Open Access Books

Standpoint Autotheory encompasses a multitude of manifestations of radically self-reflexive research attitudes. It traces research based artistic practices through twelve contributions that propose a performative integration of the personal within the production of theory and explore the entanglements of subjectivity with criticality aimed at social transformation by questioning dominant epistemologies. The positions assembled in the book are permeated by different modes of thinking and practice such as autoethnography, practices of the self, auto-historia teoría, standpoint theories, strong objectivity and situated knowledge, self-authority, narrativity and storytelling, radical positioning, performative philosophy, autofiction, thinking-feeling, and other methods that, through the interrogation of embodied experiences, illuminate the connections between the personal and the political, as well as the individual and the communal.

Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, the scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? In Is Breast Best? Joan B. Wolf challenges the widespread belief that breastfeeding is medically superior to bottle-feeding. Despite the fact that breastfeeding has become the ultimate expression of maternal dedication, Wolf writes, the conviction that breastfeeding provides babies unique health benefits and that formula feeding is a risky substitute is unsubstantiated by the evidence. In accessible prose, Wolf argues that a public obsession with health and what she calls “total motherhood” has made breastfeeding a cause célèbre, and that public discussions of breastfeeding say more about infatuation with personal responsibility and perfect mothering in America than they do about the concrete benefits of the breast. Parsing the rhetoric of expert advice, including the recent National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, and rigorously questioning the scientific evidence, Is Breast Best? uncovers a path by which a mother can feel informed and confident about how best to feed her thriving infant—whether flourishing by breast or by bottle.

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences.

This major new study of the textual parallels that permeate James Joyce’s three most widely read works––'Dubliners', 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', and 'Ulysses'––documents and discusses some eight hundred instances, just over seven hundred of them in 'Ulysses' alone, of previously unrecognized, unidentified, or misidentified echoes, most of them verbatim, of antecedent texts ranging from major and minor works of English, Irish, Italian, French and other literatures to the poems, plays, popular songs, hymns, comic operas, triple-deckers, dime novels, penny dreadfuls, and print advertisements of his own day. By meticulously identifying hundreds of previously unknown instances of such intertextual echoes, such conscious or unconscious literary borrowings, Winnick’s study complements prior works on Joyce’s allusive practices by, among others, Weldon Thornton, Don Gifford, and, most recently and comprehensively, Sam Slote, Marc A. Mamigonian, and John Turner, shedding important new light on Joyce’s reading, thematic intentions, and creative technique.

This book is free to download in PDF and EPub formats. Is certification the solution? Can it deliver urgently needed improvements to complex problems like deforestation and the exploitation of people? In this controversial new book, Scott Poynton, founder of The Forest Trust, makes a compelling case for a new approach to social and environmental problems that goes "beyond certification".Certification emerged from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit amidst great hope. Since then, despite a proliferation of certification schemes in twenty-five industry sectors, the destructive and irresponsible exploitation of natural and human resources has grown still worse. Beyond Certification reviews the positive aspects of certification, of which there are many, but argues that we can no longer afford to gloss over its failures. The book offers an alternative model, VT-TV, based on Values, Transparency, Transformation and Verification, which the author has been exploring and implementing with over 70 companies and industries around the world. These companies are transforming the story of the raw materials they use – wood, palm oil, pulp and paper, stone, charcoal, soy, beef, sugar, dairy, rubber, coffee, cocoa and coconut. Mining companies are also exploring this approach, making decisions aligned with fundamental values and what they know to be right.The results? Trust is emerging as former combatants awake to the importance of working together. Guns have been removed from forests, land set aside for protection, worker rights and conditions improved and long-standing conflicts have been resolved as people confront their legacies. Beyond Certification does not claim that this VT-TV model is the only solution. Rather, it shows how new and seemingly radical thinking can catalyze positive change. Included: the limits of roundtable certification illustrated with real, practical examples; the intricacies of the change process – how companies move from destructive to more responsible practices; how to implement more holistic, economically effective, durable systems to better protect people and the environment.

"How are languages and cultures affected not only by the landscapes we live in, but also by the ways in which we make our way through them? Can railway fiction contribute to illuminating questions related to a nation’s history and identity? And what makes the stories about Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet trains different from railway literature with origins in other railway nations? Outside the country’s borders Russian and Soviet trains are likely to be associated with exotic journeys, particularly by the Trans-Siberian railway. This book explores other aspects of this vast empire’s railways. Through philological and cultural analyses, primarily of literary fiction, but also of popular cultural and documentary texts, the author demonstrates how and why the railway gradually became part of the Russian and Soviet peoples’ culture and national consciousness. She describes how metaphors and aphorisms related to trains were applied in propaganda, and subsequently became subject to linguistic play and literary deconstruction. And last, but not least this monograph shows how the railway forms a dark backdrop for literary representations of deportations, forced labour and prison camps. The book addresses specialists and students of Russian, as well as readers with a general interest in Russia, languages, literature and cultural theory."

Around the world, more young people than ever before are attending university. Student numbers in South Africa have doubled since democracy and for many families, higher education is a route to a better future for their children. But alongside the overwhelming demand for higher education, questions about its purposes have intensified. Deliberations about the curriculum, culture and costing of public higher education abound from student activists, academics, parents, civil society and policy-makers. We know, from macro research, that South African graduates generally have good employment prospects. But little is known at a detailed level about how young people actually make use of their university experiences to craft their life courses. And even less is known about what happens to those who drop out. This accessible book brings together the rich life stories of 73 young people, six years after they began their university studies. It traces how going to university influences not only their employment options, but also nurtures the agency needed to chart their own way and to engage critically with the world around them. The book offers deep insights into the ways in which public higher education is both a private and public good, and it provides significant conclusions pertinent to anyone who works in – and cares about – universities.

While the first volume of the overalll work, which was published as "The historical Area of Austria" ("Geschichtsraum Österreich") in 2006, focused on the Hapsburgian "whole state" from the perspective of the most important phenomena and protagonists of the "Hapsburgian iconography", this second and concluding volume examines multifarious visualisations of the regional and supraregional historical myths of the 19th century in Vienna, the "centre", and in the regions, i.e. the Austrian Crownlands (part of which are identical with today´s federal provinces of the Republic of Austria). The difficult relationship between the "whole state" and the Crownlands constitutes the entire, extremely complex spectrum of reflections on Austrian 19th century history. Here, the kinds of methods and concrete goals with which regional memorial foundations interact or compete with dynastic strategies is a pivotal issue - on that has been examined only far too rarely in the past. Hence the present work intends to discuss both art-historical and historical phenomena with explore various historical reflections at the - frequently neglected - "periphery" and investigate visual approaches to one´s "own" history from the "present" of the 19th century (using prominent events such as the second Ottoman siege of 1683 and the "wars of liberation" against Napoleon as an example). The degrees of complexity, quantitative permeation and significant contrasts between Vienna - the "centre" - and the "provinces" in their different reflections on Austrian history clearly begin to emerge when we examine an extensive range of topics against the background of competing national, regional and communal strategies. Compared to the first volume "The historical Area of Austria", the perspective of the multifarious "historical area of Austria" shifts from the "whole state" to an analysis of a highly distinct "plurality of areas" (Karl Schlögel) with its own intrinsic laws. Such diversity is also an essential factor when we come to investigate the prolific amount of Austrian landscape art in the 19th century and the role it played in forging identity. It graphically demonstrates that a deeper understanding of Austria´s federal structures is not possible without gaining a comprehensive insight into 19th century history.

The chapter explores the theme of work in John Dewey's pedagogical thought within a cultural, economic and social framework in reference to the historical context of the time and in relation to his idea of emocracy, understood as an ethical project.

The Conference was established for the first time in 2023 as part of a programme of activities to sustain research culture environment and dissemination activities at the School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff United Kingdom. The conference served as a platform to celebrate advancements in various engineering domains researched at our School, and to explore and discuss further advancements in the diverse fields that define contemporary engineering. The structure of the conference programme reflected the multidimensional nature of our research and was built around the priority research areas for the school. 1. Sustainable Energy stands as a testament to our commitment to a greener, more efficient future. We aim to advance energy technology and play a key role in addressing the increasing demand for sustainable and low carbon technologies while reducing environmental impact and ensuring a sustainable environment. Our work helps to drive forward net-zero solutions for achieving the government carbon targets. 2. Advanced Manufacturing represents cutting-edge research into materials, systems and transformative technologies to transform engineering and economic performance in the transport, energy generation and manufacturing industries. Our research in this area focuses on developing smart materials and structures, and sustainable manufacturing processes that help create a sustainable and greener economy. 3. Civil Infrastructure takes centre stage as we improve the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure across the UK and the globe. We work on developing sustainable and resilient total lifecycle solutions across a wide range of domains including construction, structures, energy, geo-environmental and water infrastructure systems. From creating new nano-scale smart materials to macro-scale urban interventions. 4. Compound Semiconductors and Applications represents the cutting edge of electronics, a critical driver of progress in the digital age. We explore the latest developments in compound semiconductor materials, advanced characterisation techniques, quantum optics and novel circuit design methodologies and their diverse applications. We anticipate breakthroughs that will power the next generation of computing, communication, and sensing technologies. 5. Engineering for Health forms a cornerstone of our discussions, recognizing the pivotal role technology plays in revolutionizing healthcare. We are applying the latest research in medical engineering to push the boundaries in areas where innovation has the potential to transform patient care.

astronomy; physics; communications; radio; engineering

Aufgrund steigender Anforderungen im Bereich des Umweltschutzes ist die Einsparung fossiler Brennstoffe bei gleichzeitig höherem Anspruch der Kunden an den Leistungsumfang moderner Personenkraftwagen ein wichtiger Forschungsschwerpunkt in der Fahrzeugindustrie. Diesem Zielkonflikt wird im Wesentlichen durch die Entwicklung von alternativen Antriebskonzepten und der konsequenten Umsetzung des Leichtbaugedankens entgegengewirkt. Im Großserienbereich des Karosseriebaus wird Letzteres vorwiegend über den Einsatz der metallischen Mischbauweise realisiert. Dies setzt jedoch auch die Anwendung angepasster Fügetechnologien voraus. Für artungleiche Fügewerkstoffe aus Aluminium und ultrahochfestem Stahl bietet das Schneidclinchverfahren großes Potenzial. Kerngedanke dieser Arbeit ist es, die Schneidclinchtechnologie in die Prozessbestandteile Schneiden und Umformen zu unterteilen, diese separat zu analysieren und Wechselwirkungen zu identifizieren. Hierfür wird sowohl ein schädigungsbasiertes numerisches Prozessmodell als auch ein für Grundlagenuntersuchungen angepasstes und modulares Werkzeug vorgestellt. Anschließend werden im Rahmen eines umfangreichen numerischen und experimentellen Versuchsprogramms werkstoff-, werkzeug- sowie prozessseitige Einflussgrößen identifiziert und deren Wirkung hinsichtlich geometrischer Verbindungskenngrößen, dem Prozesskraftverlauf sowie resultierender quasistatischer Verbindungskennwerte quantifiziert. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse ermöglichen die Ableitung von Hinweisen für die praktische Anwendung des Schneiclinchprozesses und leisten somit einen großen Beitrag für die Reduktion von Streuungen sowie die Steigerung der Prozessrobustheit.

Though Graeco-Roman antiquity (‘classics’) has often been considered the handmaid of colonialism, its various forms have nonetheless endured through many of the continent’s decolonising transitions. Southern Africa is no exception. This book canvasses the variety of forms classics has taken in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and especially South Africa, and even the dynamics of transformation itself. How does (u)Mzantsi classics (of southern Africa) look in an era of profound change, whether violent or otherwise? What are its future prospects? Contributors focus on pedagogies, historical consciousness, the creative arts and popular culture. The volume, in its overall shape, responds to the idea of dialogue – in both the Greek form associated with Plato’s rendition of Socrates’ wisdom and in the African concept of ubuntu. Here are dialogues between scholars, both emerging and established, as well as students – some of whom were directly impacted by the Fallist protests of the late 20-teens. Rather than offering an apologia for classics, these dialogues engage with pressing questions of relevance, identity, change, the canon, and the dynamics of decolonisation and potential recolonisation. The goal is to interrogate classics – the ways it has been taught, studied, perceived, transformed and even lived – from many points of view.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. President Clinton's time in office coincided with historic global events following the end of the Cold War. The collapse of Communism called for a new US Grand Strategy to address the emerging geopolitical era that brought upheavals in Somalia and the Balkans, economic challenges in Mexico and Europe and the emergence of new entities such as the EU, NAFTA and the WTO. Clinton's handling of these events was crucial to the development of world politics at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Only by understanding Clinton's efforts to address the challenges of the post-Cold War era can we understand the strategies of his immediate successors, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, both of whom inherited and continued Clinton-era policies and practices. James D. Boys sheds new light on the evolution and execution of US Grand Strategy from 1993 to 2001. He explores the manner in which policy was devised and examines the actors responsible for its development, including Bill Clinton, Anthony Lake, Samuel Berger, Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright and Richard Holbrook. He examines the core components of the strategy (National Security, Prosperity Promotion and Democracy Promotion) and how they were implemented, revealing a hitherto unexplored continuity from campaign trail to the White House. Covering the entire duration of Clinton’s presidential odyssey, from his 1991 Announcement Speech to his final day in office, the book draws extensively on newly declassified primary materials and interviews by the author with key members of the Clinton administration to reveal for the first time the development and implementation of US Grand Strategy from deep within the West Wing of the Clinton White House.

This book contributes to the understanding of gender and regional inequalities in developing countries. First, it deals with social institutions related to gender inequality and proposes new composite indices to measure them. Using these indices, some interesting empirical connections between social institutions related to gender inequality and several relevant development outcomes are examined at the cross-country level. The second part of the book is concerned with the historical development of another type of inequality which is relevant for developing countries: inequality between regions. The topic of regional convergence in Colombia during the last quarter of the 20th century is analyzed using different approaches and focusing on both income and social indicators.