In "Skeptical," author Bob Moores describes his atheistic/humanistic philosophy and traces its roots back to early childhood epiphanies where he first began to question certain axiological teachings. He argues against creationism and religious fundamentalism and defends scientific naturalism, critical thinking, and a rational approach to understanding the world.

Moores attempts to show readers how recent scientific discoveries, especially in biology, are more exciting and uplifting than any form of biblical mythology. Using lay terms, he explains the significance of DNA and why a scientific theory is more than just a guess. He argues that modern humanistic values are superior in many ways to those venerated in ancient texts, and he shares his belief that humans are both the greatest threat and greatest hope for the preservation of life on Earth.

Moores hopes that "Skeptical" will challenge readers to consider views and information that may conflict with their comfort zones, allowing them to broaden their perspectives. He argues that if we are too protective of our own paradigms, if we stubbornly believe that our way is the only way, then the tribes of earth will never come together to solve the most urgent need of all our continued existence.

The Keller-Segel model for chemotaxis is a prototype of nonlocal systems describing concentration phenomena in physics and biology. While the two-dimensional theory is by now quite complete, the questions of global-in-time solvability and blowup characterization are largely open in higher dimensions. In this book, global-in-time solutions are constructed under (nearly) optimal assumptions on initial data and rigorous blowup criteria are derived.

The discovery and development of new computational methods have expanded the capabilities and uses of simulations. With agent-based models, the applications of computer simulations are significantly enhanced. Multi-Agent-Based Simulations Applied to Biological and Environmental Systems is a pivotal reference source for the latest research on the implementation of autonomous agents in computer simulation paradigms. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant applications, such as biodiversity conservation, pollution reduction, and environmental risk assessment, this publication is an ideal source for researchers, academics, engineers, practitioners, and professionals seeking material on various issues surrounding the use of agent-based simulations.

The book requires only rudimentary physics knowledge but ability to program computers creatively and to keep the mind open to simple and not so simple models, based in individuals, for the living world around us.
* Interdisciplinary coverage
* Research oriented
* Contains and explains programs
* Based on recent discoveries
* Little special knowledge required besides programming
* Suitable for undergraduate and graduate research projects

Wildlife Demography compiles the multitude of available estimation techniques based on sex and age data, and presents these varying techniques in one organized, unified volume. Designed to guide researchers to the most appropriate estimator based upon their particular data set and the desired level of study precision, this book provides quantitative consideration, statistical models, estimator variance, assumptions and examples of use.
The authors focus on estimation techniques using sex and age ratios because this data is relatively easy to collect and commonly used by wildlife management
* Applicable to a wide array of wildlife species, including game and non-game birds and mammals
* Features more than 100 annotated examples illustrating application of statistical methods
* Includes more than 640 references of the analysis of nontagging data and the factors that may influence interpretation
* Derives historical and "ad hoc" demographic methods in a modern statistical framework

Discusses the clinical application of functional foods for the management of a wide range of chronic diseases Covers chronic diseases including Obesity, Arthritis, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Endocrinal and Hormonal Diseases, among others. Explores beneficial effects of nutraceuticals in chronic diseases *pending Vol 2 features

A short but engaging exploration of the brain. In Brains, scientist Leif Østergaard explores our most complicated and mysterious organ. From the dissection of Einstein's brain to research on how to map networks of neurons, Østergaard deconstructs the different parts of the brain and provides an engaging overview of its essential functions. He explains how we store information in the synapses of neural networks and how these networks carry commands to our muscles and internal organs and receive sensory input from our skin, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Delving into the subconscious, we learn what our brains are doing while we daydream and how neurotransmitters play a role in addiction. In this fascinating book, Østergaard reveals how this enigmatic organ is even more complex than we thought it was. In Reflections, a series copublished with Denmark's Aarhus University Press, scholars deliver 60-page reflections on key concepts. These books present unique insights on a wide range of topics that entertain and enlighten readers with exciting discoveries and new perspectives.

Explorer-naturalists Robert Brown and Mungo Park played a pivotal role in the development of natural history and exploration in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This work is a fresh examination of the lives and careers of Brown and Park and their impact on natural history and exploration. Brown and Park were part of a group of intrepid naturalists who brought back some of the flora and fauna they encountered, drawings of what they observed, and most importantly, their ideas. The educated public back home was able to gain an understanding of the diversity in nature. This eventually led to the development of new ways of regarding the natural world and the eventual development of a coherent theory of organic evolution. This book considers these naturalists, Brown, Park, and their contemporaries, from the perspective of the Scottish Enlightenment. Brown's investigations in natural history created a fertile environment for breakthroughs in taxonomy, cytology, and eventually evolution. Brown's pioneering work in plant taxonomy allowed biologists to look at the animal and plant kingdoms differently. Park's adventures stimulated significant discoveries in exploration. Brown and Park's adventures formed a bridge to such journeys as Charles Darwin's voyage on H.M.S. Beagle, which led to a revolution in biology and full explication of the theory of evolution.