Research Books

I really enjoy the thought provoking writings in this book and would recommend it to others seeking to view another way of seeing and understanding ourselves and the world.

This is a powerful little book. It explains how our thinking becomes the law of our life and that if we are sitting around blaming God for our suffering and our challenges, we are misinformed. We must learn to change our thinking which will change our life. This isn't as easy as it sounds but it becomes doable when we understand that we are co-creators with God, and connected to the All Knowing. When I was Editor of Science of Mind magazine, and a spiritual counselor at Agape, I was so fortunate to be focusing my attention on Dr. Holmes's writings and teachings almost 24/7. The end result of all my focused positive thought did change my life and will change yours. Your life experiences must change because, as Dr. Holmes teaches, it is the Law of Attraction - like attracts like. Thinking about health, draws health. Thinking about success, draws success. But the proof is in trying this thinking for yourself. I guarantee it - even Doubting Thomas's will be convinced by this book. Elaine Maginn Sonne, Ph.D., Author of Legends of the Stones and other books on empowerment.

I read this book in a study group. It was an amazingly concise explaination of some major concepts. If you believe that God is always in us and around us, that our thoughts make our world and that we can access the power of God to co-create our universe or if you've suspected any of those things might be true, you will enjoy this book. It may even help you explain some "new thought" ideas to all those people who think you're too "woo woo"

Just the book we were looking for. A requirement for a class so had to get it in any event. Great price. Quick delivery.

Although, NO BOOK CAN SUPPLEMENT A GOOD LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TEACHER; this book does a good job explaining the content very well. There are SIX FULL-LENGTH PRACTICE EXAMS, each exam has a very thorough explanation of the questions and essays.

Looking for more critical reading problems?
A little shaky on poetry?
Need some examples of very good essays?

this this book IS FOR YOU!!

I studied with this book for several months and scored a 4 on my AP exam. It is written by people who know AP's well study past tests. It is definitely worth it.

While seemingly on a mundane and complicated subject (pharmacology and its researchers), it is an easy read for any layman and very, very interesting (especially on the topic of malaria medications and their discovery and problems)... Very interesting how hitching your star to the right person can make your career...and how pettiness and back-stabbing can be so cruel and counterproductive... A very, very good read for anyone even remotely interested in science...

How many books are there which talk about scientific mentoring? So very few. This book gives vivid portraits of how top-flight scientists pass down their "research genes" by mentoring their apprentices. This book gives the readers the inside look of the research lives of these prominent scientists and their disciples. Of course, not all things are glorious, but throughout the book, the author brought out the theme again and again that mentoring is essential to the producing of next generation of outstanding achievers.

This book should be read by every bright and ambitious graduate student and postdoc. Do you want to achieve greatness? Do you want to learn how to do great research? Attach yourself to a great scientist! Julius Axelrod, the 1970 Nobel Laureate, has a saying: "99% of the discoveries are made by 1% of the scientists." Sociologist Harriet Zuckerman reported that the single factor that most clearly differentiated Nobel laureates from outstanding but lesser scientists was training with another Nobel laureate. Thus, the importance of mentoring cannot be overstated for a young budding scientist!

This book should be read by every top scientist in the world. Your legacy lies not just in your individual achievement, but also in passing down your "research genes" to the next generation and thus greatly magnifying your legacy.

The author should be applauded for such a monumental work!

Several years ago, my former mentor circulated this book in the lab. Until quite recently, my friends still found me quoting from it while talking about scientific ideas. Now, after reading the book for many times, and studying the characteristics of great mentors around me, I conclude that it's a marvelous book. Anyone who plan to have a bright scientific career should read this book. My only dissatisfaction is the book is so old. I demand a new edition or a sequel! And, I want more examples of such lineage of excellent scientists as described in the book.Surely, it's book that I will share with my student.

Our consulting firm has successfully collaborated with Dr. Powell for years and I have seen first hand how ADP solves large scale, real world problems that would frankly be intractable by many traditional traditional operations research or optimization techniques. While consulting firms and other business jealously guard their intellectual property, it is terrific for all of us that academics are rewarded for precisely the opposite. I would highly recommend for any serious practitioner to grab a copy of this book and study it. Probably one of the best $100s you will have spent in a while.

In this book Warren nicely blends his practical experience in modeling and solving complex dynamic and stochastic problems occurring in a variety of industries (transportation, the financial sector, energy, etc) with algorithmical and theoretical aspects of approximate dynamic programming. The book can be either used as a textbook in undergraduate or graduate courses, or for practitioners to learn about recent advances in this exciting area. Indeed, I have already used it twice as a textbook for a graduate course, and on the other hand, I have recommended it to several practitioners. Without doubt, this is an important contribution in approximate dynamic programming.

I strongly recommend the book for all practitioners facing large-scale complex dynamic programs. It is also an excellent textbook.

This book represents a paradigm shift in the presentation of dynamic programming/stochastic optimization. Classical treatments of dynamic programming/neuro-dynamic programming/reinforcement learning typically assume small "action spaces," and often assume the presence of a one-step transition matrix. By contrast, authors working with decision vectors in the presence of uncertainty often turn to stochastic linear programming. But these techniques typically struggle when applied to multistage applications. It is extremely hard to solve most of these problems without taking advantage of the presence of a state variable that captures previous history.

I have adopted the notational style where S is the state of the system, and x is a decision, using the language of math programming. x may have many thousands of dimensions for some problem classes (although the book considers many classical problems where decisions are relatively simple).

The challenge that arises when x is a vector when we use dynamic programming is the expectation within the max/min operator. Bellman's equation is typically written

V(S_t) = max (C(S_t,x) + discount * E{V(S_{t+1})|S_t} )

If x is a vector, we generally need the power of math programming to solve the maximization problem. The challenge is the expectation. We avoid this using the post-decision state variable, which is the state immediately after we have made a decision, but before any time has passed (bringing new information). Denoted S^x_t, the post-decision state variable is a deterministic function of S and x. If V^x(S^x_t) is the value function around the post-decision state variable, we obtain

V(S_t) = max (C(S_t,x) + discount * V^x(S^x_t)

The book provides a number of practical examples of this, but the key is that the maximization problem is now a deterministic problem. The final step is that we have to replace V^x() with a suitably chosen approximation. If our maximization problem is a linear, nonlinear or integer programming problem, we have to choose an approximation for V^x() that allows these algorithmic tools to be used.

Very useful book. I recommend to put in practice all the strategies proposed by the authors. This book can be used for a short course or seminar for students of chemical sciences in Master or Ph. D. studies.

The newest edition of The Art of Scientific Writing is a terrific resource for scientific and other writers alike. It offers information on preparing scientific works, ie books, dissertations, journal articles and reports, in addition to providing writing techniques, offering layout and design suggestions. The authors thoroughly cover several topics to help readers develop a sense of scientific writing, including figures and tables to clarify text selections. The chapters are divided by subcategory, which makes it easy to navigate through the book to find a topic. Because there are significant new scientific developments almost daily, a chapter on collecting and citing literature is included. The authors make suggestions throughout the book, such as how to build one's own literature collection, why abstracts are pertinent to articles and dissertations, and how to correctly space formulas within a document. Chapters included are Reports, Dissertations, Journal Articles, Books, Writing Techniques, Formulas, Figures, Tables and Collecting and Citing the Literature. Appendices offer further information on Reference Formats, Selected Quantities, Units and Constants, The 20 Commandments of Electronic Manuscripts, and Conversion Tips. The Art of Scientific Writing has a complete index listing every topic in the book, which assists in finding a topic quickly. By HF Ebel, C Bliefert, WE Russey.

I got this book as a recommendation for my cell bio class in undergraduate. It has really helped me in writing successful lab reports and scientific papers on journal articles. I would highly suggest this for any science major - especially if you are interested in doing research or attending graduate school.

This book takes you throug the depths of reasoning from different angles viz. science, philosophy, spirituality, humanity and more. And the ultimate aim: how ther are just different parts of the same string. Must read !!

With this debut collection of essays, George Klein, Holocaustsurvivor and one of the world's foremost cancer researchers has joinedthe growing list of scientists willing to share their experiences in science with the general reading public. By all accounts, this is an impressive start. The essays range in content from personal anecdotes about science and scientists, travelogues, discussions on virology, genetics and cancer, misuses of science in Nazi extermination camps to reflections on death, religion and ethics. His writing is simple, unpretentious, original and a delight to read. If this gem of a collection is any indication of things to come, we are in for many such treats in the future. Read it, enjoy it, treasure it, this book is a memorable reading experience.

Not since I read Sir Peter Medawar's essays on science and scientists have I encountered such clarity in language and thought and a commitment to portray science as it is really practiced, subject to the same motivations and biases as any other human endeavor. The first section of the book, "The Wisdom and Folly of Scientists" deals with such issues. The tempo and style of Klein's writing is defined early in the book in the essay "The Emperor's New Clothes" (my favorite in this collection). In this story he explains the phenomenon of scientific "conformism", the tendency of scientists to accept or reject a new finding without critical thinking, and how this may hinder or even damage scientific research.

In the essay "Are Scientists Creative" Klein uses the biologist Sol Speigelmann's dilemma, Is my work worth anything? (Something that many scientists must have agonized over at some point) to explore the nature of scientific creativity and to contrast it with the artistic temperament.

In "Ultima Thule" he talks to the German geneticist Benno-Muller Hill about the ugly history of the eugenics movement and its culmination in the mass murder of Jews. How could this have happened? How could respectable scientists commit such unspeakable misuses of science? Were they all psychopaths? Klein discovers some surprising answers. One would have thought that after the excesses of the Second World War and our current understanding of genetics, the theory of genetic inequality would have been finally put to rest. Instead, this distasteful topic keeps surfacing every now and then. H.J Muller's 'genetic deterioration' hypothesis, our attitudes towards AIDS patients and Singapore's "race improvement" program through preferential matrimony are recent examples of such misguided thinking. Will we ever shake ourselves free of these prejudices? Klein offers no easy answers, just a warning to keep vigil.

In the section Viruses and Cancer, Klein displays his abilities to explain the difficult concepts of virology, genetics and cell biology in uncomplicated and understandable language. The essay "The Tale of the Great Cuckoo Egg" is particularly fascinating. It traces the history of cancer research, from the early days when all cancer was thought to be of viral origin to its present state of understanding. The story beautifully illustrates how 'pet theories', coincidences and pure dumb luck all played their part in some of the most important discoveries of 20th century biology, finally leading to the discovery of oncogenes, the growth regulatoy genes of the cell.

La Condition Humaine, the final section, is also the most philosophical, as Klein reflects on our will to live, our sexuality, attitudes towards death and dying and religion. 'Eternal Printemps' begins with some entertaining examples of our attitudes towards sex. Klein uses quite a few examples, from classical music to the sexual mores in Sweden, the Masai and the orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem to summarize his 'kaleidoscope of sexuality'. A section on sex as a genetic process and how it evolved as the dominant mode of reproduction in the eukaryotes, puts the preceding discussion on human sexuality in a more sobering perspective.

The last chapter 'The Atheist and the Holy City' set in Jerusalem, is his most personal writing. Here, George Klein, scientist, humanist, philosopher, attempts to reconcile his atheist beliefs in a city steeped in religion. No one can convince him of the existence of God. The scars of Auschwitz are too deep to heal. What has this century taught us? Where is mankind heading? Like Peter Medawar, Klein also believes that this century has been what it is because of science, and this conviction resonates throughout his writings.

In the end, this book is George Klein's personal journey, undertaken to make sense of some of humanities most basic constructs; religion, sexuality, ethics and morality, how they conflict with, and are sometimes better understood within the framework of modern biological thought. I suppose, anyone who has lived the life he has, will finally have something to say. As he admits in the preface," the words have welled up in me. I needed only step aside and watch them flow". Indeed they flow, in a calm, soothing, passionate and gently persuasive manner. We need to just immerse ourselves in them to experience the mind of an extraordinary scientist.

This is one of those books that I remember by where I read it as much as by what I read in it. A treacherous winter flight between Ottawa and Halifax complete with a skid upon landing and beside me an Anglican minister somewhat fixated upon the title. Now the contents, written by a `spiritual atheist' who has served the planet in his attempt at saving those imperilled by cancer, will be of interest to anyone who values life and humour. I have since read everything he has written for the layman and have wondered about the `Advances in Cancer Research Vol.#' works though I know he must contribute to those differently. _Pieta_ is, perhaps, its equal. Hopefully others may discover this writer, as I was lucky enough to have done.

If you are the parent or educator of a child with autism, this book should be required reading! Well-written and informative both the professional and the non-professional alike can learn so much from this multi-disciplinary approach to treating this difficult and heartwrenching disorder. Edited by two esteemed and experienced professionals, this book answers any questions you may have, and even questions you never would have thought to ask. I cannot more highly recommend this book!

The subtitle of this book--"From Research to Individualized Practice"--really doesn't do justice to the succinct, yet really comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the syndrome that is Autism. This book is a must, especially for parents with recently diagnosed children who need both a reality check on possibilities and hope for the future. For those parents who have been struggling for years and haven't given up, the book presents an overview of therapy interventions in very concrete and practical terms, breaking down possible interventions for both children and adolescents. The book is well researched and is highly readable.

I have worked for over twenty years with children and adolescents in private psychotherapy practice and as the director of a non profit family clinic. Working with children with a broad spectrum of Developmental Disorders is a tremenduous challenge for the family and the clinician. As the author, Robin Gabriels often states in her book, the disorder is complicated in nature and requires a multifaceted approach to treatment. Children with autism do not have one identifiable "trauma" or chemical imbalance or an interpersonally toxic environment that would make therapeutic treatment tangible and focused. Robin Gabriels has undertaken the difficult task to match a broad spectrum disorder with a broad spectrum treatment approach. As a clinician, I loved her book, since it is the best integration of seemingly contradictory clinical venues I know of. In integrating sound research data with clinical outcome and experience she has given me an excellent guideline for my own work with children with Autism Spectrum. I am very happy that I finally found a comprehensive approach that includes medication, working with the family, the school, and the therapist individually. I have recommended the book to several of my colleagues, already, which is very helpful, since here in rural Middle Georgia we have virtually no clinical training opportunities or non-profit services for children with Autism. I can wholeheartedly recommend her book to professionals and parents alike.

The field of animal behavior has continued to develop. The time appears to be gone when one person can write a book that encompasses the discipline. Robert Hinde did so in his 1970 work, Animal Behaviour. However, this work is an edited volume, with a variety of experts delving in detail into various key issues related to animal behavior. This volume wisely uses Niko Tinbergen's famous "four questions" formulation as the takeoff point. Tinbergen, a Nobel laureate, asserted that for a complete understanding of behavior, we had to answer four questions: causation, development, function, and evolution of the behavior.

The first chapter is a nice introduction to the history of the study of animal behavior (another term often used for this discipline is ethology). Some key points: the importance of studying the central nervous system of species, of being aware of behavioral ecology, and cognitive ecology .

The next section, Part I, explores mechanisms of behavior. Among subjects considered in this section: motivation (a chapter authored by Jerry Hogan), the development of behavior (Johan Bolhuis), animal cognition (Nathan Emery and Nicola Clayton). An example in more detail. . . . In the 1950s, there was debate between classical ethologists such as Konrad Lorenz (who spoke of the importance of instinct) and those who emphasized the developmental aspect of behavior (e.g., T. C. Schneirla and Dan Lehrman). Over time, these two schools came to a rapprochement. Indeed, Tinbergen began with three questions and only after the interaction with developmentalists did he add "development " as one of his questions. And with that addition, the study of animal behavior (or ethology) took a "great leap forward."

Part II considers the function and evolution of behavior. That is: What is the survival value of particular behaviors? How did those behaviors evolve? The chapters cover a set of key issues: the function of behavior (Luc-Alain Giraldeau), communication (Peter McGregor), mate choice and sexual selection (Mark Elgar), evolution of behavior (Michael Ryan), and social systems (Anne Pusey). One key chapter is Pusey's which examines the basis for social systems. Some species tend to live solitary lives, but others develop social systems as a part of their adaptive strategies. Certainly, humans are a social species. Hence, this chapter is of value in placing human evolution in a larger context. Key issues considered include why cooperation has developed among social species.

Part III concludes this volume. There are useful chapters on animal welfare and animal conservation. However, perhaps the most intriguing chapter in this section is the final one, entitled "Human Behavior as Animal Behavior" (authored by the esteemed team of Martin Daly and Margo Wilson). They consider some issues that must be considered if thinking that humans are simply one more animal species, including human culture, ethical issues in experimenting with humans, the role of human language. One the other hand, they conclude that humans are, nonetheless, products of the evolutionary process.

For those interested in animal behavior, this is a terrific place to begin to learn about the subject. I would recommend this volume most highly.

This is the textbook that the field of animal behavior has been waiting for. Because this is an edited volume, with experts in the various disciplines having written the chapters, there is no bias towards e.g. an evolutionary or mechanistic approach. There is a remarkable unity of style, despite the diverse collection of authors. The chapters are very accessible and convey an enormous enthusiasm for the study of animal behavior. This is the most comprehensive animal behavior textbook that I know, with topics ranging from neuroscience and biological rhythms to sexual selection and animal welfare. This is likely to be the leading textbook for some time to come.

With so many new animal behaviour textbooks coming onto the market, we seem
to be spoilt for choice. I really enjoyed reading this one, however. Unlike
all the other ethology textbooks that I know of, this one is edited, so you
dont just get one particular point of view. Despite this, there are no
great differences in style between the different chapters, which makes this
book very readable. On the one hand, there is some kind of historical
continuity, as the book is firmly based on Tinbergens `four whys. On the
other hand, this book has a very modern feel to it, with plenty of space
given to topics such as neuroscience, cognition, animal welfare and
conservation biology. The reference list is up to date and there is plenty
of cross-referencing within the book. Also, the book has a very useful
glossary. This is an excellent book for undergraduate animal behaviour
courses, but it is also a very good read for lecturers and researchers in
this field.

Shirley's a colleague and friend (disclaimer), but her new work via ALA is a much-needed cut-to-the-answers handbook for busy researchers, librarians, and information professionals. Kudos for the spirit of humor and yep-been-there tales that lace the solid tips and site information with her personal style and elan. I'll keep my copy right beside my autographed copy of Reva Basch's "Secrets of the Super Net Searchers." For serious Internet searching today, this is the guidebook to cyberspace.

As reference librarian at the North Dade branch of the Miami-Dade system, I have found this superior and more up to date than the mass produced guides found everywhere these days including the supermarket. Our two week old copy is already thumbworn as we keep it by our copies of the terminals for patron reference. I think we may order another one and hide for staff use only! Good job Ms. Kennedy...just keep updating the book!

As an instructor of Internet research to audiences at all levels, I appreciate the direct, no-nonsense, and humorous approach Kennedy takes. The author manages to demystify a subject that intimidates many, even some librarians, who would benefit from reading this book themselves before they check it out to their patrons.

Peter Amcotts' autobiography is the stuff of =best-selling fiction: adventure, romance, the best of times, the worstof times, betrayal, loss and finally peace. H.Rider Haggard could have written it. Or Edgar Rice Burroughs. But Amcotts wrote it himself, and it's not fiction. It's a true-life adventure that spans the globe. Amcotts, a World War II veteran, writes about life with verve and humor. He's experienced it all, from an abusive father to a British "public school" education, to the war, to love and marriage, to his experiences as an ex-pat in East Africa, Canada, Hawaii and the Middle East. Amcotts' adventures make for enjoyable reading, although his British reserve keeps him from writing as much about his feelings as one would have liked. Having met the author and his wife, and one of their daughters, it's a pleasure to see the pictures of them in by-gone days. Amcotts' descriptions of his life, especially the family's times in Kenya, are vivid. The family lived on part of a former coffee plantation that once belonged to Karen Blixen. During the Mau Mau insurgency, they went to bed with loaded pistols at their sides. Having known many American World War II veterans, I found it very interesting to read the experiences of a British soldier. Mrs.. Amcotts was also in uniform. Is a second installment of the family saga, her story, in order? Autobiography and reminiscences are genres that capture the past in the most personal of ways. The Best Laid Plans recreates part of the 20th century from the author's point of view. That personal history, and that point of view, is worth reading, and enjoying.

A review from Cliff Bowyer, the president of theBritish-American Club. =I have just finished a very interesting book, it is an Autobiography, but reads like a novel. It is a true story of adventure, travel, romance, world war, revolution, failure and success. Written by an ex-Brit, who recently moved to the Bay Area after living in many countries. It spans the years from the mid 1920s to the present day and covers four continents. The book tells the author's life as a boy growing up under the very dominant thumb of an over strict father. His years at public school, the W.W.II. Serving in the Royal Engineers in India. How he met his future wife who at the time was serving in the WRNS. The post war years in England were hard for ex-servicemen who had been subjected to life abroad. So austerity and the ever present search for adventure led the author to a new life in East Africa, at the time of the Mau Mau rebellion. You will read his journey to the New World and the many exciting travels and experiences that followed... but I could go on and on. I must admit I did get carried away with this very intriguing story. If you are someone who likes unusual Autobiographies, this is the book for you.

I find the style of the writing to be the most unique aspect of this biography. One sentence can convey a whole stream of related thoughts that could be expanded into a seperate novel, possibly fiction based on Mr. Amcotts experience that day. The episodes presented in Africa are the most intrigueing. I thought of some enlightened sreenwriter adapting a concept storyline from a single page and developing a major motion picture! Mr. Amcotts P.O.V.(Point of view) style of writing makes one wish for a slower, more colorful, pace. I find myself wanting to interupt his presentation to ask for explanations of "why" or maybe a more personal observation of the situation he has placed himself in. Retrospection is a useful teaching tool that should be used to fuller advantage for the benefit of the reader rather than the Author. But realizing that and reading between lines does provide some entertaining thoughts for the reader.