In the twenty-first century the basic questions of ethics are no longer the abstract terms of ethical theory, but the concrete and burning issues related to the influence of life sciences, the impact of a globalized economy, and the consequences of present decisions for the future of humankind. Ethics: The Fundamental Questions of Our Lives analyzes twenty ethical issues that address education and culture, labor and economy, the environment and sustainability, democracy and cosmop...

Frontiers of Need argues that the Nigerian Civil War marked a turning point in US foreign policy, bringing humanitarian intervention into the center of debates about US engagement with the world. Emerging at a moment when Americans were already questioning the moral foundations of Cold War foreign policy, Biafra became a mirror reflecting a broader crisis of morality—a sense that the United States had lost its ethical bearings in the world. The ma...

Tourism as a Resource-based Industry presents the conceptual framework of the Norwegian economic geographer Sondre Svalastog and functions as a practical tool for analyzing and identifying resources when working towards a more sustainable tourism industry. Tourism resources and their sustainability are analysed through the lens of a multidisciplinary approach which includes social, economic, cultural and natural dimensions. Contextual awareness is achieved by combining research-based knowl...

Bacteria, yeast, fungi and microalgae can act as producers (or catalysts for the production) of food ingredients, enzymes and nutraceuticals. With the current trend towards the use of natural ingredients in foods, there is renewed interest in microbial flavours and colours, food bioprocessing using enzymes and food biopreservation using bacteriocins. Microbial production of substances such as organic acids and hydrocolloids also remains an important and fast-changing area of research. Micr...

The notion of "the public sphere" has become increasingly central to theories and studies of democracy, media, and culture over the last few decades. It has also gained political importance in the context of the European Union's efforts to strengthen democracy, integration, and identity.The Idea of the Public Sphere offers a wide-ranging, accessible, and easy-to-use introduction to one of the most influential ideas in modern social and political thought, tracing its develop...

Recent Advances in Polyphenol ResearchVolume 2Edited by Santos-Buelga, Escribano-Bailon and LattanzioPlant phenolics are secondary metabolites that constitute one of the most common and widespread groups of substances in plants. Polyphenols have a large and diverse array of beneficial effects on both plants and animals. For example they are famous as antioxidants, hormones, constituents of essential oils and natural neurotransmitter...

Twenty years ago Ulrich Beck published Risk Society, a book that called our attention to the dangers of environmental catastrophes and changed the way we think about contemporary societies. During the last two decades, the dangers highlighted by Beck have taken on new forms and assumed ever greater significance. Terrorism has shifted to a global arena, financial crises have produced worldwide consequences that are difficult to control and politicians have been forced to accept tha...

Plant polyphenols are secondary metabolites that constitute one of the most common and widespread groups of natural products. They express a large and diverse panel of biological activities including beneficial effects on both plants and humans. Many polyphenols, from their structurally simplest representatives to their oligo/polymeric versions (also referred to as vegetable tannins) are notably known as phytoestrogens, plant pigments, potent antioxidants, and protein interacting agents.

Polyphenols in Plants assists plant scientists and dietary supplement producers in assessing polyphenol content and factors affecting their composition. It also aids in selecting sources and regulating environmental conditions affecting yield for more consistent and function dietary supplements. Polyphenols play key roles in the growth, regulation and structure of plants and vary widely within different plants. Stress, growth conditions and plant species modify polyphenol structure and con...

Love and family life in the global age: grandparents in Salonika and their grandson in London speak together every evening via Skype. A U.S. citizen and her Swiss husband fret over large telephone bills and high travel costs. A European couple can finally have a baby with the help of an Indian surrogate mother.In their new book, Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim investigate all types of long-distance relationships, marriages and families that stretch across countries, contin...

This book describes recent progress in enzyme-driven green syntheses of industrially important molecules. The first three introductory chapters overview recent technological advances in enzymes and cell-based transformations, and green chemistry metrics for synthetic efficiency. The remaining chapters are directed to case studies in biotechnological production of pharmaceuticals (small molecules, natural products and biologics), flavors, fragrance and cosmetics, fine chemicals, value-added...

Translated by Ciaran Cronin.In the midst of the current crisis that is threatening to derail the historical project of European unification, Jürgen Habermas has been one of the most perceptive critics of the ineffectual and evasive responses to the global financial crisis, especially by the German political class. This extended essay on the constitution for Europe represents Habermas’s constructive engagement with the European project at a time when the crisis of the eurozone is th...