This book explores a philosophy of learning inspired by humanistic ideals. It reflects on the transformative possibilities opened up by active engagement with experiential domains. It draws attention to epoch-making transformations in the history of Western civilization that have exposed the dynamic relation between conscience, emotions, and learning. An ecological model of learning is proposed that emphasizes emotional, ethical, and cognitive learning as holistic processes. The model focuses on the pragmatics of learning, the creativity of improvisation, rhetorically mediated experience, emotional settings, and the education of the senses. The book is based on an inclusive worldview. Its fundamental tenet is that rational inquiry, emotions, and morality form a continuum in human nature. Hence the book envisions novel scenarios, where learners are valued for their genuine struggle to realize their humane masterpieces.
Humanistic ecology builds on the interrelatedness of traditions such as magic, medicine, and science, as exemplified in the history of Western civilization in order to integrate forgotten or marginalized pathways to knowledge and well-being.
Akoumena is a phenomenological study of human hearing and sound in a pluralistic style of inquiry. It harkens back to premodern philosophical systems and archaic modes of experience. It focuses on sound, perception, hearing and consciousness.
This book explores a philosophy of learning inspired by humanistic ideals. It reflects on the transformative possibilities opened up by active engagement with experiential domains. It draws attention to epoch-making transformations in the history of Western civilization that have exposed the dynamic relation between conscience, emotions, and learning. An ecological model of learning is proposed that emphasizes emotional, ethical, and cognitive learning as holistic processes. The model focuses on the pragmatics of learning, the creativity of improvisation, rhetorically mediated experience, emotional settings, and the education of the senses. The book is based on an inclusive worldview. Its fundamental tenet is that rational inquiry, emotions, and morality form a continuum in human nature. Hence the book envisions novel scenarios, where learners are valued for their genuine struggle to realize their humane masterpieces.
This volume addresses the history and epistemology of early modern cosmology. The authors reconstruct the development of cosmological ideas in the age of ‘scientific revolution’ from Copernicus to Leibniz, taking into account the growth of a unified celestial-and-terrestrial mechanics. The volume investigates how, in the rise of the new science, cosmology displayed deep and multifaceted interrelations between scientific notions (stemming from mechanics, mathematics, geometry, astronomy) and philosophical concepts. These were employed to frame a general picture of the universe, as well as to criticize and interpret scientific notions and observational data. This interdisciplinary work reconstructs a conceptual web pervaded by various intellectual attitudes and drives. It presents an historical–epistemological unified itinerary which includes Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, Newton and Leibniz. For each of the scientists and philosophers, a presentation and commentary is made of their cosmological views, and where relevant, outlines of their most relevant physical concepts are given. Furthermore, the authors highlight the philosophical and epistemological implications of their scientific works. This work is helpful both as a synthetic overview of early modern cosmology, and an analytical exposition of the elements that were intertwined in early-modern cosmology. This book addresses historians, philosophers, and scientists and can also be used as a research source book by post-graduate students in epistemology, history of science and history of philosophy.
Delving into the history of economic thought, this book presents a picture of the Mediterranean spirit of capitalism, a tradition that has its protagonists in Thomas Aquinas and the eighteenth-century civil economy, and seeks to understand its presence and relevance for contemporary societies. The book argues that it is reductive to attribute to the ‘Protestant ethic’ the different formations of capitalism in the Western world. Instead, it is vital to acknowledge the differences in the ways in which the market is lived, enterprises are created and conducted, and civic life in general is understood in different regions. This thought-provoking study demonstrates that in Southern Europe, the legacy of Aquinas and the civil economy adds different terms to those recurring in classical and neo-classical economy: common good, reciprocity, virtue, public trust, mutual assistance, and public happiness. It is these ideas of a market as a place for mutual assistance which can be said to characterize the Mediterranean spirit of capitalism. Thomas Aquinas and the Civil Economy Tradition will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in the history of economic thought, economic philosophy, Christian ethics, and moral theology.
This book makes visible the hidden relations between things and individuals through a discussion of creative processes and cultural practices. Italian life and culture are filled with objects that cross, accompany, facilitate or disrupt experience, desires, and dreams. Yet in spite of their ubiquity, theoretical engagement in the Italian context is still underdeveloped. Paolo Bartoloni investigates four typologies—the fictional, migrant, multicultural/transnational, and the artificial—to hypothesize that the ability to treat things as partners of emotional and creative expression creates a sense of identity predicated on inclusivity, openness, care, and attention.
The introduction of a new technology in a consolidated field has the potential to disrupt usual practices and create a fertile ground for errors. An example is robotic surgery that is now used in most surgical specialties, pushed by technology developers and enthusiastic surgeons. To analyze the potential impact of robotic surgery on patient safety, a consortium of major European Universities started the project SAFROS whose findings are summarized and further elaborated in the three parts of this book. Part one describes safety in complex systems such as surgery, how this may disrupt the traditional surgical workflow, how safety can be monitored, and the research questions that must be posed. Part two of the book describes the main findings of this research, by identifying the risks of robotic surgery and by describing where its ancillary technologies may fail. This part addresses features and evaluation of anatomic imaging and modeling, actions in the operating room, robot monitoring and control, operator interface, and surgical training. Part three of the book draws the conclusions and offers suggestions on how to limit the risks of medical errors. One possible approach is to use automation to monitor and execute parts of an intervention, thus suggesting that robotics and artificial intelligence will be major elements of the operating room of the future.
For the Galvani Bicentenary Celebrations, the University of Bologna and its Academy of Sciences singled out subnuclear physics as the field of scientific research to be associated with this important event, as it would best illustrate, for the new generation of students, the challenge inherent in fundamental sciences. Subnuclear physics was born 50 years ago and has represented, ever since, the new frontiers of Galilean science. In his opening lecture delivered on the first day of the new academic year, Professor Antonino Zichichi analytically reviewed the basic conceptual developments and main discoveries achieved in subnuclear physics during the last 50 years. Given the importance of this field of fundamental research, Professor Zichichi was invited to expand the contents of his lecture into a book, and the outcome is this invaluable volume.
The most frequently asked questions that confront the fetal medicine trainee/expert on a daily basis are “Is the finding real or merely an artifact?” and “Is the diagnosis correct?”. However, to be able to find the description of an abnormal ultrasound finding in a textbook, one generally has to search by the definite diagnosis, which has not been done as yet. This uneasy feeling was the first factor that directed the layout of Ultrasound of Congenital Fetal Anomalies: Differential Diagnosis and Prognostic Indicators, Second Edition. Copiously illustrated, the book displays fetal anomalies by scanning view and descriptions of all major ultrasound planes, detailing what can be considered a normal view and what cannot. See What’s New in the Second Edition: Early detection of fetal anomalies (1214 weeks) Ultrasound in fetal infections and in twins The nuchal translucency issue, the newest intracranial translucency as well as the range of congenital anomalies detectable at this gestational age Expanded coverage of heart anomalies, including arrhythmias and early fetal echocardiography The author’s mission continues to be to provide guidance on how to quickly recognize and diagnose congenital fetal anomalies, beginning at the beginning with ultrasound sigh all the way through to final diagnosis.
Where did modern banking come from—and how does this history help us understand financial crises? In the twelfth century, Pisa was a thriving metropolis, a powerhouse of global trade, and a city that stood at the center of medieval Europe. But Pisa had a problem: Money came in the form of coins, and they were becoming scarce. In the face of this financial and monetary crisis, the foundations of modern banking were laid. In Money and Promises, the distinguished banker, executive, and historian Paolo Zannoni examines the complex relationship between states and banks that has changed the world. Drawing on in-depth archival research, he explores seven case studies: the republic of Pisa, seventeenth-century Venice, the early years of the Bank of England, imperial Spain, the Kingdom of Naples, the nascent United States during the American Revolution, and Bolshevik Russia in 1917 through 1923. Zannoni also tells the story of how the Continental Congress established the first public bank in North America, exploring the roles of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. Spanning many countries, political systems, and historical eras, this book shows that at the heart of these institutions is an intricate exchange of debts and promises that shaped the modern world as we know it.
The structural optimization procedure presented in this book makes it possible to achieve seismic protection through integrated structural/control system design. In particular, it is explained how slender structural systems with a high seismic performance can be achieved through inclusion of viscous and viscoelastic dampers as an integral part of the system. Readers are provided with essential introductory information on passive structural control and passive energy dissipation systems. Dynamic analyses of both single and multiple degree of freedom systems are performed in order to verify the achievement of pre-assigned performance targets, and it is explained how the optimal integrated design methodology, also relevant to retrofitting of existing buildings, should be applied. The book illustrates how structural control research is opening up new possibilities in structural forms and configurations without compromising structural performance.
The history of the Christian-Jewish relations is full of curious, intense, and occasionally tragic episodes. In the dialectical development of the Western monotheistic religions, Judaism plays the role of the “thesis”, of the origins and background for the rise of Christianity and Islam. With the rise of Christianity, Judaism was progressively marginalized, since it was denied the same essence and validity of Christianity, which grew immensely in terms of spiritual and secular power. Christian scholars since the Middle Ages looked at Judaism as at the “broken staff” in the evolutionist line of religion, to quote the insightful work of the late Frank E. Manuel. At the same time, while re-discovering Judaism, Christian scholars redefined themselves, and Christianity as well. However, while Christianity encompassed many sects and many nations, the relatively weak diversity within Judaism, the religion of a single nation, seemed to hinder its evolution and development. While the intellectual battle was fought in a scholarly way, the emergence of the Christian State condemned the Jews to perpetual discrimination and occasional toleration, until a lay State, Nazi Germany, threatened the survival of the Jewish people. Neutral controversial works became powerful extermination tools when used in the political arena. This volume casts light on some crucial episodes in the long dialectics within the same intellectual and religious framework, touching upon themes such as the conception of time future in the age of Spinoza, the early encounters of Judaism and Christianity in eighteenth-century England, the memory of the Shoah, and the political revolution present in the system of the Jewish Commonwealth. From early to late Modernity, there is a history of friendship and diffidence, mutual understanding and dramatic disagreements, which, even today, largely conditions the Western intellectual world.
This book analyzes the evolution of Italian viticulture and winemaking from the 1860s to the new Millennium. During this period the Italian wine sector experienced a profound modernization, renovating itself and adapting its products to international trends, progressively building the current excellent reputation of Italian wine in the world market. Using unpublished sources and a vast bibliography, authors highlight the main factors favoring this evolution: public institutional support to viticulture; the birth and the growth of Italian wine entrepreneurship; the improvement in quality of the winemaking processes; the increasing relevance of viticulture and winemaking in Italian agricultural production and export; and the emergence of wine as a cultural product.
This book explores the potential beneficial health effects of donkey milk, and provides valid scientific evidence for a better appraisal of this product. Milk is the most complete natural food available and is a basic ingredient of the human diet for both children and adults. Milk produced by all mammals contains basically the same nutrients, but considering the differences in nutritional requirements, milk’s chemical composition differs in each mammalian species. The use of donkey milk in human nutrition has been known from the Roman age. Recent clinical trials have tested it as a possible replacement for dairy cows milk in infants affected by cow milk protein allergy. The results have clearly demonstrated that donkey milk’s chemical and nutritional properties are very similar to those determined in human milk. This book will appeal to pediatricians, allergists, and nutritionists, as well as farmers and veterinarians.
Ricordi di luoghi, persone o momenti vissuti con intensità, minuscoli monelli in fuga dai cassettini della memoria. Righe di emozioni si fanno solidarietà” dalla prefazione di Andrea Vitali. Raccolta di racconti in romano, italiano e inglese, tra passato e presente, tra Roma e Erba (Co). Due autori, un’illustratrice, un gruppo di studenti, l’attenzione di istituzioni e privati… insieme per un gesto di solidarietà. Il ricavato dalla vendita del libro viene destinato, dagli autori, all’Associazione Genitin (Genitori Terapia Intensiva Neonatale) Onlus – Policlinico A. Gemelli Roma Collegandosi al sito www.genitin.org è possibile ascoltare la lettura dei racconti in italiano e romano.
This new, revised and updated edition takes into account the most recent advances in the understanding of human pathophysiology. The book presents the complex basic principles of vascular hemodynamics and its pathophysiologie in a direct and effective way, stressing the importance of the mechanical properties of large arteries in the origin of blood pressure. The readily understandable text, supported by helpful images, describes the elements that define blood pressure and explains such important concepts as pulse wave velocity, central blood pressure, reflected waves, and pulse pressure amplification. Entirely new chapters are included on the sympathetic nervous system and arterial stiffness and on the role played by arterial stiffness in influencing blood pressure variability. The book will enable the physician to answer some of the key questions encountered when addressing the problem of arterial hypertension in everyday clinical practice: How is blood pressure generated? How should blood pressure values be interpreted? Is systolic blood pressure of greater importance than diastolic blood pressure?
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating pathology of the central nervous system (CNS) of unknown etiology which represents the most common neurodegenerative disorder. AD is the major cause of senile dementia, affecting approximately 5% of the population over 70. This syndrome is characterized by loss of short-term memory and progressive impairment of intellectual functions. No established therapeutic strategy has been found so far.Until recently, much of the literature on AD discussed the effects of this syndrome on the CNS. In the last few years, however, a large amount of information has appeared which underscored the importance of studying AD from other perspectives with the view of identifying reliable biological markers. The amyloid precursor proteins (APPs), for instance, constitute a complex family of membrane-bound and soluble glycoproteins that are derived by alternative splicing of a gene on chromosome 21. In the hemopoietic system, APPs have been detected in a number of cell types, such as leukocytes, megakaryocytes and platelets. In addition plasma contains picomolar concentrations of APP isoforms most likely derived from platelets. Abnormalities were also detected in the electrophoretic profile of erythrocytic membranes from AD patients. Numerous abnormalities have been proposed as peripheral markers for AD and several laboratories around the world are deeply involved in this challenging research.This book provides up-to-date information, as review chapters, on non-neuronal cells, with the aim of stimulating the formulation of potential diagnostic-therapeutic strategies.
This exhaustive text covers all aspects of diagnosis and endovascular treatment of neurological and neurosurgical diseases of the pediatric central nervous system starting from their in utero expression. It also includes the vascular malformations of each district and their endovascular treatment. Besides the "normal" imaging techniques the advanced techniques (spectroscopy, diffusion, perfusion, and functional imaging) are covered in detail. Several topics that are often only superficially dealt with in other books are herewith covered in outstanding detail. The volume is richly illustrated with high-quality neuroradiological images, with pathological correlation where applicable. The rich analytic index makes it an easily usable tool in the everyday clinical practice. The book serves both as a reference for specialists (neuroradiologists, radiologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, pediatricians) and as a teaching text for residents and fellows-in-training.
This book presents the main mathematical prerequisites for analysis in metric spaces. It covers abstract measure theory, Hausdorff measures, Lipschitz functions, covering theorums, lower semicontinuity of the one-dimensional Hausdorff measure, Sobolev spaces of maps between metric spaces, and Gromov-Hausdorff theory, all developed ina general metric setting. The existence of geodesics (and more generally of minimal Steiner connections) is discussed on general metric spaces and as an application of the Gromov-Hausdorff theory, even in some cases when the ambient space is not locally compact. A brief and very general description of the theory of integration with respect to non-decreasing set functions is presented following the Di Giorgi method of using the 'cavalieri' formula as the definition of the integral. Based on lecture notes from Scuola Normale, this book presents the main mathematical prerequisites for analysis in metric spaces. Supplemented with exercises of varying difficulty it is ideal for a graduate-level short course for applied mathematicians and engineers.
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