Open Access Books

Aerial robots with perception, navigation, and manipulation capabilities are extending the range of applications of drones, allowing the integration of different sensor devices and robotic manipulators to perform inspection and maintenance operations on infrastructures such as power lines, bridges, viaducts, or walls, involving typically physical interactions on flight. New research and technological challenges arise from applications demanding the benefits of aerial robots, particularly in outdoor environments. This book collects eleven papers from different research groups from Spain, Croatia, Italy, Japan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Denmark, focused on the design, development, and experimental validation of methods and technologies for inspection and maintenance using aerial robots.

This is the first book whose subject is the music, sounds and silences of Antarctica. From 2011 until 2014, Australia marked its long-standing connection with Antarctica by celebrating the centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. The icy continent, with its extremes of climate and environment and unique soundscapes, offers great potential for creative achievements in the world of music and sound. This book demonstrates the intellectual and creative engagement of artists, musicians, scientists and writers. Consciousness of sounds — in particular, musical ones — has not been at the forefront of our aims in polar endeavours, but listening to and appreciating them has been as important there as elsewhere.

'Digital Diversity: Cultures, Languages and Methods' is the motto for this year's Digital Humanities conference; it relates methodical and technical innovation to the traditional research agenda of the Humanities. The conference schedule includes contributions on a wide range of topics, reflecting the increasing breadth in the field on all levels. A recurring theme at Digital Humanities conferences in recent years has been the high number of submissions, and this year has continued the upward trend, with close to 400 submissions across the different categories: pre-conference workshops/tutorials, long papers, short papers, posters and multipaper sessions (including panels). This Book of Abstracts shows the diversity of this year's conference. The PDF version is freely available (open access; please download the file "HamburgUP_dh2012_B-o-A.pdf"). An elaborated version of the Book with color photos and zoom function is available at http://www.dh2012.uni-hamburg.de/conference/programme/abstracts/.

This Special Issue is a brief collection of 10 papers focused on the development and characterization of superhydrophobic and icephobic coatings that are helpful, in combination with active Ice Protection Systems (IPS), in protecting aircrafts from ice accretion. The synergistic combination of active and passive IPSs reduces the required power consumption, thereby paving the way for more sustainable and efficient solutions for flight safety.

A link between inflammation and cancer was initially made by Rudolf Virchow back in the 19th century. Nowadays many cancers are considered dependent on inflammatory responses to microbial and damaged-self stimuli and both arms of immunity, innate and adaptive, are playing a role in promoting cancer. Moreover, besides environmental factors, opportunistic pathogens contribute to inflammation and cancer. Nevertheless, microbial influence on chronic disease is sometimes difficult to discern, especially in the context of polymicrobial communities, such as those found in the digestive tract. In this light, model organisms provide important insights into immune and growth signals that promote cancer, and suggest therapies that will selectively target potentially harmful microbes or modulate host responses. A number of review and opinion articles in this series address novel aspects and paradigms of the interactions between the microbiota and the host in relation to inflammation and cancer.

This book focuses on developments of resilience in Europe, discussing its different interpretations and enactments, as well as approaches to national security and crisis and disaster management. Examining war-time resilience, increased refugee flows into the EU, societal resilience, and its general application of the concept in national security strategies, the book juxtaposes the multifaceted nature of resilience in different, yet connected, European countries. In doing so, it illuminates the multiplicity of approaches and interpretations that allows a deeper understanding of dynamically (re)developing approaches to resilience. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students, and practitioners working in crisis response, disaster management, and resilience and more broadly to European studies, migration studies, security studies, politics, public policy, and international relations.

Cette thèse est la première étude historique générale du Patronage de la Couronne sur l'Église d'Espagne, des Rois Catholiques à Ferdinand VII. En dépit des caractères archaïques imprimés par ses origines médiévales, La Patronage Royal accompagna les progrès de l'État national moderne et fut l'organe du contrôle politique de l'Église. L'auteur s'attache à analyser et décrire les relations étroites que cette institution, aussi importante que mal connue, entretint avec le réalisme du Siècle des...

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Bénédict Winiger geht der Frage nach, unter welchen Bedingungen von jemandem gesagt werden kann, er handle verantwortlich oder unverantwortlich. Diese Frage beschäftigt die Menschheit seit jeher und stellt sich jedem von uns bei allen Entscheidungen. Eine historische Analyse zeigt eingangs verschiedene Antworten in alten mesopotamischen, kleinasiatischen, griechischen und römischen Texten, die die moderne Rechtsphilosophie entscheidend geprägt haben. Der Autor vertritt sodann folgende zwei Thesen: Jemand verhält sich dann verantwortlich, wenn er durch sein Handeln einem möglichen Opfer jene Lebensperspektive zurückgeben kann - und im Schadensfalle tatsächlich zurückgibt, die es ohne das schädigende Ereignis haben würde (Kriterium der Reversibilität). Zudem verhält sich derjenige verantwortlich, den bei der Handlungsbestimmung und der tatsächlichen Handlung kein Verschulden trifft (Kriterium des Verschuldens).

Essays on Native Modernism: Complexity and Contradiction in American Indian Art, which grew out of a symposium held by NMAI in May 2005, explores the legacies of George Morrison (Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, 1919–2000) and Allan Houser (Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache, 1914–1994)—two giants of 20th-century art—as well as investigates the basis of a Native modernism by eliciting a broad discussion about the critical perspectives and practices of Native artists across North America. Also examined is the place of Native modernism in the canon of American art and the currents of influence between them.

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This chapter describes how the ICARUS communications (COM) team defined, developed and implemented an integrated wireless communication system to ensure an interoperable and dependable networking capability for both human and robotic search and rescue field teams and crisis managers. It starts explaining the analysis of the requirements and the context of the project, the existing solutions and the design of the ICARUS communication system to fulfil all the project needs. Next, it addresses the implementation process of the required networking capabilities, and finally, it explains how the ICARUS communication system and associated tools have been integrated in the overall mission systems and have been validated to provide reliable communications for real‐time information sharing during search and rescue operations in hostile conditions.

Energy transitions and environmental sustainability does not occur overnight as it may take years of policy debates both from within domestic jurisdictions and from international organisations. It often requires energy saving technology innovations to drive appropriate investment decisions that can then allow energy transition to occur. There is no one global solution. Countries progress in their energy transition goals by taking small steps as demonstrated in this special issue, “Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainability”. This Special Issue provides thirteen interesting papers showing examples of projects undertaken or challenges encountered in various countries, such as: Legal reforms for energy transition in Taiwan and Japan; Transition towards solar PV in South Korea; Transition to electricity driven buses in Central Europe; Vehicle transition and the development of electric car production in the United States, the European Union and Japan; Cooling solutions for buildings in Pakistan; Projects in Ecuador to replace fossil fuel use with Hydropower; The Role of Electrification in the Decarbonization of Central-Western Europe; Energy technology innovation through the application of new technologies in oil resource development; Wastewater treatment challenges in Poland; Increased climate change litigation facing Australian Energy Companies; Renewable energy solution to a Childcare facility in Tokyo; and Canadian policies to support renewable gas production from organic waste. This Special Issue provides global perspectives and uncertainties on energy transition and will appeal to all levels of readers.

Léon Noël, Noël Léon. Beau palindrome. Signe d’une aptitude à se retourner au gré des circonstances ? Une vie de 99 ans marquée d’une indéfectible fidélité à l’Etat, mais dans tous ses états ! Un talent pour être là lorsque la décision se prend ou quand l’action s’impose. Une habileté à jouer les éminences grises : séparation de l’Eglise et de l’Etat, c’est déjà lui, occupation de la Rhénanie, ambassadeur, ou plutôt proconsul, en Tchécoslovaquie et en Pologne (où il défait et refait le gouvernement), c’est encore lui. Mais le voici, hélas, dans le wagon de Rethondes, face à Hitler, et délégué général de Pétain pour la zone Nord. Vacillement ? Les uns le voient en dauphin du Maréchal, les autres en successeur de Jean Moulin. A partir de 1947, c’est de Gaulle. Pour toujours. En conseiller, en confident. Député de l’Yonne d’une Quatrième honnie, il est élu du RPF, contre la Communauté européenne de défense. En récompense, la Cinquième instaurée, c’est le couronnement : la première présidence du Conseil constitutionnel, une institution dont on parle encore beaucoup, qui paraît moins impartiale et indépendante qu’on ne l’a cru... Résister ou pas, et comment, aux pressions de l’exécutif ? Pas simple, surtout quand l’enjeu est l’élection du président de la République au suffrage universel ! Passions françaises, enjeux internationaux, défis constitutionnels, cette biographie est une grande leçon de science politique. Une fine coupe historique qui épouse le xxe siècle.

The role of the unions in the process of German unity has so far received little attention. From the beginning, they were among the forces that helped shape the social and economic transformation of East Germany. In the volume's volume, scientists and formerly active people from East and West - starting from their respective different perspectives - consider the possibilities, successes and limits of trade union politics and trade union action. The focus is on trade union contacts before 1989, the phases of upheaval and unification, the work of the Treuhandanstalt and tariff policy. The effects of the transformation process are also elaborated.