Mathematics of Discrete Structures for Computer Science

In 2002, an introductory workshop was held at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley to survey some of the many directions of the commutative algebra field. Six principal speakers each gave three lectures, accompanied by a help session, describing the interaction of commutative algebra with other areas of mathematics for a broad audience of graduate students and researchers. This book is based on those lectures, together with papers from contributing researchers. David Benson and Srikanth Iyengar present an introduction to the uses and concepts of commutative algebra in the cohomology of groups. Mark Haiman considers the commutative algebra of n points in the plane. Ezra Miller presents an introduction to the Hilbert scheme of points to complement Professor Haiman's paper. Further contributors include David Eisenbud and Jessica Sidman; Melvin Hochster; Graham Leuschke; Rob Lazarsfeld and Manuel Blickle; Bernard Teissier; and Ana Bravo.

Thin-film growth is a very old art and an established scientific field in materials science. For decades, growth of monocrystal-like films has been practiced by making use of epitaxy on monocrystalline substrates. In the quest for greater control of materials, the next level of achievement will be to grow well-oriented thin films on arbitrary substrates, i.e., without the need for monocrystalline substrates. That is the goal of artificially inducing grain alignment in thin films. Texturing methods show significant promise in fabricating technologically attractive grain-aligned films. However, over the last three decades a variety of methods for grain alignment have been demonstrated with varying degrees of success. The focus of this book is on physical vapor deposition methods for growth of inorganic thin films, with special attention paid to ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) texturing. Topics include: milestones in IBAD texturing; IBAD texturing; IBAD long-length application and tex

IAU Symposium 310 takes a broad look at the complexity of planetary systems, in terms of the formation and dynamical evolution of planets, their satellites, minor bodies and space debris, as well as to the habitability of exoplanets, in order to understand and model their physical processes. The main topics covered are diverse, including: studies of the rotation of planets and satellites, including their internal structures; the long term evolution of space debris and satellites; planetary and satellite migration mechanisms; and the role of the Yarkovsky effect on the evolution of the rotating small bodies. Intended for researchers and advanced students studying complex planetary systems, IAU S310 appeals to non-specialists interested in problems such as the habitability of exoplanets, planetary migration in the early Solar System, or the determination of chaotic orbits. This volume provides a valuable insight into the state-of-the-art research in this exciting interdisciplinary field.

The violence following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia has lasted for more than a decade and continues to mark the region. This 2006 volume analyses the causes of the conflict and describes its course from the onset of war in Croatia to intervention in Kosovo. The book concentrates on four key transformations: the demise of Yugoslavia and the creation of new states; the importance of nationalist ideologies in the preparation of war and their subsequent decline in the post conflict era; the role of international actors as policy makers, implementing agencies, and arbiters; and the process of democratization and integration into European structures. With contributions from some of the world's leading scholars of the Balkans and personal accounts from journalists, diplomats, and civil servants drawing upon their own experiences of war and transition, War and Change in the Balkans provides an unparalleled insight into contemporary European history.

The violence following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia has lasted for more than a decade and continues to mark the region. This 2006 volume analyses the causes of the conflict and describes its course from the onset of war in Croatia to intervention in Kosovo. The book concentrates on four key transformations: the demise of Yugoslavia and the creation of new states; the importance of nationalist ideologies in the preparation of war and their subsequent decline in the post conflict era; the role of international actors as policy makers, implementing agencies, and arbiters; and the process of democratization and integration into European structures. With contributions from some of the world's leading scholars of the Balkans and personal accounts from journalists, diplomats, and civil servants drawing upon their own experiences of war and transition, War and Change in the Balkans provides an unparalleled insight into contemporary European history.

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment are the watchwords in stroke research, for basic neuroscientists and clinicians alike. This 2002 book, from the 22nd Princeton Conference on Cerebrovascular Disease, contains contributions from outstanding investigators on numerous topics in stroke research. The contents cover the status and future directions of stroke pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment, with special emphasis on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ischaemic cell death and repair, and clinical issues including imaging, risk factors and therapeutic strategies in stroke. Available in both print and online formats, this survey of the basic and clinical science of stroke is an essential resource for all involved in advancing knowledge of cerebrovascular disease.

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment are the watchwords in stroke research, for basic neuroscientists and clinicians alike. This 2002 book, from the 22nd Princeton Conference on Cerebrovascular Disease, contains contributions from outstanding investigators on numerous topics in stroke research. The contents cover the status and future directions of stroke pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment, with special emphasis on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ischaemic cell death and repair, and clinical issues including imaging, risk factors and therapeutic strategies in stroke. Available in both print and online formats, this survey of the basic and clinical science of stroke is an essential resource for all involved in advancing knowledge of cerebrovascular disease.

Chaotic dynamics has been hailed as the third great scientific revolution in physics this century, comparable to relativity and quantum mechanics. In this book, Peter Smith takes a cool, critical look at such claims. He cuts through the hype and rhetoric by explaining some of the basic mathematical ideas in a clear and accessible way, and by carefully discussing the methodological issues which arise. In particular, he explores the new kinds of explanation of empirical phenomena which modern dynamics can deliver. Explaining Chaos will be compulsory reading for philosophers of science and for anyone who has wondered about the conceptual foundations of chaos theory.

Modern seismology is a relatively new science; most current ideas originated no earlier than the latter half of the nineteenth century. The focus of this book is on seismological concepts, how they originated and how they form our modern understanding of the science. A history of seismology falls naturally into four periods: a largely mythological period previous to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake; a period of direct observation from then to the development of seismometers in the late 19th century; a period during which study of seismic arrival times were used to outline the structure of the earth's interior extending to the 1960s; the modern era in which all aspects of seismic waves are used in combination with trial models and computers to elucidate details of the earthquake process. This history attempts to show how modern ideas grew from simple beginnings. Ideas are rarely new, and their first presentations are often neglected until someone is able to present the evidence for their corr

Modern seismology is a relatively new science; most current ideas originated no earlier than the latter half of the nineteenth century. The focus of this book is on seismological concepts, how they originated and how they form our modern understanding of the science. A history of seismology falls naturally into four periods: a largely mythological period previous to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake; a period of direct observation from then to the development of seismometers in the late 19th century; a period during which study of seismic arrival times were used to outline the structure of the earth's interior extending to the 1960s; the modern era in which all aspects of seismic waves are used in combination with trial models and computers to elucidate details of the earthquake process. This history attempts to show how modern ideas grew from simple beginnings. Ideas are rarely new, and their first presentations are often neglected until someone is able to present the evidence for their corr

An accessible introduction to the study of language in the brain, covering language processing, language acquisition, literacy, and language disorders.Neurolinguistics, the study of language in the brain, describes the anatomical structures (networks of neurons in the brain) and physiological processes (ways for these networks to be active) that allow humans to learn and use one or more languages. It draws on neuroscience, linguistics―particularly theoretical linguistics―and other disciplines. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Giosuè Baggio offers an accessible introduction to the fundamentals of neurolinguistics, covering language processing, language acquisition, literacy, and speech and language disorders. Baggio first surveys the evolution of the field, describing discoveries by Paul Broca, Carl Wernicke, Noam Chomsky, and others. He discusses mapping language in “brain time” and “brain space” and the constraints of neurolinguistic models. Considering la

Spectral spaces are a class of topological spaces. They are a tool linking algebraic structures, in a very wide sense, with geometry. They were invented to give a functional representation of Boolean algebras and distributive lattices and subsequently gained great prominence as a consequence of Grothendieck's invention of schemes. There are more than 1,000 research articles about spectral spaces, but this is the first monograph. It provides an introduction to the subject and is a unified treatment of results scattered across the literature, filling in gaps and showing the connections between different results. The book includes new research going beyond the existing literature, answering questions that naturally arise from this comprehensive approach. The authors serve graduates by starting gently with the basics. For experts, they lead them to the frontiers of current research, making this book a valuable reference source.

Brain and behaviour are intrinsically linked. Animals demonstrate a huge and complex repertoire of behaviours, so how can specific behaviours be mapped onto the complicated neural circuits of the brain? Highlighting the extraordinary advances that have been made in the field of behavioural neuroscience over recent decades, this book examines how behaviours can be understood in terms of their neural mechanisms. Each chapter outlines the components of a particular behaviour, discussing laboratory techniques, the key brain structures involved, and the underpinning cellular and molecular mechanisms. Commins covers a range of topics including learning in a simple invertebrate, fear conditioning, taste aversion, sound localization, and echolocation in bats, as well as more complex behaviours, such as language development, spatial navigation and circadian rhythms. Demonstrating key processes through clear, step-by-step explanations and numerous illustrations, this will be valuable reading for

Brain and behaviour are intrinsically linked. Animals demonstrate a huge and complex repertoire of behaviours, so how can specific behaviours be mapped onto the complicated neural circuits of the brain? Highlighting the extraordinary advances that have been made in the field of behavioural neuroscience over recent decades, this book examines how behaviours can be understood in terms of their neural mechanisms. Each chapter outlines the components of a particular behaviour, discussing laboratory techniques, the key brain structures involved, and the underpinning cellular and molecular mechanisms. Commins covers a range of topics including learning in a simple invertebrate, fear conditioning, taste aversion, sound localization, and echolocation in bats, as well as more complex behaviours, such as language development, spatial navigation and circadian rhythms. Demonstrating key processes through clear, step-by-step explanations and numerous illustrations, this will be valuable reading for

Educated at Palermo, Rome and Heidelberg, the classical and economic historian Karl Julius Beloch (1845–1929) lived most of his life in Italy, becoming a professor extraordinarius of ancient history at the University of Rome in 1879. German scholars, notably Theodor Mommsen, criticised Beloch's work for his scepticism towards traditional material and his more subjective approach. In addition to important work on ancient demography, he produced this controversial yet influential opus, revised and published in four volumes between 1912 and 1927, in which he questions conventional views on Greek history. Each volume in its first part outlines historical events and in the second part goes into greater detail, emphasising Beloch's unique perspective. The second part of Volume 3 assesses the reigns of certain rulers and kings, and also evaluates social structures, in the time before Alexander the Great's conquest of Asia.

Nonlinear stress analysis (a branch of solid mechanics) is an essential feature in the design of such diverse structures as aircraft, bridges, machines, and dams. Computational techniques have become vital tools in dealing with the complex, time-consuming problems associated with nonlinear stress analysis. Although finite element techniques are widely used, boundary element methods (BEM) offer a powerful alternative, especially in tackling problems of three-dimensional plasticity. This 2002 book describes the application of BEM in solid mechanics, beginning with basic theory and then explaining the numerical implementation of BEM in nonlinear stress analysis. The authors have also developed a BEM source code for use by the reader, which is available on the book's companion website. This book will be especially useful to stress analysts in industry, research workers in the field of computational plasticity, and postgraduate students taking courses in engineering mechanics.

Health professionals are increasingly drawn towards research in the course of their training, often with little guidance on the skills and techniques required. This practical text provides essential advice to guide the beginner through the processes involved in selecting, organizing, funding, undertaking, evaluating and publishing a biomedical research project, and completing a postgraduate qualification. Cartoon illustrations provide a wry commentary on the ups and downs of life in research. This edition contains new content on choosing supervisors, career implications, degree structures, ethical issues and time conflicts between research and service needs, and is fully revised and updated to reflect changes in the structure of medical careers and degree courses, and the use of computational and information technology in research presentation. An invaluable guide suitable for all stages of a medical research career, from the first stages of research, through to professional supervisor

This book was originally published in 2002. Elastic proteins occur in a wide range of biological systems where they have evolved to fulfil precise biological roles. The best known include proteins in vertebrate muscles and connective tissues, such as titin, elastin and fibrillin, and spider silks. However, other examples include byssus and abductin from bivalve molluscs, resilin from arthropods and gluten from wheat. Interest in elastomeric proteins has been high for several reasons. Firstly, their biological and medical significance, particularly in human disease. Secondly, the unusual properties of proteins such as spider silks provide opportunities to develop materials. Thirdly, the development of scanning probe microscopy makes it possible to study structures and biomechanical properties of these proteins at the single molecule level. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the various aspects of elastomeric proteins.

The advent of semiconductor structures whose characteristic dimensions are smaller than the mean free path of carriers has led to the development of novel devices, and advances in theoretical understanding of mesoscopic systems or nanostructures. This book has been thoroughly revised and provides a much-needed update on the very latest experimental research into mesoscopic devices and develops a detailed theoretical framework for understanding their behaviour. Beginning with the key observable phenomena in nanostructures, the authors describe quantum confined systems, transmission in nanostructures, quantum dots, and single electron phenomena. Separate chapters are devoted to interference in diffusive transport, temperature decay of fluctuations, and non-equilibrium transport and nanodevices. Throughout the book, the authors interweave experimental results with the appropriate theoretical formalism. The book will be of great interest to graduate students taking courses in mesoscopic ph

Bringing together the key ideas from nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and powerful methodology from quantum field theory, this book captures the essence of nonequilibrium quantum field theory. Beginning with the foundational aspects of the theory, the book presents important concepts and useful techniques, discusses issues of basic interest, and shows how thermal field, linear response, kinetic theories and hydrodynamics emerge. It also illustrates how these concepts and methodology are applied to current research topics including nonequilibrium phase transitions, thermalization in relativistic heavy ion collisions, the nonequilibrium dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensation, and the generation of structures from quantum fluctuations in the early Universe. Divided into five parts, with each part addressing a particular stage in the conceptual and technical development of the subject, this self-contained book is a valuable reference for graduate students and researchers in particle p

Land tenure arrangements are intimately linked with the organization of society, the economy, political structures and geography. In the South Pacific Islands the majority of land is held by community groups under 'customary' or 'traditional' forms of tenure. This book argues that land formerly held in common is now often controlled and used exclusively by individuals or nuclear families - it is being privatized. Detailed case studies demonstrate these trends in Western Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji. Parallels are noted from Asia, Europe and Africa, where comparable forces of commercialization, individualization and socio-political change have brought comparable results. The denial of these trends by policy makers in the region reflects an interest in maintaining the image of traditionalism and its associated status and power. The divergence between rhetoric and reality creates dilemmas for many Pacific Islanders and their leaders.

How can women maximise their political influence? Does state feminism enhance the political representation of women? Should feminism be established in state institutions to treat women's concerns? Written by experts in the field, this 2005 book uses an innovative model of political influence to construct answers to these and other questions in the long-running debate over the political representation of women. The book assesses how states respond to women's demands for political representation both in terms of their inclusion as actors and the consideration of their interests in the decision making process. Debates on the issue vary from country to country, depending on institutional structures, women's movements and other factors, and this book offered the first comparative account of the subject. The authors analyse eleven democracies in Europe and North America and present comprehensive research from the 1960s to the present.

How can women maximise their political influence? Does state feminism enhance the political representation of women? Should feminism be established in state institutions to treat women's concerns? Written by experts in the field, this 2005 book uses an innovative model of political influence to construct answers to these and other questions in the long-running debate over the political representation of women. The book assesses how states respond to women's demands for political representation both in terms of their inclusion as actors and the consideration of their interests in the decision making process. Debates on the issue vary from country to country, depending on institutional structures, women's movements and other factors, and this book offered the first comparative account of the subject. The authors analyse eleven democracies in Europe and North America and present comprehensive research from the 1960s to the present.

This book was originally published in 2002. Elastic proteins occur in a wide range of biological systems where they have evolved to fulfil precise biological roles. The best known include proteins in vertebrate muscles and connective tissues, such as titin, elastin and fibrillin, and spider silks. However, other examples include byssus and abductin from bivalve molluscs, resilin from arthropods and gluten from wheat. Interest in elastomeric proteins has been high for several reasons. Firstly, their biological and medical significance, particularly in human disease. Secondly, the unusual properties of proteins such as spider silks provide opportunities to develop materials. Thirdly, the development of scanning probe microscopy makes it possible to study structures and biomechanical properties of these proteins at the single molecule level. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the various aspects of elastomeric proteins.

Many commentators have assumed a close connection between liberal democracy and economic development. In this book, Sylvia Chan questions this assumption and suggests a new theoretical framework, in which liberal democracy is 'decomposed' into economic, civil and political dimensions that can be combined in different ways, allowing for a range of 'institutional matrices'. She then shows, in a case study of Japan and the Asian newly industrialising countries, how these seemingly less democratic countries have enjoyed a unique mix of economic, civil and political liberties which have encouraged economic development, without the need to share the institutional structures and cultural values of the West. Chan's model therefore provides a re-evaluation of the institutional capacities needed to sustain a competitive economy in a globalising world, and develops a more sophisticated understanding of the democracy-development connection.

With a clear application focus, this book explores optoelectronic device design and modeling through physics models and systematic numerical analysis. By obtaining solutions directly from the physics-based governing equations through numerical techniques, the author shows how to develop new devices and how to enhance the performance of existing devices. Semiconductor-based optoelectronic devices such as semiconductor laser diodes, electroabsorption modulators, semiconductor optical amplifiers, superluminescent light emitting diodes and their integrations are all covered. Including step-by-step practical design and simulation examples together with detailed numerical algorithms, this book provides researchers, device designers and graduate students in optoelectronics with the numerical techniques to obtain solutions for their own structures.

Plato's Timaeus is one of the most influential and challenging works of ancient philosophy to have come down to us. Sarah Broadie's rich and compelling study proposes new interpretations of major elements of the Timaeus, including the separate Demiurge, the cosmic 'beginning', the 'second mixing', the Receptacle and the Atlantis story. Broadie shows how Plato deploys the mythic themes of the Timaeus to convey fundamental philosophical insights and examines the profoundly differing methods of interpretation which have been brought to bear on the work. Her book is for everyone interested in Ancient Greek philosophy, cosmology and mythology, whether classicists, philosophers, historians of ideas or historians of science. It offers new findings to scholars familiar with the material, but it is also a clear and reliable resource for anyone coming to it for the first time.

Plato's Timaeus is one of the most influential and challenging works of ancient philosophy to have come down to us. Sarah Broadie's rich and compelling study proposes new interpretations of major elements of the Timaeus, including the separate Demiurge, the cosmic 'beginning', the 'second mixing', the Receptacle and the Atlantis story. Broadie shows how Plato deploys the mythic themes of the Timaeus to convey fundamental philosophical insights and examines the profoundly differing methods of interpretation which have been brought to bear on the work. Her book is for everyone interested in Ancient Greek philosophy, cosmology and mythology, whether classicists, philosophers, historians of ideas or historians of science. It offers new findings to scholars familiar with the material, but it is also a clear and reliable resource for anyone coming to it for the first time.

Fluxes of trace gases, water and energy - the 'breathing of the biosphere' - are controlled by a large number of interacting physical, chemical, biological and ecological processes. In this interdisciplinary book, the authors provide the tools to understand and quantitatively analyse fluxes of energy, organic compounds such as terpenes, and trace gases including carbon dioxide, water vapour and methane. It first introduces the fundamental principles affecting the supply and demand for trace gas exchange at the leaf and soil scales: thermodynamics, diffusion, turbulence and physiology. It then builds on these principles to model the exchange of water, carbon dioxide, terpenes and stable isotopes at the ecosystem scale. Detailed mathematical derivations of commonly used relations in biosphere-atmosphere interactions are provided for reference in appendices. An accessible introduction for graduate students and a key resource for researchers in related fields, such as atmospheric science,

In this book, distinguished scholars Philip A. Rea, Mark V. Pauly, and Lawton R. Burns explore the science and management behind marketable biomedical innovations. They look at how the science actually played out through the interplay of personalities, the cultures within and between academic and corporate entities, and the significance of serendipity not as a mysterious phenomenon but one intrinsic to the successes and failures of the experimental approach. With newly aggregated data and case studies, they consider the fundamental economic underpinnings of investor-driven discovery management, not as an obstacle or deficiency as its critics would contend or as something beyond reproach as some of its proponents might claim, but as the only means by which scientists and managers can navigate the unknowable to discover new products and decide how to sell them so as to maximize the likelihood of establishing a sustainable pipeline for still more marketable biomedical innovations.

In this book, distinguished scholars Philip A. Rea, Mark V. Pauly, and Lawton R. Burns explore the science and management behind marketable biomedical innovations. They look at how the science actually played out through the interplay of personalities, the cultures within and between academic and corporate entities, and the significance of serendipity not as a mysterious phenomenon but one intrinsic to the successes and failures of the experimental approach. With newly aggregated data and case studies, they consider the fundamental economic underpinnings of investor-driven discovery management, not as an obstacle or deficiency as its critics would contend or as something beyond reproach as some of its proponents might claim, but as the only means by which scientists and managers can navigate the unknowable to discover new products and decide how to sell them so as to maximize the likelihood of establishing a sustainable pipeline for still more marketable biomedical innovations.

First published in 1941, this book contains the substance of the Linacre Lecture for that year, delivered by Sir Walter Langdon-Brown at St John's College, Cambridge. It presents a concise account regarding 'the origin of witchcraft from primitive religion and the part it played in the evolution of remedies through the magical phase to empirical success aided by laboratory investigation'. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of science and the development of medicine.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. Plant-Animals by Frederick Keeble was first published in 1910. The volume presents an account of the nature and behaviour of Convoluta roscoffensis and Convoluta paradoxa, two types of marine worm.

Gottlieb Schumacher (1857–1925) was an American-born German civil engineer, architect and archaeologist who was influential in the early archaeological explorations of Palestine. His parents were members of the Temple Association, a Protestant group who emigrated to Haifa in 1869. After studying engineering in Stuttgart between 1876 and 1881, Schumacher returned to Haifa and soon assumed a leading role in surveying and construction in the region. This volume contains the results of the first detailed survey of the ancient city of Pella, conducted by Schumacher for the Palestine Exploration Fund, and published by the Fund in 1888. During the Roman era Pella was one of the cities of the Decapolis, a group of Hellenistic cities which were centres of Greek and Roman culture. Schumacher describes the site of Pella, its extant structures and its surrounding ruins as they appeared at the time of publication.

This book represents a comprehensive examination of interest-group politics in France. Rather than the narrow case studies usually employed to study group politics, the book focuses on the overall pattern of interaction between interest groups and government. Drawing upon extensive interviews with French interest-group leaders and politicians, Wilson examines the structures and methods of group politics, the perspectives and attitudes of group leaders, and the place of interest groups in the broader pattern of French politics. He concludes that neither of the two major conceptualizations of interest-group/government relations is adequate to explain group politics in France. He suggests that the French state is much more powerful than recognized by these or other models of interest-group politics. Political influence is difficult for groups to develop and, once achieved, is fleeting. Consequently, groups engage in a wide range of activities, some of which are pluralist, others corporati

Over the past century astronomers have discovered huge numbers of galaxies within our Universe by detecting the light from the stars they are made of. Now some astronomers believe that there are many other undetected galaxies that do not contain stars. IAU Symposium 244 saw heated debates surrounding the existence of these Dark Galaxies, discussing what a Dark Galaxy is and whether detections satisfy requirements for what one might be. Other contributions describe candidate Dark Galaxies, the baryon content of the Universe, and the discovery of the warm inter-galactic medium and low luminosity galaxies. Highlights include state-of-the-art observations of atomic hydrogen in the Universe that may be used to find Dark Galaxies, how gravitational lensing may be used to map the distribution of matter and inferences of dark structures, and the role of low luminosity galaxies in the formation of larger galaxies.

European cities are at the centre of social, political and economic changes in Western Europe. This book proposes a new research agenda in urban sociology and politics applying primarily to European cities, in particular those that together make up the urban structure of Europe: a fabric of older cities of over 100,000 inhabitants, regional capitals and smaller state capitals. The contributors develop an analytical framework which views cities as local societies, and as collective factors and site for modes of governance. The three parts of the book examine the economics of cities, the social structures, and the modes and processes of governance. Each chapter comprises a comparison across several countries and examines critically the book's central theoretical perspective. This is not a book about the making of a Europe of cities but rather about how some cities can take advantage of their changing global and European environment.

This book represents a comprehensive examination of interest-group politics in France. Rather than the narrow case studies usually employed to study group politics, the book focuses on the overall pattern of interaction between interest groups and government. Drawing upon extensive interviews with French interest-group leaders and politicians, Wilson examines the structures and methods of group politics, the perspectives and attitudes of group leaders, and the place of interest groups in the broader pattern of French politics. He concludes that neither of the two major conceptualizations of interest-group/government relations is adequate to explain group politics in France. He suggests that the French state is much more powerful than recognized by these or other models of interest-group politics. Political influence is difficult for groups to develop and, once achieved, is fleeting. Consequently, groups engage in a wide range of activities, some of which are pluralist, others corporati

For over twenty years, Claude Meillassoux has been concerned with the study of the different modes of production which existed in Africa prior to colonisation, and the ways in which they responded to colonisation. In this book Professor Meillassoux draws both on his extensive fieldwork in Africa and on the anthropological literature to provide a detailed theoretical analysis of the self-sustaining agricultural community and its articulation with capitalism through the process of colonisation. Using evidence from the usually separated disciplines of ethnology and economics, he explores the major contradiction created by the persistence within the heart of capitalism of the self-sustaining domestic community as a means of reproduction of labour power, and shows that in fact there is a logical connection between the kinship structures which control reproduction in such communities and the forms of exploitation of workers from groups dominated by imperialism. This book offers the elements

Ethical Problems and Genetics Practice provides a rich, case-based account of the ethical issues arising in the genetics clinic and laboratory. By analysing a wide range of evocative and often arresting cases from practice, Michael Parker provides a compelling insight into the complex moral world of the contemporary genetics professional and the challenges they face in the care of patients and their families. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the ethical issues arising in everyday genetics practice. Ethical Problems and Genetics Practice is also a sustained engagement with the relationships between bioethics and social science. In proposing and exemplifying a new approach to bioethics, it makes a significant contribution to debates on methods and interdisciplinarity and will therefore also appeal to all those concerned with theoretical and methodological approaches to bioethics and social science.