Ethnobotanical study on plants used to dye traditional costumes by the Baiku Yao nationality of China

Background The Baiku Yao is a branch of the Yao nationality in China. The unique dying process of traditional clothing employed by these people has distinct national characteristics, a profound impact on the production and life of local people, and important research value. For this reason, it is important to investigate and document the dyeing plants and the traditional knowledge involved in the dyeing of Baku Yao traditional clothing. Methodology Information on dyeing plants was obtained using the free-list method and interviews with 61 Baiku Yao informants in Guangxi and Guizhou from January 2020 to August 2021. Based on the free-list method, we evaluated and screened out important plants by calculating the cognitive salience value of each plant. Results The results showed that the people of Baiku Yao have accumulated rich traditional knowledge of dyeing plants and long-term dyeing and other processes. We collected 23 species and recorded the related traditional knowledge, such as the Baiku Yao name, life form, habitat, part(s) used, application type, usage, and area used. The utilization of dyeing plants has a strong relationship with ethnic culture. The Baiku Yao uses unique anti-dyeing material (Ailanthus vilmoriniana) in the cotton dyeing process, they call it “the mother tree”. As well as, the results also showed that 15 plants (65.2%) have medicinal value and can be used to treat 18 aliments, and wild plants play a very important role in the life of the Baiku Yao. Conclusion These plants not only meet the color needs of the Baiku Yao people but also have health care effects, aligning with the trends toward green dyeing and the health contentiousness of modern people. This study provides a reference for the inheritance and development of Baiku Yao traditional clothing dyeing culture, will aid the identification of new natural, safe and healthy textile dyes, and is of positive significance in promoting regional economic development, national cultural inheritance, and biodiversity protection.

THE CONCEPT OF A BUSINESS MODEL FOR AN AIR CARRIER IN SLOVAKIA

Determining the operating airline's business model is among the strategic decision, particularly for emerging airlines. A suitable and correct business model is an essential prerequisite for the company to establish itself in the market and be competitive successfully. This paper aims to design a specific business model for an air carrier, considered a national air carrier in Slovakia. Slovakia currently has no national air carrier, which would contribute to the development of passenger air transport and would reflect the domestic population's current needs and help increase inbound tourism. The main goal of the designed air carrier is to contribute to the development of air transport in Slovakia and transport a higher number of air passengers, reaching at least an average increments as in other European Union countries. This study proposes a business model framework applied to the conditions of Slovakia, which analyzes the main trends identified in the literature for designing business models for airlines abroad. In examining various studies, we have identified aspects of business models and the main models used by airlines abroad. We used general methods to process information and assess current trends in air transport. In the study, we apply the list method and the inventory method, focusing on new trends and process management methods in the aviation industry. Finally, we developed a business model for a potential air carrier operating in Slovakia from the acquired knowledge.

Can guava monocultures (Psidium guajava L.) function as refuge for bird conservation?

Agricultural intensification negatively affects bird communities, and the response of birds to these changes varies from those that survive and increase their populations (disturb-tolerant species) to those that cannot adapt to new conditions and are regionally extinct (disturb-sensitive species). Thus, the present study sought to investigate the bird community in 39 guava orchards in the semiarid region of the state of Sergipe, northeast Brazil. Field observations were made between July and October 2017, through a one-hour visit to each orchard. Samplings were conducted using the MacKinnon’s List method. In addition to bird sampling, walks were carried out in the orchards to observe nesting. Seventy-six species of birds belonging to 30 families were recorded using the guava orchards. The most frequent species were Vanellus chilensis, Columbina talpacoti, Columbina picui, Crotophaga ani, Pitangus sulphuratus and Sporophila albogularis. Of the 186 nests recorded in the orchards, the majority (n = 144 nests; 77.4%) belonged to Columbina picui, Columbina talpacoti and Columbina minuta. The results demonstrate that the bird community in the guava orchards is formed only by disturb-tolerant species, showing that the studied guava orchards are not favorable to the conservation of disturb-sensitive birds of the Caatinga domain.

Ethnobotanical Study On Plants Used To Dye Traditional Costumes By The Baiku Yao Nationality of China

Background: The Baiku Yao are a branch of the Yao nationality in China. The unique dyeing process of traditional clothing employed by these people has distinct national characteristics, a profound impact on the production and life of local people, and important research value. For this reason, it is important to investigate and document the dyeing plants and the traditional knowledge involved in the dyeing of Baiku Yao traditional clothing. This study provides a reference for the inheritance and development of Baiku Yao traditional clothing dyeing culture, will help to find new natural, safe and healthy textile dyes, and provides materials for green dyeing of modern clothing. At the same time, it is also expected that the research results will have positive significance in promoting regional economic development, national cultural inheritance and biodiversity protection. Methodology: Information on dyeing plants was obtained using the free-list method and interviews with 61 Baiku Yao informants in Guangxi and Guizhou from January 2020 to August 2021. Based on the free-list method, we evaluated and screened out important plants by calculating the cognitive salience value of each plant. Results: The results showed that the people of Baiku Yao have accumulated rich traditional knowledge of dyeing plants and the long-term dyeing and other processes. We collected 23 kinds of plants and recorded the related traditional knowledge, such as the Baiku Yao name, life form, habitat, part(s) used, application type, usage, and area used. The results also showed that 15 plants (65.2%) have medicinal value and can be used to treat 18 aliments, and wild plants play a very important role in the life of the Baiku Yao. Conclusion: These plants not only meet the color needs of the Baiku Yao people but also have health care effects, aligning with the trends toward green dyeing and the health contentiousness of modern people. This study will aid the identification of new natural, safe and healthy textile dyes and is of positive significance in promoting regional economic development, national cultural inheritance and biodiversity protection.

Rural Populations of Alagoinhas and Herpetofauna: Knowledge, Uses and Interactions

Background: Brazil has one of the greatest diversity of species of herpetofauna in the world. Associated with this diversity of species, rural communities in Brazil have developed a vast knowledge about these animals. The present research aimed to characterize the knowledge and influence of the socioeconomic variables of the population in the interaction between humans and herpetofauna of the rural area of the municipality of Alagoinhas.Methods: The free list method and semistructured questionnaire was used to list the species of the herpetofauna known by the informants.Results: A total amount of 39 species of amphibians and reptiles was cited by the informants. These interact with residents in the categories of food use, magical-religious purposes, medicine, pets and in conflicting relationships.Conclusion: Regarding the results of socioeconomic variables influencing knowledge, time of residence, gender, the location of the community, education level, explained the knowledge associated with the reptiles. For amphibians, time of residence and gender explained the knowledge associated.

List-method directed forgetting: Do critical findings generalize from short to long retention intervals?

People can purposefully forget information that has become irrelevant, as is demonstrated in list-method directed forgetting (LMDF). In this task, participants are cued to intentionally forget an already studied list (list 1) before encoding a second list (list 2); this induces forgetting of the first-list items. Most research on LMDF has been conducted with short retention intervals, but very recent studies indicate that such directed forgetting can be lasting. We examined in two experiments whether core findings in the LMDF literature generalize from short to long retention intervals. The focus of Experiment 1 was on the previous finding that, with short retention interval, list-2 encoding is necessary for list-1 forgetting to arise. Experiment 1 replicated the finding after a short delay of 3 min between study and test and extended it to a longer delay of 20 min. The focus of Experiment 1 was on the absence of list-1 forgetting in item recognition, previously observed after short retention interval. Experiment 1 replicated the finding after a short delay of 3 min between study and test and extended it to longer delays of 20 min and 24 h. Implications of the results for theoretical explanations of LMDF are discussed.