Peter the Great’s Intermezzo with G. W. Leibniz and G. Delisle: The Development of Geographical Knowledge in Russia

The article was submitted on 22.11.2017.During his second trip through Western Europe, Russian Tsar Peter the Great (1672‒1725) met the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646‒1716) shortly before the death of the latter in 1716. Peter was fascinated by Leibniz’s ideas and started bringing a new system of education and academic life to Russia. Leibniz was deeply interested in the issue of a land connection between Asia and America, and discussed it with Peter. After meeting the famous French geographer Guillaume Delisle (1675‒1726) in Paris in the same year , the tsar began thinking about the usefulness of mapping his country. His encounters with the German and French scientists inspired Peter the Great to found the Academy of Sciences in St Petersburg and introduce astronomy and geography as scientific disciplines. After he returned to his newly founded capital St Petersburg, the tsar started organising large-scale expeditions to investigate and map his empire, including Siberia and Kamchatka during the First and Second Kamchatka Expeditions.Во время своей второй поездки по Западной Европе император Петр Великий (1672—1725) встречался с немецким философом Готфридом Вильгельмом Лейбницем (1646—1716) незадолго до смерти последнего в 1716 г. Петра I вдохновили идеи Лейбница, что способствовало его желанию утвердить новую систему образования и науки в России. Лейбница интересовало установление сухопутного сообщения между Азией и Америкой, которое он обсуждал с Петром I. После встречи с Гийомом Делилем (1675—1726), которая состоялась в том же году в Париже, царь стал размышлять о создании подробной карты своей страны. Его встречи с немецким и французским учеными вдохновили Петра на учреждение Академии наук в Санкт-Петербурге и придание статуса научных дисциплин в России астрономии и географии. По возращении в свою новую столицу Санкт-Петербург царь организовал несколько масштабных экспедиций, в том числе Первую и Вторую Камчатские экспедиции, целью которых было подробное изучение и картографирование всей империи, включая Сибирь и Камчатку

National Park Service Visitation and Search Behavior: An Update to 2010

Abstract This purpose of this paper was to examine and update recent findings that proposes that national park visitation is on the decline and to propose other methods for examining the interest in national parks through online searches related to travel intentions. Data from a large, national syndicated secondary dataset were examined by individual participation data collected on an annual basis over the period of 2000-2010. In addition, inquiry data from Google Insights™ for vacation travel to national and state parks was also used as a proxy measure to determine if interest had declined. While there was evidence of some decline in visitation to national parks from 2000-2010, most of the decline was limited to the period of 2000-2004; however, there was also a rebound in interest from 2004 through 2010 with the exception of 2008. The decline does not appear to be dramatic. The decline is not related to a decrease in the market size of individuals interested in national parks but rather a volume issue. The volume issue suggests that the base market of people interested in national parks still exists, but the base market is making fewer visits per visitor to national parks. Additional insights into visitation based on media use (e.g., watching tv and internet use) based on volume segments were explored. There was some indication of decline of interest in visiting national parks during vacation travel through the analysis of Google Insights™ search behavior; however, this decline has been cyclical, not overly dramatic, and appears to reflect the changes in visitation noted here through the national syndicated dataset findings. Interest may also have shifted to other outdoor pursuits and interests via an increase in more choices. Interest in state parks appeared to also be seasonal; but no dramatic decline in the interest in state parks was noted based on Internet searches and Google Insights™ analysis

Place in Time: The Role of Architecture in Establishing an Emotional Connection between Man and Time

This thesis explores the role of architecture as a means of reconnecting humans to the passage of time. A neglect of the temporal in our built environment obscures understanding of the human condition in all of its sensory aspects. The exploration and design of a series of ritual engagements, both culturally, and architecturally, begin to offer a venue through which designers can engage human senses. Rituals act as a means of demarcating the passage of time. It is through the engagement with these moments that people can begin to gain a richer understanding of the ephemeral nature of their own existence. The Pritzker Architecture Prize serves as the selected ritual of exploration because of its celebration of humanity and the art of architecture. However, the notion of ritual is explored down to the level of detail of engagement with handrails and door handles

National Park Service Visitation and Interest: An Update Through 2009

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to examine and refute suggestions in the literature that national park visitation is on the decline. Data from a large annual national syndicated secondary dataset were examined for 2000-2009. In addition, data from Google Insights™ related to internet searches about national park vacation travel were also used as a proxy measure to determine if interest in outdoor recreation visitation to national parks had declined. While there was evidence of some decline in visitation to national parks from 2000-2009, most of the decline occurred from 2000-2004 and there was a rebound in interest from 2004 through 2009 with the exception of a dip in 2008. Data from internet search engine queries about national parks also provided insights into visitation interest. There was some decline in interest in visiting national parks for vacation travel based on search engine inquiries; however, this decline has been cyclical and is not dramatic

Selective depletion of a CD64-expressing phagocyte subset mediates protection against toxic kidney injury and failure

Dendritic cells (DC), macrophages, and monocytes, collectively known as mononuclear phagocytes (MPs), critically control tissue homeostasis and immune defense. However, there is a paucity of models allowing to selectively manipulate subsets of these cells in specific tissues. The steady-state adult kidney contains four MP subsets with Clec9a-expression history that include the main conventional DC1 (cDC1) and cDC2 subtypes as well as two subsets marked by CD64 but varying levels of F4/80. How each of these MP subsets contributes to the different phases of acute kidney injury and repair is unknown. We created a mouse model with a Cre-inducible lox-STOP-lox-diphtheria toxin receptor cassette under control of the endogenous CD64 locus that allows for diphtheria toxin–mediated depletion of CD64-expressing MPs without affecting cDC1, cDC2, or other leukocytes in the kidney. Combined with specific depletion of cDC1 and cDC2, we revisited the role of MPs in cisplatin-induced kidney injury. We found that the intrinsic potency reported for CD11c$^{+}$cells to limit cisplatin toxicity is specifically attributed to CD64$^{+}$MPs, while cDC1 and cDC2 were dispensable. Thus, we report a mouse model allowing for selective depletion of a specific subset of renal MPs. Our findings in cisplatin-induced injury underscore the value of dissecting the functions of individual MP subsets in kidney disease, which may enable therapeutic targeting of specific immune components in the absence of general immunosuppression

Effects of Changed Aircraft Noise Exposure on the Use of Outdoor Recreational Areas

This paper examines behavioural responses to changes in aircraft noise exposure in local outdoor recreational areas near airports. Results from a panel study conducted in conjunction with the relocation of Norway’s main airport in 1998 are presented. One recreational area was studied at each airport site. The samples (n = 1,264/1,370) were telephone interviewed about their use of the area before and after the change. Results indicate that changed aircraft noise exposure may influence individual choices to use local outdoor recreational areas, suggesting that careful considerations are needed in the planning of air routes over local outdoor recreational areas. However, considerable stability in use, and also fluctuations in use unrelated to the changes in noise conditions were found. Future studies of noise impacts should examine a broader set of coping mechanisms, like intra- and temporal displacement. Also, the role of place attachment, and the substitutability of local areas should be studied

Personal identity (de)formation among lifestyle travellers: A double-edged sword?

This article explores the personal identity work of lifestyle travellers – individuals for whom extended leisure travel is a preferred lifestyle that they return to repeatedly. Qualitative findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with lifestyle travellers in northern India and southern Thailand are interpreted in light of theories on identity formation in late modernity that position identity as problematic. It is suggested that extended leisure travel can provide exposure to varied cultural praxes that may contribute to a sense of social saturation. Whilst a minority of the respondents embraced a saturation of personal identity in the subjective formation of a cosmopolitan cultural identity, several of the respondents were paradoxically left with more identity questions than answers as the result of their travels

Incorporating Human Dimensions Objectives Into Waterfowl Habitat Planning and Delivery

The 2012 revision of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) explicitly recognized the need to increase recruitment and retention of waterfowl hunters, birdwatchers, and other conservationists to maintain support for wetland conservation. The incorporation of human dimensions objectives within the NAWMP has compelled waterfowl and wetland managers to consider whether and to what extent landscape characteristics such as public land access; the type, amount, and location of wetlands; and site infrastructure will increase support for wetland conservation among user groups. Further, it has forced the waterfowl community to consider the possible trade-offs between managing land to achieve biological versus social objectives. We used publicly available, long-term data sets to illustrate a method of incorporating human dimensions into waterfowl habitat planning and management. We used United States Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl harvest survey data, United States Geological Survey band encounter data, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird data to summarize travel characteristics of wetland bird enthusiasts (i.e., waterfowl hunters and birdwatchers) in the Atlantic Flyway. Greater than 90% of all trips by wetland bird enthusiasts occurred within their state of residence. We used data from New York, USA, to demonstrate how to construct discrete choice recreation demand models to identify factors that influence site selection and participation. We demonstrate how model outputs, such as the expected change in the number and geographic distribution of recreational trips (i.e., hunting or bird watching), can be used as an objective metric to evaluate the benefits of alternative habitat acquisition and restoration projects relative to the human dimensions objective of the NAWMP. These data and methods show promise for incorporating human dimensions objectives into habitat delivery and understanding potential trade-offs relative to biological objectives

Digital representation of park use and visual analysis of visitor activities

Urban public parks can serve an important function by contributing to urban citizens' quality of life. At the same time, they can be the location of processes of displacement and exclusion. Despite this ambiguous role, little is known about actual park use patterns. To learn more about park use in three parks in Zurich, Switzerland, extensive data on visitor activities was collected using a new method based on direct recording via a portable GIS solution. Then, the data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper examines whether geographic visualization of these data can help domain experts like landscape designers and park managers to assess park use. To maximize accessibility, the visualizations are made available through a web-interface of a common, off-the-shelf GIS. The technical limitations imposed by this choice are critically assessed, before the available visualization techniques are evaluated in respect to the needs and tasks of practitioners with limited knowledge on spatial analysis and GIS. Key criteria are each technique's level of abstraction and graphical complexity. The utility and suitability of the visualization techniques is characterized for the distinct phases of exploration, analysis and synthesis. The findings suggest that for a target user group of practitioners, a combination of dot maps showing the raw data and surface maps showing derived density values for several attributes serves the purpose of knowledge generation best