Vadim Knizhnik was one of the most promising theoretical physicists in the world. Unfortunately, he passed away at the very young age of 25 years. This memorial volume is to honor his contributions in Theoretical Physics. This is perhaps one of the most important collections of articles on the theoretical developments in String Theory, Conformal Field Theory and related topics. It consists of contributions from world-renowned physicists who have met Vadim Knizhnik personally and whom the late Knizhnik really respected. The contributions are systematic and pedagogical in format.

Vadim Knizhnik was one of the most promising theoretical physicists in the world. Unfortunately, he passed away at the very young age of 25 years. This memorial volume is to honor his contributions in Theoretical Physics. This is perhaps one of the most important collections of articles on the theoretical developments in String Theory, Conformal Field Theory and related topics. It consists of contributions from world-renowned physicists who have met Vadim Knizhnik personally and whom the late Knizhnik really respected. The contributions are systematic and pedagogical in format.

Geometry and topology have been a fascination in physics since the start of the 20th century. A leading example is Einstein's geometrical theory of gravity. At the beginning of the 1970s, topological ideas entered areas of condensed matter physics. These advances were driven by new seminal ideas resolving a serious contradiction between experiment and the standard interpretation of a rigorous mathematical theorem which led to the study of new exotic topological phases of matter. Topological defect driven phase transitions in thin, two dimensional films of superfluids, superconductors and crystals have provided great insight into the mechanism governing these topological phases present in those physical systems. Moreover, many of these topological properties remain 'protected' against disorder and topological distortion perturbations. An example of possible applications of such robustness to perturbations is in the search for encoding information in quantum computers, potentially providing the platform for fault-tolerant quantum computations.In the past four decades, the discovery of topological phases engendered great interest in condensed matter physics. It also attracted the attention of researchers working on quantum information, quantum materials and simulations, high energy physics and string theory. This unique volume contains articles written by some of the most prominent names in the field, including Nobel Laureate John Michael Kosterlitz and Professor Jorge V Jose. They originate from talks and discussions by leading experts at a recent workshop. They review previous works as well as addressing contemporary developments in the most pressing and important issues on various aspects of topological phases and topological phase transitions.

Stanley Mandelstam (1928-2016) was one of the most influential and respected particle theorists. Coming as a young chemical engineer from South Africa to study theoretical physics in England, he quickly became a leading physicist in his field. With his deep understanding of quantum field theory, he pioneered the development of the analytic S-matrix theory as well as the path-dependent formulations for quantum gauge theories and for quantum general relativity. They are being actively used for the electroweak theory and having their imprints in lattice gauge theory and loop quantum gravity. Also he elucidated the mechanisms for quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics, constructed non-perturbative bosonization methods in 1+1 dimensions, and proved the perturbative finiteness and =0 of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. His work also led to the discovery of dual resonance models, which in turn became superstring theory. He was a leader in these developments, devoting much of his later years to the proof that the theory is perturbatively finite so it can be considered as a contender for the theory of quantum gravity.He was also a very modest and friendly man, impressing everyone with his sharp intellect as well as his humanity. This volume contains essays written by many of his friends and students, including both detailed reports on his scientific achievements as well as personal reminiscences. Also collected in the volume are some selected reprints of Mandelstam's early seminal papers and abstracts of selected papers representing the full spectrum of his contributions.

Stanley Mandelstam (1928-2016) was one of the most influential and respected particle theorists. Coming as a young chemical engineer from South Africa to study theoretical physics in England, he quickly became a leading physicist in his field. With his deep understanding of quantum field theory, he pioneered the development of the analytic S-matrix theory as well as the path-dependent formulations for quantum gauge theories and for quantum general relativity. They are being actively used for the electroweak theory and having their imprints in lattice gauge theory and loop quantum gravity. Also he elucidated the mechanisms for quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics, constructed non-perturbative bosonization methods in 1+1 dimensions, and proved the perturbative finiteness and =0 of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. His work also led to the discovery of dual resonance models, which in turn became superstring theory. He was a leader in these developments, devoting much of his later years to the proof that the theory is perturbatively finite so it can be considered as a contender for the theory of quantum gravity.He was also a very modest and friendly man, impressing everyone with his sharp intellect as well as his humanity. This volume contains essays written by many of his friends and students, including both detailed reports on his scientific achievements as well as personal reminiscences. Also collected in the volume are some selected reprints of Mandelstam's early seminal papers and abstracts of selected papers representing the full spectrum of his contributions.

'This book presents a timely set of academic and intellectual views on SalamaEURO (TM)s scientific passion, contribution and personality, and will be of great interest to academics in the fields of particle physics, high energy physics and scientific history of the developing world.'Contemporary PhysicsIn honor of one of the most prolific and exciting scientists of the second half of the last century, a memorial meeting was organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies at Nanyang Technological University for Professor Abdus Salam's 90th Birthday in January 2016.Salam believed that 'scientific thought is the common heritage of all mankind' and that the developing world should play its part, not merely by importing technology but by being the arbiter of its own scientific destiny. That belief saw him rise from humble beginnings in a village in Pakistan to become one of the world's most original and influential particle physicists, culminating in the 1979 Nobel Prize (shared with Glashow and Weinberg) for contributions to electroweak unification, which forms an integral part of the Standard Model.The book collected the papers presented at this memorable event which saw many distinguished scientists participating as speakers to reflect on Prof Salam's great passion for the science and achievements.

Symmetries play a fundamental role in physics. Non-Abelian gauge symmetries are the symmetries behind theories for massless spin-1 particles, while the reparametrization symmetry is behind Einstein's gravity theory for massless spin-2 particles. In supersymmetric theories these particles can be connected also to massless fermionic particles. Does Nature stop at spin-2 or can there also be massless higher spin theories. In the past strong indications have been given that such theories do not exist. However, in recent times ways to evade those constraints have been found and higher spin gauge theories have been constructed. With the advent of the AdS/CFT duality correspondence even stronger indications have been given that higher spin gauge theories play an important role in fundamental physics.All these issues were discussed at a recent international workshop in Singapore where the leading scientists in the field participated. This volume presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the theories including its historic background, as well as the latest accomplishments in understanding the foundational properties of higher spin physics.

We have lost one of the giants of the twentieth century physics when Yoichiro Nambu passed away in July, 2015, at the age of 94.Today's Standard Model, though still incomplete in many respects, is the culmination of the most successful theory of the Universe to date, and it is built upon foundations provided by discoveries made by Nambu in the 1960s: the mechanism of spontaneously broken symmetry in Nature (with G Jona-Lasinio) and the hidden new SU(3) symmetry of quarks and gluons (with M-Y Han).In this volume honoring Nambu's memory, World Scientific Publishing presents a unique collection of papers written by his former colleagues, collaborating researchers and former students and associates, not only citing Nambu's great contributions in physics but also many personal and private reminiscences, some never told before. This volume also contains the very last scientific writing by Professor Nambu himself, discussing the development of particle physics.This book is a volume for all who benefited not only from Nambu's contributions toward understanding the Universe but also his warm and kind persona. It is a great addition to the history of contemporary physics.

We have lost one of the giants of the twentieth century physics when Yoichiro Nambu passed away in July, 2015, at the age of 94.Today's Standard Model, though still incomplete in many respects, is the culmination of the most successful theory of the Universe to date, and it is built upon foundations provided by discoveries made by Nambu in the 1960s: the mechanism of spontaneously broken symmetry in Nature (with G Jona-Lasinio) and the hidden new SU(3) symmetry of quarks and gluons (with M-Y Han).In this volume honoring Nambu's memory, World Scientific Publishing presents a unique collection of papers written by his former colleagues, collaborating researchers and former students and associates, not only citing Nambu's great contributions in physics but also many personal and private reminiscences, some never told before. This volume also contains the very last scientific writing by Professor Nambu himself, discussing the development of particle physics.This book is a volume for all who benefited not only from Nambu's contributions toward understanding the Universe but also his warm and kind persona. It is a great addition to the history of contemporary physics.

During the last six decades, Yang-Mills theory has increasingly become the cornerstone of theoretical physics. It is seemingly the only fully consistent relativistic quantum many-body theory in four space-time dimensions. As such it is the underlying theoretical framework for the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which has been shown to be the correct theory at the energies we now can measure. It has been investigated also from many other perspectives, and many new and unexpected features have been uncovered from this theory. In recent decades, apart from high energy physics, the theory has been actively applied in other branches of physics, such as statistical physics, condensed matter physics, nonlinear systems, etc. This makes the theory an indispensable topic for all who are involved in physics.The conference celebrated the exceptional achievements using Yang-Mills theory over the years but also many other truly remarkable contributions to different branches of physics from Prof C N Yang. This volume collects the invaluable talks by Prof C N Yang and the invited speakers reviewing these remarkable contributions and their importance for the future of physics.

During the last six decades, Yang-Mills theory has increasingly become the cornerstone of theoretical physics. It is seemingly the only fully consistent relativistic quantum many-body theory in four space-time dimensions. As such it is the underlying theoretical framework for the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which has been shown to be the correct theory at the energies we now can measure. It has been investigated also from many other perspectives, and many new and unexpected features have been uncovered from this theory. In recent decades, apart from high energy physics, the theory has been actively applied in other branches of physics, such as statistical physics, condensed matter physics, nonlinear systems, etc. This makes the theory an indispensable topic for all who are involved in physics.The conference celebrated the exceptional achievements using Yang-Mills theory over the years but also many other truly remarkable contributions to different branches of physics from Prof C N Yang. This volume collects the invaluable talks by Prof C N Yang and the invited speakers reviewing these remarkable contributions and their importance for the future of physics.

The WTO Agreement on Agriculture subjects different groups of developed and developing countries to different limits on domestic support and allows various exemptions from these limits. Offering a comprehensive assessment of the Agreement's rules and implementation, this book develops guidance toward socially desirable support policies. Although dispute settlement has clarified interpretation of the Agriculture and SCM Agreements, gaps remain between the legal disciplines and the economic effects of support. Considering the Agriculture Agreement also in the context of today's priorities of sustainability and climate change mitigation, Lars Brink and David Orden build a strategy that aligns the rules and members' commitments with the economic impacts of agricultural support measures. While providing in-depth analysis of the existing rules, their shortcomings and the limited scope of ongoing negotiations, the authors take a long-term view, where policies directed toward evolving priorities in agriculture are compatible with strengthened rules that reduce trade and production distortions.

The almost irresistible beauty of string theory has seduced many theoretical physicists in recent years. Even hardened men have been swept away by what they can already see and by the promise of even more. It would appear fair to say that it is not yet clear what form the theory will finally take and in what precise way it will relate to the physical world. However, it would seem equally fair to state that, most likely, strings are here to stay and will playa profound and central role in our conception of the universe. There is therefore a pressing need to provide both practicing physicists and advanced students with ways to master quickly, but soundly, the basic principles of the theory. The present volume is a step in that direction. It contains a lucid presentation of the basic principles of string theory in forms which may survive future developments. The book is an outgrowth of lectures given by Lars Brink and Marc Henneaux at the Centro de Estudios Cientificos de Santiago. The lectures covered in a self-contained manner different but complementary aspects of the foundations of string theory.

Jacob Bekenstein, an Israeli physicist of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, planted the seeds of a revolution of our understanding of space-time. Using conservative intuitive methods including time-old gedanken experiments, he discovered that black holes have thermodynamical properties such as entropy.Moreover, he found that their entropy was not extensive, unlike that of any other thermodynamical system considered before, but rather is proportional to the surface of their horizon. Furthermore, Bekenstein pioneered the study of black holes by focusing on their information content aspects. This led him to obtain bounds of a holographic nature on the amount of information that can be stored in a given region of space-time.This book contains a series of scientific and personal contributions by his contemporaries who recall the struggle against his ideas and then with them: the fate accompanying many revolutionary ideas. This is followed by original scientific contributions by many of the leaders of current research on black hole physics and holography. They have trodden his path and expanded it. The impact of Jacob Bekenstein's visionary ideas is just starting to be understood.

This special volume is dedicated to Geoffrey Chew who passed away on April 12, 2019, at age 94. He is best known as the architect and passionate champion of the bootstrap concept, sometimes called nuclear democracy. His work influenced generations of particle physicists. His passion for physics was an inspiration for his many students and associates. From the Chew-Low theory for meson-nucleon scattering to Analytic S-Matrix, Regge Poles, and Bootstrap principle, his originality left its mark in ways that continue to the present. With contributions from Chew's former collaborators, students, and friends, the book will cover various facets of his life and impact on physics.Contributors include Steven Weinberg, Steven Frautschi, Gabriele Veneziano, Peter Landshoff, Carl Rosenzweig, Basarab Nicolescu, William Frazer, David Gross, John Schwartz, Ling-Lie Chau, Chung-I Tan, Richard Brower, Carleton DeTar, R Shankar, David Kaiser, Fritjof Capra, and others.

It is believed that the major countries of the former Soviet Union-specifically Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine (KRU region)-are the part of the world with the most potential to increase food supplies and strengthen world food security. This book examines the future of the KRU countries in global agricultural markets and will examine a number of agricultural sectors, including meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. However particular attention is paid to the region's potential expansion of the grain sector and why the KRU region emerged during the 2000s as a major grain exporter, and its potential to further expand grain production and exports. It also examine the issues of environmental constraints and trade-offs for agriculture, sustainability, and the possible effects of climate change