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Books in Social sciences and humanities

The Socio–Political Complex
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Political Life
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
A. Khoshkish
English
The Socio-political Complex: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Political Life details the various variables that contribute to the socio-political phenomena. The title emphasizes the motivational aspects that drive political behaviors. The text covers the psychological, anthropological, sociological, and economical aspects of politics. The coverage of the selection includes group fermentations and dynamics; values and related matters; and signs and symbols, rituals, and norms. The text also covers social semantics, concept of power, and political culture. The book will be of great interest to anyone concerned in politics and social problem.
The Czech Republic and Economic Transition in Eastern Europe
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Jan Svejnar
English
The Czech Republic and Economic Transition in Eastern Europe is the first in-depth, comparative analysis of the Czech Republic's economic transition after the fall of the Communist bloc. Edited by Jan Svejnar,a principal architect of the Czech economic transformation and Economic Advisor to President Vaclav Havel, the book poses important questions about the Republic and its partners in Central and Eastern Europe. The thirty-five essayists describe the country's macroeconomic performance; its development of capital markets; the structure and performance of its industries; its unemployment, household behavior, and income distribution; and the environmental and health issues it faces.In this in-depth, comparative analysis of the Czech Republic's economic transition, an international team of thirty-five economists examine the Republic and its partners in Central and Eastern Europe. Important questions and issues permeate the essays. For example, prior to 1939 the Czech Republic possessed the most advanced economy in the region; is it capable of reestablishing its dominance? Relative to its neighbors, the Republic ranks especially high on some transition-related performance indicators but low on others. What economic effects are related to the 1993 dissolution of the Czech and Slovak governments? And what can be learned by comparing the economic outcomes of two countries that shared legal and institutional frameworks? Data describe the country's macroeconomic performance; its development of capital markets; the structure and performance of its industries; its unemployment, household behavior, and income distribution; and the environmental and health issues facing it. Its most important contributions are its clarifications of the transition process.The authors included in Transforming Czechoslovakia combine the best available data and techniques of economic analysis to assess the replacement of the inefficient but internally consistent central planning system with a more efficient market system. These authors, among whom are central European economic analysts, senior U.S. economists, and Czechoslovakian professors and economic researchers, discuss the country's macroeconomic performance; its development of capital markets; the structure and performance of its industries; its unemployment, household behavior, and income distribution; and the environmental and health issues facing it. The essays vary between presentations of history and policy and technical examinations of data. Together they offer the most comprehensive and detailed assessment of the country's economic transformation in print.This book is important because its essayists compile results and reach conclusions that are broad and credible. The empirical data were gathered on the ground and have been subjected to advanced methodologies, including game theory, industrial organization, and Granger-Sims causality.
Readings in the Sociology of Religion
The Commonwealth and International Library: Readings in Sociology
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Joan Brothers
A. H. Richmond
English
Readings in the Sociology of Religion is a collection of articles that examines the sociological aspects of religion. The title discusses the contemporary theories, concept, and studies about the sociology of religion. The text first details the concept of sociology of religion, along with the relationship between religion and sociological theory. Next, the selection covers the theoretical development of the sociology of religion and Weber's sociological theory, as well as the modern dilemma of value and belief in the social sciences. The last part tackles the types of research in sociology of religion. The book will be of great interest to sociologists and behavioral scientists. Individuals who have a keen interest in the interaction between religion and society will also benefit from the text.
Language of the Earth
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Frank H. T. Rhodes + 1 more
English
Language of the Earth is a collection of essays that provides a particular category of and describes the current content in each area of earth science. The book reviews various aspects of geological knowledge, including the characters, motives, and attitudes of certain individuals who have made contributions in this field. Case studies of eyewitness accounts of geological phenomena include the Turtle Mountain slide, the Lisbon earthquake, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the eruption of the Oraefajokull in 1727. The text also discusses some geological controversies such as the footprints in red sandstone, as well as geological philosophies concerning estimates of time since the Earth has existed. The book cites 3000-year old Chinese records chronicling earthquake activity; it also discusses earthquakes and the hypothesis of continental drift. The text then explains the many ways in which geology can relate to the person—in his approach to his work, the personal touch. Geology is shown in terms of its relation to prose, poetry, and sometimes, humor, as in the discovery of the "petrified woman." This book can offer a light and entertaining respite for geologists, historians, students or professors of the earth sciences, and for general readers interested in personal accounts of some geological discoveries.
The Right to be Intelligent
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
L.A. Machado
English
'The only weapon effective against State force is the intellectual power of the citizens'. In this first translation of his bestseller in the Spanish-speaking world, Dr. Machado advances the fundamental tenets for humane socialism in the developing Third World. The colossal technological dominance by the developed nations must be faced by a strong and ringing claim to the educational emancipation which opposes totalitarianism and technocracy alike. 'No one is born civilised or primitive. The difference...is educational' - with this opening salvo Dr. Machado starts his demolition of the passive notions of 'natural intelligence' and 'natural superiority' which smooth the totalitarian path
Social Competence
Interventions for Children and Adults
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Diana Pickett Rathjen + 1 more
English
Social Competence: Interventions for Children and Adults focuses on the relationship between the social abilities and interpersonal skills of people, taking into consideration their satisfaction and productivity. This book offers a summary of innovative and validated interventions specifically made to improve social competence among adults and children. This text first presents how physical characteristics and behavior are considered as determinants of social competence. The differences that language plays among adults and children relative to self-control are highlighted. The role that parents play in shaping the mental health of their children is also emphasized. In molding the social competence of children, training programs on social skills in the classroom are given importance. The programs include the development of interpersonal skills during a child’s elementary school years. However, the development of such skills has not been traditionally thought as a responsibility of the education system. Social skills training program have been added to the program for patients suffering from psychomatic disorders, and this has been proven beneficial to them.
Paleoethnobotany
A Handbook of Procedures
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Deborah M. Pearsall
English
This book describes the approaches and techniques of paleoethnobotany--th... study of the interrelationships between human populations and the plant world through the archaeological record. Its purpose is twofold. First, it assembles in one volume the three major methods of paleoethnobotany, the analysis of macroremains, pollen analysis, and phytolith analysis, for the student or professional interested in the field. Second, it presents on paleoethnobotanist's view of the discipline: its past, present, and future, its strengths and weaknesses, and its role in modern archaeology.
Variability in Human Drug Response
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Stephen E. Smith + 1 more
English
Variability in Human Drug Response examines why individual patients differ significantly in their response to drug administration. This book is devoted mainly to pharmacokinetics and covers topics such as drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. The sensitivity of tissues of the body to drugs and the importance of monitoring drug therapy are also discussed. This book is comprised of 10 chapters and begins with an introduction to variability in clinical response to administration of defined drugs, as well as the importance of closely matching dosage to the individual patient's requirement to achieve an optimal response to drug administration. The chapters that follow highlight the pharmacokinetic origin of most variability in the clinical response to drugs, along with the difficulties inherent in predicting the effect of drug administration in an individual patient. The role of genetic and environmental factors, disease, and the concomitant administration of other drugs in determining an individual's response to any therapeutic maneuver is also examined. The last chapter describes two methods of monitoring drug therapy: monitoring drug effects or monitoring the plasma levels of drugs. This monograph will be of interest to practicing clinicians and senior medical students.
Semiotic Mediation
Sociocultural and Psychological Perspectives
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Elizabeth Mertz
English
Semiotic Mediation: Sociocultural and Psychological Perspectives provides the theoretical and empirical direction toward the synthesis of the subjective, developmental, or cognitive aspects of semiotic processes in a psychological context, and the historical, institutional, and ideological grounding of sign systems in sociocultural contexts. The book is divided into three sections that show the theoretical rationale and empirical consequences of cross-disciplinary research into semiotic processes. Part I provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation, with analysis and exegesis of work on semiotic mediation by theorists such as Peirce, Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Whorf, Saussure, and Frege. Part II presents empirical case studies that range across the fields of developmental psychology, cultural anthropology, sociolinguistics, and history of religion. Linking together these diverse data bases and research methodologies are crosscutting concerns with four dimensions of semiotic mediation. The third part is a section comprised of commentaries on the organization and themes of metasemiotic representation. The concluding chapter sketches the philosophical history of the notion of semiotic mediation and then synthesizes the volume's empirical studies in terms of directions for future research. Anthropologists, psycholinguists, psychosociologists, and linguistics experts will find the book invaluable.
Habitat
Human Settlements in an Urban Age
1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Angus M. Gunn
English

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