bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The fruticose genera in the Ramalinaceae (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes): their diversity and evolutionary history
Authors: Spjut Richard , Simon Antoine , Guissard Martin , Magain Nicolas , Sérusiaux Emmanuël
Published: September 2020

We present phylogenetic analyses of the fruticose Ramalinaceae based on extensive collections from many parts of the world, with a special focus on the Vizcaíno deserts in north-western Mexico and the coastal desert in Namibia. We generate a four-locus DNA sequence dataset for accessions ofRamalinaand two additional loci forNieblaandVermilacinia. Four genera are strongly supported: the subcosmopolitanRamalina, the new genusNamibialinaendemic to SW Africa, and a duo formed byNieblaandVermilacinia, endemic to the New World except the sorediateV. zebrinathat disjunctly occurs in Namibia. The latter three genera are restricted to coastal desert and chaparral where vegetation depends on moisture from ocean fog.Ramalinais subcosmopolitan and much more diverse in its ecology.

We show thatRamalinaand its sister genusNamibialinadiverged from each other at c. 48 Myrs, whereasVermilaciniaandNieblasplit at c. 30 Myrs. The phylogeny of the fruticose genera remains unresolved to their ancestral crustose genera.

Species delimitation withinNamibialinaandRamalinais rather straightforward. The phylogeny and taxonomy ofVermilaciniaare fully resolved, except for the two youngest clades of corticolous taxa, and support current taxonomy, including four new taxa described here. Secondary metabolite variation inNieblagenerally coincides with major clades which are comprised of species complexes with still unresolved phylogenetic relationships. A micro-endemism pattern of allopatric species is strongly suspected for both genera, except for the corticolous taxa withinVermilacinia. BothNieblaand saxicolousVermilaciniahave chemotypes unique to species clades that are largely endemic to the Vizcaíno deserts.

The following new taxa are described:Namibialinagen. nov.withN. melanothrix(comb. nov.) as type species, a single new species ofRamalina(R. krogiae) and four new species ofVermilacinia(V. breviloba,V. lacunosa,V. pustulataandV. reticulata). The new combinationV. granulansis introduced. Two epithets are re-introduced for EuropeanRamalinaspecies:R. crispans(=R. peruvianaauct. eur.) andR. rosacea(=R. bourgeanaauct. p.p). A lectotype is designated forVermilacinia procera. A key to saxicolous species ofVermilaciniais presented.
Conpsumptionscapes: videogame stereotypes and Latin-American cities environments. Case: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception / Uncharted 4: The Thief End
Authors: Rossi Claudio
Published: September 2020

The consumption landscape refers to the context in which the daily basic needs of a society are determined. The small store in the neighborhood and the street market are architectural structures or urban spaces which shape the lives of cities as we know them today. Shopping centres are the evolution of these building formats and can characterize contemporary life. The exercise proposed by this article is to review the condition of the contexts of consumption in which the narrative of video games are developed through the study and selection of cases (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception / Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End). These demonstrate that the urban landscape with which our cities are represented appears as scenarios loaded with stereotypes. The emphasis of this research is on the representation of the historical Latin American city as a spatially modelled and stereotyped territory where the narrative is contextualized. This article does not focus on how the story develops within a commercial space but instead proposes a transversal idea that the consumption contexts are landscapes determined by cultural logics where the plot occurs. Consumption landscapes are the simultaneous spatial, cultural and historical constructions that give meaning to a narrative and represent an augmented reality of our cities: extensive, immersive and suggestive, but also perverse.
Communication Skills and Reflection Practice in Smart English Teaching and Learning Environment: A Case Study
Authors: Thu Nguyen Thi Hong
Published: September 2020

The development of information technology (IT) has made a lot of positive changes in language teaching approaches and made significant innovations in educational quality. In learning a language generally and specific skills in particular, it is essential for learners to reflect on what they experienced. Through reflection, teachers and students are able not only to look back to the past happenings, but also to make some necessary changes. Thanks to the support from technology devices, reflective practice (RP) in teaching and learning has become more convenient, especially in smart education environment. This paper is aimed at investigating the evaluation and perception of students on the effects and challenges of using information technology to enhance communication skills and Reflection Practice in teaching and learning English speaking skills and recommending some technology-assisted teaching strategies. In order to examine this, a set of questionnaires, interviews and reflection journals were administered to 80 English major students at Hanoi Law University and six teachers who have taught English speaking skill. The findings showed that using technology-driven teaching approach in RP helped learners achieve more benefits for learning English speaking.
Schema Interaction Visual Teaching Based on Smart Classroom Environment in Art Course
Authors: He Guanyu
Published: September 2020

With the progress and development of times and society, comprehensive art quality has become an indispensable part in the knowledge structure. As a required course in the education stage, art course is of great practical significance for improving the personality and intelligence. But, traditional teaching tends to cultural course. The structural design of art course is signal, and the learning efficiency is low. At present, art course is one of key courses in the course reform. Based on this, this study proposed a schema interaction visual teaching model based on smart classroom environment. Firstly, teaching design of concept map form, discussion between the teacher and students, notes taking area, knowledge structure tree, knowledge review and self-evaluation area were established. Meanwhile, smart cloud service technology was applied to collect, transmit and analyze the teaching data of concept maps so as to develop a set of individualized course learning resources. After the integration, the teaching design includes three stages: establishing the cognitive map, guiding conceptual cognition integration and evaluating learners’ transfer and application ability. In addition, multiple coding types of Flanders Interaction Analysis System were employed in this study, and the interaction between human and technology improved according to the smart classroom environment. In the meantime, codes 16-24 added were expressed, and the subsystem of art course teaching interaction formed. According to the teaching example of art course, the proposed teaching method can motivate students’ art potential and promote the development of their higher-order thinking ability, so it is accepted by both teachers and students.
An Integrative Approach for Determining Consumers Mobile Advertising Related Attitudes and Intentions
Authors: Abbasi Ghazanfar Ali , Su-Yee Sea , Goh Yen-Nee
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test an integrated model of mobile advertising taking into consideration the exclusive characteristics of Malaysian consumers. The survey research method has been used to collect data among young mobile users in Malaysia. A partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) technique is employed to analyse the data. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of ease, irritation, entertainment, and credibility emerge as significant belief factors positively influencing attitude in of Malaysian consumers. Irritation, on the other hand, negatively predicts attitude. Attitude toward mobile advertising and subjective norm emerge as the strong predictors of the consumers’ intention to purchase products and services as advertised in mobile advertising. The findings are particularly relevant to international marketing managers. To effectively reach Asian consumers through mobile, increasing credibility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norm and entertainment values are the keys. Based on the established advertising theories, this study proposes an integrated model to examine how users’ attitude and social factor affect mobile advertising effectiveness among Malaysian consumers. This research provides insights into the effectiveness and of the novel mobile medium as compared to orthodox mediums. Also, this study excavates the understanding of advertising hierarchy effects in an international setting by examining the importance of each variable in an emerging Asia-Pacific country like Malaysia. The study answers such a call.
Learning Styles and Dyslexia Types – Understanding Their Relationship and its Benefits in Adaptive E-learning Systems
Authors: Alsobhi Aisha Y , Alyoubi Khaled H
Published: September 2020

Learning is a fundamental element of people’s everyday lives. Learning experiences can take the form of our interactions with others, through attending an educational establishment, etc. Not everyone learns in the same way, and even people who are considered to have a similar standard of abilities or proficiency will exhibit different learning styles. This does not necessarily mean that some students are better than others; it means that students are different from one another. Adaptive e-learning system should be capable of adapting the content to the user learning style, abilities and knowledge level. In this paper, we investigate the benefits of incorporating learning styles and dyslexia type in adaptive e-learning systems. Adaptivity aspects based on dyslexia type and learning styles enrich each other, enabling systems to provide learners with materials which fit their needs more accurately. Besides, consideration of learning styles and dyslexia type can contribute to more accurate student modelling. In this paper, the relationship between learning styles, the Felder–Silverman learning style model (FSLSM), and dyslexia type, is investigated. These relationships will lead to a more reliable student model.
Le cours magistral : interrogations didactiques et analyse de discours
Authors: Dufour Sophie , Parpette Chantal
Published: September 2020

Les réflexions présentées dans cet article s’inscrivent dans le cadre de la mobilité étudiante et s’intéressent aux cours magistraux que suivent les étudiants allophones à l’université française. L’analyse de ces discours met en évidence certains phénomènes discursifs peu étudiés par la didactique du FLE alors qu’ils jouent un rôle important et doivent être maîtrisés en compréhension orale par les étudiants. L’analyse porte sur trois de ces faits de discours : la polyfonctionnalité du discours de l’enseignant, celui-ci jouant plusieurs rôles auprès des étudiants qui l’écoutent ; les discours oralographiques qui combinent deux sources d’information simultanées, la parole de l’enseignant et les diaporamas (de type PowerPoint) qui l’accompagnent ; enfin le dialogisme entendu comme la coexistence dans la parole de l’enseignant d’autres instances d’énonciation. Ces phénomènes discursifs appellent la mise en place de stratégies d’aide à la compréhension orale dans le cadre des formations FLE destinées aux étudiants allophones. Ces caractéristiques discursives seront illustrées à travers des corpus de cours magistraux et on montrera ensuite quels traitements didactiques peuvent en être faits.
Vulgarisation scientifique et reformulation intratextuelle ou comment l’analyse de discours peut participer à l’enseignement de l’allemand à l’université
Authors: Vargas Élodie
Published: September 2020

Cette contribution se propose d’illustrer le fait que l’analyse de discours peut être partie prenante de l’enseignement d’une langue étrangère, dans sa dimension linguistique au sens d’analyse du discours et, d’autre part, dans l’acquisition de faits de langue particuliers. L’objectif d’enseignement est la maîtrise des reformulations intratextuelles dans le but d’une amélioration de l’expression et de la communication. À partir d’un corpus de textes de vulgarisation scientifique français et allemands, cet article montre comment le texte de vulgarisation scientifique est un excellent outil pour expliquer et illustrer le dialogisme interdiscursif et le dialogisme interlocutif (au sens bakhtinien et praxématicien du terme). Dans cette adaptation du locuteur à son public, le focus est mis sur l’opération de reformulation intratextuelle.
Discours ordinaires et discours spécialisés : pratiques pédagogiques et discursives dans la transmission de savoirs disciplinaires en langue étrangère
Authors: Causa Mariella , Pasquariello Mario
Published: September 2020

La présente contribution se propose, à partir d’une analyse exploratoire de deux cours de DdNL (didactique des disciplines non linguistiques) en français dans les classes bilingues de lycée en Italie, d’observer les pratiques linguistiques à travers lesquelles les enseignants de DdNL, non spécialistes en langue(s), transmettent les savoirs en passant par différents niveaux discursifs. Il s’agit d’une double construction des savoirs car elle doit prendre simultanément en compte deux paradigmes : le linguistique et le disciplinaire. Une attention particulière sera également portée aux outils/supports en tant que médiateurs dans la passation des contenus disciplinaires et aux différentes fonctions qu’ils endossent dans ces classes.
Les dictionnaires collaboratifs en ligne, des objets métalinguistiques profanes
Authors: Dolar Kaja
Published: September 2020

Tout dictionnaire est en lui-même un objet métalinguistique par excellence, mais la question du métalangage s’articule de façon singulière dans le cadre de la lexicographie collaborative en ligne. Nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux formes métalinguistiques dans les dictionnaires collaboratifs francophone La Parlure, Le dictionnaire collaboratif du français parlé et slovénophone Razvezani jezik, Slovar žive slovenščine (La Langue déliée, Dictionnaire libre du slovène vivant). Puisque le grand public – composé principalement de non-linguistes – est invité à rédiger les articles, nous proposons de qualifier les dictionnaires collaboratifs en ligne d’objets métalinguistiques profanes. Trois caractéristiques du métalangage profane, spécifique à ce genre de discours, seront mises en exergue : la fluctuation entre métalangage scientifique et ordinaire, les commentaires méta-énonciatifs et l’expérience personnelle du rédacteur comme stratégie pour augmenter la légitimité de l’article proposé. Ainsi, l’analyse nous permet de rendre compte des traits particuliers du métalangage de non-linguistes dans le contexte de la lexicographie collaborative qui constitue un genre discursif relativement récent.
La linguistique hors d’elle-même. Vers une postlinguistique
Authors: Paveau Marie-Anne
Published: September 2020

Le renouvellement des études portant sur la linguistique populaire par la prise en compte des points de vue des locuteurs/trices et de leurs expériences de vie s’inscrit dans un vaste mouvement de décentrement qui innerve actuellement les sciences humaines et sociales. La remise en question des grands dualismes fondateurs, les questionnements des approches postcoloniales et les épistémologies militantes permettent des approches postdualistes mobilisables en linguistique. L’intégration des métadiscours des gens ordinaires au programme de la linguistique la mène vers une dimension écologique que l’on peut qualifier de postlinguistique.
Oplontis, 79 A.D.: colours on marble furnishing from the Villa of Poppaea
Authors: Bonini Antonella , Bracci Susanna , Liverani Paolo , Bartolozzi Giovanni , Iannaccone Roberta , Lenzi Sara , Magrini Donata
Published: September 2020

The so-called Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Naples – also known as “Villa A”) was destroyed after the Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D. It is nowadays one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. The building, one of the richest in marble furnishing in the Roman world, was excavated mostly during the second half of the 20th century. In this paper, only part of the sculptures and reliefs were studied. The furnishing were analysed in situ by means of portable and totally non-invasive techniques. By comparing the results obtained through imaging techniques with analytical data and archaeological research, some new information about the pigments and conservation history were obtained.
Investigations of a Gandharan stucco head of the Buddha at the Victoria and Albert Museum (IM.3-1931)
Authors: Verri Giovanni , Luczanits Christian , Borges Victor , Barnard Nick , Clarke John
Published: September 2020

This study presents the results of a technical and art historical study of an important Gandharan head from the Victoria and Albert Museum. For several years, the head has played an important role in the history of Gandharan art, because of its high aesthetic qualities. However, the head has received limited scholarly attention since its first display in the 1930s. This study reviewed the head’s physical, curatorial and conservation history and determined its construction using non-invasive and non-contact investigative techniques (technical imaging, FTIR, XRF and FORS). The support consists of several layers of a lime- and gypsum-based plaster (gauging plaster) and only salient elements of the face (e.g. lips, eyes and hairline) and the hair were painted, with a high-quality red ochre and with an unidentified black pigment, respectively. A careful examination of the construction of the head allowed to determine that it probably belonged to an iconic representation of the Buddha, as opposed to a narrative scene.
Decision Making and Behavior
Authors: Guzmán Jovanna Nathalie Cervantes
Published: September 2020

The chapter explores the utility of neuroeconomics in decision making and behavior. Scientific knowledge will be advanced in the need for the application of neuroeconomics focused on one of the services of the information and communication technologies (ICT) of companies, that is, e-commerce of exponential artisanal SMEs of women entrepreneurs, by developing a proposal for a business model to increase the possibility of growth of their companies at the level national and international level. The methodology used was deductive, exploratory, descriptive, correlational, and documentary. Neuroeconomics have the potential to explain the phenomena that are considered as a deviation from the prediction or behavioral bias of decision-making models in economic theory. The study up to this point is quantitative using primary and secondary sources for research.
Machine Learning Techniques for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Rani Deepti , Sangwan Anju , Sangwan Anupma , Singh Tajinder
Published: September 2020

With the enormous growth of sensor networks, information seeking from such networks has become an invaluable source of knowledge for various organizations to enhance the comprehension of people interests. Not only wireless sensor networks (WSNs) but its various classes also remain the hot topics of research. In this chapter, the primary focus is to understand the concept of sensor network in underwater scenario. Various mechanisms are used to recognize the activities underwater using sensor which examines the real-time events. With these features, a few challenges are also associated with sensor networks, which are addressed here. Machine learning (ML) techniques are the perfect key of success to resolve such issues due to their feasibility and adaption in complex problem environment. Therefore, various ML techniques have been explained to enhance the operational performance of WSNs, especially in underwater WSNs (UWSNs). The main objective of this chapter is to understand the concepts of UWSNs and role of ML to address the performance issues of UWSNs.
Keeping Watch on Learners' Language
Authors: Jules Janice E.
Published: September 2020

Generally, Caribbean teachers seem to have limited engagement with applying observation of young learners' language in the classroom setting. For this chapter, a sample of 40 Grade 1 to 3 teachers from six Caribbean countries provided information to examine teachers' use of observation of learners' oral discourse to inform instructional pedagogy in English Language teaching. Based on primarily qualitative methods, a standardized structured-interview guide, focus group discussion, and classroom observation guide were used to collect data on teachers' classroom instruction. The findings revealed that while teachers declared knowledge of the merits of applying observation for evaluating learners' real language, the evidence of application of this assessment strategy was missing. In addition, results which showed that some teachers appeared to lack awareness of utilizing information about learners' home language use to cater to their individual language needs, warranted attention to transformative pedagogical perspectives in English Language instruction.
Teachers' Perspectives on the Use of Home Language in the Acquisition of Standard English
Authors: Thompson Benita Patricia
Published: September 2020

This study sought to investigate the perceptions of Barbadian primary school teachers regarding the use of home language (HL) in the acquisition of Standard English (SE). To this end, 42 teachers completed questionnaires. The data revealed that teachers (87%) considered SE as the language of prestige, education, commerce, and upward mobility. Conversely, teachers (89%) agreed that there was a place for HL in the SE classroom. However, teachers held contradictory views on whether HL hinders the acquisition of SE. The data also indicated that teachers use HL in the SE classroom to help students grasp and understand difficult concepts, to act as a bridge between the two languages, for translation, and to facilitate code-switching. In contrast, some teachers believed that HL limits the SE vocabulary, contradicts SE rules, and hinders SE speech and writing. These findings are significant to consider when examining HL use in the SE classroom.
Aligning Preschool and Kindergarten Classroom Learning Experiences
Authors: Franko Meg Deane , Zhang Duan
Published: September 2020

The focus of transition from preschool to kindergarten is often placed on what can be done to prepare the child. Relatively little emphasis is placed on how differences between learning experiences across settings might impact the child's transition from one setting to the other. This chapter presents the results of secondary data analysis of the 2009 FACES study that show that the alignment of prekindergarten-kindergarten (PK-K) learning experiences impacts children's kindergarten outcomes. In particular, HLM modeling found that children who had at least as many or more activity-based centers in their classrooms in kindergarten as they had in prekindergarten showed significantly better literacy and math outcomes at the end of kindergarten than children who had less or no activity-based centers in kindergarten. This chapter advocates for a systemic focus on transition that puts an emphasis on continuing developmentally appropriate practices between preschool and kindergarten settings as a way to facilitate transitions and improve outcomes for young children.
Supporting Children and Families During the Kindergarten Transition
Authors: Sayers Robin C. , Dore Rebecca , Purtell Kelly M. , Justice Laura , Pelfrey Logan , Jiang Hui
Published: September 2020

This chapter describes the theoretical basis for and implementation of a kindergarten-transition-focused home visiting program, the connection-focused home-visiting intervention program (CHIP). CHIP was designed to support children and their families during the kindergarten transition through development of strong connections between parents, children, teachers, schools, and communities. In this chapter, the authors explain the theoretical framework that guided the development of CHIP and key features of the program design, including connection development, the use of transition coordinators, and individualization. In addition, this chapter includes descriptions of scenarios encountered during CHIP that exemplify the nature of the program and design decisions. Finally, this chapter provides a summary of early evidence of program effectiveness and directions for continued research.
Family-Teacher Partnerships to Support Culturally and Linguistically Marginalized Children's Successful Transition to School
Authors: Paulick Judy , Palacios Natalia , Kibler Amanda
Published: September 2020

In this chapter, the authors focus on research-based strategies that support teachers to learn about the assets and wealth that culturally and linguistically marginalized (CLM) families possess. The authors explore how to support CLM families' agency to engage with their children's schooling in ways that specifically reflect these families' needs and strengths. Across this chapter, the authors will respond to the following questions: (1) Who are CLM families? (2) What are issues in teacher-family collaboration? (3) What are concrete strategies for collaborating with CLM families at the transition to schooling? (4) How can researchers and practitioners empower teachers and support families to collaborate in service of children? (5) What do researchers and practitioners still need to learn about collaboration with CLM families, and how might they learn it? The authors offer specific recommendations for teachers working with CLM families, as well as insight into the challenges and possible future directions in this area of research.
The Role of Corporate Governance in Mitigating Earnings Management Practices
Authors: Marie Younis Nagat Mohamed
Published: September 2020

The aim of the research is to clarify the role and importance of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms in mitigating earnings management (EM) practices. To achieve this objective, reference was made to previous studies and relevant research. An analysis was mentioned in accounting about the relationship between agency theory and earnings management clarifying the theoretical framework for earnings management from where the concept, motives, techniques of earnings management, methods of disclosure of earnings management, the risks resulting from earnings management, as well as know corporate governance, in terms of concept, goals, importance, principles, characteristics, and mechanisms of corporate governance, and finally, the role of corporate governance in limiting earnings management practices.
IT Governance and Business-IT Alignment Frameworks, Models, and the Best Practices
Authors: Ilmudeen Aboobucker
Published: September 2020

Information technology (IT) has become a vital function, and almost all organizations depend on IT. The IT dependency causes the executives to use IT governance practices for the IT investment decision-making process. Organizations spend more on IT investments even those that are over budget, come under pressure, behind schedule, and are generating fewer paybacks than anticipated. Hence, business organizations are continuously examined and believed to be answerable for their IT investment more than ever. This chapter focuses on various IT governance and business-IT alignment frameworks, models, and best practices to discuss in this context.
The Audit Committee as Component of Corporate Governance
Authors: Masmoudi Mardessi Sana , Makni Fourati Yosra Makni
Published: September 2020

Recently, numerous financial scandals (WorldCom, Enron, Parmalat, eToys) have shown that plentiful companies produce manipulated financial information. Consequently, regulators have prescribed corporate governance structures to protect investors and to avoid fraudulent financial reporting which are likely to control managers and limit their opportunistic behavior. Thus, there has been much debate over the extent to which corporate governance is playing a crucial role in increasing financial reporting quality from the theoretical perspective of agency theory, signaling theory, and stakeholder theory. This chapter aims at scrutinizing the internal and external mechanisms of corporate governance mainly the audit committee in the Dutch context. Firstly, the authors expose the numerous corporate governance mechanisms. Secondly, they focus on the audit committee as the main component of corporate governance, and they present the theoretical background, the role, and the characteristics of audit committee. Eventually, they exhibit the regulatory background of the Dutch context of the audit committee.
The Role of Governance Attributes in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practices Evidence From Jordan
Authors: Al Amosh Hamzeh Adel
Published: September 2020

The importance of information disclosure is increasing for stakeholders, mainly the non-financial disclosure, and the primary objective of the current study is to investigate the impact of a set of governance attributes on the level of corporate social responsibility disclosure in the Jordanian context. The study sample consisted of 51 industrial companies listed during 2012 to 2017; a set of statistical analyzes were used, such as descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Empirical evidence shows that the board size and audit committee play a crucial role in the social responsibility disclosure, while other factors (board activity, board compensation, non-executive directors, and audit company type) have no effect on disclosure. The findings are expected to have potential effects on the capital market in Jordan in terms of focusing on the strengths that support the social responsibility disclosure and the development of guidelines that contribute to promoting a disclosure culture between the listed companies, which support government plans in achieving sustainability.
An Overview of Corporate Governance and Innovation in Chinese IT and Manufacturing Listed Firms
Authors: Chen Xihui
Published: September 2020

This study introduces the current structure of corporate governance (ownership and board structure) and innovation in Chinese IT and manufacturing listed firms. It highlights the unique features and potential issues of corporate governance and innovation in the Chinese institutional environment. This chapter helps advance the understanding of ownership and board structures, as well as innovation in Chinese IT and manufacturing industries. It is hoped that this study will encourage more research to pursue this interesting research field.
Tribological and Micro-Structural Characterization of Ni-Cu-P-W Coatings
Authors: Mishra Bal Mukund , Roy Supriyo , Bose Goutam Kumar
Published: September 2020

Ni-Cu-P-W coating was deposited by electroless method on mild steel substrate to study the crystallization and tribological behavior at different annealing temperatures. Energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were used to study the composition, surface morphology, phase behavior, and thermal behavior of the coating, respectively. Tribological study was conducted using Pin-on-Disc tribotester. EDX analysis confirms the presence of Ni, Cu, P, and W in the deposit. SEM image shows the surface is dense, smooth, and without any observable nodule. Some of the samples were heat treated to 300°C, 500°C, and 700°C for 1 hour to observe the crystallographic change by XRD. One sharp crystalline peak of Ni (111) is present in all condition, but the intensity increases rapidly with the heat treatment temperature. The phase transition temperature of this quaternary coating analyzed by DSC was 431.8°C.
Development-Tourism and Poverty Alleviation
Authors: Phi Giang Thi
Published: September 2020

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the alleviation of multi-dimensional poverty in the global development agenda. Yet, for nearly two decades, the link between tourism and poverty alleviation has mainly been framed around the pro-poor tourism (PPT) approach, which aims to increase ‘net' tourism benefits to the economically poor population. While the narrow focus on income-based poverty in PPT has received much criticism, alternative frameworks for research and practice that are capable of lifting the tourism-poverty link beyond the orthodox economic-centred approach have not received sufficient attention. In response, this chapter presents a conceptual framework amalgamates poverty alleviation and development-tourism genera, and the three key underpinning theoretical concepts of global citizenship, sustainable livelihoods, and social entrepreneurship. This framework facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the development-tourism-poverty alleviation nexus, and offers new pathways to enhance tourism's contribution to Goal 1 of the SDGs.
Poverty Alleviation, Ecotourism, and Biodiversity Protection in Príncipe Island
Authors: Matos Alda
Published: September 2020

Príncipe is the smallest of the two São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) islands and site of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Two-thirds of its seven thousand inhabitants are poor, and the productive fabric does not generate enough resources for poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. Moreover, STP archipelago belongs to the group of small island developing states (SIDS), recognised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development as a particular case, and international funding for development and sustainability support is available. In addition, the autonomous government of Príncipe identified ecotourism as a niche market to develop, establishing goals for this activity. This chapter presents some results of the actions that have been promoted. In future work, the author studies the case of Cape Verde, another Portuguese speaking SIDS, aiming to understand what has been done in terms of poverty alleviation and its impacts.
Ecotourism as a Tool for Sustainable Development in Morni Hills (Haryana), India
Authors: Singh Lakhvinder
Published: September 2020

Ecotourism is an emerging approach to attain sustainable development. The Morn Hills region of Haryana in India is emerging as a famous ecotourism destination, as it is endowed with rich and varied vegetation, flora and fauna, and forest area. The chapter empirically investigates the local community attitude towards ecotourism as a mean for sustainable development. The chapter used 200 data responses conveniently collected from respondents through a survey form and used suitable statistical tools to analyse the result. The study indicates huge prospects of ecotourism in the area and variation in the attitude of the local community towards the role of ecotourism in sustainable development. A highly positive attitude of locals as ecotourism brings sustainable and overall development in the area in the form of enhanced economic benefits, enrichment of socio-cultural values, increased concerns, and preservation of environmental and physical resources. The chapter concludes different stakeholders to come up with appropriate strategies for sustainable development of the area.
Ecotourism as a Trigger for Economic Development
Authors: Cantafio Giuseppe Umberto , Nadda Vipin
Published: September 2020

Peripheral Mediterranean regions, such as Calabria, have an urgent need to revitalise the economy through better use of natural resources. The increase in tourism can bring the sought after foreign exchange, resulting in the development of small and medium local enterprises. The chapter aims at evaluating the potential of the Calabria region. This was done by carrying out an analysis of a resource-based view of the aforementioned region. A list of potential nature-based tourism resource sites was identified and discussed. This study highlighted key findings and recommendations to policymakers.
Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in the Tourism Sector
Authors: Papadopoulou Georgia
Published: September 2020

Gender equality and women empowerment constitute a longstanding topic since the issues have never been fully addressed, although some progress has been made. The tourism sector is one area that seems to have more opportunities for women and, thus, less gender inequalities. However, cases of discrimination are still experienced. Hence, this chapter explores the situation of gender equality and women position in the field of tourism and establish the causes of the problem in the sector. The opportunities for females and avenues of achieving fairness and empowerment are also discussed.
Response of Eragrostis plana and Eragrostis pilosa (L.) P. Beauv. submitted on flooded soil
Authors: Carloto Bruno Wolffenbüttel , Escobar Otávio dos Santos , Trivisiol Vinicius Severo , Peripolli Mariane , Pivetta Maicon , Posser Taiana , Barreto Eduarda Preto Mena , Dornelles Sylvio Henrique Bidel
Published: September 2020

The development of Eragrostis plana and Eragrostis pilosa was evaluated in a greenhouse when submitted to different soil moisture conditions. The design was completely randomized, consisting of a factorial 2x3, with the following factors: Eragrostis accessions and soil moisture levels (50% of water retention capacity (WRC), 100% of WRC and soil with water depth of 10 cm). The morphological-anatomical parameters of the plants were evaluated and the aerenchyma and adventitious roots were quantified. In addition, the photosynthetic pigments and the electron transport capacity of the photosynthetic chain were quantified, with the intention of verifying if the amount of water in the soil interferes with these parameters. Similar responses were observed between the two species when submitted to a water table environment, where there were larger aerenchymal formations in the roots and stems, as well as adventitious roots at the soil surface, inferring adaptations for survival to anaerobic stress. Negative effects on the transport of electrons and the formation of chlorophyll pigments were observed for both species when submitted to the hypoxic environment and, consequently, there was reduction of dry mass of shoot and roots, as well as reduction in the emission of tiller. It is concluded that the irrigation water management and the water blade in the rice crop are important, together with the control of invasive plants, considering the negative effects caused to the growth and development of these plants
Bird-plant interactions on the edge of a forest fragment in southwestern Brazilian Amazonia
Authors: Alencar Luana , Guilherme Edson
Published: September 2020

Seed dispersal is one of the principal ecological processes that determine the richness and distribution of plants in tropical forests. Birds play an important role in the zoochoric dispersal of seeds in these forests. The present study investigated the bird-plant interactions involving the ingestion and dispersal of seeds by the birds found in the edge habitat of an isolated forest fragment on the Catuaba Experimental Farm in eastern Acre, in southwestern Brazilian Amazonia. The birds were captured using mist nets, and the seeds were collected from fecal samples obtained during the handling of the animals. These seeds were sorted and identified. The bird and the plant species identified during the study were used to calculate the connectivity and nestedness of the bird-plant interactions. We captured 82 species of birds, with a total sampling effort of 203,180 h.m². Fecal samples obtained from 19 of the bird species contained a total of 2,086 seeds, representing 23 plant species. The interaction network had an intermediate connectance, and significant nestedness. Ramphocelus carbo had the highest importance index and was the bird with the largest number of plant interactions, while Cecropia latiloba was the plant with the highest importance index, followed by Schefflera morototoni. Most of the seed-dispersing birds identified in the present study are generalists found in both the forest core and its edge. The results of the study indicated that the community of generalist-frugivore birds interacts extensively with the plant community of the fragment, providing seed dispersal services that include the deforested areas adjacent to the fragment.
Determination of the biodegradability of chitosan utilizing the most probable number technique
Authors: Silva Wender Cardoso , Souza Ilva de Fátima , Benassi Vivian Machado , Roa Juan Pedro Bretas , Graziotti Paulo Henrique , Nelson David Lee , Reis Arlete Barbosa dos
Published: September 2020

The present work aimed to evaluate the degradability of the chitosan polymer by soil microorganisms. This evaluation was accomplished using the Most Probable Number (MPN) method by plating in drops so that soil microorganisms capable of degrading the polymeric material could be quantified. Soil samples diluted in three specific culture media for each type of microorganism were plated – bacteria, fungi and actinobacteria – and they were maintained at 28°C for seven days to determine the growth rate of fungi and actinobacteria, and for 48 hours for the development of bacteria. Significant differences in the MPN of actinobacteria relative to the other groups analyzed were observed. Thus, the method used was effective for determining the degradability of the chitosan biopolymer when observing the development of microorganisms subjected to the replacement of the carbon source by the addition of 2% w v-1 of the chitosan biopolymer to the culture medium. The formation of clear regions around the microbial colonies was a strong indicator of biodegradation.
Genetic diversity and population structure of mangabeira (Hancornia speciosa) estimated using ISSR markers
Authors: Luz Gizele de Andrade , Santos Jailson de Araújo , Oliveira Kelly Pires de , Martins Pâmela Ponce , Valente Sérgio Emílio dos Santos , Maia Maria Clideana Cabral , Lima Paulo Sarmanho da Costa
Published: September 2020

The mangabeira is a native fruit tree from Brazil with fruits that present significant potential for exploitation. This species is experiencing genetic erosion, which increases the importance of elucidating the genetic diversity that exists in mangabeira populations to support conservation programs. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the diversity and genetic structure of mangabeira populations from the Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Meio-Norte using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. A total of 29 accessions from Brazil were characterized, including one from Sergipe, one from Bahia, three from the Distrito Federal, 11 from Piauí and 13 from Paraíba. The 11 ISSR primers provided 166 loci, among which 120 were polymorphic. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 69.66% of the observed genetic variability occurred within populations and that the populations showed high genetic differentiation. The results obtained from the STRUCTURE analysis indicated the existence of two genetic groups. The Nei and Shannon indices of genetic diversity varied from 0.15 to 0.24 and from 0.22 to 0.34, respectively. The coefficient of similarity ranged from 0.57 to 0.94, with a mean of 0.76. The mean was used as the cut-off point in the dendrogram, and seven groups were identified. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the presence of low or moderate genetic diversity within the studied mangabeira populations and high genetic differentiation between the populations. The results indicate a need to increase the number of mangabeira population samples from different collection sites as a strategy to achieve more significant results for the conservation and genetic improvement of this species.
Virilidade e identidade narrativa em Mãos de cavalo, de Daniel Galera
Authors: Ferreira Júnior Nelson Eliezer
Published: September 2020

Esse artigo aborda o protagonista do romance Mãos de Cavalo (2006), de Daniel Galera, tomando como ponto de partida a perspectiva da identidade narrativa, elaborada por Paul Ricoeur (1991, 2010). Tal operação se faz necessária em virtude dos distintos planos temporais da narrativa, os quais apresentam a personagem com características diferentes na juventude e na fase adulta. Os traços em que se percebe maior descontinuidade entre os planos temporais dizem respeito às formas distintas com que o protagonista fantasia e experiencia sua masculinidade, o que requer a retomada de estudos sobre essa temática, tais como o de Baubérot (2013), Connell (2016) e Venayre (2013). Assim, foi possível identificar tanto a importância dos padrões de virilidade para ele como as implicações do fracasso em incorporar essas normas no seu cotidiano. Nesse sentido, as análises apontaram para: i) a centralidade de dois episódios no romance, nos quais a percepção ou a tentativa de superação da covardia provocam mudanças significativas no protagonista; ii) a teatralidade das expressões viris como respostas a padrões normativos de masculinidade; iii) a correlação entre o uso de anacronias e a presença constante da temática da identidade em Mãos de cavalo. Aponta-se, por fim, para a conveniência de estudos dessa natureza em outros romances de Daniel Galera.
O poder demiúrgico de linguagens naturais e artificiais em Galatea, de Emily Short
Authors: Pereira Vinícius Carvalho
Published: September 2020

O mito grego de Pigmalião e Galatéia, de que se derivam múltiplos intertextos nas artes plásticas, no teatro, na literatura e no audiovisual, atravessa eras, linguagens e mídias em sua potência de significação. Permeada por temas como o amor entre criador e criatura, o poder demiúrgico da criação artística e a força motriz do desejo, a história do artista que se apaixona pela escultura a ponto de dar-lhe vida é um recorrente motivo na ficção científica e em outros contextos que envolvem arte e tecnologia. Entre outras atualizações do mito, merece destaque a obra eletrônica de ficção interativa Galatea, de Emily Short (2000), como programa computacional em que o leitor/usuário interage com uma interface textual para entabular diálogo com uma personagem que faz as vezes de amada de Pigmalião. Nesse processo, cada novo input digitado pelo leitor/usuário desencadeia inaudita resposta ou ação da interlocutora digital; a estátua vai então progressivamente ganhando vida nessa conversa, à medida que o desejo de ler o texto se torna também desejo de vê-la mover-se, redarguir, colocar-se. Diante desta obra de ficção interativa, gênero da literatura eletrônica ainda pouco estudado pela comunidade acadêmica de Letras no Brasil, o presente trabalho pretende analisar a dimensão demiúrgica que linguagem natural e código de programação assumem quando, imbricados, dão vida, pelo diálogo, à personagem de Galatéia. Para tanto, serão utilizados referenciais teóricos que discutem as relações entre semioses humanas e maquínicas (Hayles, 2005), a ficção interativa como gênero de literatura eletrônica (Montfort, 2005) e o papel de linguagens naturais e artificiais na criação de Golems ou outros autômatos (Nazario & Nascimento, 2004).