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Transformative epistemologies for regenerative tourism : towards a decolonial paradigm in science and practice?
Get PDFThere is a growing scholarly interest in the potential of regenerative tourism approaches to address sustainability challenges. Drawing from an ecological worldview that interweaves Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, regenerative tourism approaches seek to increase the capacity of support systems for fulfilling net-positive social-ecological effects. We argue that Western scientific paradigms drive current tourism research methodologies and are sometimes insufficient and unfit to (advance) regenerative tourism research. The extent to which new research methodological approaches can align with the ecological worldview and regenerative paradigm is an underpinning premise. As part of a broader study of the emerging regenerative tourism concept, a scoping review of 84 peer-reviewed and 116 grey literature articles, supplemented by consultations with nine regenerative tourism practitioners, six Indigenous practitioners and one cultural knowledge holder, identified nine research gaps that explicate this mismatch. An analytical framework guided the gap analysis and the formulation of a future research agenda. Findings suggest that tourism scholarship is not keeping pace with the evolution of regenerative tourism, requiring additional and new approaches. A transformational decolonial, transdisciplinary research paradigm is proposed that fully embraces the regenerative tourism paradigm and thus enables knowledge production that facilitates plural regenerative tourism futures. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Reflections on the Voice : during and after the Campaign
No full textFor many decades, Indigenous peoples have been advocating to have a say on matters that impact upon their lives. On 14 October 2023, the Australian public voted in a Referendum on whether to enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Constitution
A survey of commercial and industrial demand response flexibility with energy storage systems and renewable energy
Get PDFThe transition from traditional fuel-dependent energy systems to renewable energy-based systems has been extensively embraced worldwide. Demand-side flexibility is essential to support the power grid with carbon-free generation (e.g., solar, wind.) in an intermittent nature. As extensive energy consumers, commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers can play a key role by extending their flexibility and participating in demand response. Onsite renewable generation by consumers can reduce the consumption from the grid, while energy storage systems (ESSs) can support variable generation and shift demand by storing energy for later use. Both technologies can increase the flexibility and benefit by integrating with the demand response. However, a lack of knowledge about the applicability of increasing flexibility hinders the active participation of C&I consumers in demand response programs. This survey paper provides an overview of demand response and energy storage systems in this context following a methodology of a step-by-step literature review covering the period from 2013 to 2023. The literature review focuses on the application of energy storage systems and onsite renewable generation integrated with demand response for C&I consumers and is presented with an extensive analysis. This survey also examines the demand response participation and potential of wastewater treatment plants. The extended research on the wastewater treatment plant identifies the potential opportunities of coupling biogas with PV, extracting the thermal energy and onsite hydrogen production. Finally, the survey analysis is summarised, followed by critical recommendations for future research. © 2024 by the authors
Off with her hair : intrasexually competitive women advise other women to cut off more hair
Get PDFIntrasexual competition between women is often covert, and targets rivals' appearance. Here we investigate appearance advice as a vector for female intrasexual competition. Across two studies (N = 192, N = 258) women indicated how much hair they would recommend hypothetical clients have cut off in their hypothetical salon. Clients varied in their facial attractiveness (depicted pictorially), the condition of their hair, and how much hair they wished to have cut off. Participants also provided self-report measures of their own mate value and intrasexual competitiveness. In both studies, participants' intrasexual competitiveness positively predicted how much hair they recommended clients have cut off, especially when the hair was in good condition and the clients reported wanting as little as possible cut off – circumstances wherein cutting off too much hair is most likely to indicate sabotage. Considering data across both collectively, women tended to recommend cutting the most hair off clients they perceived to be as attractive as themselves. These data suggest that just like mating, intrasexual competition may be assortative with respect to mate value. They also demonstrate that competitive motives can impact female-female interactions even in scenarios which feature no prospective mates, and are nominally unrelated to mate guarding or mating competition. © 202
Crop monitoring by multimodal remote sensing : a review
Get PDFEffective approaches to achieve food safety and security can prevent catastrophic situations. Therefore, it is required to monitor agricultural crops on a regular basis. This can be easily achieved by capturing data from various remote sensing (RS) devices followed by processing them. Most RS devices are useful in monitoring crops and analysing different stages of plant growth successfully. However, individual devices have some limitations. To overcome this, multimodal remote sensing (MRS) methods have been gradually gaining popularity. In the multimodal approach, data from more than one modality are used together to obtain a better outcome. This is because, different modalities of data when used together can complement each other to achieve the same objective by combining their strengths and reducing their limitations, simultaneously. MRS methods have been found to be particularly useful for crop monitoring as they allow for the integration of data from multiple sources, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of plant growth and development. By using MRS methods, it is possible to obtain a more accurate and detailed analysis of crop conditions, leading to improved decision-making and ultimately, better crop yields. In this paper, we will explore how MRS methods have been successfully utilised in crop monitoring and how the data obtained from these methods can provide valuable insights into the health and development of plants. © 2023 The Author
Living with family violence and the great escape
No full textLived experience can add an important dimension to research. Whilst acceptance of lived experience in research has not exactly taken hold yet, there is a movement towards valuing the contribution lived experience can provide, especially in some research areas. This book chapter explains how lived experience drew me, as a researcher in one discipline, to move into another research area—family violence. It is not living with family violence per se that resulted in the discipline change, but more so the systems that keep victims bound to perpetrators of family violence. I realised through my experiences that living with family violence can feel like a one-way ticket where there is no return journey; no escape route. I use my lived experience with navigating systems (namely legal systems) to contribute to family violence research. This chapter explains my three court journeys and how those outcomes and experiences led me to turn my research attention to family violence. This chapter also explains how the research gaps I uncovered could best be found through lived experience. This chapter, therefore, provides an important perspective on both the value of lived experiences with research, as well as the field of family violence (focusing on legal systems)
Is doctor google our best choice for healthcare information recommendations? A duty of care to improve processes
No full textLiving with a life-long medical condition or a serious disease requires a lot of research skills on how to access the best quality information to inform better decision-making of healthcare consumers. Relatives, friends, and carers are often sharing the stress and responsibility of looking after the healthcare of consumers. They feel personally responsible for meeting not only physical, but also information needs of people they care for. With the internet being almost a default source of a wide variety of information, and health information in particular, this interview-based chapter reflects on what are the opportunities and challenges for information and communication technology (ICT) researchers who aim to address the personalized needs for quality healthcare information provision. Professor Frada Burstein is a leading information technology researcher specializing in smart information portals in health care. Her research has contributed to the transformations in web-based information systems architecture to empower patients. She was named the ICT Educator of the Year for her pioneering work in knowledge management and ICT education. In this interview with Grant Meredith, she reveals how her intense experiences caring for her father led her to focus her intelligent systems research toward health care
Development of wood-geopolymer composites for masonry units : effect of alkaline solution ratio and wood type
No full textThe construction industry significantly impacts the environment through greenhouse gas emissions and extensive consumption of natural resources. Repurposing waste wood into innovative construction materials, such as masonry units, offers promise in mitigating these effects. Waste wood possesses favorable properties for masonry block production, including good energy absorption, desirable heat and sound insulation, and lightweight nature. Using a sustainable binder, such as a geopolymer, could further enhance the overall sustainability of these materials, allowing for rapid development of strength, improved durability, and heightened protection against fire and weathering effects. Accordingly, this study explored the feasibility of producing wood-geopolymer composites (WGC) suitable to produce masonry units. Through rigorous experimentation, a mix design chart for low workable WGC was developed, facilitating controlled workability in the production process. Additionally, it was observed that the viscosity of the sodium silicate significantly affected the workability of WGC, particularly at low workability. Furthermore, the study found that increasing the relative sodium silicate ratio from 1.56 to 2.00 resulted in an approximately 20% increase in compressive strength. This highlights the importance of binder composition in optimizing the mechanical properties of WGC masonry units. Moreover, it was discovered that both wood chips and wood shavings demonstrated comparable effects on the workability and strength of WGC, indicating potential flexibility in utilizing different forms of waste wood in the production process. © fédération internationale du béton (fib)