Books published by De Gruyter

Turning Points: Challenges for Western Democracies in the 21st Century centers around the strikingly under-researched concept of turning points and its application in political science, including various theories, fields, and sub-disciplines. The chapters provide theoretical discussion and conceptual clarity by distinguishing a set of turning points at different analytical levels. Based on a wide range of case studies, the authors illustrate where, when and how different types of turning points occur (or not) against the backdrop of current challenges in and for Western democracies. The conceptual and empirical variety of the volume allows scholars and practitioners in policymaking to develop and apply their own frameworks when dealing with turning point dynamics.

This book encompasses the structure, physical properties, production method, and bio degradability analysis of polylactic acid. A discourse of factors influencing the fabrication of polylactic acid-based composites and their characterization is discussed. The effects of reinforcements in the polylactic acid composites and their possible reasons is included. The potential biomedical applications of polylactic acid is covered.

Organic acids have many applications in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and textile industries. Traditionally, organic acids are produced energy-intensive chemical processes. Fermentative production of organic acids is environmentally friendly and cost-effective approaches for large scale production of enzymes utilizes organic waste feedstocks. This book provides the recent research on microbial production of organic acids.

Formulation Product Technology focuses on materials chemistry and introduces industrial manufacturing technologies for different product types. Besides addressing the fundamentals and the corresponding unit operations, the author presents a full cycle of product development for the materials that are used in everyday live. Various performance and personal chemicals, such as paints, coatings, dyes, laundry detergents, glass and concrete, pesticides, diapers, skin care and hair care products, etc. are discussed starting from product selection and up to setup of manufacturing process. Additional new products discussed: dyes for textiles, decorative products, hand sanitizers, deodorants, pesticides. Easy-to-understand introduction to formulation product design. Covers all main product types of modern chemical industry.

Die Sammlung bietet die Judikatur staatlicher Gerichte zum allgemeinen Religionsrecht und zum Verhältnis von Kirche und Staat. Sie ist die einzige ihrer Art im deutschsprachigen Raum. Seit Band 39 ist die für die Verhältnisse in Deutschland relevante Rechtsprechung europäischer Gerichtshöfe in die Sammlung einbezogen.

This edited book of proceedings is a collection of twelve selected and peer-reviewed contributions from the Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications (VCCA-2022). VCCA-2022 was held online from 8th to 12th August 2022. The theme of the conference was "Resilience and Sustainable Research through Basic Sciences". 500 participants from 55 countries participated in VCCA-2022. This volume 3 reflects the chapters covering analytical aspects.

Band 2 des Kempowski-Jahrbuchs widmet sich dem Roman Schöne Aussicht (1981). Geschildert wird die deutsche Zwischenkriegszeit. Aus Sicht der Familie Kempowski wird das weite Feld des Alltäglichen (Hans Jörg Hennecke) zwischen sozialer Kälte und politisch aufgeheizter Atmosphäre bestellt. Neben der politischen Entwicklung interessieren den Autor die Darstellung unterschiedlicher sozialer Milieus und Charaktere. Die vielfach geschwächten >Familienbande

The subject matter of compact groups is frequently cited in fi elds like algebra, topology, functional analysis, and theoretical physics. This book serves the dual purpose of providing a text for upper level graduate students, and of being a source book for researchers who need the structure and representation theory of compact groups. After a gentle introduction to compact groups and their representation theory, the book presents self-contained courses on linear Lie groups and on locally compact abelian groups.Appended chapters contain the material for self-contained courses on abelian groups and on category theory.Using the Lie algebras and the exponential function of arbitrary compact groups, the book avoids unnecessary restrictions to finite dimensional or abelian compact groups. Earlier editions of 1998, 2006, 2013, and 2020 have been quoted for instruction and research. The present edition conceptually sharpens, polishes, and improves the earlier material. For instance, it includes a treatment of the Bohr compactifi cation of topological groups which fi ts perfectly into the general treatment of adjoint functors that the book treats in an appendix of its own, and which, in the abelian environment, connects neatly with the Pontryagin--van Kampen duality of compact abelian groups having been discussed in the book in great detail. The link between arbitrary compact groups and their weakly complete group algebras is as extensively discussed as is now the theory of weakly complete universal enveloping algebras of the Lie algebras of compact groups. All of this is based on the category of weakly complete real and complex vector spaces and its precise duality to the category of ordinary real, respectively, complex vector spaces, is treated in an appendix systematically.

In continuation of the earlier book on spectrophotometric methods for iron and copper the present book is the next attempt for covering methods and reagents for single as well as simultaneous Spectrophotometric determination methods for the two most important industrial and biologically useful metals Ni and Co. The book is an extremely helpful single source handbook for researchers, analytical chemists in industry as well as post graduate students in academic institutions. It covers methods developed during the last 20 years and gives very brief descriptions as a Do-It-Yourself Guide in simple and precise language.

This edited book of proceedings is a collection of nineteen selected and peer-reviewed contributions from the Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications (VCCA-2022). VCCA-2022 was held online from 8th to 12th August 2022. The theme of the conference was "Resilience and Sustainable Research through Basic Sciences". 500 participants from 55 countries participated in VCCA-2022. This volume 1 reflects the chapters covering chemical and biochemical aspects.

This edited book of proceedings is a collection of seventeen selected and peer-reviewed contributions from the Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications (VCCA-2022). VCCA-2022 was held online from 8th to 12th August 2022. The theme of the conference was "Resilience and Sustainable Research through Basic Sciences". 500 participants from 55 countries participated in VCCA-2022. This volume 2 reflects the chapters covering computational and industrial aspects.

Multicomponent synthesis may provide new and green routes for obtaining bioactive heterocycles. These methods produce less organic waste due to no longer removing solvent and other components between reaction steps. It can be applied to the synthesis of heterocycles with reactions such as the Biginelli reaction. This book explores the use of multi-component reactions for various heterocyclic structures with bioactivity.

The solvent-free approach provides green and alternative synthetic methods for obtaining diverse bioactive heterocycles. The solvent is frequently the primary component of synthetic protocol and contributes to significant waste. Additionally, its removal processes are energy intensive and substantial. This book explores different solvent-free procedures for efficiently synthesising heterocyclic analogues of immense biological importance and other applications.

Along with the first volume on "e;Industrial Chemistry"e; this book discusses, illustrates and explains many of the major chemical processes performed by industry, looks at how transformations affect the quality of our lives, examines the various types of waste produced as necessary products are developed and marketed, and shows techniques and practices in which many industries have made strides to improve or "e;green"e; specific chemical processes.

Polynomials are useful mathematical tools. They are simply defined and can be calculated quickly on computer systems. They can be differentiated and integrated easily and can be pieced together to form spline curves. After Weierstrass approximation Theorem, polynomial sequences have acquired considerable importance not only in the variousbranches of Mathematics, but also in Physics, Chemistry and Engineering disciplines. There is a wide literature on specific polynomial sequences. But there is no literature that attempts a systematic exposition of the main basic methods for the study of a generic polynomial sequence and, at the same time, gives an overview of the main polynomial classes and related applications, at least in numerical analysis. In this book, through an elementary matrix calculus-based approach, an attempt is made to fill this gap by exposing dated and very recent results, both theoretical and applied.

The concept of inspiration is part and parcel of the theological tradition in several religious confessions, but it has largely receded to the background, if not vanished altogether, in the discussions of biblical scholars. The question "Do we still need inspiration?" might well reflect the perplexity of many exegetes today. Systematic theologians, for their part, often further their own reflections on the subject independently of developments in the field of exegesis, with the risk of remaining purely theoretical. Biblical research in the last decades has been marked by new insights about the nature of the biblical texts, stemming from the study of their inner plurality (insofar as they combine and sometimes intertwine conflicting theologies), of their textual fluidity, and of their reception. Can these new insights be integrated into a theological reflection on the notion of inspiration? These questions are often explicitly raised about the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, but they also prove increasingly relevant for Qur'ānic studies. This volume addresses them through contributions from exegetes of the Bible and of the Qur'an and systematic theologians.

Latin Linguistics is intended as an overview of the main areas of linguistics geared specifically to the scholar of Latin. The book consists of eight chapters: an introduction followed by discussions of phonology, morphology, syntax, variation linguistics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics, with a final chapter discussing texts from three different periods to demonstrate how linguistic analysis can deepen our understanding of Latin. Most introductions to phonology cover a range of theories, such as Autosegmental Phonology or Optimality Theory; these contribute relatively little to our understanding of Latin as such. On the other hand, a Latinist needs to know how we can reconstruct pronunciation, what the limits of reconstruction are, and how closely orthography mirrors pronunciation. My chapter on phonology deals with these aspects. The same can be said, mutatis mutandis, for the other chapters. What makes this book unique, then, is the fact that it covers a wide range of topics in a deliberately selective way, tailored to the needs of Latinists.

So marginal die Beschäftigung mit der chinesischen Dichtung für die deutsche Lyrikgeschichte seit dem 20. Jahrhundert zunächst zu sein scheint, so zentral erweist sie sich doch gerade in politisch-gesellschaftlichen und werkbiographischen Umbruchskonstellationen. Der Band geht verschiedenen Lyrikdialogen, die ihren Ausgangspunkt in der übersetzerischen Auseinandersetzung nehmen, nach. Texte der klassischen Dichtung der Tang- und Song-Dynastie wurden ebenso aufgegriffen wie Dichtungen des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts. Die Annäherung an die chinesische Dichtung ermöglichte ästhetische Experimente mit lyrischer Subjektivität und Perspektivität einerseits; andererseits bot sie Raum für Aushandlungen von Welt- und Gesellschaftsentwürfen und der Rolle des Dichters in der Gesellschaft - so im Dialog mit der sozialkritischen Lyrik des Tang-Dichters Bai Juyi, des Dichterrevolutionärs Mao Zedong oder des Skeptikers Lu Xun. Und nicht zuletzt waren Übersetzungen ein kulturpolitisches Instrument in der DDR, konnten aber offizielle Leitlinien durchaus unterlaufen. Damit ermöglicht die Analyse der Übertragungen in ihrem jeweils konkreten historischen Kontext Einblicke in Impulse einer produktiven Rezeption, die die letzten hundert Jahre deutsche Lyrikgeschichte mitgeprägt hat. Das Werk wurde ausgezeichnet mit dem "Manfred-Lautenschläger-Preis der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften" und dem "Gerhart-Baumann-Preis für interdisziplinäre Literaturwissenschaft".

How can criminal punishment be morally justified? Zisman addresses this classical question in legal philosophy. He provides two maybe surprising answers to the question. First, as for a methodological claim, it argues that this question cannot be answered by philosophers and legal scholars alone. Rather, we need to take into account research from social psychology, economy, anthropology, and so on in order to properly analyze the arguments in defense of criminal punishment. Second, the book argues that when such research is properly accounted for, none of the current attempts to justify criminal punishment succeed. But that does not imply that the state should do nothing about criminal wrongdoing. Rather, the arguments that were supposed to justify criminal punishment actually speak in favor of an alternative approach to criminal law: restitution to the victim and restorative justice. That is to say, the state should coerce offenders to provide restitution for the harm inflicted on victims, and whenever possible restorative approaches should be taken to address criminal wrongdoing.

The editors of this volume have combined their expertise in discourse, contradiction, minority and diversity studies to suggest a change of perspective from categorisations into societal minorities and majorities towards an analysis of marginalising and centralising discourses. For this purpose, we have gathered interdisciplinary-minded authors from linguistics, literary and religious studies, political and historical sciences. Their contributions focus on contradictions of religious and national belonging as well as intersections of religion and nation in many different regions of the world from the 18th century until today. While illustrating the diversity and contradictions of religious and national belonging across time and space, the chapters of the book contribute to an understanding of the dynamics of questions of belonging and the associated constant renegotiations of power within these discursive processes.

Materials Science today is the base for all technological and industrial developments. The book provides the understanding of the advanced spectroscopic and microscopic instruments used for material characterization. The main issues addressed are 1) a detailed understanding of the instrument, including working and handling, 2) sample preparation, and 3) data analysis and interpretation. The book is divided in two parts i.e., Part A discusses microscopic instruments, consisting of Optical Microscope, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and X-Ray Diffraction. Part B is on spectroscopic instruments and covers FTIR Spectrometer, Raman Spectrometer, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

The book presents a theoretical and technical background for applying MAS (Multi Agent Systems) in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. It focuses in the early design stage and makes use of domain specific data which relate to different design domains (structural, environmental, architectural design) to inform the agent behaviors. The proposed framework is applicable especially to design problems which traditionally require the close collaboration of engineers and architects.　

Nanotechnology safety is the practice of handling engineered nanomaterials in production and manufacturing. Good practice consists of understanding and interpreting Material Safety Data Sheets, behaving safely when working with yet unknown nanomaterials, understanding health effects, and proactively creating safety measures against potential hazards. This book addresses nanotechnology risk management.

The volume offers an up-to-date and nuanced study of a multi-thematic topic, expressions of which can be found abundantly in ancient Greek and Latin literature: nonverbal behaviour, i.e., vocalics, kinesics, proxemics, haptics, and chronemics. The individual chapters explore texts from Homer to the 4th century AD to discuss aspects of nonverbal behaviour and how these are linked to, reflect upon, and are informed by general cultural frameworks in ancient Greece and Rome. Material sources are also examined to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the texts.

This study intends to show that the answer to the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be resolved by importing ideas from Søren Kierkegaard's and Alvin Plantinga's affirmative take on the matter. There is a deep similarity between the way they understand belief in God and belief in Christianity. The authors share the modern idea that there is an objective truth, combining it with the postmodern stance that no method exists which would guarantee access to it. One can see at both authors not only a deep commonality of ideas, but also a remarkable way in which their understandings augment each other. Whereas Kierkegaard comes to the provocative conclusion that, if a person wants to live authentically, she will meet Christ on her life's journey without needing any proof, Plantinga's inquiry contributes to the rational plausibility of this "Justified Faith without Reasons" project.

Serine proteases play significant roles in healh and human disease. Abnormal expression and activities of serine proteases have been linked to the pathogenesis of many diseases. The book presents correlation between serine proteases and human diseases. It helps the reader understand classification, catalytic mechanism and types of serine proteases and their role in human disease pathogenesis at mechanistic level. The chapters explain the role of serine proteases in various diseases including respiratory disorders and cancer. It also covers the therapeutic importance of serine proteases as drug target and explains the mechanistic insights of serine proteases inhibitors. Serine protease are known to play crucial role in biological processes but disturbance in their equilibrium can result in serious health conditions. To maintain homeostasis, serine protease inhibitors come in action and inhibit proteases. Several serine protease inhibitors have been identified and many more are being designed as novel compounds for inhibitions of proteases that provide management of comorbidities. Therefore, this book will serve as a useful reference for students and researchers to understand physiological role of serine proteases and their association with initiation and progression of human diseases. It will also help to develop some strategies to develop serine proteases inhibitors as drug target of serine proteases at cellular and molecular level.

The book focuses on the archaeology of the Late Geometric and Early Archaic North-Eastern Aegean through the emergence, manufacture, distribution and consumption of a regional pottery group known as G 2-3 Ware. It offers the first comprehensive, in-depth study through combination of scientific (fabric analysis) and traditional (morphological, stylistic, comparative and distribution analysis) methods. The large body of studied material allows for drawing conclusions on a broader geographical and historical scale, in contrast to earlier studies focused on individual sites. The manufacture, distribution and consumption patterns are characterised by diversity, which reflects a dynamic, multiethnic communication network developed in the Northern Aegean basin in the late 8th and the 7th c. BC. The adoption of G 2-3 Ware by local, Thracian coastal communities is discussed in the light of transfer of knowledge and social practices. It is argued that the G 2-3 Ware potters were aware of earlier and contemporaneous ceramic developments in southern Greece and Anatolia and created a blend of pottery features specific for each one of these areas. The study deconstructs the forged link between G 2-3 Ware and the Greek colonisation in the area, by linking it to a local, pre-colonial development.

This collection of essays focuses on the way blurred boundaries are represented in pre-modern texts and visual art and how they were received and perceived by their audiences: readers, listeners, and viewers. According to the current understanding that opposing cognitive categories that are so common in modern thinking do not apply to pre-modern mentalities, we argue that individuals in medieval and pre-modern societies did not necessarily consider sacred and secular, male and female, real and fictional, and opposing emotions as absolute dichotomies.The contributors to the present collection examine a wide range of cultural artifacts - literary texts, wall paintings, sculptures, jewelry, manuscript illustrations, and various objects as to what they reflect regarding the dominant perceptual system - the network of beliefs, worldviews, presumptions, values, and norms of viewing/reading/hearing different from modern epistemology strongly predicated on the binary nature of things and people. The essays suggest that analyzing pre-modern cultural works of art or literature in light of reception theory can lead to a better understanding of how those cultural products influenced individuals and impacted their thoughts and actions.

The issue of Muslim women's rights never seems outdated and has become trendy in the post-9/11 environment. That is, the mainstream media and Western politicians often view Muslim women as victims of male-patriarchy and frequently justify Western involvement in the Middle East and in other Muslim majority counties at least in part to "rescue" women. Within this realm, Nawal El Saadawi is a famous Egyptian writer whose writings focus on the struggle of Muslim women and are widely read in the Middle East and many Western societies as well. Because of her bold feminist views on politics, religions, and gender, she is described as the "Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab world." After the death of El Saadawi in 2021, a flurry of arguments and criticism in the Egyptian press and women's press around the world is created in which different social media platforms were filled with numerous comments and discussions of her writings and arguments. Whereas some mourned El Saadawi and her dedication to women's issues, others celebrated her death, wishing her the worst punishment in the afterlife for what they described as her "destructive thoughts." This monograph genuinely analyzes her views on five controversial issues - marriage, polygamy, divorce, inheritance rights, and veiling - in light of Qur'anic exegeses offered by two classical scholars (i.e., Muhammad ibn Jarir Al Tabari and Ismail ibn Umar Ibn Kathir) and two contemporary Muslim feminists (i.e., Amina Wadud and Azizah Al Hibri). By taking a critical look at her views, the book contributes not only to this ongoing debate but adds value to assessing El Saadawi's work and helps readers gain a greater understanding of her writings as well. It also enables readers to comprehend the current tension between feminism and Islam by understanding the perspectives of both sides. Since El Saadawi's writings are available in the Western countries, the book would appeal to academics, researchers on Islam and gender and Middle Eastern women, as well as to lay audiences interested in women and gender in Muslim societies.

Oft sind die kultur- und symboltheologischen Aspekte im Werk Paul Tillichs bearbeitet worden. Doch hat Tillich auch die ethischen Fragen des Menschseins grundlegend mitbedacht. Das Buch interpretiert Tillichs Ethik werkgeschichtlich von der Zeit seines Studiums bis zum Gang ins Exil 1933 und nimmt dazu kontextuelle sowie geistesgeschichtliche Hintergründe in den Blick. Ausgehend von Tillichs frühen Denkansätzen seiner Studienzeit wird in einem ersten Teil die Theologische Ethik in seinem ersten Systementwurf von 1913 interpretiert. Auf dieser Grundlage kann in einem zweiten Teil gezeigt werden, wie Tillich in der Zeit der Weimarer Republik Grundentscheidungen seiner frühen Theoriebildung weiterführt. Die kultur- und sinntheoretischen und besonders die religiös-sozialistischen Texte werden hierdurch mit den ersten Entwürfen verknüpft und die Entwicklung des ethischen Denkens nachgezeichnet. Liebe und Anerkennung kristallisieren sich insgesamt als Leitbegriffe von Tillichs Ethik heraus, an denen sich die vorgeschlagene Interpretation orientiert.