High school senior, Luke Ryan, may have gone all-star in baseball the previous year, but nothing about his current life resembles that famed reputation. With Christmas break on the horizon, he resents the compulsory trip to visit his estranged father in California. Not only is he forced to abandon his mother over the holiday, but his pianist girlfriend, Andrea, also--who seems too preoccupied by her Christmas Eve charity concert to care that they'll be apart.On the way to California, he meets free-spirit Charli who spins his world in a completely different direction. Once in his old stomping grounds, he's forced to face the reality of his sister's death and his parents' divorce. Decisions assail him over his future, his girlfriend, and his home. Is he destined to move back to California to secure a baseball scholarship or does God have another plan for his life?
Dear Lord,I need Your help and sooner would be better than later. Wouldn't you know it, just as soon as I decide to attempt the 5-Day Bible Study Challenge, my parents start heaping on loads of pressure to get me into Julliard. My friend Amy isn't any better, urging me to ask Luke Ryan to homecoming. As if the cute, transfer jock would actually go out with me. I mean, we're kinda friends, and I've enjoyed our Geometry study sessions, but in case Amy hasn't noticed, I'm the invisible one at Aubrey Christian Academy, and I like it that way. On top of that, I have a feeling Luke's concealing something behind those chocolate-brown eyes of his. I know I can be self-centered and a bit melodramatic, but I really do want to seek Your will for my life. Then maybe I'll even figure out which direction points up.Sincerely,Andrea JamisonHigh School JuniorChange-o-phobic & complete neurotic
High school senior, Luke Ryan, may have gone all-star in baseball the previous year, but nothing about his current life resembles that famed reputation. With Christmas break on the horizon, he resents the compulsory trip to visit his estranged father in California. Not only is he forced to abandon his mother over the holiday, but his pianist girlfriend, Andrea, also--who seems too preoccupied by her Christmas Eve charity concert to care that they'll be apart.On the way to California, he meets free-spirit Charli who spins his world in a completely different direction. Once in his old stomping grounds, he's forced to face the reality of his sister's death and his parents' divorce. Decisions assail him over his future, his girlfriend, and his home. Is he destined to move back to California to secure a baseball scholarship or does God have another plan for his life?
Teeming with weird and wonderful life--giant clams and mussels, tubeworms, "eyeless" shrimp, and bacteria that survive on sulfur--deep-sea hot-water springs are found along rifts where sea-floor spreading occurs. The theory of plate tectonics predicted the existence of these hydrothermal vents, but they were discovered only in 1977. Since then the sites have attracted teams of scientists seeking to understand how life can thrive in what would seem to be intolerable or extreme conditions of temperature and fluid chemistry. Some suspect that these vents even hold the key to understanding the very origins of life. Here a leading expert provides the first authoritative and comprehensive account of this research in a book intended for students, professionals, and general readers. Cindy Lee Van Dover, an ecologist, brings nearly two decades of experience and a lively writing style to the text, which is further enhanced by two hundred illustrations, including photographs of vent communities taken in situ. The book begins by explaining what is known about hydrothermal systems in terms of their deep-sea environment and their geological and chemical makeup. The coverage of microbial ecology includes a chapter on symbiosis. Symbiotic relationships are further developed in a section on physiological ecology, which includes discussions of adaptations to sulfide, thermal tolerances, and sensory adaptations. Separate chapters are devoted to trophic relationships and reproductive ecology. A chapter on community dynamics reveals what has been learned about the ways in which vent communities become established and why they persist, while a chapter on evolution and biogeography examines patterns of species diversity and evolutionary relationships within chemosynthetic ecosystems. Cognate communities such as seeps and whale skeletons come under scrutiny for their ability to support microbial and invertebrate communities that are ecologically and evolutionarily related to hydrothermal faunas. The book concludes by exploring the possibility that life originated at hydrothermal vents, a hypothesis that has had tremendous impact on our ideas about the potential for life on other planets or planetary bodies in our solar system.
This book, based on a huge European and Asian research project, is a state-of-the-art examination of the theory and practice of system innovation through Product-Service System (PSS) design for sustainability from a trans-cultural viewpoint. PSS design incorporates innovative strategies that shift businesses away from simply designing and selling physical products to developing integrated systems of products and services that satisfy human needs. The book provides background, advice and tools for designers interested in sustainable PSSs and has a wealth of case studies for practitioners to digest.
Prenatal and Postnatal Care: A Woman-Centered Approach is a comprehensive resource for the care of the pregnant woman before and after birth. Ideal as a graduate text for newly-qualified adult nurses, family and women’s health practitioners, and midwives, the book can also be used as an in-depth reference for antenatal and postpartum care for those already in practice. Beginning by outlining the physiological foundations of prenatal and postnatal care, and then presenting these at an advanced practice level, the book moves on to discuss preconception and prenatal care, the management of common health problems during pregnancy, and postnatal care. Each chapter includes quick-reference definitions of relevant terminology and statistics on current trends in prenatal and postnatal care, together with cultural considerations to offer comprehensive management of individual patient needs. Written by experts in the field, Prenatal and Postnatal Care: AWoman-Centered Approach, deftly combines the physiological foundation of prenatal and postnatal care with practical application for a comprehensive, holistic approach applicable to a variety of clinical settings.
Written and edited by today's most-recognized inteventional cardiology thought leaders, this popular guide focuses on key procedures and techniques. Each strategic or tactical move is graded by complexity level and described in a simple, step-by-step approach that includes guidance on how to overcome practical difficulties and navigate particularly challenging clinical scenarios and complications. It offers interventional cardiologists, fellows in interventional cardiology, cath lab nurses and technicians; vascular surgeons and fellows, interventional radiologists: "Tips and tricks" gathered from the personal experience of over fifty international experts Clear, practical, step-by-step guidance on the latest procedures and techniques, performing challenging interventions, and managing complications and other difficult situations where evidence may be limited or inconsistent New coverage of hot topics such as percutaneous aortic valve replacement, renal artery ablation, intracranial interventions, and more
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