This is the first introductory textbook on quantum field theory in gravitational backgrounds intended for undergraduate and beginning graduate students in the fields of theoretical astrophysics, cosmology, particle physics, and string theory. The book covers the basic (but essential) material of quantization of fields in an expanding universe and quantum fluctuations in inflationary spacetime. It also contains a detailed explanation of the Casimir, Unruh, and Hawking effects, and introduces the method of effective action used for calculating the back-reaction of quantum systems on a classical external gravitational field. The broad scope of the material covered will provide the reader with a thorough perspective of the subject. Every major result is derived from first principles and thoroughly explained. The book is self-contained and assumes only a basic knowledge of general relativity. Exercises with detailed solutions are provided throughout the book.

Who has time for community in the modern metropolis? The answer may surprise you: apparently lots of us. As this book discusses, religious communities have long been an important way for people in all parts of the modern city to come together. Whether in new suburban subdivisions, in rural areas undergoing change, or in inner-city neighborhoods, people of all social backgrounds, races, and economic means have used their congregations as a way to set down new roots and to hold on to old ones...

Tracing the development of what's considered "obscene", this volume surveys the Anglo-American sweep of anti-obscenity rules, doctrines and case law, from the key 1868 "Hicklin test" in English law to the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Examining 22 US court cases from the past 50 years in their historical context, it focuses on how pornography and obscenity have challenged US policy makers, judicial institutions and culture...

Ruling over the world of science in the 19th century, the materialist philosophy had proposed that the universe is an uncontrolled heap of matter that existed since infinite time. The discoveries made in the 20th century, however, entirely refuted this materialist claim...

'This volume will be of particular interest to astronomers, applied physicists and engineers developing instruments and systems at the frontier of technology. It also provides a unique reference for atmospheric scientists and scintillation specialists.' International Journal for Light and Electron Optics

Traditional approaches to the study of animal behavior have most often assumed that all members of a species exhibit the same behavior, termed species-typical behavior. The papers in Geographic Variation in Behavior demonstrate the fallacy of this assumption, providing ample evidence of variation across the ranges of a wide variety of taxa. The contributors have pioneered a variety of approaches to using geographically variable...

This book will show you how to use the free and open source Zen Cart shopping cart software to set up and run your own online store. Written in a step-by-step manner and accompanied with numerous screen shots, you will learn to use the latest version (1.3.7) of Zen Cart to: * set up an online store on your local machine for testing and familiarizing yourself with the software....

"Cecilia Tan has written a Yankee Doodle Dandy of a book. The reader is taken through the dramatic ebb and flow of the 50 greatest Yankee games. We learn a lot about the team from the Bronx in this fact-filled, entertainingly written opus. Should be required reading for all fans of the New York Yankees."
--Harvey Frommer, author of A Yankee Century and The New York Yankee Encyclopedia...

Political Tactics, composed for the Estates General in the months just prior to the outbreak of the French Revolution, is one of Jeremy Bentham's most original works. It contains the earliest and perhaps most important theoretical analysis of parliamentary procedure ever written. With typical
thoroughness and insight, Bentham discusses such central themes as the publicity of procedings, the rules of debate, and the proper steps to be taken in composing, proposing, and voting on a motion...

Cutting-edge researchers describe their efforts to design, synthesize, and evaluate the biological activities of farensyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs); geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitors (GGTIs) are also discussed as potential anticancer drugs. The authors survey in detail such inhibitors as CAAX box peptidomimetics, FPP mimics, and bisubstrate transition state analogs...