Anemones and fish, ants and acacia trees, fungus and trees, buffaloes and oxpeckers--each of these unlikely duos is an inimitable partnership in which the species' coexistence is mutually beneficial. More specifically, they represent examples of defensive mutualism, when one species receives protection against predators or parasites in exchange for offering shelter or food to its partner species. Explores the Diverse Range of Defensive Mutualisms Involving Microbial Symbionts The past 20 years, since this phenomenon first began receiving attention, have been marked by a deluge of research in a variety of organism kingdoms and much has been discovered about this intriguing behavior. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis includes basic ecological and biological information on defensive mutualisms, explores how they function, and evaluates how they have evolved. It also looks at the implications of symbiosis defensive compounds as a new frontier in bioexploration for drug and natural product discovery--the first book to explore this possibility. Chapters Written by Field Authorities The book expands the concept of defensive mutualisms to evaluate defense against environmental abiotic and biotic stresses. Addressing the topic of defensive mutualisms in microbial symbiosis across this wide spectrum, it includes chapters on defensive mutualistic associations involving multiple kingdoms of organisms in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems--plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, and protozoans. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis unifies scattered findings into a single compendium, providing a valuable reference for field researchers and those in academia to assimilate and acquire a knowledgeable perspective on defensive mutualism, particularly those involving microbial partners.

This book examines issues in educational law and the way leaders, policymakers and policy implementers influence just processes and outcomes in schools. From the lens of professors, attorneys and administrators we explore how lessons learned from the authors' experiences and research might improve the preparation and practice of educational leaders. We examine how leaders can and should be conceived as advocates for justice, especially those with positional power and formal influence. Educational law has both conceptual and empirical qualities. While research on justice often begins with abstract conceptualizations, it is also manifest as tangible and observable activities and behaviours. Thus it follows that law can be studied through a variety of methodological approaches. Depending on the epistemological and/or methodological orientation of a study, justice may be a measurable or observed event, a purely theoretical construct, or a combination of both. Leaders must address questions about law and justice. Of equal importance is how to navigate complex legal issues and how to best engage in the decision-making processes while keeping the best interests of students at the fore.

Company towns first appeared in Europe and North America with the industrial revolution and followed the expansion of capital to frontier societies, colonies, and new nations. Their common feature was the degree of company control and supervision, reaching beyond the workplace into workers' private and social lives. Major sites of urban experimentation, paternalism, and welfare practices, company towns were also contested terrain of negotiations and confrontations between capital and labor. Looking at historical and contemporary examples from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, this book explores company towns' global reach and adaptability to diverse geographical, political, and cultural contexts.

The first intellectual history of the Caribbean written by a top Caribbean studies scholar, this book examines both writings penned by natives of the region as well as a body of texts interpretive of the region produced by Western authors. Stressing the experiential and cultural particularity of the Caribbean, the study considers four major questions: What art, literature or thought can come from the minds of people who have undergone a catastrophic history? What makes the conceptual paradigms fashioned by the Western intellectual industry capable of illuminating the distinct experience of Antilleans, but not vice versa? Do Antilleans lack the intellectual history required for the interpretation of culture, whether in their region or elsewhere in the world? Why is the specificity of Caribbean humanity such that it cannot be used as a paradigm for humanity as a whole?

The first intellectual history of the Caribbean written by a top Caribbean studies scholar, this book examines both writings penned by natives of the region as well as a body of texts interpretive of the region produced by Western authors. Stressing the experiential and cultural particularity of the Caribbean, the study considers four major questions: What art, literature or thought can come from the minds of people who have undergone a catastrophic history? What makes the conceptual paradigms fashioned by the Western intellectual industry capable of illuminating the distinct experience of Antilleans, but not vice versa? Do Antilleans lack the intellectual history required for the interpretation of culture, whether in their region or elsewhere in the world? Why is the specificity of Caribbean humanity such that it cannot be used as a paradigm for humanity as a whole?

Company towns first appeared in Europe and North America with the industrial revolution and followed the expansion of capital to frontier societies, colonies, and new nations. Their common feature was the degree of company control and supervision, reaching beyond the workplace into workers' private and social lives. Major sites of urban experimentation, paternalism, and welfare practices, company towns were also contested terrain of negotiations and confrontations between capital and labor. Looking at historical and contemporary examples from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, this book explores company towns' global reach and adaptability to diverse geographical, political, and cultural contexts.

Six Steps to Preparing Exemplary Principals and Superintendents is the first book to inspire and guide professors and program administrator's proven ways to prepare exemplary principals and superintendents for schools. The authors review issues surrounding extreme criticism of leadership education and counter with positive new research and practices that clearly highlight successful programs that link preparation to on-the-job successes of graduates. The reader will find a step-by-step guide to selecting the best students, creating a pre- and post-assessment of student learning, a well-designed procedure to pretest and assure that all masters degree students actually acquire a strong knowledge base and score well on state licensure exams. The final step provides proven questionnaires to survey graduates of the masters or doctoral programs to gather valuable feedback for constant program improvement and relevance to the real world of schools.

Explore the mind of a storyteller. Tales of Love, Adventure, loss, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Poetry told by the lost influence of Ryne S. Torres.

Armed for Battle and Destined for Glory is a powerful story about a young man who is tormented by bullies, beatings, bias, betrayal by a teacher and principal, poverty, parental abuse, the death of a parent and low self-esteem. Despite insurmountable odds, he dreams of a better life beyond the rejection, hurt and pent-up rage that he battles bravely as a child. Learn about how he conquers his inner demons and uses failure as a steppingstone to an amazing and promising future. Read about how his unyielding determination, relentless passion to succeed, and indomitable faith in his Creator inspires him to become an accomplished overachiever, a distinguished scholar, and a man of great faith. From victim to victor, this powerful story will inspire you to apply principles of virtue, courage and success that will help you to maximize your potential--to be all that you were destined to become. Learn how to develop the heart of a champion as you read about a proven, decorated champion who refuses to be labeled a loser, develops a winner's mindset, and becomes a nationally acclaimed counselor, internationally renowned author, a dynamic, inspirational speaker and a 26-time World Arm Wrestling Champion. Learn how you, too, can become Armed For Battle and Destined For Glory

The differences in mechanical and bond properties of Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) bars when compared to those of traditional steel reinforcement for reinforced concrete (RC) structures may affect the cracking and deformability behaviour of FRP RC members. This study investigates the bond behaviour between FRP reinforcement and concrete through experimental and numerical analysis. Experimental results on pull-out tests and direct tension tests are presented and discussed. A general procedure, derived from a cracking analysis based on slip and bond stresses, is used to study the deformability of FRP RC elements under tension. The tension stiffening effect is included via experimental nonlinear bond-slip law obtained from a laboratory pull-out test. The comparison between experimental data and numerical predictions of the reinforcement strain profile along the reinforcing bar during a tensile test confirms that the bond-based model adequately reproduces the redistribution of stresses after crack formation. Because the numerical model is flexible enough to include any "user-defined" bond-slip law and variable materials' properties, a parametric study is conducted.

Due to the mechanical properties of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP), serviceability limit states (SLS) often govern the design of FRP reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This study investigates the short-term serviceability behaviour of FRP RC beams through theoretical and experimental analysis. The experimental results on deformations, cracking and deflections are discussed. Prediction models provide adequate values of the experimental response up to the service load; however, an increment of the experimental deflection is obtained with respect to that provided by cracked section analysis when the load increases beyond the service condition. A discussion on the main aspects of the SLS of FRP RC is introduced, including the influence of the different parameters affecting the stresses in materials, maximum crack width and the allowable deflection. A methodology for the design of FRP RC at the serviceability requirements is presented. This procedure allows optimizing the overall depth of the element with respect to more generalised methodologies, since it takes account of the specific properties of materials and the loading conditions.

El consumo de drogas es uno de los principales problemas sociales y sanitarios que encontramos actualmente. La juventud es especialmente vulnerable a esta situacion, pues los cambios en los habitos y estilos de comportamiento los incitan cada vez mas a consumirlas. En zonas rurales este problema es todavia mas preocupante. El programa de prevencion presentado esta disenado con la colaboracion de la Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, la Unidad de Conductas Adictivas de Gandia y el Colegio Oficial de Farmaceuticos de Albacete, para involucrar a los farmaceuticos comunitarios de la comarca de La Manchuela en la prevencion de consumo de drogas. Este programa multifactorial de 4 anos de duracion en las provincias de Albacete y Cuenca, donde se encuentra esta comarca, proporciono datos fiables y medibles acerca de la evolucion de los jovenes participantes en el estudio durante este periodo, observando la influencia de los factores relativos a la familia, el ambito educativo y la eficacia de las actuaciones preventivas llevadas a cabo por los farmaceuticos comunitarios implicados, tanto desde las farmacias como acudiendo a los Institutos de Educacion Secundaria."

El trabajo que se presenta como material de estudio, ofrece herramientas profesionales que permiten el desarrollo exitoso del trabajo con la contabilidad, el sistema de control interno y otros relacionados con el analisis de los estados financieros de la empresa. El autor en el estudio propone una relacion entre el contador profesional y el director de la empresa, valorando la responsabilidad del contador, pues constituye el brazo derecho de la direccion, toda vez que es la persona que tiene a cargo las riendas financieras de la organizacion y debe conducir al exito de la gestion economica de la entidad. De esta manera se establece, por llamarlo en terminos matematicos, un binomio perfecto entre dos pilares de la gestion empresarial: La contabilidad y la direccion."