Open Access Books

Aslam Fataar, one of South Africa’s few educational sociologists working with ethnographic methods, captures the complex interactions and dynamics between social life, school processes and youth subjectivity in townships in the Western Cape. His work with concepts of mobilities and space is enormously generative, providing a way for teachers, principals, communities and policy makers to engage with the ‘complex ecologies’ of young people’s learning in urban schools. As an astute policy analyst, he also well knows the systemic barriers in the way of achieving this. The last chapter, on possibilities for pedagogical justice at the site of the school, considers how disengaged students might re-engage through leveraging explicit pedagogic connections between their lifeworlds and school practices. Acknowledging that pedagogy cannot be the only means for revitalising schooling, the author nevertheless insists that marginalised young people’s consent needs to be won by schools that make use of, rather than ignore, their strengths, knowledges and aspirations. The approach to the troubled question of youth and subjectivity is enlightening, and vital to understanding the post-apartheid city and school. The book fills a much-needed gap in educational sociology in South Africa.

We are very pleased to introduce the Book Version of our Special Issue in Molecules dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Dr. Charles D. Hufford. The issue has been a huge success, with 22 full-length peer-reviewed papers and a tribute by Professor Alice M.Clark. Authors, reviewers, and collaborators from many countries across the worldhave contributed to this endeavour, and we are truly grateful to all. This Special Issue isrepresentative of the broad impact that “Charlie” had on the field of bioactive naturalproducts. This Special Issue comprises papers from Professor Hufford’s former students,colleagues, and collaborators throughout the world who have utilized a wide array ofstate-of-the-art techniques to examine diverse natural sources to isolate and identify avariety of natural products with a wide spectrum of biological activities, including somenew microbial transformations and insights into bioactive molecules. Many new bioactive compounds are described and reported here for the first time. Bioactivities reportedinclude cytotoxicity, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antileishmanialactivity, antitrypanosomal activity, antimalarial activity, analgesic activity, and beneficialliver activities, just to name a few. This Special Issue will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the field of bioactive natural products, as exemplified by the career of Dr. Hufford.Lastly, without the timely and outstanding contributions from all of you, this Special Issue would not have been possible. We thank you all very much for your contributions and your time devoted to this Special Issue in memory of a special person. Finally, we express ourgratitude and thanks to the journal Molecules and their excellent team of expert reviewers for giving us the support and opportunity to make this Special Issue a huge success!

Dans cet ouvrage, Chantal Crenn évoque une migration d’élite qui a très peu suscité l’intérêt des chercheurs. Grâce à une Immersion longue sur le terrain dans les familles malgaches, tant à Tananarive qu’à Bordeaux, elle a produit des données ethnographiques fines et de première main. Inscrite dans le courant porté par Gérard Althabe d’une anthropologie du monde contemporain, elle interroge la manière dont elle a recueilli ses données lors d’une enquête anthropologique difficile, au départ, du fait du désir d’invisibilité distinctive des membres de cette migration d’élite. Outre ce phénomène migratoire peu étudié, l’intérêt de cet ouvrage est aussi de montrer comment se construit l’ethnicité de ces migrants, de ces hommes et ces femmes appartenant à la bourgeoisie et aux classes moyennes tananariviennes dans les contextes tananariviens et bordelais des années 1990. Se situant dans une perspective constructiviste, elle retrace l’historicité des différentes vagues migratoires de ces migrants venus de Madagascar, afin de mieux en saisir les continuités/discontinuités (et vice versa,) prises dans les relations asymétriques des sociétés française et malgache. le lecteur suivra ces jeunes gens et jeunes filles, souvent étudiant(e)s brillant(e)s qui, dans la tradition de l’époque coloniale, viennent seul(e)s faire des études universitaires en France, suivi(e)s à partir des années 1980, dans un climat politique tendu (régime autoritaire du président Rastiraka), par leurs parents, grands-parents qui viennent s’installer définitivement en France. Ce regroupement familial situé dans le contexte politique français des années 1990 marqué par le racisme, engendre de la part de ces migrants des tactiques d’invisibilité ou de différenciations positives afin d’occuper une place valorisante dans la société française. Voyageant entre Tananarive et Bordeaux, Chantal Crenn insiste sur l’importance de prendre en compte les aller-retour des migrants entre, Madagascar et la France, et ainsi d’articuler ethnicité et globalisation dans une même analyse.

Was ist George Berkeleys Auffassung des sinnlich wahrnehmbaren Naturgeschehens? Sie zu erklären und nachzuvollziehen ist Ziel des Bandes. Er zeigt, dass Berkeley das Naturgeschehen als einen göttlichen Diskurs sieht; das visuell Wahrgenommene ist dabei die Sprache. Berkeley beharrt darauf, diese These der göttlichen Sprache wörtlich auszulegen, da sie Grundlage eines seiner Ansicht nach einzigartigen Gottesbeweises ist. Um Berkeleys Argumentation zu verstehen, muss man sich auch mit den (historischen) Umständen beschäftigen, in welchen er diese These entwickelt und verteidigt. Deshalb wird sie im ersten Teil in ihren diachronen und synchronen historischen Kontext eingebettet. Die zweite Hälfte ist dann einer kritischen Rekonstruktion von Berkeleys These gewidmet.

The impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine has been devastating both politically and environmentally. On top of the environmental damage directly caused by military operations, the invasion has put an abrupt end to the EU-Russia “green cooperation”, which had previously raised many hopes. At the same time, it has also shifted international attention away from climate and environmental concerns, which are particularly acute in the post-Soviet region. This Report analyses some of the main climate change and environmental issues in the post-Soviet space, providing an initial assessment of the invasion’s impact. The bulk of the latest scholarly and policy production on these matters focuses on Russia – given the country’s geopolitical and energy relevance. However, this analysis finds that environmental disasters such as the desertification of the Aral Sea transcend state borders and require a broader approach both from an analytic and policy standpoint.

The aim of the article is to define the functions of logovisuality in broadcasts of sports’ events. I consider its importance for the recipients of these messages. The phenomenon of logovisuality should be understood as the occurence of the written word in the television discourse or simply – fortify the television message (and in some cases the Internet) with subtitles and infographics. The main goal of logovisuality is to make perception of given program easier for a viewer. Primarly, I focus on influence that subtitles and infographics (the so-called iconic-verbal messages) have on recipients. I start with analysing the situations where logovisuality is used in every day television communication with its viewers. I connect it with a presentation of the current, unfortunately still insufficient, state of research of this phenomenon. Then I focus on the main topic – the importance of logovisuality in broadcasts of sports events base on the examples of selected disciplines (including ski jumping, football or speedway). I determine what functions it serves in broadcasts of sports events (I try to define common functions for all disciplines and those typical only for selected sports). I indicate that watching sports competitions on television without logovisuality would be very difficult or even impossible. Moreover, I demonstrate that it helps to reduce social inequalities of the deaf and dumb and the hearing-impaired people. I also answer the research question – why logovisuality is the necessary element of broadcasting sports events.

The figure of Ulysses haunts the pages of Dante’s Commedia, embodying a tension between past and present, and the potential and dangers inherent in any attempt at transformation. In this chapter I focus on four creative pieces by young South African students for whom Dante’s Ulysses becomes a rich and suggestive symbol. Despite their overt differences in approach, I argue that these pieces are all connected by a creative response to Dante, translating and conversing with his Ulysses from their personal and political perspectives. They are notable for their paradoxical approach to Dante’s hero, as they attempt to fashion new identities, to break free of the destructive influence of South Africa’s past, and to develop a more authentic, moral language.

Natürliche, ökonomische und soziokulturelle Bedingungen bestimmen das Leben menschlicher Individuen und Gruppen, die verschiedene Einstellungen gegenüber dem, was es gibt, entwickeln können und immer wieder lernen, mit dem Bestehenden auf unterschiedliche Weise umzugehen.

Today, the issue of environmental emissions is more important than ever before. Air pollution with particulates, soot, carbon, aerosols, heavy metals, and so on is causing adverse effects on human health as well as the environment. This book presents new research and findings related to environmental emissions, pollution, and future sustainability. Written by experts in the field, chapters cover such topics as health effects, emission monitoring and mitigation, and emission composition and measurement.

One of the distinguishing features of plants is the presence of membrane-bound organelles called plastids. Starting from proplastids (undifferentiated plastids) they readily develop into specialised types, which are involved in a range of cellular functions such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, biosynthesis of sucrose, starch, chlorophyll, carotenoids, fatty acids, amino acids, and secondary metabolites as well as a number of metabolic reactions. The central role of plastids in many aspects of plant cell biology means an in-depth understanding is key for a holistic view of plant physiology. Despite the vast amount of research, the molecular details of many aspects of plastid biology remains limited. Plastids possess their own high-copy number genome known as the plastome. Manipulation of the plastid genome has been developed as an alternative way to developing transgenic plants for various biotechnological applications. High-copy number of the plastome, site-specific integration of transgenes through homologous recombination, and potential to express proteins at high levels (>70% of total soluble proteins has been reported in some cases) are some of the technologies being developed. Additionally, plastids are inherited maternally, providing a natural gene containment system, and do not follow Mendelian laws of inheritance, allowing each individual member of the progeny of a transplastomic line to uniformly express transgene(s). Both algal and higher plant chloroplast transformation has been demonstrated, and with the ability to be propagated either in bioreactors or in the field, both systems are well suited for scale up of production. The manipulation of chloroplast genes is also essential for many approaches that attempt to increase biomass accumulation or re-routing metabolic pathways for biofortification, food and fuel production. This includes metabolic engineering for lipid production, adapting the light harvesting apparatus to improve solar conversion efficiencies and engineering means of suppressing photorespiration in crop species, which range from the introduction of artificial carbon concentrating mechanisms, or those pre-existing elsewhere in nature, to bypassing ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase entirely. The purpose of this eBook is to provide a compilation of the latest research on various aspects of plastid biology including basic biology, biopharming, metabolic engineering, bio-fortification, stress physiology, and biofuel production.One of the distinguishing features of plants is the presence of membrane-bound organelles called plastids. Starting from proplastids (undifferentiated plastids) they readily develop into specialised types, which are involved in a range of cellular functions such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, biosynthesis of sucrose, starch, chlorophyll, carotenoids, fatty acids, amino acids, and secondary metabolites as well as a number of metabolic reactions. The central role of plastids in many aspects of plant cell biology means an in-depth understanding is key for a holistic view of plant physiology. Despite the vast amount of research, the molecular details of many aspects of plastid biology remains limited. Plastids possess their own high-copy number genome known as the plastome. Manipulation of the plastid genome has been developed as an alternative way to developing transgenic plants for various biotechnological applications. High-copy number of the plastome, site-specific integration of transgenes through homologous recombination, and potential to express proteins at high levels (>70% of total soluble proteins has been reported in some cases) are some of the technologies being developed. Additionally, plastids are inherited maternally, providing a natural gene containment system, and do not follow Mendelian laws of inheritance, allowing each individual member of the progeny of a transplastomic line to uniformly express transgene(s). Both algal and higher plant chloroplast transformation has been demonstrated, and with the ability to be propagated either in bioreactors or in the field, both systems are well suited for scale up of production. The manipulation of chloroplast genes is also essential for many approaches that attempt to increase biomass accumulation or re-routing metabolic pathways for biofortification, food and fuel production. This includes metabolic engineering for lipid production, adapting the light harvesting apparatus to improve solar conversion efficiencies and engineering means of suppressing photorespiration in crop species, which range from the introduction of artificial carbon concentrating mechanisms, or those pre-existing elsewhere in nature, to bypassing ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase entirely. The purpose of this eBook is to provide a compilation of the latest research on various aspects of plastid biology including basic biology, biopharming, metabolic engineering, bio-fortification, stress physiology, and biofuel production.

This volume addresses the ‘question of power’ in current constructivist securitisation studies. How can power relations that affect security and insecurity be analysed from both a transdisciplinary and historical point of view? The volume brings together contributions from history, art history, political science, sociology, cultural anthropology and law in order to determine the role of conceptions of power in securitisation studies, which has tended to be dealt with implicitly thus far. Using conceptual theoretical essays and historical case studies that cover the period from the 16th to the 21st century, this book portrays the dominant paradigms of critical security studies, which mostly stem from the field of international relations and see the state as a major focal point in securitisation, in a new light.

Der Beginn eines nennenswerten Anstiegs der öffentlichen Verschuldung fällt in die Zeit der sozial-liberalen Koalition von 1969 bis 1982, die zugleich eine Politik der inneren Reformen propagierte. Mitte der 70er Jahre wird diese Politik durch einen anhaltenden Beschäftigungseinbruch durchkreuzt. Daraus entsteht ein Konflikt zwischen Reformen und Verantwortung für Vollbeschäftigung. Die haushalts- und finanzpolitischen Konsequenzen zeigen sich in einer veränderten Budgetstruktur, vor allem aber in einer erhöhten öffentlichen Verschuldung. Auf der Basis des Konzepts der Tragfähigkeit öffentlicher Verschuldung wird der Zeitraum von 1969 bis 1982 analysiert und die Folgen für zukünftige Haushaltsjahre untersucht.

El campo de estudios sobre educación y trabajo tiene una amplia trayectoria en la producción académica y la formación, en las políticas públicas y el diálogo social. Los intercambios entre equipos de investigación, expertos, dirigentes sociales y sindicales, decisores de políticas públicas y organizaciones sociales son muy frecuentes y representan una de las actividades centrales de una historia de trabajo preocupada por el aporte a la mejora de las condiciones de vida y la justicia social. Como parte de esta tradición, en el año 2017 se fundó la Red Latinoamericana de Transición Educación-Trabajo (RELATET). El libro, que integra los aportes de colegas con amplia experiencia en el análisis del vínculo entre juventud, educación y trabajo, aborda el debate teórico y metodológico, el análisis de la vulnerabilidad de las in El campo de estudios sobre educación y trabajo tiene una amplia trayectoria en la producción académica y la formación, en las políticas públicas y el diálogo social. Los intercambios entre equipos de investigación, expertos, dirigentes sociales y sindicales, decisores de políticas públicas y organizaciones sociales son muy frecuentes y representan una de las actividades centrales de una historia de trabajo preocupada por el aporte a la mejora de las condiciones de vida y la justicia social. Como parte de esta tradición, en el año 2017 se fundó la Red Latinoamericana de Transición Educación-Trabajo (RELATET). El libro, que integra los aportes de colegas con amplia experiencia en el análisis del vínculo entre juventud, educación y trabajo, aborda el debate teórico y metodológico, el análisis de la vulnerabilidad de las inserciones ocupacionales y la multiplicidad de sentidos subjetivos que las personas jóvenes construyen en torno al trabajo en América Latina.