Open Access Books

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a method of remotely storing and receiving data using devices called RFID tags, brings many real business benefits to today world's organizations. Over the years, RFID research has resulted in many concrete achievements and also contributed to the creation of communities that bring scientists and engineers together with users. This book includes valuable research studies of the experienced scientists in the field of RFID, including most recent developments. The book offers new insights, solutions and ideas for the design of efficient RFID architectures and applications. While not pretending to be comprehensive, its wide coverage may be appropriate not only for RFID novices, but also for engineers, researchers, industry personnel, and all possible candidates to produce new and valuable results in RFID domain.

Esta obra apresenta a trajetória dos dez anos do Curso de Letras da UFFS – Campus Cerro Largo, que possui uma importante tarefa: prover a formação de professores numa região até então desprovida de Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior (IFES). Trata-se de alguns estudos, experiências e ações práticas desenvolvidas por colegas e discentes do Curso de Letras – Português e Espanhol – Licenciatura, bem como parceiros profissionais de outras instituições que buscam, da mesma forma, pensar na educação como um meio de construção e transformação social. Ao longo de 15 capítulos, apresentam-se importantes reflexões acerca dos processos de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas, literatura e formação de professores. Há textos de docentes efetivos, substitutos e convidados que contribuíram de alguma forma com a divulgação do conhecimento na UFFS. Letras UFFS Cerro Largo: 10 anos de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão oferece múltiplas análises/estudos/pesquisas a partir de experiências nas diferentes áreas do conhecimento, evidenciando um pouco do trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito universitário, no que se refere ao ensino de línguas, literatura e formação de professores.

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Rehabilitation of cognitive functions is a primary goal in neurological and psychiatric settings. Cognitive treatments include individual and group exercises, as well as the use of computer programs and virtual reality. Besides, ongoing studies have been examining the clinical usefulness of non-invasive cerebral cortex stimulation in increasing the efficacy of cognitive protocols. Cognitive rehabilitation is based on neuroplasticity and affects brain morphological and physiological responses by integration of behavioral and cognitive changes. The brain correlates of rehabilitation-induced modifications can be investigated through magnetic resonance imaging, both at structural and functional macro-levels. Animal research can integrate such information providing data on axonal regrowth and reshaping of synaptic connectivity in response to treatment. Animal models of neurological and psychiatric conditions have been developed, and preclinical test batteries for the assessment of cognitive functions in animal models of such conditions have been created. The question is then: how does rehabilitation drive reorganization at the neuronal level? The focus of this Research Topic is on rehabilitation-induced cognitive and neural plasticity in adult humans and animal models. The goal is to provide an integrated picture highlighting what techniques have been proven to be effective.

Well-being is received increased attention from people, researchers, and physicians. The main goal is to prevent the onset of pathologic health issues instead of using conventional pharmacological approaches unless absolutely necessary. Prevention and well-being are closely linked to the wrong lifestyle and dietary habits, which can determine the onset of illness. Some health conditions can be prevented and treated with the use of nutraceuticals in daily diet. Nutraceuticals are pharmacologically active substances that can be extracted from vegetable or animal products, and concentrated and administered in a suitable pharmaceutical form. A nutraceutical can provide beneficial health effects, e.g., the prevention and/or, in some cases, the treatment of disease. The key aspect is defining the range of possible uses for these new food-drugs and substantiation with in vitro and in vivo clinical data that support their efficacy, safety, and health benefits. This Special Issue is dedicated to assessing the sources, composition, formulation, use, experience in clinical use, mechanisms of action, and clinical data of nutraceuticals, which represent a new horizon for therapy and provide valuable tools to reduce the cost of the healthcare system, addressing resources for prevention rather than pharmacological therapy.

The book entitled “Contemporary challenges of spatial planning in tourism destinations” compares the different contexts for spatial planning and how they approach tourism-related issues in selected European countries, namely Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Turkey. Each chapter starts with a presentation of the overall profile of the investigated country. The chapters then consider the following contexts of spatial planning of tourism destinations: legal regulations of spatial planning, long-term strategy for spatial planning, public participation in spatial planning, and the main challenges of spatial planning of tourism destinations. The publication ends with an overarching discussion focusing on the various challenges that affect sustainable spatial planning of tourism destinations in the countries under consideration. The book was edited by Tomasz Napierała and Katarzyna Leśniewska-Napierała (both from University of Lodz), and Giancarlo Cotella (Politecnico di Torino). The publication is the output of the international project SPOT – Sustainable Spatial Planning of Tourism Destinations, supported by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme (2019-1-PL01-KA203-064946).

Since variolation, conventional approaches to vaccine development are based on live-attenuated, inactivated or purified pathogen-derived components. However, effective vaccines against global health threats such as HIV, parasite infections and tumors are difficult to achieve. On the other hand, synthetic vaccines based on immunogenic epitopes offer advantages over traditional vaccines since they are chemically defined antigens free from deleterious effects. Additionally, in contrast to live-attenuated vaccines, they do not revert to virulence in immunocompromised subjects, and different from genetic vaccines, they do not involve ethical questions. Traditional vaccines contain PAMPs and induce strong immune responses, while recombinant vaccines are less potent. In spite of the immunogenic weakness previously attributed to epitope-based vaccines a synthetic vaccine containing a 17 amino acid-epitope of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type IV pilus exceeded the protective potential of its cognate protein composed of 115 amino acids. Therefore, the efficacy yield of a synthetic vaccine can be potentiated by using the proper combination of target epitopes. Recent advances in adjuvant development, immunogen platforms for DNA vaccines and viral vectors also contributed to optimize immunogenicity. Another constraint to the use of epitope vaccines was their restriction to some MHC or HLA phenotypes. However, epitopes containing 20 or less amino acids of Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania donovani bind to multiple HLA-DR and MHC receptors. Thus synthetic epitope vaccines may better meet the requirements of the regulatory agencies since they have lower costs and are easier to produce. The classical experimental approach for the development of an epitope-based vaccine involves the use of recombinant domains or overlapping 15-mer peptides spanning the full length of the target antigen, and the analysis of the induced antibody and/or T cell immune responses in vitro or in vivo. On the other hand, in silico tools can select peptides that are more likely to contain epitopes, reducing the number of sequence candidates. T cell epitope prediction dates back to 1980s, when the first algorithm was developed based on the identification of amphipathic helical regions on protein antigens. Since then, new methods based on MHC peptide-binding motifs or MHC-binding properties have been developed. The recent reverse vaccinology concept uses high-throughput genome sequencing and bioinformatics tools to identify potential targets of immune responses. The feasibility of this approach was shown for the first time in the design of a vaccine against Neisseria meningitides that is now in phase III clinical trials. In addition, different computational tools allow the determination of crucial gene(s) through comparative analyses between different pathogenic strains Alternatively, carbohydrates have been considered as key targets in developing safe and effective vaccines to combat cancer, bacterial and viral infections. Tumor associated carbohydrate antigens can be coupled covalently to protein carriers to target MHC receptors and improve immunogenicity and have reached already pre-clinical and clinical studies. In light of the recent availability of genomic tools, we believe that in the near future an increasing number of vaccine candidates, composed of defined epitopes, will be available for synthetic vaccines showing improved protection.

Volume 3 "Broadening Challenges in Child Protection" takes a somewhat broader brief and reflects many of the changes over the past twenty five years in terms of the broadening of concerns from maltreatment within the family to maltreatment in a variety of extra-familial contexts, including: sport, the internet, various institutional settings and is much more concerned with sexual abuse and the challenges for criminal justice and public protection.

Das Papsttum ist eine mächtige, bis heute fortbestehende Institution, anhand derer sich die Entwicklung eines Vormachtanspruchs über mehrere geschichtliche Epochen hinweg zeigen lässt. Dieses machtpolitische Selbstverständnis war maßgeblich an der Einleitung eines Epochenwandels hin zur Frühen Neuzeit beteiligt. Allerdings lassen sich bereits bei frühmittelalterlichen Päpsten Ansätze dieses primatialen Amtsverständnisses finden. Zu diesen römischen Bischöfen zählt unbestritten Nikolaus I., welcher bereits im 9. Jahrhundert Versuche unternahm, die Machtposition des Papsttums selbstbewusst auszuweiten. Die vorliegende Studie analysiert dessen Haltung anhand zweier bestimmender Ereignisse innerhalb seines Pontifikats, mithilfe derer die Beanspruchung einer Vormachtstellung des römischen Bischofs innerhalb der kirchlichen Hierarchie, aber auch gegenüber den weltlichen Herrschern verdeutlicht werden kann: Der Ehestreit Lothars II. und das Photianische Schisma. An beiden Konflikten sind sowohl weltliche Regenten als auch geistliche Größen beteiligt, wodurch sich der päpstliche Anspruch auf beiden Ebenen vergleichend untersuchen lässt. Um das Selbstverständnis des Papsttums möglichst explizit herauszuarbeiten, stützt sich die Arbeit auf die Briefkommunikation zwischen den Parteien. Anhand dieser wird gezeigt, wie sich der päpstliche Primatsanspruch in Orient und Okzident in unterschiedlichen Bereichen schon im Frühmittelalter offenbart, bevor er von weiteren Amtsinhabern zunehmend ausgebaut wird.

Throughout their history, the protagonists of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy research have not only dealt with individual disorders but also with collective conflicts, for example when it comes to dealing with transgenerational trauma or dealing with new technologies. In this tradition, the 3rd Dießen retreat asks questions about what the future of psychotherapy will look like under the influence of virtual reality, artificial intelligence and robotics and how it will change humanity's self-image of its vastness and limits. In this volume, representatives from science and practice, politics and business, journalism and culture who are concerned with psychotherapeutic questions in a narrower or broader sense have their say to discuss what the digital future of psychotherapy and its image of humanity could best look like.

This book is a marvelous compendium of eight articles that cover a wide range of topics, including breast cancer: management and survivorship, rectal cancer intersphincteric resection, head and neck cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy, synthetic peptides as antitumor agents, and recent advances in thyroid cancer. It has been a wonderful opportunity to co-edit this special edition. We are greatly appreciative of the work of all the contributors to the book, who brought with them tremendous diversity of perspectives and fields truly reflective of the complexity of the topic and who, through coming together in this project, serve as a nidus of the multidisciplinary collaboration in this field. Finally, we must acknowledge the thousands of cancer patients who have participated in the studies that have provided the information that has advanced the field so greatly in recent years.

Hydrogeological research in arid and semi-arid regions has entered a new stage driven by interdisciplinary integration and technological innovation, providing crucial support for the sustainable management of water-scarce areas. Research continues to make breakthroughs in core areas such as groundwater cycle mechanisms, hydrogeological modeling, and the coupling of landscape and hydrological processes. Through techniques such as hydrogen-oxygen stable isotope analysis and the chlorine mass balance method, diverse recharge sources and slow cycle characteristics have been clarified. The integration of open-source tools with remote sensing, GIS, and artificial intelligence has not only reduced the cost of constructing three-dimensional hydrogeological framework models but also enabled more precise drought risk assessment and dynamic water resource monitoring. For special systems such as desert springs and karst aquifers, the unique gushing mechanisms and hydrochemical laws have been elucidated. Furthermore, through field infiltration tests and data analysis, the impacts of soil type and land use on hydrological processes have been clarified, providing a scientific basis for land use planning and watershed management. Today, research methods that combine multi-source data fusion and field and laboratory work are becoming increasingly mature. Interdisciplinary collaboration has further streamlined the chain from mechanism research to application, enabling hydrogeological research results to serve practical needs such as water resource optimization, ecological protection, and climate change adaptation more efficiently.

The application of generalized and fractional derivatives, such as Caputo and Riemann–Liouville derivatives, has witnessed a dramatic increase in recent years. This reprint focuses on related theoretical and applied research in areas such as the stability of time series, Lotka–Volterra systems, distributed delays, Fornberg–Whitham equations, abstract evolution and fractional wave equations, cantilever beams, and fractional Riccati and Volterra equations, as well as fractional visco-elasto-plasticity, spectral theory for fractional Sturm–Liouville problems, generalized differential equations, Mittag–Leffler functions, and fractional Laplacians.

Public participation in forestry is a key issue in ensuring the democratization of decision-making processes, increasing the social acceptance of policies, and reducing conflicts between forest users. Public participation also provides an opportunity for the improvement of the quality of information, public debate, personal reflection, and professionalization, raising awareness. Participation in forestry implies the involvement of stakeholders (the interest group participation approach) and/or the involvement of people (the direct citizen participation approach) in the decision-making process. Since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (1992), new norms and perspectives have emerged encouraging a bottom-up approach in forest governance. Consequently, several participatory techniques, methods, and tools for stakeholder involvement in forest governance have been developed and applied. These different experiences allow us to learn from failures and successes and contribute to knowledge improvement. The future challenges of participatory forestry deal with adaptation to changes in ecological, social, and economic contexts.

Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint addresses in a novel format the major topics and themes of contemporary metaethics, the study of the analysis of moral thought and judgement. Metathetics is less concerned with what practices are right or wrong than with what we mean by ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ Looking at a wide spectrum of topics including moral language, realism and anti-realism, reasons and motives, relativism, and moral progress, this book engages students and general readers in order to enhance their understanding of morality and moral discourse as cultural practices. Catherine Wilson innovatively employs a first-person narrator to report step-by-step an individual’s reflections, beginning from a position of radical scepticism, on the possibility of objective moral knowledge. The reader is invited to follow along with this reasoning, and to challenge or agree with each major point. Incrementally, the narrator is led to certain definite conclusions about ‘oughts’ and norms in connection with self-interest, prudence, social norms, and finally morality. Scepticism is overcome, and the narrator arrives at a good understanding of how moral knowledge and moral progress are possible, though frequently long in coming. Accessibly written, Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint presupposes no prior training in philosophy and is a must-read for philosophers, students and general readers interested in gaining a better understanding of morality as a personal philosophical quest.