New Releases by Petr

A charmingly earnest pair of bears find a friend where they least expect it in this heartwarming comedy of errors featuring the rich artwork of Petr Horácek. Black Bear is feeling lonely, so he decides to look for a friend. Luckily, he meets Brown Bear, who is in the same situation! The bears decide to join forces, but finding a friend isn''t easy. After helping each other through forests and over a brook, skirting a ravine and even practicing how to "find" with a slightly suspenseful game of hide-and-seek, their elusive friend is still nowhere to be found. Or has the perfect candidate been there all along? With deeply saturated colors and endearing characters, Petr Horacek offers a gentle reminder that the best things in life may be hiding in plain sight.

This landmark work in anarchist theory challenges the Darwinian concept of ''survival of the fittest.'' Kropotkin argues instead that mutual aid and cooperation have been vital factors in the evolution of species, including humans. A thought-provoking and influential work that remains relevant to this day. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Place of Anarchism in Socialistic Evolution" (An Address Delivered in Paris) by Petr Alekseevich kniaz Kropotkin. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Drawing on current debates at the frontiers of economics, psychology, and political philosophy, this book explores the challenges that arise for liberal democracies from a confrontation between modern technologies and the bounds of human rationality. With the ongoing transition of democracy’s underlying information economy into the digital space, threats of disinformation and runaway political polarization have been gaining prominence. Employing the economic approach informed by behavioral sciences’ findings, the book’s chief concern is how these challenges can be addressed while preserving a commitment to democratic values and maximizing the epistemic benefits of democratic decision-making. The book has two key strands: it provides a systematic argument for building a behaviorally informed theory of democracy; and it examines how scientific knowledge on quirks and bounds of human rationality can inform the design of resilient democratic institutions. Drawing these together, the book explores the centrality of the rationality assumption in the methodological debates surrounding behavioral sciences as exemplified by the dispute between neoclassical and behavioral economics; the role of (ir)rationality in democratic social choice; behaviorally informed paternalism as a response to the challenge of irrationality; and non-paternalistic avenues to increase the resilience of the democratic institutions toward political irrationality. This book is invaluable reading for anyone interested in behavioral economics and sciences, political philosophy, and the future of democracy.

"The authors come up with some innovative tools, namely the “Catalogue of transparent lobbying”. They look at and evaluate the impact on both key stakeholders (lobbyists and targets of lobbying), monitoring of lobbying activities and sanctioning for breaches of rules. This tool holds out benchmarking capacity of sound framework for understanding of lobbying in the context of democracy, legitimacy of decision-making and accountability."David Ondráčka, member of global Board of Transparency International, head of Transparency International, Czech Republic "Transparent Lobbying and Democracy provides a comprehensive view into the phenomenon of lobbying... As a well-established scientist specializing in democracy, civil society and the public sphere, I see it as a useful and enriching contribution to the debate on lobbying, its necessary transparency and its role in the democratization process. This book has the potential to reach an international audience of experts and interested lay persons, and both complement and compete with publications on similar issues."Karel B. Müller, University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic This book deals with the current, as yet unsolved, problem of transparency of lobbying. In the current theories and prevalent models that deal with lobbying activities, there is no reflection of the degree of transparency of lobbying, mainly due to the unclear distinction between corruption, lobbying in general, and transparent lobbying. This book provides a perspective on transparency in lobbying in a comprehensive and structured manner. It delivers an interdisciplinary approach to the topic and creates a methodology for assessing the transparency of lobbying, its role in the democratization process and a methodology for evaluating the main consequences of transparency. The new approach is applied to assess lobbying regulations in the countries of Central Eastern Europe and shows a method for how lobbying in other regions of the world may also be assessed.

Illicit financial flows constitute a global phenomenon of massive but uncertain scale, which erodes government revenues and drives corruption in countries rich and poor. This book offers a critical examination of existing data and methodologies, identifying the most promising avenues for future improvement.

In "Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution," Petr Alekseevich Kropotkin presents a revolutionary perspective on the evolutionary process, arguing that cooperation, rather than competition, plays a crucial role in the survival and progress of species. Kropotkin''s eloquent prose and systematic analysis traverse a range of disciplines, including biology, sociology, and anthropology. The work is set against the backdrop of the late 19th century, a time marked by rampant individualism and a misinterpretation of Darwinism, challenging prevailing notions by highlighting examples from the animal kingdom and human societies where mutual aid has led to success and resilience. This interdisciplinary approach not only reflects Kropotkin''s scientific rigor but also his deep philosophical insights into the interconnectedness of life forms. Kropotkin, a Russian naturalist, geographer, and anarchist, draws from his own observations and experiences in the wilds of Siberia and in European revolutionary movements, influencing his belief in cooperation as a natural instinct''Äîone that transcends mere survival. His varied and rich background in both science and radical politics motivated his critique of social Darwinism and propelled him to advocate for a more egalitarian social structure. Through this book, Kropotkin seeks to provide a new foundation for understanding human relationships within society, emphasizing solidarity. "Mutual Aid" is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of biology and sociology, ecology, or political theory. It invites readers to reconsider the fundamentals of human behavior and cooperation, emerging as a pivotal text in discussions of social organization and collective well-being. Kropotkin''s insights remain relevant today, making this work a timeless contribution to the understanding of evolutionary theory and human society.

What would your life look like without procrastination? According to the latest scientific research, you’d be less stressed, more productive, healthier, and statistically live longer. A global bestseller, The End of Procrastination offers science-based, practical tools to overcome postponement and live a fulfilled life. The book provides everything you need to change how you manage your time, pick priorities, and tackle your daily tasks. With 8 simple tools, you can get started right away. This easy-to-read guide will show you that long-term satisfaction is something you can attain. The book will help you to: - Develop a sense of purpose and lead a happier, more fulfilled life. - Uncover how motivation works and how to gain the right type of motivation. - Learn to enjoy our work, feel less stressed, and focus more. - Avoid becoming a goal junkie and create your personal vision. - Organize your daily life, set priorities, and actually finish things. - Build new positive habits and end bad ones. - Cope with decision paralysis and become an everyday hero. Based on the latest research, The End of Procrastination summarizes over 120 scientific studies to create a step-by-step program supported by illustrations that will work as a long-term reminder of the book’s contents. By understanding why procrastination happens and how your brain responds to motivation and self-discipline, the book provides readers with the knowledge to conquer procrastination once and for all.

This book advances the understanding of the relationship between social inequality and Internet use by bringing forth a new, contextual approach. It encourages a rethinking of the information society theory, information policies, and the role of social science in the process of informatization.

While English is the lingua franca and an established language in numerous countries, it is its American variant that keeps spreading rapidly to other parts of the world due to the wide ranging influence of the USA in politics, economics and popular culture. The nine authors of this volume present various aspects associated with the perception of the USA, whether it be American English, a theme in American literature and culture or an analysis of their reception in and/or influence on the Czech Republic or Austria. As all of the contributors work or study at an educational institution that prepares future teachers, most of the chapters either discuss the students’ or pupils’ point of view on the topic or provide another connection to the process of foreign language teaching.

Tired of her usual diet of herbs and grass, Goat decides to try something new, with humorous results.

How can we ascertain that a school is inclusive enough? Not only officials and stakeholders but also school representatives themselves ask that ques tion very often. However, finding the answer is not as easy as it might seem. Our team, thus, decided to assemble a ''guide'' which might come to their assistance. This book summarizes the results of our work. The first chapter is a summary of the main reasons why we support and advocate school inclusion. In the second chapter we answer the question ''What is school inclusion?''. The third chapter then introduces basic indicators which form school inclusion. A short overview of Czech research in the field of school inclusion in the last few years follows in the fourth chapter. The last and most extensive chapter presents the results of our effort to create a tool for school inclusion evaluation. Here you can find both an evaluation and autoevaluation tool design including its qualitative and quantitative design.

For decades, the Prague School of Structuralism assumption of textual autonomy dominated the explorations of Czech literature, as well as the context of Czech literary theory. The three authors of this book combined their efforts to move beyond and offer a new conceptual frame. Sharing the structuralist proposition of texts made from words, they focus on the metamorphoses of the modes of representations through 20th century fiction and its critical reflections. Switching between theoretical considerations and case study interpretations, the included essays challenge the notion of autonomous fictional worlds, and involve the pragmatic categories of the constructed image of a writer and the aesthetic experience of a reader. The focus on representational status of literary texts combines here with another conceptual frame-the performative aspect. The literary texts do not function as mere documents that preserve the traces of existing reality, but as objects that construct what their readers conceive as parts of existing reality. Instead of a depository of meanings, literature is thus perceived as a permanent process of negotiations that uses the institutional power of canonisation, ritualisation, or tabooisation. Drawing on contemporary international theory of literature and aesthetics (Searle, Rorty, Davidson, Iser, Greenblatt, White), the authors try to conflate semiotic analyses of textual meanings with the pragmatic notions of historical and readership contexts. The book chooses the productive texts of Czech literature, occasionally combined with other items of Czech culture (arts, films, TV production), and brings them into comparison with the international context. [Subject: Czech Studies, Bohemistics, Literary Theory, Sociology]

This book deals with film adaptations of literary works created in Communist Czechoslovakia between 1954 and 1969, such as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (Zeman 1958), Marketa Lazarová (Vláčil 1967), and The Joke (Jireš 1969). Bubeníček treats a historically significant period around which myths and misinformation have arisen. The book is broad in scope and examines aesthetic, political, social, and cultural issues. It sets out to disprove the notion that the state-controlled film industry behind the Iron Curtain produced only aesthetically uniform works pandering to official ideology. Bubeníček’s main aim is to show how the political situation of Communist Czechoslovakia moulded the film adaptations created there, but also how these same works, in turn, shaped the sociocultural conditions of the 1950s and the 1960s.

This book offers a critical analysis of recent developments in the automotive industry of East-Central Europe (ECE). Economists, industry specialists and national governments have considered the rapid development of the automotive industry in ECE in the past twenty years an unqualified success. This rapid growth has been based on large inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Western Europe, North America, Japan and South Korea, and it significantly contributed to GDP growth, created thousands of new jobs, and completely transformed the previously existing automotive industry in the region. This volume offers an analysis that goes beyond uncritical celebratory accounts of this rapid growth. It is based on original, detailed firm-level research conducted by the author in Czechia and Slovakia between 2009 and 2015 that covered assembly firms and the networks of component suppliers. Theoretically and conceptually, the analysis will draw on the global production networks and global value chains perspectives. Drawing on the original empirical data and on additional available information, this volume concentrates on several important questions related to the development of the automotive industry in ECE in the 2000s:• The role of FDI in the rapid development of the automotive industry after 1990 and particularly in the 2000s.• The upgrading of the automotive industry in East-Central Europe through FDI• The position of ECE in the automotive industry research and development (R&D)• The effects of the 2008-2009 economic crisis in the automotive industry of ECE.• The role of state in the rapid development of the automotive industry in ECE in the 1990s and 2000s.• The effects of FDI on domestic firms in the form of linkages between foreign-owned and domestic firms and spillovers from foreign-owned to domestic firms.

Publikace věnovaná archeologickému nálezu pečetí ve vykopávkách raně sumerského Uru (30.- 26. století př. n. l.).

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union a team of young economic reformers led by Yegor Gaidar worked to create a new economic future for Russia. Against an overwhelming threat of looming hunger and civil war, they created a market economy which is still in place today. In the face of crisis, a process of ''shock therapy''- involving the end of price regulation, the introduction of privatisation and a reduction in public spending - appeared necessary. Their plans have been the subject of controversy ever since - the path to the new economy was not smooth and Russia continued to struggle with economic crises throughout the 1990s. Yet Gaidar''s plans have been widely praised for saving the country from complete collapse. For the first time in this book, the participants in the process reveal their experiences during those frantic days, their insights into Yegor Gaidar and of the formation of post-Soviet Russia. In doing so, this book provides a unique perspective on contemporary Russia, making it an indispensable resource for understanding its economic and political complexities.

Zoonotic Viruses of Northern Eurasia: Taxonomy and Ecology provides a review of modern data of the taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of zoonotic viruses in the ecosystems of Northern Eurasia. With climate changes, increasing population density of arthropod vectors and vertebrate hosts, development of unused lands, transferences of viruses by birds, bats, infected humans, and animals, vectors allow virus populations to adapt to the new environment. This leads to the appearance of emerging or re-emerging infections. This book presents data about circulation and evolution of influenza viruses, tick-borne encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, hantaviruses, Sindbis virus, California encephalitis group viruses and other pathogenic viruses as well as of novel viruses classified for the first time using next-generation sequence. - Features summarized data about the circulation of approximately 80 viruses isolated in natural foci of Northern Eurasia - Provides descriptions of the main ecosystems of Northern Eurasia in the context of the ecology of viruses with environmental factors - Delineates the potential impact of climate change for the distribution of viruses - Includes virus taxonomy, ecology, distribution and pathogenicity for humans and animals

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book is about the subject of higher smoothness in separable real Banach spaces. It brings together several angles of view on polynomials, both in finite and infinite setting. Also a rather thorough and systematic view of the more recent results, and the authors work is given. The book revolves around two main broad questions: What is the best smoothness of a given Banach space, and its structural consequences? How large is a supply of smooth functions in the sense of approximating continuous functions in the uniform topology, i.e. how does the Stone-Weierstrass theorem generalize into infinite dimension where measure and compactness are not available? The subject of infinite dimensional real higher smoothness is treated here for the first time in full detail, therefore this book may also serve as a reference book.

Party Systems in East Central Europeanalyzes the formation of political parties in the nations of this region. In the first part, the authors concentrate on the key periods and turning points in this development, connecting them with the democratization of the countries in the region in the last third of the nineteenth century. This includes a look at the period before World War I, between the wars, and particularly in the times after the fall of the communist regimes. The analysis focuses chiefly on the ideological background that gave way to the rise of political parties in the region. In relation to this, the authors base their writing mainly on the socio-political theory of Stein Rokkan. The second part of the book is a political analysis of the key aspects related to party politics. First, the authors examine the ties of political parties to broad social processes, using the classic theories of Giovanni Sartori and Stein Rokkan. Next, they continue with the analysis of the operation of parties within governments, with a special focus on the creation of coalition governments, functioning of coalitions and coalition governance. Last, some defects are reflected upon, as well as unfinished processes related to the fast establishment of political parties in the region, e.g., absence of firm links with social groups, high volatility, instability of parties, etc.

Accurate measurement at the nano-scale – nanometrology – is a critical tool for advanced nanotechnology applications, where exact quantities and engineering precision are beyond the capabilities of traditional measuring techniques and instruments. Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) builds up a picture of a specimen by scanning with a physical probe; unrestrained by the wavelength of light or electrons, the resolution obtainable with this technique can resolve atoms. SPM instruments include the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). Despite tremendous advances in Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) over the last twenty years, its potential as a quantitative measurement tool have not been fully realized, due to challenges such as the complexity of tip/sample interaction. In this book, Petr Klapetek uses the latest research to unlock SPM as a toolkit for nanometrology in fields as diverse as nanotechnology, surface physics, materials engineering, thin film optics, and life sciences. Klapetek''s considerable experience of Quantitive Data Processing, using software tools, enables him to not only explain the microscopy techniques, but also to demystify the analysis and interpretation of the data collected. In addition to the essential principles and theory of SPM metrology, Klapetek provides readers with a number of worked examples to demonstrate typical ways of solving problems in SPM analysis. Source data for the examples as well as most of the described open source software tools are available on a companion website. - Unlocks the use of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) for nanometrology applications in engineering, physics, life science and earth science settings - Provides practical guidance regarding areas of difficulty such as tip/sample interaction and calibration – making metrology applications achievable - Gives guidance on data collection and interpretation, including the use of software-based modeling (using applications that are mostly freely available)

Rare memoir of Eastern Front combat by a frontline artillery officer in the Red Army Details on Stalingrad, Kursk, and other harrowing battles with the Germans Candid opinions about superiors and political officers Captures all the horrors of fighting in this brutal theater of World War II

The emergence of the Bohemian state is a long-discussed topic with many obscure points. Though significant progress has been reached in recent decades, the interpretations proposed are far from satisfactory. Important new information is still awaiting inclusion in explanatory schemes. In addition to that, treatises on the origins of Bohemian state have frequently failed to take account of studies of scholars from abroad. Taking account of all this, the author proposes a fresh look on some of the essential data provided by history, archaeology, art history and cultural or social anthropology. What emerges is a nuanced perspective of the rising of one of central Europe ́s first states, attempting to avoid the pitfalls to which traditional research has been falling, with emphasis on a broad scope of vision taking account of research results reached far and wide.

Photochemistry of Organic Compounds: From Concepts to Practice provides a hands-on guide demonstrating the underlying principles of photochemistry and, by reference to a range of organic reaction types, its effective use in the synthesis of new organic compounds and in various applications. The book presents a complete and methodical approach to the topic, Working from basic principles, discussing key techniques and studies of reactive intermediates, and illustrating synthetic photochemical procedures. Incorporating special topics and case studies covering various applications of photochemistry in chemistry, environmental sciences, biochemistry, physics, medicine, and industry. Providing extensive references to the original literature and to review articles. Concluding with a chapter on retrosynthetic photochemistry, listing key reactions to aid the reader in designing their own synthetic pathways. This book will be a valuable source of information and inspiration for postgraduates as well as professionals from a wide range of chemical and natural sciences.