Open Access Books

This open access 3-volume set constitutes the proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification, CAV 2024, which took place in Montreal, Canada, during July 24–27, 2024. The primary focus of CAV is to extend the frontiers of verification techniques by expanding to new domains such as security, quantum computing, and machine learning.

Science and research have always been crucial to furthering our understanding of ophthalmic conditions and their treatment and prevention. Scientific achievements in ophthalmology have produced fundamental insights and opened up possibilities for improving human health. This book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the latest and most advanced findings in several aspects of ophthalmic pathology, treatment, and surgical strategies, as well as in vision sciences and perception. Chapters cover such topics as acute hydrops, cataract treatments, keratoconus, surgical/non-surgical treatments in vision rehabilitation, and geometric analysis of ophthalmic lens.

This open access book offers a host of theoretical knowledge at the basis of new EM&Ts (namely, Interactive Connected Smart Materials, Wearables (ICS), Nanomaterials, Advanced Growing Materials, and Experimental Wood-Based Materials), as communicated through the unique design teaching method developed within the context of the European Project DATEMATS, a result of the creative workshops held by the four higher education institutions that were partners in the project, stressing the pros and cons of the method and offering ideas for further development and improvement. The modern age requires its own innovations in regards to both social and industrial progress, innovations made possible by Emerging Materials and Technologies (EM&Ts). Frameworks for designing both with and for the new materials are presented, educating designers about the opportunities offered by EM&Ts and how to take advantage of them. At the same time, the book explains how the method developed through the knowledge generated at research centers and universities can be communicated to companies across various industries that stand to gain from it, linking the assorted stakeholders, and includes a final chapter based on feedback from both students and business professionals as to the benefits of academic/industrial cooperation. This is an open access book.

Universal Health Coverage as defined by the World Health Organization encompasses equal access for all to good quality health services and with no financial risk for those in need of them. As such it is a modern term formulated on western ideas of health, however the philosophy it conveys has existed for many centuries across different regions and cultures of the world. 'Health For All' is based on series of seminars which formed part of the World Health Organization's Global Health Histories project. It explores the development of universal health coverage in diverse contexts, the political and economic trends that effected the running of these schemes, and, not least, critical perspectives into the variety of links between structures of national universal healthcare systems.

Digital images are ubiquitous and, since the spread of mobile devices, often appear as poorly resolved, frequently edited digital copies. Based on Hito Steyerl's concept of the »poor image«,Helena Schmidt analyses their use and potential in the art education of the post-digital present. The multi-perspective history of the development from the »poor image« to »poor images« provides the basis for a future-oriented didactics of digitality.

Esta obra colectiva se propone explorar varias facetas de la historia de la educación popular en la Europa mediterránea en los siglos XIX y XX, sobre la cual no existe ningún ensayo similar. El lector encontrará a la vez amplias síntesis que cubren el conjunto de la época contemporánea y estudios más concretos relativos entre otros puntos a clases para adultos y obreros, escuelas de formación profesional, Universidades Populares, cine documental y bibliotecas de sociedades populares. Al abordar los territorios y las formas de la educación popular, cabe interrogarse históricamente en torno a los destinatarios de las varias iniciativas de educación popular, o sea las «clases populares» (por su exclusión de las redes escolares), pero también al conjunto de los actores y a las estrategias que les movieron a impulsar tales iniciativas. El estudio del contenido de la formación recibida, sus finalidades explícitas e implícitas (disciplina social, moralización, productivismo o autonomía personal, promoción social) puede ayudarnos a perfilar estos modelos y valorar el crisol de experiencias comunes, dentro de determinados espacios de sociabilidad popular.

This book presents current topics in genetics in the dermatologic field. Various skin disorders are inherited as mendelian inheritance. Genetic skin disorders are caused by mutations in the genes encoding proteins expressing in skin, skin appendages, melanocytes and immune-associated cells. Identification of genes and elucidation of function of the encoded proteins may provide novel strategies to overcome the disorders. We hope that this book offers sufficient current information in each disorder to scientists, physicians and dermatologists, and that novel therapies will be provided to affected individuals via these chapters.

Die vielfältigen Äußerungsformen der jüngsten Wirtschaftskrisen und die derzeitigen Herausforderungen in Europa machen die Notwendigkeit deutlich, die nach wie vor als rational geltende Ökonomie auf ihre parallel ausgebildete »stark spezialisierte emotionale Kultur« (Eva Illouz) hin zu untersuchen. Diese äußert sich vor allem in Krisendiskursen in Politik, Presse, Wirtschaft oder Literatur, in denen Emotionen besonders deutlich als kollektive »Form der Geisteshaltung bzw. der Einstellung zur Welt« (Richard Wollheim) sichtbar werden. Die Beiträger*innen des Bandes gehen den emotionalen Dimensionen dieser Krisendiskurse in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart aus den Perspektiven von Soziologie, Ökonomik, Kultur-, Geschichts- und Literaturwissenschaft nach.

The idea of a moral economy has been explored and assessed in numerous disciplines. The anthropological studies in this volume provide a new perspective to this idea by showing how the relations of workers, employees and employers, and of firms, families and households are interwoven with local notions of moralities. From concepts of individual autonomy, kinship obligations, to ways of expressing mutuality or creativity, moral values exert an unrealized influence, and these often produce more consent than resistance or outrage.

The aim of this reprint is to immerse readers in the latest advancements in nutrient metabolism research for the health and well-being of companion animals. From understanding the protective effects of bioactive compounds on cellular health to exploring the various dietary components that enhance growth, immunity, and the balance of the gut microbiota, this collection reveals the potential impact of customized nutrition on companion animals. In this reprint, leading experts share insights into how enhanced diets can support the conditions of the body, strengthen digestive health, and reduce stress, all while adjusting the microbiome to boost overall health. Together, we embark on a journey to expand our knowledge of companion animal nutrition, paving the way toward a future in which our animals live healthier, longer lives alongside their human caretakers. This reprint lays the foundation for strategies that enhace the well-being of companion animals, connecting science and care for a world in which companion animals and humans thrive together.

Although authoritarian countries often repress independent citizen activity, lobbying by civil society organizations is actually a widespread phenomenon. Using case studies such as China, Russia, Belarus, Cambodia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, Lobbying the Autocrat shows that citizen advocacy organizations carve out niches in the authoritarian policy process, even influencing policy outcomes. The cases cover a range of autocratic regime types (one-party, multi-party, personalist) on different continents, and encompass different systems of government to explore citizen advocacy ranging from issues such as social welfare, women’s rights, election reform, environmental protection, and land rights. They show how civil society has developed adaptive capacities to the changing levels of political repression and built resilience through ‘tactful contention’ strategies. Thus, within the bounds set by the authoritarian regimes, adaptive lobbying may still bring about localized responsiveness and representation. However, the challenging conditions of authoritarian advocacy systems identified throughout this volume present challenges for both advocates and autocrats alike. The former are pushed by an environment of constant threat and uncertainty into a precarious dance with the dictator: just the right amount of acquiescence and assertiveness, private persuasion and public pressure, and the flexibility to change quickly to suit different situations. An adaptive lobbyist survives and may even thrive in such conditions, while others often face dire consequences. For the autocrat on the other hand, the more they stifle the associational sphere in an effort to prevent mass mobilization, the less they will reap the informational benefits associated with it. This volume synthesizes the findings of the comparative cases to build a framework for understanding how civil society effectively lobbies inside authoritarian countries.

The thirty-plus years of progress in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) have had a huge impact on our everyday lives. Be it for the monitoring of fixed- and rotary-wing aircrafts, for the preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage, or for the predictive maintenance of long-span bridges or wind farms, SHM has shaped the framework of many engineering fields. Given the current state of quantitative and principled methodologies, it is nowadays possible to rapidly and consistently evaluate the structural safety of industrial machines, modern concrete buildings, historical masonry complexes, etc., to test their capability and to serve their intended purpose. However, old unsolved problems as well as new challenges exist. Furthermore, unprecedented conditions, such as stricter safety requirements and ageing civil infrastructure, pose new challenges. Therefore, the second volume of this Special Issue series gathers the main contributions of academics and practitioners in civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering to provide a common ground for structural health monitoring in dealing with old and new aspects of this ever-growing research field.

Stainless steels represent a quite interesting material family, both from a scientific and commercial point of view, following to their excellent combination in terms of strength and ductility together with corrosion resistance. Thanks to such properties, stainless steels have been indispensable for the technological progress during the last century and their annual consumption increased faster than other materials. They find application in all these fields requiring good corrosion resistance together with ability to be worked into complex geometries. Despite to their diffusion as a consolidated materials, many research fields are active regarding the possibility to increase stainless steels mechanical properties and corrosion resistance by grain refinement or by alloying by interstitial elements. At the same time innovations are coming from the manufacturing process of such a family of materials, also including the possibility to manufacture them starting from metals powder for 3D printing. The Special Issue scope embraces interdisciplinary work covering physical metallurgy and processes, reporting about experimental and theoretical progress concerning microstructural evolution during processing, microstructure-properties relations, applications including automotive, energy and structural.

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