Drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service adoption : a study of individual perceptions and business model development in a travel and tourism context

The Travel and Tourism field is undergoing changes due to the rapid development of information technology and digital services. Online travel has profoundly changed the way travel and tourism organizations interact with their customers. Mobile technology such as mobile services for pocket devices (e.g. mobile phones) has the potential to take this development even further. Nevertheless, many issues have been highlighted since the early days of mobile services development (e.g. the lack of relevance, ease of use of many services). However, the wide adoption of smartphones and the mobile Internet in many countries as well as the formation of so-called ecosystems between vendors of mobile technology indicate that many of these issues have been overcome. Also when looking at the numbers of downloaded applications related to travel in application stores like Google Play, it seems obvious that mobile travel and tourism services are adopted and used by many individuals. However, as business is expected to start booming in the mobile era, many issues have a tendency to be overlooked. Travelers are generally on the go and thus services that work effectively in mobile settings (e.g. during a trip) are essential. Hence, the individuals’ perceived drivers and barriers to use mobile travel and tourism services in on-site or during trip settings seem particularly valuable to understand; thus this is one primary aim of the thesis. We are, however, also interested in understanding different types of mobile travel service users. Individuals may indeed be very different in their propensity to adopt and use technology based innovations (services). Research is also switching more from investigating issues of mobile service development to understanding individuals’ usage patterns of mobile services. But designing new mobile services may be a complex matter from a service provider perspective. Hence, our secondary aim is to provide insights into drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service development from a holistic business model perspective. To accomplish the research objectives seven different studies have been conducted over a time period from 2002 – 2013. The studies are founded on and contribute to theories within diffusion of innovations, technology acceptance, value creation, user experience and business model development. Several different research methods are utilized: surveys, field and laboratory experiments and action research. The findings suggest that a successful mobile travel and tourism service is a service which supports one or several mobile motives (needs) of individuals such as spontaneous needs, time-critical arrangements, efficiency ambitions, mobility related needs (location features) and entertainment needs. The service could be customized to support travelers’ style of traveling (e.g. organized travel or independent travel) and should be easy to use, especially easy to take into use (access, install and learn) during a trip, without causing security concerns and/or financial risks for the user. In fact, the findings suggest that the most prominent barrier to the use of mobile travel and tourism services during a trip is an individual’s perceived financial cost (entry costs and usage costs). It should, however, be noted that regulations are put in place in the EU regarding data roaming prices between European countries and national telecom operators are starting to see ‘international data subscriptions’ as a sales advantage (e.g. Finnish Sonera provides a data subscription in the Baltic and Nordic region at the same price as in Finland), which will enhance the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services also in international contexts. In order to speed up the adoption rate travel service providers could consider e.g. more local initiatives of free Wi-Fi networks, development of services that can be used, at least to some extent, in an offline mode (do not require costly network access during a trip) and cooperation with telecom operators (e.g. lower usage costs for travelers who use specific mobile services or travel with specific vendors). Furthermore, based on a developed framework for user experience of mobile trip arrangements, the results show that a well-designed mobile site and/or native application, which preferably supports integration with other mobile services, is a must for true mobile presence. In fact, travel service providers who want to build a relationship with their customers need to consider a downloadable native application, but in order to be found through the mobile channel and make contact with potential new customers, a mobile website should be available. Moreover, we have made a first attempt with cluster analysis to identify user categories of mobile services in a travel and tourism context. The following four categories were identified: info-seekers, checkers, bookers and all-rounders. For example “all-rounders”, represented primarily by individuals who use their pocket device for almost any of the investigated mobile travel services, constituted primarily of 23 to 50 year old males with high travel frequency and great online experience. The results also indicate that travel service providers will increasingly become multi-channel providers. To manage multiple online channels, closely integrated and hybrid online platforms for different devices, supporting all steps in a traveler process should be considered. It could be useful for travel service providers to focus more on developing browser-based mobile services (HTML5-solutions) than native applications that work only with specific operating systems and for specific devices. Based on an action research study and utilizing a holistic business model framework called STOF we found that HTML5 as an emerging platform, at least for now, has some limitations regarding the development of the user experience and monetizing the application. In fact, a native application store (e.g. Google Play) may be a key mediator in the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services both from a traveler and a service provider perspective. Moreover, it must be remembered that many device and mobile operating system developers want service providers to specifically create services for their platforms and see native applications as a strategic advantage to sell more devices of a certain kind. The mobile telecom industry has moved into a battle of ecosystems where device makers, developers of operating systems and service developers are to some extent forced to choose their development platforms.

The pulsed wire anemometer: review and further developments

The purpose of the present paper is to review work that has been done on the pulsed wire anemometer technique and also suggest further developments that could be made in its range of application. The aper discusses the three types of probes that have been used in pulsed wire anemometry: the crossed wire velocity probe, the parallel wire wall shear stress probe and the parallel wire velocity probe. The work shows that the crossed wire and the parallel wire techniques can be used to make velocity, turbulence and wall shear stress measurements in highly turbulent flows without any upper restriction on turbulence level. Comments are also made on the potential of a parallel wire probe for use in highly turbulent flows that would enable higher order velocity cross-product terms to be measured.

Improving the competitiveness of electrolytic Zinc process by chemical reaction engineering approach

This doctoral thesis describes the development work performed on the leachand purification sections in the electrolytic zinc plant in Kokkola to increase the efficiency in these two stages, and thus the competitiveness of the plant. Since metallic zinc is a typical bulk product, the improvement of the competitiveness of a plant was mostly an issue of decreasing unit costs. The problems in the leaching were low recovery of valuable metals from raw materials, and that the available technology offered complicated and expensive processes to overcome this problem. In the purification, the main problem was consumption of zinc powder - up to four to six times the stoichiometric demand. This reduced the capacity of the plant as this zinc is re-circulated through the electrolysis, which is the absolute bottleneck in a zinc plant. Low selectivity gave low-grade and low-value precipitates for further processing to metallic copper, cadmium, cobalt and nickel. Knowledge of the underlying chemistry was poor and process interruptions causing losses of zinc production were frequent. Studies on leaching comprised the kinetics of ferrite leaching and jarosite precipitation, as well as the stability of jarosite in acidic plant solutions. A breakthrough came with the finding that jarosite could precipitate under conditions where ferrite would leach satisfactorily. Based on this discovery, a one-step process for the treatment of ferrite was developed. In the plant, the new process almost doubled the recovery of zinc from ferrite in the same equipment as the two-step jarosite process was operated in at that time. In a later expansion of the plant, investment savings were substantial compared to other technologies available. In the solution purification, the key finding was that Co, Ni, and Cu formed specific arsenides in the “hot arsenic zinc dust” step. This was utilized for the development of a three-step purification stage based on fluidized bed technology in all three steps, i.e. removal of Cu, Co and Cd. Both precipitation rates and selectivity increased, which strongly decreased the zinc powder consumption through a substantially suppressed hydrogen gas evolution. Better selectivity improved the value of the precipitates: cadmium, which caused environmental problems in the copper smelter, was reduced from 1-3% reported normally down to 0.05 %, and a cobalt cake with 15 % Co was easily produced in laboratory experiments in the cobalt removal. The zinc powder consumption in the plant for a solution containing Cu, Co, Ni and Cd (1000, 25, 30 and 350 mg/l, respectively), was around 1.8 g/l; i.e. only 1.4 times the stoichiometric demand – or, about 60% saving in powder consumption. Two processes for direct leaching of the concentrate under atmospheric conditions were developed, one of which was implemented in the Kokkola zinc plant. Compared to the existing pressure leach technology, savings were obtained mostly in investment. The scientific basis for the most important processes and process improvements is given in the doctoral thesis. This includes mathematical modeling and thermodynamic evaluation of experimental results and hypotheses developed. Five of the processes developed in this research and development program were implemented in the plant and are still operated. Even though these processes were developed with the focus on the plant in Kokkola, they can also be implemented at low cost in most of the zinc plants globally, and have thus a great significance in the development of the electrolytic zinc process in general.

Dynamiikan simulointi poralaitteiden tuotekehityksessä

Diplomityö käsittelee kallioporalaitteen eliniän kuormitusten arviointiin tarkoitetun simulointimallin rakentamista. Työssä luotiin modulaarinen malli, jolla voidaan simuloida dynaamisesti esteen yliajo. Esteen yliajo on perinteinen tehdastesti uusien laitteiden prototyypeille. Sillä pyritään saamaan selville laitteen maksimikuormitustapaukset. Pintaporalaitteen simulointimalli tehtiin ADAMS-ohjelmistolla laitteen suunnittelussa tehtyjä CAD-malleja hyödyntäen. ADAMS-ohjelmistolla mallinnettiin laitteen yksinkertaistettu mekaniikka siten, että laite oli jaettu viiteen eri moduuliin. Runko ja telasto olivat omana osionaan. Puomi ja syöttölaite oli oma kokoonpanonsa ja ohjaamo sekä katteet olivat kaksi erillistä modulia. Viides moduuli oli hydrauliikka, joka simuloitiin rinnakkaissimulointina EASY5-ohjelmistolla. Simuloituja esteen yliajon tuloksia verrattiin prototyyppilaitteen tehdastestien mitattuihin kuormituksiin. Vertailu tehtiin mallinnettujen neljän sylinterin paineita tarkastelemalla. Tuloksia tarkastellessa havaittiin, että simulaatiomalli antaa varsinkin staattisissa tarkasteluissa oikean suuntaisia tuloksia. Dynaamisissa tilanteissa koneen maksimikuormituksilla mallinnustarkkuus ei tämän työn laajuudessa ole riittävä varsinaiseen eliniän analysointiin. Sen sijaan mallinnustekniikka todettiin periaatteessa toimivaksi ja jatkokehityskelpoiseksi.

Creating an open-books implementation framework for a maintenance-related value-based life-cycle model

This study is a qualitative action research by its nature with elements of personal design in the form of a tangible model implementation framework construction. Utilized empirical data has been gathered via two questionnaires in relation to the arranged four workshop events with twelve individual participants. Five of them represented maintenance customers, three maintenance service providers and four equipment providers respectively. Further, there are two main research objectives in proportion to the two complementary focusing areas of this thesis. Firstly, the value-based life-cycle model, which first version has already been developed prior to this thesis, requires updating in order to increase its real-life applicability as an inter-firm decision-making tool in industrial maintenance. This first research objective is fulfilled by improving appearance, intelligibility and usability of the above-mentioned model. In addition, certain new features are also added. The workshop participants from the collaborating companies were reasonably pleased with made changes, although further attention will be required in future on the model’s intelligibility in particular as main results, charts and values were all reckoned as slightly hard to understand. Moreover, upgraded model’s appearance and added new features satisfied them the most. Secondly and more importantly, the premises of the model’s possible inter-firm implementation process need to be considered. This second research objective is delivered in two consecutive steps. At first, a bipartite open-books supported implementation framework is created and its different characteristics discussed in theory. Afterwards, the prerequisites and the pitfalls of increasing inter-organizational information transparency are studied in empirical context. One of the main findings was that the organizations are not yet prepared for network-wide information disclosure as dyadic collaboration was favored instead. However, they would be willing to share information bilaterally at least. Another major result was that the present state of companies’ cost accounting systems will definitely need implementation-wise enhancing in future since accurate and sufficiently detailed maintenance data is not available. Further, it will also be crucial to create supporting and mutually agreed network infrastructure. There are hardly any collaborative models, methods or tools currently in usage. Lastly, the essential questions about mutual trust and predominant purchasing strategies are cooperation-wise important. If inter-organizational activities are expanded, a more relational approach should be favored in this regard. Mutual trust was also recognized as a significant cooperation factor, but it is hard to measure in reality.

Further molecular characterization of weed-associated begomoviruses in Brazil with an emphasis on Sida spp

Begomoviruses are whitefly-transmitted, single-stranded DNA viruses that are often associated with weed plants. The aim of this study was to further characterize the diversity of begomoviruses infecting weeds (mostly Sida spp.) in Brazil. Total DNA was extracted from weed samples collected in Viçosa (Minas Gerais state) and in some municipalities of Alagoas state in 2009 and 2010. Viral genomes were amplified by RCA, cloned and sequenced. A total of 26 DNA-A clones were obtained. Sequence analysis indicated the presence of 10 begomoviruses. All viral isolates from Blainvillea rhomboidea belonged to the same species, Blainvillea yellow spot virus (BlYSV ), thereby suggesting that BlYSV may be the only begomovirus present in this weed species. Four isolates represent new species, for which the following names are proposed: Sida yellow blotch virus (SiYBV), Sida yellow net virus (SiYNV), Sida mottle Alagoas virus (SiMoAV) and Sida yellow mosaic Alagoas virus (SiYMAV). Recombination events were detected among the SiYBV isolates and in the SiYNV isolate. These results constitute further evidence of the high species diversity of begomoviruses in Sida spp. However, the role of this weed species as a source of begomoviruses infecting crop plants remains to be determined.

Energiatehokkuuden huomioiminen julkisissa rakennushankkeissa

Hanke tähtää Lappeenrannan julkisen rakennuskannan energiatehokkuuden ja kokonaistaloudellisuuden parantamiseen. Energiatehokkuutta ja kokonaistaloudellisuutta kunnallisessa rakentamisessa kannustavat mm. kansainvälisten ja kansallisten sopimusten energiansäästötavoitteet, sekä kuntien tiukka budjettitilanne. Hankkeen yhteydessä on laadittu arviointikriteeristö rakennusinvestoinneista vastaavien viranomaisten käyttöön, mikä helpottaa tunnistamaan energiatehokkaita, kokonaistaloudellisia sekä laadukasta sisäilmastoa tukevia rakennusinvestointien toteutuskäytäntöjä. Kriteeristö on suunniteltu erityisesti kasvatus- ja opetustarkoituksiin suunnattuja rakennuksia varten. Jotta kokonaistaloudellisuustavoitteet täyttyisivät, työssä käytettiin hyväksi elinkaariajattelutapaa. Kriteerit laadittiin rakennuksen kolmelle tavoitteiden toteutumisen kannalta merkittävälle elinkaaren vaiheelle, eli suunnittelu-, toteutus- ja käyttövaiheelle. Kriteeristö on laadittu kirjallisuuden ja ammattilaisten haastattelujen tarjoaman tiedon pohjalta. Laadittua kriteeristöä koekäytettiin Myllymäen päiväkoti -hankkeen yhteydessä, jotta voitaisiin tunnistaa kriteeristön kehitystarpeita. Koekäytön yhteydessä toteutettiin myös mielipidekysely, jonka avulla kerättiin kriteeristön kehitysehdotuksia rakennushankkeen eri osapuolilta. Koekäytön tarjoaman tiedon nojalla kriteeristöä jatkokehitettiin vastaamaan paremmin käytännön tarpeita. Koekäyttö kohdistui kohteen suunnitteluvaiheeseen. Hankkeessa saavutettiin asetetut tavoitteet. Voidaan kuitenkin todeta, että kriteeristön jatkokehittämistä on syytä jatkaa. Koekäytön ulottaminen toteutus ja käyttövaiheeseen on tärkeää. Kriteeristön käsittelyalueen laajentamiselle korjausrakentamiseen sekä alueellisen tarkastelutavan käyttöönotolle olisi myös tarvetta.

Sustainable Business models for Open Access Services

Panel at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Susteinable steelmaking by process integration

Environmental issues, including global warming, have been serious challenges realized worldwide, and they have become particularly important for the iron and steel manufacturers during the last decades. Many sites has been shut down in developed countries due to environmental regulation and pollution prevention while a large number of production plants have been established in developing countries which has changed the economy of this business. Sustainable development is a concept, which today affects economic growth, environmental protection, and social progress in setting up the basis for future ecosystem. A sustainable headway may attempt to preserve natural resources, recycle and reuse materials, prevent pollution, enhance yield and increase profitability. To achieve these objectives numerous alternatives should be examined in the sustainable process design. Conventional engineering work cannot address all of these substitutes effectively and efficiently to find an optimal route of processing. A systematic framework is needed as a tool to guide designers to make decisions based on overall concepts of the system, identifying the key bottlenecks and opportunities, which lead to an optimal design and operation of the systems. Since the 1980s, researchers have made big efforts to develop tools for what today is referred to as Process Integration. Advanced mathematics has been used in simulation models to evaluate various available alternatives considering physical, economic and environmental constraints. Improvements on feed material and operation, competitive energy market, environmental restrictions and the role of Nordic steelworks as energy supplier (electricity and district heat) make a great motivation behind integration among industries toward more sustainable operation, which could increase the overall energy efficiency and decrease environmental impacts. In this study, through different steps a model is developed for primary steelmaking, with the Finnish steel sector as a reference, to evaluate future operation concepts of a steelmaking site regarding sustainability. The research started by potential study on increasing energy efficiency and carbon dioxide reduction due to integration of steelworks with chemical plants for possible utilization of available off-gases in the system as chemical products. These off-gases from blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace and coke oven furnace are mainly contained of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen and partially methane (in coke oven gas) and have proportionally low heating value but are currently used as fuel within these industries. Nonlinear optimization technique is used to assess integration with methanol plant under novel blast furnace technologies and (partially) substitution of coal with other reducing agents and fuels such as heavy oil, natural gas and biomass in the system. Technical aspect of integration and its effect on blast furnace operation regardless of capital expenditure of new operational units are studied to evaluate feasibility of the idea behind the research. Later on the concept of polygeneration system added and a superstructure generated with alternative routes for off-gases pretreatment and further utilization on a polygeneration system producing electricity, district heat and methanol. (Vacuum) pressure swing adsorption, membrane technology and chemical absorption for gas separation; partial oxidation, carbon dioxide and steam methane reforming for methane gasification; gas and liquid phase methanol synthesis are the main alternative process units considered in the superstructure. Due to high degree of integration in process synthesis, and optimization techniques, equation oriented modeling is chosen as an alternative and effective strategy to previous sequential modelling for process analysis to investigate suggested superstructure. A mixed integer nonlinear programming is developed to study behavior of the integrated system under different economic and environmental scenarios. Net present value and specific carbon dioxide emission is taken to compare economic and environmental aspects of integrated system respectively for different fuel systems, alternative blast furnace reductants, implementation of new blast furnace technologies, and carbon dioxide emission penalties. Sensitivity analysis, carbon distribution and the effect of external seasonal energy demand is investigated with different optimization techniques. This tool can provide useful information concerning techno-environmental and economic aspects for decision-making and estimate optimal operational condition of current and future primary steelmaking under alternative scenarios. The results of the work have demonstrated that it is possible in the future to develop steelmaking towards more sustainable operation.

Steps in the formation of neurites and synapses studied in cultured leech neurons

Leech neurons in culture have provided novel insights into the steps in the formation of neurite outgrowth patterns, target recognition and synapse formation. Identified adult neurons from the central nervous system of the leech can be removed individually and plated in culture under well-controlled conditions, where they retain their characteristic physiological properties, grow neurites and form specific chemical or electrical synapses. Different identified neurons develop distinctive outgrowth patterns that depend on their identities and on the molecular composition of the substrate. On native substrates, the patterns displayed by these neurons reproduce characteristics from the adult or the developing neurons. In addition, the substrate may induce selective directed growth between pairs of neurons that normally make contact in the ganglion. Upon contact, pairs of cultured leech neurons form chemical or electrical synapses, or both types depending on the neuronal identities. Anterograde and retrograde signals during membrane contact and synapse formation modify the distribution of synaptic terminals, calcium currents, and responses to 5-hydroxytryptamine.

Further analysis of open-respirometry systems: an a-compartmental mechanistic approach

A system is said to be "instantaneous" when for a given constant input an equilibrium output is obtained after a while. In the meantime, the output is changing from its initial value towards the equilibrium one. This is the transient period of the system and transients are important features of open-respirometry systems. During transients, one cannot compute the input amplitude directly from the output. The existing models (e.g., first or second order dynamics) cannot account for many of the features observed in real open-respirometry systems, such as time lag. Also, these models do not explain what should be expected when a system is speeded up or slowed down. The purpose of the present study was to develop a mechanistic approach to the dynamics of open-respirometry systems, employing basic thermodynamic concepts. It is demonstrated that all the main relevant features of the output dynamics are due to and can be adequately explained by a distribution of apparent velocities within the set of molecules travelling along the system. The importance of the rate at which the molecules leave the sensor is explored for the first time. The study approaches the difference in calibrating a system with a continuous input and with a "unit impulse": the former truly reveals the dynamics of the system while the latter represents the first derivative (in time) of the former and, thus, cannot adequately be employed in the apparent time-constant determination. Also, we demonstrate why the apparent order of the output changes with volume or flow.

Further biochemical characterization of Mycobacterium leprae laminin-binding proteins

It has been demonstrated that the alpha2 chain of laminin-2 present on the surface of Schwann cells is involved in the process of attachment of Mycobacterium leprae to these cells. Searching for M. leprae laminin-binding molecules, in a previous study we isolated and characterized the cationic proteins histone-like protein (Hlp) and ribosomal proteins S4 and S5 as potential adhesins involved in M. leprae-Schwann cell interaction. Hlp was shown to bind alpha2-laminins and to greatly enhance the attachment of mycobacteria to ST88-14 Schwann cells. In the present study, we investigated the laminin-binding capacity of the ribosomal proteins S4 and S5. The genes coding for these proteins were PCR amplified and their recombinant products were shown to bind alpha2-laminins in overlay assays. However, when tested in ELISA-based assays and in adhesion assays with ST88-14 cells, in contrast to Hlp, S4 and S5 failed to bind laminin and act as adhesins. The laminin-binding property and adhesin capacity of two basic host-derived proteins were also tested, and only histones, but not cytochrome c, were able to increase bacterial attachment to ST88-14 cells. Our data suggest that the alanine/lysine-rich sequences shared by Hlp and eukaryotic H1 histones might be involved in the binding of these cationic proteins to laminin.

Critical steps in the early evolution of the isocortex: Insights from developmental biology

This article proposes a comprehensive view of the origin of the mammalian brain. We discuss i) from which region in the brain of a reptilian-like ancestor did the isocortex originate, and ii) the origin of the multilayered structure of the isocortex from a simple-layered structure like that observed in the cortex of present-day reptiles. Regarding question i there have been two alternative hypotheses, one suggesting that most or all the isocortex originated from the dorsal pallium, and the other suggesting that part of the isocortex originated from a ventral pallial component. The latter implies that a massive tangential migration of cells from the ventral pallium to the dorsal pallium takes place in isocortical development, something that has not been shown. Question ii refers to the origin of the six-layered isocortex from a primitive three-layered cortex. It is argued that the superficial isocortical layers can be considered to be an evolutionary acquisition of the mammalian brain, since no equivalent structures can be found in the reptilian brain. Furthermore, a characteristic of the isocortex is that it develops according to an inside-out neurogenetic gradient, in which late-produced cells migrate past layers of early-produced cells. It is proposed that the inside-out neurogenetic gradient was partly achieved by the activation of a signaling pathway associated with the Cdk5 kinase and its activator p35, while an extracellular protein called reelin (secreted in the marginal zone during development) may have prevented migrating cells from penetrating into the developing marginal zone (future layer I).

A Phase Model for Building a Customer Value Based Sales Tool – Case Mining and Metals Industry

The objective of this research is to observe the state of customer value management in Outotec Oyj, determine the key development areas and develop a phase model with which to guide the development of a customer value based sales tool. The study was conducted with a constructive research approach with the focus of identifying a problem and developing a solution for the problem. As a basis for the study, the current literature involving customer value assessment and solution and customer value selling was studied. The data was collected by conducting 16 interviews in two rounds within the company and it was analyzed by coding openly. First, seven important development areas were identified, out of which the most critical were “Customer value mindset inside the company” and “Coordination of customer value management activities”. Utilizing these seven areas three functionality requirements, “Preparation”, “Outotec’s value creation and communication” and “Documentation” and three development requirements for a customer value sales tool were identified. The study concluded with the formulation of a phase model for building a customer value based sales tool. The model included five steps that were defined as 1) Enable customer value utilization, 2) Connect with the customer, 3) Create customer value, 4) Define tool to facilitate value selling and 5) Develop sales tool. Further practical activities were also recommended as a guide for executing the phase model.

Aurapten, a coumarin with growth inhibition against Leishmania major promastigotes

Several natural compounds have been identified for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Among them are some alkaloids, chalcones, lactones, tetralones, and saponins. The new compound reported here, 7-geranyloxycoumarin, called aurapten, belongs to the chemical class of the coumarins and has a molecular weight of 298.37. The compund was extracted from the Rutaceae species Esenbeckia febrifuga and was purified from a hexane extract starting from 407.7 g of dried leaves and followed by four silica gel chromatographic fractionation steps using different solvents as the mobile phase. The resulting compound (47 mg) of shows significant growth inhibition with an LD50 of 30 µM against the tropical parasite Leishmania major, which causes severe clinical manifestations in humans and is endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions. In the present study, we investigated the atomic structure of aurapten in order to determine the existence of common structural motifs that might be related to other coumarins and potentially to other identified inhibitors of Leishmania growth and viability. This compound has a comparable inhibitory activity of other isolated molecules. The aurapten is a planar molecule constituted of an aromatic system with electron delocalization. A hydrophobic side chain consisting of ten carbon atoms with two double bonds and negative density has been identified and may be relevant for further compound synthesis.