This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although theoretical and experimental aspects as well as conservation and desertification are also considered Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection.The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation. Each of the books in the Oxford Biology of Habitats Series introduces a different habitat, and gives an integrated overview of the design, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of the organisms found there. The practical aspects of working within each habitat, the sorts of studies that are possible, and habitat biodiversity and conservation status are all explored.

Product Description: Internationalizing the Academy is the first book to offer a detailed look at efforts to bring ambitious and expanding portfolios of international programs to US campuses. Gilbert W. Merkx and Riall W. Nolan, leading figures in the burgeoning international higher education sector, provide a thorough examination of how numerous “internationalizing” efforts are being implemented and promoted on a strikingly wide range of campuses...read more

Product Description: Stuttering and Cluttering provides a clear, accessible and wide-ranging overview of both the theoretical and clinical aspects of two disorders of fluency: stuttering and cluttering. This edition remains loyal to the idea that stuttering and cluttering can best be understood by first considering various overarching frameworks which can then be expanded upon, and provides a clear position from which to disentangle the often complex inter-relationships of these frameworks...read more

Product Description: Examining a range of Coleridge's writings, this book uses recent scientific research to understand how we have evolved to make mental representations of the counterfactual, how such transformative essays in Imagination have enabled humans to survive, to prosper and to express themselves in the sciences, the arts and particularly in poetry...read more

This comparative study brings together academics and practitioners who work in the field of media and elections to provide a set of national case studies and an analysis of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are employed by nation states to ensure that the media perform according to certain standards during election periods. In setting out the legal and regulatory framework each chapter provides an account of the socio-political conditions and media environment in each of the countries and subsequently details the laws that govern the print and broadcast media during election campaign periods. The countries included are France, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A set of reflections by a Member of the European Parliament and a set of recommendations for good practice in media and elections are also included. Thus, the book is organized to provide a practical guide so that it can be used as a handbook.

Product Description: Now in paperback!   In Grassland the only hope of freedom is to go beyond the reach of sinister, silent masters, and the only family you know are your fellow captives. Coriko has never known a world beyond his cell and the fields where he toils all day...read more

The significant changes that have swept the television industry over the last two decades, most notably a shift to deregulation in broadcast media, prompt a discussion on how to ensure that meaningful content is available to the viewer. Television and Public Policy analyzes the current state of television systems in a selected group of countries by exploring the political, economic, and technological factors that have shaped the sector in such a short span of time. Consequently, by positioning the television sector within issues of media policy and the regulatory framework, the book questions what these trends mean for television, and the historical, political, and cultural role in our societies. Television and Public Policy distinguishes itself in several ways:*It is a global project in its comparative scope and subject area. Contributors represent countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.*It is contemporary and filled with information largely absent in current literature.*It offers original analysis of the contemporary television sector. This book speaks to a broad range of academics, postgraduate, and undergraduate students, and can serve as a key resource for courses ranging from media studies, to development studies, international relations, and law.

Legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998 will have a major impact on the probation service, which, at a time of increased public scrutiny, must not become marginalized in the justice debate. This work offers stimulus for critical debate at this time of change and development.

Product Description: One of the most scandalous love stories of history: a renegade monk marries a run-away nun, and in the process our understanding of love between man and woman takes on a historically new meaning. So too the love between God and people, and with it our very understanding of religion...read more

Product Description: In celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, this volume assesses the current and future mission of the large public university, which educates students, advances research, and also serves a community of citizens, organizations, and the public and private sectors beyond the bounds of the university...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)