Open Access Books

Employee absence, or absenteeism, has been a subject of substantial attention in organizational psychology over the past century. It pertains to an individual’s temporary withdrawal behavior from work, bearing significant implications for organizations, individuals, and society. We describe distinct definitions and interpretations of absence, focusing on the organizational psychology perspective. Further, we explain health and motivational understandings of absence, their formation, theoretical underpinnings as well as potential consequences. In addition to the management of absence, this entry highlights shortcomings and potential avenues for future research in the field of absence. Overall, we underline that understanding absenteeism necessitates contextualization, legitimacy assessment, and recognition of changing dynamics, such as technology’s influence and shifting work environments. In sum, exploring absence requires multilevel models that integrate individual, organizational, and societal perspectives as well as recent scientific methods.

In the late fifth century, a girl whose name has been forgotten by history was born at the edge of the Chinese empire. By the time of her death, she had transformed herself into Empress Dowager Ling, one of the most powerful politicians of her age and one of the first of many Buddhist women to wield incredible influence in dynastic East Asia. In this book, Stephanie Balkwill documents the Empress Dowager’s rise to power and life on the throne against the broader world of imperial China under the rule of the Northern Wei dynasty, a foreign people from Inner Asia who built their capital deep in the Chinese heartland. Building on largely untapped Buddhist materials, Balkwill shows that the life and rule of the Empress Dowager is a larger story of the reinvention of religious, ethnic, and gender norms in a rapidly changing multicultural society. The Women Who Ruled China recovers the voices of those left out of the mainstream historical record, painting a compelling portrait of medieval Chinese society reinventing itself under the Empress Dowager’s leadership. “This book is truly groundbreaking in its focus, theoretical contributions, and methodological innovations. Stephanie Balkwill’s deft treatment of Buddhism, gender, and ethnic difference in the Northern Wei court of Empress Dowager Ling will surely serve as a model for other scholars.” — Megan Bryson, author of Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China “Balkwill’s penetrating scholarship greatly enlarges our understanding of two often-ignored and deeply intertwined aspects of rulership in East Asia: women and Buddhism. This book explores the powerful role that women played in Northern Wei politics and how Buddhism provided a new repertoire for enlarging their roles, especially in the more populist forms favored by the Empress Dowager. A revealing, thought-provoking read.” — Andrew Chittick, author of The Jiankang Empire in Chinese and World History

The large production and widespread daily consumption of plastic materials which began in the last century, together with the often inadequate collection and recycling systems, have made plastics and, consequently, microplastics (MPs) ubiquitous pollutants. Microplastic pollution as a global concern is confirmed by the research papers collected in this Special Issue; these papers come from 28 Universities and research institutions and are spread across ten countries on three continents. This Special Issue collected and published 11 novel contributions focusing on microplastics in aquatic environments, their occurrence and distribution, and the effects they might have on the environment and biota. As Guest Editors of this Special Issue, we were pleased to receive several papers concerning the interaction between microplastics and biota; despite a large number of peer-reviewed papers published on this research topic, there are still several gaps that need to be filled and there is concrete evidence suggesting that microplastic pollution may constitute a serious hazard to aquatic biota. The results of the contributions collected herein have helped to fill some knowledge gaps about the occurrence, distribution, and effects of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems. The outcomes clearly indicate that microplastic pollution is a serious environmental issue; the scientific community should increase its knowledge and understanding of how it could affect the environment, biota, and humans, and how it could be reduced and prevented.

As time goes by, the concept of a "smart city" encompasses an increasing number of aspects. Essentially, when we think of a modern city, we would like it to offer a vibrant and safe living environment for its community of residents: healthy indoor living spaces, green outdoor spaces for leisure and sports, flowing traffic, efficient distribution of goods, various forms of safe transportation for people, public lighting and surveillance systems, emergency management, information and communication services, etc. A smart city offers much more: it represents a space that favors the development of people and their potential, in a sustainable and resilient manner, by means of the intelligent integration of ICT tools and technologies. The following reprint collects research and innovative approaches to smart city issues. The contributions cover a wide range of topics, from car and bike-sharing models to ways of improving quality of life through digitalization. Readers will get an insight into effective solutions offered by researchers and practitioners working in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, data analytics, etc. The synergy of these technologies is illustrated herein, providing a new, challenging view on the smart cities of today and of the future.

Mathematics Education; Educational Technology; Teaching and Teacher Education

These lecture notes are a follow up on Adjustment theory. Adjustment theory deals with the optimal combination of redundant measurements together with the estimation of unknown parameters. There are two main reasons for performing redundant measurements. First, the wish to increase the accuracy of the results computed. Second, the requirement to be able to check for mistakes or errors. The present book addresses this second topic. Although one always will try one's best to avoid making mistakes, they can and will occasionally happen. It is therefore of importance to have ways of detecting and identifying such mistakes. Mistakes or errors can come in many different guises. They could be caused by mistakes made by the observer, or by the fact that defective instruments are used, or by wrong assumptions about the functional relations between the observables. When passed unnoticed, these errors will deteriorate the final results. The goal of this introductory course on testing theory is therefore to convey the necessary knowledge for testing the validity of both the measurements and the mathematical model. Typical questions that will be addressed are: 'How to check the validity of the mathematical model? How to search for certain mistakes or errors? How well can errors be traced? And how do undetected errors affect the final results?' The theory is worked out in detail for the important case of linear(ized) models. Both the parametric form (observation equations) and the implicit form (condition equations) of linear models are treated. As an additional aid in understanding the basic principles involved, a geometric interpretation is given throughout. Attention is also paid to the performance of the testing procedures. The closely related concept of reliability is introduced and diagnostic measures are given to determine the size of the minimal detectable biases. In this introductory text the methodology of testing is emphasized, although various examples are given to illustrate the theory. The methods discussed form the basis for geodetic quality control and they provide the ingredients for the formulation of guidelines for the reliable design of measurement set-ups.

On March 5, 2020, South Africa recorded its first official case of COVID-19 when a South African returning from holiday tested positive. The number of excess deaths is over 300,000. The policy response to the pandemic is regarded as among the most draconian in Africa. In 2020, the government imposed a stay-at-home lockdown for 100 days, which was enforced by armed police and the army. Breaching the lockdown was a criminal offence and arrests were widespread. By April 2021, over 400,000 had been apprehended. In his 2021 book, One Virus, Two Countries, Steven Friedman suggests that government containment and punishment measures had a negative impact on the country's urban poor, a population that includes many internal migrants, several million international migrants, and refugees. This chapter discusses South Africa's militaristic policy and policing response to the advent of COVID-19, and how this impacted migrants in the urban formal and informal economy.

Most digital content, whether it be thousands of news articles or millions of social media posts, is too large for the naked eye alone. Often, the advent of immense datasets requires a more productive approach to labeling media beyond a team of researchers. This book offers practical guidance and Python code to traverse the vast expanses of data—significantly enhancing productivity without compromising scholarly integrity. We’ll survey a wide array of computer-based classification approaches, focusing on easy-to-understand methodological explanations and best practices to ensure that your data is being labeled accurately and precisely. By reading this book, you should leave with an understanding of how to select the best computational content analysis methodology to your needs for the data and problem you have. This guide gives researchers the tools they need to amplify their analytical reach through the integration of content analysis with computational classification approaches, including machine learning and the latest advancements in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs). It is particularly useful for academic researchers looking to classify media data and advanced scholars in mass communications research, media studies, digital communication, political communication, and journalism. Complementing the book are online resources: datasets for practice, Python code scripts, extended exercise solutions, and practice quizzes for students, as well as test banks and essay prompts for instructors. Please visit www.routledge.com/9781032846354.

Past efforts to resolve ethno-territorial conflicts in Brčko, Mostar, Northern Ireland, and Jerusalem provide insights that could facilitate a negotiated settlement regarding the disputed Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The case studies show that Arabs, Kurds, and Turkomen must emphasize governance over symbols of sovereignty, develop adaptable power-sharing mechanisms, marginalize spoilers, empower local leaders, and create multi-ethnic security forces.

Focusing on the changing image of the West Coast through such varied social and cultural artifacts as bodybuilding, group therapy, suicide cults, Marilyn Monroe, milk-carton images of missing children, orgies, Mickey Mouse, zombies, teenage slang, shock therapy, and surf music, The Case of California offers a dizzying psycho-history of the twentieth century as crystallized in the symbolic configuration and “case” of California, which case is articulated in relation to German modernism, National Socialism, and Freudian psychoanalysis. As Laurence Rickels writes, “on the personalizable level or label, California is a death cult; on the social, outward, happy-face level, it distributes pleasure via sadomasochism, the adolescent group, or friendship.” Ultimately, The Case of California excavates the places “California” occupies as concept or placeholder within Freudian psychoanalysis and such systems as the Frankfurt School, East Coast psychoanalysis, and deconstruction. To excavate the full range of “California,” one must apply pressure to a series of adjacent (and often equally marginal or missing) concepts, including group and adolescent psychology, female sexuality, the haunting of music and of mass media at large, the charge of child abuse, and a certain convergence of religious and hysterical conversion.

Since the launch, in 1965, of the key notion of a fuzzy subset by Lotfi A. Zadeh, this concept has succeeded in growing interest and development. Nowadays, it is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and appealing branches of mathematics. Its range of applications is wide and multidisciplinary, starting from computer sciences and artificial intelligence, but also touching on a vast set of scientific disciplines (physics, engineering, medicine, economics, social choice, etc.). The present Special Issue is devoted to introducing new trends on this theory, from an interdisciplinary point of view, and looking for a wide coverage of topics related to fuzzy set and systems.

One of the most serious problems of modern navigation is the accident rate that occurs due to inept or belated maneuvering of ships. As a result of accidents in the world, more than 200 ships sink every year and every fourth receives significant damage. Full-scale tests show that the stopping distance of large-tonnage ships turn out to be much less permissible, and shipbuilders are able to significantly reduce the astern power of such ships, making them cheaper at the expense of safety. The low accuracy of inertial-braking characteristics is mainly due to unqualified field tests. Analysis of graphs and tables based on the results of such tests show that the spread in the values of inertial-braking characteristics for ships of the same type reaches 30%, and in some cases even more. In many tables and graphs, inertial-braking characteristics are expressed in relative values and are not suitable for direct use when maneuvering a ship. Finally, even when graphical and/or tabular maneuvering information is available on the navigating bridge, it is difficult to use it when maneuvering a ship at night. The research carried out by the author results in: - creation of an alternative computational method for determining the inertial-braking characteristics of the ship, suitable for use on any on-board computer; - development of an improved methodology for calculating the path and time of acceleration and braking of the ship in various ahead motion modes; - development of a methodology for taking into account the influence of a passing and opponent current on the length of the stopping distance of the ship; - development of methods for solving applied problems, ensuring a decrease in the accident rate of ships during maneuvering. The obtained methods include the development of theoretical foundations, mathematical models and comparison of the calculated inertial-braking characteristics of ships with the data of a full-scale experiment. For the first time, to derive the calculated formulas for the time and stopping distance, theorems are used on the change in the momentum and kinetic energy during accelerated and decelerated motion of the ship. In the course of the study, the problems of calculating and formalizing the inertial-braking characteristics of the ship are being comprehensively solved. For the first time, the hypothesis that the nature of the change in the thrust force of the propeller during reverse can be approximated by linear equations has been substantiated and confirmed. The general results are used to calculate the inertial-braking characteristics of specific ships.

In drug research and development, delivering drugs to the target sites is crucial to avoid serious off-target side effects and ensure effective medical treatment. Specifically, certain anti-cancer drugs exhibit their activity not only on cancer cells but also on normal cells, causing side effects such as nausea, skin disorders, or hair loss. Central nervous system drug candidates face challenges in penetrating the brain due to the blood–brain barrier. Furthermore, incorrect drug distribution can often lead to adverse events in terms of other diseases. Therefore, precision drug delivery should be enhanced and eventually established. The modification of nanoparticles is relatively straightforward. Consequently, a variety of useful nanoparticles can be produced for drug-controlled release, barrier permeation, including cell membranes, and/or targeting. Additionally, nanoparticles protect their cargos from degradation by enzymes and inhibit their unsuitable activity expression, reducing the risk of off-target side effects. Multiple strategies can be integrated into nanoparticles. Currently, pharmaceutical researchers and healthcare workers are increasingly interested in nanoparticle-mediated targeted drug delivery systems. Drug-loaded nanoparticles are employed differently based on the purpose and target area. Drug delivery systems utilizing nanoparticles as carriers represent promising strategies for achieving intelligent drug distribution.

The third-year Laboratories carried out within the Bachelor of Architecture (Department of Architecture - University of Naples "Federico II"), which present their outcomes in this volume, chose to work on the topic of the school, more generally, on buildings for education. In order to develop the educational experience, they chose to use as an "architectural issue" a public design competition concerning the project of a new school complex in Cavaion Veronese. The functional-normative program, the morphology of the site, the relationship with the natural system, the small village near to the site and the system of roadways and pedestrian routes offered levels of typological, structural, technological, morphological, and urban complexity appropriate to the challenges that can be dealt by third-years students. Essays and projects collected in this volume provide an opportunity to experiment with teaching activities. They represent useful tools for an inclusive School of Architecture. At the same time, the personal experiences of each professor, expresses processes and way of teaching design capable to outline different cultural horizons in favor of a plurality of views on the architecture of the city.