Learning about STEM topics at a young age is an important part of primary education. Using real-life examples, Robots helps young readers become familiar with what robots are, why they are so useful to us, how they work and why they are so important now and for the future. For children progressing through Book Bands, it is suitable for reading at level 9: Gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online. Also available in the series: Info Buzz STEM: Computers and Coding Info Buzz STEM: Drones Info Buzz STEM: Engineering Info Buzz STEM: Robots Info Buzz: Black History (6 titles) Info Buzz: Famous People (4 titles) Info Buzz: Geography (4 titles) Info Buzz: History (8 titles) Info Buzz: People Who Help Us (4 titles) Info Buzz: Religion (4 titles) Info Buzz: The Seasons (4 titles)

Find out about the life of the naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough and his work writing books and making documentaries for us to watch. The book has photos and simple text suitable for young children. For children following Book Bands, it is suitable for those reading at Band 9, Gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.

Russia is the world's largest country, and its politics affect the entire international community. Formally, who exercises the power of government is decided, as in Western democracies, by competitive elections that are held at regular intervals. But there have increasingly been doubts about the extent to which Russian parliamentary and presidential elections can be considered 'free and fair', and it is the argument of this coauthored study that they are better defined as 'authoritarian elections', with a number of distinct characteristics. Using a wide range of sources, including surveys, election statistics, interviews, focus groups and the printed press, the contributors to this important collection analyse Russia's authoritarian elections in a variety of ways: how they are conducted, what citizens think about them, and how the Russian experience relates to a wider international context. Elections are the central mechanism by which citizens can seek to hold their government to account; this collection shows the ways in which that mechanism can be manipulated from above such it becomes more of an extension of central authority than a means by which the public at large can impose their own priorities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.

Offers the latest research on this topic.

Find out about the world with these fun, interactive first non-fiction books Learn about the life of the world's most famous writer, William Shakespeare, and his work writing plays and acting in them. The book has photos and simple text suitable for young children. For children following Book Bands, it is suitable for those reading at Band 9, Gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.

Learning about STEM topics at a young age is an important part of primary education. Using real-life examples, Drones helps young readers become familiar with what drones are, why they are so useful to us, how they work and how they might be used in the future. For children progressing through Book Bands, it is suitable for reading at level 9: Gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online. Also available in the series: Info Buzz STEM: Computers and Coding Info Buzz STEM: Drones Info Buzz STEM: Engineering Info Buzz STEM: Robots Info Buzz: Black History (6 titles) Info Buzz: Famous People (4 titles) Info Buzz: Geography (4 titles) Info Buzz: History (8 titles) Info Buzz: People Who Help Us (4 titles) Info Buzz: Religion (4 titles) Info Buzz: The Seasons (4 titles)

Fully illustrated book with over 500 figures in color Of interest to advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students biophysics and biochemistry. International, expert author team. Stephen H. White is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at University of California at Irvine. Gunnar von Heijne is Professor in Biochemistry and Biophysics at Stockholm University. Donald M. Engelman is Eugene Higgins Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

The communist world was supposed to have had its 'revolution' in 1989. But the demise of the Soviet Union came two years later, at the end of 1991; and then, perplexingly, a series of irregular executive changes began to take place the following decade in countries that were already postcommunist. The focus in this collection is the changes that took place in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan between 2000 and 2005 that have together been called the 'coloured revolutions': of no particular colour in Serbia, but Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine and Tulip in Kyrgyzstan. Apart from exploring political change in the 'coloured revolution' countries themselves, the contributors to this collection focus on countries that did not experience this kind of irregular executive change but which might otherwise be comparable (Belarus and Kazakhstan among them), and on reactions to 'democracy promotion' in Russia and China. Throughout, an effort is made to avoid taking the 'coloured revolutions' at face value, however they may have been presented by local leaders and foreign governments with their own agendas; and to place them within the wider literature of comparative politics. This book was previously published as a special issue of Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics.

At first, it seemed as if the international financial crisis that broke out in 2008 would have little effect in Russia and the other post-Soviet states. But, by the end of the year, growth was slowing, banks were reluctant to lend, share values had collapsed and unemployment was rising inexorably. The stability of the Putin leadership, it appeared, had been built on the turnaround in economic performance that it had managed to achieve over more than a decade. How would it cope with a sudden reversal? In Ukraine, living standards fell even more sharply. In Belarus, there were fewer obvious signs of economic difficulty, but it could hardly be unaffected by the performance of its major trading partners. Drawing on a wide range of evidence, an international group of scholars address the impact of the international financial crisis in the post-Soviet states and the continuing implications of the crisis for these countries themselves and for the wider world. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, now known as East European Politics.

The communist world was supposed to have had its 'revolution' in 1989. But the demise of the Soviet Union came two years later, at the end of 1991; and then, perplexingly, a series of irregular executive changes began to take place the following decade in countries that were already postcommunist. The focus in this collection is the changes that took place in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan between 2000 and 2005 that have together been called the 'coloured revolutions': of no particular colour in Serbia, but Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine and Tulip in Kyrgyzstan. Apart from exploring political change in the 'coloured revolution' countries themselves, the contributors to this collection focus on countries that did not experience this kind of irregular executive change but which might otherwise be comparable (Belarus and Kazakhstan among them), and on reactions to 'democracy promotion' in Russia and China. Throughout, an effort is made to avoid taking the 'coloured revolutions' at face value, however they may have been presented by local leaders and foreign governments with their own agendas; and to place them within the wider literature of comparative politics. This book was previously published as a special issue of Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics.

This title was first published in 2001. This series brings together the most significant journal articles to appear in the field of comparative politics since the 1970s. The aim is to render accessible to teachers, researchers and students, an extensive range of essays as a basis for understanding established terrain and new ground.

Belarus is one of the least studied European states to emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In fact, few Western specialists paid much attention to its affairs during the Soviet era. Nevertheless, Belarus constitutes an important and sensitive border region between Russia and the western part of the continent. In Postcommunist Belarus, a stellar group of contributors examines the issues and the search for identity that Belarus has confronted in the period leading up to and following independence. The country is run in an authoritarian fashion by President Alexander Lukashenko and many observers, both inside and outside Belarus, would use the term "dictatorship" to describe his rule. Belarusian authorities prefer to emphasize the strong support of the people for the president and his cautious approach to economic reform. It seems unlikely that the country can hold out permanently against the wider pressures of democratization and economic reform that are transforming its neighbors. The country's situation offers political scientists many facets for comparison with established models. Belarus is grappling with challenges that are conceptual and psychological as much as they are political, economic, and social. Through new research, the contributors to Postcommunist Belarus offer an important, coherent, and comparative perspective on this little-known country.

Russia's transition from communism holds great significance not only for that country but also for the wider world. This collection of essays examines the broad spectrum of Russia's transition since 1991 - considering not only the pattern of events but also what the changes have meant for Russians themselves, and for their future. Particular attention is given to political attitudes and foreign policy, to the changing status of women, to religion and censorship, and to the continuing war in Chechnya.

At first, it seemed as if the international financial crisis that broke out in 2008 would have little effect in Russia and the other post-Soviet states. But, by the end of the year, growth was slowing, banks were reluctant to lend, share values had collapsed and unemployment was rising inexorably. The stability of the Putin leadership, it appeared, had been built on the turnaround in economic performance that it had managed to achieve over more than a decade. How would it cope with a sudden reversal? In Ukraine, living standards fell even more sharply. In Belarus, there were fewer obvious signs of economic difficulty, but it could hardly be unaffected by the performance of its major trading partners. Drawing on a wide range of evidence, an international group of scholars address the impact of the international financial crisis in the post-Soviet states and the continuing implications of the crisis for these countries themselves and for the wider world. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, now known as East European Politics.

Russia is the world's largest country, and its politics affect the entire international community. Formally, who exercises the power of government is decided, as in Western democracies, by competitive elections that are held at regular intervals. But there have increasingly been doubts about the extent to which Russian parliamentary and presidential elections can be considered 'free and fair', and it is the argument of this coauthored study that they are better defined as 'authoritarian elections', with a number of distinct characteristics. Using a wide range of sources, including surveys, election statistics, interviews, focus groups and the printed press, the contributors to this important collection analyse Russia's authoritarian elections in a variety of ways: how they are conducted, what citizens think about them, and how the Russian experience relates to a wider international context. Elections are the central mechanism by which citizens can seek to hold their government to account; this collection shows the ways in which that mechanism can be manipulated from above such it becomes more of an extension of central authority than a means by which the public at large can impose their own priorities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.

Series Information:
The Making of the Contemporary World

This title was first published in 2001. This series brings together the most significant journal articles to appear in the field of comparative politics since the 1970s. The aim is to render accessible to teachers, researchers and students, an extensive range of essays as a basis for understanding established terrain and new ground.

Of course we watched it all on television, day by day, as the Evil Empire transmuted into the Circus Bear, but seeing it and knowing what to think about it are not the same. Scholars from eastern and western Europe and North America help out, in 14 papers from an April 1992 conference in Naples.

Meet the S.T.E.A.M. pioneer - Leonardo da Vinci - and discover his fascinating life story and inspirations.

Leonardo da Vinci tells the story of this key scientific figure - covering his whole life's journey and his amazing legacy to science today. Read about and look at some of his finest achievements in fine art, engineering and science and his forward thinking inventions. From the Mona Lisa to helicopters - Leonardo's unique vision and skill is revealed in this fascinating book.

Masterminds introduces some of the world's great scientists, inventors and artists, retelling their lives and explaining why their work is important. Clear photographic designs bring a real-life quality to these biographies and major S.T.E.A.M. discoveries.

Provides an understanding of scientific discoveries and presents inspirational lives from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

Includes a timeline of the person's life and shows the ongoing legacy that we can see around us today.

Perfect for readers aged 7 and up.

Find out about the life of Barack Obama from his childhood and education to how he became President of the United States and what he achieved. For children progressing through Book Bands, it is suitable for readers at band 9, gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.

Find out about the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages in Britain with these fun, interactive first non-fiction books! Learn about Prehistoric Britain and the lives of people from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. Find out more about the tools they used, the forts they built and the art they created. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.

This book focuses on animal laws and animal welfare in major jurisdictions in the world, including the more developed legal regimes for animal protection of the US, UK, Australia, the EU and Israel, and the regulatory regimes still developing in China, South Africa, and Brazil. It offers in-depth analyses and discussions of topical and important issues in animal laws and animal welfare, and provides a comprehensive and comparative snapshot of some of the most important countries in the world in terms of animal population and worsening animal cruelty. Among the issues discussed are international law topics that relate to animals, including the latest WTO ruling on seal products and the EU ban, the Blackfish story and US law for cetaceans, the wildlife trafficking and crimes related to Africa and China, and historical and current animal protection laws in the UK and Australia. Bringing together the disciplines of animal law and animal welfare science as well as ethics and criminology with contributions from some of the most prominent animal welfare scientists and animal law scholars in the world, the book considers the strengths and failings of existing animal protection law in different parts of the world. In doing so it draws more attention to animal protection as a moral and legal imperative and to crimes against animals as a serious crime.

Find out about the world of Vikings with these fun, interactive first non-fiction books! Learn about the Vikings in Britain, who they were and where they came from. Find out more about their longships, their gods and the jewellery they made. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.