Open Access Books

For decades the health of children and adolescents has been a topic of interest in all parts of Europe. And there is quite a consensus that schools are the most appropriate setting to promote health. Childhood and adolescence constitute key stages for learning and adopting a health-related and active lifestyle which includes physical activity and sports. The book describes a new approach to enhance students` health awareness through experimental learning settings in P.E. class, cross-subject teaching, and project work.Teaching health topics requires a pedagogical and didactical framework based on the concept of health literacy and interdisciplinary research discussed by the authors. Teaching examples to improve students` health knowledge, health competencies and skills as well as health behaviour and habits at school implicates a new teaching structure presented in the book.

Over the last twenty years, the use of cellulosic and lignocellulosic agricultural by-products for composite applications has been of great interest, especially for reinforcing matrices. Fibers of renewable origin have many advantages. They are abundant and cheap, have a reduced impact on the environment, and are independent from fossil resources. Their ability to mechanically reinforce thermoplastic matrices is well known, as is their natural heat insulation ability. The matrices can themselves be of renewable origin (e.g., proteins, thermoplastic starch, poly(lactic acid), polyhydroxyalkanoates, etc.), thus contributing to the development of 100% bio-based composites with a controlled end of life.This Special Issue, “Natural Fiber Based Composites”, provides an inventory of the latest research in the area of composites reinforced with natural and wood fibers, focusing particularly on the preparation and molding processes of such materials (e.g., extrusion, injection molding, hot pressing, 3D printing, etc.) and their characterizations. It contains one review and ten research reports authored by researchers from three continents and eleven countries, namely China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Yemen.

This open access book focuses on the nexus between “party system stability” and “democratic consolidation”, using Slovenia as a case study. Its findings are presented from a comparative perspective to illustrate the commonalities and differences found in research on Central European post-socialist countries and former Yugoslav countries. On the one hand, Slovenia’s characteristics (including the characteristics of its transition to democracy) are far more similar to those of Central European post-socialist countries than Western Balkan countries. On the other, Slovenia shares some similarities with other parts of the former Yugoslavia – especially its experiences with the political system of socialist self-management, elements of a market economy under socialism, and war following the end of socialism (albeit the conflict in Slovenia was very short and rather mild in comparison to those in other parts of socialist Yugoslavia). Slovenia’s experiences with rapid but limited democraticbacksliding under the Janša government (March 2019–June 2022) were halted by the 2022 national election – in contrast to the more widely known cases of Hungary and Poland, where such backsliding took place incrementally over a longer period of time that included several election cycles.

This updated and revised second edition of the Routledge Handbook of Peacebuilding contains cutting-edge analyses of contemporary attempts to reach and sustain peace. The book covers the main actors and dynamics of peacebuilding, as well as the main challenges that it faces, with accessible chapters. The volume is comprehensive, covering everything from the main international institutions for peacebuilding to the links between peacebuilding and climate change, or peacebuilding and trauma. It is also firmly interdisciplinary, with a number of chapters devoted to showcasing how different disciplines interpret peacebuilding and how they contribute to it. Bringing together leading thinkers and practitioners on peacebuilding, many from the Global South, the handbook offers a valuable “hands-on” perspective on how peace can be secured and sustained. There is a significant emphasis on comparison and the book shows how peacebuilding is best examined from the vantage point of multiple cases. The book is organised into six thematic sections: Part I: Architecture and Actors Part II: Reading Peacebuilding Part III: Issues and Approaches Part IV: Violence and Security Part V: Everyday Living Part VI: Disciplinary Approaches This book will be essential reading for students of peacebuilding, mediation and post-conflict reconstruction, and of great interest to students of statebuilding, intervention, civil wars, conflict resolution, war and conflict studies and IR in general.

Due to increasing concern about the use of pesticides and its potential side effects, this book considers the development and application of alternative, environmental-friendly, plant protection methods for the control of weeds, disease, and pests (predators, parasitoids, competitors, plant-plant interactions, microelements, biopesticides). Some of the main advantages of the measures presented in papers are the absence of toxicity to humans and vertebrates, beneficial organisms, and the environment, as well as the absence of pest resistance. In order to provide sustainable and eco-friendly food production, those are important subjects, both in conventional, organic and integrated agricultural farming. Through reviews and original research articles, this reprint covers all aspects of alternative measures in plant protection.

Sinopsis La Terapia Ocupacional facilita el desarrollo de los niños y niñas al permitirles participar en actividades y ocupaciones significativas en el entorno natural; entre ellas están: escribir, jugar, interactuar, comer, practicar deporte y otras, que realizan durante la jornada escolar (Touceda et al., 2022). En coherencia, la formación práctica de esta disciplina en el ámbito de la educación, debe permitir a los estudiantes en formación, poner en práctica sus saberes y competencias en el contexto educativo, considerando al sujeto y su participación ocupacional. Por otra parte, como describe Marchant (2022), los docentes en Terapia ocupacional tienen el compromiso de apoyar en la formación de la próxima generación de estudiantes, fomentando el desarrollo de habilidades que aporten en su proceso de aprendizaje y educación profesional. Esta guía tiene como objetivo principal, proporcionar una orientación para facilitar el proceso de evaluación y, al mismo tiempo, el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de Terapia ocupacional en formación. La propuesta es crear una guía de evaluación que funcione como un ejercicio para ellos, ayudándoles a alcanzar las competencias evaluativas básicas al abordar a un niño o una niña en el entorno escolar. En este contexto, se propone la creación de un recurso de evaluación no estandarizado para que los estudiantes de Terapia ocupacional que realizan una práctica en el ámbito educativo puedan hacer un ejercicio de evaluación específico a los niños y niñas durante su etapa escolar. Para ello, Principio del formulario, en este documento se presenta el proceso de evaluación que deben seguir, así como algunos ejercicios prácticos que les ayudarán a desarrollar su razonamiento clínico para elaborar informes de evaluación objetivos y pertinentes.

Nés dans le monde anglo-saxon, les travaux de recherche sur la pensée historique ou historienne exercent une influence majeure dans les curricula au Royaume-Uni, aux États-Unis et dans le Canada anglophone. Depuis le début des années 2000, ils colorent également, dans des proportions diverses, les programmes en vigueur en francophonie, et tout particulièrement en Belgique et au Québec.Mais comment définir cette pensée historique ou historienne ? Quels liens établir avec ces autres concepts majeurs en didactique de l’histoire que sont la méthode, la perspective, la conscience historiques ou encore la pensée critique ? Dans quelle mesure est-il possible de l’enseigner à nos élèves, de l’école maternelle à l’école secondaire ? Quelles sont les conclusions des recherches empiriques réalisées à ce jour ? Quelles retombées en dégager pour l’enseignement de l’histoire du maternel à la fin de l’enseignement secondaire ?Ce volume rassemble des contributions de chercheuses et chercheurs venues et venus du Québec et de Belgique. Il intéressera particulièrement les formatrices et formateurs d’enseignantes et d’enseignants tant au niveau préscolaire que primaire ou secondaire, qu’ils soient actifs dans les universités ou les hautes écoles, en Belgique, au Québec et dans toute la francophonie. Les enseignantes et les enseignants qui œuvrent dans les classes, de l’école maternelle au secondaire, et les étudiantes et étudiants en formation trouveront également des pistes pour nourrir leurs pratiques d’enseignement dans la perspective du développement de la pensée historienne de leurs élèves.

Recently, the scientific community has deemed surface modification to be necessary because the surface properties of new materials are usually inadequate in terms of wettability, adhesion, corrosion resistance, or even drag reduction. In order to modify solid surfaces such as metals and alloys, different treatments have been used to obtain a desired surface finish, including chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, chemical etching, electrodeposition, or the application of non-equilibrium gaseous media, especially gaseous plasma. These treatments promote changes in roughness, hydrophobicity, biocompatibility, or reactivity. Although such treatments have been studied extensively over the past decades and even commercialized, the exact mechanisms of the interaction between reactive gaseous species and solid materials are still inadequately understood. Moreover, for various reasons, it is difficult to find an alloy with a surface behavior that differs from that of the bulk. A frequent goal of surface modification is to obtain a greater or more specific resistance to extreme environments, including resistance to corrosion and wear; higher mechanical or fatigue resistance; hydrophobicity; oleophilicity; or thermal (for low or high temperature exposure), magnetic, electrical, or specific optic or light exposure behavior. Another objective is to increase biocompatibility, prevent (bio)fouling, or both. In order to achieve and improve these properties in metals and alloys, the strategy of surface modification must be applied on the basis of direct action on the metal or the incorporation of a coating that will provide these properties or functionalize its surface to meet complex requirements.

Mass-spring systems are considered the simplest and most intuitive of all deformable models. They are computationally efficient, and can handle large deformations with ease. But they suffer several intrinsic limitations. In this book a modified mass-spring system for physically based deformation modeling that addresses the limitations and solves them elegantly is presented. Several implementations in modeling breast mechanics, heart mechanics and for elastic images registration are presented.

The book “Investigación de fenómenos psicosociales”. An approach for the encounter with the other is an initiative of some researchers of the Psychology program of the Manizales Regional Center of the Catholic University Luis Amigó, due to the exponential growth of research in phenomena that shape the social reality of our context and the interest of problematizing research as an option of encounter with people and communities, rethinking traditional and extractivist notions in the construction of knowledge. With this initiative, it is evident that the research processes carried out throughout the years of existence of the Psychology program, have been interlocated, accompanied and fed back by academic agents from other institutions, which has significantly nurtured the discussions. In addition, the production presents a common denominator, and that is qualitative research, as a recurrent design in the different studies, becoming a device for the problematization of the text.

"This volume is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of medieval Scandinavia. This polyglot dictionary draws on the vast and vibrant range of vernacular legal terminology found in medieval Scandinavian texts – terminology which yields valuable insights into the quotidian realities of crime and retribution; the processes, application and execution of laws; and the cultural and societal concerns underlying the development and promulgation of such laws. Legal texts constitute an unparalleled – and often untapped – source of information for those studying the literature, languages and history of medieval and Viking Age Scandinavia. The Lexicon is a welcome contribution to the study of medieval Scandinavia on two counts: firstly, it makes accessible a wealth of vernacular historical documents for an English-speaking audience. Secondly, it presents legal terminologies that span the languages and geographies of medieval Scandinavia, drawing on twenty-five legal texts composed in Old Swedish, Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, Old Danish, Old Gutnish and Old Faroese. By collating and juxtaposing legal terms, the Lexicon thus offers its readers a fascinating, comprehensive window into the legal milieu of medieval Scandinavia as a unified whole. It is in this respect that A Lexicon of Medieval Nordic Law differs from the other major lexica that came before it: where relevant, it gathers closely related terms from multiple Nordic languages beneath single headwords within single entries. This approach illuminates the differences (and similarities) in usage of specific lexical items and legal concepts across geographic areas and through time. This dictionary contains over 6000 Nordic headwords, and is laid out as a standard reference work. It is easily navigable, with a clear structure to each entry, providing English equivalents; textual references; phrases in which headwords frequently appear; cross-references to aid readers in locating synonyms or cognate terms within the lexicon; and references to published works. Roughly one quarter of the headwords supply semantic analysis and detailed information on the textual and historical contexts within which a term might appear, which help the reader to engage with the broader legal concepts underlying specific terms. The Lexicon is thus designed to provide its readers not only with succinct single definitions of Norse legal terms, but with a sense of the wider Scandinavian legal landscape and worldview within which these concepts were developed."

"Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review remains one of the most cited sources in marine science and oceanography. The ever-increasing interest in work in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues, especially global climate change and its impacts, creates a demand for authoritative refereed reviews summarising and synthesising the results of both historical and recent research. Six of the ten peer-reviewed contributions in Volume 62 are available to read Open Access via the webpage and on OAPEN. If you are interested in submitting a review for consideration for publication in OMBAR, please email the new co-Editors in Chief, Dr Peter Todd ([email protected]) and Dr Bayden Russell ([email protected]). Supplementary material is provided online on the Support Materials tab, for Reviews 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Volume 62 features a review of the biology, ecology and conservation threats to the Iberian harbour porpoise; a look at the potential risk to Mediterranean cetaceans and sea turtles from floating marine macro litter; an overview of the recent history and physical environment of corals in the Andaman Sea; an exploration of the population biology of Snapper fish in South Australia; and a review of historical killings of small cetaceans in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, among others. An international Editorial Board ensures global relevance and expert peer review, with editors from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore and the UK. The series volumes find a place in the libraries of not only marine laboratories and oceanographic institutes but also universities worldwide. "

Le Bicentenaire de la Révolution a été l'occasion de rappeler le rôle joué par la Bretagne et tout spécialement par la bourgeoisie de Rennes et par les étudiants en droit dans les débuts de l'ébranlement révolutionnaire. C'est à Rennes, dans les dernières semaines de 1788 et surtout en janvier 1789, que le conflit entre Noblesse et Tiers État atteint un premier paroxysme lourd de conséquences pour la suite des événements à Versailles. C'est à Rennes qu'émerge tout d'abord la dynamique révolutionnaire incarnée plus tard par le Club breton qui regroupe les « patriotes » les plus déterminés des États Généraux. Cette dynamique se prolongera ensuite dans le Club des jacobins, dont on sait qu'il sera le noyau dur du militantisme révolutionnaire et sa référence idéologique permanente. L'effervescence politique bretonne s'incarne d'abord dans un pamphlet périodique, La Sentinelle du Peuple (novembre - décembre 1788), puis dans les 63 numéros du Héraut de la Nation (décembre 1788 - juillet 1789), pionnier véritable de la presse révolutionnaire. Ces publications permettent de se faire une idée du niveau de la culture politique dans une capitale provinciale et de la précocité du radicalisme révolutionnaire engendré par le violent sentiment anti-nobiliaire du Tiers État breton. Elles permettent de découvrir aussi la tonalité particulière d'un « royalisme national » dont l'échec explique l'arrêt brutal de la publication du Héraut, à la veille de l'explosion populaire du 14 juillet.

In recent years, attention to climate change and its associated impacts on economic and social development has increased significantly. Extreme weather conditions worldwide are threatening the survival of sensitive species and habitats. The situation is so dire that governments, academia, and non-governmental organizations across the globe are actively working to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This book enhances understanding of environmental changes and the relative response to the socio-economic challenges of development. It provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of environmental change on natural resources and the climate, as well as discusses waste management and sustainable solutions.

Authored by 17 international researchers and research teams, the book provides up-to-date insights on topics in five different research areas related to normal hearing and deafness. Techniques for assessment of hearing and the appropriateness of the Mongolian gerbil as a model for age-dependent hearing loss in humans are presented. Parental attitudes to childhood deafness and role of early intervention for better treatment of hearing loss are also discussed. Comprehensive details are provided on the role of different environmental insults including injuries in causing deafness. Additionally, many genes involved in hearing loss are reviewed and the genetics of recessively inherited moderate to severe and progressive deafness is covered for the first time. The book also details established and evolving therapies for treatment of deafness.