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The present study investigates territorial disparities in selected socioeconomic forces and environmental factors underlying soil degradation that may lead to early desertification processes in a dry Mediterranean region exposed to increasing human pressure. To verify if spatial disparities in land resources have increased over time, a standard approach based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) was adopted to evaluate sixty years of territorial transformations in Latium, Central Italy, a region prone to intense processes of land resource depletion. The ESAI provides a standard, holistic assessment of soil degradation based on the estimation of four different 'resource qualities' (climate, soil, vegetation, and land use) and their change over sufficiently long time windows; in this study, the procedure was run at three reference years (1960, 1990, and 2020). The observed divergence in soil degradation levels between coastal and inland districts arose during the study period, with a consequent reduction in the local-scale variability of the ESAI. Such differential processes observed along the elevation gradient in Central Italy are likely due to anthropogenic factors affecting land use and leveraging crop intensification in flat districts and farmland abandonment in steep areas. New findings to be achieved in the context of human impacts on land resource depletion are regarded as an original contribution to the study of early desertification processes in advanced economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal units are characterized by the emergence of several large-flow thermo-mineral springs (griffons), each with varying temperature and physico-chemical characteristics depending on the point of emergence. It seems, however, that there is variability between the different systems, although it is not easy to characterize it because the variability within each system is high. The regional dimension of the chemical composition of thermal waters is, therefore, an aspect that has received very little attention in the literature due to the lack of access to the deep reservoir. In this study, we investigated the spatial variability, on a regional scale, in the characteristics of thermal waters in northeastern Algeria, and more specifically the hydrothermal systems of Guelma, Souk Ahras, Khenchela and Tébessa. Thirty-two hot water samples were taken between December 2018 and October 2019, including five samples of low-temperature mineral spring water. Standard physico-chemical parameters, major anions and cations and lithium were analyzed. The data were log-transformed data and processed via principal component analysis, discriminant analysis and unsupervised classification. The results show that thermal waters are the result of a mixture of hot waters, whose chemical profile has a certain local character, and contaminated by cold surface waters. These surface waters may also have several chemical profiles depending on the location. In addition to the internal variability in each resource, there are differences in water quality between these different hydrothermal systems. The Guelma region differs the most from the other thermal regions studied, with a specific calcic sulfate chemical profile. This question is essential for the rational development of these regional resources in any field whatsoever.

Hydrothermal units are characterized by the emergence of several large-flow thermo-mineral springs (griffons), each with varying temperature and physico-chemical characteristics depending on the point of emergence. It seems, however, that there is variability between the different systems, although it is not easy to characterize it because the variability within each system is high. The regional dimension of the chemical composition of thermal waters is, therefore, an aspect that has received very little attention in the literature due to the lack of access to the deep reservoir. In this study, we investigated the spatial variability, on a regional scale, in the characteristics of thermal waters in northeastern Algeria, and more specifically the hydrothermal systems of Guelma, Souk Ahras, Khenchela and Tébessa. Thirty-two hot water samples were taken between December 2018 and October 2019, including five samples of low-temperature mineral spring water. Standard physico-chemical parameters, major anions and cations and lithium were analyzed. The data were log-transformed data and processed via principal component analysis, discriminant analysis and unsupervised classification. The results show that thermal waters are the result of a mixture of hot waters, whose chemical profile has a certain local character, and contaminated by cold surface waters. These surface waters may also have several chemical profiles depending on the location. In addition to the internal variability in each resource, there are differences in water quality between these different hydrothermal systems. The Guelma region differs the most from the other thermal regions studied, with a specific calcic sulfate chemical profile. This question is essential for the rational development of these regional resources in any field whatsoever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of the bioeconomy holds great promise for promoting green growth and competitiveness across Europe through the use of renewable biological resources, such as plant and animal biomass, while adhering to the principles of circularity. Despite its introduction by the European Commission in 2015, little effort has been made to define or describe what exactly a circular bioeconomy entails. In the case of Greece in particular, however, the survival of the region of Western Macedonia appears to be highly dependent on sustaining its agricultural activity by incorporating elements related to this crucial sector of the economy. In order for this agricultural transformation to be effective, bio-economic practices relevant to crop production and appropriate alternative management practices must be universally implemented at all levels. To achieve this, it was necessary to collect questionnaires from 412 farmers in the region for analysis purposes, and to classify their responses based on k-means cluster analysis, which later formed these systematic groups: modernists, early adopters and latecomers. Evaluation of these categories revealed a variety of factors, such as age and income, that significantly influenced their attitudes towards adopting bioeconomy farming practices and related circularity principles. Overall, understanding these challenges opens the door for policy decisions aimed at supporting the development of sustainable rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates territorial disparities in selected socioeconomic forces and environmental factors underlying soil degradation that may lead to early desertification processes in a dry Mediterranean region exposed to increasing human pressure. To verify if spatial disparities in land resources have increased over time, a standard approach based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) was adopted to evaluate sixty years of territorial transformations in Latium, Central Italy, a region prone to intense processes of land resource depletion. The ESAI provides a standard, holistic assessment of soil degradation based on the estimation of four different ‘resource qualities’ (climate, soil, vegetation, and land use) and their change over sufficiently long time windows; in this study, the procedure was run at three reference years (1960, 1990, and 2020). The observed divergence in soil degradation levels between coastal and inland districts arose during the study period, with a consequent reduction in the local-scale variability of the ESAI. Such differential processes observed along the elevation gradient in Central Italy are likely due to anthropogenic factors affecting land use and leveraging crop intensification in flat districts and farmland abandonment in steep areas. New findings to be achieved in the context of human impacts on land resource depletion are regarded as an original contribution to the study of early desertification processes in advanced economies.

The management of rainwater is of utmost importance in the current climate change scenario. This study assesses the current stormwater management of the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) campus, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It examines the efficiency of the management system with the help of stormwater management model (SWMM) and geographic information system (GIS) modelling. For this study, we have adopted a regional approach (whole campus) of MANIT for stormwater analysis. The quantitative interpretation of surface run-off analysis uses the SWMM model and Arc-GIS at various outfall nodes and proposes planning interventions and strategies for sustainable stormwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largest area of taiga gley-differentiated soils on the Soil map of Russian Federation, scale 1:2.5 M, is located in the north of West Siberia. Small areas are dispersed over the northwestern European Russia, Eastern Siberia and the North-East. Interpretation of taiga gley-differentiated soils in terms of Russian soil classification system (2004) is rather ambiguous owing to high diversity of ecological conditions where these soils occur, аs well as variability of soil morphological, chemical, and physicochemical properties in diverse mapping units. Comparing properties of taiga gley-differentiated soils described in the Program of the map (1972) and in regional publications with the diagnostic criteria for soil types in some orders of the Russian classification system made it possible to find adequate names and taxonomic position for these soils. Thus, taiga gley-differentiated soils in the middle and northern taiga of Western Siberia proved to be allocated to several orders: weakly differentiated and gleyed soils with a brown profile were referred to the order of organo-accumulative soils as shallow-peat gleyic soils; their more hydromorphic variants – taiga gley-differentiated shallow-peat soils were defined in the order of gleyzems, as peat gleyzems, soil with morphologically differentiated profile having a particular cryogenic structure were qualified for svetlozems and iron-illuvial gleyic svetlozems in the order of cryometamorpic soils, and for eluvial-metamorphic soils of the same order in case of cryogenic structure was absent. Taiga gley-differentiated soils in their northwestern area are confined to varved clays and correspond to (soddy-)eluvial-metamorphic gleyic soils.

Action 2 of the European Union's Updated Bioeconomy Strategy, i.e., "Deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe", promotes education and training in all member states. It is a fact that Greece has not yet adopted a national bioeconomy strategy, so stakeholders and farmers cannot benefit from its potential. The adoption of bioeconomy practices is now a prerequisite for receiving funding under the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027. Farmers unknowingly use some bioeconomy practices on their farms, and in this study, an attempt was made to investigate how farmers in the region of Western Macedonia would like to be trained in respect of the bioeconomy, knowing the opportunities it offers. The research was conducted through a structured questionnaire answered by 412 farmers from the region. The findings from the subsequent k-means cluster analysis show that farmers can be classified into three clusters: engaged, restricted, and partially engaged. The perceptions that predominate in each cluster are influenced by age, income, and the regional unit in which the farmers reside. In addition, the decarbonization of the Western Macedonia region influences their views and how they would like to be informed about opportunities arising from the bioeconomy. Limitations in this study include the fact that the sample consists only of farmers living and operating in a particular region. In addition, there is an urgent need for political will to establish a national strategy for the bioeconomy. The importance of the present study lies in the fact that few studies have addressed the training of farmers on bioeconomy issues either in Greece or internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current concept of ocean literacy reflects a prerequisite for achieving ocean sustainability. Existing ocean literacy reflects a fundamentally western view of oceans that works in tension with ocean literacy goals. Although ocean literacy practitioners and researchers are, laudably, starting to incorporate Indigenous knowledges and perspectives from BIPOC communities, attention to historical change continues to be left out of ocean literacy, to the detriment of ocean literacy goals. This article points out that, given the reality that human-ocean relationships have changed over time, and differed among cultural groups in the past as well as in the present, ocean literacy needs to incorporate ocean history at a foundational level. Because there are historical differences in human relationships with oceans, it stands to reason that regional ocean literacies must be more effective than a universal and timeless ocean literacy framework. Following the logical efficacy of a regional approach to ocean literacy, this article further argues that regional ocean literacies should involve the systematic inclusion of emotional elements. Regional ocean literacies should be constructed through knowledge co-production, involving diverse types of expertise, knowledge and actors to produce context-specific knowledge and pathways towards a sustainable future. To fully exploit the potential of ocean literacy, there is a need for the UN Ocean Decade to work towards regional and place-based approaches that incorporate history as well as culture in an iterative and collaborative process involving diverse types of expertise, knowledge and actors.

Considering the economic, social and environmental potential of the forestry sector of Ukraine, and the rather low level of its efficiency, an important task is to create conditions for the competitive development of the forestry industry. A precondition for such development is an objective assessment of the regional competitiveness of forestry complexes, which requires the elaboration of appropriate methodological and methodological approaches. The regional approach to competitiveness assessment ensures that the specific features of all natural zones on the territory of Ukraine, characterised by different soil and climatic conditions and unequal forest cover, are taken into account. The purpose of this study is to substantiate and test methodological and methodological approaches to assessing the competitiveness of forestry in Ukraine. The methodological basis of the research was the methods of analysis and synthesis, system generalisation and dialectical method. Methodological and methodical approaches to the assessment of the competitiveness of forestry in Ukraine are substantiated. The main challenges of forestry enterprises that form the potential of the industry are identified. The factors that form the level of competitiveness of forestry are highlighted. Positive and negative trends in the competitive development of regional forestry complexes are identified. Based on the assessment of the competitiveness of forestry complexes, their classification in the major natural zones of Ukraine was completed. The conducted research will serve as a basis for assessing the efficiency of individual forestry enterprises in the context of strengthening their competitiveness. The main advantages (disadvantages) of competitive development of business entities can become an objective prerequisite for making appropriate management decisions

In this article, I propose a historically grounded, regionally framed, and holistically constructed framework and make three interrelated claims about the strengths and vulnerabilities of surviving communist regimes in Asia. First, these regimes' resilience today has historical origins in the communist revolutions that founded not only the regimes but also modern nations and states. This foundation provided these regimes with ideological, symbolic, and organizational assets that are now deployed to continue their dominance. Second, these regimes have been evolving together, have come to each other's assistance at critical times, and have continued special relationships today; therefore, their strengths and vulnerabilities must be examined historically and regionally. Finally, in contrast to much existing scholarship that focuses only on resilience, I argue that factors contributing to their resilience also contain the very seeds of their vulnerabilities. I highlight three such factors, including extensive state control of resources, ruling parties' ability to manipulate ideologies, and their formidable organizations—these three together carry not only their strengths but also their specific vulnerabilities today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) has emerged as an effective neuromodulatory intervention for patients with medically refractory epilepsy who are not candidates for resective or ablative surgery. However, in patients with multifocal seizures arising from a widely distributed network, optimizing lead placement can be challenging., Observations: Here, the authors present the case of a patient with drug-resistant multifocal, nonlateralizing seizures and multiple developmental brain lesions who underwent phase II monitoring with stereoelectroencephalography electrodes targeting the lesion and surrounding cortex as well as the centromedian thalamus. Neurophysiological signals observed during recorded events implicated a seizure network within the left perisylvian polymicrogyria, involving the left parietal operculum, insula, and centromedian thalamic regions rather than a single focus., Lessons: Using a regional RNS approach to modulate this network, the patient improved from 5 seizures a day to freedom from disabling seizures shortly after lead implantation despite low stimulation parameters. This has implications for understanding the timescale of adaptive mechanisms that occur in response to stimulation and supports the use of RNS as a surgical treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24369.

Action 2 of the European Union’s Updated Bioeconomy Strategy, i.e., “Deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe”, promotes education and training in all member states. It is a fact that Greece has not yet adopted a national bioeconomy strategy, so stakeholders and farmers cannot benefit from its potential. The adoption of bioeconomy practices is now a prerequisite for receiving funding under the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027. Farmers unknowingly use some bioeconomy practices on their farms, and in this study, an attempt was made to investigate how farmers in the region of Western Macedonia would like to be trained in respect of the bioeconomy, knowing the opportunities it offers. The research was conducted through a structured questionnaire answered by 412 farmers from the region. The findings from the subsequent k-means cluster analysis show that farmers can be classified into three clusters: engaged, restricted, and partially engaged. The perceptions that predominate in each cluster are influenced by age, income, and the regional unit in which the farmers reside. In addition, the decarbonization of the Western Macedonia region influences their views and how they would like to be informed about opportunities arising from the bioeconomy. Limitations in this study include the fact that the sample consists only of farmers living and operating in a particular region. In addition, there is an urgent need for political will to establish a national strategy for the bioeconomy. The importance of the present study lies in the fact that few studies have addressed the training of farmers on bioeconomy issues either in Greece or internationally.

As the distinguishing boundaries between upper and lower levels, regional plans and programs have an effective role in bringing about coordination between planning levels and improving their effectiveness and functioning. Due to the importance of planning and the results obtained from regional programs, the study at hand set out to examine plans at national, regional, and provincial levels based on regional approach with an emphasis on Gilan province plans. In this study, qualitative research method was used, and to classify the existing knowledge, the required data was divided into research analysis units, namely the plans and programs at the three foregoing levels. These were then analyzed using content analysis and document analysis methods in NVIVO 12 software. After data analysis, 96 open codes were achieved. The homogeneity of the open codes of each of the three levels led us to extract the main axial code titled “region-oriented approach in plans and programs at national, regional, and provincial levels” along with three other secondary axial codes, namely “holism and movement toward abstract and stereotypical concepts and issues,” “regional plans following macro plans,” and “lack of a regional decision making mechanism at the province level.” It is noteworthy that the highest regional approach presence was found at province level with 49 open codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change adaptation strategies are needed for agriculture, one of the most vulnerable human activities. In Navarre, North of Spain, ongoing adaptive management practices were identified and promoted in the framework of a regional adaptation strategy. Most include practices aiming to increase topsoil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural land. In this work, the effectiveness of these practices (conservation agriculture, crop rotations, additions of organic matter, irrigation, and controlled grazing management) was assessed by means of monitoring SOC in a network of 159 agricultural fields across the region. These fields were selected across bioclimatic zones, where soil vulnerabilities and land-uses were previously assessed, to represent the most widespread conditions in the region. A sampling protocol designed to compare SOC stocks in plots with equal soil conditions within each zone, and with or without adaptive practices, allowed the determination of their effect size (measured as response ratios, RR). Exogenous organic matter addition was the most effective practice for SOC storage (RR 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.25–1.37]) across the region. Controlled grazing also resulted in net SOC gains (RR CI [1.13–1.42]) in temperate and semiarid grasslands. Conservation agriculture seemed to be more effective in the driest zone (RR CI [1.30–1.53]) than in the more humid ones (RR CI [0.98–1.21]). Irrigation also displayed a net positive effect (RR CI [1.17–1.34]), modulated by irrigated crop management, whereas crop rotations had an overall negative impact vs. monoculture (RR CI [0.84–0.96]), likely by their interaction with irrigation. These results confirm the variability in SOC responses to changes in management, and SOC as an indicator for assessing regional adaptation practices, although other biophysical, agronomic, and socio-economic factors also need to be accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism in mountainous regions is a rapidly developing industry in many countries. The aims of this paper are to examine global tourism patterns in various mountainous regions and to define the factors that differentiate tourism development in the mountainous environments from tourism development in the lowlands. The authors have taken a regional approach to examining these patterns. They consider the mountainous areas to be a system and recommend analyzing them accordingly. The features of mountainous tourist systems and their associated hierarchies are defined in the study. The study involved creating a diagram to depict the differentiation in the tourist space and to identify the types of tourism represented in mountainous areas throughout the world. Reviewing and analyzing studies focusing on tourism in the mountainous areas has allowed the authors to distinguish common features of mountainous regions that influence the organization of tourism space. The authors suggest creating hierarchies to represent the mountainous tourist regions and the trans-boundary mountainous tourist system. The Altai-Sayan region is featured as one example of a mountainous area that has its own distinguishing characteristics and that faces unique challenges in the development of its tourism industry. The authors suggest that it is possible to identify trans-boundary mountainous tourist systems and tourist regions, specifically in the Altai-Sayan region. The study identifies the main tourist centers and types of transport infrastructure that determine tourist space in this region.

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Tingley RW III, Paukert CP, Sass GG, Jacobson PC, Hansen GJA, Lynch AJ, Shannon PD. 2019. Adapting to climate change: Guidance for the management of inland glacial lake fisheries. Lake Reserv Manage. 35:435–452. Climate change is altering glacial lake fisheries in the United States, presenting a complex challenge for fisheries managers. Here we provide a regional perspective to guide management of heterogeneous and yet interdependent fishery resources in glacial lakes of the upper Midwest. Our main objective was to promote the adaptation of inland glacial lakes fisheries management to climate change by outlining processes that support regional plans. Using examples from the glacial lakes region, we outline an approach for regional prioritization, specify strategies for moving from regional prioritization to on-the-ground action, and provide guidance on the implementation of management plans given resource limitations and potential stakeholder conflict. We find that integrating ecological, social, and economic data with climate change vulnerability assessments can be useful in generating "lake-priority levels" to help identify where to focus actions to support system resilience. Managers can use lake-priority levels and ecosystem-specific strategies to make decisions about where and when to apply fisheries management action ranging from traditional (i.e., stocking, harvest regulations) to nontraditional approaches (i.e., catchment land management). Although the implementation of several approaches may be beyond an agency's financial and logistical capacity, funds can be secured through other sources ranging from grant programs to nontraditional partnerships identified by "thinking outside the lake." Regional plans may be an important step toward successful climate adaptation for inland glacial lakes fisheries management, and the proactive efforts of managers may help facilitate their development and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran is the biggest country around the Persian Gulf and one of the biggest countries in the Middle East. Henceforth, it has a high capacity to play role as a regional power in the region and follows the goal of accepting that by the countries in the regional and trans-regional domain. However, the increasing regional power of Iran changes the balance of power in this geographic zone and is followed by reactions of others because the more power gaps increases, the more threat will be felt and the more resistance will weak countries show against accepting the role of Iran. The feeling of fear created in this situation will limit the regional maneuver space, intensifies dependence of weak countries on other transregional powers and set the ground for presence of the foreigners. This will lead to creation of an unfriendly atmosphere. The present study wants to suggest a proper strategy following which leads to neutralization of the present atmosphere of fear from Iran (so called Iran phobia) and removal of sensitivity about the presence and acting of Iran. Following the strategy of inspirational leadership, cooperation and collective agreement can neutralize or decrease the threatening space.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the different agricultural management adaptive strategies considered in the framework of a regional climate change adaptation roadmap in Navarre (Spain), from the point of view of soil physical indicators associated to soil compaction and water retention. These indicators were chosen as representative of the potential of these strategies to improve the soil physical condition. That for, the effectiveness of conservation agriculture (CA), crop rotations (ROT), additions of organic matter (ExO), irrigation (IRR) and innovative grassland management (GSS) was assessed by monitoring soil bulk density (BD) and soil available water holding capacity (AWHC) in a network of 159 agricultural fields across homogeneous agro-climatic zones in the region. A sampling protocol designed to compare groups of plots with or without adaptive practices, and with equal soil characteristics within each zone, allowed to determine the effect size of each strategy (measured as response ratios, RR, calculated as the relative value of BD and AWHC in fields with adaptive management vs. without). Both parameters responded to soil and crop management, although the observed effect was highly variable. Only the ExO strategy showed an overall positive effect on BD. ROT, IRR and GSS displayed no effect and, in the case of CA, the effect was negative. In terms of AWHC, although the results within the zones were heterogeneous, the overall effect associated to the strategies ROT, ExO, IRR and GSS was neutral, and only CA resulted in an overall negative effect. The observed variability in terms of the effectiveness of the five strategies tested in this region highlights the need to understand the complexity of interrelationships between management and dynamic soil properties at the regional scale.

Although the concept of circular economy is gaining increasing attention, there is a lack of tools or any agreed methodology for evaluating circularity. To date, circularity has been assessed mainly at product level, but national and regional level assessment is also essential in evaluating the effectiveness of circular economy strategies. As regions play an important role in implementing both EU and national strategies, the paper seeks to develop indicators for evaluating the circularity of material flows at regional level. In the case region of Päijät-Häme in Finland, the circular economy strategy is among the region's smart specialisation spearheads, and Päijät-Häme has a road map for moving towards a circular economy. The material flows examined in this study were phosphorous, plastics, textiles, waste wood and ash. While the region has high utilisation rates for plastics, textiles and waste wood, a significant proportion of material flows relates to energy production rather than material recycling. The present analysis highlights the difficulty of obtaining regional-level information on material flows; the available information and statistics relate mainly to waste flows or to national averages that do not necessarily reflect regional characteristics. For that reason, the indicators are based on circulation of waste materials rather than material circulation for the whole value chain from manufacturing to reuse and recycling. Nevertheless, the developed indicators provide a simple measure of circularity for regional material flows and can be further developed as more information becomes available. • Comprehensive and systematic analysis on measuring the circularity of different materials at regional level. • Development of new indicators for the measuring of circularity of material flows. • Explaining how to measure material circularity taking into account production, reuse or recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract In order to comply with the targeted collection rates set by new European waste management regulations, a better knowledge of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection flows is needed. This paper highlights the importance of considering the regional spatial context to develop an appropriate waste collection strategy. Through material flow analysis, we compare the collection flows of end-of-life desktop computers in two neighbouring regions and link the differences of collection rates with spatial ones. The Brussels Capital Region (BCR), an urban area, and the Walloon Region (WR), a mixed urban-rural area with a predominance of rural areas, are chosen as case studies. The quantities and collection flows of end-of-life desktop computers are estimated by combining statistics and reporting data. Globally, in the WR, 70.99% of end-of-life desktop computers are collected in accordance with the WEEE Directive while only 32.98% are in the BCR. This difference may be related to spatial context. For instance, the high population density increases the built-up areas and limits space for waste collection infrastructures. As a consequence, in the BCR, only 22.29% of end-of-life desktop computers from households are captured by compliant collection channels against 84.80% in the WR. The collection from businesses still needs to be developed in both regions but also suffers from this lack of infrastructures. While the reliability assessment of our estimates emphasizes a lack of data regarding non-compliant collection channels, our results underline the need to take into account the regional spatial context in setting up the collection of WEEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism in mountainous regions is a rapidly developing industry in many countries. The aims of this paper are to examine global tourism patterns in various mountainous regions and to define the factors that differentiate tourism development in the mountainous environments from tourism development in the lowlands. The authors have taken a regional approach to examining these patterns. They consider the mountainous areas to be a system and recommend analyzing them accordingly. The features of mountainous tourist systems and their associated hierarchies are defined in the study. The study involved creating a diagram to depict the differentiation in the tourist space and to identify the types of tourism represented in mountainous areas throughout the world. Reviewing and analyzing studies focusing on tourism in the mountainous areas has allowed the authors to distinguish common features of mountainous regions that influence the organization of tourism space. The authors suggest creating hierarchies to represent the mountainous tourist regions and the transboundary mountainous tourist system. The Altai-Sayan region is featured as one example of a mountainous area that has its own distinguishing characteristics and that faces unique challenges in the development of its tourism industry. The authors suggest that it is possible to identify trans-boundary mountainous tourist systems and tourist regions, specifically in the Altai-Sayan region. The study identifies the main tourist centers and types of transport infrastructure that determine tourist space in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profound and comprehensive crisis faced by the Russian Federation in the 1990s severely affected families and children. With the advent of the new millennium, however, funding for all aspects regarding family and children increased and the role and responsibilities of state agencies were enshrined in legislation. The change in interpersonal relations, women’s employment, and the focus on reducing the number of orphanages through various forms of foster care support the need for new ideologies and measures to support families and orphans and children left without parental care. This supports the importance of analyzing the regional policy in the sphere of family and orphans based on the state legislation on the one hand and the regional normative legal documents stemming from this experience on the other. The study uses the methods of specific sociological techniques: surveying, content analysis of the regional press on the problems of the social sphere, and analysis of legislative and regulatory documents and statistical data. The article identifies the problems present in education in the studied region, as well as significant positive changes primarily in rehabilitation work with parents deprived of parental rights to return children to their families. The authors propose a strategy for early prevention of family dysfunction based on increased cooperation between all regional subjects of upbringing. Forms of socio-pedagogical support for families with foster children are highlighted separately. The main reason for the continuing problems in the region is the lack of activity on the part of most social systems having the potential of pedagogical impact. In terms of future perspectives, the authors indicate the need to develop educational and developmental multivariate programs focused on the development of competent parenthood in the region.

Serbia is a country with a long tradition of emigration, specific economic and political emigration context, a large number of its citizens abroad, as well as their very heterogeneous geographic distribution and differentiated structures. The main objective of the paper is to show that between the region of origin in Serbia and certain destination countries there are ties, on the basis of which migrant networks originate and spread. Over time, networks towards some countries lose their importance or are diverted to other directions. Through incorporating a regional approach, the analysis includes the results of the last five population censuses conducted between 1971 and 2011. It is based on data on the number, share of emigrants from Serbia, with regard to the length of stay abroad, educational structure, as well as the most represented receiving countries from the regional aspects (municipalities and the intense emigration zones in Serbia). Furthermore, attention is paid to the possibilities and the main problems of statistical monitoring of international migration. Such an approach has both the research and the wider social significance, particularly because most of the population abroad covered by the census maintain ties with Serbia, often visit their hometowns and present an important resource for the socioeconomic development of the country.

Regional and thematic approaches are two basic approaches in geography, and they are found in many combinations and variants in textbooks. An extensive analysis of textbook approaches showed that a detailed classification of these approaches does not currently exist. The main purpose of this study was to fill this gap with the first attempt at a detailed classification of all possible approaches in European textbooks devoted in part or in full to examining the geography of Europe. To this end, it was also necessary to review the terminology and redefine some concepts. The study is based on an analysis of 450 textbooks from twenty-eight European countries using the method of content analysis. It resulted in four classification schemes: a scheme for geography in textbooks in general, and schemes for three approaches used in exploring the regional geography of Europe. Any European textbook covering the geography of Europe can be classified using these schemes.

The Evaluation of Accessibility to Hospital Infrastructure at Regional Scale by Using GIS Space Analysis Models: the North-West Region, Romania. Easy access of the population to hospital infrastructure represents one of the main preoccupations of local and national authorities in the attempt to increase the degree of deliverance of quality medical services. The analysis of territorial distribution of various hospital categoriescity, clinical, teaching, emergency hospitals- has revealed some areas of deficit in what regards the availability of various types of medical assistance. Identifying the areas of deficit from the point of view of accessibility to hospital infrastructure is carried out by means of a GIS model of space analysis (Cost Surface Modeling type) based on the calculation of access time from any location in the territory to the nearest hospital taking into consideration the vector databases (access ways, hospitals etc.), assignment (speed of motion on access ways, hospital type) and raster (access time).

China has emerged as the world’s second largest economy, and the largest exporter of goods with 9.6 per cent of the global share. Moreover, the last two decades have seen China emerging as an international and regional power of the 21st century. Thus, in order to continue with the economic benefits, China wants peace and stability as well as to play an active role on international and regional fronts. On the other hand, Pakistan, the world’s sixth most populous country, is a major power of South Asia. While having a developed infrastructure and vibrant political and security institutions, Pakistan is nevertheless currently facing many challenges on the economic front, including political instability and religious extremism. This paper is an attempt to analyze the challenges faced by both China and Pakistan in the post-Cold War era.

Regional and thematic approaches are two basic approaches in geography, and they are found in many combinations and variants in textbooks. An extensive analysis of textbook approaches showed that a detailed classification of these approaches does not currently exist. The main purpose of this study was to fill this gap with the first attempt at a detailed classification of all possible approaches in European textbooks devoted in part or in full to examining the geography of Europe. To this end, it was also necessary to review the terminology and redefine some concepts. The study is based on an analysis of 450 textbooks from twenty-eight European countries using the method of content analysis. It resulted in four classification schemes: a scheme for geography in textbooks in general, and schemes for three approaches used in exploring the regional geography of Europe. Any European textbook covering the geography of Europe can be classified using these schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been through a rapid development process of expanding tertiary industries and urbanization. Due to the aggressive expansion of service building space, energy consumption and CO 2 emissions from the service sector are increasing significantly. In this study, we concentrate on China’s service sector and analyze CO 2 emissions from six sub-sectors: offices, mercantile, food and lodging, education, healthcare and others. Considering the gap of tertiary industry development status and climate diversity across regions, we base our study on regional analyses and the study subjects include 31 provincial regions of mainland China. We first estimate floor area and energy service demand of each sub-sector based on difference-influencing indicators. Then we conduct a scenario analysis and use an AIM/Enduse bottom-up cost optimization model to evaluate the CO 2 reduction potential brought about by efficient technologies in China’s service buildings. The results show that: 1) office and mercantile are two major sub-sectors in the service sector, while most of the floor area increase in the service sector is due to office buildings; 2) by 2030 a considerable part of energy consumption will be replaced by renewable energy, which leads to no-regrets CO 2 emissions reductions; 3) renewable energy penetration potential is smaller in regions with larger tertiary industry GDP and CO 2 emission reductions in cold and warm regions are caused by consumption decrease of coal and electricity respectively; 4) the optimization analysis allocates more reduction potential to regions with a smaller tertiary GDP share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management regulation is generally impacted by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation, such as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The main goal of this article is to explicit the WEEE chain and flows using the material flow analysis (MFA) method and to contribute to the understanding of the EPR implementation in a specific case study by examining operational activities of WEEE regional and urban flows. A detailed case study of the EPR implementation for WEEE in the Midi-Pyrénées Region and the Toulouse's urban area was conducted. Based on a MFA of the WEEE chain, results give an insight into operational activities dealing with circulation of waste material. It reveals the main dysfunctions of this WEEE management system, including lack of involvement of local authorities and consumers, dispersion channels and a low recycling rate at the local level. The roles of recycling operators, social economy companies and EPR compliance are also important to recover more resources from waste and to close the recycling loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent of functional abnormalities in frontal-subcortical circuits in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is still unclear. Although neuroimaging studies, in general, and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI), in particular, have provided relevant information regarding such alterations, rs-fMRI studies have been typically limited to the analysis of between-region functional connectivity alterations at low-frequency signal fluctuations (i.e., <0.08 Hz). Conversely, the local attributes of Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal across different frequency bands have been seldom studied, although they may provide valuable information. Here, we evaluated local alterations in low-frequency fluctuations across different oscillation bands in OCD. Sixty-five OCD patients and 50 healthy controls underwent an rs-fMRI assessment. Alterations in the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were evaluated, voxel-wise, across four different bands (from 0.01 Hz to 0.25 Hz). OCD patients showed decreased fALFF values in medial orbitofrontal regions and increased fALFF values in the dorsal-medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) at frequency bands <0.08 Hz. This pattern was reversed at higher frequencies, where increased fALFF values also appeared in medial temporal lobe structures and medial thalamus. Clinical variables (i.e., symptom-specific severities) were associated with fALFF values across the different frequency bands. Our findings provide novel evidence about the nature and regional distribution of functional alterations in OCD, which should contribute to refine neurobiological models of the disorder. We suggest that the evaluation of the local attributes of BOLD signal across different frequency bands may be a sensitive approach to further characterize brain functional alterations in psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]