Open Access Books

There is increasing recognition that nutrition strongly influences the risk of age-related chronic diseases and mortality. In older adults, inadequate calcium intake and vitamin D deficiency contribute to sarcopenia and osteoporosis. While calcium supplementation alone offers limited fracture protection, vitamin D combined with calcium significantly reduces hip and fragility fractures, particularly in individuals over 70 and those institutionalized, and may also improve muscle function and reduce falls. Beyond skeletal health, low vitamin D levels have been linked to higher risks of dementia, diabetes, cancer, and infections, although further high-quality studies are needed to clarify its broader preventive and therapeutic roles in older persons.

L’animation socioculturelle s’est fait une place en tant que troisième pilier du travail social, à côté de l’éduction spécialisée et du service social. Le présent ouvrage témoigne de l’extension récente de cette profession dans une société en mutation rapide ainsi que de sa capacité à se donner des fondements théoriques propres. Il permet de dégager les lignes de force d’une compréhension sociologique du changement social. Placés à un carrefour culturel privilégié, les auteurs mettent en évidence cette évolution en se référant aussi bien à la situation française – dans laquelle l’animation, issue de l’éducation populaire, a de profondes racines – qu’aux situation allemande et hollandaise, dans lesquelles des formes inédites de travail socioculturel sont apparues. In fine les auteurs portent le débat dans le contexte suisse, qui a sa propre tradition. L’apport majeur de cet ouvrage collectif est la présentation complète d’un modèle d’intervention spécifique à l’animation, notamment à travers un examen approfondi des méthodes de participation et de médiation. Un large éventail d’expériences menées sur le terrain et dans les formations (principalement en Suisse) est présenté dans l’ouvrage dont le champ de la pratique saura s’inspirer.

Many researchers assume that the relation between morphology and phonology is not a direct one but is modulated by prosodic constituents, particularly the phonological word. Despite the theoretical relevance of the phonological word in morphophonology, phonetic investigations of the realization of (complex) words are still rare. The book aims to shed some light on this issue. On the basis of about 3800 tokens from experimentally elicited and spontaneous German speech, it investigates the prosodic boundary phenomena glottal stop insertion / glottalization and degemination, as well as durational reductions and /t/-deletions in the vicinity of a morphological and/or prosodic boundary. Informed by findings from usage-based accounts of language, it systematically introduces token frequency and other potentially influencing factors into the analysis. The results yield a rather complex picture that, on the whole, corroborates the relevance of the phonological word as an interface domain between morphology and phonology. At the same time, the results underline the necessity to consider usage-based factors such as frequency, thus all in all lending support to so-called hybrid models of language.

Diffractive lens arrays are proposed in this work for application in reflected-light confocal microscopes. They have overcome the limitations between fields of view and resolution of traditional objectives. Experiments of multi-spot confocal imaging in surface metrology and fluorescence microscopy have been demonstrated based on the proposed concepts, which have shown capabilities of high-resolution measurement over a large area.

Bringing together perspectives from a variety of disciplines, this book provides an interdisciplinary approach to the emerging discussion on Indigenous nationhood. The contributors argue for the centrality of nationhood and nation building in molding and, concurrently, blending the political, social, economic, and cultural strategies toward Native American self-definitions and self-determination. Included among the common themes is the significance of space—conceived both as traditional territory and colonial reservation—in the current construction of Native national identity. Whether related to historical memory and the narrativization of peoplehood, the temporality of indigenous claims to sovereignty, or the demarcation of successful financial assets as cultural and social emblems of indigenous space, territory constitutes an inalienable and necessary element connecting Native American peoplehood and nationhood. The creation and maintenance of Native American national identity have also overcome structural territorial impediments and may benefit from the inclusivity of citizenship rather than the exclusivity of ethnicity. In all cases, the political effectiveness of nationhood in promoting and sustaining sovereignty presupposes Native full participation in and control over economic development, the formation of historical narrative and memory, the definition of legality, and governance.

This book examines how rewilding and species reintroductions play a crucial role in conservation and ecological restoration in Britain. The book examines how humans think about and interact with our environment and nature, and how competing interests surrounding conservation, land-use (in particular agriculture), and social-cultural issues can be reconciled. Rather than taking a stance which is aligned to either conservation or farming, as many other books do, this book examines how these two land uses are being negotiated in the discourse and reconciled in practice. Drawing on research involving visits to rewilding and reintroduction projects and interviews with conservation experts, practitioners and stakeholders, the book examines two landscapes sites (the Avalon Marshes in Somerset and Wild Ennerdale in Cumbria) and three species: cows, the European Wildcat and the Red Kite. It also examines the role played by public figures, whether activists, environmentalists or celebrities, in promoting rewilding. The book argues that rewilding in Britain is domesticated, in that it is more compatible with people and other land use than is often the case with rewilding in other parts of the world. This extends from the smaller scale at which it occurs, to the different names by which it is known, to the way that humans are still intervening in rewilding landscapes, and the very careful consideration which is being given to which animals are involved and how they are managed. Overall, this book provides insights into how rewilding in Britain is evolving with the potential impacts on land use and land use decision making. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of rewilding, conservation, ecological restoration, human-wildlife interactions and environmental management more broadly.

Podemos discernir algum padrão racional de desenvolvimento histórico em meio ao constante vai e vem dos fatos e acontecimentos? Será que podemos admitir a ideia de que nós, seres humanos, estamos em constante progresso em direção a um mundo melhor? Em que bases e com quais pressupostos podemos dizer que a humanidade progride moralmente? Para além do desenvolvimento civilizatório e das instituições políticas mundo afora, podemos encontrar algum progresso das relações humanas baseadas no princípio de que devemos obedecer apenas leis que nós mesmos estabelecemos? Este livro procura responder a tais perguntas por meio da reconstrução da ideia de uma história filosófica formulada por Immanuel Kant. O leitor está convidado a percorrer conosco algumas das principais obras deste autor, para que possamos nos posicionar sobre o assunto! Adiantamos que, diferentemente do que muitos manuais ensinam, a imagem que emerge aqui é a de um Kant menos formalista, mais atento às condições de realização da razão no mundo.

The ‘learning exclusion equilibrium’ strategy in Italy also governs young adults’ possibilities of accessing higher education institutions (HEIs) and entering and being successful on the labour market. The upshot of this strategy has been to weaken the social role of universities and open the field to new players promoting new solutions based on stronger teaching and research partnerships. After graduation, young university leavers face a period in which they follow non-linear paths as they try to fit their skills to the labour market demand. For many professions, there has been an immense change in this demand. Now, unlike the past, life skills are considered basic competences for technical professions too. If those lacking these skills enter the labour market later, the problem arises of how to create these competences both during the period of university education and in the following years. Universities have to practise institutional learning and study with those who need knowledge in order to come up with a new strategy so that their graduates can directly manages their relations with the labour market. Knowledge of the situation and development of graduates’ professional lives is needed in order to give academic programmes a new direction and allow students to make an informed choice of which university to enrol in. The European Graduate Tracking Initiative can lead the way towards this goal.

Explores cities of exile from different perspectives and presents different methods and sources for exile and urban studies. The essays are written by internationally recognized scholars, and contain a wide range of themes including mapping, oral history, queerness, photography. This book will make a significant contribution to the theory and methodology of research on historical exile, cities and modernities, as well as present multidisciplinary exile research from an urban perspective.With a blend of case studies, and theoretical approaches, it interweaves histories of modernism and exile in different urban environments and focuses on historical dislocations in the first half of the twentieth century, when artistic and urban movements constituted themselves in global exchange. Although this book takes a historical perspective, it is written with an awareness of current flight movements and will make a significant contribution to the theory and methodology of research on exile.The knowledge of previous historical exile experiences is important for the understanding of contemporary flight movements: after all, these are not singular phenomena. For migration movements in the first half of the 20th century and for those of today, it is equally possible to speak of urban centres of attraction for refugees: Today, Berlin is a European metropolis of exile; in the 1930s and 1940s, Paris, Prague, London, New York, Istanbul and Shanghai were destinations for refugees.With contributions from Maddalena Alvi, Ekaterina Aygün, Claudia Cendales Paredes, Julia Eichenberg, Margit Franz, Nils Grosch, Mareike Hetschold, Louis Kaplan, Laura Karp Lugo, Katya Knyazeva, Merve Köksal, Rachel Lee, Chris McConville, Anna Messner, Alexis Nuselovici, Robert Pascoe, Valentina Pino Reyes, Helene Roth, Valeria Sánchez Michel, Marine Schütz, Seza Sinanlar Uslu, Felicitas Söhner, Mareike Schwarz, Marina Sorokina, Xin Tong, Diana Wechsler, Jessica Williams Stark and Federico Vitelli.

Nowadays, the restriction of resources and the environment is very severe. A circular economy is the only way to sustainable development, but how this works still needs more exploration. The series of studies carried out by the author are described in detail in this book.

This open access Pivot demonstrates how a variety of technologies act as innovation catalysts within the banking and financial services sector. Traditional banks and financial services are under increasing competition from global IT companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and PayPal whilst facing pressure from investors to reduce costs, increase agility and improve customer retention. Technologies such as blockchain, cloud computing, mobile technologies, big data analytics and social media therefore have perhaps more potential in this industry and area of business than any other. This book defines a fintech ecosystem for the 21st century, providing a state-of-the art review of current literature, suggesting avenues for new research and offering perspectives from business, technology and industry.

We are living in a period of global volatility in which intersecting crises are combining with devastating impacts for people already living in and near poverty. This book carefully examines the dynamics of these crises and challenges us to find new ways forward for policies and programming that more effectively meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations. The book highlights lived experiences of those who are impacted most by poverty amidst intersecting crises—namely climate-related disasters, violent conflict and economic instability— drawing on the author’s 15 years of experience in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. It examines chronic poverty amidst intersecting crises, highlighting how new impoverishment may emerge, and even surprisingly how some people manage to escape or remain out of poverty in these contexts. It offers a multi-scalar, dynamic investigation of poverty and intersecting crises to identify ways forward for policies and programming. It is an essential read for practitioners working on poverty and inequality reduction in low- and middle-income countries, as well as for researchers and students of global development, environmental and peace studies, and economics, public policy, and sociology more broadly.

In Kärnten steht man der katholischen Kirche distanzierter gegenüber als in anderen österreichischen Bundesländern. Vieles deutet darauf hin, dass dies eng mit den politischen und gesellschaftlichen Eigenheiten des Landes zu tun hat. So staunt man außerhalb Kärntens über ungewöhnliche Wahlergebnisse, den Konflikt um die slowenische Sprache oder den hohen Anteil an unehelichen Kindern. Johannes Thonhauser zeigt in seiner historischen Untersuchung, inwiefern diese Phänomene mit einer weitverbreiteten Kirchenskepsis zusammenhängen. Als Schlüsselphase dafür beschreibt er die Zeit vor dem „Anschluss" 1938, in der sich der Nationalsozialismus im Widerstand gegen eine autoritäre Kirche formierte. Zugleich verfestigten sich in dieser Zeit zentrale Erinnerungstraditionen des Landes, die bis heute die „Kärntner Seele" prägen. Als Belegmaterial dienen dem Autor nicht nur bislang unveröffentlichtes Archivmaterial, sondern auch zahlreiche Auszüge aus Literatur und Kunst des Landes.

This volume is the first book-length study to thematise the representation of power in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. Bringing together scholars from different backgrounds, the volume aims to stimulate a cross-disciplinary dialogue about representations in art, literature, ritual, and other media. Within the Dutch Republic, different state actors – the city, the provincial states, the States General, the stadtholders, and individual power-holders – vied for the supremacy of power. A vital aspect of this persistent struggle was its representative dimension. In making representative claims about their place in the balance of power, these institutions all faced the challenge of developing a republican language that was both distinctive enough and universally understood. In the cultural repertoires available to political figures, artists, and intellectuals, republican models contended with monarchical ones. In visual and literary depictions, public ritual, and diplomatic encounters alike, the temptation to stand up to the grandeur of powerful European monarchies by borrowing from their representative traditions was not always easy to resist.

Econophysics and sociophysics are interdisciplinary research fields that merge social and economic problems using techniques derived from statistical physics. While econophysics delves into financial market behavior and wealth distribution inequality, sociophysics explores opinion formation, polls and technology adoption. Over the past three decades, these interdisciplinary fields have undergone significant development, capturing ongoing interest as they strive to provide statistical descriptions of various phenomena in the realm of social sciences. This Special Issue features articles exploring the importance of risk aversion, the inevitability of condensation even in the presence of equal opportunities, and methods to mitigate inequality through wealth redistribution. The focus is on the condensed state, the dynamics leading to it and the entropy behavior as systems approach condensation. Tax and risk aversion effects, along with model variations, are detailed in several articles. Moreover, opinion dynamics and regional economy, particularly in China, incorporating the spatial dimension into market analysis are explored. About the Guest Editor: Prof. José Roberto Iglesias is an emeritus professor at the Physics Institute of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He specializes in the application of statistical physics across multidisciplinary subjects such as neural nets, fractal aggregation, econophysics and sociophysics.