scholarly journals The Medical Tourism Index and Behavioral Responses of Medical Travelers: A Mixed-Method Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 004728752091527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Olya ◽  
Torkan Hashemi Nia
Keyword(s):  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Causal Models ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Low Levels

This empirical study applies complexity theory to understand complex interactions of demographics and medical tourism index (MTI) dimensions in predicting causal models leading to high and low levels of satisfaction and behavioral intentions among medical travelers. A questionnaire-based survey is applied to investigate causal models (i.e., a combination of predictors) to predict satisfaction and the behavioral intentions of international patients who traveled to Cyprus. This study also conducted an in-depth interview to identify motives, complications, and conditions stimulating the behaviors of medical travelers. According to the necessary condition analysis (NCA) results, three dimensions of MTI, excluding cost, are necessary to achieve satisfaction and desired behavioral intention. Findings from interviews reveal that medical complications and legal conditions in the origin country influence medical traveler’s behaviors. The model testing results support key tenets of complexity theory and extend our knowledge of how to regulate conditions to discharge a dis/satisfied and dis/loyal patient.

scholarly journals Configurational Analysis of the Driving Paths of Chinese Digital Economy Based on the Technology–Organization–Environment Framework

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110545
Author(s):  
Shuangying Chen ◽  
Qiyue Li ◽  
Bo Lei ◽  
Na Wang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Digital Competence ◽  
Configurational Analysis ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Toe Framework ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Using Data

The purpose of this study was to examine the combinations of factors driving the digital economy and their configurational pathways, based on the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework. Using data on 31 Chinese provinces, the study integrated the TOE framework with Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to examine the digital economy. The results indicate that (a) firms’ digital competence is a necessary condition for the development of the digital economy; (b) four pathways drive high levels of digital economic development and three pathways lead to low levels of digital economic development; and (c) these pathways indicate asymmetry between high and low levels of digital economic development. The findings enhance understanding of the complex interactions of multiple factors driving the digital economy. They also yield policy recommendations for the development of the digital economy.

scholarly journals Evaluating Business Performance and Efficiency in the Medical Tourism: A Multi-criteria Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 198-221
Author(s):  
Veronika Čabinová ◽  
Peter Gallo ◽  
Petra Pártlová ◽  
Jan Dobrovic ◽  
Milan Stoch
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
Multi Criteria Evaluation ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Tourism Enterprises

Measuring the performance and efficiency of the tourism enterprises is essential regarding the current pandemic situation. In such a context, improving their financial situation and competitive position also depend on the use of innovative multi-criteria evaluation models. The paper's main objective is to propose the newly designed Performance & Efficiency model (P&E model) for Slovak spa enterprises. Its structure consists of three dimensions – P&E_I, P&E_II, P&E_III. The application of Confirmatory Factor Analysis validates 34 key performance ratios reflecting the financial situation of enterprises within the P&E_I. In case of P&E_II, the development of value-added dynamics is measured by using the Economic Value Added Momentum. Using the Data Envelopment Analysis, the level of enterprise efficiency is quantified (P&E_III). The partial results of the dimensions are transformed using min-max normalization to the overall score ranging from 0 to 3. Based on the results, a rating scale of all enterprises is carried out, and both their partial and overall positions are assessed through benchmarking. During the research (2013 – 2018), the best results are achieved for SE03 (Spa Bojnice, Inc.), SE21 (Specialised Spa Institute Marína, s.e.), and SE18 (Spa Horný Smokovec, Ltd.). The worst-rated spa enterprises include SE14 (Natural Iodine Spa Číž, Inc.), SE09 (Spa Sliač, Inc.), and SE19 (Pieniny Resort, Ltd.). The proposed P&E model is easily applicable to other tourism enterprises. The research as carried out enables deepening of knowledge concerning the multi-criteria evaluation and management concepts and helps enterprises overcome current unfavorable situations.

scholarly journals Eyetracking a meeting of minds: teachers’ and students’ joint attention during synchronous online language tutorials

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijing Shi ◽  
Ursula Stickler
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching Skills ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Teachers And Students

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic forced many language teachers to move their teaching online without sufficient preparation. This unexpected change of practice engendered doubt and anxiety in teachers. They worried about their ability to attract and hold their learners’ attention, an element that is essential for successful online teaching. Our dual-point eyetracking study looks into how students and teachers establish joint attention during online language tutorials. It also examines various means teachers employ to guide students’ attention and scaffold their meaning making process. The data was collected from two online language tutorials where the eye movement of one teacher and one student was tracked simultaneously, as well as recordings of their stimulated reflection while watching their own eyetracking visualisation replay. By combining mixed-method data and dual perspectives, we were able to unveil the complex interactions in online language tutorials and offer practical suggestions to language practitioners who hope to improve their online teaching skills.

scholarly journals PERSEPSI PENYANDANG DISABILITAS DAN STAKEHOLDER UNTUK MEMPROMOSIKAN DAN MENGEMBANGKAN KOMUNITAS INKLUSIF DI DIY DAN ASIA TENGGARA

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
Astri Hanjarwati ◽  
Jamil Suprihatiningrum ◽  
Siti Aminah
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Depth Interviews

 This research was conducted to investigate the perceptions of persons with disabilities and stakeholders regarding the promotion and development of Friendly and Inclusive Communities in Bantul Regency, DIY and Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi. The study was designed using transformative mixed-method, with the framework of KIPA (Knowledge, Inclusion, Participation, and Access) as a theoretical framework core. The first step was carried out by an empirical survey through distributing questionnaires to 48 respondents in Bantul Regency and 52 respondents in Kendari City. The results of data analysis from questionnaire contents were processed through descriptive statistics to describe respondents' perceptions quantitatively. Quantitative results are used as a reference in qualitative data collection, namely through in-depth interviews with selected respondents. The results of the study show that both persons with disabilities and stakeholders have a positive perception of the promotion and development of a friendly and inclusive community in their area. Although knowledge about disability, inclusion and the issues that surround it is still limited, but both persons with disabilities and stakeholders claim the need for a Friendly and Inclusive Community to be realized. Repondents of persons with disabilities also added that participation and access to development by and for persons with disabilities needs to be improved both in terms of quantity and quality.Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menginvestigasi persepsi penyandang disabilitas dan stakeholders mengenai promosi dan pengembangan Komunitas Ramah dan Inklusif di Kabupaten Bantul, DIY dan Kota Kendari, Sulawesi Tenggara. Penelitian didesain menggunakan transformative mixed-method, dengan kerangka KIPA (Knowledge, Inclusion, Participation, and Access) sebagai core theoretical framework. Langkah pertama dilakukan dengan survey empiris melalui penyebaran kuesioner kepada 48 responden di Kabupaten Bantul dan 52 responden di Kota Kendari. Hasil analisis data dari isian kuesioner diolah melalui statistik deskriptif untuk menggambarkan persepsi responden secara kuantitatif. Hasil kuantitatif dijadikan sebagai rujukan dalam pengambilan data secara kualitatif, yaitu melalui in-depth interview kepada responden terpilih. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan baik penyandang disabilitas maupun stakeholders memiliki persepsi yang positif terhadap promosi dan pengembangan Komunitas Ramah dan Inklusif di daerah mereka. Meskipun pengetahuan mengenai disabilitas, inklusi dan isu-isu yang melingkupinya masih terbatas, namun baik penyandang disabiltias dan stakeholders mengaku perlunya Komunitas Ramah dan Inklusif untuk diwujudkan. Reponden penyandang disabilitas juga menambahkan bahwa partisipasi dan akses pembangunan oleh dan untuk penyandang disabilitas perlu ditingkatkan baik dari segi kuantitas maupun kualitas.   

The structure of Taylor's constraint in three dimensions

2008 ◽  
Vol 464 (2100) ◽  
pp. 3149-3174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip W Livermore ◽  
Glenn Ierley ◽  
Andrew Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Lorentz Force ◽  
Inner Core ◽  
Rotation Axis ◽  
Analytic Form ◽  
Spectral Expansion ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Dynamo Action ◽  
Azimuthal Component ◽  
Electrically Conducting

In a 1963 edition of Proc. R. Soc. A , J. B. Taylor (Taylor 1963 Proc. R. Soc. A 9 , 274–283) proved a necessary condition for dynamo action in a rapidly rotating electrically conducting fluid in which viscosity and inertia are negligible. He demonstrated that the azimuthal component of the Lorentz force must have zero average over any geostrophic contour (i.e. a fluid cylinder coaxial with the rotation axis). The resulting dynamical balance, termed a Taylor state, is believed to hold in the Earth's core, hence placing constraints on the class of permissible fields in the geodynamo. Such states have proven difficult to realize, apart from highly restricted examples. In particular, it has not yet been shown how to enforce the Taylor condition exactly in a general way, seeming to require an infinite number of constraints. In this work, we derive the analytic form for the averaged azimuthal component of the Lorentz force in three dimensions after expanding the magnetic field in a truncated spherical harmonic basis chosen to be regular at the origin. As the result is proportional to a polynomial of modest degree (simply related to the order of the spectral expansion), it can be made to vanish identically on every geostrophic contour by simply equating each of its coefficients to zero. We extend the discussion to allow for the presence of an inner core, which partitions the geostrophic contours into three distinct regions.

Holocene Environments in Northeast Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 62-78
Author(s):  
Martin Williams
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Maar Lake ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
White Nile ◽  
Ne Africa

This chapter provides an overview of the geography, hydrology, and climate of NE Africa, with particular reference to the complex interactions between river regime, climate, the biota, and human settlement. During the Early (11.7–8.2 ka) and Middle Holocene (8.2–4.2 ka) the climate was far less arid than today across the Nile basin, including Nubia, albeit with sporadic dry phases. Climatic desiccation set in during the Late Holocene (4.2 ka to present), with minor wet phases. Intervals when the Nile flow regime was apparently shifting from high to low flow and flood plain incision have provisional ages of ca. 8.15–7.75 ka, 6.4–6.15 ka, 5.7–5.45 ka, 4.7–4.25 ka, 3.35–2.9 ka, 2.8–2.55 ka, and 1600 ce. In the Kerma area of Nubia there were two periods of relatively dense human occupation in the earlier part of the Holocene from 10 ka to 8 ka and from 7 ka to 6 ka, with two significant gaps in the archaeological record at 7.5–7.1 ka and 6.0–5.4 ka, that coincided with very low levels in Lake Challa, a maar lake on the eastern flank of Mt Kilimanjaro, near the Ugandan headwaters of the White Nile.

scholarly journals Sexual Violence Perpetration Within Intimate Relationships: An I3 Model Analysis of the Effects of Sexual Violence Victimization and Psychological Flexibility

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 107906321987717
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Grom ◽  
Cory Crane ◽  
Ruschelle M. Leone ◽  
Dominic J. Parrott ◽  
Christopher Eckhardt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Intimate Relationships ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Violence Victimization ◽  
Inhibiting Effect ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Ipv Perpetration ◽  
Low Levels

The I3 Model posits that intimate partner violence (IPV) is determined by the relative strength of instigatory, impellance, and inhibitory factors. Although much research has examined nonsexual IPV, few studies have used the I3 Model to examine sexual IPV. This study investigated the effects of sexual IPV victimization (an impellor) and psychological flexibility (an inhibitor) on sexual IPV perpetration within a dyadic framework. Participants nested within 617 intimate couples completed measures of psychological flexibility and sexual IPV perpetration and victimization. Results showed that Actor IPV victimization was positively and Actor psychological flexibility was negatively associated with Actor IPV perpetration. Among those who experienced low levels of IPV victimization, psychological flexibility inhibited IPV perpetration. This inhibiting effect did not extend to Actors who experienced high levels of IPV victimization. Findings highlight the complex interactions between I3 factors and support continued dyadic examination of IPV perpetration etiology.

Effectiveness of brand placements in music videos on viewers’ brand memory, brand attitude and behavioral intentions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davit Davtyan ◽  
Isabella Cunningham ◽  
Armen Tashchian
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Music Videos ◽  
Brand Attitudes ◽  
Brand Placement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Familiarity ◽  
Brand Placements ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of brand placement repetition in music videos on consumers’ memory, brand attitudes and behavioral intentions, as well as, explores the effective frequency needed to achieve optimal advertising impact. Design/methodology/approach The proposed hypotheses and research questions were tested using an experimental approach. Participants watched a block of music videos containing various levels of brand placement repetitions. Afterward, participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure memory, brand attitudes and behavioral intentions. Findings At low levels (below 4–5 exposures), the repetition of a brand placement has a positive effect on brand memory, brand attitudes, intentions to buy and to recommend the brand to others. However, further increases in repetition had detrimental effects on brand attitudes and purchase intentions, but not on memory measures. Additionally, the effects of brand placement repetition on brand attitudes and memory measures were moderated by respondents’ brand familiarity. Research limitations/implications The effects of brand placements were measured through explicit tests that refer to the placement event. Researchers are encouraged to test suggested propositions by using implicit tests. Practical implications The results of this study can serve as guidance for marketing practitioners on optimal ways to integrate their brands into the contents of mass media programming. Originality/value Despite the increasing usage of music videos in marketing promotions, limited scholarship explores the effects of placing consumer brands in this promising medium. Current research addresses this gap and contributes both to brand placement literature and scholarship on advertising repetition.

Assessing Social Vulnerability to Fire Hazards at the Kumasi Central Market, Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-73
Author(s):  
Dacosta Aboagye ◽  
Samuel Adu-Prah ◽  
Christabel E. Ansah
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Fire Hazards ◽  
Fire Disaster ◽  
Vulnerability Indicators ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Method Approach

This article describes how social vulnerability indicators can assist with informing fire disaster relief preparations. Fire outbreaks at the Kumasi Central Market in Ghana have become an annual event. About 27 fire disasters were recorded between 2007 and 2016. This article uses a spatially-centered approach to assess human vulnerability to fire risk at the location. The study used a geographic information system to compliment indicators of vulnerability to assess the level of fire risk and adaptive capacities. Mixed method approach was also used to collect survey data from traders and emergency response agencies. Data sets were analyzed using SPSS and ArcGIS. The study revealed that: most of the damaging fires occur during the dry season; fire hydrants in the market are insufficient and inaccessible; and there are low levels of awareness on fire risk and weak adaptive capacities. The article recommends provision of more fire hydrants and mass education on disaster risk prevention. Also, the market must be reconstructed with fire resistant materials and designed to make it more accessible to fire emergency response.

scholarly journals Organoids: life in three dimensions- a review

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Akhila CNV ◽  
Ravi Prakash A ◽  
Rajini Kanth M ◽  
Sreenath G ◽  
Sowmya K ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Vaccine Production ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Open The Doors ◽  
Dimensional Cell

Most of the diseases in humans are as a result of complex interactions occurring at cellular and molecular level. Research today has been focused in an attempt to reveal precisely the cellular evolution into pathogenesis. There are vast array of research fields, which include molecular biology, imaging techniques, etc. One of such field recently advancing worldwide is “Organotyping”. It is the successor of two dimensional cell cultures. Miniature organs and disease models can be produced from cells having the ability to proliferate and differentiate, by adopting definite protocols. Organoids are the potential tools to probe human biology and diseases; thereby they may change the approach to study diseases and provide treatment, in a more beneficiary way to the patient. Also organoids are used in vaccine production, cancer research, microbiology, tissue regeneration, drug testing, etc. Clinical trials are more devastating and may cost life of patients included in study. As such, organoids can be included in the protocols of clinical trials, through which the outcome of the study can be estimated. They open the doors for newer research methods and innovations, which are in peak requirement of present day scenario where new diseases are emerging and the diseases already existing are not yet cured.   

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