This book is a unique supplement to contemporary scientific literature on rock blasting technology. It encapsulates theoretical and practical aspects of drilling and blasting techniques used in both surface and subterranean excavations connected with civil as well as mining activities. Case studies are presented to illustrate correlations between theoretical calculations and empirical findings. It also summarizes the results of research carried out by the Blasting Department of the Central Mining Research Institute since its inception in the year 1970. It contains fifteen extensive chapters covering statistical methods, design parameters, rock breakage mechanism, structural damage, fragmentation, emerging techniques, surface and sub-surface blasting methodologies, safety and environmental aspects, explosive characteristics and modern initiating devices.

Increasingly useful in materials research and development, molecular modeling is a method that combines computational chemistry techniques with graphics visualization for simulating and predicting the structure, chemical processes, and properties of materials.

Molecular Modeling Techniques in Materials Science explores the impact of using molecular modeling for various simulations in industrial settings. It provides an overview of commonly used methods in atomistic simulation of a broad range of materials, including oxides, superconductors, semiconductors, zeolites, glass, and nanomaterials. The book presents information on how to handle different materials and how to choose an appropriate modeling method or combination of techniques to better predict material behavior and pinpoint effective solutions. Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches, the authors develop a framework for identifying objectives, defining design parameters, measuring accuracy/accounting for error, validating and assessing various data collected, supporting software needs, and other requirements for planning a modeling project. The book integrates the remarkable developments in computation, such as advanced graphics and faster, cheaper workstations and PCs with new advances in theoretical techniques and numerical algorithms.

Molecular Modeling Techniques in Materials Science presents the background and tools for chemists and physicists to perform "in-silico" experiments to understand relationships between the properties of materials and the underlying atomic structure. These insights result in more accurate data for designing application-specific materials that withstand real processconditions, including hot temperatures and high pressures.

First published in 1993, Coagulation and Flocculation is a practical reference for the researchers in the field of the stabilization and destabilization of fine solid dispersions. By omitting chapters that remained unchanged from the first edition, the editors of this second edition completely update, rewrite, and expand upon all chapters to reflect a decade of the latest advances in both theoretical and application aspects of the field. The authors provide expanded material that includes dissociation from a solid surface with independent sites; improvements to the Gouy-Chapman model; electrical double layer, surface ionization, and surface heterogeneity; thin liquid films and modeling of a semi-batch process using microprocesses probabilities; and clay mineral intracrystalline reactions, applications, and gelation. New chapters cover homopolymers and their effect on colloid stability, including never before published figures and equations; the stability of suspensions in the presence of surfactants, polymers, and mixtures; and the flocculation and dewatering of fine-particle suspensions, emphasizing floc formation, growth, structure, and applications. The second edition of Coagulation and Flocculation effectively captures both the theoretical and application aspects of the latest advances in the evolving field of solid dispersions, suspensions, and mixtures.

The history of technology is often troubled by good ideas that do not, for one reason or another, take off right away--sometimes for millennia. Sometimes, technology comes to a standstill, and sometimes, it even reverses itself. Thus, unlike science, which seems to proceed at a reasonable and calm rate, the progress of technology is difficult to theorize about. While in science many developments are predictable to a certain extent and this predictability may, at times, direct or stymie science's progress--as with stem-cell research and cloning--technological advances, such as the Internet, are often sudden and unpredictable, and therefore frightening.
In "Theory of Technology," David Clarke brings together nine authors who try to understand technology from a variety of viewpoints. Rias van Wyk, in "Technology," parses the concept into many angles, including its anatomy, taxonomy, and evolution. Karol Pelc, in "Knowledge Mapping," discusses tracking the evolution of the emerging discipline of technology management. Jon Beard, in "Management of Technology," pursues a similar mapping endeavor, but looks to the patterns of the "literature" of technology management. Thomas Clarke, in "Unique Features of an R&D Work Environment and Research Scientists and Engineers," takes the reader on a tour of how people of technology present unique challenges to not just management but whole organizations.
Richard Howey, in "Understanding Software Technology," places enterprise software into a meaningful pattern of technology management. Fred Foldvary and Daniel Klein, in "The Half-Life of Policy Rationales," discuss how new technology affects old policy issues. John Cogan, in "Some Philosophical Thoughts on the Nature of Technology," maintains that our Aristotelian search for the essence of technology is doomed. And Peter Bond, in "The Biology of Technology," establishes a basis for the development of a socio-biological approach to understanding the phenomena of technological society and technical change.
""Theory of Technology" is an important book. It recognizes the near impossibility of forecasting technological progress, or of planning the trajectory that a new technology may take. It goes beyond other studies in showing how understanding of the nature of technology itself is the necessary first step in removing levels of uncertainty from charting those trajectories as they impact our daily lives."-Paul Ceruzzi, curator, Aerospace Electronics and Computing, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
"Unstuffy. "Theory of Technology" is] a sheltered workshop for the atheoretical in technology studies." -Russell Maulitz, Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine
"Technology is one of those words whose meaning and importance we intuitively know, but have trouble defining and fully understanding. Technology is becoming ever more ubiquitous in our lives and economies, and harnessing it in predictable ways ever more important. "Theory of Technology" goes a long way toward building a framework of analysis and perspective to overcome these limitations, and thus toward helping us bring order to our thinking and our ability to employ in orderly ways one of the keys to contemporary life." -Thomas J. Duesterberg, President and CEO, Manufacturers
""Theory of Technology" is an excellent and challenging introduction to the field-also for the uninitiated. It offers a history of the discipline, of its attempts to better understand the nature of technology from, among others, philosophical and biological perspectives, and discusses the management of technology and its policy consequences. In also analyzing the semantics of technology theory and practice-a brave enterprise in these days of fads and fashions in wordings and phrases-it not only seeks the (self-)discipline that is needed to support the scientific status of the field but may indeed help increase actual influence on technology practice and policy." -Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc, professor of public administration, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
"David Clarke's new book about the "Theory of Technology" is the most comprehensive, multifaceted, and challenging treatment of the subject to date. It also makes a very interesting read. Instead of looking at technology from the perspective of just one author, Mr. Clarke has chosen to ask some of the most respected and provocative experts in the field to look at technology from a variety of major angles that nicely and completely encircle and illuminate the subject. I don't think there is an aspect of modern technology that isn't covered in an entertaining and informative fashion. My profession as a patent attorney puts me in direct, daily contact with the practical aspects of all new technologies. Mr. Clarke's well organized and enjoyable book has helped me appreciate the bigger context of my work. It will stay on the bookshelf in my office in the company of just a handful of other books that give me a better understanding about the world in which we live." -R. C. Woodbridge, Princeton, NJ
"Technology is one of those words whose meaning and importance we intuitively know, but have trouble defining and fully understanding. Technology is becoming ever more ubiquitous in our lives and economies, and harnessing it in predictable ways ever more important. "Theory of Technology" goes a long way toward building a framework of analysis and perspective to overcome these limitations, and thus toward helping us bring order to our thinking and our ability to employ in orderly ways one of the keys to contemporary life." -Thomas J. Duesterberg, President and CEO, Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI
David Clarke, professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University, has degrees in philosophy, architecture, management science, and urban design. His is the editor of "Technology and Terrorism," published by Transaction,

Religion tends to flourish when technological developments create new possibilities for communication and representation, and simultaneously change as a consequence of these developments. This book explores intersections between religion and technology in India, at the present and in the colonial past, and how various forms of techno-religious intersections transform and open up for new religious practices, discourses, communities, and institutions. With focus on Indian contexts and religions, it discusses various empirical and theoretical aspects of how technological innovations create, alter, and negotiate religious spaces, practices and authorities. The book provides rich and multifaceted empirical examples of different ways in which technological practices relate to meanings, ideas, and practices of religions. The techno-religious intersections generate several questions about authority and power, the politics and poetics of identity, community and place, and how religious agency, information, and experience are mediated, commodified, and adjusted to new demands of societies. The chapters explore the Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions in relation to new technological developments and media, such as photography, new means of visualization, TV serials, mobile phones, and online communication. The book will be of interest to academics studying modern and contemporary India and South Asia, and especially the role of religion and technology.

At the turn of the 21st century, the most valuable commodity in society is knowledge--particularly new knowledge that may give a culture, company, or laboratory an adaptive advantage. Knowledge about the cognitive processes that lead to discovery and invention can enhance the probability of making valuable new discoveries and inventions. Such knowledge needs to be made widely available to ensure that no particular interest group "corners the market" on techno-scientific creativity. Knowledge can also facilitate the development of business strategies and social policies based on a genuine understanding of the creative process. Furthermore, through an understanding of principles underlying the cognitive processes related to discovery, educators can utilize these principles to teach students effective problem-solving strategies as part of their education as future scientists. This book takes the reader out onto the cutting edge of research in scientific and technological thinking. The editors advocate a multiple-method approach; chapters include detailed case studies of contemporary and historical practices, experiments, computational simulations, and innovative theoretical analyses. The editors attempt a provocative synthesis of this work at the end. In order to achieve true scientific and technological progress, an understanding of the process by which species are transforming the world is needed. This book makes an important step in that direction by leading to breakthroughs in the understanding of discovery and invention.

This special issue of "Technical Communication Quarterly" continues the work of the winter 2004 issue of gathering information and reflecting on the state of technical communication in its academic context. The two issues together provide historical background on the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) as well as data on current academic members of the field and their jobs, their teaching and research, and their programs. The narrow goal of the issues is to help ATTW plan for the future by identifying needs, interests, and responsibilities of members, but the broader goal is to define for anyone with an interest the values and current practices as well as the gaps and visions of technical communication in its academic context.

What's stopping you from doing the best work of your life? The way we work is broken. It takes forever to get anything done. Meetings and emails are incessant. Bureaucracy stifles talent and creativity. Is this really the best we can do? Aaron Dignan teaches companies how to eliminate red tape, tap into collective intelligence, and rethink long-held traditions that no longer make sense. In Brave New Work, he shows you how to revolutionize the way you, your team and your company works forever. * Have fewer but better meetings * Create a culture of honesty, transparency and trust * Cut down on rules to be more efficient * Be more agile and adaptive * Reignite passion and energy throughout your organisation "Clear, powerful and urgent, it's a must read for anyone who cares about where they work and how they work" - Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing and Purple Cow

Confusing, inadequate instructions for setting up and using consumer products are not only unhelpful, but potentially dangerous. They may contain wrong information, poor warnings, and no pictures or illustrations. Standards are either non-existent or little known, even though the U.S. government has developed and tested standards for the past thirty years. This book presents a set of guidelines written by The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society that have been tested by human factor specialists. This expert advice is applicable to writing assembly procedures, operational procedures, and user, shop, and repair manuals.

Several recent developments in the history of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) and "Technical Communication Quarterly (TCQ)" led to this special issue on the state of technical communication in its academic context. This issue focuses on the work of the association as it helps to guide the evolution of the field, including a description of its members, reflections on the journal and its history, assessment of student learning, research in the field, and the academic job market. The articles are written by members of the Executive Committee and their collaborators or by others who have been identified as leaders in a particular subject area. The ATTW Executive Committee has taken the opportunity that change offers for some self-study and reflection on the field and the role of academics in it. This reflection will help both leaders of the association and academics in general to develop a vision and plan for the future.

Originally published in 1973 this book applies economic analysis to scientific research and to industrial reserch and development and analyses the interactions between these activities and economic activities in general. The book begins by looking at the relationships between science and technology and then: Analyses research and development in manufacturing industry Explains the different levels of expenditure in research and development in different industries and the role of such expenditure in the growth of firms Looks at the distribution of science and technology expenditure Discusses the international transfer of technology The book draws on evidence from several fields of study and imposes a theme upon the variety of evidence.

This book presents a wide-ranging view of the benefits available through the intelligent use of manufacturing information systems. Readers benefit from the authors' collective experience in bringing new information technologies into manufacturing. Using examples of actual IT implementations, they provide a comprehensive picture of how to cut costs and add valuable new capabilities to companies. The book takes a comprehensive look at five major areas where IT systems can play a pivotal role in improving any company's manufacturing processes. Going beyond theory, the authors show readers how they can ensure that their IT investments bring a real payback to their companies.

This special issue provides a set of articles written by former colleagues and friends of Jan Hawkins--a member of a talented group of graduate students who participated in the weekly seminars held in what was then referred to as the Institute for Comparative Development during the mid-1970s. The single theme that brought together this diverse group of scholars and that dominates the papers in this issue is the belief in the value of human diversity not only as a resource for understanding human nature, but as a necessity for continued human development. The articles and commentaries testify that the ideas, practices, and values that Jan Hawkins helped to create in the mid-1970s are now found around the world.

This book offers an interdisciplinary set of contributions from leading scholars, and explores the complex relationship between media, technology and social movements. It provides a valuable resource for scholars and students working in this rapidly developing field. Providing theoretical engagement with contemporary debates in the field of social movements and new media, the book also includes a theoretical overview of central contemporary debates, a re-evaluation of theories of social movement communication, and a critical overview of media ecology and media approaches in social movement scholarship. The theoretical contributions are also developed though empirical case studies from around the world, including the use of Facebook in student protests in the UK, the way power operates in Anonymous, the "politics of mundanity" in China, the emotional dynamics on Twitter of India's Nirbhaya protest, and analysis of Twitter networks in the transnational feminist campaign 'Take Back The Tech!'. This book was originally published as a special issue of Social Movement Studies.

Space is a central topic in cultural and narrative theory today, although in most cases theory assumes Newtonian absolute space. However, the idea of a universal homogeneous space is now obsolete. Black holes, multiple dimensions, quantum entanglement, and spatio-temporal distortions of relativity have passed into culture at large. This book examines whether narrative can be used to represent these "impossible" spaces. Impossible topologies abound in ancient mythologies, from the Australian Aborigines' "dream-time" to the multiple-layer universe of the Sumerians. More recently, from Alice's adventures in Wonderland to contemporary science fiction's obsession with black holes and quantum paradoxes, counter-intuitive spaces are a prominent feature of modern and postmodern narrative. With the rise and popularization of science fiction, the inventiveness and variety of impossible narrative spaces explodes. The author analyses the narrative techniques used to represent such spaces alongside their cultural significance. Each chapter connects narrative deformation of space with historical problematic of time, and demonstrates the cognitive and perceptual primacy of narrative in representing, imagining and apprehending new forms of space and time. This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the connection between narratology, cultural theory, science fiction, and studies of place.

This important Handbook provides a unique overview of information systems (IS) research by focusing on the increasing interest in critical-related issues. Representing a significant step forward in the development of critical perspectives on the IS field, the Handbook draws together original contributions from leading authors who offer alternatives to the current mainstream approaches to IS research. In order to accommodate the various strands of critical understanding, a broad range of views and theoretical standpoints are encompassed, thereby combining theory with practical applications, and offering a valuable source of reference for this emerging area of research. Recent years have witnessed a more explicit focus on critical research and, continuing in that vein, the editors adopt an inclusive approach which considers alternative insights that can arise from critical IS research. Topics explored include, amongst others: * management trends and IS * flexibility, freedom and women's emancipation * 'consuming passions' in the global knowledge economy * critical discourse analysis for the study of information systems * evaluation of e-governance projects in India * rationalities and emotions in IS innovation * capital, information technology and enterprise development * mediated work in global business organizations. Reflecting on key themes and emergent issues in critical information systems research, this Handbook will be invaluable reading for both academics and practitioners with an interest in a critical understanding of information systems from a variety of perspectives.

Modern technological systems entail risks and uncertainties of hitherto unknown dimensions. This book discusses the construction of risk and safety within a variety of empirical contexts where technologies and their risk are debated and handled by individuals, groups or organizations. With contributions from leading scholars from Europe and the USA, it presents original theoretical discussions, linked to detailed empirical case studies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203216776

This book enables petroleum reservoir engineers to predict the flow of fluids within a hydrocarbon deposit. Laboratory techniques are described for both steady-state and unsteady state measurements, and the calculation of relative permeability from field data is illustrated. A discussion of techniques for determing wettability is included, along with theoretical and empirical methods for the calculation of relative permeability, and prediction techniques. Contents include: Measurement of Rock Relative Permeability; Two-Phase Relative Permeability; Factors Affecting Two-Phase Relative Permeability; Three-Phase Relative Permeability; and Index.

Hogs Are Up: Stories of the Land, with Digressions reveals what makes Wes Jackson tick. What kind of lessons does he draw from his unique life experiences, and how do they shape his profoundly revolutionary worldview? Sometimes funny, sometimes wistful, always insightful, this volume demonstrates that when telling a good story, digressions can be the main point. Born during the Great Depression, Jackson tells stories of his youth on a diversified farm in the Kansas River Valley near Topeka, Kansas, culminating in more than forty years of leadership to radically transform agriculture, literally at its very roots. Wes Jackson draws deeply from the lessons learned from his experience dating from World War II to his work at The Land Institute to establish a new Natural Systems Agriculture. But this book is more than that. It includes an eclectic mix of thinkers and doers he's met along the way. Wes Jackson is heavily influenced by the cultural legacy of grandparents, all four of whom were born before the Civil War began, and from his parents, who were born before 1900. He was born into a culture of crop diversity where animals and people were out in the fields and around. He saw the tractor arrive and the horses leave. After you read Hogs Are Up: Stories of the Land, with Digressions you may share his misgivings about what conventional thinkers see as 'progress.' Jackson is constantly exploring the world around him and will engage anyone who can help him think about a discovery, an experiment, or recent insight. Jackson believes that our insights must go beyond the latest scholarly study and government report if we are to get the necessary interest for people to change. The stories and digressions he shares in Hogs Are Up are the fruit of a longtime effort to lay the agricultural and cultural foundation for a new worldview grounded in nature's principles and located in rural communities able to survive through a new relationship of humanity to the ecosphere.

This anthology brings together voices from industry and academia in a call for elevating the status, identity, value, and influence of technical communicators. Editors Barbara Mirel and Rachel Spilka assert that technical communicators must depart from their traditional roles, moving instead in a more influential and expansive direction. To help readers explore the possibilities, contributions from innovative thinkers and leaders in technical communication propose ways to redefine the field's identity and purposes and to expand the parameters of its work.
The chapters included here all point toward new directions for greater growth and influence of the field. Contributors depart from traditional ideas and solutions and discuss new and in some cases radical points, provoking further thought and discussion. Its exploration of fresh territory uncovers new research topics and directions, and provides an examination of both internal, industry-academia relationships and external relationships between technical communicators and other professionals. In its entirety, this collection represents an inclusive vision for the future, targeting such wide-ranging issues as creating effective professional organizations, disseminating research to diverse audiences, transitioning to more influential job roles, exerting leadership in usability, and creating hybrid identities and collaborative programs between industry and academic to support them.
The diverse voices from industry and academia will inspire readers to think differently about the discipline's identity and direction, and to build on the ideas they find herein to effect change within their own spheres. As required reading for academics and professionals in technical communication, this collection is a critical step in reshaping and reinvigorating the technical communication field to ensure its survival and growth in the 21st century.

Contents:
Preface 1. Beneath the surface 2. Innovation success in follower-firms 3. Changing policies for science and technology: government and markets 4. Innovation on the shopfloor - a new wave 5. From process to product and proprietary 6. Managing R&D in technology-followers 7. Design leadership for technology-followers 8. Building a culture for innovation 9. Followers to leaders.

Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Framework 3. Methodology 4. The Context: Higher Education Research Function and its Link to the Industrial Sector: Some Antecedents 5. The Electronic Industry in Jalisco: Development and Participation 6. Technology Transfer and Assimilation Via University-Industry Relationship: The Case of the Foreign High Technology Electronic Industry in Guadalajara 7. The Availability of Relevant Skills as Indicator of Absorptive Capacity 8. The Scientific and Technological Activities as Indicator of Absorptive Capacities 9. Discussion of Findings and Conclusion Appendices References

The last years have seen a profusion of books and articles on managing technology, focused almost exclusively on leading edge firms in leading edge countries. This book argues that succeeding as a follower-firm requires learning from many experiences and avoiding simplistic 'how-to' approaches that prescribe one best practice. Individual chapters cover:

* the role of innovation on the shop-floor
* the importance of mixing process and product innovation
* the challenges involved in building an innovation culture
* the special role of R&D and design.

These topics instruct a deeper understanding of strategy in follower-firms, simultaneously providing insight for public policy in building local technological capacity. Forbes and Wield argue that there are many 'leading edges' which appear in the most unlikely places. Their book contains major case studies from many different firms in twelve countries over five continents, in industry segments as diverse as pharmaceuticals, software, garments, beer and steel.

This informative book for students, researchers and professionals in the fields of business, management and information technology shows that successful experiences can arise anywhere in the world.

Much is written in the popular literature about the current pace of technological change. But do we have enough scientific knowledge about the sources and management of innovation to properly inform policymaking in technology dependent domains such as energy and the environment? While it is agreed that technological change does not 'fall from heaven like autumn leaves, ' the theory, data, and models are deficient. The specific mechanisms that govern the rate and direction of inventive activity, the drivers and scope for incremental improvements that occur during technology diffusion, and the spillover effects that cross-fertilize technological innovations remain poorly understood. In a work that will interest serious readers of history, policy, and economics, the editors and their distinguished contributors offer a unique, single volume overview of the theoretical and empirical work on technological change. Beginning with a survey of existing research, they provide analysis and case studies in contexts such as medicine, agriculture, and power generation, paying particular attention to what technological change means for efficiency, productivity, and reduced environmental impacts. The book includes a historical analysis of technological change, an examination of the overall direction of technological change, and general theories about the sources of change. The contributors empirically test hypotheses of induced innovation and theories of institutional innovation. They propose ways to model induced technological change and evaluate its impact, and they consider issues such as uncertainty in technology returns, technology crossover effects, and clustering. A copublication o Resources for the Future (RFF) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

Exploring the relationship between postindustrial writing and developments in energy production, manufacturing, and agriculture, Michael J. Salvo shows how technological and industrial innovation relies on communicative and organizational suppleness. Through representative case studies, Salvo demonstrates the ways in which technical communicators formulate opportunities that link resources with need. His book is a supple articulation of the opportunities and pitfalls that come with great change.