Scientific literacy through co-inquiry based on non-formal and informal learning

This paper presents a collaborative research on scientific citizenship developed by the Open University UK (OU) through the weSPOT project for inquiry based learning and the Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB) responsible for coordinating the Telecentros.BR training programme for Digital Inclusion in Brazil. The European weSPOT project (2013-2015) is a working environment with social, personal and open technologies for inquiry based learning (IBL). The Telecentros.BR training programme (2013-2014) is a non-credit online course supported by the Brazil Government, whose participants are more than 2000 young educators in diverse areas with low access to digital technology. The role of these young educators is to promote better use of ICT and support the Telecentro.BR’s projects created by the communities for their development in various dimensions. The objective of this research is to create a framework for applying collaborative inquiry to scaffold citizen’s scientific skills through digital technologies. This framework, drawn on qualitative and quantitative study, synthesizes key abilities related to multiple literacies to foster scientific skills in the digital age of open education, open science and open citizenship

Collaborative Learning Application in Destination Management

Collaborative learning is an educational approach, which can be easily applied to a business setting. However, it is often unconsciously implemented in organizations in general, whereas, some of it aspects are not perceived at all as new contributions. In order to take advantage of all its benefits, it should be a guided process. Based on an assessment of theory, this conceptual paper provides the classification of collaborative learning in destination management grounded on a few dimensions and several implications related to its proper application. Through a comparison, it proposes an enhanced model of collaborative learning in line with the requirements of managing tourism destinations. The concept of collaborative learning represents a good fit for enhancing stakeholder engagement, improving collective education and reaching consensus. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Humor and Co-Creation as Levers of Valorization of Tourism Attractions: Case Study from Vodnjan, Croatia

Tourists are highly selective, they are looking for the unforgettable experiences and they want to familiarize with the tradition and the culture of the local residents, which represents a great challenge for the tourism products and service providers because they constantly have to create new and interesting activities, because tourists are no longer interested in sightseeing of the cultural and the historical heritage, but they also want to be a part of it. The purpose of this case study is to affect the perceptions of visitor of Vodnjan (Croatia) by enriching their cultural experience. The goal is to propose a model of collaboration of tourists in the creation of such experiences. The appeal to humor, as a still under researched topic in function of tourism, as well as the principles of co-creation, rarely used in tourism, were combined to help revalorize Vodnjan\u27s tourism attractions and the destination itself. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Humor and Co-Creation as Levers of Valorization of Tourism Attractions: Case Study from Vodnjan, Croatia

Tourists are highly selective, they are looking for the unforgettable experiences and they want to familiarize with the tradition and the culture of the local residents, which represents a great challenge for the tourism products and service providers because they constantly have to create new and interesting activities, because tourists are no longer interested in sightseeing of the cultural and the historical heritage, but they also want to be a part of it. The purpose of this case study is to affect the perceptions of visitor of Vodnjan (Croatia) by enriching their cultural experience. The goal is to propose a model of collaboration of tourists in the creation of such experiences. The appeal to humor, as a still under researched topic in function of tourism, as well as the principles of co-creation, rarely used in tourism, were combined to help revalorize Vodnjan\u27s tourism attractions and the destination itself. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Phytochemical Assessment of Native Ecuadorian Peppers (Capsicum spp.) and Correlation Analysis to Fruit Phenomics

[Abstract] In this work, the impact of pepper (Capsicum spp.) fruits morphology on their composition for health-promoting compounds was investigated. For that purpose, pepper accessions from Ecuador, one of the hotspots in Capsicum’s origin, were analyzed for ascorbic acid, polyphenols, capsaicinoids, and prevention of cholesterol oxidation. Plant and fruit phenomics were assessed with conventional descriptors and Tomato Analyzer digital traits. Significant differences among accessions and species revealed a large diversity within the collection. The Capsicum frutescens group displayed the highest levels of capsaicinoids, whereas the polyphenols shortly varied among the five domesticated species. Capsicum pubescens exhibited the lowest content of ascorbic acid. The conventional descriptors describing the magnitude of plants and fruits, as well as digital attributes under the categories of size, shape index, and latitudinal section, mostly explained the variance among Capsicum groups. Correlation test revealed that phytochemical components were negatively correlated with the morphometric fruit attributes, suggesting that huge fruits contained lower amounts of nutraceutical compounds. Multivariate analysis showed that parameters related to fruit size, shape, and nutraceutical composition primarily contribute to the arrangement of pepper accessions. Such results suggested that those traits have been subjected to higher selection pressures imposed by humans.Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria; RTA2015-00042-C02-02Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/5

Tracing Back the History of Pepper (Capsicum annuum) in the Iberian Peninsula from a Phenomics Point of View

[Abstract] The Iberian Peninsula was the place where pepper (Capsicum annuum) entered Europe and dispersed to other continents but was also an important secondary center for its diversification. The current work evaluated the phenotypic diversity existing in this region and investigated how that evolved from Capsicum native areas (Mexico and Andean Region). For that purpose, the high-throughput phenotyping tool Tomato Analyzer was employed. Descriptors related to size and shape were the most distinctive among fruit types, reflecting a broad diversity for Iberian peppers. These traits likely reflected those suffering from more intensive human selections, driving the worldwide expansion of C. annuum. Iberian peppers maintained close proximity to the American accessions in terms of fruit phenomics. The highest similarities were observed for those coming from the southeastern edge of the Peninsula, while northwestern accessions displayed more significant differences. Common fruit traits (small, conical) suggested that Portuguese and Spanish landraces may have arisen from an ancient American population that entered the south of Spain and promptly migrated to the central and northern territories, giving rise to larger, elongated, and blocky pods. Such lineages would be the result of adaptations to local soil–climate factors prevailing in different biogeographic provinces.This research was funded by the Spanish Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (Project RTA2015-00042-C02-02), and by the Xunta de Galicia (Project ED431C 2018/57)Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/5