Open Access Books

This open access book focuses on the concepts, tools and techniques needed to successfully model ever-changing time-series data. It emphasizes the need for general models to account for the complexities of the modern world and how these can be applied to a range of issues facing Earth, from modelling volcanic eruptions, carbon dioxide emissions and global temperatures, to modelling unemployment rates, wage inflation and population growth. Except where otherwise noted, this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

In 1791, a posthumous work by Franciszek Salezy Jezierski entitled Niektóre wyrazy porządkiem abecadła zebrane stosownymi do rzeczy uwagami objaśnione was published. The scholar chose the encyclopaedic form, popular during the Enlightenment, but instead of attempting to objectively present the state of knowledge at the time, many articles were used to present his own and opinions of the Kołłątaj’s Forge [Kuźnica Kołłątajowska] on the socio-political situation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This article analyses some of the articles in Jezierski’s dictionary in which he criticises the social relations in the Rzeczpospolita, points out those responsible for the weaknesses of the Polish-Lithuanian state, and at the same time presents Enlightenment ideas closely related to French thinkers. His descriptions were made in a very characteristic language, which proves that he was an outstanding publicist of the Great Sejm period.

Siedem lat rządów (1985–1991) Michaiła Gorbaczowa to czas niezwykły– próby reformowania systemu komunistycznego zamykają historię państwa, w którym bezwzględna władza dominowała przez dziesięciolecia nad społeczeństwami znacznej części świata, a jednostki pozbawiała wolności i podstawowych praw. Pieriestrojka była impulsem do otwarcia na zmiany w ZSRR i krajach satelickich. Historia życia Michaiła Gorbaczowa jest historią pokolenia, które nie miało dzieciństwa, wchodziło w dorosłość gwałtownie, przyjmując odpowiedzialność za tych, których bezpowrotnie pochłonęła wojna.— Jakim politykiem był Gorbaczow?— W jaki sposób stał się przywódcą największego terytorialnie państwa naszego globu?— Dlaczego musiał odejść i jaką spuściznę po sobie pozostawił? Na te wszystkie pytania odpowiada autorka publikacji, kreśląc porywającą opowieść o jednej z najciekawszych postaci najnowszej historii.

In July 2012, the City of Santa Monica Human Services Division and the Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District contracted with the RAND Corporation to conduct an assessment of child care programs in Santa Monica. The project sought to assess how well Santa Monica’s early and school-age care programs meet the needs of families. Recommendations for improvement focused on advancing access, quality, service delivery, and financial sustainability.

Monografia stanowi efekt ogólnopolskiej konferencji naukowej zorganizowanej 28 listopada 2019 roku przez Katedrę Postępowania Cywilnego I na Wydziale Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, zatytułowanej „Duża nowelizacja KPC z 4 lipca 2019 roku – założenia aksjologiczne”. Organizacja tej konferencji była również związana z powołaniem w kwietniu 2019 roku Centrum Badań nad Aksjologią Procedur Cywilnych.W poszczególnych rozdziałach autorzy przeprowadzili przede wszystkim analizę szczegółowych rozwiązań omawianej nowelizacji (którą trzeba zaliczyć do najistotniejszych zmian kodeksu postępowania cywilnego w jego historii) przez ich skonfrontowanie z naczelnymi zasadami procesowymi rządzącymi postępowaniem cywilnym i wynikającymi z nich wartościami procesowymi. Publikacja zawiera ponadto ocenę zmian stanu prawnego z punktu widzenia teorii determinizmu i kreacjonizmu, sformułowanych w doktrynach polityczno-prawnych, a także w nawiązaniu do wciąż aktualnych zasad procesu rzymskiego.W książce została zgłoszona propozycja zaprezentowania kryteriów aksjologicznej oceny regulacji procesowej w celu usystematyzowania dalszych badań procedur cywilnych na płaszczyźnie aksjologicznej. Publikacja sfinansowana przez Centrum Badań nad Aksjologią Procedur Cywilnych UŁze środków przekazanych na ten cel przez Krajową Radę Notarialną w Warszawie

Since the early 1980s, a prominent and consistent conclusion drawn from research on China's defense-industrial complex has been that China's defense-production capabilities are rife with weaknesses and limitations. This study argues for an alternative approach: From the vantage point of 2005, it is time to shift the focus of current research to the gradual improvements in and the future potential of China's defense-industrial complex. The study found that China's defense sectors are designing and producing a wide range of increasingly advanced weapons that, in the short term, are relevant to a possible conflict over Taiwan but also to China's long-term military presence in Asia. Part of a larger RAND Project AIR FORCE study on Chinese military modernization, this study examines the current and future capabilities of China's defense industry. The goals of this study are to 1.

Cryopreservation of unfertilised oocytes constitutes a relatively new technology for the preservation of female fertility. This procedure is being increasingly utilised without any existing medical indications (‘social egg freezing’). Based on an empirical and legal analysis, this book tries to provide a moral evaluation of this controversial technique by discussing and assessing both its potential and risks, while focusing in detail on the relation between social egg freezing and the philosophical question of a good life. The author argues that a potential danger of this procedure lies in postponing existential life choices and thereby failing to achieve the goal of a broadly successful life.

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Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a common, albeit severely under-diagnosed, neuropsychiatric disorder that is caused by a complex genetic basis, interacting with environmental factors. High comorbidity rates with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder raise the intriguing hypothesis of a shared etiological background. Abnormalities of corticostriatal-thalamic-cortical circuits (CSTC) and dysfunction of both dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems are assumed to be associated with TS. Recently, multiple lines of evidence also point towards an important role of additional neurotransmitters such as histamine and glutamate. For a very long time, efforts to elucidate the etiology and pathophysiology of TS have been fragmented and hampered by low statistical power. Finally, after more than two decades of active research aiming to identify the etiology and pathophysiology of TS, we are on the verge of a new era, promising exciting and rapid discoveries in the field. Investigators from around the world, representing multiple disciplines and scientific approaches, are joining their efforts in large-scale initiatives supported both by European Union and US National funding agencies, such as the European-funded EMTICS, TACTICS, and TSGeneSEE consortia, the Marie Curie Initial Training Network TS-EUROTRAIN and the European Society for the Study of TS joining forces with the NIH-funded TSAICG, GGRI, and Tic Genetics consortia. Importantly, all these initiatives are supported by TS patient support and advocacy groups. Multiple resources are being consolidated and coming together to serve the study of TS, including large well-characterized patient cohorts, and specialized epidemiological databases, such as the unique resource of the Netherlands Twin Register. This research topic showcases current large-scale collaborative efforts aiming to elucidate the genetic and neurobiological background of TS, through diverse approaches; from genomewide association studies aiming to identify common variants associated to the disorder to neuroimaging studies and animal models. Furthermore, current approaches on the clinical assessment and management of the disorder are presented. Propelled by the gradual availability of large scale TS cohorts, novel methodologies, and importantly, sheer enthusiasm by multiple researchers working together across different countries, the new era of the neurobiology of TS holds the promise to identify novel targets for improved therapies.

It is well known that many structural and physical problems cannot be solved by analytical approaches. These problems require the development of numerical methods to get approximate but accurate solutions. The minite element method (FEM) represents one of the most typical methodologies that can be used to achieve this aim, due to its simple implementation, easy adaptability, and very good accuracy. For these reasons, the FEM is a widespread technique which is employed in many engineering fields, such as civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering. The large-scale deployment of powerful computers and the consequent recent improvement of the computational resources have provided the tools to develop numerical approaches that are able to solve more complex structural systems characterized by peculiar mechanical configurations. Laminated or multi-phase composites, structures made of innovative materials, and nanostructures are just some examples of applications that are commonly and accurately solved by the FEM. Analogously, the same numerical approaches can be employed to validate the results of experimental tests. The main aim of this Special Issue is to collect numerical investigations focused on the use of the finite element method

Ce manuel d'histoire des institutions présente deux particularités : Il prétend d'abord effacer la frontière classique entre les matières relevant du droit public (organisation de l'État et de l'administration) et celles qui tiennent au droit privé (famille, travail, propriété). Séparation dont la critique est passée en lieu commun, mais qui, dans les ouvrages rédigés à l'usage des étudiants en droit, est encore et toujours strictement maintenue. La formule du mémento a été délibérément écartée. Pas question pour nous d'accabler la mémoire du lecteur, de l'égarer dans la broussaille des détails, de multiplier les énumérations sans substance et sans interprétation. Les faits, les événements, les institutions, les dates viennent simplement à l'appui d'une démonstration : celle qui consiste à mettre en évidence la poussée au cours de ces deux siècles (1750-1945) d'une démocratie à la fois raisonnable et exigeante, opposée à l'hydre constamment renaissante de l'oligarchie, lutte éternelle qui est de l'essence même de la politique.

Essa pesquisa desenvolve uma abordagem qualitativa teórico-prática no campo da Dança Afro, com percurso autoetnográfico entrelaçado com dados históricos e saberes estéticos trazidos pela Agremiação carnavalesca Afoxé Ilê Omo Dadá, juntamente com narrativas trazidas por entrevistas com importantes artistas, considerados mestres e mestras da dança negra paulistana. O trabalho teve o intuito de investigar o conjunto de signos codificados como Dança Afro, resultado de variadas experiências transmitidas em espaços da cidade, na sua maioria informais, escolas de capoeira e pelas agremiações de escolas de samba de São Paulo, formando e profissionalizando em dança diversos artistas negros da cidade.

The continuous demand for electronic devices operating at increasing current and power levels has driven research into wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors in recent decades. In particular, the 4H hexagonal polytype of silicon carbide (4H-SiC) is the most promising for use in power electronic applications in the medium- to high-voltage range. However, to achieve the optimised performance of these 4H-SiC devices, a full understanding of the fundamental material properties, processing technology, and carrier transport mechanisms is required with wide margins for the progress of the related scientific and technological research into this material. On the one hand, an improvement in the existing power device performances in terms of efficiency and reliability is targeted; on the other hand, the 4H-SiC applications are desirably extendable toward new cutting-edge technologies, e.g., quantum technologies. This Special Issue collated 11 regular and 1 review papers. These papers can be summarized into three parts: the investigation of conventional 4H-SiC devices, the suggestion of new approaches for improved devices, and the use of SiC devices in emerging technology fields. Clearly, due to the broadness of 4H-SiC technology, the present collection cannot include all prominent issues. However, we are confident that fundamental properties and novel approaches have been discussed, hoping that this Special Issue will provide interesting inputs for 4H-SiC-based technology advancement.

This open access Regional Reader proposes new ways of theorizing migration in Southern Africa by arguing that traditional western forms of theorizing do not adequately fit the South-South migration context. It explores the existing definitions of a ‘migrant’ with a view to conceptualise a definition which will speak to the complexities, envisioning a more inclusive Southern African region. The book investigates the various levels of migration moving from the local (rural to urban and urban to rural) to cross border migration; middle-class versus working-class migrant household livelihoods; livelihoods procurement versus wage earning; social capital (networks) and how they make meaning of their circumstances in a ‘foreign’ space. It also acknowledges the intertwined issues of gender and class as important in analyzing migration processes and the chapters feature both in varying dimensions. As such, the book provides a great resource for students, academics and policy makers.

In Early Modern times, techniques of assembling, compiling and arranging pre-existing material were part of the established working methods in many arts. In the world of 18th-century opera, such practices ensured that operas could become a commercial success because the substitution or compilation of arias fitting the singer's abilities proved the best recipe for fulfilling the expectations of audiences. Known as »pasticcios« since the 18th-century, these operas have long been considered inferior patchwork. The volume collects essays that reconsider the pasticcio, contextualize it, define its preconditions, look at its material aspects and uncover its aesthetical principles.