Understanding preferences for nature based and sustainable tourism. The role of personal values and general and specific environmental attitudes

This paper reports the results of a study which investigated the social psychological correlates of people’s preferences for sustainable and unsustainable tourism activities. Two-hundred-eighty-two participants from two Italian cities responded to a questionnaire which recorded their tourism preferences, their general pro-environmental attitudes and values, and their specific attitudes towards sustainable tourism. Results showed positive correlations among the constructs considered. Groups of participants differing in their tourism preferences were also identified and the paper discusses the way in which the social psychological variables considered here may be used to plan adequate strategies and management instruments able to address crucial issues of sustainability in tourism, including, for example, tourists’ ecological behaviors “on site” and their educational needs

Economic analysis of alternatives for second rotations in Eucalyptus globulus plantations in southeast Uruguay

Eucalyptus globulus is one of the most planted forest species in Uruguay. However, its high susceptibility to diseases has determined that in recent years most plantations reaching harvest are replaced by other species, mainly E. dunnii and E. smithii. The decision whether to maintain the plantation for an additional rotation as coppice crop or to carry out a replanting depends on the expected economic results of both alternatives. Therefore, the objective of this research was to estimate the profitability of a coppice crop of E. globulus and that of a new plantation, with two different species, E. dunnii and E. smithii. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the impact of eventual variations in plantation productivity, in distance to the point of sale, and in the price of wood. Results showed that the three alternatives analyzed are economically viable, but that the management as coppice crop and the replanting with E. smithii are more profitable than replanting with E. dunnii. On the other hand, the coppice management is the alternative that requires less investment and that presents fewer risks, since it is less sensitive to changes in the main variables that determine the economic result

The dynamical state of bars in cluster dwarf galaxies: The cases of NGC 4483 and NGC 4516

Dwarf barred galaxies are the perfect candidates for hosting slowly-rotating bars. They are common in dense environments and they have a relatively shallow potential well, making them prone to heating by interactions. When an interaction induces bar formation, the bar should rotate slowly. They reside in massive and centrally-concentrated dark matter halos, which slow down the bar rotation through dynamical friction. While predictions suggest that slow bars should be common, measurements of bar pattern speed, using the Tremaine-Weinberg method, show that bars are mostly fast in the local Universe. We present a photometric and kinematic characterisation of bars hosted by two dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, NGC 4483 and NGC 4516. We derive the bar length and strength using the Next Generation Virgo Survey imaging and the circular velocity, bar pattern speed, and rotation rate using spectroscopy from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer. Including the previously studied galaxy IC 3167, we compare the bar properties of the three dwarf galaxies with those of their massive counterparts from literature. Bars in the dwarf galaxies are shorter and weaker, and rotate slightly slower with respect to those in massive galaxies. This could be due to a different bar formation mechanism and/or to a large dark matter fraction in the centre of dwarf galaxies. We show that it is possible to push the application of the Tremaine-Weinberg method to the galaxy low mass regime

Type B versus Type C Radical Hysterectomy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of type B radical hysterectomy (RH) in the management of patients affected by locally advanced cervical cancer with favorable prognostic factors (tumor diameter <40 mm, negative nodes, or lymphovascular space involvement) and clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT)