Astronomy enthusiasts will all appreciate the detailed yet easily-assimilated description of star clusters, how they were formed as our Milky Way galaxy, how they evolved, and how they are classified. The latest research has revealed a vast amount of fascinating information about the clusters, along with some spectacular photographs. Modern commercially-made telescopes enable amateur astronomers to see a surprising amount of detail, and to record – using CCD cameras, video, webcams or even film – some remarkably beautiful and detailed images. Contained here also is detailed information on using refractors, reflectors, and, of course, Meade and Celestron’s ubiquitous range of computer-controlled SCT telescopes.

This book contains the proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Colloquium no. 195, held in Torino, Italy in 2004. The meeting investigated the formation of galaxies within a full cosmological context, focusing on the outer regions of galaxy clusters. The observed correlation of optical and radio properties of galaxies with their environment indicates that the formation and evolution of galaxies is intimately linked to the formation of large scale structure. With chapters written by leading authorities in the field, this timely volume investigates the role of the environment in determining the properties of galaxies. It describes the distribution of matter and galaxies on the largest scales in the Universe, the processes of cluster and galaxy formation, their role and interplay. This is a valuable collection of review articles for professional astronomers.

Overview and Goals Wireless communication technologies are undergoing rapid advancements. The last few years have experienced a steep growth in research in the area of wireless mesh networks (WMNs). The attractiveness of WMNs, in general, is attributed to their characteristics such as the ability to dynamically self-organize and self-con?gure, coupled with the ability to maintain mesh connectivity leading, in effect, to low set-up/installation costs, simpler maintenance tasks, and service coverage with high reliability and fault-tolerance. WMNs also support their integration with existing wireless networks such as cellular networks, WLANs, wireless-?delity (Wi-Fi), and worldwide interoperability of microwave access (WiMAX). WMNs have found u- ful applications in a broad range of domains such as broadband home networking, commercial/business networking, and community networking – particularly attr- tive in offering broadband wireless access with low initial installation and set-up costs. Even though WMNs have emerged to be attractive and they hold great promises for our future, there are several challenges that need to be addressed. Some of the wellknownchallenges areattributedtoissuesrelatingtoscalability(signi?cantdrop in throughput with the increase in the number of nodes), multicasting, offering qu- ity of service guarantees, energy ef?ciency, and security. This handbook attempts to provide a comprehensive guide on fundamental key topics coupled with new ideas and results in the areas of WMNs. The book has been prepared keeping in mind that it needs to prove itself to be a valuable resource dealing with both the important core and the specialized issues in WMNs.

This book presents the structure formation and dynamics of animate and inanimate matter on the nanometre scale. This is a new interdisciplinary field known as Meso-Bio-Nano (MBN) science that lies at the intersection of physics, chemistry, biology and material science. Special attention in the book is devoted to investigations of the structure, properties and dynamics of complex MBN systems by means of photonic, electronic, heavy particle and atomic collisions. This includes problems of fusion and fission, fragmentation, surfaces and interfaces, reactivity, nanoscale phase and morphological transitions, irradiation-driven transformations of complex molecular systems, collective electron excitations, radiation damage and biodamage, channeling phenomena and many more. Emphasis in the book is placed on the theoretical and computational physics research advances in these areas and related state-of-the-art experiments. Particular attention in the book is devoted to the utilization of advanced computational techniques and high-performance computing in studies of the dynamics of systems.

Fluctuating parameters appear in a variety of physical systems and phenomena. They typically come either as random forces/sources, or advecting velocities, or media (material) parameters, like refraction index, conductivity, diffusivity, etc. Models naturally render to statistical description, where random processes and fields express the input parameters and solutions. The fundamental problem of stochastic dynamics is to identify the essential characteristics of the system (its state and evolution), and relate those to the input parameters of the system and initial data. This book is a revised and more comprehensive version of Dynamics of Stochastic Systems. Part I provides an introduction to the topic. Part II is devoted to the general theory of statistical analysis of dynamic systems with fluctuating parameters described by differential and integral equations. Part III deals with the analysis of specific physical problems associated with coherent phenomena. - A comprehensive update of Dynamics of Stochastic Systems - Develops mathematical tools of stochastic analysis and applies them to a wide range of physical models of particles, fluids and waves - Includes problems for the reader to solve