Classical Rhetoric in the Middle Ages: The Medieval Rhetors and Their Art 400-1300, with Manuscript Survey to 1500 CE is a completely updated version of John Ward’s much-used doctoral thesis of 1972, and is the definitive treatment of this fundamental aspect of medieval and rhetorical culture. It is commonly believed that medieval writers were interested only in Christian truth, not in Graeco-Roman methods of ‘persuasion’ to whatever viewpoint the speaker / writer wanted. Dr Ward, however, investigates the content of well over one thousand medieval manuscripts and shows that medieval writers were fully conscious of and much dependent upon Graeco-Roman rhetorical methods of persuasion. The volume then demonstrates why and to what purpose this use of classical rhetoric took place.

The need to continually discover new agents for the control or treatment of invertebrate pests and pathogens is undeniable. Agriculture, both animal and plant, succeeds only to the extent that arthropod and helminth consumers, vectors and pathogens can be kept at bay. Humans and their companion animals are also plagued by invertebrate parasites. The deployment of chemical agents for these purposes inevitably elicits the selection of resistant populations of the targets of control, necessitating a regular introduction of new kinds of molecules. Experience in other areas of chemotherapy has shown that a thorough understanding of the biology of disease is an essential platform upon which to build a discovery program. Unfortunately, investment of research resources into understanding the basic physiology of invertebrates as a strategy to illuminate new molecular targets for pesticide and parasiticide discovery has been scarce, and the pace of introduction of new molecules for these indications has been slowed as a result. An exciting and so far unexploited area to explore in this regard is invertebrate neuropeptide physiology. This book was assembled to focus attention on this promising field by compiling a comprehensive review of recent research on neuropeptides in arthropods and helminths, with contributions from many of the leading laboratories working on these systems.

Managing nuclear power emergencies is significantly different from managing other types of emergencies, including fire, flood, and other disasters because nuclear disaster management requires special technical skills and a rigid protocol which outlines detailed steps and procedure before an evacuation announcement could be made. It was evident that the impacts from a nuclear power core-meltdown accident were immerse, irreversible, and inevitable, as evident by evaluating the three historic core-meltdown accidents, namely Three Mile Island in 1997, Chernobyl in 1986, and Fukushima Daiichi in 2011. The three options for minimizing the risks associated with NPPs are suggesting elimination of all NPPs in operation in the United States, transforming inevitable risks to evitable risks, and transforming the current radiological plan into an effective emergency management plan. Being the latter option is the only viable one, this book provides a comprehensive understanding on effectively managing nuclear power emergencies in the U.S. The book presents detailed analysis on effectively managing nuclear power emergencies. In an attempt to illustrate minimizing the risks, factual answers to the key questions surrounding managing nuclear disasters are outlined. What are the risks associated with the nuclear power plants (NPP)? What are the problems associated with managing nuclear power core-meltdown accidents in the three historic accidents? Where are the geographical locations of the 99 commercial reactors in the U.S? Who are those exposed to potential risks associated with the NPPs? How could a projection of radioactive plume dispersion pathway be carried out using a spatial computer code, such as the Radiological Assessment Systems for Consequence Analysis (RASCAL) in case of a core-meltdown accident? Where would the radioactive plume go given weather conditions? Who are more likely to be exposed to the high level radiation dose during the core-meltdown accident? What are the issues with the current radiological emergency plan?

This revised edition is restructured with additional text and extensive illustrations, along with developments in geotechnical literature. Among the topics included are: soil aggregates, stresses in soil mass, pore water pressure due to undrained loading, permeability and seepage, consolidation, shear strength of soils, and evaluation of soil settlement. The text presents mathematical derivations as well as numerous worked-out examples.

Only a few years ago the endocannabinoid system was unknown. Today we are aware that endocannabinoids are involved in many of the functions of the mammalian body - in neuroprotection, appetite and suckling, pain, reproduction, anxiety, memory, bone formation etc. This volume presents an up-to-date picture of some of the major fields of endocannabinoid research. It summarizes the actions of the endocannabinoids on various physiological systems and opens new therapeutic windows to a large number of diseases. The first chapter, on the use of Cannabis in India, can be viewed as an expression of thanks to the herbal practitioners, who for centuries passed on the medical traditions associated with the drug. The chapter on chemistry is a short summary of active plant, synthetic and endogenous cannabinoids being investigated today, many of which are mentioned later in the book. Cannabidiol is an unusual cannabinoid - it does not bind to the known receptors and yet exerts a variety of effects. Hence a chapter is devoted to it. Further chapters deal with the endocannabinoid system and the endocannabinoids in a variety of conditions and physiological systems. The concluding chapter describes the research done on Sativex®, a standardized plant extract, shortly to be introduced in Canada as a drug for multiple sclerosis. The intended audience is drug researchers (medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, clinicians), neuroscientists, physiologists, and clinicians interested in the effect of the endocannabinoid system in various physiological systems.