springer netherlands aug 2011 (71 results)

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Nowadays, chirality is widely accepted as an important factor in molecular recognition processes and the biological activity of many pharmaceutical drugs and agrochemicals; this is confirmed by the continuous need for synthetic methods which lead to single or enriched enantiomers of such compounds.By presenting a review of the various and more recently developed approaches for both metal-transition and organocatalysis, this volume describes the development of 'greener' asymmetric reactions which preserve stereoselectivity.The author summarizes the impressive amount of research that has been gathered within this field into three chapters focusing on: i)the search of alternative catalysts, ii) alternative solvents, and iii) alternative synthetic strategies and processes. For each topic, the fundamentals and some valuable applications are discussed. 156 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Irrigated agriculture, a vital component of general agriculture, supplies fruits, vegetables, and cereals consumed by humans and grains fed to animals. Consequently, agriculture is the largest user of fresh water globally, and irrigation practices in many parts of the world are biologically, economically, and socially unsustainable. Water management should balance the need for agricultural water and the need for a sustainable environment. Water-use efficiency is the prime challenge in worldwide farming practices where problems of water shortages are widespread. Currently, agriculture is undergoing significant changes in innovative irrigation, fertilizer technology, and agronomic expertise. These elements constitute a vital platform for sustainable agricultural success and for preventing environmental damage. This review presents several processes linked to environmental irrigation, balancing environmental protection with improved agricultural production. 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This handbook gives a comprehensive and copious illustrated description, with original art work, of the most common diseases in laboratory reared insect colonies, comprising Viruses (Baculoviridae, Reoviridae, Poxviridae, Iridoviridae); Bacteria (Bacillaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae); Rickettsia; Fungi and Microsporidia and Protozoa. Gregarine and Coccidian parasitoids are also depicted. Manuals for the diagnostic of insect diseases have been published in the 90's, however, these were intended for professional insect pathologists or for proficient training in invertebrate pathology, hence requiring some scientific background in insect pathology. Currently, most guides are web based, not comprehensive and solely addressing the most common diseases in a particular insect, or group of insects, reared in laboratory facilities. A comprehensive and proficient practical handbook for students and technicians working with insect reared colonies is lacking in the current literature. 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -As a new and rapidly growing science, the applications of ultrasound methods in environmental technology hold a promising future. Compared to conventional methods, ultrasonication can bring several benefits such as being environmentally friendly (no toxic chemical are used or produced), low cost, and compact, allowing on-site treatment.Besides an overview featuring the background behind ultrasonic technology, this brief summarizes the main studies and innovations reported in recent research that has utilized ultrasound methods in environmental analysis, water, and sludge treatment, soil and sediment remediation to air purification. 28 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The underlying idea and motive for the book is that the notion of complexity may humanize the social sciences, may conceive the complex human being as more human, and turn reality as assumed in our doing social science into a more complex, that is a richer reality for all. The main focus of this book is on new thinking in complexity, with complexity to be taken as derived from the Latin word complexus: 'that which is interwoven.' The trans-disciplinary approach advocated here will be trans-disciplinary in two ways: firstly, by going beyond the separate disciplines within the fields of both natural sciences and social sciences, and, secondly, by going beyond the separate cultures of the natural sciences and of the social sciences and humanities. 336 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Qualitative analyses of young children's learning in natural settings are rare, so this new book will make educators sit up and pay attention. It lays out a Nordic, or continental European teaching and learning paradigm whose didactic framework is distinct from the Anglo-American system. This analysis, which features contributions and case studies from researchers in a range of subjects, is built on principles such as the learner's perspective, establishing sufficient intersubjectivity, 'pointing out', and informing experience linguistically. After clarifying some historical background, the book discusses the contemporary emphasis in early childhood education on pedagogy/learning. What should 'didactics' mean in educating young children The book examines the opportunities for learning that teachers provide for children in early childhood education, as well as how children respond to these opportunities. It presents empirical studies from a variety of naturalistic settings, including mathematics, making visual art, ecology, music, dance, literacy and story-telling, as well as learning about gender, morality and democracy. The authors seek to answer key questions about the processes involved in both teaching and learning. What challenges do teachers face as they try to expand children's knowledge in various fields of learning How do they respond to these challenges, and what can we learn about children's corresponding uptake What now requires further research One key distinction in researching children's learning is between studies that look at 'process' and those that analyze 'product'. In the tradition of Piaget, Vygotsky and Werner, as well as Mercer and Valsiner's more recent work, this book advocates the importance and relative rareness of the former type of study. 276 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book argues that languages are composed of sets of 'signs', rather than 'strings'. This notion, first posited by de Saussure in the early 20th century, has for decades been neglected by linguists, particularly following Chomsky's heavy critiques of the 1950s. Yet since the emergence of formal semantics in the 1970s, the issue of compositionality has gained traction in the theoretical debate, becoming a selling point for linguistic theories.Yet the concept of 'compositionality' itself remains ill-defined, an issue this book addresses. Positioning compositionality as a cornerstone in linguistic theory, it argues that, contrary to widely held beliefs, there exist non-compositional languages, which shows that the concept of compositionality has empirical content. The author asserts that the existence of syntactic structure can flow from the fact that a compositional grammar cannot be delivered without prior agreement on the syntactic structure of the constituents. 224 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The interaction between corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has become an important topic in the debate about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Yet, unlike the vast majority of academic work on this topic, this book explicitly focuses on clarifying the role of NGOs, not of corporations, in this context. Based on the notion of NGOs as political actors it argues that NGOs suffer from a multiple legitimacy deficit: they are representatives of civil society without being elected; the legitimacy of the claims they raise is often controversial; and there are often doubts regarding the legitimacy of the behaviour they exhibit in putting forward their claims. Set against an extended sphere of political action in the postnational constellation this book argues that the political model of deliberative democracy provides a meaningful conceptualization of NGOs as legitimate partners of corporations and it develops a conceptual framework that specifically allows distinguishing legitimate partner NGOs from two related actor types with whom they share certain characteristics but who differ with respect to their legitimacy. These related actor types are interest groups on the one hand and activists on the other hand. In conclusion it argues that a focus on the behaviour of NGOs is most meaningful for distinguishing them from interest groups and activists. 228 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -With the world and its structures becoming ever more complex, and the nature of future employment becoming ever more unpredictable, the notion of 'cognitive flexibility' has a high profile in educational and psychological debate. The contributions in this volume analyze the nature of cognitive flexibility, as well as the impact of different types of beliefs on cognitive flexibility. Making adequate decisions requires considering input from a variety of continuously evolving sources rather than adhering to predetermined procedures. Adopting a position in a debate necessitates the critical evaluation of different alternatives, while solving a problem entails selecting appropriate problem-solving strategies. Meanwhile, studying requires students to integrate a range of interventions, and treating a patient involves making a differential diagnosis. The common factor, cognitive flexibility, lies at the core of effective functioning in complex, domain-specific environments. Cognitive flexibility can be described as the disposition to consider diverse information elements while deciding on how to solve a problem or to execute a learning-related task in a variety of domains. The concept of 'disposition' implies that individuals will not always demonstrate cognitive flexibility even if they are in principle able to act in a cognitively flexible way. The notion does not require that alternatives are always deliberately considered, which is why this volume's tandem discussion of beliefs is key element of the discussion. Beliefs play a central role in cognitive flexibility and relate to what individuals consider to be important, valid and/or true. Of specific interest is the relationship between epistemological beliefs and cognitive flexibility, especially as a particular subset of epistemological beliefs seems to be a prerequisite to a cognitively flexible disposition. 224 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In recent decades, education at all levels has been seriously impoverished by a growing obsession with standards, targets, skills and competences. According to this model, only a circumscribed range of basic cognitive skills and competences are the business of education, whose main role is to provide employability credentials for people competing for jobs in the global economy. The result is a one-dimensional, economistic and bleakly utilitarian conception of the educational task.In Mindfulness and Learning: Celebrating the Affective Dimension of Education, Terry Hyland advances the thesis that education stands in need of a rejuvenation of its affective function - the impact it has on the emotional, social, moral and personal development of learners. Drawing on the Buddhist conception of mindfulness, he advances a powerful argument for redressing this imbalance by enhancing the affective domain of learning. Mindfulness and Learning: Celebrating the Affective Dimension of Education shows how the concept and practice of 'mindfulness' - non-judgmental, present moment awareness and experience - can enrich learning at all levels. Mindfulness thus contributes to the enhanced achievement of general educational goals, and helps remedy the gross deficiency of the affective/emotional aspects of contemporary theory and practice. The author outlines a mindfulness-based affective education (MBAE) programme and shows how it might be introduced into educational provision from the early years to adult education with a view to harmonising the cognitive-affective balance across the system. 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The central claim of this book is that although the concept of religious freedom as a human rights concept is emblematic on the one hand, the concept is also problematic on the other, so the implications are far from self-evident despite the ready acceptance the term receives as embodying a worthwhile goal. This book therefore problematizes the concept along legal, constitutional, ethical, and theological lines, and especially from the perspective of religious studies, so that religious freedom in the world could be enlarged in a way which promotes human flourishing. 'Is religion always something good, a benefit to humanity A detailed examination of the religions as they affect and have affected the world raises disturbing questions, and this authoritative treatment of them will provide a focus of discussion for years to come. I congratulate the author. The result is invaluable for both scholars and students, and I commend it to both without reservation.'John HickProfessor Emeritus, Birmingham University, UK,and the Claremont Graduate University, CaliforniaVice-President, British Society for the Philosophy of Religion and World Congress of Faiths'Problematizing Religious Freedom is an intensely provocative book. It takes the reader through discussions and debates about the nature and definition of religion, distinctions between missionary and non-missionary traditions, concepts of conversion and proselytism, attitudes and understandings of religious freedom internal to various traditions, and the semantic dimensions and practical implications of the phrase 'religious freedom' as it is employed in the contemporary human rights community and beyond. Although one may not agree with all of his points, there is no gainsaying the fact that Sharma greatly illuminates a set of important problems - and from a distinctive point of view that is vigorously argued.'Sumner B. TwissDistinguished Professor of Human Rights, Ethics, and ReligionFlorida State UniversityProfessor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Brown University 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Evolution and Religion in American Education shines a light into one of America's dark educational corners, exposing the regressive pedagogy that can invade science classrooms when school boards and state overseers take their eyes off the ball. It sets out to examine the development of college students' attitudes towards biological evolution through their lives. The fascinating insights provided by interviewing students about their world views adds up to a compelling case for additional scrutiny of the way young people's educational experiences unfold as they consider-and indeed in some cases reject-one of science's strongest and most cogent theoretical constructs. Inevitably, open discussion and consideration of the theory of evolution can chip away at the mental framework constructed by Creationists, eroding the foundations of their faith. The conceptual battleground is so fraught with logical challenges to Creationist dogma that in a number of cases students' exposure to such dangerous ideas is actively prevented. This book provides a detailed map of this astonishing struggle in today's America-a struggle many had thought was done and dusted with the onset of the Enlightenment. 204 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -At a time when the human genome has been sequenced advances in the life sciences seem to have great potential for human health, industry and the environment throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Still, for some, potential risks and ethical dilemmas remain, surrounding issues such as the appropriate use of GM crops, stem cells, genetic information, the nature of intellectual property and other challenges that come with EU accession. This book is the first of its kind to bring together experts from across Europe to explore the landscape of current life science policy and industrial development in CEE, including implications for economies, regulatory and legal frameworks, health care, ethics and human rights. It will be essential reading for researchers and students in science and technology studies, development, sociology, politics and law, and those interested in life science development in transition economies. 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Critical Praxis Research (CPR) is a teacher research methodology designed to bridge the divide between practitioner and scholar, drawing together many strands to explain the research process not just as something teacher researchers do, but as a fundamental part of who teacher researchers are. Emphasizing the researcher over the method, CPR embraces and amplifies the skills and passions teachers naturally bring to their research endeavours. Emerging from the tradition of critical pedagogy, Critical Praxis Research: Breathing New Life into Research Methods for Teachers transcends longstanding debates over quantitative vs. qualitative and scholar vs. practitioner research. The text examines the histories and current applications of common methodologies and re-conceptualizes the ways that these methodologies can be used to enhance teachers' identities as practitioners and researchers. It also provides a critical examination of the role of Institutional Review Boards, and explores the complexity and ethics of data collection, data analysis, and writing. Through guiding questions and writing prompts, the author encourages readers to think through the process of design and conducting CPR. The text is theoretically rich, but written in an accessible style infused with metaphor, irony, and humour. Critical Praxis Research: Breathing New Life into Research Methods for Teachers is both instructive and uplifting, sending the message that research is difficult but also joyful, like life itself. 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -It is well over a decade since John Fischer and Mark Ravizza - and before them, Jay Wallace and Daniel Dennett - defended responsibility from the threat of determinism. But defending responsibility from determinism is a potentially endless and largely negative enterprise; it can go on for as long as dissenting voices remain, and although such work strengthens the theoretical foundations of these theories, it won't necessarily build anything on top of those foundations, nor will it move these theories into new territory or explain how to apply them to practical contexts.To this end, the papers in this volume address these more positive challenges by exploring how compatibilist responsibility theory can be extended and/or applied in a range of practical contexts. For instance, how is the narrow philosophical concept of responsibility that was defended from the threat of determinism related to the plural notions of responsibility present in everyday discourse, and how might this more fine-grained understanding of responsibility open up new vistas and challenges for compatibilist theory What light might compatibilism shed, and what light might be shed upon it, by political debates about access to public welfare in the context of responsibility for one's own health, and by legal debates about the impact of self-intoxication on responsibility. Does compatibilist theory, which was originally designed to cater for analysis of individual actions, scale to scenarios that involve group action and collective responsibility - e.g. for harms due to human-induced climate change This book's chapters deal with a range of theoretical problems discussed in classic compatibilist literature - e.g. the relationship between responsibility and capacity, the role of historical tracing in discounting the exculpatory value of incapacities, and the justifiability of retributive punishment. But instead of motivating their discussions by focusing on the alleged threat that determinism poses to responsibility, these chapters' authors have animated their discussions by tackling important practical problems which crop up in contemporary debates about responsibility. 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Effective knowing and learning for vocational purposes must take account of the wide range of variables that impact on knowledge formation and that promote learning. In light of those many variables, the formal sector of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) must constantly ask itself what it could and should do to better provide vocational learning for those people likely to pursue learning via the informal sector. This book addresses that question. Vocational Learning: Innovative Theory and Practice discusses four theoretical aspects of vocational learning that support understanding of vocational learning processes and practices: the situations of vocational learning; the power and roles of social networks and identity in vocational learning; knowing and knowledge management processes; and the implications for pedagogic practices in both informal and formal TVET systems. The book provides an overview of a series of international examples of innovative approaches to vocational educational theory and practice, and it draws on empirical research to analyze the effects of those approaches. It includes unique insights into aspects of TVET for Indigenous peoples. With a discussion of policy implications for Europe, North America and Australia, this book is an instrumental tool to understand the underlying factors that generate effective educational and workforce outcomes through effective formal and informal learning. 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -'Eco-Urban Design' focuses on the unprecedented challenges currently faced by architects and designers. In a world where climate change, diminishing natural resources and an increasing global population have become indisputable facts of life there is now a rising demand for evolved buildings that no longer endanger the Earth's fragile ecological systems.This book endeavours to tell the positive side of the story by featuring considered design solutions provided by the world's most innovative architects and engineers. By only including realised projects which have been subjected to post construction monitoring this publication provides evidence-based information that measured reductions in carbon emissions, water and energy usage can actually be achieved in the field and not just on the drawing board.These completed projects demonstrate best practice and will inspire a new hybrid generation of designers who will combine architecture and engineering skills to resolve a key environmental challenge. Furthermore, these creative construction projects from a variety of genres including, commercial property, public buildings, social housing and private homes give testimony to the fact that investment in green archineering also provides a commercial advantage to forward thinking developers and investors. 236 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book supplies both empirical evidence and scholarly analysis that exemplify successful innovation in South America in the field of sustainability education. Examining the issues from a three-fold perspective, of national policy, regional planning and grassroots projects in schools and communities, the volume offers a comprehensive overview of the contemporary situation in Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Venezuela. It provides case studies as detailed illustrations of the recipe for success as well as to inform researchers and practitioners of the kinds of obstacles and challenges they might face in seeking to manifest sustainability. A good deal of the research and scholarly studies in the field of education for sustainability and sustainable development is underpinned by 'Western' norms and culture. This book draws on that literature, yet also teases out features in the case studies that are particular to the region. South America itself encompasses a rich variety of natural and cultural environments-within individual nations as much as continent-wide. This diversity is a recurring theme in the book. The volume's three sections provide first a general survey, enriched with material from studies conducted in a number of different polities. The second section covers developments in Brazil, South America's largest nation and one that exhibits many of the features of education for sustainability found across the continent. Part three sets out and explores future trends. As with other books in the Schooling for Sustainable Development series, this volume will add impetus to scholarly exchange as well as contributing insights on education policy and curriculum changes across South American communities that exist in an increasingly globalized world. 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The understanding of electron density as the carrier of all the information of a multielectronic system is implicit in the theorems of density functional theory. Information theoretical based measures giving a quantitative understanding of statistical complexity of such systems is shaping up as a new area of research in chemical physics. This book is the first monograph of its kind covering the aspects of complexity measure in atoms and molecules. 316 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book provides an overview of recent developments and applications of the Land Use Scanner model, which has been used in spatial planning for well over a decade. Internationally recognized as among the best of its kind, this versatile model can be applied at a national level for trend extrapolation, scenario studies and optimization, yet can also be employed in a smaller-scale regional context, as demonstrated by the assortment of regional case studies included in the book. Alongside these practical examples from the Netherlands, readers will find discussion of more theoretical aspects of land-use models as well as an assessment of various studies that aim to develop the Land-Use Scanner model further. Spanning the divide between the abstractions of land-use modelling and the imperatives of policy making, this is a cutting-edge account of the way in which the Land-Use Scanner approach is able to interrogate a spectrum of issues that range from climate change to transportation efficiency. Aimed at planners, researchers and policy makers who need to stay abreast of the latest advances in land-use modelling techniques in the context of planning practice, the book guides the reader through the applications supported by current instrumentation. It affords the opportunity for a wide readership to benefit from the extensive and acknowledged expertise of Dutch planners, who have originated a host of much-used models. 232 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In aquatic ecosystems, the oligochaetes are often a major component of the community. Their relevance in sediment quality assessment is largely related to their benthic and detritivorous life habit. In this book, we aim to present the state of the art of Pollution Biology using oligochaete worms in laboratory and field studies. Future research will require the combination of a variety of methodological approaches and the integration of the resulting information, avoiding fragmented and often conflicting visions of the relationships of the species with their environment. Current approaches to ecotoxicology and bioaccumulation using ecological risk assessment provide the opportunity to relate community studies with probability of effects. This book addresses three main themes: Ecological and Field Studies using the composition and structure of oligochaete communities, Toxicology and Laboratory Studies, and Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer Studies. Two appendices list values of toxicological parameters (LC50, EC50) and several bioaccumulation variables (bioaccumulation factors, biological half-life, toxicokinetic coefficients, and critical body residues) for different oligochaete species. Additional information is provided on Methodological Issues and on the Taxonomy of several oligochaete families, with information on the most recent taxonomic debates. Each chapter includes a critical view, based on the authors' experience, of a number of current issues which have been raised in the literature. 276 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Fertility rates vary considerably across and within societies, and over time. Over the last three decades, social demographers have made remarkable progress in documenting these axes of variation, but theoretical models to explain family change and variation have lagged behind. At the same time, our sister disciplines-from cultural anthropology to social psychology to cognitive science and beyond-have made dramatic strides in understanding how social action works, and how bodies, brains, cultural contexts, and structural conditions are coordinated in that process. Understanding Family Change and Variation: Toward a Theory of Conjunctural Action argues that social demography must be reintegrated into the core of theory and research about the processes and mechanisms of social action, and proposes a framework through which that reintegration can occur. This framework posits that material and schematic structures profoundly shape the occurrence, frequency, and context of the vital events that constitute the object of social demography. Fertility and family behaviors are best understood as a function not just of individual traits, but of the structured contexts in which behavior occurs. This approach upends many assumptions in social demography, encouraging demographers to embrace the endogeneity of social life and to move beyond fruitless debates of structure versus culture, of agency versus structure, or of biology versus society. 200 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -How can countries verify compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and detect and deter violations It is in their interest to increase their verification readiness because the assessment of compliance with the treaty rests with states parties to the CTBT. The treaty provides countries with two verification elements: an international system of monitoring stations, and an on-site inspection regime. The monitoring system can detect nuclear explosions underground, in the atmosphere and under water. This book provides incentives to nations around the world on how they can organize their efforts to verify compliance with the CTBT and how they can collaborate with other countries, perhaps on a regional basis, to monitor areas of concern. Such focused efforts can improve their detection and deterrence capabilities through precision monitoring. The book addresses the CTBT verification from the perspective of countries. It shows how they can create the essential tools for the assessment of the large amounts of data available from the verification regime and other sources, including observations from satellites and thousands of stations outside of the treaty regime. Countries can also use current scientific and technological developments to assist them in verifying compliance with the treaty. The book offers political and scientific analysis on the evolution of the treaty over the years. The book is intended for professionals in the political, diplomatic, scientific and military fields who deal with international security, non-proliferation and arms control. It is also intended for non-governmental organizations and journalists seeking a better understanding of the nuclear test ban issue and how states can verify compliance with the treaty. 284 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The current generation of young adults, at least in the Western world, has shown a marked tendency toward a preference for describing themselves as 'spiritual' as contrasted to 'religious.' This book seeks to examine the possible meanings and consequences associated with this contrast in terms of the similarities and differences that affect those who use these terms with respect to the everyday practices that they themselves employ or believe should follow from being self-defined as 'religious' or 'spiritual' - or not. The several chapters in this volume take up the religious-spiritual contrast specifically through investigations into practice: In what ways do people who claim to be 'religious' or 'spiritual' define these self-images as manifest in their own lives How on a daily basis does a person who considers himself or herself 'religious' or 'spiritual' live out that self-image in specific ways that she or he can describe to others, even if not share with others Are there ways that being 'spiritual' can involve religion or ways that being 'religious' can involve spirituality, and if so, how do these differ from concepts in prior eras (e.g., Ignatian spirituality, Orthodox spirituality, Anglican spirituality, etc.) We also explore if there are institutions of spiritual practice to which those who term themselves 'spiritual' turn, or if the difference implied by these terms may instead be between institutionalized and de-institutionalized expressions of practice, including but not limited to self-spiritualities. 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The overall purpose of this monographic study is to interrogate on a new entrepreneurial approach which is alternative to the stream one and to analyze its possible contribution at the grassroots level in the herbal sector, a domain where local communities play still and to a large extent a marginalised role. This innovative approach is represented by community-based enterprises (CBEs) active in India.Community-based enterprises are the result of a process in which the community acts entrepreneurially, to create and operate a new enterprise embedded in its existing social structure and network. The authors argue that community-based enterprise could represent a strategy for fostering sustainable local development while at the same time maintaining traditional knowledge in ethnomedicine and conserving the local ecosystems. The study of indigenous populations and their different forms of entrepreneurships is not simply an exercise in analysing outliers in the global world-system. Rather, it provides a source for the theoretical and empirical analysis of entrepreneurship relevant to the development of generalisable theory applicable in many environments including, but by no means exclusive to, indigenous communities.This volume analyses the very first community-based enterprise active in the herbal sector in India, the Gram Mooligai Company Limited (GMCL). The analysis presented in this volume demonstrates that the GMCL example provides a unique model of how a community-based enterprise could represent an alternative and promising model for development of local communities. It is an unconventional form of entrepreneurship, in that it is based on regarding collective and individual interests as fundamentally complementary, and viewing communal values and the notion of the common good as essential elements in venture creation. 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Do adoptions provide children for families or families for children This book analyzes the complex interactions between adopters and adoptees using historical and current data. Who are the preferred parents and children, both domestically and internationally How do the types of adoptions-domestic adoptions, private and public through the foster care system, and intercountry adoptions-differ Domestic trends include a shift to open adoptions and a notable increase in 'hard to place', foster care adoptions-typically older, siblings, minorities, with physical, educational, or emotional challenges. Adoptive parents are increasingly all ages (including grandparents); all types of marriages (single, married and same-sex couples); all income levels, with subsidized adoptions for children who would otherwise remain in foster or institutional care. Intercountry adoptions have followed waves, pushed by wars and political or economic crises in the sending country, and pulled by the increasing demand from the U. S. Currently there is a decrease in intercountry adoptions from Asia and Eastern Europe with a possible fifth wave from Africa with the greatest number from Ethiopia. This is a resource for family sociologists, demographers, social workers, advocates for children and adoptive parents, as well as those who are interested in the continuing research in adoptions. 236 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Environmental Change in Lesotho identifies and analyzes the drivers of land-use change and the consequences of these changes on the livelihoods of rural land-users/managers. To accomplish this, a combination of tools from the social sciences and environmental fields were developed to identify causes and consequences of land-use change at selected levels, using a 'nested' approach. These methods were then applied to a case study of two villages in the Lowland region of Lesotho. This book is directed at environmental and social science experts, researchers, decision-makers, and development/aid workers interested in understanding the intricate human-environment relationship as it relates to land-use change in a changing biophysical, socio-economic, political and institutional context, coupled by HIV/AIDS, changing demographics, local perceptions and what is termed here 'dependency syndrome'. 204 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Numerous volumes have been written on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, and new translations of his writings appear on a regular basis. Up to now, however, no book has addressed the connections between Heidegger's thought and the hermeneutic methodology involved in translating his works - or any other text. Gathering essays by internationally recognized scholars, this volume examines the specific synergy that holds between Heidegger's thinking and the distinctive endeavor of translation. Heidegger, Translation, and the Task of Thinking: Essays in Honor of Parvis Emad offers scholars and students alike a rare journey into the insights and intricacies of one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. The book also pays homage to Parvis Emad, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at De Paul University, founder of the journal Heidegger Studies and a renowned translator of Heidegger's writings.Heidegger, Translation, and the Task of Thinking: Essays in Honor of Parvis Emad provides a uniquely focused perspective on Heidegger's thought, and delves into the strategies and controversies that attend all attempts to translate his most complex and challenging texts, including his seminal works Contributions to Philosophy and Mindfulness. Accordingly, this book will be of great interest and benefit to anyone working in the fields of phenomenology, hermeneutics, or Heidegger studies. 356 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This volume maps the watershed areas between two 'holy grails' of computer science: the identification and interpretation of affect - including sentiment and mood. The expression of sentiment and mood involves the use of metaphors, especially in emotive situations. Affect computing is rooted in hermeneutics, philosophy, political science and sociology, and is now a key area of research in computer science. The 24/7 news sites and blogs facilitate the expression and shaping of opinion locally and globally. Sentiment analysis, based on text and data mining, is being used in the looking at news and blogs for purposes as diverse as: brand management, film reviews, financial market analysis and prediction, homeland security. There are systems that learn how sentiments are articulated. This work draws on, and informs, research in fields as varied as artificial intelligence, especially reasoning and machine learning, corpus-based information extraction, linguistics, and psychology. 164 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book argues that the 'constructivist metaphor' has become a self-appointed overriding concept that suppresses other modes of thinking about knowing and learning science. Yet there are questions about knowledge that constructivism cannot properly answer, such as how a cognitive structure can intentionally develop a formation that is more complex than itself; how a learner can aim at a learning objective that is, by definition, itself unknown; how we learn through pain, suffering, love or passion; and the role emotion and crises play in knowing and learning.In support of the hypothesis that passibility underlies cognition, readers are provided with a collation of empirical studies and phenomenological analyses of knowing and learning science-in schools, scientific laboratories and everyday life-all of which defy a constructivist explanation. The author argues that 'passibility' constitutes an essential factor in the development of consciousness, with a range of essential experiences that cannot be brought into the linguistic realm. His exploration is guided by concepts such as 'otherness', passion, passivity and undecidability, and concludes by resituating the construction metaphor to accord it its proper place in a more comprehensive theory of learning. 296 pp. Englisch.