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Virtual reality (VR) technologies have expanded their application domains towards education with pedagogical benefits including fully immersive learning environment and in-depth user engagement through scenario-based virtual simulations. Motion sickness (MS), however, has become one of the long-standing key challenges of the VR utilisation, even in gaming industries. Thus, this paper aims to present a preliminary study on understanding the VR MS, referred as cybersickness, in the teaching and learning (T&L) context at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

A VR-based virtual classroom content was developed and tested for 60 undergraduate students having equal access to the same VR equipment. A two-step data collection, comprising qualitative and quantitative measures, was conducted for the participants. The aspects of how gender influences the cybersickness severity and how academic background affects the learning experience were investigated and analysed using analysis of variance F-test statistical approach.

The results demonstrated approximately 47% of the participants had experienced cybersickness, where 64% of them were females. With confidence level of 95% (a = 5%), the obtained p-value and F-statistical value for the respective gender and study discipline categories against the cybersickness symptoms confirmed the significance level between the two compared variables. Moreover, it is worth highlighting that the virtual movement speed, perspective angle and visual properties of the virtual environment were selected as the top three factors that caused the cybersickness.

The study is hoped to provide valuable pointers to current and future VR developers in minimising the cybersickness symptoms that would enable an effective T&L environment in higher education.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that can be used as a guide for the provision, adaptation and management of on-campus student accommodation spaces and services.

A phenomenological research strategy was used for the study. Qualitative data were collected by means of focus group discussions (FGDs) and observations. A total of ten FGDs were conducted. The student accommodations were observed to augment the information gathered through the FGDs. The data was analysed thematically.

The study found that students perceived some spaces and services as essential, whereas others were perceived as nonessential. Spaces including washroom, sleeping space, kitchen, laundry area and dry line, sick bay, computer area and study area, as well as services such as electricity, water, security, fire safety, internet, study furniture, health care, generators, electric fittings, ventilation, maintenance, pest control, refuse collection and cleaning were perceived as the most essential spaces and services required in student accommodations. It also became evident that apart from the spaces and services aforementioned, a student accommodation should also be provided with spaces and services that promote students’ well-being and leisure.

The model can be used as a guide by estate, facility, maintenance and hostel managers to effectively manage on-campus university student accommodation spaces and services. Moreover, the model can assist to ensure that all spaces and services perceived as essential are provided when designing, constructing or upgrading student accommodations.

Although several studies have been conducted on student accommodations, studies that mainly focused on identifying and prioritising the spaces and services required in student accommodations is lacking.

At the Dunstone Pumping Station of the National Coal Board at Dunstone ‐ on ‐ Tyne, considerable expense has been involved through pumping highly corrosive water from six collieries in the area, Ready‐to‐use thixotropic epoxy based systems such as that described herein for coating the pipes are likely to find ever widening fields of application.

The need to cull collections comes from a variety of concerns. Space, budgets and relevancy are the primary sources of exploration into the weeding of a collection. The purpose of this paper is to provide current commentary on the potential reactions to and unexpected consequences of weeding from the fiscal perspective of community stakeholders.

This paper provides insight gathered from a recent emergency library board meeting on weeding, and expands the debate to provide recommendations for future course of action.

Communication before, during and after a weeding project in light of informed and emotional community fiscal and material interest in a collection, above board and/or executive interest, is the recommended path to smooth weeding activities.

This paper reveals a new reality for library leaders previously accustomed to a less informed user understanding of the impact of weeding. It explains the effect of the global recession on the increased financial astuteness of patrons scrutinizing library expenditures in the twenty-first century.

To explore the phenomenon of stereoscopic vision and its exploitation in engineering and other professional applications, and in entertainment.

Starts with a review of how stereo vision works, and the techniques used in 3D movies to present the illusion of depth and movement at right angles to the screen. Looks at some engineering products that build on these techniques, and then at the development of 3D television, based on a different image separation method. Finally looks at developments in stereo machine vision.

A variety of techniques exist to present left and right views of a scene to the correct eyes and stimulate 3D perception: for example, light‐filtering, alternate‐frame sequencing and optical separation. Fatigue occurs when there is crosstalk between those images, or when the images are presented at too low a frame rate. Many computer modelling software providers produce programs with 3D‐viewing capability for professional engineers. There are some exciting recent developments, such as add‐on PC stereo systems, and 3D TV.

Makes the general scientist aware of the wide range of professional uses of stereo vision, and of the engineering challenges behind 3D film and television.

Several studies have documented that information technology (IT) projects often do not successfully meet defined objectives regarding time, budget, and functionality. There can be multiple causes for this, and an important factor in this context is the extent to which a company is ready for an IT project. To help understand this dynamic, this paper seeks to present a framework for analyzing “IT readiness” in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

Based on a literature review, the paper defines a framework for assessing and changing the IT readiness of a SME. The framework is illustrated and investigated by three case studies.

The case studies show that the framework of IT readiness in SMEs is useful for assessing company readiness and supporting the management of a project.

The framework and case studies provide an improved understanding of how to evaluate the readiness of a SME for an IT project.

The framework for IT readiness provides a solid basis for SMEs who plan to engage in an IT project and help to increase the chances of success.

The framework presented in the paper constitutes an operational model for choosing IT projects and making SMEs ready to engage in IT projects.

This paper aims to provide a backdrop for the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) theme issue on tourism in Sri Lanka.

This paper is written in the context of a strategic question: “how might post-war Sri Lanka develop inbound tourism?” A narrative approach is taken to cover a period of 46 years.

26 years of war affected tourism in Sri Lanka resulting in low demand, low prices and a reputation as a cheap destination. Turnaround came when the war ended in 2009. In 2012 Sri Lanka passed two milestones in its tourism history by emerging as a “million tourist destination” and a “billion dollar export income earner”. Sri Lanka is now aiming to attract 2.5 million tourists by 2016.

Tourism in Sri Lanka has the potential to emerge as a major export income earner. To further develop tourism, Sri Lanka must develop a long-term tourism master plan with inputs from all stake holders. Authors suggest that such a master plan is needed to achieve a target of 4.5 million tourist arrivals by 2024.

This paper learns from the past and plans for the future. A former Chairman and a former Director of the national tourism authority of Sri Lanka joined hands with an international hospitality and tourism educator to co-write this paper to advocate for a holistic plan in further development of tourism in Sri Lanka.

Examines the new energy regulation proposals set out in the revised Approved Document Part L of the 1995 Building Regulations. Assesses the ways in which the New Requirement L1 calls for better standards of building fabric insulation, improved space heating and hot water controls and the limitation of heat loss. Also considers the more stringent method of calculating U‐values and the attention given to limiting air infiltration and potential thermal bridging effects around windows, doors and other openings. Discusses the equations from the Building Research Establishment Domestic Energy Model (BREDEM) used to calculate the space and ventilation heating requirements of a dwelling, together with a rationale for using a two‐zone model. Assesses the concept of an “energy label” and how this can be expanded using software tools to give estimates of fuel use to an accuracy of ±10 per cent with cost benefits of increased insulation standards.

A growing number of travelers seek well-being when traveling. As concerning about outdoor air pollution in tourism destinations escalates, little is known about indoor air pollution in hotel guestrooms. The purpose of the present study is to assess particulate matter (PM) pollution in US hotel guestrooms and to provide baseline indoor PM readings in occupied and unoccupied rooms.

A series of field tests and experiments monitoring PM levels were conducted in the guestrooms overnight – with and without occupants – using the sophisticated, industrial-grade PM-monitoring equipment.

The results revealed that PM levels were very low when rooms were unoccupied or when guests were asleep. However, unhealthy PM mass concentrations were observed in occupied rooms when guests engaged in physical activity such as showering and walking around or while room attendants cleaned rooms. Among the physical activities, room cleaning caused hazardous indoor PM pollution, reaching 1,665.9 µg/m³ of PM10 and 140.4 µg/m³ of PM2.5 although they tended to be brief.

Leveraging increasing guest demand in well-being is essential for sustainable business and further growth. Indoor air quality must be recognized as an important factor to be controlled for well-being and health of guests and employees. Major hotel brands should take it into consideration as they infuse well-being DNA into their products and culture.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical investigation of PM pollution both in occupied and unoccupied hotel guestrooms in the USA, which reveals unhealthy PM pollution associated with the routine human activities in occupied guestrooms.