Applications Books

I'm absolutly sure that everyone can find something useful in this book, no matter who you are - a novice in this subject or well experienced researcher in optics.

This book is also useful as a reference book on nonlinear effects. I very often find this book in hand.

This is a serious book written at a graduate-student or advanced-under-graduate level for the practicing professional employed in designing optical telecommunications systems and components. I don't think the book was written with students particularly in mind, since (for example) there are no examples or problems in the book as typically found in university course work In his introduction, Agrawal says "[t]he book is aimed for researchers already engaged in or wishing to enter the filed of nonlinear fiber optics." As the title suggests, the book's emphasis is on nonlinear effects in optical fibers, as opposed to nonlinear effects in bulk materials.

The first chapter is pretty basic, and is mostly review material that describes things like the index cross section in an optical fiber, material issues, fabrication, chromatic dispersion, modal birefringence (which leads to polarization mode dispersion), non linear refraction and stimulated inelastic scattering. The review here is pretty brief (the chapter has only about 25 pages).

Chapter two develops the mathematics of wave propagation in optical fibers, including the mathematics of mode propagation and basic propagation equations derived from Maxwell's equations. This chapter actually develops several different differential equations; each based on various assumptions applicable to different pulse widths. These differential equations then form the basis for later investigations into various non-linear effects discussed in the book. Chapter two is thus a foundational chapter and should be read and understood completely before moving on. There is a brief discussion at the end of the chapter that describes numerical methods.

Chapter three describes group-velocity dispersion, including chromatic dispersion as well as dispersion-induced pulse broadening and higher-order dispersion and their implications for optical systems.

Chapter four introduces self-phase modulation and self steepening.

Chapter five describes optical solitons (including fundamental and higher order solitions), soliton lasers, and soliton-based communications systems.

Chapter 6 describes some techniques for optical pulse compression using gratings and chirped optical pulses. It also describes soliton-effect compressors.

Chapter 7 is devoted to the subject of cross-phase modulation, chapter 8 to stimulated Raman scattering, chapter 9 to stimulated Brillouin scattering, and chapter 10 to parametric processes, including four-wave mixing, parametric gain, and phase matching.

The book is quantitative, making (as you'd expect in a graduate text) liberal use of mathematics. The level of mathematics, however, should be well within the grasp of senior college students majoring in physics, engineering, or mathematics. The subject, however, is non-trivial, and you should expect this book to present a real intellectual challenge in reading and understanding all the details. I took about six months to finish the book, including time taken to fill in some details in the derivations and to plot some of the equations on my computer.

Agrawal makes good use of figures and illustrations, which I found particularly helpful. The book also has an adequate index that makes the book more valuable as a desk reference.

Each chapter cites a wealth of reference material in the literature so that any subject covered within its pages can be studied in more detail and from the original sources.

I would not make this a first study of nonlinear optics (although it was for me). Rather, I'd look for texts that discuss nonlinear effects qualitatively, and I'd try to expose myself to experiments that illustrate these nonlinear effects to gain a more qualitative understanding before diving into Agrawal's mathematical derivations. With a more qualitative basis first acquired, however, Agrawal's book is an invaluable tool for understanding the most obscure nonlinear effects in optical fibers.

This book is the first and foremost reference book on many aspects of nonlinear fibre effect. It is written for non-experts in fibres but is also an invaluable resource for those who are.

It starts off with a quick review of linear fibre characteristics (dispersion, loss, fabrication) and devotes a chapter each to a systematic study of how dispersion without nonlinearity and nonlinearity without dispersion affect pulse propagation. Higher order nonlinearity and dispersion are also covered.

From this introduction, the problem of having both nonlinearity and dispersion present is introduced, leading to solitons. This treatment does not go deeply into the algebraic solution of the NLS equation, but gives a good background of the properties of solitons.

Several other topics are covered which span a broad array of important nonlinear phenomenon in optical fibres under active research. This seems to be the book to buy if you need to know about solitons and other nonlinear effects, and is continually referenced.

This book is pedagocially sound and extremely informative, and offers a welcome alternative to the standards of the field like Trefethen/Bau and Demmel.

Great for classroom and self study. One of the few texts to give step by step examples on almost all of its algorithms,which can be carried out on most hand held calculators. An essential step in the learning process. This book makes learning Numerical Linear Algebra as exciting as it really is.

While there are many books on Numerical Linear Algebra at various levels, Datta's book is very resourceful and carefully prepared for classroom use. The book is very readable and the students would love it. The organization of the topics, the method of presentation, historical background at the beginning of each chapter, lucid examples, comprehensive and detailed proofs for almost all Theorems, useful MATLAB exercises for almost all the computational methods presented in the book make this book very suitable for classroom adoptation. Datta has given lots of good references (books and journal articles) at the end of each chapter, which are useful for further research on the major topics. It is a very nice and well-written book. The only suggestion that I have is to add more details on Krylov Space methods and such topics, and make this book suitable for a wider audience. I recommend this book strongly.

Very informative. Easy for students to use with good critical thinking exercises for students to review what the chapters have covered. I would recommend this book to any new incoming nursing student.

The author is a great teacher and this is certainly some of her best work. I think this is a great book for nurses.

This textbook explains the nursing process in an easy to use entry level nursing book. It takes a student nurse from the LVN/LPN level all the way to an RN advanced practice nurse -- showing you how to use the nursing process to enhance your practice. It includes the most up-to-date NANDA approved nursing diagnosis. Once you read how to apply your assessment to implementation & evaluation, you'll take this to the clinical setting with you, along with your stethescope. Marybeth Sinclair BSN, RN Nursing Faculty

The Student Doctor Network has really went out of its way to create a tome for the complicated medical school admissions process. It's broken into 11 categories, each containing a series of small articles written by different and appropriate authors. They range from discussions on what to focus on in premed studies to actually build a decent resume, to breaking down the differences in allopathic, osteopathic, podiatry, and Caribbean schools. There are also very useful chapters on money matters and med school statistics.

The most helpful chapter for me has been the one that focuses on the actual application process. All of the authors speak from experience and their advice is actually constructive and not recycled tips like I've found in similar books. I intend to put their plan for setting up a physician shadowing into action. I'm also thankful for their chapter about choosing a major. I've read in so many books that colleges may prefer a non-science undergraduate, so it's nice to read from actual med students that those who arrive at med school without a solid background in biology often struggle to keep up, since nothing is reviewed and there are no intro courses.

The chapter on residency programs is an informative read and helps you get a taste of what your PG training will be like. I strongly believe in reading up on the entire process on the way to becoming a doctor. After med school you'll have your internship, residency, and if you choose to subspecialize, a fellowship. With med school included, we could be talking about an 11 year process. Every step on the path excites me and reaffirms my commitment to take this intimidating journey.

The book ends with two success stories and 17 FAQs. Overall, I'd say this is a great investment for anyone looking not just for advice or strategies on applying and preparing for med school, but also information on what to expect once you get there and once it's over.

Great book. Covers everything in great detail. I particularly like the comparison between the different school types, including the Caribbean option.

The student answers section at the back of the book is also interesting. Gives you an idea what actual students did to get into med school.

I'd recommend the book to anyone preparing for medical school. Great comprehensive resource with all the info in one place.

The SDN book is a great asset. However,the information it provides will be mostly useful to those that have absolutely no idea about the whole med school application process. I purchased the book after I had applied, and before my interview. It didn't do much for me. I got some broad interview topic ranges, but I still needed the internet. You might be better off by reading the SDN website and checking out their interview database. But for purposes of supporting the great website studentdoctor.net, I would say, go for it. It's a great support site so I would not mind purchasing a book affiliated with the site, that helps support the site. Also donate directly on SDN. Go STUDENT DOCTOR NETWORK!!! whoooooooooo

a quick search of Amazon shows other texts on mining, but they are several hundred dollars. Written for professional engineers, they are a ready reference for their daily work. This particular book now has a current version, but this was satisfactory for my needs as someone curious about mine design and the economics of ores and metals. As you might imagine, there is more to everything than what we are exposed to.

the book is academic and practical for student and mining engineers.

This book is not a set of miscellaneous papers but a book of detailed planned chapter by chapter guide to open pit design and planning. This is the first of its kind and has had an uncomprehensible amount of detailed background research and planning making it an invaluable reference for any professional involved in open pit design, for both beginners and experienced experts. And for those not experienced with mine planning packages it includes CSMINE a scaled down software of the major mine planning systems which takes you step by step through core basic processes and principles used in resource modelling and open pit design. I highly recommend this book. Digby Millikan. Geolite Mining Systems. Consultant in resource modelling and open pit design.

Great Book! I have been using ColdFusion for 3 years, and read many ColdFusion books. Every book I've come across simply tells you "how" to do stuff. I can only learn how to do a so many times. However, Optimizing ColdFusion takes a different approach - it takes what I already know, and shows me how to do it well. This is the first CF book I have read that covers the core development obstacles that we as ColdFusion developers and designers struggle with on a daily basis. Not only does this book analyze trouble areas, but it also shows how to improve upon application design, coding, and even some troubleshooting. I also liked that this book brushed on the Fusebox methodology, and discussed how Spectra impacted enterprise ColdFusion development. The information is this book seems to define the distinction between ColdFusion developers and ColdFusion gurus. I would definitely recommend this book to other ColdFusion users.

Great Book! I have been using ColdFusion for 3 years, and read many ColdFusion books. Every book I've come across simply tells you "how" to do stuff. I can only learn how to do a so many times. However, Optimizing ColdFusion takes a different approach - it takes what I already know, and shows me how to do it well. This is the first CF book I have read that covers the core development obstacles that we as ColdFusion developers and designers struggle with on a daily basis. Not only does this book analyze trouble areas, but it also shows how to improve upon application design, coding, and even some troubleshooting. I also liked that this book brushed on the Fusebox methodology, and discussed how Spectra impacted enterprise ColdFusion development. The information is this book seems to define the distinction between ColdFusion developers and ColdFusion gurus. I would definitely recommend this book to other ColdFusion users.

Although there is some good basic level information in this book, it is not for the person trying to learn how to program Cold Fusion, but how to make your Cold Fusion programming better. The book has great examples and how tos of everything from setting up the Cold Fusion Administrator to writing better SQL statements. I particularly found the SQL statement information very helpful. The author (Chris Cortes) goes beyond writing simple SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE statements. He gets into far more complex SQL like writing SELECT statements within a SELECT statement, and writing your SQL so that you optimize the speed of your queries. He also provides good examples of the new query of a query functionality that CF 5.0 offers. Cortes also offers great information on the proper usage of various CF tags and functions, not just telling you how to use them, but when it is best to use them. Overall, this is the best CF book I have read. However, make sure you know a little something about CF before buying this book.

A very practical treatment of the PE spectroscopic techniques. Includes a lot of analysis of actual PE spectra. This book is full of valuable insights into this process. A must read for anybody seriously into the field.

A book by a master of the field, a comprehensive reference for experts, yet a lucid guide for novices. This true delight to readers will become the standard citation in scientific papers in the next 20 years.

This book really proves the fact that the author is the master of this field. Being a comprehensive text, it touches almost every aspect of "photoelectron studies". A large number of examples are taken from many recent research papers, which is the bonus of the 3rd edition. There is a well-balanced treatise of theory and applications with insightful comments.

Lets face it, when we deal with learning about Photoshop and all the different color palettes it offers, filters, effects, etc., one can only profit from color pictures; the entire book has color photos. This makes this book an excellent buy over other Photoshop tutorial books that show their photos in black/white.
RF

I thought I knew it all till now!

I've been a Photoshop user for many many years. I would go so far as to call myself a guru of sorts. I've read plenty of tutorials and bought more than my fair share of books and manuals. So when it came time to review "Photoshop CS A to Z" I figured I would have a great tool for quick referencing menus and filters and such. Boy was I surprised to actually learn some stuff too!

When you first pick up "A to Z" you'll probably be a little let down. The cover to the book is just horrible looking. It is an ugly green with purple accents and an all around ugliness. The anti-aliasing of the cover lettering is jagged and bad, and just trying to think up something that isn't a slam on the cover art is impossible. The book looks awful. Now open it. ZING!!!!! The layout is great. There isn't a page in the entire book that isn't lit up with pictures and diagrams. You can tell from the first page that this is a great great GREAT reference guide.

The book, as implied by the title, is a reference guide to Photoshop CS. It says CS on the cover, but truly this will actually help users of Photoshop CS even down to Version 7. The book doesn't have chapters, but rather is broken into parts by "letter." So for the 1st chapter, "A", the first thing discussed is "Actions" and goes in depth explaining how actions work, what they do and tips on using them. The tips are awesome, and actually give pointers on how the pro's use actions and point you in the right direction of usage. After "Actions" is "Active Layer" then "Airbrush" and so on. This book touches on every aspect of Photoshop and even delves into resources and elements that are just slightly related to Photoshop (i.e. "Artifacts" in compression or even plugins related to Photoshop)

This guide is for every user of Photoshop. If you need to know what the "Posterization" is? Well, it is on page 126 and "it converts the images into a number of brightness levels between 2 and 255 to produce a graphic effet. 2 is too harsh, 255 too subtle. A good balance is between four and eight." Did you know that there is a "Patch tool"? I didn't and I use Photoshop every single day. In fact - this gem of a tool is buried under the "Healing Brush Tool" and I had never used it, but after I found it - wow, does it make my life a little bit easier. And to my astonishment, the "Patch tool" has been around since version 7 (kicks self in the butt).

This book is amazing. It belongs on every designers coffee table, and another copy right next to their computer. Let's face it, Photoshop isn't an easy little proggie that you can learn in a day. Photoshop is a massive program. It is over loaded to the extreme, and it keeps getting more and more loaded. People who use it everyday don't even know all of
its potential. I'm a testament to that. This book is a great resource for anyone serious about learning Photoshop. It really makes an overwhelming program like Photoshop a little
more usable.

If you liked this book, try the new version Photoshop CS2: A to Z, as well.

John Harbison
Member, D-MAG.org

If you're one of those people who learn things through visuals and pictures, and what Photoshop user isn't? It covers the new stuff in CS (PS v. 8). It's a virtual illustrated encyclopedia. Great page design. Just enough screen shots to make the OS X user happy (and some for Windoz too). Covers it all A to Z just as the cover specifies. I high recommend this.

I found the book to give a great foundation of understanding the basics of object oriented programming in VFP for those users who have traditionally used DOS based FoxPro. Without this foundation, other books on the subject were hard to follow. A must read first book on Visual Fox Pro.

It's a very good walk thru the many paths of VFP. The authors have a throughfully understanding of the mechanics of the program, and takes you from level 0 (as was mine) to the unlimeted ceiling of VFP. The spanish Ed. has an error on page 313. Other than that, the book is perfect, as the author's dog: POOKIE

Pinter's writing style is as fluffy and self-aggrandizing as in FoxTalk. I also found the information contained to be less than useful beyond a cursory level.

This book was a godsend when I was struggling with my advanced optical physics courses in graduate school. Collett's progression through the basics and on to the more complex mathematics is simple and well thought out. A must buy for any physics major!

I found this to be an excellent, thorough analysis of the fundamental and specific topics of polarized light. The money is well worth it for anyone wishing to obtain a rigorous, well structured education in this field. I found the derivations well placed and very helpful.

I own a copy of Klinger's book "Polarized Light in Optics and Spectroscopy." It's a very useful reference, and I find myself going back to it on an almost daily basis. I've been pretty satisfied with the information in Klinger's book, but phenomena relating to polarization are very important in my field (fiber optics) and so I decided it made good sense to get a copy of Collett's book, as well. I've not been disappointed.

Collett's book has two parts. The first part is what I was mostly interested in, and it deals with polarization in the classic optical field. The second part of the book is less relevant for me, and deals with the classical and quantum theory of radiation by accelerating charges.

The prerequisites for reading and understanding this book are pretty basic. For the first book, you'll want a strong basis in algebra, linear algebra, and trigonometry. For the second half of the book you'll also want to be versed in things like vector calculus (div, grad, curl, etc.) as well as some integral optics and concepts essential in quantum theory. Both the mathematics and physics should be easily within the grasp of anyone with a BS in physics or mathematics. This is not what I'd call a book for the armchair scientists. It is a specialist's book, with all the detail and mathematics to allow the specialist to do quantitative engineering and science.

Collett offers one of the best all-around descriptions of the Mueller matrix that I've found. The book starts with some background information describing the wave equation, various interference experiments, and reflection and transmission at a dielectric interface. With this foundational information, he moves on to describe the polarization ellipse, leading naturally to a description of the Stokes polarization parameters. In all of this, Collett does a nice job of helping the reader understand the basis of the Stokes vector in actual measurements associated with the Stokes parameters, and their fundamental utility and practicality.

With the concept of the Stokes parameters established, Collett proceeds to introduce the Muller matrix, and he derives the matrix form for several different optical components such as polarizers, phase plates, and the rotation matrix. He also has a useful chapter for the experimentalist, describing various techniques for measuring the Stokes parameters of optical components.

There is an entire chapter on the derivation of the Mueller matrix of tilted dielectric surfaces. This discussion carries over into the next chapter where Collett derives the Mueller matrices of plates, and stacks of plates. [These derivations ignore multiple reflections, though Collett is careful to make this clear, and he provides chapter references where the student can look up the completely correct treatment.] This chapter has some interesting mathematics that can be quite useful in other polarization work, since it describes the process for linearizing the Mueller matrix in terms of its eigenvectors and eigenvalues (something that makes the analysis of stacks of plates much easier to do).

Reading this book, one gets the distinct impression that Collett favors the Muller matrix calculus over the Jones calculus. Still, he has included a very nice chapter on the Jones matrix calculus that is both relatively complete, as well as written in the same easy-to-understand fashion as the rest of the book.

The chapter on the Poincare sphere was not quite what I'd expected, but was still very helpful and interesting. Be prepared to brush up on your spherical trigonometry when you read this chapter. I'd hoped for more information from a practical point of view (and a few better illustrations), so this was a bit of a disappointment. However, there are bits of practical information here, and the beauty of the spherical trigonometry is enough to make the chapter worthwhile on its own.

The first book ends with a chapter on the interference laws of Fresnel and Arago, which seems a little strange. The chapter seems somewhat out of place, and, perhaps, better suited near the front of the book, though it does provide the opportunity to illustrate some of the principles learned in earlier chapters.

Space does not permit a detailed description of the second half of the book (the first half is about 280 pages, and the entire book is roughly 580 pages).

This is a first-rate book, and if you are involved in optics and polarization, in particular, you really owe it to yourself to have this one in your personal library. The book is well written, for the most part, pretty easy to follow (not a small task, given the subject matter), and nicely referenced with additional reading material listed at the end of each chapter. There is also an adequate index, which is a good thing, since this book will find widespread use as a reference text.

I really have only two complaints: First, the book needs an appendix (like that found in Klinger) listing the different Matrix forms for various optical components. It would be nice, in addition, to have an appendix listing the definitions of variables used in the equations. Instead, I have little sticky tape all over the book so I can find my way back to important equations. There are a few blank pages at the end of the book, so perhaps I'll write my own appendix with these equations. Secondly, the book has too many typographical errors, some of which can be disastrous if you just copy the equations out of the book without looking at their derivations to check for dropped/misplaced variables. A second edition with these mistakes corrected, or at least a published erratum would be a good idea.

Other than that, this is a great book. I highly recommend getting it and reading it, if polarized light is something for which you have a quantitative interest.