Until recently, Germany appeared to be a paragon of economic and political success. Angela Merkel was widely seen as the true 'leader of the free world', and Germany's export-driven economic model seemed to deliver prosperity. But recent events – from Germany's dependence on Russian gas to its car industry's delays in the race to electric – have undermined this view. In Kaput, Wolfgang Münchau argues that the weaknesses of Germany's economy have, in fact, been brewing for decades. The neo-mercantilist policies of the German state, driven by close connections between the country's industrial and political elite, have left Germany technologically behind over-reliant on authoritarian Russia and China – and with little sign of being able to adapt to the digital realities of the 21st century. It is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of Europe's biggest economy.
Things can get messy even in the "merry and bright" department! Imagine "Love, actually" set at a Berlin Christmas market, but nobody cheated or died. Follow a bunch of strangers who stumble upon each other as their plans fall apart right at the foot of the TV tower in Alexanderplatz. But don't you worry! It's almost Christmas, so there's always room for a few little miracles!
Curzio Malaparte was a disaffected supporter of Mussolini with a taste for danger and high living. Sent by an Italian paper during World War II to cover the fighting on the Eastern Front, Malaparte secretly wrote this terrifying report from the abyss, which became an international bestseller when it was published after the war. Telling of the siege of Leningrad, of glittering dinner parties with Nazi leaders, and of trains disgorging bodies in war-devastated Romania, Malaparte paints a picture of humanity at its most depraved. Kaputt is an insider's dispatch from the world of the enemy that is as hypnotically fascinating as it is disturbing.
Would-be world conquerors Kaput and Zosky are at the pinnacle of their careers. So why does victory always slip from their grasp? On one planet the natives surrender to Kaput and Zosky without a fight - where's the fun in that? On another, Kaput finds that he's won the lottery - and the prize is invested by well-meaning people against his will until he learns he now rules their planet. He doesn't even have to shoot anyone first! Mayhem and hilarity abounds in these thirteen stories told with bright, cartoony art by Lewis Trondheim.
Discusses the nature, origins, and development of language and lists the meanings and associated word for more than thirteen thousand Indo-European root words.
The definitive guide to the basic principles and latest advances in Nutritional Genomics Though still in its infancy, nutritional genomics, or "nutrigenomics," has revealed much about the complex interactions between diet and genes. But it is in its potential applications that nutrigenomics promises to revolutionize the ways we manage human health and combat disease in the years ahead. Great progress already has been made in modeling "personalized" nutrition for optimal health and longevity as well as in genotype-based dietary interventions for the prevention, mitigation, or possible cure of a variety of chronic diseases and some types of cancer. Topics covered include: * Nutrients and gene expression * The role of metabolomics in individualized health * Molecular mechanisms of longevity regulation and calorie restriction * Green tea polyphenols and soy peptides in cancer prevention * Maternal nutrition and fetal gene expression * Genetic susceptibility to heterocyclic amines from cooked foods * Bioinformatics and biocomputation in nutrigenomics * The pursuit of optimal diets Written by an all-star team of experts from around the globe, this volume provides an integrated overview of the cutting-edge field of nutritional genomics. The authors and editors lead an in-depth discussion of the fundamental principles and scientific methodologies that serve as the foundation for nutritional genomics and explore important recent advances in an array of related disciplines. Each self-contained chapter builds upon its predecessor, leading the reader seamlessly from basic principles to more complex scientific findings and experimental designs. Scientific chapters are carefully balanced with those addressing the social, ethical, regulatory, and commercial implications of nutrigenomics.
This volume provides essential guidance for transforming mathematics learning in schools through the use of innovative technology, pedagogy, and curriculum. It presents clear, rigorous evidence of the impact technology can have in improving students learning of important yet complex mathematical concepts -- and goes beyond a focus on technology alone to clearly explain how teacher professional development, pedagogy, curriculum, and student participation and identity each play an essential role in transforming mathematics classrooms with technology. Further, evidence of effectiveness is complemented by insightful case studies of how key factors lead to enhancing learning, including the contributions of design research, classroom discourse, and meaningful assessment. The volume organizes over 15 years of sustained research by multiple investigators in different states and countries who together developed an approach called "SimCalc" that radically transforms how Algebra and Calculus are taught. The SimCalc program engages students around simulated motions, such as races on a soccer field, and builds understanding using visual representations such as graphs, and familiar representations such as stories to help students to develop meaning for more abstract mathematical symbols. Further, the SimCalc program leverages classroom wireless networks to increase participation by all students in doing, talking about, and reflecting on mathematics. Unlike many technology programs, SimCalc research shows the benefits of balanced attention to curriculum, pedagogy, teacher professional development, assessment and technology -- and has proven effectiveness results at the scale of hundreds of schools and classrooms. Combining the findings of multiple investigators in one accessible volume reveals the depth and breadth of the research program, and engages readers interested in: * Engaging students in deeply learning the important concepts in mathematics * Designing innovative curriculum, software, and professional development · Effective uses of technology to improve mathematics education * Creating integrated systems of teaching that transform mathematics classrooms * Scaling up new pedagogies to hundreds of schools and classrooms * Conducting research that really matters for the future of mathematics learning * Engaging students in deeply learning the important concepts in mathematics * Designing innovative curriculum, software, and professional development · Effective uses of technology to improve mathematics education * Creating integrated systems of teaching that transform mathematics classrooms * Scaling up new pedagogies to hundreds of schools and classrooms * Conducting research that really matters for the future of mathematics learning
In the early 1980s there was virtually no serious communication among the various groups that contribute to mathematics education -- mathematicians, mathematics educators, classroom teachers, and cognitive scientists. Members of these groups came from different traditions, had different perspectives, and rarely gathered in the same place to discuss issues of common interest. Part of the problem was that there was no common ground for the discussions -- given the disparate traditions and perspectives. As one way of addressing this problem, the Sloan Foundation funded two conferences in the mid-1980s, bringing together members of the different communities in a ground clearing effort, designed to establish a base for communication. In those conferences, interdisciplinary teams reviewed major topic areas and put together distillations of what was known about them.* A more recent conference -- upon which this volume is based -- offered a forum in which various people involved in education reform would present their work, and members of the broad communities gathered would comment on it. The focus was primarily on college mathematics, informed by developments in K-12 mathematics. The main issues of the conference were mathematical thinking and problem solving.
Nutrigenomics seeks to understand the variability of the individual's response to food and the underlying mechanisms whereby foods exert their health-promoting activities. With a deeper molecular understanding of nutrition, we may some day be able to design diets that truly maximize an individual's potential for health and wellness. Many Asian societies are currently experiencing a transition in diet-related morbidity and mortality. The identification and provision of an optimal diet relevant to all the people living in Asia is an extraordinary challenge as there exists a tremendous diversity in diet, dietary intake patterns, local culture, and nutritional needs. This volume explores the role of ethnic diversity, dietary patterns and genetic adaptation in determining individual nutrient requirements throughout the life-cycle. Conceptualized as an introductory publication providing a general overview as well as specific examples of the applications of concepts and methods, this publication will help scientists, medical, nutrition and other health professionals to learn more about the field of nutrigenomics.
First Published in 1989. We clearly know more today about teaching and learning mathematics than we did twenty years ago, and we are beginning to see the effects of this new knowledge at the classroom level. In particular, we can point to several significant sets of studies based on emerging theoretical frameworks. To establish such a framework, researchers must be provided with the opportunity to exchange and refine their ideas and viewpoints. Conferences held in Georgia and Wisconsin during the seventies serve as examples of the role such meetings can play in providing a vehicle for increased communication, synthesis, summary, and cross-disciplinary fertilization among researchers working within a specialized area of mathematical learning. This monograph holds selected papers from four more recent conferences on Research Agenda in Mathematics Education.
