Open Access Books

This book offers a micro-global history of humanitarianism and medical care during the ‘long’ Second World War, challenging the traditional Eurocentric chronological boundaries of 1939/1945. It takes as its starting point the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, which led to the progressive dislocation of the League of Nations, with Japanese, German and Soviet departures in the 1930s. It ends with the termination of the Korean War in 1953 and the subsequent dismantling of the first United Coalition and UN peace enforcement operation. This periodisation allows the contributors to consider the role of extra-European spaces and conflicts, such as the Italo-Ethiopian War, conflict between Peru and Ecuador, and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Using innovative methodological approaches, including a focus on medical care and intimacy (Chapters 1 and 4), this book is neither structured around breaks and ruptures, nor linear shifts from ‘imperial humanitarianism’ to ‘neo-humanitarianism’ or ‘amateurism’ to ‘professionalism’. Instead of creating a metanarrative and an overarching story of humanitarianism during the long Second World War, it considers the slow, messy and ambivalent transformation of humanitarian actors’ relations to the suffering of distant others through studying humanitarian encounters, practices, spaces and affects. Paying close attention to actors such as French colonial doctors (Chapter 2), Swiss ICRC delegates (Chapters 3 and 10), Egyptian relief workers (Chapter 4), Chinese-style physicians (Chapter 5), Peruvian and Ecuadorian nurses (Chapter 6) and American members of the Unitarian Service Committee (Chapter 7), this book does not erase the important differences between them but provides a more holistic story of humanitarianism: one that recognises its complexity and the intensification of circulations from one conflict and front to another.

This study by Szary-Matywiecka presents Malvína, or the Heart’s Intuition by Maria Wirtemberska, the first Polish psychological novel, as a work worth of critical attention. Despite its didactic message about the superiority of the heart over the mind, the work met with early success. The study deals with several aspects of the novel, while making use of methods developed by structuralists and formalists, including Michał Głowiński’s concept of formal mimesis. At the same time, it relies on current theories on language and proves that Malvína is not merely a sentimental book. The novel makes use of the traditional motif of twins separated at birth who finally meet many years later, and captures a picture of society of that time in Warsaw. The plot is permeated by the theme of doubling, two main male characters, double literary energy, and the double self of Wirtemberska as both the narrator and author.

In 1537, Nicolò Tartaglia (1500–1557), a mathematician from Brescia, published "Nova scientia." It was this work that led to the foundation of the modern science of ballistics. Tartaglia’s intention was to create a purely mathematical science based on axioms, which was fundamental to the entire subject of mechanics, starting with a limited number of principles and arriving at a series of propositions through a rigid procedure of deduction. Nevertheless, as Tartaglia himself states, his motive was fundamentally practical and connected to the activities of the sixteenth-century bombardier. A new edition of Nicolò Tartaglia’s "Nova scientia," based on the 1558 print run of the second enlarged edition (1550), shows how the emergence of theoretical ballistics was a consequence of the technological innovations that took place in the frame of the practice of iron casting at the turn from the fifteenth to the sixteenth century.

This book serves as a lighthouse of knowledge and hope in a world beset by the intensifying global water crisis. It undertakes a thorough exploration of the vanguard desalination technologies. Highlighting the solar-driven interfacial and heat-localized evaporation techniques that efficiently tap into solar energy, it also investigates membrane separation processes and adsorbents, which are constantly pushing the frontiers of desalination. The incorporation of machine learning for optimizing porous media evaporation and the vital element of desalinated seawater re-mineralization are comprehensively covered. Additionally, it offers profound insights into performance indices and the role of artificial intelligence in augmenting desalination systems. This book provides a distinctive perspective by integrating state-of-the-art research with real-world applications. It equips a wide range of readers, engineers, researchers, or policymakers with the understanding and impetus necessary to innovate in desalination. Truly, it is an indispensable resource for those committed to resolving the global water scarcity issue and driving the progress of securing future water utilization in the world.

This Reprint brings together recent research addressing the seismic performance of steel and composite structures, with a particular focus on structural connections, retrofitting techniques, and system-level behavior. The collection includes studies on box-strengthened panel zones, end-plate connections involving weak-axis columns, and the out-of-plane deformation effects in column bases. Innovative reinforcement strategies, such as knee braces with high-hardness vises and U-shaped connectors, are examined for their contribution to aseismic resilience. Advances in cold-formed steel shear walls and circular CFST columns are also highlighted. Furthermore, the optimization of damping systems in cable-stayed bridges using surrogate modeling reflects the integration of computational intelligence in seismic design. Together, these works provide valuable insights into improving the reliability, safety, and efficiency of steel and composite structures under seismic loading, offering both experimental and numerical perspectives that support future design developments and engineering practices.

Food is a source of nutrients but it also provides basic pleasure and aesthetic experiences. Acceptance, food choice, and consumption are affected by many factors, including both intrinsic and extrinsic factors and cues, as well as consumer characteristics. Food-elicited emotions are becoming a critical component in designing products that meet consumers’ needs and expectations. Several studies have reported on the presence of emotional responses to food and the relationships of these to product acceptability, preference, and choice. This Special Issue brings together a small range of studies with a diversity of approaches that provide good examples of the complex and multidisciplinary nature of this subject matter.

Enter For a long time, natural medicine has been used as a therapeutic therapy based on generations of indigenous practices. Today the rise in natural remedies has been largely driven by public demand and billions of dollars are spent annually on herbal medicines. It is therefore important to document the effectiveness of natural medicine, its potential side effects, and potential interactions.

Drawing on national, state, and local data, the Urban Child Institute partnered with RAND to explore the social and emotional well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn. The book highlights the importance of factors in the home, child care setting, and community that contribute to social and emotional development.

Massenmedien sind immer auch Technologien, die bei der Sinneswahrnehmung ansetzen. Das ist für die Kultursoziologie doppelt interessant: Einerseits sind diese heute selbstverständlichen Technologien der Sinneswahrnehmung im Bereich der Künste entstanden, deren Stellung sich durch die technische Vervielfältigung ihrer Werke tiefgreifend verändert. Andererseits aber wandelt sich mit der massenhaften Verfügbarkeit von Bildern, Schrift und Klängen auch die menschliche Wahrnehmung selbst. Unter dieser kultursoziologischen Fragestellung verbindet dieser Band kunstgeschichtliche, medien- und literaturwissenschaftliche Perspektiven miteinander.

Many recent events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, have proven the necessity of a transformation of the current economic system based on a linear schema of: “take”, “make”, “use”, and “dispose”. This radical change should involve all of the actors involved in the economic system: institutions, industries, consumers, and scientific research. Only cooperation among these stakeholders can ensure an effective shift toward a circular model. However, which kinds of actions can be performed to implement an effective circular economy? The present Special Issue collects nine papers that prove the possibility of implementing the circular economy from different points of view. The authors analyze all of the spheres of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) in a variety of contexts, evaluating the effect of the circular choices. The nine papers include several key product value chains, in agreement with the most recent European Circular Economy Action Plan (e.g., electronics and ICT, batteries, plastics, construction and buildings, and food). The present paper collection proves that the circular economy is not only a simple business model, but rather, it involves the integration of many strategies for the protection of the natural ecosystem and the maintenance of worldwide economic stability. The holistic approach is essential for a successful business model, and innovation has an indispensable role in the transition. In this context, the present Special Issue aims to be a multidisciplinary collection of innovations useful for all of the stakeholders involved in the circular economy.

New techniques for understanding animal and human interactions in the past Through case studies of faunal remains from Roman Britain, prehistoric Southeast Asia, ancient African pastoral cultures, and beyond, this volume illustrates some of the ways stable isotope analysis of ancient animals can address key questions in human prehistory. Contributors use a diverse set of isotopic techniques to investigate social and biological topics, including human paleodiets and foodways, hunting and procurement strategies, exchange patterns, animal husbandry and the genetic consequences of domestication, and short- and long-term environmental change. They demonstrate how different isotopes can be used alone or in conjunction to address questions of animal diet, movement, ecology, and management. Studies also examine how sampling strategies, statistical techniques, and regional and temporal considerations can influence isotopic results and interpretations. By applying these new methods in concert with traditional zooarchaeological analyses, archaeologists can explore questions about human ecology and environmental archaeology that were previously deemed inaccessible.

Proposer une réflexion sur les processus concomitants de développement agricole et de mise en œuvre de politiques environnementales au Brésil ; interroger l’invisibilité de pratiques agricoles derrière le « vert des cartes », malgré la reconnaissance des savoirs locaux et de droits territoriaux associés : tel est l’ambition du livre. Ce dernier s’appuie sur les résultats de vingt ans de recherches en Amazonie et dans le Cerrado. Observer les dynamiques des pratiques agropastorales dans ces espaces révèle des innovations techniques et sociospatiales, mais aussi le caractère sélectif des politiques socio-environnementales et leur rôle dans la production des marges. Il est aussi bien destiné aux spécialistes de l’Amérique latine qu’à un public plus large, sensible aux problèmes environnementaux globaux (déforestation, érosion de la biodiversité, crise hydrique). Il intéressera celles et ceux qui s’interrogent sur les traductions locales et concrètes de ces problèmes, ainsi que des solutions proposées. Il sera utile aux étudiants, enseignants et jeunes chercheurs en sciences sociales et en sciences biophysiques puisqu’il apporte des éléments théoriques et méthodologiques pour l’analyse de problèmes environnementaux complexes, au croisement d’enjeux socioéconomiques, politiques et épistémologiques, en proposant des encadrés sur des points précis.

In this Open Access book, Katharina Merian discusses memories of Marielle Franco from the perspective of the concept of dangerous memory introduced by the political theologian Johann Baptist Metz. Franco was an Afro-Brazilian human-rights activist and city councilor of Rio de Janeiro who was assassinated on March 14, 2018. Her murder elicited worldwide protest and empathy. Today she is considered an international symbol in the fight for human, women, and LGBTQ+ rights. Based on the memories of people from Franco’s inner circle, the study explores Franco’s life, what it meant to the people around her, and how her image was transformed following her murder. By critically engaging with Metz’s concept of dangerous memory, which concerns memories of suffering and unfulfilled hopes that challenge the present, Merian demonstrates that the memories of Franco represent a decolonial dangerous memory that sparks individual and collective self-empowerment among Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and favela residents. This work not only contributes to a critical reappraisal of Franco’s story and the meaning of her memory in the Brazilian and international context but also proposes a differentiated understanding of dangerous memory that highlights the relationship between solidarity and self-empowerment in a moment of existential danger and threat.

The Nubians, the largest ethnic community in Egypt, have seen their ancestral homelands disappear beneath the waters of the Nile from the dawn of the 20th century until 1964. The massive displacement of this population has been the subject of numerous literary works by Nubian writers who seek to save their heritage from oblivion and to preserve their Nubian collective memory. Despite the obvious socio-political renewed interest in Nubia in post-2011 Egypt, we claim that art in general and literature in particular remain the domain in which the problematics of the Nubian issue can be primarily vocalized. We believe that only through a thorough reading and analysis of the literary output of Egyptian Nubians that the complexities of Nubia, its people and culture can find full expression. The rich literary heritage of contemporary Nubian literature allows for a multiplicity of critiques that makes possible a reading of Nubian literature that crosses the borderlines between literature and history, geography, politics, gender, and ethnicity. The diversity of themes and tropes this first volume on Nubian literature from Egypt presents, reflects a hallmark of Nubian literary output which is generally marked by a common feeling of solidarity around the Nubian cause. The array of critical studies included in the eight chapters covers a multiplicity of approaches: cultural, postcolonial, ecofeminist, and critical race theory. The variety of writers and texts enables the authors to trace the trajectory of Nubian literature from its beginnings and explore the processes that have led to its development across generic boundaries. The choice of the literary works covering various literary genres reflects this diversity despite an apparent agreed orientation as to how best the Nubian Question could be tackled critically and theoretically. The chapters constitute an attempt to go beyond the dichotomy between the activist Nubian writer who views the Nubian Question as a human rights issue and Arab/Egyptian nationalists who consider the discussion of Nubians as a distinct ethnic group or minority a threat to society’s homogeneity and hence consider it a national security issue. Moreover, the editors ended the book with interviews with three Egyptian Nubian writers belonging to different generations and expressing different views and positions with regards to the Nubian Question. We believe, that since all the contributors to the volume are non-Nubian Egyptian academics, listening to the Nubian voice first-hand have reinforced our assumptions and positions regarding the debates and disputes discussed in the introduction and in most of the chapters in the book. It is thus hoped that this book on Nubian literature and its contribution to Egyptian and Arabic literature at large would introduce the English-speaking reader to the rich tradition of contemporary Nubian literature from Egypt written in Arabic. On the other hand, as the chapters highlight the Question of Nubia through studying its contemporary literature, the book forces the Egyptian/Arab reader to question some of the most cherished assumptions and ingrained ideas about the nature of culture, history and identity; those ideas and assumptions that were traditionally taken for granted. As such, it has far-reaching implications for how we think about the diverse nature of our societies and nations.

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