Acknowledgments
This textbook would not have been possible in either form or quality without the many contributions, both direct and indirect, of a large number of friends and colleagues. It is derivative of first-year graduate courses taught at both Louisiana State University (LSU) and Indiana University (IU). A number of people contributed to these courses, including Chirag Dekate, Daniel Kogler, and Timur Gilmanov. Amy Apon, a professor at the University of Arkansas, partnered with LSU and taught this course in real time over the internet and helped to develop pedagogical material, including many of the exercises used. Now at Clemson University, she continued this important contribution using her technical and pedagogical expertise. Andrew ...