Planning is defined as formulating an organized method for action in advance. Although people do not plan all the time and planning does not occur in every situation, planning skill is central to all human behavior. There are developmental differences in planning skill and in the motivation to plan. Even among adults, variations in the engagement in the planning process are affected by individual attitudes, beliefs, and goals. Planning also has a different meaning at various junctures in one's life. Yet despite the amount of research on planning, many of the studies have focused only on the cognitive processes that enable mature individuals to plan.
A continued exploration of the developmental course of planning, this text attempts to situate cognitive aspects of planning in the context of the social and cultural environment and other psychological processes. Bringing together the contributions of developmental, organizational, and social psychologists, it explains how, when, and why we plan. Finally, it addresses various issues that pertain to the different aspects of planning, from formal problem solving to handling the demands of everyday life.

This book consists of a collection of essays informing readers as to the contemporary status of selected cutting-edge issues in parapsychology (or "psi research"). Each chapter comprehensively reviews a controversial topic from a critical stance, and updates its status based on the latest theoretical and empirical considerations. Chapter authors are authoritative experts in their fields who have captured the complexity and importance of their topics. This is a resource for both the serious scholar and interested follower of psi research, containing in-depth analyses and discussions of topics that cannot be found elsewhere. Topics include cross-examinations of psychical investigations; a meta-analysis of anomalous information collected by mediums; an examination of the relationships between parapsychology, quantum theory and neuroscience; and a study of psychics' involvement in police investigations.

This detailed volume explores hepatic stellate cells, which have become a spotlight of liver cell biology due to their pleiotropic functions that extend well beyond extracellular matrix production to pivotal roles in hepatic homeostasis, immunity, and metabolism. The book features methods to isolate, evaluate, and manipulate this cell type in an effort to elucidate hepatic biology and establish prospects for treating disease. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, as well as tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.  Authoritative and practical, Hepatic Stellate Cells: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal aid to help researchers accelerate the outstanding science that has steadily unveiled the mysteries of stellate cell biology and their role in disease.

Postcolonial Satire: Indian Fiction and the Reimagining of Menippean Satire positions postcolonial South Asian satiric fiction at the intersection of the cutting-edge territory of political resistance writing and the ancient tradition of Menippean satire. Postcolonial Satire disrupts the relationship between postcolonial literature and magic realism, by discussing the work of writers such as G. V. Desani, Aubrey Menen, Salman Rushdie, and Irwin Allan Sealy as one movement into the entirely subversive realm of satire. Indian fiction, as well as the fiction of other colonized cultures, can be re-construed through the lens of satire as openly critical of a broad spectrum of political and cultural issues. Employing the strengths of postcolonial theory and criticism, Postcolonial Satire expands upon the postcolonial works of these authors by analyzing them as satire, rather than magical realism with satirical elements.

An introduction to the scientific study of psychics and mediums—those who are frauds, those who are psychotic, and those whose claims seem to defy easy dismissal. Welcome to the world of Mysterious Minds: The Neurobiology of Psychics, Mediums, and Other Extraordinary People. Here, experts in the emerging field of neurobiological study make the case that while many claims of psychic ability are easily proven false, there may well be claimants who can obtain information in ways not easily explained by mainstream science—and there might be scientific tools and approaches available to confirm those experiences. Written by an expert team of distinguished investigators from a half dozen countries around the world, Mysterious Minds introduces readers to the current state of research into parapsychological experiences, emphasizing the neurobiological data obtained by those who claim to be psychics or mediums. It offers specific examples of paranormal claims of extraordinary people—claims scrutinized through the use of high-tech brain imaging, clinical neurological examinations, and psychotropic drugs. The book concludes by proposing a series of models based on fundamental neurobiology, psychology, and quantum physics that could help us unravel these mental mysteries.

This book presents a provocative debate between parapsychological advocates who claim that Western science's worldview is incomplete, and counteradvocates who insist that parapsychological data is either spurious or can be explained by standard scientific principles. Despite ongoing and repeated attempts to prove or disprove the existence of parapsychological events, there are still no conclusive findings—and certainly no consensus across the worldwide community of scholars, scientists, and proponents of psychic phenomena. Still, there is no shortage of information about this fascinating topic to allow everyone to draw their own conclusions. This book has been expressly written to make each chapter and topic accessible to a general audience, despite containing a vast amount of theoretical material. The book is organized into two parts: in the first section, proponents of the validity of parapsychological data and critics who reject that validity state their respective positions. In the second part, each group responds to each others' statements in the form of a debate. Other experts from the United States as well as from Australia and Great Britain provide overviews and conclusions.

Planning is defined as formulating an organized method for action in advance. Although people do not plan all the time and planning does not occur in every situation, planning skill is central to all human behavior. There are developmental differences in planning skill and in the motivation to plan. Even among adults, variations in the engagement in the planning process are affected by individual attitudes, beliefs, and goals. Planning also has a different meaning at various junctures in one's life. Yet despite the amount of research on planning, many of the studies have focused only on the cognitive processes that enable mature individuals to plan. A continued exploration of the developmental course of planning, this text attempts to situate cognitive aspects of planning in the context of the social and cultural environment and other psychological processes. Bringing together the contributions of developmental, organizational, and social psychologists, it explains how, when, and why we plan. Finally, it addresses various issues that pertain to the different aspects of planning, from formal problem solving to handling the demands of everyday life.

The essays in this volume 9 of a series inform readers of the present status of leading issues in parapsychology (or psi research). The authors are experts in their fields and have written in a reader-friendly way that captures the complexity and importance of their topics. Each essay comprehensively reviews a controversial topic from a critical stance, and updates its status based on the latest theoretical and empirical considerations. For readers who need to keep pace with the evolution of thinking in psi research, this volume is authoritative. The series as a whole has traced the development of psi research over decades, providing a longterm definitive resource.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the means by which the professions across the world ensure that their knowledge and skills remain up to date and relevant to changing needs and environments. CPD significantly contributes to the quality and reputation of the professions and therefore to the quality of national and international social life and economic well being.

Starting with a discussion on what CPD is, the author analyzes how professional bodies govern CPD, what support they provide to individual professionals and how they measure or evaluate what individuals do under the provenance of CPD. Continuing Professional Development explains why, up to now, CPD has been a relatively neglected subject in spite of it being carried out by millions. It argues whether a variety of perspectives or visions of CPD has held back wider public appreciation of it and if greater co-ordination by professional bodies, or the introduction of new players to the field, will change this in the future.

Providing the first comprehensive study of the subject, this innovative book will be required reading for CPD professionals and researchers and is a fascinating read for all professionals, especially those involved with human resource development and management / leadership development.

Education in the New Millennium details- for parents, taxpayers, and politicians, and those concerned about education- the intricacies and complexities of "education" in America. Author Michael F. Shaughnessy documents a number of different forms of education in the U.S., by dividing "education" into a number of groups, including gifted education, special education, vocational education, and bilingual education. Educators are now dealing with various educational programs such as mentoring, guidance, and creativity programs, and are increasingly confronted with students with a number of "exceptionalities," such as health problems and emotional and behavioral disorders. In order to understand the complexity of education and in order to ensure that "no child is left behind," all involved in education should be aware of the truly complex problems facing teachers, administrators, and educational personnel in America. This book can help with this crucial understanding.

Practitioners and researchers address the critical issues, as well as contemporary approaches, used to deal with the developmental social, intellectual, and coping problems of low-birthweight infants and their families. Following a comprehensive introductory overview, the remaining 17 chapters fall

Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) are attracting great attention across a wide spectrum of biological sciences and medicine because of their remarkable biological potency and the diversity of roles they play in the physiological and pathological changes of cells and tissues. This book is a comprehensive compendium of the latest research on the molecular mechanisms of KLFs, describing their roles in transcriptional regulation, cellular differentiation and development, the pathogenesis of the liver and cardiovascular systems and cancer, and generation of ES cells and iPS cells. As the only concise treatise written to date by leading experts in the field, it serves as an authoritative review of this family of molecules and is an essential reference for all who are interested in KLFs. The book also explores the potential of KLFs as targets for novel therapeutics and diagnostics, and will be invaluable in those fields.

What is the state of intimate romantic relationships and marriage in urban China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan? Since the 1980's, the character of intimate life in these urban settings has changed dramatically. While many speculate about the 21st century as Asia's century, this book turns to the more intimate territory of sexuality and marriage--and observes the unprecedented changes in the law and popular expectations for romantic bonds and the creation of new families.
"Wives, Husbands, and Lovers" examines how sexual relationships and marriage are perceived and practiced under new developments within each urban location, including the establishment of no fault divorce laws, lower rates of childbearing within marriage, and the increased tolerance for non-marital and non-heterosexual intimate relationships. The authors also chronicle what happens when states remove themselves from direct involvement in some features of marriage but not others. Tracing how the marital "rules of the game" have changed substantially across the region, this book challenges long-standing assumptions that marriage is the universally preferred status for all men and women, that extramarital sexuality is incompatible with marriage, or that marriage necessarily unites a man and a woman. This book illustrates the wide range of potential futures for marriage, sexuality, and family across these societies.

What is the state of intimate romantic relationships and marriage in urban China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan? Since the 1980's, the character of intimate life in these urban settings has changed dramatically. While many speculate about the 21st century as Asia's century, this book turns to the more intimate territory of sexuality and marriage--and observes the unprecedented changes in the law and popular expectations for romantic bonds and the creation of new families.
Wives, Husbands, and Lovers examines how sexual relationships and marriage are perceived and practiced under new developments within each urban location, including the establishment of no fault divorce laws, lower rates of childbearing within marriage, and the increased tolerance for non-marital and non-heterosexual intimate relationships. The authors also chronicle what happens when states remove themselves from direct involvement in some features of marriage but not others. Tracing how the marital rules of the game have changed substantially across the region, this book challenges long-standing assumptions that marriage is the universally preferred status for all men and women, that extramarital sexuality is incompatible with marriage, or that marriage necessarily unites a man and a woman. This book illustrates the wide range of potential futures for marriage, sexuality, and family across these societies.

"If you're only going to read one book on the Middle East, this is it."---Seymour M. Hersh
One of the most thought-provoking books ever written about the Middle East, "From Beirut to Jerusalem" remains vital to our understanding of this complex and volatile region of the world. Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman drew upon his ten years of experience reporting from Lebanon and Israel to write this now-classic work of journalism. In a new afterword, he updates his journey with a fresh discussion of the Arab Awakenings and how they are transforming the area, and a new look at relations between Israelis and Palestinians, and Israelis and Israelis. Rich with anecdote, history, analysis, and autobiography, "From Beirut to Jerusalem "will continue to shape how we see the Middle East for many years to come.

How can the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be distinct and yet identical? Prompted by the doctrine of the divine Trinity, this question sparked centuries of lively debate. In the current context of renewed interest in Trinitarian theology, Russell L. Friedman provides the first survey of the scholastic discussion of the Trinity in the 100-year period stretching from Thomas Aquinas' earliest works to William Ockham's death. Tracing two central issues - the attempt to explain how the three persons are distinct from each other but identical as God, and the application to the Trinity of a 'psychological model', on which the Son is a mental word or concept, and the Holy Spirit is love - this volume offers a broad overview of Trinitarian thought in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, along with focused studies of the Trinitarian ideas of many of the period's most important theologians.

The masses of neutron stars are limited by an instability to gravitational collapse and an instability driven by gravitational waves limits their spin. Their oscillations are relevant to x-ray observations of accreting binaries and to gravitational wave observations of neutron stars formed during the coalescence of double neutron-star systems. This volume includes more than forty years of research to provide graduate students and researchers in astrophysics, gravitational physics and astronomy with the first self-contained treatment of the structure, stability and oscillations of rotating neutron stars. This monograph treats the equations of stellar equilibrium; key approximations, including slow rotation and perturbations of spherical and rotating stars; stability theory and its applications, from convective stability to the r-mode instability; and numerical methods for computing equilibrium configurations and the nonlinear evolution of their oscillations. The presentation of fundamental equations, results and applications is accessible to readers who do not need the detailed derivations.

Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) are attracting great attention across a wide spectrum of biological sciences and medicine because of their remarkable biological potency and the diversity of roles they play in the physiological and pathological changes of cells and tissues. This book is a comprehensive compendium of the latest research on the molecular mechanisms of KLFs, describing their roles in transcriptional regulation, cellular differentiation and development, the pathogenesis of the liver and cardiovascular systems and cancer, and generation of ES cells and iPS cells. As the only concise treatise written to date by leading experts in the field, it serves as an authoritative review of this family of molecules and is an essential reference for all who are interested in KLFs. The book also explores the potential of KLFs as targets for novel therapeutics and diagnostics, and will be invaluable in those fields.

The first of its kind, this guidebook provides an overview of clinical holistic interventions for mental-health practitioners. Submissions from 21 contributors examine the validity of different methods and provide information on credentialed training and licensure requirements necessary for legal and ethical practice. Chapters covering a range of healing modalities describe the populations and disorders for which the intervention is most effective, as well as the risks involved, and present research on the effectiveness of treatment, with step-by-step sample clinical sessions.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the means by which the professions across the world ensure that their knowledge and skills remain up to date and relevant to changing needs and environments. CPD significantly contributes to the quality and reputation of the professions and therefore to the quality of national and international social life and economic well being. Starting with a discussion on what CPD is, the author analyzes how professional bodies govern CPD, what support they provide to individual professionals and how they measure or evaluate what individuals do under the provenance of CPD. Continuing Professional Development explains why, up to now, CPD has been a relatively neglected subject in spite of it being carried out by millions. It argues whether a variety of perspectives or visions of CPD has held back wider public appreciation of it and if greater co-ordination by professional bodies, or the introduction of new players to the field, will change this in the future. Providing the first comprehensive study of the subject, this innovative book will be required reading for CPD professionals and researchers and is a fascinating read for all professionals, especially those involved with human resource development and management / leadership development.

Planning is an important human ability that guides behaviour and thereby complements instinctual fixed action patterns. How do people learn to plan? How do they develop the various skills that are implied by planfulness? This volume explores these questions as well as the concept of planning and its relationships to the concepts of problem-solving and organizational skills. The editors of this volume have drawn upon an international cadre of scholars to discuss the issues of planning and planful behaviours from a broad range of perspectives. The volume offers a comprehensive review and critical analysis of research and theory on the development of planning ability. Cognitive and developmental psychologists, educational researchers, and students hitherto frustrated by the complexity of the thinking about planning and fragmentation of the literature will find Blueprints for Thinking an invaluable resource.

Increased intra abdominal pressure as used in laparoscopic surgery produces various changes in the human organism. This book provides surgeons and anesthesiologists with a complete overview on these changes and the consequences for the patient in the perioperative and postoperative period. Special emphasis is laid on the management of pneumoperitoneum related complications.

Historically, enterprises were an important delivery vehicle for the administration and financing of many programmes of social protection in the economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In most cases this was through systems mandated by the state. When the Central and East European countries (CEECs) began their reforms many expected enterprises to quickly eliminate the benefits they had provided to workers once freed from the encumbrance of state control. This volume, originally published in 1997, investigates the size of these benefits and the forces producing changes in them. Each chapter covers a specific country, exploring the scope, scale and change of benefits in the respective countries,and investigates their determinants. Surprisingly, they find only modest declines and even some increases in aggregate benefits, rather than rapid change. Change is more visible in the details. This volume examines social functions, like early retirement, in both established and newly privatized enterprises.