improving PA behaviours among adolescents. This study investigated students’ perceptions of barriers to PA among inactive English adolescents in secondary schools based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour (COM-B) model, the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). The study compared barriers faced by inactive and active groups participating in sports and PA in secondary schools to identify sources of behaviour contributing to inactivity. Methods: A pre-intervention online survey was distributed to affiliated schools by 233 Teaching Schools Alliances (TSAs) as part of the monitoring and evaluation of the Secondary Teacher Training study. Data were cross-tabulated to analyse activity levels and behavioural barriers for active and inactive groups, using the COM-B domains. The research team followed a seven-step process to categorise barriers based on their relevant domain in the TDF mapped to the COM-B. Results: The findings were derived from one of the most extensive surveys of adolescents ever undertaken involving 200,623 active and 8,231 inactive respondents. The study identified 52 barriers and 68 behaviours that prevent adolescents from participating in PA. Psychological and social barriers were found to affect all activity levels, genders, and ethnic groups, with a lack of confidence and self-consciousness being the most prevalent. Certain demographic groups, such as those from minority ethnic groups and disabled individuals, were found to be overrepresented among inactive populations. The finding of the study indicated that there were common barriers that affected both inactive and active groups, with further similarity when examining barriers between active and inactive girls. The study also found that girls were more likely to experience the main barriers compared to boys, while inactive boys were more likely to encounter these barriers compared to active boys. The findings suggest that common barriers could be addressed across the population, while recognising some differences in demographics, and the need to provide personalised support. Targeted interventions are also suggested for all girls and inactive boys. Conclusion: This study highlights the range of barriers that impact adolescents and provides insight into potential mechanisms for behaviour change, including intervention functions, policy categories, and evidence-based behaviour change tools. The study highlights the need for further research to address the barriers to PA among adolescents, particularly those who are inactive. Utilising the findings of this study, future research should investigate the effectiveness of novel digital exercise interventions and policies in increasing PA levels among children and adolescents. Complex digital exercise interventions, including conversational AI solutions, could provide personalised tools to identify and revolutionise support around the multitude of barriers that impact adolescents globally. “For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.

Expanding safe fecal sludge management in Kisumu, Kenya: an experimental comparison of latrine pit-emptying services

Most residents of Kisumu, Kenya, use latrines constructed over basic pits or attached to more durable concrete vaults and septic tanks. Only one-third of fecal sludge generated in the city, however, is safely collected and treated. Programs for improving fecal sludge management among poor households include the development of formal manual emptying organizations that are recognized by local authorities, employ safety procedures, and transport fecal sludge to a treatment site. In this study, we compared the financial structures of these organizations with those of vacuum trucks that primarily serve wealthier households. We also employed an incentives-based strategy to promote the expansion of safe pit-emptying services in a low-income area and compared the performance of three managing groups to coordinate these services: (1) The Association of Wastewater Managers (The Association); (2) a formal manual emptying organization; and (3) a community-based water supplier interested in coordinating emptying services. Vacuum trucks were more cost-effective than the formal manual emptying organization, and The Association was most efficient in servicing poor households. The Association also demonstrated the ability to service low-income areas comprehensively by delegating a fraction of jobs (11%) to formal manual emptiers in locations not serviceable by VTOs, and overall showed the highest potential to achieve pro-poor service delivery at scale