Operators Books

K-theory is a challenging subject; Kasparov's KK-theory even more so. But Bruce Blackadar's textbook manages to present both of these in a clear and coherent fashion, readable both by mathematicians and physicists. The ideal reader of this book will already be familiar with the basics of operator algebras and will have had some exposure to K-theory (perhaps through Wegge-Olsen's remarkable book) and noncommutative geometry; but an extensive background is not needed.

One especially good feature of this book is the wealth of examples it contains, especially those examples of most relevance to string theory. (Where K-theory is finding some of its most interesting applications today) A wide range of subjects such as "topological" K-theory (the K-theory of gauge fields) and supersymmetry (referred to as "grading," following mathematicians' notation) round out this presentation of one of the most exciting subjects on the border of mathematics and physics.

The books covers not only K-theory but also KK-theory that was introduced by G. G. Kasparov. The original article by Kasparov are very hard to read because of the generality of his approach. Furthermore the theory was much simplified by Skandalis et al. The second part of the book offers a very readable introduction to KK-theory. Now the new edition even contains a short exposition of E-theory.

"Elements of KK-theory" by K. K. Jensen and K. Thomsen is good introduction too.

Mr. Leprince is a proud Frenchman who has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His story about the years under Nazi occupation is a fascinating account and well worth it. A good read especially in these irrational times.

From start to finish, this personal memoir of a young man, coming of age during World War II provides the lucky reader with a first-hand account of what it was like for average person in Nazi-occupied France.

It is the story of Bernard LePrince, his family and friends, first, as they lived before the war, running a small cafe which was the center of social life in their town, and how their spirit, love, family and resilience were tested once France was under Nazi occupation.

It is a story of indomitable spirit and moral victory, as small acts of defiance provided the courage to face another day, and created a patriotic spirit which Mr. LePrince carries with him to this day.

It is simply written, yet full of descriptive detail, making the reader feel part of that time and hopeful that we would have behaved the same way in those circumstances.

I guess that, besides the classic references from Pazy and Jerome Goldstein, this title outstands in its category. I've heard several words of criticism over Pazy's work due to the lack of applications and several laments over the fact that Goldstein's book is out of print. This book introduces the semigroup theory like no other: it doesn't forget the historic and philosophical aspect of subject and it's full filled with applications and deep beauty. Congrats to the authors and also to the customers that decide to buy this title, may it be PDE or Dinamic Systems, you'll be home free...

Semigroups and Clifford algebras have become two of the main trends in mathematics and mathematical physics in the last 5 years. A researcher in either area cannot afford to be without major books and journal articles in these areas, and Engel et al.'s is the best that I have seen of recent semigroup books. Their book is a Graduate Text, but it actually presents many open questions and research ideas, as is usual for Springer and Springer-Verlag publications (and also Kluwer-Plenum and Cambridge University Press). Semigroups were familiar to those of us in probability for many years because of their Markov chain/process relationships, but the astonishing fact is that Engel et al. show that non-Markov applications and non-Hilbert space (in fact, general Banach space) applications and theorems abound. For those of us who are not too fond of Markov processes (like me), and who are also not too fond of Hilbert spaces (the usual space of Quantum Mechanics which went sour and had to be repaired by A. Bohm and still seems in bad need of repair), this is really good news. Another fascinating trend is in the direction of Positive Semigroups, which ties in with ordering results and inequalities (see my review of Clarke et al.). Positive semigroups have applications to transport and delay (differential) equations and semigroups have applications to control theory which means what it sounds like: physics-engineering control of satellites, rockets, robots, and God knows what else. I repeat my usual caution: if your background is mathematically deficient in these areas, hire a reputable consultant or tutor to translate the book into plain English more or less. If the person cannot translate in one session, look for another person, or quiz them on the phone first.

The book is about the mathematics of a single particle in 1-D space, the line, written for math people. Yeah, it's 300 pages for a little guy moving in a straight line! Isn't that enough?

It's about mathematical modeling, power, and beauty. Physics background is not required. Maybe no idea is even better! Prof. Schechter has spent much time preparing the contents, so you don't have to look around.

This book could be used as a first course in mathematical physics, or a supplement of mathematical modeling or functional analysis. Prof. Schechter teaches us about translating QM postulates into math. Starts off very simple 1-D case for a particle, and no more. Again, isn't that enough?

I think "encouraging" is the best word to describe his style for this book. A very gentle math teacher. The quality of math is as good as von Neumann or Weyl, and the representation is better. He even tells you what probability really is. (Do you know?)

It's more user-friendly than many other mathematical physics books. And the cover is maybe one of the most beautiful among Dover paperbacks.

Yet another "Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" -- a very unique one!

I was very lucky to encounter this book which was almost hidden in a pile of books. Attracted by the cover design, so I pulled it out hard. Then found that I was right.

If you are kind-of math guy and interested in QM or modeling as well, check this book out. It's hard to find in bookstores, though.

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"Though this be madness, yet there's method in it." -- Polunius, in Hamlet.

This book is excellent. I don't pretend it should be used as a course for either quantum mechanics or functional analysis. It is at a level way above that necessary for quantum mechanics and it does not cover enough material to be a serious textbook for functional analysis.

That said at 15$ it is a great addition to any library. A reader can move through the book and really get an understanding of the topics presented. The books by Reed and Simon are a must for any mathematical physicist but they can sometimes be intimidating. The material presented here is relevant and presented in a very straightforward manner. If you have a background in analysis and wish to learn more about quantum mechanics I would definitely recommend this book. Another possible use is as an additional text in a functional analysis course so students can see direct applications.

For all the molecular biology students out there, here is the scoop. If you are working on or planning on working on some aspect of molecular biology and dont know where to start this is the book for you. If you want to become a serious investigator of biochemistry and molecular biology, and dont know what scientists in your specialized field did before you, this is the book for you. Remember, you cannot make an original contribution to science unless you know what has already been contributed!

The book is similar to the higly acclaimed "eigth day of creation" by H.Judson in that it nicely describes the history of what happened in the field of molecular biology in its earliest years and I bet it will be a lot of fun for someone coming into this field. Where the book differs from the other book is when it looks at events that happened much later in history - more recent events. For example, how did the discovery of ribozyme happen? The book goes into the various experiments that were performed in collaboration with other researchers working in related fields. Whats most impressive to this reviewer is that the book cites specific original research articles everytime it makes a bold statement like "this is how the discovery of ribozyme was made" which makes it very easy to get the article and put things in historical perspective (look at the extensive "Notes" section). You will also remember both the experiments that were performed to derive at the original contribution and the scientist. you can take my word, you will not forget either!

Last but not the least, the book has nice pencil illustrations of scientists who made the big contributions and it is essential to relate the scientists with the science. For someone that is not in science, this book will take some effort to read but is definitely not overwhelming. There is a glossary at the end of the book which I bet will be extremely helpful for the non-specialist reader. Overall this book is a gem and will be in my permanent collection.

Hatch Echols was a well-known biologist. He spent years working on a personal history of his field. After his untimely death, his widow completed the manuscript. This book is the result. It is a history of molecular biology from about 1948 to about 1990. By molecular biology he means the attempt to understand biology using the tools of physics and chemistry. It is a superb book, as makes a fine compiment to the OTHER definitive history of molecular biology, Horace Freeland Judson's "Eighth Day of Creation". Judson's 1979(I think) book was a detailed account of three or four episodes in molecular biology, and stopped at 1970. Echols'book gives a much broader overview, focusing on the questions that arose and the people who answered them. The margins are graced by line drawings of the the major actors, done by the author. The result is a fine account of both the science (briefly) and those who made it. Most of the participants were his friends, and it shows. On the other hand, unlike most books, I am unaware of any animosity or basic unfairness towards any of the participants. Those of you looking for revelations of scandal had best look elsewhere. This is an idyll of discovery. Having studied the subject through textbooks, I enjoyed finding out about the twist and turns, the false starts and blind alleys and leaps in the dark that really lay behind the development of the most exciting science of the last half of the twentieth century. Highly recommended.
This book seems to be languishing in obscurity, and I think Judson's book is out of print. This is deplorable. Another reason to purchase it is because feel Operators and Promoters is a good book to dip into and read a few chapters here and a few there, so you will want to have a copy about the house.
Worth purchasing? Definitely

As someone who knew nothing about creating, perfecting, manufacturing or marketing a new product, I found this book to present a simple and straightforward overview of all of the steps involved, from start to finish. The book is broad enough for the layman to read and understand, but is detailed enough to provide food for thought for even the most experienced direct-response marketing professionals. Throughout, the author's personal experiences and inspirational stories make the reading enjoyable, and help you to keep moving, always keep moving... Highly recommended.

Well written and interesting for both the average consumer and budding entrepreneur. Highly recommended!

A very good introduction to QFT. It starts with a rather classical account of QED, then develops renormalization and applies it mainly to statistical physics. So the text does not cover non-abelian gauge theories, and is not sufficient for readers who learn QFT for particle physics applications. But the exposition of renormalization is really excellent and complete. I liked the exceptional clarity and lucidity of most calculations, and the excellent set of problems. Solving them all extends the book's scope far beyond the table of contents.

This book is an ideal introduction to quantum field theory for a graduate student. Assuming a strong background in basic quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, Huang develops quantum field in a methodical fashion. In contrast to other popular quantum field theory books (such as Peskin) Huang doesn't leave out important details, especially with regard to the mathematics behind spinor fields. Plus the book is very readable.

This is an amazing novel!!! The ending was smoking!!! A must read!! Olayinka Aikens is a wonderful storyteller, I can't wait to read more.

Smooth Operators is the story of love, lust, business and pleasure at its best. Monica Holiday is a top PR rep for Handle Up Records. She is smart, feisty, beautiful and has a brilliant business mind. She has been with the company a couple of years and is undoubtedly THE BEST PR person they have. Although Monica's business life is great, her personal life isn't doing so hot. After being dumped by Handle Up's top rap artist, Rodney "Double R" Robinson, Monica is hesitant about letting anyone else near her heart.

Drayton "Dray" Lewis is a sexy, chocolate, suave and debonair brother who is Handle Up's newest executive. Relocating from Chicago to Atlanta to take on his new position as VP of A&R, Dray feels this is a fresh start for him. Living in Chicago for most of his life he didn't think he would ever leave. His heart was broken after his girlfriend Lisa, left him for a professional football player. What better way to mend a broken heart than by putting distance between them? When Dray started his new job he made a promise to himself, he was going to be all about business and not let the love bug bite him again.

Dray's new position makes him Monica's superior at Handle Up. Their first couple of encounters are unpleasant ones and although they get off to a not so great start the chemistry between them is uncanny. Dray can't stop thinking about the lovely and feisty Miss Holiday and Monica can't keep that sexy chocolate Adonis off her mind. They have both been hurt in the past and have their hearts guarded. Who will be the first to let their guard down?

Aikens debut novel is definitely a book you can't put down. From the first page to the surprise ending, this book will have you unquestionably wanting more.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin

An invaluable aid for me as a Power Plant Engineer. All questions are completely related to the Utility Industry. I have used this book repeatedly to test the knowledge of Plant Operators in our Power Station. Congratulations to Mr James Russell on a fine publication. Well Done!

I was very impressed with our first purchase of this book and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Author on a fine publication. Our order for more manuals for our remaining Power Plant Operators must indicate to you that we have found this publication very useful. Thank you, Mr. Russell, for your time and effort in compiling an excellent book.

There is a reason "The Teenage Human Body Operator's Manual" is in its 5th printing. This is an easily accessible and entertaining manual for preteens and teenagers tackling the tough issues facing today's adolescents. It provides candid and helpful information on topics including nutrition, hygiene, communication, physical health, stress, anger, depression, substance abuse, STDs, sexual assault, abusive relationships, steroids, eating disorders, tattoos, piercing, and branding, safer sex, condoms, sexual preference, [...], birth control, and pregnancy. It also presents a helpful 5 step process for changing bad habits. As a school-based behavioral health psychologist who has worked with over 1,000 adolescents in the past decade, I highly recommend this book for teenagers, teachers, health educators, counselors, parents, and anyone else who has the opportunity to work with kids.

This book--printed to look like an automobile owner's manual--is just the right blend of humor and seriousness. I use it to help teach groups of foster children about basic lifeskills. We always start with the last half of the book, that includes the "Routine Checkup." This is a questionnaire (multiple choice) that helps kids get in touch with their habits, and helps them learn how to change a habit and develop good ones.

Kids often laugh at the book when they get it, but it is there for them with accurate information when they have a question about anything that comes up in their teenage years--peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, sexuality, exercise, eating right, taking care of themselves, anger, body changes, etc.

Some of the illustrations (all ink drawing/cartoons by the illustrator) were a bit goofy looking for my taste, but my son says, "Dad, you're trippin'. They're cool." It's the best $12 I ever spent for my own son, and I highly recommend this book.