Humanities & Social Sciences

The intersection of AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing has kindled the edge AI revolution that promises to redefine how we perceive and interact with the physical world through intelligent devices. Edge AI moves intelligence from the network centre to the devices at its edge, entrusting these endpoints to analyse data locally, make decisions, and provide real-time responses. Recent advances in power-efficient high-performance embedded silicon make edge AI a viable proposition, albeit one requiring new distributed architectures and novel design concepts. Moving decision-making closer to the edge makes responses faster and systems more reliable, while the constant pressure to reduce network bandwidth demand and the need to contain spiralling data storage and operations costs help justify the engineering investment necessary to embrace this new paradigm. Moving to decentralised operation opens the door to a multitude of novel applications, covering immersive technologies and autonomous systems across fields as diverse as healthcare and industrial automation, personal assistance and prognostics, surgery, and process control. In the best tradition of systems engineering, the first stage of this transition process is understanding the application domain for edge AI deployment, the "system context". This book presents some key topics and early thinking from the EdgeAI* project, covering data backhaul technologies, lifecycle management, mechanisms for developing AIs at the edge and techniques for interacting with those AIs. It provides examples of application domains before concluding with a review of how edge AI systems can be understood by their users. It also examines and presents new results based on current investigations and activities in edge AI technologies, considering the future trends in autonomic systems, hyperautomation, AI engineering, generative AI, connectivity, and cybersecurity mesh. This book aims to empower the reader with the knowledge and insights needed to understand and embrace the transformative power of edge AI technology. The extensively referenced chapters, contributed by experts and thought leaders in the field, are recommended to anyone interested in developing edge AI systems. *Edge AI Technologies for Optimised Performance Embedded Processing"" (EdgeAI) Key Digital Technologies (KDT) Joint Undertaking (JU) European research project. https://https://edge-ai-tech.eu/

What does the discourse on nomadism say about anthropological concepts of western societies? This edited volume relates historical instances of nomadism to the role of »the nomad« in political discourses and recent theoretical debates. The figure of the nomad was and still is constructed as an antagonist within a (neo-)liberal frame of narratives about sedentarism, productivity and improvement. Whereas the discourse about nomadism in the 18th and 19th century was entangled with colonial contexts and ideas about so called »primitive« societies, it became even more multifaceted in the 20th century, considering ideas about »nomadic thinking« of Deleuze or Guattari, and different forms of »modern nomadism« on the rise: from travelling day laborers to refugees of war, to scientists, to a global managerial class. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode

"The story of the Polytechnic and of the legacy of Quintin Hogg is the third publication exploring the University of Westminster's long and diverse history. A fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Hogg, his holistic approach to education and the institute he created. This book is richly illustrated with images from the University's Archive. A print paperback can be purchased direct from the University of Westminster for £25 following this link: www.westminster.ac.uk/historybooks Staff, students and alumni can claim a 20% discount on this price."

This edited volume explores the idea of Europe through a focus on its margins. The chapters in the volume inquire critically into the relations and tensions inherent in divisions between the Global North and the Global South as well as internal regional differentiation within Europe itself. In doing so, the volume stresses the need to consider Europe from critical interdisciplinary perspectives, highlighting historical and contemporary issues of racism and colonialism. While recent discussions of migration into ‘Fortress Europe’ seem to assume that Europe has clearly demarcated geographic, political and cultural boundaries, this book argues that the reality is more complex. The book explores margins conceptually and positions margins and centres as open to negotiation and contestation and characterized by ambiguity. As such, margins can be contextualized in relation to hierarchies within Europe, with different processes involved in creating boundaries and borders between different kinds of Europes and Europeans. Deploying case studies from different places, such as Iceland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the UK, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Sicily, European colonies in the Caribbean and the former Yugoslavia, the contributors analyse how different geopolitical hierarchies intersect with racialized subject positions of diverse people living in Europe, while also exploring issues of gender, class, sexuality, religion and nationality. Some chapters draw attention to the fortification of Europe’s ‘borderland,’ while others focus on internal hierarchies within Europe, critiquing the meaning of spatial boundaries in an increasingly digitalized Europe. In doing so, the chapters interrogate the hierarchies at play in the processes of being and becoming ‘European’ and the ongoing impacts of race and colonialism. This timely and thought-provoking collection will be of considerable significance to those in the humanities and social sciences with an interest in Europe. Chapter 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

The ERiK-Methodological Report IV is the fourth in a series of methodological reports related to the 'Indicatorbased monitoring of structural quality in the German early childhood education and care system (ERiK)' study. The report introduces the implementation of the sample and survey designs and evaluates the data quality of the ERiK-Surveys 2022. Together with the ERiK-Methodological Report III, it contains all background information on the ERiK-Surveys 2022. Together with the ERiK-Methodological Report I and II, that cover the ERiK-Surveys 2020, it provides comprehensive background information on the ERiK-Surveys in general.

This interdisciplinary monograph examines the potential of Norwegian literary classics by Knut Hamsun, Sigrid Undset and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson to advance diversity and inclusivity in education. Drawing on postcolonial theory, critical race studies and gender critique, the book explores how these canonical texts can be reinterpreted as tools for fostering intercultural empathy and encouraging critical dialogue about societal norms, identities and power structures. While acknowledging the complexities and controversies surrounding these authors, the book offers a balanced critique that both interrogates and celebrates their works. It provides innovative pedagogical strategies for integrating classic literature into contemporary educational practices, demonstrating how these texts can be used to challenge traditional narratives and promote inclusivity in the classroom. By bridging literary analysis with critical theory and educational practice, this work invites academics, educators and students to reconsider the role of classic literature in shaping more equitable and empathetic learning environments. It positions Norwegian literary heritage as a dynamic resource for addressing pressing questions about identity, diversity and social justice in today’s globalized world. This book is an essential contribution to the fields of literary studies, education and critical pedagogy.

This volume documents speeches given at the inauguration of Prof. Dr. -Ing. habil. Monika Auweter-Kurtz as President of the University of Hamburg on 1 February 2007

Since the Second World War the world has seen an economic growth spurt unprecedented in history. Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition for improving human development, or in other words, economic growth is an important pre-requisite for the ultimate goal of human well-being. The four empirical essays of this book add to the general debate concerning dynamics of growth, poverty and inequality over the past 40 years from four different dimensions. The first chapter analyses the dynamics of the cross-country per capita income distribution and the existence of convergence clubs. The second chapter focuses on the dynamic development of the global income distribution and resulting implications for global income convergence, poverty reduction, pro-poor growth and the evolution of global inequality within and between countries. The third chapter investigates the deterministic relationship between ethnic fractionalisation and growth in a macro cross-country regression framework. Finally, the fourth chapter adds to the understanding of micro determinants of growth and poverty in the context of Indonesia.

Augmented und Virtual Reality werden zunehmend für Bildungszusammenhänge entwickelt und in fachdidaktischen Kontexten diskutiert. Nicola Przybylka legt am Beispiel der Fächer Geographie, Geschichte und Sport die in gegenwärtigen Aushandlungen stabilisierten Macht- und Wissensordnungen offen. Dabei weist sie in einer diskursanalytischen Rekonstruktion von drei Metaerzählungen deren Einschreibung in die Gestaltung von AR- und VR-Apps nach und problematisiert sie im Hinblick auf den potenziellen Einsatz von AR und VR in Bildungskontexten – eine medienwissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung zum Komplex Medien und Bildung, die neben fachdidaktischen auch fachkulturelle Perspektiven in den Blick nimmt.

This volume provides a state-of-the-art overview of the field of more-than-human studies, bringing together contemporary and essential content from leading authors across the discipline. With attention to the intellectual history of the field, its developments and extensions, its applications and its significance to contemporary society, it presents empirical studies and theoretical work covering long-established disciplines, as well as new writing on art, history, politics, planning, architecture, research methodology and ethics. An elaboration of the various dimensions of more-than-human studies, The Routledge International Handbook of More-than-Human Studies constitutes essential reading for anyone studying or researching in this field.

Par quelles technologies et en fonction de quelles idéologies la médecine participe-t-elle à façonner des corps « bien » sexués ? Comment les pratiques médicales contribuent-elles à l’établissement et au renouvellement de normes de sexe et de sexualité ? Les études réunies dans ce livre permettent de saisir les interrogations et les doutes de la médecine face aux transgressions de sexe et de sexualité. Peut-on convertir un homosexuel à l’hétérosexualité ? Identifier le sexe d’une personne ? Embellir les organes génitaux féminins ? Discipliner le corps des femmes enceintes ? Et comment les personnes résistent-elles à la normalisation médicale en matière de contraception, de disponibilité sexuelle ou de parcours de transition sexuelle ? Ce livre permet de prendre la mesure des hésitations et des débats qui ont accompagné la constitution du savoir médical, avec une attention particulière à l’histoire suisse récente. Il met en lumière la labilité des frontières entre normalité et pathologique et permet de saisir tant les continuités que les changements d’appréhension du genre depuis le siècle dernier.

This sweeping book details the extent to which the legal revolution emanating from the US has transformed legal hierarchies of power across the globe, while also analyzing the conjoined global histories of law and social change from the Middle Ages to today. It examines the global proliferation of large corporate law firms—a US invention—along with US legal education approaches geared toward those corporate law firms. This neoliberal-inspired revolution attacks complacent legal oligarchies in the name of America-inspired modernism. Drawing on the combined histories of the legal profession, imperial transformations, and the enduring and conservative role of cosmopolitan elites at the top of legal hierarchies, the book details case studies in India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and China to explain how interconnected legal histories are stories of both revolution and reproduction. Theoretically and methodologically ambitious, it offers a wholly new approach to studying interrelated fields across time and geographies.

Echoes of Antiquity in Russian Poetry of the Eighteenth Century (A Preliminary Sketch). The article is devoted to the dependence of Russian poetry of the 18th century on ancient poetic culture. Using the example of the use of references to ancient heroes and gods in various genres of poetry from the 1730s to the first half of the 1770s, a preliminary conclusion is made about the weak interest in ancient mythology and ancient history of most of the poets of this era.

Malaria is a global disease in the world today but most common in the poorest countries of the world, with 90% of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. This book provides information on global efforts made by scientist which cuts across the continents of the world. Concerted efforts such as symbiont based malaria control; new applications in avian malaria studies; development of humanized mice to study P.falciparium (the most virulent species of malaria parasite); and current issues in laboratory diagnosis will support the prompt treatment of malaria. Research is ultimately gaining more grounds in the quest to provide vaccine for the prevention of malaria. The book features research aimed to bring a lasting solution to the malaria problem and what we should be doing now to face malaria, which is definitely useful for health policies in the twenty first century.

The Routledge Companion to Gender and Celebrity offers the first comprehensive global study of how gender shapes celebrity culture across diverse contexts and media landscapes. Bringing together 37 original chapters from leading and emerging scholars worldwide, this volume transforms celebrity studies by centring gender to expand cultural, geopolitical, and methodological boundaries. Through case studies spanning Turkey to Hollywood and Bangladesh to Spain, contributors explore issues such as queer stardom in Hong Kong, feminist digital activism in Pakistan, Indigenous celebrity, and China’s 'traffic idols'. Employing methodologies, including discourse analysis, digital ethnography, archival research, and qualitative interviews, the Companion purposefully decentres Western perspectives, tracing localised and transnational circuits of fame while addressing historical and contemporary intersections of gender and celebrity. The Routledge Companion to Gender and Celebrity is ideal for scholars, students, and researchers in gender studies, media and cultural studies, sociology, and related fields seeking fresh insights into global celebrity cultures and their political and social implications. Chapter 3 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.