This is the story of a small town, Midwestern, provincial young man who, over sixty years ago, was plucked out of his quiet, workaday life by the explosion of World War II. He found himself fastened to the conveyor belt that was transforming civilian men into pilots of heavy bombers. Initially terrified, he gradually adjusted to the process, and found to his surprise that he was enjoying it. It changed from an ordeal into a privilege. In spite of himself, he found a whole new world of exciting experiences far beyond his wildest dreams. A few brushes with violent death in the high altitudes were the spice that sweetened survival and enriched each day's happenings. Sherman was mostly right about war being hell, but for a few lucky ones, it was almost fun.

The past decade has seen an extraordinary growth in research interest in neurotrophic factors, and the study of the neurotrophin family has led this activity. Nevertheless, this area of research has often struggled as a result of techniques that were either inadequate or just emerging from other research fields and disciplines. Neurotrophin Protocols has brought together many leaders in the neurotrophin field who detail their special expertise in a wide variety of techniques. Though most procedures are valid across many diff- ent fields of research, some of those described here have been developed to address particular issues within the neurotrophic factor field. The protocols cover a broad range of biochemical, histological, and biological techniques that are often required by the modern laboratory. However, all have been written with sufficient detail to allow any laboratory to achieve proficiency without need of reference to other texts. Neurotrophin Protocols is divided into four sections dealing with p- tein, RNA, recombinant, and in vivo techniques. Protein techniques have in general been less successfully employed than those dealing with RNA or DNA. However, procedures that achieve localization and quantification of the neurotrophins are now being used more extensively. Their inclusion here should assist further studies at the protein level. Transgenic cell lines and animals are commonplace in the scientific research literature, but their inc- sion in several chapters in this book provide some novel uses that are not readily available elsewhere.

Statistics published by the U. S. Department of Commerce (1980) indicate that in 1977 we spent 8. 1% of our gross national product (GNP) on life, health, property-casualty, and other forms of insurance. An additional 5. 7% was used to pay the Social Security tax, which is another form of insurance premium, for a total of 14. 8% of the GNP. \ Although insurance had its historical origin in marine insurance, it has now developed into one of the major industries of the American economy and extends into many areas of economic activity. One area where growth has been particularly strong is the medical sector. Health insurance is a major institution in all industrialized countries. It became a government responsibility in 1883 when Bismarck intro duced a compulsory program of health insurance for industrial workers in Germany. Programs for workers in various industrial and income categories soon followed in other European countries-Austria (1888), Hungary (1891), Norway (1909), Servia (1910), Great Britain (1911), and Russia and Romania (1912) (Rubinow, 1913:250). Programs in these countries were extended in subsequent years, and other countries in Europe followed with their own programs. Consequently, today most industrial countries have universal or near-universal health insurance coverage. In the United States the issue of national health insurance has been seriously debated since just prior to World War I, and polling data since the 1930s show that a substantial majority of the public has been supportive of such a program (Erskine, 1975)."

This book, a comprehensive introduction to the problem of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), lays out the medical facts and social epidemiology of the infectious disease and illuminates the complex social problems this disease poses for the United States and other nations.

The past decade has seen an extraordinary growth in research interest in neurotrophic factors, and the study of the neurotrophin family has led this activity. Nevertheless, this area of research has often struggled as a result of techniques that were either inadequate or just emerging from other research fields and disciplines. Neurotrophin Protocols has brought together many leaders in the neurotrophin field who detail their special expertise in a wide variety of techniques. Though most procedures are valid across many diff- ent fields of research, some of those described here have been developed to address particular issues within the neurotrophic factor field. The protocols cover a broad range of biochemical, histological, and biological techniques that are often required by the modern laboratory. However, all have been written with sufficient detail to allow any laboratory to achieve proficiency without need of reference to other texts. Neurotrophin Protocols is divided into four sections dealing with p- tein, RNA, recombinant, and in vivo techniques. Protein techniques have in general been less successfully employed than those dealing with RNA or DNA. However, procedures that achieve localization and quantification of the neurotrophins are now being used more extensively. Their inclusion here should assist further studies at the protein level. Transgenic cell lines and animals are commonplace in the scientific research literature, but their inc- sion in several chapters in this book provide some novel uses that are not readily available elsewhere.

Statistics published by the U. S. Department of Commerce (1980) indicate that in 1977 we spent 8. 1% of our gross national product (GNP) on life, health, property-casualty, and other forms of insurance. An additional 5. 7% was used to pay the Social Security tax, which is another form of insurance premium, for a total of 14. 8% of the GNP. \ Although insurance had its historical origin in marine insurance, it has now developed into one of the major industries of the American economy and extends into many areas of economic activity. One area where growth has been particularly strong is the medical sector. Health insurance is a major institution in all industrialized countries. It became a government responsibility in 1883 when Bismarck intro duced a compulsory program of health insurance for industrial workers in Germany. Programs for workers in various industrial and income categories soon followed in other European countries-Austria (1888), Hungary (1891), Norway (1909), Servia (1910), Great Britain (1911), and Russia and Romania (1912) (Rubinow, 1913:250). Programs in these countries were extended in subsequent years, and other countries in Europe followed with their own programs. Consequently, today most industrial countries have universal or near-universal health insurance coverage. In the United States the issue of national health insurance has been seriously debated since just prior to World War I, and polling data since the 1930s show that a substantial majority of the public has been supportive of such a program (Erskine, 1975)."

This comprehensive introduction to the problem of AIDS lays out the medical facts and social epidemiology of the disease and illuminates the complex social problems this disease poses for the United States and other nations. Each chapter introduces a key sociological approach that clarifies how social scientists understand and explain important social dimensions of the AIDS epidemic. The authors use of historical comparisons with other deadly epidemics sets in relief the social problems presented by AIDS today. AIDS has become the most vexing medical crisis of our time. But the social aspects of the epidemic are just as complex as the biomedical aspects of the disease, sharing sociological characteristics with the Black Death, cholera, and other devastating epidemics of earlier eras.This comprehensive introduction to the problem of AIDS lays out the medical facts and social epidemiology of the disease and illuminates the complex social problems this disease poses for the United States and other nations. Each chapter introduces a key sociological approach that clarifies how social scientists understand and explain important social dimensions of the AIDS epidemic. The authors use of historical comparisons with other deadly epidemics sets in relief the social problems presented by AIDS today.

This is the story of a small town, Midwestern, provincial young man who, over sixty years ago, was plucked out of his quiet, workaday life by the explosion of World War II. He found himself fastened to the conveyor belt that was transforming civilian men into pilots of heavy bombers. Initially terrified, he gradually adjusted to the process, and found to his surprise that he was enjoying it. It changed from an ordeal into a privilege. In spite of himself, he found a whole new world of exciting experiences far beyond his wildest dreams. A few brushes with violent death in the high altitudes were the spice that sweetened survival and enriched each day's happenings. Sherman was mostly right about war being hell, but for a few lucky ones, it was almost fun.

Explores our intertwined spiritual history with cats. We have been connected to cats for more than 30 million years. To our prehistoric ancestors cats were deadly predators of the night, and because of this ancient memory etched onto our DNA, cats epitomise our fear of the dark. Yet in addition to their connection to the dark and the shadows, their intelligence, sophisticated physical abilities, and finely tuned senses also led many cultures to view cats as connected to the spirit world. Exploring the spiritual nature of cats, John A. Rush looks at humanity’s fascination and fear of cats through the ages. He examines spiritual and occult beliefs connected to cats from Mayan, Aztec, and Native American mythology as well as from ancient India, Samaria, Babylon, Japan, and Egypt, including how ancient Egyptians used cats to send messages to the gods. He reveals why the Catholic Church demonised cats and how cats are symbols of both Good and Evil. Examining cat evolution, the author looks at spiritual behaviours attributed to cats as well as modern biological research into cat behaviour and their highly sophisticated sensory systems, which, unlike most other animals, have changed very little over millions of years. He explores their “psychic” ability to sense what humans cannot and the origins of their glowing eyes, which has connected cats, through myth, to both the Underworld and the World of Light. He also explores similarities between cat and human emotions, cat communications with us, and the deep connection between cats and meditation. Revealing the spiritual journey of the cat from fearsome predator to occult symbol to household companion, the author shows how, in many ways, cats are mirrors of us, reflecting our conflicting dual nature that is at once loving yet distant, magical yet vengeful, and above all, deeply connected to the spirit world.

In these 5000 pages Archive Editions presents a key selection of facsimile original British government documents detailing the history and development of Kuwait from 1899 to modern times. The set includes a map box containing 11 maps dated between 1910 and 1956 including a table of the Al Subah ('Atbi), Ruling Family of Kuwait and a table showing the descendants of Mubarak I (ruled 1896-1915). In compiling this work the editor has selected documents focusing on Kuwait itself - on the events that occurred there and on the lives of the people in the region, including international trade, oil negotiations, Islamic affairs, tribal affairs, labour movements, boundary questions, and the role of the Al-Sabah family. It is intended that the work should function as an aid to scholars and Gulf Arabs, in the absence or unavailability of relevant Arab records.