907 research outputs found
The selling (out) of Berlin and the de- and re-politicization of urban tourism in Europe’s ‘Capital of Cool’
No full textTourism promotion has become a defining feature of Berlin’s increasingly entrepreneurial approach to urban development, yet there has been a notable absence of tourism policy, planning and management by the city’s authorities. The chapter outlines the controversies surrounding the growth and impacts of tourism in Berlin (Germany) and argues that since 2010, there has been a re-politicization of tourism as a policy field. After years of being treated in technocratic fashion, tourism has become increasingly controversially discussed and contested. Critical voices have been concerned about its adverse effects on neighbourhoods and residents, while its advocates have begun to worry about the future prospects of Berlin as a destination if the very attributes which made it successful are threatened by mass tourism. Tourism-related mobilisations are thus not so much ‘anti-tourist’ as they are critical of the city government’s approach towards tourism development and management
Urban tourism and its discontents. An introduction
No full textAcross the globe, from established tourist cities to less traditional urban destinations, mounting evidence points to an increasing politicization of what hitherto had been a minor issue in urban political struggles. This politicization of urban tourism manifests itself in different ways: local residents may take issue with tourism and its impacts as such; while other contestations revolve around broader processes and forces of urban change of which tourism is only a part. This introductory chapter establishes the context for the rise of urban tourism as a key component of urban development strategies, as a powerful force of urban change and as a source of contention. It contends that the subject matter of ‘protest and resistance in the tourist city’ is often best understood as part of broader struggles and urban social movements surrounding contemporary urban restructuring and governance patterns. It presents a brief taxonomy of the conflicts and contestations surrounding tourism that can be observed in the cities of the Global North and South covered by the subsequent chapters of the volume
Urban tourism and its discontents: an introduction
No full textThis chapter examines Belfast, Northern Ireland as a case study in order to analyse how the politics of tourism development intersect with the politics of ethnic conflict in deeply divided cities with histories of violent conflict. Policy-makers began strategizing Belfast's comeback long before the conflict was settled. Protestants, in turn, frame the hardships of their communities in light of the Catholic community's growing financial and political influence. As Baker states, if there is one thing that can be said for sectarianism, it gives meaning to one's life and it is free at the point of entry'. The economic growth that was supposed to undermine ethnic tension has become a driver of the old conflict in a new form. Groups are also attempting to circumvent state constraints by seeking investment from international organizations such as the European Union or the International Fund for Ireland
The differential influence of pain and fatigue on physical performance and health status in ambulatory patients with human immunodeficiency virus
No full textObjectives: The purposes of this study were to: 1) characterize physical performance in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus; and 2) examine group differences by pain and fatigue on a multivariate profile of disease, physical, and psychologic symptoms.Methods: One hundred outpatients, 78 men and 22 women (mean age 40.70 +/- 7.49 years) participated. Patients completed a battery of physical performance tests in which the time taken or the distance reached or walked was measured. Self-report questionnaires included measures of pain (0-10 numerical rating scale), fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), and perceived health status (Medical Outcomes Survey-HIV scale).Results: Physical performance was compromised in a task specific manner. Patients took twice as long as healthy individuals on a belt-tie and 4 times as long on a sit-to-stand task and in 6 minutes walked 75% of the distance covered by healthy individuals. Fifty percent of patients (n = 50) had pain at the time of testing (mean 6.3 +/- 2.4), and 98% had fatigue (mean 5.4 +/- 2.3). Multivariate analysis of variance showed pain had a greater influence on performance than fatigue. Pain, distance walked in 6 minutes, and unloaded forward reach accounted for 26% of the variability in quality of life (r = 0.51, P <= 0.0001).Discussion: Pain has a substantial impact on physical performance and quality of life among ambulatory human immunodeficiency virus patients. Fatigue also impacts physical performance. Compromised ability to perform certain physical tasks affects quality of life. Further investigation of the roles of these relevant variables should be investigated in path analyses
Management and prognosis of status epilepticus according to hospital setting: a prospective study
No full textPhysical performance tasks: what are the underlying constructs?
No full textOBJECTIVES: To investigate the structural validity of a battery of physical performance tasks and to investigate the construct validity of the resulting factors.DESIGN: A measurement study.SETTING: A large, private orthopedic clinic and a physical therapy clinic in an urban area. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred three consecutive adult patients with low back pain who were referred for physical therapy assessment.INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The physical performance battery was composed of the 50-foot speed walk, 5-minute walk, repeated trunk flexion, sit to stand, loaded reach, rollover tasks, and Sorensen upper-body lift. Participants also completed 5 self-report measures.RESULTS: Two correlated (.74) factors, speed and coordination and endurance and strength, were derived from the physical performance tasks. The Sorenson upper-body lift task was the only indicator that was not useful in defining the factors. Both factors had statistically significant correlations with measures of physical disability, lack of self-efficacy, and negative affect. Both factors had a trivial correlation with a numeric rating of pain intensity.CONCLUSIONS: There is support for 2 meaningful empiric groupings (ie, the derived factors) of the performance tasks. Pain intensity had a trivial overlap with speed-coordination and endurance-strength factors
Influence of Laser Shock Peening Surface Treatment on Fatigue Endurance of Welded Joints from S355 Structural Steel
No full textThis work deals with fatigue testing of the EN S355 structural steel welded joint. The weld was manufactured by the MIG welding technology and as the filler material was used the G3Si1 wire. The fatigue tests were carried out in the rotating bending mode on the specimens manufactured from the welded joint of the S355 steel. The main aim was to evaluate the fatigue endurance of the weld material and for this reason were used machined axis symmetrical specimens to remove the notch effect of the weld shape. In order to increase the fatigue endurance of the weld, the Nd-YAG laser was used for laser shock peening (LSP) of specimens surfaces, which lead to removing of the weld defects but in overall caused that LSP has behaved as the notch and lead to decreasing of the fatigue endurance. Obtained results of fatigue tests are compared, discussed and supported by correlation with results of additional experiments, e.g. identification of incurred structures after the laser shock peening by the metallographic observations and micro-hardness tests
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