6664 research outputs found
Sort by
Interpreting relationships among Oktoberfest tourists’ experiences and perceived value, overall satisfaction and loyalty behaviors for better marketing strategy decisions
Get PDFThis chapter contributes to a better understanding of the Oktoberfest tourists’ customer journey, perceptions of attribute quality during the beer tent experience, and how attributes might be classified using moderated regression and multiple dependent variables (DVs). This chapter’s approach integrates Kano’s theory as it fits within the more comprehensive customer journey applied to the Oktoberfest context. Sixteen Oktoberfest beer tent attributes were classified based on how associated with overall satisfaction, a composite of loyalty, and perceived value. Findings support important similarities and differences from earlier findings; using the single DV (satisfaction) for classification, 13 attributes were defined as performance and three as excitement. Using a composite of loyalty as DV, 10 attributes were defined as performance, three as excitement, and one as basic; and, with value as the DV, one was categorized as performance, one excitement, four basic, and 10 indifferent. The use of multiple DVs provided a better understanding of how attributes impact consumer behaviors in an Oktoberfest or beer festival context. Researchers and practitioners should utilize this method to better understand attribute performance and categorization based on different consumer behaviors of interest. In addition, theoretical and practical implications are provided to support the need to consider pre-visit activities and other post-visit feelings and behaviors in future research and logic for experiential tourism
Impact of canine-assisted interventions on the health and well-being of older people residing in long-term care: a mixed methods systematic review protocol
Get PDFObjective:
The objective of this review is to synthesize and integrate the best available evidence on the impact of canine-assisted interventions on the health and well-being of older people residing in long-term care.
Introduction:
Canine-assisted interventions are commonly used as an adjunct therapy to enhance health and well-being, and are often implemented in long-term care facilities. The number of studies undertaken in this area has increased substantially over the previous five years; therefore, an update of two previous systematic reviews is warranted.
Inclusion criteria:
This review will consider older people who reside in long-term care facilities and who receive canine-assisted interventions. For the quantitative component, canine-assisted interventions will be compared to usual care, alternative therapeutic interventions, or no interventions, and outcomes will be grouped under the following headings: biological, psychological, and social. For the qualitative component, the experiences of older people receiving canine-assisted interventions, as well as the views of people directly or indirectly involved in delivering canine-assisted interventions, will be explored. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies published from 2009 to the present will be considered.
Methods:
A search of 10 bibliographic databases and other resources for published and unpublished English language studies will be undertaken. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be undertaken by two independent reviewers following the segregated JBI approach to mixed methods reviews
BIM for infrastructure: an efficient process to achieve 4D and 5D digital dimensions
Get PDFThe introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach in Civil Engineering practices allows an optimization of design through both an improved control of all the components of the project and an increased efficiency in the collaboration between all the professionals involved. In Italy, an increasing attention is being paid by scientists and professionals on the matter, especially due to the publication of the national law DM 560/2017, which will gradually rule the integration of the BIM-based procedures for contractors in major public tenders. The present paper aims to propose a methodology for implementing a dynamic model that permits to optimize time (4D) and cost (5D) efficiency in the different project phases. To achieve this goal the process relies on several authoring tools and 4D/5D modeling software, capable of enclosing the multiplicity of the project data in a unique and shared environment. This study focuses on the most effective methodology to maximize the interoperability between the various used codes. To this effect, a dynamic model involving an optimization-oriented approach for both the quantity surveying and the definition of the design management timeline is presented, which stand as two of the major issues concerning the evaluation criteria of a civil engineering project. Finally, it is important to underline that this bidirectional process allows for an advanced costs estimation of the project and an optimized timeline of the construction activities. Moreover, in case of unavoidable changes during the design phase, it permits to effectively reiterate the process with significant reduction on the overall computational times
Transport infrastructure monitoring by data fusion of GPR and SAR imagery information
Get PDFIn order to maintain the highest operational safety standards, it is crucial that surface and structural deformation caused by geophysical natural hazards and human-related activities in linear transport networks (such as highways and railways) are monitored and evaluated. Today, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a well-established technology among the available non-destructive testing (NDT) methods for the collection of ground-based information. Concurrently, the space-borne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is another well-known viable methodology for large-scale investigations of road network surface deformations. However, it is fair to comment that the potential of this method in the area of transport infrastructure monitoring has not yet been sufficiently explored. Within this context, this research demonstrates the viability of integrating InSAR and GPR for monitoring transport assets at network level. The main theoretical and working principles of the two above-mentioned methodologies have been presented and discussed, and the advantage and drawbacks of each technique have then been analysed. The final section of the paper examines a recent experimental activity carried out on a real-life railway located in Puglia, Southern Italy. Test outcomes prove the viability of the proposed data fusion methodology for monitoring the health of transport assets at network level
Infection prevention and control should be applied as a force for good: minimising restrictions in residential and nursing care. [Editorial]
Get PDFPeople living in care homes have complex social, psychological and physical needs. They often have multiple comorbidities as a result of older age in addition to cognitive decline
‘I’m not too bad with needles’: a qualitative service evaluation of chronic pain patients’ experiences of self-acupuncture
Get PDFIntroduction: Self-acupuncture involves teaching patients to insert acupuncture needles into points on their own body to enable them to self-manage their own symptoms. As part of their routine clinical care, chronic pain patients receiving a course of acupuncture at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, UK, were provided with training in self-acupuncture. A qualitative service evaluation was conducted to explore patients’ experiences of applying self-acupuncture, including perceived safety, effectiveness and practice.
Methods: The evaluation adopted a qualitative approach. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with chronic pain patients to explore their experiences of self-acupuncture. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Analysis of qualitative data revealed all patients had been able to successfully apply self-acupuncture, with no serious incidents of adverse events reported. Patients perceived self-acupuncture as assisting them to manage their symptoms of pain, though effects were perceived as less pronounced than when acupuncture was administered by a trained practitioner. Patients felt more empowered after learning self-acupuncture, and reported improvements to their lifestyle and quality of life. All patients indicated they would recommend self-acupuncture to other chronic pain patients.
Conclusions: The data from the qualitative service evaluation suggests self-acupuncture is perceived by patients as a safe, feasible, and effective intervention to enable them to self-manage their symptoms of pain. Additional research is warranted to investigate this promising self-care technique further
Hippocampal glutamatergic synapses impairment mediated novel-object recognition dysfunction of neuropathic pain in rats
Get PDFCognitive impairment is one of the most common complications associated with chronic pain. Almost 20% of chronic pain patients suffer from cognitive impairment, which may substantially influence their quality of life. Levels of major excitatory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, and alterations in the glutamatergic system may influence cognitive function and the pain sensory pathway. In the present study, we adopted the spare nerve injury model to establish the progress of chronic pain and investigated the mechanism underlying the cognitive aspect related to it. At behavioral level, using the novel-object recognition test, mechanical hypersensitivity was observed in peripheral nerve injured rats as they exhibited recognition deficits. We showed a dramatic decrease in hippocampal glutamate concentration using nuclear magnetic resonance and reduced glutamatergic synaptic transmission using whole-cell recordings. These were associated with deficient hippocampal long-term potentiation induced by high-frequency stimulation of the Schaffer collateral afferent. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography revealed lower levels of D-serine in the hippocampus of SNI rats and that D-serine treatment could restore synaptic plasticity and cognitive dysfunction. The reduction of excitatory synapses was also increased by administering D-serine. These findings suggest that chronic pain has a critical effect on synaptic plasticity linked to cognitive function and may built up a new target for the development of cognitive impairment under chronic pain conditions
Editorial: Researching education and mental health: from ‘Where are we now?’ to ‘What next?’
Get PDFThe mental health and wellbeing of learners and teaching staff rank among some of the most pressing issues facing education as we enter a new decade. Growing rates of emotional distress among school-aged children, the impact of relentless workloads on teacher wellbeing, and the seismic effects of acute low-level funding and childhood poverty are common concerns. These were some of the critical areas for research attention highlighted at the BERA's Mental health, Wellbeing and Education special interest group’s inaugural conference – 'Researching education and mental health: Where are we now?' – in July 2019. This special issue of the BERA Blog presents a collection of papers from the conference, and features groundbreaking projects supporting mental health and wellbeing in education as well as showcasing some of the latest studies to emerge, collectively, helping steer the 2020 research agenda in this crucial area
GPR data collection and processing strategies for railway ballast evaluation
Get PDFRailways are important assets requiring continuous and effective monitoring. Within this context, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are gaining momentum including, amongst others, the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technique. GPR has proven its viability at providing effective condition-based assessment of railway ballast and identifying several different sources of decay. In this paper, the main challenges related to the data collection and processing stages for railway ballast investigations are reported. In addition, a review of main survey protocols and data processing strategies, including state-of-the-art research in this area of endeavor is presented, in terms of the issues related to the configuration of the track-bed structure (i.e., the effects of rails and sleepers on the signal) and the main inspection targets (i.e., ballast fouling, water content and segregation of the aggregates)