As the 21st century nears, there is a need to seriously reconsider many aspects of modeling and controlling large, complex, man-made systems. Integration of technologies and functions requires deep interdisciplinary expertise and technical breadth for successful implementation. Large scale systems theory can play a central role in this effort and it is a strongly held belief that this approach will continue to be of major importance in the future.

This book offers a comprehensive guide to implementing a company-wide management system (CWMS), utilising up-to-date methodologies of lean-six sigma in order to achieve high levels of business excellence. It builds the foundation for quality and continuous improvement, which can be implemented in any organization. The book begins with an introduction to and an overview of CWMSs, and reviews the existing literature on various management systems. It then discusses the integration and implementation of lean-six sigma in supply chain management. The integration approach presented highlights the link between the existing management systems and shows how continuous improvement methodologies are incorporated. The book then examines the components of CWMS, comparing them to other systems. It also explores Kano-based six sigma and concludes with further recommendations for reading. This book covers five management systems integrated into one novel approach that can be followed by organizations wishing to achieve quality and business excellence. Covering lean-six sigma - an essential element of management systems - it is a valuable resource for practitioners and academics alike.

This proceedings volume of the ISEA 2006 examines sports engineering, an interdisciplinary subject which encompasses and integrates not only sports science and engineering but also biomechanics, physiology and anatomy, and motion physics. This is the first title of its kind in the emerging field of sports technology.

Building Safe Systems in Aviation provides a single source for those who need to progress beyond current models of Crew Resource Management (CRM) to developing safe systems in critical industries. Although the primary focus is on airline pilots, the principles apply to all sectors of aviation, particularly maintenance and cabin crew, as well as other high-risk industries. It systematically sets out the context of CRM and safe systems, the conduct of training, the resources needed by the facilitator and the processes required for the measurement of outcomes. Part One reviews the development of the human factors/CRM domain and examines the concepts of risk and safety. Part Two, primarily for new instructors, gives a guide to training delivery and also considers non-classroom situations, the role of debriefing, facilitation and the design of human factors courses. Part Three examines the measurement of training effectiveness, the design and implementation of behavioural markers and standardizing assessors. It concludes by looking at some of the broader issues associated with the management of CRM. The book's readership includes those who design, deliver or manage CRM and safety-related training within airlines and other companies.

Many of the initial developments towards the Internet of Things have focused on the combination of Auto-ID and networked infrastructures in business-to-business logistics and product lifecycle applications. However, the Internet of Things is more than a business tool for managing business processes more efficiently and more effectively it will also enable a more convenient way of life.

Since the term "Internet of Things" first came to attention when the Auto-ID Center launched their initial vision for the EPC network for automatically identifying and tracing the flow of goods within supply-chains, increasing numbers of researchers and practitioners have further developed this vision.

The authors in this book provide a research perspective on current and future developments in the Internet of Things. The different chapters cover a broad range of topics from system design aspects and core architectural approaches to end-user participation, business perspectives and applications.

Parametric cost estimating, when properly used, is a very powerful and cost effective technique. Unfortunately, this technique is often misunderstood and rejected by many potential users for whom it could be a beneficial tool. The development of an agreement on how to use it and how to recognise its limitations is a major benefit to the cost estimating community.

From Product Description to Cost: A Practical Approach:

a [ presents different ways of parametrically forecasting costs, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods by using real examples from the mechanical, software and building industries;

a [ discusses most of the mathematical procedures which are useful for parametrically forecasting costs;

a [ introduces the judgement needed to audit the ways in which these forecasting techniques are used, firstly as a process, and secondly as a tool to generate estimates.

Volume 1: The Parametric Approach contains four parts. Over the course of this volume, cost estimating is introduced; the preparation of data before utilization is discussed; the basic concepts of a ~generala (TM) cost estimating models are examined; the use of cost models is considered and finally, risk analysis (as it can be used during parametric cost estimating) is introduced.

This book represents the compilation of papers presented at the second Atomic Force Microscopy/Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (AFM/STM) Symposium, held June 7 to 9, 1994, in Natick, Massachusetts, at Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center, now part ofU.S. Army Soldier Systems Command. As with the 1993 symposium, the 1994 symposium provided a forum where scientists with a common interest in AFM, STM, and other probe microscopies could interact with one another, exchange ideas and explore the possibilities for future collaborations and working relationships. In addition to the scheduled talks and poster sessions, there was an equipment exhibit featuring the newest state-of-the-art AFM/STM microscopes, other probe microscopes, imaging hardware and software, as well as the latest microscope-related and sample preparation accessories. These were all very favorably received by the meeting's attendees. Following opening remarks by Natick's Commander, Colonel Morris E. Price, Jr., and the Technical Director, Dr. Robert W. Lewis, the symposium began with the Keynote Address given by Dr. Michael F. Crommie from Boston University. The agenda was divided into four major sessions. The papers (and posters) presented at the symposium represented a broad spectrum of topics in atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and other probe microscopies.

All people should have access to all that is available in their community and beyond. Neurodiverse individuals often experience barriers when engaging with businesses, even when obstacles can be easily remedied. This book will provide business owners, leaders, managers, team members, and associates the tools to integrate strategies and techniques that will enhance neurodiversity and inclusion, improving the delivery of a quality experience and increasing a varied customer base.

Biomechanics of the Female Reproductive System: Breast and Pelvic Organs: From Models to Patients synthesizes complementary advances in women’s reproductive biomechanics, medical imaging analysis, patient-specific characterization, and computational finite element models. The book discusses the biomechanical aspects related to the breast and female pelvic floor system at each step of development. The table of contents also covers certain events and diseases, including cancers, delivery, aging, breast, hysterectomy or prolapse surgery. It presents the main biomechanical experimental results obtained and models developed this last decade to highlight the importance of accounting for patient-specific history and aging characteristics to consider damage growth effect and impact. As part of Elsevier’s Biomechanics of Living Organs series, this book provides an opportunity for students, researchers, clinicians and engineers to study the main topics related to the biomechanics of the women’s reproductive system in a single book written by a global base of experts.

A proper quality of a track and other infrastructure objects represents a basic requirement for train safety and punctuality. Most of the physical systems and their components deteriorate over time. This affects performance and may lead to failures. Albert Einstein said, "You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." Only if we understand how the whole system works, taking into account its imperfections and how they influence its quality and performance will we be able to learn the rules of the game and "play better." The book provides the readers with the necessary functional knowledge of track behaviour and comprehensively covers the function of the various track components, their interaction as elements of the track system, as well as the interaction of the track with railway vehicles. By presenting important tools for a deep understanding of track-behaviour this book aims to be a reference guide for infrastructure managers and to help them to find ways improving track quality for optimum long-term behaviour.

This book had its origins in a meeting between two (relatively) young particle technology researchers on Rehobeth Beach in Delaware in 1992 near the holiday house of Reg Davies (then Director of the Particle Science and Technology Research Center in Dupont). As we played in the sand, we shared an excitement for developments in particle technology, especially particle characterization, that would lead operations such as granulation to be placed on a sound scientific and engineering footing. The immediate outcome from this interaction was the development of new industry short courses in granulation and related topics which we taught together both in Australia and North America. This book follows closely the structure and approaches developed in these courses, particularly the emphasis on particle design in granulation, where the impact of both formulation properties and process variables on product attributes needs to be understood and quantified. The book has been a long time in the making. We have been actively preparing the book for at least five years. Although the chapters have relatively good bibliographies, this book is not a review of the field. Rather it is an attempt by the authors to present a comprehensive engineering approach to granulator design, scale up and operation. It is exciting for us to see the explosion of research interest around the world in this area in the last five to seven years. Some of the most recent work will have to find its way into the second edition.

The safe management of the complex distributed systems and critical infrastructures which constitute the backbone of modern industry and society entails identifying and quantifying their vulnerabilities to design adequate protection, mitigation, and emergency action against failure. In practice, there is no fail-safe solution to such problems and various frameworks are being proposed to effectively integrate different methods of complex systems analysis in a problem-driven approach to their solution. Vulnerable Systems reflects the current state of knowledge on the procedures which are being put forward for the risk and vulnerability analysis of critical infrastructures. Classical methods of reliability and risk analysis, as well as new paradigms based on network and systems theory, including simulation, are considered in a dynamic and holistic way. Readers of Vulnerable Systems will benefit from its structured presentation of the current knowledge base on this subject. It will enable graduate students, researchers and safety and risk analysts to understand the methods suitable for different phases of analysis and to identify their criticalities in application.

In 2007 INTEROP-VLab defined Enterprise Interoperability as the ability of an enterprise system or application to interact with others at a low cost with a flexible approach . Enterprise Interoperability VI brings together a peer reviewed selection of over 40 papers, ranging from academic research through case studies to industrial and administrative experience of interoperability. It shows how, in a scenario of globalised markets, the capacity to cooperate with other firms efficiently becomes essential in order to remain in the market in an economically, socially and environmentally cost-effective manner, and that the most innovative enterprises are beginning to redesign their business model to become interoperable. This goal of interoperability is vital, not only from the perspective of the individual enterprise but also in the new business structures that are now emerging, such as supply chains, virtual enterprises, interconnected organisations or extended enterprises, as well as in mergers and acquisitions. Establishing efficient and relevant collaborative situations requires managing interoperability from a dynamic perspective: a relevant and efficient collaboration of organizations might require adaptation to remain in line with potentially changing objectives, evolving resources, and unexpected events, for example. Many of the papers contained in this, the seventh volume of Proceedings of the I-ESA Conferences have examples and illustrations calculated to deepen understanding and generate new ideas. The I-ESA 14 Conference is jointly organised by Ecole des Mines Albi-Carmaux, on behalf of PGSO, and the European Virtual Laboratory for Enterprise Interoperability (INTEROP-VLab) and supported by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). A concise reference to the state of the art in systems interoperability, Enterprise Interoperability VI will be of great value to engineers and computer scientists working in manufacturing and other process industries and to software engineers and electronic and manufacturing engineers working in the academic environment."

Maintaining an optimal blend of theory and practice, this readily accessible reference/text details the utility of system dynamics for analysis and design of mechanical, electrical, fluid, thermal, and "mixed" engineering systems-addressing topics from system elements and simple first- and second-order systems to complex lumped- and distributed-parameter models of practical machines and processes. Emphasizing digital simulation and integrating frequency-response methods throughout, System Dynamics furnishes up-to-date and thorough discussions on relations between real system components and ideal math models continuous-time dynamic system simulation methods, such as MATLAB/SIMULINK analytical techniques, such as classical D-operator and Laplace transform methods for differential equation solutions and linearization methods vibration, electromechanics, and mechatronics Fourier spectrum treatment of periodic functions, and transients and much more System Dynamics also contains a host of self-study and pedagogical features that will make it a useful companion for years to come, such as easy-to-understand simulation diagrams and results applications to real-life systems--including actual industrial hardware intentional use of nonlinearity to achieve optimal designs numerous end-of-chapter problems and worked examples over 1425 graphs, equations, and drawings throughout the text the latest references to key sources in the literature Serving as a foundation for engineering experience, System Dynamics is a valuable reference for mechanical, system, control/instrumentation, and sensor/actuator engineers as well as an indispensable textbook for undergraduate students taking courses such as Dynamic Systems in departments of mechanical, aerospace, electrical, agricultural, and industrial engineering and engineering physics.

This book takes a fresh look at the problem of unconstrained handwriting recognition and introduces the reader to new techniques for the recognition of written words and characters using statistical and soft computing approaches. The types of uncertainties and variations present in handwriting data are discussed in detail. The book presents several algorithms that use modified hidden Markov models and Markov random field models to simulate the handwriting data statistically and structurally in a single framework. The book explores methods that use fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets for handwriting recognition. The effectiveness of these techniques is demonstrated through extensive experimental results and real handwritten characters and words.

This edited book aims at presenting current research activities in the field of robust variable-structure systems. The scope equally comprises highlighting novel methodological aspects as well as presenting the use of variable-structure techniques in industrial applications including their efficient implementation on hardware for real-time control. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field of control theory and nonlinear dynamics but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

Safety-critical systems are found in almost every sector of industry. Faults in these systems will result in a breach of safe operating conditions and exposure to the possible risk of major loss of life or catastrophic damage to plant, equipment or the environment. An understanding of the basis for the functioning of these systems is therefore vital to all involved in their operation. In particular, the interaction of the disciplines of software engineering, safety engineering, human factors and safety management is a total process whose entirety is not widely understood by those working in any of the individual fields. This book will redress that problem by providing an introduction to each constituent part with a cohesive structure and overview of the whole subject. It will be of interest to engineers, managers, students and anyone with responsibilities in these areas.

Machines dominate our lives, from alarm clocks that wake us up in the morning to radios that lull us to sleep. Most of our interactions with automated machines and computers are problem-free, but more often than we would like, they can be irritating and confusing. This is frequently harmless, such as a VCR recording the wrong show, but when it involves a critical system like an autopilot or medical device it can be a matter of life or death. Taming HAL seeks to explain these miscommunications between humans and machines by exploring user interfaces. Degani examines twenty-five different systems for human use, including watches, Internet applications, automobiles, medical equipment, and autopilots onboard commercial airplanes. Readers will discover why interfaces between people and machines all too often do not work and what needs to be done to avoid potential tragedies.

This book highlights the work of several world-class researchers on smart modeling of complex systems. The contributions are grouped into the four main categories listed below. * Numerical schemes construction for the solution of partial differential equations. * Numerical methods in continuum media mechanics problems. * Mathematical modeling in aerodynamics, plasma physics, deformable body mechanics, and geological hydrocarbon exploration. * Mathematical modeling in medical applications. The book offers a valuable resource for theoreticians and application scientists and engineers, as well as postgraduate students, in the fields of computational methods, numerical experiments, parallel algorithms, deformable solid bodies, seismic stability, seismic prospecting, migration, elastic and acoustic wave investigation, gas dynamics, astrophysics, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, turbulent flows, hypersonic flows, detonation waves, composite materials, fracture mechanics, melting of metals, mathematical economics, medicine, and biology.