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Progressive fragmentation of a traditional Mediterranean landscape by hazelnut plantations: The impact of CAP over time in the Langhe region (NW Italy)
No full textLand use change is strongly modifying the traditional landscape of hilly productive Mediterranean sites. An example of these circumstances is the Langhe region (Piemonte, NW Italy), where woody plantations such as vineyards and orchards have been cultivated on hillslopes for centuries. In this paper we assess landscape changes occurred in the Diana study area (2651 ha) in the 1954-2000 period and we ascertain land use transition paths and rates of this rural ecosystem. Land use mapping obtained from object-oriented analysis of aerial photographs was used to quantify land use changes between 1954 and 2000. To examine the spatio-temporal patterns of land use change over time, a set of spatial statistics capturing different dimensions of landscape change was identified. An increase of landscape heterogeneity from 1954 to the present was observed due to the expansion of orchards and the fragmentation of field crops. A significant portion (55%) of current orchards surface is represented by former field crops, 24% by vineyards and 15% by forests. The strong expansion of hazelnut orchards concurred to the fragmentation of traditional rural landscape was dominated by vineyards, field crops and forests. Hazelnut orchards expansion was mainly located in places where grapes cultivation was less remunerative. A further expansion of hazelnut in the area should be planned, discussed and carefully monitored through change detection studies in order to avoid potential unsustainable use of the land. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
A Model of Analysis and Assessment to Support the Valorisation and Management of Green Areas: The Royal Gardens of Turin (Italy)
Full text linkThis contribution aims to develop an integrated model of analysis and assessment for the valorisation and management of green spaces, with particular regard to historic gardens. The model is based on the combination of two main tools: on the one hand, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), employed for the classification and geolocation of green areas, following the Italian legislation in force on Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM), and on the other hand, an extended version of the SWOT Analysis, that aims at identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats both at the state of the art and a potential future scenario. The combination of the two tools is applied to a real case study in Northern Italy: the Royal Gardens of the City of Turin (Italy), known for their historical, social, economic and ecosystem urban values. GIS systems and SWOT analysis can be used in parallel and provide distinct results, or be combined, in the
ex-ante, in-itinere and ex-post phases of the assessment process, thus providing valid support to planners and Decision Makers, in the definition of strategic guidelines of valorisation and management of historical green heritage in the medium and long term, as well as professionals and specialized bodies to optimize the care and management of this heritage
The Langhe Landscape Changes
No full textAgricultural policies and socioeconomic constraints are strong drivers of
change in human-dominated rural landscapes of Mediterranean Europe. Changes in
rural landscapes can have a strong influence on the perspectives of protection and
improvement of the natural and cultural heritage. A shift towards quality production,
favoured by institutional financial support, has been recently observed in hilly
productive Mediterranean sites. An example of this situation is the Langhe region
(NW Italy), where woody plantations such as vineyards and orchards have been
cultivated on hillslopes for centuries. In this chapter, we assess the landscape
evolution occurred in this study site. Land use changes in the 1954–2000 period
were assessed by object-oriented analysis of aerial photographs and quantified by
spatial statistics capturing and measuring different elements of landscape change.
The expansion of orchards from 1954 to 2000 caused an increase of landscape
heterogeneity and the fragmentation of field crops. Orchards expansion has reduced
other land uses occupying up to 55 % of former field crops, 24 % of vineyards and
15 % of forests. Changes in rural landscapes, traditionally dominated by vineyards,
field crops and forests, were so observed in the Langhe region
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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