Open Access Books

During our lifetime, the genome is constantly being exposed to different types of damage caused either by exogenous sources (radiations and/or genotoxic compound) but also as byproducts of endogenous processes (reactive oxigen species during respiration, stalled forks during replication, eroded telomeres, etc). From a structural point of view, there are many types of DNA damage including single or double strand breaks, base modifications and losses or base-pair mismatches. The amount of lesions that we face is enormous with estimates suggesting that each of our 1013 cells has to deal with around 10.000 lesions per day [1]. While the majority of these events are properly resolved by specialized mechanisms, a deficient response to DNA damage, and particularly to DSB, harbors a serious threat to human health [2]. DSB can be formed [1] following an exposure to ionizing radiation (X- or γ-rays) or clastogenic drugs; [2] endogenously, during DNA replication, or [3], as a consequence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during oxidative metabolism. In addition, programmed DSB are used as repair intermediates during V(D)J and Class-Switch recombination (CSR) in lymphocytes [3], or during meiotic recombination [4]. Because of this, immunodeficiency and/or sterility problems are frequently associated with DDR-related pathologies.

Teacher Craft is about how teachers learn to use new digital media. Teacher learning is central to reform and change across subject areas and age levels, but how much do we really know about how teachers learn to try new lessons in classrooms? Minecraft is currently the game of choice for millions of youth and also for these seventeen teachers who claim it has transformed their classrooms. Its rapid adoption also provides a unique window of opportunity to look inside the recent memory of innovative teachers and unpack how they learned. Why did they pick Minecraft? More importantly, how did they pick Minecraft? Where did they hear about it? Who do they trust for ideas? How do they test new ideas? Can we begin to identify the trajectories of truly innovative teachers? It turns out, we can - and it may not be what you’d expect.

In the current Special Issue of Metals, we present six contributions from academia and industry. Based on their latest research developments, and achievements in their applied research field, the contributors elucidate the effect of temperature during forming operations that were closely analyzed via texture evaluation, present the opportunities that derive from microstructure and process simulation, and show how trace elements may affect critical properties in the performance of metallic materials. Bridging the gap between academia and industry, they provide all the necessary theoretical background through basic and applied research to meet the requirements for industrial application of the new and steadily optimized materials and concepts.

This book provides education professionals with an accessible and actionable guide to using research well in real-world contexts. Using research evidence to improve education is critically important but often poorly supported. There is little or no guidance for educators and leaders about how to do it well. Through practical examples, school case studies, improvement activities and practice checklists, this book unpacks what using research well involves and shows you how to develop it as an action-based practice within your work. The book’s easy-to-read chapters guide you through the process of: identifying your purpose for using research and finding appropriate research, engaging with the research thoughtfully and implementing it effectively, and modelling and supporting quality research use within your organisation. Written for teachers and leaders across all stages of education who want to use research evidence better within their work, this is an indispensable addition to the professional library.

La investigación está formada alrededor de un planteamiento general: el comportamiento de los comerciantes del Consulado de México en un proceso de cambio de larga duración, como resultado de las consecuencias de la variación de la concepción de América en la camarilla ilustrada de Carlos III, y uno particular, derivado de éste: la comprensión de las libranzas como mecanismo empleado por los comerciantes del consulado para seguir controlando el mercado interno e impedir la dispersión de la plata por el interior de la Nueva España.

Tekst jest próbą przedstawienia wybranych zagadnień dotyczących zastosowania metodologii konstruktywistycznej teorii ugruntowanej Kathy Charmaz w badaniu osób głuchoniewidomych. Należy podkreślić, że osoby głuchoniewidome stanowią grupę bardzo zróżnicowaną, a problematyka głuchoślepoty jest mało znana w świadomości społecznej i badawczej, a także niewystarczająco opisana w literaturze przedmiotu. Omówiono w niniejszej pracy główne etapy kształtowania się metodologii teorii ugruntowanej, ukazując m.in. badania dotyczące osób z niepełnosprawnością przeprowadzone metodologią teorii ugruntowanej. Autor jednoczesne uszkodzenie słuchu i wzroku rozumie nie tylko jako dysfunkcję dwóch podstawowych zmysłów, zaburzającą funkcjonowanie osoby nią dotkniętej, ale przede wszystkim jako doświadczenie człowieka.

Value-added assessment (VAA) systems use statistical techniques to analyze test-score data; VAA data is intended to help educators make more informed decisions about curriculum and instruction. The authors examined the rollout of Pennsylvania's VAA program, and found that, in its pilot phase, the program had little effect on student achievement and received limited use by most principals and teachers at schools participating in the program.

En el contexto de la Maestría en Psicología Comunitaria de la Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD), el libro Tejiendo Comunidades: Prácticas y Experiencias en Psicología Comunitaria desde la Investigación Acción Participativa surge como una obra fundamental en la formación académica de profesionales en este campo disciplinar. Los contenidos temáticos abordan aspectos claves para la formación de estudiantes de otros programas y actores sociales interesados en los procesos de investigación y abordaje comunitario para la transformación social de las poblaciones. Este libro, el cuarto en una serie de publicaciones realizadas por la maestría, es una forma de celebrar los 100 años de natalicio de Orlando Fals Borda, pionero de la investigación acción participativa (IAP), y un homenaje a su legado, por sus contribuciones a la investigación transformadora. En estas páginas se presenta una compilación de experiencias y trabajos desarrollados por egresados, docentes e invitados, que reflejan el espíritu crítico, reflexivo y transformador de la psicología comunitaria. La obra se divide en cinco capítulos que abordan diversos temas relacionados con la IAP y su aplicación en contextos comunitarios. En el primero se destacan reflexiones teóricas de la investigación participativa para brindar una comprensión profunda de la metodología de IAP, sus aportes a la psicología comunitaria y su incidencia en las políticas públicas. El segundo capítulo presenta un análisis de los aportes y retos conceptuales, metodológicos y prácticos de la experiencia formativa de estudiantes de maestría, a partir de sus proyectos de grado y las contribuciones de la IAP en sus trabajos. El tercero se centra en la justicia social, la ciudadanía, la participación comunitaria y explora estudios de caso para mostrar cómo la IAP facilita el empoderamiento de mujeres migrantes y el uso de prácticas culturales como herramientas de intervención. El cuarto capítulo explora diversas técnicas y estrategias participativas aplicadas en comunidades rurales y urbanas, con el objetivo de fomentar la integración social; en este se presenta una descripción de técnicas transdisciplinares claves para el desarrollo comunitario sostenible. Finalmente, el quinto capítulo presenta una experiencia que evidencia el aporte de la IAP para facilitar procesos de inclusión en una comunidad con discapacidad, desde la psicología comunitaria, el trabajo inter y transdisciplinar, la salud mental y el fortalecimiento comunitario. Tejiendo Comunidades no solo sirve como un recurso educativo y de investigación para los estudiantes de la Maestría en Psicología Comunitaria y de otros programas, sino que también se presenta como una fuente de inspiración para la práctica profesional de quienes trabajan distintos procesos con las comunidades.

Die stetige Erhöhung der Verkehrssicherheit durch immer leistungsfähigere Fahrerassistenzsysteme haben in den letzten Jahren maßgeblich zu einem Anwachsen des Elektrik/Elektronik Anteils im Automobilbau geführt. Diese Arbeit liefert einen Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Methoden für die modellbasierte Entwicklung und Konfiguration von FlexRay Bussystemen. Dazu wurden verschiedene Verfahren entwickelt, welche sich mit der Realisierung, Konfiguration, Validierung und Test von FlexRay beschäftigen.

New Perspectives on the History of Gender and Empire extends our understanding of the gendered workings of empires, colonialism and imperialism, taking up recent impulses from gender history, new imperial history and global history. The authors apply new theoretical and methodological approaches to historical case studies around the globe in order to redefine the complex relationship between gender and empire. The chapters deal not only with ‘typical’ colonial empires like the British Empire, but also with those less well-studied, such as the German, Russian, Italian and U.S. empires. They focus on various imperial formations, from colonies in Africa or Asia to settler colonial settings like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, to imperial peripheries like the Dodecanese or the Black Sea Steppe. The book deals with key themes such as intimacy, sexuality and female education, as well as exploring new aspects like the complex marriage regimes some empires developed or the so-called ‘servant debates’. It also presents several ways in which imperial formations were structured by gender and other categories like race, class, caste, sexuality, religion, and citizenship. Offering new reflections on the intimate and personal aspects of gender in imperial activities and relationships, this is an important volume for students and scholars of gender studies and imperial and colonial history.

Provides the English-speaking reader with the tools needed to appreciate Thomas Mann's most ambitious novel, one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century, now timely once again. In 1938, the great German author and Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann emigrated to the United States. There, he became a figurehead for the intellectual opposition to Nazism, giving more than 150 public lectures and recording more than fifty anti-Nazi radio addresses that the BBC broadcast into Germany. His political activities also left a profound mark on his fiction, most importantly on the 1947 novel Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkühn as Told by a Friend. Ostensibly the biography of a fictional modern composer, Doctor Faustus also serves as a post-mortem of Nazism and a reckoning with five centuries of cultural history that led to dazzling heights but failed to prevent Germany's ultimate fall. Doctor Faustus is an astonishingly complex novel, both because of the range of its intellectual references and because of its stylistic inventiveness, which has provoked comparisons with Joyce. And yet, at a time when democracy around the world once again seems in retreat and the forces of irrationalism are in advance, it is also an extremely timely book. This guide will equip English-speaking readers with all the tools necessary to appreciate one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century. On publication this book is available as an Open Access ebook under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND.

Concessions were strictly delimited enclaves within key trading cities in China, ceded to and governed by foreign powers after ‘unequal treaties’ resulting from military campaigns. Within the international concession of Tientsin (today’s Tianjin), a city to the south-east of Beijing, nine nations were present (1860-1946), but the Austro-Hungarian concession (1901-17) fell into oblivion. Filling this scientific gap is the overall goal of this book: its urban and architectural history will be contextualised here for the first time, making use of hitherto unknown archival material.

The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems provides a synthetic guide to the range of methods that can be employed in social-ecological systems (SES) research. The book is primarily targeted at graduate students, lecturers and researchers working on SES, and has been written in a style that is accessible to readers entering the field from a variety of different disciplinary backgrounds. Each chapter discusses the types of SES questions to which the particular methods are suited and the potential resources and skills required for their implementation, and provides practical examples of the application of the methods. In addition, the book contains a conceptual and practical introduction to SES research, a discussion of key gaps and frontiers in SES research methods, and a glossary of key terms in SES research. Contributions from 97 different authors, situated at SES research hubs in 16 countries around the world, including South Africa, Sweden, Germany and Australia, bring a wealth of expertise and experience to this book. The first book to provide a guide and introduction specifically focused on methods for studying SES, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainability science, environmental management, global environmental change studies and environmental governance. The book will also be of interest to upper-level undergraduates and professionals working at the science–policy interface in the environmental arena.

The technological advancement of our civilization has created a consumer society expanding faster than the planet's resources allow, with our resource and energy needs rising exponentially in the past century. Securing the future of the human race will require an improved understanding of the environment as well as of technological solutions, mindsets and behaviors in line with modes of development that the ecosphere of our planet can support. Sustainable development offers an approach that would be practical to fuse with the managerial strategies and assessment tools for policy and decision makers at the regional planning level.

Inhibitory control is a critical neurocognitive skill for navigating cognitive, social, and emotional challenges. It rapidly increases during the preschool period and is important for early cognitive development, as it is a crucial component of executive functioning, self-regulation, and impulsivity. Inhibitory control training (ICT) is a novel intervention in which participants learn to associate appetitive cues with inhibition of behavior. It is being considered a promising approach in the treatment of psychopathology and appetitive behaviors. This book aims to bring together knowledge on the topic, considering research, clinic, and forensic field of intervention. Indeed, this book can be considered an excellent synopsis of perspectives, methods, empirical evidence, and international references.