This study seeks to analyse the price determination of low cost airlines in Europe and the effect that Internet has on this strategy. The outcomes obtained reveal that both users and companies ...benefit from the use of ICTs in the purchase and sale of airline tickets: the Internet allows consumers to increase their bargaining power comparing different airlines and choosing the most competitive flight, while companies can easily check the behaviour of users to adapt their pricing strategies using internal information.
More than 2500 flights of the largest European low cost airlines have been used to carry out the study. The study revealed that the most significant variables for understanding pricing strategies were the number of rivals, the behaviour of the demand and the associated costs. The results indicated that consumers should buy their tickets before 25 days prior to departure.
•We analyse the effect of the Internet on airline pricing.•Both users and companies benefit from the use of ICTs in airline industry.•Regions with greater access to the Internet find lower prices.•Airlines use real time information to optimise their prices.•The competence is still the most important parameter in pricing strategies.
Since the first paper on the subject was published in 2002, the tourism-led growth hypothesis (TLGH) has constituted one of the most predominant topics in tourism literature. Spain is a leading ...country in the tourism industry and one where this hypothesis has been tested with several studies confirming the relationship between Spain's tourism development and its economic growth. However, the existing studies for Spain do not take into account recent turbulences such as the Global Financial and Economic Crisis and the Arab Spring uprisings that have shocked tourism markets. This paper re-examines the TLGH for the Spanish case in the light of these events in order to investigate the robustness of the relationship between tourism and economic growth.
•We analyze the impact of the latest economic crisis on the tourism led-growth hypothesis in Spain.•We analyze the effect of tourism growth on economic growth.•We analyze the effect of tourism growth on employment.•Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model and Toda-Yamamoto procedure are used as alternatives to the usual techniques.•Transformation of the variables used affects the results.
Catalonia is one of the most successful tourist regions in Spain. This article analyses the immediate impact that the instability associated to the recent political situation in Catalonia has had on ...the arrivals and spending of international tourists in the region using the classical Box-Jenkins method (ARIMA) and the more recent Bayesian Structural Time-Series Models. The results obtained indicate that during the final quarter of 2017, political events led to a reduction in the arrivals and spending of tourists in the region, although whether this impact reached statistical significance depends on the estimation method used.
•Catalonia is the leading tourism destination in Spain.•We analyse the impact of the political instability in Catalonia's tourism sector.•The results of ARIMA and BSTS techniques are compared.•Political instability negatively affects the performance of tourist destinations.•Bayesian techniques find difficult to get statistically significant impacts.
Diacutaneous fibrolysis is a non-invasive instrumental physiotherapeutic technique, used to treat mechanical or inflammatory pain and normalize function in the musculoskeletal system. Different ...studies have reported positive effects on range of motion, strength or function in musculoskeletal disorders, mainly in the upper extremity. The incidence and recurrence rates of hamstring injuries are high in many sports. However, there are no studies assessing these parameters in the hamstring and gluteus maximus in athletes. Objective. To evaluate the immediate and 30 minutes post-treatment effects of a single diacutaneous fibrolysis session on hamstring length, flexibility, muscle strength, myoelectrical activity and lower limb performance in athletes with hamstring shortening. A randomized within-participant clinical trial. Sixty-six athletes with hamstring shortening were recruited. A single session of diacutaneous fibrolysis was applied following the cetripetal protocol to the gluteus maximus, biceps femoris and semitendinosus of for the experimental lower limb, whereas the control limb was not treated. Hamstring length (Passive knee extension test), hamstring and low back flexibility (Modified back saver sit and reach test), hamstring and gluteus maximus strength and electrical activity (dynamometry and surface electromyography, respectively) and lower limb performance (Countermovement Jump) were tested before treatment (T0), after treatment (T1), and 30 minutes post-treatment (T2). We only found a statistically significant difference between T0-T2 for the hamstring length favouring the experimental limbs (p0.05). A single session of diacutaneous fibrolysis in athletes with hamstring shortening, following the centripetal protocol for the posterior part of the thigh, produces improvements in hamstring length 30 minutes after, and in gluteus maximus strength immediately and 30 minutes after the treatment. It seems to have no effects on the overall hamstring and lower back flexibility or myoelectric activity. Importantly, the lower limb performance was not impaired after the treatment.
The present study aims to describe the potential sources of energy in Peru with the purpose of implementing them to achieve a sustainable system, taking advantage of the natural resources in the ...Peruvian land. To achieve this, three alternative scenarios have been defined and analyzed using the LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) software Software Version: 2020.1.112. The scenarios are as follows: the first one, the Business-as-Usual scenario, is based on normal trends according to historical data and referencing projections made by Peruvian state entities; the second one is focused on Energy Efficiency, the highlighted characteristic is taking into consideration the efficient conditions in transmission and distribution of electric energy; and the third one, centered on Geothermal Energy, focused on the development of this type of energy source and prioritizing it. The primary purpose of this analysis is to identify the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each scenario in order to obtain the best out of each one. In this way, the intention is to propose solutions based on Peru’s national reality or possible uses of the country’s energy potential to supply its energy demand. Currently, Peru’s energy demand relies on fossil fuels, hydraulic, and thermal energy. However, there is the possibility of transforming this system into a sustainable one by strengthening existing and growing energy sources such as solar and wind energy and new technologies for hydraulic and thermal energy, in addition to considering geothermal energy as the main energy source in the third scenario. The new system mentioned satisfactorily indicates that the CO2 equivalent emissions decrease significantly in the third scenario, with a 15.8% reduction compared to the first scenario and a 9.7% reduction in comparison to the second. On the other hand, the second scenario shows a 5.6% decrease in CO2 emissions compared to the first, resulting from improvements in technology and energy efficiency without requiring significant modifications or considerable investments, as in the third scenario.
Despite the importance of collaborative accommodation in practically every tourist destination, to date the majority of studies have focused on large cities and urban destinations. This article ...distinguishes the factors that explain the added value of Airbnb properties, differentiating between urban and sun-and-beach holiday destinations. To do this, nine destinations from one of the most important European tourism regions have been studied using a hedonic pricing model that includes some variables related to the characteristics of the properties and others that define the online reputation of the hosts and properties and the tourism environment. The results reveal that the sharing economy fosters the emergence of private rentals, expanding the overall size of the accommodation market with some clear differences between the two types of tourist destinations, which emphasize the idea that the decisions made by stakeholders should be considered from a local perspective.
•Studies nine destinations using a hedonic pricing model.•Distinguishes factors explaining the added value of Airbnb properties.•Tourist experience has a greater influence on pricing in urban destinations.•Finds differences between urban and sun and beach holiday destinations.•Tourism decisions should be considering from a local perspective.
This paper analyses the effects of the recent Arab uprisings on tourism destinations located along the Mediterranean coastline. It uses time-series analysis to model international tourist arrivals. ...First, autoregressive integrated moving average models are estimated for the period 1980-2009 and predicted for 2010-2014 to establish suitable country controls. Second, Bayesian structural time-series models - designed primarily to determine causal impacts in on-line marketing campaigns - are used to establish the effects of the events in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Spain and Greece. The main conclusion is that the models clearly capture the negative impact of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and their positive impacts on Morocco and Turkey. However, the effects on Spain and Greece are less clear and depend crucially on the set of controls used in the analysis.
This study investigates the relationship between tourism destination competitiveness and the competitiveness of international hotel firms using an integrated approach based on Porter (1990). A ...mediation model is employed to link destination competitiveness, efficiency and firm competitiveness. Global technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency are estimated through data envelopment analysis techniques. The results confirm a positive relationship between destination competitiveness and firm competitiveness, but efficiency does not play a mediating role linking both.
Background and Objectives: Falls are a common and serious threat to the health and independence of older adults. The decrease in functional capacity during aging means an increased risk of falls. To ...date, it is not known whether there is a relationship between balance and functional tests. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between eyes-open and eyes-closed static balance with different functional tests. Materials and Methods: A correlation study was designed with 52 healthy subjects over 65 years of age. Results: Regarding the open eyes stabilometric parameters, significant correlations observed between the surface and the functional tests were weak in all cases. The correlations observed between length and the functional tests performed were moderate, except for that of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) which was weak. No significant correlation between TUG and surface was found. Regarding the closed eyes stabilometric parameters, statistically significant moderate correlations were found between the surface and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the Five Times Sit to Stand test (5XSST). In the case of the length with eyes closed, a statistically significant moderate correlation (rho = 0.40–0.69) was found with the SPPB and 5XSST variables, and weak correlations with the 4 m Walk Speed test (4WS) and TUG variables. Conclusions: There is a mild to moderate correlation between some functional tests and stabilometric parameters in adults over 65 years old.
The basic mechanisms underlying promoter DNA hypermethylation in cancer are still largely unknown. It has been proposed that the levels of the methyl donor group in DNA methylation reactions,
S
...-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), might be involved. SAMe levels depend on the glycine-
N
-methyltransferase (GNMT), a one-carbon group methyltransferase, which catalyzes the conversion of SAMe to
S
-adenosylhomocysteine in hepatic cells. GNMT has been proposed to display tumor suppressor activity and to be frequently repressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we show that GNMT shows aberrant DNA hypermethylation in some HCC cell lines and primary tumors (20 %). GNMT hypermethylation could contribute to gene repression and its restoration in cell lines displaying hypermethylation-reduced tumor growth in vitro. In agreement, human primary tumors expressing GNMT were of smaller size than tumors showing GNMT hypermethylation. Genome-wide analyses of gene promoter methylation identified 277 genes whose aberrant methylation in HCC was associated with GNMT methylation/expression. The findings in this manuscript indicate that DNA hypermethylation plays an important role in the repression of GNMT in HCC and that loss of GNMT in human HCC could promote the establishment of aberrant DNA methylation patterns at specific gene promoters.
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