Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
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The EPP’s Way to Number 1
No full textIn 1999, the European People's Party (EPP) emerged as the largest political group in the European Parliament, maintaining its dominance for more than 25 years and influencing the direction of the EU through five consecutive Presidencies of the European Commission. In this Open Access book, the EPP's official think-tank, the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, presents memories from Prime Ministers, Presidents of EU institutions, Party Presidents and EPP officials. The book traces the pivotal moments in EU politics, from the EPP's expansion to include conservative, liberal, and like-minded parties, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, to the actual management of the new enlarged party. This book sheds light on the EPP's evolution, successes, and controversies through firsthand accounts, offering a comprehensive view of its impact on the European Union over the past quarter-century
Spirit(s) and Chinese Religiosity
No full textThis open access book offers a fresh perspective on the history of Chinese Christianity, retelling it through the lens of Pentecost (Acts 2) to illuminate the rise of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity in China from the 20th century onward.Parting from traditional academic studies of Chinese Pentecostalism, the author departs from beginning with the early 20th-century introduction of the Pentecostal movement to China, and instead examines the deeper historical and theological roots of Chinese Christianity. In identifying this gap, the author argues that China’s rich religious and cultural context—shaped by a pantheon of spirits and ghosts—provided a fertile ground for the acceptance and flourishing of modern Pentecostal thought and practice. Through this innovative analysis, the book connects Pentecostalism’s global emergence with the unique spiritual landscape of China, offering new insights into both Chinese and Pentecostal Christian history. It is an important read for scholars of religious history and theology
Architettura e Natura. Prime indagini sul progetto tra geografie, spazi e materie
No full textThe book collects the results of the teaching experience carried out during the second semester of the 2024-25 academic year within the four Architectural and Urban Composition and Design Theory Studio of the first year of Master’s Degree in Architecture 5UE at the Department of Architecture of the University of Naples “Federico II”.
The theoretical and applied experience focused on the relationship between architecture and nature and on the design of small architectural structures located, in some cases, along the Lakes of the Campi Flegrei (Averno and Fusaro) and, in another case, near the Tago River in Lisbon. The Design Studios offered students different, comparable and complementary possibilities for constructing “elementary architectures”, both in their autonomy and in their ability to connect with each other, to define more complex systems. These architectures have focused the attention on the topics of the relationship between land and water, soil and subsoil, construction and form, facing, even if in a simplified manner, with the pre-existing features, archaeologies and geographies of these multifaceted landscapes.
The volume collects the texts of the professors involved in the teaching experience and some of the outcomes of the design experiments carried out. The final section also includes contributions from designers and scholars, both internal and external to the Department of Architecture at “Federico II”, who were invited to discuss their theoretical and methodological contributions as part of a series of seminars, organized over the course of the semester, on the relationship between architecture and nature and the design of small architectures and pavilions. The goal was to offer students a variety of readings, examples and suggestions from which to draw inspiration for their own design path, to convey, right away, the need to base the project on a conscious, broad and multiple reflection on the architecture and its meanings.PublishedLa pubblicazione raccoglie gli esiti dell’esperienza didattica svolta durante il secondo semestre dell’a.a. 2024-25 nell’ambito dei quattro Laboratori di Composizione Architettonica e Urbana e Teoria della Progettazione 1 del Corso di Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico in Architettura 5UE del Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”.
L’esperienza didattico-laboratoriale si è incentrata sul tema del rapporto tra architettura e natura e sul progetto di piccole architetture poste, in alcuni casi, lungo i laghi dei Campi Flegrei (Averno e Fusaro) e, in un altro, in prossimità del fiume Tago a Lisbona. I laboratori hanno proposto agli studenti differenti, confrontabili e complementari possibilità di costruzione di “architetture elementari” intese tanto nella loro autonomia quanto nella capacità di connettersi tra loro, per definire sistemi più articolati. Queste architetture hanno portato al centro della riflessione il rapporto tra terra e acqua, tra suolo e sottosuolo, tra costruzione e forma, confrontandosi, seppure in maniera semplificata, con preesistenze, archeologie e geografie di questi complessi paesaggi.
Il volume raccoglie i contributi dei docenti coinvolti nell’esperienza didattica e alcuni esiti delle sperimentazioni progettuali condotte. Nella sezione finale sono inoltre presenti i saggi di progettisti e studiosi, interni ed esterni al Dipartimento di Architettura della “Federico II”, invitati a fornire un loro contributo teorico-metodologico nell’ambito di un ciclo di seminari, organizzato nel corso del semestre, sul tema del rapporto tra architettura e natura e sul progetto di piccole architetture e padiglioni. L’obiettivo è stato di offrire agli studenti una pluralità di letture, esempi e suggestioni da cui trarre spunto per il proprio percorso progettuale, nel tentativo di trasmettere, sin da subito, la necessità di fondare il progetto su una consapevole, ampia e molteplice riflessione sull’architettura e sui suoi significati
Wissenspolitiken in den Künsten
No full textWährend sich die künstlerische Forschung in den letzten dreißig Jahren in vielen Ländern Europas etabliert hat, wird sie als relativ junge Forschungsdisziplin im deutschsprachigen Raum nach wie vor kontrovers rezipiert. Dabei ist der Diskurs geprägt von Kämpfen um die Legitimation und Anerkennung als eigenständige Forschungsdisziplin. In ihrer feldsoziologischen Analyse künstlerischer Forschungsprogramme und Artistic PhDs in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz arbeitet Marie Hoop die Potenziale performativer künstlerisch-forschender Praktiken für die akademische Wissensproduktion und -vermittlung heraus und beleuchtet zugleich die Herausforderungen und institutionellen Hürden bei der Institutionalisierung künstlerischer Forschung
Contemporary Italian Youth Television
No full textThis open-access volume is the first English-language study of the vibrant contemporary landscape of Italian youth-oriented television. TV shows addressed include internationally popular series such as SKAM Italia, Baby, Summertime, We Are Who We Are, Zero, Prisma, My Brilliant Friend, Mare Fuori, and many others. The collection explores the changing representation of young people, while contextualising these developments historically and industrially. The opening section examines key issues shaping contemporary Italian youth television, such as fashion, place, music, and language, with a focus on how Italian producers and outlets are adapting local practices in response to transnational production models and international distribution networks. The second and third sections offer focused readings of Italian youth TV series in this contemporary landscape, drawing on a wide range of thematic angles, from immigration to queer identities. Finally, the book concludes with interviews with major industry figures, who reflect on recent adjustments in production and distribution practices by public service broadcasters and digital platforms
Equal Rights, Equal Voices
No full textThis open access book offers a critical sociolegal examination of the rights of people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, with a focus on the determination of their legal capacity in court and the wider consequences for their self-determination. Drawing on a research project undertaken in Portugal, the book features six stories and court cases of disabled people, as well as reflections on lessons learned from legal systems around the world where reforms on Article 12 have occurred. The lived-experience narratives are used to challenge the court sentences, showing how particular social contexts and power relations, institutional arrangements, societal reactions, and representations continue to hinder the realisation of human rights. An insightful analysis of the tensions arising between human rights norms and the principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this is a timely resource to inform legal, social, and disability studies scholars and students, policy makers and activists, and guide needed change
Agiles Arbeiten im öffentlichen Sektor
No full textDieses Open Access-Buch bietet fundierte Einsichten und Analysen zur Anwendung agiler Methoden und Organisationsformen im öffentlichen Sektor. Die Beiträge in diesem Sammelband dokumentieren und analysieren systematisch den aktuellen Stand der Wissenschaft sowie bisherige Erfahrungen anhand von zahlreichen Fallbeispielen. Das Werk leistet damit einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung der Forschungsagenda und fördert zugleich den Austausch von Wissen und Good Practices. Der Sammelband richtet sich an Forschende, die Innovationen im öffentlichen Sektor untersuchen, an Fach- und Führungskräfte, die ihre öffentlichen Organisationen agiler gestalten möchten, und an die breite Öffentlichkeit, die sich für einen modernen öffentlichen Sektor interessiert
Quantum Computing from Hopfield Nets
No full textThis open access book is meant as a textbook for Computer Science students who are looking for a gentle introduction to the world of quantum computing. More specifically, it is written for readers who have basic knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and have a certain familiarity with search algorithms, optimization techniques, and neural networks. This is not because the authors are interested in Quantum AI or Quantum ML, but because they start from the basic premise that there exists a conceptual bridge between certain AI/ML models and certain quantum computing models. The purpose of this book is therefore 1) to revisit these AI/ML models and their applications, and 2) to build on this familiar foundation to segue into the study of quantum computing and its possible use cases. The presentation is technical but pragmatic and practice oriented. The authors cover theory to the necessary extent but largely proceed in an example-driven manner. Most of the examples are concerned with combinatorial optimization and consider problems that can be cast as quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems. Numerous python/numpy/scipy codes support the mathematical discussion and demonstrate how to put theory into practice, accompanied by exercises for each chapter. Parts of the material were adopted from long running lectures on pattern recognition, on the foundations of quantum computing, and on quantum computing algorithms, which are taught by the authors in the Computer Science master’s program at the University of Bonn
Wirkliches und Mögliches in der Klimakrise
No full textÖkologische Krisen erschüttern die Grundlagen unseres Zusammenlebens und erfordern eine historisch beispiellose sozial-ökologische Transformation, die auf massive Widerstände trifft. Angesichts der existenziellen Gefahren des Klimawandels ist eine Doppelstrategie gegen Kollaps und Klimabarbarei erforderlich: ökologische Modernisierung jetzt und radikaler Systemwandel langfristig. Frank Adloff zeigt die Handlungsspielräume der Sozialwissenschaften bei dieser Aufgabe auf, die die Grenzen des Machbaren benennen, Natur und Gesellschaft neu denken sowie alternative soziale Welten entwerfen. Eine solche »Soziologie des Wirklichen und des Möglichen« sollte nach dem Ende des linearen Fortschritts eine neue Balance zwischen Freiheit und ökologischem Gemeinwohl suchen
Outonomy: Fleshing out the Concept of Autonomy Beyond the Individual
No full textThis open access book offers an innovative exploration of the concept of autonomy, extending beyond the traditional individualistic perspectives to encompass a richer, more interdependent understanding of autonomy in various domains. The authors delve into the multifaceted nature of autonomy, traversing theoretical, biological, psychological, and technological landscapes to present a comprehensive and cohesive picture. The main topics, including enactivism, biological autonomy, the psychological self in its environment, and the interplay of technology, ecology, and politics, are not only timely but also crucial for understanding the challenges and opportunities of autonomy in our increasingly complex world