Open Access Books

There are many uncertains about the future of academic libraries in contemporary debates. Dictated with changes in the environment as well as in education, they make the redefinition of university libraries necessary and the new formula for their identity is needed. Answers for following about mission and vision of libraries should be found: how do libraries see their future and their prospective role? could library image be shaped by mission and vision, plans and strategies, values and goals? could those affect the stakeholders’ evaluation? If so, whether and how are they communicated to the users? Do academic libraries use the communication and information potential of their own websites? Analyzing the web pages of the Polish public university libraries, the article examines whether and where the information about the mission, vision and values is placed on their web portals.

Organic farming aims to produce a number of crops, without the use of synthetic chemicals (pesticides) or fertilizers, while enhancing soil composition and promoting biodiversity. This is a traditional, more permanent type of farming that relies on ecosystem services to maintain the integrity of the landscape while still producing sufficient yields. In addition, conventional farming uses pesticides and fertilizers to maximize the yield of a particular crop or set of crops, which are typically genetically modified. This book covers several issues related to the multi-functionality and impacts of organic and conventional farming systems. Chapters cover topics related to organic farming and the economy, farm management, and innovative methods and approaches.

This series addresses the demands for a comparative study of the European Middle Ages often voiced in medieval studies, but rarely realised in a sustainable manner. Since 1999, monographs and anthologies have been published in this series that deal with social or cultural-historical, legal, or constitutional-historical issues from a European perspective. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to trans-cultural global historical research into Europe as part of the medieval world.

Energy plays a decisive role in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as employment growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, clean energy, and climate change. This reprint, titled “Recent Advancements in Sustainable Solar Photovoltaic Power Technology”, presents significant works in the field of solar photovoltaic systems and critical issues in solar power generation technology, as well as the latest achievements and current problems in solar power generation technology and proposing corresponding solutions to key technical challenges in the utilization of solar power, pointing out future directions for achieving the SDGs through solar power generation technology.This reprint provides a variety of comprehensive reviews on solar power generation technologies like maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques, power electronic converter topologies, and parameter estimation of PV cells. Along with reviews, this book also outlines the latest developments in the field of MPPTs, converters, cooling systems, rooftop, as well as grid-connected PV systems. This reprint will serve as a reference and update for academics, researchers, and practicing engineers to inspire new research and developments that pave the way for next-generation PV systems for residential and small commercial applications.This reprint includes three reviews and twelve articles focused on solar photovoltaic power technology.

This edited volume that examines Orthodox Christianity in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with additional perspectives from Finland and Belarus. The book adopts a microhistorical approach, focusing on everyday religious life and grassroots practices rather than primarily on church politics or theology. The contributions address a range of topics, including the roles of women, clergy, and Old Believers, as well as the formation and continuity of religious customs. Attention is given to lived experience and cultural change, highlighting how Orthodox communities have developed in different historical and social contexts. The volume also considers material and artistic aspects of Orthodoxy, such as church architecture, iconography, music, and clothing, offering insight into the visual and sensory dimensions of religious practice. Based on a series of case studies, it presents a multifaceted view of Orthodox life in the Baltic region, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. An introductory chapter provides a broader framework for the individual studies. The book is intended for readers interested in the history of religion, cultural identity, and the Baltic region.

The current essay presents Claudio Magris’ key ideas on a pedagogical model for present-day society. Arguably, though perhaps inadvertently, Magris developed a particularly useful concept of humanist school for today’s society across his prolific career. His pedagogical ideas appear in his articles, essays and even his fiction, over the years. This article is focused on the main issues that make up Claudio Magris’ concept of humanist school.

This open access book provides a distinctive and vivid survey of anthropology in contemporary China. Comprising approximately 20 essays organized into three parts, it examines leading scholars and their anthropological thought, key geographical themes in Chinese anthropology, and multi-perspectival reflections on the development of anthropology in China. By analyzing the complex fabric of Chinese society, the book advances a nuanced framework for understanding China’s cultural, social, and political transformations. Characterized by rich empirical content, multi-dimensional analysis, and accessible prose, the volume covers a broad range of topics and offers holistic insights into Chinese anthropology while integrating diverse scholarly voices and interdisciplinary methods. Moving beyond conventional anthropological approaches, it incorporates perspectives from sociology, history, and cultural studies to deepen interpretations of Chinese culture and society. Combining ethnographic fieldwork, theoretical inquiry, and firsthand narratives, the book elucidates the diverse traditions, beliefs, and customs that have shaped the evolution of anthropology and ethnography in China. It also strengthens comparative research between China and other regions, enriching global anthropological scholarship with distinctive empirical and theoretical contributions.

history of crime; medical humanities; capital punishment

The contributors to Cocaine analyze the contemporary production, transit, and consumption of cocaine throughout the Americas and the illicit economy's entanglement with local communities. Based on in-depth interviews and archival research, these essays examine how government agents, acting both within and outside the law, and criminal actors seek to manage the flow of illicit drugs to both maintain order and earn profits. Whether discussing the moral economy of coca cultivation in Bolivia, criminal organizations and drug traffickers in Mexico, or the routes cocaine takes as it travels into and through Guatemala, the contributors demonstrate how entire ways of life are built around cocaine commodification. They consider how the authority of state actors is coupled with the self-regulating practices of drug producers, traffickers, and dealers, complicating notions of governance and of the relationships between economic and moral economies. The collection also outlines a more progressive drug policy that acknowledges the important role drugs play in the lives of those at the urban and rural margins. Contributors. Enrique Desmond Arias, Lilian Bobea, Philippe Bourgois, Anthony W. Fontes, Robert Gay, Paul Gootenberg, Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Thomas Grisaffi, Laurie Kain Hart, Annette Idler, George Karandinos, Fernando Montero, Dennis Rodgers, Taniele Rui, Cyrus Veeser, Autumn Zellers-León

Dieses Open-Access-Buch umfasst fünfzehn Beiträge aus sechs Verbundvorhaben, die im Rahmen des Förderschwerpunkts „Arbeit in der digitalisierten Welt“ des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung unterschiedliche Entwicklungen im Transformationsprozess der Arbeitswelt analysieren, konkrete Lösungsansätze entwickeln und wissenschaftlich begleiten und evaluieren. Die Autoren der Beiträge geben Einblicke in ihre Erkenntnisse und die entwickelten Konzepte. Daraus lassen sich für Akteure aus Politik und Wirtschaft entsprechende Handlungsempfehlungen ableiten und es ergeben sich neue Forschungsimpulse für Akteure aus der Wissenschaft.

Tides of Innovation in Oceania is directly inspired by Epeli Hau‘ofa’s vision of the Pacific as a ‘Sea of Islands’; the image of tides recalls the cyclical movement of waves, with its unpredictable consequences. The authors propose tides of innovation as a fluid concept, unbound and open to many directions. This perspective is explored through ethnographic case studies centred on deeply elaborated analyses of locally inflected agencies involved in different transforming contexts. Three interwoven themes—value, materiality and place—provide a common thread.

AI and Data-Driven Advancements in Industry 4.0 reprint presents a comprehensive collection of innovative research articles that have advanced our understanding of artificial intelligence applications in industrial environments. This Topic Issue features a variety of contributions, ranging from intelligent sensor software that promotes energy-efficient decision-making in the welding of steel reinforcement to advanced prediction models for ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling performance. In addition, state-of-the-art deep learning techniques for detecting scratch defects on metal surfaces are featured alongside novel methods for remote monitoring of central nervous system biomarkers using wearable sensors. The reprint also includes contributions on precise robot arm attitude estimation through multi-view imaging and super-resolution keypoint detection, as well as pioneering approaches in medical diagnostics, such as EEG-based Parkinson’s disease classification and enhanced retinal vessel segmentation. Furthermore, emerging themes of blockchain integration and smart contract vulnerability detection highlight the intersection of AI with secure data management, demonstrating how decentralized technologies can support robust, trustworthy systems. Collectively, these articles illustrate the transformative impact of data-centric strategies and deep learning in modern manufacturing, healthcare, and robotics, offering a retrospective view of cutting-edge innovations in Industry 4.0.

In the next chapter, the physiology of CO2, the history of capnography, will be addressed, allowing us to see the advances in this type of monitor over time, as well as the definition between capnography and capnometry, in ad-dition, knowing the different equipment that exists and the differences be-tween each of them, in the same way, recognize the type of graph that is pro-duced in each clinical situation of the patient, which will allow identifying the problems in the mechanically ventilated patient, allowing solutions to the event in the patient. On the other hand, know its indications and finally studies related to this type of monitoring will be addressed.

Cyber security providers are facing a continuous stream of new, sophisticated cyberattacks on cyber critical infrastructures worldwide. These cyberattacks are often triggered by malware and ransomware. This book presents a collection of selected papers addressing malware detection, which is necessary to create reliable and resilient cyber and computer security mechanisms.

Safe and accessible walking environments are crucial for sustainable urban mobility. However, traditional walkability assessments often overlook how user characteristics, particularly gender, influence perceptions of safety. The STEP UP project, awarded by Fondazione Cariplo (Grant No. 2022-1643), addressed this gap by investigating how women in Milan experience nighttime walkability. Women often navigate cities differently than men due to concerns about safety. Fear of violence or harassment can lead to precautionary behaviors like avoiding certain areas or using alternative modes of transport at night. These safety concerns significantly impact women's mobility and limit their access to essential services and social interactions. The STEP UP project employed a multimodal approach to understand the factors influencing women's perceptions of safety while walking in Milan at night.