Supra-regional Level Research Articles

The Sustainable Management of Ecohotels for the Support of Ecotourism—A Case Study

Ecotourism represents a modern form of tourism that accepts the principles of sustainable development and the adequacy of the conditions of tourist destinations. The environmental awareness of all parties participating in tourism, objects, and subjects of tourism determines the development of ecotourism. Ecohotels, or “green hotels”, as an integral part of ecotourism, represent tourist accommodation facilities that have the “The Flower” certificate, their business activities minimize the impact on environmental quality. The management of ecohotels therefore implements programs and measures determining sustainable competitiveness at the local, regional, and supra-regional levels in the business in interaction with reducing the carbon footprint, water consumption, energy consumption, and waste production. They also support the use of recyclable materials and bio-products and the introduction of environmental management respecting the principles of green management in all areas of the tourism business. The competitiveness of ecohotels is in interaction with the willingness of tourists to use their pro-environmental services. The presented study is focused on the willingness of tourists to use the services of ecohotels, with an emphasis on identifying an effective strategy for supporting the development of ecotourism in the Slovak Republic. The study concentrates on the willingness of tourists to use ecohotels as part of their tourist activities based on a questionnaire survey. The study identifies the factors of strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats of the use of ecohotels by tourists in supporting the development of ecotourism. Through the exact quantification of the weights of individual factors in terms of Saaty’s matrix and a SWOT analysis, an effective strategy for the use of ecohotels in supporting the development of ecotourism is defined. In recent years, the stimulation and use of tourists’ interest in environmental quality, with an emphasis on reducing negative impacts on the environment, has resonated; thus, a model of effective marketing strategy is presented.

Территориальная производственная система Волго-Уральского макрорегиона: тенденции поляризации 2005–2021 гг. и потенциал развития

The application of a multi-scale approach to the study of socio-economic processes makes it possible to see the importance of large (first, second and third in terms of population in their regions) cities for the formation of a territorial production system of supra-regional education as a whole. In this paper, based on data on the population and the value of the manufacturing industry of large cities of the Volga-Ural macroregion, their dynamics in the period 2005–2021 was traced. Theoretical analysis. The necessity of analyzing the existing territorial structures of the economy at the supra-regional level (macroregion level) is substantiated. The change in the contribution of the largest cities of the VolgaUral macro-region to the population and output of the manufacturing industry of the regions is traced, on the basis of which a typology ofcities by the nature of their influence on thesocio-economicspace is made. Based on the gravitational approach, the potential of the industrial interaction fieldwithinthemacroregion isshown. The problems of its brokenconfiguration are discussed, aswell asregional differences in output by industry. Conclusion The analysis made it possible to identify the comparative dynamics of the socio-economic development of large cities of the Volga-Ural macroregion over a fairly long period and typologize it. The analysisshowed the isolated nature of the individualcores of the territorial production system within the macroregion, as well as the need for industrial policy for a positive transformation of the system.

Concept for long-term geo-monitoring of the post-mining environment using the example of the Prosper-Haniel mine

The operation of a mining facility provides a wealth of data, starting from mining licenses, documentation of extracted deposits, tunnel reinforcement methods, to documentation regarding the termination of mining operations, which impacts the natural environment at the local, regional, and supra-regional levels. The results of projects conducted by the Research Center of Post-Mining at the Technical University of Georg Agricola in Bochum present the possibilities of integrating environmental geo-monitoring methods to understand the processes occurring both during and after mining operations. Among the research methods used, spatiotemporal multispectral analyses of satellite imagery and images from drone flights stand out, and these will be presented in this paper. Additionally, in-situ measurements using soil sensors, weather stations, the application of mobile GIS, and three-dimensional modelling of geological structures should be noted. A key aspect of mining process research is the implementation and integration of all available geospatial data, allowing the consideration of post-mining processes as a cycle of interconnected, independent values that, through data analysis and validation, enable a comprehensive understanding.

Cultural Developments Between the Final MSA and the Robberg at Umbeli Belli, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The Early Later Stone Age (ELSA) in southern Africa is one of the most poorly understood periods in the subcontinent. This is due to a lack of sites covering the time between the final MSA and the Robberg, but also due to a lack of agreement on what the ELSA actually is. In this paper, we present the lithic evidence from the site Umbeli Belli (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa), covering the period between ~29,000 and 17,000 years ago. We find the changes which happen over the 12,000 years in between the final Middle Stone Age (MSA) and the Robberg at this site to be gradual and identify continuous technological and typological shifts. We compare these results to the lithic assemblages on a regional and supra-regional level, and in doing so, we find the patterns evident at Umbeli Belli to be repeated across southern Africa. Linking this to the research historical development of the term ELSA, we conclude that the MSA/LSA boundary is highly artificial and has become more of a hindrance than a means of structure in current archaeological research.

ECONOMIC EFFECT FROM CITY INFRASTRUCTURE POT (PASSENGER PUBLIC TRANSPORT) IN GERMANY

. Transport infrastructure is an important part of public capital and a major aspect of political and scientific discussions. In addition, investments in transport infrastructure have an impact not only on the region to which cash flows flow, but also on the supra-regional level due to the network characteristics of the infrastructure and its importance for connecting regions. Despite its obvious importance, investments in transport infrastructure are the main reason for underfunding, with an increasing number of stakeholders expressing their dissatisfaction with the current state of the network. A more detailed analysis distinguishing between different types of motorways and structures confirms these conclusions and highlights the importance of the Bundesstraßen network compared to the autobahn system. The estimated impact of bridge quality is quite ambiguous and requires further research to achieve a better understanding. This article analyzes the impact of the quantity and quality of transport infrastructure on regional economic production.

Literature Review of Mobility as a Service

The number of publications about mobility as a service (MaaS) has increased rapidly in the past years, spreading into various fields. In this paper, a total of 127 scientific publications about MaaS are reviewed and categorized into an overarching thematic framework in order to highlight key areas of research and further potential. Three research questions are highlighted in this review: (1) which topics are discussed in the existing MaaS literature? (2) what are the main results in the specific fields? and (3) where are gaps for further research? Publications have focused substantially on the topics of the market, users, data and technology, and the impact on the transportation system. The review shows that, regarding the concept, multi-level approaches have been established for the organization and cooperation of the actors involved, showing different levels of integration of public and private actors on a regional and supra-regional level. Various groups have already been identified as potential users, but the relatively low willingness to pay and the requirements regarding the individualization of mobility services pose problems that have not yet been solved. There is also a constant and unsolved challenge regarding the sensitive motion data that must be stored and processed. Significant research is still needed, including assessments of the impact of MaaS and what effects the service will have on the established use of transport modes, as well as how packages need to be designed and priced in order to optimally reach users.

Thirty-five years of strategic management research. A country analysis using bibliometric techniques for the 1987-2021 period

As a significant field of study, thirty-five years of strategic management research has accumulated a substantial amount of knowledge. This bibliometric study explores whether the unlimited flow of knowledge and the globalization of education & research in this time period, could drive away (or deter) the identification and specific interest of research in phenomena of national importance. Using bibliometric techniques and visualization of similarities (VOS) procedures of citation and co-citation analyses, this Paper explores research trends at the country level over 35 years using data from the Web of Science database. The aims are to identify: 1) the most visible and prominent actors at the country, regional, and global-level; 2) the evolution of the subjects of research into strategic management at the country, global, and supra-regional level; and 3) the evolution of journals publishing strategic management research articles by location. Findings suggest that common research subjects coexist at higher levels of aggregation, establishing the “paradigm” or general agreement about the field’s boundaries. Additionally, findings show that at the country level, rather than following a global trend, there is an enduring diversification of research agendas that bow to national and supranational factors from geographically close places.

Formalization of Regional Strategies with Allowance for the Long-Term Consequences of the Interaction between Internal and External Components of Regional Socio-Economic Systems

Aim. The presented study aims to define a methodological approach to the formalization of regional strategies with allowance for the prospective benefits from the interaction between internal and external components of regional socio-economic systems for the national economy.Tasks. The authors determine the essence of strategic management of regional development by analyzing the internal processes of the interaction between subsystems, components, and elements of the region as a complex socio-economic system; compare the specific features of the functioning and interaction of administrative divisions in a planned and market economy; substantiate the principles of mutually beneficial interregional interaction and the need to improve supra-regional economic efficiency in view of the allowance made for the projected effects of interregional interaction in rational strategic planning; define the concept of strategic management of regional socio-economic systems and formulate an approach to the formation of the management process.Methods. This study use general scientific methods, including systems analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, detalization and generalization, modelling.Results. The process of formation and coordination of regional strategies is conceptualized as a basic element of the organizational mechanism of strategic management of the functioning and development of regional socio-economic systems. A system diagram is provided that makes allowance for three hierarchical levels of management (federal, interregional, regional), each acting on the appropriate level of abstraction and introducing its inherent critical aspects of rational planning of national spatial development. It is shown that strategic planning of interregional interaction at the supra-regional level makes it advisable to develop multi-regional, multi-sectoral computer models that would help to achieve a state of interaction close to economic equilibrium, thus ensuring future functioning of the national economy based on the planning principle applied in a brand new way.Conclusions. The system of strategic management of regional development and interregional interaction should be a multilevel, hierarchically ordered mechanism for the formation and implementation of a strategic plan for the spatial development of the country. Such a system should be aimed at functionally maintaining social and economic, planned and competitive balance between national expediency determined by state strategic priorities and independent regional development guidelines without degenerating into bureaucratic formalism when creating regional development concepts on the one hand and without turning into a constant competitive struggle of divergent interests of the regions on the other. It is advisable to develop an integrated (supra-regional) approach to the strategic management of regions as regional socio-economic systems based on the conceptual organizational-managerial mechanism for their functioning and development. This approach should be aimed at achieving the planned supra-regional efficiency (socio-economic balance) using not-yet-manifested projected interregional synergetic and agglomeration effects from the use of interregional (national) infrastructure, scientifically based implementation of absolute and relative regional advantages in the process of determining and planning future regional specialization at the federal level, deployment and development of the territorial cores of intersectoral clusters serving as the starting points of growth for an optimally balanced crystal lattice of spatial development on the national scale, implementation of interregional interaction of expected quantity and quality, mathematically justified with allowance for the needs of interregional and intersectoral exchange, intra- and intersystem structures, elements, communicative relationships, dynamics and stages of the life cycle of industries, organizations, the ability to adapt to changes in the external environment of the regions included in the system.

Design of the Model of Optimization of Energy Efficiency Management Processes at the Regional Level of Slovakia

This paper focuses on the issue of energy efficiency management in the region of Prešov self-governing region (PSR), Slovakia, as the energy market is liberalized and the behavior of electricity consumers is influenced not only by conventional but also by alternative suppliers of this type of energy. Based on the statistical evaluation of a questionnaire survey focused on the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive behavior of consumers, a model of optimization of system processes of energy efficiency management at the regional level is presented. A one-way ANOVA and t-test were used to determine statistically significant differences, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine a statistically significant relationship. Based on the obtained results, a suitable candidate for efficient electricity management is an employee aged 36 to 50 with a technical focus. The proposed model of optimizing the processes of energy management efficiency at the regional level can also be applied to the supraregional level in the understanding of the geographical division of the European Union, where the same legislative regulations are applied within the liberalized electricity market.

A Discrete-Time Model for Large-Scale Multi-Modal Transport Networks

The purpose of this paper is to provide a method that can be used to perform resilience analyses on large-scale multi-modal transportation networks. In particular, this work proposes an assignment model through which the allocation of mobility demand on a multimodal transport network is defined at a regional or supra-regional level. The results of the assignment problem are then used as input data of a macroscopic dynamic model specifically developed to represent the dynamics of a multi-modal transport network. Finally, the proposed methodology is applied to represent the behavior of users in the Nguyen-Dupuis test network.

Regional Policy as a Factor in Shaping Regional Development in Poland

Abstract Regional development is firmly rooted in the theory of land management, and today’s considerations and analyses in this area are gaining special importance. The relationship between specific conditions and the observed effects of regional development was considered under various theoretical concepts. Additionally, the interdependence of processes taking place on the international, national and regional level renders it necessary to pursue, inter alia, an effective regional policy. In this study, particular attention was given to the premises and objectives of intentional actions taken both at supra-regional level (inter-regional policy) and regional level (intra-regional policy). The theoretical considerations concerning the regional policy carried out were supplemented with current statistics regarding the development of regions in Poland. The aim of the study is to show the role of regional policy in shaping regional development and to analyse its current state on the basis of own research using multidimensional comparative analysis (MCA) methods. The considerations presented in the article lead to the conclusion that regional policy is an important factor in regional development, and the presented research results allow to assess the current level and diversity of this development in Poland.

GIS application in abiotic risks regionalization for spring barley

In recent years, there has been a noticeable uneven distribution of rainfall in Central Europe during the main vegetation season of most field crops. The rising air temperatures also increase the evapotranspiration demands of the environment and increase the frequency and length of heatwaves, which is a stress factor for plants. Using the GIS procedures, we identified the areas of significant abiotic risks occurring during the critical growth stages of spring barley (high air temperatures at the time of tillering and lack of soil moisture from the beginning of flowering to yellow ripening) with potential impact on grain yield in the Czech Republic. Unique datasets, including i) meteorological data, ii) phenological data, iii) pedological data, iv) land-use data, and v) geographic data, have been integrated and analysed using the sophisticated ArcGIS software environment. The method used in this study is universally applicable and allows comparisons at the local, regional, and supra-regional levels. The identification of risk areas will allow for a) finding tolerant varieties from problematic areas, b) locating the use of these varieties in risk areas and c) recommending and implementing adequate farming practices to reduce the impact of risk abiotic stressors on spring barley under current climate conditions. This will allow accurate estimation of weather impacts on spring barley grain yield in a particular year and precise application of countermeasures leading to reduced negative impacts on yield and the quality of spring barley production. Using the data and methods presented, we identified areas that correspond in good accordance to areas with spring barley yield deficits in dry years.

Chronology of Early Neolithic sites in the Ammer Valley, West of Tübingen (SW-Germany)

The region of the upper Neckar and Ammer river valley is situated on the south-westernmost periphery of the overall distribution area of the earliest LBK in Europe. In a small side valley of the Ammer, we have been able to investigate in the past few years the two sites ‘Lüsse’ and ‘Unteres Feld’ which have provided important information about the beginning and development of the Early Neolithic in southwestern Germany. From these two sites, we have a sequence of features from all phases of the LBK. Radiocarbon data obtained from short living samples (charred seeds, animal bones from ungulates and human bones) were combined with pottery stylistic data from the same features to construct an age-model that can be applied, simultaneously, on site-level (locally) as well as on supra-regional level. The data series was first analysed using the GaussWM-algorithm in the CalPal program (Version, 2019.5), by application of an assumed linear (equal phase-length) age-model, and then using OxCal (Version 4.3), by application of Bayesian Boundary analysis. Both methods come to practically identical results. The pottery stylistic development of the LBK can henceforth be described, locally, by application of the five Ammer Valley stages (AV 1-5), and which are in turn synchronised with the widely applicable chronological system of Meier-Arendt (1966) which itself has five phases (I-V). Although generally similar, the two systems show certain differences but which only become apparent due to the achieved high temporal resolution of a few decades. An important observation is that in the Ammer Valley material with typological features of the earliest LBK (AV 1) can also be found in more recent LBK contexts, apparently undisturbed. In the upper Neckar region, in contrast, it is the Flomborn style (AV 2 and 3) that appears alongside the old pottery traditions. Put together, the old pottery traditions persisted for an exceptionally long time, in the newly founded settlements in the Ammer Valley.

Mapping the French green infrastructure – an exercise in homogenizing heterogeneous regional data

ABSTRACT To preserve and restore ecosystems, public environmental policies on the international level now encourage the creation of Green Infrastructure, i.e. networks composed of areas where animal and vegetal species can live (habitat patches) and corridors to circulate between them. In France, each regions, the first subnational administrative level, identified existing habitat patches and corridors in their territories using flexible guidelines. This resulted in heterogeneous data, raising the question of their consistent mapping at a supra-regional level. To answer this question, this study first focuses on the habitat patches of two adjacent regions and explores three ways of homogenizing the map. The first method consists in generalizing the more detailed data using morphologic operators. The second method consists in graphically refining the less detailed data by filling the areas with patterns taken from the more detailed data. The third method consists in drastically changing the level of abstraction of the data from both regions by rasterizing the space. Based on those experiments, we applied the most appropriate method to data collected by all the regions of continental France, a step which itself raises new issues concerning data harmonization and parameters settings.

Reform and Adaptation: The Experience of the Americas with International Investment Law

Abstract Over the last two decades Latin American States have been deluged with investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) with double-digit cases, and billion-dollar damages awards. These States have sought to regain control of the narrative by embarking on various reform initiatives. This article first sets the scene with a brief review of the experience of Latin American States with investment arbitration over the last two decades, then examines the efforts undertaken in the last few years by Latin American States to gain control over their investment arbitration experience. This has been done on a bilateral, regional and supra-regional level. Reforms including the revisions of substantive provisions, as well as the development of regional arbitration fora are examined. Finally, it offers some thoughts on the prospects for the region’s reform movement.

Hydrological disasters in the NW-European Lowlands during the first millennium AD: a dendrochronological reconstruction

Abstract This study presents an annually resolved dendrochronological reconstruction of hydrological impacts on the Roman and early-medieval landscape in the Low Countries of northwestern Europe. Around 600 hydrologically sensitive ring-width patterns, mostly oak (Quercus robur/petraea) as well as some ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and elm (Ulmus sp.), were selected from an initial dataset of >5000 and compiled into two chronologies that span the first millennium AD. Their content and (dis)similarities to established tree-ring chronologies from this and surrounding regions were used to assess their provenance, which in both cases is in the area where the majority of the wood was recovered. Instances of high groundwater levels and/or inundation were catalogued by identifying multi-year intervals of strongly reduced annual growth that occurred simultaneously throughout the research area. The resulting record contains 164 events dated between AD 1 and 1000, of which 21 have a recurrence frequency ≥50 years. One-third of the ≥50-yr events date between AD 185 and 282, making this the most flood-intense interval of the first millennium. The severest reconstructed impact of the first millennium dates to AD 602. A comparison to historically documented river floods/sea breaches and drought/heat spells shows that the predominant cause of the inferred impacts in the research area was river overflow. Synchronous inundation responses of oaks preserved in former bogs in Lower Saxony (NW Germany) indicate that half of the reconstructed events occurred on a supra-regional level, pointing to regional precipitation as a main forcing. River floods documented in written sources do not seem to have affected tree growth in Lower Saxony in a significant manner, indicating that the majority of documented floods most likely were caused by hydrological circumstances upstream of the catchments of the Rhine and/or Meuse. Reconstructed flood impacts during the Early Middle Ages coincide remarkably well with construction and repair of Rhine revetments at the early-medieval site of Leiderdorp-Plantage in the western Netherlands.

Combining Macro- and Microscopic Approaches to Model Commercial Transport Demand in an Urban Area

Demand modeling of commercial transport has lagged behind private passenger demand modeling as a result of insufficient data sources and the complex types of movement. At a supra-regional level, commercial trips are usually conducted by heavy trucks. However, studies in urban areas show that only about 40% of all commercial trips are conducted by heavy vehicles, while the other 60% is conducted by light vehicles, indicating that this is not freight travel. Even though commercial transport has been somewhat regarded in recent research, most models focus on either freight trips or trips conducted to provide a service. However, for assessing policy sensitivity, all parts of commercial transport need to be considered.The model we present regards all aspects of commercial transport by assessing the parts separately. We distinguish between vehicles with variable and fixed daily. We further differentiate vehicles with fixed daily schedules into vehicles with short and long supply chains while focusing on the latter. To regard the entire supply chain of delivery vehicles we a combined macroscopic approach to obtain transit flows on a European level with a microscopic approach that is used to distribute the obtained packages of an urban area within said areas. The results of both the macroscopic and microscopic parts of the model are compared to traffic count data. The comparison of values show that the combination of macroscopic and microscopic model parts can model vehicles of commercial transport with a long supply chain, however, more attention should be regarded to the microscopic distribution.

Circulation of Objects and Raw Material in the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile by the End of the Pleistocene

ABSTRACTAbout 13,000 calendar years ago, the Atacama Desert (18–26°S) was occupied by some of the human groups who had begun to populate South America. The archaeological evidence from six sites located in Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT) it the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert, including different objects and raw materials, shows a connection with different geographical areas within and outside PdT: (a) local circuits to acquire resources from the Pampa; (b) regional displacements that covered the coast and the Andes, more than 70 km away from PdT; and (c) displacements or interactions at a supra-regional level that connected PdT with the tropical and subtropical forests of South America, more than 600 km away. We propose a preliminary model for the local circuits that covers displacements from 40 minutes to 13 hours walking distance from residential locations to obtain fresh water, wood, rocks for knapping, and hunting activities.

Feasibility of a Hybrid Web-Based and In-Person Self-management Intervention Aimed at Preventing Acute to Chronic Pain Transition After Major Lower Extremity Trauma (iPACT-E-Trauma): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective 1) To assess the feasibility of research methods to test a self-management intervention aimed at preventing acute to chronic pain transition in patients with major lower extremity trauma (iPACT-E-Trauma) and 2) to evaluate its potential effects at three and six months postinjury. Design A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel groups. Setting A supraregional level 1 trauma center. Methods Fifty-six adult patients were randomized. Participants received the intervention or an educational pamphlet. Several parameters were evaluated to determine the feasibility of the research methods. The potential efficacy of iPACT-E-Trauma was evaluated with measures of pain intensity and pain interference with activities. Results More than 80% of eligible patients agreed to participate, and an attrition rate of ≤18% was found. Less than 40% of screened patients were eligible, and obtaining baseline data took 48 hours postadmission on average. Mean scores of mild pain intensity and pain interference with daily activities (<4/10) on average were obtained in both groups at three and six months postinjury. Between 20% and 30% of participants reported moderate to high mean scores (≥4/10) on these outcomes at the two follow-up time measures. The experimental group perceived greater considerable improvement in pain (60% in the experimental group vs 46% in the control group) at three months postinjury. Low mean scores of pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale score < 30) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores ≤ 10) were obtained through the end of the study. Conclusions Some challenges that need to be addressed in a future RCT include the small proportion of screened patients who were eligible and the selection of appropriate tools to measure the development of chronic pain. Studies will need to be conducted with patients presenting more serious injuries and psychological vulnerability or using a stepped screening approach.

Smart method of agricultural drought regionalization: A winter wheat case study

Abstract The occurrence of drought during flowering (usually from the end of May to the beginning of June) is the most hazardous timing in terms of the possible negative impact of agricultural drought on winter wheat, which is the most cultivated crop in the Czech Republic (about 800000 ha). Lack of water, often accompanied by high temperatures, negatively affects the number of grains in the wheat ear and the tissue development of the developing grain, with consequent impacts on yield and quality of product. With the use of a) long-term time series of agrometeorological data (1961–2010), b) long-term phenological time series of winter wheat (1981–2010), and c) soil conditions data (available water capacity of soils of the Czech Republic) for the arable soil, the ratio of actual evapotranspiration and potential evapotranspiration for the period of 1961–2010, used as an indicator of agricultural drought (lack of water) for wheat, was calculated. The innovative aspect of this categorization of the territory of the Czech Republic according to the risk of occurrence of agricultural drought for winter wheat is considering drought from the aspect of the plant, i.e., evaluation based on the actual consumption of water by the vegetation. This is a very sophisticated procedure. Frequently, water content in soils data, presented as an output of some models, do not fully indicate the possible negative impacts on yield generation because the plants themselves are typically not considered. The method used in this study is universally applicable and allows comparisons of regions at the local, regional, and supra-regional levels. For estimation of the development of agronomic drought in the future, the basic water balances in the growing seasons of 1961–2010 and 2071–2100 were compared using a climate scenario. The forecast indicates a significant deterioration of agricultural drought in the region with probable direct impacts on agricultural production.