Search Results (13)

Since ancient times, people have used salt for cooking and preserving food, its healing benefits, and as a means of payment. Therefore, the first settlements were located near water, food, and preferably salt, as prerequisites to further social and economic development. Naturally, the social development, the healing properties of salt, and the beauty of some salt landscapes have led to the development of tourism as an essential asset for rural communities. This paper aims to investigate the research focusing on the use of salt resources in tourism and to see if the exploitation of salt landscapes is an actual research topic linked to rural development. The study’s primary objectives are to investigate the scientific output in the tourism field, the main drivers in scientific production, and any connection between the importance of salt landscapes in tourism and sustainable rural development. The article represents a bibliometric analysis of 437 scientific articles published in prestigious journals indexed in the Web of Science until November 2023. The results emphasised a need for more research on using salt landscapes and resources in tourism as a central topic, as most identified studies focus on proposing models for the sustainable development of former salt mines and ecosystem restoration using tourism activity. Since many salt mining operations have been closed and the inhabitants of the neighbouring rural localities have been left without the related income, the results of this research are helpful for specialists in the field and for decision-makers to have a clear view of the development trends of areas rich in salt resources for tourism purposes. Full article

Research studies on academic work and the COVID-19 crisis have clearly shown that the pandemic crisis contributed to exacerbating pre-existing gender gaps. Although the research has been extensive in this regard, it has focused more on the widening of the “motherhood penalty”, while other groups of academics are blurred. Even more underinvestigated and not yet fully explained are the intersections between further axes of diversity, often because the research conducted during the pandemic was based on a small volume of in-depth data. By drawing on interview data from a wider national research project, this article aims to contribute to this debate by adopting an intersectional approach. In investigating daily working life and work–life balance during the pandemic of a highly heterogeneous sample of 127 Italian academics, this article sheds light on how gender combines with other axes of asymmetry, particularly class (precarious versus stable and prestigious career positions) and age (individuals’ life-course stage), to produce specific conditions of interrelated (dis)advantage for some academics. The analysis reveals three household and family life course types that embody the interlocking of gender, class, and age within a specific social location with unequal, and possibly long-term, consequences for the quality of working life, well-being, and careers of academics, living alone or with parents, couples without children or with grown-up children, and couples with young children and other family members in need of care. Full article

Improving fruit size or weight, firmness, and shelf life is a major target for horticultural crop breeding. It is associated with the depolymerization and rearrangement of cell components, including pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose, and other structural (glyco)proteins. Expansins are structural proteins to loosen plant cell wall polysaccharides in a pH-dependent manner and play pivotal roles in the process of fruit development, ripening, and softening. Rubus chingii Hu, a unique Chinese red raspberry, is a prestigious pharmaceutical and nutraceutical dual-function food with great economic value. Thirty-three RchEXPs were predicted by genome-wide identification in this study, containing twenty-seven α-expansins (EXPAs), three β-expansins (EXPBs), one expansin-like A (EXPLA), and two expansin-like B (EXPLBs). Subsequently, molecular characteristics, gene structure and motif compositions, phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal location, collinearity, and regulatory elements were further profiled. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and real-time quantitative PCR assays of fruits from different developmental stages and lineages showed that the group of RchEXPA5, RchEXPA7, and RchEXPA15 were synergistically involved in fruit expanding and ripening, while another group of RchEXPA6 and RchEXPA26 might be essential for fruit ripening and softening. They were regulated by both abscisic acid and ethylene and were collinear with phylogenetic relationships in the same group. Our new findings laid the molecular foundation for improving the fruit texture and shelf life of R. chingii medicinal and edible fruit. Full article

This article describes Picasso’s first visit to the French capital in 1900, and the events that led to his first major exhibition at the acclaimed Galerie Ambroise Vollard in Paris in 1901. The first section provides a narrative of his early experiences abroad as a young unknown artist, his influences, and the contacts he established with friends, artists and dealers during this important period of his career; the second section traces the histories of the sixty-five artworks that were exhibited, identifying the collections those items went through after they were exhibited, their current locations, as well as the exhibitions in which they have been featured since Vollard first displayed them in his gallery. The last section elaborates on some of the immediate repercussions of the exhibition. The reported findings are the result of extensive research on hundreds of books and catalogs published on Pablo Picasso from 1901 to the present. The new facts we have uncovered are published here for the first time. Readers of the article will learn that the works included in Picasso’s first exhibition in France have been part of the most prestigious art collections, such as those of Justin K. Thannhauser, Gertrude Stein, Chester Dale, Paul Guillaume, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., Paul Mellon, Helena Rubinstein, Alfred Flechtheim, Walter C. Arensberg, among others. The works have also been featured in such important overviews of his career as “Picasso, 75th Anniversary” 1957–1958, and “Picasso: An American Tribute”, 1962. Thus, while Vollard claimed that the exhibition at his gallery had no major impact, the facts show that it not only played an important role in Picasso’s acceptance as a groundbreaking newcomer, but also left a significant mark on the rest of his career, as evidenced by the works’ inclusion in the retrospectives held in Paris and Zürich in 1932, and New York in 1980. Full article

The western Himalayan region is susceptible to minor climate changes because of its fragile ecology, which might threaten the valley’s prestigious ecosystems and socio-economic components. The Himalayas’s local climate and weather are vulnerable to and interlinked with world-scale climatic changes since the region’s hydrology is predominantly dominated by snow and glaciers. The Himalayas, notably the Jammu and Kashmir region in the western Himalayas, has clearly shown distinct and robust evidence of climate change. This study used observed data to examine the climatic variability and trends of change in precipitation and temperature for the Kashmir valley between 1980 and 2020. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Kokernag, Qazigund, Kupwara, and Srinagar (Shalimar) meteorological stations in the Kashmir valley were studied in detail for long- and short-term as well as localized fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. The annual temperature and precipitation fluctuations were calculated using Sen’s slope approach, and the sloping trend was determined using linear regression. The research showed statistically insignificant growing trends in maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the Kashmir valley. The average annual temperature in the Kashmir valley increased by 1.55 °C during the last 41 years (from 1980 to 2020), with a higher rise in maximum and minimum temperature by 2.00 and 1.10 °C, respectively. However, precipitation showed a non-significant decreasing trend concerning time series analysis over 1980 to 2020 in Kashmir valley. Results of annual average maximum temperature at all the stations revealed that Pahalgam (2.2 °C), Kokernag (1.8 °C), and Kupwara (1.8 °C) displayed a steep upsurge and statistically significant trends; however, annual average minimum temperature followed an increasing trend from 1980 to 2020 at all the stations except Shalimar. However, non-significant declining trends in precipitation were recorded at all the locations in Kashmir valley. This changing pattern of temperature and precipitation could have significant environmental consequences, affecting the western Himalayan region’s food security and ecological sustainability. Full article

Szeklerland is a historical-ethnic region located on the eastern border of the Carpathian Basin, in the central region of Romania. In Szeklerland, thanks to its varied topography and a network of small settlements, landscape management is still carried out using traditional methods. Szeklerland is a macro-region rich in natural resources. Among its natural treasures, the mineral water springs with healing properties are of particular importance: around 40 percent of Romania’s mineral water resources are found here. This richness in hydrogeological features is due to the fact that the post-volcanic activities in the young tertiary mountain ranges in the region still produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, which dissolves beneficial minerals from the earth. When dissolved in water, these minerals produce mineral waters that can be used to cure various types of diseases. For centuries, the medicinal properties of the mineral waters of Szeklerland have been regularly used by the local population. In addition to their consumption, small and larger vernacular baths were built in the settlements with medicinal springs, and their regular use led to the development of a traditional, local cold-water bathing culture in the region. However, the vernacular baths were destroyed in the world wars, and their traditional use was abolished by the apparatus of the 20th century communist regime, which had no respect to natural and cultural heritage. After the political change in 1989, the attention of the society turned back to tradition and values. Alongside (or as part of) nature and landscape conservation initiatives, the reinterpretation and restoration of the intangible and practical values of vernacular baths in Szeklerland also began. Over the past decades, the renovation of vernacular baths, which started as a professional–civic initiative, has grown into an independent heritage conservation programme: dozens of vernacular baths have been renovated in Szeklerland over the past twenty years with public participation initiated and led by professionals. In the course of the renovations, baths used by local communities have been rebuilt using nature- and environment-friendly techniques, materials and in a way that they are also related to the physical environment and the mythology of the region. The project has won prestigious awards both in Romania and internationally, and has become a successful and exemplary movement in landscape heritage conservation. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has become both a challenge and an opportunity to implement certain changes in the world of education. One of the most important differences has been online evaluation, which had, until now, been marginal in most prestigious universities. This study compared the academic achievement of the last cohort that performed classroom assessment and the first group that was graded for an official degree using synchronous online evaluation. Other variables measured were the self-assessment of students in this second group, in order to understand how it affected their perception of the process using three different indicators: stress, difficulty, and fairness. Nine hundred and nineteen students participated in the study. The results indicate that online assessment resulted in grades that were 10% higher while enjoying the same degree of validity and reliability. In addition, stress and difficulty levels were also in line with the on-site experience, as was the perception that the results were fair. The results allow us to conclude that online evaluation, when proctored, provides the same guarantees as desktop exams, with the added bonus of certain advantages which strongly support their continued use, especially in degrees with many students who may come from many different locations. Full article

Allotment gardens are quite common in many European countries. In particular, they are an important part of the urban space in Central and Eastern Europe. They served to improve the inhabitants’ physical and mental well-being during the communist period and relieved the family budget thanks to their own crops. The article analyzes the functioning of allotment gardens in Poland based on the example of the Tri-City, with particular emphasis on allotment gardens in a prestigious, attractive location. Several research questions were asked regarding the change of the traditional function related to growing fruit and vegetables towards the modern function related to recreation and relaxation. A thesis was put forward that the attractive, seaside location of one of the allotment gardens on the border of Gdańsk and Sopot favors the dynamics of the changes in the function. New garden houses often resemble residential apartments in terms of comfort and function and are used for commercial rent during the summer, even though this is prohibited. In the study, the methods of a field query as well as a questionnaire survey and an in-depth interview were applied to check the state of the allotment holders’ knowledge on the applicable regulations regarding the functions of allotment gardens and their development, the size of garden houses and the rules of staying in the gardens, in particular living there. The questionnaire research and in-depth interviews were conducted at the beginning of 2020. The questionnaire research was conducted in February and March, and the in-depth interviews in May. The most pressing issues concerned the changing functions of allotment gardens and the perception of these changes by allotment owners who have gardens in a traditional form of cultivation. This study also allowed looking at possible neighborhood conflicts that may arise from a change in the function, in particular from the construction of houses with residential facilities, which encourages permanent residence in them, and sometimes subletting to tourists due to their attractive coastal location. The study helped to deepen the knowledge on the functioning of allotment gardens and transforming their functions into residential ones during the summer season. The obtained results show that nearly 60% of the surveyed respondents believe that seasonal occupation of allotment gardens should be allowed if their owners wish to do so. Most of the respondents encountered the problem of abnormal buildings and believe that the regulations in this respect should be followed. At the same time, they do not think that it is causing any problems for them. Conducting in-depth interviews, the information was obtained that the change of functions does not affect the existing, traditional users, and they mostly accept the changes taking place. Full article

This paper concerns the numerical analysis of closed rectangular tanks made in one stage, used as pontoons. Such structures can be successfully used as floating platforms, although they primarily serve as floats for ‘houses on water’. Amphibious construction has fascinated designers for many years and is becoming, in addition to a great and prestigious location for many purposes, a practical global necessity. Severe weather phenomena that no country is safe from, i.e., heavy rains or floods, combined with the scarcity of space intended for the construction of residential buildings, encourage development at the contact of water and land or on water only. This paper contains an analysis of the static work of tanks with different bottom thickness subjected to hydrostatic load acting on tank walls and the bottom plate and evenly distributed load acting on the upper plate, i.e., major impacts that occur when tanks are used as pontoons. Calculations were made using the finite difference method in terms of energy, assuming the Poisson’s ratio ν = 0. Based on the solutions obtained, charts were made that illustrated the change in bending moments at the characteristic points of the analysed tanks depending on acting loads. The article also includes calculations of buoyancy, stability and the metacentric height for tanks with different bottom thicknesses, with the main purpose being to improve and share knowledge on their safe use as pontoons. Full article

The article discusses cadastral land valuation in Russian resort towns, a procedure flawed by the fact that it does not take into account territorial prestige. Researchers in Russia and other countries state that it is essential to redistribute the land tax burden as the current situation creates tax injustice, which is reflected in the undervaluation of prestigious areas and the overvaluation of non-prestigious ones in resort towns. Competition for the most prestigious areas in such towns mainly stems from the opportunity for landowners to earn higher rental incomes during the high season. In view of this, the study aims to provide a method for cadastral land valuation in resort towns based on zoning by prestige. The application of the proposed method is demonstrated using the town of Anapa (a Russian resort town by the Black Sea) as a case study. The method is based on several research and analysis methods, including the following: the analytical method, which is used for a preliminary analysis of urban areas to identify the most attractive parts of resort towns; a modification of Saaty’s methodology combined with Pareto analysis, which is used to identify criteria for assessing how prestigious and important a part of the town is; cluster analysis, which is used for ranking areas in resort towns; correlation and regression analysis, which is used for land valuation modelling. The article describes the key criteria for ranking areas in resort towns by prestige, gives a definition of prestige applied to resort town districts, and proposes an equation for calculating the integral indicator of prestige and a method for assessing prestige. The validity of the prestige map that was created for the town of Anapa was proved by analyzing the average market prices for land plots located within the identified zones. The cadastral land valuation models describing land plots in Anapa that are intended for private housing construction can be correctly interpreted and are of acceptable quality. Full article

Involving and engaging stakeholders is crucial for studying and managing the complex interactions between marine ecosystems and human health and wellbeing. The Oceans and Human Health Chair was founded in the town of Roses (Catalonia, Spain, NW Mediterranean) in 2018, the fruit of a regional partnership between various stakeholders, and for the purpose of leading the way to better health and wellbeing through ocean research and conservation. The Chair is located in an area of the Mediterranean with a notable fishing, tourist, and seafaring tradition and is close to a marine reserve, providing the opportunity to observe diverse environmental conditions and coastal and maritime activities. The Chair is a case study demonstrating that local, collaborative, transdisciplinary, trans-sector, and bottom-up approaches offer tremendous opportunities for engaging coastal communities to help support long-lasting solutions that benefit everyone, and especially those living by the sea or making their living from the goods and services provided by the sea. Furthermore, the Chair has successfully integrated most of its experts in oceans and human health from the most prestigious institutions in Catalonia. The Chair focuses on three main topics identified by local stakeholders: Fish and Health; Leisure, Health, and Wellbeing; and Medicines from the Sea. Led by stakeholder engagement, the Chair can serve as a novel approach within the oceans and human health field of study to tackle a variety of environmental and public health challenges related to both communicable and non-communicable diseases, within the context of sociocultural issues. Drawing on the example provided by the Chair, four principles are established to encourage improved participatory processes in the oceans and human health field: bottom-up, “think local”, transdisciplinary and trans-sectorial, and “balance the many voices”. Full article

Over a period of around fifteen years English higher education has become characterised by an increasingly marketise and differentiated system, most recently with the encouragement of new “challenger” providers potentially creating price competition for undergraduate degrees. This paper explores shifting patterns of enrolments between different institution types (those requiring high entry grades and those requiring lower entry grades) for evidence of how these types may be responding to the new market conditions. We introduce the concept of a “dual-pricing” mechanism to model how different institution types may be reacting. Dual pricing would be exemplified as a situation where entry requirements (a “price” based on qualification tariff points required for entry) and tuition-fee are matched in a linear hierarchy of institutions: Only the most prestigious institutions offering the courses demanding the highest entry qualifications (tariff) would command the highest fee (in this case a maxima of £9250 per annum), with fees demanded by institutions requiring lower entry requirements tapering off towards £6000 per year. This dual-pricing mechanism is discussed here as a policy aim, and the intention of this paper is to locate it in relation to market failure (defined as the failing of a market intervention to meet that policy aim). This paper’s critique of the marketised direction of travel in English higher education (HE) policymaking is that a dual-price mechanism would seriously undermine efforts to widen access for underrepresented social groups, particularly those from low income households who may be more likely to access low-cost provision rather than more transformative HE opportunities (supposedly those deriving from having a degree from a more prestigious institution), even if they met the entry requirements for higher-cost provision. Full article

Mapping landslide activity in a highly anthropized area entails specific problems. The integration of different monitoring techniques in order to measure the displacements rate within the slope is mandatory. We describe our activity for the Mortisa landslide which is located on the western flank of the Cortina d’Ampezzo valley (northeastern Italy) in a highly anthropized area in the heart of the Dolomites, a UNESCO world heritage site. The mass movement threatens some houses, an important national road, and part of the area that will be the venue for the upcoming 2021 Alpine Skiing World Championship. The hazardous context along with its prestigious location makes the construction of new settlements and infrastructure very challenging. Owing to that, precise mapping and assessment of the activity of the Mortisa landslide is extremely important. To achieve this task, multitemporal aerial photo interpretation, A-DInSAR analysis, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys, and inclinometric measurements were performed. Through the integration of the monitoring data and geomorphological interpretation, a hazard map of the Mortisa area was produced with the intent to assist the local authorities in the definition of the new urban development plan. Full article