Maximizing reader insights into the challenges facing maritime supply chains and container port logistics service providers in Asia, this book highlights their innovative responses to these challenges through real-world case studies. With a focus on mathematical modeling, simulation and heuristics approaches, this book provides academics, engineers, container terminal operators, students in logistics and supply chain management with the latest approaches that can be used to address the planning and scheduling problem in large container terminal yards. This book can be used on a self-contained basis as teaching cases in an undergraduate or specialist class setting, or on techniques applied to maritime container operations for port operations.

Information Systems and Data Compression presents a uniform approach and methodology for designing intelligent information systems. A framework for information concepts is introduced for various types of information systems such as communication systems, information storage systems and systems for simplifying structured information. The book introduces several new concepts and presents a novel interpretation of a wide range of topics in communications, information storage, and information compression. Numerous illustrations for designing information systems for compression of digital data and images are used throughout the book.

Tajikistan is one of the lesser-known and least-researched former Soviet Central Asian republics. The birth of the new state in 1991 was followed closely by a civil war which killed more than 50,000 people and displaced many tens of thousands more. While a peace agreement was signed in 1997, significant political violence continued until 2001 and intermittent outbreaks still occur today. Many claim it remains a very weak state and perhaps in danger of state failure or a return to civil war. However, the revival of Tajikistan should not simply be seen in terms of its post-conflict stabilization. Since its creation as a republic of the Soviet Union in 1920s, Tajikistan has been transformed from being a shell for socialist engineering to become a national society under a modern state. Despite a multitude of economic, social and political shocks, the Republic of Tajikistan endures. This book places the transformation of Tajikistan in its Soviet and Post-Soviet historical settings and local and global contexts. It explores the sources of a state with Soviet roots but which has been radically transformed by independence and its exposure to global politics and economics. The authors address the sources of statehood in history, Islam and secularism, gender relations, the economy, international politics and security affairs. This book is a new edition of a special issue of Central Asian Survey, 'Tajikistan: the sources of statehood', including two additional papers and a revised introduction.

Nonlinear Dynamics of Complex Systems describes chaos, fractal and stochasticities within celestial mechanics, financial systems and biochemical systems. Part I discusses methods and applications in celestial systems and new results in such areas as low energy impact dynamics, low-thrust planar trajectories to the moon and earth-to-halo transfers in the sun, earth and moon. Part II presents the dynamics of complex systems including bio-systems, neural systems, chemical systems and hydro-dynamical systems. Finally, Part III covers economic and financial systems including market uncertainty, inflation, economic activity and foreign competition and the role of nonlinear dynamics in each.

Fatigue is a recognized problem in many facets of the human enterprise. It is not confined to any one area of activity but enters all situations in which humans have to perform for extended intervals of time. Most problematic are the circumstances in which obligatory action is continuous and the results of failure are evidently serious or even catastrophic. Therefore, the modern media especially highlights fatigue-related failures in industries such as transportation, materials processing and healthcare. It can be, and indeed is, no coincidence that most of the spectacular failures in process control that have resulted in the world's largest industrial accidents have occurred in the small hours of the morning when the circadian rhythm is lowest and operator fatigue itself peaks. While there have been legislative efforts made at state, federal and international levels to regulate working hours of employees, the appropriate implementation of such legislation is still a long way off. The Handbook of Operator Fatigue provides a comprehensive account of the subject to serve as the definitive reference work for researchers, students and practitioners alike. The volume features 30 chapters written by experts from around the world to address each important facet of fatigue, including: the scale of the fatigue problem (Section I), the nature of fatigue (Section II), how to assess fatigue (Section III), the impact of fatigue on health (Section IV), fatigue in the workplace (Section V), the neurological basis of fatigue (VI), sleep disorders (VII), and the design of countermeasures to fatigue (VIII).

The book examines patterns of participation in human rights treaties. International relations theory is divided on what motivates states to participate in treaties, specifically human rights treaties. Instead of examining the specific motivations, this dissertation examines patterns of participation. In doing so, it attempts to match theoretical expectations of state behavior with participation. This book provides significant evidence that there are multiple motivations that lead states to participate in human rights treaties.

Numerical methods and related computer based algorithms form the logical solution for many complex problems encountered in science and engineering. Although numerical techniques are now well established, they have continued to expand and diversify, particularly in the fields of engineering analysis and design. Various engineering departments in the University College of Swansea, in particular, Civil, Chemical, Electrical and Computer Science, have groups working in these areas. It is from this mutual interest that the NUMET A conference series was conceived with the main objective of providing a link between engineers developing new numerical techniques and those applying them in practice. Encouraged by the success of NUMETA '85, the second conference, NUMETA '87, was held at Swansea, 6-10 July 1987. Over two hundred and twenty abstracts were submitted for consideration together with a number of invited papers from experts in the field of numerical methods. The final selection of contributed and invited papers were of a high quality and have culminated in the two volumes which form these proceedings. This volume contains papers on the themes of 'Transient/Dynamic Analysis and Constitutive Laws for Engineering Materials'. Many new developments on a wide variety of topics have been reported and these proceedings contain a wealth of information and references which we believe will be of great interest to theoreticians and practising engineers alike.

Measurement plays a fundamental role both in physical and behavioral sciences, as well as in engineering and technology: it is the link between abstract models and empirical reality and is a privileged method of gathering information from the real world.

Is it possible to develop a single theory of measurement for the various domains of science and technology in which measurement is involved? This book takes the challenge by addressing the following main issues: What is the meaning of measurement? How do we measure? What can be measured?

A theoretical framework that could truly be shared by scientists in different fields, ranging from physics and engineering to psychology is developed. The future in fact will require greater collaboration between science and technology and between different sciences. Measurement, which played a key role in the birth of modern science, can act as an essential interdisciplinary tool and language for this new scenario.

A sound theoretical basis for addressing key problems in measurement is provided. These include perceptual measurement, the evaluation of uncertainty, the evaluation of inter-comparisons, the analysis of risks in decision-making and the characterization of dynamical measurement. Currently, increasing attention is paid to these issues due to their scientific, technical, economic and social impact. The book proposes a unified probabilistic approach to them which may allow more rational and effective solutions to be reached.

Great care was taken to make the text as accessible as possible in several ways. Firstly, by giving preference to as interdisciplinary a terminology as possible; secondly, by carefully defining and discussing all key terms. This ensures that a wide readership, including people from different mathematical backgrounds and different understandings of measurement can all benefit from this work. Concerning mathematics, all the main results are preceded by intuitive discussions and illustrated by simple examples. Moreover, precise proofs are always included in order to enable the more demanding readers to make conscious and creative use of these ideas, and also to develop new ones.

The book demonstrates that measurement, which is commonly understood to be a merely experimental matter, poses theoretical questions which are no less challenging than those arising in other, apparently more theoretical, disciplines.

This book is concerned to explore the changing role of the Parole Board across the range of its responsibilities, including the prediction of risk and deciding on the release (or continued detention) of the growing number of recalled prisoners and of those subject to indeterminate sentences. In doing so it aims to rectify the lack of attention that has been given by lawyers, academics and practitioners to back door sentencing (where the real length of a sentence is decided by those who take the decision to release) compared to front door sentencing' (decisions taken by judges or magistrates in court). Particular attention is given in this book to the important changes made to the role and working of the Parole Board as a result of the impact of the early release scheme of the Criminal Justice Act 2005, with the Parole Board now deciding in Panels concerned with determinate sentence prisoners, lifers and recalled prisoners. A wide range of significant issues, and case law, has arisen as a result of these changes, which the contributors to this book, leading authorities in the field, aim to explore.

Scientific and technical contacts between nations* have necessitated the publication of various language textbooks, manuals and reference books. Particularly important among them are multilingual scientifio and technical dictionaries. This English-German-French-Dutch-Russian Dictionary of Scientifio and Technical Terms contains some 9000 entries. The main fea ture of the Dictionary is that it includes first and foremost general scientific terms needed by an engineer working in any branch of science and technology. Besides, the Dictionary includes the basic terms used in physics, mathemat ics, the fundamentals of electrical engineering and chemistry, and also the most essential terms pertaining to manufacturing processes. machine design, testing methods, etc. The Compilers were confronted with a difficult task, as nowadays science and technology are developing rapidly and the minimum scientific and tech nical vocabulary required by a specialist is increasing accordingly. The Compilers have taken special pains to include the entire basic mod ern technical vocabulary, omitting superfluous words and phrases. They have tried to solve this problem by selecting mainly those scientific and tech nical terms which constitute the basic of a specialised vocabulary. There fore, the Dictionary includes the vocabulary pertaining to general study courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry, and also in electrical engi neering. electronics and machine design, given in technical colleges irrespect ive of their specification. This lends the Dictionary an "all-purpose" char acter, making it equally useful to scientists and engineers of different countries, who have graduated from colleges with different curricula.

This book contains selected papers specially prepared for presentation at the 13th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Research. This conference, organized by the International Association for Travel Behaviour Research (IATBR), is the premier event where travel behaviour researchers from around the world share the latest developments and discoveries in the field.

Fluid movers are extensively used in the process industries. New machines are specified, designed, manufactured and installed in a way that ensures their safety and reliability. Existing machines may be upgraded or retrofitted during maintenance or repair. This book describes how improved components and better lubricant application provisions, among other experience-based measures, can safely extend operating life and increase profitability.

Seismic waves - generated both by natural earthquakes and by man-made sources - have produced an enormous amount of information about the Earth's interior. In classical seismology, the Earth is modeled as a sequence of uniform horizontal layers (or spherical shells) having different elastic properties and one determines these properties from travel times and dispersion of seismic waves. The Earth, however, is not made of horizontally uniform layers, and classic seismic methods can take large-scale inhomogeneities into account. Smaller-scale irregularities, on the other hand, require other methods. Observations of continuous wave trains that follow classic direct S waves, known as coda waves, have shown that there are heterogeneities of random size scattered randomly throughout the layers of the classic seismic model. This book focuses on recent developments in the area of seismic wave propagation and scattering through the randomly heterogeneous structure of the Earth, with emphasis on the lithosphere. The presentation combines information from many sources to present a coherent introduction to the theory of scattering in acoustic and elastic materials and includes analyses of observations using the theoretical methods developed. The second edition especially includes new observational facts such as the spatial variation of medium inhomogeneities and the temporal change in scattering characteristics and recent theoretical developments in the envelope synthesis in random media for the last ten years. Mathematics is thoroughly rewritten for improving the readability. Written for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students of geophysics or planetary sciences, this book should also be of interest to civil engineers, seismologists, acoustical engineers, and others interested in wave propagation through inhomogeneous elastic media.

Recent years have seen major changes in the approach to Computer Aided Design (CAD) in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) sector. CAD is increasingly becoming a standard design tool, facilitating lower development costs and a reduced design cycle. Not only does it allow a designer to model designs in two and three dimensions but also to model other dimensions, such as time and cost into designs.

Computer Aided Design Guide for Architecture, Engineering and Construction provides an in-depth explanation of all the common CAD terms and tools used in the AEC sector. It describes each approach to CAD with detailed analysis and practical examples. Analysis is provided of the strength and weaknesses of each application for all members of the project team, followed by review questions and further tasks.

Coverage includes:

• 2D CAD
• 3D CAD
• 4D CAD
• nD modelling
• building Information Modelling
• parametric design, virtual reality and other areas of future expansion.

With practical examples and step-by step guides, this book is essential reading for students of design and construction, from undergraduate level onwards.

In today's changing world, enterprises need to survive in an ever volatile competitive market environment. Their success will depend on the strategies they practice and adopt. Every year, new ideas and concepts are emerging in order for companies to become successful enterprises. Cross Border Enterprises is the new 'hot' topic arising in the business process world at present. Many terms have been coined together and are being driven in the popular business press to describe this new strategy of conducting business, ie. Extended Enterprise (Browne et al. , 1995; O'Neill and Sacket, 1994; Busby and Fan, 1993; Caskey, 1995), Virtual Enterprise (Goldmann and Preiss, 1991; Parunak, 1994; Goranson, 1995; Doumeingts et al. , 1995), Seamless Enterprise (Harrington, 1995), Inter-Enterprise Networking (Browne et al. , 1993), Dynamic Enterprise (Weston, 1996) and so on. Many people have argued that they mean the same thing, just using different words. Others feel they are different. But how different are they? In this paper the authors will present some basic lines required from this new strategy for conducting and coordinating distributed business processes (DBP), as well as trying to clarify the particularities of two of the widest spread terms related to it: Virtual and Extended Enterprise. 2 CLUSTERS OF PRESSURES The business world currently faces an increased trend towards globalisation, environmentally benign production and customisation of products and processes, forcing individual enterprises to work together across the value chain in order to cope with market influences.

Supply Chain Management is an intensively discussed topic within industrial and business management. A technique that is increasingly gaining importance is the Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR model) by the Supply-Chain Council (www.supply-chain.org). Despite the popularity of the SCOR model, there exists a dearth of scientific research into its applicability. This book is the first exploratory examination and systematic presentation of the scientific applicability of the SCOR model by a PhD and seasoned SAP executive who brings to the task a wealth of knowledge and industry relevant materials and perspectives. "This book offers an explorative and interim result towards the scientific research into the SCOR model and its application. The author has benefited from his extensive experience in the practice of consultation and his ability to call upon the use of relevant data and material." - Prof. Dr. Dietrich Seibt, University of Cologne, Germany

This authoritative reference work will provide readers with a complete overview of artificial intelligence (AI), including its historic development and current status, existing and projected AI applications, and present and potential future impact on the United States and the world. Some people believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize modern life in ways that improve human existence. Others say that the promise of AI is overblown. Still others contend that AI applications could pose a grave threat to the economic security of millions of people by taking their jobs and otherwise rendering them "obsolete"-or, even worse, that AI could actually spell the end of the human race. This volume will help users understand the reasons AI development has both spirited defenders and alarmed critics; explain theories and innovations like Moore's Law, mindcloning, and Technological Singularity that drive AI research and debate; and give readers the information they need to make their own informed judgment about the promise and peril of this technology. All of this coverage is presented using language and terminology accessible to a lay audience. Introduction explaining the historical evolution of AI Chronology of important AI-related events Authoritative entries on leading pioneers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers; AI concepts and theories; AI's potential impact on different facets of society; and major movies and other cultural touchstones exploring AI technology

This book is intended to be used as a textbook on senior/graduate level courses in human factors engineering and ergonomics. It will provide students with a background in physiological, biomechanical and anthropometric bases of ergonomics, and then focus on the applications of ergonomic principles in designing work systems for efficient human-machine interfaces.

This book presents written versions of selected invited lectures from the spring meeting of the Arbeitskreis Festkorperphysik of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft which was held from 27 to 31 March 2006 in Dresden, Germany. Many topical talks given at the numerous symposia are included. Most of these were organized collaboratively by several of the divisions of the Arbeitskreis. The book presents, to some extent, the status of the field of solid-state physics in 2006 not only in Germany but also internationally.

Pulsed-Power Systems describes the physical and technical foundations for the production and application of high-voltage pulses of very high-power and high-energy character. In the initial chapters, it addresses materials, components and the most common diagnostics. In the second part, three categories of applications with scientific and industrial relevance are detailed: production of strong pulsed electric and magnetic fields, intense radiation sources and pulsed electric (plasma) discharges.