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BOOK REVIEW: Space and place in children’s literature, 1789 to the present, edited by Maria Sachiko Cecire, Hannah Field, Kavita Mudan Finn and Malini Roy, Farnham, Ashgate, 2015. xiii + 250 pp. ISBN 9781472420541
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Theorising the Development Of On-Screen Destinations
No full textWith one in five overseas UK visitors claiming that films or television shows wholly or partially motivated their travel (Steele, 2008) and UK film tourism spending exceeding £1.8 billion (Oxford Economics, 2012), it is not surprising that destinations worldwide are increasingly seeking to leverage on-screen tourism. Moreover, there are now numerous examples of destination image transformations in the wake of on-screen associations - from New Zealand (Lord of the Rings) to Ireland (Game of Thrones). Such on-screen associations primarily result in two forms of tourism – business tourism during film or television show production and leisure tourism when enthusiasts travel to visit their favourite film or television show sets and locations. The latter is inextricably linked to the post-modern production and commodification of cultural signs marketed and consumed by a range of global audiences (Debord, 1967), which make popular culture a destination commodification apparatus. As a result, the multiple cultural meanings underpinning on-screen shows are increasingly being marketed to foster tourism-related benefits for those destinations connected with them (Kim and Long, 2012). This presentation integrates cultural theory and marketing strategy to examine the complex relationship between on-screen popular culture and tourism destination place-making. The review of literature results in the development of an inter-disciplinary conceptual framework - termed ‘On-Screen Dollying’ - that provides a culturally-grounded and contextually-driven theorisation of the means by which popular culture place-making can foster destination development. The presentation identifies the characteristics of on-screen tourism affecting destination development and six strategies for leveraging on-screen tourism. Based on the inter-disciplinary analysis, the presentation proposes a research agenda that integrates on-screen tourism and destination place-making which has implications for policy and theory
Test-Retest Reliability of Measuring the Vertebral Arterial Blood Flow Velocity in People With Cervicogenic Dizziness
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OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this study was to determine the within-session and between-sessions reliability of measuring the vertebral artery blood flow velocities in people with cervicogenic dizziness using Doppler ultrasound at both upper and lower cervical levels.
METHODS:
Outcome measures were taken on 2 occasions 3 weeks apart with no active treatment provided in between the assessments on 12 participants. Pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound was used to quantify time-averaged mean velocities through the vertebral artery at upper cervical (C0-1) and lower cervical vertebrae (C5-6). The clinical outcome measures were also recorded in people with cervicogenic dizziness. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the within-session and between-session repeatability. Paired t test was used to determine the differences in the time-averaged mean velocities of blood flow at the same site of the vertebral artery and the clinical outcome measures in 2 sessions 3 weeks apart.
RESULTS:
In people with cervicogenic dizziness, there was no significant change in both clinical outcome measures and the time-averaged mean velocities when the patients were measured 3 weeks apart (P > .05). This study identified good within-session (ICC: 0.903-0.967) and between-session (ICC: 0.922-0.984) repeatability in measuring the vertical blood flow velocities in patients with cervicogenic dizziness when the clinical outcome measures were unchanged.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study supports the use of Doppler ultrasound to identify changes in mean vertebral arterial blood flow velocities before and after intervention in people with cervicogenic dizziness in future studies
Student-led enterprise groups and entrepreneurial learning
Get PDFThis study considers the phenomenon of student-led enterprise groups in UK higher education institutions with regard to their role and activities and their potential to enhance entrepreneurial learning. The researchers adopted a case study methodology, acknowledging that a multiplicity of variables influences pedagogical development and therefore the findings are intended to further understanding rather than to produce generalizable data. The study’s findings both support and update those of prior studies which posit a link between the groups and opportunities for experiential and social learning. The article also provides a novel focus on learning outcomes for group leaders
Effect of Sex and Body Mass Index on Children’s Physical Activity Intensity during Free Play at an Indoor Soft Play Center: An Exploratory Study
Get PDFBackground: Indoor soft play can provide a safe but exciting physical activity opportunity regardless of environmental conditions. Relatively little is known about the quality or quantity of physical activity engaged in by children during indoor free soft play. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution indoor free soft play can make in enabling children to meet physical activity guidelines and to evaluate the effects of sex and body mass index category. Methods: Seventy-two boys and girls aged five to 10 years engaged in un-controlled indoor free soft play with a mean duration of 120.7 (27.1) min, during which physical activity was monitored using Actigraph accelerometers. Results: Children spent an average of 61.7 (24.2) min engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and 51.4% (n = 37) achieved the recommended 60 min of MVPA through the single visit to the indoor soft play center. Boys (68.3 (25.7) min) engaged in significantly (p < 0.05) more MVPA than girls (55.8 (21.4) min). Normal weight (65.7 (23.3) min) children engaged in significantly more MVPA than overweight children (48.0 (18.9) min). Conclusions: Attendance at a soft play indoor center has the potential to support children to engage in sufficient MVPA and overcome environmental factors that can restrict physical activity opportunitie
Developing Children’s Critical Response to Poetry
Get PDFThis account of an action research project describes how children in two schools became inspired to read poetry by developing their abilities to make critical response by offering them greater freedom of choice and providing opportunities to share ideas with each other. The children who participated
in the study were mixed groups of years 4, 5 and 6.
As a classroom practitioner I have always enjoyed sharing poetry with children and encouraging children to read and enjoy poetry for pleasure. I know, from personal experience, how much children enjoy the varied experiences of poetry but my own observations and NLT research indicate that reading poetry for pleasure has been falling steadily, from 30% of readers choosing this genre in 2005 to just below 15% in 2012. (Clark 2012
Restless legs syndrome/Willis–Ekbom disease prevalence in beta thalassemia patients
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Both beta thalassemia and restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients share some common pathophysiological characteristics related to iron handling. In the present study, the aim was to explore the prevalence of RLS as well as to explore potential association between the syndrome and various quality of life-related parameters in a sample of beta thalassemia patients.
Methods
One hundred fourteen (age 40 ± 11 yr, 59 M/55F) beta thalassemia patients participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Patients were screened for RLS based on the international RLS study group diagnostic criteria as well as a battery of validated questionnaires.
Results
The prevalence of RLS in this sample of beta thalassemia patients was zero. The quality of life score was low (78 ± 18). Iron levels were within normal range (191 ± 66 mcg/dL) while ferritin levels were high as expected (1836 ± 225 ng/dL).
Conclusions
Our sample of patients comes from central Greece where the prevalence of RLS in the general population is 4% while in renal failure patients is 27%. To our surprise, there was no presence of RLS among this sample of beta thalassemia patients. The adequate levels of iron and ferritin often seen in these patients could be the reason of the absence of RLS symptoms