Handbook of Metaheuristic Algorithms: From Fundamental Theories to Advanced Applications provides a brief introduction to metaheuristic algorithms from the ground up, including basic ideas and advanced solutions. Although readers may be able to find source code for some metaheuristic algorithms on the Internet, the coding styles and explanations are generally quite different, and thus requiring expanded knowledge between theory and implementation. This book can also help students and researchers construct an integrated perspective of metaheuristic and unsupervised algorithms for artificial intelligence research in computer science and applied engineering domains. Metaheuristic algorithms can be considered the epitome of unsupervised learning algorithms for the optimization of engineering and artificial intelligence problems, including simulated annealing (SA), tabu search (TS), genetic algorithm (GA), ant colony optimization (ACO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE), and others. Distinct from most supervised learning algorithms that need labeled data to learn and construct determination models, metaheuristic algorithms inherit characteristics of unsupervised learning algorithms used for solving complex engineering optimization problems without labeled data, just like self-learning, to find solutions to complex problems.

To most people, technology has been reduced to computers, consumer goods, and military weapons; we speak of "technological progress" in terms of RAM and CD-ROMs and the flatness of our television screens. In "Human-Built World," thankfully, Thomas Hughes restores to technology the conceptual richness and depth it deserves by chronicling the ideas about technology expressed by influential Western thinkers who not only understood its multifaceted character but who also explored its creative potential.
Hughes draws on an enormous range of literature, art, and architecture to explore what technology has brought to society and culture, and to explain how we might begin to develop an "ecotechnology" that works with, not against, ecological systems. From the "Creator" model of development of the sixteenth century to the "big science" of the 1940s and 1950s to the architecture of Frank Gehry, Hughes nimbly charts the myriad ways that technology has been woven into the social and cultural fabric of different eras and the promises and problems it has offered. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, optimistically hoped that technology could be combined with nature to create an Edenic environment; Lewis Mumford, two centuries later, warned of the increasing mechanization of American life.
Such divergent views, Hughes shows, have existed side by side, demonstrating the fundamental idea that "in its variety, technology is full of contradictions, laden with human folly, saved by occasional benign deeds, and rich with unintended consequences." In "Human-Built World," he offers the highly engaging history of these contradictions, follies, and consequences, a history that resurrects technology, rightfully, as more than gadgetry; it is in fact no less than an embodiment of human values.

By reconsidering the theme of isolation in the philosophy of technology, and by drawing upon recent developments in social ontology, Lawson provides an account of technology that will be of interest and value to those working in a variety of different fields. Technology and Isolation includes chapters on the philosophy, history, sociology and economics of technology, and contributes to such diverse topics as the historical emergence of the term 'technology', the sociality of technology, the role of technology in social acceleration, the relationship between Marx and Heidegger, and the relationship between technology and those with autism. The central contribution of the book is to provide a new ontology of technology. In so doing, Lawson argues that much of the distinct character of technology can be explained or understood in terms of the dynamic that emerges from technology's peculiar constitutional mix of isolatable and non-isolatable components.

This book is based on a study of 84 technological innovations that won Queen's Awards in 1966 and 1967. Nearly 40 of these are presented as well-documented but readable case histories. The topics range from new antibiotics to fast patrol boats, from an improved way of making bread to aircraft equipment, from new building materials and techniques to scientific instruments, from automatic gearboxes to guided missiles. Many points of interest are covered in the discussion. Is innovation more often 'pushed' by scientific or technological discoveries or more often 'pulled' by the needs of the market or of management? Is is true that outstanding individuals are necessary for success? Is it true that the time-lag between discovery and exploitations is shortening? Can one specify optimum sizes for research teams? What is the role of basic reseach? These are some of the issues raised in the course of a wide-ranging discussion of factors affecting technological innovation.

Cell phone apps share location information; software companies store user data in the cloud; biometric scanners read fingerprints; employees of some businesses have microchips implanted in their hands. In each of these instances we trade a share of privacy or an aspect of identity for greater convenience or improved security. What Robert M. Pallitto asks in Bargaining with the Machine is whether we are truly making such bargains freely - whether, in fact, such a transaction can be conducted freely or advisedly in our ever more technologically sophisticated world. Pallitto uses the social theory of bargaining to look at the daily compromises we make with technology. Specifically, he explores whether resisting these 'bargains' is still possible when the technologies in question are backed by persuasive, even coercive, corporate and state power. Who, he asks, is proposing the bargain? What is the balance of bargaining power? What is surrendered and what is gained? And are the perceived and the actual gains and losses the same - that is, what is hidden? At the center of Pallitto's work is the paradox of bargaining in a world of limited agency. Assurances that we are in control are abundant whether we are consumers, voters, or party to the social contract. But when purchasing goods from a technological behemoth like Amazon, or when choosing a candidate whose image is crafted and shaped by campaign strategists and media outlets, how truly free, let alone informed, are our choices? The tension between claims of agency and awareness of its limits is the site where we experience our social lives - and nowhere is this tension more pronounced than in the surveillance society. This book offers a cogent analysis of how that complex, contested, and even paradoxical experience arises as well as an unusually clear and troubling view of the consequential compromises we may be making.

Technological Superpower China explores how China is becoming a technological superpower within the global economy by integrating its national R&D programmes with the innovation systems of national and international corporations. Jon Sigurdson provides a thorough and comprehensive analysis of China's knowledge foundation in technology and R&D following its dynamic march forward in the early 1980s. The author describes how China's narrow window of opportunity - before becoming an ageing nation - has prompted the country to hurriedly mobilize resources in the hope of becoming a technological superpower within the next few decades. He examines how advances in higher education, human resources development, technology access through FDI, technology transfer, ICT, space and defence technology and corporate technology are being exploited in the race to emerge as an advanced knowledge economy nation. Exploring the changes in China that are transforming the technological landscape of the country, this book will be a fascinating read for academics, students and researchers interested in China's development, the foundations of its economic growth and its role in regional and political affairs.

From the medieval farm implements used by the first colonists to the invisible links of the Internet, the history of technology in America is a history of society as well. Arguing that "the tools and processes we use are a part of our lives, not simply instruments of our purpose," historian Carroll Pursell analyzes technology's impact on the lives of women and men, on their work, politics, and social relationships -- and how, in turn, people influence technological development.

Pursell shows how both the idea of progress and the mechanical means to harness the forces of nature developed and changed as they were brought from the Old World to the New. He describes the ways in which American industrial and agricultural technology began to take on a distinctive shape as it adapted and extended the technical base of the industrial revolution. He discusses the innovation of an American system of manufactures and the mechanization of agriculture; new systems of mining, lumbering, and farming, which helped conquer and define the West; and the technologies that shaped the rise of cities.

In the second edition of The Machine in America, Pursell brings this classic history up to date with a revised chapter on war technology and new discussions on information technology, globalization, and the environment.

This book presents the Proceedings of The 7th Brazilian Technology Symposium (BTSym'21). The book discusses current technological issues on Systems Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, such as the Transmission Line, Protein-modified mortars, Electromagnetic Properties, Clock Domains, Chebyshev Polynomials, Satellite Control Systems, Hough Transform, Watershed Transform, Blood Smear Images, Toxoplasma Gondi, Operation System Developments, MIMO Systems, Geothermal-Photovoltaic Energy Systems, Mineral Flotation Application, CMOS Techniques, Frameworks Developments, Physiological Parameters Applications, Brain Computer Interface, Artificial Neural Networks, Computational Vision, Security Applications, FPGA Applications, IoT, Residential Automation, Data Acquisition, Industry 4.0, Cyber-Physical Systems, Digital Image Processing, Patters Recognition, Machine Learning, Photocatalytic Process, Physical-chemical analysis, Smoothing Filters, Frequency Synthesizers, Voltage Controlled Ring Oscillator, Difference Amplifier, Photocatalysis, Photodegradation, current technological issues on Human, Smart and Sustainable Future of Cities, such as the Digital Transformation, Data Science, Hydrothermal Dispatch, Project Knowledge Transfer, Immunization Programs, Efficiency and Predictive Methods, PMBOK Applications, Logistics Process, IoT, Data Acquisition, Industry 4.0, Cyber-Physical Systems, Fingerspelling Recognition, Cognitive Ergonomics, Ecosystem services, Environmental, Ecosystem services valuation, Solid Waste and University Extension.

Globalization and technological innovation are interdependent processes. Globalization has a fundamental influence on the creation and diffusion of technology which, in turn, affects the interdependence of multinational corporations and where they locate their activities. In this book Rajneesh Narula examines the international aspect of this interdependence at two levels: first, between sites, by examining the role of cross-border initiatives in the innovation process; second, between corporate entities, by studying the dynamics of inter-firm collaboration in research and development.

Narula explores an important paradox. On the one hand, locations and corporations are increasingly interdependent through supranational organizations, regional integration, strategic alliances, and the flow of investments, technologies, ideas and people. The boundaries of both corporations and states are increasingly porous and imprecise, because businesses use alliances and outsourcing, and countries are rarely technologically self-sufficient. On the other hand, locations remain distinct and idiosyncratic, with innovation systems largely nationally bound. Knowledge creation suffers from 'inertia' and, because of the systemic nature of learning, continues to be concentrated in a few locations and firms.

This book will appeal to students of business and management studies, globalization, technical change and information and communication technologies. Drawing on a wide variety of data at the corporate and national level, it also spells out important lessons for policy makers and managers concerned with industrial and technology policy, as well as those interested in theorganization of research and development.

Open Source Innovation (OSI) has gained considerable momentum within the last years. Academic and management practice interest grows as more and more end-users consider and even participate in Open Source product development like Linux, Android, or Wikipedia. Open Source Innovation: Phenomenon, Participant Behaviour, Impact brings together rigorous academic research and business importance in scrutinizing OCI from three perspectives: The Phenomenon, Participants' Behavior, and Business Implications. The first section introduces OCI artefacts, including who is participating and why, and provides a systematic overview of the literature. The second section stresses the behaviour of participants, highlighting participation progression, community selection, user entrepreneurship and fair behaviour, and answering key questions like how to manage governance rules, openness and community design aspects. The third explores the impact and implications of OSI for firms and economies by evaluating business models, uncovering opportunities for firms to interact with communities, and presenting value capture mechanisms. Open Source Innovation provides a full picture of the movement to help readers understand and engage with OSI from the micro perspective of individuals, to the community, to the macro perspective of firms and economies.

Cengel's Thermodynamics is known to be student friendly, self-instructive, and easy to read and understand even for the most challenging topics with the help of attractive illustrations, examples, and real-world applications. The authors' philosophy is that the best way to learn is by practice. Special effort is made throughout the book to reinforce material that was presented earlier and to appeal to students' natural curiosity and intuition. For instructors looking to engage students and enhance their problem-solving skills, Connect offers student-friendly, accessible content, tools, and resources that develop high-level problem-solving and critical thinking skills, including New Application-Based Activities.

Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and science studies, "Philosophy of Technology" offers an engaging and comprehensive overview of a subject vital to our time.
An up-to-date, accessible overview of the philosophy of technology, defining technology and its characteristics.
Explores the issues that arise as technology becomes an integral part of our society.
In addition to traditional topics in science and technology studies, the volume offers discussion of technocracy, the romantic rebellion against technology.
Complements "The Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition: An Anthology," edited by Robert C. Scharff and Val Dusek (Blackwell, 2003).

'Endlessly insightful and full of surprises - exactly what you would expect from Tim Harford' BILL BRYSON 'Entertaining . . . A lively introduction to some of the most ingenious, yet often overlooked inventions that have changed the way we live' The Times 'Every Tim Harford book is cause for celebration' MALCOLM GLADWELL 'Harford is a fine, perceptive writer, and an effortless explainer of tricky concepts. His book teems with good things, and will expand the mind of anyone lucky enough to read it' Daily Mail In Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy, the revolutionary, acclaimed book, radio series and podcast, bestselling economist Tim Harford introduced us to a selection of fifty radical inventions that changed the world. Now, in this new book, Harford once again brings us an array of remarkable, memorable, curious and often unexpected 'things' - inventions that teach us lessons by turns intimate and sweeping about the complex world economy we live in today. From the brick, blockchain and the bicycle to fire, the factory and fundraising, and from solar PV and the pencil to the postage stamp, this brilliant and enlightening collection resonates, fascinates and stimulates. It is a wonderful blend of insight and inspiration from one of Britain's finest non-fiction storytellers.

Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Radiation Sources, Exposure and Health Effects 3. Spent Fuel Management 4. High-level Waste Management 5. Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Waste 6. Transuranic Waste Management 7. Low-Level Waste Management 8. Uranium Ore Mill Tailings Management 9. Mixed Wastes 10. Environmental Restoration 11. Transportation 12. Decontamination and Decomissioning Appendicies Index

Building a successful product usually involves teams of people, and many choose the Scrum approach to aid in creating products that deliver the highest possible value. Implementing Scrum gives teams a collection of powerful ideas they can assemble to fit their needs and meet their goals. The ninety-four patterns contained within are elaborated nuggets of insight into Scrumâ (TM)s building blocks, how they work, and how to use them. They offer novices a roadmap for starting from scratch, yet they help intermediate practitioners fine-tune or fortify their Scrum implementations. Experienced practitioners can use the patterns and supporting explanations to get a better understanding of how the parts of Scrum complement each other to solve common problems in product development. The patterns are written in the well-known Alexandrian form, whose roots in architecture and design have enjoyed broad application in the software world. The form organizes each pattern so you can navigate directly to organizational design tradeoffs or jump to the solution or rationale that makes the solution work. The patterns flow together naturally through the context sections at their beginning and end. Learn everything you need to know to master and implement Scrum one step at a time'the agile way.

Innovators of all stripes--like Airbnb and Uber--are increasingly using new technological capabilities to circumvent traditional regulatory systems, or at least put pressure on public policymakers to reform laws and regulations that are outmoded, inefficient, or illogical. Other disruptive innovators are emerging in other fields using technologies as wide-ranging as 3-D printers, drones, driverless cars, Bitcoin and blockchain, virtual reality, the "Internet of Things," and more. Some of these innovators just love to tinker. Others want to change the world with new life-enriching products. And many more are just looking to earn a living and support their families. Regardless of why they are doing it, these "evasive entrepreneurs"--innovators who don't always conform to social or legal norms--are changing the world and challenging their governments. Beyond boosting economic growth and raising our living standards, evasive entrepreneurialism can play an important role in constraining unaccountable governmental activities that often fail to reflect common sense or the consent of the governed. In essence, evasive entrepreneurialism and technological civil disobedience are new "checks and balances" that help us rein in the excesses of the state, make government more transparent and accountable, and ensure that our civil rights and economic liberties are respected. This book will explain to the reader why evasive entrepreneurs are increasingly engaged in different forms of technological civil disobedience and also make the case that we should accept--and often even embrace--a certain amount of that activity as a way to foster innovation, economic growth, and more accountable government.

Dive straight into hot Fire phone features you won't find in any other device - like Firefly, Mayday, and Dynamic Perspective - with this concise hands-on guide. You probably already know how to make calls, text, and take photos with Amazon's new phone, but where it really shines is in innovative features you've never even seen before. This intuitive, easy-to-follow book opens a world of possibilities with the Fire phone, right out of the box. Instantly identify and order just about any product with Firefly - from DVDs, CDs, and books (or their electronic equivalents) to nearly anything else with a barcode Use Mayday to get live, hands-on tech support and customer service right on your phone Immerse yourself in 3D games, maps, and apps with the Dynamic Perspective sensor system Navigate easily with new one-handed (and no-handed!) gestures found only on Fire phone

In this extraordinary introduction to the study of the philosophy of technology, Andrew Feenberg argues that techonological design is central to the social and political structure of modern societies. Environmentalism, information technology, and medical advances testify to technology's crucial importance.
In his lucid and engaging style, Feenberg shows that technology is the medium of daily life. Every major technical changes reverberates at countless levels: economic, political, and cultural. If we continue to see the social and technical domains as being seperate, then we are essentially denying an integral part of our existence, and our place in a democratic society.
Questioning Tecchnology convinces us that it is vital that we learn more about technology the better to live with it and to manage it.

From TikTok and Fortnite to Grindr and Facebook, Aynne Kokas delivers an urgent look into the technology firms that gather our data, and how the Chinese government is capitalizing on this data flow for political gain. On August 6, 2020, the Trump Administration issued a ban on TikTok in the United States, requiring that the owner, Beijing-based Bytedance, sell the company to American investors or shut it down. Legions of TikTokers were devastated at the possible loss of their beloved platform, and for what: a political grudge with China? American suitors like Walmart and Oracle tried to make a deal with Bytedance to keep the platform operating in the US. But then something curious happened. The Chinese government refused to let Bytedance sell TikTok on national security grounds. As it turns out, the pandemic era platform for dance challenges is a Chinese government asset. As digital technologies and social media have evolved into organizing forces for the way in which we conduct our work and social lives, the business logic that undergirds these digital platforms has become clear: we are their product. We give these businesses information about everything-from where we live and work to what we like to do for entertainment, what we consume, where we travel, what we think politically, and with whom we are friends and acquaintances. We do this willingly, but often without a full understanding of how this information is stored or used, or what happens to it when it crosses international boundaries. As Aynne Kokas argues, both corporations and governments "traffic" much of this data without our consent-and sometimes illegally-for political and financial gain. In Trafficking Data, Aynne Kokas looks at how technology firms in the two largest economies in the world, the United States and China, have exploited government policy (and the lack thereof) to gather information on citizens, putting US national security at risk. Kokas argues that US government leadership failures, Silicon Valley's disruption fetish, and Wall Street's addiction to growth have fuelled China's technological goldrush. In turn, American complacency yields an unprecedented opportunity for Chinese firms to gather data in the United States and quietly send it back to China, and by extension, to the Chinese government. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the US and China and a large trove of corporate and policy documents, Trafficking Data explains how China is fast becoming the global leader in internet governance and policy, and thus of the data that defines our public and private lives.

In a crucial sense, all machines are time machines. The essays in Media Infrastructures and the Politics of Digital Time develop the central concept of hardwired temporalities to consider how technical networks hardwire and rewire patterns of time. Digital media introduce new temporal patterns in their features of instant communication, synchronous collaboration, intricate time management, and continually improved speed. They construct temporal infrastructures that affect the rhythms of lived experience and shape social relations and practices of cooperation. Interdisciplinary in method and international in scope, the volume draws together insights from media and communication studies, cultural studies, and science and technology studies while staging an important encounter between two distinct approaches to the temporal patterning of media infrastructures, a North American strain emphasizing the social and cultural experiences of lived time and a European tradition, prominent especially in Germany, focusing on technological time and time-critical processes.

Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and science studies, "Philosophy of Technology" offers an engaging and comprehensive overview of a subject vital to our time.
An up-to-date, accessible overview of the philosophy of technology, defining technology and its characteristics.
Explores the issues that arise as technology becomes an integral part of our society.
In addition to traditional topics in science and technology studies, the volume offers discussion of technocracy, the romantic rebellion against technology.
Complements "The Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition: An Anthology," edited by Robert C. Scharff and Val Dusek (Blackwell, 2003).

"The essays collected in this book are sparkling, imaginative pieces of journalism that just happen to be about technology. People steeped in the world of AJAX or Massively Mulitplayer Online Games will find a lot to value here, but so will readers simply in search of good writing."
--James Fallows, National Correspondent for "Atlantic Monthly"
"The human experience is being shaped by our symbiotic relationship to technology. What makes this collection wonderful is that it's not about the technology, per se, but it's about this changing human experience. I will look forward to it every year."
--Po Bronson, author of "What Should I Do With My Life?"
"The Best of Technology Writing 2006" brings together some of the most important, timely, and just plain readable writing in the fast-paced, high-stakes field of technology. The first annual collection to target this vibrant and versatile area, "The Best of Technology Writing 2006" features innovative work from an unusually diverse array of writers: best-selling authors, noted academics, and indie journalists and bloggers. The culmination of an open, on-line nominating process, this collection covers topics ranging from jetpacks, to the ethics of genetically cloned pets, to the meaning of life in the information age. By turns epic and intimate, serious and playful, "The Best of Technology Writing 2006" captures the vitality, importance, and complexity of technology today. Koerner
Featuring contributions from: David A. BellDavid BernsteinMike DaiseyJoshua DavisJay DixitDaniel EngberDan FerberSteven JohnsonSteven LevyFarhad ManjooLisa MargonelliDavid McNeillJustin MullinsKoranteng Ofosu-AmaahAdam L. PenenbergDanielH. PinkEvan RatliffAlex RossJim RossignolJesse SunenblickEdward TennerClive ThompsonJoseph TurowRichard Waters Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor for "Wired," a columnist for both "New York Times" and "Slate," and a fellow at the New America Foundation. His first book will be published by Henry Holt & Company in 2008.

digitalculturebooks is an imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative and accessible work exploring new media and its impact on society, culture, and scholarly communication. Visit the website at www.digitalculture.org.

This book offers fresh insight into women's mastery of technologies commonly associated with men, with important implications for institutional efforts to identify and support technical proficiency among girls and women. The work is structured across five original case studies featuring: breast cancer survivors in Newfoundland who constructed a wooden dragon boat using hand and power tools; Egyptian women who used information and communication technologies for political action during the Revolution of 2011; pioneer female audio engineers in the United States working in live concert and studio venues; U.S. female commercial airline pilots who mastered the complexity of flying large aircraft; and a university-educated woman working in sewer maintenance and repair for the City of Detroit in the 1970s. The case studies capture women's own voices and present a range of historical and geographic locations. A major contribution of this volume is the multidisciplinary analytical framework used to explain women's motivation to engage with non-traditional technologies, the role of peer and political support in encouraging persistence, and informal as well as formal knowledge and skill acquisition. Above all, it is a story of women's empowerment - individually and collectively. This is a unique book suitable for undergraduates and graduates in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies; Science, Technology and Society (STS) Studies; Engineering Education; and Adult Education.