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Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Turismo is the property of Associacao Nacional de Pesquisa e Pos-Graduacao em Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to study the potential benefits of shared bicycles to office workers in park leisure, urban exploration, outdoor exercise and accompanying travel with relatives and friends, data of 868 users of shared bicycles were collected by face-to-face questionnaire survey in 25 scattered locations in Shenzhen and the independent sample t-test, correlation coefficient analysis of Pearson and chi-square independence test were carried out by SPSS software. The results showed that shared bicycles increased the frequency of going to the park for nearly 45% of the respondents, prolonged the park stay time for nearly 1/2 of the respondents, and promoted the park leisure. Nearly 30% of the respondents have traveled to strange urban areas by shared bicycles, which shows that shared bicycles can promote office workers to explore urban space. Nearly 1/2 of the respondents rode shared bicycles for sports, and nearly 1/2 of the respondents increased the frequency of traveling with their relatives and friends due to shared bicycles. Moreover, the promoting benefits of urban leisure were often more significant in the relatively vulnerable groups (women, the elderly, the low educated, the renters and the people without private cars), so shared bicycles helps to improve the quality of leisure life of the vulnerable groups, thus promoting social equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public works constitute the main element of urbanization. The period of time when the understanding of Assyrian urbanism was best understood was the imperial period when the New Assyrian kings carried out extensive construction projects. During this period, three big capitals were built in Nimrud, Khorsabad and Koyuncuk. The plans of these cities are not accidental. Before the cities were built, all the needs of the city were planned such as palaces, temples, roads, bridges, parking areas and irrigation system. In this study, we examined the public works in three capitals built by the New Assyrian kings. We have tried to identify parks and gardens, water system of cities, road network and bridges with the information we obtained from archaeological findings and cuneiform written documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Direito da Cidade is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Direito da Cidade is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Birds' populations are being threatened by parasites that have not received adequate attention by parasitologists. This study aimed at evaluating the abundance and diversity of ectoparasites of the wild birds in Pandam Wildlife Park. A systematic five-month study of ectoparasites was conducted. Sixty-two (62) birds were trapped using mist nets and examined for ectoparasite infestation. Wool soaked with 70% ethanol, using gloved-protected-hand; ectoparasites were carefully extracted, preserved in sampling bottles containing 70% alcohol for morphological identification. A wide spectrum insecticide (0.09% tetrametrin and 0.45 piperronyl) was used to pulverize tiny parasites on the feather over a white paper. Overall, 4,066 ectoparasites belonging to 5 orders, 8 families, and 24 species were identified from the trapped birds. Fiftysix 56(90.3%) birds were found to be infested with ectoparasites, while 6(9.7%) had none. Phthirathera, and Siphonaptera were the most and least abundant respectively. The highest parasites found were lice (96.60%) and the least, fleas (0.02%). Wing predilection site had the highest infestation rate (83%), and the lowest was the leg (0.37%). The most caught and most infested bird species was the West African thrush bird Turdus pelios (14.28%), followed by the Red-checked cuckoo-shrike and Bronze manikin (10.70% and 7.14%) respectively. Least species of bird infested among others, were the African paradise king fisher, Blue-throated brown sunbird, Blue-spotted wood dove, and Blue-breasted fire finch (1.79%). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the rate of infestations among the caught and examined bird species. The study provided useful insight and knowledge on how diverse and abundant ectoparasites of bird species are in this park and possible vector-borne diseases that may have zoonotic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Santa Terezinha water and exposition park, also known in Paraná as the Irati water park, is a green area appreciated and used by visitors and local inhabitants. Numerous images of the attraction have been posted to the Instagram social network showing mostly elements of the park's beauty and visitor scenes. In a market where consumers are increasingly connected to social networking and consumption decisions are socially made, often under the influence of postings depicting consumer experiences by other users, monitoring and usage of such data become fundamental to the development of management and marketing strategies concerning cities, attractions, equipment and destinations. The goal of the present qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study was to analyze how the Santa Terezinha de Irati water park has been represented online and the importance of such postings to the attraction's image. Application of the Mello semiotic model of analysis and sensory reading of touristic images revealed that the 74 images posted are of amateur nature portraying mostly postcard, lifestyle and affection pieces of discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following short communication article presents a method for comparing the species composition of Estonian forests and parks, giving an overview of the data that is currently being gathered and underlining how these two datasets can be compared. Even though both forest and park inventories are carried out throughout the country, to this day there have been no comparative studies on how the species composition of parks and forests differ from each other. This stems from the fact that the park and forest inventories are carried out using different methods. Forest inventories classify most of the trees according to their genera, but also differentiate between the species composition of the forest canopy and sub-canopy layers. The park inventories classify all dendrological plants by their species, also measuring several other individual parameters. The main difference being that park inventories do not differentiate between different canopy layers, rather providing species composition charts that include all the dendrological plants growing in the park. In order to compare the two datasets, it is necessary to transfer the data derived from manor park inventories to match that of the Estonian forest inventory. The first step in implementing the method is to divide the inventory data from parks into the forest canopy and sub-canopy layers. The canopy layer of parks was determined to consist of old trees (>100 years). The age of the trees in parks was modelled after growth charts compiled from the data from Estonian forests, which was then extrapolated to reach 120 years. These growth charts were compared to the breast height diameter of park trees, to determine their age. The canopy layer of parks was then analysed to provide an overview of species composition that corresponds to the same level of generalisation as the forest inventories. The results showed that the species composition of old manor parks differs significantly from most Estonian forests with the majority of the trees in parks being broad-leaved. The proposed method is suitable for comparing forests and parks on a generalised level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the work is to reveal the role of theme parks as centers of concentration of global mass culture in economically developed countries of the world, as well as to study the tendencies and prospects of development of multifunctional recreational and amusement park complexes in Ukraine through the prism of the dialectical contradiction of global and national (or local) in domestic social and cultural space. Research methodology. The authors rely primarily on methods of systematic, comparative and structural-functional analysis. Conclusions. Theme parks have become widespread and they largely determine the level of leisure culture of a large number of people in many regions of the world. The globalization of the park business is a highly controversial process, stressing the problem of preserving cultural diversity, national and regional identity. However, this problem can be solved. Unlike some other socio-cultural institutions, theme parks have certain opportunities for maintaining and dissemination of the images and values of domestic culture for the benefit of national development, and enrichment of world’s socio-cultural space by these resources. These opportunities should be used to the maximum extent in the context of park environment’s modeling and in the process of choosing a strategy for the development of park industry in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biological Resources & Nature Management is the property of National University of Life & Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Accidents caused by children's play equipment are a severe health threat to them. Implementing the requirements of the safety standards is necessary to ensure the safety of such equipment. The current study aimed to determine the general safety of playground equipment in general parks in Gonabad City, Iran. We also compared the level of the general safety of this equipment with national standards. Methods: This cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted in all the parks of Gonabad City during the autumn and winter of 2017. The required information on the playgrounds in the public parks of this city was collected by a checklist. The checklist was designed based on the general safety of playgrounds standards (national standard 1-6436) in 124 items. Results: On average, 9.55 of standard requirements were not implemented in examined parks. Moreover, none of the studied parks fully complied with current standards. We observed fractures, cracks, or deformation in equipment, rough surfaces with the risk of injury, hazardous conditions due to inappropriate design that could harm children, as well as the lack of middle aggressors. These were non-compliant components observed at least 70% of the studied parks. Conclusion: Removing points with fracture and defective points, and improving the level of children's playground is essential. The obtained data also emphasized the need for periodic safety audits and the improvement of the safety level of children's playground equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of New Architecture is the property of New Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Henryk Jordan – who lived in Cracow at the turn of 19th and 20th century – was a well-known and esteemed medical doctor, social and political activist as well as an art patron and publicist. His most prominent heritage is a city park named after him. At the time it was a location where pioneering work promoting physical culture among youngsters took place. First trainings started in 1889 and instantly became popular. Trainings were carefully organized and combined physical training with a promotion of a patriotism. At the beginning of 1890’s Jordan introduced football which became very popular amongst male teenagers. Football became a part of trainings and competitions, and after a while organized football teams started to play in the park. This was a starting point of the oldest still existing Polish football clubs: Cracovia and Wisła. Jordan’s ideas inspired others, and soon many other cities in Poland. Jordan’s park exists until today, however, it plays a role of a popularizing recreational spot in the city centre. In other cities, so-called “Jordan’s gardens” became playgrounds for children.

Transformations between abc, stationary dq0 ($\alpha \beta 0$) and rotating dq0 reference-frames are used extensively in the analysis and control of three-phase technologies such as machines and inverters. Previous work on deriving the matrices describing these transformations follows one of two approaches. The first approach derives Clarke's matrix by modifying symmetrical components. Park's matrix can be subsequently found from a rotation matrix. The second approach derives Park's matrix using trigonometric projection by interpreting the transformation as a rotation in the plane of the cross-section of a machine. Then, Clarke's matrix can be found trivially using a reference angle of zero in Park's matrix. This paper presents a third approach to deriving the Clarke and Park transformation matrices: a geometric interpretation. The approach exploits properties of the linear transformation using the Cartesian representation. We introduce the locus diagram of a three-phase quantity and show how these diagrams have applications in power quality. We show that, unlike a phasor diagram, a single locus diagram can fully represent a three-phase system with harmonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the soil samples of lawns from 20 parks of significant scale in Istanbul city, district of Esenlcr, were analysed and evaluated. According to the results, the texture of lawn soils is mostly clay loam, pH was 6.86-8.57, salt contents were 0.02-0.046%, and lime contents were 0.00-11.53%. The organic content of the soils was 2.16% in average and belonged to class of "soil containing medium amount of organic matter". The relationship between all parameters of the soils analysed were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Grass plants are the most important part of the green fields of the parks. Soil analysis and fertilization programs according to these analyses are important for the grass to be long-lived and of good quality. Istanbul is a megacity famous of its parks. Majority of these important parks belong to the Esenler district. Taking care of the grass in an environmentally sensitive point of view may have a greater effect than we think. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "green framework" is considered with reference to the ecological, geological, architectural, economic and other aspects based on available research. Examples of key landscaping objects and general landscaping indicators are given for the city of Khabarovsk. The characteristics of the Northern residential district and adjacent areas are outlined. Based on a review of the city planning maps, existing and prospective elements of the green framework (including specially protected areas) are identified and further analyzed to establish comparative characteristics and links with the district. Conclusions are drawn concerning the problems and potential of the areas under consideration.

Habitat and population fragmentation as a result of human disturbance in the form of human transportation and settlement corridors is affecting the viability of wildlife populations worldwide. I studied dispersal, inter-population movement and population fragmentation of grizzly bears near the southern extent of their North American range in southwestern Canada and northwestern U.S.A. This area represents the interior portion of the southern edge of grizzly bear distribution following 100 years of range contraction. I address whether anthropogenic fragmentation has affected grizzly bear populations in this vulnerable area. Human attitudes toward grizzly bears, and large carnivores in general, have experienced a paradigm shift from active persecution towards tolerance and respect. However, major forces underpinning range contraction, including human-caused mortality and fragmentation, may be still operating, albeit, more subtly and less intentionally. Checking further range contraction requires specific knowledge of the processes at work. Improvements have been made in managing and monitoring human-caused mortality; however, besides the obviously isolated populations (e.g., Yellowstone National Park), the status of fragmentation in this region was largely unknown. My goals were to use genetic analyses to explore bear movement and dispersal within and between the relictually inhabited mountain ranges in southwestern Canada and test whether or not the human environment associated with linear transportation and settlement corridors is fragmenting grizzly bear populations. I genetically sampled and generated 15-locus microsatellite genotypes for 835 bears across approximately 100,000 km2 in immediately adjacent geographic areas separated by various levels of human disturbance associated with highways and associated human development. I used population assignment techniques, parentage analysis, cluster analysis, multiple linear regression and several matrices of population genetics. I found evidence of natural and human-caused fragmentation, identified fragmenting forces, established population and sub-population boundaries in the region, identified small vulnerable sub-populations, and discussed these in relation to factors that make bears susceptible to fragmentation. Female movement was restricted by human transportation and settlement corridors, and male movement appeared to be reduced in some areas. Fragmentation by north/south-oriented human-settled valleys and by major east/west transportation corridors has resulted in a partially fragmented set of local sub-populations varying in size and intensity of fragmentation. I found one small isolated population (n 300). Through multiple linear regression, I implicated human settlement patterns, human-caused mortality, and highway traffic volume as inhibiting inter-population movement. Because several fragmented sub-units are small, maintaining regional connectivity may be necessary to ensure long-term persistence. Despite grizzly bear vagility, their conservative dispersal behaviour and difficulty in living close to humans makes maintenance of regional connectivity challenging. This work demonstrates, at a regional scale, the impact that transportation corridors and their associated settlements can have on movements of animals, and highlights the ultimate effect this may have on populations. The historical mechanisms of range contraction (fragmentation and human-caused mortality) appear to still be operating and require mitigating management strategies. My results suggest that these strategies must focus on linkage zone development and highway crossing structures, as well as mortality management beyond the roadway and within adjacent populations.

Children's playgrounds which are safe and quiet environments that children can play there have started to become rare as a result of rapid urbanization. Because, the studies have shown that unplanned and distorted urban spaces affect children's behaviours, attitudes and reactions in a bad way. In this study, the availability of children's playgrounds in 22 districts of the city centre of Ordu was investigated. In this context, firstly, children's play areas were determined based on the neighbourhood scale and then area calculations were made and the amount of play area by per child between 0-14 years was calculated in each district. In the second stage, accessibility maps for children's playgrounds were obtained by determining the availability of the playgrounds at 200m distance. The results of this study showed that children's playgrounds are not balanced in the city, increased in some districts, in some cases they are not within reachability limits and can not meet their needs.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the floristic composition, abundance, biological spectrum and ecological effects of Futoški Park trees and shrubs on the basis of bioindicators. The field research was conducted in Futoški Park, which is one of the oldest and largest parks in the City of Novi Sad, covering an area of 81,306 m2. Upon determining the floristic composition of Futoški Park and the protection zone around the Park hotel, a total of 121 genotypes were recorded, out of which 34 species and lower taxa belong to the Gymnosperm phylum (Pinophyta) and 87 species and lower taxa belong to the Angiosperm phylum (Magnoliophyta). A total of 5,228 representatives of dendroflora were found. The biological range of trees and shrubs in the study area mostly includes deciduous nanophanerophytes (34.98%) and evergreen nanophanerophytes (33.72%), whereas the remainder includes evergreen phanerophytes (16.35%) and the least prevalent deciduous phanerophytes (14.94%). The analysis of ecological indices shows that the greatest number of species meet the environmental requirements, and are successfully acclimated to the climatic and soil conditions. On the basis of the overall vitality and ornamental features of the dendroflora analyzed, it can be argued that Futoški Park is a unique ecological and environmental entity in the urban structure of the city.

Little is known about factors that influence owners’ decisions walking their dogs on or off a leash in public places. We examined the effect of the type of public place, dog’s age, sex and size, and human gender on off‑leash dog walking. Observations of 1850 dogs and their owners were made in streets and parks in Brno (Czech Republic). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed no significant effect of human gender on the frequency of unleashed dogs in streets and parks. Off‑leash dog walking was 2.8 times more likely in parks than in streets. Adult dogs were unleashed 1.9 times more likely than puppies in streets and parks. Larger dogs were unleashed 3.4 times less likely than smaller dogs in streets and 2.8 times more likely in parks. Male dogs were unleashed 1.7 times less likely than female dogs in streets. The dog’s sex had no effect on off‑leash dog walking in parks. The age and sex of dogs walked by men and women in public places were not significantly different. Larger dogs were walked by men 1.9 times more likely than by women. Results indicate that off‑leash dog walking is affected by the type of public place and dog’s age, sex and size.

Mul1 and Park are two major mitochondrial ligases responsible for mitophagy. Damaged mitochondria that cannot be removed are a source of an increased level of free radicals, which in turn can destructively affect other cell organelles as well as entire cells. One of the toxins that damages mitochondria is rotenone, a neurotoxin that after exposure displays symptoms typical of Parkinson’s disease. In the present study, we showed that overexpressing genes encoding mitochondrial ligases protects neurons during treatment with rotenone. Drosophila strains with overexpressed mul1 or park show a significantly reduced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, as well as normal motor activity during exposure to rotenone. In the nervous system, rotenone affected synaptic proteins, including Synapsin, Synaptotagmin and Disk Large1, as well as the structure of synaptic vesicles, while high levels of Mul1 or Park suppressed degenerative events at synapses. We concluded that increased levels of mitochondrial ligases are neuroprotective and could be considered in developing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease.

In June 2018, professionals and scholars, from various fields dealing with public open spaces, put politics up for discussion. In the conference series x–LArch at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, BOKU/Vienna, issues are raised that are relevant for the profession of landscape architecture and have a direct impact on our environment, be it urban or rural. In the 2018 conference entitled ‘Park Politics’, practitioners and academics were invited to present findings and projects in order to gain a range of perspectives from which to consider and discuss the topic of politics behind the built environment.