Book Description
The study of the electronic structure of materials is at a momentous stage, with the emergence of new computational methods and theoretical approaches. This volume provides an introduction to the field and describes its conceptual framework, the capabilities of present methods, limitations, and challenges for the future. Many properties of materials can now be determined directly from the fundamental equations of quantum mechanics, bringing new insights into critical problems in physics, chemistry, and materials science.
Customer Reviews:
A Gr8 Book on DFT Concepts.......2007-07-05
I like this book and would recommend it to any beginner into density functional theory. It explains all the modern electronic structure techniques in a rather simple language. Its much more easier and quicker than going into hundreds of papers and not knowing where to start.
The biggest issue with this book is a rather poor organisational structure to the book. That's why I've given it a 4/5 rating. There are some concepts that have been easily thrown in at the end, into the appendices.. and having to turn pages too frequently can be annoying.
But the good work has been done & I'd ask Mr Martin to re-organise the content.
This book has the potential to be a classic.
Excellent book.......2006-03-21
As a graduate student attempting to learn density functional theory and its use in computer programmes, I have found this book to be an excellent addition to my library. Well structured and written.
Not impressive.......2005-06-30
Although the topics the book embrasses are current and essential for practising chemists, physisists and materials scientists the pedagogic care with which it explains some of the topics is poor.
The author makes the assumption that the reader is familiarized with the heavy mathematical formalism and notation which is commonplace in specialized physics articles but fails to remember that graduate students that don't have a physics background, and come from other schools of thought such as chemistry, biochemistry or materials science, might be target readers.
For instance the book's introduction to Hartree-Fock theory must be the most complicated I've ever seen with constant recourse to Dirac's delta function (without even revealing its presence, stating simply that it should be there). The link between DFT and statistical thermodynamics although interesting is not essential for the heart of the discussion. Some classic program applications like Siesta are presented but you get the feeling that it's just for show off.
All in all if you're a physicist with some years of experience in the field of planewave computation you might find the book interesting.
Otherwise if you're a beginner like me forget it! The book by Efthimios Kaxiras (Atomic and Electronic Structure of Solids) is more revealing and pedagogic and supplies every detail in the mathematical formalism. Some physicists with a more chemical sensitivity such as Harrison, chemists such as Roald Hoffmann, Jeremy Burdett or Michael Springborg or materials scientists like Adrian Sutton or David Pettifor are better suited for the novice.
Outstanding.......2004-07-07
This book was recommended to me to help me in my research, and has turned out to be one of the best recommendations I have ever received. This is a great book; by far the best I have come across on the topic of computing the properties of condensed phase materials by quantum mechanical simulations. Here are the reasons why.
1. The chapters are well laid out and one chapter flows neatly to the next.
2. The math is kept to a minimum; the author makes a point of communicating important principles and ideas in concise sentences without resorting to derivations. This is ideal for engineers like me; who by training do not know that much math as compared to physicists who specialize in the solid state.
3. Important ideas are clarified up front. Many texts will lead the reader through long and windy paths of proofs and logic before arriving at the conclusion; thereby losing their reader in the process. Not here; important points are stated clearly at the beginning and at the end of each section.
4. Compare, contrast, and context. There are many ideas, models, approximations, and theorems that have been developed in the past century related to electronic structure. Many of these are closely related to each other in their inspiration, derivation, practice, and/or applications. This book makes the connections between the different concepts. For a non-expert reading through the electronic structure literature, terms like APW, OPW, PAW, LAPW, LMTO, etc... can be quite confusing if not placed within an overriding context. This book provides that context.
5. Good use of appendices. Electronic structure is a lot like politics; most practicioners in either field did not receive formal educations in the subject, but instead got into it under the apprenticeship of other people. This is reflected by a lot of literature by those who succeeded in the field; most of it good in showing of the authors' achievements, but generally useless in preparing the next generation of practicioners. For electronic structure, this is manifested by the many books that require prior knowledge of quantum, thermo, crystallography, mat sci, etc.. In effect, these books were written by experts to be read by other experts. Not this book. Basic ideas are kept in the text; and specific proofs and derivations are kept in the appendices. The result is a text that is much easier to read than most others.
6. The book is concept driven; not application driven. Most texts in materials simulations are actually a compilation of chapters written independently by multiple authors. Each chapter might be given a general title; but the text will be bias towards the research of its authors. For example, a chapter on surface calculations might focus entirely on adsorption, or relaxation/reconstruction, or optical properties; but surely not touching all these subjects. This book does not do this; each chapter is driven by basic concepts, and one concept leads to the next.
In all, this is a great textbook and a handy reference book. I highly recommend it.
Book Description
The field of synthetic membrane science and technology is an active, growing field involving an interdisciplinary mixture of polymer chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical engineering. Some membrane processes are reasonably well understood, and have been commercialised for some period of time. Other membrane processes have only recently been employed in commercial applications, and still other processes are only in formative research stages.
This volume gives a comprehensive compendium of the basic principles in the field of synthetic membranes. The following topics are covered: basic aspects of membrane processes; materials and material properties; membrane preparation and characterisation; membrane transport; concentration polarisation and fouling; process and module design. The second edition of this well-established text has been considerably expanded and updated, and many chapters now contain sections giving solved and unsolved problems.
Audience: This book is recommended as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a comprehensive reference for engineers, scientists, and technical management.
Customer Reviews:
A good book for someone who interested in membrane.......2007-03-09
This book is about basic and principle of membrane.Many researchers and theacher used it. Someone said this book is a standard book for anybody who make membrane.it's included basic and some process and some applications...
More then basic..........2001-04-21
As a graduate student in engineering I find my self in a rush to acquire knowledge as fast as possible. Membrane processes for water treatment is an emerging science that have a great potential to be the future's main process for drinking water production. 'Basic Principles of Membrane Technology' is more than a basic book! It thoroughly go from the basics of membrane materials and manufacturing through transport in membranes, membrane processes and membrane fouling. Everything you need to know an beyond!
Average customer rating:
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UV Coatings: Basics, Recent Developments and New Applications
Reinhold Schwalm
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
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ASIN: 0444529799 |
Book Description
Since UV curing (light induced polymerisation of multifunctional oligomers) is a very ecoefficient and energy saving curing method, the growth rates of UV curable coatings are in the range of 10% per year. The typical UV coatings are solvent free (100% solids), thus helping the industry and the environment to reduce significantly VOC (volatile organic compounds). Recently, the automotive industry has discovered that UV cured coatings are very scratch resistant, which stimulated very extensive work into the development of UV coatings for automotive applications. Since UV curing is very universal, also other systems besides the 100% solid (typical) UV coatings are developed, like waterbased UV- , UV powder and Dual cure (UV and thermal) systems.
UV Coatings contains an overview of the technology, the curing process including the equipment necessary, the raw materials (resins, diluents, photoinitiators) used, the advantages and drawbacks of this fast emerging technology, as well as proposed technical solutions to tackle the disadvantages. Structure-property relationships will be given, especially regarding the mechanical properties of coatings as well as scratch resistance, mainly dealing with automotive performance criteria.
The main part of the book will deal with new developments, like water-based UV coatings, UV powder coatings and dual cure systems, cured by UV and thermal energy, which have been developed to cure the coating on three dimensional substrates in shadow areas. The main applications of UV Coatings will be described, starting with the classical ones on temperature sensitive substrates, like wood, paper and plastics, where the UV curable coatings are already well established.
* Looking at UV curing as a key to scratch resistant automotive clear coats
* Ecoefficiency of UV Coatings
* Comprehensive overview of the technology, materials and markets
Average customer rating:
- Does the world need yet another carbon nanotube book?
|
Carbon Nanotubes: Basic Concepts and Physical Properties
Stephanie Reich ,
Christian Thomsen , and
Janina Maultzsch
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
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Physical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes
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Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Structure, Properties and Applications
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Carbon Nanotubes and Related Structures
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Carbon Nanotubes: Science and Applications
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Carbon Nanotubes: Properties and Applications
ASIN: 3527403868 |
Book Description
Carbon nanotubes are exceptionally interesting from a fundamental research point of view. Many concepts of one-dimensional physics have been verified experimentally such as electron and phonon confinement or the one-dimensional singularities in the density of states; other 1D signatures are still under debate, such as Luttinger-liquid behavior. Carbon nanotubes are chemically stable, mechanically very strong, and conduct electricity. For this reason, they open up new perspectives for various applications, such as nano-transistors in circuits, field-emission displays, artificial muscles, or added reinforcements in alloys.
This text is an introduction to the physical concepts needed for investigating carbon nanotubes and other one-dimensional solid-state systems. Written for a wide scientific readership, each chapter consists of an instructive approach to the topic and sustainable ideas for solutions. The former is generally comprehensible for physicists and chemists, while the latter enable the reader to work towards the state of the art in that area. The book gives for the first time a combined theoretical and experimental description of topics like luminescence of carbon nanotubes, Raman scattering, or transport measurements. The theoretical concepts discussed range from the tight-binding approximation, which can be followed by pencil and paper, to first-principles simulations. We emphasize a comprehensive theoretical and experimental understanding of carbon nanotubes including
- general concepts for one-dimensional systems
- an introduction to the symmetry of nanotubes
- textbook models of nanotubes as narrow cylinders
- a combination of ab-initio calculations and experiments
- luminescence excitation spectroscopy linked to Raman spectroscopy
- an introduction to the 1D-transport properties of nanotubes
- effects of bundling on the electronic and vibrational properties and
- resonance Raman scattering in nanotubes.
Customer Reviews:
Does the world need yet another carbon nanotube book?.......2004-07-08
Maybe, but I'm not sure this is it. It comes VERY close though. My complaint (which prevents me from buying my own copy) is that far too many important concepts are mentioned in passing with the reader sent to the literature for the details. For $130, a bit more completeness would be nice. I realize "serious" workers in the field will call me lazy for wanting a $130 book to be as self-contained as possible. So be it...
Average customer rating:
- Review of Thermo by Klotz
- Well explained - a pleasure to read
|
Chemical Thermodynamics: Basic Theory and Methods, 6th Edition
Irving M. Klotz , and
Robert M. Rosenberg
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
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Companion to Chemical Thermodynamics, 6th Edition
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Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms
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Basic Chemical Thermodynamics (Fifth Edition)
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Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Dynamics
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Transport Phenomena
ASIN: 0471331074 |
Book Description
A new, millennium edition of the classic treatment of chemical thermodynamics Widely recognized for half a century for its first-rate, logical introduction to phenomenological thermodynamics, this classic work is now thoroughly revised for the new millennium. The Sixth Edition continues to cover the fundamentals and methods of thermodynamics with exceptional vigor and clarity, while incorporating many new developments. Up-to-date examples are carefully gleaned from the literature for their practical interest to chemists, biochemists, geologists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists. Chemical Thermodynamics: Basic Theory and Methods, Sixth Edition provides readers with clear explanations of essential chemistry, mathematics, and the latest computational tools. Additional new features include:
* Liberal reference to Web-based resources and databases
* Extensive tables of thermodynamic data organized by source
* High-quality exercises with a separate student manual available for solutions to alternate problems
* Simple methods for the calculation of partial molar functions from experimental data
* Expanded and revised chapters containing discussion of excess thermodynamic functions, a treatment of the Second Law and Equilibrium on the basis of the Planck function as well as the Gibbs function, and treatment of real gases in terms of the Redlich-Kwong equation
Customer Reviews:
Review of Thermo by Klotz.......2005-09-26
An insightful book. Easy to read when compared to other books of similar subject. Flows through topics smoothly.
Well explained - a pleasure to read.......2003-10-22
I started to read this book in order to figure out how to calculate the heat released by various chemical reactions. I ended up spending a week reading the first 10 chapters (roughly half the book) and working through the majority of the exercises simply because the book was such a pleasure to read. I feel that the material is presented in a logical fashion, the physical meaning of various mathematical functions is well explained, the exercises are set at the correct pitch and lead to a deeper understanding of the theory, and sufficient references are given so that the reader knows where to go to obtain further material (thermochemical data in my case).
About a decade ago i completed a postgraduate maths/physics degree so I suppose that may give me an "edge" over some readers. However, the book begins with an introduction to calculus involving many variables which is really the only maths used in the entire book.
The book is certainly simple - you won't find much mention of statistical mechanics, for example - but I believe it provides an excellent introduction to the subject of chemical thermodynamics.
There is a companion to this book containing answers to many of the exercises.
Book Description
This much-anticipated second edition introduces the fundamentals of the finite element method featuring clear-cut examples and an applications-oriented approach. Using the transport equation for heat transfer as the foundation for the governing equations, this new edition demonstrates the versatility of the method for a wide range of applications, including structural analysis and fluid flow.
Much attention is given to the development of the discrete set of algebraic equations, beginning with simple one-dimensional problems that can be solved by inspection, continuing to two- and three-dimensional elements, and ending with three chapters describing applications. The increased number of example problems per chapter helps build an understanding of the method to define and organize required initial and boundary condition data for specific problems. In addition to exercises that can be worked out manually, this new edition refers to user-friendly computer codes for solving one-, two-, and three-dimensional problems. Among the first FEM textbooks to include finite element software, the book contains a website with access to an even more comprehensive list of finite element software written in FEMLAB, MAPLE, MathCad, MATLAB, FORTRAN, C++, and JAVA - the most popular programming languages.
This textbook is valuable for senior level undergraduates in mechanical, aeronautical, electrical, chemical, and civil engineering. Useful for short courses and home-study learning, the book can also serve as an introduction for first-year graduate students new to finite element coursework and as a refresher for industry professionals. The book is a perfect lead-in to Intermediate Finite Element Method: Fluid Flow and Heat and Transfer Applications (Taylor & Francis, 1999, Hb 1560323094).
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book for MEG students and scholars.......2000-08-17
Dr. Darrell Pepper is a wonderful professor. I was in his MEG 700 class at UNLV and He is the best professor I have had so far during my graduate school career. This book is also wonderful in expalining difficult concepts clearly and charting difficult flow diagrams.
Average customer rating:
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Saturated Flow and Soil Structure: A Review of the Subject and Laboratory Experiments on the Basic Relationships (Springer Series in Physical Environment)
Heiko Diestel
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0387557911 |
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Molecular Modeling: Basic Principles and Applications
Hans-Dieter Höltje ,
Wolfgang Sippl ,
Didier Rognan , and
Gerd Folkers
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
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Molecular Modelling for Beginners
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Molecular Modelling: Principles and Applications (2nd Edition)
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Molecular Modeling and Simulation
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Chemoinformatics: A Textbook
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Essentials of Computational Chemistry: Theories and Models
ASIN: 3527305890 |
Book Description
Written by experienced experts in the field, this book describes the basics to the extent necessary for reliably judging the results from molecular modeling calculations.
Without unnecessary overhead, it leads readers from simple calculations on small molecules to the modeling of proteins and other relevant biomolecules. Beginners are guided through their first modeling experiment, while routine users of modeling software are provided with invaluable troubleshooting hints. A unique resource for students, researchers and lecturers, now available in this all-new, enlarged edition.
"If the currently popular 'Dummies' series of computer books were to publish a volume on molecular modeling this would be it" (Journal of the American Chemical Society)
"The book is well written and assumes no prior knowledge of molecular biology, statistical mechanics, or quantum chemistry. The authors provide practical hints for the application of the majority of available programs in computational chemistry" (Computers in Physics)
Customer Reviews:
Accelrys advertisement.......2007-01-17
This book describes what is essentially docking calculations in the context of the Accerlys software. The text is very qualitative and does not provide enough instruction to do any "molecular modeling". It seems to be more guidlines for various software packages sold by Accerlys.
Average customer rating:
|
Silicon Surfaces and Formation of Interfaces: Basic Science in the Industrial World
Jarek Dabrowski , and
Hans-Joachim Mussig
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
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ASIN: 9810232861 |
Book Description
Silicon, the basic material for a multibillion-dollar industry, is the most widely researched and applied semiconductor, and its surfaces are the most thoroughly studied of all semiconductor surfaces. Silicon Surfaces and Formation of Interfaces may be used as an introduction to graduate-level physics and chemical physics. Moreover, it gives a specialized and comprehensive description of the most common faces of silicon crystals as well as their interaction with adsorbates and overlayers. This knowledge is presented in a systematic and easy-to-follow way. Discussion of each system is preceded by a brief overview which categorizes the features and physical mechanisms before the details are presented. The literature is easily available, and the references are numerous and organized in tables, allowing a search without the need to browse through the text.
Though this volume focuses on a scientific understanding of physics on the atomistic and mesoscopic levels, it also highlights existing and potential links between basic research in surface science and applications in the silicon industry. It will be valuable to anyone writing a paper, thesis, or proposal in the field of silicon surfaces.
Average customer rating:
- A Short, Good Book on Brain Structure
- Needs more diagrams, images and discursive flair
- A brilliant book for serious neuroscientists
- Not a serious work
- Excellent neuroanatomy intro & overview
|
Brain Architecture: Understanding the Basic Plan (Medicine)
Larry W. Swanson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
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Principles of Brain Evolution
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Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy: Evolution and Adaptation
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Cortex and Mind: Unifying Cognition
-
Development of the Nervous System, Second Edition
ASIN: 0195105052 |
Book Description
Depending on your point of view the brain is an organ, a machine, a biological computer, or simply the most important component of the nervous system. How does it work as a whole? What are its major parts and how are they interconnected to generate thinking, feelings, and behavior? This book surveys 2,500 years of scientific thinking about these profoundly important questions from the perspective of fundamental architectural principles, and then proposes a new model for the basic plan of neural systems organization based on an explosion of structural data emerging from the neuroanatomy revolution of the 1970's The importance of a balance between theoretical and experimental morphology is stressed throughout the book. Great advances in understanding the brain's basic plan brain have come especially from two traditional lines of biological thought- evolution and embryology, because each begins with the simple and progresses to the more complex. Understanding the organization of brain circuits, which contain thousands of links or pathways, is much more difficult. It is argued here that a four-system network model can explain the structure-function organization of the brain. Possible relationships between neural networks and gene networks revealed by the human genome project are explored in the final chapter. The book is written in clear and sparkling prose, and it is profusely illustrated. It is designed to be read by anyone with an interest in the basic organization of the brain, from neuroscience to philosophy to computer science to molecular biology. It is suitable for use in neuroscience core courses because it presents basic principles of the structure of the nervous system in a systematic way.
Customer Reviews:
A Short, Good Book on Brain Structure.......2005-09-20
I bought this book to refresh and update what I know about brain structure so I could better understand current neuroscience findings. Overall, I am happy with the outcome.
Swanson is a recognized authority on neural structures. He writes clearly and communicates a palpable excitement as he describes fundamental insights into brain organization and function. I particularly liked the way he presents the key historic developments that led to current views. Swanson also has the expert's appreciation of where theories are solid and where contemporary understanding is seriously lacking. In fact, one important message of the book is that the field still has only a tenuous grasp of many structural details about the brain, not to mention major uncertainties about connections between structure and function.
I did not give the book the highest rating for two reasons. First, the material on the cognitive system omitted discussion of areas that are important in contemporary memory research such as the amygdala, the rhinal cortex, and the cingulate gyrus. Swanson uses different terminology to describe these and other areas, believing that the traditional terms are unnecessary and should be abandoned. While improved classification schemes are to be applauded, contemporary researchers continue to use the traditional terms. I would have liked more help to bridge the terminology disconnect.
My second complaint is that a number of terms he does use are undefined both in the text and in the skimpy glossary. This material is hard enough when you have all the definitions and descriptions.
But I want to end a positive note. The book is well written, short, focused, engaging, and helpful in understanding brain structure. Maybe that's as good as it gets for a work on neuroanatomy written for non specialists.
Needs more diagrams, images and discursive flair.......2005-09-11
Often the fit between research scholarship and effective writing skills is difficult to achieve. This book is an example of that unevenness that really should be caught by a good editor. Personally I found the text educational, interesting and peppered with historical gems that some lent anecdotal dynamism to the work. However, the illustrations are largly drawn from historical works, which is quaint but not particularly helpful given modern research requirements. The diagrams in the book are uninspiring grayscale shapes. I didn't find them informative.
The book really kicks off in Chapter 4, The Basic Vertebrate Plan. Disappointingly, Swanson's potentially mouth opening discussion of four rival brain architectures is too abrupt and tails off into vagueness. Its overall tenor is not helped by very plain diagrams of their components. The upside is that he covers the evolution in historical thought very well - of interest to any historian of science. Given my needs (computational modelling) the book was very adequate but only because I had already tucked From Neuron to Brain under my belt a few months previously.
The first few chapters cover neuroembryogenesis and the theories of neural plate development. After that, the book takes off through the vertebrate brain and four main systems (behaviour, motor, cognitive and sensory). it concludes with a brief chapter on learning and damage repair. The book drives home some points clearly and simply, such as the separate development of motor and sensory ganglion cirucits. Sometimes the descriptions are clouded by the author's view that conventional descriptors in human anatomy are the wrong way round (or just plain wrong). For instance, the anterior-posterior axis in humans is also called the rostrocaudal axis by neuroembryologists. This illustrates one of Swanson's bugbears, viz, that studies of human brain architecture have not made more of comparative neuroanatomy studies. I have no expertise to comment on this issue, but I did question its immediate relevance to the central text.
As the book runs through the main human brain systems, it becomes a bit thin in places. More pages are needed to elaborate complex principles and theories than the book affords. In his discussion of the cognitive system, Swanson argues that the grouping of components in the cerebral hemispheres is buried in a miasma of different and conflicting naming schemes. It is better to take guidance from embryology, he argues, in determining brain regionalisation schema. This promise of simplifcation, which would make any brain texts more readable at least, is undermined by the supporting diagrams. Time and again, interesting and intriguing hypotheses and critiques are let down by the lack of high quality visuals. It is a great pity, given the standards of other texts.
I must admit that I found this book interesting and Swanosn definitely stamps his 'own outlook' on the material. However, I was relieved I had digested something substantially more graphical in the area before reading this book.
A brilliant book for serious neuroscientists.......2004-10-31
I found this book to be stimulating, informing, and very readable. Larry shows his mastery of brain organisation by distilling reams of detail into instructive paragraphs. This is one of the most interesting neuroscience books I have read. It is a must buy for graduate students in mammalian neuroscience. Congratualtions Larry!
Not a serious work.......2004-07-07
This book is not for people with a serious interest in brain structure or function. The text suffers from an extraordinary absence of references-there are literally none with the exception of some of the figures. This omission is made all the more disturbing by an endless series of dubious claims (all unreferenced):
? "...there are in round numbers about 50000 major connections or pathways that form the macrocircuitry of the central nervous system."
? people born without a cerebellum can "think just fine."
? "...the infragranular layers are essentially the 'motor' part of the cerebral cortex."
? "the cerebral cortex...is the part of the nervous system responsible for thinking."
The book's laborious coverage of neural development is adequately presented, but has little in the way of a payoff for understanding principles of brain architecture beyond the strictly anatomical. The chapter on motor systems presents the loosely constrained theory of "central pattern generators" with minimal acknowledgment of the complexity or contention in the literature. And the chapter on sensory systems is an ode to the diversity of sensory receptors with little to say about general principles of sensation or how they are reflected in anatomy.
The most interesting sections of the book are those in which Swanson discusses the insights of history's great early thinkers in neuroscience. One can appreciate the brilliance of the contributions of Aristotle, Descartes and Gall while recognizing how their conclusions were ultimately crippled by dogma. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is filled with little more than present day dogma.
Although the study of neuroanatomy is deep and rich, at this point it has little to say alone about the how the brain works. Surprisingly, Swanson presents little from an enormous body of neurophysiology, lesion and behavioral experiments which work with anatomical results to help constrain our thinking about brain function. In summary, Brain Architecture has far more dogma than data, and reads less like a carefully constructed scientific thesis than an endless series of speculations. If you have a serious interest in neuroanatomy or brain function, I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere.
Excellent neuroanatomy intro & overview.......2003-06-19
This is a well written and concise introduction to some basic principles of CNS anatomy, written with an eye to both historical and developmental perspectives. Swanson likes to use classic diagrams from celebrated old-timers like Cajal to illustrate basic principles, and also includes some relatively new information on the exciting progress in molecular determinants of brain embryological development. I'd strongly recommend this as a first quick read-through for those about to embark on a more detailed neuroanatomy course, or for the interested undergraduate or even precocious high school student with an interest in the subject. Speaking as an experienced clinical neurologist, I found the book a nice refresher, and even learned a new thing or two from it.
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