I have read a number of books and articles on asthma. This is by far the most comprehensive, up to date and it is easy to understand, too. I checked a copy from my library but it is so good that I am going to purchase it for my personal reference library as well as my child's school nurse. This book even has short section explaining cough-variant asthma, which is what both me and my son have...this is a little known type of asthma which in my case was mis-diagnosed for 35 years.

Read Plaut's book shortly after my oldest son had his first asthma attack which nearly resulted in respiratory failure. Plaut's book is by far my best single source for useful information about causes, prevention and treatment. I consult it regularly and highly recommend it for anyone with or concerned about asthma. It was a lifesaver in my family!!!

I'm a medical librarian/information specialist and I know that there are 'other resources,' but this 'Asthma Guide' should be your first choice because it provides all one needs to understand and manage asthma! I've had asthma for 25 years! And after all this time and treatment, I am reading Dr. Plaut's Asthma Guide, wishing I had this comprehensive resource sooner! After reading only a few chapters, I've already learned so much more to help me and others like me. Thank you Dr. Plaut!

This book was an amazing read and absolute must for any psychologyst trying to better thier understanding of the APA's Ethic's guidelines. Enjoy!

Professor Jones, renowned author of numerous scientific papers on this topic and the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Electrostatics, presents us with the monograph on the interaction of the electric or magnetic field with non-charged small, but nevertheless macroscopic particles. The force or torque exerted on particles by the field can result in migratory movement in a non-homogeneous field (dielectrophoresis), rotation of particles in a rotating electric field, orientational change of non-spherical particles, and formation of aggregates of particles known as pearl chains. The tome is a collection of important results in this field, many of them are direct results of Professor Jones and his coworkers.

Throughout the book, only classical electrostatics and magnetostatics are employed, i.e. particles are modelled as bodies and shells with given (complex) dielectric permittivity (magnetic permeability in the magnetostatic case), immersed in a homogeneous medium with different electric (or magnetic) properties. This is not a particular drawback, since there is an abundance of literature catering for readers interested in mezzoscopic phenomena.

It is clear that Professor Jones' intention was to make the book accessible not only to physicists, but first and foremost to the intended audience of engineers and scienctists from different branches of science. Thus, for instance, Chapter 2 introduces the effective moment model, which is used throughout the book rather than mathematically more complex the Maxwell tensor formalism. Even though the book is a scientific monograph, mathematics used as a rule does not exceed the standard repertoire of any textbook on electromagnetism, such as multipolar expansion. In addition, experimental scientists will probably appreciate numerous results presented as simple formulas, suitable for comparing with experimentally obtained values.

Investigation of the interaction of electric and magnetic field with particles is gaining importance, in particular in biotechnology. As standard textbooks on electromagnetism rarely proceed beyond Clausius-Mossotti law, it is difficult for someone new to this field to find where to start. This monograph could therefore serve as a valuable introduction and reference to this field for a working researcher or a graduate student.

I don't know what else to say it was the most helpful book I have ever read. I can go outside now without having any problems...BreatheFree.com helped me so much please feel free to contact me and I'll tell you all about this wonderful book...thank you once again...

This book is about changing teaching strategies in the classroom. The authors advocate using an "active learning" system in the classroom and believe this approach is more successful and is needed in the 21st Century classroom.

The authors took two years to finish their work. By their own admission, the authors stated their work drew heavily on the work of others. They structured the book in three parts with ten chapters.

The first part of the book focuses on defining active learning and making the case for this teaching strategy. They discuss the "empty vessel" theory of education and the evolution of the fifty-minute lecture. In order to clarify for the reader the "empty vessel" theory of education, the authors briefly explain how Socrates nurtured some of the prominent roots of Western education as he questioned, prodded, and cajoled those who came to learn from him. "Consistent with Plato's view of reality, Socrate's dialogues tried to bring forth from his followers a truth he believed they already possessed." However, this theory of learning ultimately was put aside in Europe and the United States, in part as the result of the industrial revolution. At this point in history, professors no longer saw their role as Socratic midwives, laboring to bring forth knowledge from their students. They adopted a different approach of delivering knowledge directly to the uninitiated. Today, researchers on teaching and learning remind us that students don't come to class as "empty vessels". On contrary, students arrive in class with experiences of successes and failures that can add value to a class. In part one the authors also discuss what is active learning and how it works. They state there is no generally agreed-upon definition of active learning and propose a working definition that they hope will clarify for the reader their assumptions of what active learning is. They explore the four elements of what they believe active learning is and defined them as talking and listening, writing, reading and reflecting. According to authors, these four elements are the building blocks for active learning strategies because each element, in its own way, involves a different type of thinking and helps students create a new mental structure. Part one concludes with a chapter on creating an active learning environment. This chapter focuses on coping with teaching space and explores in detail the different seating arrangements or designs of classrooms that support effective active learning environments.

Part two of the book explores in detail the different strategies and techniques used in active learning. The authors discuss informal small groups, cooperative student projects and simulations. Each of these strategies brings value to a class but they can also bring problems if the basics of these strategies are not comprehended.

In part three the authors discuss integrating reading materials and guest speakers in an active learning environment. They also focus on using technology effectively. I believe the chapter on technology summarizes the changes teachers need to bring to the classroom for effective and efficient teaching in the 21st Century. They conclude that in an active learning environment, teachers will not be the center of attention and that teachers should not be afraid of giving up this power. Instead they should work to instruct in such a way that it empowers students to learn from each other.

RDL 6/27/99