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1 – 7 of 7Iacopo Cavallini, Daniela Marzo, Luisa Scaccia, Sara Scipioni and Federico Niccolini
Scuba diving tourism is reputed to be a potential low-impact recreational activity that allow environmental conservation and socioeconomic benefits for local communities. Few…
Abstract
Purpose
Scuba diving tourism is reputed to be a potential low-impact recreational activity that allow environmental conservation and socioeconomic benefits for local communities. Few studies have addressed the issue of sustainability of scuba diving tourism through the simultaneously investigation on the economic and socio-cultural aspects and its implications for tourism development. This study aims to examine the scuba diving tourism in three under-explored North African tourism destinations with high ecotourist potential. The authors present an exploratory picture of scuba diving tourist demand, divers' preferences, motivations for recreational diving experiences and their propensity towards conservation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed a case study research strategy collecting profile data on 123 divers. Furthermore, regression analysis was performed to investigate the divers' preferences, motivations and propensity towards conservation.
Findings
The divers' limited number, the presence of mainly local seasonal tourists and a moderate propensity towards conservation influence the potential of the diving tourism segment to generate significant socioeconomic benefits for local sustainable development in these destinations. However, establishing a marine protected area (MPA) could foster the development of a long-term strategy for scuba diving tourism, improve conservation awareness and increase divers' satisfaction.
Practical implications
Diverse profiles, preferences and motivations can provide tools to sustainably manage and preserve coastal and marine biodiversity, while also maximising the quality of the recreational experience. One of the most effective site-based strategies to orient the diving sector towards sustainability involves the design and strengthening of MPAs.
Originality/value
The research provides an original contribution to the debate on sustainable tourism strategies by demonstrating how the study of economic and socio-cultural aspects of scuba diving could provide guidelines to orient the tourism development of marine and coastal areas towards the principles of sustainability (also through the establishment of MPAs). The findings present an overview of the sustainability of the scuba diving tourism segment by investigating the preferences, motivations and inclination towards conservation among tourists for whom the diving experience is not a core holiday activity.
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Abstract
Purpose
Coastal zone ecological restoration project is of great significance to alleviate marine ecological degradation. Evaluating the effect of coastal ecological restoration projects and identifying the obstacle factors affecting their restoration level can provide an empirical basis for future Marine ecological restoration projects.
Design/methodology/approach
However, due to the initial stage of coastal zone ecological restoration projects, the actual monitoring data of coastal zone ecological restoration is relatively lacking. Based on the CRITIC-TOPSIS (combination of CRITIC method and TOPSIS method) method, combined with the subjective perception of the public and the actual data of the restoration project, this paper proposes an evaluation method of the coastal zone ecological restoration effect to obtain the specific implementation effect of the coastal zone ecological restoration project. The main obstacle factors affecting the evaluation of coastal ecological restoration effect are identified by using the obstacle degree model.
Findings
This paper conducted an empirical study on the restoration of sandy shoreline and coastal wetland in Qinhuangdao city. Based on the data of restoration projects and the subjective perception of ecological restoration by the public in Qinhuangdao city, the research results showed that the coastal zone ecological restoration effect of Qinhuangdao city was general. The quality of the restoration project and the public perception have an important influence on the evaluation of the restoration effect. Improving the quality of the restoration project, strengthening the public's participation in ecological restoration and allowing the public to better participate in the ecological restoration of the coastal zone can improve the effect of ecological restoration of the coastal zone in an all-round way.
Originality/value
The research results of this paper have a guiding role in the ecological restoration of coastal cities in the future, and also have a demonstration and reference role for the assessment of the effect of ecological restoration of coastal zones.
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Xue Xin, Yuepeng Jiao, Yunfeng Zhang, Ming Liang and Zhanyong Yao
This study aims to ensure reliable analysis of dynamic responses in asphalt pavement structures. It investigates noise reduction and data mining techniques for pavement dynamic…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to ensure reliable analysis of dynamic responses in asphalt pavement structures. It investigates noise reduction and data mining techniques for pavement dynamic response signals.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper conducts time-frequency analysis on signals of pavement dynamic response initially. It also uses two common noise reduction methods, namely, low-pass filtering and wavelet decomposition reconstruction, to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing noise in these signals. Furthermore, as these signals are generated in response to vehicle loading, they contain a substantial amount of data and are prone to environmental interference, potentially resulting in outliers. Hence, it becomes crucial to extract dynamic strain response features (e.g. peaks and peak intervals) in real-time and efficiently.
Findings
The study introduces an improved density-based spatial clustering of applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm for identifying outliers in denoised data. The results demonstrate that low-pass filtering is highly effective in reducing noise in pavement dynamic response signals within specified frequency ranges. The improved DBSCAN algorithm effectively identifies outliers in these signals through testing. Furthermore, the peak detection process, using the enhanced findpeaks function, consistently achieves excellent performance in identifying peak values, even when complex multi-axle heavy-duty truck strain signals are present.
Originality/value
The authors identified a suitable frequency domain range for low-pass filtering in asphalt road dynamic response signals, revealing minimal amplitude loss and effective strain information reflection between road layers. Furthermore, the authors introduced the DBSCAN-based anomaly data detection method and enhancements to the Matlab findpeaks function, enabling the detection of anomalies in road sensor data and automated peak identification.
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Patricia McHugh, Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Christine T. Domegan and Noirin Burke
This paper aims to describe a case between practitioners and social marketing academics to grow and scale a programme that engages with primary schools, teachers, children and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a case between practitioners and social marketing academics to grow and scale a programme that engages with primary schools, teachers, children and the education network, inspiring students to become marine leaders and ocean champions.
Design/methodology/approach
Over a six-year period, the authors first applied collective intelligence to work with stakeholders across society to better understand the barriers and solutions to teaching children (6–12 year olds) about the ocean in schools. Following this, a Collective Impact Assessment of the Explorers Education Programme took place to grow the impact of the programme.
Findings
The Explorers Education Programme has grown its numbers higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, the Explorers Education Programme had the largest number of participating children, reaching 15,237, with a growth of 21% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 79% compared to 2021. In 2023, the programme won the “Best Education Outreach Award” category of the Education Awards in Ireland.
Research limitations/implications
This research stresses the importance of measuring impact. The long-term impact of the Explorers Education Programme at societal, environmental and economical levels takes a much longer time frame to measure than the six years of these research collaborations.
Practical implications
The collaborative approach between academics and practitioners meant that this research had practical implications, whereby necessary and effective changes and learnings could be directly applied to the Explorers Education Programme in real time, as the practitioners involved were directly responsible for the management and coordination of the programme.
Originality/value
The value of collaborations and engagement between academia and practice cannot be underestimated. The ability to collectively reflect and assess impact moves beyond “an” intervention, allowing for more meaningful behavioural, social and system changes for the collective good, inspiring the next generation of marine leaders and ocean champions.
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Mi Lin, Ivan Nevzgodin, Ana Pereira Roders and Wessel de Jonge
Attributes conveying cultural significance play a key role in heritage management, as well as in differentiating interventions in built heritage. However, seldom the relation…
Abstract
Purpose
Attributes conveying cultural significance play a key role in heritage management, as well as in differentiating interventions in built heritage. However, seldom the relation between interventions and attributes, either tangible or intangible, has been researched systematically. How do both tangible and intangible attributes and interventions relate? What attributes make interventions on built heritage differ?
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a systematic content analysis of forty-one international doctrinal documents—mainly adopted by the Council of Europe, UNESCO and ICOMOS, between 1877 and 2021. The main aim is to reveal and compare the selected eight intervention concepts, namely—restoration (C1), preservation (C2), conservation (C3), adaptation (C4), rehabilitation (C5), relocation (C6), reconstruction (C7) and renewal (C8)—and their definitions, in relation to attributes, both tangible and intangible. The intensity of the relationship between intervention concepts and attributes is determined based on the frequency of the mentioned attributes per intervention.
Findings
There were three key findings. First, although the attention to intangible attributes has increased in the last decades, the relationship between interventions and tangible attributes remains stronger. The highest frequency of referencing the tangible attributes was identified in “relocation” and “preservation,” while the lowest was in “rehabilitation.” Second, certain attributes play contradictory roles, e.g. “material,” “use” and “process,” which creates inconsistent definitions between documents. Third, as attributes often include one another in building layers, they trigger the intervention concepts in hierarchical patterns.
Originality/value
This paper explores and discusses the results of a novel comparative analysis between different intervention concepts and definitions, with a particular focus on the attributes. The results can support further research and practice, clarifying the identified differences and similarities.
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Williams Ezinwa Nwagwu and Antonia Bernadette Donkor
The study examined the personal information management (PIM) challenges encountered by faculty in six universities in Ghana, their information refinding experiences and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examined the personal information management (PIM) challenges encountered by faculty in six universities in Ghana, their information refinding experiences and the perceived role of memory. The study tested the hypothesis that faculty PIM performance will significantly differ when the differences in the influence of personal factors (age, gender and rank) on their memory are considered.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was guided by a sample survey design. A questionnaire designed based on themes extracted from earlier interviews was used to collect quantitative data from 235 faculty members from six universities in Ghana. Data analysis was undertaken with a discrete multivariate Generalized Linear Model to investigate how memory intermediates in the relationship between age, gender and rank, and, refinding of stored information.
Findings
The paper identified two subfunctions of refinding (Refinding 1 and Refinding 2) associated with self-confidence in information re-finding, and, memory (Memory 1 and Memory 2), associated with the use of complimentary frames to locate previously found and stored information. There were no significant multivariate effects for gender as a stand-alone variable. Males who were aged less than 39 could refind stored information irrespective of the memory class. Older faculty aged 40–49 who possess Memory 1 and senior lecturers who possess Memory 2 performed well in refinding information. There was a statistically significant effect of age and memory; and rank and memory.
Research limitations/implications
This study was limited to faculty in Ghana, whereas the study itself has implications for demographic differences in PIM.
Practical implications
Identifying how memory mediates the role of personal factors in faculty refinding of stored information will be necessary for the efforts to understand and design systems and technologies for enhancing faculty capacity to find/refind stored information.
Social implications
Understanding how human memory can be augmented by technology is a great PIM strategy, but understanding how human memory and personal factors interplay to affect PIM is more important.
Originality/value
PIM of faculty has been extensively examined in the literature, and limitations of memory has always been identified as a constraint. Human memory has been augmented with technology, although the outcome has been very minimal. This study shows that in addition to technology augmentation, personal factors interplay with human memory to affect PIM. Discrete multivariate Generalized Linear Model applied in this study is an innovative way of addressing the challenges of assimilating statistical methodologies in psychosocial disciplines.
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Svetlin Georgiev, Aissa Boukarou, Keltoum Bouhali and Khaled Zennir
This paper is devoted to the generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I equation. This study aims to propose a new approach for investigation for the existence of at least one global…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is devoted to the generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I equation. This study aims to propose a new approach for investigation for the existence of at least one global classical solution and the existence of at least two nonnegative global classical solutions. The main arguments in this paper are based on some recent theoretical results.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is devoted to the generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I equation. This study aims to propose a new approach for investigation for the existence of at least one global classical solution and the existence of at least two nonnegative global classical solutions. The main arguments in this paper are based on some recent theoretical results.
Findings
This paper is devoted to the generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I equation. This study aims to propose a new approach for investigation for the existence of at least one global classical solution and the existence of at least two nonnegative global classical solutions. The main arguments in this paper are based on some recent theoretical results.
Originality/value
This article is devoted to the generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I equation. This study aims to propose a new approach for investigation for the existence of at least one global classical solution and the existence of at least two nonnegative global classical solutions. The main arguments in this paper are based on some recent theoretical results.
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