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      • Optima Communications

        Lisa Bjerke is the owner and director of Optima Communications. Optima Communications provides customized assessments, coaching, training, and workshops to meet the unique communication needs of each individual, group or organization. Training is facilitated onsite in the workplace or virtually. Lisa has a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She is a corporate communication coach working with clients to enhance communication skills. These skills include: active listening, clear verbal expression, emotional intelligence, cultural diversity and communication, and managing difficult conversations.  Lisa is a communication and professionalism coach with the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine and Post Graduate Medical Education Program. Lisa is a recognized expert in accent assessment and training. She is the author of Accent on Canadian English: a pronunciation program for speakers of English as a second language™, Accent on Canadian English™ e-book, Accent on Clear English™ International e-book and the Accent on Canadian English Pronunciation Assessment Kit™. She is also the creator of the Accent on Clear English™ eCourse  https://acetraining.online

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      • Trusted Partner
        Sustainable agriculture
        June 2016

        International Trade and Food Security

        The Future of Indian Agriculture

        by Edited by Floor Brouwer, Pramod K Joshi

        This book explores structural changes in India's agrifood systems during the next ten to twenty years. The dynamics in the agrifood sector is explored in the context of the overall economy, taking into account agricultural and trade policies and their impacts on national and global markets. The contributors draw on qualitative and quantitative approaches, using both a national model - to focus on urban-rural relations and income distribution - and an international model to focus on patterns of economic growth and international trade.

      • Trusted Partner
        Business, Economics & Law
        December 2017

        Tour Operators and Operations

        Development, Management and Responsibility

        by Jacqueline Holland, David Leslie

        With a focus on the creation and distribution of packaged holidays, this text covers the fundamentals of business and the relationship between tour operators and destinations. With particular reference to the sustainability of both parties, it reviews the impacts and influences of tour operations and practices on destinations within the overriding context of tour operator responsibility. It addresses the entirety of this key component of the tourism sector, and reflects the shift in recent years from traditional 'sun, sea and sand' holiday to more bespoke packages. Taking into account tour operators as a growing factor among the major emergent economies of the world, this book is: - The first textbook to provide such in-depth content of tour operators and operations. - Written by authors with industry, research and teaching experience. - A wealth of information regarding popular eco, nature and adventure trips, as well as myriad niche and special interest products. Full of international and highly topical case studies, exercises and discussion questions, Tour Operators and Operations: Development, Management and Responsibility is a fundamental text for students of tourism.

      • Trusted Partner
        Health & Personal Development
        May 2016

        How to Deal with Anxiety and Panic

        by Michael Rufer, Heike Alsleben, Angela Weiss

        Are you or a loved one suffering from anxiety and panic and you are wondering what you can do? To whom you can turn? What the options for treatment are? And how relatives can help? This self-help book gives affected people and their relatives: • clear and comprehensive information based on up-to-date research findings • concrete self-help strategies and exercises with worksheets • descriptions of recognized treatment methods • instructions on coping with stress and using relaxation techniques • detailed answers to frequently asked questions • a helpful list of useful contacts and websites • an idea of how mindfulness can be incorporated. The authors have first-hand knowledge of these problems from their extensive experience of counseling and treating people with anxiety disorders and their relatives. This book summarizes their knowledge in clear and comprehensible form. It is ideal both for self-help and to complement ongoing treatment. Target Group: affected people and their relatives and friends; psychologists, therapists, doctors, counseling centers.

      • Trusted Partner
        April 2023

        Speculation by Commodity Index Funds

        The Impact on Food and Energy Prices

        by Scott H. Irwin, Dwight R. Sanders

        Commodity futures prices exploded in 2007-08 and concerns about a new type of participant in commodity futures markets began to emerge. Market participants, regulators, and civic organizations began raising concerns that inflows from new "commodity index" investments were driving the increases in commodity prices instead of economic fundamentals. The main argument was that unprecedented buying pressure from these speculative long-only futures traders created massive bubbles that resulted in prices substantially exceeding fundamental value. At the time, it was not uncommon to link concerns about speculation and high prices to world hunger, food crises, and civil unrest. Naturally, this outcry resulted in numerous regulatory proposals to restrict speculation in commodity futures markets through transaction taxes, speculative position limits, and even the bizarre idea of a "virtual reserve" whereby a public agency would take futures positions opposite speculators. At the core, these assertions raised major economic questions about the efficiency of price discovery in commodity futures markets. Moreover, these so-called remedies did not come without a potential cost. Burdensome regulations would increase compliance and risk sharing costs across the global food system-lowering prices for producers and increasing costs to consumers. To guide this debate, a rigorous approach was needed to understand the dynamics between prices and commodity index activity. This book documents a curated selection of papers on the impact of index investment on commodity futures prices. The chronology of the papers roughly follows the timeline of our involvement in the world-wide debate about commodity speculation as it evolved after 2007. The 10 papers follow the evolving speculation debate with new author forwards highlighting the contribution and impact. Policy-makers, researchers, and market participants will find this not only as useful documentation of the debate; but, also a natural starting point when high commodity prices inevitably create the next speculation backlash.

      • Trusted Partner
        March 2021

        International Trade in Forest Products

        Lumber Trade Disputes, Models and Examples

        by G Cornelis van Kooten, Linda Voss

        Because of the long-standing Canada-U.S. lumber trade dispute and the current pressure on the world's forests as a renewable energy source, much attention has been directed toward the modelling of international trade in wood products. Two types of trade models are described in this book: one is rooted in economic theory and mathematical programming, and the other consists of two econometric/statistical models--a gravity model rooted in theory and an approach known as GVAR that relies on time series analyses. The purpose of the book is to provide the background theory behind models and facilitate readers in easily constructing their own models to analyse policy questions that they wish to address, whether in forestry or some other sector. Examples in the book are meant to illustrate how models can be used to say something about a variety of issues, including identification of the gains and losses to various players in the North American softwood lumber business, and the potential for redirecting sales of lumber to countries outside the United States. The discussion is expanded to include other products besides lumber, and used to examine, for example, the effects of log export restrictions by one nation on all other forestry jurisdictions, the impacts of climate policies as they relate to the global forest sector, and the impact of oil prices on forest product markets throughout the world. This book will appeal to practising economists and researchers who wish to examine various policies that affect international trade, whether their interest is local or international in scope. Because the book provides the theoretical bases underlying various models, students and practitioners will find this a valuable reference book or supplementary textbook.

      • Trusted Partner
        Geography & the Environment
        June 2018

        Documentary Work of Ecological Protection in Jicheng Village

        by Liu Zihua

        In 1998, Jicheng village in Yueyang became the first one that implemented "Pushing Over Embankments" system, a national priority project for ecological protection. Till today, the system has been put into practice for over 20 years. In this book, the author who cares about the local environment and has experienced this project tells us various touching stories in this process. Many stirring scenes and stories are vividly narrated to show the key role of this system in ecological protection project for Yangtze river basin.

      • Trusted Partner
        Medicine

        How to Deal With Cutting in Adolescents

        A Guide for Families, Educators, and Adolescents Who Self-harm

        by Dr. Eduardo Aratangy

        This guide provides patients with self-harming behavior as well as their families with information on the possible causes, progression, and treatment options.   The content of this book is clearly structures and outlines different strategies to deal with cutting. Additionally, an informative overview of the complexity of the disorder, written for non-professionals, helps readers gain a better insight into the different characteristics.   Target Group: teens exhibiting self-harming behavior, relatives and laypersons interested in the subject, clinical psychologists, mental health professionals

      • Trusted Partner
        2022

        Over-the-Counter Trainer

        160 double-sided flashcards for learning and counselling

        by Dr. Kirsten Lennecke, Kirsten Hagel and Claudia Rothermel

        Working at the sales counter is never dull: Every day, people come to you with the widest possible variety of questions and expect good advice. It does not matter whether it is about self-medication for adults, pregnant women, children, about aids and appliances, vegan diets or alternative medicine: Whatever your customer’s concerns – you always offer well-founded counselling. Based on real-life counselling situations routinely encountered in a pharmacy, the authors – all pharmacists with experience of retail sales – provide important information for such conversations and suggest helpful questions to ask when patients seek advice. Become a sales counter expert in no time!

      • Trusted Partner
        Technology, Engineering & Agriculture
        December 2017

        Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture

        A Winning Combination?

        by Priyanka Parvathi, Ulrike Grote, Hermann Waibel, Arnab Basu, Lee Buyers, Rene Capote, Ricardo Fort, Ulrike Grote, Casey Goldvale, Ulrich Hamm, Pradyot Ranjan Jena, Linda Kleemann, Katharina Krumbiegel, Julia Lernoud, Priyanka Parvathi, Yu Hui Qiao, Ruerd Ruben, Rosa Scheenbecker, Till Stellmacher, Romane Viennet, Hermann Waibel, Helga Willer, Meike Wollni, Katrin Zander

        The markets for organic and fair trade certified commodities are growing rapidly, with environmentally sound and more equitable certification systems likely to offer benefits for both small-scale farmers and society at large. Despite much debate about their contribution to sustainability, there has been little scientific analysis, so it is vital to assess if it is technically and economically feasible to meet growing consumer demands regarding food safety, quality and ethics through smallholder and marginal producers. Overall, there is a need to explore the potential of these certification systems as emerging areas in research and development cooperation. This book includes: - Worldwide case studies (from the supply side in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; and from the demand side in Europe and North America) to put theory into practice. - Analyses of sustainable development and poverty reduction through organic and fair trade markets. - Insights into the conditions where it is beneficial for developing country smallholder producers to adopt fair trade and organic certification systems. - Investigation into whether consumers will pay more for a product that is both organic and fair trade certified. This book is an important read for researchers and students in agricultural and development economics, and it is also a useful resource for policy makers and practitioners involved in organic and fair trade agriculture.

      • Trusted Partner
        Animal husbandry
        April 2012

        Alternative Systems for Poultry

        Health, Welfare and Productivity

        by Edited by Victoria Sandilands, Paul M. Hocking.

        Recent interest in how poultry are housed and managed in order to ensure profitability, sustainability, and good levels of animal welfare, are challenging issues that commercial poultry keepers face, particularly where legislation is bringing about legal requirements for housing. This book compares and contrasts alternative housing with conventional and traditional systems for commercial poultry (laying hens, meat chickens, turkeys, waterfowl and gamebirds) with regards to welfare, disease, health, nutrition, sustainability and genotype-environment interaction.

      • Trusted Partner
        April 2021

        RNAi for Plant Improvement and Protection

        by Bruno Mezzetti, Jeremy Sweet, Lorenzo Burgos

        RNA interference (RNAi) has the potential to make major contributions towards sustainable crop production and protection with minimal environmental impacts compared to other technologies. RNAi is being developed and exploited both within plants (i.e. host-induced gene silencing, HIGS) and/or as topical applications (e.g. spray-induced gene silencing, SIGS) for targeting pest and pathogen genes and for manipulating endogenous gene expression in plants. Chapters by international experts review current knowledge on RNAi, methods for developing RNAi systems in GM plants and applications for crop improvement, crop production and crop protection. Chapters examine both endogenous systems in GM plants and exogenous systems where interfering RNAs are applied to target plants, pests and pathogens. The biosafety of these different systems is examined and methods for risk assessment for food, feed and environmental safety are discussed. Finally, aspects of the regulation of technologies exploiting RNAi and the socio-economic impacts of RNAi technologies are discussed. Chapter 1: Introduction to RNAi in Plant Production and Protection. Bruno Mezzetti, Jeremy Sweet and Lorenzo Burgos Chapter 2: Gene silencing to induce pathogen-derived resistance in plants. Zhen Liao, Elena Zuriaga, Ángela Polo and Maria L. Badenes Chapter 3: Exogenous application of small RNAs as a tool for gene function discovering. Barbara Molesini and Tiziana Pandolfini Chapter 4: The “Trojan Horse” approach for successful RNA interference in inscects. Dimitrios Kontogiannatos, Anna Kolliopoulou and Luc Swevers. Chapter 5: Biogenesis and functional RNAi in fruit-trees. Michel Ravelonandro and Pascal Briard Chapter 6: Gene silencing or gene editing: the pros and cons. Huw D Jones Chapter 7: Application of RNAi technology in Forest Trees. Matthias Fladung, Hely Haggman and S. Sutela Chapter 8: Host-induced gene silencing and spray-induced gene silencing for crop protection against viruses. Angela Ricci, Silvia Sabbadini, Laura Miozzi, Bruno Mezzetti and Emanuela Noris. Chapter 9: Small talk and large impact: the importance of small RNA molecules in the fight of plant diseases. Kristian Persson Hodén and Christina Dixelius Chapter 10: dsRNA stability during external applications – an overview. Ivelin Pantchev, Goritsa Rakleova and Atanas Atanassov Chapter 11: Boosting dsRNA delivery in plant and insect cells with peptide- and polymer-based carriers: cases-based current status and future perspectives. Kristof de Schutter, Olivier Christiaens, Clauvis Nji Tizi Taning and Guy Smagghe Chapter 12: Environmental safety assessment of RNAi plants for pest control. Salvatore Arpaia, Olivier Christiaens, Paul Henning Krogh, Kimberly Parker and Jeremy Sweet Chapter 13: Food and feed safety assessment of RNAi plants and products. Hanspeter Naegeli, Gijs Kleter and Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter Chapter 14: Regulatory aspects of RNAi in plant production. Werner Schenkel and Achim Gathmann Chapter 15: The Economics of RNAi technology in plant breeding: from the innovation landscape to consumer acceptance. Dario Frisio and Vera Ventura Chapter 16: Communication challenges of RNAi and selected communication messages from iPLANTA for dissemination. Hilde-Gunn Opsahl-Sorteberg

      • Trusted Partner
        2019

        Good Evening, Good Night

        The cultural history of sleep

        by Karoline Walter

        What we associate with sleep is shaped by the culture we live in. Whereas the God of the Bible never sleeps, the sinful human falls asleep every night and is thus marked as an inferior being. In the Age of Enlightenment, (too much) sleep was considered a waste of strength, which could otherwise be used to change the world. These days, sleep seems to be subject to the same tenets of usefulness as everything else and is seen to assist with the optimization of one’s self. However, culture and technology also influence how we sleep: for example, the constant availability of light, the modern conditions of work and all sorts of distractions have meant that we no longer follow our natural rhythm – a first sleep before midnight and a second sleep after a longer period of wakefulness, during which we may be active. In “Good Evening, Good Night”, Karoline Walter uses numerous examples from history, literature and research to illustrate how sleep and sleeping have changed across cultures and eras – an entertaining read, certainly nothing to put you to sleep.

      • Trusted Partner
        November 2023

        Die Gestörten

        Warum sie unseren Wohlstand sichern

        by Lotter, Wolf

      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
        October 2023

        Vergesst Fleisch!

        Wie wir klug die Welt ernähren

        by Weymayr, Christian

      • Trusted Partner
        September 2022

        Right-Wing Judges in Germany

        AfD judges, prosecutors and jurors: a danger to democracy?

        by Joachim Wagner

        — How politics are increasingly influencing the rule of law in Germany — Systematic failures of democracy to protect itself — Based on numerous interviews with different members of Germany's legal system Ever since the right-wing party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) secured representation in the Bundestag and in all state parliaments, Germany’s judiciary is facing a new challenge for which it is unprepared: AfD-affiliated judges and public prosecutors are attracting attention through right-wing biased decisions and investigations. Other members of the legal system cause further damage by ignoring the right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic background of crimes and thus punishing offenders too leniently or not at all. Both the judiciary and policy-makers have so far underestimated the new danger from the right. As a result protection against the appointment of right-wing legal professionals has been insufficient. Joachim Wagner systematically analyses numerous examples from German courts in recent years. He calls on the democratic judiciary to remember the principles of a well-fortified democracy.

      • Trusted Partner
        September 2022

        Alternative Fakten

        Zur Praxis der kommunikativen Erkenntnisverweigerung

        by Nils C. Kumkar

        Begriffe wie »postfaktisch« und »alternative Fakten« haben Konjunktur. Sie verweisen darauf, dass in vielen Gesellschaften ein Kampf um die Wirklichkeit der Wirklichkeit entbrannt zu sein scheint. Der Soziologe Nils C. Kumkar betrachtet diese Phänomene jedoch aus einem anderen Blickwinkel: Ausgehend von Fallstudien zu den Auseinandersetzungen um Corona, den Klimawandel und die Größe des Publikums bei der Amtseinführung Donald Trumps, plädiert er dafür, »alternative Fakten« nicht primär als Versatzstücke einer Parallelwelt zu verstehen, sondern als diskursive Nebelkerzen im Kontext polarisierter Debatten. Sie wirken, so Kumkar, nicht als Beitrag zur Konstruktion einer alternativen Realität, sondern als kommunikative Realitätsdestruktion, die es erlaubt, wider besseres Wissen weiterzumachen wie bisher.

      • Trusted Partner
        May 2022

        Dealing with Phobic Disorders

        by Wannemüller, André; Margraf, Jürgen

        This guidebook provides information about the core characteristics, developmental factors and treatment options of various phobic disorders and offers numerous tips and suggestions for self-help. Using vivid case studies, it illustrates how normal fear reactions differ from phobic fear reactions, why avoidance plays an important role in the maintenance of phobic fears, which fear-producing assumptions and expectations typically underlie phobic disorders, and why these are unfounded in the vast majority of cases. The guidebook provides a sound insight into psychotherapeutic treatment options for phobic fears and informs about the effectiveness of different psychotherapeutic and medicinal procedures. Readers who initially want to tackle their anxiety problem on their own are provided with concrete tips for planning and carrying out effective exercises. In addition, it provides suggestions for relatives on how to deal with and support their phobic family members. For:• those affected and their families• psychotherapists• psychiatrists• employees in counseling centers

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