Preface; 1. Physics and mineralogy: the current confluence H. Aoki, Y. Syono and R. Hemley; 2.1 Density functional theory in geophysics Lars Stixrude; 2.2 Crystallographic orbits and their application to structure types Takeo Matsumoto; 2.3 Accuracy in X-ray diffraction Larry W. Finger; 2.4 Statistical analysis of phase-boundary observations Abby Kavner, Terry Speed and Raymond Jeanloz; 3.1 A search for a connection between bond strength, bond length, and electron distributions G. V. Gibbs, M. Boisen, Jr. and F. C. Hill; 3.2 MgO - the simplest oxide R. E. Cohen; 3.3 First-principles theoretical study on the high-pressure phases of MnO and FeO: normal and inverse structures Z. Fang, H. Sawada, I. Solovyev and T. Miyazaki; 3.4 A computer simulation approach to the thermoelastic, transport and melting properties of lower mantle phases Atul Patel, Lidunka Vocadlo and David Price; 4.1 Polymorphism in crystalline and amorphous silica at high pressures Russell J. Hemley, James Badro and David M. Teter; 4.2 Shock-induced phase transition from rutile type structure from the viewpoint of computer simulation Keiji Kusaba, Yasuhiko Syono, and Yoshito Matsui; 4.3 Lattice instabilities examined by X-ray diffractometry and molecular dynamics Takamitsu Yamanaka and Taku Tsuchiya; 4.4 Effect of hydrostaticity on the phase transformations of Cristobalite Takchiko Yagi and Masaaki Yamakata; 5.1 Opportunities in diversity of crystal structures - a view from condensed-matter physics Hideo Aoki; 5.2 Theoretical search for new materials: low temperature compression of graphitic layered materials S. Tsuneyuki, Y. Tateyama, T. Ogitsu and K. Kusakabe; 5.3 H ... H interactions and order-disorder at high-pressure in layered hydroxides and dense hydrous phases J. B. Parise, H. Kagi, J. S. Loveday, R. J. Nelmes and W. M. Marshall; 6.1 Comparison of pair potential models for the simulation of liquid SiO2: thermodynamic, angular distribution and diffusional properties M. Hemmati and C. A. Angell; 6.2 Transport properties of silicate melts at high pressure Brent T. Poe and David C. Rubie; 6.3 Structural characterization of oxide melts with advanced X-ray diffraction methods Yoshio Waseda and Kazumasa Sugiyama; 6.4 A computer simulation approach for the prediction of trace element partitioning between crystal and melt Masami Kanzaki.