The European Union (EU) stands out as a fascinatingly unique political organisation. On the one hand, it has shown the potential for developing deep and wide-ranging cooperation between member states, going far beyond that found anywhere else in the world. On the other, it is currently in the throes of a phase of profound uncertainty about its viability and future.

Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, this Very Short Introduction covers a range of topics, inc...

How do plants, animals, and humans manage to survive and adapt to the urban environment? This book provides a comprehensive coverage of biological matters related to urban environments presenting both the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings, and practical examples required to understand and address the challenges presented by this novel environment. The Biology of Urban Environments focusses on urban denizens: species (both domesticated and non-domesticated) that live for all or part of ...

Veterinary Toxicology, Basic and Clinical Principles, Third Edition, is a unique, single reference that teaches the basic principles of veterinary toxicology to any student at the DVM, MS or PhD level. While comparable texts are primarily directed on the field of human toxicology, this text thoroughly prepares toxicologists and students on the newest approaches for diagnosing chemical and plant poisoning cases in animals. Many chapters on topics not covered in any previous books are provided,...

Light Rail Transit Systems: 61 Lessons in Sustainable Urban Development shows how to design and operate light rail to maximize its social benefits. Readers will learn how to understand the value of light rail and tactics on its effective integration into communities. It uses strong supporting evidence and theory drawn from the author's team and their extensive experience in developing new light rail systems.

The book uses numerous case studies to demonstrate how key concepts can bridge the ge...

Hidden Persuaders of Cocoa and Chocolate: A Flavor Lexicon for Cocoa and Chocolate Sensory Professionals provides an overview of the tastes, aromas and notes describing cocoa and chocolate. In addition to exploring tastes, aromas and notes, the book broadens the language for describing chocolate by relating tasting experiences to the process of pairing flavors. This resource, designed for both academics and those working in research and development, equips the reader to describe these attribu...

To the Western imagination, Tibet evokes exoticism, mysticism, and wonder: a fabled land removed from the grinding onslaught of modernity, spiritually endowed with all that the West has lost. Originally published in 1998, Prisoners of Shangri-La provided the first cultural history of the strange encounter between Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Donald Lopez reveals here fanciful misconceptions of Tibetan life and religion.

He examines, among much else, the politics of the term "Lamaism," a pej...

The Science and Practice of Manual Therapy, previously entitled The Fundamentals of Manual Therapy, is an extensive examination of how manual therapy (MT) techniques work, and how to match the most suitable techniques to different conditions. Drawing on evidence-based research, it explores the physiological, neurological and psychophysiological responses of the human body to MT techniques. A highly practical book, which provides useful clinical strategies for the treatment of common condition...

For one-semeseter sophomore- or junior-level courses in Differential Equations. Fundamentals of Differential Equations presents the basic theory of differential equations and offers a variety of modern applications in science and engineering. Also available in the version Fundamentals of Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems, these flexible texts offer the instructor many choices in syllabus design, course emphasis (theory, methodology, applications, and numerical methods), and ...

Comprehensive and clinically relevant, the 3rd Edition of Critical Care Nephrology provides authoritative coverage of the latest advances in critical care procedures for patients with renal diseases or disorders. Using common guidelines and standardized approaches to critically ill patients, this multidisciplinary reference facilitates better communication among all physicians who care for critically ill patients suffering from kidney disease, electrolyte and metabolic imbalances, poisoning, ...

What does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Almost everyone would agree that we - in the West, at least - largely do. And clearly the place of religion in our societies has changed profoundly in the last few centuries. In what will be a defining book for our time, Charles Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean - of what, precisely, happens when a society in which it is virtually impossible not to believe in God becomes one in which faith, even for the staunchest b...