Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
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Epiphytic Plants
No full textEpiphytic plants are vital components of tropical and subtropical forests, contributing significantly to biodiversity, ecosystem function, and structural complexity. Despite their importance, they remain understudied and face increasing threats from environmental change. This Special Issue, entitled “Epiphytic Plants: Perspective on Their Diversity, Distribution, Systematics and Conservation in the Changing Environment”, is a compilation of nine articles, whose authors deepen our understanding of the divergent roles of epiphytes, i.e., plants that germinate and root non-parasitically on other plants, primarily on trees. These are a conspicuous and integral component of tropical forest ecosystems in relation to local and regional plant diversity, especially in the Neotropics. Roughly 10% of all vascular plants in the world are epiphytes, which are distributed in about 900 genera and 80 families. However, 85% of the more than 27,600 species recorded globally belong to only five taxonomic groups—Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Orchidaceae, Peperomia, and Pteridophytes. Vascular epiphytes fulfill diverse ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, such as the accumulation of water and nutrients, in addition to amplifying biodiversity by providing microhabitats and food to different taxa (e.g., invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals). Due to their dependence on host trees and atmospheric water sources, epiphytes are considered one of the most endangered plant groups. Landscape fragmentation and forest degradation resulting from human activity are among the major threats to their survival
Multifunctional Polymer Composite Materials
No full textMultifunctional polymer composites are a class of smart materials in which the polymer matrix is reinforced with fillers to tailor with different functionalities. The promise of integrating several functions into a single material is quite challenging. Moreover, their lightweight, durable, and customizable materials positions multifunctional polymer composites as a key enabler for next-generation technologies. This Reprint will focus on these aspects, thereby providing readers with an insightful idea of multifunctionality in polymer composites
Briser les barrières
No full textMalgré les efforts employés pour parvenir à une représentation équilibrée des différents groupes sociaux au sein des sphères décisionnelles, force est de constater que la parité est encore loin. Quelles sont les raisons qui expliquent les barrières qui freinent l’accès des membres de groupes minoritaires aux postes de leadership ? Comment ces personnes se sentent-elles et comment se comportent-elles lorsqu’elles parviennent à gravir les échelons de la hiérarchie professionnelle ? En se basant sur les connaissances actuelles issues de la psychologie sociale, cet ouvrage vise à apporter des éléments de réponse à ces interrogations et à d’autres en lien avec la thématique du leadership minoritaire. À travers onze chapitres rédigés par des expert·es dans leur domaine, l’ouvrage offre une analyse à 360° des différents enjeux associés au leadership minoritaire et propose des pistes d’interventions. Il expose l’état des connaissances actuelles et soulève ainsi de multiples questionnements qui inspireront les recherches futures. Ce recueil s’adresse autant aux étudiant·es et aux chercheur·ses en sciences sociales qu’aux personnes travaillant dans le domaine du leadership et/ou de la diversité
Colonising and Decolonising
No full textColonising and Decolonising argues for a decolonised and ethicised curriculum. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, it draws upon the fields of history, sociology, education, anthropology, philosophy, indigenous studies, and more, to allow a nuanced and multifaceted exploration of the subject matter. Focusing on the concepts and practices of coloniality and decoloniality, it uses this focus as a framework for positioning concepts as acquired dispositions in the way we live. Philosophical topics addressed include: concepts and descriptors, knowledge, facts and values, free will and volition, coloniality, decoloniality, curriculum, sapience, strong normative evaluations, pedagogy, rationality, freedom, ethics, learning practices, thinking, ecology, imaginative possibility, and inclusion. A robust and erudite exploration of the imperative of decolonisation, this volume will appeal to scholars and researchers across a broad range of disciplines including specialist fields of education research, decolonial theory, sociology, epistemology, and philosophy of education
Chapter 4 Assessing the contribution of cultural tourism and creative sectors to a circular economy
No full textNo sector can escape the challenge of the climate crisis. This book brings together a team of academic experts to urgently examine the intersection of sustainability and the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), particularly within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12): Responsible Consumption and Production. Investigating responsible consumption and production across the CCIs, this book explores the role of public policy, funding bodies and other institutional actors in the sustainable transition. It also links CCIs with the development of sustainable tourism and sustainable tourism cities and provides evidence on the role of CCIs in producing positive change in people’s behaviours, consumption patterns, and perceptions of the climate emergency. Transformations towards circular economy models in the CCIs are also analysed. In illuminating how the CCIs’ are embracing the challenge of sustainable development, the chapters in this book highlight best practices and sustainable solutions across a range of geographic and cultural contexts. This book will be a valuable resource for researchers, academics and advanced students with an interest in sustainable business practices, especially their application to the CCIs
Schrift als Autorität
No full textIn seiner drittmittelfinanzierten Studie fragt Tobias Meihofer in einer konfessionsvergleichenden Perspektive nach der normativen Bedeutung der Heiligen Schrift und nach dem diesbezüglichen Potenzial des Autoritätsbegriffs. Meinhofer analysiert die Ergebnisse eines mehrjährigen Verständigungsprozesses des hochkarätig besetzten „Ökumenischen Arbeitskreises evangelischer und katholischer Theologen“ und ordnet die 1998 in dessen Abschlussbericht festgehaltenen Annäherungen und Differenzen theologiegeschichtlich ein. Die Untersuchung widmet sich damit einem vonseiten der akademischen Theologie bislang vernachlässigten Dokument. Aus der ökumenischen Auseinandersetzung entwickelt der Autor Ansätze einer ökumenisch sensiblen, traditionsbewussten und zukunftsweisenden Auffassung von Schriftautorität für Theologie und Kirche
Crop Authenticity in Organic Horticultural Production
No full textIn recent years, demand for organic products has grown, as consumers consider them to be safer and healthier than conventional ones. Research has been conducted over the years to investigate old and new reliable systems for testing the authenticity of products obtained using organic cultivation methods. This Special Issue contains original research articles, communications, and review articles on different agronomic practices and techniques (such as fertilization and pest management) that address crop authenticity in organic agriculture. Research that focuses on the application of approaches to tracking chemical components derived from the primary and/or secondary metabolism of organic and conventional products are included. The SI also includes papers that discuss the isotopic distribution of elements and that highlight the diversity induced by conventional and organic production techniques with the final aim of establishing new tools for organic horticultural crop characterization and authenticity. The use of innovative spectroscopic techniques and metabolomics and the application of sustainable agronomic practices in organic cropping systems are reported. Finally, the SI also reports data analysis through chemometrics tools that enable the validation of multivariate implemented approaches for organic crop authenticity
Development on Loan
No full textKey to China's plans to promote rural development is the de-marginalisation of the countryside through the incorporation of rural areas into the urban-based market-oriented financial system. For this reason, Chinese development planners have turned to microcredit -- i.e. the provision of small-scale loans to 'financially excluded' rural households -- as a means of increasing 'financial consciousness' and facilitating rural de-marginalisation. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in rural China, this book examines the formulation, implementation and outcomes of government-run microcredit programmes in China-illuminating the diverse roles that microcredit plays in local processes of socioeconomic development and the livelihoods of local actors. It details how microcredit facilitates de-marginalisation for some, while simultaneously exacerbating the marginalisation of others; and exposes the ways in which microcredit and other top-down development strategies reflect and reinforce the contradictions and paradoxes implicit in rural China's contemporary development landscape
Végétarismes pluriels et déprise carniste
No full textThe book, titled "Plural Vegetarisms and Carnist Disengagement: A Philosophical Approach," addresses the marginalization of vegetarian practices in Western discussions concerning ecological and political issues. Author Amandine Andruchiw argues that informed and convivial vegetarian practices offer promising avenues for advancing social justice and achieving better consideration for all living beings, both human and non-human. The philosophical analysis explores how vegetarianism confronts the traditional concept of "good eating," which places meat at its symbolic, physical, and physiological center. By questioning the narratives (real and fictional) that surround meat consumption, the book calls for a serious re-evaluation of these dietary choices. It ultimately advocates for a fundamental paradigm shift—a "carnist disengagement"—to move towards a more just and sustainable common world from an animal, social, and environmental perspective
Chapter L’Anfiteatro di Boboli: concezione e trasformazioni di uno spaz io monumentale
No full textThe here collected contributions relating to the 46th International Conference of the Representation Disciplines Teachers, organized jointly by Sapienza University of Rome, Roma Tre University, and San Raffaele Roma University, aim to offer the scientific community a reflection on the theoretical and methodological aspects related to the concept of èkphrasis, a term that, in the field of representation, concerns descriptive, analogical, and digital activities that generate new knowledge in several areas of application. The Conference aims to place at the center of the discussion an interpretation of the concept of research that, without neglecting an idea of study, protection, and enhancement of environmental and cultural heritage, focuses on the needs of contemporary society and its possible developments, making use of innovative theoretical, methodological, and operational activities, including those characterized by an interdisciplinary approach. According to this interpretation, research can also be seen as a foreshadowing of the definition and testing of experimental proposals aimed at exploring new areas of investigation: this opens up imaginative and utopian perspectives in the relationship between the sciences, the arts, and the disciplines that contribute to common goals, through the experimentation of methods, techniques, and languages for conceiving, prefiguring, designing, and representing