springer netherlands mrz 2014 (40 Ergebnisse)

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book educates whilst also challenging the contemporary schools of thought within philosophical and religious ethics. In addition, it underlines the fact that the substance of ethics in general and bioethics/healthcare ethics specifically, is much more expansive and inclusive than is usually thought. Bioethics is a relatively new academic discipline. However, ethics has existed informally since before the time of Hippocrates. The indigenous culture of African peoples has an ethical worldview which predates the western discourse. This indigenous ethical worldview has been orally transmitted over centuries. The earliest known written African text containing some concepts and content of ethics is the 'Declaration of Innocence' written in 1500 B.C., found in an Egyptian text. Ubuntu is an example of African culture that presents an ethical worldview. This work interprets the culture of Ubuntu to explain the contribution of a representative indigenous African ethics to global bioethics. Many modern scholars have written about the meaning of Ubuntu for African societies over centuries. Some scholars have viewed Ubuntu as the greatest contribution of African cultures to other world cultures. None of the scholars, however has explored the culture of Ubuntu as providing a representative indigenous ethics that can contribute to global bioethics as discussed in this book. 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book describes a pathway for sustainable phosphorus management via the Global Transdisciplinary Processes for Sustainable Phosphorus Management project (Global TraPs). Global TraPs is a multi-stakeholder forum in which scientists from a variety of disciplines join with key actors in practice to jointly identify critical questions and to articulate what new knowledge, technologies and policy processes are needed to ensure that future phosphorus use is sustainable, improves food security and environmental quality and provides benefits for the poor. The book offers insight into economic scarcity and identifies options to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts of anthropogenic phosphorus flows at all stages of the supply and use chain. 328 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This volume presents the results of the Flourishing Children Project. The study addressed gaps in the research on indicators of positive development of adolescents. Such indicators are essential for the balanced and scientifically sound study of adolescents. Yet measures of many aspects of flourishing are not available, and when they do exist, they are rarely measured in a developmentally appropriate manner for adolescents. In addition, they are often too long for program evaluations and surveys, have not been tested on diverse populations, nor carefully validated as predictors of positive outcomes. The Flourishing Children Project undertook the development of scales for adolescents ages 12-17 for 19 aspects of flourishing covering six domains: flourishing in school and work, personal flourishing, flourishing in relationships, relationship skills, helping others to flourish, and environmental stewardship. This volume describes the four-stage process of developing the scales, including: Reviewing the literature for extant measures for items to test and synthesizing the existing research into consensus definitions for each construct; conducting cognitive testing of items with adolescents and their parents; pilot testing the items; and conducting psychometric analyses. 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This work focuses on complementary crystallographic and spectroscopic areas of dynamic structural science, from papers presented at the 46th NATO sponsored course in Erice, Sicily 2013. These papers cover a range of material from background concepts to more advanced material and represent a fully inter-disciplinary collection of the latest ideas and results within the field. They will appeal to practising or novice crystallographers, both chemical and biological, who wish to learn more about modern spectroscopic methods and convergent advances and hence vice versa for experimental and computational spectroscopists. The chapters refer to the latest techniques, software and results and each chapter is fully referenced. The volume provides an excellent starting point for new comers in the emerging, multi-disciplinary area of time resolved science. 300 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The book contains 11 chapters written by relevant scientists in the field of particle-based methods and their applications in engineering and applied sciences. The chapters cover most particle-based techniques used in practice including the discrete element method, the smooth particle hydrodynamic method and the particle finite element method. The book will be of interest to researchers and engineers interested in the fundamentals of particle-based methods and their applications. 280 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Digestive Endoscopic Resection provides a minimally invasive method of diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal cancer. This book contains a comprehensive and detailed introduction to this technique. It includes preoperative preparation, surgical methods, intraoperative complications and postoperative management of advanced endoscopic procedures. It mainly focuses on endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and endoscopic submucosal tunneling technologies, such as peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER). This book presents essential surgical steps and diagnostic illustrations of these fast developing techniques. It provides a theoretical basis and valuable technical guidance for experts to perform ESD and summarizes this new treatment of gastrointestinal disease not only early cancers but also other gastrointestinal disorders including esophageal achalasia, etc. The Atlas of Digestive Endoscopic Resection will serve as an ideal reference for physicians and surgeons involved in endoscopic minimally invasive surgery.Editors Pinghong Zhou, Liqing Yao and Xinyu Qin are professors at Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 340 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The risks of shortages for some crucial metals and uncertainty about the land-based reserves of several others justify the search to diversify our sources of supply and investigate their potential. Mineral resources in the deep sea are attracting increasing interest with the progressive discovery of various forms of ores. France possesses large areas of deep seafloor in the three oceans as well as world-class human and technological resources and know-how, resulting from over 40 years of experience. This study takes stock of knowledge about mineralisations and associated metals, technologies for exploring and exploiting them, biodiversity and the potential impact of exploitation on the deep environment and the partnerships which are vital for France and Europe. This information will be useful for decision-makers in drawing up strategies, defining research and development programmes and in enhancing and developing commercial utilizations for these high-potential resources. 168 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The oceans cover over 70% of our planet. They are host to a biodiversity of tremendous wealth. Its preservation is now a global priority featuring in several international conventions and a confirmed objective of European policies and national strategies. Understanding the dynamics and the uses of the marine biodiversity is a genuine scientific challenge. Fourteen international experts have got together and identified five priority research themes to address the problem, based on analysing the state of knowledge. 220 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -As the nature of education generally, and higher education in particular, changes irrevocably, it is crucial to understand the informed opinions of those closest to the institutions of learning. This book, based on a survey of academics in 19 nations and conducted by leading global scholars, is a thorough sounding of the attitudes of academics to their working environment. As the post-WWII liberal consensus crumbles, higher education is increasingly viewed as a private and personal investment in individual social mobility rather than as a public good and, ipso facto, a responsibility of public authorities. The incursion of corporate culture into academe, with its 'stakeholders', 'performance pay' and obsession with 'competitiveness' is a matter of bitter debate, with some arguing that short-termism is obviating epoch-making research which by definition requires patience and persistence in the face of the risk of failure.This book highlights these and many other key issues facing the academic profession in the US and around the world at the beginning of the 21st century and examines the issues from the perspective of those who are at the front line of change. This group has numerous concerns, not least in the US, where government priorities are shifting with growing budget pressures to core activities such as basic education, health and welfare. Drawing too on comparable surveys conducted in 1992, the book charts the actual contours of change as reflected in the opinions of academics. Critically, the volume explicitly compares and contrasts the situation of American academics with that of academics in other advanced and developing economies. Such an assessment is critical both for Americans to chart the future of their indigenous tertiary enterprise, but also for shaping the response of the nations around the world who contemplate applying the American model to their own national systems. 304 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book offers an international perspective on the growing interest worldwide in lifelong learning, particularly as it relates to learning beyond compulsory education and initial occupational preparation: across working life. Much of this interest is driven by key social and economic imperatives associated with the changing requirements of work and working life, the transformation of many occupations and lengthening working lives. The concerns in lifelong learning are also associated with individuals being able to engage in learning about cultural and social topics and practices that they had not so far. It is important to understand how this learning can be assessed, recognized and certified. Many in workforces across the world learn much of the knowledge that is required to maintain their employability through that work. Yet, that learning and that competency remains without recognition and certification while this could be particularly helpful for individuals seeking to sustain their employability or to extend their work into new occupations or workplaces. The first section of this book sets out the overall project and outlines the key concepts and issues. It illustrates why there is a need for promoting and recognizing lifelong learning and explains some of the terminology, concepts and key considerations. The second section informs about a range of policies and practices that are currently being deployed or have been deployed across a range of countries within Europe, Scandinavia and Asia. The last section comprises of contributions emphasizing the ways in which the assessment of workers learning takes place in different occupational contexts and different cultural contexts. The final chapter outlines how a systemic approach to recognizing lifelong learning might progress for a country which is promoting a continuing education and training system largely outside of tertiary education institutions. 316 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the cavitation erosion phenomenon and state-of-the-art research in the field. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 consists of seven chapters, offering a wide range of computational and experimental approaches to cavitation erosion. It includes a general introduction to cavitation and cavitation erosion a detailed description of facilities and measurement techniques commonly used in cavitation erosion studies, an extensive presentation of various stages of cavitation damage (including incubation and mass loss) and insights into the contribution of computational methods to the analysis of both fluid and material behavior. The proposed approach is based on a detailed description of impact loads generated by collapsing cavitation bubbles and a physical analysis of the material response to these loads. Part 2 is devoted to a selection of nine papers presented at the International Workshop on Advanced Experimental and Numerical Techniques for Cavitation Erosion Prediction (Grenoble, France, 1-2 March 2011) representing the forefront of research on cavitation erosion. Innovative numerical and experimental investigations illustrate the most advanced breakthroughs in cavitation erosion research. 420 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -If a global population of 9 billion by 2050 is to be fed adequately, more food must be produced and this in keeping with increasingly stringent standards of quality and with respect for the environment. Not to mention the land that must be set aside for the production of energy resources, industrial goods, carbon storage and the protection of biodiversity. 244 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Land use and land cover (LULC) as well as its changes (LUCC) are an interplay between bio-geophysical characteristics of the landscape and climate as well as the complex human interaction including its different patterns of utilization superimposed on the natural vegetation. LULC is a core information layer for a variety of scientific and administrative tasks(e.g. hydrological modelling, climate models, land use planning).In particular in the context of climate change with its impacts on socio-economic, socio-ecologic systems as well as ecosystem services precise information on LULC and LUCC are mandatory baseline datasets required over large areas. Remote sensing can provide such information on different levels of detail and in a homogeneous and reliable way. Hence, LULC mapping can be regarded as a prototype for integrated approaches based on spaceborne and airborne remote sensing techniques combined with field observations. The book provides for the first time a comprehensive view of various LULC activities focusing on European initiatives, such as the LUCAS surveys, the CORINE land covers, the ESA/EU GMES program and its resulting Fast-Track- and Downstream Services, the EU JRC Global Land Cover, the ESA GlobCover project as well as the ESA initiative on Essential Climate Variables. All have and are producing highly appreciated land cover products. The book will cover the operational approaches, but also review current state-of-the-art scientific methodologies and recommendations for this field. It opens the view with best-practice examples that lead to a view that exceeds pure mapping, but to investigate into drivers and causes as well as future projections. 456 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The Soils of Bulgaria offers a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of soils and concepts on their magnitude. The purpose of the book is to introduce readers to the soil problematic and ecology in Bulgaria. The volume is divided into 3 parts. The first includes historical facts on soil research in Bulgaria, as well as general conditions and factors of soil formation, while the second applies an original pedological approach. The book's third part focuses on essential information concerning land use/cover in Bulgaria. Each of the 13 chapters deals more specifically with fundamental chemical and physical soil properties, concepts of soil evolution, old and modern processes, geographic distribution, climatic conditions, topography, parent materials, plant associations, morphology and the relationship with different classification systems. The interactions between soil status and management are also highlighted. The use of the latest, statistically significant data ensures precise conclusions. The book also includes a large number of charts and new illustrations. The Soils of Bulgaria is crucial reading material for anyone interested in soil management and agriculture in Easter Europe, from students to policy makers and is also of particular interest for researchers in the field. 224 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book analyzes Bas van Fraassen's characterization of representation and models in science. In this regard, it presents the philosophical coordinates of his approach and pays attention to his structural empiricism as a framework for his views on scientific representations and models. These are developed here through two new contributions made by van Fraassen. In addition, there are analyses of the relation between models and reality in his approach, where the complexity of this conception is considered in detail. Furthermore, there is an examination of scientific explanation and epistemic values judgments. This volume includes a wealth of bibliographical information on his philosophy and relevant philosophical issues.Bas van Fraassen is a key figure in contemporary philosophy of science, as the prestigious Hempel Award shows. His views on scientific representation offer new ideas on how it should be characterized, and his conception of models shows a novelty that goes beyond other empiricists' approaches of recent times. Both aspects - the characterization of scientific representation and the conception of models in science - are part of a deliberate attempt to forge a 'structural empiricism,' an alternative to structural realism based on an elaborated version of empiricism. 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This volume deals with strategies aimed at increasing psychological well-being in both clinical and non-clinical settings, with a special focus on the impact of cross-cultural influences on these processes. Consisting of two parts, the book first examines clinical interventions for increasing well-being and positive functioning in adult populations. It looks at cultural differences in the experience of psychological well-being, presents an analysis of the concept of psychological well-being and discusses various interventions, including Well-Being Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Other concepts discussed are post-traumatic growth, wisdom and motivation.The second part of the book deals with psychological interventions in childhood and adolescence and has a strong emphasis on educational settings. It provides an overview of the main evidence-based psychotherapies for affective disorders in youths, and looks at the importance and impact of positive education, resilience, and hope. The book presents models for intervention and discusses several therapies in detail. 228 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Technological advances in the field of materials, devices, circuits, and systems began by the discovery of new properties of objects, or the entrepreneurship with the applications of unique or practical concepts for commercial goods. To implement products using these findings and challenges textbook knowledge is usually sufficient. Semiconductor Technologies in the Era of Electronics therefore does not aim to look deeper in certain areas but it offers a broad and comprehensive overview of the field to:- Experts of specific knowledge who want to expand the overall understanding to different areas- Persons who wish to understand the principle of electronic devices often seen in everyday life- Entrepreneurs interested in the innovations and changes of semiconductor technologies and overall electronics industryA profound and theoretical approach is therefore used and special cases essential to understanding these important concept are presented. 160 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In the past few decades the use of increasingly large text corpora has grown rapidly in language and linguistics research. This was enabled by remarkable strides in natural language processing (NLP) technology, technology that enables computers to automatically and efficiently process, annotate and analyze large amounts of spoken and written text in linguistically and/or pragmatically meaningful ways. It has become more desirable than ever before for language and linguistics researchers who use corpora in their research to gain an adequate understanding of the relevant NLP technology to take full advantage of its capabilities.This volume provides language and linguistics researchers with an accessible introduction to the state-of-the-art NLP technology that facilitates automatic annotation and analysis of large text corpora at both shallow and deep linguistic levels. The book covers a wide range of computational tools for lexical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and discourse analysis, together with detailed instructions on how to obtain, install and use each tool in different operating systems and platforms. The book illustrates how NLP technology has been applied in recent corpus-based language studies and suggests effective ways to better integrate such technology in future corpus linguistics research.This book provides language and linguistics researchers with a valuable reference for corpus annotation and analysis. 200 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Taking an interdisciplinary approach and focusing on the social and psychological resources that promote resilience among forced migrants, this book presents theory and evidence about what keeps refugees healthy during resettlement. The book draws on contributions from cultural psychiatry, anthropology, ethics, nursing, psychiatric epidemiology, sociology and social work.Concern about immigrant mental health and social integration in resettlement countries has given rise to public debates that challenge scientists and policy makers to assemble facts and solutions to perceived problems. Since the 1980s, refugee mental health research has been productive but arguably overly-focused on mental disorders and problems rather than solutions. Social science perspectives are not well integrated with medical science and treatment, which is at odds with social reality and underlies inadequacy and fragmentation in policy and service delivery. Research and practice that contribute to positive refugee mental health from Canada and the U.S. show that refugee mental health promotion must take into account social and policy contexts of immigration and health care in addition to medical issues. Despite traumatic experiences, most refugees are not mentally ill in a clinical sense and those who do need medical attention often do not receive appropriate care. As recent studies show, social and cultural determinants of health may play a larger role in refugee health and adaptation outcomes than do biological factors or pre-migration experiences. This book's goal therefore is to broaden the refugee mental health field with social and cultural perspectives on resilience and mental health. 244 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -As we entered the 21st century, the rapid growth of information technology has changed our lives more conveniently than we have ever speculated. Recently in all fields of the industry, heterogeneous technologies have converged with information technology resulting in a new paradigm, information technology convergence. In the process of information technology convergence, the latest issues in the structure of data, system, network, and infrastructure have become the most challenging task.Proceedings of the International Conference on IT Convergence and Security 2011 approaches the subject matter with problems in technical convergence and convergences of security technology by looking at new issues that arise from techniques converging. The general scope is convergence security and the latest information technology with the following most important features and benefits:1. Introduction of the most recent information technology and its related ideas2. Applications and problems related to technology convergence, and its case studies3. Introduction of converging existing security techniques through convergence securityOverall, after reading Proceedings of the International Conference on IT Convergence and Security 2011, readers will understand the most state of the art information strategies and technologies of convergence security. 656 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book explores the connection between the ways people speak in mathematics classrooms and their opportunities to learn mathematics. The words spoken, heard, written and read in mathematics classrooms shape students' sense of what mathematics is and of what people can do with mathematics. The authors employ multiple perspectives to consider the means for transformative action with respect to increasing opportunities for traditionally marginalized students to form mathematical identities that resonate with their cultural, social, linguistic, and political beings. 284 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This volume summarizes and organizes a growing body of research supporting the role of motivation in adaptive and rewarding interpersonal interactions with others. The field of human motivation is rapidly growing but most studies have focused on the effects of motivation on individuals' personal happiness and task engagement. Only recently have theorists and empiricists begun to recognize that dispositional and state motivations impact the ways individuals approach interpersonal interactions. In addition, researchers are now recognizing that the quality of interpersonal interactions influences consequent happiness and task engagement, thus helping to explain previous findings to this end. Similarly social psychology and relationships researchers have focused on the impact of cognitions, emotions, and behaviors on people's relationships. In their work, relationships researchers demonstrate that both contextual characteristics and individual differences influence the quality of interactions. Many of these studies seek to understand which characteristics strengthen the bonds between people, encourage empathy and trust and create a sense of well-being after a close interaction. This work seeks to integrate the field of human motivation and interpersonal relationships. Both fields have seen extensive growth in the past decade and each can contribute to the other. However, no single compiled work is available that targets both fields. This is the case, in part because only now is there enough work to make a strong and compelling case for their integration. In the previous years, research has been conducted to show that motivation is relevant and important for interactions among strangers and in close relationships. In addition developmental mechanisms for these relations are identified and mechanisms by which motivation strengthens people's relationships. Finally recent work has demonstrated the many implications for interpersonal relationships, showing that motivation impacts a range of interpersonal processes from prejudice regulation and objectification of others to empathy and care. This book seeks to summarize and organize all these findings and present them in a way that is relevant to both motivation researchers and social and relationship researchers. 368 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This collection of papers, celebrating the contributions of Swedish logician Dag Prawitz to Proof Theory, has been assembled from those presented at the Natural Deduction conference organized in Rio de Janeiro to honour his seminal research. Dag Prawitz's work forms the basis of intuitionistic type theory and his inversion principle constitutes the foundation of most modern accounts of proof-theoretic semantics in Logic, Linguistics and Theoretical Computer Science.The range of contributions includes material on the extension of natural deduction with higher-order rules, as opposed to higher-order connectives, and a paper discussing the application of natural deduction rules to dealing with equality in predicate calculus. The volume continues with a key chapter summarizing work on the extension of the Curry-Howard isomorphism (itself a by-product of the work on natural deduction), via methods of category theory that have been successfully applied to linear logic, as well as many other contributions from highly regarded authorities. With an illustrious group of contributors addressing a wealth of topics and applications, this volume is a valuable addition to the libraries of academics in the multiple disciplines whose development has been given added scope by the methodologies supplied by natural deduction. The volume is representative of the rich and varied directions that Prawitz work has inspired in the area of natural deduction. 296 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This work focuses on complementary crystallographic and spectroscopic areas of dynamic structural science, from papers presented at the 46th NATO sponsored course in Erice, Sicily 2013. These papers cover a range of material from background concepts to more advanced material and represent a fully inter-disciplinary collection of the latest ideas and results within the field. They will appeal to practising or novice crystallographers, both chemical and biological, who wish to learn more about modern spectroscopic methods and convergent advances and hence vice versa for experimental and computational spectroscopists. The chapters refer to the latest techniques, software and results and each chapter is fully referenced. The volume provides an excellent starting point for new comers in the emerging, multi-disciplinary area of time resolved science. 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book treats corrosion as it occurs and affects processes in real-world situations, and thus points the way to practical solutions. Topics described include the conditions in which petroleum products are corrosive to metals; corrosion mechanisms of petroleum products; which parts of storage tanks containing crude oils and petroleum products undergo corrosion; dependence of corrosion in tanks on type of petroleum products; aggressiveness of petroleum products to polymeric material; how microorganisms take part in corrosion of tanks and pipes containing petroleum products; which corrosion monitoring methods are used in systems for storage and transportation of petroleum products; what corrosion control measures should be chosen; how to choose coatings for inner and outer surfaces of tanks containing petroleum products; and how different additives (oxygenates, aromatic solvents) to petroleum products and biofuels influence metallic and polymeric materials.The book is of interest to corrosion engineers, materials engineers, oil and gas engineers, petroleum engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, failure analysts, scientists, and students, designers of tanks, pipelines and other systems for storage and transportation fuels, technicians.The book is of interest to corrosion engineers, materials engineers, oil and gas engineers, petroleum engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, failure analysts, scientists, and students, designers of tanks, pipelines and other systems for storage and transportation fuels, technicians.The book is of interest to corrosion engineers, materials engineers, oil and gas engineers, petroleum engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, failure analysts, scientists, and students, designers of tanks, pipelines and other systems for storage and transportation fuels, technicians. 320 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Urbanization drastically alters the ecosystems structure and functions, disrupts cycling of C and other elements along with water. It alters the energy balance and influences climate at local, regional and global scales. In 2008, urban population exceeded the rural population. In 2050, 70% of the world population will live in urban centers. The number of megacities (10 million inhabitants) increased from three in 1975 to 19 in 2007, and is projected to be 27 in 2025. Rapid urbanization is altering the ecosystem C budget. Yet, urban ecosystems have a large C sink capacity in soils and biota. Judicious planning and effective management can enhance C pool in urban ecosystems, and off-set some of the anthropogenic emissions. Principal components with regards to C sequestration include home lawns and turfs, urban forests, green roofs, park and recreational/sports facilities and urban agriculture. 400 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This is the first comprehensive two-volume collection on anhedonia, a disorder that played an important role in psychopathology theories at the beginning of the twentieth century. Anhedonia is a condition in which the capacity of pleasure is partially or completely lost, and it refers to both a personality trait, and a 'state symptom' in various neuropsychiatric and physical disorders. It has a putative neural substrate, originating in the dopaminergic mesolimbic and mesocortical reward circuit. Over the past three decades cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience have expanded our understanding of anhedonia and other reward-related processes. The aim of this new two-volume collection on anhedonia is to highlight the contributions of eminent scientists in this field as well as to provide readers with comprehensive accounts of recent developments as perceived by the authors. This monograph is divided into five parts. Volume I contains parts one and two (Conceptual Issues and Neurobiological Advances) including 14 chapters that serve as an introduction and overview of conceptual issues. Volume II contains three parts (Anhedonia in Psychotic Disorders, Anhedonia in Mood and Personality Disorders, and Anhedonia in Neurological and Physical Disorders) including 15 chapters that provide an overview of the construct, measurement of anhedonia in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, hedonic capacity and related factors in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, anhedonia as an indicator of genetic liability for schizophrenia, and as a trait marker for depression, the role of an anhedonia in trauma-related disorders, anorexia nervosa, stress-induced eating disorders, schizotypal traits and risk of suicide. This book will be of interest to a broad spectrum of readers including psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, neuroscientists, endocrinologists, pharmacologists, general practitioners, geriatricians, graduate students, and health care providers in the fields of mental health. 348 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -A comprehensive, wide ranging and detailed account of the unfolding of higher education and higher education policy in Portugal from 1974 to 2009 by leading policy-makers and scholars, with the explicit purpose of showing how different disciplinary canons and perspectives contribute to the study of higher education and higher education policy including Law and Science Policy perspectives. Whilst focusing on one referential system, this book deals with current policy issues emerging in the wake of the post Bologna period. It also examines their long term historical origins in addition to the measures taken to address them. The substantive chapters are preceded by a detailed Introductory overview that places the issues treated in this volume in a solidly European perspective and sets out explicitly the differences in the dominant political, cultural and social values that set Portuguese as other Continental European systems of higher education apart from their Anglo Saxon counterparts. 448 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book brings together internationally recognised scholars with an interest in how to use the power of assessment to improve student learning and to engage with accountability priorities at both national and global levels. It includes distinguished writers who have worked together for some two decades to shift the assessment paradigm from a dominant focus on assessment as measurement towards assessment as central to efforts to improve learning. These writers have worked with the teaching profession and, in so doing, have researched and generated key insights into different ways of understanding assessment and its relationship to learning.The volume contributes to the theorising of assessment in contexts characterised by heightened accountability requirements and constant change. The book's structure and content reflect already significant and growing international interest in assessment as contextualised practice, as well as theories of learning and teaching that underpin and drive particular assessment approaches. Learning theories and practices, assessment literacies, teachers' responsibilities in assessment, the role of leadership, and assessment futures are the organisers within the book's structure and content.The contributors to this book have in common the view that quality assessment, and quality learning and teaching are integrally related. Another shared view is that the alignment of assessment with curriculum, teaching and learning is linchpin to efforts to improve both learning opportunities and outcomes for all. Essentially, the book presents new perspectives on the enabling power of assessment. In so doing, the writers recognise that validity and reliability - the traditional canons of assessment - remain foundational and therefore necessary. However, they are not of themselves sufficient for quality education. The book argues that assessment needs to be radically reconsidered in the context of unprecedented societal change. Increasingly, communities are segregating more by wealth, with clear signs of social, political, economic and environmental instability. These changes raise important issues relating to ethics and equity, taken to be core dimensions in enabling the power of assessment to contribute to quality learning for all. This book offers readers new knowledge about how assessment can be used to re/engage learners across all phases of education. 428 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The Yearbook addresses the overriding question: what are the effects of the 'opening up' of science to the media Theoretical considerations and a host of empirical studies covering different configurations provide an in-depth analysis of the sciences' media connection and its repercussions on science itself. They help to form a sound judgement on this recent development. 392 pp. Englisch.