Maize Germplasm Conservation in Southern California's Urban Gardens: Introduced Diversity Beyond ex situ and in situ Management.

Contemporary germplasm conservation studies largely focus on ex situ and in situ management of diversity within centers of genetic diversity. Transnational migrants who transport and introduce landraces to new locations may catalyze a third type of conservation that combines both approaches. Resulting populations may support reduced diversity as a result of evolutionary forces such as genetic drift, selection, and gene flow, yet they may also be more diverse as a result of multiple introductions, selective breeding and cross pollination among multiple introduced varietals. In this study, we measured the amount and structure of maize molecular genetic diversity in samples collected from home gardens and community gardens maintained by immigrant farmers in Southern California. We used the same markers to measure the genetic diversity and structure of commercially available maize varieties and compared our data to previously reported genetic diversity statistics of Mesoamerican landraces. Our results reveal that transnational dispersal creates an opportunity for the maintenance of maize genetic diversity beyond its recognized centers of diversity

Properties of a Non-Competitive Electricity Market Dominated by Hydroelectric Power

An important conclusion from the literature on hydropower is that if there are no other constraints than the available water reservoirs for a year, and operating costs are ignored, the competitive (and socially optimal) outcome is characterized by the (present value) price being constant through the year. A second important conclusion is that the outcome under monopoly generally will differ from this, provided that the demand functions differ across different days (or other sub-periods) of the year. We show that even if the demand function is the same all days of the year, the monopoly outcome will generally differ from the competitive outcome. The difference is caused by the profit function of a price-setting producer of hydropower being non-concave. This non-concavity can be caused by short-run capacity limits either on exports and imports of electricity, or on the supply of alternative electricity sources.Electricity prices, Hydropower

The power of immersive technologies: a sociopsychological analysis of the relationship between immersive environments, storytelling, sentiment, and the impact on user experience

This dissertation initially focused on exploring the potential of immersive technologies for the distant future. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 virus in late 2019 disrupted the world, causing a pause in many areas. Nevertheless, the butterfly effect of the pandemic spurred the development of immersive technologies, resulting in the rise of the metaverse, web3, non-fungible tokens (NFT), and avatars, which are gaining increasing popularity. The excitement for the metaverse is growing in both academia and industry, leading to new avenues of research, digital marketing, video games, tourism, and social media. This dissertation explores this rapidly emerging technological revolution and its effects on user experience (UX)

An educational experience in ancient Rome to evaluate the impact of virtual reality on human learning processes

Immersive Virtual Reality technology has recently gained significant attention and is expanding its applications to various fields. It also has many advantages in education, as it allows to both simplify the explanation of complex topics through their visualization, and explore lost or unreachable environments. To evaluate the impact of immersive experiences on learning outcomes we developed an educational experience that lets users visit an ancient Roman Domus and provides information about daily life in Roman times. We designed a between-subjects data collection to investigate learning ratio, user experience, and cybersickness of participants through anonymous questionnaires. We collected 76 responses of participants (18–35 y.o.) divided into three conditions: a Immersive Virtual Reality experience, a slide-based lecture and a 2D desktop-based experience. Our results show that the virtual reality experience is considered more engaging and as effective as more traditional 2D and slide-based experiences in terms of learning

Good, better, best practise – a comparative analysis of official destination websites

Abstract: The uplifting financial impact that tourism may have on local and global economies of scale has resulted in tourists becoming a highly sought-after commodity capable of turning almost any tourism destination and its attractions into thriving exports. With the rapid evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the introduction of smart technologies in particular, however, tourism has become not only more accessible, but arguably also more competitive with an online, try-before-you-buy tourism experience now becoming a reality. Subsequently, the battle is no longer for top offline destination only, but also for online destination of choice. An opportunity thus exists for Official Destination Websites (ODWs) to take advantage of these, and additional opportunities, to enhance a prospective tourist’s online, pre-tourism experience. By analysing seven of the world’s most popular destinations’ capital city ODWs, we come to realise that ODWs have become an integrated, rather than independent, part of facilitating tourism. As such, the importance of developing, implementing and maintaining an ODW to increase the likelihood of a possible tourist conversion from mere browser to buyer is highlighted. Finally, the similarities and differences between the analysed ODWs are also listed in an attempt to guide prospective tourism destinations in their endeavour to establish a new ODW, as well as allowing destinations with an existing ODW to possibly implement improvements

A comparative cycling path selection for sustainable tourism in Franciacorta. An integrated AHP-ELECTRE method

Cycle tourism is a form of sustainable itinerant tourism expanding in Italy and the rest of the world, with prospects for growth in coming years. Europe and North America have already developed a wide range of cycling infrastructures tied to tourism experiences. Benefits induced are generally recognised: first, it is a sustainable solution that increases local economics while conserving the environment; second, it guarantees advantages on social connections, amusement, and physical and mental health. However, it requires an adequate network to enjoy destinations as historical and landscape peculiarities. Currently, literature provides some methods for planning itineraries dedicated to cycle tourism. Despite that, there is less attention on how evaluating existing or already planned tourist itineraries. This study covers this gap, by applying an integrated method to assess bicycle connections for tourism experiences within municipalities. Since this evaluation may contain many conflicting criteria (e.g., preferences of public administrator, technical and economic viability) and possible alternatives, this study frames the method as a multi-criteria decision-making problem (MCDM). Specifically, at first, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is adopted to calculate weights for each criterium; next, the ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalitè (ELECTRE) method is applied to provide a (possible) priority ranking of cycling tourist paths among alternatives, by computing indices of discordance and concordance between pairs of alternatives. The framework is applied to the Franciacorta area (North-East Italy), a national and international tourist relevance territory encompassing 22 municipalities. This study may be useful for public administrators to rationalise and prioritise cycling routes

Sketches from the Urban Internationale. Voluntary Societies, International Organizations and US Foundations at the City's Bedside 1900-1960

International audienceThe international milieu of town planning is an exciting web of people, books, exhibits, congresses or ideas. Its exploration is a tool to complete our national-oriented understandings of the ways in which the urban scene was conceived in the 20th century. This article sets its exploration in the wider context of the "Urban Internationale", this sphere dedicated to the declensions of "urban issues" such as town planning, housing and urban government. It is proposed that the IU is structured around three poles: volontary associations, international institutions and the big US philantropic Foundations. The evolution of those poles, and the relations amongst them, shaped the way in which the 'urban issues' were defined and treated

Rare books as historical objects: a case study of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library rare books collection

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015Once upon a time all the books in the Arctic were rare books, incomparable treasures to the men and women who carried them around the world. Few of these tangible remnants of the past have managed to survive the ravages of time, preserved in libraries and special collections. This thesis analyzes the over 22,000-item rare book collection of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the largest collection of rare books in the State of Alaska and one of the largest polar regions collections in the world. Content, chronology, authorship, design, and relevance to northern and polar history were a few of the criteria used to evaluate the collection. Twenty items of particular value to the study of Alaskan history were selected and studied in depth. The collection not only reflects the social, political and economic development of Alaska, but also the interests, personalities and expertise of collectors and authors, including works owned or written by key individuals in Alaska history, such as Hieromonk Gideon, Ivan Veniaminov, Ivan Pan’kov, Iakov Netsvietov, Kiril Khlebnikov, Hubert Howe Bancroft, George Davidson, Hudson Stuck, Sheldon Jackson, James Wickersham, Charles Bunnell, Alfred H. Brooks and others. Accident and happenstance also played a role in filling the shelves. There are more mysteries than answers—why some of these particular works resisted hundreds of years of neglect, cold, flood, and fire can never be known. While some books have no marks, no identifiable owners or traceable past, the provenance of others makes them unique. Sometimes the story behind the story is the story.Chapter 1: Rare Books Studies: Methodological Discussion -- 1.1 Historical Research Based on Libraries -- 1.2 Research Statement -- 1.3 Description of the Data – The Elmer E. Rasmuson Library Rare Books Collection -- 1.4 Defining Rare Books and Their Roles in Library Collections -- 1.5 Structure of a Book -- 1.6 Book Materials -- 1.7 Methodological Conclusion -- Chapter 2: The Book in Alaska -- 2.1 Arctic and Antarctic Books as Travelers -- 2.2 Arctic and Antarctic Libraries as Travelers: Ship Publishing, Ship Libraries -- 2.3 First Books in Alaska -- 2.4 Nikolai Rezanov’s View of the Enlightenment -- 2.5 The Kodiak Library -- 2.6 The Sitka Library -- 2.7 The Sitka Museum -- 2.8 Ivan Veniaminov: Language Studies and the Sitka Seminary -- 2.9 Educated “Americans”: The Case of Ivan Pan’kov -- 2.10 RAC Officials and Missionaries: The Necessity of Bilingual Communication -- 2.11 The Educational Backgrounds of Russian American Governors -- 2.12 Conclusion -- Chapter 3: Missionaries, Prospectors, and Collectors -- 3.1 Early American Era: The Battle of School Books -- 3.2 American-Era Missionaries: Books, Reading, Literacy -- 3.3 Gold Rushes in Alaska and the Yukon: Illusion and Ephemera -- 3.4 Missionary Periodicals at the Time of the Alaska Gold Rushes -- 3.5 Periodicals Exchanges, Reading Rooms and Libraries during the Late Nineteenth – Early Twentieth Century -- 3.6 Collectors of Alaskana and Alaskan Collectors of Rarities -- 3.6.1 The Challenges of Rare Book Collecting in Alaska -- 3.6.2 The Bancroft Library -- 3.6.3 The George Davidson Library -- 3.6.4 The James Wickersham Library -- 3.6.5 The Clarence L. Andrews Library -- 3.6.6 Valerian Lada-Mocarski Library -- 3.6.7 Women in Book Collecting: Laura K. Lada-Mocarski -- 3.7 Conclusion -- Chapter 4: Rare Books as Historical Objects, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library Rare Books Collection -- 4.1 History of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library and Its Rare Books Collection -- 4.2 Study of the Rare Books Sample, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library Rare Book Collection -- 4.2.1 Books in Russian Published before 1867 -- 4.2.2 Books in English Published before 1867 -- 4.2.3 Books in English Published after 1867 -- 4.2.4 Books in Alaska Native Languages Published after 1867 -- 4.2.5 Nineteenth-Century Missionary Literature -- 4.2.6 Nineteenth-Century Writings by U.S. Government Officials -- 4.2.7 Nineteenth-Century U.S. Exploration Literature -- 4.2.8 Twentieth-Century U.S. Exploration Literature -- 4.2.9 Gold Rush Literature -- 4.2.10 Twentieth-Century Business Literature -- 4.2.11 Late Nineteenth-Early Twentieth Century Periodicals -- 4.2.12 World War II Literature -- 4.2.13 Rare Books Sample: Summary -- Conclusion -- Literature cited