The contributions to this volume are based on selected lectures from the first international workshop on decoherence, information, complexity and entropy (DICE). The aim of this volume is to reflect the growing importance ot common concepts behind seemingly different fields such as quantum mechanics, general relativity and statistical physics in a form accessible to nonspecialist researchers. Many presentations include original results which published here for the first time.

The Handbook of Human-Machine Interaction features 20 original chapters and a conclusion focusing on human-machine interaction (HMI) from analysis, design and evaluation perspectives. It offers a comprehensive range of principles, methods, techniques and tools to provide the reader with a clear knowledge of the current academic and industry practice and debate that define the field. The text considers physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects and is illustrated by key application domains such as aerospace, automotive, medicine and defence. Above all, this volume is designed as a research guide that will both inform readers on the basics of human-machine interaction from academic and industrial perspectives and also provide a view ahead at the means through which human-centered designers, including engineers and human factors specialists, will attempt to design and develop human-machine systems.

This book discusses the application of independent continuous mapping method in predicting and the optimization of the mechanical performance of buckling with displacement, stress and static constrains. Each model is explained by mathematical theories and followed by simulation with frequently-used softwares. With abundant project data, the book is an essential reference for mechanical engineers, structural engineers and industrial designers.

Because of its versatility in analyzing a broad range of applications, multibody dynamics has grown in the past two decades to be an important tool for designing, prototyping, and simulating complex articulated mechanical systems. This textbooka "a result of the authora (TM)s many years of research and teachinga "brings together diverse concepts of dynamics, combining the efforts of many researchers in the field of mechanics. Bridging the gap between dynamics and engineering applications such as microrobotics, virtual reality simulation of interactive mechanical systems, nanomechanics, flexible biosystems, crash simulation, and biomechanics, the book puts into perspective the importance of modeling in the dynamic simulation and solution of problems in these fields.

To help engineering students and practicing engineers understand the rigid-body dynamics concepts needed for the book, the author presents a compiled overview of particle dynamics and Newtona (TM)s second law of motion in the first chapter. A particular strength of the work is its use of matrices to generate kinematic coefficients associated with the formulation of the governing equations of motion. Additional features of the book include:

* numerous worked examples at the end of each section

* introduction of boundary-element methods (BEM) in the description of flexible systems

* up-to-date solution techniques for rigid and flexible multibody dynamics using finite- element methods (FEM)

* inclusion of MATLAB-based simulations and graphical solutions

* in-depth presentation of constrained systems

* presentation of the general form of equations of motion ready for computerimplementation

* two unique chapters on stability and linearization of the equations of motion

Junior/senior undergraduates and first-year graduate engineering students taking a course in dynamics, physics, control, robotics, or biomechanics will find this a useful book with a strong computer orientation towards the subject. The work may also be used as a self-study resource or research reference for practitioners in the above-mentioned fields.

Savvy managers no longer look at contracts and the law reactively but use them proactively to reduce their costs, minimize their risks, secure key talent, collaborate to innovate, protect intellectual property, and create value for their customers that is superior to that offered by competitors. To achieve competitive advantage in this way managers need a plan. Proactive Law for Managers provides this plan; The Manager's Legal PlanTM. George Siedel and Helena Haapio first discuss the traditional, reactive approach used by many managers when confronted with the law, then contrast it with a proactive approach that enables the law and managers' legal capabilities to be used to prevent problems, promote successful business, and achieve competitive advantage. Proactive Law for Managers shows how to use contracts and the law to create new value and innovate in often neglected areas - and implement ideas in a profitable manner.

Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics II comprises the Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics (ISFOG), organised by the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS) and held at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth from 8 10 November 2010. The volume addresses current and emerging challenges facing those working in offshore geotechnics, spanning construction, design and research. Keynote papers with authors from industry and academia describe the state-of-the-art of practice and theory. A further 117 peer-reviewed papers describe emerging research, new design techniques and recent case studies related to the frontiers of offshore geotechnical engineering. The themes of the papers include geohazards, gas hydrates, in situ site characterisation and pore pressure measurement, site investigation, soil characterisation, foundations for renewable energy, shallow foundations, jack-up units, piled foundations, anchoring systems, pipelines and risk and reliability. New and established design methods representing industry best practice are discussed alongside new construction technologies and emerging research ideas. Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics II provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art reference for professionals and researchers in offshore, civil and maritime engineering and for soil mechanics specialists.

With coverage that draws from diverse disciplines, Systems Engineering Tools and Methods demonstrates how, using integrated or concurrent engineering methods, you can empower development teams. Copiously illustrated with figures, charts, and graphs, the book offers methods, frameworks, techniques, and tools for designing, implementing, and managing large-scale systems and includes case studies that exhibit the effect of the systems engineering (SE) concept and its importance during the design and development of a complex system. These case studies provide realistic insights into SE methods. Emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach to the design life cycle of complex systems, the book stresses the relationship between SE and project management. It reviews the principles of functional analysis as design activities, discusses verification, validation, and testing (VV& T) methodologies and tools for complex systems, and presents a framework for assessing technology integration at the systems level. It also delineates the development of a business process reengineering plan based on one used for the restructuring, retraining, and redeployment of elements of the Kennedy Space Center workforce. The book includes examples of the design and development of several large complex systems from the DoD and NASA. Each system provides the backdrop for SE learning principles such as technical decision making, requirements definition, logistics support planning, verification, and risk mitigation. Discussions of a proposed integrated reliability management system for faster time-to-market electronics equipment, a new integrative approach to the allocation of adjustability, the importance of manufacturing with regard to designing components of a system, and methods and algorithms used in the solution of combinatorial optimization problems rounds out the coverage. Waste, inadequate system performance, cost overruns, and schedule problems often result from failure to apply advanced systems engineering early in project development. By applying the methods outlined here, you can anticipate and avoid these costly roadblocks when possible, and quickly mitigate their damaging effects when necessary.

The purpose of this monograph is to give the broad aspects of nonlinear identification and control using neural networks. It consists of three parts:- an introduction to the fundamental principles of neural networks;- several methods for nonlinear identification using neural networks;- various techniques for nonlinear control using neural networks.A number of simulated and industrial examples are used throughout the monograph to demonstrate the operation of nonlinear identification and control techniques using neural networks. It should be emphasised that the methods and systems of nonlinear control have not progressed as rapidly as those for linear control. Comparatively speaking, at the present time, they are still in the development stage. We believe that the fundamental theory, various design methods and techniques, and several applications of nonlinear identification and control using neural networks that are presented in this monograph will enable the reader to analyse and synthesise nonlinear control systems quantitatively.

This three-volume set of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Parenteral Medications is an authoritative, comprehensive reference work on the formulation and manufacture of parenteral dosage forms, effectively balancing theoretical considerations with the practical aspects of their development. As such, it is recommended for scientists and engineers in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, and will also serve as an excellent reference and training tool for regulatory scientists and quality assurance professionals.

First published in 1984 (as two volumes) and then last revised in 1993 (when it grew to three volumes), this latest revision will address the plethora of changes in the science and considerable advances in the technology associated with these products and routes of administration. The third edition of this book maintains the features that made the last edition so popular but comprises several brand new chapters, revisions to all other chapters, as well as high quality illustrations.

Volume one presents:

A historical perspective of injectable drug therapy, common routes of administration, and biopharmaceutics of NCEs and NBEs.

An in-depth discussion on the preformulation and formulation of small and large molecules, including ophthalmic dosage forms.

A presentation of parenteral primary packaging options - glass and plastic containers, as well as elastomeric closures.

A definitive chapter on container-closure integrity.

New chapters on solubility and solubilization, formulation of depot delivery systems and biophysical/biochemical characterization of proteins.

Volume two presents:

Chapters on aseptic facility design, environmental monitoring, and cleanroom operations.

A comprehensive chapter on pharmaceutical water systems.

A discussion of quality attributes of sterile dosage forms, including particulate matter, endotoxin, and sterility testing.

A detailed chapter on processing of parenteral drug products (SVPs and LVPs).

Presentations on widely used sterilization technologies steam, gas / chemical, radiation, filtration and dry heat.

An in-depth chapter on lyophilization.

Volume three presents:

An in-depth discussion of regulatory requirements, quality assurance, risk assessment and mitigation, and extractables/leachables.

Specific chapters on parenteral administrations devices, injection site pain assessment, and parenteral product specifications and stability testing.

Forward-thinking discussions on the future of parenteral product manufacturing, and siRNA delivery systems.

New chapters covering recent developments in the areas of visual inspection, quality by design (QbD), process analytical technology (PAT) and rapid microbiological methods (RMM ), and validation of drug product manufacturing process.

SOIL-FOUNDATION-STRUCTURE INTERACTION contains selected papers presented at the International Workshop on Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction held in Auckland, New Zealand from 26-27 November 2009. The workshop was the venue for an international exchange of ideas, disseminating information about experiments, numerical models and practical engineering problems relating to soil-foundation-structure interaction. A topic of long standing interest to both structural and geotechnical engineers is what is traditionally known as soil-structure interaction (SSI). For a long period, this has involved linear elastic interaction between the foundation and the underlying soil and the appropriate analysis is well developed for both static and dynamic interaction. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in considering nonlinear soil-foundation interaction in the design of shallow foundations, both for static and earthquake loading. To distinguish these approaches from the classical linear elastic soil-structure interaction, the term soil-foundation-structure-interaction (SFSI) has been coined recently.The development of various approaches is occurring rapidly in many research groups all over the world, with the inclusion of nonlinear structure and nonlinear soil interaction using FEM-based numerical methods, as well as the use of shallow foundation macro-elements as an alternative to using finite elements. The workshop brought together representatives from several of these groups to review the current state of development, discuss the potential for application in foundation design, and consider how work in this area might develop in the next few years. The emphasis in the workshop was on application of these ideas to the foundation design process. The book will be much of interest to post-graduates in Foundation Engineering, Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, and Advanced Structural Dynamics.

Beginning with realistic mathematical or verbal models of physical or biological phenomena, the author derives tractable mathematical models that are amenable to further mathematical analysis or to elucidating computer simulations. For the most part, derivations are based on perturbation methods. Because of this, the majority of the text is devoted to careful derivations of implicit function theorems, the method of averaging, and quasi-static state approximation methods. The duality between stability and perturbation is developed and used, relying heavily on the concept of stability under persistent disturbances. This explains why stability results developed for quite simple problems are often useful for more complicated, even chaotic, ones. Relevant topics about linear systems, nonlinear oscillations, and stability methods for difference, differential-delay, integro- differential and ordinary and partial differential equations are developed throughout the book. For the second edition, the author has restructured the chapters, placing special emphasis on introductory materials in Chapters 1 and 2 as distinct from presentation materials in Chapters 3 through 8. In addition, more material on bifurcations from the point of view of canonical models, sections on randomly perturbed systems, and several new computer simulations have been added.

This book is a state of the art treatise on what has been done so far on measuring sustainability for decision making. Contributions will appeal to engineers and scientists engaged in technology development, assessment, and verification. Researchers working on engineering sustainability are likely to get ideas for further research in quantifying sustainability for industrial systems. Concepts described can be applied across all scales, from process technology to global sustainability; and challenges and limitations are also addressed. Readers will discover important insights about simulation-based approaches to process design and quantitative measurement techniques of sustainability for business and technology systems. Most of the examples and case studies are from chemical enterprises but the methodologies presented could be applicable to any system for which quantitative data for indicators are available, and the choice of the set of indicators of sustainability are comprehensive.

Like the first edition,Competing in the Information Age: Align in the Sand, Second Edition, synthesizes for practicing managers the compelling, recent work in this area, with themes that focus on the continuous transformation in business, the adoption of information intensive management practices, the improvement of information processing, and the alignment of business strategy and information technology strategy. Information technology management is now considered a core competency among managers. Rapid advancements in technology, dynamic markets, and the changing business environment have created increased demand for professionals who can manage and deliver information systems. Information systems professionalsChief Information Officers, Chief Knowledge Officers, as well as CFOs and CEOsare required to lead and evolve information resources while partnering with corporate management. This book shows IT professionals how to help their organizations achieve success through alignment and deployment of business and IT strategies.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Micro MBA focuses on accounting, economics, marketing, human resources, operations, finance and gives the "core" curriculum of subjects usually present in an MBA program. This book presents the key concepts to all those pursuing a managerial career in the technological and engineering industry on principles, strategies, models, techniques, methodologies and applications in the business area for non-economists.

The aim of the book is to lay out the foundations and provide a detailed treatment of the subject. It will focus on two main elements in dual phase evolution: the relationship between dual phase evolution and other phase transition phenomena and the advantages of dual phase evolution in evolutionary computation and complex adaptive systems. The book will provide a coherent picture of dual phase evolution that encompasses these two elements and frameworks, methods and techniques to use this concept for problem solving.

As science and technology have pervaded modern life to an ever greater degree, social scientists have been led to find questions of the causes and consequences of 'expert' knowledge arising in places that would have been felt unlikely hitherto. Varcoe, McNeil and Yearley's book assembles nine exemplary studies by sociologists, each of which explores an aspect of the current scientific-technological 'revolution'. Some popular ideas are challenged. So, too, implicitly, are certain large-scale social scientific theories claiming to have discerned in science and technology an overall meaning.

This collection of proceedings from the International Conference on Systems Engineering, Las Vegas, 2014 is orientated toward systems engineering, including topics like aero-space, power systems, industrial automation and robotics, systems theory, control theory, artificial intelligence, signal processing, decision support, pattern recognition and machine learning, information and communication technologies, image processing, and computer vision as well as its applications. The volume's main focus is on models, algorithms, and software tools that facilitate efficient and convenient utilization of modern achievements in systems engineering.

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are becoming increasingly attractive for researchers from various disciplines, such as operations research, computer science, industrial engineering, electrical engineering, social science, economics, etc. This book presents an insightful, comprehensive, and up-to-date treatment of EAs, such as genetic algorithms, differential evolution, evolution strategy, constraint optimization, multimodal optimization, multiobjective optimization, combinatorial optimization, evolvable hardware, estimation of distribution algorithms, ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization, artificial immune systems, artificial life, genetic programming, etc.

It emphasises the initiative ideas of the algorithm, contains discussions in the contexts, and suggests further readings and possible research projects. All the methods form a pedagogical way to make EAs easy and interesting.

This textbook also introduces the applications of EAs as many as possible. At least one real-life application is introduced by the end of almost every chapter. The authors focus on the kernel part of applications, such as how to model real-life problems, how to encode and decode the individuals, how to design effective search operators according to the chromosome structures, etc.

This textbook adopts pedagogical ways of making EAs easy and interesting. Its methods include an introduction at the beginning of each chapter, emphasising the initiative, discussions in the contexts, summaries at the end of every chapter, suggested further reading, exercises, and possible research projects.

Introduction to Evolutionary Algorithms will enable students to:

establish a strong background on evolutionary algorithms;

appreciate the cutting edge of EAs;

perform their own research projects by simulating the application introduced in the book; and

apply their intuitive ideas to academic search.

This book is aimed at senior undergraduate students or first-year graduate students as a textbook or self-study material."

Asset Condition, Information Systems and Decision Models, is the second volume of the Engineering Asset Management Review Series. The manuscripts provide examples of implementations of asset information systems as well as some practical applications of condition data for diagnostics and prognostics. The increasing trend is towards prognostics rather than diagnostics, hence the need for assessment and decision models that promote the conversion of condition data into prognostic information to improve life-cycle planning for engineered assets. The research papers included here serve to support the on-going development of Condition Monitoring standards. This volume comprises selected papers from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd World Congresses on Engineering Asset Management, which were convened under the auspices of ISEAM in collaboration with a number of organisations, including CIEAM Australia, Asset Management Council Australia, BINDT UK, and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China. Asset Condition, Information Systems and Decision Models will be of particular interest to finance, maintenance, and operations personnel whose roles directly affect the capability value of engineering asset base, as well as asset managers in both industry and government.

Essential reading on the latest advances in virtual prototyping and rapid manufacturing. Includes 110 peer reviewed papers covering: 1. Biomanufacturing, 2. CAD and 3D data acquisition technologies, 3. Materials, 4. Rapid tooling and manufacturing, 5. Advanced rapid prototyping technologies and nanofabrication, 6. Virtual environments and simulation and 7. Novel Applications. For all thos working on V&RP, focused on inducing increased collaboration between industry and academia.

CONTENTS - Introduction - I. Mechanism of Electrodeposition - 2. Laws and Characteristics of Plating Baths - 3. The Deposit - 4. Preparatory Steps of Plating - 5. Preparation of the Surface - 6. Cleaning - 7. Pickling - 8. Strike Plating - 9. Rinsing - 10. Anodizing - 1 I. Brass Plating - 12. Bronze Plating - 13. Cadmium Plating - 14. Chromate Coatings - 15. Chromium Plating - 16. Acid Copper Plating - 17. Copper Cyanide Baths - 18. Iron Plating - 19. Lead Plating - 20. Lead-Tin - 21. Nickel Plating - 22. Electroless Nickel - 23. Phosphate Coatings - 24. Silver Plating - 25. Acid Tin Plating - 26. Alkaline Tin Plating - 27. Tin-Nickel - 28. Tin-Zinc - 29. Acid Zinc Baths - 30. Zinc Cyanide Baths - 31. Control of a Plating Bath - 32. Plating Tests - 33. Gravity, Conductivity, and Voltage - 34. Electroplated Alloys - 35. Layer Plating - 36. Applications of Electroplating - 37. Plating Bath Troubles - 38. Continuous Plating - 39. Plating on Plastics - 40. Preparation of Metals for Painting - 41. Analytical Methods for Plating Baths - Appendix - Conversion Factors - Electrochemical Yields - Electrochemical Formulas - Electrochemical Equivalents - Single Electrode Potentials - Stripping Chart - Glossary - Index -