Distant Destinations Research Articles

Export and Inventory: Evidence from Chinese Firms

This paper investigates the effect of export on firm inventory using Chinese firm data. We find that exporting increases firms’ inventory stocks. And exporting to more distant destinations is associated with less frequent and more concentrated export transactions.

Compensatory leisure travel? The role of urban structure and lifestyle in weekend and holiday trips in Greater Copenhagen

Compact urban development is considered a paradigm for sustainable development. However, compact cities are also characterised by high densities that implicate trade-offs such as limited access to green spaces or nature areas, or reduced air quality. People living in compact urban areas might respond to these trade-offs by ‘compensatory activities’ such as higher amounts of leisure travel. In this study, we compare the leisure travel patterns of people living in a central urban district in Copenhagen, Denmark, with those of people living in a small town in the commuter belt.The study uses a questionnaire survey, which was conducted in spring 2016, to examine the relationship between the urban structure of people’s residential location and their leisure travel patterns, and whether this relationship reveals compensatory travel activities.The study applies ordinal logistic regression to investigate the influence of a set of parameters on frequency of longer weekend trips (max. 3 overnight stays), holidays (>3 overnight stays) and total number of private plane trips over the course of one year.The results show that city dwellers go more frequently on longer weekend, holiday and plane trips and choose more distant destinations compared to small town dwellers. Access to a second home and related weekend trips appear as some sort of compensatory behaviour among city dwellers; however, lifestyle and related residential choice turn out to be stronger determinants of city dwellers’ leisure travel patterns.

The Transport Mechanism of Extracellular Vesicles at the Blood-Brain Barrier.

Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs), like exosomes and microvesicles, have attracted attention as potent carriers of intercellular communication throughout the body, including the brain. They transmit biological signals from donor cells to recipient cells, and recent evidence suggests that they may even carry such signals to distant destinations through peripheral circulation. In the central nervous system (CNS), EVs contribute to maintaining normal neuronal function, as well as to the pathological development of neurodegenerative diseases. Although some evidence has suggested that EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), moving from the peripheral circulation to the CNS, the mechanisms by which EVs facilitate communication between peripheral tissues and the CNS are not well understood. The BBB is a dynamic interface that regulates molecular trafficking between the peripheral circulation and the CNS. However, there is limited mechanistic understanding of how bloodborne EVs cross the BBB under physiological and pathological conditions. In this review, we focus on current knowledge of trafficking of EVs between the peripheral circulation and the brain. Moreover, we describe hypothetical transport routes by which EVs may cross the BBB based on previous reports. Further investigation is needed to understand the precise mechanisms by which EVs are transported across the BBB.

Spatial–temporal distances in travel intention–behavior

This study investigates non-travelers’ behavior, focusing on the influence of spatial and temporal distances on decisions not to travel and their effects on the gap between travel intention and actual behavior. The results show that intention formed at a greater temporal distance from an event reflects a stronger actualization but that spatial distance acts as impedance to traveling to distant destinations. The longer the time interval between intention formation and the action is, and the greater the spatial distance to a destination is, the higher the probability to change behaviors. The results indicate that in addition to understanding factors that facilitate travelers without an original travel intention, marketing efforts should target non-travelers to induce the intended travel.

Surgical injury-induced early neocortical microvascular changes and characteristics of the cells populating the peri-lesion zone

Adult mammalian brain contains a number of specialized neurovascular structures termed "niches" that act as sources of neuronal cells throughout the individual's life. Some of the niches generate neurons to satisfy the need for 'replacement' neurons within the same or closely located brain structures, whereas the other can provide such cells for more distant destinations in the brain. A common characteristic of known neurovascular niches is the presence of a complex 3-dimensional network of basal lamina processes, called fractones. It apparently plays a major role in communication between the various niche-populating cell types as well as in niche activity and output. We hypothesized that similar niches may form ad hoc after a mechanical brain trauma, and tested this possibility in a rat model of surgical brain injury. Four days after removing a small fragment of sensorimotor cortex, the peri-wound region showed numerous symptoms of active repair and remodeling of brain parenchyma, including the presence of multiple cell types of immature phenotypes. The latter, as shown by a variety of light and electron microscopy techniques, included endothelial cell precursors as well as nestin-positive immature neural cells of astrocytic or non-glial characteristics. However, there was no evidence of in situ neurogenesis or a considerable migration of cells from SVZ. The centers of the said repair processes were capillary blood vessels connected with basal lamina-formed fractones. These results indicate that surgical brain trauma causes the formation of a vascular niche with no apparent neurogenic potential.

Artisanal fisher migration patterns in coastal East Africa

Migration is a feature of most small-scale fisheries across the world and has previously been described in spatial and temporal terms. This study assessed spatial and temporal migration patterns of fishers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique from October 2009 to March 2010 covering important migrant fishers destinations on the coast. The concentrations, fishing destinations, routes, frequency as well as seasonality of migrant fishers in each of the countries were assessed using 192 surveys at 9 sites and 127 semi-structured interviews at 25 sites. Migrations in Kenya and Tanzania were mainly seasonal while in Mozambique circular migrations were common and lasted far longer. Fishers from Pemba, Unguja and Nampula were the most experienced migrant fishers in terms of the numbers involved and their ability to migrate to distant destinations. The region is likely to experience increasing influxes of migrant fishers due to increasing fisher numbers, fisheries governance, and other factors that provide an environment conducive to migration. The small scales of operation of the local co-management structures, the lack of monitoring ability and the limited knowledge about activities of migrant fishers requires a shared regional approach in terms of fisheries management with specific attention to issues concerning migrant fishers.

Travel Diarrhea in Childhood “First Part; what do we know?”

Travel-related diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, cutaneous larva migraines and respiratory infections, are common in children and adults. Diarrhea is one of the most common and mortal diseases among childhood particularly in those who travel to developing countries [ ADDIN EN.CITE Leung 2006 1 (1, 2) 1 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>1 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Leung, A. K. Robson, W. L. Davies, H. D. Traveleras diarrhea Adv Ther Adv Ther 519-27 23 4 2006 0741-238X (Print) 0741-238X (Linking) Fox 2013 3 3 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>3 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Fox, T. G. Manaloor, J. J. Christenson, J. C. Travel-related infections in children Pediatr Clin North Am Pediatr Clin North Am 507-27 60 2 2013 1557-8240 (Electronic) 0031-3955 (Linking) 1 , 2 ]. Although its pathogen depends on the country which is visited, there is a similarity between pathogens which affect adults and children [ ADDIN EN.CITE Ang 2008 2 (3) 2 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>2 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Ang, J. Y. Mathur, A. Traveleras diarrhea: updates for pediatricians Pediatr Ann Pediatr Ann 814-20 37 12 2008 0090-4481 (Print) 0090-4481 (Linking) 3 ]. Among bacterial pathogen, Enterotoxic E-Coli is most common in pediatrics. Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) is commonly self-limited and does not need specific aggressive treatment but supportive care for limiting dehydration and other complication is mandatory. “The attack rate is highest for travelers from a developed country who visit a developing country”[ ADDIN EN.CITE Leung 2006 4 (1) 4 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>4 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Leung, A. K. Robson, W. L. Davies, H. D. Traveleras diarrhea Adv Ther Adv Ther 519-27 23 4 2006 0741-238X (Print) 0741-238X (Linking) 1 ]. Also, traveling in the summer season to tropical developing countries with endemic infectious diarrhea increases the risk of TD. There are many conflicts in pediatrics TD managements. Antiemetic and anti-motility medications are not routinely recommended except in cases with severe and uncontrolled symptoms. Loperimide (in cases older than 6 years old without dysentery, febrile and toxic symptoms) among anti motility medications and ondansetron, metoclopramide, or dimenhydrinate among antiemetic medications are suggested for children with considerably refractive symptoms [ ADDIN EN.CITE http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-7-international-travel-infants-children/traveling-safely-with-infants-and-children 7 (4) 7 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>7 <ref-type name=Web Page>12 http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-7-international-travel-infants-children/traveling-safely-with-infants-and-children 4 ]. Anti-motility drugs might also be able to decrease the risk of transmission by reducing the amount of fecal materials. Moreover, Antibiotics selection depends on the age groups and characterized pathogens. More important than treatment, the prevention of it by providing pre-travel medical advice and information about endemic diseases in target countries is more effective [ ADDIN EN.CITE Kamat 2006 6 (5) 6 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>6 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Kamat, D. Mathur, A. Prevention and management of travelersa diarrhea Dis Mon Dis Mon 289-302 52 7 2006 1557-8194 (Electronic) 0011-5029 (Linking) 5 ]. As Sheila Mackell demonstrated in the Journal of Clinical Infectious Disease; “Most of the data available today describe travelers' diarrhea in adults. Children traveling to distant destinations from their home country have not been well studied, yet treatment parameters exist in practice and will be reviewed here”[ ADDIN EN.CITE Mackell 2005 5 (6) 5 <key app=EN db-id=5sew2wd0qr0vwmezef4v55vs2p9azrzzf5pp>5 <ref-type name=Journal Article>17 Mackell, S. Traveleras diarrhea in the pediatric population: etiology and impact Clin Infect Dis Clin Infect Dis S547-52 1 41 2005 1537-6591 (Electronic) 1058-4838 (Linking) 6 ]. On the other hand, because TD occurs in developing countries there is a lock of information about pathogenesis, accuracy of treatment and management. Therefore, almost the most common pathogen in developing countries e.g. in Asia and Africa is non-identified pathogen. This means more studies are needed to be conducted on pathogenesis, pathogen frequency, prevention, management especially in specific conditions such as children with immunodeficiency. In the second part, we will discuss about future aspects of TD in pediatrics.

‘Eating the bread out of their mouth’: Antwerp's export trade and generalized institutions, 1544–5

This article studies the distribution of exports from mid‐sixteenth‐century Antwerp at the individual and group level (grouped by merchant origin). Recently, scholars have argued that sixteenth‐century Antwerp, and in its wake a series of other cities, hosted an open‐access market as a result of an evolution towards open‐access institutions. However, the direct effect of this institutional change on merchant enterprise is hard to measure. Relying on detailed tax records, preferences at the individual merchant level for particular destinations and commodities are documented, to evaluate whether exporters had equal chances in Antwerp's export market. A few exporters had large export shares next to a multitude of smaller merchants. The exports of these smaller merchants to distant destinations and their participation in the export of important products demonstrate a fairly level commercial playing field with regard to their larger‐scale colleagues. Foreign traders had access to trade in Low Countries products, while local merchants were active in the export of major transit products. The activities of the latter group are particularly important; contrary to previous literature, Low Countries traders did not differ in their preference for home‐grown products.

High-end variety exporters defying gravity: Micro facts and aggregate implications

We develop a new methodology to identify high-end variety exporters in French firm-level data. We find that they do not export to more countries, but they export to more distant destinations than low-end ones. We also show that in contrast to low-end exporters, distance has almost no effect on high-end variety export(er)s. Because of this lower sensitivity to distance at the micro-level, specializing in the production of high-end varieties has implications for the geography of aggregate exports. Specializing in high-end varieties allows for a greater geographic diversification of aggregate exports – in particular when demand arises from both neighboring and distant countries. It also makes a country better able to benefit from growth in remote destinations.

Towards prolonged lifetime for deployed WSNs in outdoor environment monitoring

Recently, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) emerged as a powerful and cost-efficient solution for unattended Outdoor Environment Monitoring (OEM) applications. These applications impose certain challenges on WSN deployment, including 3-Dimensional (3-D) settings, harsh operational conditions, and limited energy resources. To prolong lifetime of the deployed WSN, while mitigating the effects of these challenges, we propose the use of Relay Nodes (RNs) in addition to Sensor Nodes (SNs) in a distributed manner. While RNs facilitate reaching distant destinations, SNs can reserve their limited energy resources for sensing and data gathering. In addition, Mobile RNs (MRNs), which is a set of RNs capable of being reallocated (i.e. mobilized) at any point within the network lifetime, can be used to overcome possible link/node failure caused by the harsh conditions. It can also guarantee minimal energy consumption through imposing a balanced traffic distribution. This article proposes a 3-D grid-based deployment for heterogeneous WSNs (consisting of SNs, RNs, and MRNs). The problem is cast as a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the network lifetime while maintaining certain levels of fault-tolerance and cost-efficiency. Moreover, an Upper Bound (UB) on the deployed WSN lifetime, given that there are no unexpected node/link failures, has been driven. Based on practical/harsh experimental settings in OEM, intensive simulations show that the proposed grid-based deployment scheme can achieve an average of the expected UB.

New walking and cycling routes and increased physical activity: one- and 2-year findings from the UK iConnect Study.

We evaluated the effects of providing new high-quality, traffic-free routes for walking and cycling on overall levels of walking, cycling, and physical activity. 1796 adult residents in 3 UK municipalities completed postal questionnaires at baseline (2010) and 1-year follow-up (2011), after the construction of the new infrastructure. 1465 adults completed questionnaires at baseline and 2-year follow-up (2012). Transport network distance from home to infrastructure defined intervention exposure and provided a basis for controlled comparisons. Living nearer the infrastructure did not predict changes in activity levels at 1-year follow-up but did predict increases in activity at 2 years relative to those living farther away (15.3 additional minutes/week walking and cycling per km nearer; 12.5 additional minutes/week of total physical activity). The effects were larger among participants with no car. These new local routes may mainly have displaced walking or cycling trips in the short term but generated new trips in the longer term, particularly among those unable to access more distant destinations by car. These findings support the potential for walking and cycling infrastructure to promote physical activity.

The compensation hypothesis in Barcelona measured through the ecological footprint of mobility and housing

The compensation hypothesis poses the possibility that individuals who live in dense urban centres have a greater propensity to have a second residence and/or to travel more frequently to more distant destinations on the weekends and vacations than individuals who live in zones that are not so dense. Given this context, the net effect of density in environmental terms is not clear. In this study, we check the compensation hypothesis in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area using the ecological footprint of mobility and housing as global environmental impact indicator. The results strongly reject the compensation hypothesis, although they do detect the existence of a maximum level of density beyond which a positive impact is exerted.

Quality Differentiation and Trade Intermediation

Existing studies show that intermediaries can help verify or screen product quality for buyers. This paper examines this claim both theoretically and empirically in the context of international trade. We develop a heterogeneous firm model that features vertical and horizontal differentiation of products, a coexistence of direct exporting and indirect exporting through intermediaries and firms’ investment in quality signaling. When complete contracts are not available, intermediaries underinvest in quality signaling from the perspective of the producer. For products that are more horizontally differentiated, competition is less intense and even low-quality firms export via intermediaries. These two mechanisms yield a negative (positive) cross-product relation between vertical (horizontal) differentiation and the prevalence of trade intermediation. Intermediation is more prevalent in the more (both physically and culturally) distant destinations, more so for the more vertically and horizontally differentiated products. Using detailed product-level data from China, we find supporting evidence for these predictions.

Development of a Time-Dependent Disaggregate Hurricane Evacuation Destination Choice Model

A time-dependent disaggregate destination choice model for evacuees from a hurricane is developed and tested in this paper. Using data from a survey conducted among South Carolina residents following Hurricane Floyd in 1999 as the basic information, dynamic information regarding the storm, the network, the destination zones, and decisions made by the emergency managers regarding the issuing of evacuation notices was added to the sample to provide a database that contained time-dependent data in 48 2-h time periods preceding landfall. Separate models were established for evacuees seeking shelter at the homes of friends and relatives and those who went to hotels and motels. The models describe destination choice in terms of time-dependent travel time between origin and destination, the amount of accommodation remaining in each zone in each time period, the estimated likelihood that the storm’s path takes it over a destination zone, the ethnic similarity between origin and destination zones, and the presence of a large metropolitan area and/or interstate highways in a destination zone. When estimating the performance of the models, their trip length frequency distributions are not significantly different to the observed trip length frequency distribution at the 95% level of significance. Applying the friend/relative model to the neighboring state of Georgia produced a trip length frequency diagram that had a similar pattern to the observed distribution but underestimated short-distance destinations and overestimated distant destinations.

Rural–urban spatial interaction in the global south: long‐distance mobility changes, desires and restrictions over two decades in rural philippines

.The spatial interaction between rural and urban areas is intense in the Global South. While research into how this interaction influences livelihood opportunities is extensive, longitudinal identification and analysis of rural people's long‐distance mobility is rudimentary. This is problematic given the possible repercussions of a greater flow of people for transport system management (congestion, emissions, investments, social exclusion, etc.). Based on longitudinal survey data from 1990 to 2008/2009, this article addresses this gap by exploring how the long‐distance mobility behaviour of households and individuals has changed over a period of intensified rural–urban interaction in a rural Philippine area. The article furthermore addresses the individuals' mobility desires and restrictions related to long‐distance travel. The results indicate that both accessibility effects and effects related to information and communication technology (ICT), concentration of activities and opportunities towards major cities, age, labour market, and economic situation. Over time, particularly since improved accessibility conditions have enabled much faster travelling, more people have come to travel more frequently (although a suppressed demand is still present and inequalities are considerable) to more distant destinations, major cities in particular, for mainly social motives. A recent countertrend is evident, partly arising from mobile phones replacing physical movement. The increase in private vehicle ownership has so far been slow, so modal choice is still highly sustainable. Overall, the findings support core ideas derived from the new economic geography, but also notes, with earlier studies in transport geography, that travel time is a prime consideration.

Novel chimeras of botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins yield insights into their distinct sites of neuroparalysis

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) A or E and tetanus toxin (TeTx) bind to motor-nerve endings and undergo distinct trafficking; their light-chain (LC) proteases cleave soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) peripherally or centrally and cause flaccid or spastic paralysis, respectively. To seek protein domains responsible for local blockade of transmitter release (BoNTs) rather than retroaxonal transport to spinal neurons (TeTx), their acceptor-binding moieties (H(C))--or in one case, heavy chain (HC)--were exchanged by gene recombination. Each chimera, expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, entered rat cerebellar neurons to cleave their substrates, blocked in vitro nerve-induced muscle contractions, and produced only flaccid paralysis in mice. Thus, the local cytosolic delivery of BoNT/A or BoNT/E proteases and the contrasting retrograde transport of TeTx are not specified solely by their HC or H(C); BoNT/A LC translocated locally irrespective of being targeted by either of the latter TeTx domains. In contrast, BoNT/E protease fused to a TeTx enzymatically inactive mutant (TeTIM) caused spastic paralysis and cleaved SNAP-25 in spinal cord but not the injected muscle. Apparently, TeTIM precludes cytosolic release of BoNT/E protease at motor nerve endings. It is deduced that the LCs of the toxins, acting in conjunction with HC domains, dictate their local or distant destinations.

Shipping Markets and Freight Rates: An Analysisof the Baltic Dry Index

Shipping, although a crucial component of the transportation of commodities worldwide, is hardly present in the finance literature at this point. The first and foremost goal of this article is to describe and explain from an economic perspective the key features of shipping markets; the second one is to analyze the behavior of freight rates, which define the final cost of an imported commodity. The authors focus on the major index, the BDI (Baltic Dry Index), and propose some diffusion models able to capture the unique features of its trajectories, namely large swings and continuity. Their performance is exhibited on a database covering the period 1988–2010. Such spot models should facilitate the growth of the market of freight rates options, a safe hedging instrument for farmers and cooperatives that ship their grains to distant destinations. <b>TOPICS:</b>Commodities, mutual funds/passive investing/indexing, global, performance measurement

INTERNAL VERSUS INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND THE ROLE OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION

This study disentangles the concept of relative deprivation by distinguishing feelings of individual and collective relative deprivation as sources of individual aspirations. Both concepts are then operationalised and empirically tested with regard to their relative importance in migration decision-making. Based on data from the National Sample Survey in 2008, two factors turn out to be relevant in understanding the Indian migration pattern. First, individual and collective relative deprivations are both strong predictors for out-migration, but only for short-distance, intra-state movements. The likelihood of out-migration towards international destinations is significantly higher for households with lower levels of individual and collective relative deprivation. Second, leaving aside the effects of relative deprivation, absolute deprivation plays a rather ambivalent role: while economically better-off households have a higher propensity for sending (primarily male) migrants to distant inter-state and international destinations, shorter distance out-migration is mainly dominated by female migrants stemming from poorer households.

Quality Differentiation and Trade Intermediation

Existing studies show that intermediaries can help verify or screen product quality for buyers. This paper examines this claim both theoretically and empirically in the context of international trade. We develop a heterogeneous-firm model that features vertical and horizontal differentiations of products, a coexistence of direct exporting and indirect exporting through intermediaries, and firms' investment in quality signaling. When complete contracts are not available, intermediaries underinvest in quality signaling from the perspective of the producer. For products that are more horizontally differentiated, competition is less intense and even low-quality firms export via intermediaries. These two mechanisms yield a negative (positive) cross-product relation between vertical (horizontal) differentiation and the prevalence of trade intermediation. Intermediation is more prevalent in the more (both physically and culturally) distant destinations, more so for the more vertically and horizontally differentiated products. Using detailed product-level data from China, we find supporting evidence for these predications.

The Power of Imagination in Transnational Mobilities

At the roots of many travels to distant destinations, whether in the context of tourism or migration, are historically laden and socioculturally constructed imaginaries. People worldwide rely on such imaginaries, from the most spectacular fantasies to the most mundane reveries, to shape identities of themselves and others. These unspoken representational assemblages are powerful because they enact and construct peoples and places, implying multiple, often conflicting, representations of Otherness, and questioning several core values multicultural societies hold, by blurring as well as enforcing traditional territorial, social, and cultural boundaries. What are the contours of power, agency, and subjectivity in imaginaries of transnational mobility and the intersecting social categories those visions both reify and dissolve? Ethnographic studies of human (im)mobility provide an innovative means to grasp the complexity of the global circulation of people and the world-making images and ideas surrounding these movements. As a polymorphic concept, mobility invites us to renew our theorizing, especially regarding conventional themes such as culture, identity, and transnational relationships. This article critically analyzes some preliminary findings of an ongoing multisited research project that traces how prevalent imaginaries of transnational tourism to and migration from the “global South” are (dis)connected. I suggest anthropology has unique contributions to make to the current debate in the social sciences by ethnographically detailing how mobility is a contested ideological construct involving so much more than mere movement.