This rigourous and self-contained book describes mathematicaland, in particular, stochastic methods to assess the performance ofnetworked systems. It consists of three parts. The first part is areview on probability theory. Part two covers the classical theoryof stochastic processes (Poisson, renewal, Markov and queuingtheory), which are considered to be the basic building blocks forperformance evaluation studies. Part three focuses on therelatively new field of the physics of networks. This part dealswith the recently obtained insights that many very different largecomplex networks - such as the Internet, World Wide Web, proteins,utility infrastructures, social networks - evolve and behaveaccording to more general common scaling laws. This understandingis useful when assessing the end-to-end quality of communicationsservices, for example, in Internet telephony, real-time video andinteracting games. Containing problems and solutions, this book isideal for graduate students taking courses in performanceanalys

Available for the first time in paperback, The Quantum Theory ofFields is a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-dateintroduction to quantum field theory from Nobel Laureate StevenWeinberg. The first volume introduces the foundations of quantumfield theory, the second volume examines modern applications, andfinally, the third volume presents supersymmetry, an area oftheoretical physics likely to be at the center of progress in thephysics of elementary particles and gravitation. The development isfresh and logical throughout, with each step carefully motivated bywhat has preceded. The presentation of modern mathematical methodsis interwoven with accounts of applications in both elementaryparticle and condensed matter physics. The three volumes containmuch original material, and are enhanced with examples and insightsdrawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementaryparticle research. Hb ISBN (1995) Vol.1 0-521-55001-7 Hb ISBN(1996) Vol.2 0-521-55002-5 Hb ISBN (1996) Vols. 1 and 2 Set0-521-58555-

We may know that Einstein was the epitome of genius, but howmany of us know what his theory really means, and what itsrealistic implications are? Einstein and Relativity presents adistillation of Einstein's life and work within their historicaland scientific contexts; and offers a truly accessible explanationof the concept that shaped the twentieth century. Just a few of thebig ideas covered here are Einstein's discovery that light is botha particle and a wave; how Einstein proved the existence ofmolecules; why there is no such thing as real time; and howEinstein's brilliance led to his worst nightmare - the atombomb.

Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm ofthe senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica anda professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kissesand tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planetEarth. "Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possiblefeeling of the worlds the senses take in."--The New York Times.(Literature--Classics Contemporary)

The multidisciplinary field of quantum computing strives toexploit some of the uncanny aspects of quantum mechanics to expandour computational horizons. Quantum Computing for ComputerScientists takes readers on a tour of this fascinating area ofcutting-edge research. Written in an accessible yet rigorousfashion, this book employs ideas and techniques familiar to everystudent of computer science. The reader is not expected to have anyadvanced mathematics or physics background. After presenting thenecessary prerequisites, the material is organized to look atdifferent aspects of quantum computing from the specific standpointof computer science. There are chapters on computer architecture,algorithms, programming languages, theoretical computer science,cryptography, information theory, and hardware. The text hasstep-by-step examples, more than two hundred exercises withsolutions, and programming drills that bring the ideas of quantumcomputing alive for today's computer science students andresearchers.

Research clearly indicates that ethnic groups differsignificantly on levels of mental and physical health, antisocialbehavior, and educational attainment. This book explains thesevariations among ethnic groups with respect to their psychologicaland social functioning and tests competing hypotheses about themechanisms that might cause the functioning to be better, worse, ordifferent in pattern from other groups. Attention is paid toeducational attainments, antisocial behavior, schizophrenia andsuicide, and to the complex and changing patterns of ethnicidentity. The book also focuses on evidence on risk and protectivefactors that is used systematically to ask whether such factorsmight account for the differences in both migration histories andethnic mixture. It concludes with a discussion of the multiplemeanings of ethnicity, the major variations among ethnic groups,and the policy implications of the findings discussed in thebook.

In Electric Universe , David Bodanis weaves tales ofromance, divine inspiration, and fraud through a lucid account ofthe invisible force that permeates our universe. In these pages thevirtuoso scientists who plumbed the secrets of electricity comevividly to life, including familiar giants like Thomas Edison; thevisionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices ofthe British class system; and Samuel Morse, a painter who, beforeinventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York on a platform ofpersecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of amarvelous thinking machine—what we know as the computer—was metwith indifference, and who ended his life in despair after Britishauthorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to “cure”his homosexuality. From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburgduring a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery by amaster science writer.

Anthrax. Smallpox. Incurable and horrifying Ebola-relatedfevers. For two decades, while a fearful world prepared for nuclearwinter, an elite team of Russian bioweaponeers began to till a newkilling field: a bleak tract sown with powerful seeds of massdestruction--by doctors who had committed themselves to creating abiological Armageddon. Biohazard is the never-before-told story ofRussia's darkest, deadliest, and most closely guarded Cold Warsecret. No one knows more about Russia's astounding experiments withbiowarfare than Ken Alibek. Now the mastermind behind Russia's germwarfare effort reveals two decades of shocking breakthroughs...howMoscow's leading scientists actually reengineered hazardousmicrobes to make them even more virulent...the secrets behind thediscovery of an invisible, untraceable new class of biologicalagents just right for use in political assassinations...thestartling story behind Russia's attempt to turn a sample of theAIDS virus into the ultimate bioweapon. And in a chilling

A riveting tale of the battle over genetically engineeredfoods, and an inside look at a biotech food empire. Ultimately astory of idealism, and conflicting dreams about the shape of abetter world. Softcover.

This textbook is aimed at newcomers to nonlinear dynamics andchaos, especially students taking a first course in the subject.The presentation stresses analytical methods, concrete examples andgeometric intuition. The theory is developed systematically,starting with first-order differential equations and theirbifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles andtheir bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations,chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals,and strange attractors. A unique feature of the book is itsemphasis on applications. These include mechanical vibrations,lasers, biological rhythms, superconducting circuits, insectoutbreaks, chemical oscillators, genetic control systems, chaoticwaterwheels, and even a technique for using chaos to send secretmessages. In each case, the scientific background is explained atan elementary level and closely integrated with the mathematicaltheory. Richly illustrated, and with many exercises and workedexamples, this