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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues
When Michael J. Behe's first book, Darwin's Black Box, was
published in 1996, it launched the intelligent design movement.
Critics howled, yet hundreds of thousands of readers -- and a
growing number of scientists -- were intrigued by Behe's claim that
Darwinism could not explain the complex machinery of the cell. Now,
in his long-awaited follow-up, Behe presents far more than a
challenge to Darwinism: He presents the evidence of the genetics
revolution -- the first direct evidence of nature's mutational
pathways -- to radically redefine the debate about Darwinism. How
much of life does Darwin's theory explain? Most scientists believe
it accounts for everything from the machinery of the cell to the
history of life on earth. Darwin's ideas have been applied to law,
culture, and politics. But Darwin's theory has been proven only in
one sense: There is little question that all species on earth
descended from a common ancestor. Overwhelming anatomical, genetic,
and fossil evidence exists for that claim. But the crucial question
remains: How did it happen? Darwin's proposed mechanism -- random
mutation and natural selection -- has been accepted largely as a
matter of faith and deduction or, at best, circumstantial evidence.
Only now, thanks to genetics, does science allow us to seek direct
evidence. The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, and
the machinery of the cell has been analyzed in great detail. The
evolutionary responses of microorganisms to antibiotics and humans
to parasitic infections have been traced over tens of thousands of
generations. As a result, for the first time in history Darwin's
theory can be rigorously evaluated. The results are shocking.
Although it can explain marginal changes in evolutionary history,
random mutation and natural selection explain very little of the
basic machinery of life. The edge of evolution, a line that defines
the border between random and nonrandom mutation, lies very far
from where Darwin pointed. Behe argues convincingly that most of
the mutations that have defined the history of life on earth have
been nonrandom. Although it will be controversial and stunning,
this finding actually fits a general pattern discovered by other
branches of science in recent decades: The universe as a whole was
fine-tuned for life. From physics to cosmology to chemistry to
biology, life on earth stands revealed as depending upon an endless
series of unlikely events. The clear conclusion: The universe was
designed for life.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Coronary surgery encompasses two thirds of all adult cardiac
surgery cases. With the endless pursuit of better outcomes, modern
coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has become technically more
complex in ways that are well beyond the training of the average
cardiac surgeon. The old concept of "one-technique-fits-all" has
been abandoned in favour of a specialized approach tailored to the
individual patient. In fact, in recent years, there is a growing
movement towards establishing coronary surgery as a
super-specialization of cardiac surgery. Technical Aspects of
Modern Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery aims to expand on both the
basics and complexities of the technical aspects of coronary
surgery. It serves as an up to date resource that illustrates and
details the advancement and techniques in this field which may soon
become a separate super-specialty. With a particular emphasis on
illustrations, the book will be an essential reference book for
both established surgeons that have no experience in advanced CABG,
and the new generation of CABG surgeons.
Why does the world look to us as it does? Generally speaking, this
question has received two types of answers in the cognitive
sciences in the past fifty or so years. According to the first, the
world looks to us the way it does because we construct it to look
as it does. According to the second, the world looks as it does
primarily because of how the world is. In The Innocent Eye, Nico
Orlandi defends a position that aligns with this second,
world-centered tradition, but that also respects some of the
insights of constructivism. Orlandi develops an embedded
understanding of visual processing according to which, while visual
percepts are representational states, the states and structures
that precede the production of percepts are not representations. If
we study the environmental contingencies in which vision occurs,
and we properly distinguish functional states and features of the
visual apparatus from representational states and features, we
obtain an empirically more plausible, world-centered account.
Orlandi shows that this account accords well with models of vision
in perceptual psychology - such as Natural Scene Statistics and
Bayesian approaches to perception - and outlines some of the ways
in which it differs from recent 'enactive' approaches to vision.
The main difference is that, although the embedded account
recognizes the importance of movement for perception, it does not
appeal to action to uncover the richness of visual stimulation. The
upshot is that constructive models of vision ascribe mental
representations too liberally, ultimately misunderstanding the
notion. Orlandi offers a proposal for what mental representations
are that, following insights from Brentano, James and a number of
contemporary cognitive scientists, appeals to the notions of
de-coupleability and absence to distinguish representations from
mere tracking states.
Vegetation Dynamics and Crop Stress: An Earth-Observation
Perspective focuses on vegetation dynamics and crop stress at both
the regional and country levels by using earth observation (EO)
data sets. The book uniquely provides a better understanding of
natural vegetation and crop failure through geo-spatial
technologies. This book covers biophysical control of vegetation,
deforestation, desertification, drought, and crop-water efficiency,
as well as the application of satellite-derived measures from
optical, thermal, and microwave domains for monitoring and modeling
crop condition, agricultural drought, and crop health in
contrasting monsoon/weather episodes.
Biodiversity and Bioeconomy: Status Quo, Challenges and
Opportunities comprehensively delivers the latest developments in
theories of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and their major
implications for biodiversity conservation through diversifying
agriculture, forestry and biomass production systems. Sections
provide basic understanding of biodiversity and bioeconomy,
different views of their inter-relationship and their links with
sustainable development goals, examine the research and practice of
biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in agriculture, forestry,
and biomass production systems, and examine status, challenges and
opportunities for biodiversity-centered bioeconomy providing a way
forward. Edited and written by acclaimed researchers in the field,
this book provides practitioners as well as graduate and
undergraduate students the latest developments in biodiversity and
bioeconomy research.
While there are many successful books describing the
theories and research of clinical psychology, there is a gap in
content, providing structured and simulations to rehearse critical
skills, mental health professionals need in the field.Â
Advanced Therapeutics, Clinical and Interpersonal Skills series
aims to fill that gap. Authored and edited by leading experts, each
volume in the series focuses on one subfield within mental health,
providing concise and practical exercises for professionals. Each
volume is based on an empirically based pedagogy that is
structured, incremental, and tightly focused on the essential
skills mental health professionals must acquire to obtain
licensure/registration and enter the workforce.Â
Practical Exercises for Clinical Psychology, volume one in
the series, focuses, on providing concise and practical exercises.
These exercises include repairing alliance ruptures, motivating
patients to address barriers to change, suicidal behavior
strategies and establishing boundaries/ limits. Each of these
exercises has been tested by leading experts and clinics in the
field. This book is based on an empirically based pedagogy that is
structured, incremental, and tightly focused on the essential
skills clinicians must acquire to enter the workforce and
successfully treat patients.
Resident Stem Cells and Regenerative Therapy: Sources and Clinical
Applications, Second Edition presents the main findings to date and
the important factors to be considered when contemplating resident
stem cells in regenerative therapies. Chapters on cardiac, brain,
neural, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, bone, pancreatic, skin and
lung resident stem cells will assist in defining the level of
success that has been achieved and the direction for the road
ahead. With contributions from leading laboratories, open questions
related to resident stem cells and regenerative therapies will also
be presented for debate. In the last several decades, stem cells
have greatly impacted the scientific and lay communities, providing
huge advances in the treatment of devastating human diseases,
including myocardial infarction, diabetes, muscular dystrophy,
cystic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and osteoporosis. Alongside debates of
induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells has been
the discovery of adult stem cells in many different tissues. While
these organ resident or progenitor stem cells offer prospects to
contribute to tissue regeneration, they also present challenges
because of the complexity of organ structures.
Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychology Treatment Modules:
Personalized Care in Behavior and Emotion provides clinicians with
modularized treatment strategies for commonly occurring child and
youth mental health disorders. Divided into two sections, the first
part of the book translates basic science into clinical practice,
reviewing predictors, mediators and moderators of change, and an
overview of evidence for best practices in treating disorders. The
second section guides clinicians on how to implement treatment
strategies. Chapters instruct what therapy is, how to introduce it
to clients, step-by-step implementation, worksheets for use in
practice, homework to send home with clients, and more.
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