This volume presents a collection of courses introducing the reader to the recent progress with attention being paid to laying solid grounds and developing various basic tools. An introductory chapter on lattice spin models is useful as a background for other lectures of the collection. The topics include new results on phase transitions for gradient lattice models (with introduction to the techniques of the reflection positivity), stochastic geometry reformulation of classical and quantum Ising models, the localization/delocalization transition for directed polymers. A general rigorous framework for theory of metastability is presented and particular applications in the context of Glauber and Kawasaki dynamics of lattice models are discussed. A pedagogical account of several recently discussed topics in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics with an emphasis on general principles is followed by a discussion of kinetically constrained spin models that are reflecting important peculiar features of glassy dynamics.

Students and teachers of mathematics and related fields will find this book a comprehensive and modern approach to probability theory, providing the background and techniques to go from the beginning graduate level to the point of specialization in research areas of current interest. The book is designed for a two- or three-semester course, assuming only courses in undergraduate real analysis or rigorous advanced calculus, and some elementary linear algebra. A variety of applications—Bayesian statistics, financial mathematics, information theory, tomography, and signal processing—appear as threads to both enhance the understanding of the relevant mathematics and motivate students whose main interests are outside of pure areas.

The random-cluster model has emerged as a key tool in the mathematical study of ferromagnetism. It may be viewed as an extension of percolation to include Ising and Potts models, and its analysis is a mix of arguments from probability and geometry. The Random-Cluster Model contains accounts of the subcritical and supercritical phases, together with clear statements of important open problems. The book includes treatment of the first-order (discontinuous) phase transition.

At what point in the development of a new field should a book be written about it? This question is seldom easy to answer. In the case of interacting particle systems, important progress continues to be made at a substantial pace. A number of problems which are nearly as old as the subject itself remain open, and new problem areas continue to arise and develop. Thus one might argue that the time is not yet ripe for a book on this subject. On the other hand, this field is now about fifteen years old. Many important of several basic models is problems have been solved and the analysis almost complete. The papers written on this subject number in the hundreds. It has become increasingly difficult for newcomers to master the proliferating literature, and for workers in allied areas to make effective use of it. Thus I have concluded that this is an appropriate time to pause and take stock of the progress made to date. It is my hope that this book will not only provide a useful account of much of this progress, but that it will also help stimulate the future vigorous development of this field.

This is the first book to assemble the leading researchers in the field of LRRK2 biology and neurology and provide a snapshot of the current state of knowledge, encompassing all major aspects of its function and dysfunction. The contributors are experts in cell biology and physiology, neurobiology, and medicinal chemistry, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective on the gene and its role in disease. The book covers the identification of LRRK2 as a major contributor to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease. It also discusses the current state of the field after a decade of research, putative normal physiological roles of LRRK2, and the various pathways that have been identified in the search for the mechanism(s) of its induction of neurodegeneration.

The Cauchy transform of a measure on the circle is a subject of both classical and current interest with a sizable literature. This book is a thorough, well-documented, and readable survey of this literature and includes full proofs of the main results of the subject. This book also covers more recent perturbation theory as covered by Clark, Poltoratski, and Aleksandrov and contains an in-depth treatment of Clark measures.