Investigating other leading indicators influencing Australian domestic tourism demand.

In the tourism demand literature, much of the research focuses on income and price variables as demand determinants for travel. Nevertheless, the literature has neglected other possible indicators such as consumers' perceptions of the future course of the economy, household debt and the number of hours worked in paid jobs. In fact, several studies found that these indicators could influence consumers in making decisions to travel. In this paper, we intend to examine whether there are other indicators that can influence future Australian domestic tourism demand. The research employs panel data with a total of 252 observations. For the dependent variables, the disaggregated data for domestic visitor nights will be used, namely the visitor nights by holiday-makers (HOL), business travellers (BUS) and visitors who visited friends and relatives (VFR). In terms of the independent variables, we employ the following proxy variables for this research: (1) the consumer sentiment index; (2) business confidence index; (3) interest repayments for household debt; and (4) average actual worked hours in paid jobs. The econometric model used in this study is a panel three-stage least square (3SLS) model. The empirical results reveal several points. First, it is found that the consumer sentiment index has significant impacts on VFR but not on holiday tourism. Furthermore, the business confidence index has no influence on business tourism demand. The study also finds that an increase in household debt could encourage more Australians to travel domestically, indicating that Australians may consider increasing debt as their confidence to spend increases. Lastly, working hours have a statistically significant effect in the case of holiday tourism data.Consumers sentiment index, Inflation expectations, Household debt, Working hours, Australian domestic tourism demand Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Faculty of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University for providing travel funding to present this paper in the 18th World IMACS/MODSIM Congress. The second author would like to thank Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) for financial supports to produce this paper as part of her PhD thesis.

Modelling Australian Domestic Tourism Demand: A Panel Data Approach.

This study estimates the income and tourism price elasticities of demand for Australian domestic tourism using a panel data approach. Given that about 76% of total tourism revenue in Australia is generated by domestic tourism, it is worthwhile examining whether changes in Australian households income and the prices of domestic travel can influence the demand for domestic travel. The research employs a panel data approach. This method has been widely employed in the literature on international tourism demand, but thus far, has not appeared in the context of the domestic tourism demand literature. The model used for this study is panel Three-Stage Least Square (3SLS). The data employed are based on quarterly time-series from 1999 to 2007 across seven Australian States. The paper reveals some notable results. First, the income elasticity for domestic visiting friends and relatives (VFR) trips in Australia is negative, implying that Australian households will not choose to travel domestically when there is an increase in household income. Second, the national income variables are positively correlated with domestic business tourism demand, indicating that the demand is strongly responsive to changes in Australia s economic conditions. Third, an increase in the current prices of domestic travel can cause the demand for domestic trips to fall in the next one or two quarters ahead. Finally, the coefficients for lagged dependent variables are negative, indicating perhaps, that trips are made on a periodic basis.Domestic tourism demand, Australia, Panel data Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Faculty of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University for providing travel funding to present this paper in the 18th World IMACS/MODSIM Congress. The second author would like to thank Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) for financial supports to produce this paper as part of her PhD thesis.

Wideband, high efficiency optical modulator requires less than 10 watts drive power

Wideband optical modulation system operates with less than 10-watts drive power. It consists of an optical modulator and transistorized driver that combines small cross-section potassium dideuterium phosphate crystals with laser beam-condensing optics. Optical modulation systems may serve importantly in future space wideband communication systems

Wideband high efficiency optical modulator Final report, 15 Feb. 1966 - 15 Mar. 1967

Design of wideband high efficiency optical modulation system tested over 100-MHz ban

Modelling Australian domestic tourism demand : a panel data approach

This study estimates the income and tourism price elasticities of demand for Australian domestic tourism using a panel data approach. Given that about 76% of total tourism revenue in Australia is generated by domestic tourism, it is worthwhile examining whether changes in Australian households’ income and the prices of domestic travel can influence the demand for domestic travel. The research employs a panel data approach. This method has been widely employed in the literature on international tourism demand, but thus far, has not appeared in the context of the domestic tourism demand literature. The model used for this study is panel Three-Stage Least Square (3SLS). The data employed are based on quarterly time-series from 1999 to 2007 across seven Australian States. The paper reveals some notable results. First, the income elasticity for domestic visiting friends and relatives (VFR) trips in Australia is negative, implying that Australian households will not choose to travel domestically when there is an increase in household income. Second, the national income variables are positively correlated with domestic business tourism demand, indicating that the demand is strongly responsive to changes in Australia’s economic conditions. Third, an increase in the current prices of domestic travel can cause the demand for domestic trips to fall in the next one or two quarters ahead. Finally, the coefficients for lagged dependent variables are negative, indicating perhaps, that trips are made on a periodic basis

Perceived Contributions of a College Athletic Advising Program to Graduates

Research has indicated that college student-athletes face many challenges which may make resolving the developmental tasks in the age-relevant stage difficult. The present study examined contributions that the Office of Academic Development for Student-Athletes (OADSA) has made in terms of the accomplishment of certain tasks related to this critical transitional stage between adolescence and adulthood. First-year and transfer varsity athletes who were involved in the academic advising program in 1987 were interviewed over the telephone. There were a total of 46 (56%) former JMU athletes surveyed (30 men and 16 women). Results indicate that the former athletes reported themselves as satisfied with the OADSA and with the following developmental tasks: self-acceptance, making a contribution in a career, relating to others, achieving intimacy, and developing one's spirituality

Spectroscopy of the 6p\u3csub\u3e3/2\u3c/sub\u3enp States of Barium

The 6p3/2np states of barium have been observed for n values between 14 and 21. The energies, linewidths, and transition strengths have been measured and characterized in terms of one- and two-electron interactions, using a single-configuration approximation

From patent to patient: analysing access to innovative cancer drugs.

Analysis of cancer drugs licensed through the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2000-2016 shows that the number of authorisations increased over that timeframe. The median number of licensed drugs each year rose from six for 2000-2008 to 13.5 for 2009-2016. Over 2000-2016, there were 64 drug authorisations for haematological, 15 for breast, and 12 for skin cancer, but none for oesophageal, brain, bladder, or uterine cancer. Only 6% of authorisations included a paediatric indication. The average time for a drug to progress from patent priority date to availability on the National Health Service (NHS) increased from 12.8 years for drugs first licensed in 2000-2008 to 14.0 years for those licensed in 2009-2016. There was evidence that the most innovative drugs were not being prioritised for EMA licensing and NICE approval

Mapping of serotype-specific, immunodominant epitopes in the NS-4 region of hepatitis C virus (HCV):use of type-specific peptides to serologically differentiate infections with HCV types 1, 2, and 3

The effect of sequence variability between different types of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the antigenicity of the NS-4 protein was investigated by epitope mapping and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with branched oligopeptides. Epitope mapping of the region between amino acid residues 1679 and 1768 in the HCV polyprotein revealed two major antigenic regions (1961 to 1708 and 1710 to 1728) that were recognized by antibody elicited upon natural infection of HCV. The antigenic regions were highly variable between variants of HCV, with only 50 to 60% amino acid sequence similarity between types 1, 2, and 3. Although limited serological cross-reactivity between HCV types was detected between peptides, particularly in the first antigenic region of NS-4, type-specific reactivity formed the principal component of the natural humoral immune response to NS-4. Type-specific antibody to particular HCV types was detected in 89% of the samples from anti-HCV-positive blood donors and correlated almost exactly with genotypic analysis of HCV sequences amplified from the samples by polymerase chain reaction. Whereas almost all blood donors appeared to be infected with a single virus type (97%), a higher proportion of samples (40%) from hemophiliacs infected from transfusion of non-heat-inactivated clotting factor contained antibody to two or even all three HCV types, providing evidence that long-term exposure may lead to multiple infection with different variants of HCV