bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Palm Oil Derivative as a Based Fluid in Formulating Oil Based Drilling Mud
Authors: Yassin Abu Azam M. , Kamis Azmi
Published: December 2009

The usage of oil especially diesel oil as the continuous phase of drilling mud is widespread when drilling through sensitive producing formation and troublesome shale zone.

Diesel oil is harmful to the environment particularly marine environment in offshore applications due to extensive legislation now exist in many countries to regulate this form of oil pollution.

The use of oil, derivative could be considered as an alternative based fluid which is harmless to the environment.

Test have been undertaken to evaluate the characteristics of palm oil derivative as the based fluid in the oil based mud and its toxicity effect on marine life and results obtained showed that palm oil derivative is a suitable alternative to fromulate oil based drilling mud with the necessary rheological properties, compatibility with existing mud additives and non toxic to the marine life.
In Vivo Studies of α-Particle Radiation Effects Using Zebrafish Embryos
Authors: Ngok Yu Kwan , Han Cheng Shuk
Published: December 2009

A brief review on the progress on in vivo studies of α-particle radiation effects using
zebrafish embryos was given in this chapter. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, a small vertebrate from
Southeast Asia, has become a preferred model for studying human disease. The main challenges of these
α-particle radiobiological experiments included quantification of alpha-particle dose. In particular,
specially etched polyallyldiglycol carbonate (PADC) films, which are a kind of solid-state nuclear
track detector (SSNTD), were chosen as support substrates for zebrafish embryos. The fabrication
procedures were outlined. Methods for quantification of alpha-particle dose were described.
Preliminary in vivo studies on the radiation effects of alpha particles in zebrafish embryos were briefly
reviewed. These included results on low-dose radiation effects of α particles as well as results on
alpha-particle-induced bystander effects between zebrafish embryos in vivo.
Kinetic Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of Kinetic Parameters for L-Glutamic Acid Production Using Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Suresh S. , Khan Noor Salam , Srivastava Vimal Chandra , Mishra Indra Mani
Published: December 2009

In the present work, a kinetic model has been developed for the batch fermentation of glucose for the production of L-glutamic acid (LGA) by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Parameters of the kinetic model have been determined by using the experimental data available in literature and the results have been compared by carrying out computer simulation. The kinetic model proposed in the present study provides better predictions for the growth of biomass, substrate consumption and LGA production as compared to the prediction reported by Bona and Moser (Bioprocess Engineering 17(2) (1997b) 121-125). The present model also fits the experimental data given by Zhang et al. (Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 22, 205-209, 1998) and Khan et al. (Biochemical Engineering Journal, 25, 173178, 2005), respectively. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to assess the validity of the developed model, and to reveal the kinetic parameter that has maximum impact on LGA production. It is found that an increase in the non-growth associated product formation coefficient caused highest negative impact on LGA production.
Structural Basis for the Blockage of IL-2 Signaling by Therapeutic Antibody Basiliximab
Authors: Du Jiamu , Yang Hui , Zhang Dapeng , Wang Jianchuan , Guo Huaizu , Peng Baozhen , Guo Yajun , Ding Jianping
Published: December 2009

IL-2 signaling plays a central role in the initiation and activation of immune responses. Correspondingly, blockage of this pathway leads to inhibition of the immune system and would provide some therapeutic benefits. Basiliximab (Simulect), a therapeutic mAb drug with specificity against IL-2Rα of T cells, was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998. It has been proven to be effective in the suppression of the IL-2 pathway and hence has been widely used to prevent allograft rejection in organ transplantation, especially in kidney transplants. In this study, we report the crystal structure of the basiliximab Fab in complex with the ectodomain of IL-2Rα at 2.9 Å resolution. In the complex structure, the Fab interacts with IL-2Rα with extensive hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, accounting for a high binding affinity of 0.14 nM. The Ag binding site of basiliximab consists of all six CDR loops that form a large binding interface with a central shallow hydrophobic groove surrounded by four hydrophilic patches. The discontinuous epitope is composed of several segments from the D1 domain and a minor segment from the D2 domain that overlap with most of the regions responsible for the interactions with IL-2. Thus, basiliximab binding can completely block the interactions of IL-2 with IL-2Rα and hence inhibit the activation of the IL-2 signal pathway. The structural results also provide important implications for the development of improved and new IL-2Rα–targeted mAb drugs.
Comparison of magnetic resonance imaging–fluorodeoxy- glucose positron emission tomography fusion with pathological staging in rectal cancer
Authors: Kam M H , Wong D C , Siu S , Stevenson A R L , Lai J , Phillips G E
Published: December 2009

Background

This study represents an initial experience with combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) (MRI–PET fusion) in the primary staging of rectal carcinoma.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of data recorded on patients with rectal cancer was undertaken. Patients requiring long-course radiotherapy were excluded. Chest radiography, abdominal computed tomography and endorectal ultrasonography were performed. In addition, MRI of the pelvis, whole-body FDG PET and MRI–PET fusion were carried out. All patients subsequently underwent anterior resection.

Results

Twenty-three patients with rectal carcinoma (15 men), of median age 60 (range 46–75) years, were enrolled. In tumour (T) assessment, MRI correctly staged 14 of 22 T2/T3 tumours. In lymph node assessment, MRI–PET fusion had a sensitivity of 44 per cent, with a specificity and positive predictive value of 100 per cent. No additional information was acquired from MRI–PET fusion over MRI plus abdominal computed tomography and chest radiography.

Conclusion

MRI–PET fusion adds little to conventional investigations for staging rectal carcinoma.
Commentary on Cost–utility and value-of-information analysis of early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis (Br J Surg 2010; 97: 210– 219)
Authors: Clements W D B
Published: December 2009

Early is better and less costly
Use of thromboelastography PlateletMapping™ to monitor antithrombotic therapy in a patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome
Authors: James Katherine , Bertoja Elisa , O'Beirne James , Mallett Susan
Published: December 2009

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is the end result of a number of disease states resulting in hepatic venous outflow obstruction. We report a Janus kinase 2–homozygous patient with BCS who thrombosed a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) despite treatment with warfarin (international normalized ratio = 3.0), aspirin, and clopidogrel. PlateletMapping™ (Haemonetics Corp.) is a novel point-of-care assay of platelet function based on thromboelastography (TEG) that has the ability to detect platelet inhibition (%) by antiplatelet therapy. Initial PlateletMapping™ traces showed no platelet inhibition by aspirin or clopidogrel but demonstrated adequate suppression of plasmatic coagulation. On this basis, the aspirin dose was doubled, and this resulted in a significant increase in platelet inhibition (45%). To further suppress platelet activity, the patient was started on tirofiban, a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor. Repeat PlateletMapping™ revealed 100% inhibition of platelets by both pathways, and this coincided with angiographic evidence of TIPS blood flow. Subsequently, the patient developed bleeding from the venous access sites. TEG demonstrated poor underlying plasmatic coagulation with a prolonged R time of 9.2 minutes (normal = 2-8 minutes), and the international normalized ratio was found to be supratherapeutic (>4). Treatment with fresh frozen plasma stopped the bleeding without compromising the platelet inhibition. This case demonstrates that increased platelet activation may contribute to the development of thromboses in BCS. Despite the standard dose of dual antiplatelet therapy, there was minimal inhibition in platelet function, and anticoagulation with warfarin alone was not adequate to prevent thrombotic events. PlateletMapping™ was used to assess and then optimize the antiplatelet treatment while facilitating the management of complications without an increased risk of thrombosis. Liver Transpl 16:38–41, 2010. © 2009 AASLD.
Diabatic heating, divergent circulation and moisture transport in the African monsoon system
Authors: Hagos Samson , Zhang Chidong
Published: December 2009

The dynamics of the West African monsoon system is studied through the diagnosis of the roles of diabatic heating in the divergent circulation and moisture transport. The divergent circulation is partitioned into latent‐heating and non‐latent‐heating (the sum of surface sensible heat flux and radiative heating) driven components based on its field properties and its relationship with diabatic heating profiles. Roles of latent and non‐latent diabatic heating in the moisture transport of the monsoon system are thus distinguished.

The gradient in surface sensible heat flux between the Saharan heat‐low and the Gulf of Guinea drives a shallow meridional circulation, which transports moisture far into the continent on the northern side of the monsoon rain band and thereby promotes the seasonal northward migration of monsoon precipitation. In contrast, the circulation directly associated with latent heating is deep and the corresponding moisture convergence maximum is within the region of precipitation and thus enhances local monsoon precipitation. Meanwhile, latent heating also induces dry air advection from the north. The seasonal northward migration of precipitation is encouraged by neither of the two effects. On the other hand, the divergent circulation forced by remote latent heating influences local moisture distribution through advection. Specifically by bringing Saharan air from the north, and driving moisture to the adjacent oceans, global latent heating has an overall drying effect over the Sahel. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Perceptions and Practice of Waterbirth: A Survey of Georgia Midwives
Authors: Meyer Shaunette L. , Weible Christopher M. , Woeber Kate
Published: December 2009

This study investigated the experience and perceptions of Georgia certified nurse‐midwives about waterbirth and their level of support for establishing waterbirth in their work setting. A survey was distributed to a convenience sample of 119 certified nurse‐midwives from the American College of Nurse Midwives, Georgia chapter; 45% of those surveyed responded. The majority of midwives had some exposure to waterbirth through self‐education or through clinical practice. More than half supported the incorporation of waterbirth in their workplace setting. Maternal relaxation and reduced use of analgesia were perceived as the greatest benefit of waterbirth. Of 11 items related to disadvantages of waterbirth, certified nurse‐midwives were moderately to severely concerned about none. The most concerning factors, with a mean of 2.4 to 2.5 on a scale of 1 (no worry) to 5 (severe worry), were maintenance of water temperature, physical stress on the midwife, and inability to see the perineum. Midwives' support for waterbirth focused mostly on the perceived benefits to the mother with little worry about the risks.
First Verbs
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: December 2009

During the second year of his daughter's life, Michael Tomasello kept a detailed diary of her language, creating a rich database. He made a careful study of how she acquired her first verbs and analysed the role that verbs played in her early grammatical development. Using a Cognitive Linguistics framework, the author argues persuasively that the child's earliest grammatical organization is verb-specific (the Verb Island hypothesis). He argues further that early language is acquired by means of very general cognitive and social-cognitive processes, especially event structures and cultural learning. The richness of the database and the analytical tools used make First Verbs a particularly useful and important book for developmental psychologists, linguists, language development researchers and speech pathologists.
Dynamic Fracture Mechanics
Authors: Freund L. B.
Published: December 2009

This volume emphasizes fundamental concepts, both on the development of mathematical models of fracture phenomena and on the analysis of these models. Cases involving stress waves impinging on cracks, tractions suddenly applied to the faces of cracks, and rapid crack growth and arrest are considered in detail. Most of the work is concerned with the behavior of nominally elastic materials, but available results on elastic-plastic and elastic-viscoplastic materials are included. Connections to experimental results and to applications in structural mechanics, seismology, and materials science are noted whenever possible.
The Text Mining Handbook
Authors: Feldman Ronen , Sanger James
Published: December 2009

Text mining is a new and exciting area of computer science research that tries to solve the crisis of information overload by combining techniques from data mining, machine learning, natural language processing, information retrieval, and knowledge management. Similarly, link detection – a rapidly evolving approach to the analysis of text that shares and builds upon many of the key elements of text mining – also provides new tools for people to better leverage their burgeoning textual data resources. The Text Mining Handbook presents a comprehensive discussion of the state-of-the-art in text mining and link detection. In addition to providing an in-depth examination of core text mining and link detection algorithms and operations, the book examines advanced pre-processing techniques, knowledge representation considerations, and visualization approaches. Finally, the book explores current real-world, mission-critical applications of text mining and link detection in such varied fields as M&A business intelligence, genomics research and counter-terrorism activities.
Extending Mechanics to Minds
Authors: Doyle Jon
Published: December 2009

This book deploys the mathematical axioms of modern rational mechanics to understand minds as mechanical systems that exhibit actual, not metaphorical, forces, inertia, and motion. Using precise mental models developed in artificial intelligence the author analyzes motivation, attention, reasoning, learning, and communication in mechanical terms. These analyses provide psychology and economics with new characterizations of bounded rationality; provide mechanics with new types of materials exhibiting the constitutive kinematic and dynamic properties characteristic of different kinds of minds; and provide philosophy with a rigorous theory of hybrid systems combining discrete and continuous mechanical quantities. The resulting mechanical reintegration of the physical sciences that characterize human bodies and the mental sciences that characterize human minds opens traditional philosophical and modern computational questions to new paths of technical analysis.
Mechanics of Composite Structures
Authors: Kollár László P. , Springer George S.
Published: December 2009

An increase in the use of composite materials in areas of engineering has led to a greater demand for engineers versed in the design of structures made from such materials. This book offers students and engineers tools for designing practical composite structures. Among the topics of interest to the designer are stress-strain relationships for a wide range of anisotropic materials; bending, buckling, and vibration of plates; bending, torsion, buckling, and vibration of solid as well as thin walled beams; shells; hygrothermal stresses and strains; finite element formulation; and failure criteria. More than 300 illustrations, 50 fully worked problems, and material properties data sets are included. Some knowledge of composites, differential equations, and matrix algebra is helpful but not necessary, as the book is self-contained. Graduate students, researchers, and practitioners will value it for both theory and application.
The Politics of Retirement in Britain, 1878–1948
Authors: Macnicol John
Published: December 2009

Based on much original research, this book examines in detail the emergence of retirement as a social issue in the period 1878 to 1948, focusing in particular on the evolution of state pensions. Important new insights are offered into the role of key individuals, such as William Blackley, Joseph Chamberlain, and Charles Booth and interest groups, such as the Charity Organisation Society, the friendly societies, the labour movement and pensioners' organisations. Subsequent sections examine the shift to contributory pensions as part of the 'new Conservatism' of the 1920s, the debate on retirement pensions in the following decade, the treatment of old age poverty by the inter-war social surveys, and the concern over the 'burden' of an ageing population in the late 1930s. The book concludes with a radical reinterpretation of the 1942 Beveridge Report. This book promises to be the definitive history of state pensions in Britain.
Erasmus, Contarini, and the Religious Republic of Letters
Authors: Furey Constance M.
Published: December 2009

Though the paradigm of modernist progression has been challenged on many fronts, Erasmus and other sixteenth-century figures are still commonly viewed as people who led the transition from a religious Middle Ages to a more godless modern era. Erasmus, Contarini and the Religious Republic of Letters, published in 2005, complicates this transition by analysing a unique realm of spiritualised scholarship that cannot fit easily into any conventional intellectual chronology. By analysing the lives, work, and correspondence of Erasmus, Thomas More, Margaret More Roper, Reginald Pole, Gasparo Contarini, and Vittoria Colonna, this book demonstrates how these Catholic men and women of letters created a distinctive kind of religious community rooted in friendship and spiritualised scholarship. By spanning the too frequently respected gap between humanist reformers in northern and southern Europe, the book uncovers a widespread, if previously less visible, network that exhibited concerns we still grapple with today.
Australia's Money Mandarins
Authors: Bell Stephen
Published: December 2009

For most of its life the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has led a fairly conservative existence. However, since the early 1980s the economy has experienced financial and market deregulation and general economic liberalisation. The RBA has been caught up with the turbulent policy debates that have ensued. Australia's Money Mandarins, first published in 2004, tells the story of the RBA since the early 1980s. It discusses how the Bank operated in the new political environment created by deregulation and the fight against inflation. It describes the conflicts with the government and the Department of Treasury, and how the bank dealt with the rough and tumble of politics and managed to assert a level of independence in the 1990s. Including frank interviews with key figures like Bob Johnson, Bernie Fraser, Ian Macfarlane and Paul Keating this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the politics of money.
The Southern Sky Guide
Authors: Ellyard David , Tirion Wil
Published: December 2009

Both novice and advanced skywatchers will value this comprehensive and easy-to-use guide to the brilliant and ever-changing sights of the southern sky by night. Readers are introduced to the many and varied objects in the sky and their movements and changing appearances, as well as the ancient myths and legends entwined around the groupings of stars. Featured in this book are two groups of sky charts, designed so that readers can move easily between them. The 24 skyviews show the appearance of the whole night sky every two weeks (or at each hour of sidereal time). The 20 sky charts show particular areas of the night sky in detail and are accompanied by explanatory text.
This new edition also features:
• digitally re-drawn skyviews, sky charts and map of the surface of the Moon
• a table of planet positions up to 2017
Common Law Theory
Authors: Edlin Douglas E.
Published: December 2009

In this book, legal scholars, philosophers, historians and political scientists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States analyze the common law through three of its classic themes: rules, reasoning and constitutionalism. Their essays, specially commissioned for this volume, provide an opportunity for thinkers from different jurisdictions and disciplines to talk to each other and to their wider audience within and beyond the common law world. This book allows scholars and students to consider how these themes and concepts relate to one another. It will initiate and sustain a more inclusive and well-informed theoretical discussion of the common law's method, process and structure. It will be valuable to lawyers, philosophers, political scientists and historians interested in constitutional law, comparative law, judicial process, legal theory, law and society, legal history, separation of powers, democratic theory, political philosophy, the courts and the relationship of the common law tradition to other legal systems of the world.
Knowledge and Politics in Plato's Theaetetus
Authors: Stern Paul
Published: December 2009

The Theaetetus is one of the most widely studied of any of the Platonic dialogues because its dominant theme concerns the significant philosophical question, what is knowledge? In this book Paul Stern provides a full-length treatment of its political character in relationship to this dominant theme. He argues that this approach sheds significant light on the distinctiveness of the Socratic way of life, with respect to both its initial justification and its ultimate character. More specifically, he argues that Socrates' revolutionary decision to subject political life to philosophic reflection, the decision that leads directly to his trial and execution, is based on his awareness of the elusiveness of comprehensive knowledge and the implications of that elusiveness for the validity of philosophic inquiry. This view of Socrates' rationale has important consequences for our understanding of political philosophy and of the validity of the life of reason itself.
Image and Mind
Authors: Currie Gregory
Published: December 2009

This is a book about the nature of film: about the nature of moving images, about the viewer's relation to film, and about the kinds of narrative that film is capable of presenting. It represents a very decisive break with the semiotic and psychoanalytic theories of film which have dominated discussion. The central thesis is that film is essentially a pictorial medium and that the movement of film images is real rather than illusory. A general theory of pictorial representation is presented, which insists on the realism of pictures and the impossibility of assimilating them to language. It criticizes attempts to explain the psychology of film viewing in terms of the viewer's imaginary occupation of a position within the world of film. On the contrary, film viewing is nearly always impersonal.
Journalism and the Development of Spanish American Narrative
Authors: González Aníbal
Published: December 2009

In Journalism and the Development of Spanish American Narrative, Anìbal González explores the impact of journalism and journalistic rhetoric on the development of Spanish American narrative, from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to the testimonial and documentary novels of contemporary authors such as Miguel Barnet and Elena Poniatowska. González examines selected works from the Spanish American narrative tradition that exemplify moments in the history of the relationship between literature and journalism. He argues that Spanish American narrative has sought to work in consonance with journalism's modernizing impulse, making strategic use of journalistic discourse to promote social or political change. In the course of the argument, González offers a broad historical panorama of the journalist/narrative interaction, and at the same time proposes an alternate theory of the development of the Spanish American narrative.
Professionals, Power and Solidarity in Poland
Authors: Kennedy Michael D.
Published: December 2009

The Solidarity movement of the early 1980s not only triggered a transformation in Polish society, it forced a fundamental reconsideration of the nature of socialism throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Seen as one of the most important social movements of the twentieth century, Michael Kennedy develops a theoretical conception of Soviet-type societies by analysing Solidarity's significance. He explains the background to the nature of the conflict between Solidarity and the authorities and considers the implications of Solidarity's struggle for the theory of the Soviet-type system's reproduction and transformation. Then, the internal constitution of Solidarity in terms of gender and, in particular, cross-class alliances is examined, which is followed by the implications of his analysis both for understanding perestroika in the Soviet Union and more generally for reformulating a critical sociology of Soviet-type societies.
Othello As Tragedy
Authors: Adamson Jane
Published: December 2009

Critical views of Othello have polarized during the last forty years. The dispute is between those who follow Coleridge and Bradley and see Othello as noble but diabolically misled, and those who follow Eliot and Leavis and see him as a criminal egotist. Jane Adamson argues that both views are too simple and that both deprive the play of tragic point. She is concerned to reinstate the play as a great tragedy, and Othello as a complex tragic figure. She considers in detail how the drama unfolds; how Othello's predicament provides a focus for moral questions raised in all the other characters; how the reader or spectator becomes painfully involved with similar questions in trying to understand the action; and how in these ways the play continually undercuts easy moral simplifications. During this study a great deal else in Shakespeare is illuminated - especially his insight into the need for love, and the dangers that are inseparable from that need.
Francis Bacon, the State and the Reform of Natural Philosophy
Authors: Martin Julian
Published: December 2009

Why was it that Francis Bacon, trained for high political office, devoted himself to proposing a celebrated and sweeping reform of the natural sciences? Julian Martin's investigative study looks at Bacon's family context, his employment in Queen Elizabeth's security service and his radical critique of the relationship between the Common Law and the monarchy, to find the key to this important question. Deeply conservative and elitist in his political views, Bacon adapted Tudor strategies of State management and bureaucracy, the social anxieties and prejudices of the late Elizabethan governing elite, and a principal intellectual resource of the English governing classes - the Common Law - into a novel vision and method for the sciences. Bacon's axiom that 'Knowledge is Power' takes on far-reaching implications in Martin's challenging argument that the reform of natural philosophy was a central part of an audacious plan to strengthen the powers of the Crown in the State.
Metaphysical Wit
Authors: Smith A. J.
Published: December 2009

English metaphysical poetry, from Donne to Marvell, is notoriously witty. In this 1992 book, A. J. Smith seeks the reason for the central importance of wit in the thinking of the metaphysical poets and argues that metaphysical wit is essentially different from other modes of wit current in Renaissance Europe. Formal theories and rhetorics of wit are considered both for their theoretical import and their appraisals of wit in practice. Prevailing fashions of witty invention are scrutinized in Italian, French and Spanish writings, so as to bring out the nature and effect of various forms of wit: conceited, hieroglyphic, transformational and others from which the metaphysical mode is distinguished. He locates the basis of Renaissance wit in the received conception of the created order and a theory of literary innovation inherent in Humanist belief, which led to novel couplings of time and eternity, body and soul, man and God.
A Performance Theory of Order and Constituency
Authors: Hawkins John A.
Published: December 2009

In this major new book John A. Hawkins presents a new theory of linear ordering in syntax. He argues that processing can provide a simple, functional explanation for syntactic rules of ordering, as well as for the selection among ordering variants in languages and structures in which variation is possible. Insights from generative syntax, typological studies of language universals, and psycholinguistic studies of language processing are combined to show that there is a profound correspondence between performance and grammar. The major ordering principle proposed, Early Immediate Constituents, is tested on performance data from ten distinct languages. The result is a unified theory of free and fixed word orders, in which ordering is driven by efficient structure recognition. This major work will be welcomed by a wide cross-section of readers in syntax, language typology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science.
Biblical Criticism in Crisis?
Authors: Brett Mark G.
Published: December 2009

This book suggests that Old Testament scholars should strengthen their growing links with neighbouring academic disciplines and encourage a number of interpretative interests within biblical studies. Given such a pluralistic context, the author's contention is that the 'canonical' approach to Old Testament study will have a distinctive contribution to make to the discipline without necessarily displacing other traditions of historical and literary inquiry, as many scholars have assumed. Dr Brett offers a comprehensive critique of the canonical approach as developed by Brevard Childs, and examines the development of Childs's exegetical practice, his hermeneutical theory, and the many critical responses which his work has elicited. In responding to these criticisms, the author examines the most problematic aspects of the canonical approach (notably Childs's inadequate reply to those who emphasize the ideological conflicts that lie behind biblical texts in their final form) and seeks to reconstruct the approach in light of contemporary discussions of interpretation in literary theory and the social sciences.
Medicine, Miracle and Magic in New Testament Times
Authors: Kee Howard Clark
Published: December 2009

This book sketches and illustrates in detail the range of understandings of the human condition and remedies for ills that prevailed when Jesus and the apostles - as well as their successors - were spreading the Christian message and launching Christian communities in the Graeco-Roman world. Healing played so prominent a part in Jesus' ministry as depicted in the New Testament that it is important to understand that aspect of his appeal in the context of the ways in which it was understood by Greeks, Romans and Jews of the time. Some saw sickness as the result of magic performed against the victims by enemies, others as the work of demons. Some saw health as the result of ordering life according to nature, emphasising the beneficial effects of natural substances. Jewish attitudes, for example, ranged widely over the centuries from hostility towards physicians to regard for them as men endowed by God with special knowledge for human benefit.
Jesus of Nazareth in New Testament Preaching
Authors: Stanton G. N.
Published: December 2009

This book argues that an account of the life and character of Jesus formed an integral part of the early church's preaching. Against many modern scholars, Dr Stanton seeks to show that interest in the life of Jesus was not a late development within primitive Christianity. A study of Luke's Gospel indicates that in his own day reference to the life and character of Jesus was an important part of missionary preaching. In this respect at least, Luke was no innovator. The references in the speeches in Acts to the life of Jesus can be traced to Luke's use of earlier traditions. Dr Stanton then takes up the much-debated question of Paul's interest in Jesus of Nazareth. The author challenges several widely-accepted views from critical conclusions about the nature and purpose of the traditions on which the evangelists drew.
The Apocalypse and Semitic Syntax
Authors: Thompson Steven
Published: December 2009

This book offers a consistent explanation of the peculiarity of the language of the Apocalypse (or Book of Revelation), namely that the rules of Greek grammar are broken because of the influence of Hebrew and Aramaic. It advances previous similar hypotheses in three ways. First, it focuses chiefly on the verbal system. Secondly, by methodically citing the ancient Greek translations of the Old Testament to demonstrate Hebrew/Aramaic influence, it serves as a limited survey of the syntax of the Septuagint. Thirdly, it argues that the Apocalypse's grammar was influenced not by later Hebrew/Aramaic dialects in use during the first century AD but by Old Testament Hebrew/Aramaic. This thesis suggests a new approach to the Apocalypse that gives greater attention to the influence of Old Testament Hebrew/Aramaic grammar and a fuller awareness of the writer's indebtedness to the Old Testament.
Selected Christian Hebraists
Authors: McKane William
Published: December 2009

The concern of these studies is with how the exercise of critical methods can be reconciled with the assumption that the Hebrew Bible is a Christian book. With Andrew of St Victor this concern is expressed as a robust, human and historical interest. William Fulke, influenced by Renaissance linguistic science, asserted that the quality of a translation from Hebrew into English is determined entirely by scholarly competence and integrity. Gregory Martin accepted the idea of an English translation with the greatest reluctance; he even rejected Fulke's demand for a return to the 'original' languages of Hebrew and Greek, and translated from the Latin Vulgate. McKane thus reviews the shifts in the Church's understanding of the nature and authority of its scriptures, particularly the Old Testament, and shows how the beginnings of the critical scholarship of modern times is connected with, and has grown out of, that change in understanding.
Class, Power and Ideology in Ghana
Authors: Jeffries Richard
Published: December 2009

Although there is a growing body of literature on the process and potential political consequences of class-formation in Africa, there are virtually no detailed studies of the political attitudes and behaviour of African industrial workers. First published in 1978, this study analyses the political history and sociology of one particular group - the railway workers of Ghana's third city, Sekondi-Takoradi, who are renowned for their leading role in the Ghanaian nationalist movement and for their sustained opposition to the elitism and authoritarianism of post-Independence governments. In seeking to explain the ideological consistency which has informed the political activities of the railway workers, Richard Jeffries shows how, within a close-knit and relatively stable community, a keen sense of their own history has provided the basis for a shared political culture.
Between the Dollar-Sterling Gold Points
Authors: Officer Lawrence H.
Published: December 2009

Officer begins this book with a historical perspective of the monetary standards of the United States and Britain. He then develops data on exchange rates, mint parity and gold points, with which he investigates three important features of Anglo-American monetary history. First, the integration of the American foreign-exchange market over time. Second, it is proved that gold-point arbitrage is markedly more efficient than either interest arbitrage or forward speculation. Third, regime efficiency is explored from standpoints of both private agents and policy-makers; the 1925–1931 gold standard, though less durable than the pre-war standard, is nevertheless shown to be surprisingly stable. The book will serve as a Dollar-Sterling handbook for those interested in this important aspect of international monetary history.
Altopascio
Authors: McArdle Frank
Published: December 2009

This is an interdisciplinary study of a large Italian estate which belonged to the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The Medici administrators kept detailed records of the activities of their subjects and these have been used by the author to analyse the demographic, social, economic and political history of the village. The records cover two centuries, which span a harsh economic depression and the 'general crisis' of the seventeenth century. An aim of the book is to gauge the impact of the general European crisis upon a regional society, and to assess the contribution of agrarian economic and social trends towards that crisis. It analyses the broad issues of population change, economic performance and social organization within a rural community, demonstrating how the contractual relationships between landlord and tenant selectively distributed the effects of the economic crisis, and how the strong economic bonds that linked lord and peasant helped to control the dogged resistance for which the people of Altopascio were notorious.
The Byzantine Theocracy
Authors: Runciman Steven
Published: December 2009

The constitution of the Byzantine Empire was based on the conviction that it was the earthly copy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as God ruled in Heaven, so the Emperor, made in his image, should rule on earth and carry out his commandments. This was the theory, but in practice the state was never free from its Roman past, particularly the Roman law, and its heritage of Greek culture. Sir Steven Runciman's Weil lectures trace the various ways in which the Emperor tried to put the theory into practice - and thus the changing relationship between church and state - from the days of the first Constantine to those of the eleventh. The theocratic constitution remained virtually unchanged during those eleven centuries. No other constitution in the Christian era has endured for so long.
From Oxenstierna to Charles XII
Authors: Roberts Michael
Published: December 2009

The spectacular career of Gustav Adolf by no means established Sweden as a great power. In the four years after his death such a development became increasingly improbable. At Westphalia in 1648 the improbable became a fact; but the momentum of Swedish imperial expansion did not culminate until 1658, when Charles X imposed peace upon a prostrate Denmark. The core of this volume of four essays, by the doyen of historians of Sweden, lies in the two studies of the man who bestrode the summit. One, an examination (if Charles X's domestic policies and constitutional significance; the other, a discussion of the objectives of his foreign policy. Both are matters of controversy, and these studies attempt to assess the debate. Flanking these essays are a study of Oxenstierna's magnificent failure in Germany between 1633 and 1636, and an examination of the great controversy surrounding the death of Charles XII.
Britain and the Politics of Modernization in the Middle East, 1945–1958
Authors: Kingston Paul W. T.
Published: December 2009

In an historically informed critique of the theory and practice of development assistance, this book examines Britain's foreign aid programme in the Middle East in the 1940s and 1950s. After an assessment of the origins of what was dubbed the 'peasants, not pashas' policy - notably the link between development, sterling balances, and post-war imperial strategy - the author focuses on planning and policy debates between British development experts, their American rivals, and Middle Eastern technocrats. These debates, which centred on issues such as afforestation, irrigation, and rural credit, raise important questions about the nature and limits of the development process within the Middle East and the Third World which the author explores in his analysis. This 1996 book will be of interest to development practitioners and scholars in development studies, as well as to students of Middle East and imperial history.
Riparian Landscapes
Authors: Malanson George P.
Published: December 2009

Riparian Landscapes examines the ecological systems of streamside and floodplain areas from the perspective of landscape ecology. The specific spatial pattern of riparian vegetation is seen as a result of, and a control on, the ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes that operate along rivers. Riparian structures are controlled by the spatial dynamics of channels, flooding and soil moisture. These dynamics are part of integrated cascades of water, sediment, nutrients and carbon, to which animal and plant species respond in ways that illuminate community structure and competition. The role of the riparian zone in controlling species distribution and abundance is discussed. Intelligent management of these valuable ecological resources is highlighted. The potential for linking hydrological, geomorphological and ecological simulation models is also explored.
Heat Kernels and Spectral Theory
Authors: Davies E. B.
Published: December 2009

An advanced monograph on a central topic in the theory of differential equations, Heat Kernels and Spectral Theory investigates the theory of second-order elliptic operators. While the study of the heat equation is a classical subject, this book analyses the improvements in our quantitative understanding of heat kernels. The author considers variable coefficient operators on regions in Euclidean space and Laplace-Beltrami operators on complete Riemannian manifolds. He also includes results pertaining to the heat kernels of Schrödinger operators; such results will be of particular interest to mathematical physicists, and relevant too to those concerned with properties of Brownian motion and other diffusion processes.
Completeness and Basis Properties of Sets of Special Functions
Authors: Higgins J. R.
Published: December 2009

This tract presents an exposition of methods for testing sets of special functions for completeness and basis properties, mostly in L2 and L2 spaces. The first chapter contains the theoretical background to the subject, largely in a general Hilbert space setting, and theorems in which the structure of Hilbert space is revealed by properties of its bases are dealt with. Later parts of the book deal with methods: for example, the Vitali criterion, together with its generalisations and applications, is discussed in some detail, and there is an introduction to the theory of stability of bases. The last chapter deals with complete sets as eigenfunctions of differential and a table of a wide variety of bases and complete sets of special functions. Dr Higgins' account will be useful to graduate students of mathematics and professional mathematicians, especially Banach spaces. The emphasis on methods of testing and their applications will also interest scientists and engineers engaged in fields such as the sampling theory of signals in electrical engineering and boundary value problems in mathematical physics.
Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Copson E. T.
Published: December 2009

In this book, Professor Copson gives a rigorous account of the theory of partial differential equations of the first order and of linear partial differential equations of the second order, using the methods of classical analysis. In spite of the advent of computers and the applications of the methods of functional analysis to the theory of partial differential equations, the classical theory retains its relevance in several important respects. Many branches of classical analysing have their origins in the rigourous discussion of problems in applies mathematics and theoretical physics, and the classical treatment of the theory of partial differential equations still provides the best method of treating many physical problems. A knowledge of the classical theory is essential for pure mathematics who intend to undertake research in this field, whatever approach they ultimately adopt. The numerical analyst needs a knowledge of classical theory in order to decide whether a problem has a unique solution or not.
A Handbook of Numerical and Statistical Techniques
Authors: Pollard J. H.
Published: December 2009

This handbook is designed for experimental scientists, particularly those in the life sciences. It is for the non-specialist, and although it assumes only a little knowledge of statistics and mathematics, those with a deeper understanding will also find it useful. The book is directed at the scientist who wishes to solve his numerical and statistical problems on a programmable calculator, mini-computer or interactive terminal. The volume is also useful for the user of full-scale computer systems in that it describes how the large computer solves numerical and statistical problems. The book is divided into three parts. Part I deals with numerical techniques and Part II with statistical techniques. Part III is devoted to the method of least squares which can be regarded as both a statistical and numerical method. The handbook shows clearly how each calculation is performed. Each technique is illustrated by at least one example and there are worked examples and exercises throughout the volume.
The Ancient Constitution and the Feudal Law
Authors: Pocock J. G. A.
Published: December 2009

Professor Pocock's subject is how the seventeenth century looked at its own past. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, one of the most important modes of studying the past was the study of the law - the historical outlook which arose in each nation was in part the product of its law, and therefore, in turn of its history. In clarifying the relation of the historical outlook of seventeenth-century Englishmen to the study of law, and pointing out its political implication, Pocock shows how history's ground was laid for a more philosophical approach in the eighteenth century.
The German Problem Reconsidered:Germany and the World Order 1870 to the Present
Authors: Calleo David
Published: December 2009

In this provocative book, David Calleo surveys German history - not to present new material but to look afresh at the old. He argues that recent explanations for Germany's external conflicts have focused on flaws in the country's traditional political institutions and culture. These German-centred explanations are convenient Calloe notes, for they tend to exonerate others from their responsibilities in bringing about two world wars, namely the American and Russian hegemonies in Europe. As a result of this approach the big questions in German history are still answered with the ageing clichés of a generation ago despite the proliferation of German historical studies. Throughout Professor Calleo examines with some scepticism the concept of Germany's uniqueness and its consequences. In effect, his study stresses the continuing relevance of traditional issues among the Western states. This book, he asserts, should be regarded as a modest dissent from the prevailing view that history either began or ended in 1945.