Development of a Cycle-Tourism Strategy in Greece Based on the Preferences of Potential Cycle-Tourists

Cycle-tourism seems to be an emerging touristic model in many countries, including Greece. Although the infrastructure is limited, entrepreneurship can support the development of such tourism sector, as cycle-tourists have specific needs to be met during an excursion. Thus, it would be helpful if stores that meet specific prerequisites could be certificated as cycle-friendly companies. In order for such certification to be developed, it is necessary for those parameters to be defined. This paper focuses on that topic and such criteria were identified through in-depth interviews with cycle-tourists and cycle-tour operators. Through this research, conclusions were derived about the criteria according to which cycle-tourists in Greece select stores and accommodation during an excursion. Those selection parameters were transcribed to indicators that will be used in order to develop the certification at the next phase of the research. Moreover, conclusions were compared with outcomes of similar international studies. It was found that cycle-tourists are interested in specific services, regardless of the country in which they live or travel. Besides conventional touristic activities, the importance of small retail stores in remote villages acting as meeting points with local people and culture was highlighted.

The sociology of the limit: Reformulating the question of migration through Van Gennep

This article situates Van Gennep’s Rites de passage in the contemporary field of migration studies, arguing that his second and third chapters allow us to reformulate how we conceptualize contemporary migratory encounters. Rather than reading Van Gennep’s classical text through the prevalent Turnerian lens of “liminality” in migration, I reread it as offering a conceptualization of migration as deriving from society’s establishment on a delimited piece of earth, constituting itself against and in relation to its own limits. Society’s limit then becomes the center of social inquiry, while the strangers at the gate are seen as an integral part of these fundamental relations between a social grouping and the delimited space it occupies. The article further suggests that Van Gennep’s sociology of the limit offers the field of migration studies three practical analytical contributions: (a) its notion of the multiplicity of limits and sublimits emerging throughout the migratory encounter; (b) its emphasis on the sanctification of the limit, which opens up the possibility of analyzing the relations between migration and emotions; and (c) its pointing to the potential cycle of dread elicited by this sanctification—a notion highly relevant to analyzing contemporary migratory encounters.

Electrochemical Na+ and Ca2+ gradients drive coupled-clock regulation of automaticity of isolated rabbit sinoatrial nodal pacemaker cells

Coupling of an intracellular Ca2+ clock to surface membrane ion channels, i.e., a “membrane clock, ” via coupling of electrochemical Na+ and Ca2+ gradients ( ENa and ECa, respectively) has been theorized to regulate sinoatrial nodal cell (SANC) normal automaticity. To test this hypothesis, we measured responses of [Na+]i, [Ca2+]i, membrane potential, action potential cycle length (APCL), and rhythm in rabbit SANCs to Na+/K+ pump inhibition by the digitalis glycoside, digoxigenin (DG, 10–20 μmol/l). Initial small but significant increases in [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i and reductions in ENa and ECa in response to DG led to a small reduction in maximum diastolic potential (MDP), significantly enhanced local diastolic Ca2+ releases (LCRs), and reduced the average APCL. As [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i continued to increase at longer times following DG exposure, further significant reductions in MDP, ENa, and ECa occurred; LCRs became significantly reduced, and APCL became progressively and significantly prolonged. This was accompanied by increased APCL variability. We also employed a coupled-clock numerical model to simulate changes in ENa and ECa simultaneously with ion currents not measured experimentally. Numerical modeling predicted that, as the ENa and ECa monotonically reduced over time in response to DG, ion currents ( ICaL, ICaT, If, IKr, and IbNa) monotonically decreased. In parallel with the biphasic APCL, diastolic INCX manifested biphasic changes; initial INCX increase attributable to enhanced LCR ensemble Ca2+ signal was followed by INCX reduction as ENCX ( ENCX = 3 ENa − 2 ECa) decreased. Thus SANC automaticity is tightly regulated by ENa, ECa, and ENCX via a complex interplay of numerous key clock components that regulate SANC clock coupling.