In this book the process of decoherence is reviewed from both the theoretical and the experimental physicist's point of view. Implications of this important concept for fundamental problems of quantum theory and for chemistry and biology are also given. This broad review of decoherence addresses researchers and graduate students. It could also be used in seminar work.

Considered to be the most autobiographical of all Dickens's novels Cast out by his cruel stepfather to the brutal boarding school Salem House, young David Copperfield quickly learns that he must fight for a better life. After discovering his mother has died while he has been away, David is left all alone in the world and is sent to work in his stepfather's factory. He decides his only option is to run away, so he escapes London and finds his way to Dover. Once there he hopes to be taken in by his only known relative, his eccentric Aunt Betsy Trotwood--but will he ever be able to find the love and security he needs?

Science and adventure are electrifying accomplices in Jules Verne's classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This epic and enduring tale anticipates not just wonders such as electric light and submarine navigation, but the obsession with technology and travel that today so shapes our lives. It is Verne's inspired foresight, combined with his extraordinary talent for storytelling, that continue to make this novel such a compelling read. The excitement this adventure caused around the world when it was first published 150 years ago can still be very easily imagined indeed in the twenty-first century. This modern translation by F. P. Walter restores the cuts and omits the bowdlerization made in the original English version.

This book is based upon lecture notes developed by Jack Kiefer for a course in statistical inference he taught at Cornell University. The notes were distributed to the class in lieu of a textbook, and the problems were used for homework assignments. Relying only on modest prerequisites of probability theory and cal culus, Kiefer's approach to a first course in statistics is to present the central ideas of the modem mathematical theory with a minimum of fuss and formality. He is able to do this by using a rich mixture of examples, pictures, and math ematical derivations to complement a clear and logical discussion of the important ideas in plain English. The straightforwardness of Kiefer's presentation is remarkable in view of the sophistication and depth of his examination of the major theme: How should an intelligent person formulate a statistical problem and choose a statistical procedure to apply to it? Kiefer's view, in the same spirit as Neyman and Wald, is that one should try to assess the consequences of a statistical choice in some quan titative (frequentist) formulation and ought to choose a course of action that is verifiably optimal (or nearly so) without regard to the perceived "attractiveness" of certain dogmas and methods."

In this book the process of decoherence is reviewed from both the theoretical and the experimental physicist's point of view. Implications of this important concept for fundamental problems of quantum theory and for chemistry and biology are also given. This broad review of decoherence addresses researchers and graduate students. It could also be used in seminar work.

"Bah Humbug " That's how Ebeneezer Scrooge feels about Christmas--until the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future decide to show the crotchety old miser the error of his ways. Together they travel through time, revisiting all the people who have played an important role in Scrooge's life. And as their journey concludes, Scrooge is reminded of what it means to have love in his heart, and what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. A timeless story the whole family will enjoy