Faculty Books

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Nonnegative Matrices, Positive Operators, and Applications

Jiu Ding

Nonnegative matrices and positive operators are widely applied in science, engineering, and technology. This book provides the basic theory and several typical modern science and engineering applications of nonnegative matrices and positive operators, including the fundamental theory, methods, numerical analysis, and applications in the Google search engine, computational molecular dynamics, and wireless communications.

Unique features of this book include the combination of the theories of nonnegative matrices and positive operators as well as the emphasis on applications of nonnegative matrices in the numerical analysis of positive operators, such as Markov operators and Frobenius–Perron operators both of which play key roles in the statistical and stochastic studies of dynamical systems.

It can be used as a textbook for an upper level undergraduate or beginning graduate course in advanced matrix theory and/or positive operators as well as for an advanced topics course in operator theory or ergodic theory. In addition, it serves as a good reference for researchers in mathematical sciences, physical sciences, and engineering.
Black Women In New South Literature and Culture

Sherita L. Johnson

Using the "the Negro Problem" in African American literature as a point of departure, this book focuses on the profound impact that racism had on the literary imagination of black Americans, specifically those in the South. Although the South has been one of the most enduring sites of criticism in American Studies and in American literary history, Johnson argues that it is impossible to consider what the "South" and what "southernness" mean as cultural references without looking at how black women have contributed to and contested any unified definition of that region. Johnson challenges the homogeneity of a "white" South and southern cultural identity by recognizing how fictional and historical black women are underacknowledged agents of cultural change. Johnson regards the South as a cultural region that (re)constructs black womanhood, but she also considers how black womanhood have transformed the South. Specialists in nineteenth and twentieth century American literature will find this book a necessary addition, as will scholars of African American Literature and History.
America and the Vietnam War: Re-Examining the Culture and History of a Generation

Andrew A. Wiest, Mary Kathryn Barbier, and Glenn Robins

The Vietnam War was one of the most heavily documented conflicts of the twentieth century. Although the events themselves recede further into history every year, the political and cultural changes the war brought about continue to resonate, even as a new generation of Americans grapples with its own divisive conflict.

America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the Culture and History of a Generation reconsiders the social and cultural aspects of the conflict that helped to fundamentally change the nation. With chapters written by subject area specialists, America and the Vietnam War takes on subjects such as women’s role in the war, the music and the films of the time, the Vietnamese perspective, race and the war, and veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder. Features include:
Heavily illustrated and welcoming to students and scholars of this infamous and pivotal time, America and the Vietnam War is a perfect companion to any course on the Vietnam War Era.
Youth Services and Public Libraries

Susan Higgins

Youth Services and Public Libraries offers strategies to match the information needs and wants of children and young adults in public libraries and translates these into knowledge for providing relevant services. The latest trends in service provision are covered within the context of appropriate management, programming and marketing of services. The book is grounded in the principles of public library services to children and young adults everywhere.
Contemporary African American Women Playwrights: A Casebook

Philip C. Kolin

'The impressive array of scholars gathered in this collection, all experts in the field, read the plays with nuance and situate them deftly within their cultural and historical contexts. Scholars of contemporary theater and drama and of African American literature will find value in this engaging collection.' – Choice

'For students and scholars of American theatre and drama generally and African American theatre and drama most particularly, this is an extremely valuable critical source.' – Harry Elam, Stanford University, USA

In the last fifty years, American and World theatre has been challenged and enriched by the rise to prominence of numerous female African American dramatists. Contemporary African American Women Playwrights is the first critical volume to explore the contexts and influences of these writers, and their exploration of black history and identity through a wealth of diverse, courageous and visionary dramas.

Kolin compiles a wealth of new essays, comprising:
- Yale scholar David Krasner on the dramatic legacy of Lorraine Hansberry, Zora Neale Hurston, Marita Bonner and Georgia Douglas Johnson
- individual chapters devoted to: Alice Childress, Sonia Sanchez, Adrienne Kennedy, Ntozake Shange, Pearl Cleage, Aishah Rahman, Glenda Dickerson, Anna Deavere Smith and Suzan Lori-Parks
- an essay and accompanying interview with Lynn Nottage
- comprehensive discussion of attendant theatrical forms, from choreopoems and surrealistic plays, to documentary theatre and civil rights dramas, and their use in challenging racial and gender hierarchies.
Justice and Violence: Political Violence, Pacifism and Cultural Transformation

Allan Eickelmann, Eric Nelson, and Tom Lansford

Originally published in 2003. Justice and Violence brings together a fascinating and varied volume that focuses on the ethics of both political violence and pacifism. Incorporating historical, geopolitical and cultural case studies, it takes a unique look at comparative analyses of these two phenomena and contending world views. The volume is a 'must read' for political scientists, ethicists, historians, sociologists, anthropologists and policy analysts. As we move deeper into the twenty-first century, the contradictory and conflicting forces of globalization and cultural fragmentation make it increasingly crucial to give serious consideration to the issues raised here.
A Bitter Harvest

Tom Lansford

The 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States formed part of the larger legacy of American interaction in Afghanistan. From the end of World War II onward, American foreign policy had a significant impact on the conflicts that marked the twentieth century history of this troubled land. The role of the United States was magnified by the violence of the ongoing internal ethnic struggles and the external machinations of the superpower Cold War rivalry. In line with the aims of the series, this valuable new book: Â· presents a historical overview of the causes and legacy of Afghanistan's internal conflict Â· explores the role and influence of the actors involved, including the various ethnic and religious groups and external powers such as the United States and the Soviet Union Â· provides the framework for a broader exploration of US policy toward Afghanistan A Bitter Harvest concludes with an assessment of US policy and policy recommendations.
Mathematical Computing: An Introducution to Programming Using Maple®

David E. Betounes and Mylan Redfern

This book is designed to teach introductory computer programming using Maple. It aims to infuse more mathematically oriented programming exercises and problems than those found in traditional programming courses while reinforcing and applying concepts and techniques of calculus. All the important, basic elements of computer programming can be easily learned within the interactive and user friendly environment of a Computer Algebra System (CAS) such as Maple. Most chapters feature case studies that provide greater depth on some topics and also serve to illustrate the methodology of analysis and design of code for more complex problems. This book is directed at undergraduates in the fields of math, science, or secondary education.
Inland Fishes of Mississippi

Stephen T. Ross

Mississippi has a diverse and fascinating inland fish fauna, yet no single, current reference provides information on identification, fishery importance, biology, and conservation status of the fishes. The pioneering book, Freshwater Fishes in Mississippi, by Fannye Cook (1959) has become outdated as much new information has accrued on the occurrence, systematics, distribution, life history, and ecology of the species. For instance, the known species diversity of native freshwater or diadromous fishes in Mississippi has increased by 41%, from 145 to 204.

My objectives in writing this book were to provide a comprehensive reference for the identification of fishes found in the inland waters of the state and to provide a synopsis of biological information on each species. To increase the utility of the book in the identification of species, I have provided color photographs of freshly collected fishes taken from Mississippi waters.

The goal has been to make this book useful to professional ichthyologists and fisheries biologists, as well as to students, anglers, and amateur naturalists. In doing so, there is necessary information included for the specialists that may be of little interest to others, and perhaps biological information that, though common knowledge to specialists, is necessary to include for those less familiar with fishes. It is my ultimate hope that this book will stimulate interest in the fascinating and diverse native inland fish fauna of Mississippi. Should this book lead to greater awareness and concern for the long-term welfare of our inland waterways and their biota, then the return for the time spent in the preparation is more than sufficient.

I have tried to reduce the use of technical terms, although some are unavoidable, especially those concerning fish morphology. Therefore, specialized terms have been compiled in a glossary at the end of the book.
Jewish American Poetry: Poems, Commentary, and Reflections

Jonathan N. Barron and Eric M. Selinger

Offers poems by twenty-six poets, along with the poets' commentary discussing various aspects of the poetry and addressing the question of what makes a poet's work particularly "Jewish."
Roads Not Taken: Rereading Robert Frost

Earl J. Wilcox and Jonathan N. Barron

In Roads Not Taken, Earl J. Wilcox and Jonathan N. Barron bring a new freshness and depth to the study of one of America's greatest poets. While some critics discounted Frost as a poet without technical skill, rhetorical complexity, or intellectual depth, over the past decade scholars have begun to view Robert Frost's work from many new perspectives. Critical hermeneutics, culture studies, feminism, postmodernism, and textual editing all have had their impact on readings of the poet's life and work. This collection of essays is the first to account for the variety of these new perceptions.

Appealing to a wide literary community, and in keeping with Frost's own poetic goals, these twelve essays fall into four distinct categories: gender, biography and cultural studies, the intertext, and poetics and theory.

All the contributors, many of whom have written books on Frost, are widely recognized scholars. Their diverse viewpoints and collective expertise make this volume of essays the most significant contribution to Frost criticism to be published in over twenty years.
The Demand for Imports and Exports In the World Economy

W. Charles Sawyer and Richard Sprinkle

First published in 1999, this volume responds to one of the more important issues in applied international economics: the extent to which trade flows adjust to changes in income, relative prices and exchange rates. This work surveys the literature on empirical estimation of the demand for imports and exports for the US. The book is designed to be a reference book for both academic international economists and international trade practitioners in government, international organisations and the private sector.
Partial Differential Equations For Computational Science: With Maple® and Vector Analysis

David E. Betounes

This is a classroom-tested and developed textbook designed for use in either one- or two term courses in Partial Differential Equations taught at the advanced undergradute and beginning graduate levels of instruction. In addition to covering the standard PDE topics taught in such courses, there is a heavy focus on vector analysis. Maple examples and exercises for the students are presented strategically within the book, and an Appendix on Maple facilitates the use of this computer algebra language, acting as a quick reference source for readers. This book will have strong appeal to interdisciplinary audiences of engineers and scientists, particulary in regard to its treatments of fluid mechanics, heat equations, and continuum mechanics, inclusion of the latter being a unique feature of the presentation.