The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos with its questions about the limits of space and time and the texture of reality certainly looks a bit daunting to the uninitiated. Cosmic ripples, 11 dimensions to the universe and string theory that is somehow connected to a "Theory of Everything" are all a bit alien if you never really got to grips with Newton, let alone Einstein. It might look very heavyweight, but Greene is an excellent communicator and what he's writing about is perhaps the greatest intellectual challenge we face.
There is no doubt that speculation about the nature of the heavens is very ancient. After centuries of thought "we still can only portray space and time as the most familiar of strangers". But enormous advances in understanding have been made especially over the last few decades. Whether we are high-flying city slickers or impoverished cattle-herders in the third world, speculation about space-time "takes on an almost mystical quality: we're considering the fate of the very things that dominate our sense of reality" according to Greene.

Over the last century we have become much better acquainted with previously hidden features of the Universe, especially thanks to Einstein. Greene summarises these as

"the slowing of time, the relativity of simultaneity, alternative slicings of spacetime, gravity as the warpings and curving of space and time, the probabilistic nature of reality, and long range entanglement were not on the list of things that even the best of the world's nineteenth-century physicists would have expected to find just around the corner."
And yet they are attested to by both experimental results and theoretical explanations. Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, is one of the foremost players in contemporary string theory and authored a bestselling book The Elegant Universe for which he won the Aventis Prize in 2000.
In The Fabric of the Cosmos Green avoids mathematical formulae, which can be an immediate turnoff for most general readers. Clearly he knows that visually we can deal with abstract and/or difficult concepts much better than when they are presented in words. Consequently, he uses a very clever selection of excellent and well designed illustrations to help get his ideas across. There is an excellent index, plenty of notes and suggestions for further reading, which will allow those more in the know to take matters further. And, there is a glossary for us ordinary mortals who need every now and again to check up on our understanding of things such as quarks, Higgs particles, braneworld scenario and M-theory. --Douglas Palmer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



51 Adaptive Filtering: Algorithms and Practical Implementation, (The Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

Product Description
Adaptive Filtering: Algorithms and Practical Implementation, Second Edition, presents a concise overview of adaptive filtering, covering as many algorithms as possible in a unified form that avoids repetition and simplifies notation. It is suitable as a textbook for senior undergraduate or first-year graduate courses in adaptive signal processing and adaptive filters. The philosophy of the presentation is to expose the material with a solid theoretical foundation, to concentrate on algorithms that really work in a finite-precision implementation, and to provide easy access to working algorithms. Hence, practicing engineers and scientists will also find the book to be an excellent reference. This second edition contains a substantial amount of new material: + Two new chapters on nonlinear and subband adaptive filtering; + Linearly constrained Weiner filters and LMS algorithms; + LMS algorithm behavior in fast adaptation; + Affine projection algorithms; + Derivation smoothing; + MATLAB codes for algorithms. An instructor's manual, a set of master transparencies, and the MATLAB codes for all of the algorithms described in the text are also available. Useful to both professional researchers and students, the text includes 185 problems; over 38 examples, and over 130 illustrations. It is of primary interest to those working in signal processing, communications, and circuits and systems. It will also be of interest to those working in power systems, networks, learning systems, and intelligent systems.
---------------------------------------
52 Activating Unreactive Substrates: The Role of Secondary Interactions

The use of secondary interactions for the activation of non-reactive substrates constitutes a new and modern approach in catalysis.
This first comprehensive treatment of this important research field covers the entire field and reveals the links between the various chemical disciplines. It thus adopts an interdisciplinary approach, making it of interest to the whole chemical community.
A must for organic, inorganic, catalytic and complex chemists, as well as those working with/on organometallics.

----------------------------------------
53 3D Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites


Product Description
Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are used in almost every type of advanced engineering structure, with their usage ranging from aircraft, helicopters and spacecraft through to boats, ships and offshore platforms and to automobiles, sports goods, chemical processing equipment and civil infrastructure such as bridges and buildlings. The usage of FRP composites continues to grow at an impessive rate as these materials are used more in their existing markets and become established in relatively new markets such as biomedical devices and civil structures. A key factor driving the increased applications of composites over the recent years is the development of new advanced forms of FRP materials. This includes developments in high performance resin systems and new styles of reinforcement, such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. This book provides an up-to-date account of the fabrication, mechanical properties, delamination resistance, impact tolerance and applications of 3D FRP composites. The book focuses on 3D composites made using the textile technologies of weaving, braiding, knitting and stiching as well as by z-pinning.

---------------------------------------
54 Advances in Electrochemical Science and Engineering, Volume 8, Advances in Electrochemical Science and Engineering


Review
From reviews of previous volumes:
"This is an essential book for researchers in electrochemistry; it covers areas of both fundamental and practical importance, with reviews of high quality. The material is very well presented and the choice of topics reflects a balanced editorial policy that is welcomed." (The Analyst)

"All the contributions in this volume are well up to the standard of this excellent series and will be of great value to electrochemists... The editors again deserve to be congratulated on this fine collection of reviews." (Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Chemistry)

"...competently and clearly written." (Berichte der Bunsen- Gesellschaft fur Physikalische Chemie)

"... This book is a marvelous addition to the new series on electrochemical science and engineering." (Bulletin of Electrochemistry)