Surgery theory, the basis for the classification theory of manifolds, is now about forty years old. There have been some extraordinary accomplishments in that time, which have led to enormously varied interactions with algebra, analysis, and geometry. Workers in many of these areas have often lamented the lack of a single source that surveys surgery theory and its applications. Indeed, no one person could write such a survey. The sixtieth birthday of C. T. C. Wall, one of the leaders of the founding generation of surgery theory, provided an opportunity to rectify the situation and produce a comprehensive book on the subject. Experts have written state-of-the-art reports that will be of broad interest to all those interested in topology, not only graduate students and mathematicians, but mathematical physicists as well. Contributors include J. Milnor, S. Novikov, W. Browder, T. Lance, E. Brown, M. Kreck, J. Klein, M. Davis, J. Davis, I. Hambleton, L. Taylor, C. Stark, E. Pedersen, W. Mio, J. Levine, K. Orr, J. Roe, J. Milgram, and C. Thomas.

Surgery theory, the basis for the classification theory of manifolds, is now about forty years old. The sixtieth birthday (on December 14, 1996) of C.T.C. Wall, a leading member of the subject's founding generation, led the editors of this volume to reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments of surgery theory as well as its current enormously varied interactions with algebra, analysis, and geometry. Workers in many of these areas have often lamented the lack of a single source surveying surgery theory and its applications. Because no one person could write such a survey, the editors asked a variety of experts to report on the areas of current interest. This is the second of two volumes resulting from that collective effort. It will be useful to topologists, to other interested researchers, and to advanced students. The topics covered include current applications of surgery, Wall's finiteness obstruction, algebraic surgery, automorphisms and embeddings of manifolds, surgery theoretic methods for the study of group actions and stratified spaces, metrics of positive scalar curvature, and surgery in dimension four. In addition to the editors, the contributors are S. Ferry, M. Weiss, B. Williams, T. Goodwillie, J. Klein, S. Weinberger, B. Hughes, S. Stolz, R. Kirby, L. Taylor, and F. Quinn.

Covering the years 2008-2012, this book profiles the life and work of recent winners of the Abel Prize: · John G. Thompson and Jacques Tits, 2008 · Mikhail Gromov, 2009 · John T. Tate Jr., 2010 · John W. Milnor, 2011 · Endre Szemerédi, 2012. The profiles feature autobiographical information as well as a description of each mathematician's work. In addition, each profile contains a complete bibliography, a curriculum vitae, as well as photos — old and new. As an added feature, interviews with the Laureates are presented on an accompanying web site (http://extras.springer.com/). The book also presents a history of the Abel Prize written by the historian Kim Helsvig, and includes a facsimile of a letter from Niels Henrik Abel, which is transcribed, translated into English, and placed into historical perspective by Christian Skau. This book follows on The Abel Prize: 2003-2007, The First Five Years (Springer, 2010), which profiles the work of the first Abel Prize winners.

In the past fifteen years, the theory of right-angled Artin groups and special cube complexes has emerged as a central topic in geometric group theory. This monograph provides an account of this theory, along with other modern techniques in geometric group theory. Structured around the theme of group actions on contractible polyhedra, this book explores two prominent methods for constructing such actions: utilizing the group of deck transformations of the universal cover of a nonpositively curved polyhedron and leveraging the theory of simple complexes of groups. The book presents various approaches to obtaining cubical examples through CAT(0) cube complexes, including the polyhedral product construction, hyperbolization procedures, and the Sageev construction. Moreover, it offers a unified presentation of important non-cubical examples, such as Coxeter groups, Artin groups, and groups that act on buildings. Designed as a resource for graduate students and researchers specializing in geometric group theory, this book should also be of high interest to mathematicians in related areas, such as 3-manifolds.

This book is a survey of current topics in the mathematical theory of knots. For a mathematician, a knot is a closed loop in 3-dimensional space: imagine knotting an extension cord and then closing it up by inserting its plug into its outlet. Knot theory is of central importance in pure and applied mathematics, as it stands at a crossroads of topology, combinatorics, algebra, mathematical physics and biochemistry. * Survey of mathematical knot theory * Articles by leading world authorities * Clear exposition, not over-technical * Accessible to readers with undergraduate background in mathematics

Now in its 4th edition, Kirklin/Barratt-Boyes Cardiac Surgery remains your indispensable source for definitive, state-of-the-art answers on every aspect of adult and pediatric cardiac surgery. This dynamic medical reference thoroughly and systematically covers the full range of new and classic surgical procedures—including the latest alternate and minimally invasive surgical techniques—and presents the up-to-date clinical evidence you need to make effective management decisions. - Be certain with expert, dependable, accurate answers for every stage of your career from the most comprehensive, definitive text in the field! - Get comprehensive coverage of all areas of cardiac surgery, including ischemic, valvular, and congenital heart disease; cardiac tumors; constrictive pericarditis; thoracic aortic surgery; cardiac transplantation; coronary artery disease; aortic valve disease; cardiac rhythm disturbances; heart failure and transplantation; disease of the thoracic aorta; tetralogy of Fallot; anesthesia; and postoperative care. - Stay current with the latest advancements and practices. Comprehensive updates throughout include new information on endovascular management of thoracic aorta disease; new data on clinical outcomes; the most recent minimally invasive procedures; non-invasive CT angiography; new alternative surgical approaches to mitral valve surgery; and many other hot topics! - Make the most well-informed decisions and achieve optimal outcomes by exploring each condition's natural history; diagnostic criteria; indications for surgery; operative techniques; and follow-up care. - Reference information quickly thanks to a new, streamlined format. - Visually grasp and better understand critical information with the aid of a new, full-color design that includes an abundance of detailed charts and graphs. - Stay current with the latest advancements and practices. Comprehensive updates throughout include new information on endovascular management of thoracic aorta disease; new data on clinical outcomes; the most recent minimally invasive procedures; non-invasive CT angiography; new alternative surgical approaches to mitral valve surgery; and many other hot topics! - Reference information quickly thanks to a new, streamlined format and easily searchable online access to the complete text, downloadable image library, reference links, and more at www.expertconsult.com.