Open Access Books

This book highlights bioremediation’s role in detoxifying polluted environments using plants, microbes, and fungi. It offers innovative, eco-friendly soil and water remediation strategies, integrating phytoremediation, microbial techniques, and technological advancements to enhance environmental restoration. This book includes six chapters. The first chapter, Phytoremediation: The Green Solution, explores plant-based pollutant absorption and details mechanisms and applications for soil and water cleanup. The second chapter, Application of Fruit Wastes in the Bioremediation of Heavy Metals: Mechanism, Challenges and Prospects, examines organic fruit components as cost-effective agents for binding and removing toxic metals. The third chapter, Geochemical Processes Controlling Metals (Pb, Zn) Mobility during Amended Phytostabilization on Sulfidic Mine Tailings, examines the geochemical processes in the rhizosphere of sulfidic mine tailings during phytostabilization, revealing that plant activity lowers pH and increases metal release, while amendment additions neutralize acidity through three geochemical processes. The fourth chapter, Innovations in Herbicide Bioremediation: Green Solutions for Soil Contamination, presents biotech strategies that combine phytoremediation, microbial degradation, and mechanized tools to restore herbicide-contaminated soil. The fifth chapter, Mycoremediation: An Innovative and Sustainable Approach, discusses fungi’s ability to break down hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and toxins, emphasizing species-specific efficiency and real-world ecosystem restoration. The sixth and final chapter, The Role of Bioremediation in Achieving Environmental Sustainability, provides a comprehensive discussion on the impact of bioremediation in advancing sustainability and its contribution to multiple sustainable development goals. Each chapter is explored in detail, demonstrating bioremediation’s vital role in addressing environmental challenges through responsible and effective solutions. Gratitude is extended to contributors, editors, and publishers for their collaborative efforts in producing this resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

In this book, with the involvement not only of clinical psychiatrists but also of neurobiologists, specific issues of psychotic disorders (mainly schizophrenia and mood disorders) are reviewed. The focus of attention ranges from therapeutics to the new frontiers of epigenetics. A special focus is on the individual reactions to psychosis (ranging from psychological ones to treatments and neurobiological basis). Because of the rapid development of neurosciences, which are showing common underling factors to different phenotypical expressions of mental illness, we are facing an enormous growth of biological data, which is not always easy to interpret. The risk is to forget that we are relating to other individuals, with their stories, and, most of all, with their environmental resources and interactions. The contributions to this book will range from individual experience (a personal history of illness) through some aspects of individual management of illness (insight), from correct use of available psychosocial resources to the environment-gene relationships (epigenetics).

La vida académica de Luis Fernando Lara se ha tejido entre la teoría lingüística, la práctica lexicográfica y la crítica a las políticas lingüísticas aplicadas al español, así como a las lenguas indoamericanas. Su proyecto pionero de un diccionario integral del español de México ha ofrecido una alternativa a la lexicografía contrastiva tradicional. Los frutos de esta labor de casi cinco décadas inspiraron a varios lingüistas a participar en esta obra dividida en dos volúmenes, donde se incluyen investigaciones históricas, filosóficas, lingüísticas, literarias, lenguas indoamericanas, críticas de actitudes, etc. A estas investigaciones académicas se suma la inspiración poética y la testimonial de los autores. En el segundo volumen se abordan los temas de; norma lingüística, dialectología, diccionario, cambio lingüístico, lenguaje, semántica y filosofía, del discurso a la palabra, situación comunicativa, literatura y cultura.

This reprint is dedicated to the captivating and intricate field of organic–inorganic hybrid materials. So, this third installment builds upon the success of the previous Special Issues and presents new original contributions and approaches to this topic. The papers included in this reprint align with the definition of hybrid materials recommended by the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry). This implies that a hybrid material comprises a close mixture of inorganic, organic, or both components, typically interpenetrating scales of less than one micrometer. In any case, it is well worth mentioning that functional hybrid materials are not just physical mixtures but also nanocomposites at the molecular scale, with at least one organic or inorganic component having a characteristic length on the nanometer scale. Consequently, the properties of hybrid materials are not just the sum of the individual contributions of their components but also arise from the strong synergy created by a hybrid interface. This synergy is a crucial aspect of hybrid materials, highlighting the unique properties that can be achieved through careful design. The works compiled in this book offer an excellent example of the current and future trends in organic–inorganic hybrid materials. These fourteen articles provide information and inspiration for future approaches in this fascinating scientific field.

This open access book offers a self-contained introduction to the homotopy theory of simplicial and dendroidal sets and spaces. These are essential for the study of categories, operads, and algebraic structure up to coherent homotopy. The dendroidal theory combines the combinatorics of trees with the theory of Quillen model categories. Dendroidal sets are a natural generalization of simplicial sets from the point of view of operads. In this book, the simplicial approach to higher category theory is generalized to a dendroidal approach to higher operad theory. This dendroidal theory of higher operads is carefully developed in this book. The book also provides an original account of the more established simplicial approach to infinity-categories, which is developed in parallel to the dendroidal theory to emphasize the similarities and differences. Simplicial and Dendroidal Homotopy Theory is a complete introduction, carefully written with the beginning researcher in mind and ideally suited for seminars and courses. It can also be used as a standalone introduction to simplicial homotopy theory and to the theory of infinity-categories, or a standalone introduction to the theory of Quillen model categories and Bousfield localization.

Dieser Band stellt drei wichtige und viel diskutierte Themen der gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung in Japan und Deutschland gegenüber und zeigt so Reformperspektiven für die deutsche Unfallversicherung auf. Hinsichtlich des Leistungsumfangs nimmt die Problematik der Wegeunfälle und der Berufskrankheiten eine zentrale Stellung ein, wobei für Japan ein Schwerpunkt auf den Regelungen der Asbestschäden liegt. Im Rahmen der Finanzierung wird vor dem Hintergrund des besonderen Umlageverfahrens in Japan die Einführung von Kapitaldeckungselementen in Deutschland diskutiert. Für das Thema der Rentenbemessung werden schließlich die schweizerischen Erfahrungen erörtert, da die Renten dort bereits konkret berechnet werden und so Anregungen für die deutsche Diskussion gewonnen werden können. Mit dieser Veröffentlichung soll ein Anstoß für die weitere rechtsvergleichende Diskussion um eine Neugestaltung der gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung gegeben werden.

Si l’on connaît les relations étroites qui lièrent, au XIXe siècle, l’architecture et la photographie, les relations entre l’architecte et le photographe, la façon, notamment, dont le premier apprend rapidement à solliciter et utiliser le second, en influant sur sa pratique, n’ont été abordées que ponctuellement à l’occasion d’études ou d’expositions monographiques. Citons pour mémoire l’exposition « Le photographe et l’architecte. Edouard Baldus, Hector-Martin Lefuel et le chantier du Nouveau Louvre de Napoléon III » (musée du Louvre, 1995) réalisée en grande partie à partir du fonds de l’Agence d’architecture du Louvre, ou des expositions monographiques consacrées à des architectes (« AlfredNicolas Normand », CNMHS, 1978 ou « Charles Garnier, un architecte pour un empire », Paris, ENSBA, 2010). Pourtant, dans leur double volonté de former de vastes corpus visuels pouvant servir de références à leurs projets et de documenter leurs œuvres bâties, y compris dans les phases provisoires de leur mise en œuvre, l’architecte trouve dans le photographe un partenaire décisif, dont il apprendra vite à orienter l’objectif, voire à retoucher ou à recadrer les images, notamment pour les publier.

Pension reform has emerged as a major political issue in most advanced welfare states. Sluggish economic growth and rising unemployment put public pension systems under increasing financial pressure. In combination with a rapidly ageing population in the decades to come, these pressures render major adjustements in pension policy design inevitable, especially in countries with costly earnings-related benefit arrangements. However, timely and successful adjustement is anything but guaranteed. Both cuts of pension benefits and increases in contribution levels are bound to be highly unpopular and entail massive political risks. Thus, pension politics these days is as much about adjusting pension arrangements to changing demographic and economic conditions as it is about overcoming widespread political resistance to reforms that impose tangible losses on large parts of the population. This study reveals striking differences in the extent to which pension policy makers were able to generate a sufficient political support basis for their reform initiatives. As a consequence, pension reform outcomes reach from successful restructuring of existing pension arrangements all the way down to instances of outright policy failure. By tracing the political process of pension reform in Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden since the late 1980s the book also provides us with deeper insights about the factors that facilitate - or impede - social policy reforms in the context of fiscal austerity.

This work is divided into four sections discussing topics relating to the teaching of Geography, History, Modern Languages and Portuguese (language and literature), respectively. The volume brings together eighteen chapters of teaching teachers, researchers, trainee teachers and professionalized teachers, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra. More than finding revenue for teachers in initial training, it is intended to raise the debate and provide a space for reflection on themes central to the teaching of humanities.

Kompleksowe, interdyscyplinarne prace wykonane pod kierunkiem Autorki wspierają hipotezę istnienia marginalnego lobu Pilicy-Luciąży (jako południowej części lobu Rawki sensu lato) i jego dotarcia w regionie do linii Kamieńsk-Góra Chełmo-Przedbórz, a w części zachodniej (na garbie łódzkim) konfluencji z lobem Widawki. Uwzględnienie pełnej, czwartorzędowej ewolucji rzeźby w zasługuje na uznanie. Stanowi ono wyjątek w aktualnych badaniach. Jako motyw przewodni podsumowania materiałów zebranych na obszarze między Piotrkowem Trybunalskim, Radomskiem a Przedborzem wybrano zagadnienie czynników rozwoju rzeźby. Rola klimatu jako czynnika globalnego w kształtowaniu rzeźby, rola podłoża jako przykład dominacji czynnika lokalnego w morfogenezie oraz zagadnienia poligenezy, złożoności i dziedziczenia rzeźby dobrze wyjaśniają jej specyfikę na badanym wycinku pogranicza wyżyn i niżu.

How can exhibitions not only stage existing knowledge, but also raise questions that lead to new research? This question has become ever more relevant due to the museum sector's growing interest in the development of thematic exhibitions that combine narratives and objects from art, science, cultural history, and everyday life. Using theories from interdisciplinarity studies, Henriette Pleiger identifies different ways of producing knowledge during the exhibition-making process, as well as the mechanisms that are necessary for an exhibition to be considered interdisciplinary. The development of such exhibitions can be understood as collaborative research processes.

Organic farming does not mean going "back" to traditional (old) methods of farming. Many of the farming methods used in the past are still useful today. Organic farming takes the best of these and combines them with modern scientific knowledge. The goal was to write a book where as many different existing studies as possible could be presented in a single volume, making it easy for the reader to compare methods, results and conclusions. As a result, studies from countries such as Romania, Poland, The Czech Republic, Mexico, Slovenia, Finland, etc. have been compiled into one book. The opportunity to compare results and conclusions from different countries and continents will create a new perspective in organic farming and food production as well as help researchers and students from all over the world to attain new and interesting results in this field.

Obsahem příručky Morfologie je víceméně ucelený popis funkčního tvarosloví současné (zejména spisovné) češtiny; formální morfologii se věnuje jen obecně, neuvádí paradigmata jednotlivých ohýbacích typů ani popisy nepravidelností ve flexi. V oblasti morfologických kategorií volí spíše formální než sémantický přístup. Do značné míry vychází z obvyklého pojetí morfologie češtiny, tak jak je obsaženo v běžně dostupných mluvnicích a kompendiích (Mluvnice češtiny 2, Encyklopedický slovník češtiny, Příruční mluvnice češtiny a Čeština – řeč a jazyk). Tato příručka má charakter vysokoškolské učebnice; je určena posluchačům povinné přednášky z morfologie, která je součástí studijního plánu bakalářského oboru český jazyk a literatura na FF UK v Praze. This handbook, Morphology, presents a relatively comprehensive description of the functional morphology of contemporary (mainly standard) Czech. Formal morphology is covered only on a general level, without presenting paradigms of inflected types and descriptions of inflection irregularities. As concerns morphological categories, it favours a more formal approach as opposed to a semantic one. To a considerable extent, it is based on the common concept of the morphology of Czech as it is explained in available grammar books and compendia (Mluvnice češtiny 2 [Czech Grammar 2], Encyklopedický slovník češtiny [Encyclopaedia of Czech], Příruční mluvnice češtiny [Handbook of Czech Grammar] and Čeština – řeč a jazyk [Czech – the Speech and Language]). This handbook is a university course book; it is intended for the students of the mandatory morphology class which is included in the bachelor level Czech language and literature programme at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague.

The articles in this Special Issue of Genealogy titled “Focus of Family Historians: How Ancestor Research Affects Self-Understanding and Well-Being” cover topics including the psychosocial motivations that impel family history research, its therapeutic and healing aspects, and the emotional outcomes of dealing with unexpected findings. Broader issues, such as the ubiquity of ancestral acknowledgement and veneration throughout history and its links with religion are also explored. Papers include scholarly interpretations of case-based material, empirical research, and interpretive literature reviews emanating from a wide range of social science disciplines.

L’histoire du risque que propose ce livre déborde largement les notions de statistique, de calcul probabilitaire et de traitement assurantiel des dangers. Si, en effet, le risque a une histoire, le risque est aussi histoire, car il concerne le rapport des sociétés au temps. Tout rapport au risque tente, à partir de l’expérience passée, de saisir un avenir probable pour agir dans le présent. Chaque contexte, chaque époque, chaque territoire, chaque communauté appréhende les dangers selon ses ressources culturelles d’une part, et selon les enjeux politiques, sociaux et économiques qui la traversent d’autre part. Le risque est un fait de culture, reflétant la façon dont la société se représente elle-même, envisage les phénomènes qui la menacent et définit l’altérité qui la borne. Des historiens de tous horizons ont recours, dans ces pages, au concept de risque pour comprendre le passé, pour examiner leur objet de recherche sous un angle différent, qu’il s’agisse d’histoire des sciences et techniques ou du droit, ou d’histoire environnementale, sociale ou politique. Cette démarche commune dévoile des convergences insoupçonnées et permet aux auteurs de renouer avec un problème d’une intelligibilité historique globale, problème crucial qui a pourtant été abandonné par la très grande majorité des historiens au cours des dernières décennies.