Sustaining Rural Landscapes: the role of integrated tourism

The aim of a European Union-funded research project entitled 'Supporting and Promoting Integrated Tourism in Europe's Lagging Rural Regions' (SPRITE) is to analyse and develop the potential for better-integrated tourism in the rural landscapes of Europe. Integrated tourism can be defined as that which is explicitly linked to the localities in which it takes place and, in practical terms, has clear connections with local resources, activities, products, production and service industries, and a participatory local community. Enhancing the sustainable economic potential of rural landscapes requires partnerships among rural people and the sustainable yet productive use of rural resources. A 'culture economy' approach to integrated tourism is proposed, which emphasizes the importance of local identity, the strategic commodification of resources and of place, and the importance of extra-local forces in enabling local activities. It is suggested that this approach may represent a shift beyond more traditional approaches to rural development.     

Optical dot gain on newsprint determined with the Lund nuclear microprobe

A technique for measuring optical dot gain, i.e. the relative difference between the actual screen dot and the optically perceived one, is presented. By combining measurements from the non-optical nuclear microprobe with data from image analyzing technique the optical dot gain can be determined. The procedure to reach pixel by pixel correlation on a micrometer scale is discussed. In the newsprint sample studied in this investigation a typical optical dot gain between 15 and 20% was deduced. The variation in the optical dot gain was correlated with other characteristic parameters of the print and newsprint and especially a positive correlation to the mass density of the newsprint was observed.     

Biospecific interaction analysis using biosensor technology

Fundamental information that enhances our understanding of biospecific interactions can be obtained using a new analytical system based on biosensor technology. The functional characteristics of biospecific interaction, such as kinetics, affinity and binding position, are examined by label-free analysis of proteins in free solution binding to an immobilized ligand at a hydrophilic sensor surface.     

The construction of self in social medias,such as Facebook

Social medias have changed and challenge the way we interact with each other. Social medias, such as Facebook, open up new possibilities for presentation of self and of managing the self you present to others. Is this process different for those that have grown up with social medias (The Net Generation) [Tapscott (Growing up digital: the rise of the net generation. Mcgraw-Hill, NY, 1998)] from how an older group of social media users would do it? What is their primary use of Facebook and how does this differ between generations? Such questions are discussed through engaging a group of Facebook users, with clear ideas of why and how they use Facebook, in joint reflections. The participants represent two generations of internet users; Those who was introduced to internet and social medias, such as Facebook, as adults (i.e. 40 years and older) and those who have grown up with the technology (i.e. under 25 years old, also called “The Net Generation”). The discussion indicate that there are differences in how these two groups relate to social medias, such as Facebook and for what they use Facebook. Further research is necessary to pursue those differences.     

Screening of organic contaminants in urban snow

Snowmelt is known to cause peak concentrations of pollutants, which may adversely affect receiving water quality. High concentrations of metals and suspended solids in snow have been reported, whereas studies on organic pollutants are rare. This study aims at investigating the occurrence of anthropogenic organic compounds in urban snow in Gothenburg (Sweden). The most frequently detected organic pollutants in the collected snow samples were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), high molecular-weight phthalates, 4-nonylphenol and 4-t-octylphenol. Brominated flame retardants and chlorinated paraffins were only sporadically detected. In several snow samples, the concentrations of specific PAHs, alkylphenols and phthalates were higher than reported stormwater concentrations and European water quality standards. Pollutant source identification and sustainable management of snow are important instruments for the mitigation of organic contaminants in the urban environment.     

Neural Networks Based Colour Measuring for Process Monitoring and Control in Multicoloured Newspaper Printing

This paper presents a neural networks based method and a system for colour measurements on printed halftone multicoloured pictures and halftone multi-coloured bars in newspapers. The measured values, called a colour vector, are used by the operator controlling the printing process to make appropriate ink feed adjustments to compensate for colour deviations of the picture being measured from the desired print. By the colour vector concept, we mean the CMY or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) vector, which lives in the three- or four-dimensional space of printing inks. Two factors contribute to values of the vector components, namely the percentage of the area covered by cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks (tonal values) and ink densities. Values of the colour vector components increase if tonal values or ink densities rise, and vice versa. If some reference values of the colour vector components are set from a desired print, then after an appropriate calibration, the colour vector measured on an actual halftone multicoloured area directly shows how much the operator needs to raise or lower the cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink densities to compensate for colour deviation from the desired print. The 18 months experience of the use of the system in the printing shop witnesses its usefulness through the improved quality of multicoloured pictures, the reduced consumption of inks and, therefore, less severe problems of smearing and printing through.     

Colour classification by neural networks in graphic arts

This paper presents a hierarchical modular neural network for colour classification in graphic arts, capable of distinguishing among very similar colour classes. The network performs analysis in a rough to fine fashion, and is able to achieve a high average classification speed and a low classification error. In the rough stage of the analysis, clusters of highly overlapping colour classes are detected. Discrimination between such colour classes is performed in the next stage by using additional colour information from the surroundings of the pixel being classified. Committees of networks make decisions in the next stage. Outputs of members of the committees are adaptively fused through the BADD defuzzification strategy or the discrete Choquet fuzzy integral. The structure of the network is automatically established during the training process. Experimental investigations show the capability of the network to distinguish among very similar colour classes that can occur in multicoloured printed pictures. The classification accuracy obtained is sufficient for the network to be used for inspecting the quality of multicoloured prints.     

Protective Strategies and Emotions Invested in Early Modern Danish Christening Garments

Abstract

In 2006–2007, Den Gamle By, National Open Air Museum of Urban History and Culture in Denmark staged a large exhibition of christening garments dating from the eighteenth century until the present. It was called “Christian Clothing and Baptismal Robes over 300 years.” More than 100 objects were exhibited. Garments for babies remind us of the vulnerability of the newborn and in this way they are emotional objects for us today and probably also in the past. Elements of vulnerability are especially obvious for modern viewers when the garments originate from earlier periods with much higher infant mortality rates than today. Parents in earlier centuries used various strategies to protect their small pagans from exposure to evil before baptism. In this way emotions were invested in the garments, but it is a challenge to access and analyze these emotions because the garments themselves do not constitute a language in the same way as written texts. The article will deal with three different material elements which might be considered protective strategies for babies. The first and longest part of the article presents the color red as a means of protection. The next section considers the use of metal as protection against evil and coins as vehicles of good fortune. The third and shortest section discusses the reuse of ritual garments in new ceremonial contexts. When their provenance is known, it is striking that several baptismal garments represent a reuse of garments from weddings or other rites de passage, as termed by Arnold van Gennep.     

New CAMAC based data acquisition and beam control system for Lund nuclear microprobe

A new CAMAC based data acquisition system has been installed at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe facility. This paper reports on the development and present status of the data acquisition system. The system is a true multiparameter CAMAC based system with fast Fera bus readout and in crate memory buffer. The user interface is based on Sparrow Kmax software for a Power Macintosh platform. The system read out and tag the event data with position on-line, which make fast on-line monitoring of spectra or element maps possible.Simultaneously, all data can be saved event by event for off-line analysis. The beam scanning part is software controlled through a timed D/A converter, this allows fast scanning of the beam. With a CCD-camera and video card the area to be analysed could be defined directly from the image, and the sample position can be moved. Any kind of irregular scan patterns could be defined.