Open Access Books

Structural unemployment and criminal management of the pandemic opened up the Brazilian tragedy. Hunger and misery, a drop in family income, difficulty finding a job are once again part of the barbaric daily life of the working class. If it is true that the professional education systems allow a better quality education for a portion of the working class, another portion attend public schools of poor quality, without minimum conditions for carrying out educational work. The chapters in this book seek to show the small achievements, limits and contradictions of the professional education policy, especially in the states of the Brazilian federation.

Violence is a current and widely studied research topic, yet it is received in very different ways with regard to the biological and social gender of those involved. Men are almost invariably regarded as perpetrators, while women are seen primarily as their victims. From the perspective of ancient studies, this edited volume counters this simplified perception with a more nuanced picture. Greek and Roman historiography, for example, knows numerous female military leaders who also fought on the battlefield. Legal texts report on violent women in everyday situations. In archaeological findings, weapons are predominantly associated with men, yet burials contain a significant minority of individuals identified as female who were interred with martial equipment. Based on a workshop held at the University of Hamburg in May 2023, the volume brings together contributions from Ancient History, Classical Philology, and Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology. Using both material and written sources, these contributions take a critical look at the social spheres of interaction available to women in antiquity.

This volume presents an interdisciplinary discourse on recent archaeological investigations at the ancient sites of Sikyon, Aigeira and Lousoi. These three Northern Peloponnesian poleis represent microregions which from the Geometric and Archaic periods onward participated in similar networks of exchange, albeit with different roles.

Reflections and Challenges of Latin American Environmental Law aims to disclose research results on contemporary debates in environmental matters present in the region. Which include topics related to participatory governance, climate justice, legal mining, environmental justice, participatory democracy, and the precautionary principle, among others. The presented texts suggest that environmental conflicts have different origins, causes, and manifestations, and their capacities to confront them are dissimilar.

This open access short reader provides a compelling introduction to research on migrant transnationalism. The short reader focuses on the significant area of remittances (in financial terms). However, attention is also paid to political, social, cultural and religious transfers and exchanges – underscoring the salience of the wide range of ties that are maintained across borders. Increasingly such ties are sustained through virtual and technology facilitated modes of interaction. Drawing on established and recent empirical research from across the globe, in dialogue with scholars of migrant transnationalism, the book offers an overview of approaches, conceptual tools, thematic areas, and methods of investigation. Thus, this short reader sheds light on the fundamentals of existing knowledge on migrant transnationalism: What are the key questions in migrant transnationalism research today? How does a transnational perspective deepen our understanding of migration, (social) mobility, diversity, inclusion and development? As a source for researchers, students and policy makers, this short reader is essential reading which shows why looking at the world through a transnational lens adds value, for anyone interested in migration and social change.

Artus de Bretagne est un roman en prose, du début du xive siècle, qui raconte les aventures d'Artus, fils de Jean, duc de Bretagne. Après une enfance bretonne où il tombe amoureux de Jehanette et rompt ses fiançailles avec l'impudique Péronne d'Autriche, Artus part en Orient, appelé par un rêve, et, après bien des aventures, avec l'aide de la fée Proserpine, il épouse Florence, la fille du roi de Sorelois. N'ayant pas encore donné lieu à une édition moderne, ce roman n'a jusqu'à présent guère retenu l'attention. Et pourtant du Moyen Âge au xixe siècle, il a été lu, connu et apprécié. Le présent volume s'intéresse d'abord au texte médiéval, à la représentation originale qu'il donne de la chevalerie, au renouvellement de la matière arthurienne qu'il met en œuvre, aux insertions lyriques qui s'y trouvent, à la complexe tradition manuscrite qui le transmet et à l'illustration de certains volumes. L'étude des allusions littéraires à Artus du xive au xvie siècle permet d'évaluer son succès, tout comme la diffusion de suites manuscrites du xve siècle. L'imprimerie prit le relais. De nombreuses éditions parurent en France au xvie siècle ; vers 1500 Lord Berners donna une traduction en anglais sous le titre Artus of Lyttel Brytayne. Puis vint le temps des versions abrégées, dans la « Bibliothèque Universelle des Romans » au xviiie siècle, dans la « Bibliothèque Bleue » d'Alfred Delvau au xixe siècle. Croisant les approches (littérature, histoire du livre, codicologie, iconographie) pour étudier ce texte et ses mutations sur six siècles, le volume suit l'évolution des goûts des publics, en même temps que les changements des pratiques littéraires et éditoriales.

This book provides an up-to-date overview of contemporary Central Eurasian politics, identifies key issues, trends and transformation paths in this respect, and analyses the conceptual foundations of security and power in the region. Key topics include autocratic proliferation and regime security in Central Asia, the strategic situation in Afghanistan, China's changing role in Central Asian security, governance problems in Kyrgyzstan as a rentier state and the destructive role of internal security services in the context of democratic transition in Armenia, e-justice and cyber security in Kyrgyzstan, and the politics of authoritarian neoliberalism and labour resistance in Kazakhstan. With contributions by Serik Beimenbetov | Marie-Sophie Borchelt Camêlo | Shalva Dzebisashvili | Aziz Elmuradov | Bradley Jardine | Edward Lemon | Aliia Maralbaeva | Zumrat Sanakulova | Aijan Sharshenova | Farkhod Tolipov | Akram Umarov | Aitbay Zhansaya

Ambitieux travail universitaire, Étrange Bretagne se lit comme un roman, presque comme un roman policier dont la Bretagne du xixe siècle – vue par les voyageurs britanniques – serait l’insaisissable et fascinante héroîne. Que cherchaient ces touristes de la première heure qui nous ont laissé plus de 7 000 pages de récits ? Qu’ont-ils vu ? Que n’ont-ils pas vu ? Enfin accessibles en français, les plus représentatives de ces pages sont ici disséquées avec délectation. Jean-Yves Le Disez convie le lecteur à un voyage dans le discours bourgeois et métropolitain du xixe et montre comment se construit, souvent au mépris du « réel », le rapport impérialiste à l’Autre. Au-delà de son intérêt historique, l’ouvrage propose d’utiles outils d’analyse pour aborder la difficile dialectique de l’identité et de l’interculturalité. On ne s’étonnera pas de trouver à ces descriptions (de paysages, de monuments, de costumes, de coutumes, de paysans...) une troublante familiarité. Le discours sur l’Autre aurait-il si peu changé ?

Microorganisms have had a long and surprising history. They were “invisible” until invention of microscope in the 17th century. Until that date, although they were extensively (but inconsciously) employed in food preservation, beer and wine fermentation, cheese, vinegar, yogurt and bread making, as well as being the causative agents of infectious diseases, they were considered as “not-existing”. The work of Pasteur in the middle of the 19th century revealed several biological activities performed by microorganisms including fermentations and pathogenicity. Due to the urgent issue to treat infectious diseases (the main cause of death at those times) the “positive potential” of the microbial world has been neglected for about one century. Once the fight against the “evil” strains was fulfilled also thanks to the antibiotics, industry began to appreciate bacteria’s beneficial characteristics and exploit selected strains as starters for both food fermentations and aroma, enzyme and texturing agent production. However, it was only at the end of the 20th century that the probiotic potential of some bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria was fully recognized. Very recently, apart from the probiotic activity of in toto bacteria, attention has begun to be directed to the chemical mediators of the probiotic effect. Thanks also to the improvement of techniques such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, several bioactive compounds are continuously being discovered. Bioactive molecules produced by bacteria, yeasts and virus-infected cells proved to be important for improving or impairing human health. The most important result of last years’ research concerns the discovery that a very complex network of signals allows communication between organisms (from intra-species interactions to inter-kingdom signaling). Based on these findings a completely new approach has arisen: the system biology standpoind. Actually, the different organisms colonizing a certain environmental niche are not merely interacting with each other as individuals but should be considered as a whole complex ecosystem continuously exchanging information at the molecular level. In this context, this topic issue explores both antagonistic compounds (i.e. antibiotics) and “multiple function” cooperative molecules improving the physiological status of both stimulators and targets of this network. From the applicative viewpoint, these molecules could be hopefully exploited to develop new pharmaceuticals and/or nutraceuticals for improving human health.

This volume focuses on the modeling and control of dynamic systems. It gathers linear and nonlinear dynamics, systems modeling, advanced control theory, complex systems, fractional calculus, fractals, entropy, information theory, chaos, self-organization, and criticality contributions. This volume presents the manuscripts of the Special Issue by Mathematics as a tribute to Professor J. A. Tenreiro Machado, who unexpectedly passed away on October 6, 2021. Studies regarding fractional calculus represent a significant part of this volume, with the modeling and control of dynamic systems being the most represented. Moreover, there is one article that studies the dynamics of a fractional-order discrete-time susceptible–infected–recovered epidemic model and another one that presents an analysis of one of Professor J. A. Tenreiro Machado's works serving as a basis for a deeper reflection on the origins of fractional behaviors and their modeling.This volume reflects, to a great extent, the scientific areas Prof. Tenreiro Machado worked in and also enhances the importance of modeling and control of dynamic systems in science and engineering. Guest Editors thank Mathematics for their support in launching this Special Issue.

"In 2018, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was, by most measures, more powerful than at any other time in its history and had become one of the most powerful countries in the world. Its economy faced serious challenges, including from the ongoing ‘trade war’ with the US, but still ranked as the world’s second largest. Its Belt and Road Initiative, meanwhile, continued to carve paths of influence and economic integration across several continents. A deft combination of policy, investment, and entrepreneurship has also turned the PRC into a global ‘techno-power’. It aims, with a good chance of success, at becoming a global science and technology leader by 2049 – one hundred years from the founding of the PRC. In surveying the various ways in which the Party-state wields its hard, soft, and sharp power, the China Story Yearbook: Power offers readers a sense of the diversity of power at work both in China and abroad. Citizens of the PRC have long negotiated the state’s influence; increasingly, diaspora communities and other actors are now being subject to its might. As with previous editions in the series, we place important developments in historical context, and adopt a cross-disciplinary approach: it is our view that economy and politics cannot be divorced from culture, history, and society. The Yearbook provides accessible analysis of the main events and trends of the year and is an essential tool for understanding China’s growing power and influence around the world. "

Language plays an essential role both in creating law and in governing its implementation. Providing an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this subject, Language and Law:describes the different registers and genres that make up spoken and written legal language and how they develop over time; analyses real-life examples drawn from court cases from different parts of the world, illustrating the varieties of English used in the courtroom by speakers occupying different roles; addresses the challenges presented to our notions of law and regulation by online communication; discusses the complex role of translation in bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Canada; and provides readings from key scholars in the discipline, including Lawrence Solan, Peter Goodrich, Marianne Constable, David Mellinkoff, and Chris Heffer. With a wide range of activities throughout, this accessible textbook is essential reading for anyone studying language and law or forensic linguistics.

Lo que parece una pregunta casi ociosa o totalmente abstrusa ¿cómo conviene pensar el signo lingüístico?, da lugar a estos ensayos, que desarrollan el tema del significado de las lenguas ordinarias, poniendo en relación tres ámbitos del pensamiento: la tradición filosófica de la semántica, el punto de vista lingüístico y el interés por los conceptos característicos de la filosofía de la ciencia. Obra de lingüista, los ensayos retan a filósofos y científicos a pensar de otra manera y a los lingüistas, a repensar sus fundamentos con una perspectiva diferente a la de las posturas "cognitivistas" y formalistas en boga.

In Zen Time, Raji C. Steineck provides a robust contextualization of Dōgen's Uji, the most renowned text on time in Zen Buddhism. Situating the text within the historical context of the medieval Zen master's writing, Steineck illustrates how Dōgen shaped the rhythm of life in the Zen monastery to actualize his idea that time in itself is salvific. Dōgen was meticulous in his observation of the particulars of each temporal moment, regarding them as an opportunity to bring together interrelated tenets of Buddhist doctrine and practice. In contrast to readings that equate the Zen approach to time with "living the moment" and that pit qualitative understandings of time against quantitative understandings, Steineck shows how Dōgen was able to connect time's qualitative and quantitative aspects in a way that, despite its mystical elements, remains instructive in relation to contemporary secular and philosophical discussions. The book includes a translation of Uji in an appendix.

The contribution illustrates the personal archives of Antonio Carbonaro, sociologist, Andrea Devoto, psychiatrist and the National Association of University Professors (ANDU), testimonies of great importance for the social history of the twentieth century