Bruce - Böcker

The claim that modern societies are less religious than their predecessors because modernity undermines the plausibility of religion has been almost an orthodoxy. But increasingly this `secularization thesis' is being challenged on a number of fronts.This collection brings together leading sociologists and historians who share a common interest in advancing our understanding of religious change by clarifying the key elements of the thesis and testing them against appropriate bodies of data.The book begins with an exposition of the thesis by two sociologists and goes on to present and interpret new data on church adherence in the nineteenth century in the USA and Europe, British church membership rates for the last two hundred years and the British 1851 census of church attendance, changes in English Roman Catholicism, and comparisons of American and European religiosity. The collection is completed with a response by Bryan Wilson, for many the chief advocate of the secularization account of religious change.Even where historians and sociologists cannot agree, Religion and Modernization has the great value of clarifying the arguments and pointing the way toward their resolution.

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Northern Ireland Troubles, Ulster's once dominant unionists are an increasingly alienated people. In this timely assessment of the prospects for peace, Steve Bruce examines the embittered world-view of two key sections of Ulster unionism: loyalist terrorists and the evangelical supporters of Ian Paisley. To get to the heart of the unionist position, he asks how they see the last twenty-five years, what they want from the future, what they think they will get, what they will accept, and what they will fight to oppose. Professor Bruce describes the Troubles as a deeply entrenched ethnic conflict. He argues that a failure to appreciate the strength of the loyalist identity has prevented a proper understanding of the Troubles, and that continued neglect of the majority makes strategies for peace pointless or counter-productive.

“… the book does an excellent job of putting together several different classes of materials. Many common points emerge, and the book may facilitate the development of hybrids in which the qualities of the “parents” are enhanced.” –Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011 With applications in optoelectronics and photonics, quantum information processing, nanotechnology and data storage, molecular materials enrich our daily lives in countless ways. These materials have properties that depend on their exact structure, the degree of order in the way the molecules are aligned and their crystalline nature. Small, delicate changes in molecular structure can totally alter the properties of the material in bulk.There has been increasing emphasis on functional metal complexes that demonstrate a wide range of physical phenomena. Molecular Materials represents the diversity of the area, encapsulating magnetic, optical and electrical properties, with chapters on: Metal-Based Quadratic Nonlinear Optical MaterialsPhysical Properties of MetallomesogensMolecular Magnetic MaterialsMolecular Inorganic Conductors and SuperconductorsMolecular NanomagnetsStructured to include a clear introduction, a discussion of the basic concepts and up-to-date coverage of key aspects, each chapter provides a detailed review which conveys the excitement of work in that field.Additional volumes in the Inorganic Materials Series:Low-Dimensional Solids | Molecular Materials | Porous Materials | Energy Materials

Given the recent expansion in materials chemistry, this book addresses several of the vigorous areas of research in this field, where inorganic materials are central to the research. Each chapter provides an introduction to the subject under discussion and then develops the field to provide a sensible overview, with certain topics being expanded. Written by an international group of researchers the nine chapters cover such important areas as inorganic superconductors, magnetic materials, biogenic inorganic materials, polymeric co-ordination compounds, liquid crystals and precursors for electronic materials.

Inorganic materials show a diverse range of important properties that are desirable for many contemporary, real-world applications. Good examples include recyclable battery cathode materials for energy storage and transport, porous solids for capture and storage of gases and molecular complexes for use in electronic devices. An understanding of the function of these materials is necessary in order to optimise their behaviour for real applications, hence the importance of 'structure–property relationships'.The chapters presented in this volume deal with recent advances in the characterisation of crystalline materials. They include some familiar diffraction methods, thoroughly updated with modern advances. Also included are techniques that can now probe details of the three-dimensional arrangements of atoms in nanocrystalline solids, allowing aspects of disorder to be studied. Small-angle scattering, a technique that is often overlooked, can probe both ordered and disordered structures of materials at longer length scales than those probed by powder diffraction methods.Addressing both physical principals and recent advances in their applications, Structure from Diffraction Methods covers:  Powder DiffractionX-Ray and Neutron Single-Crystal DiffractionPDF Analysis of NanoparticlesElectron CrystallographySmall-Angle ScatteringIdeal as a complementary reference work to other volumes in the series (Local Structural Characterisation and Multi Length-Scale Characterisation), or as an examination of the specific characterisation techniques in their own right, Structure from Diffraction Methods is a valuable addition to the Inorganic Materials Series.

Allow yourself to be gently led to a greater connection with nature. As a nature teacher you help others learn about nature, but, please, remember how important it is for you to have your own special experiences in nature. The 52 cards in the NATURE PORTALS card deck combine nature photos with uplifting words to expand your awareness of nature's gifts and bring balance and renewal into your life. Take the cards with you on a nature outing and choose one to deepen your experience. Or when you're unable to get outside, look at the photos and feel yourself immersed in the natural world. Bruce and Carol Malnor are teachers, authors and workshop presenters. They've found inspiration and joy in nature and are delighted to provide these cards with the hope that you, too, will benefit from nature's peace and beauty. 52 full col cards