John Spicer - Böcker

Ecologists have always believed, at least to a certain extent, that physiological mechanisms serve to underpin ecological patterns. However, their importance has traditionally been at best underestimated and at worst ignored, with physiological variation being dismissed as either an irrelevance or as random noise/error. Spicer and Gaston make a convincing argument that the precise physiology does matter!In contrast to previous works which have attempted to integrate ecology and physiology, Physiological Diversity adopts a completely different and more controversial approach in tackling the physiology first before moving on to consider the implications for ecology. This is timely given the recent and considerable interest in the mechanisms underlying ecological patterns. Indeed, many of these mechanisms are physiological. This textbook provides a contemporary summary of physiological diversity as it occurs at different hierarchical levels (individual, population, species etc.), and the implications of such diversity for ecology and, by implication, evolution. It reviews what is known of physiological diversity and in doing so exposes the reader to all the key works in the field. It also portrays many of these studies in a completely new light, thereby serving as an agenda for, and impetus to, the future study of physiological variation. Physiological Diversity will be of relevance to senior undergraduates, postgraduates and professional researchers in the fields of ecology, ecological physiology, ecotoxicology, environmental biology and conservation. The book spans both terrestrial and marine systems.

Using the image of the traditional practice of “beating the bounds” of the parish, this book contrasts the desire to mark boundaries with God’s call to explore boundaries in order to open them. Building on visits to nine Episcopal and Church of England congregations, Spicer explores how they are opening the boundaries between inherited expressions of church and the unique contexts in which they find themselves. He argues that to beat the boundaries around their current expressions of church, congregations should (1) name a missional identity common to both their past expressions of congregational life and the church they hear God calling them to become; (2) identify whom they’re seeking to reach in the community and how they intend to do so; (3) identify what sort of new church expression God is calling them to create; (4) empower a missional leader and plan for governance issues their work may raise; and (5) collaboratively identify how to define success and how to understand what might be seen as failure in terms of common church metrics.

Our future is closely tied to that of the variety of life on Earth, and yet there is no greater threat to it than us. From population explosions and habitat destruction to climate change and mass extinctions, John Spicer explores the causes and consequences of our biodiversity crisis. In this revised and updated edition, he examines how grave the situation has become over the past decade and outlines what we must do now to protect and preserve not just nature’s wonders but the essential services that biodiversity provides for us, seemingly for nothing.

The literature on informed consent and its ethico-legal significance in clinical practice has grown rapidly in recent years. This unique book offers a practical description of the principles of informed consent and their application in daily clinical practice. Written by a team of experts in medical ethics and law, the chapters use a case-based approach to elucidate the essence of consent and highlight the ways in which individual patients and diverse situations can shape and even challenge the fundamental principles of informed consent. A range of situations in both primary and secondary care are covered and the content is arranged conceptually to help emphasise certain recurrent and related themes. An informative and rigorous yet accessible text, Informed Consent: A Primer for Clinical Practice is an essential resource for healthcare professionals working in all medical fields.

The effective delivery of primary care requires the good working of a multi-professional team who provide that care. This accessible and concise text explores the ways in which primary care teams can collaborate well to advance the quality of clinical care and enhance collaborative working across the healthcare system as a whole.Taking a workbook approach, and including examples, narratives, case histories and further reading, Collaborative Practice in Primary and Community Care brings together theory and good practice to offer the reader viable models for achieving excellence. Addressing specific challenges to practising collaboratively throughout, it contains chapters exploring the contemporary context of primary care, collaboration with patients, collaboration between different professional groups, collaboration amongst organisations, and the respective roles of education and technology in promoting collaboration.Written by a multi-professional selection of experienced authors, practitioners and educators, this textbook is designed for a wide audience of healthcare professionals with an interest in primary care.

The effective delivery of primary care requires the good working of a multi-professional team who provide that care. This accessible and concise text explores the ways in which primary care teams can collaborate well to advance the quality of clinical care and enhance collaborative working across the healthcare system as a whole.Taking a workbook approach, and including examples, narratives, case histories and further reading, Collaborative Practice in Primary and Community Care brings together theory and good practice to offer the reader viable models for achieving excellence. Addressing specific challenges to practising collaboratively throughout, it contains chapters exploring the contemporary context of primary care, collaboration with patients, collaboration between different professional groups, collaboration amongst organisations, and the respective roles of education and technology in promoting collaboration.Written by a multi-professional selection of experienced authors, practitioners and educators, this textbook is designed for a wide audience of healthcare professionals with an interest in primary care.

Making Sense of Multivariate Data Analysis is a short introduction to multivariate data analysis (MDA) for students and practitioners in the behavioral and social sciences. It provides a conceptual overview of the foundations of MDA and of a range of specific techniques including multiple regression, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, factor analysis, and log-linear analysis. As a conceptual introduction, the book assumes no prior statistical knowledge, and contains very few symbols or equations. Its primary objective is to expose the conceptual unity of MDA techniques both in their foundations and in the common analytic strategies that lie at the heart of all of the techniques. Although introductory, the book encourages the reader to reflect critically on the general strengths and limitations of MDA techniques. Each chapter includes references for further reading accessible to the beginner. This is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses across the social sciences. Practitioners who need to refresh their knowledge of MDA will also find this an invaluable resource.

Making Sense of Multivariate Data Analysis is a short introduction to multivariate data analysis (MDA) for students and practitioners in the behavioral and social sciences. It provides a conceptual overview of the foundations of MDA and of a range of specific techniques including multiple regression, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, factor analysis, and log-linear analysis. As a conceptual introduction, the book assumes no prior statistical knowledge, and contains very few symbols or equations. Its primary objective is to expose the conceptual unity of MDA techniques both in their foundations and in the common analytic strategies that lie at the heart of all of the techniques. Although introductory, the book encourages the reader to reflect critically on the general strengths and limitations of MDA techniques. Each chapter includes references for further reading accessible to the beginner. This is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses across the social sciences. Practitioners who need to refresh their knowledge of MDA will also find this an invaluable resource.

With chapters revolving around practical issues and real-world contexts, this Handbook offers much-needed insights into the ethics of primary healthcare. An international set of contributors from a broad range of areas in ethics and practice address a challenging array of topics. These range from the issues arising in primary care interactions, to working with different sources of vulnerability among patients, from contexts connected with teaching and learning, to issues in relation to justice and resources. The book is both interdisciplinary and inter-professional, including not just ‘standard’ philosophical clinical ethics but also approaches using the humanities, clinical empirical research, management theory and much else besides.This practical handbook will be an invaluable resource for anyone who is seeking a better appreciation and understanding of the ethics ‘in’, ‘of’ and ‘for’ primary healthcare. That includes clinicians and commissioners, but also policymakers and academics concerned with primary care ethics. Readers are encouraged to explore and critique the ideas discussed in the 44 chapters; whether or not readers agree with all the authors’ views, this volume aims to inform, educate and, in many cases, inspire.Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

With chapters revolving around practical issues and real-world contexts, this Handbook offers much-needed insights into the ethics of primary healthcare. An international set of contributors from a broad range of areas in ethics and practice address a challenging array of topics. These range from the issues arising in primary care interactions, to working with different sources of vulnerability among patients, from contexts connected with teaching and learning, to issues in relation to justice and resources. The book is both interdisciplinary and inter-professional, including not just ‘standard’ philosophical clinical ethics but also approaches using the humanities, clinical empirical research, management theory and much else besides.This practical handbook will be an invaluable resource for anyone who is seeking a better appreciation and understanding of the ethics ‘in’, ‘of’ and ‘for’ primary healthcare. That includes clinicians and commissioners, but also policymakers and academics concerned with primary care ethics. Readers are encouraged to explore and critique the ideas discussed in the 44 chapters; whether or not readers agree with all the authors’ views, this volume aims to inform, educate and, in many cases, inspire.Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Increasingly, primary care professionals are faced with challenges in dealing with patients who have been affected by a genetic disorder, or whose family history is of concern. A basic understanding of clinical genetics and the role of the genetics centres leads to greater confidence in the management of these patients. This book is an ideal introduction to the principles of genetics. It outlines the key influences that will affect primary care including screening programmes, the role of genetics education (such as the RCGP Genetics Curriculum) and national guidelines. It provides information on basic clinical genetics and includes some of the more common clinical genetic conditions seen in primary care, such as cystic fibrosis, breast cancer and the haemoglobinopathies. It addresses some of the key ethical issues that may be faced including patient confidentiality, the ethics of reproductive genetic medicine and relevant medico-legal cases. The wider societal impact of genetics is also discussed. An introduction to the increasing impact of genetics into primary care, this book is invaluable for every primary healthcare professional.

Biologist John Spicer shows how closely our future is linked with that of biodiversity while navigating readers through some key problems facing our planet, including mass extinctions, population explosions, habitat destruction, and pollution. Along the way, he provides valuable insight into the impact humans have had upon the earth and its inhabitants, whether efforts such as ecotourism really help, and how scientists and economists calculate the 'value' of biodiversity. Passionately argued, this book is a must for anyone who has an appreciation for nature and wants to understand the real issues at stake in preserving it.