Covering everything from the history of interpretation, to strategies and tools for effective communication, to the future of the profession, this reference guide is a vital resource for guides and interpreters in natural resource management programs. Includes tips on traditional campfire programs, high-tech audiovisual presentations, presenting to special groups and much more.
Meaningful Interpretation captures the essential philosophy and best practices of the National Park Service Interpretive Development Program (IDP). The IDP was created by hundrends of field interpreters through a series of workshops and training courses, and defines professional standards for National Park Service interpretation through a national benchmark curriculum."--pub. desc.
This book introduces a new method based on algebraic inequalities for optimising engineering systems and processes, with applications in mechanical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, reliability engineering, risk management and operational research. This book shows that the application potential of algebraic inequalities in engineering and technology is far-reaching and certainly not restricted to specifying design constraints. Algebraic inequalities can handle deep uncertainty associated with design variables and control parameters. With the method presented in this book, powerful new knowledge about systems and processes can be generated through meaningful interpretation of algebraic inequalities. This book demonstrates how the generated knowledge can be put into practice through covering the algebraic inequalities suitable for interpretation in different contexts and describing how to apply this knowledge to enhance system and process performance. Depending on the specific interpretation, knowledge, applicable to different systems from different application domains, can be generated from the same algebraic inequality. Furthermore, an important class of algebraic inequalities has been introduced that can be used for optimising systems and processes in any area of science and technology provided that the variables and the separate terms of the inequalities are additive quantities. With the presented various examples and solutions, this book will be of interest to engineers, students and researchers in the field of optimisation, engineering design, reliability engineering, risk management and operational research.
How is the Qur'an - central to all Muslim societies - to be understood today in order to meet the needs of these societies? Abdullah Saeed, a distinguished Muslim scholar, explores the interpretation of the ethico-legal content of the Qur'an, whilst taking into consideration the changing nature of the modern world. Saeed explores the current debates surrounding the interpretation of the Qur'an, and their impact on contemporary understanding of this sacred text. Discussing the text's relevance to modern issues without compromising the overall framework of the Qur'an and its core beliefs and practices, he proposes a fresh approach, which takes into account the historical and contemporary contexts of interpretation. Inspiring healthy debate, this book is essential reading for students and scholars seeking a contemporary approach to the interpretation of the Qur'anic text.
Describes what marriage should be according to the Bible, arguing that marriage is a tool to bring individuals closer to God, and provides meaningful instruction on how to have a successful marriage.
′The editors of the new SAGE Handbook of Regression Analysis and Causal Inference have assembled a wide-ranging, high-quality, and timely collection of articles on topics of central importance to quantitative social research, many written by leaders in the field. Everyone engaged in statistical analysis of social-science data will find something of interest in this book.′ - John Fox, Professor, Department of Sociology, McMaster University ′The authors do a great job in explaining the various statistical methods in a clear and simple way - focussing on fundamental understanding, interpretation of results, and practical application - yet being precise in their exposition.′ - Ben Jann, Executive Director, Institute of Sociology, University of Bern ′Best and Wolf have put together a powerful collection, especially valuable in its separate discussions of uses for both cross-sectional and panel data analysis.′ -Tom Smith, Senior Fellow, NORC, University of Chicago Edited and written by a team of leading international social scientists, this Handbook provides a comprehensive introduction to multivariate methods. The Handbook focuses on regression analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data with an emphasis on causal analysis, thereby covering a large number of different techniques including selection models, complex samples, and regression discontinuities. Each Part starts with a non-mathematical introduction to the method covered in that section, giving readers a basic knowledge of the method’s logic, scope and unique features. Next, the mathematical and statistical basis of each method is presented along with advanced aspects. Using real-world data from the European Social Survey (ESS) and the Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), the book provides a comprehensive discussion of each method’s application, making this an ideal text for PhD students and researchers embarking on their own data analysis.
"Interpreting Economic and Social Data" aims at rehabilitating the descriptive function of socio-economic statistics, bridging the gap between today's statistical theory on one hand, and econometric and mathematical models of society on the other. It does this by offering a deeper understanding of data and methods with surprising insights, the result of the author's six decades of teaching, consulting and involvement in statistical surveys. The author challenges many preconceptions about aggregation, time series, index numbers, frequency distributions, regression analysis and probability, nudging statistical theory in a different direction. "Interpreting Economic and Social Data" also links statistics with other quantitative fields like accounting and geography. This book is aimed at students and professors in business, economics demographic and social science courses, and in general, at users of socio-economic data, requiring only an acquaintance with elementary statistical theory.
Originally published in 1972, this book is an important introduction to the analytical aspects of sociology. It analyses the various strands in 20th Century sociological thought, illustrating the richness as much as the poverty of any particular approach. It explores and compares the work of Weber and Pareto on sociological analysis, stressing the vital significance of their contributions to sociological knowledge. It looks at the stimulating implications of Karl Mannheim’s thought on the sociology of knowledge and finds in Mannheim the beginnings of most of the contemporary trends in sociology. It covers the fundamental assumptions of Parsonian thought and analyses the derivative character of the ideas of Robert Merton and Reinhard Bendix, along with Dahrendorf’s notions on a re-orientation of sociology.
In this penetrating study of the concept of meaning, Gerhard Sauter shows that--contrary to popular belief--the human quest for meaning is a relatively recent development, arising only after the deconstruction of metaphysics at the end of the nineteenth century.
Chaparral shrubland ecosystems are an iconic feature of the California landscape, and a highly biodiverse yet highly flammable backdrop to some of the fastest growing urban areas in the United States. Chaparral-type ecosystems are a common element of all of the world’s Mediterranean-type climate regions – of which California is one – yet there is little public appreciation of the intrinsic value and the ecosystem services that these landscapes provide. Valuing Chaparral is a compendium of contributions from experts in chaparral ecology and management, with a focus on the human relationship with chaparral ecosystems. Chapters cover a wide variety of subjects, ranging from biodiversity to ecosystem services like water provision, erosion control, carbon sequestration and recreation; from the history of human interactions with chaparral to current education and conservation efforts; and from chaparral restoration and management to scenarios of the future under changing climate, land use, and human population. Valuing Chaparral will be of interest to resource managers, the research community, policy makers, and the public who live and work in the chaparral dominated landscapes of California and other Mediterranean-type climate regions.
