Search

This study aimed to investigate the effect of chained one-stop emergency nursing combined with optimized triage path nursing on emergency chest pain patients. Data of 142 patients with chest pain in emergency department of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and from March to May 2022,71 patients with optimized triage route nursing were treated as control group, from June to August 2022, 71 patients with chain one-stop emergency care combined with optimized triage route care were selected as the observation group. Data of completion time of the first electrocardiogram (ECG) completion, troponin result giving time, door to balloon (D to B) time, length of hospital stay and rescue time (disease condition initial assessment time, preliminary examination time, first medical contact time of balloon dilation, D to B dilation time) were collected. The complication rate, adverse event rate and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. The completion time of the first ECG, troponin result giving time, D to B time, initial condition assessment time, hospital stay and rescue time in the observation group were shorter than those in the control group, (all P<0.05). The incidence of complications and adverse events in the observation group were lower than control group (both P<0.05). The scores of nursing satisfaction in the observation group were evidently higher than those in the control group, (P<0.05). Chained one-stop emergency nursing combined with optimized triage path nursing has a good effect on emergency chest pain patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small tourism business entrepreneurs (STBEs) are important stakeholders in rural destinations, so that their community citizenship behavior for the environment (CCBE) greatly influences the sustainable development of rural tourism communities. This paper thus focuses on STBEs’ CCBE. Guided by equity theory and social exchange theory, this article examines the impact of perceived justice on CCBE and the mediating roles of place identity and subjective well-being in that process. The survey data was collected from 434 STBEs in rural China. Results indicate that perceived justice positively relates to place identity and subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, place identity and subjective well-being fully mediate the effect of perceived justice on CCBE. These findings offer a newer understanding of the underlying mechanism between perceived justice and CCBE and offer implications for destination managers to promote sustainable development of rural destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to summarize the available evidence on music intervention alleviating depression or anxiety in dementia. A comprehensive literature search was performed to analyze the effects of music intervention on depression or anxiety. Subgroups were created to explore the effect of intervention period, duration, and frequency on efficacy. The effect size was reported as a mean standardized difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The analysis included 19 articles involving 614 samples. Thirteen studies for relieving depression revealed that, with an increase in intervention period, the efficacy decreased and then increased, whereas with an increase of intervention duration, the effect became better. A weekly intervention is ideal. Seven studies verifying the impact on anxiety relief revealed that the effect of intervention within 12 wk is significant; with an increase of intervention duration, the effect became better. A weekly intervention is ideal. Collaborative analysis showed that long low-frequency interventions are more efficient than short high-frequency interventions. Music intervention can relieve depression or anxiety in people living with dementia. Weekly short interventions of more than 45 min are effective for emotional regulation. Future research should concentrate on severe dementia and follow-up impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to alleviate tourist incivility (i.e. social and environmental deviant behaviors) is not only a practical concern but an emerging tourism research topic. Advocating civilized tourist behavior could be an effective tool in enhancing sustainable tourism. In this paper, we test how tourists' anticipated emotions and perceived severity (of tourism incivility problems) shape tourist civility via an extended norm activation model (NAM). A total of 401 valid questionnaires were obtained from tourists of a national wetland park in China. The results indicated that: 1) both positive and negative anticipated emotions not only have a direct impact on tourist civility but also have an indirect impact via personal norms, 2) positive anticipated emotions (as compared to negative ones) play a more vital role in the tourist civility formation, and 3) perceived severity of tourism incivility problems negatively moderates the links of personal norms and negative anticipated emotions to tourist civility. This paper provides theoretical and practical implications to better understand the role of anticipated emotions and perceived severity in tourist civility decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of credibility in the tourism sector is becoming a social and environmental concern. This article argues that destination source credibility as a destination-level stimulus can have significant influences on tourist environmentally responsible behavior (TERB). Based on the stimulus-organism-response theory, this article developed an integrated model of the relationship between destination source credibility and TERB, with destination image (cognitive and affective) and place attachment as mediators. Three sets of survey data were collected at a Chinese national wetland park (N = 451), a world heritage cultural landscape site (N = 453), and a world cultural heritage site (N = 450). The serial multiple mediation model was tested through combining bootstrapping and Bayesian approaches. Results indicated that destination source credibility enhanced tourists' cognitive and affective image, place attachment, and TERB. In addition, the effect of destination source credibility on TERB was partially and sequentially mediated by (cognitive and then affective) destination image and place attachment, among which place attachment emerged as the most powerful mediator. Robustness of these findings was confirmed across different destination types. Theoretical contribution and practical implication for sustainable destination management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the international education market, much attention has been paid to China, as it is the world's largest source country in sending students abroad. The other side of the story, that is, China, as the world's third most popular destination, is considerably less known and researched. This study seizes this research opportunity and focuses on exploring why international students choose to do their higher education in mainland China. International students from five Chinese coastal universities are the research respondents. Focus group discussions were first conducted and elicited 31 motivating items. They were later evaluated through a questionnaire-based survey. The push-pull model was critically reviewed and then used to organise the results. A questionnaire-based survey (n = 462) was later undertaken. Seven motivation factors were identified and a hierarchical relationship among the motivations was observed. The most influential push factor is the students' desire for learning, novelty and challenge seeking, while the strongest pull factor is their expectation for China's prosperous future. The motivations with medium priority were self-understanding, quality of education, and value for money. Also, stimulating factors and admission issues were important, but significantly less important than other factors. Demographic factors were found to be influential to motivations. Focusing on "reverse" international student mobility, this research enriches knowledge about international students' destination choice. It also offers practical implications to universities and institutes in China and other emerging countries, who are interested in offering better programmes and attracting more international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of myelinated retinal nerve fibre (MRNF) in a large teleophthalmology system. Methods: All records between January 2015 and December 2015 from Daheng Prust teleophthalmology system were reviewed by 2 ophthalmologists independently. MRNF was classified into continuous group and discontinuous group according to the relationship between MRNF patches and optic disc. The number, total area and location of MRNF patches were analysed. Concomitant ocular diseases were documented. Results: Out of 51469 subjects, MRNF was detected in 304 eyes of 263 subjects with a prevalence rate of 0.51 ± 7.1% per subject and 0.30 ± 5.4% per eye. Among 304 eyes with MRNF, 239 (78.6%) eyes were in continuous group and 65 (21.4%) eyes were in discontinuous group. Single MRNF patch was found in 249 (81.9%) eyes and multiple MRNF patches were found in 55 (18.1%) eyes. MRNF of small size was found in 150 (49.3%) eyes. The ratios of multiple MRNF patches and small-sized MRNF in the continuous group were significantly higher than those in the discontinuous group (P =.014 and P <.001). In continuous group, the MRNF patches were located most frequently in the superior region (68.6%) of the optic disc; In discontinuous group, the MRNF patches were located most frequently in the inferotemporal region (38.5%) of the retina. Epiretinal membrane (12 eyes, 3.9%) was the most common concomitant ocular disease. Conclusion: MRNF is uncommon in China. MRNF usually presents unilaterally and as a single small whitish patch that is connected with optic disc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional treatment for the resection of cervical spinal tumors comprises anterior, posterior, and combined surgical approaches. However, these approaches have certain limitations when tumors invade the vertebrae, vertebral artery, or spinal nerves. Herein, we report an interesting case where a 45-year-old patient was admitted for neck pain. An invasive cervical spinal tumor was discovered and approached in two stages: stage 1 was open biopsy with posterior instrumentation, which was followed by stage 2 with an anterolateral approach for definitive surgical resection. A series of preoperative tests including angiography as well as a balloon occlusion test of the vertebral artery facilitated stage 2 surgical planning for gross total resection of the tumor while minimizing surgical complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special interest tourism has emerged as a valuable niche market for tourism destinations in the past decade. However, tourism scholars have generally struggled to answer McKercher and Chan's [2005. How special is special interest tourism? Journal of Travel Research, 44(1), 21–31] question, 'How special is special interest tourism?' Such ambiguity extends to the related enquiry, 'How special are special interest tourists?', in attempting to define special interest tourists. This perspective research letter discusses these questions in terms of Chinese outbound tourism. Based upon the reflection of previous research, the authors' thoughts and ongoing research in this area, knowledge gaps are identified and research directions for scholars who are also interested special interest tourism are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water turbidity plays an important role in marine biogeochemical processes and ecosystem. Remote sensing of water turbidity in the Eastern China Seas is still a challenging task due to its large variations spanning more than three orders from coastal highly turbid waters to offshore clear waters. Thus, this study developed a new blended remote sensing algorithm for accurately estimating water turbidity in the whole Eastern China Seas from Geostationary Ocean Colour Imager (GOCI). The general idea of the new blended algorithm is to combine the band forms with the best abilities for deriving water turbidity in turbid waters and relatively clear waters, respectively. Evaluations based on field data showed a good performance of the new blended algorithm with values of the determination coefficient (R2), root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean relative error (MRE) of 0.884, 47.96 NTU, 29.59 and 48.13%, respectively. The proposed algorithm was applied to the GOCI data of 2015; and large spatiotemporal variations of water turbidity in the Eastern China Seas were observed. High values of water turbidity were observed in winter for both coastal and offshore waters, whereas the lowest values were observed in summer. Sediment resuspension drove by wind and tidal forcing, and sediment transportation related to current might be responsible for spatiotemporal variations of water turbidity, while the detailed study is required for further investigations. Overall, this study provides a technological basis which can be used to understand the variation patterns of water turbidity in the Eastern China Seas from GOCI satellite measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family visitors are important audiences for museums. This paper develops a model that examines the influence of Chinese family visitors' leisure experiences in museums on their behavioural intentions (BI) with their perceived benefits (mindful benefits and non-mindful benefits, MB and NMB) as the mediating variables. Based on the theoretical framework of an interactive experience model, parents' experiences in museums were divided into experience of existential authenticity (interaction with the exhibits) (EA) and experience of parents-children interaction (PCI). A total of 375 local family visitors at a cluster of craft museums in Hangzhou, China participated in the survey. The PLS-SEM analysis indicates that both EA and PCI have positive effects on perceived benefits. EA, which emphasises the personal interactions between visitors and exhibited objects as well as their intangible meanings, is found to be more powerful than PCI in shaping visitors' BI. MB and NMB differ in their influence on visitors' behaviours. Only MB is linked with visitors' BI. Further, MB partially mediates the relationship between EA and BI, and fully mediates the relationship between PCI and BI. Implications are offered to enhance family visitors' experiences through appropriate service management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The family, as a leisure unit, is an important museum consumer group. The literature on family leisure in museums concentrates on the cognitive and the learning aspects in science museums and art galleries in western contexts. It provides limited explanation of the leisure outcomes acquired from visiting museums. This work addresses this lacuna by exploring the benefits perceived by Chinese parents who take their children to a cluster of museums along China's Grand Canal, a world heritage site in Hangzhou. A review of museum and heritage research, combined with 17 on-site, in-depth interviews, generated information on a range of benefits which was used to design a questionnaire that was completed by 450 respondents. Five perceived benefits were identified using factor analysis. In order of significance, they are family bonding, community attachment, cultural awareness, restoration and personal growth. These perceived benefits have implications for museums and other public facilities catering to the family leisure market, as well as for governments, community organisations, the heritage sector and other stakeholders that are charged with managing cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) has been used to treat vascular anomalies for about 30 years; however, there are insufficient data in Chinese patients concerning therapeutic efficacy, optimized parameters, and procedure techniques. Objective: To study the efficacy and relevant factors in PDL therapy for vascular anomalies in Chinese patients. Method: We enrolled 431 patients with 8 different vascular anomalies and no previous treatment in this retrospective study. A detailed classification of vascular anomalies and various parameters and techniques of PDL were studied. The clinical outcomes were analysed using the Investigator Global Assessment. Results: Improvements were significantly correlated with infantile haemangioma (IH) subtypes (p < 0.05). A significant correlation between efficacy and lesion colour, anatomical sites, and hypertrophic-type port-wine stain (PWS) was found (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between efficacy and age or sex (p > 0.05). Conclusion: PDL is an effective and safe therapeutic modality for managing vascular anomalies in Chinese patients. We determined that differentiating and identifying IH subtypes prior to treatment could be a useful parameter for predicting therapeutic results. Lesion colour, sites, and hypertrophic changes in PWS are relevant therapeutic factors. PDL parameters and techniques differ according to the various vascular anomalies to achieve optimal results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the remediation for organic pollutants and heavy metals co-contaminated soils is a challenge which needs to be broken through. In this study, alkyl polyglucoside (APG), citric acid (CA), and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) were chosen to enhance the phytoremediation of pyrene and Pb co-contaminated soils by perennial ryegrass. Through the comparison of the results with different applications, it could be found that the application of NTA was beneficial to the growth of perennial ryegrass, the underground and aboveground biomass were increased by 172.9-236.1% and 61.9-142.8%, respectively, meanwhile, photosynthetic activity of perennial ryegrass was affected positively. More importantly, the combined application of APG and NTA maximally promoted the accumulation and translocation of Pb (BF/TF, 0.44/0.61) and dissipation of pyrene (71.6%). These results indicated that the combined application of APG and NTA could be promising for future practical application of phytoremediation. However, the optimal dosage ratio of APG and NTA for phytoremediation needs to be further researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study emphasizes the intersection of two topics: the breaks or gaps in the life trajectory of Chinese citizens which may facilitate travel behaviour, and the analysis of forces which may constrain this activity. To understand the future possibilities for Chinese gap time tourism, the present survey expands on Wu, Pearce, Huang, and Fan’s [(2015). Gap year in China: Views from the participants and implications for the future. Current Issues in Tourism, 18(2), 158-174] earlier netnographic work. The researchers document the demographic characteristics of Chinese potential gap time holiday takers, their preferred style and their perceived constraints. Respondents preferred relatively short breaks during their early career for their gap time. They were predominantly constrained by a culturally distinctive hierarchy of concerns that differed from those found in western studies. In order, the constraints were financial and time issues, lack of travel companions, social responsibility obligations, personal skills and safety concerns, and competing interests. The role of heuristics was suggested as further addition to the literature. Small increases in the percentage of tourists involved in gap time activities from China could have substantial consequences for preferred destinations. Implications to seize the market are thus offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal migration is an emerging trend among seniors in China. In comparison with the lifestyle-oriented migrations of seniors in much of the western world, Chinese seniors often travel with a focus on improving their health and longevity. Adapting the concept of a therapeutic landscape, the changes experienced by seniors with health problems who visit Bama County, a remote area in southwest China well-known for the longevity of its residents, are explored through personal observation and in-depth interviews. All seniors reported improvements, to different degrees, in their physical, mental and social health. These positive transformations were attributed to the therapeutic physical, social and symbolic landscapes of Bama, as well as to the seniors’ proactive actions and their positive mindset. Implications are offered to the service industry, especially the broad tourism and hospitality industry, that is interested in attracting and catering to the aging Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Phytochemical investigation into the seeds ofPaeonia ostiiT. Hong et J. X. Zhang (Paeoniaceae) led to the identification of three new aromatic monoterpenoid glycosides, named paeostisides A–C (1–3), along with one known compound. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis and chemical method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Anatomical location of gliomas has been considered as a factor implicating the contributions of a specific precursor cells during the tumor growth. Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is a pathognomonic biomarker with a significant impact on the development of gliomas and remarkable prognostic effect. The correlation between anatomical location of tumor and IDH1 states for low-grade gliomas was analyzed quantitatively in this study. Ninety-two patients diagnosed of low-grade glioma pathologically were recruited in this study, including 65 patients with IDH1-mutated glioma and 27 patients with wide-type IDH1. A convolutional neural network was designed to segment the tumor from three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging images. Voxel-based lesion symptom mapping was then employed to study the tumor location distribution differences between gliomas with mutated and wild-type IDH1. In order to characterize the location differences quantitatively, the Automated Anatomical Labeling Atlas was used to partition the standard brain atlas into 116 anatomical volumes of interests (AVOIs). The percentages of tumors with different IDH1 states in 116 AVOIs were calculated and compared. Support vector machine and AdaBoost algorithms were used to estimate the IDH1 status based on the 116 location features of each patient. Experimental results proved that the quantitative tumor location measurement could be a very important group of imaging features in biomarker estimation based on radiomics analysis of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study reports an investigation of the ways in which local youth understand tourism in a rural heritage community in Tibet, China. The sustainable livelihoods framework was adopted to organise the areas of interest. Focus groups were initially conducted, and the resulting information was used in a subsequent questionnaire-based survey. It was found that the young Tibetan hosts understood tourists as ‘passers-by' in different vehicles. The tourists were seen as visiting the community because of two major tourism resources: the traditional Tibetan incense-making techniques, and the residence and culture of a Tibetan historical figure. The youth were positive towards tourism development in their community and identified some activities and strategies for their involvement in tourism. In assessing future outcomes and directions for tourism, the rural Tibetan youth would like to see both community and personal well-being improved through tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic value of multimodal Magnetic Resonance (MR) Image in the stereotactic biopsy of cerebral gliomas, and investigate its implications.Materials and Methods: Twenty-four patients with cerebral gliomas underwent1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS)- and intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI)-supported stereotactic biopsy, and 23 patients underwent only the preoperative MRI-guided biopsy. The diagnostic yield, morbidity and mortality rates were analyzed. In addition, 20 patients underwent subsequent tumor resection, thus the diagnostic accuracy of the biopsy was further evaluated.Results: The diagnostic accuracies of biopsies evaluated by tumor resection in the trial groups were better than control groups (92.3% and 42.9%, respectively,p= 0.031). The diagnostic yield in the trial groups was better than the control groups, but the difference was not statistically significant (100% and 82.6%, respectively,p= 0.05). The morbidity and mortality rates were similar in both groups.Conclusions: Multimodal MR image-guided glioma biopsy is practical and valuable. This technique can increase the diagnostic accuracy in the stereotactic biopsy of cerebral gliomas. Besides, it is likely to increase the diagnostic yield but requires further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Building on the under-utilized power of case studies, this conceptual review considers information to enhance Asian tourism sites and attractions. Soft infrastructure, defined as the total effect of the hospitality, interpretive and person-to-person encounters, was considered at 16 strategically selected locations drawn from 7 Asian countries. An emic, tourist-oriented perspective was used to appraise the effects of the soft infrastructure. The researchers employed information from academic publications, attraction websites, tourists' reviews and personal visits to identify common cross-site issues. Seven key issues were identified: the importance of emotional labour/sincerity; the value of quality and professionalism; creating understanding and the role of language; the appeal of performance and spectacle; the usefulness of immersion and participation; the power of authentic local voices; and the management of crowding and close encounters. Site and tourist precinct attraction managers can evaluate these issues to better use their tourism assets and create enhanced on-site experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is one of the first to assess the characteristics and consider the implications of the emerging gap year phenomenon within China. More specifically, the research answers three questions: (1) Who are the Chinese gap year takers? (2) What motivates the Chinese gap year participants' involvement in the new activity? and (3) How does the concept of a Chinese gap year differ from its Western counterpart? A netnographic study of 103 blogs was followed by 18 in-depth telephone interviews. The findings were compared with existing knowledge from studies about the Western gap year participants. It was found that individuals taking a Chinese gap year differed from their western counterparts both in demographic and behavioural terms. The type of gap year (career gap vs. pre-university gap) and forces from within the broader Chinese cultural context are producing a growing, distinctive and positively perceived travel phenomenon. The present study offers initial implications for international tourism marketing, as well as posing questions about the flexibility of educational programmes and human resource management in China; all of these interest groups might be able to meet the needs of this emerging niche market more creatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, based on clinical presentation and angiographic findings, we try to investigate the possibility to do transarterial embolization using Onyx to treat tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (TDAVF). Particular attention will be given to the relationship between vascular anatomic characteristics and clinical management. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and radiologic data of 26 patients with TDAVFs, who were treated via transarterial approach using Onyx (including three cases treating with balloon assisting) at our department from January 2005 to April 2010. Results: The total obliterated rate was 85.7, 53.8, and 66.7% in the tentorial marginal, lateral, and medial subtype, respectively. Symptoms were improved significantly in the patients whose fistulas were totally and sub-totally obliterated. The mean follow-up duration was 2.9 years. After operation, patients’ symptom was dramatically improved indicated by the decrease of individual modified Rankin scale (MRS). Only one patient suffered from temporary paralysis of cranial nerve (CN) III. All 26 patients were clinically stable and without any relapsed, increased, or new symptoms. All patients had resumed their normal activities until the latest follow-up. Conclusion: Treating the TDAVF via transarterial approach using Onyx maybe a feasible clinical practice. The fistula obliterated rate is highly related to the anatomic characteristic, and high complete obliterated rate can be achieved. Our preliminary results showed that Onyx injection with ‘balloon assisting’ technique can be helpful in some of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is one of the first tourism studies to adopt the asset-based community development (ABCD) approach. It explores the potential of the ABCD approach to tourism development as a poverty alleviation strategy. The study was undertaken in Lhasa, Tibet. Photo-elicitation interviews, focus group interviews, and a questionnaire-based survey were used. It was found that the Tibetan young hosts had a good knowledge of local assets. They identified five categories of local assets as having the most potential to be developed as tourism attractions in the near future. The identified tourism assets were world heritage sites, religious sites, traditional Tibetan yards, daily life and customs, and Tibetan medicines – the last four assets were undeveloped ones. Clear perceptions on the value of the assets, as well as the difficulty and desirability of their development in the future were also mapped, using repeated measures one-way analysis of variance. Through the process of assessing the tourism assets, this study identified in a preliminary way that adopting the ABCD approach to poverty alleviation through tourism is feasible. By mapping other assets in the community (e.g. human, social, financial, and physical), a further and more complete test of the approach can be undertaken. Examining these assets may also reveal more ideas for the community's common future. Theoretically, this work adds to the conceptual approaches for community-based tourism development work. Methodologically, this study illustrates research techniques for obtaining emic voices in a marginal and politically charged environment. The extensive use of the participants’ images as a basis for discussion was of particular note. Practically, this research offers both general and detailed suggestions for the Lhasa Government and its community work, especially ways to approach and access community perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Netnography, a naturalistic and predominantly unobtrusive technique developed by Kozinets for exploring online contributions, was the centrepiece of this appraisal. The authors argue that netnography could play a valuable role in enhancing our understanding of (a) rapidly changing tourist markets, (b) the growth of new markets and (c) the perspectives of culturally distinctive groups. The analysis of the blogs of Chinese recreational vehicle tourists who had visited Australia was chosen as a case study. In studying an emerging market segment from a rapidly changing and culturally different community, the case represented a key test of the value of the approach in generating insights. Practical steps to employ the method – entrée, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation and member checks – were illustrated. Issues arising from the case study for the application of netnography in tourism research were highlighted. They included the value of the detail inherent in the postings, the attendant ability to consider the material using conceptual schemes, the practicality of getting additional information, the need to fully address ethical concerns and the value of supplementary perspectives. Suggestions for ways to adapt the technique for better information retrieval and interpretation were also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The sustainable livelihoods (SL) approach offers a holistic framework and a practical toolkit to analyze tourism's impacts and interactions within a community. This study argues that the usefulness of the SL approach in tourism can be enhanced by ensuring that the approach is built on a genuine people-centered starting point. The exploration of the local community's representations of, and aspirations for, their roles in tourism as a future livelihood choice meets this need. To verify the value of this approach empirically, this study examined the case of Lhasa, Tibet, and local youth as the research respondents. The findings suggest that the young hosts in Lhasa urban area were heterogeneous in their responses to tourism as a future livelihood choice. They fell into four subgroups: in-betweeners, ambivalent supporters, alternative supporters, and lovers. Further, this study examined the profiles of these four subgroups and explored their responses. The study enhances the SL approach by taking tourism as an example and clearly defining the departure point for its adoption within the context of broader livelihoods portfolios. Additionally, it suggests some potential directions for tailored management strategies to meet youth and community perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local residents in tourism communities are observers of those who gaze at them. This research extends host gaze studies using an emic approach. It explores how tourists are viewed in three different settings in the context of Lhasa, Tibet. The young Tibetans viewing tourists in these three different settings have different economic and social backgrounds. They also have different degrees of exposure to tourists. The study offers baseline information on how tourists are differently understood within Tibet across nationality differences. It was demonstrated that three different groups of young Tibetans variously use ethnic origins, travel and transport arrangement, and how tourists are hosted to develop their different classifications. Tolerance towards most types of tourists is high, though it varies subtly for different groups. These core perspectives can be helpful in establishing not only how Tibetan tourism is viewed but also how it can be managed and developed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable efforts are underway to understand the behaviours of the growing number of outbound Chinese tourists. Existing research has shown that this market is complex, and an awareness of regional differences, change within China, and sensitivity to other world views are needed to guide studies in this area. For western researchers, several puzzles require conceptual clarification. These items of interest include what motivates Chinese tourists and are their motives different from those of western tourists? Among the other questions to be asked are, how do Chinese tourists interact with each other and their hosts, and how do they view unfamiliar natural environments? These are big questions and require a holistic and comprehensive approach to seeking initial answers. The paper approaches the puzzles posed by Chinese tourist behaviour by considering tourists' experiences as an orchestrated pattern of five blended forces. In particular, attention was directed towards the social behaviours, the role of sensory modalities, and the cognitive, affective and activity facets of experience. Further, this review explains how three major streams of influence (Confucianism, Communism and Capitalism) operate on and through the Chinese outbound tourists' experiences. The paper identifies these multiple influences as producing an oscillating triple-C gaze. The application of this concept can arguably help better delineate the perspectives of the twenty first century outbound Chinese travellers. As the quest to solve the puzzles of Chinese tourist behaviour gathers momentum, the opportunities for more longitudinal research and comparative studies viewed within this triple-C gaze are identified as useful complements to existing work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of 12 heavy metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Mo, Sn, Sb, Tl, Pb, Bi) in the marine near-shore sediment cores of the Yellow Sea, China were investigated. Core A sediments had significantly lower concentrations of heavy metals than those of both Cores B and C according to the Bonferronic multiple comparison method. Based on multivariate statistic approaches (factor analysis and cluster analysis), two factors were identified controlling the heavy metal variability in the sediments. The enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) indicated Sb contamination from three sediment cores in this study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain stem gliomas are rare intracranial tumors, especially in adults. Malignant or high-grade brain stem gliomas are usually associated with a very poor prognosis. This case report documents an adolescent harboring brain stem glioblastoma who had complete radiological response to temozolomide after partial tumor resection and survived for more than 3 years. Radiological and pathological findings are described. To the best of our knowledge, no similar cases have been reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]