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This study investigated test-taking engagement on the Spring 2019 administration of a large-scale state summative assessment. Through the identification of rapid-guessing behavior – which is a vali...

Extended from the spatially defined nearest neighbor index, the nearest neighbor index measures the levels of spatiotemporal clustering of a set of points, using only their spatial locations and th...

Based on a set of software tools, IBSS-ABM, that offers functions for network analysis, simulation of network structures, and analysis of spatial diffusion on networks, this technical note offers r...

Small unmanned aerial systems (popularly known as sUAS or drones) have been widely used in low-altitude sensing of vegetation coverage. However, the assessments of vegetation status largely rely on...

As the nature of hospitality requires employees’ having interpersonal or personal skills, the development of such soft skills has become one of the major topics among hospitality employers. The pur...

This study investigated how to form brand prestige of package tour in the senior tourism industry. A conceptual model was developed and tested using data collected from a sample of 331 seni...

This article reports the findings from simulating the spatial diffusion processes of memes over social media networks by using the approach of agent-based modeling. Different from other studies, th...

This study was designed to examine how to form well-being perception in the senior tourism industry. More specifically, this study proposed (1) the casual relationships between four dimensions of t...

Understanding and detecting the intended meaning in social media is challenging because social media messages contain varieties of noise and chaos that are irrelevant to the themes of interests. Fo...

As expatriates’ lack of motivation to work overseas and firms’ ineffective screening and selection criteria for expatriates cause expatriation failures, identifying and recruiting candidate...

As interactions and markets become increasingly global, hospitality firms must retain culturally-intelligent managers and hospitality education must nurture its students so they are qualified to meet this demand. This study examines the relationship between the cultural intelligence (CQ) of American hospitality students and its possible antecedents: cross-cultural academic training, foreign language skills, daily intercultural social contact, and international travel. Using hierarchical regression analysis of data from 938 American college students enrolled in hospitality programs in the United States, our study demonstrated that these variables generally predict CQ with a few exceptions. Results of multi-group analysis further showed that student ethnocentrism moderates the relationships between the antecedents and CQ. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Stops along taxi trajectories, such as picking up and dropping off passengers, are spatially clustered and related to certain attributes of places where stops are made. To detect the hidden...

The omission of inhomogeneity for analyzing spatiotemporal trends of a point process could lead to wrongful conclusions regarding how geographic events are distributed and evolve in localized contexts. To address this issue, we apply an inhomogeneous point process (IPP) to address the context of a point process that is nonconstant in spatial and temporal intensity. Extending from the widely used Ripley's K function, which is often employed to detect spatial clusters in a point pattern, we discuss here a spatiotemporal inhomogeneous K function (STIK). To illustrate the usage and the effectiveness of STIK to analyze point processes, we present a series of analyses using the locations of reported urban crime in Wuhan, China.

This study explores the role of rapport between players and dealers in the casino industry. More specifically, based on a literature review, it was proposed that (1) rapport positively affects three outcome variables: customer satisfaction, revisit intentions, and word-of-mouth; (2) customer satisfaction has a positive influence on revisit intentions and word-of-mouth; and (3) gender plays a moderating role in this process. Based on the proposed hypotheses, a conceptual model was developed and tested using empirical data from 227 casino table players. Data analysis results showed that rapport is an important determinant of customer satisfaction, revisit intentions, and word-of-mouth. In addition, it was revealed that customer satisfaction bears a significant impact on revisit intentions and word-of-mouth. Lastly, gender has key moderating functions in the relationship between (1) rapport and customer satisfaction and (2) rapport and revisit intentions. The possible interpretations and managerial i...

Soft skills are typically referred to as the attributes exhibited or contained by an individual that display his/her ability to interact with others. Two types of soft skills that are often discussed within the hospitality industry are diversity awareness and emotional intelligence. Diversity may be explained or defined as a state of unlikeness, the conditions of being different, and all things that make us different. Areas where differences may exist include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political affiliation and emotional reaction. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been defined as the ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and harness emotions in the self and others. How one deals with emotion is one characteristic that varies from culture to culture. Research has shown that EI may be a contributing factor in a moment of truth being considered a failure or success. The purpose of this study was to examine if unde...

Regional economic development is inherently uneven as determined by the local conditions and available resources. Specialized villages (SVs) in China played a very important role in the development and economic transformation in rural areas. By integrating regional spatial structure theory, multilevel network theory, and spatial interface theory, this article examines the spatial and temporal evolution of SVs in Henan Province, China. Results from the analyses show that the development of SVs over time progressed in four stages, each corresponding to important adjustments in national agricultural policy. SVs were distributed unevenly in space and the distribution seemed to be scale-dependent. At a macrolevel, SVs displayed a dispersed pattern over a large area. SVs showed localized clusters at a microlevel, however, also exhibiting a core–periphery structure. Rural economic development in China showed that SVs formed a multilevel network hierarchy. We also observed that SVs were often in transitional area...

Since the early 1920s when Carl Jung initially suggested that people are different in fundamental ways even though they have the same multitude of instincts, several types of personality assessment have developed. This study explores the relationships between new and previously published personality types of hospitality students using three personality inventories. The purposes of this study are to (1) report Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Keirsey Temperament Sorter profiles, and True Color profiles of a group of hospitality leadership students, (2) compare the True Color profiles of current hospitality leadership students with those reported by Crews, Bodenhamer, and Weaver in 2010, and (3) compare the MBTI and Keirsey Temperament Sorter profiles of current students with those reported by Horton, Clark, and Welpott in 2005. Data were collected from 217 hospitality leadership students in a senior-level hospitality human resource management course at a southeastern U.S. university. Results of the chi-...

Post-recession employers will look for individuals possessing skills that increase their sales and clientele through friendly service and boost their productivity through problem solving and commun...

Although the popularity of employee engagement among business operators has inspired many practitioner studies, theory-based academic research from the organizational behavior perspective has been relatively limited, especially regarding how employee work engagement benefits employees themselves as well as their organizations. This study empirically tested a theoretical relationship model using the potential consequences of employee engagement in the hotel setting: intrinsic rewards, leader–member exchange (LMX), job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Results of structural equation modeling showed that employee engagement was directly associated with all hypothesized consequences. This study also demonstrated that LMX mediated the relationships of employee engagement with job satisfaction and organizational commitment, while job satisfaction mediated the relationships between employee engagement and organizational commitment and between LMX and organizational commitment.

Applied Geography is a dynamic field that changes over time but always maintains a central focus on attempting to solve practical problems our societies face. Studies in Applied Geography are versatile in terms of subject matters but the foundation of this field is based on applying geographic concepts and geospatial technologies to solve real world problems. Given that, it is difficult to define Applied Geography with a strict structure since Geography itself cannot be defined that way and Geography lacks a set of fundamental theories to call its own. In the inaugural issue of Papers in Applied Geography, we argue that Applied Geography would continue to flourish even without a precise definition because applied studies are generically beneficial to our everyday lives. In this article, we also discuss the evolution of Applied Geography from the perspective of papers published in the 37 annual volumes by Applied Geography Conferences since 1978. The topics and contents of these published papers, though no...

This paper proposes a multi-phase preventive maintenance (PM) policy for leased equipment by combining the advantages of both periodic PM and sequential PM. The lease period of the equipment is divided into multiple PM phases. The PM activities within each phase are performed periodically with the convenience of implementation, while the frequency of PM for each phase is different and it gives a gradual increase because of the imperfect effect of PM. A multi-phase PM model is built up based on the age reduction method for imperfect PM with the penalty for equipment failures and overtime of repair involved. The optimal PM intervals for every PM phases are achieved by minimising the cumulative maintenance cost throughout the lease period from the perspective of the lessor. Numerical example shows that the cumulative maintenance cost under the proposed multi-phase PM policy is lower than that under periodic PM policy.

Material handling systems (MHS) include a wide range of systems and equipment that are used for handling, movement, storage and control of materials during manufacturing. MHS can represent a significant portion of the cost to make a product and there can be significant cost savings in manufacturing processes if unexpected failures of such systems can be avoided and maintenance costs lowered. This paper first surveys the common maintenance practices of MHS including three typical warehouse MHS e.g. automatic picking system (APS), goods to destination (GDS), and Erector. The survey from end users shows that the majority of the companies does not keep the record of their past failures or improve their maintenance practices after major failures occur. Even the end users with more advanced maintenance programs use more reactive maintenance approaches, as opposed to preventive maintenance approaches which have the potential to lower the chances of unexpected failures and costly repairs. The present paper also r...

High turnover is one of the distinguishing features of the hotel industry and one of its remaining greatest challenges. This study sought to identify the reasons for the high level of turnover intention and examined one in particular—occupational stress. First, this study conducted a principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation to extract occupational stress factors. The principal component factor analysis divided the 23 occupational stress items into six factors: problems related to the home, problems related to task and pay, conflict with job responsibility, unfair treatment, shortage of support, and organizational culture. Next, this study used the regression analysis to ascertain the effect of occupational stresses on turnover intention and to identify the occupational stresses that have a more significant effect on hotel employee's turnover intention. Results indicated that occupational stress factors predict hotel employee's turnover intention. In particular, among the six occupational ...

The identification of competencies needed by hospitality managers has been investigated since the 1980s. In all of the competency research related to management, essential competencies include skills that can be classified as soft skills. The purpose of this project was to have human resource professionals rate the importance of soft skill competencies found in literature and to determine the relative importance of the seven categories of soft skill competencies. The study combined new data with existing data to complete an exploratory factor analysis. This exploratory study found a five-component tool that had similarities to other models found in the literature review but also had unique differences to the prior research.

Maintenance scheduling, as a decision-making process, plays an important role for today’s manufacturing systems. This paper proposes a condition-based maintenance policy for intelligent monitored multi-unit series systems. A novel method of multi-level scheduling is developed to predict maintenance requirements according to machine degradation and maintenance opportunity. The hazard rates of each machine are assumed to be available either from historical reliability information or online state prediction. A global-objective model is used to make the machine-level decision for availability-effective and cost-effective maintenance intervals. Furthermore, a maintenance time window method is developed to decrease system total maintenance cost. This system-level schedule is determined by utilising opportunities of maintenance combination throughout the mission lifetime. The case study shows that the application of the proposed policy results in a noticeable cost saving.

WDFTC is a wavelet-based distribution-free CUSUM chart for detecting shifts in the mean of a profile with noisy components. Exploiting a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of the mean in-control profile, WDFTC selects a reduced-dimension vector of the associated DWT components from which the mean in-control profile can be approximated with minimal weighted relative reconstruction error. Based on randomly sampled Phase I (in-control) profiles, the covariance matrix of the corresponding reduced-dimension DWT vectors is estimated using a matrix-regularisation method; then the DWT vectors are aggregated (batched) so that the non-overlapping batch means of the reduced-dimension DWT vectors have manageable covariances. To monitor shifts in the mean profile during Phase II operation, WDFTC computes a Hotelling's T 2-type statistic from successive non-overlapping batch means and applies a CUSUM procedure to those statistics, where the associated control limits are evaluated analytically from the Phase I data. Exper...

This study was designed to identify the factors affecting five groups pruned by customer decision factors (menu, atmosphere, price, health, and brand reputation) that customers consider when selecting a full-service restaurant. The analytical method applied in this study was Decision Tree Analysis. As Decision Tree Analysis enables a researcher to identify and target desirable customer groups, it is an ideal analysis to identify differences between groups. A total of 390 questionnaires were used for the data analysis. The result indicated that depending on the group, classifying variables were different. That is, five groups have their own unique attributes. The results of this research would be valuable for marketers or managers in the restaurant industry to understand targeting customer segmentation.

We formulate and evaluate distribution-free statistical process control (SPC) charts for monitoring shifts in the mean of an autocorrelated process when a training data set is used to estimate the marginal variance of the process and the variance parameter (i.e., the sum of covariances at all lags). Two alternative variance estimators are adapted for automated use in DFTC-VE, a distribution-free tabular CUSUM chart, based on the simulation-analysis methods of standardized time series and a simplified combination of autoregressive representation and non-overlapping batch means. Extensive experimentation revealed that these variance estimators did not seriously degrade DFTC-VE's performance compared with its performance using the exact values of the marginal variance and the variance parameter. Moreover, DFTC-VE's performance compared favorably with that of other competing distribution-free SPC charts. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of IIE Trans...

Tricarboxylic acid derivative with three-fold symmetry in physisorbed monolayers is an important organic molecule for applications in nanotechnology. In this paper, the behaviour of a single tricarboxylic acid derivative, 1,3,5-tris(carboxymethoxy)benzene (TCMB, C6H3(OCH2COOH)3) on an Au (111) substrate at 50 K is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. Four possible conformations of the TCMB molecule adsorbed on the Au (111) substrate are found, the difference of which is the orientation of the CH2 chain. They also display different trajectories of movement and dynamical behaviours. As the molecule migrates across the Au (111) surface, the translational motion of TCMB is always accompanied by rotational motion. The lock-and-key (LAK) geometry between the TCMB molecule of different conformations and atomic arrangement of the Au (111) surface was also observed in this study, and the result has been verified by an ab initio calculation.

Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the effects of temperature and size on the hydrogen-bond dynamics of interior molecules and surface molecules in a water nanocluster. The flexible three-centred (F3C) water model is invoked in the simulations. To inspect the dynamics of the interior hydrogen bonds and the surface hydrogen bonds, a spherical water nanocluster is modelled and then divided into interior molecules and surface molecules according to the density profile of the water nanocluster. It is observed that at higher temperatures the average number of hydrogen bonds decreases and yields faster hydrogen-bond relaxation for both interior molecules and surface molecules of the water nanocluster. Furthermore, the surface molecules have a lower average number of hydrogen bonds than the interior molecules. The lifetime of the surface hydrogen bonds is slightly longer than that of the interior hydrogen bonds, whereas the hydrogen-bond structural relaxation time of the surface molecules...

With the development of information technology (IT), predictive maintenance technology integrated with IT is becoming increasingly popular. Recent developments in predictive maintenance applications reflect the need for further integration between factory floor and enterprise systems. This paper introduces a new predictive maintenance system, the intelligent maintenance system (IMS), which fuses infotronics technology to enable machine/product to achieve near-zero downtime performance through Device-to-Business (D2B™) platform and Watchdog Agent™. The algorithm of Watchdog Agent™ and the architecture of proposed D2B™ platform were also analysed. The commercial potential of these technologies, mass customised maintenance is proposed for the first time, including its definition, focuses, process, MES level and impacts. In addition, a case study is provided to show how effective the intelligent maintenance system can be on the factory floor and in other business environments.

Today's competition in industry depends not just on lean manufacturing, but also on the ability to provide customers with accountable life-cycle support for sustainable value. To improve customer service responsiveness and aftermarket business efficiency, new service business model for enable products and systems to achieve near-zero unscheduled downtime has been adopted by many companies. This transformation necessitates the depolyment of smart prognsotics tools to predict and prevent possible failures before they occur. This paper introduces an innovative approach in using Watchdog AgentTM for machine degradation and failure prognostics. The methods of Watchdog AgentTM are developed to use multi-sensor information from product for performance degradation assessment and life prediction. Specially, the logistic regression (LR) method is introduced and applied to an elevator hoistway performance aseessment. The logistic regression model is designed for repeatable tracking of motor speed profile of...

This paper explores a method to assess assets performance and predict the remaining useful life, which would lead to proactive maintenance processes to minimize downtime of machinery and production in various industries, thus increasing efficiency of operations and manufacturing. At first, a performance model is established by taking advantage of logistic regression analysis with maximum-likelihood technique. Two kinds of application situations, with or without enough historical data, are discussed in detail. Then, real-time performance is evaluated by inputting features of online data to the logistic model. Finally, the remaining life is estimated using an ARMA model based on machine performance history; degradation predictions are also upgraded dynamically. The results such as current machine running condition and the remaining useful life, are output to the maintenance decision module to determine a window of appropriate maintenance before the machine fails. An application of the method on an elevator ...

Finding a least-cost-path in a raster data format is a useful function in geographical information systems. However, existing algorithms are often inadequate for practical roadway planning. This paper improves conventional algorithms by including the considerations of spatial distances, anisotropic costs and the presence of bridges and tunnels in the paths. This new algorithm is implemented in JAVA to run with actual remote sensing and DEM data. The experimental results show that this approach produces realistic least-cost paths for practical roadway planning.

This experiment was designed to study the effects of cigarette smoking on microvascular reactivity in an intact microvascular preparation. The vasoconstrictive responses of arterioles in rat cremaster muscles to topically applied noradrenaline were measured in 8 rats after a three-week period of inhaling cigarette smoke. A parallel set of experiments was in a control group of 8 rats for comparison. All three orders of arterioles in the muscles of rats exposed to smoke were significantly narrower than those of the controls (p0.0001). The dose response curve of all three orders of arterioles shifted to the right of their respective controls. The effective concentrations of noradrenaline to cause 50% vasoconstriction (EC50) of all three orders of arteriole was profoundly increased in rats that inhaled smoke compared with the control group (p0.05). We conclude that skeletal muscle arterioles in rats exposed to cigarette smoke may become hyposensitive to noradrenaline, or their degree of freedom from constriction may be reduced. Our results suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with significant functional alterations in the microcirculation.

The concept of computing least-cost paths has been proposed and discussed for a few decades but only in simplified form due to the limited computational resources in the past. With the advancement of computer technology in speed and data storage, it is now possible to implement least-cost path algorithms with realistic conditions. In this paper, we present our implementations of least-cost paths by integrating viewshed information computed from digital elevation models. Our implementations and analyses include four possible types of paths. They are scenic paths, strategic paths, hidden paths, and withdrawn paths. While possible applications of these least-cost paths include planning of civil engineering, military and environmental planning, other extensions can be formulated without much difficulty.

Machines degrade as a result of aging and wear, which decreases performance reliability and increases the potential for faults and failures. The impact of machine faults and failures on factory productivity is an important concern for manufacturing industries. Economic impacts relating to machine availability and reliability, as well as corrective (reactive) maintenance costs, have prompted facilities and factories to improve their maintenance techniques and operations to monitor machine degradation and detect faults. This paper presents an innovative methodology that can change maintenance practice from that of reacting to breakdowns, to one of preventing breakdowns, thereby reducing maintenance costs and improving productivity. To analyze the machine behavior quantitatively, a pattern discrimination model (PDM) based on a cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) neural network was developed. A stepping motor and a PUMA 560 robot were used to study the feasibility of the developed technique. Experimental results have shown that the developed technique can analyze machine degradation quantitatively. This methodology could help operators set up machines for a given criterion, determine whether the machine is running correctly, and predict problems before they occur. As a result, maintenance hours could be used more effectively and productively.

A major problem confronting American manufacturers today is how lo economically achieve high quality in the goods which they manufacture. Equipment reliability and maintenance drastically affect the three key elements of competitiveness: quality, cost and product lead time. Well-maintained machines hold tolerances better, help reduce scrap and rework, and raise consistency and quality of the part. They increase uptime and yields of good parts, thereby cutting total production costs, and also can shorten lead limes by reducing downtime and the need for retooling. The recent rush to embrace computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) has further increased the use of relatively unknown and untested technology. In a computer-integrated manufacturing system, a fault can cause machine and production downtime and create serious productivity losses. Today, many factories are still performing maintenance on equipment in a reactive, or breakdown, mode, since traditional process monitoring systems can detect ma...

The airline industry in the United States has experienced significant changes in the spatial configuration of networks since the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Attempts have been made to study the structure of the hub-and-spoke network in the airline industry, but no efficient methodology has been available. This paper describes an exploratory approach to analyzing the spatial configuration of airline networks. Flight frequencies and numbers of passengers from published schedules of six U.S. domestic airlines (American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and USAir) are used in this study. The analytic components in the exploratory system include the examination of network connectivity and network autocorrelation in a dynamic mapping environment. The results of the analyses show both the overall spatial patterns of airline networks and the hierarchical hubbing structures.

Extensive DNA rearrangement occurs during the development of the somatic macronucleus from the germ line micronucleus in ciliated protozoans. The micronuclear junctions and the macronuclear product of a developmentally regulated DNA rearrangement in Tetrahymena thermophila, Tlr1, have been cloned. The intrachromosomal rearrangement joins sequences that are separated by more than 13 kb in the micronucleus with the elimination of moderately repeated micronucleus-specific DNA sequences. There is a long, 825-bp, inverted repeat near the micronuclear junctions. The inverted repeat contains two different 19-bp tandem repeats. The 19-bp repeats are associated with each other and with DNA rearrangements at seven locations in the micronuclear genome. Southern blot analysis is consistent with the occurrence of the 19-bp repeats within pairs of larger repeated sequences. Another family member was isolated. The 19-mers in that clone are also in close proximity to a rearrangement junction. We propose that the 19-mers define a small family of developmentally regulated DNA rearrangements having elements with long inverted repeats near the junction sites. We discuss the possibility that transposable elements evolve by capture of molecular machinery required for essential cellular functions.

Recent developments in geographical information systems (GIS) have dramatically advanced the ways geographical data are stored, manipulated, analyzed, and displated. Architectural librarians now can utilize GIS to efficiently manage their maps and graphic illustrations of architectural designs with copmuterized procedures. For architects or architectural researchers to integrate architectural designs with geographical data, GIS functions are especially suitable to stimulate or to realize the designs. The CAD-like functions available in GIS for map composition can also be used by architects and architectural researchers as part of their designing environment. This article briefly introduces the concept of GIS. It discusses how GIS can be defined, how GIS can be used, and what functions GIS typically provides. Sources of geographical data are also described. In addition, this article reviews selected GIS textbooks, professional conferences and periodicals as initial reference for interested architects and a...

During the 1980s techniques for analysis of geographical patterns have been refined to the point that they may be applied to data from many fields. Quantitative spatial analysis and existing functions available in geographical information systems (GIS) enable computerized implementations of these spatial analysis methods. This paper describes the application of quantitative spatial analysis and GIS functions to analysis of language data, using the extensive files of the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States (LAMSAS). A brief review of recent development of using quantitative and statistical methods for analysing linguistic data is also included.

This paper introduces the analyses of visibility sites on topographic surfaces as a new area of application in geographical information systems. The analysis of visibility sites are important in several related research fields such as problems of surface representation in geographical information systems, visibility problems in computer graphics and the location allocation and the set covering problems in operations research. The application areas include pilot training simulation, navigation, scenic landscape assessment, terrain exploration, military surveillance, forest fire monitoring, locations of radio transmission stations and many others. Five types of site analysis using visibility information are discussed in this paper, including both fixed and variable heights of problems in visibility sites. Triangulated irregular networks are used to approximate an actual topographic surface. Algorithms are developed for extracting visibility information. Finally, three heuristic algorithms and their...

Triangulated irregular networks (TINs) are increasingly popular for their efficiency in data storage and their ability to accommodate irregularly spaced elevation points for many applications of geographical information systems. This paper reviews and evaluates various methods for extracting TINs from dense digital elevation models (DEMs) on a sample DEM. Both structural and statistical comparisons show that the methods perform with different rates of success in different settings. Users of DEM to TIN conversion methods should be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the methods in addition to their own purposes before conducting the conversion.