1. High doses of polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the microbial community and nutrient status of vineyard soilsErika Jež, Elisa Pellegrini, Melita Sternad Lemut, Maria De Nobili, Marco Contin, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Abstract
The escalating use of plastic materials in viticulture causes release of microplastics (MPs) into vineyard soils. This study examines the impact on soil health of polypropylene (PP) raffia and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube strings, commonly mulched into the topsoil after use. A 120-d incubation experiment was conducted with soils exposed to high doses (10 g/kg) of microplastics (MPs) from standard, new and used strings. The study investigated alterations in the microbial community, bioavailability of macronutrients (NH4+ and NO3−, P, K, Ca, Mg), and bioavailability of micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg). The presence of MPs significantly stressed the soil microbial community, reducing microbial biomass by 30% after 30 d, with the exception of PVC in acid soil, which caused an unexpected increase of about 60%. The metabolic quotient (qCO2) doubled in MP-polluted soils, with PVC exerting a more pronounced effect than PP. Basal respiration increased by 25% relative to the acid control soil. PVC MPs raised soil pH from 6.2 to 7.2 and firmly reduced the bioavailability of micronutrients, particularly in acidic soils, and led to a 98% reduction in nitrate (NO3−). The availability of NH4+, P, K, Mg decreased by 10% and Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn by 30%. However, Ca availability increased by 30%, despite shifting from the acid-soluble fraction to soil organic matter and crystalline minerals. Calcareous soil was generally more resilient to changes than the acid soil. These findings underscore the urgent need to investigate the long-term effects of MPs from viticulture on soil properties and health. Keywords: microplastics, soil, nutrient bioavailability, microbial community, viticulture Published in RUNG: 22.11.2024; Views: 181; Downloads: 4 Full text (3,08 MB) This document has many files! More... |
2. The rupture and the connection : nonrepresentation and participation in art for socio-ecological changeKristina Pranjić, Peter Purg, 2024, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Exploring the relationship between the rupture caused by non-representation on the one hand and the connection fostered through active participation on the other, this contribution in environmental humanities seeks to consolidate an ecocritical perspective that includes posthumanism, new materialism, and ecological theory, particularly within the field of art and art history. The first part lays its theoretical groundwork by focusing on the concept of non-representation as developed in formalist discourse and avant-garde artistic experiments. By examining the radical defamiliarization of nature and objects, the article shows how this process enables the redefinition of normative standards and the formation of an ecological epistemology rooted in non-hierarchical perspectives as critical for achieving tangible and meaningful change. On the other end of the artistic spectrum, presented in the second part, two cases of artivist and participative practices are revealed as examples of implementing change through intersubjective experience within artistic frameworks. The recent shift in community artistic practice towards enabling subjects’ participation and reacting to societal demands includes geographical peripheries and marginalized groups. A new aesthetics of interconnectedness may show that reality is not our mirror image, but rather a gradual embracing of the manifold entanglements that need to be addressed through artistic eco-imaginaries and posthumanist inclusivity. Keywords: community art, avant-garde art, abstraction, social change, ecocriticism Published in RUNG: 02.07.2024; Views: 988; Downloads: 8 Full text (15,72 MB) This document has many files! More... |
3. Strategy for rural heritage regeneration in China : integrating community and government in governance: a case study of traditional villages in Luoning county :Wendi Wang, 2024, doctoral dissertation Abstract: The Chinese countryside has long been associated with cultural continuity, albeit in contradictory ways. It has been marginalized for several decades, while all development efforts have focused on urbanization. However, as the tensions and paradoxes of modern urban life become increasingly obvious, the countryside is once again recognized as an enduring symbol of authentic national values. Chinese traditional cultural heritage is rooted in Chinese traditional villages. In fact, being built before the coming of the Republic of China, those villages nowadays still possess a great deal of very important material and immaterial forms of cultural heritage, as a historical record of the Chinese nation development.
Through the examination and study of traditional villages in Luoning, and the perspective of theories of architectural conservation theory, community co-construction, and private-public partnership, the dissertation proposes a hybrid county governance model to maximize the stakeholder's functions roles, and operational procedures in the preservation and development of the traditional villages. Thus, through the integration of three stability perspectives—cultural, economic, and social —the dissertation provides the government's optimization strategy for heritage preservation.
In the first case study, the governance of Zhangzhuang's traditional village is examined. The village's residents share responsibility for one another and are frequently connected by strong family ties and regular community organization in decision-making. Unfortunately, this thriving community-led government is insufficiently prepared to deal with the expanding tourism industry, it fails when it comes to overarching development objectives, and it lacks substantial experience in the preservation of historic structures.
The Second case study investigates the government-led traditional types of villages. These are characterized by low public and community participation, and underdeveloped commodity economies, but being usually of outstanding importance, they result rich in traditional material and intangible cultural resources and have great potential for developing a tourism sector. Government-led efforts to reactivate the development of these villages have the advantages of credibility and authority, preferential policy formulation, and government short-term funding. However, these villages face severe problems in terms of community involvement, complementary market economies, and insufficient long-term government funding. This condition is investigated in the second case of the government's conception and promotion of the "Hou Shangzhuang Village Traditional Village Restoration" project. Despite some initial success, the project came to a standstill due to the competing interests of businesses, the government, and the community.
The third case study looks into traditional villages where the primary development component is driven by businesses, creating conditions for the growth of a market economy. The analysis demonstrates that enterprise investments benefit from complementary capital input, resource integration, and effective management. However, the issue of uneven income and benefit distribution, as well as excessive consumption of public resources, pose a serious threat to both: the authenticity and integrity of cultural heritage, as well as the fair and sustainable development of local communities. This situation is examined in the case study of Qianhe Village, where the tourism industry has grown through multiple investment operations by private enterprises.
The dissertation examines diverse hybrid governance models for each of these three different cultural, social, and economic heritage contexts. In specific it points to the role of government to efficiently design, validate, and promote responsive solutions for the resilience of cultural heritage of traditional villages in China. Keywords: Heritage, Traditional Chinese village preservation, planning and management, Government, Governance, Participation, Community Co-construction Published in RUNG: 11.03.2024; Views: 1550; Downloads: 27 Full text (9,17 MB) |
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6. When art gets more rigorous than science2020, radio or television broadcast, podcast, interview, press conference Keywords: research, ethics, bioart, anthropocene, methodologies, mixed research, temporal community, learning by sharing, sonic film, sound art Published in RUNG: 25.02.2021; Views: 3298; Downloads: 25 Link to full text |
7. Aeolian dispersal of bacteria in southwest Greenland: their sources, abundance, diversity and physiological statesTina Šantl Temkiv, Ulrich Gosewinkel, Piotr Starnawski, Mark Lever, Kai Finster, 2018, original scientific article Keywords: arctic microbial communities, aeolian dispersal, community assembly, 16S ribosomal RNA, microbial activity, atmospheric processes Published in RUNG: 04.01.2021; Views: 3298; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
8. The effect of dissimilatory manganese reduction on lactate fermentation and microbial community assemblyBreda Novotnik, Jackie Zorz, Steven Bryant, Marc Strous, 2019, original scientific article Keywords: manganese reduction, birnessite, fermentation, mixed culture, microbial community, Shewanella Published in RUNG: 04.10.2019; Views: 4172; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
9. Regional biodiversity and seasonal dynamics of the bacterial communities in karstic springs of SloveniaMaja Opalički Slabe, 2019, doctoral dissertation Abstract: Information on groundwater’s natural bacterial communities is important for evaluating pristine groundwater’s quality, as environmental changes potentially lead to alterations in bacterial community structures. In four seasons, 15 hypothetically pristine springs across five karst eco-regions in Slovenia (Central Europe) were analysed during their low discharge, and their basic physical and chemical parameters were recorded. The diversity of bacterial community structures was assessed with a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting method. Total cell counts as bacterial abundance and electron transport system activity as bacterial respiratory activity were used for quantitative evaluation of bacterial communities. To detect anthropogenic pollution, spring water was tested by the cultivation of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Results indicate distinct regional differences in environmental parameters, bacterial respiratory activity, presence of coliforms and E. coli, bacterial abundances, and qualitative bacterial community structures, but there were no regional differences in the numbers of operational taxonomic units and biodiversity indices (Shannon-Wiener’s and Simpson’s diversity index, Buzas and Gibson’s evenness). The analysis of seasonal environmental parameters showed significant differences in dissolved organic carbon and pH, and also significant changes in bacterial respiratory activity and abundances, as well as differences in bacterial community structures, the numbers of operational taxonomic units, and biodiversity indices. No seasonal variations were shown for coliforms and E. coli.
Despite seasonal oscillations, regional differences prevailed among five karst eco-regions and indicate a significant influence on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of groundwater bacterial community structures. The study confirmed both regional and seasonal differences in groundwater bacterial community structures, which should be included in further sustainable management plans of the aquifers. Keywords: karst springs, bacterial community structure (BCS), terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), total cell counts (TCC), electron transport system activity (ETSA) Published in RUNG: 26.06.2019; Views: 4814; Downloads: 195 Full text (3,76 MB) |
10. General framework for the conservation of historical rural landscape. Case study of Qadisha Valley in Lebanon.Bachir Zarif Keyrouz, 2016, doctoral dissertation Abstract: The international community has reacted to the challenges faced by historic cities and cultural landscapes. In 2011, UNESCO adopted the international recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape in order to draw the attention of governments and local communities to the need to improve the management of historic urban areas. The aim of the present dissertation is to expand the UNESCO definition to Historic Rural Landscapes, and to explore how the proposed methodology could be applied to the management of rural areas. The dissertation takes the Qadisha Valley in Lebanon as an example, where some elements have already been recognised for their outstanding universal value. It is considered however that these historic-cultural elements are part of the larger context of the Qadisha Valley, which has its specificity and its qualities that merit being recognised. It is also considered that the management of the elements already recognised by UNESCO can only be successfully safeguarded if the management is understood in the context of the entire valley. Consequently, the thesis is articulated taking into account the following parameters:
1. UNESCO has already set the restoration plan to solve the problems of Qadisha Valley. Based on this plan, the question can be raised whether or not the rural planning in Qadisha is well managed at the present?
2. In case Qadisha Zone is not well conserved, what improvements could be brought about and implemented in order to safeguard the cultural heritage and historical rural landscape, and what should be the guiding policies of restoration?
3. Once a restoration plan is implemented in Qadisha Zone, what management plan should be brought up and implemented to safeguard its cultural heritage and historical rural landscape?
4. How can conservation of cultural heritage in Qadisha Zone be done culturally and in a socially acceptable way?
5. What sectors of the nation are to be involved in the Management plan? How can the MP preserve and restore Qadisha Zone?
The aim of the dissertation has been to examine the possibilities of involvement of the local community and relevant authorities in a more structured management of their properties within the context of the entire valley and its exceptional historic and landscape qualities. It is hoped that the study can generate more interest in the management of the rural context within the increasingly globalising society, and draw attention to the qualities of historic rural landscapes as the setting for an improved quality of life. Keywords: Historic Rural Landscape, Qadisha World Heritage, Heritage Community, Sustainable Tourism, Strategic Urban Management, Outstanding Universal Values & Conservation Process. Published in RUNG: 07.10.2016; Views: 7182; Downloads: 131 Full text (58,03 MB) |