bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Psychosocial Dynamics of Youth Disability Sport
Authors: Martin Jeffrey
Published: January 2012

The Psychosocial Dynamics of Youth Disability Sport

The purpose of this article is to review research on the psychosocial aspects of youth disability sport and physical activity (PA). Sport psychology research spanning the self-perception areas of self-concept, self-esteem, athletic identity, self-efficacy, and perceived competence will be examined. More specifically research documenting the psychological benefits of disability sport will be covered such as self-esteem enhancement. A second focus of the current chapter will be on the social aspects of disability sport. For instance, both the positive (e.g., enhanced peer relations) and negative (e.g., teasing) ramifications of sport and PA involvement will be reviewed. Research on the family, parents, siblings, and peers will be examined. Finally, the intersection of both areas (i.e., psychological and social) will also be covered as social mechanisms of influence (e.g., parental encouragement) have strong influences on psychological constructs such as athlete's perceived competence and PA. The chapter will be concluded with a brief summary.
Sport, Social Division and Social Inequality
Authors: Jarvie Grant
Published: January 2012

Sport, Social Division and Social Inequality

This article examines different forms of social division and social inequality which impact upon contemporary sport. The research draws upon and contributes to contemporary sports participation data in one country. It also draws upon some examples of research from countries other than UK in order to provide a broader international perspective. It examines new forms of inequality and some of the ways in which sport has helped to support social change. It suggests that future researcher examining the relationship between sport and social inequality might think of this in at least three ways (i) inequality of condition; (ii) inequality of opportunity and (iii) inequality of capability. The research supports the argument that sport has a part to play in improving the life chances. The research provides a valuable comparative example from which to develop further comparative research in this area.
Epistemology of Health, Quality of Life, Social Connectedness and the Contribution of Sports for Subjective Wellbeing
Authors: Teixeira Reis Andre
Published: January 2012

Epistemology of Health, Quality of Life, Social Connectedness and the Contribution of Sports for Subjective Wellbeing

In this article, literature about the perspectives on the understanding and epistemology of health is addressed. This evolutionary process has opened new terms for a wider understanding of health, quality of life and well-being. From this, concepts of health are addressed through the role of personal consciousness and intentionality within the group context, and the specific term subjective social well-being (SSWB) will be employed to explore social experiences through sports. Because health is a complex issue and because interventions need to be similarly complex, the science underpinning this work must integrate information from the many disciplines (medicine, nursing, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, biology, history, law, and demography, among others). Finally, the role of physical activities and sports for the attaining of SSWB and fundamental questions for researchers will be discussed.
"Is Intensity Decisive?" Changes in Levels of Self-efficacy, Stages of Change and Physical Activity for Two Different Forms of Prescribed Exercise
Authors: Bredahl Thomas , Singhammer John , Roessler Kirsten
Published: January 2012

"Is Intensity Decisive?" Changes in Levels of Self-efficacy, Stages of Change and Physical Activity for Two Different Forms of Prescribed Exercise

This study explores the long-term treatment effect on levels of self efficacy, stages of change and physical activity of prescribed exercise (EoP) for two different groups: a treatment group (TG) which includes patients with hypertension and a prevention group (PG). This study is an evaluation of best practice. Analyses were conducted at baseline and after 4, 10 and 16 months. The TG received group-based training and motivational counseling. The PG received motivational counseling only. No significant change in self-efficacy across time and no differences between groups were found. A significantly greater probability of reporting high level of stages of change was observed for the TG. No differences were observed between the groups across time. A significant increase in physical activity level across time was found, but no differences between the groups were found. EoP improves participants' level of physical activity and stages of change, regardless of the intensity of the intervention.
Funding Options for Sports Organizations
Authors: Kosík Miloš
Published: January 2012

Funding Options for Sports Organizations

When the level of funding for sport compared to the overall state budget, or be related to the gross domestic product can be ascertained that in the past twenty years, the money directed to this area is constantly decreasing. In the imaginary scale of the European Union are under study, the Czech Republic is among the lowest rungs. The analysis is not only taking the top sport, but also activities in the field of sport for all, support for youth, sports and similar construction. This article aims to report on funding opportunities in sport, focusing on the Czech Republic. What are the possible ways of acquiring money from different sources public, private and international (public budget, entrepreneurial appropriation, bank credits, EU sources, Bohemian and Moravian federation of physical training).
Psychological Predictors of Injury among Professional Soccer Players
Authors: Devantier Casper
Published: January 2012

Psychological Predictors of Injury among Professional Soccer Players

Objectives:Numerous empirical studies suggest that specific psychological factors influence the frequency and severity of sport injuries. The main purpose of the present study is to outline the psychological factors, which predict increased injury vulnerability among professional male soccer players in Denmark. Based on the Stress-Injury Model by Williams & Anderson (1998) it is hypothesized that low coping resources, high competitive trait anxiety, and history of previous injuries would be positively related to an increased risk of injury occurrence and severity.Methods:The soccer players (N = 87) were asked to report history of previous injuries within the last 12 months. Furthermore, 2 questionnaires were used; Competitive Trait Anxiety Test, and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory - 28 (ACSI-28). Injuries were prospectively recorded throughout a period of approximately 3 months by the team's medical staff (doctors and physiotherapists).Results:Study findings clearly suggest that history of previous injury and coping with adversity are the best predictors of injury occurrence. These factors explained between 7 % and 11 % of the total variance of injury occurrence and days lost due to injury respectively. Furthermore, the same variables were found very successful in prediction injury occurrence.Conclusions:The findings support the suggestions that psychological factors can be utilized as a predictive measurement to sport injuries, which should be considered by coaches and medical staff in order to reduce vulnerability to injury.
High School Volleyball Coaches Instructional Approaches and Perceptions to using Athlete Created Pre-competition Warm-up Music
Authors: Yeats Jeremy , Smith Mark
Published: January 2012

High School Volleyball Coaches Instructional Approaches and Perceptions to using Athlete Created Pre-competition Warm-up Music

Research has shown psychological, psychophysical, and physical effects of music in sport (Bateman & Bale, 2009). However, music has received little attention among sport scholars. The purpose of this study was to examine high school varsity volleyball coaches' pedagogical assumptions and practices of allowing female high school volleyball teams to create and play their own pre-competition warm-up music. Eleven head coaches of female high school varsity volleyball teams who employed athlete created pre-competition warm-up music were interviewed (minimum 45 minutes). All interviews were transcribed then analyzed using open and axial coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). All 11 coaches believed that having athletes create and develop pre-competition music positively impacted athlete performance. Analysis further illustrated the coaches believed a connection exists between the use of music and athletic performance across three themes, increased motivation, mood, and team cohesion. Coaches interviewed in this study believed that music provided a consistent and inspirational routine. A limitation of this study is that actual performance was not measured, so future research is needed to examine the actual impact of music on athletic performance, as well as the impact of warm-up music in other sport settings.
Fair Play in the Perspective of Contemporary Sport
Authors: Sekot Aleš
Published: January 2012

Fair Play in the Perspective of Contemporary Sport

Sport as a socio-cultural phenomenon of modern times is often portrayed as a renaissance of the Olympic ideals. Today, however, we can see that sports in many cases contributes to the emancipation process, particularly in developing countries, offers opportunities for strengthening national identity and fosters respect for state symbols. A wider context of applying the principle of fair play in sports has its indisputable philosophical and ethical dimensions. The first expresses the widening gap between high performance sports and recreational sports. The importance of schools in the value modeling of the principle of fair play in general and at the level of sports is given by the fact that their very nature is aimed at socialization and education. Olympic Movement must ensure that the Olympic Games preserve both the Olympic values and the principles of protecting the environment, respond to the needs of the young generation of athletes and enhance gender equality and equal opportunities.
Relationships of Barge Bow Force–Deformation for Bridge Design
Authors: Getter Daniel J. , Consolazio Gary R.
Published: January 2012

Loads generated during vessel collisions with bridges are inherently dependent on force–deformation characteristics of the impacting vessel. Currently in the United States, barge impact forces used in bridge design are computed with a force–deformation (crush–curve) model proposed by AASHTO. A recent study uncovered important limitations in the AASHTO barge-crushing model, and a revised procedure for developing barge force–deformation relationships was developed. However, relationships developed in this previous study were based on the assumption that impact occurred directly head on to the impacted pier; the scenario was unlikely. Impact more likely occurs at some oblique angle. This paper shows that barge impact forces on flat-faced pier surfaces (i.e., rectangular columns or waterline pile caps) are typically less severe when collisions occur at even small oblique angles. Thus, the current study focused on updating the prior crushing model to account probabilistically for reduced forces associated with oblique impact. In this paper, oblique impact forces were quantified by means of a series of high-resolution simulations of finite element barge bow crushing. Results obtained from these simulations were used in a probabilistic study to develop a force prediction model that implicitly accounted for the relative likelihood of impact occurring at particular angles. Findings from the current study were then integrated into the previously developed barge-crushing model to produce a design-oriented calculation framework that would permit bridge designers to account easily for force reductions that arise in oblique impact scenarios.
Design and Construction of Two New Retrofit Combination Steel and Concrete Bridge Rail Designs
Authors: Williams William F. , Boyd Charles E.
Published: January 2012

The Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) has several bridges that were constructed in the early 1970s and use two parapet bridge railing systems that are combinations of metal and concrete. These railings use an aluminum post-and-rail system anchored to the top of a concrete parapet. Both systems are used on high-speed roadways. The rails are often damaged by vehicular crashes and nuisance hits. The damaged aluminum rail components are expensive to fabricate and replace. Rail 1 is 2 ft 9 in. high and uses a cast-aluminum post with a round-tube rail anchored to the top of a vertical concrete parapet. Rail 2 is 3 ft 3 in. high and uses a cast-aluminum post with a rectangular-tube rail anchored to the top of a concrete Jersey-shaped parapet. Both metal rails are anchored to the parapets by cast-in-place anchor bolts. This paper presents the designs and details of two retrofit steel railings that use adhesive anchoring systems. These new railing designs are less expensive and easier to repair than the aluminum post-and-rail system. The retrofit designs presented in this paper meet the strength requirements of Test Level 4 of NCHRP Report 350. Design information and full-scale strength testing data used to develop the Texas DOT T401 bridge rail were also used to design these two retrofit designs. These retrofit designs were successfully installed on six bridges in Florida (approximately 4,000 ft).
Experimental and Analytical Evaluations of Confinement Reinforcement in Pretensioned Concrete Beams
Authors: Ross Brandon E. , Hamilton H. R. (Trey) , Consolazio Gary R.
Published: January 2012

The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications require that confinement reinforcement be placed around prestressing strands in the bottom bulb of pretensioned concrete beams. Although the AASHTO specifications contain prescriptive requirements for the quantity and placement of confinement reinforcement, the effect of such reinforcement on end region behavior is not well understood. To evaluate the function and effect of confinement reinforcement, 12 tests were conducted on precast pretensioned beams loaded in three-point bending at a shear span-to-depth ratio of 1.0. Variables in the test program included strand size, strand quantity, prestressing force, and the presence or lack of confinement reinforcement. In the tests, the confinement reinforcement neither prevented nor delayed strand slip but improved shear capacity and displacement ductility and prevented splitting failure. Experimental results also indicated transverse strain in the concrete above the bearing pad, which eventually led to splitting failure in test beams without confinement reinforcement. An elastic finite element analysis of the test beam was conducted to model the strain distributions in the test beams before cracking. Results from the analyses matched well with the experimental results. In particular, the magnitude and distribution of the transverse concrete strain measured at the end of the beam agreed well with the experimental results.
Characterization of Strength and Durability of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete under Variable Curing Conditions
Authors: Ahlborn Theresa (Tess) M. , Harris Devin K. , Misson Donald L. , Peuse Erron J.
Published: January 2012

One of the latest advancements in concrete technology is ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), a fiber-reinforced, densely packed material that exhibits increased mechanical performance and superior durability compared with normal- and high-strength concretes. UHPC has great potential to be used in the bridge market in the United States. However, to gain acceptance by designers, contractors, precasters, and owners, this material needs to be tested according to ASTM International and AASHTO standards, and new practices must be developed. The variability in performance that is based on new challenges of mixing and curing must also be considered. The effects of curing regimes and specimen age on the strength and durability properties of a fiber-reinforced UHPC was investigated. Regardless of when the thermal treatment was applied, UHPC consistently attained compressive stresses above 30 ksi (207 MPa), a modulus of elasticity of approximately 8,000 ksi (55 GPa), and a Poisson's ratio of 0.21. Flexural characteristics were enhanced with high-temperature curing. UHPC also demonstrated extremely high resistance to freeze–thaw cycling (with a durability factor of more than 100), coefficient of thermal expansion values only slightly higher than that of normal-strength concrete, and negligible chloride ion penetration. Furthermore, modified versions of ASTM and AASHTO standard testing methods were employed to aid in development of draft standards for testing some UHPC material properties in the United States that will eventually lead to a national design code.
Transfer and Development Lengths and Prestress Losses in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Beams
Authors: John Emerson E. , Ruiz Edmundo D. , Floyd Royce W. , Hale W. Micah
Published: January 2012

Results from a project that measured the transfer and development lengths and prestress losses of beams cast with ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) are presented. Seven beams measuring 6.5 × 12 × 18 ft were cast. The beams had compressive strengths that ranged from approximately 27 to 29 ksi. The results were compared with the calculated values derived from the AASHTO load and resistance factor design (AASHTO LRFD) bridge specifications, NCHRP Report 603, and the University of New South Wales design guidelines for prestressed UHPC beams. The research findings indicated that measured transfer and development lengths were shorter than those predicted with the use of the various design guidelines and recommendations developed for conventional concrete. However, measured transfer lengths correlated well with those predicted with NCHRP 603 (neglecting f'ci limits) and University of New South Wales recommendations and guidelines. The AASHTO LRFD specifications overestimated transfer length, development length, and prestress losses (refined method) by approximately 50%. The data also showed that the contribution of creep and shrinkage in prestress losses was minimal.
Structural Behavior of Waffle Bridge Deck Panels and Connections of Precast Ultra-High-Performance Concrete
Authors: Aaleti Sriram R. , Sritharan Sri , Bierwagen Dean , Wipf Terry J.
Published: January 2012

The AASHTO strategic plan in 2005 identified extending the service life of bridges and accelerating bridge construction as two of the grand challenges in bridge engineering. Previous studies have shown that using a prefabricated full-depth precast concrete deck system not only accelerated the bridge deck rehabilitation process but also extended its service life with reduced user delays and lower life-cycle costs. The recent use of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) in the United States for bridge applications has proved efficient and economical because of its superior structural and durability characteristics. On the basis of the advantages of UHPC and precast systems, a design for a full-depth UHPC waffle deck panel system was developed. A full-scale, single-span, 60-ft long by 33-ft wide prototype bridge with full-depth prefabricated UHPC waffle deck panels has been planned as a replacement bridge in Wapello County, Iowa. In support of this project, structural performance and constructability of the UHPC waffle deck system and its critical connections were studied through an experimental program at Iowa State University. Two prefabricated, full-depth, UHPC waffle deck panels were connected to two 24-ft long precast prestressed girders, and the system was tested under service, fatigue, and ultimate loads. On the basis of the test observations and results and the experience gained from fabrication of deck panels and casting of UHPC infill joints (transverse and longitudinal), the prefabricated UHPC waffle deck system concept was found to be a viable option to achieve the goals of the AASHTO strategic plan.
Fatigue Response in Bridge Deck Connection Composed of Field-Cast Ultra-High-Performance Concrete
Authors: Graybeal Benjamin A.
Published: January 2012

The use of prefabricated concrete bridge deck components can offer many advantages over conventional cast-in-place construction techniques. However, completing the overall bridge system requires the installation of connecting elements. The state of the practice for these connecting elements has been deficient in resilience, durability, and ease of construction. An ongoing research effort at FHWA, in conjunction with partners from the New York State and Iowa Departments of Transportation, is focused on engaging the advantageous properties of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to develop a new type of detail applicable to deck-level connections between prefabricated modular bridge components. This physical testing program investigated the structural performance of a field-cast UHPC connection under repeated truck wheel loading. The connection—150 mm (5.9 in.) thick and 152 mm (6 in.) wide—was designed as a noncontact lap splice with straight 16M (No. 5) steel reinforcement. After more than 11 million structural-loading cycles at progressively increasing load levels, individual bars within the connection began to fail in metal fatigue. The stress range in the reinforcement at initial fatigue failure was conservatively estimated at 197 MPa (28.6 ksi). No debonding or slippage of reinforcement was observed. The performance of this connection detail demonstrated the types of details that can be developed and deployed with field-cast UHPC.
Evaluation of Load Rating and System Reliability of Movable Bridge
Authors: Gokce H. Burak , Catbas F. Necati , Frangopol Dan M.
Published: January 2012

Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques can provide effective complementary means for the current bridge management system by reducing the uncertainty and by seamlessly integrating with state-of-the-art data management and Internet-based communication systems through information technology. However, SHM applications and studies do not fully exploit either statistical analysis of the collected data or structural reliability on the basis of sensor information. These additions can greatly enhance SHM to allow for more accurate and efficient data analysis, to predict future conditions, and to minimize life-cycle cost. An analytical simulation was set up with a field-validated finite element model (FEM) of an existing movable bridge to demonstrate how component and system reliability analysis can be performed. The validation of the FEM was performed with the use of the monitoring data from the bridge balance tests as well as a load test with a specialized truck. The validated model was then analyzed to estimate the load rating and reliability of the system when the model was loaded under HL-93 load (lane load and moving design truck). The load rating at critical locations and bridge system reliability as a function of truck location are presented.
Seismic Retrofitting of Cruciform-Shaped Columns by Jacketing with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Authors: Walkenhauer Brian J. , McLean David I. , Boone Craig , Lamont Michael
Published: January 2012

This study investigated retrofit measures for improving the seismic performance of cruciform-shaped columns in the Aurora Avenue Bridge in Seattle, Washington. Tests on column specimens representing as-built conditions resulted in shear failures at modest displacement levels, accompanied by severe strength and stiffness degradation. Tests on column specimens retrofitted with jacketing of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) resulted in improved performance compared with that obtained for the as-built column specimens. The FRP jacket needed to be anchored in the reentrant corners of the cruciform-shaped columns to be effective. In addition, the FRP jacket did not provide adequate confinement to prevent flexural hinge degradation. The final retrofit design that incorporated reentrant corner anchorage and grout-filled steel collars at the plastic hinge regions produced a ductile flexural response.
A new glacier inventory for the Jostedalsbreen region, Norway, from Landsat TM scenes of 2006 and changes since 1966
Authors: Paul Frank , Andreassen Liss M. , Winsvold Solveig H.
Published: January 2012

Pronounced changes in glacier mass and length were observed for the monitored glaciers in the Jostedalsbreen region, Norway, since the last glacier inventories were compiled in the 1960s and 1980s. However, the current overall extent of the glaciers in the region is not well known. To obtain this information, we have compiled a new inventory from two mosaicked Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes acquired in 2006 that have excellent snow conditions for glacier mapping, the first suitable scenes for this purpose after 22 years of imaging with TM. Drainage divides and topographic inventory parameters were derived from a 25 m national digital elevation model for 1450 glaciers. By digitizing glacier outlines from 1 : 50 000 scale topographic maps of 1966, we calculated changes in glacier area for ~300 glaciers. Cumulative length changes for the 1997–2006 period were derived from an additional TM scene and compared with field measurements for nine glaciers. Overall, we find a 9% area loss since 1966, with a clear dependence on glacier size; however, seasonal snow in 1966 in some regions made area determination challenging. The satellite-derived length changes confirmed the observed high spatial variability and were in good agreement with field data (±1 pixel), apart from glacier tongues in cast shadow. The new inventory will be freely available from the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) glacier database.
Dynamics and mass balance of four large East Antarctic outlet glaciers
Authors: Stearns Leigh A.
Published: January 2012

The East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) is Earth’s largest reservoir of fresh water and has the potential to raise sea level by ~50 m. A significant amount of the ice sheet’s mass is discharged by outlet glaciers draining through the Transantarctic Mountains, the balance characteristics of which are largely unknown. Here the mass balance is estimated for four glaciers draining ice from the EAIS through the Transantarctic Mountains into the Ross Sea embayment: David, Mulock, Byrd and Nimrod glaciers. Remote-sensing observations are used to map changes in ice flow and surface elevation, and ultimately to compute the mass balance of each glacier using the input–output method and three separate estimates for accumulation rate. Results computed using this method indicate small positive balances for David (2.41±1.31 Gt a–1), Mulock (1.91±0.84 Gt a–1) and Nimrod (0.88±0.39 Gt a–1) glaciers, and a large positive imbalance for Byrd Glacier (21.67±4.04 Gt a–1). This large imbalance for Byrd Glacier is inconsistent with other observations, and is likely due to an overestimation of accumulation rates across large regions of the interior catchment.
Use of historical elevation data to calculate surface-elevation and volume changes of Ha-Iltzuk Icefield, southwest British Columbia, Canada, 1970 to mid-1980s
Authors: VanLooy Jeffrey A. , Forster Richard R.
Published: January 2012

Investigations into glacial changes, including understanding variations in the rates of glacial volume and surface-elevation changes, have increased over the past decade. This study uses historical glacier elevation data in the form of topographic maps from 1970 and a digital elevation model from the mid-1980s to calculate surface-elevation and volume changes for Ha-Iltzuk Icefield, southwest British Columbia, Canada. Results indicate that the icefield thinned at an average rate of 0.76±0.25 ma–1 during this period. A previous study of Ha-Iltzuk Icefield also using the geodetic method found a thinning rate of 1.0±0.20ma–1 between the mid-1980s and 1999, indicating a slight increase in the amount of icefield thinning. Within the ablation zone, thinning increased with decreasing elevation at a rate of 1.9±0.68 ma–1 km–1 between these two periods (1970 to mid-1980s versus mid-1980s to 1999). Analysis of meteorological data suggests that increases in both temperature and rainfall, as well as decreases in snowfall, likely contributed to the increased thinning rate.
Greenland marine-terminating glacier area changes: 2000–2010
Authors: Box Jason E. , Decker David T.
Published: January 2012

Area changes at 39 of the widest Greenland marine-terminating glacier outlets are measured in consecutive annual end-of-melt-season Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) scenes spanning ten annual intervals (2000–10). The rates of cumulative area change for glaciers and ice shelves are well represented by linear least-squares fits, R = –0.99 and R = –0.94, with average rates of –70 and –65km2 a–1, respectively. Collectively, during this decade, the 39 glaciers lost a cumulative area of 1368 km2. More than three-quarters of the total area change occurred north of 72˚N. The largest 11-year area change for a single glacier during the survey period is the 311km2 loss at Humboldt Glacier. The largest annual change for a single glacier was extreme compared with the others, where Petermann glacier retreated 17km between 3 and 5 August 2010. For the 10 year sample, on average, the count of glaciers retreating is twice that advancing. A larger distinction is evident considering area change, with the ratio of retreat and advance, on average, nine times the gain. For glaciers with ice shelves, we find no year with collective area gain. The area change data from this study are posted at: http://bprc.osu.edu/~jbox/data/GAC/
Sensitivity of the frozen/melted basal boundary to perturbations of basal traction and geothermal heat flux: Isunnguata Sermia, western Greenland
Authors: Brinkerhoff Douglas J. , Meierbachtol Toby W. , Johnson Jesse V. , Harper Joel T.
Published: January 2012

A full-stress, thermomechanically coupled, numerical model is used to explore the interaction between basal thermal conditions and motion of a terrestrially terminating section of the west Greenland ice sheet. The model domain is a two-dimensional flowline profile extending from the ice divide to the margin. We use data-assimilation techniques based on the adjoint model in order to optimize the basal traction field, minimizing the difference between modeled and observed surface velocities. We monitor the sensitivity of the frozen/melted boundary (FMB) to changes in prescribed geothermal heat flux and sliding speed by applying perturbations to each of these parameters. The FMB shows sensitivity to the prescribed geothermal heat flux below an upper threshold where a maximum portion of the bed is already melted. The position of the FMB is insensitive to perturbations applied to the basal traction field. This insensitivity is due to the short distances over which longitudinal stresses act in an ice sheet.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange over Metalloporphyrins Supported on TiO2 Degussa P25
Authors: Zhou Xian-Tai , Ji Hong-Bing , Huang Xing-Jiao
Published: January 2012

The photocatalytic activity of meso-tetraphenylporphyrins with different metal centers (Fe, Co, Mn and Cu) adsorbed on TiO2 (Degussa P25) surface has been investigated by carrying out the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible and ultraviolet light irradiation. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance UV (DRS-UV-vis) and infrared spectra. Copper porphyrin-sensitized TiO2 photocatalyst (CuP-TiO2) showed excellent activity for the photodegradation of MO whether under visible or ultraviolet light irradiation. Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) charges analysis showed that methyl orange ion is adsorbed easier by CuP-TiO2 catalyst due to the increase of induced interactions.
Clinical Characteristics and Genetic Variability of Human Rhinovirus in Mexico
Authors: Landa-Cardeña Adriana , Morales-Romero Jaime , García-Roman Rebeca , Cobián-Güemes Ana Georgina , Méndez Ernesto , Ortiz-Leon Cristina , Pitalúa-Cortés Felipe , Mora Silvia Ivonne , Montero Hilda
Published: January 2012

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in young children and infants worldwide and has a high impact on morbidity and mortality in this population. Initially, HRV was classified into two species: HRV-A and HRV-B. Recently, a species called HRV-C and possibly another species, HRV-D, were identified. In Mexico, there is little information about the role of HRV as a cause of ARI, and the presence and importance of species such as HRV-C are not known. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and genetic variability of HRV in Mexican children. Genetic characterization was carried out by phylogenetic analysis of the 5′-nontranslated region (5′-NTR) of the HRV genome. The results show that the newly identified HRV-C is circulating in Mexican children more frequently than HRV-B but not as frequently as HRV-A, which was the most frequent species. Most of the cases of the three species of HRV were in children under 2 years of age, and all species were associated with very mild and moderate ARI.
Angiographic Demonstration of Neoangiogenesis after Intra-arterial Infusion of Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells in Diabetic Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia
Authors: Ruiz-Salmeron Rafael , De La Cuesta-Diaz Antonio , Constantino-Bermejo Manuel , Pérez-Camacho Immaculada , Marcos-Sánchez Francisco , Hmadcha Abdelkrim , Soria Bernat
Published: January 2012

Critical limb ischemia in diabetic patients is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Suboptimal responses to the available medical and surgical treatments are common in these patients, who also demonstrate limited vascular homeostasis. Neovasculogenesis induced by stem cell therapy could be a useful approach for these patients. Neovasculogenesis and clinical improvement were compared at baseline and at 3 and 12 months after autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell (BMMNC) transplantation in diabetic patients with peripheral artery disease. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intra-arterial administration of autologous BMMNCs (100–400 × 106 cells) in 20 diabetic patients with severe below-the-knee arterial ischemia. Although the time course of clinical effects differed among patients, after 12 months of follow-up all patients presented a notable improvement in the Rutherford-Becker classification, the University of Texas diabetic wound scales, and the Ankle-Brachial Index in the target limb. The clinical outcome was consistent with neovasculogenesis, which was assessed at 3 months by digital subtraction angiography and quantified by MetaMorph software. Unfortunately, local cell therapy in the target limb had no beneficial effect on the high mortality rate in these patients. In diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia, intra-arterial perfusion of BMMNCs is a safe procedure that generates a significant increase in the vascular network in ischemic areas and promotes remarkable clinical improvement.
An Examination of Norwegians' Expenditure Patterns On Domestic Winter Tourism
Authors: Thrane Christer , Farstad Eivind , Dybedal Petter
Published: January 2012

Foreign travel during summer time has gotten much attention from tourism scholars in past tourism research. this study, by contrast, scrutinizes the much less studied topic of domestic travel during winter time. In particular, the study addresses how a set of determinants affect norwegians'
expenditures on their main domestic winter vacation away from home. two of the main findings are (1) that it is necessary to split total expenditures into subcategories of expenditures to obtain a precise and comprehensive grasp of what causes the variations in expenditure patterns, and (2)
that trip-related characteristics in general are much more important determinants of expenditures than sociodemographic variables. Some scholarly and marketing implications are finally discussed.
Exploring Influential Factors that Explain the Probability of Visiting a Destination: The Case of State Travel Information Inquiry Groups
Authors: Park Minkyung , Oh Chi-Ok
Published: January 2012

Despite the importance of inquiry groups who requested travel information to the destinations in tourism marketing, little is known about the mechanism of how they are converted and what factors influence the inquirers to be converted to visitors. This study explores the state travel
information inquirers to understand explanatory factors that influence the probability of visiting a destination after acquiring travel information. Using a logistic regression analysis, the study found that various explanatory factors affected the probability to visit a tourism destination
among travel information inquiry groups. Further, the study indicates that in-state residents and short-distance visitors from adjacent states were more likely to visit after having inquired tourism information. This finding supports the idea that the resident segment is a more cost effective
market and marketing activities that target these groups could be a good promotional strategy. The study results are expected to help tourism practitioners justify their advertising efforts and promotion budget, as well as develop better advertising and management strategies for converting
more travel information inquirers into visitors.
African as Tourist
Authors: Mkono Muchazondida
Published: January 2012

This article argues that in most tourism studies the African has been stereotypically cast as a “touree” but not “tourer.” As such, mainstream theory in tourism is a product of a predominantly Western ethnocentric view of the tourist as a Westerner. In recent
years, however, some authors have started to question modern-man-in-general approaches to the study of tourism, highlighting their failure to recognize the interface between culture and tourism. The article argues further that authenticity, for example, has been at the center of tourism sociological
debate for decades, yet to date no attempts have been made to provide an African viewpoint. Indeed, the lack of African tourist studies which investigate culture specific meanings in relation to central debates in tourism has created an “African perspective gap” in tourism theory
in general.
Away from Home: A New Revelation of Young Tourist Behavior
Authors: Mura Paolo , Khoo-Lattimore Catheryn
Published: January 2012

Although the economic and sociocultural significance of the youth tourism market highlights the importance of conducting research on the young tourist, there is a lack of in-depth exploration and understanding of young tourists' experiences on holiday. The aim of this article is to explore young beach-oriented tourists' behavior on holiday by employing a qualitative research method. Twenty-five young tourists in Ios, Greece were observed systematically over a 3-month period and then interviewed. The findings reveal that drug consumption (including alcohol) and unprotected sex were common activities among the young tourists on Ios. More interestingly, the results show that patterns of behavior on holiday were often discussed by the young tourists in relation to patterns of behavior in the home environment. This finding has important implications because it further advances our understanding of the relationship between the tourism experience and the leisure experience in the home environment.
Political Economy of Destination Image: Manufacturing Cuba
Authors: Canally Culum , Carmichael Barbara A.
Published: January 2012

The overt manipulation of tourist destination image (TDI) is a commonly accepted practice among tourism destination marketing organizations, as well as, tourism business interests. While there has been significant critique of the business of tourism and tourism marketing's role in worldmaking—as
recently covered in the pages of this journal and in other publications like Tourism Geographies — less scrutiny has focused on how public policy acts, through tourism, as a salient worldmaker. This article from Canally and Carmichael (in Canada) constructs a framework incorporating
models from tourist destination image research and critical theory to determine how governmental public policy, both domestic and international, influence TDI formation. This framework is then used to conduct a critical discourse analysis of the three key US policy documents that formulate
the US government's stance towards diplomatic relations with Cuba. The result is a political economy of TDI, which traces the influence of intergovernmental and extra-governmental power structures that manipulate the image of a potential tourist destination (Cuba), to manufacture a discourse
that aligns with the ide- ologies of the political elites in the US. A conceptual model of governmental manipulation of image formation agents is proposed.
THE FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF HERITAGE TOURISM ATTRACTIONS: THREE CASES FROM RURAL AUSTRALIA
Authors: FROST WARWICK
Published: January 2012

Heritage tourism (whether historic, cultural, or natural) is widely seen as one of the mainstays of rural tourism. Most research on heritage tourism has focused on issues such as the protection of the physical fabric at heritage attractions, balancing authenticity, and accessibility in interpretation and the meaning of heritage for people. However, the issue of the viability and sustainability of heritage tourism operations as businesses has in contrast hardly been considered. This article addresses this issue by focusing on three rural heritage tourism attractions that have experienced financial problems. In addition, the article explores two factors that may limit research into the financial viability of attractions. The first is that problems may be manifested in many different ways, of which bankruptcy and closure are only the most extreme. The second is the difficulty of gaining useful objective information from and regarding businesses in trouble.
Volunteer Tourism: Experiences That Make a Difference,

Stephen Wearing (Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing, CAB International, 2002; 222 pp. US$75.00 Hbk; ISBN 0-8519-9533-0)
Authors: Weaver David B.
Published: January 2012

The relative lack of new thinking and writing in the area of alternative tourism since the early 1990s remains something of a mystery to this reviewer, given the early promise of that model to redress the systemic and widespread problems associated with conventional mass tourism. This may in part owe to the emergence of the ``sustainable tourism'' paradigm, which is more encompassing in its recognition of both small-scale and large-scale tourism (and everything in between) as legitimate expressions of development. Many academics and practitioners, apparently, are focusing on the pursuit of larger scale tourism that provides significant economic benefits to a destination without generating concomitant environmental and sociocultural costs. The same holds true for ecotourism, which started out essentially as a nature-based form of alternative tourism but is now also conceived as a form of mass tourism. Grand Canyon National Park, AustraliaÕs Great Barrier Reef, and numerous other sites attest to the possibilities of sustainable mass ecotourism.
Media Convergence: Tourist Attractions in the Making
Authors: Månsson Maria
Published: January 2012

In the circuits of culture there are a multitude of representations in circulation. These representations are derived from a range of media products such as guidebooks and tourist brochures. Furthermore, these media products and representations continuously converge with each other.
The question, then, is what representations are contained within these converged media products. This article, therefore, aims to explore representations in a range of media products associated with a tourist attraction. The selected site is rosslyn Chapel outside of Edinburgh, known from
The Da Vinci Code. The empirical material is analyzed using, first, a content analysis and, second, a narrative analysis. The combined analysis shows how popular cultural media products, through media convergence, have repositioned and created new representations, with a corollary effect
on tourist attractions. Thus, media convergence will have a great impact on destination marketing, attractions and tourists alike because it legitimizes what is worth visiting.
Film Tourism Locations and Experiences: A Popular Korean Television Drama Production Perspective
Authors: Kim Sangkyun , O'Connor Noëlle
Published: January 2012

The film tourism phenomenon remains relatively underresearched, namely the ways in which film tourism destinations and their associated tourist experiences are shaped, represented, and contextualized through the production and consumption of films or TV dramas. Daejanggeum (2003–2004)
is a serialized historical korean TV drama, which has been broadcast in over 60 countries, and its outdoor filming set, the Daejanggeum Theme Park, has become the most popular film tourism destination among international audience in South korea. This article investigates how the production
values of the program create, shape, contextualize, and symbolize audience viewing experiences and potential film tourism spaces and/or places. The primary data was collected through a series of qualitative semistructured personal interviews with six korean TV drama production stakeholders.
The findings suggest that the identified production values of TV drama production and consumption stem from five major dimensions, and each of those dimensions plays a different role in constructing and contextualizing audience's viewing experiences and potential film tourism locations and
experiences.
Is Film Tourism All the Same? Exploring Zhang Yimou's Films' Potential Influence on Tourism in China
Authors: Ji Yuqun , Beeton Sue
Published: January 2012

This article looks at the relationship between film, tourism, and the government of China by considering at the work of renowned Chinese film director, Zhang Yimou, and the ways in which his films have presented touristic images of China. His films have been seen in Western as well
as Asian countries and provide a strong case study to examine the reality and potential of film tourism in China. Based on local cultural understanding, we propose a Product Development model for film tourism, which we plan to explore further and test empirically.
An Industry in Decline? the Evolution of Whale-Watching Tourism in Hervey Bay, Australia
Authors: Peake Sheila
Published: January 2012

This article examines the evolution of whale watching in Hervey Bay, Queensland in relation to the Butler tourism life cycle model, and Duffus and Dearden's conceptual framework for wildlife tourism. It analyses official visitation data, wildlife records, tour operations information,
and interviews with tour operators and the protected area management agency. The results indicate that changing visitor and commercial operator numbers and profiles, increasing regional competition, and a changing relationship with the protected area managers may be symptomatic of a maturing
industry that has reached a watershed point in its sustainability. The findings of this research have implications for tourism stakeholders including planners, protected area managers, and tour operators in relation to changing sector demands and proactive adaptation to those changes.
Diving Tourism in Mozambique: An Opportunity at Risk?
Authors: Tibiriçá Yara , Birtles Alastair , Valentine Peter , Miller Dean K.
Published: January 2012

This article examines divers' perspectives and demographics in Tofo Beach, Inhambane. It discusses the urgent need for good management. Analysis is based on data collected from 530 semistructured questionnaires for divers and participatory observation during field research from April
to December 2008. For 74% of respondents, the diving component was a key incentive to visit Mozambique. Most of the divers in Tofo are experienced and particularly wish to interact with whale sharks and manta rays. It is suggested that while marine tourism is a potential opportunity for sustainable
tourism, it may be at risk due to the lack of management combined with the dependence on just a few marine mega fauna species not yet protected.