Open Access Books

With a focus on the economic, social, and political impetus for producing monuments to knowledge, this volume recognizes the encyclopedic compilation as the quintessential tool of enlightenment knowledge transfer. From its modern origins in seventeenth-century France, encyclopedic compilations met the need for the dissemination of information in a more flexible format, one that eschewed the limits of previous centuries of erudition. The rise of vernacular languages dovetailed with the demand for information in every sector, sparking competition among nations to establish the encyclopedic “paper empires” that became symbols of power and potential. In this edited collection, Clorinda Donato and Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink evaluate the long-overlooked phenomenon of knowledge creation and transfer that occurred in hundreds of translated encyclopedic compilations over the long eighteenth century. Analysing multiple instances of translated compilations, Translation and Transfer of Knowledge in Encyclopedic Compilations, 1680–1830 expands into the vast realm of the multilingual, encyclopedic compilation, the most tangible proof of the global enlightenment. Through the presentation of an extensive corpus of translated compilations, it argues that the true site of knowledge transfer resided in the transnational movement of ideas exemplified by these compendia. The encyclopedia came to represent the aspiring nation as a viable economic and political player on the world stage; the capability to tell knowledge through culture became the hallmark of a nation’s cultural capital, symbolic of its might and mapping the how, why, and where of the global eighteenth century.

Après avoir été détruite aux deux tiers de son tonnage pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, la Marine marchande française s’est reconstituée en moins de cinq ans. Elle a dû faire face, d’une part à la disparition de ses paquebots de ligne avec l’arrivée sur l’Atlantique nord des premiers avions long-courriers à réaction, d’autre part à la perte de substance du trafic des marchandises sur ses lignes traditionnelles, avec la décolonisation. Précédant en cela les dirigeants des grandes entreprise...

1533, Catherine de Médicis épouse le futur Henri II. Dans sa corbeille de mariage, la jeune adolescente apporte l'excellence de la table italienne : nouveaux légumes, nouvelles recettes, cuisiniers de talent. Le palais des aristocrates français s'en trouvera bouleversé à jamais. De cette rencontre entre la table et la Grande histoire naîtra la cuisine française réputée... Bien connue, l'anecdote est répétée à satiété depuis le XVIIIe siècle. Mais tout autre paraît la réalité des faits tant nous peinons à trouver des traces dans les archives de ces fameux cuisiniers et des preuves incontestables d'italianités dans la cuisine française. Entre mythes et réalités de la table, ce livre déconstruit le récit des origines italiennes de la cuisine française, inventé au XVIIIe siècle, enrichi au siècle suivant de personnages savoureux mais tout autant imaginaires, tels les Pastilla, Frangipani et autres Popelini, et revient sur ce que les sources de la Renaissance nous disent des relations entre la France et l'Italie du point de vue du boire et du manger. Se dessinent alors des relations bien plus anciennes et bien plus complexes qu'une simple imitation de l'Italie de la Renaissance, fût-elle celle de Rome et de Florence, voire une possible influence de la France sur la table des élites italiennes… Et des relations non exclusives qui impliquent également l'Espagne et ses possessions, et l'héritage de la prestigieuse cour de Bourgogne.

Composite materials lie at the forefront of multi- and interdisciplinary research, uniting experts in materials science, polymer and inorganic chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanics, nanotechnology, and beyond. Polymer-based composites, in particular, offer a unique blend of mechanical strength, lightweight design, optical versatility, and cost-effective processing, positioning them as strong alternatives to traditional materials across a spectrum of industries, from construction and automotive to aerospace, biomedicine, and marine applications. This Special Issue presents the latest groundbreaking research in advanced composite materials developed from both synthetic and natural polymers, reinforced with innovative (nano)fillers and fibers. Original contributions that explore new polymer matrices—including commodity, engineering, bio-based, and biodegradable polymers—and extend across thermosets and thermoplastics comprise this Special Issue.

Addressing cultural techniques from different disciplinary perspectives, this volume elaborates upon a concept originally developed in media studies. In a series of case studies, it reconstructs the basic operations of spatialization underlying more complex symbolic artefacts and articulations, which range from techniques of the body to landscapes, from paperwork to encyclopedias, from collections to collectives.

The insulating medium used in gas-insulated switchgear is SF6 gas, which has been widely used in substations. Energy generated by discharge will cause the composition of SF6 and generate characteristic component gases. Diagnosing the insulation defect through analyzing the decomposed gases of SF6 by chemical gas sensors is the optimal method due to its advantages. Carbon nanotubes, TiO2 nanotubes and graphene are chosen as the gas-sensing materials to build specific gas sensors for detecting each kind of SF6 decomposed gases and then enhance the gas sensitivity and selectivity by material modification. The properties and preparation methods are introduced in this book. The author studied the micro-adsorption mechanism and macro-gas sensing properties by theoretical calculation and sensing experiment.

WINNER of the 2023 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award Focuses on a much discussed and controversial aspect of conservation: the commodification of nature. Can the successful marketization of what is generally perceived as wilderness help to provide for biodiversity conservation, economic development and social emancipation? At a time of profound anxiety about the impact of human activity on nature and the catastrophic effects of climate change, the "sixth mass extinction", invasive species and rapidly expanding zoonotic diseases, this volume engages with the practices, discourses, and materialities surrounding the commodification of "the wild". Focusing on the relationship between commodification and wilderness, the contributors pay particular attention to commodification's newer iterations in which human management plays a significant role, such as wildlife-park tourism, trophy-hunting, and trade in herbal medicines, perfumes and luxury exotic food items. Dominant neoliberal approaches have aimed to address global environmental challenges through the commodification and marketization of nature: by valorizing nature, they claim, biodiversity can be safeguarded and "wild" landscapes protected. This, it is thought, will not only open up a new frontier of sustainable, non-exploitative, participatory capitalist expansion, but invigorate rural livelihoods, reduce poverty, and add important assets to otherwise vulnerable rural economies. This important book challenges this future trajectory. Investigating a broad range of cases across southern and eastern Africa, from the illegal sandalwood trade to legal trade in devil's claw and honeybush, to trophy-hunting and wilderness safaris, the contributors reveal the pitfalls and challenges of commodification, what this means for the continent and beyond. OPEN ACCESS: This title is freely available in digital format under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND

This book provides a collection of comprehensive research articles on data analytics and applications of wearable devices in healthcare. This Special Issue presents 28 research studies from 137 authors representing 37 institutions from 19 countries. To facilitate the understanding of the research articles, we have organized the book to show various aspects covered in this field, such as eHealth, technology-integrated research, prediction models, rehabilitation studies, prototype systems, community health studies, ergonomics design systems, technology acceptance model evaluation studies, telemonitoring systems, warning systems, application of sensors in sports studies, clinical systems, feasibility studies, geographical location based systems, tracking systems, observational studies, risk assessment studies, human activity recognition systems, impact measurement systems, and a systematic review. We would like to take this opportunity to invite high quality research articles for our next Special Issue entitled “Digital Health and Smart Sensors for Better Management of Cancer and Chronic Diseases” as a part of Sensors journal.

The here collected contributions relating to the 46th International Conference of the Representation Disciplines Teachers, organized jointly by Sapienza University of Rome, Roma Tre University, and San Raffaele Roma University, aim to offer the scientific community a reflection on the theoretical and methodological aspects related to the concept of èkphrasis, a term that, in the field of representation, concerns descriptive, analogical, and digital activities that generate new knowledge in several areas of application. The Conference aims to place at the center of the discussion an interpretation of the concept of research that, without neglecting an idea of study, protection, and enhancement of environmental and cultural heritage, focuses on the needs of contemporary society and its possible developments, making use of innovative theoretical, methodological, and operational activities, including those characterized by an interdisciplinary approach. According to this interpretation, research can also be seen as a foreshadowing of the definition and testing of experimental proposals aimed at exploring new areas of investigation: this opens up imaginative and utopian perspectives in the relationship between the sciences, the arts, and the disciplines that contribute to common goals, through the experimentation of methods, techniques, and languages for conceiving, prefiguring, designing, and representing.

Prof. Walter Wahli devoted much of his career to exploring and defining the functions of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs). More than 25 years ago, his group began searching for new members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily using the DNA-binding domain of the estrogen receptor as a probe. This led to the discovery of novel receptors, now known as PPARα, β, and γ. While PPARα was independently first published by Isabelle Issemann and Stephen Green, Prof. Wahli and colleagues went on to characterize all three isotypes of this receptor family. Building on this pioneering work, Prof. Wahli and his collaborators revealed how PPARs are activated by fatty acids and regulate gene expression in metabolic and physiological pathways. Their findings, notably that fatty acids can act via nuclear receptor-mediated mechanisms similar to hormones, reshaped the understanding of metabolism and opened new therapeutic possibilities using synthetic compounds. Prof. Wahli’s vision and scientific rigor greatly enriched the knowledge of PPAR biology and inspired many researchers worldwide. His enduring legacy illustrates the transformative power of scientific inquiry and its potential to improve human health.

This Special Issue brings together some interconnected topics related to fungi and plants such as biodiversity, taxonomy, conservation, molecular phylogeny, ecology, and plant–fungal interactions. Additionally, some applied aspects are covered, such as phytoremediation, the improvement of spinach growth by biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, bio-friendly solutions for waste reduction, the accumulation of rare-earth elements by wild edible mushrooms, etc.

Tools to make hard problems easier to solve. In this book, Sanjoy Mahajan shows us that the way to master complexity is through insight rather than precision. Precision can overwhelm us with information, whereas insight connects seemingly disparate pieces of information into a simple picture. Unlike computers, humans depend on insight. Based on the author's fifteen years of teaching at MIT, Cambridge University, and Olin College, The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering shows us how to build insight and find understanding, giving readers tools to help them solve any problem in science and engineering. To master complexity, we can organize it or discard it. The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering first teaches the tools for organizing complexity, then distinguishes the two paths for discarding complexity: with and without loss of information. Questions and problems throughout the text help readers master and apply these groups of tools. Armed with this three-part toolchest, and without complicated mathematics, readers can estimate the flight range of birds and planes and the strength of chemical bonds, understand the physics of pianos and xylophones, and explain why skies are blue and sunsets are red. The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering will appear in print and online under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Share Alike license.

Inland waterways transport (IWT) is recognized as a sustainable mode of transportation, prompting the European Union (EU) to promote a shift from road hauling to IWT. EU and national policies aim to establish a zero-emission IWT fleet. However, sustainable transport also involves circular resource use in vessel construction and operation. Although the EU Ship Recycling Regulation does not apply to IWT, the proposed Ecodesign Regulation may impact the sector. The principles of circular economy can be achieved through shipbuilding and service contracts with machinery providers. With the rise of autonomous navigation, vessel operations will be performed by autonomous systems which may be provided via servitisation, as part of a Product-Software-Service System (PSSS). In the chapter, the legal implications of a business model adhering to principles of circular economy for shipbuilding and barge operations are discussed.

Women Filmmakers and the Welfare State compares conditions for diverse women filmmakers in relation to cultural movements, politics, and welfare state policy during the long 1970s. The book examines the expansion of women’s filmmaking and transnational collaboration across a range of genres, styles, and forms, foregrounding that film practices of the time were highly varied, ranging from women’s political and “consciousness-raising” films to fiction, art cinema, animation, documentary, experimental, and educational cinema. Welfare states such as Canada and Sweden had related, but different approaches to public support for filmmaking by women, which also influenced Indigenous, queer, and migrant and immigrant access to film production. At the height of second-wave feminism, this expansion took root through transnational collaboration as well as collectives, co-ops, activist networks, film festivals, public television, and government organizations, including in relation to environmentalist, pacifist, and UN Year and Decade of the Woman initiatives. The book includes interviews with filmmakers and also explores the current state of access, circulation, and archival practice. This book is aimed at a scholarly audience with applicability for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for adoption across a variety of cinema, media, gender, political science, cultural policy, transnationalism, and gender and women’s studies courses.

Along with cognitive factors, emotions and existential concerns such as the search for reassurance and autonomy shape adolescents' attitudes toward creation and evolution.