851 results
Search Results
2. A high sensitivity, low noise and high spatial resolution multi-band infrared reflectography camera for the study of paintings and works on paper
- Author
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John K. Delaney, Giorgio Trumpy, Marie Didier, Paola Ricciardi, and Kathryn A. Dooley
- Subjects
Infrared reflectography ,Multi-band imaging ,Near-infrared imaging ,Conservation science ,Fine Arts ,Analytical chemistry ,QD71-142 - Abstract
Abstract Background Infrared reflectography (IRR) remains an important method to visualize underdrawing and compositional changes in paintings. Older IRR camera systems are being replaced with near-infrared cameras consisting of room temperature infrared detector arrays made out of indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) that operate over the spectral range of ~900 to 1700 nm. Two camera types are becoming prevalent. The first is staring array infrared cameras having 0.25–1 Megapixels where the camera or painting is moved to acquire tens of individual images that are later mosaicked together to create the infrared reflectogram. The second camera type is scanning back cameras in which a small InGaAs array (linear or area array) is mechanically scanned over a large image formed by the camera lens to create the reflectogram, typically 16 Megapixels. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. The staring IR array cameras offer more flexible collection formats, provide live images, and allow for the use of spectral bandpass filters that can provide reflectograms with better contrast in some cases. They do require a mechanical system for moving the camera or the artwork and post-capture image mosaicking. Scanning back cameras eliminate or reduce the amount of mosaicking and movement of the camera, however the need to minimize light exposure to the artwork requires short integration times, and thus limits the use of spectral bandpass filters. In general, InGaAs cameras are not sensitive in the 1700 to ~2300 nm spectral region, which has been identified in prior studies as useful for examining paintings with copper green pigments or thick lead white paints. Prior studies using cameras with sensitivity from 1000 to 2500 nm have found in general the performance at wavelengths longer than 1700 nm degraded relative to the performance at shorter wavelengths. Thus, there is interest in a camera system having improved performance out to 2500 nm that can utilize spectral bandpass filters. Methods Design requirements for such an improved IRR camera system were determined by first re-examining the optimal spectral window for detecting underdrawing. Thus the wavelength dependence of the clarity of carbon black underdrawings on a chalk ground covered by various paint swatches was measured from 750 to 2500 nm. Second, analysis of the loss of light transmission (1000–2500 nm) and the impact of thermal radiation (3000–5000 nm) on the performance of IR arrays sensitive to the 1000–5000 nm region was analyzed. From the results of these studies, a high sensitivity, near-infrared (1000–2450 nm) indium antimonide (InSb) staring array camera with a cold filter that blocked light >2450 nm was constructed with a color-corrected macro lens capable of holding interference filters. The camera system was characterized in three spectral bands (1100–1400, 1500–1800, and 2100–2400 nm) using test targets and art objects. Results The experimental results of the contrast difference between the model underdrawing on the chalk ground showed the optimal spectral window for a given pigment varied over the range from 700 to 2300 nm. The contrast in all cases was found to be low from 2300 to 2600 nm and even lower from 2600 to 5000 nm. This is attributable in part to broad absorption by the drying oil paint binder. Performance testing of the IRR camera found high signal-to-noise was observed in all three spectral bands due to the optimized macro lens having high transmission from 1000 to 2600 nm, a 100% efficiency cold stop, and a cold filter that blocks light >2450 nm. The camera was found to have high light sensitivity, requiring only ~30 to 50 lx from incandescent lamps having a color temperature of ~2060 K. The images produced in each spectral band were sharp, and the modulation at Nyquist (1/2 the sampling frequency) was 20%. IRR images of Old Master paintings, works on paper, and a warped panel painting were collected to test the practical utility of the camera system. Conclusions The IR camera system presented here was found to produce a variety of high-resolution image products. The ability to extend image collection over the 1700–2450 nm spectral range was found in some examples to provide improved visibility of underdrawing. The ability to register the resulting multi-band IRR images with the color image offers opportunities to produce new image products such as false-color images and principal component images. These image products were found to give new insights into the construction of works of art. A collection scheme based on a ‘Z-stack’ method was found to solve the problem of producing high-resolution IRR images of highly warped panel paintings.
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- 2017
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3. Acetylation of cellulose – Another pathway of natural cellulose aging during library storage of books and papers.
- Author
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Potthast, Antje, Ahn, Kyujin, Becker, Manuel, Eichinger, Thomas, Kostic, Mirjana, Böhmdorfer, Stefan, Jeong, Myung Joon, and Rosenau, Thomas
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LIBRARY storage centers , *ACETYLATION , *CELLULOSE , *ACETIC acid , *CELLULOSE synthase - Abstract
Gaseous acetic acid is formed under conditions of storage of historic paper objects. Its presence not only promotes hydrolytic cleavage of cellulose, but also causes acetylation of the cellulosic material to very small degree. The acetylation reaction proceeds under ambient conditions and without catalyst. Different analytical methods were used to prove the presence of organic acetates on cellulosic paper matrices. DESI-MS in combination with 2H-isotopic labeling showed the presence of sugar fragments with different acetylation patterns. A method based on Zemplen saponification was applied and worked also in the presence of a large excess of acetic acid and/or inorganic acetates. The acetylation effect was quantified for model papers and original, naturally aged paper samples. While cellulose acetylation was clearly proven to be another general pathway of paper aging, further studies of this acetylation phenomenon are needed with regard to conservational aspects and suitable paper storage conditions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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4. Conservation Science and Discursive Violence: A Response to Two Rejoinders.
- Author
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Koot, Stasja, Hebinck, Paul, and Sullivan, Sian
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VIOLENCE ,RESEARCHER positionality ,CONFLICT of interests - Abstract
We respond to two rejoinders to our review article "Science for Success," which proposed fuller contextualization of epistemological approach, researcher position and interests in conservation research. This way readers—including reviewers and journal editors—can better understand and interpret findings. We suggest this contextualization is particularly important when conservation and development professionals undertake research about programs they are involved in, as this can potentially create a conflict of interest. Both rejoinders follow an extended process of complaint about our article that included academic and legal threats, and ad hominem attacks, with little engagement with the points made about researcher positionality. We consider this to be a form of "discursive violence" deployed to silence unfavorable perspectives, confirming our argument that positionality in conservation (research) begs self-reflection and transparent disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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5. COLOUR CHARACTERISATION FOR THE RESTORATION OF A JAPANESE HANDSCROLL.
- Author
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Ceccarelli, Sofia, Redi, Martina, Terrei, Alessandra, Orazi, Noemi, Guglielmotti, Valeria, Hampai, Dariush, Dabagov, Sultan, and Mercuri, Fulvio
- Subjects
ART conservation & restoration ,SCROLLS ,PIGMENTS ,PAINTING ,REFLECTANCE spectroscopy ,X-ray fluorescence ,FLUORESCENCE spectroscopy ,X-ray spectroscopy ,PALETTE (Color range) - Abstract
In the restoration of painted artworks, the colour characterisation is a fundamental analysis to address the choice of suitable materials for the recovery and the consolidation of the painting layers. In this paper, we present a diagnostic study on a unique Japanese painted paper handscroll (emakimono), dated back between the late Edo (1603-1867) and the early Meiji (1868- 1912) periods, preserved at the Museum of the Civilisation- Prehistoric Ethnographic Museum "Luigi Pigorini" in Rome (Italy). The artwork required an urgent restoration and the consolidation of the entire structure. In order to define specific interventions, non-destructive measurements by means of Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) X-Rays Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) were carried out on the artefact. The results allowed the identification of the colour palette used for tests on the chromaticity and the efficacy of the proper consolidants to employ in the restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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6. Connecting Art and Science for Humanities Research: Mapping Color in History
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Kim, Jinah, Crawford, Cole, Singhal, Rashmi, Steward, Jeff, Scholger, Walter, Vogeler, Georg, Tasovac, Toma, Baillot, Anne, Raunig, Elisabeth, Scholger, Martina, Steiner, Elisabeth, Centre for Information Modelling, and Helling, Patrick
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Paper ,and methods ,Long Presentation ,digital art history ,Book and print history ,south asian painting ,annotation structures ,Art history ,mapping pigment ,IIIF ,metadata standards ,History of science ,systems ,database creation ,and analysis ,South Asian studies ,conservation science ,management ,linked (open) data - Abstract
Mapping Color in HIstory compiles pigment analysis data from existing and on-going research on scientific analysis of pigments for historical research. As a digital humanities project at the intersection of art and science, multidisciplinary collaboration is at its heart. The paper will introduce the project and discuss methods and contributions.
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- 2023
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7. Research applications of primary biodiversity databases in the digital age.
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Ball-Damerow, Joan E., Brenskelle, Laura, Barve, Narayani, Soltis, Pamela S., Sierwald, Petra, Bieler, Rüdiger, LaFrance, Raphael, Ariño, Arturo H., and Guralnick, Robert P.
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ONLINE databases ,BIODIVERSITY ,MASS extinctions ,SPECIES distribution ,SPECIES diversity ,DATABASES - Abstract
Our world is in the midst of unprecedented change—climate shifts and sustained, widespread habitat degradation have led to dramatic declines in biodiversity rivaling historical extinction events. At the same time, new approaches to publishing and integrating previously disconnected data resources promise to help provide the evidence needed for more efficient and effective conservation and management. Stakeholders have invested considerable resources to contribute to online databases of species occurrences. However, estimates suggest that only 10% of biocollections are available in digital form. The biocollections community must therefore continue to promote digitization efforts, which in part requires demonstrating compelling applications of the data. Our overarching goal is therefore to determine trends in use of mobilized species occurrence data since 2010, as online systems have grown and now provide over one billion records. To do this, we characterized 501 papers that use openly accessible biodiversity databases. Our standardized tagging protocol was based on key topics of interest, including: database(s) used, taxa addressed, general uses of data, other data types linked to species occurrence data, and data quality issues addressed. We found that the most common uses of online biodiversity databases have been to estimate species distribution and richness, to outline data compilation and publication, and to assist in developing species checklists or describing new species. Only 69% of papers in our dataset addressed one or more aspects of data quality, which is low considering common errors and biases known to exist in opportunistic datasets. Globally, we find that biodiversity databases are still in the initial stages of data compilation. Novel and integrative applications are restricted to certain taxonomic groups and regions with higher numbers of quality records. Continued data digitization, publication, enhancement, and quality control efforts are necessary to make biodiversity science more efficient and relevant in our fast-changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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8. Real-time identification and visualization of Egyptian blue using modified night vision goggles.
- Author
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Nicola, Marco, Gobetto, Roberto, Bazzacco, Alessandro, Anselmi, Chiara, Ferraris, Enrico, Russo, Alfonsina, Masic, Admir, and Sgamellotti, Antonio
- Abstract
The possibility to use light in the visible spectrum to induce near-infrared luminescence in some materials, particularly Egyptian blue and related pigments, offers a significant advantage in terms of their detection. Since 2008, this property has been exploited to reveal the presence of those pigments even in tiny amounts on ancient and decayed surfaces, using a technical-photography method. This paper presents a new type of imaging device that enables real-time, easy, and inexpensive identification and mapping of Egyptian blue and related materials. The potential of the new tool is demonstrated by its effectiveness in detecting Egyptian blue within some prestigious sites: (a) Egyptian findings at Museo Egizio, Turin; (b) underground Roman frescoes at Domus Aurea, Rome; and (c) Renaissance frescoes by Raphael, Triumph of Galatea and Loggia of Cupid and Psyche, at Villa Farnesina, Rome. The device is based on night vision technology and allows an unprecedented fast, versatile, and user-friendly approach. It is employable by professionals including archeologists, conservators, and conservation scientists, as well as by untrained individuals such as students or tourists at museums and sites. The overall aim is not to replace existing photographic techniques but to develop a tool that enables rapid preliminary recognition, useful for planning the work to be carried out with conventional methods. The ability to immediately track Egyptian blue and related pigments, through real-time vision, photos, and videos, also provides a new kind of immersive experience (Blue Vision) and can foster the modern use of these materials in innovative applications and future technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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9. Scientific research on animal biodiversity is systematically biased towards vertebrates and temperate regions.
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Titley, Mark A., Snaddon, Jake L., and Turner, Edgar C.
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ANIMAL diversity ,WILDLIFE conservation ,ENDANGERED species ,ANIMAL classification ,ZOOGEOGRAPHY - Abstract
Over the last 25 years, research on biodiversity has expanded dramatically, fuelled by increasing threats to the natural world. However, the number of published studies is heavily weighted towards certain taxa, perhaps influencing conservation awareness of and funding for less-popular groups. Few studies have systematically quantified these biases, although information on this topic is important for informing future research and conservation priorities. We investigated: i) which animal taxa are being studied; ii) if any taxonomic biases are the same in temperate and tropical regions; iii) whether the taxon studied is named in the title of papers on biodiversity, perhaps reflecting a perception of what biodiversity is; iv) the geographical distribution of biodiversity research, compared with the distribution of biodiversity and threatened species; and v) the geographical distribution of authors’ countries of origin. To do this, we used the search engine Web of Science to systematically sample a subset of the published literature with ‘biodiversity’ in the title. In total 526 research papers were screened—5% of all papers in Web of Science with biodiversity in the title. For each paper, details on taxonomic group, title phrasing, number of citations, study location, and author locations were recorded. Compared to the proportions of described species, we identified a considerable taxonomic weighting towards vertebrates and an under-representation of invertebrates (particularly arachnids and insects) in the published literature. This discrepancy is more pronounced in highly cited papers, and in tropical regions, with only 43% of biodiversity research in the tropics including invertebrates. Furthermore, while papers on vertebrate taxa typically did not specify the taxonomic group in the title, the converse was true for invertebrate papers. Biodiversity research is also biased geographically: studies are more frequently carried out in developed countries with larger economies, and for a given level of species or threatened species, tropical countries were understudied relative to temperate countries. Finally, biodiversity research is disproportionately authored by researchers from wealthier countries, with studies less likely to be carried out by scientists in lower-GDP nations. Our results highlight the need for a more systematic and directed evaluation of biodiversity studies, perhaps informing more targeted research towards those areas and taxa most depauperate in research. Only by doing so can we ensure that biodiversity research yields results that are relevant and applicable to all regions and that the information necessary for the conservation of threatened species is available to conservation practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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10. The Invisible Prevalence of Citizen Science in Global Research: Migratory Birds and Climate Change.
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Cooper, Caren B., Shirk, Jennifer, and Zuckerberg, Benjamin
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CITIZENS ,BIRD migration ,CLIMATE change ,DATA analysis ,ORNITHOLOGISTS ,GLOBAL environmental change ,ANIMAL classification - Abstract
Citizen science is a research practice that relies on public contributions of data. The strong recognition of its educational value combined with the need for novel methods to handle subsequent large and complex data sets raises the question: Is citizen science effective at science? A quantitative assessment of the contributions of citizen science for its core purpose – scientific research – is lacking. We examined the contribution of citizen science to a review paper by ornithologists in which they formulated ten central claims about the impact of climate change on avian migration. Citizen science was never explicitly mentioned in the review article. For each of the claims, these ornithologists scored their opinions about the amount of research effort invested in each claim and how strongly the claim was supported by evidence. This allowed us to also determine whether their trust in claims was, unwittingly or not, related to the degree to which the claims relied primarily on data generated by citizen scientists. We found that papers based on citizen science constituted between 24 and 77% of the references backing each claim, with no evidence of a mistrust of claims that relied heavily on citizen-science data. We reveal that many of these papers may not easily be recognized as drawing upon volunteer contributions, as the search terms “citizen science” and “volunteer” would have overlooked the majority of the studies that back the ten claims about birds and climate change. Our results suggest that the significance of citizen science to global research, an endeavor that is reliant on long-term information at large spatial scales, might be far greater than is readily perceived. To better understand and track the contributions of citizen science in the future, we urge researchers to use the keyword “citizen science” in papers that draw on efforts of non-professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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11. Investigating the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River using environmental DNA
- Author
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Qin Wang, Hongxia Li, Jianlin Li, Liu Kai, Juhua Yu, Yongkai Tang, Yunsheng Wu, and Pao Xu
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0106 biological sciences ,Conservation Biology ,Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension ,Biochemistry ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,01 natural sciences ,Finless porpoise ,Filter Paper ,Environmental DNA ,DNA extraction ,Energy-Producing Organelles ,Conservation Science ,Multidisciplinary ,Geography ,biology ,Reference Standards ,Mitochondria ,Laboratory Equipment ,Yangtze river ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Seasons ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Research Article ,Pore size ,China ,Yellow Fluorescent Protein ,Science ,Equipment ,Porpoises ,Bioenergetics ,Research and Analysis Methods ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Aquatic species ,Extraction techniques ,Rivers ,Surface Water ,Animals ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Molecular Biology ,Hydrology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Endangered Species ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Winter ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Proteins ,Cell Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,DNA, Environmental ,Water sample ,Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ,Luminescent Proteins ,Earth Sciences ,Surface water - Abstract
Determining the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) in the Yangtze River has to date relied on traditional visual and counting methods, but such field surveys are time-consuming and expensive. Analyses using environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate the presence and range of endangered aquatic species have proven to be more economical and effective detection methods, and are a non-invasive approach to sampling. A challenge of relying on eDNA for YFP monitoring is that the Yangtze River is characterized by high turbidity and a strong current. Here, we used an eDNA-based approach to estimate the presence of YFP at 18 sites in the Yangtze River in August 2017 and at an additional 11 sites in January 2018. At each sampling site, we filtered six 1 L water samples with 5 µm pore size filter paper and quantified the amount of YFP eDNA in each water sample using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, YFP eDNA was successfully detected in locations where we visually observed YFP, as well as in locations where YFP were not observed directly. We found that our eDNA-based method had higher detection rates than traditional field survey methods. Although YFP was visually observed in the Yangtze River in winter, water samples collected during the summer contained significantly higher YFP eDNA than winter water samples. Our results demonstrate the potential effectiveness of eDNA detection methods in determining the distribution of YFP in the Yangtze River.
- Published
- 2019
12. How does vertical integration promote innovation corporate social responsibility (ICSR) in the coal industry? A multiple-step multiple mediator model.
- Author
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Sun, Ziyuan, Li, Yanli, Wang, Man, Wang, Xiaoping, Pan, Yiwen, and Dong, Feng
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VERTICAL integration ,SOCIAL responsibility of business ,SOCIAL innovation ,COAL industry ,CORPORATE reform ,MIMO radar - Abstract
This paper aims to demonstrate the impact of coal enterprises’ vertical integration on the performance of innovation corporate social responsibility (ICSR) and to elaborate its specific transmission path through financing structure and market power. This paper takes the data of A-share listed coal company from 2008 to 2017 as samples, uses input-output table method to measure the degree of vertical integration, and explores the relationship between the four factors through multiple linear regression and Bootstrap method. We found that: (1) the vertical integration of coal enterprises has positive incentives for the promotion of ICSR. (2) Financing structure and market power play a chain intermediary role in this process of incentive. (3) In areas with high marketization process, vertical integration has more significant incentive effect on ICSR. The paper extends the research on the relationship between vertical integration and innovation, which provides a reference for the improvement of China’s supply-side reform and corporate social responsibility (CSR) fulfillment policy. It is helpful to promote the sustainable development of the coal industry, stimulate the innovation vitality of enterprises, and improve the fulfillment of CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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13. Data Collection for Cultural Heritage Risk Management: the <italic>Damage Map through Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM</italic>) Project Applied to the Façade of St Francis of Assisi, Ouro Preto, Brazil.
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Froner, Yacy Ara, de Barros Gonçalves, Willi, Souza, Luiz Antônio Cruz, Costa, Antônio Gilberto, Rosado, Alessandra, Mizrahy Cuperschmid, Ana Regina, de Oliveira Walter, Guilherme, Neves Miranda, Ana Carolina, Michelin, Guilherme, Montalvão, Ana Carolina, and Hardy, Tiago
- Subjects
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AERIAL photography , *BUILDING information modeling , *AERIAL photogrammetry , *STONE , *ARCHITECTURAL models - Abstract
The development of precise analytical methodologies, together with the systematic use of verifiable data, aims to raise standards for treatment, risk management, and maintenance programs. This endeavor aims to diminish the frequency of subsequent restoration cycles, thereby positively impacting public spending and fostering the preservation of the authentic characteristics of historical buildings, particularly by mitigating the effects of decay. The
Damage Map through Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) project, funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and Minas Gerais Research Support Foundation (FAPEMIG), both Brazil, aims to establish protocols for risk management in historical buildings, with a focus on decorative stone elements integrated into the construction. For this reason, the stone relief on the façade of the church of St Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto, Brazil, was chosen as a case study. This paper outlines the data collection methodology applied to study the stone. This approach encompasses historical examinations of restoration cycles, along with preliminary findings derived from extensive fieldwork, conducted by a multidisciplinary team in 2023. It elucidates the data collection stage, employing photography and aerial photogrammetry, ultraviolet fluorescence photography, mobile laser scanning, and thermography. Subsequently, all collected data will be used to construct a diagnostic model within the HBIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
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14. The ethical implications of Chatbot developments for conservation expertise
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Sworna, Zarrin Tasnim, Urzedo, Danilo, Hoskins, Andrew J, and Robinson, Catherine J
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- 2024
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15. Global trends of local ecological knowledge and future implications.
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Aswani, Shankar, Lemahieu, Anne, and Sauer, Warwick H. H.
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INDIGENOUS peoples ,BIODIVERSITY conservation ,ECONOMIC development ,THEORY of knowledge ,ECOLOGICAL resilience - Abstract
Local and indigenous knowledge is being transformed globally, particularly being eroded when pertaining to ecology. In many parts of the world, rural and indigenous communities are facing tremendous cultural, economic and environmental changes, which contribute to weaken their local knowledge base. In the face of profound and ongoing environmental changes, both cultural and biological diversity are likely to be severely impacted as well as local resilience capacities from this loss. In this global literature review, we analyse the drivers of various types of local and indigenous ecological knowledge transformation and assess the directionality of the reported change. Results of this analysis show a global impoverishment of local and indigenous knowledge with 77% of papers reporting the loss of knowledge driven by globalization, modernization, and market integration. The recording of this loss, however, is not symmetrical, with losses being recorded more strongly in medicinal and ethnobotanical knowledge. Persistence of knowledge (15% of the studies) occurred in studies where traditional practices were being maintained consiously and where hybrid knowledge was being produced as a resut of certain types of incentives created by economic development. This review provides some insights into local and indigenous ecological knowledge change, its causes and implications, and recommends venues for the development of replicable and comparative research. The larger implication of these results is that because of the interconnection between cultural and biological diversity, the loss of local and indigenous knowledge is likely to critically threaten effective conservation of biodiversity, particularly in community-based conservation local efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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16. Role of Art Conservation Science in the Study of Tangible Cultural Heritage.
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Patra, Indrajit, Reddy, Upasana, N. S., Vijayalakshmi, and Pallathadka, Laxmi Kirana
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ART conservation & restoration ,CULTURAL property ,SOCIAL status ,CREATIVE thinking ,SOCIOLOGY of knowledge - Abstract
Global benchmarks for assessing tangible cultural heritage are particularly maintained by the rules and regulations on cultural property in particular countries. This paper examines the validity of conversation science for cultural heritage, and what its role is to increase human knowledge. The evolving capacity of conversation science is changing over time differing from the conventional method of conversation. It significantly considers the long-term learning procedures constrained with specific methods. Over years it is evolving and new capacities are included in it. The unique concept of "tangible cultural heritage" is a living idea, and currently, in broader terms, it is illustrating the legacy of the manmade creation. Conservation science consists of a diverse practical side which expects to be understood in the theoretical constructions. Moreover, implicitly the complex parity of the cultural heritage involves multiple sets of new values and depicts the field of visual arts. The major purpose of this study is to depict the important factors of conversation science. Furthermore, this article examines the value of the conservation process maintaining the tangible heritages. Specifically, the article gives the details of the government approach in India to maintain its cultural heritage over time. It has given the value functions in understanding the current benefits of art conservation along with the value determination for the future generation. In attributing the sustainable goal of the conservation, this article had made unique approaches increasing the maximum potential vitality. In broader terms, the greatest importance of this study affirms the understanding of the role of conservation methods for cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
17. Direct and moderating effects of environmental regulation intensity on enterprise technological innovation: The case of China.
- Author
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Cao, Xiguang, Deng, Min, Song, Fei, Zhong, Shihu, and Zhu, Junhao
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ENVIRONMENTAL regulations ,FIXED effects model ,TECHNOLOGICAL innovations ,GOVERNMENT aid - Abstract
There is few significant attempt to integrate environmental regulation, government financial support, and corporate technological innovation in a methodological framework. Employing the data of the industrial enterprises with an annual turnover of over 20 million yuan from 30 Chinese provinces or municipalities between 2008 and 2016, this paper applies the fixed effect regression model to reveal the relationships between environmental regulation, government financial support, and corporate technological innovation simultaneously. Results show that: (1) there exists a U-shaped relation between environmental regulation intensity and technological innovation of enterprises which declines first and then climbs up, and China is still at the stage of inhibition before the “inflection point”. (2) government financial support does not significantly work on technological innovation directly, but environmental regulation drives this effect to be achieved; when the value of lnER is higher than 3.69, government financial support can significantly facilitate corporate technological innovation. (3) the comparison between regional samples reveals that heterogeneity exists in the influence of environmental regulation intensity and government financial support on corporate technological innovation. The threshold value of enabling effects of environmental regulation in eastern region is higher than that of the central and western region. These results remain consistent after we experiment several robustness checks. Theory and policy implications of our work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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18. Calculation of the contribution rate of China’s hydraulic science and technology based on a feedforward neural network.
- Author
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Xu, Rongrong, Wu, Yongxiang, Chen, Ming, Zhang, Xuan, Wu, Wei, Tan, Long, Wang, Gaoxu, Xu, Yi, Yan, Bing, and Xia, Yuedong
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FEEDFORWARD neural networks ,TECHNOLOGICAL progress ,INDUSTRIAL productivity ,ECONOMIES of scale ,ELASTICITY (Economics) ,WATER utility rates - Abstract
Quantitative analysis of the contribution rate of China’s hydraulic science and technology and analysis of the underlying reasons behind changes provide an important foundation upon which the government can formulate water policies. This paper abandons the assumption of a scale economy and separates the changes of benefits brought about by the scale from scientific and technological progress, thus changing the C-D production function from linear to nonlinear. Based on a feedforward neural network, it calculates the coefficient of the output elasticity, the economic contribution rate of China’s hydraulic science and technology and the scale economies for each year using relevant data from 1981 to 2016. The results show that (1) the average contribution rate of capital investment from 1981 to 2016 was 47.3%, and the average contribution rate of labor from 1981 to 2016 was 9.1%. It is not obvious that the significant increase in the labor force has contributed to the growth of China’s water conservancy industry. (2) The average contribution rate of scale economies in 1981–2016 was 26.7%, and the contribution rate of scale economies is negatively correlated with the capital contribution rate. (3) The average contribution rate of China’s hydraulic science and technology was 43.6% from 1981 to 2016, and the average contribution rate of the total factor productivity after removing scale economies from 1981 to 2016 was 16.9%. During the period of the 6th Five-Year Plan(1981~1985), the contribution rate of water conservancy science and technology was relatively high. Since that time, it has remained at 40%. In recent years, as water conservancy reforms in key areas have made positive progress, scientific and technological progress has increased the growth of water conservancy benefits annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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19. Recommendations Pertaining to the Education of Library and Archives Conservators.
- Author
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Baker, Cathleen A.
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LIBRARY education ,ARCHIVAL materials ,ARCHIVES ,LIBRARY materials ,GRADUATE education - Abstract
Copyright of Restaurator is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2019
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20. Shine a light on papyrus: monitoring the aging process.
- Author
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Bausch, Florian, Owusu, Dickson D., Graf, Jörg, Rosenau, Thomas, and Potthast, Antje
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GEL permeation chromatography ,TENSILE tests ,COLORIMETRY ,LIGHT scattering - Abstract
The aging behavior of ancient papyri is not entirely understood, although such understanding is crucial for tailored conservation concepts to preserve these precious historical documents for the millennia to come. In a study on accelerated aging, the effect of light on papyrus sheets was studied, and the consequences were monitored by a combination of non-invasive and invasive techniques. Papyrus sheets were aged for two months at 90 °C and 50% relative humidity, with and without the influence of light. Changes at the optical, mechanical, and molecular levels were monitored using CIELAB color measurements, tensile tests, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and size exclusion chromatography—multi angle light scattering (SEC-MALS). Light exposure has severe consequences for the optical and mechanical properties of papyri, reflected by a strong decrease in cellulose chain length and tensile strength. SEC-MALS proved to be the best method to assess the conservation status of papyri due to its clear results and low sample demand. This publication seeks to highlight the effects of light-induced degradation of papyri and to facilitate an understanding of the underlying aging mechanisms, to support in future conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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21. Invasive species and natural function in ecology
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Lean, Christopher Hunter
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Investigating the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River using environmental DNA.
- Author
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Tang, Yongkai, Wu, Yunsheng, Liu, Kai, Li, Jianlin, Li, Hongxia, Wang, Qin, Yu, Juhua, and Xu, Pao
- Subjects
DNA ,CELL-free DNA ,RIVERS ,POLYMERASE chain reaction - Abstract
Determining the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) in the Yangtze River has to date relied on traditional visual and counting methods, but such field surveys are time-consuming and expensive. Analyses using environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate the presence and range of endangered aquatic species have proven to be more economical and effective detection methods, and are a non-invasive approach to sampling. A challenge of relying on eDNA for YFP monitoring is that the Yangtze River is characterized by high turbidity and a strong current. Here, we used an eDNA-based approach to estimate the presence of YFP at 18 sites in the Yangtze River in August 2017 and at an additional 11 sites in January 2018. At each sampling site, we filtered six 1 L water samples with 5 µm pore size filter paper and quantified the amount of YFP eDNA in each water sample using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, YFP eDNA was successfully detected in locations where we visually observed YFP, as well as in locations where YFP were not observed directly. We found that our eDNA-based method had higher detection rates than traditional field survey methods. Although YFP was visually observed in the Yangtze River in winter, water samples collected during the summer contained significantly higher YFP eDNA than winter water samples. Our results demonstrate the potential effectiveness of eDNA detection methods in determining the distribution of YFP in the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. A hybrid approach based on the analytic hierarchy process and 2-tuple hybrid ordered weighted averaging for location selection of distribution centers.
- Author
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Li, Shilong and Wei, Zhenlin
- Subjects
ANALYTIC hierarchy process ,WAREHOUSES ,INFORMATION theory ,PROBLEM solving ,URBAN planning - Abstract
Distribution centers (DCs) are an important part of the modern logistics system. The selection of a location for a DC is significant for saving costs and reducing externalities caused by distribution. In this paper, we propose a new hybrid method based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and 2-tuple hybrid ordered weighted averaging (THOWA) to select the location of a DC in a megacity. First, we propose a new set of evaluation criteria integrating economic, political, social and ecological information based on the characteristics of Chinese megacities. Second, subjective criteria weights are calculated by AHP combining the evaluation of logistics experts. Third, experts from academia, enterprise and government assess the performance of alternatives. In addition, the overall evaluation values are aggregated by an improved THOWA operator to rank the alternatives. Finally, we conduct a sensitivity analysis to investigate the influence of criteria weights on the decision-making process. The proposed method is novel and addresses the uncertainty under limited quantitative information, which has the advantages of avoiding information loss and distortion problems in the integrating process and operating linguistic evaluation information effectively. The proposed method can be practically applied by municipal planning departments in deciding on the location of new DCs. A numerical application of the proposed method is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. A Five-Species Jungle Game.
- Author
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Kang, Yibin, Pan, Qiuhui, Wang, Xueting, and He, Mingfeng
- Subjects
GAME theory in biology ,BIODIVERSITY ,PREDATION ,FOOD chains ,MONTE Carlo method ,MEAN field theory - Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the five-species Jungle game in the framework of evolutionary game theory. We address the coexistence and biodiversity of the system using mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. Then, we find that the inhibition from the bottom-level species to the top-level species can be critical factors that affect biodiversity, no matter how it is distributed, whether homogeneously well mixed or structured. We also find that predators’ different preferences for food affect species’ coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. A Socio-Ecological Approach for Identifying and Contextualising Spatial Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Priorities at the Sub-National Level.
- Author
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Bourne, Amanda, Holness, Stephen, Holden, Petra, Scorgie, Sarshen, Donatti, Camila I., and Midgley, Guy
- Subjects
CLIMATE change ,SUSTAINABLE development ,BIODIVERSITY conservation ,DECISION making ,GEOGRAPHIC information systems - Abstract
Climate change adds an additional layer of complexity to existing sustainable development and biodiversity conservation challenges. The impacts of global climate change are felt locally, and thus local governance structures will increasingly be responsible for preparedness and local responses. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) options are gaining prominence as relevant climate change solutions. Local government officials seldom have an appropriate understanding of the role of ecosystem functioning in sustainable development goals, or access to relevant climate information. Thus the use of ecosystems in helping people adapt to climate change is limited partially by the lack of information on where ecosystems have the highest potential to do so. To begin overcoming this barrier, Conservation South Africa in partnership with local government developed a socio-ecological approach for identifying spatial EbA priorities at the sub-national level. Using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis and vegetation distribution models, the authors have spatially integrated relevant ecological and social information at a scale appropriate to inform local level political, administrative, and operational decision makers. This is the first systematic approach of which we are aware that highlights spatial priority areas for EbA implementation. Nodes of socio-ecological vulnerability are identified, and the inclusion of areas that provide ecosystem services and ecological resilience to future climate change is innovative. The purpose of this paper is to present and demonstrate a methodology for combining complex information into user-friendly spatial products for local level decision making on EbA. The authors focus on illustrating the kinds of products that can be generated from combining information in the suggested ways, and do not discuss the nuance of climate models nor present specific technical details of the model outputs here. Two representative case studies from rural South Africa demonstrate the replicability of this approach in rural and peri-urban areas of other developing and least developed countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Taxonomic and Geographic Bias in Conservation Biology Research: A Systematic Review of Wildfowl Demography Studies.
- Author
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Roberts, Beth E. I., Harris, W. Edwin, Hilton, Geoff M., and Marsden, Stuart J.
- Subjects
GAME & game-birds ,CONSERVATION biology ,BIRD conservation ,BIRD classification ,GEOGRAPHICAL distribution of birds ,META-analysis - Abstract
Demographic data are important to wildlife managers to gauge population health, to allow populations to be utilised sustainably, and to inform conservation efforts. We analysed published demographic data on the world’s wildfowl to examine taxonomic and geographic biases in study, and to identify gaps in knowledge. Wildfowl (order: Anseriformes) are a comparatively well studied bird group which includes 169 species of duck, goose and swan. In all, 1,586 wildfowl research papers published between 1911 and 2010 were found using Web of Knowledge (WoK) and Google Scholar. Over half of the research output involved just 15 species from seven genera. Research output was strongly biased towards ‘high income’ countries, common wildfowl species, and measures of productivity, rather than survival and movement patterns. There were significantly fewer demographic data for the world’s 31 threatened wildfowl species than for non-threatened species. Since 1994, the volume of demographic work on threatened species has increased more than for non-threatened species, but still makes up only 2.7% of total research output. As an aid to research prioritisation, a metric was created to reflect demographic knowledge gaps for each species related to research output for the species, its threat status, and availability of potentially useful surrogate data from congeneric species. According to the metric, the 25 highest priority species include thirteen threatened taxa and nine species each from Asia and South America, and six from Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Half century in biodiversity and conservation research in Nepal: a review.
- Author
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Paudel, Prakash Kumar, Baniya, Shishila, Sharma, Shyam, Bhandari, Simrik, and Pokharel, Manoj
- Subjects
BIODIVERSITY conservation ,AUTHORSHIP collaboration ,EVIDENCE gaps ,PUBLISHED articles ,BIODIVERSITY ,GEOMORPHOLOGY ,SUSTAINABILITY - Abstract
Scientific research on biodiversity and conservation generates the knowledge base useful in achieving sustainability targets. The knowledge gap limits our ability to design well-founded strategies and impedes the prospects of addressing myriad conservation challenges. It is therefore important to assess trends and biases in biodiversity and conservation literature to monitor progress and make corrective actions where needed. Nepal is considered among the most biodiverse regions globally, yet little is known about the progress of biodiversity and conservation science. Here we reviewed 1098 articles published over the last fifty-six years (1964–2019) and provide a snapshot of research patterns, trends and gaps in terms research lens, physiography, ecosystem, protected area, taxonomy, ecological focus, funding, research recommendation, and research authorship and collaboration. The results of our study showed a monotonic trend of article publication until 1990, which increased significantly after 1999. There is a growing trend in the number of publications with socio-economic and multidisciplinary lens. Research publications are highly biased in favour of few taxonomic groups, mainly gymnosperms and mammals, with a preponderance of certain species, while other classes of both the plant and animal kingdoms were less studied. There was disproportionately low focus on certain physiographic regions (e.g., high Himalaya, Siwalik), ecosystem types (e.g., wetlands) and non-protected areas. Articles with an ecological focus were mainly exploratory—e.g., describing general distributions—whereas specialized ecological/evolutionary research (e.g., grazing, competition, physiology), except for genetics and climate change, were rare. More than half of the articles were authored only by foreign-based researchers, who contributed up to 89% of published articles, and consistently maintained dominance as corresponding and lead authors. There is a need to realign research efforts and support home-grown researchers with training, funding and institution-building. This requires a concerted commitment by the Government of Nepal, conservation organizations, researchers and academic institutions. There remains a great need for more empirical science to inform decision-making and consequently achieve ambitious national conservation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. Biodiversity Realism: Preserving the tree of life
- Author
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Lean, Christopher Hunter
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Does scale matter? A systematic review of incorporating biological realism when predicting changes in species distributions.
- Author
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Record, Sydne, Strecker, Angela, Tuanmu, Mao-Ning, Beaudrot, Lydia, Zarnetske, Phoebe, Belmaker, Jonathan, and Gerstner, Beth
- Subjects
CLIMATE change ,SPECIES distribution ,DISPERSAL (Ecology) ,BIODIVERSITY ,PREDICTION models - Abstract
Background: There is ample evidence that biotic factors, such as biotic interactions and dispersal capacity, can affect species distributions and influence species’ responses to climate change. However, little is known about how these factors affect predictions from species distribution models (SDMs) with respect to spatial grain and extent of the models. Objectives: Understanding how spatial scale influences the effects of biological processes in SDMs is important because SDMs are one of the primary tools used by conservation biologists to assess biodiversity impacts of climate change. Data sources and study eligibility criteria: We systematically reviewed SDM studies published from 2003–2015 using ISI Web of Science searches to: (1) determine the current state and key knowledge gaps of SDMs that incorporate biotic interactions and dispersal; and (2) understand how choice of spatial scale may alter the influence of biological processes on SDM predictions. Synthesis methods and limitations: We used linear mixed effects models to examine how predictions from SDMs changed in response to the effects of spatial scale, dispersal, and biotic interactions. Results: There were important biases in studies including an emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems in northern latitudes and little representation of aquatic ecosystems. Our results suggest that neither spatial extent nor grain influence projected climate-induced changes in species ranges when SDMs include dispersal or biotic interactions. Conclusions: We identified several knowledge gaps and suggest that SDM studies forecasting the effects of climate change should: 1) address broader ranges of taxa and locations; and 1) report the grain size, extent, and results with and without biological complexity. The spatial scale of analysis in SDMs did not affect estimates of projected range shifts with dispersal and biotic interactions. However, the lack of reporting on results with and without biological complexity precluded many studies from our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. SCIENTIFIC CONSERVATION OF THE OUTSTANDING THEATERS OF THE 19th CENTURY AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE CREATION OF MODERN ART-SPACE.
- Author
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SANDU, Ion, ORLENKO, Mykola, DYOMIN, Mykola, IVASHKO, Oleksandr, IVASHKO 5, Yulia, LĂZĂREANU, Carmen Gabriela, PAPRZYCA, Krystyna, SANDU, Ioan Gabriel, and SZTABIŃSKA-KAŁOWSKA, Paulina
- Subjects
BALLET companies ,STRUCTURAL frames ,CULTURAL property ,THEATERS ,CONSTRUCTION projects ,NINETEENTH century ,LODGING-houses - Abstract
The article analyses the specifics of the stylistics of the external and internal decoration of the outstanding theaters of Romania, Ukraine and Poland; defines the role of the Viennese school in this process; describes the problems of preserving these unique objects and describes the process of complex restoration of Odesa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet by specialists from the Ukrrestavratsiia Corporation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the analysis of the construction processes of Odesa Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Municipal Theater (Teatr Miejski) in Cracow to prove the generality of trends in theatre construction in the second half of the 19th century; the replacement of wooden structures with various metal ones, and analysis of the principles of operation of the different types of metal structures. The reasons for the emergency state of theatres have been ascertained. The procedure for the conduct of the restoration measures and the effectiveness of their results was analyzed. The paper aims to emphasize the importance of the National Theater of Iasi as an element of cultural heritage and educational factor, in the context of other theaters built based on the projects of Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer. The National Theater of Iași is a real architectural jewel and a charming local party for its leisure visitors. This architectural monument houses a curtain of great beauty. The ceiling that is painted by Al. Goltz with pastel colors that represent paradisiacal allegories, being represented nymphs and angels, framed in the rococo structure. The Great Hall of the theater which has 740 seats and has a stable, lodges and balconies. This building was considered one of the most successful constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
31. Does environmental policy affect scaling laws between population and pollution? Evidence from American metropolitan areas.
- Author
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Muller, Nicholas Z. and Jha, Akshaya
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,URBANIZATION ,ECONOMIC development ,GROSS domestic product ,STANDARD metropolitan statistical areas - Abstract
Modern cities are engines of production, innovation, and growth. However, urbanization also increases both local and global pollution from household consumption and firms’ production. Do emissions change proportionately to city size or does pollution tend to outpace or lag urbanization? Do emissions scale differently with population versus economic growth or are emissions, population, and economic growth inextricably linked? How are the scaling relationships between emissions, population, and economic growth affected by environmental regulation? This paper examines the link between urbanization, economic growth and pollution using data from Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States between 1999 and 2011. We find that the emissions of local air pollution in these MSAs scale according to a ¾ power law with both population size and gross domestic product (GDP). However, the monetary damages from these local emissions scale linearly with both population and GDP. Counties that have previously been out of attainment with the local air quality standards set by the Clean Air Act show an entirely different relationship: local emissions scale according to the square root of population, while the monetary damages from local air pollution follow a 2/3
rds power law with population. Counties out of attainment are subject to more stringent emission controls; we argue based on this that enforcement of the Clean Air Act induces sublinear scaling between emissions, damages, and city size. In contrast, we find that metropolitan GDP scales super-linearly with population in all MSAs regardless of attainment status. Summarizing, our findings suggest that environmental policy limits the adverse effects of urbanization without interfering with the productivity benefits that manifest in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Learning from the past, intervening in the present: the role of conservation science in the challenging restoration of the wall painting Marriage at Cana by Luca Longhi (Ravenna, Italy)
- Author
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Fiorillo, Flavia, Fiorentino, Sara, Montanari, Matteo, Roversi Monaco, Camilla, Del Bianco, Andrea, and Vandini, Mariangela
- Abstract
The paper discusses the case study of the Marriage at Cana, a sixteenth century wall painting located in Ravenna and executed by Luca Longhi. A multi-analytical approach based upon OM, SEM–EDS, μ-Raman, μ-FTIR and biological analyses was selected to investigate the painting technique and the state of preservation of the artwork, compromised by a severe alteration. Data demonstrated that the artwork was executed with a dry painting technique: a siccative oil was used as binder, while indigo, lead white, carbon black, ochres, vermilion and red lead were identified as pigments. Biological analyses clearly allowed identifying Eurotium halophilicum as the fungus responsible for the white patina compromising the painted surface and, according to this result, Biotin T was selected as the most effective biocide to stop the biological attack. The precarious conditions in which the painting was, attributable to previously performed interventions and to the conservation environment, laid the groundwork for a challenging restoration conducted in 2016. Scientific analyses better clarified the kind of materials employed in the execution on the artwork, as well as how the previous restoration was carried out; furthermore, analytical data methodologically supported phases of the intervention like cleaning, filling of the lacunae and pictorial retouching, as products were selected on the basis of their affinity to original materials and painting technique. This study will hopefully encourage reflections on how a synergic dialogue between conservation science and restoration can represent an important reference point for interventions to be conducted with scientific criteria and suitable methodology, in the light of the shared vision and common goal of transferring patrimony to future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Structure and Evolution of Mediterranean Forest Research: A Science Mapping Approach.
- Author
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Nardi, Pierfrancesco, Di Matteo, Giovanni, Palahi, Marc, and Scarascia Mugnozza, Giuseppe
- Subjects
FOREST ecology ,CITATION analysis ,CLIMATE change ,BIODIVERSITY - Abstract
This study aims at conducting the first science mapping analysis of the Mediterranean forest research in order to elucidate its research structure and evolution. We applied a science mapping approach based on co-term and citation analyses to a set of scientific publications retrieved from the Elsevier’s Scopus database over the period 1980–2014. The Scopus search retrieved 2,698 research papers and reviews published by 159 peer-reviewed journals. The total number of publications was around 1% (N = 17) during the period 1980–1989 and they reached 3% (N = 69) in the time slice 1990–1994. Since 1995, the number of publications increased exponentially, thus reaching 55% (N = 1,476) during the period 2010–2014. Within the thirty-four years considered, the retrieved publications were published by 88 countries. Among them, Spain was the most productive country, publishing 44% (N = 1,178) of total publications followed by Italy (18%, N = 482) and France (12%, N = 336). These countries also host the ten most productive scientific institutions in terms of number of publications in Mediterranean forest subjects. Forest Ecology and Management and Annals of Forest Science were the most active journals in publishing research in Mediterranean forest. During the period 1980–1994, the research topics were poorly characterized, but they become better defined during the time slice 1995–1999. Since 2000s, the clusters become well defined by research topics. Current status of Mediterranean forest research (20092014) was represented by four clusters, in which different research topics such as biodiversity and conservation, land-use and degradation, climate change effects on ecophysiological responses and soil were identified. Basic research in Mediterranean forest ecosystems is mainly conducted by ecophysiological research. Applied research was mainly represented by land-use and degradation, biodiversity and conservation and fire research topics. The citation analyses revealed highly cited terms in the Mediterranean forest research as they were represented by fire, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, climate change and global warming. Finally, our analysis also revealed the multidisciplinary role of climate change research. This study provides a first holistic view of the Mediterranean forest research that could be useful for researchers and policy makers as they may evaluate and analyze its historical evolution, as well as its structure and scientific production. We concluded that Mediterranean forest research represents an active scientific field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. What Is the Association between Absolute Child Poverty, Poor Governance, and Natural Disasters? A Global Comparison of Some of the Realities of Climate Change.
- Author
-
Daoud, Adel, Halleröd, Björn, and Guha-Sapir, Debarati
- Subjects
ABSOLUTE poverty ,CHILDREN ,NATURAL disasters -- Government policy ,CLIMATE change ,PUBLIC health ,ECONOMIC history - Abstract
The paper explores the degree to which exposure to natural disasters and poor governance (quality of governance) is associated with absolute child poverty in sixty-seven middle- and low-income countries. The data is representative for about 2.8 billion of the world´s population. Institutionalist tend to argue that many of society’s ills, including poverty, derive from fragile or inefficient institutions. However, our findings show that although increasing quality of government tends to be associated with less poverty, the negative effects of natural disasters on child poverty are independent of a country´s institutional efficiency. Increasing disaster victims (killed and affected) is associated with higher rates of child poverty. A child´s estimated odds ratio to be in a state of absolute poverty increases by about a factor of 5.7 [95% CI: 1.7 to 18.7] when the average yearly toll of disasters in the child´s country increases by one on a log-10 scale. Better governance correlates with less child poverty, but it does not modify the correlation between child poverty and natural disasters. The results are based on hierarchical regression models that partition the variance into three parts: child, household, and country. The models were cross-sectional and based on observational data from the Demographic Health Survey and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which were collected at the beginning of the twenty-first millennium. The Sustainable Development Goals are a principle declaration to halt climate change, but they lack a clear plan on how the burden of this change should be shared by the global community. Based on our results, we suggest that the development agencies should take this into account and to articulate more equitable global policies to protect the most vulnerable, specifically children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Payments for Environmental Services in a Policymix: Spatial and Temporal Articulation in Mexico.
- Author
-
Ezzine-de-Blas, Driss, Dutilly, Céline, Lara-Pulido, José-Alberto, Le Velly, Gwenolé, and Guevara-Sanginés, Alejando
- Subjects
PAYMENTS for ecosystem services ,HYDROLOGY ,DEFORESTATION ,ENVIRONMENTAL indicators - Abstract
Government based Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have been criticized for not maximizing environmental effectiveness through appropriate targeting, while instead prioritizing social side-objectives. In Mexico, existing literature on how the Payments for Ecosystem Services-Hydrological program (PSA-H) has targeted deforestation and forest degradation shows that both the process of identifying the eligible areas and the choice of the selection criteria for enrolling forest parcels have been under the influence of competing agendas. In the present paper we study the influence of the PSA-H multi-level governance on the environmental effectiveness of the program–the degree to which forest at high risk of deforestation is enrolled- building from a “policyscape” framework. In particular, we combine governance analysis with two distinct applications of the policyscape framework: First, at national level we assess the functional overlap between the PSA-H and other environmental and rural programs with regard to the risk of deforestation. Second, at regional level in the states of Chiapas and Yucatan, we describe the changing policy agenda and the role of technical intermediaries in defining the temporal spatialization of the PSA-H eligible and enrolled areas with regard to key socio-economic criteria. We find that, although at national level the PSA-H program has been described as coping with both social and environmental indicators thanks to successful adaptive management, our analysis show that PSA-H is mainly found in communities where deforestation risk is low and in combination with other environmental programs (protected areas and forest management programs). Such inertia is reinforced at regional level as a result of the eligible areas’ characteristics and the behaviour of technical intermediaries, which seek to minimise transaction costs and sources of uncertainty. Our project-specific analysis shows the importance of integrating the governance of a program in the policyscape framework as a way to better systematize complex interactions at different spatial and institutional scales between policies and landscape characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Conservation science: Reflections and future perspectives.
- Author
-
Heritage, Alison and Golfomitsou, Stavroula
- Subjects
PRESERVATION of cultural property ,PROTECTION of cultural property ,NEEDS assessment ,STRATEGIC planning ,EVALUATION methodology ,SCIENTIFIC method ,CONFERENCES & conventions - Abstract
The ICCROM Forum 2013 on Conservation Science resulted in a series of recommendations for improving the relevance and impact of science within cultural heritage conservation. These recommendations are outlined in this paper. Central to the Forum recommendations is the responsibility of conservation science to provide benefit through research and innovation. This relies on shared strategic vision and good governance, to identify priority needs and align efforts accordingly. To enhance the effectiveness of conservation science research, it is imperative to adopt an approach based on needs assessment, collaboration, and sharing. However, to establish whether desired goals are being met, systematic assessment of what is delivered and how it is used is required. Evaluation tools provide a structured way to identify needs and to measure results, offering a basis for learning and improvement. A new initiative is outlined, launched by ICCROM in follow-up to the Forum, to develop a common framework for needs and outcome assessment for heritage conservation science. To achieve this will require participation and support at multiple levels, and collaboration is called for to continue and sustain this effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Educating future professionals in conservation science: The challenges of an interdisciplinary field.
- Author
-
Golfomitsou, Stavroula
- Subjects
PRESERVATION of cultural property ,INTERDISCIPLINARY research ,CONSERVATIONISTS ,CAREER development ,VOCATIONAL guidance ,CONSERVATION & restoration ,TRAINING ,EDUCATION - Abstract
Training and education paths in conservation science have been the subject of ongoing debate over the last two decades. A key issue is that conservation science, although not a new field, is not adequately defined, which leads to a lack of consensus regarding the competencies needed. During the ICCROM Forum 2013 on Conservation Science, education for conservation scientists was discussed, with a particular focus on those necessary competencies which exceed the scientific domain. This paper reflects on the outcomes of these discussions as well as the results of surveys carried out by ICCROM in preparation for the Forum on education, job advertisements, and the relationship between conservation professionals and science. Challenges identified included current professional paths, dissemination of scientific findings, use of specialized terminology, and the need for professionals who serve more than one area of specialization. These challenges could be viewed as an opportunity to revise and modify educational programmes. New interactive platforms could be used to facilitate participative science projects, and could change the way projects are carried out in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Human mediation should be a non‐factor in hybridization and conservation.
- Author
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Halm, Derek
- Subjects
SPECIES hybridization ,ATTITUDE change (Psychology) ,SOCIAL skills - Abstract
Hybridization by introgression ("hybridization") is a complex topic in conservation. Many conservation decision‐makers are concerned about hybridization by introgression because it may threaten species persistence or local phenotypes, among other potential long‐term problems. While attitudes have changed towards hybridization as a conservation threat, there are still concerns about hybridization as a problem, particularly if the hybridization was anthropogenically mediated. I propose that these concerns are overblown and that it is misguided to focus on whether hybridization is unintentionally human‐mediated. I argue that practitioners should still consider the effects of hybridization on conservation, but the reasons should concern the long‐term environmental consequences, such as ecological function and social and cultural that hybridization has, rather than whether humans "caused" the hybrid. I propose a series of steps to think differently about these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. More landings for higher profit? Inverse demand analysis of the bluefin tuna auction price in Japan and economic incentives in global bluefin tuna fisheries management.
- Author
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Sun, Chin-Hwa, Chiang, Fu-Sung, Squires, Dale, Rogers, Anthony, and Jan, Man-Ser
- Subjects
BLUEFIN tuna ,ECONOMIC demand ,TUNA fisheries ,FISHERY management ,TUNA ,AUCTIONS ,BYCATCHES - Abstract
This paper estimates the price changes in global bluefin tuna (BFT) markets in response to shifts in regional and global landings to evaluate the conservation and economic incentives from changes in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) managed by all three Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. A fisherman’s income, and thus the financial incentive to accept management measures controlling catch levels, depends in part on how responsive price is to overall catch. Individual fisherman, with their own best interest in mind, used to wish to increase their individual landings and create an incentive to ask to increase the TAC for the industry, without realizing the possible revenue loss due to the resulting falling prices. To protect the value of all stakeholders’ property rights, a consensus to avoid abruptly raising the TAC, without first considering the potential loss due to market response, is needed. Alternatively, if revenue increases with lower TAC, a positive economic incentive for conservation is created if price increasing proportionately more than the lower supply, with harvest profits boosted by lower costs of production. To capture the complexity of substituting across various sources of supply and product form, a general synthetic inverse demand system is estimated to identify the impact of overall landings on BFT prices. This system estimates price flexibilities of both fresh and frozen longline-caught sashimi-grade tunas (Pacific, Atlantic and southern bluefins, and bigeye) at the Tokyo Center Market in Japan, including the Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest fish auction market that served as the single global price leader for BFT. The resulting estimation shows that own-quantity price flexibilities of every type of fresh and frozen BFTs are less than unity and inflexible in their own consumption. This creates poor individual producer incentives for fishermen to reduce wild or farmed BFT supply, as there is a chance to increase their own revenue, under the unlikely condition that the total supply is fixed. However, by observing the rapid increases in the TAC of Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna (EABFT) in the coming years, suppliers may not be better off as price will drop proportionally faster and total revenue if the estimated scale flexibility is greater than one. Based on the estimated scale flexibility of frozen BFT, which is slightly less than unity, the frozen subsector of EABFT suppliers is the only winner under the supply increases. Suppliers of frozen BFT in other regions, fresh BFT (in the Atlantic and elsewhere), and southern BFT and bigeye tuna will all be harmed through lower revenue by the supply increases. Additionally, while total revenue might stay the same for frozen BFT suppliers, fishermen will potentially receive lower profits due to higher operating costs associated with increased landings when the supply of EABFT increases. Given the number of sectors that ultimately lose financially in the short term and given the ecological (and production) risks accompanying an abrupt increase in fishing pressure in the long term, the global economic losses resulting from an increase in the allowable catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna will outweigh any potential increases to revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Changes to Sabah’s orangutan population in recent times: 2002–2017.
- Author
-
Simon, Donna, Davies, Glyn, and Ancrenaz, Marc
- Subjects
ORANGUTANS ,WILDLIFE conservation ,OIL palm ,AERIAL surveys ,POPULATION - Abstract
The Bornean orangutan is critically endangered and monitoring its population is needed to inform effective conservation management. In this paper, we present results of 2014–17 aerial nest surveys of the major orangutan populations in Sabah and compare them with baseline data produced during surveys conducted in 2002–03 using similar methods. Our results show three important points: a) by increasing the survey effort (estimated at 15–25% cover), sparsely scattered orangutan sub-populations not recorded in the previous aerial surveys were located and the accuracy of the nest count estimates is expected to improve; b) large populations in the interior forests of Sabah, occupying sustainably managed logged and unlogged forests, have been stable over 15 years and are of vital importance for the species’ conservation; c) fragmented populations located in eastern Sabah, that are surrounded by extensive oil palm plantations, have declined at varying rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Nature’s contributions to people in mountains: A review.
- Author
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Martín-López, Berta, Leister, Ines, Lorenzo Cruz, Pedro, Palomo, Ignacio, Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne, Harrison, Paula A., Lavorel, Sandra, Locatelli, Bruno, Luque, Sandra, and Walz, Ariane
- Subjects
MOUNTAIN soils ,PAYMENTS for ecosystem services ,NATURE ,MOUNTAINS ,SCIENCE databases ,ECOSYSTEM services ,MOUNTAIN ecology - Abstract
Mountains play a key role in the provision of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) worldwide that support societies’ quality of life. Simultaneously, mountains are threatened by multiple drivers of change. Due to the complex interlinkages between biodiversity, quality of life and drivers of change, research on NCP in mountains requires interdisciplinary approaches. In this study, we used the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the notion of NCP to determine to what extent previous research on ecosystem services in mountains has explored the different components of the IPBES conceptual framework. We conducted a systematic review of articles on ecosystem services in mountains published up to 2016 using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Descriptive statistical and network analyses were conducted to explore the level of research on the components of the IPBES framework and their interactions. Our results show that research has gradually become more interdisciplinary by studying higher number of NCP, dimensions of quality of life, and indirect drivers of change. Yet, research focusing on biodiversity, regulating NCP and direct drivers has decreased over time. Furthermore, despite the fact that research on NCP in mountains becoming more policy-oriented over time, mainly in relation to payments for ecosystem services, institutional responses remained underexplored in the reviewed studies. Finally, we discuss the relevant knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future research in order to contribute to IPBES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. The causal nexus between energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth: New evidence from China, India and G7 countries using convergent cross mapping.
- Author
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Liu, Huajun, Lei, Mingyu, Zhang, Naixin, and Du, Guangjie
- Subjects
GROUP of Seven countries ,ENVIRONMENTAL quality ,ECONOMIC development ,ENERGY consumption ,VECTOR error-correction models ,GRANGER causality test ,DEVELOPING countries ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
Understanding the causality between energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth is helpful for policymakers to formulate energy, environmental and economic policies. For the first time, based on nonlinear dynamics, this paper employs multispatial convergent cross mapping (CCM) to revisit the energy-carbon-economy causation for China, India and the G7 countries using both aggregate data and per capita data. The findings indicate that there are significant differences between developing countries and developed countries. A bidirectional nexus between energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth is found in China and India, but various causal relationships are identified in the G7 countries, including bidirectional, unidirectional and neutral nexus. The results confirm that the decoupling phenomenon is common in most G7 countries. By leveraging a variety of samples and a new approach, this study provides new evidence for policy authorities to formulate country-specific policies to obtain better environmental quality while achieving sustainable economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Willing to pay to save the planet? Evaluating support for increased spending on sustainable development and environmentally friendly policies in five countries.
- Author
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Arpad, Todor
- Subjects
SUSTAINABLE development ,PARIS Agreement (2016) ,ENVIRONMENTAL degradation ,ANTHROPOGENIC effects on nature ,ENVIRONMENTAL physics - Abstract
While the 2016 Paris Agreement is in many ways an important attainment with the potential to represent a milestone in humanity’s path towards sustainable development, and avoid thus a potential calamitous and destructive future, the achievement of the goals set in the agreement is a long way off. This paper investigates one of the most important worldwide hurdles frustrating the implementation of the policies required to limit environmental degradation and limit pollution, namely the still insufficient public support for the necessary environmental policies and their associated cost. Using a comparative database generated through an experimental study on tax compliance and policy preferences run in five countries (USA, UK, Italy, Sweden and Romania), I will evaluate five explanatory models of the degree to which people support environmentally friendly policies by accepting higher tax burdens and increased collective solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Environmentally vulnerable noble chafers exhibit unusual pheromone-mediated behaviour.
- Author
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Harvey, Deborah J., Vuts, József, Hooper, Antony, Finch, Paul, Woodcock, Christine M., Caulfield, John C., Kadej, Marcin, Smolis, Adrian, Withall, David M., Henshall, Sarah, Pickett, John A., Gange, Alan C., and Birkett, Michael A.
- Subjects
PHEROMONES ,INSECT populations ,CHEMICAL ecology ,BIOTIC communities ,SPECIES distribution - Abstract
Conserving populations of environmentally vulnerable insect species requires a greater understanding of the factors that determine their abundance and distribution, which requires detailed knowledge of their population and community ecology. Chemical ecological tools such as pheromones can be used for non-destructive monitoring of scarab beetle populations, enabling European countries to detect and, in some cases, map the range of some of these species, proving a valuable technique for monitoring elusive saproxylic beetles. In this paper, we investigated the behavioural and chemical ecology of the noble chafer, Gnorimus nobilis L., a model insect species of conservation concern across a Europe-wide distribution, and a red-listed UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. We identified a potential pheromone of adult beetles using electrophysiological recordings, behavioural measurements and field trials in the UK. Gnorimus nobilis is highly unusual in that although both sexes produce, at high metabolic cost, the natural product 2-propyl (E)-3-hexenoate, it only attracts males. This pattern of chemical signalling makes the classification of the compound, based on current semiochemical terminology, somewhat problematic, but in our view, it should be termed an aggregation pheromone as a consequence of the production pattern. Since both sexes emit it, but apparently only males respond positively to it, 2-propyl (E)-3-hexenoate may reflect an intermediate evolutionary stage towards developing into a sex-specific signal. From an applied perspective, our study provides a model for the non-invasive surveillance of cryptic vulnerable insect species, without the need for habitat searching or disturbance, and continuous human monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. The impact of protected area governance and management capacity on ecosystem function in Central America.
- Author
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Muñoz Brenes, Carlos L., Jones, Kelly W., Schlesinger, Peter, Robalino, Juan, and Vierling, Lee
- Subjects
ECOSYSTEM services ,PROTECTED areas ,BIODIVERSITY ,BIOMASS energy ,DEFORESTATION - Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) are a prominent approach to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services. A critical question for safeguarding these resources is how PA governance processes and management structures influence their effectiveness. We conduct an impact evaluation of 12 PAs in three Central American countries to assess how processes in management restrictions, management capacity, and decentralization affect the annual change in the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI varies with greenness that relates to plant production, biomass, and important ecosystem functions related to biodiversity and ecosystem services such as water quality and carbon storage. Any loss of vegetation cover in the form of deforestation or degradation would show up as a decrease in NDVI values over time and gains in vegetation cover and regeneration as an increase in NDVI values. Management restriction categories are based on international classifications of strict versus multiple-use PAs, and capacity and decentralization categories are based on key informant interviews of PA managers. We use matching to create a counterfactual of non-protected observations and a matching estimator and regression to estimate treatment effects of each sub-sample. On average, strict and multiple-use PAs have a significant and positive effect on NDVI compared to non-protected land uses. Both high and low decentralized PAs also positively affect NDVI. High capacity PAs have a positive and significant effect on NDVI, while low capacity PAs have a negative effect on NDVI. Our findings advance knowledge on how governance and management influence PA effectiveness and suggest that capacity may be more important than governance type or management restrictions in maintaining and enhancing NDVI. This paper also provides a guide for future studies to incorporate measures of PA governance and management into impact evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Building university-based boundary organisations that facilitate impacts on environmental policy and practice.
- Author
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Cvitanovic, Christopher, Löf, Marie F., Norström, Albert V., and Reed, Mark S.
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,SUSTAINABILITY ,QUALITY of life ,ORGANIZATIONAL identification ,EMPIRICAL research - Abstract
Responding to modern day environmental challenges for societal well-being and prosperity necessitates the integration of science into policy and practice. This has spurred the development of novel institutional structures among research organisations aimed at enhancing the impact of environmental science on policy and practice. However, such initiatives are seldom evaluated and even in cases where evaluations are undertaken, the results are rarely made publicly available. As such there is very little empirically grounded guidance available to inform other organisations in this regard. To help address this, the aim of this study is to evaluate the Baltic Eye Project at Stockholm University–a unique team consisting of researchers from different fields, science communicators, journalists and policy analysts–working collectively to support evidence-informed decision-making relating to the sustainable management of the Baltic Sea environment. Specifically, through qualitative interviews, we (1) identify the impacts achieved by the Baltic Eye Project; (2) understand the challenges and barriers experienced throughout the Baltic Eye Project; and (3) highlight the key features that are needed within research organisations to enhance the impact of science on policy and practice. Results show that despite only operating for three years, the Baltic Eye Project has achieved demonstrable impacts on a range of levels: impacts on policy and practice, impacts to individuals working within the organisation and impacts to the broader University. We also identify a range of barriers that have limited impacts to date, such as a lack of clear goals at the establishment of the Baltic Eye Project and existing metrics of academic impact (e.g. number of publications). Finally, based on the experiences of employees at the Baltic Eye Project, we identify the key organisational, individual, financial, material, practical, political, and social features of university-based boundary organisations that have impact on policy and practice. In doing so this paper provides empirically-derived guidance to help other research organisations increase their capacity to achieve tangible impacts on environmental policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Efficient Use of Information in Adaptive Management with an Application to Managing Recreation near Golden Eagle Nesting Sites.
- Author
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Fackler, Paul L., Pacifici, Krishna, Martin, Julien, and McIntyre, Carol
- Subjects
GOLDEN eagle ,BIRD nests ,BIRD behavior ,BIRD populations ,BIRD ecology ,ADAPTIVE natural resource management - Abstract
It is generally the case that a significant degree of uncertainty exists concerning the behavior of ecological systems. Adaptive management has been developed to address such structural uncertainty, while recognizing that decisions must be made without full knowledge of how a system behaves. This paradigm attempts to use new information that develops during the course of management to learn how the system works. To date, however, adaptive management has used a very limited information set to characterize the learning that is possible. This paper uses an extension of the Partial Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework to expand the information set used to update belief in competing models. This feature can potentially increase the speed of learning through adaptive management, and lead to better management in the future. We apply this framework to a case study wherein interest lies in managing recreational restrictions around golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting sites. The ultimate management objective is to maintain an abundant eagle population in Denali National Park while minimizing the regulatory burden on park visitors. In order to capture this objective, we developed a utility function that trades off expected breeding success with hiker access. Our work is relevant to the management of human activities in protected areas, but more generally demonstrates some of the benefits of POMDP in the context of adaptive management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. It's not the 'what', but the 'how': Exploring the role of debt in natural resource (un)sustainability.
- Author
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Gonzalez-Redin, Julen, Polhill, J. Gareth, Dawson, Terence P., Hill, Rosemary, and Gordon, Iain J.
- Subjects
DEBT ,GROSS domestic product ,ECONOMIC development ,MULTIAGENT systems ,ECONOMIC models ,ECONOMIC systems ,NATURAL resources ,BANK loans - Abstract
A debt-based economy cannot survive without economic growth. However, if private debt consistently grows faster than GDP, the consequences are financial crises and the current unprecedented level of global debt. This policy dilemma is aggravated by the lack of analyses factoring the impact of debt-growth cycles on the environment. What is really the relationship between debt and natural resource sustainability, and what is the role of debt in decoupling economic growth from natural resource availability? Here we present a conceptual Agent-Based Model (ABM) that integrates an environmental system into an ABM representation of Steve Keen’s debt-based economic models. Our model explores the extent to which debt-driven processes, within debt-based economies, enhance the decoupling between economic growth and the availability of natural resources. Interestingly, environmental and economic collapse in our model are not caused by debt growth, or the debt-based nature of the economic system itself (i.e. the ‘what’), but rather, these are due to the inappropriate use of debt by private actors (i.e. the ‘how’). Firms inappropriately use bank credits for speculative goals–rather than production-oriented ones–and for exponentially increasing rates of technological development. This context creates temporal mismatches between natural resource growth and firms’ resource extraction rates, as well as between economic growth and the capacity of the government to effectively implement natural resource conservation policies. This paper discusses the extent to which economic growth and the availability of natural resources can be re-coupled through a more sustainable use of debt, for instance by shifting mainstream banking forces to partially support environmental conservation as well as economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Eliciting improved quantitative judgements using the IDEA protocol: A case study in natural resource management.
- Author
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Hemming, Victoria, Walshe, Terry V., Hanea, Anca M., Fidler, Fiona, and Burgman, Mark A.
- Subjects
CLOUD computing ,COOPERATIVE management of natural resources ,ELICITATION technique ,BIODIVERSITY - Abstract
Introduction: Natural resource management uses expert judgement to estimate facts that inform important decisions. Unfortunately, expert judgement is often derived by informal and largely untested protocols, despite evidence that the quality of judgements can be improved with structured approaches. We attribute the lack of uptake of structured protocols to the dearth of illustrative examples that demonstrate how they can be applied within pressing time and resource constraints, while also improving judgements. Aims and methods: In this paper, we demonstrate how the IDEA protocol for structured expert elicitation may be deployed to overcome operational challenges while improving the quality of judgements. The protocol was applied to the estimation of 14 future abiotic and biotic events on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Seventy-six participants with varying levels of expertise related to the Great Barrier Reef were recruited and allocated randomly to eight groups. Each participant provided their judgements using the four-step question format of the IDEA protocol (‘Investigate’, ‘Discuss’, ‘Estimate’, ‘Aggregate’) through remote elicitation. When the events were realised, the participant judgements were scored in terms of accuracy, calibration and informativeness. Results and conclusions: The results demonstrate that the IDEA protocol provides a practical, cost-effective, and repeatable approach to the elicitation of quantitative estimates and uncertainty via remote elicitation. We emphasise that i) the aggregation of diverse individual judgements into pooled group judgments almost always outperformed individuals, and ii) use of a modified Delphi approach helped to remove linguistic ambiguity, and further improved individual and group judgements. Importantly, the protocol encourages review, critical appraisal and replication, each of which is required if judgements are to be used in place of data in a scientific context. The results add to the growing body of literature that demonstrates the merit of using structured elicitation protocols. We urge decision-makers and analysts to use insights and examples to improve the evidence base of expert judgement in natural resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Mapping Portuguese Natura 2000 sites in risk of biodiversity change caused by atmospheric nitrogen pollution.
- Author
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Pinho, Pedro, Dias, Teresa, Cordovil, Cláudia M. d. S., Dragosits, Ulrike, Dise, Nancy B., Sutton, Mark A., and Branquinho, Cristina
- Subjects
ATMOSPHERIC nitrogen ,BIODIVERSITY ,POLLUTION ,ECOSYSTEMS - Abstract
In this paper, we assess and map the risk that atmospheric nitrogen (atN) pollution poses to biodiversity in Natura 2000 sites in mainland Portugal. We first review the ecological impacts of atN pollution on terrestrial ecosystems, focusing on the biodiversity of Natura 2000 sites. These nature protection sites, especially those located within the Mediterranean Basin, are under-characterized regarding the risk posed by atN pollution. We focus on ammonia (NH
3 ) because this N form is mostly associated with agriculture, which co-occurs at or in the immediate vicinity of most areas of conservation interest in Portugal. We produce a risk map integrating NH3 emissions and the susceptibility of Natura 2000 sites to atN pollution, ranking habitat sensitivity to atN pollution using expert knowledge from a panel of Portuguese ecological and habitat experts. Peats, mires, bogs, and similar acidic and oligotrophic habitats within Natura 2000 sites (most located in the northern mountains) were assessed to have the highest relative risk of biodiversity change due to atN pollution, whereas Natura 2000 sites in the Atlantic and Mediterranean climate zone (coastal, tidal, and scrubland habitats) were deemed the least sensitive. Overall, results allowed us to rank all Natura 2000 sites in mainland Portugal in order of evaluated risk posed by atN pollution. The approach is of great relevance for stakeholders in different countries to help prioritize site protection and to define research priorities. This is especially relevant in countries with a lack of expertise to assess the impacts of nitrogen on biodiversity and can represent an important step up from current knowledge in such countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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